The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 06, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 22, 1997
Donald E Erickson, Newton, IA (US);
Margaret H Fey, Newton, IA (US);
Charles L Jackson, Newton, IA (US);
Douglas A Ochsner, Newton, IA (US);
Gary N Petersen, Newton, IA (US);
Maytag Corporation, Newton, IA (US);
Abstract
A washing machine for automatically laundering articles of clothing by imparting mechanical actions upon the articles of clothing within a basket of the machine during a washing operation that includes a wash cycle and a preset number of rinse cycles incorporates a control system that functions to alter the mechanical actions imparted upon the articles of clothing during at least the wash cycle, and preferably both the wash cycle and at least one of the rinse cycles, and/or adds a supplemental rinse cycle to the overall washing operation in response to an indication of a high suds level condition in the machine. The control system receives signals indicative of an operating parameter of the washing machine, such as the input torque or operating speed of a motor of the machine, from a detection unit and utilizes these signals to determine the presence of high levels of suds and the need to transfer to a suds reduction mode of operation. In at least a preferred embodiment of the invention, provisions are made to recover from the suds reduction mode by returning to the normal washing operation and/or simply cancel the supplemental rinse cycle.