WASHING MACHINE DISPENSER CUP
Dispenser cups for washing machine appliances are provided. A dispenser cup includes a container which includes a side wall and a bottom wall, the side wall having a top end. The container defines a compartment configured to receive a wash material. The dispenser cup further includes a wash liquid inlet positioned on the side wall of the container and in fluid communication with the compartment for providing a flow of wash liquid to the compartment. The dispenser cup further includes a deflector plate positioned at least partially within the compartment. The deflector plate is positioned such that wash liquid exhausted from the wash liquid inlet into the compartment contacts the deflector plate and is redirected towards the bottom wall of the container. The dispenser cup further includes a wall extending from the deflector plate within the compartment such that wash liquid redirected towards the top end contacts the wall.
The present subject matter relates generally to a washing machine appliance, or more particularly, to a dispenser cup for a washing machine appliance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWashing machine appliances generally include a tub with a drum rotatably mounted therein. The tub defines a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing. During operation of such washing machine appliances, a wash liquid is directed into the tub and onto articles within the wash chamber of the drum. The drum can rotate at various speeds to agitate articles within the wash chamber in the wash fluid, wring wash fluid from articles within the wash chamber, etc.
During operation of certain washing machine appliances, a volume of wash liquid is directed into the tub in order to wash and/or rinse articles within the wash chamber of the drum. The volume of wash liquid can vary depending upon a variety of factors. For example, large loads may require a large volume of wash liquid, relative to small loads that may require a small volume of wash liquid. Likewise, loads containing absorptive fabrics, such as cotton, may require a large volume of water relative to similarly sized loads containing certain synthetic fabrics, such as polyester or nylon.
One or more fluid additives may be added to the wash liquid to enhance the cleaning or other properties of the wash liquid. The fluid additives may be in powder or concentrated liquid form, and are generally added to a dispenser cup of the washing machine appliance by, e.g., a user of the washing machine appliance. A portion of the wash liquid to be added to the tub may be directed into the dispenser cup to transport the fluid additive to the tub. However, such wash liquid is generally provided as a concentrated flow from an inlet in one area of the dispenser cup, and thus does not reach all of the fluid additive(s) in the dispenser cup. Further, such flows may cause unwanted turbulence in the dispenser cup, causing certain wash materials, e.g., wash detergent, to foam up and leave unwanted residue in the dispenser cup. Thus, residue of the fluid additive(s) may remain within the container. Additionally, in some cases, wash liquid flowed into a dispenser cup may splash or otherwise be directed towards connection points between components of the dispenser cup. This wash liquid may leak through the connection points, wasting wash liquid and potentially causing moisture damage to the washing machine appliance and surrounding area.
Accordingly, improved dispenser cups for washing machine appliances are desired. For example, a dispenser cup that can redirect a flow of water or other wash liquid to more fully cover an area of the dispenser cup and reduce an amount of fluid additive residue in the dispenser cup would be useful. Further, a dispenser cup that can provide such redirection advantages while reducing leakage concerns would be advantageous.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONAspects and advantages of the invention are set forth below in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a dispenser cup for a washing machine appliance is provided. The dispenser cup includes a container which includes a side wall and a bottom wall, the side wall having a top end. The container defines a compartment configured to receive a wash material. The dispenser cup further includes a wash liquid inlet positioned on the side wall of the container and in fluid communication with the compartment for providing a flow of wash liquid to the compartment. The dispenser cup further includes a deflector plate positioned at least partially within the compartment. The deflector plate is positioned such that wash liquid exhausted from the wash liquid inlet into the compartment contacts the deflector plate and is redirected towards the bottom wall of the container. The dispenser cup further includes a wall extending from the deflector plate within the compartment such that wash liquid redirected towards the top end contacts the wall.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a washing machine appliance is provided. The washing machine appliance includes a wash tub, a wash drum rotatably positioned in the wash tub, and a dispenser cup configured to provide a mixture of wash material and wash liquid to at least one of the wash tub or the wash drum. The dispenser cup includes a container which includes a side wall and a bottom wall, the side wall having a top end. The container defines a compartment configured to receive a wash material. The dispenser cup further includes a wash liquid inlet positioned on the side wall of the container and in fluid communication with the compartment for providing a flow of wash liquid to the compartment. The dispenser cup further includes a deflector plate positioned at least partially within the compartment. The deflector plate is positioned such that wash liquid exhausted from the wash liquid inlet into the compartment contacts the deflector plate and is redirected towards the bottom wall of the container. The dispenser cup further includes a wall extending from the deflector plate within the compartment such that wash liquid redirected towards the top end contacts the wall.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof to one skilled in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Referring now to
As will be explained in greater detail below, with reference to
It should be appreciated, however, that the dispenser cup 100 depicted in
Referring still to
Operation of washing machine appliance 50 may be controlled by a processing device or controller 76 (shown in phantom in
The controller 76 may include a memory and microprocessor, such as a general or special purpose microprocessor operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with a cleaning cycle. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. Alternatively, controller 76 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software. The control panel 58 and other components of washing machine appliance 50 may be in communication with controller 76 via one or more signal lines or shared communication busses.
In an illustrative embodiment, laundry items are loaded into wash chamber 70 of the wash drum 64, and a washing cycle is initiated through user manipulation of control input selectors 60. The user may add one or more wash materials to the dispenser cup 100, and the wash drum 64 may be filled with a wash liquid, such as water, and mixed with, e.g., detergent or other wash materials from the dispenser cup 100, to form a wash liquid mixture. A flow of wash liquid into wash drum 64 may be initiated by a valve and spout (not shown), and the wash drum 64 can be filled to the appropriate level for the amount of articles being washed. Once wash drum 64 is properly filled with the wash liquid mixture, the contents of the wash drum 64 may be agitated with the agitation element 74 for cleaning of laundry items in the wash chamber 70. More specifically, the agitation element 70 may be moved back and forth in an oscillatory motion.
After the agitation phase of the wash cycle is completed, the wash drum 64 and wash tub may be drained. Laundry articles can then be rinsed by again adding fluid to wash tub drum 64 and, depending on the particulars of the cleaning cycle selected by a user, the agitation element 74 may again provide agitation within wash drum 64. One or more spin cycles may also be used. In particular, a spin cycle may be applied after the wash cycle and/or after the rinse cycle in order to wring wash fluid from the articles being washed. During a spin cycle, the wash drum 64 may be rotated at relatively high speeds.
It should be appreciated, however, that while described in the context of a specific embodiment of the washing machine appliance 50, using the teachings disclosed herein it will be understood that washing machine appliance 50 is provided by way of example only. Other washing machine appliances having different configurations (such as horizontal-axis washing machine appliances), different appearances, and/or different features may also be utilized with the present subject matter as well.
Referring now to
Further, each container 102, 104, 106 is provided with a wash liquid inlet. For example, the first container 102 is in fluid communication with a first wash liquid inlet 108, the second container 104 is in fluid communication with a second wash liquid inlet 110, and the third container 106 is in fluid communication with a third wash liquid inlet 112. The washing machine appliance 50 may provide a flow of wash liquid to each of the containers 102, 104, 106 via the respective wash liquid inlets 108, 110, 112 simultaneously at the start of a wash cycle, or alternatively the washing machine appliance 50 may be configured to provide a flow of wash liquid to each of the containers 102, 104, 106 sequentially and/or at predetermined time intervals through a wash cycle.
Referring still to
Referring now to
Referring still to
Moreover, for the exemplary embodiment depicted, the wash liquid inlet 104 is made integrally with the side wall 124 of the container 104. For example, the wash liquid inlet 110 may be made of the same material as the side wall 124 of the container 104, with no seams or junctions defined between the two components. Such a configuration may result by molding the side wall 124 of the container 104 and the wash liquid inlet 110 simultaneously together (e.g., in a single, continuous mold), and may prevent any leaks between the two parts.
The dispenser cup 100 depicted further includes an outlet 132 defined in the bottom wall 126 of the container 104 for receiving a mixture of wash liquid and wash material. The outlet 132 may be in fluid communication with the wash tub and/or the wash drum 64 (
Referring still to
Moreover, the deflector plate 134 includes the tapered portion 122 and may further include a rim 136 extending downwardly from the tapered portion 122, such as along the vertical direction V. The tapered portion 122 is positioned such that wash liquid exhausted from the wash liquid inlet 110 contacts the tapered portion 122 when such a flow of wash liquid is provided by the wash liquid inlet 110. The tapered portion 122 slants away from the side wall 124 of the compartment as it extends downwardly. Accordingly, the tapered portion 122 defines an angle, a, relative to the flow direction F, which for the embodiment depicted in
Referring now also to
Referring now to both
Referring still to
Wall 150 may be disposed between the top end 116 and the bottom wall 126 along the vertical direction. In exemplary embodiments, wall 150 may extend from the tapered portion 122. Wall 150 may be disposed above the inlet 110 along the vertical direction V, such that wash liquid exhausted from the inlet 110 contacts the deflector plate 134, such as the tapered portion 122 thereof, without being blocked from such contact by the wall 150. In other words, the wall 150 may be out of a line-of-sight of the wash liquid exhausted from the inlet 110 along flow direction F.
In exemplary embodiments, the wall 150 may extend from the deflector plate 134, such as from the tapered portion 122 thereof, along the vertical direction V. For example, the wall 150 may be substantially parallel to the side wall 124. Alternatively, wall 150 may extend from the deflector plate 134 at an angle to the vertical direction V.
In exemplary embodiments, the wall 150 is made integrally with the deflector plate 134. For example, the wall 150 may be made of the same material as the deflector plate 134, with no seams or junctions defined between the two components. Such a configuration may result by molding the deflector plate 134 and the wall 150 simultaneously together (e.g., in a single, continuous mold), and may prevent any leaks between the two parts.
Accordingly, a dispenser cup 100 including the deflector plate 134 described above with reference to
It should be appreciated that the dispenser cup 100 described above with reference to
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other and examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
Claims
1. A dispenser cup for a washing machine appliance, the dispenser cup comprising:
- a container comprising a side wall and a bottom wall, the side wall having a top end, the container defining a compartment configured to receive a wash material;
- a wash liquid inlet positioned on the side wall of the container and in fluid communication with the compartment for providing a flow of wash liquid to the compartment;
- a deflector plate positioned at least partially within the compartment, the deflector plate positioned such that wash liquid exhausted from the wash liquid inlet into the compartment contacts the deflector plate and is redirected towards the bottom wall of the container; and
- a wall extending from the deflector plate within the compartment such that wash liquid redirected towards the top end contacts the wall.
2. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the wall is disposed between the top end and the bottom wall along the vertical direction.
3. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the wall extends from the deflector plate along a vertical direction.
4. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the wall is made integrally with the deflector plate.
5. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the wash liquid inlet defines a flow direction and wherein the deflector plate defines a convex shape relative to the flow direction.
6. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the deflector plate is configured to spread wash liquid across a width of the bottom wall of the container.
7. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the deflector plate comprises a tapered portion and is positioned such that wash liquid from the wash liquid inlet contacts the tapered portion when the wash liquid is exhausted from the wash liquid inlet.
8. The dispenser cup of claim 7, wherein the wash liquid inlet defines a flow direction and wherein the tapered portion defines an acute angle relative to the flow direction.
9. The dispenser cup of claim 7, wherein the deflector plate further comprises a rim extending downwardly from the tapered portion.
10. The dispenser cup of claim 7, wherein the wall extends from the tapered portion.
11. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the wash liquid inlet is made integrally with the container.
12. The dispenser cup of claim 1, further comprising an outlet defined in the bottom wall of the container for receiving wash liquid and wash material.
13. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the deflector plate is attached to the container at the top end of the container.
14. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the side wall extends substantially along a vertical direction, and wherein the bottom wall extends approximately perpendicularly from the side wall.
15. The dispenser cup of claim 1, wherein the wash liquid inlet defines a flow direction that is approximately perpendicular to the side wall of the container.
16. A washing machine appliance comprising:
- a wash tub;
- a wash drum rotatably positioned in the wash tub; and
- a dispenser cup configured to provide a mixture of wash material and wash liquid to at least one of the wash tub or the wash drum, the dispenser cup comprising: a container comprising a side wall and a bottom wall, the side wall having a top end, the container defining a compartment configured to receive the wash material; a wash liquid inlet positioned on the side wall of the container and in fluid communication with the compartment for providing a flow of wash liquid to the compartment; a deflector plate positioned at least partially within the compartment, the deflector plate positioned such that wash liquid exhausted from the wash liquid inlet into the compartment contacts the deflector plate and is redirected towards the bottom wall of the container; and a wall extending from the deflector plate within the compartment such that wash liquid redirected towards the top end contacts the wall.
17. The washing machine appliance of claim 16, wherein the wall is disposed between the top end and the bottom wall along the vertical direction.
18. The washing machine appliance of claim 16, wherein the wall extends from the deflector plate along a vertical direction.
19. The washing machine appliance of claim 16, wherein the deflector plate comprises a tapered portion and is positioned such that wash liquid from the wash liquid inlet contacts the tapered portion when the wash liquid is exhausted from the wash liquid inlet.
20. The washing machine appliance of claim 19, wherein the wall extends from the tapered portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 29, 2015
Publication Date: Mar 30, 2017
Inventors: Jonathan Ian Nash (La Grange, KY), Pankaj Madhukar Patil (Wooster, OH), Senthil Kandasamy (Hyderabad)
Application Number: 14/868,740