Washing machine with positive pressure moisture extraction

Abstract

A washing machine for washing articles includes a housing and a drum mounted within the housing for rotation therein. A door is mounted to the housing, with the door being movable relative to the housing for providing access to the drum. An expandable bladder is mounted within the drum, with the expandable bladder being operable between an extended position for squeezing moisture from articles being washed and a retracted position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 129,137 filed Mar. 6, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND[0002]Home laundry has generally been cleaned with the application of three forms of cleaning action: chemical action, such as with detergents and other cleaning chemicals; mechanical action, such as by agitation, tumbling, rubbing the clothes by hand; and heat, typically applied by heated water.[0003]Some markets are “laundry pair” markets where much of the sales are of a matched washer and dryer set (the United States is such a “laundry pair” market). In Europe and in Asia, the separate sale of dryers is a fraction of the number of washers. This is because of the limited space in the home, limited drain and vent infrastructure, higher energy costs, and the inefficiency of small drum or condensing dryers which take hours to dry clothes.[0004]Most washer machines sold ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention relates to a washing machine that uses an internal mechanical device (a bladder) to wring / squeeze excess moisture from wet articles. This bladder is mounted inside the drum of the machine and can be extended or retracted depending on the needs. The bladder can be inflated with positive pressure to expand and occupy a significant portion of the drum, thereby pressing the wet articles against the bladder to remove moisture. The method also involves positioning the bladder near the drum and using a vacuum pump to assist in the bladder's return to its retracted position. The technical effect of this invention is to provide an efficient and effective way to remove moisture from wet articles during a washing cycle.

Problems solved by technology

This is because of the limited space in the home, limited drain and vent infrastructure, higher energy costs, and the inefficiency of small drum or condensing dryers which take hours to dry clothes.

However, the centripetal force in current machines can only take out so much moisture from the garments, leaving a substantially moist garment requiring more drying time and ultimately more energy to dry the clothes.

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