Laundry treatment appliance with improved drawer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing laundry appliances require users to manually actuate drain valves by inserting their fingers, making the process slow, uncomfortable, and prone to spills, as well as risking unintended detergent flushing during drawer retraction.

Innovation Solution

A laundry appliance with a drawer featuring external, user-accessible closure devices for each emptying hole, allowing for easy and reliable opening and closing of compartments without direct contact with detergents, using a plug element and sealing portion to prevent spills, and a flap member that protrudes when open to prevent drawer retraction with open holes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If drain valves are provided within the drawer compartment, then detergent can be emptied from the drawer, but the user must insert fingers inside the storage compartment to actuate the valves, which is slow, uncomfortable, and risks contact with detergent

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operating drain valveVSAvoidtime required to empty drawer

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The closure device is extracted from the interior of the drawer compartment and mounted on the external surface of the drawer. The actuator is positioned on the external surface while the closure element remains inside the compartment, allowing users to operate the drain valve from outside without inserting fingers into the compartment or contacting detergent.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A closure device acts as an intermediary mechanism between the user and the detergent-containing compartment. The device includes a closure element that seals the emptying hole and an actuator that can be operated externally to open/close the closure, mediating the draining function while keeping the user isolated from the detergent.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If drain valves are provided within the drawer compartment, then detergent can be emptied, but there is risk of unintended detergent flushing into the machine during drawer retraction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol over emptyingVSAvoidprevention of unintended emptying

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The closure device is pre-configured in a closed state where the closure element seals the emptying hole. The drawer can be retracted into the machine with the closure already in place, preventing any unintended flushing of detergent. The user must deliberately actuate the closure device to open it before emptying can occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple storage compartments are provided in the drawer, then different laundry treatment agents can be stored separately, but each compartment would require its own internal drain valve and actuator

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage of multiple agentsVSAvoidnumber of drain valves and actuators

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The closure device is designed as a universal component that can be applied to multiple storage compartments. Each compartment has its own closure device with actuator and closure element, but they all follow the same external actuation principle. This allows separate control of each compartment while maintaining consistent user interaction and preventing unintended emptying of any compartment during drawer retraction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3617376B1Laundry treatment appliance with improved drawer

Publication Date: 2022.03.16 ELECTROLUX APPLIANCES

Figure 1A
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Figure 2A

AI summary

A laundry treatment appliance (100) is provided. The laundry treatment chamber comprises a cabinet (105) accommodating a laundry treatment chamber and a drawer (115) adapted to slide into the cabinet. The drawer comprises external walls (222, 2241, 2242) at least partially defining the external shape of a portion of the drawer sliding into the cabinet. The drawer further comprises at least one compartment (2151,2152; 2201,2202) for containing laundry treatment agent. Said compartment is delimited at least partially by at least a portion of at least one external wall. The portion of said at least one external wall of said drawer delimiting said at least one compartment comprises an emptying hole (210H1,210H2). Said emptying hole is in fluid communication with the at least one compartment. The drawer comprises a closure device (210P1,210P2) adapted to be operated for selectively closing and opening said emptying hole. Said closure device is arranged on an external side of the external wall so as to be accessible and operated by a user externally to the drawer for closing and opening the corresponding emptying hole.