Laundry retrieval and insertion tool and method of using same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Front-loaded laundry machines require bending or kneeling to insert and retrieve laundry, and the process is cumbersome due to the low door opening height and the difficulty in accessing laundry stuck behind or on top of the drum, leading to issues with dyeing of whites by dark clothes left behind.
Innovation Solution
A laundry retrieval device with a resilient and flexible hoop component and panel that can be folded to fit through the door opening, utilizing gravity to facilitate the insertion and retrieval of laundry by rotating the drum, allowing for easier handling and storage in a collapsed form.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the door opening is positioned close to the floor for front-loaded laundry machines, then the machine structure is simplified and manufacturing cost is reduced, but the user must bend or kneel down to insert or retrieve laundry which deteriorates ergonomics and user comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary tool (laundry retrieval device with extended arm) that mediates between the user and the laundry machine. This extended arm allows the user to reach laundry at the bottom of the drum without bending or kneeling, thus resolving the ergonomic problem while maintaining the simple front-loaded machine structure.
2Reliability
If the laundry retrieval device is made large to access all laundry including pieces stuck behind or on-top of the flange, then complete laundry retrieval is achieved, but the device cannot be inserted through the door opening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a telescopic or extendable arm mechanism that allows the device to dynamically change its length. When inserted through the door opening, the arm is in a compact state to fit through the opening. Once inside the drum, the arm can be extended to reach laundry pieces stuck behind or on-top of the flange, thus achieving both small size for insertion and large reach for complete retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The laundry retrieval device is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be extended or deployed sequentially. The main body fits through the door opening, while extended segments or reach mechanisms can be deployed to access laundry in hard-to-reach areas such as behind the flange, enabling complete retrieval without requiring the entire device to be large.
3Ease of operation
If multiple manual steps are used to retrieve and insert laundry, then precise control over each piece is achieved, but the process time and labor effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the laundry retrieval device to enable users to easily grasp and control multiple pieces of laundry simultaneously using features like the basket structure or gripping mechanisms. This allows users to retrieve or insert larger quantities of laundry in fewer actions, reducing the time and effort required while maintaining precise control over the laundry pieces.
Solution Approach 2:
The device combines multiple functions into a single tool: it can retrieve laundry, hold multiple pieces simultaneously, transport them through the door opening, and insert them into the drum. This consolidation of functions reduces the number of separate manual steps required compared to traditional methods, thereby reducing process time while maintaining control.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the resilient and flexible hoop component is made rigid for structural stability, then the device maintains its shape better, but it cannot be folded for easy storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses resilient and flexible hoop components made from materials that can bend and flex. These flexible hoops can be folded or collapsed for compact storage when not in use, yet they maintain sufficient structural stability when deployed to support the panel and hold laundry. The flexibility allows the device to adapt between a compact storage state and a functional operational state.
Solution Approach 2:
The hoop component is designed to be dynamic in nature, transitioning between a folded/collapsed state for storage and an unfolded/expanded state for use. The resilient material properties allow the hoop to maintain its shape and provide structural stability during operation, while also enabling easy folding and collapse for compact storage, thus achieving both stability and adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and comfortable insertion and retrieval of laundry from front-loaded machines, reducing the risk of clothes being left behind and preventing dye transfer between loads, while being easy to store and handle.
Implementation Method 1
An exemplary hoop component is resilient and flexible wherein it enables the laundry retrieval device to be folded to place a first side in contact with an opposing second side of the hoop component and then return back to a hoop shape after being folded.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry retrieval device enables a method of inserting and method of retrieving laundry from a laundry machine using gravity to facilitate the process. The drum of the laundry machine is rotated to cause laundry to fall out of the laundry retrieval device for insertion and onto the laundry retrieval device for retrieval. An exemplary laundry retrieval device has a panel of material that extends within a resilient and flexible hoop component. The panel drapes within the hoop and one or more apertures between the panel and the hoop component forms handles for picking up and manipulating the laundry retrieval device. The hoop component is resilient and flexible to enable the laundry retrieval device to be folded around the laundry for insertion through the door opening and retrieval through the door opening of a laundry machine.