Laundry treating system and kit for use with a laundry treating appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry treating appliances lack flexibility in configuration and customization options, limiting users' ability to tailor treatment processes based on specific laundry needs, such as load size, soil level, and fabric type.
Innovation Solution
A laundry treating system that allows users to configure the appliance into three modes: a dual-basket system, a single-basket system with a vertically oriented agitator post for deep water washing, and a single-basket system with a lower profile impeller for low water washing, enabling customization of clothes movers and baskets for different treatment requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional laundry treating appliance with fixed configuration is used, then the device complexity is low, but the adaptability to different laundry needs is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The laundry treating appliance is divided into separable components: a first clothes mover integrated with the main appliance, and a second clothes mover that can be removably coupled to the appliance. This segmentation allows users to configure the system with different combinations of clothes movers and baskets, enabling adaptability to various laundry needs while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance is designed to support multiple functions through a universal interface that accepts different types of clothes movers and baskets. The removable second clothes mover and second basket can be coupled to the same appliance housing that accommodates the first clothes mover, allowing a single appliance to perform multiple laundry treatment functions tailored to different fabric types, load sizes, and soil levels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single fixed clothes mover configuration is used, then the ease of operation is high, but the ability to accommodate various laundry types is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static, fixed configuration to a dynamic, reconfigurable system. Users can adjust the configuration by removably coupling or decoupling the second clothes mover and second basket based on the specific laundry treatment needs, allowing the appliance to adapt dynamically between different operating modes without requiring complex permanent modifications.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple permanent clothes movers are integrated into the appliance, then the adaptability increases, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of integrating multiple permanent clothes movers into a single complex unit, the system segments the clothes movers into a first integrated mover and a second removable mover. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing by allowing each component to be produced separately using standard manufacturing processes, then assembled through simple coupling mechanisms, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining configuration flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A laundry treating system includes a laundry treating appliance having a first basket for receiving a first laundry load and a first clothes mover disposed in the first basket. The laundry treating system is user configurable between first, second, and third configurations. A kit for customizing a laundry treating appliance can include a second clothes mover and a second basket configured to removably couple with the laundry treating appliance.