Removable Laundry Basket Sealing for Separate Wash Chemistries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treating appliances lack effective separation of wash environments, leading to cross-contamination of treating chemistries and unsuitable conditions for different laundry loads, as existing systems operate at fixed speeds and do not account for the characteristics of laundry items or changes in the system.
Innovation Solution
A dual-basket system with a removable basket assembly and a balance ring, featuring a liquid-tight seal and additional sealing features such as annular protrusions, gaskets, and deflectors to separate the wash environments and prevent leakage, allowing for independent treatment of laundry loads with different chemistries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single basket is used for laundry treatment, then the device complexity is low, but cross-contamination of treating chemistries occurs between different laundry loads
Solution Approach 1:
The single laundry treating appliance is segmented into two separate baskets (first basket and second basket) that can be selectively positioned. Each basket operates as an independent treating chamber, allowing different chemistries and treatment conditions for different laundry loads simultaneously, thereby preventing cross-contamination while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular design
2Reliability
If a dual-basket system is implemented to separate wash environments, then cross-contamination is minimized, but the device complexity increases due to additional sealing features
Solution Approach 1:
The second basket is nested within the first basket, with the second basket selectively positionable inside the first basket's treating chamber. This nesting arrangement allows both baskets to coexist in a single appliance while maintaining separate wash environments. The balance ring structure provides support and alignment, and sealing features are integrated at the interfaces where baskets meet, ensuring environmental separation without requiring completely independent sealing systems for each basket
3Adaptability or versatility
If the second basket is selectively received within the first basket, then versatility is improved for different laundry treatments, but leakage may occur at the junction between baskets
Solution Approach 1:
A gasket is provided at the junction between the first basket and the balance ring to create a flexible sealing barrier. The gasket compensates for manufacturing tolerances and dimensional variations, ensuring a liquid-tight seal that prevents leakage of wash liquids and chemistries between baskets. This flexible sealing approach maintains the selective configurability of the dual-basket system while eliminating the harmful leakage effect at the basket interface
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for a laundry treating appliance can include a tub carrying a first basket defining a first treating chamber. A removable basket assembly can be included in the laundry treating appliance selectively carried at least partially within the first basket. A portion of the second basket can be sloped complementary to a portion of the second basket or a portion of the second basket in order to form a liquid-tight seal between the first basket and the second basket.