Washer Dispenser Drawer With Pivot-Slide Access and Upright Cups
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry treating appliances, such as washing machines, often have dispenser systems that compromise on both functionality and aesthetics, with traditional drawer designs being either aesthetically unpleasing or functionally inefficient in terms of chemistry dispensing.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser system where a dispenser container is slidably and pivotally mounted to the housing, allowing for a combined sliding and pivoting motion that maintains an upright position during operation, enhancing user experience and minimizing chemistry sloshing, while providing a clean and aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a traditional drawer dispenser design is used, then the structure is simple, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates and chemistry sloshing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sliding motion and pivoting motion into a single integrated mechanism. The dispenser container is simultaneously slidably mounted and pivotally mounted, creating a unified movement system that achieves both aesthetic retraction and functional dispensing without requiring separate mechanisms for each motion type.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser container transitions from a static or simple linear drawer design to a dynamic system with coupled sliding and pivoting motions. This dynamic mechanism allows the container to retract smoothly for aesthetics while maintaining upright positioning during operation to prevent chemistry sloshing.
2Ease of operation
If the dispenser container is accessible through the access opening, then user operation is convenient, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser container is extracted or removed from the housing when needed for filling or refilling operations, and then retracted back into the housing when not in use. This extraction and retraction mechanism allows the container to be accessible when needed while maintaining a clean, integrated appearance when stowed.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser container nests within the housing structure when retracted, creating a compact, integrated appearance. The container can be fully or partially inserted into the housing, allowing it to be hidden when not in use while remaining accessible when needed.
3Ease of operation
If the dispenser door is pivotally mounted for opening, then access to the dispenser container is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotal mounting of the dispenser door is combined with the sliding and pivoting motion of the dispenser container. The door pivot mechanism and container motion mechanism are integrated so that door opening automatically triggers or facilitates container extension, reducing the need for separate control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a washing machine including a cabinet defining a housing with internal components of a conventional automated clothes washer, a door mounted to the cabinet to selectively open/close the opening to the cabinet, and a dispenser in the form of a drawer having at least one cup in which doses of treating chemistry can be received. The dispenser includes a door pivotally mounted to the housing for pivoting movement between closed and opened positions. The dispenser drawer is pivotally mounted to the dispenser door and slidably mounted to the housing such that pivotal movement of the dispenser door between the closed and opened position effects a corresponding sliding movement of the at least one dispenser cup between the extended and retracted position.