Claims
- 1. In an automatic washer including a wash tub, wash tub, a wash additive dispenser, and drive means for selectively rotating said dispenser at a first angular speed and a second, greater angular speed, a dispensing cup associated with said wash additive dispenser, said dispensing cup comprising:
- first passage means, formed in said dispensing cup, for permitting liquid flow from said dispenser into said tub when said dispenser is rotated at least as fast as said first angular speed;
- second passage means, formed in said dispensing cup, for permitting centrifugal liquid flow from said dispenser into said tub when said dispenser is rotated at least as said second angular speed; and
- said dispensing cup including a frustoconical portion having a sidewall diverging upwardly from a bottom wall to an upper end of said frustoconical portion, and a radially outwardly-extending toroidal portion disposed at said upper end of said frustoconical portion.
- 2. A dispensing cup according to claim 1, wherein said first passage means is formed in said frustoconical portion, and said second passage means is formed in said toroidal portion.
- 3. A dispensing cup according to claim 2, wherein said first means comprises a plurality of apertures formed in said frustoconical portion, and said second passage means comprises a plurality of apertures formed in said toroidal portion.
- 4. In an automatic washer having a tub, a basket disposed within said tub such as to rotate about a rotational axis and a motor for rotatably driving said basket about said rotational axis, a dispenser mounted within said basket for rotation therewith, said dispenser comprising:
- a receiving cup capable of receiving and containing a predetermined quantity of additive, said receiving cup being connected to said agitator for rotation therewith;
- a dispensing cup secured to receive additive from said receiving cup and being connected to said agitator for rotation therewith; and
- wherein said washer further includes means for rotating said dispenser during a first spin cycle of said automatic washer to initiate transfer of said predetermined quantity of additive from said receiving cup into said dispensing cup, and for rotating said dispenser during a second spin cycle of said automatic washer to cause said predetermined quantity of additive to be centrifugally dispensed into said dispensing cup.
- 5. A dispenser according to claim 4, further comprising at least one holding member disposed between said receiving cup and said dispensing cup, wherein said rotation of said dispenser during said first spin cycle of said automatic washer causes said predetermined quantity of additive to be transferred from said receiving cup into said holding member, and slowing of said rotation of said dispenser during said first spin cycle of said automatic washer initiates flow of said predetermined quantity of additive from said holding member into said dispensing cup.
- 6. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein each of said receiving cup, said holding member, and said dispensing cup has a respective predetermined capacity for receiving fluid to be dispensed, and the respective capacities of said receiving cup and said holding member are substantially greater than the predetermined capacity of said dispensing cup.
- 7. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein each of said receiving cup, said holding member, and said dispensing cup has a respective predetermined capacity for receiving fluid to be dispensed, and the respective capacities of said receiving cup, said holding member, and said dispensing cup are substantially equal to one another.
- 8. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein said holding member comprises a downwardly-directed aperture means for permitting gravity-induced flow of said perdetermined quantity of additive from said holding member into said dispensing cup.
- 9. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein said dispensing cup further comprises the following:
- a bottom wall;
- a frustoconical portion having a sidewall diverging upwardly from said bottom wall to an upper end of said frustoconical portion; and
- a radially outwardly-extending portion disposed at said upper end of said frustoconical portion.
- 10. A dispenser according to claim 9, wherein said dispensing cup further comprises the following:
- a first plurality of apertures formed in said frustoconical portion of said dispensing cup; and
- a second plurality of apertures formed in said outwardly-extending portion of said dispensing cup.
- 11. A dispenser according to claim 9, wherein said outwardly-extending portion of said dispensing cup is toroidal.
- 12. A dispenser according to claim 5, further comprising a cover member having a generally annular sidewall, said cover member including the following:
- surface means for securing said cover member to said holding member; and
- web means for securing said cover member to said receiving cup.
- 13. A dispenser according to claim 12, further comprising vane means, between said holding member and said dispensing cup, for maintaining said holding member in a predetermined relative position with respect to said dispensing cup.
- 14. A dispenser according to claim 13, further comprising projection means, between said holding member and said dispensing cup, for maintaining said holding member in a predetermined relative axial position with respect to said dispensing cup.
- 15. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein said agitator comprises a plurality of agitator vanes, said agitator vanes being disposed on an outer surface of said agitator and exending axially along an outer surface of said dispensing cup.
- 16. In an automatic washer including a tub, and a dispenser mounted for selective rotation in an agitation cycle and at least one spin cycle, said dispenser having a sidewall with at least a portion of said sidewall extending upwardly from a bottom of said dispenser, and a plurality of dispensing passages extending through said portion of said sidewall, a method of dispensing wash additive fluid from said dispenser, said method comprising the following steps:
- retaining a major portion of said wash additive fluid in said dispenser during said agitation cycle; and
- centrifugally dispensing said major portion of said wash additive fluid into said tub from said dispensing passages in said dispenser wall during said at least one spin cycle.
- 17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said at least one spin cycle includes a plurality of spin cycles, and said step of centrifugally dispensing said wash additive fluid into said tub comprises the following substeps:
- centrifugally dispensing a first portion of said wash additive fluid into said tub from said dispensing passages in said dispenser wall during one of said plurality of spin cycles; and
- centrifugally dispensing a second portion of said wash additive fluid into said tub from said dispensing passages in said dispenser wall during a subsequent one of said spin cycles.
- 18. In an automatic washer having a tub and a dispenser mounted for rotation in said tub and including a holding member, and a dispensing cup, a method of dispensing wash additive fluid from said dispenser, said method comprising the following steps:
- filling said receiving cup with a predetermined quantity of wash additive fluid;
- transferring said predetermined quantity of fluid from said receiving cup to said holding member;
- transferring a first portion of said predetermined quantity of wash additive fluid from said holding member into said dispensing cup, while retaining a second, remaining predetermined quantity of wash additive fluid in said holding member;
- dispensing said first portion of said predetermined quantity of wash additive fluid into said tub from said dispenser cup;
- transferring said second, remaining portion of said predetermined quantity of wash additive fluid from said holding member into said dispensing cup; and
- dispensing said second, remaining portion of said predetermined quantity of wash additive fluid into said tub from said dispenser cup.
- 19. In an automatic washer having a rotatable wash additive dispenser disposed in a tub and said dispenser including a receiving cup, a holding member, and a dispensing cup, a method of dispensing wash additive fluid from said dispenser into said tup, said method comprising the following steps:
- providing said receiving cup with a fluid capacity greater than a fluid capacity of said dispensing cup;
- providing said holding member with a fliud capacity greater than said fliud capacity of said dispensing cup;
- filling said receiving cup to its fluid capacity with a wash additive fliud;
- rotating said dispenser at a first predetermined speed sufficient to centrifugally transfer said wash additive fluid from said receiving cup to said holding member;
- slowing roation of said dispenser below said first predetermined speed to permit a first portion of said wash additive fluid to flow from said holding member to said dispensing cup;
- rotating said dispenser at a second predetermined speed sufficient to centrifugally dispense said first portion of wash additive fluid from said dispensing cup into said tub, while retaining a second, remaining portion of wash additive fluid in said holding member;
- slowing rotation of said dispenser below said second predetermined speed to permit said second, remaining portion of said wash additive fluid to flow from said holding member to said dispensing cup; and
- rotating said dispenser at said second predetermined speed sufficient to centrifugally dispense said second, remaining portion of wash additive fluid from said dispensing cup into said tub.
- 20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said steps of rotation of said dispenser comprise stopping rotation of said dispenser.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/461,404, filed Jan. 5, 1990, and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,627.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
461404 |
Jan 1990 |
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