This invention relates generally to combination clothes washer/dryers, and more particularly to a system in a clothes washer/dryer for altering the internal volume to provide the correct ratio of washer volume to dryer volume for the same load of clothes.
A clothes washer/dryer typically has a rotating basket into which clothes are loaded, and water and detergent is passed through the basket to wash the clothes, excess water is removed from the clothes, water is again typically used to rinse any excess detergent from the clothes, excess water is removed again, hot air is passed through the clothes to dry the clothes. In separate washer and dryer systems, clothes must be removed from the washer and placed in the dryer, not only does this increase the labor associated with cleaning clothes, it also requires two pieces of machinery to complete the task. In previous attempts by others to combine the washer and dryer into one machine, they have failed to compensate for the ratio of basket volume in a washer to the basket volume of a dryer sized to a pre-determine clothes load size. This failure results in either an oversized washer basket which is prone overfilling by the operator, or an undersized dryer basket which increases the drying time due to poor air circulation within the basket. To prevent such an event, a combination clothes washer/dryer with a movable internal volume is described within. The movable basket allows the operator to properly load the machine with clothes to be cleaned, the machine then increases the internal volume of the basket at some point into the cycle to dry the clothes in an appropriate basket volume for better drying efficiency.
The basket volume is set to provide the proper volume for a wash load of a given size for that machine, such as a 30 pound load. The basket has a plurality of moveable outer plates which reduce the internal volume while the clothes are being loaded. The operator loads the machine with 30 pounds of dirty laundry in the same manner as a typical washing machine. At some point after the start of the cleaning portion of the cycle, the outer basket plates move outward creating a larger volume within the cleaning chamber. This action provides the proper basket volume for proper tumbling and air flow for a 30 pound clothes load.
The cycle time to complete the tasks of washing and drying the clothes are reduced from a two machine system because the operator is not required to remove the clothes from the washing machine and place them in the dryer. This creates another advantage over a typical two machine system in that there is no possibility for the wet laundry to remain in the machine, which can lead to mold growth and other water born organism issues.
The machine requires less space for operators since the basket volume, drive motor, and controls are all located within one cabinet. The redundant use of these common parts may also prove to reduce the overall cost of the combination unit as compared to a typical two unit system.
The shape of the rib (3) follows the arc created by the outer edge of the movable basket plate (2). This provides a consistent gap to allow free movement of the plate without creating a large gap for small laundry items, buttons, snaps, hooks, or other objects which may be in the clothes load to get caught or snagged which would result in damage.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61205759 | Jan 2009 | US |