Claims
- 1. A front-loadable washing machine, comprising:a laundry drum rotatably mounted about a rotation axis and having: a casing with an interior and a lowermost casing line; a front region; and a rear region; said rotation axis sloping upward in a direction defined from said rear region to said front region; said lowermost casing line deviating from horizontal to slope upward in said direction in an operating position of the washing machine; said laundry drum having hollow, elongate paddles disposed on said interior of said casing and disposed obliquely with respect to a direction of rotation of said laundry drum; each of said paddles having: liquid inlets in said rear region of said laundry drum and fluidically communicating with said interior; openings fluidically communicating with said interior for discharging scooped quantities of liquid; and a paddle interior fluidically connecting said inlets and said openings; each of said paddles traversing over a raised position and a lowermost position during rotation of said laundry drum; said inlets admitting and directing quantities of liquid into said paddles during rotation of said laundry drum while a respective one of said paddles is in said lowermost position; and each of said paddles raising the liquid contained therein and discharging the liquid through said openings into said interior while in said raised position.
- 2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said paddles move, utilizing gravity, the liquid contained in said paddle interior in a direction transverse to said direction of rotation when a respective one of said paddles is raised.
- 3. The washing machine according to claim 1, including a tub enclosing said laundry drum, said laundry drum having a lowermost region, each of said paddles having a base disposed in said lowermost region, and said inlets being disposed in said base.
- 4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein each of said paddles has:an end opposite said base; and said base is wider than said opposite end.
- 5. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein:said laundry drum rotates about said axis in two directions; and said inlets receive the liquid into said paddles in only one of said two directions.
- 6. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein:said inlets are formed by paddle blades; and said blades are disposed in said casing.
- 7. The washing machine according to claim 6, wherein said blades are positioned in a direction extending away from said axis.
- 8. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein said openings are substantially disposed in a region of said paddles in which the raised liquid is to be discharged into said interior of said casing.
- 9. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein said paddles are curved along an extent thereof.
- 10. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein said laundry drum is cylindrical.
- 11. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein:said laundry drum has a central outer region; and starting from a region of said inlets on a respective one of said paddles, each of said paddles has a ridge line sloping along an extent thereof in an inward direction defined from said central outer region towards said axis.
- 12. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein:said lowermost casing line deviates from horizontal at a given angle; and said ridge line slopes at an angle greater than or equal to said given angle of said lowermost casing line in said inward direction.
- 13. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein said paddles have a triangular-like profile with a flank having a bulbous contour.
- 14. The washing machine according to claim 13, wherein:said rotation axis has a higher level; and said openings are only provided in said paddles in a region of said flank directed toward said higher level.
- 15. The washing machine according to claim 14, wherein:said laundry drum rotates about said axis in two directions including a preferred direction; said preferred direction is associated with scooping of the liquid into said paddles; said inlets receive the liquid into said paddles in only said preferred direction; and said openings are located on said paddles to receive the liquid when said laundry drum rotates in said preferred direction.
- 16. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said paddles has:an end opposite a region of said inlets; and a base wider in said region of said inlets than at said opposite end.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
199 25 917 |
Jun 1999 |
DE |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. PCT /EP00/04999 filed May 31, 2000.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
8347 |
Jan 1880 |
DE |
537758 |
Oct 1931 |
DE |
576523 |
Apr 1933 |
DE |
41 04 450 |
Aug 1992 |
DE |
44 12 718 |
Nov 1994 |
DE |
1 136 981 |
Jan 1957 |
FR |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP00/04999 |
May 2000 |
US |
Child |
10/006431 |
|
US |