TUB RING FOR A LAUNDRY WASHING MACHINE

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a tub ring for a laundry washing machine.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Laundry washing machines are common in both residential and commercial settings, where they are used to clean laundry, such as clothes, towels, and bedding (collectively, “laundry”). They operate by agitating laundry in a wash bucket that is filled with water and detergent and that rotates within a tub, followed by rinsing and spinning to remove excess water. In known washing machines, a water outlet directs water to a specific location inside the wash bucket of the washing machine. This can lead to uneven and inefficient distribution of water during a wash cycle. An improved method and apparatus for distribution of water into a washing machine is desirable.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a tub ring for a laundry washing machine is provided. The tub ring generally includes a circular outer wall adapted to fit around the top of a tub of the washing machine, a concentric inner wall opposing the outer wall, and a circular surface disposed between and approximately perpendicular to the outer wall and the inner wall. The outer wall, inner wall and circular surface cooperate to form a channel. A water outlet protrudes through the outer wall into the channel at an angle relative to the inner wall that is configured such that a stream of water is directed at least partially around the channel before falling into the tub when water is delivered to the water outlet. In this way, water is delivered to the washing machine tub in a more evenly distributed manner as compared to known methods of streaming the water directly into the tub from a water outlet.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a washing machine;

FIG. 2 is a prospective view of a washing machine with a side panel removed;

FIG. 3 is a top prospective view of a wash bucket, a tub, and a tub ring;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the tub ring;

FIG. 5 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the tub ring;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the tub ring;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the tub ring that includes an optional diverter; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the tub ring with an alternative water outlet.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine 118. The washing machine 118 is fully assembled and is enclosed within a housing 124. The housing 124 includes a side panel 122. FIG. 2 shows a prospective view of the washing machine 118 with the side panel 122 of the housing 124 removed. A tub 120 is supported within the housing 124 of the washing machine 118 and is cylindrical in shape. The tub 120 may have a variety of different diameters and heights to fit within the housing 124. A tub ring 100 is adapted to fit around the top of the tub 120. The tub ring 100 is circular in shape and may have a variety of different diameters to fit the tub 120. The diameter of the tub ring 100 is proportional to the diameter of the tub 120. A water supply line 142 connects a water source to a water outlet 102 that delivers water to the tub 120 via the tub ring 100, as is described in more detail below.

FIG. 3 is a top prospective view of a wash bucket 140, the tub 120, and the tub ring 100. The wash bucket 140 is nested concentrically within the tub 120 and is generally cylindrical in shape. The tub ring 100 comprises a circular surface 144 with an outer wall 110 adapted to fit around the top of the tub 120 and an inner wall 108 opposing the outer wall 110. The tub ring 100 further comprises a cutout 114 which is a portion of the tub ring 100 that is cut out. The cutout 114 extends from the outer wall 110 to the inner wall 108. The cutout 114 is described in more detail below. The tub ring 100 is configured to dispense water from the water supply line 142 into the wash bucket 140 and ultimately into the tub 120 during a wash cycle. The wash bucket 140 is configured to rotate within the tub 120 and to hold laundry during the wash cycle. The wash bucket 140 includes holes 148 which are configured to drain the water into the tub 120. The tub 120 is configured to hold the water during the wash cycle.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the tub ring 100 and FIG. 5 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the tub ring 100. With reference to both FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a channel 104 is a portion of the tub ring 100 that remains open between the inner wall 108 and the outer wall 110 at a position opposite the circular surface 144. A barrier 106 may be disposed within the channel 104, substantially parallel to the outer wall 110 and the inner wall 108 and coupled to or integrated with the circular surface 144.

The tub ring 100 also comprises a water outlet 102 that protrudes through the outer wall 110 and the barrier 106 into a portion of the channel 104 between the inner wall 108 and the barrier 106. The water outlet 102 is a generally cylindrical tube that is angled such that water is at least partially diverted around the tub ring 100 rather than directly into the wash bucket 140. A preferred angle of the water outlet 102 is determinable by a person of ordinary skill in the art, as such the angle is a function of the diameter of the tub ring 100, the size of the water outlet 102, the flow rate of the water through the water outlet 102, the surface finish of the tub ring 100, the distance between the barrier 106 and the inner wall 108, etc. The water outlet 102 has two ends, a first end 128 and a second end 126. The first end 128 of the water outlet 102 attaches to a water supply line 142 (depicted in FIG. 3) and the second end 126 of the water outlet 102 is where water from the water supply line 142 enters the tub ring 100.

The water that enters the tub ring 100 follows the contour of the inner wall 108 as the water travels around the tub ring 100 rather than moving in a straight line due to a so-called coanda effect, which refers to the natural tendency of fluid to have an affinity toward and follow the contour of a curved surface rather than move in a straight line. Portions of the water gradually fall into the wash bucket 140 under the force of gravity as the water travels around the tub ring 100, which generally provides an approximate 360-degree fill pattern of water into the wash bucket 140. A bottom portion of the inner wall 108 may be slanted inward toward the center of the wash bucket 140 and the tub 120 (as shown in FIG. 5) such that the water is directed closer to the center of the wash bucket 140 when the water falls. The barrier 106 controls the water splashing when some water does not follow the contour of the inner wall 108 and redirects the water into the wash bucket 140 rather than outside of the tub 120.

The cutout 114 is located proximate to the water outlet 102 and opposite the side of the water outlet 102 where water enters the tub ring 100. For example, in FIG. 4 the water outlet 102 is angled such that water enters the tub ring 100 counterclockwise (from the bottom view) around the tub ring 100 and the cutout 114 is located and proximate and clockwise relative to the water outlet 102. The dimensions of the cutout will be described in further detail below. The cutout 114 is configured to allow water to spill out of the tub 120 and the tub ring 100 in response to a fault occurring in the system. For example, a fault may be the water supply line 142 continuing to provide more water into the tub ring 100 than necessary, the tub 120 not properly flushing water out of the tub 120 after the wash cycle, etc. Allowing the water to spill out of the tub 120 and the tub ring 100 through the cutout 114 rather than overfill ensures that the water supply line 142 is not contaminated by the water from the wash cycle.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the tub ring 100. The bottom portion of the cutout 114 is a spillover level 134 (H). The spillover 134 is the highest level at which water can reach before the water begins to overflow. The spillover level 134 (H) may be determined according to the equation:

H = ( 10 3 × Q 3.143 × l ) 2 3

where Q is the flow of water from the water outlet 102 in liters per minute at 3 m/s (Q=0.14 D², D is the diameter of the water outlet 102) and I is a width 132 (I) of the cutout 114 from the inner wall 108 in millimeters. The measurement of the width 132 (I) of the cutout 114 is depicted in FIG. 4. An air gap distance 134 (A) is the vertical distance between the spillover level 134 (H) and the bottom of the water outlet 102. The air gap distance 136 (A) is greater than or equal to two times D (the diameter of the water outlet 102) while the air gap distance 136 (A) is not less than 20 millimeters.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the tub ring 100 that includes an optional diverter 130, which may be implemented as a wire. Common reference numbers with earlier figures refer to the same features. The diverter 130 is attached to the circular surface 144 and the inner wall 108 within the channel 104. The diverter 130 diverts a portion of the water into the wash bucket 140 as the water goes around the tub ring 100 by the water hitting the diverter 130. The water follows the contour of the diverter 130 in response to the water hitting the diverter 130. The thicker the diverter 130, the more surface area that the water hits as the water goes around the tub ring 100, and therefore the more water that is diverted into the wash bucket 140 by the diverter 130. Multiple diverters 130 with various thicknesses may be used to adjust or improve upon the distribution of water into the tub 120 as the water goes around the tub ring 100.

The tub ring 100 may further include an optional liquid tray dispenser 112 and/or a plurality of clips 150. The liquid tray dispenser 112 may be attached to the circular surface 144 and is configured for dispensing bleach into the tub ring 100. The clips 150 may be attached to the outer wall 110 of the tub ring 100 and are configured to secure the tub ring 100 onto the top of the tub 120.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the tub ring 100 with an alternative water outlet 138. Again, common reference numbers with earlier figures refer to the same features. The alternative water outlet 138 protrudes through the outer wall 110 into the channel 104 of the tub ring 100 and is angled toward the center of the tub ring 100. The tub ring 100 with the alternative water outlet 138 further comprises a splitter 146 that is configured to split the water from the alternative water outlet 138 in both directions around the tub ring 100. The flow of water after being split by the splitter 146 is depicted by the arrows. In this way, the streams of water that travel in opposite directions around the tub ring 100 need only travel about 180 degrees around the tub ring 100.