Abstract:
The present invention relates to a multifunction machine for laundries, which comprises a body or frame ( 11 ) defining a treatment chamber ( 12 ) hermetically closed and equipped with means ( 15 ) for hanging elements ( 14 ), such as bed linen, clothes and garments, to be treated; means for removing stains, a wash and rinse; means for drying; and means for ironing said elements while they are hanging and stretched out in said treatment chamber.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    This invention concerns the machines for the laundry sector which is for cleaning and washing bed linen, cloths and clothes in general and for final drying and ironing services. 
       STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE  
       [0002]    The most usually, at least, the washing machines for domestic use are provided exclusively for washing the bed linen, cloths and clothing (herein after simply defined as clothing). 
         [0003]    These machines can be of various types and with different loading systems, but with them once the clothing, has been washed and possibly spin-dried to squeeze them, they must be unloaded and hung on the clothes horse to dry, before proceeding with final ironing using an iron. 
         [0004]    Also well known are the so-called wash and dry machines where the clothing after being washed are dried with the help of hot air, but they still have to be collected and then ironed. 
         [0005]    When however it is necessary to remove stains from some parts of an item of clothing, an operation usually carried out by hand and often solved by rubbing and consequently locally wearing the fabric, before it is put in the washing machine. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]    One object of this invention is on the one hand to provide a machine for use in the abovementioned field and devised to carry out numerous functions, such as to remove stains, wash, dry and iron in succession different types of clothing, without having to remove them from the machine and collect them between one operation and another and with the advantage that neither a clothes horse or an iron are necessary required. 
         [0007]    Another object is to provide a multi-function machine able to remove stains also in loco before the washing process, let alone specific and selective washings of the dirtiest parts of the clothing, in particular if garments. Yet another object of the invention is to propose a multi-function machine usable for efficient cleaning both with water and for dry cleaning, using correct solvents, and possibly the sterilisation of the cleaned clothing. 
         [0008]    A further object of the invention is to propose a machine able to intensify the stain removal action thanks to the spraying of fluids under pressure, movable to the clothing to be treated, however with the advantages of not wearing out the material, of consuming less detergent or solvents and therefore of reducing the running costs. 
         [0009]    A further object of the invention is to propose a to remove stains, to clean, dry and iron where it is possible to define and limit the treatment zones enabling at least to save on energy, treatment fluid and detergents. 
         [0010]    An additional object is to propose a machine in which the washing takes place under such conditions that the clothing treated does not have to be left to soak with the advantage of not attacking and altering the colours of coloured clothing and discharging non polluted washing fluid with colouring agents. An added object of the invention is to propose a stain remover—cleaner—ironer—dryer machine in the configuration of a module which can be coupled with other similar modules to define their capacity based on the amount of clothing to be cleaned, dried and ironed. 
         [0011]    The above object and advantages are achieved with a machine for cleaning stains, washing, drying and ironing according to claim  1 . Other characterising aspects of the same machine become evident in the remaining claims depending on the first claim. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The invention will be illustrated in greater detail in the continuation of the description made in reference to the enclosed indicative and not limitative drawing, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  shows an example of a machine in a schematic form according to the invention without clothing to be washed; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  shows a front view complete with clothing to be washed; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  shows a vertical cross section; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  shows some examples of some hangers or shapes to hold the different items to be treated inside the machine. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    In the example shown, the machine according to the invention comprises a body or frame  11  defining a treatment chamber  12  having, at least at the front, an access entrance. 
         [0018]    This opening can be hermetically closed by at least one door which can also be transparent to make the interior of the machine visible and to be able to locate the dirtier parts which possibly need to be removed and to follow each washing cycle. 
         [0019]    At the base of the body or frame  11  at least one compartment  13  is provided to house, although not shown, the equipment necessary to make the machine operate. 
         [0020]    This equipment comprises at least a tank connected to a fresh water feed plant and to a discharge for the dirty washing water; a basin for the detergent; a water heating system; a pump to circulate the water; a hot air generator and control instrumentation. 
         [0021]    In the treatment chamber  12  formed by the body or frame  11  are envisaged means for hanging the garments  14  to treated, for example hangers or shapes  15 . Preferably, and as shown in  FIG. 4 , the hangers or shapes  15  can be dismantled and are also configured to be able to vary their dimensions, so that they are easy to fit inside the garment, suitable to support different sized clothes and principally, able to hold the garment hanging and taut with its front separated and held away from its rear—FIG.  3 —to facilitate both washing and successive drying. Inside the body or frame, a sprayer bar  17  is provided with a number of nozzles  16 ′ positioned to produce jets of water, both for washing and rinsing, facing towards the items to be washed. The sprayer bar  17  can be horizontal and movable in height according to the items  14  placed in the machine, for example by means of translation cables. For a more efficient wash two horizontal sprayer bars  17  can be provided with nozzles facing in opposite directions towards the items to be treated. The opposing sprayer bar or bars could also be vertical and movable horizontally with regard to the items to be treated, and as an alternative there could also be at least one horizontal sprayer bar and another vertical sprayer bar on the same side or on opposite sides and both movable depending on the items involved. 
         [0022]    In any case the sprayer bars are fed, for example, with water by means of flexible pipes, and the water nozzles can have variable and adjustable pressure depending on the fabric to be washed. Furthermore, all or at least some of the nozzles on each sprayer bar can also be the rotating type to further increase the efficiency of the washing process. In addition, nozzles for spraying water upwards from the bottom towards the top and inside the items can also be provided, together with means, if required, for moving the items with regard to the water jets. 
         [0023]    What is more, in one or more sprayer bars the nozzles can be positioned in groups and fed with washing fluid so as to be able to use the nozzles of each group selectively and specifically, independently from the nozzles of every other group. 
         [0024]    In addition and to its advantage, the treatment chamber  12  can be further provided with one or more rotating sprayer nozzles  18 ,  18 ′ on a level with and aimed at the dirtier areas, in particular the collar and/or cuffs, of a garment to be washed. These nozzles will be, for example, the type to deliver a fan-shaped fluid spray, and their rotation can be brought about by the flow of the fluid delivered. 
         [0025]    The machine described above can be programmed and run electronically to carry out the normal cleaning, washing and rinsing operations with the addition of a suitable cleaning product, water with detergent and clean water. 
         [0026]    As regards to the washing phase, programming of the machine can also be conceived so that the water sprayers remain aimed, they pause and are active for a longer period on those areas which are considered to be the dirtiest of the items to be washed. 
         [0027]    This specific treatment aspect can be exploited also to carry out directly in the machine the cleaning of certain parts of garments with the localized, manual or automatic addition of suitable solvents. In addition, each specific cleaning and washing treatment can be programmed so that it can be carried out both manually and automatically, by selecting the position, the number and the pressure of the water sprayers operating from time to time and an appropriate movement of the bar or bars of the sprayer nozzles. 
         [0028]    In addition, the treatment chamber of the machine can be virtually divided and mapped out into several zones, and the water sprayers can from time to time be limited in number and directed only in one or some specific zones in the chamber and excluding others. 
         [0029]    This is done so as to specify the area occupied by each garment and to be able in this way to wash a single item positioned in any one of the zones of the treatment chamber without any unnecessary waste of water and detergent, rinsing water and energy. 
         [0030]    Following the washing and rinsing operations, preceded by possible localized cleaning, the items are dried in the same machine with the help of hot air coming from the relative generator and possibly with the aid of an electric heater positioned in the treatment chamber. The air for drying may be delivered and distributed in the treatment chamber by means of appropriate ducts which may be either fixed or mobile or independent or associated with the sprayer bars. In this respect, at least a part of the rinsing water can be collected in the tank of the machine and the air for drying can be made to flow over said water to favour the condensation of the humidity it is carrying. 
         [0031]    The ironing of the items takes place at the same time as they are dried, favoured by the fact that they are hanging, already taut and in shape during the washing process so that they do not crease and the same currents of air during drying tend to spread the materials, already spread however by the water, removing any remaining creases. 
         [0032]    The machine described above can be set up and provided with means for carrying out on termination of the cleaning, washing, drying and ironing operations, the sterilization of the garments either by infrared radiation or by the help of a sterilization fluid or jets of steam, the latter being provided by appropriate nozzles—not shown—or by means of the same nozzles of the sprayer bars. 
         [0033]    Finally, the machine described above can be set up in modular form so that it can be placed alongside one or more other modules, perhaps inside a mutual frame, so as to be able to set up machines from time to time with different capacities.