PATENT ABSTRACT
Systems for shipping and operation dampening an appliance having a housing, a moveable tub member inside the housing, and a dampening portion are provided. The housing includes at least one sidewall, with the dampening portion disposed at least partially between the moveable tub member and the at least one side wall. The dampening portion includes a resilient material having at least one surface extending at least partially along the sidewall or tub member.

PATENT DESCRIPTION
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/499,756, filed Apr. 2, 2012, which is the U.S. national phase entry of PCT/US2011/020124 with an international filing date of Jan. 4, 2011, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/292,280, filed Jan. 5, 2010, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Appliances such as clothes washers and driers, dish washers, etc., must be packaged before they leave a manufacturing facility in a manner that protects them from the hazards of transport until they reach their ultimate destination, which is typically a consumer&#39;s home. Along the way, an appliance may be loaded and unloaded from several locations and must be packaged for protection against inadvertent damage. Appliances such as vertical suspension clothes washers include an outer cabinet or housing containing a tub that is suspended in the cabinet and moved relative to the cabinet by a tub drive motor. Washers of this type are well known in the art and it is not unusual for such appliances to occasionally experience damage during shipping. It is also not unusual for such appliances to generate varying levels of sound or noise during operation in the consumer&#39;s home. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    Apparatuses and methods relating to appliances are provided. In one embodiment, an appliance having a housing, a moveable tub member inside the housing, and a dampening portion is provided. The housing includes, for example, at least one side wall and the dampening portion disposed at least partially between the moveable tub member and the at least one side wall. The dampening portion includes, for example, a resilient material having at least one surface extending at least partially along the side wall or tub member. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    The accompanying drawings incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain certain principles of the invention. In the drawings: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a plug that can be used for packaging (shipping), operation damping, or both; 
           [0006]      FIGS. 2 a -2 c    are front plan views of embodiments of a horizontal energy damping element that can be used for packaging (shipping), operation damping, or both. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 b    formed into one embodiment of a sleeve of the type that is stretched around the tub of the washer in order to form an embodiment of the horizontal energy damping element; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a schematical cross sectional view illustrating one embodiment of a combined shipping and operation damping system for protecting the tub of the washer during shipping; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5 a    is a view similar to  FIG. 4  but showing the plug removed and the horizontal energy damping element in position around the tub to provide vibration damping and acoustic insulation during washing operation; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5 b    is another cross sectional view illustrating the horizontal energy damping element positioned around the tub so as to be present in the space between the tub and the sidewalls of the cabinet; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a schematical cross sectional view illustrating an alternative embodiment for the horizontal energy damping element; 
           [0012]      FIG. 7 a    is a front elevational view of yet another alternative embodiment of the horizontal energy damping element in the form of a T-shaped pad; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7 b    is a detailed partial sectional view illustrating how the T-shaped pad of  FIG. 7 a    is mounted to a sidewall of the washer cabinet; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a partial cross sectional view of another alternative embodiment of the horizontal energy damping element. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Prior to discussing the various embodiments, a review of the definitions of some exemplary terms used throughout the disclosure is appropriate. Both singular and plural forms of all terms fall within each meaning: 
         [0016]    “Physical communication” as used herein, includes but is not limited to connecting, affixing, joining, attaching, fixing, fastening, and placing in contact two or more components, elements, assemblies, portions, or parts. Physical communication between two or more components, etc., can be direct or indirect such as through the use of one or more intermediary components and may be intermittent or continuous. 
         [0017]    In accordance with one general embodiment, a combined shipping and operation damping system is provided for a washer including a tub suspended in a cabinet having a top wall, sidewalls, a tub access opening in the top wall, and a lid covering that access opening. The system comprises a removable plug having a first portion contoured to fit snugly in the tub and a second portion contoured to fit snugly in the access opening in the cabinet. In addition the system includes a horizontal energy damping element positioned between the tub and the sidewalls of the cabinet. The removable plug and horizontal energy damping element function together to secure the tub in place in the cabinet during shipping. The removable plug is then removed following shipping and the horizontal energy damping element remains in place to provide vibration damping and acoustic insulation during washer operation. 
         [0018]    In accordance with one general embodiment, a method is provided for both shipping and operation damping of a washer including a tub suspended in a cabinet having a top wall, sidewalls, a tub access opening in the top wall, and a lid covering the access opening. The method comprises the steps of (a) positioning a removable plug in the access opening in the tub, the plug being contoured to snugly engage the cabinet and the tub; and (b) positioning a horizontal energy damping element between the tub and the sidewalls of the cabinet. The removable plug and horizontal energy damping element secure the tub in place in the cabinet during shipping. The removable plug is then removed following shipping and the horizontal energy damping element remains in place around the tub to provide vibration damping and acoustic insulation during washer operation. 
         [0019]    In accordance with yet another general embodiment, a clothes washer comprises a cabinet including sidewalls, a top wall having an access opening, and a lid covering that access opening. The clothes washer further includes a tub suspended in the cabinet as well as a pump and motor system contained in the cabinet. Further, the clothes washer includes a sleeve of resilient material secured around the tub that provides vibration damping and acoustic insulation. 
         [0020]    In accordance with still another general embodiment, a clothes washer is provided comprising (a) a cabinet including sidewalls, a top wall having an access opening, and a lid covering that access opening; (b) a tub suspended in the cabinet; and (c) a pump and motor system contained in the cabinet. The clothes washer further includes a block of resilient material secured to the cabinet. The block of resilient material includes a tub opening. The tub extends through that tub opening. 
         [0021]    In accordance with yet another general embodiment, a clothes washer comprises (a) a cabinet including sidewalls, a top wall having an access opening, and a lid covering that access opening; (b) a tub suspended in the cabinet; and (c) a pump and motor system contained in the cabinet. Further, the clothes washer includes a substantially T-shaped pad mounted to each sidewall that provides vibration dampening and acoustic insulation. 
         [0022]    Reference is now made to  FIGS. 1, 2   a - 2   c ,  3 ,  4 , and  5   a - 5   b  illustrating an embodiment of the combined shipping and operation damping system of the present invention. The shipping and operation damping system includes a removable plug  12  and means for dampening. In one embodiment, the means for dampening is a horizontal energy damping element  14 . As will become apparent from the following description, the removable plug  12  and horizontal energy damping element  14  function together to secure a tub means or tub T in place in a means for housing or cabinet C of a washer W during shipping. The removable plug  12  is removed following shipping and the horizontal energy damping element  14  remains in place around the tub T to provide vibration damping and acoustic insulation during washer operation. 
         [0023]    As best illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the removable plug  12  includes a first or lower portion  16  that is sized, shaped, and contoured to fit snugly in the tub of washer W. The plug  12  also includes a second or lower portion  20  sized, shaped and contoured to fit snugly in the opening O provided in the top wall of the cabinet C of washer W (see also  FIG. 4 ). In the illustrated embodiment the second portion  20  includes a flat sidewall segment  18  matching the shape of the opening O that functions to lock the removable plug  12  in position. 
         [0024]    Since the plug  12  fits snugly in both the opening O of the cabinet C and the tub T of the washer W, it should be appreciated that the plug functions to substantially prevent horizontal movement of the tub T relative to the cabinet C during shipping or other transport of the washer. 
         [0025]    The plug  12  may be made from substantially any appropriate material including but not limited to expanded polystyrene, molded plastic, cardboard, and mixtures thereof. 
         [0026]    As best illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the horizontal energy damping element  14  comprises a sleeve  22  of resilient material that is, in one embodiment, stretched over and secured around the tub T. The sleeve  22  may be secured in any appropriate manner including by means of mechanical fasteners, an appropriate adhesive, or friction. As best illustrated in  FIGS. 2 a -2 c   , the sleeve  22  may be formed from a solid sheet of resilient material  24 , a lattice sheet of resilient material  26 , or a combination sheet  28  of solid and lattice sections  30 ,  32 , respectively, of resilient material. Any of the sheets  24 ,  26 ,  28  may be formed into a sleeve  22  by abutting and securing the ends of the sheet together by hot welding, adhesive, or other appropriate means. Thus, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 b    and  3 , the ends  34  of the sheet  26  may be connected together to form the sleeve  22  of lattice material. 
         [0027]    The horizontal energy damping element  14  or sleeve  22  may be made from substantially any appropriate material including, but not limited to, material selected from a group consisting of a polyester, a polyester olefin blend, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene blend, a polybutylene terephthalate and polypropylene blend, and combinations thereof. As an alternative, the horizontal energy damping element  14  or sleeve  22  may be made from a laminated material including a core layer of fiberglass reinforced polymer material sandwiched between two wear layers of polyester material. 
         [0028]    Polyester materials are particularly useful as construction material for the sleeve  22  as they exhibit excellent resiliency and wear resistance to provide a long service life. At the same time, the acoustic properties of the material may be tuned to better control noise and vibration. This may be done by adjusting the density as well as the diameter and length of the fibers utilized in the material. 
         [0029]    In addition, it should be appreciated that the horizontal energy damping element  14  or sleeve  22  may be further tuned to provide the desired spring rate for the most effective damping of horizontal energy or motion of the tub T within the cabinet C. Typically, the horizontal energy damping element  14 /sleeve  22  provides a spring rate of between about 6.5 and about 102.0 pounds of force per 100 square inches of contact area. However, this is not critical as long as the sleeve provides the appropriate protections during shipping and/or operation. In this regard, a sleeve  22  made from the lattice sheet  26  provides the greatest versatility. 
         [0030]    The spring rate range desired for optimum energy dampening is dependent upon the weight of the tub T, the cabinet-to-tub wall gap G (which may be an air gap), and the weight of wet clothes contained in the tub. A gap G is provided between the damping element  14 /sleeve  22  and the cabinet sidewalls S so as to not impair the torque movement of the tub T during start and stop movements. In other embodiments, gap G may extend partially or completely along tub T and may or may not be in contact with tub T or the cabinet sidewalls S. 
         [0031]    The loft of the material determines how soon the tub T starts meeting resistance to slow the horizontal energy or momentum of the tub as it moves toward contact with the sidewall S of the cabinet C. The more the material of the damping element  14 /sleeve  22  is compressed between the tub T and sidewall S during horizontal movements, the higher the spring rate of the material and the stronger the damping of the horizontal energy. Thus, it should be appreciated that the damping element  14 /sleeve  22  made from the lattice material  26  may be effectively “tuned” for a number of different applications. By increasing the amount of solid material in the lattice  26  the spring rate may be increased. Conversely, by reducing the amount of solid material in the lattice  26 , the spring rate of the material may be reduced. Thus, by selecting a proper lattice and adjusting the loft or thickness of the lattice to between about 20.0 and about 50.0 mm it is possible to tune the spring rate to a desired level for the most efficient and effective damping of horizontal energy. Typically the lattice will include between about 10 and about 90 percent solid material and between about 90 and about 10 percent open space. 
         [0032]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5   b , damping element  14 /sleeve  22  need not extend to the top and bottom of the tub T, but can occupy portions in between. In alternative embodiments, damping element  14 /sleeve  22  can extend to the upper and lower extremities of the tub T. Hence, more or less of the tub T can be covered by damping element  14 /sleeve  22 . Furthermore, damping element  14 /sleeve  22  can be made of a plurality of damping elements or sleeves around tub T, which may or may not be adjacent to each other. In this manner, the damping element  14 /sleeve  22  can be formed by an assembly of components. Still further, damping element  14 /sleeve  22  may extend partially or completely along tub T and may be continuous or discontinuous. 
         [0033]    As noted above, the plug  12  and damping element  14  are positioned during packaging as illustrated in  FIG. 4  to prevent horizontal shifting of the tub T in the cabinet C during shipping. Once the washer W is positioned in a laundry room or otherwise situated for use, the plug  12  is removed while the damping element  14  remains positioned around the tub T for the life of the washer W (see  FIGS. 5 a  and 5 b   ). In this manner, the damping element  14  is dual use: shipping and operation. As such, it is not disposed of after shipping has been completed. 
         [0034]    During operation, the damping element  14  reduces and controls horizontal motion of the tub T toward the sidewalls S of the cabinet C. This reduces noise and vibration so as to provide smoother and more silent operation. The polyester material of the damping element  14  is very resilient and scuff resistant so as to provide a long service life without any significant degradation of desired damping properties. Other materials may be used which have similar properties. 
         [0035]    An alternative embodiment of the means for dampening is a horizontal energy damping element  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . In this embodiment the horizontal energy damping element  14  comprises a block  40  of resilient material that is secured to the sidewalls S of the cabinet C. The block  40  of resilient material includes a tub opening  42 . As should be appreciated the tub T extends through the opening  42 . A small space or clearance air gap G is provided between the tub T and the tub opening  42  so that the torque movement of the tub T during start and stop movements is not impaired in any way. In other embodiments, gap G may extend partially or completely along tub T and may or may not be in contact with tub T. 
         [0036]    It should be appreciated, however, as the tub T moves horizontally under load from, for example, uneven weight distribution of clothes in the tub T during a spin cycle, the tub T engages and compresses the block  40 . The spring rate of the material then dampens that horizontal movement. As described earlier, the block  40  need not extend to the upper and bottom extremities of tub T, but may be positioned at portions in between. In one embodiment, block  40  is secured to the sidewalls S at the same approximate tub location as damping element  14 /sleeve  22  in  FIGS. 4 and 5   b.    
         [0037]    Still another alternative embodiment of the means for dampening is a horizontal energy damping element  14  as illustrated in  FIGS. 7 a  and 7 b   . As illustrated in  FIG. 7 a   , this embodiment of the horizontal energy damping element  14  comprises a substantially T-shaped pad  50 . As illustrated in  FIG. 7 b    such a T-shaped pad  50  is mounted to each sidewall S of the washer W. A small space or clearance gap is provided between each of the T-shaped pads  50  and the tub T when the tub T is in its steady state position. However, whenever the tub T moves horizontally under loading during operation of the washer W, the tub T engages one or more of the pads  50 , compressing the pad. The spring rate of the material used to construct the pad  50  provides damping of that horizontal energy as the material compresses thereby controlling and limiting horizontal movement and vibration. 
         [0038]    The block  40  and T-shaped pads  50  of the two alternative embodiments are made from the same material of the sleeve  22 . Thus, each embodiment of the damping element  14  provides the desired resiliency and spring rate for effective damping of horizontal energy and the necessary strength and abrasive resistance to function as desired for a long service life. In other embodiments, pad  50  can be made from different shapes such as, for example an I-shape, only an upper horizontal portion of a T-shape, etc. 
         [0039]    In summary, numerous benefits result from employing the concepts of the present invention. The plug and horizontal vibration damping element function together to greatly reduce or otherwise limit horizontal movement of the tub T within the cabinet C of the washer W during shipping. Thus, potential damage to the tub T is prevented as it is transported from one location to another. 
         [0040]    Following shipping, plug  12  is removed and the horizontal energy damping element can remain to provide vibration damping during operation. Significantly, by controlling and eliminating undesired horizontal movement of the tub T it is possible to provide a larger capacity tub T within a given size cabinet C. In addition, the material from which the horizontal energy damping element  14  is constructed provides acoustic benefits reducing noise during operation of the washer W. 
         [0041]    Still further, the horizontal energy damping element  14  provides improved water management by catching and absorbing water that might be inadvertently spilled from the tub T during operation of the washer W and preventing that water from reaching the floor underneath the appliance. Further, it should be appreciated that the horizontal energy damping element  14  is typically made from a polyester material which is resistant to the growth of bacteria, mildew and mold. Further, the material is hydrophobic by nature and, therefore, dries quickly. In addition, such polyester material provides excellent wear resistance and will provide a long service life. 
         [0042]    The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, each embodiment of the horizontal energy damping element  14  described above is made from a single layer of material.  FIG. 8  illustrates an alternative embodiment wherein the horizontal energy damping element  14  is made from a laminate comprising a cure layer  60  of fiberglass reinforced polymer material sandwiched between two wear layers  70  of polyester based material such as the materials used to make the sleeve  22  described above. 
         [0043]    The embodiments were chosen and described to illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application. It is clear that modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims. The drawings and preferred embodiments do not and are not intended to limit the ordinary meaning of the claims in their fair and broad interpretation in any way.