Abstract:
A laundry aid dispenser for a washing machine allows simple introduction of laundry aids into cups whose volumes are visible to the user and held within the console of the washing machine. A vertically oriented valve and flush chamber arrangement allows for the removal of the cups and the dispensing of viscous laundry aids such as fabric softener with reduced accumulation and buildup. The configuration also allows easy access to critical channels and parts of the dispenser as well as flexible electronic control of the dispensing times. Color-coding, keying and other indicia simplify the consumer&#39;s identification of the proper laundry aid for each cup.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to clothes washing machines and, in particular, to a dispenser for such washing machines dispensing laundry aids such as bleach, softener, bluing or detergent. 
     Clothes washing machines suitable for residential or commercial use may provide a washtub into which clothes are loaded for agitation with water and detergent. In top loading washing machines, the washtub opens upwardly under a lid through which the clothes may be inserted. Front loading washing machines use a front opening washtub sealed by a front opening door through which clothes are placed. Both types of machines may have a console extending upward at the rear edge of the top surface of the machine. Washing machine controls, such as the cycle timer, water temperature, and fill height controls, may be located on this console for easy access. 
     Detergent may be added to the washtub at the beginning of the wash cycle, however, this is typically not the ideal time to add other laundry aids including bleach which may interact with the detergent decreasing its effectiveness or may be unnecessarily diluted and lost. Attending to the introduction of laundry aids at different times in the wash cycle is inconvenient to the consumer. Thus, there is considerable interest in dispensing systems that automatically add laundry aids to the washtub at different times during the wash cycle. 
     Some laundry aids, in particular fabric softener and detergent, are relatively viscous and have a tendency to clog simple valve systems. Accordingly, such as fabric softener may be dispensed through valve-less mechanisms. Fabric softener, for example, may be dispensed from a container attached to the agitator of the washtub. During the spin cycle, the fabric softener is released by centrifugal force which causes the fabric softener to rise up over the lip of its container. The container is made removable so that periodically it may be washed to remove residue resulting from incomplete release of the softener which returns to the bottom of the container at the end of the spin cycle. 
     Such a dispenser is only designed for top loading washing machines, and only suitable for laundry aids that may be added during the spin cycle. The location of this type of dispenser is inconvenient and consequently the consumer may overlook filling it. 
     Some of these problems are eliminated by the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,170 to Ikeda. The &#39;170 patent teaches a dispenser that opens from the console of the washing machine. Valves are eliminated by the use of a “dump-cup” which receives laundry aids through a door in the console and tips to pour the laundry aids into the washtub. Tipping of the cup is controlled by the cycle timer providing flexibility in timing the introduction of the laundry aid into the wash. In the dumping position, a water stream may flush residue from the dump cup to minimize the build-up of sticky residue. 
     In order for the dump cup to be easily tipped and for its motion to be unobstructed, the dump cup is positioned near the bottom of the console and the laundry aids introduced by a vertically extending chute or funnel. Thus removed from the sight of the consumer, the dump cup may be easily overfilled if the consumer does not carefully pre-measure the laundry aid or if the consumer forgets that the dump cup has been previously filled. The dump-cup is shallow to minimize the amount of tipping necessary to empty it. This shallowness restricts the capacity of the dump cup for reasonably available areas within the console. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a system for release of a variety of laundry aids using an electronic valve system. When used as part of a console mounted dispenser, the valve system allows more conveniently sized accumulator cups whose interior volume may be viewed as they are filled by the consumer, eliminating the need for pre-measuring of the laundry aid. The valve system also allows a more compact installation of multiple accumulator cups next to each other, even in the console. 
     The valve system of the present invention also makes it possible for the cups to be removed for inspection and cleaning, if desired, and by allowing dispensing to occur from a lowermost drainage point in the cup, permits more complete drainage of that cup, reducing waste and build-up. The configuration of the valve system components permits self-cleaning of critical valve elements with a flushing water stream, if desired. 
     Specifically then, the present invention provides for a washing machine having a housing with an upper surface and a washtub positioned within the housing to receive clothing to be washed. A console extending upward from the upper surface of the housing includes a door and a laundry aid chamber is positioned within the console behind the door to be revealed when the door is open. A channel leads to the washtub and at least one electrically actuated valve is positioned between the laundry aid chamber and the channel, the valve operates, when closed, to cause the accumulation of introduced laundry aid in the laundry aid chamber as visible by a user through the door and when opened, facing the laundry aid accumulated in the laundry aid chamber into the channel. 
     Thus it is one object of the invention to permit convenient introduction of a laundry aid into a console-mounted dispenser without pre-measuring. Use of a valve, rather than a tipping of the accumulator cup, allows the dispensing cup to be sized and located so that its interior is visible to the consumer as a guide to proper filling. 
     The laundry aid chamber may include an outer chamber wall receiving at least one removable cup having an upper open end and a lower dispensing orifice. The cup may fit within the outer chamber wall so that a dispensing orifice engages with the electrically actuated valve. The electrically actuated valve communicates with the dispensing orifice to control the flow of laundry placed in the cup. 
     It is thus another object of the invention to provide for accumulator cups that may yet be removable for cleaning and yet are safely contained within the outer chamber walls for support, stability and the capture of spills and the like. 
     The valve may provide a valve head movable vertically from an upward closed position to a lower open position. The valve head may abut a bottom surface of the dispensing orifice to stop the flow therefrom when in the upwardly closed position. The laundry aid chamber and the removable cup may include interengaging detent surfaces holding the cup in place within the laundry aid chamber against the predetermined upward force. 
     It is thus another object of the invention to provide for a valve that allows easy removal of the cups and upon such removal, a cleaning of the valve seat of the valve such as an integral part of the cup. 
     The washing machine may include a second electrically actuated valve, and a second removable cup, the second removable cup also having an upper open end in a lower dispensing orifice. The second removable cup may fit within the laundry aid chamber adjacent to the first removable cup so that the dispensing orifice of the second removable cup engages with the second electrically actuated valve and wherein the second electrically actuated valve communicates with the dispensing orifice of the second removable cup to control the flow of laundry aid placed in the cup to the channel. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to provide a dispensing system that allows a clustering of the dispensing cups for different laundry aids at a single convenient location, for example, the console. The ability to dispense the laundry aids by valves rather than dumping allows greater flexibility in the dimensions of the dispensing cups. 
     The cups may be of different colors and may include keys preventing engagement of the first cup with the second electrically actuated valve and vice versa. The cups may include graduations and may have different volumes related in ratio to a volumetric ratio between typical usages of predetermined laundry aids intended for the cups. The underside of the door may be exposed when it is open and may include indicia indicating the proper laundry aid for each cup. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to identify the laundry aids to be placed in the adjacent cups and to assist the user in properly filling the cups both in type and amount of laundry aid. 
     The washing machine may include a bypass passage communicating between the outer chamber wall and the channel to the washtub and the cup may include at least one vertical wall fitting within the outer chamber wall that provides a chute between the vertical wall and the corresponding outer chamber wall and wherein the cup provides an overflow passage such as may be an orifice within the vertical wall of the cup communicating with the chute. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to contain spills and overflow if the consumer overfills the dispensing cup. 
     The laundry aid chamber may include a flush channel communicating with a source of water and passing the water in the flush channel between the bottom surface of the orifice of the dispensing cup and the valve head of the electrically actuated valve when the valve is in the open position. 
     Thus it is another object of the invention to provide a simple valve mechanism that may remain free from accumulated residue of viscous laundry aids such as fabric softener. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In this description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment and its particular objects and advantages do not define the scope of the invention, however, and reference must be made therefore to the claims for interpreting the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a top loading washing machine suitable for use with the present invention showing a console mounted laundry aid dispenser of one embodiment of the invention and a bottle of laundry aid positioned to be introduced into the laundry aid dispenser over a spill capture region; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 with its door open such as reveals the internal volume of accumulator cups within the laundry aid dispenser chamber; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-section along lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 2 showing the placement of the cup within the laundry aid dispenser chamber and a drain orifice in the cup such as forms a valve seat for a vertically movable valve head position therebelow and showing a bypass channel for overflow of laundry aids; FIG. 3 further shows laundry aid chamber graduations, a detent for holding the cup in position and key elements for preventing engagement of the cup in the wrong position; 
     FIG. 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the valve head of FIG. 3 showing an integral boot surrounding an actuator arm of a wax motor to wholly seal the wax motor from laundry aids; 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section taken along lines  5 — 5  of FIG. 2 showing the positioning of the two accumulator cups having different volumes at points along a sloping flush-channel such as removes residue from the valves when they are in their open position and assists in the transport of viscous laundry aid into the washtub; 
     FIG. 6 is a detail of one key of FIG. 3 showing a ward and pin system of the key of FIG. 3 for preventing engagement of the cups in the wrong position; 
     FIG. 7 is figure similar to that of FIG. 5 showing an alternative embodiment of the laundry aid chamber holding the accumulator cups and suitable for dispensing dry laundry aids. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, a washing machine  10  includes a washtub  13  beneath an upper surface  12  having a door  14  opening to provide access to the washtub  13 . The door  14  is recessed within a well  16  in the upper surface  12 . 
     The well  16  is slightly larger than the door  14  so as to create a channel therebetween. The channel defines a spill capture region  20  in which spills from a bottle of a laundry aid  22  would be corralled by the well  16  to drain into the washtub  13 . 
     A console  24  extends upward from the rear edge of the upper surface  12  to present, on its front surface, controls  26  including a cycle timer control  28  of types well known in the art. Also positioned on the front surface of the console  24  is an access door  30  for a laundry aid dispenser of the present invention. The access door  30  is supported at an upper edge to swing about a generally horizontal axis between a closed position  32  (shown in solid lines) and an open position  34  (shown in phantom lines). 
     Referring now also to FIG. 2, the access door  30  opens to reveal upwardly open ends of accumulator cups  38   a  or  38   b  sitting within a laundry aid chamber  40 , both positioned beneath the door  30  and within the console  24 . The cups  38   a  and  38   b  are sized and held within outer chamber wall  42  of the laundry aid chamber  40  so that the internal volumes of the cups  38   a  and  38   b  are visible to a typical user standing toward the front of the washing machine  10 . 
     In this way the laundry aid  22  may be directly introduced into the accumulator cups  38   a  and  38   b  without pre-measuring. Graduations  48  in the form of notched, raised ribs extending upward from the bottoms of the cups  38   a  and  38   b  may provide further guidance indicating how full the cup should be filled. The graduations  48  may provide indicia for different amounts of laundry aid  22  to be introduced into the cups  38  corresponding to different sizes of the load. The graduations may alternatively use other marking techniques such as printed lines or the like. 
     As will be explained below, prior to the time at which the laundry aid  22  are to be introduced to the washtub  13 , no laundry aid  22  flows out of the accumulator cups  38   a  and  38   b . This facilitates the use of the accumulator cups  38   a  and  38   b  and their graduations  48  in lieu of a separate measuring container. 
     The underside of the door  30 , when in the open position, displays labels  36  indicating the type of laundry aid  22  to be placed in the respective accumulator cups  38   a  and  38   b . As depicted, a fabric softener may be placed in the leftmost accumulator cup  38   a  and hence a portion of the door  30  over this cup  38   a  includes the label  36  of “SOFTENER” and a downward extending arrow pointing to the accumulator cup  38   a . Conversely, a bleach may be placed in the rightmost accumulator cup  38   b  and hence a portion of the door  30  over this cup  38   b  includes the label  36  of “BLEACH” and a downward extending arrow pointing to the accumulator cup  38   b.    
     The labels  36  are in raised relief and hence the arrow may include drainage notch  44  to allow spills caught by the door  30  to drain downward into the respective cup  38 . For similar reasons, a notch  46  may be placed in the lower edge of the door  30  over each cup  38   a  and  38   b.    
     Referring now to FIG. 3, each cup  38  has vertical walls  56  extending upward from a base  58  to open in an upper lip  60 . A front part of the upper lip  60  toward the front of the washing machine  10  extends forward over the front vertical wall  56  to provide a gutter  62  increasing the area of the lip  60  through which laundry aid  22  may be introduced into the cup  38 . 
     The front vertical wall  56  fits adjacent to an outer chamber wall  42  of the laundry aid chamber  40  but the rear vertical wall  56  is spaced away from its corresponding vertical outer chamber wall  42  to define therebetween a channel  63 . Overflow ports  50  may be positioned beneath the lip  60  near the rear vertical wall  56  and channel  63  to conduct excess laundry aid  22 , prior to its spilling over the lips  60 , through the overflow port  50  and the channel  63  through a sluice-way  65  beneath the base  58 , to a spout  64  leading to the washtub  13 . Thus overflow is conducted by the outer chamber walls  42  of the laundry aid chamber  40  to the washtub  13 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the outer surface of the base  58  of each cup  38  includes a downwardly extending socket  66  engaging an upwardly extending pin  68 . The pins  68  for different cups  38  may include slots  70  located at different locations on the pin  68  and corresponding with wards  72  in the corresponding socket  66 . The effect of the locations of slot  70  and wards  72  is to provide a keying of particular cups  38   a  and  38   b  with only one location in the laundry aid chamber  40 . In this way, each of the cups  38   a  and  38   b  may have different volumes corresponding with their intended laundry aids  22  and have a unique color and possibly other indicia to indicate the type of laundry aid intended for the cups  38 . Preferably the color of the cup  38  corresponds with the color of its labels  36  and serving generally to remind the user of a particular type of laundry aid to be placed within the cups  38   a  and  38   b.    
     The base  58  of each cup  38  includes an orifice  74  having a vertical axis and positioned at a lowermost portion of the inner surface of the base  58 , the latter which may be slightly concave to promote drainage towards this orifice  74 . 
     The underside of the orifice  74  provides a valve seat against which a valve head  78  may be pressed to retain the laundry aid  22  within the cup  38  or retracted to allow drainage of laundry aid  22 , from within the cup  38  through the orifice  74 , the sluice-way  65  into the spout  64  and washtub  13 . 
     Upward movement of the cup  38  under pressure from the valve head  78  is prevented by a retainer arm  52  extending inward and downward from an upper edge of  10  the rear vertical outer chamber wall  42 . A lower edge of the retainer arm  52  holds a pawl  96  engaging an upper lip  60  of the cup  38 . The retainer arm  52  may be pressed inward as indicated by arrow  98  to release the cup  38  so that it may be removed for washing or inspection. Removal of the cup also allows access to the sluiceway  65  and spout  64  for cleaning of debris and the like. 
     The retraction of the valve head  78  is effected by an actuator  80  seen also in FIG.  4 . The actuator  80  may be a wax motor of a type well known in the art in which an electric current introduced through terminals  82  of the actuator  80  heats a wax whose expansion actuates an internal piston (not shown) attached to an actuator arm  84  extending vertically upward from the actuator  80  toward the orifice  74 . The vertical orientation (and movement) of the actuator arm  84  allows larger tolerances in the vertical location of the cups  38  and hence the valve seat provided by the orifice  74 , incidental to the cups being removable. Vertical tolerances are accommodated by a spring loading of the actuator arm (not shown) providing slight over travel. 
     An upper barbed end of the actuator arm  84  may be captured within an upper portion of an elastomeric boot  86 . The lower edge of the boot  86  hermetically seals a rim of the actuator  80  surrounding the actuator arm  84  to prevent the infusion of laundry aids  22  into the joint between the actuator arm  84  and the body of the actuator  80 . The outer edge of the boot may have seals  88  which engage in a tubular orifice  92  in the bottom of the laundry aid chamber  40  beneath the cups  38 . The seals  88  prevent laundry aid from escaping from the laundry aid chamber  40  past the boot  86 . 
     The upper outer surface of the boot  86  provides an upwardly facing conical member  90  which, as described above, may engage, vertex first, with the orifice  74  to block or release laundry aids  22 , according to an electrical signal, is received by the actuator  80 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the actuator  80  is attached to the cycle timer  28  (shown in FIG. 1) which may then precisely control the time of release of laundry aid from either of the cups  38 . Each of the cups  38   a  and  38   b  has its own actuator  80  and may receive a separate signal from the cycle timer  28  to release contained laundry aids  22  at different times. 
     Referring now to FIG. 5, each of the cups  38   a  and  38   b  may have corresponding orifices  74   a  and  74   b  opened and closed by corresponding valve heads  78   a  and  78   b  moved by corresponding actuators  80   a  and  80   b . As described above, the actuators  80   a  and  80   b  are attached as shown in FIG. 3 to a tubular orifice  92  extending through the bottom wall of laundry aid chamber  40  such as forms part of the sluiceway  65 . This bottom wall of the laundry aid chamber  40  slopes downward from cup  38   b  to  38   a  and toward the spout  64  so as to promote drainage through the spout  64 . 
     Sluice-way  65  includes a water inlet port  100  opposite the spout  64  receiving a hose  102  providing a source of water, for example, the cold or hot water inlet valve or from a washing machine pump (not shown) that may accept a partial diversion of waters pumped by the washing machine through the sluice-way  65  to provide a flushing of viscous laundry aids into the washtub  13  for full dispersion. Significantly, when the valves formed by orifices  74  and valve heads  78  are open, the water through sluiceway  65  serves to clean the valve heads  78  and orifices  74  of residual laundry aid  22 . Further because the cups  38   a  and  38   b  consistently drain under the force of gravity, as opposed to intermittent drainage through centrifugal action over their upper edges, the cups  38   a  and  38   b  tend to remain much cleaner than prior art centrifugal dispenser techniques. Again the hermetic seal provided by the boots on the valve heads  78   a  and  78   b  prevent leakage out of the chamber area. 
     A temperature sensor  106  may be attached to a lower wall of the sluiceway  65  so that a probe  104  extends into the path of the water from the hose  102 . The temperature sensor may make use of any of a number of sensing devices including thermistors, resistive temperature detectors (RTD), thermocouples, bimetallic switches, and other similar devices known in the art. The temperature sensor  106  provides a measure of the temperature of the water from upstream hot and cold water valves (not shown but well known in the art) as mixed and to some extent accumulated within the turbulent flow of the sluiceway  65  to provide a consistent temperature signal. This temperature signal is sent to a control controlling the hot and cold water valves so as to provide closed loop control of water temperature. 
     It will be understood that the volume of cups  38   a  and  38   b  may be varied from one another by changing their cross-sectional diameter and/or height as provided by the sloping floor of the sluiceway  65 . In this way, different volume ratios of laundry aids can be matched by different ratios of the volumes of the cups  38   a  and  38   b  while providing that they are filled to substantially the same heights for convenience of the consumer. 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the water inlet port  100  includes a branch  107  prior to entry into the laundry aid chamber  40  and sluiceway  65 . One portion of the branch passes through a restriction  108  and then into the sluiceway  65  as described above with respect to FIG.  5 . The second portion of the branch extends vertically into a tower passage  110 , such as may be molded or attached to an outer chamber wall  42  in one wall of the laundry aid chamber  40 , adjacent, in this example, to cup  38   c.    
     The restriction  108  is such that when water flows in hose  102 , a portion is directed up the tower passage  110  to an orifice  112 . The orifice  112  is aligned with a target opening in the upper edge of a vertical side wall of the cup  38   c  adjacent to the orifice  112  so that a stream of water  115  is directed into the interior of the cup  38   c  near the top of the cup  38   c . Dry laundry aid  116 , such as powdered detergent, is wet by the stream  115  to dissolve and pass through the orifice  74   c  of the cup  38   c.    
     Because detergent is the first laundry aid typically added to the wash, the stream  115  may start at the beginning of the wash cycle when water is first provided from hose  102  and may continue during the entire wash cycle passing through the cup  38   c  even after it is empty. For other laundry aids, a valve may be used to turn the stream  115  on and off. 
     It will be further understood that the present invention is not limited to a given number of cups  38  but may be used to provide a single cup or may be expanded to include three or more cups, for example, for powdered or liquid detergent, bleach and water softener as will be understood from the above description to one of ordinary skill in the art. In each case, the sluiceway  65  may be shared by each of the cups whose openings may be clustered conveniently for use by the consumer. Other locations of the cups, for example, under the door  14  as shown in FIG. 1 at location  120  or on the upper surface  12  at location  122  are also possible with the present design. 
     It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations contained herein, but that modified forms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of different embodiments also be included as come within the scope of the following claims.