Patent Publication Number: US-2022235513-A1

Title: Fabric treating appliance comprising a scrubbing tool

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/724,213, filed Dec. 21, 2019, now allowed, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/263,863, filed Jan. 31, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,544,538, issued Jan. 28, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/602,169, filed May 23, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,233,587, issued Mar. 19, 2019, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Fabric treating appliances typically operate to clean fabric by placing the fabric in contact with cleaning fluid such as soapy water, and providing relative motion between the fabric and the fluid. Commonly a fabric mover such as an agitator provides mechanical energy to a load of fabric immersed in the cleaning fluid by agitating the fabric load in a manner that both jostles the fabric in the fluid and circulates the fluid through the fabric. A fabric treating appliance for home use can perform a select programmed series of operations on fabric placed in a basket or drum located within the interior of the machine. However, it can occur that none of a selection of preprogrammed wash cycles is thought by the washing machine operator to be sufficient to fully remove certain stains on the fabric being laundered. The operator can choose to address such stains manually before adding the stained fabric to the fabric load. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosure relates to a fabric treating appliance comprising: a cabinet defining an interior and having a top wall defining an access opening; a cover movable relative to the cabinet between opened and closed positions to selectively close the access opening; a tub located within the interior and having an open top aligned with the access opening; a rotatable basket located within the tub and having a loading opening aligned with the open top and the access opening; a top wall extending between at least one of the cabinet and the tub; a scrubbing tool seat recessed in the top wall; and a scrubbing surface provided on the top wall of the cabinet and located in an area contiguous with an edge of the scrubbing tool seat. 
     In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a fabric treating appliance comprising: a cabinet defining an interior and having a top wall defining an access opening; a cover movable relative to the cabinet between opened and closed positions to selectively close the access opening; a tub located within the interior and having an open top aligned with the access opening; a rotatable basket located within the tub and having a loading opening aligned with the open top and the access opening; a top wall extending between at least one of the cabinet and the tub; a scrubbing tool seat recessed in the top wall and comprising an aperture in the seat fluidly connected to the tub to define a drain in fluid communication with the tub; a scrubbing tool seat recessed in the top wall and comprising an aperture in the seat fluidly connected to the tub to define a drain in fluid communication with the tub, wherein excess liquid in the scrubbing tool seat drains through the aperture and into the tub. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of fabric treating appliance in the form of a washing machine. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the top of an exemplary embodiment of the washing machine of  FIG. 1  with a scrubbing tool housed in a scrubbing tool seat. 
         FIG. 3A  is a cross sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2  of a scrubbing tool seat and scrubbing tool housed in the seat. 
         FIG. 3B  is a view similar to  FIG. 3A  and illustrating an alternative scrubbing tool housed in the seat. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the top of an exemplary embodiment of the washing machine of  FIG. 1  with a scrubbing tool housed bristles up in a scrubbing tool seat. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a non-dispensing scrubbing tool. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded, perspective view of a dispensing scrubbing tool having a reservoir. 
         FIG. 7A  is a perspective view depicting exemplary use of a scrubbing tool. 
         FIG. 7B  is a perspective view depicting an alternate use of a scrubbing tool. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a fabric treating appliance in the form of a vertical axis washing machine  10 . The washing machine  10  can include a cabinet  12  defining an interior for housing the operational parts of the washing machine, together with a hinged cover  18 . Housed within the cabinet  12  is a wash tub  26 , a basket  28 , and an agitator assembly  30 . The tub  26  holds the wash liquid that is used in the operation of the washing machine  10 . The tub  26  is located within the interior of the cabinet  12  and has an open top  27 . The basket  28  holds the fabric during operation of the washing machine  10 . The basket  28  is located within the tub  26  and has a loading opening  32  aligned with the open top  27  of the tub  26 . The basket  28  can be thought of as defining a treating chamber  33  in which the fabric is treated. The cabinet  12  can also have a top wall  19  comprising a shroud  29  provided at the top of the cabinet  12  and defining an access opening  15 , which aligns with both the open top  27  of the tub  26  and the loading opening  32  of the basket  28 , which items of clothing or other fabric can pass when placing the fabric items into the basket  28  for washing. The shroud  29  can curve downwards toward the treating chamber  33  to direct fabric items into the basket  28 . The shroud  29  can overlie a portion of the tub  26  and basket  28  such that the fabric items do not fall between the basket  28  and the tub  26 . The top wall  19  and shroud  29  can also have a recess defining a scrubbing tool seat  210  where a scrubbing tool  200  can be removably disposed in the seat  210 . The scrubbing tool seat  210  can have a drain  215  that is fluidly connected to the tub  26 . A gap  40  can also formed between the shroud  29  and the hinged cover  18 . A console  21  having control panel  20  which includes the operating controls  22  for the washer is illustrated on the upper, rear of the cabinet  12 , but can be located elsewhere. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the top of the fabric treating appliance  10  with the hinged cover  18  shown in an open condition to illustrate a scrubbing tool  200  and a scrubbing tool seat  210  in which the scrubbing tool  200  can be stored. The scrubbing tool  200  and scrubbing tool seat  210  can be located in the top wall  19  or the shroud  29  of cabinet  12  and there can be multiple scrubbing tool seat  210  locations for user convenience. While  FIG. 2  depicts two scrubbing tool seats  210 , one on each side of the wash tub  28  and toward the front of the cabinet  12 , the invention is not limited to this arrangement. One scrubbing tool seat  210  is sufficient for housing a scrubbing tool  200  and its location in the top wall  19  or shroud  29  is not limited, although in an exemplary embodiment a scrubbing tool seat  210  can be located in a front portion of the shroud  29  or top wall  19  for easy accessibility by a user. 
     The recessed scrubbing tool seat  210  can have a drain  215  comprising one or more openings to allow residual liquid in the scrubbing tool seat  210  to drain into the tub  26  or wash basket  28 . The drain  215  can be fluidly connected to the tub as it is positioned over and above the tub  26  thereby allowing any excess liquid to gravity feed directly into the tub  26  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). In this embodiment, the floor  216  of the scrubbing tool seat  210  can be slanted toward the drain  215  to allow excess liquid to easily drain from the scrubbing tool seat  210 . Alternatively, and as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the drain  215  can be fluidly connected to the tub  26  via mechanical connections and couplings. In this embodiment, the scrubbing tool seat  210  can be configured to act as a reservoir for dispensing detergent, softener, or other fabric treating liquid during a wash cycle. 
     A scrubbing surface  31  can be provided on the top wall  19  or shroud  29  of the cabinet  12 . The scrubbing surface  31  can include a smooth or textured area for supporting material being pretreated. The scrubbing surface  31  can also be located in an area adjacent to or contiguous to the scrubbing tool seat  210 . The scrubbing surface  31  can be configured to allow for the passing of excess pretreating liquid through the scrubbing surface during use. For example, the scrubbing surface  31  can include grooves, channels, or perforations through which the pretreating liquid can drain out (not shown). Such perforations can comprise a plurality of small holes, thin slots, or the like, in any desired arrangement. The scrubbing surface  31  and draining elements can be arranged to drain the excess pretreating liquid into the treating chamber  33  or the scrubbing tool seat  210 . The scrubbing surface can also comprise perforated material such as mesh or polymeric materials, or other material that is conducive to allowing a liquid to pass through. The perforated material or mesh can be made of plastic, metal or other suitable material. 
     The details of the scrubbing tool  200  and scrubbing tool seat  210  are best seen with respect to  FIG. 3A , which illustrates a cross-sectional view of the scrubbing tool seat  210  with scrubbing tool  200  placed therein. It should be recognized that the scrubbing tool  200  could be virtually any design and height that conforms to the relative size of the scrubbing tool seat  210 . The scrubbing tool&#39;s  200  height could extend above the height of the scrubbing tool seat  210 , or conversely, the scrubbing tool&#39;s  200  height might not extend to the height of the scrubbing tool seat  210  in an at rest position. In an exemplary embodiment, the height of the scrubbing tool  200  is generally intended to be flush with or slightly extending or protruding above the top of the scrubbing tool seat  210  in an at rest position. This configuration allows the hinged cover  18  to move to a fully closed position while the scrubbing tool  200  rests in the scrubbing tool seat  210 . This configuration also allows a user access to the bristles  410  of the scrubbing tool  200  for pretreating purposes when the cover  18  is in an open position and the scrubbing tool  200  is stored in a bristles-up orientation. In an alternate configuration wherein a gap  40  is present between the top of shroud  29  and the bottom of hinged cover  18 , the height of the scrubbing tool  200  could be designed to extend above or protrude above the scrubbing tool seat  210  while still allowing the hinged cover  18  to move to a fully closed position. 
     The spacing between the inner diameter of the seat  210  and the top or gripper portion  320  of the scrubbing tool  200  can form a gap  340 , which is sufficient to permit a user to access or grab the gripper portion  320  of scrubbing tool  200  with their fingers. In a protruding configuration, shown in  FIG. 3B , wherein the gripper portion  320  of the scrubbing tool  200  extends above the scrubbing tool seat  210 , the scrubbing tool  200  can be grasped without a finger gap  340  being necessary to access the gripper portion  320  of the scrubbing tool  200 . In the protruding configuration, the bottom portion  350  of the scrubbing tool  200  can have a complementary shape to the scrubbing tool seat  210 , but the gripper portion  320  of the scrubbing tool  200  could have any shape since it is not disposed within the scrubbing tool seat  210 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the scrubbing tool  200  can be removably inserted into the scrubbing tool seat  210  in a bristles-up orientation as compared to the bristles-down orientation of  FIG. 2 . The scrubbing tool  200  can be shaped relative to the scrubbing tool seat  210  such that either orientation is possible as is a matter of user preference. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of scrubbing tool  200 . The scrubbing tool  200  comprises a gripper portion  320  and a set of bristles  410  mounted on the scrubbing tool  200  opposite the gripper portion  320 . In an exemplary operation, the scrubbing tool  200  is non-dispensing and can be used by applying pretreating liquid directly to the stain and/or to the bristles  410 , and brushing the stained material against the bristles  410 , or brushing the tool  200  with bristles  410  against the stained material. In this embodiment, the scrubbing tool  200  need not comprise a reservoir or dispenser. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a scrubbing tool  600 . The scrubbing tool  600  is shown exploded and its constituent parts can be seen. The scrubbing tool  600  comprises a base  610  and a cap  620 . Complementary elements can be included to removably secure the cap  620  to the base  610 . For example, the base  610  and cap  620  can be configured with threads that can be screwed together, or edges that can snap together, although other coupling elements or methods can be used. As shown in  FIG. 6 , cap  620  has been removed from base  610  to reveal a reservoir  630  formed in the base  610 . In one example, the reservoir  630  is at least partially located in the base  610  and shaped to receive a replaceable container  640  of pretreating liquid or a chemistry pod. The container  640  can be inserted into the reservoir  630  and opened as the cap  620  is coupled to the base  610 . Alternatively, the reservoir  630  can be filled with pretreating liquid, for example, by opening the scrubbing tool  600  and pouring liquid directly into the reservoir  630 . In these embodiments, the scrubbing tool  600  can have a dispenser (not shown) that is operated by pushing on a compressible element  660  that activates a valve or conveys pressure to a pump fluidly coupled to the reservoir  630  to dispense the liquid in the reservoir  630 . While the compressible element  660  is shown on the cap  620 , other types and/or arrangements of dispensers can alternatively be used and incorporated into the scrubbing tool  600 . 
     It is noted that the scrubbing tool  600  illustrated in  FIG. 6  is merely an illustrative example of a scrubbing tool  600  that can have a refillable reservoir for holding and dispensing pretreating liquid. Alternatively, the body of the scrubbing tool  200  as illustrated in  FIG. 5  can comprise a single piece with no reservoir, and can be used after manually applying the pretreatment liquid to the bristles  410 , to the stain, or both. Other configurations and/or arrangements can also or alternatively be used. 
       FIG. 7A  illustrates an example scrubbing tool  200  in use. In this example, a user can place a stained fabric  710  to be treated on the scrubbing surface  31  and use any method of manual force to treat the stain on the fabric  710 . A user can apply a pretreating liquid directly to a stained fabric  710  or a pretreating liquid can be dispensed by the scrubbing tool  600  onto the stained fabric  710 . In either case, the user can manually scrub the fabric  710  with the scrubbing tool  200 . If the scrubbing tool  200  is removed from the scrubbing tool seat  210  for use, the scrubbing tool  200  can be returned to the scrubbing tool seat  210  upon completion of stain pretreatment. 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG. 7B , the scrubbing tool  200  need not be removed from the scrubbing tool seat  210  during use. Instead, a piece of stained fabric  710  being pretreated can be manually brushed across the bristles  410  using a sliding, circular, or other motion after applying pretreating liquid to one or both of the stain and the bristles  410 . 
     Although the invention has been described and illustrated in exemplary forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is noted that the description and illustrations have been made by way of example only. Numerous changes in the details of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and steps can be made without deviating from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, such changes are understood to be inherent in the disclosure. The invention is not limited except by the appended claims and the elements explicitly recited therein. The scope of the claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. It should also be noted that all elements of all of the claims can be combined with each other in any possible combination, even if the combinations have not been expressly recited or claimed.