Patent Publication Number: US-2023151525-A1

Title: Accessible and Portable Solar-Powered Washer Dryer

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     It is difficult for a handicapped person, especially those in a wheelchair, to access a normal sized top-loading washing machine. Likewise, it is difficult for a wheelchair-bound person to unload a standard top-loading washing machine and to transfer the wet laundry to a dryer. Therefore, improvements are needed specially to make this task easier for someone in a wheelchair or otherwise impaired in movement/motion. 
     Further, conventional washing and drying machines are large, heavy, and stationary, making it hard to transport or move, especially for those with handicaps. In addition, washing and drying clothing with conventional machines pollutes the atmosphere. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a washer and dryer that solves the above identified problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     This invention relates to a solar-powered combined washer-dryer apparatus. In an aspect, the combination washer-dryer is configured to be portable and easily accessible and movable by handicapped individuals. This apparatus includes a rigid enclosure, a cylindrical liquid-tight receptacle within the enclosure, a clothes bin, a motor, an electronic control circuit and a detachable power unit. The clothes bin sits within the receptacle. Liquid and detergent may be added to the receptacle along with clothing. The detachable power unit may comprise a solar panel and an energy storage device. The main enclosure may also contain a second energy storage device. The detachable power unit is connected to the electronic control circuit through a port. The detachable power unit provides power for the electronic control circuit and the motor to rotate the clothes bin. 
     The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, as well as illustrate several embodiments of the invention that together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    shows a top perspective view of the portable solar-powered washer/dryer according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG.  2   a - b    shows top perspective views of the portable solar-powered washer/dryer of  FIG.  1    from another angle with the detachable power unit. 
         FIG.  3    depicts a side plan view of the main enclosure with the solar power unit of the portable solar-powered washer/dryer of  FIG.  1    detached. 
         FIG.  4    is a top perspective see-through view of the main enclosure and its internal components of the portable solar-powered washer/dryer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  5   a    shows a clothing bin with top. 
         FIG.  5   b    shows the receptacle with a heating element. 
         FIG.  6    shows a perspective see-through view of the rack and pinion liquid release mechanism of portable solar-powered washer/dryer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  7    shows a close up view of the rack and pinion gears of the portable solar-powered washer/dryer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  8    shows a top perspective view of a liquid drainage tank of the portable solar-powered washer/dryer of  FIG.  1    according to an aspect. 
         FIG.  9    shows a perspective see-through view of a drain shaft of the liquid drainage tank of  FIG.  8   . 
         FIG.  10    shows a perspective side view of a solar power unit of a portable solar-powered washer/dryer according to an aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG.  11    shows further details of the main enclosure. 
         FIG.  12    shows a process flow for using the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is to be understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. The present disclosure relates to a portable solar-powered combination washer-dryer for clothing. 
     People who are handicapped or confined to a wheelchair are not able to easily use top-loading washing machines or dryers. It is difficult to load and unload such machines as well as to load and unload dryers. This combination washer/dryer allows a person confined to a wheelchair to load and empty the machine of the load of laundry while removing the need to transfer the load of wet laundry from one machine to another. The invention also uses a smaller size tumbler, allowing the unit  10  to sit closer to the ground and makes the size of the load more manageable. In addition, the combination washer/dryer can utilize a renewable energy source (e.g., solar power) rather than relying on sources of conventional electricity generation such as coal. In an aspect, the electricity thereby generated by solar power is either used to power the washer/dryer directly or is stored for later use in an energy storage element such as a battery. 
     The combination washer/dryer unit  10  is described in  FIGS.  1 - 12    according to an aspect of the present invention. As shown, the unit  10  may include an enclosure/housing  100 , a removable clothes container  200 , a receptacle  300  contained within the enclosure  100  and configured to receive the clothes container  200 , a mechanical subsystem  400  configured to perform the washing and drying functions, a liquid disposal subsystem  500 , a power supplying subsystem  600 , and a control electronics sub-system  700 . In an aspect, the detachable power supply  600  resides outside the enclosure  100 . These components work together to wash and dry clothes in a single unit  10  in a more energy efficient and convenient fashion, especially for those individuals with disabilities. These systems will be described in greater detail below. 
     The enclosure  100  comprises an upper portion  100   a  and a lower portion  100   b . The upper portion  100   a  comprises a door  102  attached by a hinge  104  to the lower portion  100   b . The hinge  104  may include a bias (not shown) (e.g. a spring or a counter-weight) so that the door  102  may remain open without requiring the user to continually hold it up while loading or unloading laundry. The bias therefore frees up the user&#39;s hands to load or unload laundry rather than holding open the door. In an embodiment a display  704 , discussed in more detail below, may be mounted on top of the door  102 . 
     Inside the enclosure  100  sits a liquid-tight receptacle  300 . Inside the enclosure  100 , but outside of the receptacle  300 , may reside the control electronics  700 , a second energy storage element  612 , a mechanical sub-system  400 , and a liquid disposal sub-system  500 . 
     In an embodiment, the enclosure  100  may have one or more handles  106 ,  110 ,  112  affixed, for instance, to the sides or the top of the enclosure  100 . In an embodiment, a top handle  110  may be retractable to within the enclosure  100  and may be extended for ease of re-positioning the enclosure  100  when so desired. In an embodiment a side handle  112  may be used to move the unit  10  around. In an embodiment the door  102  may include a door handle  106  to raise or lower the door  102 . The enclosure  100  may sit on rollers, wheels, or casters  114  which allow the unit  10  to be rolled easily along a flat surface. In an aspect, the system  10  utilizes four casters  114 . However, other various combination of casters  114  that allow the enclosure  100  to be easily transported can be utilized. Further, other types of devices similar to casters (ball bearings, anchored wheels, etc.) may be utilized to move the system  10  without the need to lift the system  10  from off the ground. 
     The enclosure  100  may also have a recess  116  on the bottom portion  100   b  to allow easy mating with the detachable power unit  600  without compromising the ease of re-positioning the enclosure  100 . The enclosure  100  may also have an electrical connection  606  to enable communication between the enclosure  100  and the detachable power unit  600  or to transfer energy between the enclosure  100  and the detachable power unit  600 . 
     The receptacle  300  is a liquid-tight container which may hold a clothes bin  200 . The receptacle  300  also may contain a drain plug  302  (or a drain cap), which in normal operation is in the closed position allowing the receptacle  300  to contain liquid. When draining liquid out of the receptacle  300 , the drain plug  302  will be opened by operation of a rack and pinion gear sub-system  450  driven by the mechanical sub-system  400 , detailed below. In an embodiment, the receptacle  300  may also comprise an axle  304 , upon which the clothes bin  200  rests. The axle  304  may be rotated or agitated by the mechanical sub-system  400  at the direction of the control electronics sub-system  700 . The receptacle  300  may also comprise a lint trap  306  with a lint screen  308  for filtering out lint from the air flowing over the drying clothes. The clothes bin  200  is removable and rotatable. In an aspect, in normal operation, the clothes bin  200  may be connected to a motor  402  for spinning the bin  200 . 
     The receptacle  300  may be manufactured from hard plastic or any other liquid-proof material able to withstand heating. For instance, in an embodiment acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, or some other thermoplastic may be employed to form the main enclosure  100  or the receptacle  300  or both. 
     The combination washer-dryer unit  10  is meant to make it easier to wash and dry laundry without having to go to the inconvenience of transferring a load of laundry from a washing machine to a dryer. In an aspect, a specially designed clothes bin  200  is used to contain the clothes during the washing and drying cycles. The clothes bin  200  may be constructed of plastic, metal, or other materials which are impermeable to liquid and heat resistant. This clothes bin  200  is designed to withstand heating during the drying cycle so that a separate unit is not required. In addition, the clothes bin  200  may have openings  202  to enable a spin dry cycle at the end of the wash cycle (step  806 ). In an embodiment, the clothes bin may have a mating portion  206  designed to be mounted onto an axle  306  inside the receptacle  300 . In an embodiment, the clothes bin  200  is removable and may have a removable top  204  as shown in  FIG.  5   a   . In another embodiment, the door  102  of the enclosure  10  may act as the top of the clothes bin  200 . In an aspect, the door  102  may be sized to match substantially the entire top of the receptacle  300  to prevent liquid from leaving the enclosure  100 . The door  102  may include a latch or lock to insure it remains in the closed position to contain the liquid within the receptacle  300  during a wash cycle. 
     Inside the enclosure  100 , but separate from the receptacle  300 , is a mechanical sub-system  400 . This mechanical sub-system  400  comprises a motor  402  and a connector  404  (e.g. a belt) between the motor  402  and those components which require moving. The motor  402  is powered by one of the energy storage elements  610 ,  612  or directly by the detachable power unit  600 . The motor  402  may rotate or agitate the clothes bin  200 , for instance, by a belt  404  connecting the rotatable motor shaft with an axle  304  with a liquid-tight feed through into the receptacle  300 . The motor  402  may also, at the appropriate time in a wash/dry cycle, raise the drain cap  302  to unplug the drain  301 . This method of opening the drain  301  of the main receptacle  300  is described in more detail below. 
     Inside the enclosure  100  in the lower portion  100   b  is a liquid drainage tank  502 , located below the receptacle  300 . The liquid drainage tank  502  has an inlet or entry hole  508  located just below the receptacle drain  301 . When the wash cycle is completed, the control electronics  700  cause the motor  402  to move the receptacle drain plug  302  so that the receptacle drain  301  is opened up and the liquid and detergent (or other liquid) drain by gravity into the liquid drainage tank  502 . To complete the process, the liquid drainage tank  502  may be removed from the enclosure  100  and positioned over a sink or drain or some kind of liquid outlet. The drainage tank&#39;s exit hole  512  has its own plug  514 . The user may release the liquid by pulling up on the knob  518  attached to a shaft  516  connected to the exit hole drain plug  514 . 
     An electronic control circuit  700  may reside also within the enclosure  100  of the unit  10 . This circuit  700  may comprise a printed circuit board with computer chips or other circuit elements residing on the board. The control circuit  700  may communicate with the user via an interface including a display  704 . In an embodiment, the user communication and display may comprise a touch screen display  704 . The display  704  may reside on the same circuit board or may be separate from the circuit board. In an embodiment, the touchscreen display  704  may reside on the side or the top of the enclosure  100 . The display  704  allows the user to control and monitor the unit  10  generally. In an aspect, the user may check the state of charge of an energy storage element  610 ,  612  powering the motor  402 . 
     The detachable power unit or supply  600  comprises a first energy storage element  610 , a first communications port or connector  604 , and a power source  602 . In an aspect the power source  602  may comprise a solar panel  608 , as shown in  FIG.  2   a   . The first connector  604  may mate to the second connector  606  on the enclosure  100  to transfer power to a second energy storage element  612  on or in the enclosure  100 . The detachable power unit  600  may be attached to the enclosure  100  (e.g.  FIG.  2   a   ) or it may be detached (e.g.  FIG.  2   b   ,  FIG.  3   ) and placed elsewhere. The detachable power unit  600  may be placed in direct sunlight to accumulate energy while the remainder of the unit (the enclosure  100 ) may be stored in another location. At a later time, the detachable power unit  600  may be re-attached to the enclosure  100  to transfer the stored energy or to operate the unit  10 . 
     The electrical connectors  604 ,  606  facilitate communications between the main enclosure  100  and the detachable power unit  600  as well as permit the transfer of energy from the detachable power unit  600  to the main enclosure  100 . The detachable unit&#39;s energy storage element  610  and the enclosure&#39;s energy storage element  612  may comprise rechargeable electrochemical batteries. Other energy storage elements such as capacitors may also be used. 
     In an aspect,  FIG.  3    shows the main enclosure  100  with the detachable power unit  600  detached and a side handle  112 . In such aspects, the detachable power unit  600  can feature charging pins  604  or connectors.  FIG.  11    illustrates another aspect of the connectors  604  to the detachable power unit  600 . In this embodiment, the main enclosure  100  has a recess  116  on the bottom  100   b , where the detachable power unit  600  fits while still providing room for casters or wheels  114 . The detachable power unit  600  may detach to be placed in an advantageous position to collect sunlight without having to move the entire main enclosure  100 . The detachable power unit  600  may be lighter and more maneuverable than the system  10  as a whole providing better functionality. 
     A heating element  310  may be incorporated within the main enclosure  100 . In an aspect, as shown in  FIG.  5   b   , the heating element may comprise a drum type heater and may encompass at least a portion of the outside of the receptacle  300 . The heating element  310  may be connected to a first energy storage element  610  or to a second energy storage element  612  or to a control electronics subsystem  700 . 
       FIGS.  6 - 7    shows some details of the rack and pinion mechanism  450  to open or close the receptacle exit hole  301  using a drain plug or drain cap  302 . The drain plug  302  is affixed to the end of the rack gear  454 . In normal operation, this drain cap  302  closes off the receptacle  300  to make it liquid tight. When the washing is finished the motor  402  will turn the pinion  452  which will lower the rack  454  and the drain plug  302 . The motor  402  may rotate the pinion  452  through a pinion axle  458  directly. The motor  402  may rotate the pinion  452  through a belt drive or some other means. With the drain plug  302  no longer blocking the receptacle exit hole  301 , the liquid or other liquid (including particles suspended in the liquid) will drain out of the receptacle exit hole  301  through the drainage tank entry hole  508  and into the liquid drainage tank  502  itself. 
       FIGS.  8  and  9    show details of the liquid disposal system  500  according to an aspect. The liquid disposal system  500  includes a liquid drainage tank  502  with an entry hole  508 , which is aligned with the exit hole  301  of the receptacle  300  when mounted inside the main enclosure  100 . The drainage tank cover  504  may have a passage for the drain plug shaft  516 . Atop the drain plug shaft  516  is a knob  518 . The drain plug shaft  516  connects with the drain plug  514 . When engaged, the liquid drainage tank&#39;s exit hole  512  is plugged by the drain plug  514 . To dispose of the liquid, a user may pull the drainage tank  502  out of the main enclosure  100 , for example, by using a hand grip  510 . The user may then place the tank  502  over a sink or washbasin or out of doors, and pull the knob  518  upwards. This action disengages the drain plug  514  from the exit hole  512  in the bottom of the liquid drainage tank  502  allowing liquid to drain out. Once drained, the user may allow the plug  514  to re-seal the exit hole  512  and then replace the liquid drainage tank  502  into the main enclosure  100 , as before. 
       FIG.  10    shows an embodiment of the rear  601  of the detachable power unit  600 . On the rear  601  of the detachable power unit  600  may be located a first connecting port  604 , such as the USB PD port (universal serial bus power delivery) as shown in this embodiment. Other embodiments (see  FIG.  3   ) may have separate charging pins  604  or a communication port in another location or using another style. Examples of other possible connectors include optical connectors or wireless communication devices. The connectors enable transfer of energy from the detachable power unit  600  to the main enclosure  100 . The connectors  604 ,  606  also enable communication between the detachable power unit  600  and the main enclosure  100 . The connector  604  may facilitate communication between the control circuit  700  in the main enclosure  100  and the detachable power unit  600 . In an aspect there may be a single communication and energy transfer connector  604 . In another aspect there may be a communication connector and a separate energy transfer connector. 
       FIG.  11    shows an embodiment of a side view of the main enclosure  100  with a USB PD port  606  on the side of the main enclosure  100 . This second connector  606  is designed to mate with the first connector  604  on the detachable power unit  600 . A second energy storage device  612  may be located inside the main enclosure  100 . In an embodiment, the detachable power unit&#39;s energy storage device  610  or the main enclosure&#39;s energy storage device  612  may be a 12 V, 10,000 mAh·r lithium polymer battery. 
     This unit  10  thereby may replace both a washing machine and a dryer as the unit  10  may wash and dry clothes without extra intervention by the user. 
     In terms of the energy usage, the washer/dryer combination  10  may require less energy than for a standard washer or a dryer. A standard dryer consumes approximately 2-6 kW (or more) of power and operates for approximately 30-45 minutes to dry a single load of laundry, although it depends on the actual unit and the total amount of laundry in the load. This operation thus consumes in the range of 3-6 Megajoules (MJ) (or more) of energy. The two batteries  610 ,  612  in the embodiment depicted in  FIGS.  10  and  11    may each have a storage capacity of 10,000 mA·hr at 12 V for a total energy storage capacity of 0.8 to 1.0 MJ. This amount of energy is 3× to 6× less than used in a standard conventional dryer so the size of the load of laundry must be smaller than a standard, stationary dryer. 
     Under normal operation on a sunny day a solar panel  602  will receive the standard insolation of approximately 1000 W/m 2 . The embodiment shown in  FIG.  1    shows a solar panel which may have an area of 300 mm by 500 mm or approximately 0.15 m 2 . Thus the maximum solar power anticipated at the earth&#39;s surface for such a device is approximately 1000*0.15=150 W. Since only a portion of this energy is converted into electricity this value must de-rated by the conversion efficiency of the solar panel  602 . Assuming a solar panel  602  efficiency of 20% means that this panel will produce approximately 150*0.2=30 W of power, at noon on a sunny day with the solar panel  602  directly in the sunlight at the optimal angle. Power optimizers are known to improve overall energy output and instantaneous power output of solar panels. Incorporating such an electronic element to improve power and energy output may provide an additional benefit for the user. 
     Operation of the combination washer/dryer may employ one of three sources of energy: either of the two energy storage elements  610 ,  612  or the detachable power source  602  (e.g. solar panel) or any combination of these three. In one embodiment with electrochemical batteries, either battery  610 ,  612  may charge the other battery  612 ,  610  and the touchscreen controller  704  may display the state of charge of each battery plus information about the solar panel  602 —historical energy production, whether one battery should charge the other, etc. In one embodiment, the electronic connector(s)  604 ,  606  between the detachable power unit  600  and the main enclosure  100  may be a USB PD connector with one connector on either side, designed to mate with each other. These connectors  604 ,  606  may include magnetic elements to help hold them together. In some embodiments there may be separate connectors among the solar panel&#39;s energy storage element  610 , the electronic control board  700 , and the main enclosure&#39;s energy storage element  612 . The controller  700  may instead allow the solar panel  602  to charge the main enclosure&#39;s energy storage element  612  directly. For such embodiments, no USB PD connector need be used or an alternative connector may be chosen instead. In some embodiments other forms of communication between the detachable power unit  600  and the main enclosure  100  may be employed. For instance, in some embodiments, the main enclosure  100  could use, for instance, Wi-fi or Bluetooth to connect with the detachable power unit  600  to know the state of charge of the battery  610  located there, or the detachable power unit  600  could communicate with the main enclosure  100  to display the status of the solar panel  602 , whether producing a certain level of power or not producing any energy. Likewise, another embodiment may use optical communication between the main enclosure  100  and the detachable power unit  600 . 
     For those embodiments with a USB PD connector, the connector  604 ,  606  is rated for up to 100 W at 10 V for 5 A of current. With the 12 V lithium batteries  610 ,  612  of one embodiment, this would mean a maximum power of 60 W (12 V*5 A) being transferred at any one time. Given that the maximum solar panel  602  output is approximately 30 W, the charging time would be limited by the 2.5 A it would produce at 12 V. There may also be electronics within the solar panel  602  portion to help optimize solar cell output and also to condition the power provided to the energy storage devices  610 ,  612  or to the main enclosure  100  for operating the motor  402 , the touchscreen controller  704 , or other electronic elements or devices  700 . At this level of solar-produced current, it will take approximately 4 hours to fully charge one of the batteries  610 ,  612  to 10,000 mA·hr. This level of current is satisfactory as these types of batteries work well with this slow rate of charging rather than using much higher currents, which might damage the batteries due to overheating. 
     In order to facilitate normal operation, sensors may be placed in various locations around the main enclosure  100  or the solar panel  600 . For instance, in some embodiments, a sensor could detect whether the drain cap  302  of the receptacle  300  in the main enclosure  100  was correctly closing off the receptacle  100  so it would be safe to add liquid and detergent  804 . In another example, if the liquid drainage tank  502  were not properly in place and its entry hole  508  thus not properly aligned with the receptacle&#39;s drain  301 , then the user could be alerted through an audio alarm or a display alert message on the touchscreen display  704  that the user was in danger of allowing the liquid to drain without proper positioning of the drainage tank  502 . Similarly, a sensor or sensors may detect whether the mating portion  206  of clothes bin  200  is correctly attached to the axle  304 . If the bin  200  were not correctly attached or incorrectly seated, the touchscreen  704  could display a message or otherwise caution the user of the misalignment. Likewise, if the energy storage devices  610 ,  612  did not contain enough energy for a full load, or a sensor detected a larger than normal weight of clothes in the bin  200 , then the user could be notified to re-assess whether such a large load of laundry required processing immediately or whether a smaller load could be fully processed instead or whether the load only required washing  806  but not drying  808 . 
     The touchscreen  704  allows the user to interact with and control the unit  10 . Certain embodiments may include pre-selected cycles such as longer washing times or incorporating a spin-dry cycle after draining the liquid from the receptacle  300  before moving on to a heated dry cycle  808 . Many other different cycles may be selected or new ones programmed. The touchscreen controller  700  may incorporate both a touchscreen display  704  for viewing information and selecting options and also an electronic controller  702  for controlling the various elements. These may be separated or may form a single unified element of the combination washer/dryer. For instance, the controller  700  may enable the selection of whether the motor  402  drives the pinion  452  to move the rack  454  to open or close the drain plug  302  which allows liquid to drain from the receptacle  300  or whether the rack  454  and attached drain plug  302  remain in the up position allowing the liquid to remain in the receptacle  300 . Furthermore, the controller  700  may enable the pinion  452  as well as the motor  302  to rotate in either direction for any number of steps. For instance, the motor  302  may be controlled to rotate the clothes bin axle  304  clockwise for a certain time or a certain number of rotations followed by a rotation in the counter-clockwise direction. The motor  302  may be controlled to rotate less than a full rotation in one direction before being instructed to rotate in the opposite direction for less than or more than a full rotation. Such a mode may be achieved in conventional washing machines by having vanes jostle or agitate the clothing. This agitation may be achieved here by jostling the bin  200  containing the clothes. In addition, the motor  302  may operate at many speeds allowing for slower or faster rotational velocities to be achieved. 
     The touchscreen controller  704  may also contain instructions allowing interactions with the user, such as displaying warnings if the user wishes to operate the unit  10  but the state of charge of the batteries  610 ,  612  is too low to operate the selected cycle. The touchscreen  704  may inform the user to charge the batteries  610 ,  612  longer in full sun with an estimate of the time required or it may inform the user that only a partial cycle may be completed or an unheated drying cycle  808  carried out as an alternative. Also the touchscreen controller  704  may interact with a personal user electronic device, such as a smart phone, personal computer, tablet, laptop computer, notebook computer through some means of communication such as the aforementioned Bluetooth, Wifi, or similar radiofrequency schemes to convey alerts or warnings or notices to the user. 
     As is often the case with conventional dryers, lint may clog the outlet of the receptacle  300  so a mesh casing  306  with a removable lint trap  308  is integrated into the upper side of the receptacle  300 . Prior to the execution of a drying cycle, the liquid would be allowed to drain out of the receptacle  300  into the liquid drainage tank  502 . While the drain plug  302  is in the open position, the controller  700  will instruct the motor  302  to rapidly spin the bin. The liquid in the soaked clothing may, by centrifugal force, be forced out of the clothing, through the openings in the side of the bin  200 , and then drain through the receptacle drain  301  into the drainage tank  502 . After this spin cycle, a drying cycle  808  could commence, and may include heating air entering the receptacle  300  or heating the receptacle  300  itself. 
     In another embodiment, the portable washer-dryer may connect to another power source through the electrical connector, for instance, to a home energy storage unit or to a solar panel fixed to an outside structure. 
     In normal use, this device  10  will wash one set of clothes (e.g. pair of pants+shirt+underclothes). The clothes bin  200  may be shaped to help move the liquid or the air around the receptacle  300 . For instance, in an embodiment, the clothes bin  200  may comprise an impeller to create a flow of air into and around the wet clothes. 
     In one embodiment, a method of operation  800  of the unit  10  may involve the following steps shown in  FIG.  12   . The user may load clothes (step  802 ). The loading may include putting the clothes into clothing bin while the bin  200  is in the receptacle  300  or when the bin  200  is removed. In the latter case, the bin  200  must then be inserted back into the receptacle  300 . The user may add water and detergent or other chemicals (e.g. fabric softener or bleach) into the receptacle  300  (step  804 ). The user may then instruct the controller  700  to run a wash cycle (step  806 ). An example wash cycle may comprise having the electronic control circuit  700  initiate the motor  402  to rotate or agitate the clothes bin  200 . When the wash cycle is completed (step  806 ), the user may then instruct the controller  700  to run a dryer cycle (step  808 ). A dryer cycle may include first draining the liquid from the receptacle  300  into the liquid drainage tank  502  by instructing the motor  402  to detach the receptacle drain plug  302  from the receptacle  300  to open the receptacle drain  301  and allow the liquid to enter the liquid drainage tank  502 . A second step in a dryer cycle  808  may be to have the motor  402  spin the clothes bin  200  at a high rotational velocity to force liquid out of the clothes. Once the dryer cycle is completed, the user may unload the clothes (step  810 ). Next, the lint trap may be emptied (step  812 ). After unloading the clothes, the user may remove the liquid drainage tank  502  and appropriately dispose of the contents (step  814 ). 
     Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the art that the disclosures are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as illustrated herein, but is only limited by the following claims.