Patent Publication Number: US-10767298-B2

Title: Stain removal tool for a laundry washing machine

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present embodiments relate to a stain removal tool integrated into a laundry washing machine. 
     Typical stain removal devices use mechanical action to brush or rub the stain out of the fabric. However, this practice often may lead to discoloration, fabric wear, or other damage to articles such as, but not limited to, clothing. Thus, there is a need to clean stains with pressurized water associated with a laundry washing machine to reduce damage. 
     SUMMARY 
     In some embodiments of the invention, for example, a stain removal tool for a laundry washing machine may include a wand positionable between a stowed position and a deployed position relative to a laundry washing machine. The wand may include a water supply head hingedly connected to a water drainage head by a hinge. In some embodiments, when the wand is in the deployed position the water supply head may be hingedly moveable between a closed position and an open position relative to the water drainage head. Further, the water supply head may include one or more nozzles in fluid communication with a water supply line. Further, the water drainage head may be in fluid communication with the one or more nozzles of the water supply head when in the closed position. In various embodiments, the water drainage head may be in fluid communication with one or more outlets. 
     In some embodiments, the wand may include a through opening when in the closed position between the hinge and at least one of the water supply head or the water drainage head. In various embodiments, the through opening may be defined by one or more L-shaped arms connecting the hinge to at least one of the water drainage head or the water supply head. Further in some embodiments, the wand may include a gasket sealingly engaging the water drainage head with the water supply head when in the closed position. In addition in some embodiments, the water drainage head and the water supply head may be spaced from the hinge by one or more arms. In some embodiments, the water drainage head may include the one or more outlets. In various embodiments, the wand may include one or more downstream drain lines. 
     In various embodiments, the laundry washing machine with a stain removal tool may include a laundry washing machine having a door defining an opening therein. Further, the opening may include a cover disposed about a wash tub. The laundry washing machine may include a wand positionable between a stowed position and a deployed position relative to the cover. Further, the wand may include a water supply head hingedly connected to a water drainage head by a hinge. Further, when the wand is in the deployed position the water supply head may be hingedly moveable between a closed position and an open position relative to the water drainage head. In some embodiments, the water supply head may include one or more nozzles in fluid communication with a water supply line. In addition in some embodiments, the water drainage head may be in fluid communication with the one or more nozzles of the water supply head when in the closed position. In various embodiments, the water drainage head may be in fluid communication with one or more outlets. 
     In addition, in some embodiments, one or more arms may connect at least one of the water supply head or the water drainage head to the hinge. Further, the one or more arms may include the one or more outlets of the wand. In various embodiments, the wand may operate at least when the door is open. Further in some embodiments, the water drainage head may include the one or more outlets of the wand and discharge into the wash tub. In various embodiments, the one or more outlets of the wand may be in fluid communication with one or more downstream drain lines. In addition in some embodiments, the wand may further include one or more gaskets defining one or more substantially sealed cavities between the water supply head and the water drainage head when in the closed position. In various embodiments, the wand may further include one or more L-shaped arms connecting at least one of the water supply head or the water drainage head to the hinge, and the one or more L-shaped arms may define a through opening adjacent at least one of the water supply head or the water drainage head when in the closed position. 
     In some embodiments, the laundry washing machine with a stain removal tool may include a laundry washing machine having a door defining an opening therein. Further, the opening may include a cover disposed about a wash tub. The laundry washing machine may further include a wand positionable between a stowed position and a deployed position relative to the cover. Further, the wand may include a water supply head hingedly connected to a water drainage head by a hinge. Further, when the wand is in the deployed position the water supply head may be hingedly moveable between a closed position and an open position relative to the water drainage head. In some embodiments, the wand may include one or more arms interconnecting the water supply head and the water drainage head to the hinge. In various embodiments, the water supply head may include one or more nozzles in fluid communication with a water supply line. In addition in some embodiments, the water drainage head may be in fluid communication with the one or more nozzles of the water supply head when in the closed position. Further, the water drainage head may be in fluid communication with one or more outlets. 
     In addition, in some embodiments, the water drainage head may include the one or more outlets of the wand and discharge into the wash tub when in the deployed position. In various embodiments, the wand may include one or more gaskets defining one or more substantially sealed cavities between the water supply head and the water drainage head when in the closed position. Further, the water drainage head may include one or more support members defining one or more openings downstream of the one or more cavities. Further in some embodiments, the one or more arms may include the one or more outlets. In various embodiments, the one or more arms may be L-shaped to define a through opening when in the closed position. In addition in some embodiments, the one or more outlets may be adjacent a front edge of the water drainage head. 
     These and other advantages and features, which characterize the embodiments, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and form a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the embodiments, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described example embodiments. This summary is merely provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description, and is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is an enlarged perspective view of two embodiments of a stain removal tool deployed for use in an embodiment of a laundry washing machine, with portions of the washing machine broken away; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the stain removal tool of  FIG. 1  in the open position with the slide rails removed; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the stain removal tool of  FIG. 2  in the closed position; 
         FIG. 4  is a side section view of the stain removal tool of  FIG. 3  taken along line  3 - 3  engaging an article of clothing in the closed position; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the other stain removal tool of  FIG. 1  in the closed position illustrating a water supply line in fluid communication with the handle; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the stain removal tool of  FIG. 5  illustrating a water supply line and a drain line in fluid communication with the handle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, as will become apparent from the description below. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific implementations discussed herein. 
     The embodiments discussed hereinafter will focus on the implementation of the hereinafter-described techniques within a top-load residential laundry washing machine such as laundry washing machine  10 , such as the type that may be used in single-family or multi-family dwellings, or in other similar applications. However, it will be appreciated that the herein-described techniques may also be used in connection with other types of laundry washing machines in some embodiments. For example, the herein-described techniques may be used in commercial applications in some embodiments. Moreover, the herein-described techniques may be used in connection with other laundry washing machine configurations. For example, a front-load laundry washing machine that includes a front-mounted door in a cabinet or housing that provides access to a horizontally-oriented wash tub housed within the cabinet or housing may be used. Implementation of the herein-described techniques within a front-load laundry washing machine would be well within the abilities of one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure, so the invention is not limited to the top-load implementation discussed further herein. 
     Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates an example laundry washing machine  10  in which the various technologies and techniques described herein may be implemented. Laundry washing machine  10  is a top-load washing machine, and as such includes a top-mounted door  12  in a cabinet or housing  14  defining an opening  13  that provides access to a vertically-oriented wash tub  16  housed within the cabinet or housing  14 . Door  12  is generally hinged along a side or rear edge and is pivotable between the open position illustrated in  FIG. 1  and a closed position (not shown). When door  12  is in the opened position, clothes and other washable items may be inserted into and removed from wash tub  16  through the opening  13  in the top of cabinet or housing  14 . Control over washing machine  10 , or more specifically the stain removal tool  20 , by a user is generally managed through a control panel  18  disposed on a backsplash and implementing a user interface  19  for the stain removal tool, and it will be appreciated that in different washing machine designs, control panel  18  may include various types of input and/or output devices, including various knobs, buttons, lights, switches, textual and/or graphical displays, touch screens, etc. through which a user may configure one or more settings and start and stop the stain removal cycle as described herein. For example, the control panel, or portions thereof, may be included with the stain removal tool or adjacent the stain removal tool within the opening of the washing machine. For example in some embodiments, portions of the controls may be accessible when the door is in the open position. 
     As shown in the Figures, the stain removal tool  20  may be positionable relative to the washing machine  10  between a stowed or un-deployed position (not shown) and a deployed position. Although the embodiments of the stain removal tool  20  are shown to deploy from the stowed position, it should be understood that embodiments of the stain removal tool  20  may be interchangeable with other components of the washing machine  10  when needed. As a result in some embodiments, the swapped out or bypassed component of the washing machine may lose its function while the stain removal tool is connected. Moreover for example, the stain removal tool  20  may be operatively connected to the washing machine  10  when needed. When in the deployed position as shown in  FIG. 1 , the stain removal tool  20  may be used to remove stains from the article of clothing  1 . The article  1  may be a variety of items, not limited to clothing, that may need treated for a stain such as but not limited to backpacks, sheets, towels, rugs, curtains, blankets, toys, etc. It should be understood that the stain removal tool  20  may be operated when in the stowed position and/or in the deployed position in some embodiments. In the deployed position, the stain removal tool may be positionable between an open position and/or closed position. When in the open position  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), the stain removal tool  20  may receive or engage the article of clothing. When in the closed position ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) the article of clothing  1  may be secured and the stain may be removed or treated via water, pressurized and/or unpressurized, of a variety of temperatures and/or soap. Although in the embodiment shown the stain removal tool  20  is deployed from a recess  17   a  of a cover  17  disposed about the wash tub  16 , it should be understood that the stain removal tool  20  may be deployed from a variety of positions and/or orientations relative to the washing machine  10 . Further for example, the stain removal tool may be stored outside the compartment or opening  13  defined by the door  12  in the closed position. Moreover for example, another embodiment of the stain removal tool  120  may be temporarily stored within a fixed receptacle  17   b  in the front of the cover  17  or temporarily removed from a drawer. The cover  17  may be a variety of shapes, sizes, and constructions. 
     As shown in one embodiment, the stain removal tool  20  may be a drawer positioned, manually and/or automatically, between a deployed position and a stowed position in a variety of methods and/or mechanisms. In one embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the stain removal tool  20  slides between the stowed position and the deployed position ( FIG. 1 ) by one or more rails  21  (i.e. horizontal rails). In the deployed position in the one embodiment shown, the stain removal tool  20  and/or outlet  26  may be positioned over the wash tub  16  and can subsequently returned or slid back at least partially into the recess  17   a  of the cover  17  when in the stowed position. Other embodiments may pivot, flip, slide, rotate, etc. or combinations thereof into and/or out of multiple positions in configuring towards the stowed position and/or deployed position. In another embodiment shown that will be discussed in more detail below, the stain removal tool  120  may be handheld and removed from the stowed position to a handheld deployed position ( FIG. 1 ). With the handheld stain removal tool  120  in the deployed position, the handheld stain removal tool  120  may be movable to a variety of positions and/or orientations. For example, the handheld stain removal tool  120  may be at least partially positioned above and/or within the wash tub  16  by the user during the stain removal cycle or process. 
     In some embodiments, the stain removal tool  20  may include a water supply head  30  and a water drainage head  40  moveable relative to each other between the closed position ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) and open position ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). In the closed position, the water drainage head  40  and the water supply head  30  define one or more cavities  22  to receive a portion of the article of clothing  1 . An outer periphery defining one or more cavities  22  may engage the article of clothing  1  to secure its relative position between the heads  30 ,  40 . The water supply head  30  may include one or more nozzles  31  downstream of one or more upstream water inlet channels  23  and/or inlets  24 . Although the water inlet channel  23  is shown as within the water supply head  30 , it should be understood that a variety of upstream channels or passageways are contemplated. For example, the water inlet channels  23  may be included within the head  30 ,  40  and/or arms  50 . The one or more nozzles may be a variety of sizes, orientations, quantities, and constructions to provide a variety of characteristics of the pressurized water entering the cavity  22  formed between the water supply head  30  and the water drainage head  40  when in the closed position. Water characteristics such as but not limited to speed, directional, spray pattern, volume dispensed, or the like. For example in some embodiments, the nozzles  31  or their output may be changed automatically and/or manually by the user depending on the application (i.e. nozzles interchangeable by a change out of parts or merely adjusted by an object interrupting or not interrupting the flow). Moreover for example, each nozzle may not be the same, pulsate water flow, and/or rotate/move to different positions relative to the stain. In some embodiments, one or more gaskets  60  may be used to create and define a substantially sealed cavity  22  when the stain removal tool  20  is closed. In the one embodiment shown, the gasket  60  is secured against the water supply head  30  and engages and/or disengages from the water drainage head  40 . The gasket  60  may surround the outer periphery of the face that includes the nozzles  31  in some embodiments to sealingly engage the water drainage head with the water supply head when in the closed position. Although a gasket  60  may be used in the one embodiment shown, a gasket may not be used. For example, in some embodiments, the water supply head  30  may overlap the periphery of the water drainage head  40  to create a substantially sealed engagement therebetween. 
     The water drainage head  40  includes one or more openings  41  therein to receive upstream water exiting the nozzles  31  and/or cavity  22 . Although the openings  41  are defined by a grid like pattern of support members or web  42 , it should be understood that the openings and/or support members may be a variety of shapes, sizes, quantities and constructions. As is shown in one embodiment, the openings  41  are rectangular in shape, larger than the nozzles, and/or may receive the output from one or more nozzles. Moreover for example, the support members  42  defining the openings  41  may be non-linear (i.e. wavy) or other shape to reduce the likelihood of a pattern to form on the clothing article due to the water pressure and/or forces applied thereto when the clothing may be pressed or held against the support members during increased water flow. Similarly, the gasket and/or abutment surfaces of the heads  30 ,  40  therebetween may include a variety of patterns other than the embodiment shown. Although not shown, one or both of the heads  30 ,  40  may also include a dispenser or outlet for soap or other additive that may enter into the cavity to assist in removing stains. The stain removal tool  20  may also dispense stain removal soap exterior to the cavity in some embodiments if used. The openings  41  of the water drainage head  40  may be upstream of one or more wastewater outlet channels  25  and outlets  26 . Although the wastewater outlet channel  25  is shown as within the water drainage head  40 , it should be understood that a variety of downstream channels or passageways are contemplated. For example, the wastewater outlet channels  25  may be included within the head  30 ,  40  and/or arms  50 . 
     In the embodiments shown, the one or more heads  30 ,  40  may be pivotable relative to each other between an open position and closed position to engage and/or disengage from the article of clothing  1 . In some embodiments shown, the heads  30 ,  40  may include one or more hinges  70  allowing the pivoting of the heads to one or more positions. The water supply head  30  may be hingedly moveable or connected to the water drainage head  40  by a variety of hinge mechanisms allowing pivot. The hinge  70  allows the water supply head  30 , if on the upper side of the water drainage head, to pivot upwardly and away from the lower water drainage head  40  to the open position. A hinge  70  may be spaced from the heads  30 ,  40  by one or more arms  50 . The arms  50  may include a proximal end  50   a  adjacent the hinge  70  and a distal end  50   b  adjacent the water supply head  30  and/or the water drainage head  40 . The one or more arms  50  and/or the one or more heads  30 ,  40  may define one or more through openings or cavities  80 . The through openings  80  may be in some embodiments as the space between the hinge and/or the heads. In other embodiments, the through opening may extend in areas beyond the extent of the arms, such as above, below, between adjacent sets of arms, lateral to the arms, and/or beyond the outer extent of one or more heads. In the embodiment shown, the through opening  80  may be defined by one or more substantially L-shaped arms, (i.e. opposing arms relative to the hinge) in one embodiment shown. For example, the L-shaped arm may extend only from the water supply head  30  in some embodiments. As is shown in the Figures, the smaller portions  52  of the L-shaped arms extend substantially in the opposite directions adjacent the hinge and/or proximal end  50   a , then the larger portions  54  extend in the same transverse direction towards their respective head  30 ,  40  and/or distal end  50   b . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the one or more through openings  80  between the hinged connection and the heads may allow the excess material of the article of clothing  1  to be temporarily retained to allow the cavity  22  defined by the heads  30 ,  40  to reach an area the article of clothing that contains the stain therein. Moreover as shown in the embodiment in  FIG. 3 , the through opening may not be restricted by the hinge  70  connection along the entire pivot axis, since the space or through opening  80  between two adjacent pivoting sets of arms and/or hinges may provide additional unrestricted capacity not limited by the hinge connection for the excess article of clothing to collect. 
     The stain removal tool  20  may include one or more water inlets  24  and/or one or more wastewater outlets  26  to allow water to be in fluid communication with the article of clothing  1 . One or more water inlets  24  of the stain removal tool  20  may be in fluid communication with one or more water supply lines  90  of the washing machine  10 . The water inlets  24  of the stain removal tool  20  may allow water to flow through one or more water inlet channels  23  of the stain removal tool  20  to communicate with the nozzles  31  and/or cavity  22 . In the embodiment shown, the water inlet  24  is positioned adjacent or with the water supply head  30  with the one or more channels  23  within the water supply head connecting with the nozzles  31 . In some stain removal tool embodiments  120 ,  220  as shown in  FIGS. 1, 5, and 6 , one or more arms  50  may be included with one or more inlets  24  and/or water inlet channels  23  to transfer at least water to the nozzles  31 . The stain removal tool  220  includes one or more water inlet channels  23  through the arm  50  and water supply head  230  upstream from the nozzles  31 . In some embodiments one or more drain lines  91  may be included downstream of the drainage head. One embodiment of the drain line  91  is shown in the stain removal tool  220  embodiment of  FIG. 6 . In the one embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the drain line  91  is downstream of the outlet  26  positioned in the handle or arm  50  of the stain removal tool  220 . The outlet  26  is positioned adjacent the hinge  70  and is in fluid communication with a wastewater outlet channel  25  within the arm  50  to the water drainage head  240 . The drain lines  91  may be in fluid communication with the wash basket or outer tub and/or directly to a discharge drain line from the machine. In some embodiments, the drain line  91  discharges the wastewater into the wash tub  16  thereby reducing contact with the user. If one or more drain lines  91  are used, the one or more outlets  26  may be in fluid communication with existing and/or dedicated drain lines of the washing machine  10 . Although not shown, a drain line may be connected to an outlet  26  of the water drainage head, instead of the arm  50  as is shown. Although not shown, a vacuum may recirculate water back through the water supply head and/or pump the wastewater from the water drainage head. In the stain removal tool  20 ,  120  embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the water drainage head  40 ,  140  include one or more outlets  26 . The outlets  26  in the stain removal tool  20  embodiment may be at the front edge  44  of the water drainage head  40  and include a portion of the front  40   a  and/or bottom  40   b  of the head. The outlet  26  may allow the wastewater to pour or free drain or flow via gravity into the wash tub  16 . In various embodiments, when the stain removal tool  20 ,  120  is deployed over and/or within the wash tub  16 , the outlet  26  may also be positioned over and/or within the wash tub  16  and allows the soiled waste water to discharge into the wash tub. With the discharge of wastewater at the front edge  44 , the user may be able to visually evaluate the discharge wastewater to see the progress of the stain removal based on, but not limited to, at least the reduction of soiled characteristics of the water and/or soap suds exiting the outlet  26  of the water drainage head  40 . 
     Several handheld embodiments of the stain removal tool  120 ,  220  are shown in  FIGS. 1, 5, and 6  and may be used alone or in combination ( FIG. 1 ) with other embodiments such as the stain removal tool  20 . In the one embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5  of the handheld stain removal tool  120 , one or more hinges  70  interconnect two spaced apart arms  50  with their respective water drainage head  140  and the water supply head  130 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the handheld stain removal tool is deployed from a receptacle  17   b  within the cover  17  and is illustrated engaging the article of clothing  1  in the closed position over the opening of the wash tub  16 . The receptacle may be but is not limited to a drawer, shelf, or the like. A portion of the article of clothing  1  may be received as shown within the through opening  80  defined by the arms. If used, a gasket  60  may be positioned between each head  130 ,  140  in some embodiments. With the discharge of waste water at the front edge  144  of the water drainage head  140  in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the user may be able to visually evaluate the discharge water to see the progress of the stain removal based on, but not limited to, at least the reduction of soiled characteristics of the water and/or soap suds exiting the outlet  26  of the water drainage head  140 . In the stain removal tool  220  embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , a drain line  91  may be used to discharge the wastewater into the wash tub through an arm  50  of the handle. Although the embodiment of the stain removal tool  20  as shown in  FIG. 1  does not have a drain line, it should be understood that a drain line may be in fluid communication with the stain removal tool in some embodiments. 
     In use, the embodiment of the stain removal tool  20  shown in  FIG. 1  may be slid to the operating or deployed position from another location or stowed position (not shown) relative to the laundry washing machine  10 . Soap and stain remover may be applied to the stain on the garment manually by hand, or in some embodiments the device may dispense soap automatically. With the tool open, the tool is clamped around the stain within the article of clothing, and if needed a portion of the article of clothing may be retained in the one or more through openings  80  ( FIG. 4 ) to position the stain within the cavity  22  defined by the heads  30 ,  40 . With the stain removal tool  20  deployed, the user may activate the pressurized water by the control panel  18  or switch when the stain removal tool is in the closed position. In some embodiments, the door  12  of the laundry washing machine  10  may need to be closed such that the stain removal tool  20  may allow water to flow therethrough. Further, a lid lock function may be used to prevent the lid from being opened when hot water and/or a temperature or range of temperature is selected or used. Although the control panel  18  may be outside the door  12  as shown, it should be understood that the controls may be adjacent to, i.e. within the door or cover, or combined with the stain removal tool. For example, the stain removal tool may have one or more activating triggers. With the door closed, a temperature range or value of the water may be available since the user is out of contact with the wash tub opening. Alternatively, another range of water temperature may be available if the lid is in an open position. In some embodiments such as with stain removal tools  120 ,  220 , this temperature range when the lid is open may be lower than the temperature available when the door is closed. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a drain line is not used. However, an embodiment may include a drain line reducing the likelihood of contact with the user. The outlet  26  adjacent the front edge  44  of the water drainage head  40  may direct wastewater into the wash tub. The user may open the stain removal tool  20  to see the progress of the stains removal, reapply soap, and/or readjust the placement of the article of clothing within the clamped heads before closing and repeating the pressurized supply of water towards the stain. Although not shown, the embodiments of the stain removal tool may have one or more portions being see-through to observe the stain&#39;s removal, wastewater, soap, or other characteristics during the process. For example, the water supply head may be transparent. Upon the stain&#39;s removal, duration of water, soak duration, and/or one or more cycles of pressurized water, the stain removal tool may be opened and the article of clothing may be placed within the wash basket for a subsequent wash cycle if desired. Further in the one embodiment, the stain removal tool  20  may be returned or slid to its stowed position within the cover. 
     In use, the handheld or wand type stain removal tool  120 ,  220  may be stored in the stowed position in a variety of receptacles  17   b  (i.e. within the cover  17 ) in the laundry washing machine  10 . Soap and stain remover may be applied to the stain on the garment manually by hand, or in some embodiments the device may dispense soap automatically. With the device open, the device is clamped around the stain within the article of clothing, and if needed a portion of the article of clothing may be retained in the through opening  80  to position the stain within the cavity defined by the heads. With the stain removal tool head over and/or within the wash basket by the user, the user may activate the pressurized water by the control panel or switch when the stain removal tool is in the closed position. Although the control panel may be outside the lid as shown, it should be understood that the controls may be adjacent to, i.e. within the lid or cover, or combined with the stain removal tool. For example, the stain removal tool may have one or more activating triggers. It should be understood that the stain removal tool could be operated without the user holding and/or with the lid closed in some embodiments. For example, the stain removal tool have a hook or other temporary holding mechanism to hang the stain removal tool adjacent to or within the wash tub  16  during stain removal. The temperature range or value may be limited in the free draining embodiment of  FIG. 1  when wastewater is draining above or within the wash tub  16 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , the drain line  19  may direct wastewater into the wash tub reducing the likelihood of contact with the user. The user may open the stain removal tool  120 ,  220  to see the progress of the stains removal, reapply soap, and/or readjust the placement of the article of clothing within the clamped heads before closing and repeating the pressurized supply of water towards the stain. Although not shown, the embodiments of the stain removal tool may have one or more portions being see-through to observe the stain&#39;s removal, wastewater, soap, or other characteristics during the process. For example, the water supply head may be transparent. Upon the stain&#39;s removal, duration of water, soak duration, and/or one or more cycles of pressurized water, the stain removal tool may be opened and the article of clothing may be placed within the wash basket for a subsequent wash cycle if desired. Further, the stain removal tool may be returned to its stowed position within the receptacle. 
     It some embodiments, the stain removal tool may also include soap dispensing. The soap may be used for the stain removal tool and/or for dispensing soap into the wash tub. Although not shown, for example the slide out drawer stain removal tool  20  may include a soap receptacle for the user to add quantities of soap for the wash tub  16  and/or stain removal. The stain removal tool  20  may include a water supply line used for each of the soap dispensing and the stain removal function, or a separate water lines may be used in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the stain removal tool  20  may be interchanged with one or more parts of a soap dispensing tray when desired to operate the stain removal tool. This may remove the function of the soap dispensing tray until the swappable parts are returned. It is further contemplated that inside the door  12  may be areas to hold a stain removal stick and/or soap for use with the stain removal tool. 
     In some embodiments, the stain removal tool may include one or more lights therein. The lights may aid the user to observe the stain removal process such as before, during, and/or after water flow. For example, the lights may turn on when the tool is in one or more of the open position, closed position, or deployed position. 
     In some embodiments, several locking mechanisms may be used to secure the stain removal tool in the closed position when engage the article of clothing. For example, a toggle clamp or vice-grip style lever may be used. Another example, the stain removal tool may magnetically hold the heads together when in the closed position. In some embodiments, such as the handheld wand, the user may clamp the device together by squeezing and/or holding the two arms of the handle together. It should be understood that a variety of latches or temporary retention device may be used in the embodiments. Further, release assists may be used to aid the user to position the stain removal tool into the open position. 
     In operation, embodiments of the stain removal tool may be operated by one or more control panels  18 . As is shown in the embodiments, a control panel  18  may be outside the door  12 . However, the control panels may be inside and/or outside the door. In use, the one or more water temperatures, one or more durations of water flow, and/or one or more amounts of soap may be selected by the user. Therefore, in some embodiments, a timer may be used to determine the amount of water dispensed into the cavity  22  of the heads  30 ,  40 . The duration, soap, and/or temperature may be preset, determined upon placing the article of clothing within the stain removal tool, or predetermined. For example, the washing machine and/or stain removal tool may include a slide/knob mechanism to adjust the water temperature or duration. Also, preprogrammed cycles or modes may also be used such as for specific stains such as grass, blood, oil, etc and/or the type of the article such as cotton, polyester, silk, denim, wool, and/or percentages of each material. These cycles may automatically provide the water temperature mixture, duration, programmed spray/soak sequence, and/or select for certain stain/cleaner types, enzymes, or the like. 
     It should be understood that in some embodiments, laundry washing machine  10  may be, in whole or in part, under the control of a controller (not shown) that receives inputs from a number of components and drives a number of components in response thereto. Controller may, for example, include one or more processors and a memory (not shown) within which may be stored program code for execution by the one or more processors. The memory may be embedded in controller, but may also be considered to include volatile and/or non-volatile memories, cache memories, flash memories, programmable read-only memories, read-only memories, etc., as well as memory storage physically located elsewhere from controller, e.g., in a mass storage device or on a remote computer interfaced with a controller. 
     A controller may be interfaced with various components, including the aforementioned water supply or drainage lines, soap dispensing, temperature sensor (not shown), and flow sensor (not shown), timer, or the like. In addition, controller may be coupled to a user interface  19  including various input/output devices such as knobs, dials, sliders, switches, buttons, lights, textual and/or graphics displays, touch screen displays, speakers, image capture devices, microphones, etc. for receiving input from and communicating with a user, e.g., as may be disposed in a control panel  18 . In some embodiments, a controller may also be coupled to one or more network interfaces, e.g., for interfacing with external devices via wired and/or wireless networks such as Ethernet, Bluetooth, NFC, cellular, and other suitable networks. Additional components may also be interfaced with a controller, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill having the benefit of the instant disclosure. Moreover, in some embodiments, at least a portion of controller may be implemented externally from a laundry washing machine, e.g., within a mobile device, a cloud computing environment, etc., such that at least a portion of the functionality described herein is implemented within the portion of the controller that is externally implemented. 
     In some embodiments, a controller may operate under the control of an operating system and may execute or otherwise rely upon various computer software applications, components, programs, objects, modules, data structures, etc. In addition, controller may also incorporate hardware logic to implement some or all of the functionality disclosed herein. Further, in some embodiments, the sequences of operations performed by controller to implement the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented using program code including one or more instructions that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices, and that, when read and executed by one or more hardware-based processors, perform the operations embodying desired functionality. Moreover, in some embodiments, such program code may be distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of computer readable media used to actually carry out the distribution, including, for example, non-transitory computer readable storage media. In addition, it will be appreciated that the various operations described herein may be combined, split, reordered, reversed, varied, omitted, parallelized and/or supplemented with other techniques known in the art, and therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular sequences of operations described herein. 
     For example, the soap, duration, and/or temperature of the supplying water to the stain removal tool may be manually and/or automatically started and/or ended by the laundry washing machine. The user may manually start and/or end the water cycle to the stain removal tool. For example, an on and/or off switch may be used by the user to operate the water cycle. In other embodiments the water/temperature may be automated. For example, the mere presence of an object within the closed stain removal tool may start a stain removal cycle and/or lack thereof or lid opening may stop a stain removal cycle. 
     While several embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms. 
     The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” 
     The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. 
     As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of” or “exactly one of” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law. 
     As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc. 
     It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited. 
     In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03. 
     It is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” “in communication with,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
     The foregoing description of several embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.