Patent Description:
The herein-described embodiments address these and other problems associated with the art by providing multiple use detergent dispenser. In one aspect, there is provided a detergent dispenser according to claim <NUM>, the detergent dispenser to be positioned to dispense detergent into a household appliance, including: a detergent carrier including a plurality of detergent units, each of the detergent units including: one or more walls defining a cavity having a dispensing opening, and a door movable between an open and a closed position; a housing configured to receive the detergent carrier, the housing including a dispensing outlet; a carrier driver configured to move the detergent carrier between a plurality of positions, each position orienting one of the plurality of detergent units proximate the dispensing outlet, wherein when one of the plurality of detergent units is proximate the dispensing outlet the door of the one of the plurality of detergent units is open, otherwise the door is closed.

Each door further includes a guide and the housing further includes a track configured to receive the guide of each door. In such embodiments, the track may be arranged and configured such that for the door of each detergent unit that is not oriented proximate the dispensing outlet, the guide of such door is received within the track to position such door in the closed position. In some instances, the plurality of positions may include a first position where a first detergent unit among the plurality of detergent units is oriented proximate the dispensing outlet and a second position where a second unit among the plurality of detergent units is oriented proximate the dispensing outlet, where the track is arranged and configured such that when the carrier driver moves the detergent carrier from the first position to the second position, the track guides the door of the first detergent unit from the open position to the closed position and guides the door of the second detergent unit from the closed position to the open position. In other instances, each door may be biased to the open position, where the plurality of positions includes a first position where a first detergent unit among the plurality of detergent units is oriented proximate the dispensing outlet and a second position where a second unit among the plurality of detergent units is oriented proximate the dispensing outlet, where the track is arranged and configured such that when the carrier driver moves the detergent carrier from the first position to the second position, the track guides the door of the first detergent unit from the open position to the closed position and releases the door of the second detergent unit such that the bias of the door of the second detergent unit moves the door of the second detergent unit from the closed position to the open position.

In some embodiments, the housing further includes a cam disposed proximate the dispensing opening and configured to move the door from the open position to the closed position following dispensing of detergent. In some embodiments, the housing is coupled to a dishwasher door that provides external access to the dishwasher.

In some embodiments, each detergent unit includes a spring that biases the door for such detergent unit to the open position. In some embodiments, each detergent unit further includes a seal coupled to one of the door for such detergent unit and the dispensing opening for such detergent unit to seal the cavity of such detergent unit when the door of such detergent unit is in a closed position. In some embodiments, the cavity of each detergent unit further includes a loading opening. In such instances, the detergent dispenser may further include a removable lid and a seal coupled to one of the detergent carrier and the removable lid to seal the loading opening of each detergent unit when the removable lid is secured to the detergent dispenser. Such a removable lid may secure to and move with the detergent carrier.

In some embodiments, the carrier driver includes a motor that rotates the detergent carrier between the plurality of positions. In such instances, the motor may be a stepper motor. In some embodiments, the carrier driver includes one or more micro switches configured to detect if one of the plurality of detergent units is proximate the dispensing outlet.

In other aspects, a dishwasher is provided which includes: a wash tub; and a detergent dispenser according to claim <NUM>, wherein the detergent dispenser is a rotating detergent dispenser positioned to dispense detergent into the wash tub , wherein, with respect to each of the detergent units: the cavity further comprises a loading opening, and the door is biased to the open position; and wherein each of the detergent units further comprises: a seal coupled to one of the door for such detergent unit and the dispensing opening for such detergent unit to seal the cavity of such detergent unit when the door of such detergent unit is in a closed position, a removable lid and a seal coupled to one of the detergent carrier and the removable lid to seal the loading opening of each detergent unit when the removable lid is secured to the detergent dispenser; the carrier driver configured to rotate the detergent carrier between a plurality of positions, each position orienting one of the plurality of detergent units proximate the dispensing outlet.

In some embodiments, the carrier driver includes one or more micro switches configured to detect if one of the plurality of detergent units is proximate the dispensing outlet. In some embodiments, the carrier driver includes a stepper motor.

In some embodiments, the housing further includes a cam disposed proximate the dispensing opening and configured to move the door from the open position to the closed position following dispensing of detergent.

In some embodiments, the household appliance is a dishwasher and the housing is coupled to a dishwasher door that provides external access to the dishwasher. In other embodiments, the household appliance is a washing machine.

These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the figures, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described example embodiments of the invention. 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.

Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views, <FIG> illustrates an example dishwasher <NUM> in which the various technologies and techniques described herein may be implemented. Dishwasher <NUM> is a residential-type built-in dishwasher, and as such includes a front-mounted door <NUM> that provides access to a wash tub <NUM> housed within the cabinet or housing <NUM>. Door <NUM> is generally hinged along a bottom edge and is pivotable between the opened position illustrated in <FIG> and a closed position (not shown). When door <NUM> is in the opened position, access is provided to one or more sliding racks, e.g., lower rack <NUM> and upper rack <NUM>, within which various utensils are placed for washing. Lower rack <NUM> may be supported on rollers <NUM>, while upper rack <NUM> may be supported on side rails <NUM>, and each rack is movable between loading (extended) and washing (retracted) positions along a substantially horizontal direction. Control over dishwasher <NUM> by a user is generally managed through a control panel (not shown in <FIG>) typically disposed on a top or front of door <NUM>, and it will be appreciated that in different dishwasher designs, the control panel 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 a wash cycle. Additionally, dishwasher <NUM> may include one or more rotating spray arms, e.g., lower spray arms <NUM>, upper spray arm <NUM>, or other sprayers, including various combinations of wall-mounted sprayers, rack-mounted sprayers, oscillating sprayers, fixed sprayers, rotating sprayers, focused sprayers, etc. However, this positioning is not intended to be limiting, as various sprayers may be positioned through the dishwasher.

In addition, consistent with some embodiments of the invention, dishwasher <NUM> may include a movable detergent dispenser <NUM> with multiple dishwashing cycles' worth of detergent within the dispenser <NUM>, so that it is not necessary for a user to add additional detergent before each dishwashing cycle. Such a detergent dispenser <NUM> may be positioned, as illustrated in <FIG>, on the interior of the door <NUM>. However, this positioning is not intended to be limiting, and in some embodiments the detergent dispenser may be positioned in other locations within the dishwasher.

The embodiments discussed hereinafter will focus on the implementation of the hereinafter-described techniques within a hinged-door dishwasher. However, it will be appreciated that the herein-described techniques may also be used in connection with other types of dishwashers in some embodiments. For example, the herein-described techniques may be used in commercial applications in some embodiments. Moreover, at least some of the herein-described techniques may be used in connection with other dishwasher configurations, including dishwashers utilizing sliding drawers or dish sink dishwashers, e.g., a dishwasher integrated into a sink.

Now turning to <FIG>, dishwasher <NUM> may be under the control of a controller <NUM> that receives inputs from a number of components and drives a number of components in response thereto. Controller <NUM> 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 <NUM>, 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 <NUM>, e.g., in a mass storage device or on a remote computer interfaced with controller <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, controller <NUM> may be interfaced with various components of the dishwasher <NUM>, including an inlet valve <NUM> that is coupled to a water source to introduce water into wash tub <NUM>, which when combined with detergent, rinse agent and/or other additives, forms various wash fluids. Controller may also be coupled to a heater <NUM> that heats fluids, a pump <NUM> that recirculates wash fluid within the wash tub by pumping fluid to the wash arms and other spray devices in the dishwasher, an air supply <NUM> that may provide a source of pressurized air for use in drying utensils in the dishwasher, a drain valve <NUM> that is coupled to a drain to direct fluids out of the dishwasher, and a diverter <NUM> that controls the routing of pumped fluid to different spray arms and/or other sprayers during a wash cycle.

Controller <NUM> may also be coupled to the detergent dispenser <NUM> to trigger the dispensing of detergent into the wash tub at appropriate points during a wash cycle. More particularly, the controller <NUM> may be coupled to a carrier driver of the detergent dispenser <NUM>, which may include one or more micro switches or a stepper motor in order to control and/or determine the positioning of the various detergent cavities (discussed in greater detail herein). Additional sensors and actuators may also be used in some embodiments, including a temperature sensor <NUM> to determine a wash fluid temperature, a door switch <NUM> to determine when door <NUM> is latched, and a door lock <NUM> to prevent the door from being opened during a wash cycle. Moreover, controller <NUM> may be coupled to a user interface <NUM> 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. In some embodiments, controller <NUM> may also be coupled to one or more network interfaces <NUM>, e.g., for interfacing with external devices via wired and/or wireless networks such as Ethernet, Bluetooth, NFC, cellular and other suitable networks.

Moreover, in some embodiments, at least a portion of controller <NUM> may be implemented externally from a dishwasher, 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, controller <NUM> 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 <NUM> 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 <NUM> 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.

Numerous variations and modifications to the dishwasher <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> 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.

Now turning to <FIG>, which illustrate an example detergent dispenser <NUM> in which the various technologies and techniques described herein may be implemented. In some embodiments, the detergent dispenser <NUM> may include a detergent carrier <NUM> and a housing <NUM> (described in greater detailer below) for receiving the detergent carrier. The detergent carrier <NUM> may include multiple detergent units <NUM>-n, each of which configured to hold a single wash cycle's worth of detergent. Each detergent unit <NUM>-n may include one or more walls defining a cavity <NUM>; for example, as illustrated in <FIG>, each detergent unit <NUM>-n includes a first side wall <NUM>, a second side wall <NUM>, a third side wall <NUM>, and a lower wall <NUM>. The first side wall <NUM>, second side wall <NUM>, third side wall <NUM>, and lower wall <NUM> collectively define the cavity <NUM> having two openings: a loading opening <NUM> and a dispensing opening <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the loading opening <NUM> is disposed so as to be easily accessible to a user when the door <NUM> of the dishwasher is open in order to facilitate the loading process; however, the dispensing opening <NUM> is disposed so that when the door <NUM> of the dishwasher is closed the detergent contained therein will drop into the proper location within the wash tub when in a dispensing position. In some embodiments, each detergent unit <NUM>-n may additionally include an ejection mechanism used to eject the detergent into the proper location within the wash tub. In some embodiments, the dishwasher may spray water or other liquid into the cavity <NUM> in order to wash the detergent from the cavity <NUM>.

In some embodiments, each detergent unit <NUM>-n of the detergent carrier <NUM> may additionally contain an upper wall, such that only a single opening is defined. In such an embodiment, a single wash cycle worth of detergent may be loaded into the cavity and dispensed from the cavity using the same opening.

In some embodiments, the detergent carrier <NUM> may be removable from the housing <NUM> so that a user may load the detergent units <NUM>-n with detergent or clean the detergent carrier <NUM> at a secondary location (e.g. a kitchen countertop, etc.). However, in other embodiments, the detergent carrier <NUM> may be permanently affixed to the housing <NUM>.

As stated, each detergent unit <NUM>-n may be configured to hold one dishwashing cycle's worth of detergent; this includes detergent of all varieties, including, but not limited to, liquid detergent, powder detergent, and/or dissolvable pod or capsule detergent. As illustrated in <FIG>, one of the detergent units <NUM> contains a dissolvable dishwashing pod/capsule <NUM>. In some embodiments, the detergent carrier <NUM> may include seven detergent units <NUM>-n, for example to correspond to the seven days of the week. In other embodiments, the detergent carrier may include five detergent units <NUM>-n. In still other embodiments, the detergent carrier <NUM> may include any number of detergent units as is practical.

Furthermore, each detergent unit <NUM>-n includes a door <NUM> or closure configured to cover the dispensing opening <NUM>. Each door <NUM> is moveable between an open position (e.g. when the detergent contained therein may be released) and a closed position. In some embodiments, each door <NUM> may be spring-operated (for example through use of a torsional spring) for movement between the open and closed positions. In other embodiments, the door <NUM> may be moved between the open and closed positions by an actuator, solenoid, or any other mechanical means known in the art. In still other embodiments, the door <NUM> may be moved between the open and closed positions via a track that guides a guide, pin, wheel or other structure on the door coincident with movement of the carrier between different positions.

In some embodiments, each door <NUM>, loading opening <NUM>, and/or dispensing opening <NUM> of the detergent unit <NUM>-n may additionally include a seal <NUM> designed to minimize or prevent entry of water or other liquid into each of the cavities <NUM> when the door <NUM> is in a closed position. In some instances, these seals <NUM> may utilize compression forces in order to seal the opening and prevent leakage. As a non-limiting example, these seals <NUM> may be face seals, which are typically utilized to prevent leakage in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the seal.

In some embodiments, such as illustrated in <FIG>, the detergent dispenser <NUM> may include a track and guide system for facilitating movement of the door <NUM> of each detergent unit <NUM>-n between the open and closed positions. In such a system, each door <NUM> may additionally include a guide <NUM>, and the housing <NUM> may additionally include a track <NUM> that is configured to receive the guide <NUM> of each door <NUM>. In such embodiments, when a door <NUM> of detergent unit <NUM>-n is closed, the guide <NUM> is in contact with the track <NUM>, thus holding the door <NUM> in a closed position. In contrast, when a particular door <NUM> is open the guide <NUM> is no longer in contact with the track <NUM>, and as such the track <NUM> is no longer holding the door <NUM> in a closed position. In other embodiments, however, a track and guide may transition a door from a closed position to an open position, or vice versa, and as such a spring or other bias mechanism may not be used to bias a door to the open position in some embodiments.

In some instances, a spring-operated door <NUM> that is biased to an open position may complement the use of such a guide <NUM> and track <NUM> system. For example, the physical contact of the guide <NUM> with the track <NUM> may provide the compression necessary to hold the spring-operated door <NUM> (biased to an open position) in a closed position. Once compression provided by the track <NUM> is removed, the spring-operated door <NUM> will move (e.g. spring to its biased position) to an open position. As illustrated in <FIG>, according to the invention, the guide <NUM> is in the form of a wheel affixed to the door <NUM>, and the track <NUM> is in the form of a groove constructed as a part of the housing <NUM>. In such instances, the use of a wheel may reduce the friction generated by the contact of the guide <NUM> and the track <NUM>, allowing the detergent carrier <NUM> to more easily and smoothly move along the track <NUM> of the housing <NUM>.

In other instances, the door <NUM> may not be spring-operated. In such instances, the track <NUM> may be shaped so as to guide the door <NUM> to an open position. For example, the broken line illustrated in <FIG> indicates where the track <NUM> may be extended for use with a non-spring-operated door <NUM>.

In some instances, it may be desirable to close a particular door <NUM> after the detergent contained therein has been dispensed into the washtub of the dishwasher. As such, in some embodiments, the track <NUM> may additionally include a cam <NUM> located near the dispensing opening <NUM> that is configured to engage the door <NUM> of the now-empty detergent unit <NUM>-n and facilitate the door <NUM> in moving from an open position to a closed position by providing force against the spring-operated door.

As briefly described previously, a housing <NUM> (removably or fixedly) receives the detergent carrier <NUM>. In some embodiments, the housing <NUM> may be a separate component of the detergent dispenser <NUM> separable from the dishwasher and the detergent carrier <NUM>; while in other embodiments, the housing <NUM> may in incorporated (e.g. by molding or the like) directly into the door <NUM> of the dishwasher. The housing <NUM> may additionally include a dispensing outlet <NUM> configured to guide or direct the detergent contained in each detergent unit <NUM>-n to the proper location within the washtub when dispensed.

The detergent dispenser <NUM> may further include a carrier driver <NUM> (described in more detail with respect to <FIG>) for moving the detergent carrier <NUM> between multiple positions. For example, the detergent carrier <NUM> is capable of being moved to position one of the detergent units <NUM>-n near the dispensing outlet <NUM>. When a particular detergent unit <NUM>-n is located near the dispensing outlet <NUM> the door <NUM> of that particular detergent unit <NUM>-n may be open so as to allow for dispensing of the detergent contained therein. When a particular detergent unit <NUM>-n is not located near the dispensing outlet <NUM> the door <NUM> of that particular detergent unit <NUM>-n may be closed and sealed so as to prevent the premature exit of the detergent contained therein, as well as to prevent the entry of water or other liquid into the cavity <NUM>. Transitioning the detergent carrier between first and second positions may therefore move one detergent unit that is open and located near the dispensing outlet to a closed position in which the door is closed, while simultaneously moving the next detergent unit that is currently closed into the open position near the dispensing outlet to allow the door to open and dispense the detergent retained inside.

In some embodiments, such as illustrated in <FIG>, the detergent carrier <NUM> may rotate between the plurality of positions, such that the detergent units <NUM>-n are positioned in a generally circular manner.

In some embodiments, such as illustrated in <FIG>, the movement of the detergent carrier <NUM> between the plurality of positions may be linear, such that each of the detergent units <NUM>-n is disposed along a line. Similar to the embodiments described with reference to <FIG>, in a linear embodiment of a detergent dispenser <NUM> each detergent unit <NUM>-n may include a cavity defined by one or more walls and a door <NUM> for holding detergent. In such an embodiment, the detergent carrier <NUM> may slide along a housing <NUM> as opposed to rotating in a generally circular manner.

Turning now to <FIG>, each of which illustrates a different view of the detergent dispenser <NUM>. As mentioned previously, the detergent dispenser <NUM> may include a carrier driver <NUM> that drives the movement of the detergent carrier <NUM> between a plurality of positions. In some embodiments, the carrier driver <NUM> may be a rotating motor that rotates the detergent carrier <NUM> between multiple positions, so that at any point during the rotation one of the detergent units <NUM>-n may be positioned near the dispensing opening <NUM>. In some instances, it may be desirable to use a stepper motor, which divides a full rotation into equal numbers of steps. In such instances, each detergent unit <NUM>-n may span a predetermined angle about the axis of rotation. Such an arrangement allows the stepper motor to control which one of the detergent units <NUM>-n is near the dispensing outlet <NUM> by advancing the carrier a predetermined number of steps corresponding to that predetermined angle. In other embodiments, the carrier driver <NUM> may be a motor that slides the detergent carrier <NUM> linearly between multiple positions.

The carrier driver <NUM> may, in some embodiments, be positioned partially (as illustrated in <FIG>) or wholly within an interior compartment of the door <NUM> of the dishwasher. In some instances, such a position may be desirable as a way of saving space and minimizing the overall size of the detergent dispenser <NUM>; such a position may also provide additional protection for the carrier driver <NUM> from water or other liquid. In other embodiments, the carrier driver <NUM> may be disposed on the interior surface of the door <NUM> of the dishwasher with the remainder of the detergent dispenser <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the carrier driver <NUM> may include one or more micro switches <NUM> that are configured to detect if one of the detergent units <NUM>-n is near the dispensing outlet <NUM>. These micro switches, if present, may be actuated through minimal physical force by use of a tipping-point mechanism, and as such they may, in some instances, be desirable for the detection of a location of a detergent unit <NUM>-n. In such embodiments, therefore, a motor other than a stepper motor may be used to rotate the carrier. Further, in some embodiments, other drives may be used to perform the rotation, e.g., a solenoid and ratchet arrangement that indexes the carrier to a next position upon each actuation of the solenoid.

In other embodiments, such as illustrated in <FIG>, the carrier driver <NUM> may be a user-pretensioned spring <NUM> (e.g. a clock spring) that may allow energy to be provided by a user and then be stored and used in order to change the position of a detergent unit (not illustrated in <FIG>) between an open position and a closed position or vice versa. In such an embodiment, a user may "wind up" the pretensioned-spring <NUM> at the time the detergent units of the detergent carrier are loaded. A solenoid <NUM> may then push a pawl <NUM> in order to release a ratcheted segment <NUM>-n, where each ratcheted segment <NUM>-n corresponds to a detergent unit, which is in either an open or a closed position. For example, <FIG> illustrates six ratcheted segments <NUM>-n, which would correspond to six detergent units; this is not to be understood as limiting, as the number of ratcheted segments <NUM>-n and corresponding detergent units may vary.

In some instances, particularly in embodiments where the detergent units <NUM>-n include a loading opening <NUM>, the detergent dispenser <NUM> may additionally include a removable lid <NUM>. Such a removable lid <NUM> may be configured to seal the cavity <NUM> at each of the loading openings <NUM> and minimize and/or prevent the entry of water or other liquid into each cavity <NUM> of the detergent units <NUM>-n. In some instances, the lid <NUM> may use compression sealing, which may reduce friction while also ensuring that the cavities <NUM> of the detergent units <NUM>-n are sealed. Additionally, the lid <NUM> may also include one or more latching protrusions <NUM> that are configured to be received by a corresponding void <NUM> of the detergent carrier <NUM> in order to form a watertight seal. In some embodiments, the void <NUM> and latching protrusion <NUM> are shaped so as to require movement (e.g. twisting, rotation, or the like) of the lid <NUM> by a user in order for a seal to be formed, which allows for a user to easily apply and remove the lid <NUM> with a simple motion. As such, it may be desirable in some instances for the lid to further contain a handle <NUM> or a gripping point for a user. Additionally, the lid <NUM>, particularly when attached through the use of latching protrusions <NUM>, may move with the detergent carrier <NUM> as it moves. In some embodiments, such as illustrated in <FIG>, each detergent unit <NUM>-n includes a void <NUM> corresponding to a latching protrusions <NUM> on the lid <NUM>, so that there is a seal at each detergent unit <NUM>-n.

In some embodiments, the lid <NUM> may be constructed of a translucent material so that a user may be able to view the contents of each detergent unit <NUM>-n. In other embodiments, the lid <NUM> may be colored so as to match the remainder of the detergent dispenser <NUM> and/or the door <NUM> of the dishwasher so as to be aesthetically pleasing to a user. In still other embodiments, the lid <NUM> may be any other color or opacity desired. In still other embodiments, the carrier may be permanently mounted to and enveloped by the housing, and no separate lid may be used. In such embodiments, each detergent unit may be loaded sequentially, e.g., through the dispensing outlet or through a separate loading outlet disposed at another radial position around the housing (e.g., proximate a top of the dishwasher door to facilitate loading by the user).

Although described herein with respect to a dishwasher, this is not intended to be limiting. The technology and techniques disclosed herein may be utilized in any household appliance that requires dispensing of a detergent, such as, for example a washing machine.

Claim 1:
A detergent dispenser (<NUM>, <NUM>) to be positioned to dispense detergent into a household appliance, including:
a detergent carrier (<NUM>, <NUM>) including a plurality of detergent units (<NUM>-n), each of the detergent units (<NUM>-n) including:
one or more walls (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) defining a cavity (<NUM>) having a dispensing opening (<NUM>), and
a door (<NUM>) movable between an open position and a closed position,
a housing (<NUM>, <NUM>) configured to receive the detergent carrier (<NUM>, <NUM>), the housing (<NUM>, <NUM>) including a dispensing outlet (<NUM>),
a carrier driver (<NUM>, <NUM>) configured to move the detergent carrier (<NUM>, <NUM>) between a plurality of positions, each position orienting one of the plurality of detergent units(<NUM>-n) proximate the dispensing outlet (<NUM>),
wherein when one of the plurality of detergent units (<NUM>-n) is proximate the dispensing outlet (<NUM>) the door (<NUM>) of the one of the plurality of detergent units (<NUM>-n) is open, otherwise the door (<NUM>) is closed, characterised in that the door (<NUM>) of each of the detergent units (<NUM>-n) further includes a guide (<NUM>) in the form of a wheel affixed to the door, and the housing (<NUM>, <NUM>) further includes a track (<NUM>) configured to receive the guide (<NUM>) of each said door (<NUM>), wherein said track (<NUM>) is in the form of a groove constructed as a part of the housing.