Patent ID: 6868701

Claim:
A washing machine equipped with means for generating microbubbles of air comprising: (1) a washing machine body; (2) an essentially stationary outer tub disposed inside of said washing machine body for receiving detergent-containing water therein and having at least one drain hole disposed in an outer surface thereof; (3) an inner tub disposed inside of said outer tub for taking the detergent-containing water and laundry therein and having at least one opening formed in a peripheral surface thereof; (4) means for rotating said inner tub, the rotating means being coupled to said inner tub; and (5) means for generating microbubbles of air in the detergent-containing water, which is disposed at a bottom portion of said outer tub, wherein said microbubble generating means comprises: (a) an upstream detergent-containing water guide tube, one end of which is connected to said outer tub; (b) strainer means for filtering out solid materials contained in the detergent-containing water, upstream end of which is connected to the other end of said upstream detergent-containing water guide tube; (c) means for introducing air bubbles into the detergent-containing water with solid materials contained in the detergent-containing water taken out by the strainer means, upstream end of which is connected to downstream end of said strainer means; (d) a pump for generating microbubbles of air, which has one intake port connected to downstream end of said air-bubble introducing means and one exhaust port for a mixture of the detergent-containing water and the microbubbles of air; (e) a motor coupled to the pump for providing the pump with rotational power therefor; (f) a plenum for the mixture having (1) an intake hole disposed at a bottom portion of an outer surface thereof for intake of the mixture supplied through the exhaust port of the pump, (2) an air vent hole disposed at a top portion of the outer surface thereof to which a pressure relief valve is installed for preservation of safety therefor, and (3) an exhaust opening disposed in the outer surface thereof for exhaust of the mixture, the exhaust opening being disposed at an elevation lower than that of the air vent hole; (g) a pressure-regulator valve connected to the exhaust opening and set such that the mixture in between the exhaust port of the pump and the pressure-regulator valve is subject to a pressure higher than the ambient pressure; and (h) a downstream microbubble-containing water guide tube connected between said pressure-regulator valve and said outer tub so that the detergent-containing water in the outer tub is circulated therethrough as far as the pump is in operation; whereby each of the air bubbles introduced into the detergent-containing water through the air-bubble introducing means is dynamically broken into a plurality of microbubbles of air by a leading edge of one selected from a group consisting of at least one rotor vane of the pump, at least one stator vane of the pump, and each of at least one rotor vane and at least one stator vane of the pump.