Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00 
  • D06F39/02—Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a washing machine for domestic use, in particular a laundry washing machine, according to the preamble of claim 1.
• laundry washing machines have means for managing and controlling the operation of the washing machine which generally comprise an electronic board and substantially are used for implementing wash programmes, or cycles.
• wash programme which may be defined as a generic or standard wash programme at a certain temperature T, e.g. 40 - 90°C, is briefly described below. It comprises the following phases:
• kits for dyeing laundry items are made up of a dyestuff in a liquid or powder form , a salt and a fixing agent, which allow the dyestuff to be fixed to the fabrics of the items to be dyed.
• the dyestuffs currently available on the market are reactive dyestuffs, adapted to act in water solution, and are compounds of azoic, carbonylic or similar types.
• every fabric requires the use of a particular dyestuff.
• the process is characterized by a specific dyeing kinetics and a specific dyeing balance, which are affected by chemical-physical parameters such as: temperature of the dyeing solution, presence of chemical additives, time of contact between fabric and dyeing solution, bath ratio, i.e. the ratio between quantity of water and quantity of dyestuff in the solution.
• the dyestuff, salt and fixing agents adapted to dye a certain type of fabric to reach the utmost effectiveness (i.e. for the dyestuff to give the fabric the desired color shade and for the mixture of salt and fixing agents to complete the process of fixing the dyestuff permanently), it is necessary that the dyestuff, salt and fixing agents act within a certain time interval, at a certain temperature and in the presence of certain conditions of bath ratio and water stirring.
• a user can use the currently available dyestuffs either by carrying out the dyeing manually or by putting such products into the wash tub of a washing machine and subsequently selecting a generic wash programme.
• the user In the first case, i.e. if the user decides to carry out the dyeing of the laundry manually, the user will be first of all compelled to pay some and constant attention to the progress of the recommended dyeing process, as regards the temperature of the water to be used and the time intervals during which the laundry must be soaked in the dyestuff, and for deciding when and how to add the salts and the fixing agent.
• the wash programmes implemented by the laundry washing machines known in the art are mostly aimed at performing well during the wash cycles and possibly during a post-wash drying cycle, but they are not suitable for dyeing laundry in an effective way and without wasting chemical substances, which on top of everything else they are also strong pollutants.
• the present invention aims at solving the above-described drawbacks of the prior art and, in particular, at providing a washing machine for domestic use, in particular a laundry washing machine, adapted to perform an effective laundry dyeing process in a household environment. Said dyeing process is carried out in to specific and optimal manner based on the type of fabrics to be dyed.
• a further object is to extend the actual versatility of washing machines for domestic use in particular of laundry washing machines, and to manufacture said washing machines in such a way was to allow for new and various utilizations, in particular, to be able to carry out a laundry dyeing process with an effectiveness being unknown to the prior art, by means of washing machines which up till now have been used just for washing and possibly for drying laundry. i.e. operations being antithetical to dyeing.
• a further object is then to provide new operating programmes allowing the washing machine to operate fully automatically, i.e. without a user having to carry out any checks during the execution or the programme, and ensuring good results.
• Another object is to provide a proper dyeing of the laundry appropriate to the different: types of fabrics, by adapting the operation of the laundry washing machine to a specific fabric type.
• a further object is to provide an efficient dyeing of the laundry by appropriately using the chemical and physical characteristics of the dyestuff, salts and fixing agents known in the art.
• a further object consists in providing an efficient dyeing system which avoids any waste of chemical pollutants.
• the present invention provides a washing machine for domestic use, in particular a laundry washing machine, incorporating the features of the annexed claims, which are to be considered as an integral part of the present description.
• the wash programmes used in modem laundry washing machines for domestic use may comprise one or more distinct treatment phases, such as prewash, wash, rinse, spin and drying, which involve different laundry treatment processes.
• the washing machine for domestic use has at least one programme being specifically dedicated to the dyeing of laundry inside said washing machine, wherein the single operating phases are adapted to optimize a dyeing and fixing process according to the type of laundry loaded in the washing machine.
• Said dyeing programme can be selected through said management and control means; in particular, said management and control means comprise means for selecting dyeing programmes, in particular comprising graduated knobs or dedicated push-buttons.
• More sophisticated machines may be provided with a keyboard and a luminous display as user interface; this solution is particularly advantageous if the machine has more than one dyeing programme.
• said dyeing programme provides for the automatic execution of at least one wash cycle.
• the dyestuff, salt and fixing agent may advantageously be loaded into a compartment of said means for containing and dispensing washing agents of the washing machine, in order to be subsequently discharged into the wash tub together with the water from the main, so as to perform a fully automatic dyeing process.
• the dyestuff and the salt may be loaded into one compartment and the fixing agent into an additional compartment, or there may be three specific compartments for said dyestuff, salt and fixing agent, respectively.
• the dyestuff to give the desired colour shade to a certain type of fabric, and for the mixture of salt and fixing agents to provide a permanent colour fixing, they must act under different conditions of time, temperature, bath ratio and water stirring depending on the fabric to be dyed.
• dyeing programme for cotton fabrics like cotton, linen, denim and other similar fabrics can be subjected to the same dyeing programme, hereafter simply referred to as dyeing programme for cotton.
• the washing machine according to the present invention comprises at least one specific dyeing programme for cotton, in particular comprising the following sequential phases:
• the dyeing programme for cotton also provides for the implementation of a specific wash cycle for said type of fabrics, being subsequent to the dyeing process and carried out automatically.
• the detergents for the wash cycle implemented during the dyeing programme for cotton may also be loaded in the means for containing and dispensing washing agents of the washing machine.
• the washing machine for domestic use according to the present invention has at least one specific dyeing programme for the above listed delicate laundry articles, which for simplicity's sake will hereafter be referred to as dyeing programme for delicate fabrics.
• the dyestuff, salt and fixing agent may be loaded into a compartment of the means for containing and dispensing washing agents of the washing machine, in order to be subsequently discharged into the wash tub together with the water from the supply.
• the dyestuff and the salt may be loaded into one compartment and the fixing agent into an additional compartment, or there may be three specific compartments for said dyestuff, salt and fixing agent, respectively.
• Said dyeing programme for delicate fabrics comprises the following phases:
• the dyeing programme for delicate fabrics also comprises, following the dyeing process, the automatic implementation of a wash cycle for delicate items, e.g. for laundry articles made of particular fabrics being delicate and/or subject to dimensional variations, knitwear and/or laundry articles subject to felting and/or stretching.
• the washing machine for domestic use in particular a laundry washing machine, has at least one programme specifically designed for dyeing laundry allows to have a washing machine for domestic use which is adapted to perform an efficient dyeing of laundry in a household environment, said dyeing being carried out in a specific and optimal manner based on the type of fabrics to be dyed and without wasting chemical substances.
• a further advantage of the washing machine for domestic use according to the present invention is the fact that the actual versatility of said washing machines for domestic use is widened, so that new and various utilizations are allowed, even being antithetical to the traditional ones, and that it is possible to carry out, with an effectiveness unknown to the prior art, the dyeing of laundry by means of washing machines which have been normally used so for just for washing and possibly drying laundry.
• a further advantage of the washing machine for domestic use according to the present invention is the fact that the dyeing programmers may be executed fully automatically, i.e. without the user having to carry out any checks during the execution of the programme, while ensuring good in particular, the dyeing programmes may be executed automatically also thanks to the fact that the dyestuff, salt and fixing agent can be leaded into the various compartments of the means for containing and dispensing washing agents.
• a further advantage of the washing machine for domestic use according to the present invention is the fact that it is possible to provide a proper colouring of the laundry according to the different types of fabrics, by modifying the operation of the washing machine depending on the type of fabric.
• washing machine for domestic use described herein by way of example may be subject to many further possible variations without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea; it is also clear that in the practical realization of the invention the illustrated details may have different, shapes or be replaced with other technically equivalent elements,

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)
• Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
• Filters For Electric Vacuum Cleaners (AREA)
• Centrifugal Separators (AREA)
• Accessory Of Washing/Drying Machine, Commercial Washing/Drying Machine, Other Washing/Drying Machine (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=36658848

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2005
  • 2005-03-09 IT IT000149A patent/ITTO20050149A1/it unknown
• 2006
  • 2006-03-03 DE DE602006006731T patent/DE602006006731D1/de active Active
  • 2006-03-03 AT AT06110650T patent/ATE431451T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-03-03 EP EP06110650A patent/EP1700942B1/en not_active Not-in-force

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