GB2165555A

GB2165555A - Distributor for liquid and powder detergents for washing machines

Info

Publication number: GB2165555A
Application number: GB08525086A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Silvano Cimetta; Olindo Regazzo; Gabriele Soligo
Original assignee: Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Current assignee: Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici SpA
Priority date: 1984-10-12
Filing date: 1985-10-11
Publication date: 1986-04-16
Also published as: ES289421Y; GB8525086D0; GB2165555B; IT8434062V0; FR2571751B3; FR2571751A3; DE8528093U1; ES289421U

Abstract

A detergent distributor for a clothes washing machine, comprises at least two separate feed intakes (4, 5) and a discharge opening (3) for the water for entraining the detergent towards the washing tub as well as air gap regions for the feed water, a compartment (7) for the detergents for the washing phase and a dish (6) with an open bottom for the detergents for the pre-wash phase, which are disposed in succession between said intakes and said discharge opening, a by-pass conduit (9) which carries the water from a first intake (4) to pass around the compartment (7) and to cross the base of the compartment (6) for the pre-wash detergents; a V-shaped distributor (11) for distributing the flow of water from a second intake (5) both towards an annular conduit (12) provided with spray nozzles (14) which are directed on to the vertical walls of the compartment (7) and towards a deflector (13) and a terminal vane (15) which carry a sheet of water to flow over the bottom of the compartment (7); a retaining and overflow wall (16) for the liquids contained in the compartment, (7) which extends from the inclined bottom of the distributor (2), and a microsiphon (17) for emptying the compartment (7), which is capable of being primed only with liquids having a viscosity approximately equal to that of water. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Distributor for liquid and powder detergents for washing machines The invention relates to a distributor for liquid and powder detergents for washing machines, particularly, but not exclusively for domestic clothes washing machines.

Such distributors are generally provided both with small dishes, with an open bottom, for the detergents in powder form, and with containers which are provided with an emptying siphon, for additives and liquid detergents.

However, that involves the provision of a large number of compartments which complicate the constructions of the distributor and increase the amount of space that it occupies within the washing machine.

Attempts have subsequently been made to rationalise such distributors providing for the use of small auxiliary dishes which are provided with a siphon and which can be fitted in superposed relationship to the dish for the powder detergents, as described for example in Italian utility model No. 145490 to the present applicants.

However, that solution is not really an economical one because it requires double expenditure on material and labour and is inconvenient from the point of view of the user who has to remove the auxiliary container and keep it outside the machine when liquid detergents are not being used.

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a distributor which makes it possible for both detergents in powder form and liquid detergents to be introduced into a single compartment, without providing for the use of auxiliary containers and without complicating the construction of the distributor, with numerous and different compartments.

It will be clear that such a unified compartment should ensure that the liquid detergents do not escape towards the washing drum immediately that they are introduced into the distributor and at the same time it should make it possible to ensure that both types of detergent are effectively removed from the walls of the compartment in spite of their different physical characteristics.

It is known in fact that, in distributors for powder detergent, the water for entraining the detergent is generally supplied as a single flow which is introduced from above and which is sometimes diverted so as to flow overthe bottom of the dish containing the detergent, as described for example in German utility model No.7042471.

Alternatively, the water may be introduced in a spray by way of spray devices provided in the upper edge of the compartment, as described for example in French patent No. 2 505374 or German patent application No. 31 47 073.

Therefore, the supply of water in the form of a single flow guarantees that the detergent is removed from the hollow regions but it does not make it possible for the vertical walls of the compartment to be completely washed down.

In contrast, the supply of water in spray form is ideal to cause the vertical walls of the compartment to be completely washed down but it is insufficient to remove the detergent from the hollow regions of the compartment. In contrast, in distributors for liquid detergents, the water is introduced into the interior of the container for the detergent until it reaches the priming level of a siphon which provides for discharging the liquids towards the washing tub of the clothes washing machine and emptying the compartment, thus predisposing it for the subse quentwashing process, as described in Italian patent No. 873 587.

It will be clear that a siphon of that type can be easily blocked by the dense and encrusting mixtures of water and detergent.

Above all, in order to ensure that the siphon is not also primed only by an excessive metered amount of liquid detergent, it is necessary to use dishes which are very deep and which are of large capacity and which thus take up too much space within the distributor and which complicate the overflow path for the mixture of water and detergent going to the washing tub.

Thus, a further aim of the invention is to provide a distributor of the above-indicated type.

As will become apparent from the following description the illustrated embodiment of the invention provides a distributor whose "unified" compartment for the detergents in powder and liquid form eliminates the disadvantages and combines the advantages of the above-described methods of feed of water and removal of detergents.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a detergent distributor for a washing machine comprising at least two separate feed intakes and a discharge opening for the water for entraining the detergent towards the washing tub as well as air gap regions for the feed water, a compartment for the detergents for the washing phase and a dish with an open bottom for the detergents for the pre-wash phase, which are disposed in succession between said intakes and said discharge opening; a by-pass conduit which carries the water from a first intake to pass around the compartment for the washing detergents and to cross the base of the compartment for the pre-wash detergents; an at least approximately V-shaped distributor for distributing the flow of water from a second intake both towards an annular conduit disposed in the upper edge of the compartment and provided with spray nozzles which are directed on to the vertical walls of the compartment and towards a deflector and a terminal vane which carry a sheet of water of flow over the bottom of the compartment; a retaining and overflow wall for the liquids contained in the compartment, which extends from the inclined bottom of the distributor in accordance with an at least approximately Lshaped configuration, and a microsiphon for emptying the compartment, which is capable of being primed only with liquids having a viscosity approximately equal to that of water.

The features of the invention will be more clearly apparent from the following description which is given by way of non-limiting example of a preferred embodiment of the distributor according to the invention, with reference to the single accompanying Figure which is a diagrammatic view in longitu dinal section thereof.

The distributor 2 shown in the drawing is of the type which can be fixedly fitted into the upper part of the casing of a domestic top-loading clothes washing machine (not shown).

The feed water passes into the distributor 2 from two tubular connections 4 and 5 and, after having passed through "air gap" regions and compartments 6,7 for the deposit of detergents therein, issues from the distributor 2 by way of the opening 3 for discharge into the tub of the machine.

In particular, the water coming from the connection 4 is conducted into the intake opening 8 of a by-pass conduit 9 which goes around the compartment 7 and whose discharge opening 10 opens upstream of the compartment 6 which is intended for the detergents for the pre-wash phase.

On the other hand, the connection 5 introduces the feed water for the compartment 7 for the detergents for the washing phase.

In that case, the water is subdivided by a V-shaped divider 11 into an upper flow which goes on to pass through an annular conduit 12 provided in the edge of the compartment 7, and a lower flow which is conducted by a deflector 13 to wash over the bottom of the compartment 7.

On its lower side, the annular conduit 12 is provided with nozzles 14for apraying the water on to the vertical walls of the compartment 7. The deflector 13 follows, in almost parallel relationship, the profile of the wall of the compartment 7 from which the feed water issues, and has a terminal vane 15 which is inclined towards the bottom of the compartment 7 to define a lamellar flow section which increases the width of the jet of feed water and increases the speed of movement thereof over the bottom of the compartment 7. The discharge region of the compartment 7 comprises a wall 16 which extends from the bottom of the distributor in a L-shaped configuration.The wall 16 rises to about the halfway point of the height of the compartment 7, to perform functions involving retaining the liquid detergent when the latter is introduced into the compartment 7, and to form a skimming wall for the mixture of water and detergent which overflows from the compartment 7 during the phase of feeding the washing tub.

The horizontal side of the L-shaped wall 16n is provided, passing therethrough, with a discharge microsiphon 17 which communicates the lowest region of the compartment 7 with the inclined bottom of the distributor 2. The microsiphon 17 is formed by an internal tube 18 which rises to about the halfway point of the height of the L-shaped wall 16, and a cap 19 mounted removably above the upper opening ofthetube 18.

It should be noted that the intake duct of the microsiphon 17 which is defined between the tube 18 and the cap 19 has a flow section which is of such a dimension as to permit the siphon to be primed only with water or with liquids whose viscosity is very close to that of water.

In fact, the present applicant's laboratory tests showed that the commercially available liquid detergents, which are all of greater viscosity than water, can be introduced into the compartment 7 and can even submerge the siphon 17 without causing the siphon to start operating.

The above-mentioned laboratory tests also made it possible to verify that the functionality of the siphon 17 is not compromised by the use of detergents in powder form.

The compartment 6 for the pre-wash detergent is formed in per se known manner by a funnel-shaped container with an open bottom, by way of which any liquid pre-wash detergents may be introduced directly into the tub since the pre-wash phase is the first to be carried out. As already emphasised hereinbefore, the detergent deposited in the compartment 6 is entrained and transported into the tub by the flow of water coming from the connection 4 by way of the by-pass conduit 9.

After the pre-wash phase, the water for the washing phase is introduced by way of the connection 5 and is conducted by the V-shaped divider 11 towards the annular conduit 12 and towards the conduit defined by the deflector 13 and the vane 15.

A lamellar jet of water issues between the vane 15 and the bottom of the compartment 7 and impinges on the detergent which is deposited on the bottom of the compartment# 7 and entrains it, by dilution or by causing it to float, to go past the wall 16.

At the same time, the sprays of water which are injected by the nozzles 14 from the annular conduit 12 operate to facilitate the discharge flow of detergent towards the region for discharge from the compartment 7 and to wash off the vertical walls thereof.

It should be noted that at least a part of the nozzle 14 is directed towards the region between the wall 16 and the compartment 6 for facilitating the discharge flow of the detergent under the wall of the container 6.

After the feed water intake phases, the microsiphon 17 provides for completely emptying away thewaterwhich has been held back by the wall 16 within the compartment 7, to prepare the latterfor thesubsequetwashing operation.

Thus, the distributor 2 according to the invention affords the possibility of using both powder detergents and liquid deterrgents in a single compartment 7, without complicating the construction of the distributor with a plurality of separate compartments and without providing for the use of auxiliary containers.

In addition to that, the invention achieves the aim of eliminating the disadvantages and combining the advantages of the known systems for the feed of water and for removal of the detergents.

It will be appreciated that the distributor according to the invention may be the subject of modifications and variations, for example in the region between the connections 4,5 and the compartment 7, it is possible to provide one or more containers 20 for introducing agents for treating the laundry, subject however to the particular features claimed hereinafter.

Claims

1. A detergent distributor for a washing machine comprising at least two separate feed intakes and a discharge opening for the water for entraining the detergent towards the washing tub as well as air gap regions for the feed water, a compartment for the detergents for the washing phase and a dish with an open bottom for the detergents for the pre-wash phase, which are disposed in succession between said intakes and said discharge opening; a by-pass conduit which carries the water from a first intake to pass around the compartment for the washing detergents and to cross the base of the compartment for the pre-wash detergents; an at least approximately V-shaped distributor for distributing the flow of water from a second intake both towards an annular conduit disposed in the upper edge of the compartment and provided with spray nozzles which are directed on to the vertical walls of the compartment and towards a deflector and a terminal vane which carry a sheet of water to flow over the bottom of the compartment; a retaining and overflow wall for the liquids contained in the compartment, which extends from the inclined bottom of the distributor in accordance with an at least approximately Lshaped configuration, and a microsiphon for emptying the compartment, which is capable of being primed only with liquids having a viscosity approximately equal to that of water.

2. A distributor for a washing machine, such a distributor being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

3. A washing machine incorporating a detergent distributor according to claim 1 or 2.