WO2008007102A1

WO2008007102A1 - Drum with multiple compartments for a washing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2008007102A1
Application number: PCT/GB2007/002617
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew Reason; Mario Rabaiotti; James Osgood
Original assignee: Andrew Reason Limited
Priority date: 2006-07-12
Filing date: 2007-07-11
Publication date: 2008-01-17
Also published as: GB0613831D0; GB2439949A

Abstract

This invention relates to a washing machine drum (2) which provides the advantage that two different washes can be washed simultaneously by providing a drum having at least two defined compartments (4, 6). For example, the drum can be separated such that coloured laundry and white laundry may be washed independently, thus preventing contamination. The drum comprises a generally round cross-sectional area and has a longitudinal length and further comprises at least two compartments positioned longitudinally side by side. The compartments are defined by a partitioning means (8) extending through the origin of the generally round cross-sectional area of the drum.

Description

DRUM WITH MULTIPLE COMPARTMENTS FOR A WASHING MACHINE

The present invention relates to a laundry apparatus and in particular a drum for use in, for example, a washing machine.

hi general, a washing machine comprises a single drum into which dirty laundry is placed. Water and detergent are added into the drum and laundry, the laundry is washed through the rotation of the drum and subsequently spun thus cleaning the dirty laundry. However, it is envisaged that it is beneficial to simultaneously wash coloured and white clothes by providing a drum having two defined compartments thereby separating the coloured laundry from the white laundry thus preventing contamination. For example, CN1389617 describes an apparatus for separately washing clothes, the drum of the apparatus defining concentric compartments such that one set of clothes may be placed in the central compartment of the cylindrical drum and another set of laundry may be placed in the compartment created around the perimeter of the inner compartment.

It is apparent there are limitations with such an arrangement, in particular the variation in washing quality between first and second compartments and access difficulties to these compartments. It is a major issue with prior art laundry apparatus that the user is required to run two separate wash cycles to wash coloured and white laundry separately to avoid contamination of white laundry with dyes running from coloured laundry, or if possible to wash two sets of clothes as disclosed in CN1389617 results in compromise of the wash effectiveness. The present invention provides a drum for a laundry appliance which overcomes at least these problems indicated above, thereby negating the need to wash white and coloured laundry separately.

According to the present invention there is provided a drum for a washing machine, the drum comprising a generally round cross sectional area and having a longitudinal length, said drum further comprising at least two compartments positioned longitudinally side by side and being defined by a partitioning means extending through the origin of said generally round cross sectional area of said drum. Thus, the object of the invention is achieved by the provision of two compartments which may be the same or similar and, as such, will provide equally good simultaneous cleaning of at least two different laundry sets. The drum preferably rotates about its longitudinal length. There is preferably at least one closeable aperture enabling access to said at least two compartments. The at least one aperture is preferably closeable via a door, and is preferably slidably engaged from a first position in which the aperture is open, to a second position in which the aperture is closed. It will be apparent that in order to obtain access to both compartments, the door is preferably provided on the longitudinal length of the drum. A door as described will enable easy access to both compartments, allowing straight forward loading and unloading of laundry into and out of the drum. Such a washing machine utilising a drum as described herein may be arranged such that the drum is withdrawn from the body of the machine in order that laundry may be located in the drum. This is particularly advantageous as it enables a larger volume of drum to be used for the same size machine, hi this way, access to the drum may be along the longitudinal length rather than transversely relative to the drum.

There is preferably a water-tight partition means between the at least two compartments which is arranged to prevent leakage therebetween. The partition means is preferably arranged to extend orthogonally between the diametrically opposing points on the longitudinal boundary of the drum. In one embodiment of the present invention, the partition means may be fixed defining permanent volume compartments. However, in an alternative embodiment the partition means is adjustable in a plane parallel relative to the longitudinal length of the drum. This enables a user to select and change the volume of each compartment required for the amount of laundry of each type they may have. It will be appreciated that the present invention has been described with respect to two compartments, however, it is envisaged that for industrial types of washing machines additional compartments may be required which may be provided by the provision of additional partition means.

Each of said at least two compartments preferably comprises a water inlet. Additionally, each of said at least two compartments comprise a water outlet, enabling waste water to be evacuated from the compartments. These outlets preferably lead to a sump and the water is subsequently pumped out of the system.

The partitioning means is preferably arranged and configured to move in a longitudinal direction to the longitudinal length of the drum. It will be appreciated that this enables access to both of the compartments by a door being able to slide in this direction to allow adding or removal of laundry from the machine.

Also according to the present invention, there is a washing machine comprising a drum as described above.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from, and elucidated with reference to the embodiments as described below. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-section side view of the drum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective side view of a drum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, there is a drum 2 having a first compartment 4 and second compartment 6. The compartments 4 and 6 are sealed from one another by a partition 8. The partition 8 is moveable in the direction as indicated by arrow 10 thus enabling the volume of each compartment to be adjusted depending on quantities of laundry to be washed. A drum as described provides an arrangement whereby different color/degree of soiling laundry may be washed without fear of cross-contamination. In this way two or more washes can be undertaken thereby saving time and energy.

The partition may slide along runners or the like and may comprise a locking means to clamp into position as required. In a simplified embodiment, the partition 8 may be permanently fixed in a chosen location. There is further provided a door 12 providing access to compartments 4, 6. The door may open in any manner according to specific requirements, however in one embodiment the door slides from a first position in which the apertures to the compartments 4, 6 are closed to a second position in which the apertures are open, or alternatively it is envisaged the door may pivot open. The door provides a water-tight seal thus preventing water escaping from the drum when in use. Additional sealing mechanisms may be utilised as appropriate, including known rubber seals around the door edges.

Each compartment 4, 6 includes a water inlet 14 which enables temperature and/or volume of water entering the compartments to be controlled independently of each other giving variable temperature and volume therein. If, however, the arrangement is to be simplified, it will be appreciated that a single water inlet could be utilised to provide a constant water temperature between the two compartments 4, 6. Additionally, each compartment has a water outlet 16 leading to a sump 18. Water is subsequently pumped out from the sump as required, as indicated by arrow 20.

When in use, the drum 2 slides out from the washing machine and the door 12 is opened. The partition 8 is adjusted to the required position, and laundry is added to the first and second compartments 4, 6. If the single colour load of laundry is to be washed, the partition may be adjusted to be located against one side of the drum and the control program is selectable such that one of the compartments is not used. However, in general use when washing two separate loads of laundry, the program may commence once the door 12 is shut in the manner as required. Additionally, the location of the partition 8 may be controlled electronically, wherein a user selects the required position of the partition (or alternatively this is calculated by the machine on the basis of the weight of the types of laundry), and the partition is adjusted accordingly. It will also be appreciated that the washing machine control system may enable varying quantities and/or temperature of water and/or detergent to enter the respective compartments that is dependent on the colour/material and/or quantity of the laundry load for example.

Referring to Figure 2, there is a perspective view of the drum according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Like reference numerals are being used as in Figure 1 to ensure continuity. In Figure 2, door 12 can be clearly seen which may be rotated in a transverse direction relative to the drum in a substantially same direction to that of the rotation of the drum as indicated by arrow 22.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims. As an example, the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments have been described as having a single door and single aperture, however, it will be immediately appreciated by a person skilled in the art that separate doors may be provided and additionally that these doors may open in a direction parallel to the longitudinal length of the drum.

Claims

1. A drum for a washing machine, the drum comprising a generally round cross sectional area and having a longitudinal length, said drum further comprising at least two compartments positioned longitudinally side by side and being defined by a partitioning means extending through the origin of said generally round cross sectional area of said drum.

2. A drum according to claim 1, wherein said drum is rotatable about its longitudinal length.

3. A drum according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein said drum comprises at least one closeable aperture enabling access to said at least two compartments.

4. A drum according to claim 3, wherein said at least one closeable aperture is located on the longitudinal length of the drum.

5. A drum according to and of claims 3 or 4, wherein the aperture is closeable via a door.

6. A drum according to claim 5, wherein said door is slidably engaged from a first position in which the aperture is open, to a second position in which the aperture is closed.

7. A drum according to any preceding claim, wherein said partition means is water-tight between the at least two compartments.

8. A drum according to claim 7, wherein said partition means is arranged to extend orthogonally between the diametrically opposing points on the longitudinal boundary of the drum.

9. A drum according to any preceding claim, wherein said partition means is fixed defining permanent volume compartments.

10. A drum according to any of claims 1-8, wherein said partition means is adjustable in a plane parallel to the longitudinal length of the drum.

11. A drum according to any preceding claim, wherein each of said at least two compartments comprises a water inlet.

12. A drum according to any preceding claim, wherein each of said at least two compartments comprise a water outlet.

13. A washing machine comprising a drum as hereinbefore described.

14. A domestic washing machine according to claim 12.

15. A drum as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.