WO2011046450A1

WO2011046450A1 - Laundry appliance

Info

Publication number: WO2011046450A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2009/000223
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dion Christie
Original assignee: Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited
Priority date: 2009-10-15
Filing date: 2009-10-15
Publication date: 2011-04-21
Also published as: AU2009354035A1; AU2009354035B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a top loading laundry appliance with a drum for holding a load of laundry. The drum is provided within a cabinet with an opening in the top of the cabinet for accessing the drum. A cover is provided for closing the cabinet opening and providing access to the drum when in an open position. A user interface for operating the laundry appliance is located on the cover adjacent a front extent of the appliance.

Description

LAUNDRY APPLIANCE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a laundry appliance. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A prior art laundry appliance is shown in the part sectional exploded view of Figure 1. The laundry machine includes a cabinet 100 with a Hd 102 and a user console 04. A controller 106 is located within the body of the user console. The controller 106 includes a power supply and a programmed microcontroller. The power supply receives power from the mains supply and supplies power to the microcontroller, to a power supply bridge for the electric motor and to ancillary devices within the machine such as a pump and valves. Delivery of power to the motor 114 and the ancillary devices is at the control of the microcontroller. The microcontroller receives inputs from a user interface on console 104.

A tub 120 is supported within the cabinet. The tub is suspended from the upper edge of the cabinet, for example by suspension rods 121. A wash or drain pump is fitted to the lower portion of the tub. The pump is located at a sump portion of the tub.

A wash basket 122 is supported for rotation within the tub. The wash basket may typically comprise a base 132 and a perforated cylindrical skin 134. The perforated cylindrical skin extends up from the base to define an open ended drum. The lid is pivoted between an open position and the closed position of Figure 1 about a pivot axis 103. Opening the lid 102 provides user access to an upper open end of the wash basket. An agitator 124 is mounted in the lower portion of the wash basket.

A motor 114 below the tub direcdy drives single shaft 128. The wash basket 122 is mounted on the shaft within the tub. The single shaft 128 extends through the lower face of the tub, where it is supported in a pair of bearings 130. The user console is located near the rear of the machine so that the wash basket 22 may be located towards the front of the cabinet 100 for easy access. Alternatively, in prior art laundry appliances, user controls have been located at the front of the machine, as shown in Figure 1 of Chinese application 03144414.8. However, locating the user interface at the front of the machine requires more room between the front of the cabinet and the front extent of the wash basket. With the user console at the front of the cabinet, the drum is moved towards the rear of the appliance and away from the front of the cabinet.

In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved laundry appliance that goes some way to overcoming the above disadvantages or at least provides the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention may broadly be said to consist in a top loading laundry appliance comprising:

a drum for holding a load of laundry,

a cabinet with a cabinet opening in the top of the cabinet for accessing the drum, a cover for closing the cabinet opening when in a closed position, and

a user interface, the user interface being located on the cover adjacent a front extent of the appliance.

Preferably the cover is a lid, the lid movable between an open position and a closed position by pivoting about a pivot axis, the pivot axis being located towards a rear of the appliance adjacent a rear edge of the lid, and the user interface being located adjacent a front edge of the lid opposite the rear edge of the lid.

Preferably the drum is a vertical axis rotating drum, the cabinet opening providing access to an interior of the drum via a drum end, the drum being offset witliin the cabinet towards the front of the cabinet.

Preferably the lid extends to the front of the cabinet.

Preferably the cabinet comprises a recess below the front edge of the lid to allow a user to grip the Hd from below.

Preferably the cabinet opening extents from adjacent the front extent of a drum opening towards the rear of the appliance, a rear extent of the cabinet opening being forward of a rear extent of the drum opening, the pivot axis being adjacent the rear edge of the cabinet opening, such that the lid is shortened compared to if the cabinet opening extended fully to the rear extent of the drum opening.

Preferably the upper surface of the cover is a substantially flat horizontal surface.

Preferably the upper surface of die cover is continuous without joins.

Preferably the upper surface of the cover is a glass panel, user interface components being located under the glass panel.

Preferably the cover comprises an opaque backing on an under surface of the glass panel except in the vicinity of the user interface, the user interface being visible via the top surface of the glass panel.

Preferably the user interface is located over the cabinet opening or drum when the cover is in the closed position. Preferably the appliance further comprises a spring or damping system for supporting the lid when moving from a closed position to an open position or an open position to a closed position.

Preferably the control interface comprises capacitive touch devices for user selection of user selectable laundry operating parameters.

Preferably die user interface comprises a display screen.

The term "comprising" as used in this specification and claims means "consisting at least in part of. When interpreting each statement in this specification and claims that includes the term "comprising", features other than that or those prefaced by the term may also be present. Related terms such as "comprise" and "comprises" are to be interpreted in the same manner.

This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only and with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a part sectional part exploded view of a prior art laundry appliance.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a laundry appliance according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figute 3 is a perspective view of the laundry appliance of Figure 2 with a cabinet lid in an open position providing access to the top of a laundry drum.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a laundry appliance according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 2. The laundry appliance 1 of Figure 2 has a control interface 3 integral to the cover 2. The cover 2 is movable between an open and a closed position to provide access to the laundry containing vessel or drum 22 within the cabinet 10. The cover could be a bi-folding cover, a sliding cover, or any other type of cover known in the art. Preferably the cover is a lid that pivots about an axis 3 located towards the rear of the appliance, for example like in Fisher and Paykel's SMARTDRIVE® and SMARTLOAD® appliances.

The control interface 4 comprises a plurality of input devices 5 such as touch sensitive areas for user selection of operating parameters. The user interface may also comprise an information exchange device such as a display screen 6 for communicating information to the user. The display screen may be an LCD, may comprise LED's arranged to convey information to the user, or may comprise an LED segmented display.

Preferably the user touch sensitive areas are capacitive touch devices for user selection of operating modes and operating functions such as washing modes, water level and temperature and other user selectable laundry parameters. Alternatively the user touch sensitive areas are touch pad type devices or mechanical buttons accessible via associated holes in the upper surface of the lid 2.

Preferably the control interface 4 is located towards the front of the lid. In a preferred embodiment the lid extends fully to the front of the appliance cabinet 10, as shown in Figure 2. Most preferably the control interface is located adjacent a front edge of the lid and the front of the appliance, providing easy access to a user. With the controls adjacent the front of the appliance, a user does not need to reach to the back of the appliance to operate the appliance. Preferably the drum is offset within the cabinet 10 to be located towards the front of the appliance. The closer drum 22 is to the front of the appliance, the easier die loading and removal of laundry to and from the drum is for a user. The closer the drum is to the front of the appliance, the less a user has to reach to load and unload the appliance.

With the control panel 4 integrated into the appliance lid 2, both the drum and the control panel may be located as far forward as possible, providing ergonomic accessibility of the drum access opening and the user controls. Figure 3 shows the lid in the open position providing user access to the drum access opening 20 of the cabinet 10. The cabinet drum access opening 20 provides user access to the top of the drum 22. Preferably the control interface 4 is located at least partially over the drum access opening 20 or drum 22 when the lid 2 is in the closed position as shown in Figure 2.

An upper surface of the lid is preferably a flat horizontal surface. When in die closed position, the flat lid provides a useful work surface to a user. For example, the flat substantially horizontal lid is suitable for stably supporting a laundry basket when in the closed position.

Preferably the upper surface of d e lid is continuous and without joins. The continuous surface avoids fluid leak paths between the outside of the appliance into d e user interface components. Should a user spill a fluid on the lid of the appliance such as water, damage to the user interface and associated electrical components is prevented.

Preferably the upper surface of die lid 2 is a continuous glass panel covering the user interface electrical and electronic components. User interface components such as capacitive touch devices and other electrical components are located beneath the glass panel, isolating tfiese components from die outside the lid. The glass may have an opaque backing to prevent a user seeing through the lid. The opaque backing is absent in the vicinity of the user interface so that the user interface is visible via the upper glass surface of the Hd 2. Alternatively, the upper surface of the lid may be a flexible membrane, for example the type of membrane used in touch pad type user interfaces. Alternatively the upper surface of the lid may not be continuous. For example, the user interface may comprise mechanical buttons that are accessible via associated holes in the upper surface of the lid. An elastomeric seal or seals are provided to seal between a button and the upper surface of the lid, to prevent fluid ingress to the user interface components.

The lid closes the cabinet access opening 20 when in the closed position. When in the open position, the cabinet access opening provides access to the drum 22. Preferably the lid is pivotally attached to the cabinet, pivoting between the open and closed positions about the pivot axis 3. Preferably the pivot axis is located towards a rear of the appliance adjacent a rear edge of the lid.

The cabinet access opening 20 and the drum opening are preferably aligned. The cabinet access opening may be at least as large as the drum opening to provide unobstructed access to the interior of the drum. However, it is preferred that the cabinet access opening 20 does not extend to the rear extent of the drum opening, as shown in Figure 3. Preferably the cabinet access opening extends from at least a front extent of the drum opening towards a rear of the appliance to a position forward of the rear extent of the drum opening, as shown in Figure 3.

The pivot axis of the lid is adjacent the rear of the cabinet access opening 20. Preferably the lid pivots by a hinge or hinges 8 mounted between the lid 2 and the cabinet 10, for example as shown in Figure 3. With the rear of the cabinet access opening forward of the rear extent of the drum opening, the lid is shorter, compared to if the cabinet access opening extended fully to the rear extent of the drum opening. A shorter lid has a smaller radial path when pivoting between the open and closed positions. A shorter lid requires less force to lift die front of the lid to pivot the lid 2 from the closed to the open positions. This is an advantage due to the additional weight of the lid resulting from integration of the user interface into the lid adjacent die front edge of the lid.

Furthermore the lid is preferably supported by a spring or damping system, or both a spring and damping system. The spring or damping system is preferably located at a hinge 8 between the lid 2 and the cabinet 10. The spring or damping system provides support for the lid when moving, to assist a user when opening the lid from a closed position to an open position. The spring or damping system provides support for the lid when moving, to assist a user when closing the lid from an open position to a closed position, the spring or damping system cushioning the lid as it is closed. The spring or damping system or both is preferred in a laundry machine comprising the present invention due to the additional weight of the user interface adjacent a front edge of the lid.

The back extent of the drum opening is covered due to the lid pivot axis 3 being forward ^' of the rear extent of the drum opening. However, the drum access is not greatly affected as a user typically adds laundry to the drum via the front of the drum .22. The bottom of the drum at the rear of the drum is still accessible from the top of the drum.

As described earlier, preferably the lid 3 extends fully to the front of the cabinet 10. The top of the appliance is substantially flat across the whole top surface of the appliance. A recess 7 is preferably provided in the cabinet below the front edge of the lid. The recess allows a user to grip the front of the lid from below to lift the lid to the open position.

Alternatively the lid may not extend fully to the front of the cabinet, for example as shown in the embodiment of Figure 4. The recess 7 is provided to allow a user to grip the front of the lid for lifting. Other than the recess 7, the top of the appliance is substantially flat across the whole top surface of the appliance.

The present invention has been described in relation to the preferred embodiment being a vertical axis top loading laundry appliance. However, the present invention may be applied to a front loading horizontal axis laundry machine. Such a laundry appliance typically has a cabinet with a door located at the front of the cabinet providing access to a wash basket when in an open position. The door typically pivots about a vertical pivot axis at a side of the door. In such an appliance, the user controls are often on the front of the appliance near the top of the appliance.

The foregoing description of the invention includes preferred forms thereof. Modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

PROVISIONAL CLAIMS

1. A top loading laundry appliance comprising:

a drum for holding a load of laundry,

2. A laundry appliance as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cover is a lid, the lid movable between an open position and a closed position by pivoting about a pivot axis, the pivot axis being located towards a rear of the appliance adjacent a rear edge of the lid, and

the user interface being located adjacent a front edge of the lid opposite the rear edge of the lid.

3. A laundry appliance as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the drum is a vertical axis rotating drum, the cabinet opening providing access to an interior of the drum via a drum end, the drum being offset within the cabinet towards the front of the cabinet.

4. A laundry appliance as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the lid extends to the front of the cabinet.

5. A laundry appliance as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cabinet comprises a recess below die front edge of the lid to allow a user to grip the lid from below.

6. A laundry appliance as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the cabinet opening extents from adjacent the front extent of a drum opening towards the rear of the appliance, a rear extent of the cabinet opening being forward of a rear extent of the drum opening, the pivot axis being adjacent the rear edge of the cabinet opening, such that the lid is shortened compared to if the cabinet opening extended fully to the rear extent of the drum opening.

7. A laundry appliance as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the upper surface of the cover is a substantially flat horizontal surface.

8. A laundry appliance as claimed in claim 7 wherein the upper surface of the cover is continuous without joins.

9. A laundry appliance as claimed in any one of claims 7 or 8 wherein the upper surface of the cover is a glass panel, user interface components being located under the glass panel.

10. A laundry appliance as claimed in claim 9 wherein the cover comprises an opaque backing on an under surface of the glass panel except in the vicinity of the user interface, the user interface being visible via the top surface of the glass panel.

11. A laundry appliance as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the user interface is located over the cabinet opening or drum when the cover is in the closed position.

12. A laundry appliance as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 11 wherein the appliance further comprises a spring or damping system for supporting the lid when moving from a closed position to an open position or an open position to a closed position.

13. A laundry appliance as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the control interface comprises capacitive touch devices for user selection of user selectable laundry operating parameters.

14. A laundry appliance as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the user interface comprises a display screen.

15. A laundry appliance substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by Figures 2 to 4.