IP Library Granted Patent US 12,723,344
Granted Patent B2
US 12,723,344 · App. 18/102,132 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Dispensing system for a laundry treating appliance

Inventors: Eric A. Gallagher (Kalamazoo, MI); James Jeffery (St. Joseph, MI); Guy M. Kazmierzak (Dowagic, MI); Eric Osler (Mishawaka, IN); Bruno T. Ramasco (Stevensville, MI); Guy Stormo (Stevensville, MI)
Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
D06F39/022D06F39/088
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,723,344
App. No.
18/102,132
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A laundry treating appliance with a treating chamber for receiving laundry for treating and a liquid supply system fluidly coupled to the treating chamber. The liquid supply system includes a water supply system and a dispensing system. The dispensing system includes a faucet, a support structure, one or more drawers, and one or more dispenser outlets for providing treating liquid and treating chemistries. Components of the dispensing system can be activated, e.g. for pretreating laundry items, for use as a utility sink, or during an automatic cycle of operation.

Claims (22)

1 . A dispensing system for a laundry treating appliance comprising:

a dispensing support structure for dispensing water, the dispensing support structure having a first base structure and a second base structure that are separated by a dividing wall;

a dispenser drawer selectively positioned within the dispensing support structure above the second base structure and having a treating chemistry reservoir for dispensing a treating chemistry;

a faucet defined by the first base structure and having a water outlet defined within a rear wall, the faucet extending from the rear wall to a fluid outlet proximate a processing chamber;

a pump in communication with the dispenser drawer and the faucet via the rear wall of the dispensing support structure, wherein the pump selectively activates to draw the treating chemistry from the treating chemistry reservoir of the dispenser drawer via a dispenser drawer outlet in the rear wall and to the faucet via a dispenser outlet defined within the rear wall; and

a user interface operably coupled to a valve that dispenses the water, the user interface also comprising an actuator coupled to the pump that selectively dispenses the treating chemistry from the treating chemistry reservoir.

2 . The dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid outlet of the faucet includes a plurality of outlets that are fluidly coupled to the processing chamber via a fluid channel defined by the first base structure.

3 . The dispensing system of claim 2 , wherein the fluid channel defines a faucet conduit that is defined within the first base structure.

4 . The dispensing system of claim 3 , wherein the dispensing support structure includes the dispenser outlet that is positioned above the faucet conduit, the faucet conduit configured to dispense water and the dispenser outlet configured to dispense the treating chemistry from the treating chemistry reservoir.

5 . The dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the treating chemistry reservoir of the dispenser drawer is a bulk chemistry reservoir.

6 . The dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the dispenser drawer is slidably removable from the second base structure and the dispenser drawer outlet.

7 . The dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is manually operated.

8 . The dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the pump is an electrically operated pump that is selectively operated by the actuator.

9 . A dispensing system for a laundry treating appliance comprising:

a dispensing support structure for dispensing water, the dispensing support structure having a faucet conduit and a dispenser conduit;

a dispenser drawer selectively positioned above a base of the dispensing support structure and adjacent to the dispenser conduit, the dispenser drawer having a treating chemistry reservoir for dispensing a treating chemistry;

a rear wall attached to the dispensing support structure and having a water outlet coupled with the faucet conduit and a dispenser outlet coupled with the dispenser conduit, the faucet conduit and the dispenser conduit extending through the dispensing support structure to a fluid outlet proximate a processing chamber;

a pump in communication with the dispenser drawer and the dispenser conduit via the rear wall of the dispensing support structure, wherein the pump selectively activates to draw the treating chemistry from the treating chemistry reservoir of the dispenser drawer via a dispenser drawer outlet in the rear wall and to the dispenser conduit via the dispenser outlet; and

a user interface operably coupled to a valve that dispenses the water, the user interface also comprising an actuator coupled to the pump that selectively dispenses the treating chemistry from the treating chemistry reservoir.

10 . The dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein the dispenser drawer is slidably removable from the dispensing support structure and the dispenser drawer outlet.

11 . The dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein the dispenser conduit is positioned above the faucet conduit.

12 . The dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein the pump is an electrically operated pump that is selectively operated by the actuator.

Continuity (3)
Division 16145259 · Sep 28, 2018
Provisional Application 62624409 · Jan 31, 2018
Related Publication 20260028763A1 · Jan 29, 2026
References Cited (34)
US 3490254A · Mason · 1970 [cited by applicant]
US 6353954B1 · Dunsbergen et al. · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 7313932B2 · Ryohke et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 7493781B2 · Ooe · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 7814768B2 · Vecchi et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 8052805B2 · Hendrickson et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 8312745B2 · Hasse et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 9200399B2 · Kim et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 9217215B2 · Kim et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 9315934B2 · Kim et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 9637857B2 · Del Pos et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 9702077B2 · Doh · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 10023986B2 · Kawaguchi et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10125448B2 · Seo et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10167588B2 · Kim et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10655264B2 · Dunsbergen et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10914028B2 · Gallagher et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20100000578A1 · Hendrickson et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20100147340A1 · Hasse et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20140165663A1 · Celotto et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20150247276A1 · Kim et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150252513A1 · Seo et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160102425A1 · Scheckelhoff · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160237612A1 · Ghosh et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160348293A1 · Kawaguchi et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170037558A1 · Dunsbergen et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170037559A1 · Gallagher et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170298560A1 · Leibman · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20190234001A1 · Gallagher et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 203021787U · 2013 [cited by applicant]
DE 202010017496U1 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
EP 2295624B1 · 2012 [cited by applicant]
EP 3192916A1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
KR 20170084455A · 2017 [cited by applicant]