Claims:We claim:
1. A household appliance (10) comprising :
- a housing (11) ;
- a drum (12) positioned in said housing (11), said drum (12) has an opening (14) to receive laundry;
- multiple beads (16) fitted on an inner surface (18) of said drum (12);
characterized in that:
- said multiple beads (16) have different dimensions positioned in a predefined pattern on said inner surface (18) said drum (12) , said multiple beads (16) adapted to scrub dirt from said laundry during at least one operating event of said household appliance (10).

2. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner surface (18) of said drum (12) comprises at least one hole (20) to accommodate at least one said multiple beads (16).

3. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said drum (12) comprises a first end (22) and a second end (24), dimensions of said multiple beads (16) reduces from said first end (22) to said second end (24).

4. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one said multiple beads (16) comprises multiple protrusions (26) made on an external surface (28) of at least one said multiple beads (16).

5. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one said multiple beads (16) has any one of the shape comprising a spherical, a semi-circular, a hemisphere, a ball-shaped and the like.

6. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one said multiple beads (16) has any one of shape comprising an oval, a polygonal and the like.

7. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said multiple beads (16) comprises multiple ribs (30) made on an internal surface (32) corresponding to multiple protrusions (26) present on said external surface (28) of each of said multiple beads (16).

8. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multiple beads (16) are fitted in multiple rows and columns on said inner surface (18) of said drum (12).

9. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said multiple beads (16) are fitted in any one of said predefined pattern comprising a trapezoidal pattern, a parallelogram pattern, a zigzag pattern and the like.

10. The household appliance (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pumping tower (34) comprising a filter (36) is fitted on said inner surface (18) of said drum (12) based on an availability of space between said multiple beads (16).
, Description:Field of the invention
This disclosure relates to a household appliance. More particularly, it relates to the household appliance having multiple beads with different dimensions fitted inside the appliance.
Background of the invention:
Hand wash is very effective in stain removal at the same time being delicate on the clothes leading to less wear and tear on the clothes. In present Top loaders, dirt removal happens during mechanical interactions namely, cloth to cloth and cloth to dimples present in the drum inner circumference. To improve the mechanical rubbing action between drum and clothes, scrubber balls are introduced in the drum circumference. Generally, washing machines wash laundry by rotating a drum containing the laundry using a driving motor. The drum is rotated at a low speed in regular and opposite directions during a washing process, and is rotated at a high speed in a regular direction during a dehydrating (drying) process.

A US patent US8800327B2 discloses a drum type washing machine includes an annular recess formed in the front cover such that the annular recess is located immediately adjacent to a wall of the drum body; and a ball balancer including an annular-shaped racer having a closed internal space in which a plurality of balls and viscous oil are accommodated.

Brief description of the invention:
It is an object of the invention to provide a household appliance with multiple beads with different dimensions fitted inside the household appliance.
The objects are solved by the household appliance having the features according to claim 1.

The invention relates to a household appliance comprising a housing and a drum positioned in the housing. The drum has an opening to receive laundry. The appliance further comprises multiple beads fitted on an inner surface of the drum, characterized in that, the multiple beads have different dimensions positioned in a predefined pattern inside the drum. The multiple beads adapted to scrub dirt from the laundry during at least one operating event of the household appliance.

A feature of this invention is that the inner surface of the drum comprises at least one hole to accommodate at least one of the multiple beads.

Another feature of this invention is that, the drum comprises a first end and a second end and the dimensions of the multiple beads reduces from the first end to the second end.

Another feature of this invention is that, at least one said bead comprises multiple protrusions made on an external surface of at least one the multiple beads.

Another feature of this invention is that, each of the multiple beads comprises multiple ribs made on an internal surface corresponding to multiple protrusions present on the external surface of each of the multiple beads.

Another feature of this invention is that, at least one of the multiple beads has any one of the shape comprising a spherical, a semi-circular, and a hemisphere.

Another feature of this invention is that, at least one of the multiple beads has any one of shape comprising an oval and a polygonal.

Another feature of this invention is that, the multiple beads are fitted in multiple rows and columns on the inner surface of the drum.

Another feature of this invention is that, the multiple beads are fitted in any one of the predefined pattern comprising a trapezoidal pattern, a parallelogram pattern, a zigzag pattern and the like.

Another feature of this invention is that, a pumping tower comprising a filter is fitted on the inner surface of the drum based on an availability of space between the multiple beads.

With the above-disclosed household appliance, the removal of dirt from the laundry is made easier when compared to the conventional methods. Different dimensions of the beads positioned inside the drum facilitates to treat each of the item of the laundry equally and individually along the height of the drum. Due to the smaller dimensions beads fitted at the second end of the drum, the movement of the laundry (that becomes heavy when soaked in the water) at the bottom portion will be hassle free with a larger space availability.

With the multiple beads fitted inside the drum, the roll over function of the laundry is improved. And also, the quality of washing procedure is improved, as the encounter of the laundry with the multiple beads resembles the conventional hand scrubbing technique. The protrusions made on each of the multiple beads helps in scrubbing the dirt away from the laundry more efficiently. An external surface of the protrusions are made softer, such that, when the laundry encounters the multiple beads, the scrubbing process is smooth on the laundry.

Brief description of the accompanying drawings:
An embodiment of the disclosure is described with reference to the following accompanying drawings;
Figure 1 illustrates a household appliance, in accordance with an embodiment of this invention, and
Figure 2 illustrates at least one of the multiple beads fitted in the appliance, in accordance with the embodiment of this invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments:
Figure 1 illustrates a household appliance, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The household appliance 10 comprises a housing 11 and a drum 12 positioned in the housing 11. The drum 12 has an opening 14 to receive laundry. The appliance 10 further comprises multiple beads 16 fitted on an inner surface 18 of the drum 12, characterized in that, the multiple beads 16 have different dimensions positioned in a predefined pattern on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12. The multiple beads 16 are adapted to scrub dirt from the laundry during at least one operating event of the household appliance 10.

Further, the construction of the household appliance 10 and the components of the household appliance 10 are explained as follows. According to one embodiment of the invention, the household appliance 10 is a washing machine. The washing machine is chosen from any one of the type of the washing machines like a top-load washing machine and a front-load washing machine. The household appliance 10 further comprises an impeller 38 positioned inside the housing 11 in fluid communication with the drum 12. The impeller 38 and drum 12 are positioned in the housing 11 in such a way that, a small gap is formed between the drum 12 and the impeller 38. A pumping tower 34 comprising a filter 36 is integrated into the drum 12 at a suitable position. The pumping tower 34 carries the water and allows to flow into the drum 12 via the filter 36 during at least one operating event of the appliance 10. However, due to a unidirectional valve (not shown) present in the pumping tower 34, the water is not allowed to flow back into the filter 36.

The positon of the pumping tower 34 and the filter 36 is based on the availability of the space on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12 in between of the multiple beads 16. A person skilled in the art knows the working of the impeller 38 and the drum 12 when the laundry is loaded into the appliance 10. At least one operating event of the appliance 10 is chosen from a group of operating events comprising a washing event, a rinsing event, a spinning event and a drying event. The event is also called as cycle in the following paragraphs of the disclosed document.

The drum 12 is made in a cylindrical shape with a first end 22 and a second end 24. However, the shape of the drum 12 is not restricted to the cylindrical shape but can be any shape that can be accommodated in the housing 11. The dimensions of the beads 16 reduces from the first end 22 to the second end 24 of the drum 12 i.e., the beads 16 fitted at the first end 22 have larger dimensions when compared to the beads 16 fitted at the second end 24. The position of the beads 16 having smaller dimensions at the second end 24 (i.e., at the bottom portion according to one embodiment) facilitates a larger space availability for the laundry to move when loaded in the appliance 10. According to one embodiment of the invention, the number of beads 16 fitted at the first end 22 is different from the number of beads 16 fitted at the second end 24 of the drum 12.

The number of beads 16 fitted on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12 depends on the size and capacity of the appliance 10. For example, a total number of beads 16 fitted inside the drum 12 with a diameter of 250mm to 350mm and height of 250mm to400mm can be approximately 32. Yet in another example, the total number of beads 16 fitted inside the drum 12 with a diameter of 350mm to 600mm and height of 400mm to 650mm are approximately 50. These are just examples and must not be understood in limiting manner. The beads 16 are arranged in the predefined pattern on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12.

One of the predefined pattern is arranging the beads 16 in multiple rows and columns such that, the complete inner surface 18 of the drum 12 is covered. In the first example (with 32 beads), the beads 16 are arranged in 4 rows and 8 columns to cover the complete circumference of the drum 12. Whereas, in the second example (with 50 beads), the beads 16 are arranged in in 5 rows and 10 columns to cover the complete circumference of the drum 12. However, the predefined pattern is not restricted to the multiple rows and columns, but can be chosen from any one of the following patterns comprising a trapezoidal pattern, a parallelogram pattern, a zigzag pattern, a circular pattern, a random pattern and the like as known to a person skilled in the art. The position of the beads 16 in the predefined pattern enhances the washing quality of the laundry.

The shape of the beads 16 can vary based on the requirement. However, to have a complete contact of the item of the laundry during at least one operational event, the shape of the bead is chosen from a group of shapes like a spherical, a semi-circular, a hemi-spherical, a ball shaped and the like. However, the shape of the bead 16 is not restricted to the above-disclosed shapes, but can be made in any form, that improves the contact surface with at least one item of the laundry during at least one operational event of the appliance 10. According another embodiment of the invention, the shape of the bead 16 is made in anyone of the forms comprising an oval, a polygonal, a multi-faceted, a bamboo shaped, a barrel shaped and the like. The beads 16 are made of materials comprising a polypropylene (PP), a silicone rubber or an EPDM rubber. The beads 16 that are made of a material that has properties which will be constant at soft water and hard water. An operating temperature of the beads 16 can be up to 100°C. According to one embodiment of the invention, the beads are made as integral components on the inner surface 18 of the drum. The function and working of the integrated beads are same as the above-disclosed beads 16 that are fitted onto inner surface 18 of the drum 12.

The inner surface 18 of the drum 12 comprises at least one hole 20 to accommodate at least one of the multiple beads 16. According to one embodiment of the invention, three holes 20 are made on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12 to accommodate one bead 16. The number of holes 20 made on the inner surface 18 to accommodate the bead 16 depends on the size of the bead 16. The beads 16 are fitted into the holes 20 on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12 using at least one fitting technique like a snap fit, a fastener fit and the like. The bead 16 comprises multiple protrusions 26 made on an external surface 28 of at least one the multiple beads 16. The multiple protrusions 26 are made in the form of the hemi-spheres as shown in the figure 2.

Due to the spherical or semi-circular shape of the bead 16 and the protrusions 26 made in the circular forms on the external surface 28 of the bead 16, the contact surface of the bead 16 with at least one item of the laundry increases. An external surface of each protrusion 26 is made smoother, such that, to avoid damage to at least one item of the laundry when encountered. According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the multiple bead 16 is hollow inside and comprises multiple ribs 30 made on an internal surface 32 of the bead 16 corresponding to multiple protrusions 26 present on the external surface 28 of each of the multiple beads 16. The internal multiple ribs 30 provides strength to the beads 16 during the working condition of the appliance 10.

A method of working of the appliance 10 is explained as follows. The laundry that requires washing is loaded into the drum of the appliance 10. When the appliance 10 is switched ON, then the laundry undergoes four stages of washing process i.e., a wash cycle, a rinse cycle, a spin cycle and a dry cycle. During the above-mentioned cycles, the rotational direction of the impeller 38 and the drum 12 varies based on the type of the appliance 10. For instance, in few appliance, the impeller 38 and the drum 12 rotates in same direction and in some appliances, both (the impeller 38 and the drum 12) rotates in opposite direction. The dirt and the threads coming out of the laundry during the washing process is redirected to the filter 36 via the pumping tower 38 as known in the state of the art.

In the wash cycle, the laundry becomes heavy when soaked in water and gets settles down at the second end 24 of the drum 12. During the rinse and the spin cycles, the laundry rotates in a high speed (along with the drum 12 and the impeller 38) in the housing 11. The movement of the laundry encounters the beads 16 fitted on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12. Due to the protrusions 26 made on each of the bead 16, the scrubbing of each item of the laundry is efficient. Due to the spherical /semi-circular shapes of the beads 16, the contact surface of the items of the laundry with the beads 16 is increased. The scrubbing process during at least one of the operational event of the appliance 10 resembles the conventional hand scrubbing method due to the protrusions on the beads 16 fitted on the inner surface 18 of the drum 12.
The items of the laundry when rotated along the height of the drum 12 during the working mode, comes into contact with the multiple beads 16. The smaller beads 16 present at the second end 24 facilitates the free movement and the scrubbing process of the items of the laundry to move during the working mode, wherein the larger beads 16 helps in increasing the scrubbing process during the rotational movements inside the drum 12.

With the above-disclosed household appliance 10, the removal of dirt from the laundry is made easier when compared to the conventional methods. Different dimensions of the beads 16 positioned inside the drum 12 facilitates to treat each of the item of the laundry equally and individually along the height of the drum 12. Due to the smaller dimensions beads 16 fitted at the second end 24 of the drum 12, the movement of the laundry (that becomes heavy when soaked in the water) at the second end 24 (bottom portion) is hassle free with a larger space availability.

With the multiple beads 16 fitted inside the drum 12, the roll over function of the laundry is improved. In addition, the quality of washing procedure is improved, as the encounter of the laundry with the multiple beads 16 resembles the conventional hand scrubbing technique. The protrusions 26 made on each of the multiple beads 16 helps in scrubbing the dirt away from the laundry more efficiently. An external surface of the protrusions 26 are made softer, such that, when the laundry encounters the multiple beads 16, the scrubbing process is smooth on the laundry. The multiple beads 16 disclosed above are used both in a top-load type washing machine and in a front-load type washing machine.

It should be understood that embodiments explained in the description above are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of this disclosure. Many such embodiments and other modifications and changes in the embodiment explained in the description are envisaged. The scope of the invention is only limited by the scope of the claims.
List of Reference Signs
10 household appliance
11 housing
12 drum
14 opening
16 multiple beads
18 inner surface of the drum
20 at least one hole
22 first end of the drum
24 second end of the drum
26 protrusion
28 external surface of the bead
30 rib
32 internal surface of the bead
34 pumping tower
36 filter

38 impeller