Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to laundry service devices and systems and more particularly, relates to a mobile laundry vehicle for providing laundry service such as but not limited to washing and drying.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The laundry industry is heavily dependent on fixed assets as the laundry process requires a designated area for setting up machinery such as washing machines and dryers, and supporting infrastructure for carrying out the operations on a commercial scale. The area used for carrying out the laundry operations is generally either a commercial establishment or a residential place that is either owned or obtained on lease by a business for carrying out commercial laundry activities. In both the cases, the cost for setting up the laundry business is high, and it also requires considerable initial investment. In order to recover the costs incurred in setting up the business and infrastructure, a consumer is charged a higher rate for availing such laundry services.
[0003] The current laundry industry/market includes both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) models, wherein the B2C model forms a major share of the laundry market. While many laundry businesses follow the traditional mode of brick-and-mortar business wherein the consumer is required to drop off and collect the laundry from the store/business establishment, there are some businesses which provide e-laundry services. In such type of e-laundry services, the consumer gets an end-to-end service wherein the laundry is picked up and dropped off from the doorstep of the consumer, by booking the services through an online platform. Although, such e-laundry services currently have less than 10% of the total market share in the laundry industry, such type of services have great potential and are expected to grow up to 150 million USD in market share. Even though such a type of service provides greater convenience to the consumer, the cost involved in the laundry services increases and is therefore reflected in higher rates charged by such businesses.
[0004] Therefore, there is a requirement for a solution which reduces the infrastructural costs incurred in the laundry business, provides consumer convenience of getting services at doorstep without incurring additional cost, and requires low maintenance.
OBJECTS
[0005] The principal object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide a mobile laundry vehicle for providing laundry service such as but not limited to washing and drying.
[0006] Another object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide the mobile laundry vehicle, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle.
[0007] Another object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide the mobile laundry vehicle, wherein a power from a battery of the electric vehicle is used for operating a plurality of laundry appliances installed in the vehicle.
[0008] Yet another object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide the mobile laundry vehicle which includes a freshwater storage tank to supply fresh water to the washing appliance and a wastewater storage tank to store wastewater collected from the washing and drying appliances.
[0009] Still another object of an embodiment of this invention is to provide the mobile laundry vehicle which reduces infrastructural cost for carrying out laundry operations at commercial scale, improves consumer convenience by enabling mobile laundry services, and is easy to operate and maintain.
[0010] These and other objects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] The embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0012] Fig.1 is a pictorial diagram of a mobile laundry vehicle, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0013] Fig.2 depicts a block diagram of the mobile laundry vehicle having a plurality of laundry appliances, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein;
[0014] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of washing machine, a dryer appliance, a freshwater storage tank and wastewater storage tank provided in the mobile laundry vehicle, and depicts a water flow direction of freshwater and wastewater in the mobile laundry vehicle, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein; and
[0015] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram depicting a flow of power from a power source of the vehicle, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0017] The embodiments herein achieve a mobile laundry vehicle for providing laundry service such as but not limited to washing and drying. Further, the embodiments herein achieve the mobile laundry vehicle, wherein a power from a battery of the electric vehicle is used for operating a plurality of laundry appliances installed in the vehicle. Furthermore, the embodiments herein achieve the mobile laundry vehicle which includes a freshwater storage tank to supply fresh water to the washing appliance and a wastewater storage tank to store wastewater collected from the washing and drying appliances. Additionally, the embodiments herein achieve the mobile laundry vehicle which reduces infrastructural cost for carrying out laundry operations at commercial scale, improves consumer convenience by enabling mobile laundry services, and is easy to operate and maintain. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0018] Fig.1 is a pictorial diagram of a mobile laundry vehicle, according to an embodiment of the invention as disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the mobile laundry vehicle (100) includes at least one laundry washing appliance/machine (101), at least one drying appliance (102) for drying the washed laundry, at least one first tank (103) for storing fresh water, and at least one second tank (104) for storing wastewater, which are installed in the vehicle (100). The first tank (103) is provided in communication with the washing machine (101) for supplying fresh water. The second storage tank (102) is provided in communication with the washing machine (101) and the dryer appliance (102) for collecting the wastewater discharged by the washing machine (101) and the dryer appliance (102). The water discharged by the washing machine (101) after a rinse cycle and the water discharged by the dryer appliance (102) during the drying operation are collected in the second storage tank (103) and discarded when required. The modular laundry vehicle (100) further includes an AC supply source (105) (shown in Fig.2) to supply electric power for operating the washing machine (101) and the dryer appliance (102). In an embodiment, the washing machine (101) and the dryer appliance (102) are integrated together and perform the washing and drying operation sequentially.
[0019] In an embodiment of the invention, as shown in Fig. 2, the mobile laundry vehicle (100) is an electric vehicle such as a commercial electric vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle (100) includes a DC to AC converter (106) provided in communication with a battery (107) of the vehicle (100), wherein the converter (106) is configured to convert a direct current (DC) received from the battery (107) of the vehicle (100) to an alternating current (AC) to be supplied to the AC supply source (105) for operating the appliances (101, 102) installed in the vehicle (100). As shown in Fig.4, the DC-AC converter (106) is connected to the battery (107) of the electric vehicle (100), wherein the converter (106) receives the DC input from the battery (107) and converts the direct current into AC output. The AC output of the converter (106) is connected to the AC supply source, which supplies the AC to the appliances (101, 102) (depicted as electric load (101L, 102L) in Fig.4). The battery (107) of the electric vehicle (100) is rechargeable through a charging port (109) provided in the vehicle (100).
[0020] In another embodiment, the mobile laundry vehicle (100) is a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. The laundry vehicle includes a generator (not shown) for providing alternating current to the appliances (101, 102) through the AC supply source (105).
[0021] In an embodiment of the invention, the first storage tank (103) and the second storage tank (104) are installed at a boot-space bed (100A) of the vehicle (100) (as shown in Fig.1). The first and second storage tanks (103, 104) are provided at the boot-space bed (100A) to lower the height of the liquid stored in the tank, therefore lowering the center of gravity of the liquid. This aids in maintaining vehicle balance and prevents toppling of the vehicle (100) due to the additional weight of the storage tanks (103, 104). In an embodiment, as shown in Fig.3, the first storage tank (103) having the freshwater is placed above the second storage tank (104) for storing the wastewater. In an embodiment, the first storage tank (103) having the freshwater is placed below the second storage tank (104) for storing the wastewater. In another embodiment, both the first storage tank (103) having the freshwater and the second storage tank (104) for storing the wastewater are placed side by side. In another embodiment, the first storage tank (103) having the freshwater is placed in front of (when viewed in vehicle lengthwise direction) the second storage tank (104) for collecting and storing the wastewater. Further, the first storage tank (103) includes an inlet (103a) for receiving fresh water from a water source to be stored in the first storage tank (103). The first storage tank (103) also includes an outlet (103b) provided in communication with the washing machine (101), wherein freshwater is supplied to the washing machine (101) through the outlet (103b) of the first storage tank (103). Furthermore, the second storage tank (104) includes a first inlet (104a) to receive the wastewater discharged by the washing machine (101) and a second inlet (104a) to receive the wastewater discharged by the drying appliance (102). A discharge outlet (104b) is provided in the second storage tank (104) to discharge the wastewater stored in the second tank (104). Further, in the vehicle (100), the appliances (101, 102) are positioned to maximize the usage space in the vehicle (100). The vehicle (100) further includes pipes (108) for connecting the first and second storage tanks (103, 104) with the washing machine (101) and dryer appliance (102).
[0022] The technical advantages achieved by the embodiments disclosed herein are mentioned herein. The main advantage is providing laundry service at the doorstep of the consumer. The mobile laundry vehicle assists in catering consumers across a large geographical area without incurring additional costs due to the business establishment. Further, the vehicle eliminates the huge infrastructural cost for setting up brick and mortar places for providing laundry services, thereby lowering down the operational costs and the charges levied on the consumer. The consumer has an additional benefit of monitoring the entire laundry process to ensure quality and timely service, which otherwise is difficult in a traditional laundry service. The mobile laundry vehicle facilitates in reducing the turnaround time for consumers, therefore improving overall consumer experience.
[0023] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
, Claims:1. A mobile laundry vehicle (100) for laundry service, the vehicle (100) comprising:
at least one washing machine/ laundry washing appliance (101) installed in the vehicle (100);
at least one first storage tank (103) provided in communication with the at least one washing machine (101) for supplying fresh water;
at least one second storage tank (104) provided in communication with the washing machine (101) for collecting and storing wastewater; and
a supply source (105) configured to supply electric power for operating the washing machine (101) installed in the vehicle (100).

2. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, the vehicle (100) comprising:
at least one clothes dryer appliance (102) installed in the vehicle (100);
the second storage tank (104) provided in communication with the dryer appliance (102) for collecting and storing the wastewater; and
the supply source (105) configured to supply electric power for operating the dryer appliance (102) installed in the vehicle (100).

3. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle (100) is an electric vehicle, said electric vehicle (100) includes a DC-AC converter (106) provided in communication with a battery (107) of the vehicle (100), said converter (106) configured to convert an input DC received from the battery (107) to an AC output connected to said AC supply source (105) for operating said washing machine (101) and dryer appliance (102).

4. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein,
the first storage tank (103) is provided in the laundry vehicle (100) for storing fresh water;
the second storage tank (104) is provided in the laundry vehicle (100) for collecting and storing wastewater collected from said at least one washing machine (101) and said at least one dryer appliance (102),

5. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laundry vehicle (100) is an internal combustion engine vehicle, and said vehicle (100) includes a generator configured to supply AC output for operating said washing machine (101) and said dryer appliance (102).

6. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first storage tank (103) and said second storage tank (104) are disposed in a boot-space bed (100A) of said vehicle (100).

7. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first storage tank (103) is placed above or below or side or front to said second storage tank (104).

8. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first storage tank (103) includes an inlet (103a) provided to receive water from a water source for filling said first storage tank (103) and includes an outlet (103b) connected to said washing machine (101) for supplying fresh water to the washing machine (101).

9. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second storage tank (104) includes:
a first inlet (104a) connected to said washing machine (101) for receiving wastewater discharged from said washing machine (101);
a second inlet (104a) connected to said dryer appliance (102) for receiving wastewater discharged from the dryer appliance (102); and
a discharge outlet (104b) for discharging the wastewater stored in said second tank (104).

10. The mobile laundry vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, includes a plurality of pipes (108) connecting said first storage tank (103) and said second storage tank (104) with corresponding said washing machine (101) and said dryer appliance (102).