Today’s Patent – Washing Machine Ventilation Structure

The said invention (US12006607B2) was invented by Fikreadam Abebe Damtew, Aaron Lee Welch, S. Neil Malone, James Quentin Pollett, Rushikesh Nandkumar Salvi, patented by USPTO on 21-11-2021. Currently, it stands assigned to Haier US Appliance Solutions Inc.

The present subject matter relates generally to washing machine appliances and, more particularly, to washing machine appliances having one or more ventilation features. Ventilation feature may be required for pressure equalization during wash and rinse cycles of washing machines. A washing machine appliance having the ability to remove moisture by use of ventilation features while also preventing wash liquids from exiting the wash tub would be useful. A ventilation feature that allowed air to exit the wash tub while deterring liquids from exiting the wash tub at the same time would be beneficial.

The present invention relates to a washing machine appliance including a ventilation structure. A vent line is at a wash tub. A vent filter is provided to the vent line that allows air to flow from the wash tub, and through the vent line, the vent filter redirecting cleaning fluids impinging on the vent filter back toward the wash tub. The vent filter may include a plurality of louvers. The louvers may be located adjacent to one another so as to form a plurality of openings for the flow of air from the wash tub.