US 12,006,607 B2
Washing machine ventilation structure
Fikreadam Abebe Damtew, Louisville, KY (US); Aaron Lee Welch, Louisville, KY (US); S. Neil Malone, Louisville, KY (US); James Quentin Pollett, Louisville, KY (US); and Rushikesh Nandkumar Salvi, Louisville, KY (US)
Assigned to Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Nov. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/531,756.
Prior Publication US 2023/0160122 A1, May 25, 2023
Int. Cl. D06F 23/02 (2006.01); D06F 39/06 (2006.01); D06F 39/14 (2006.01)
CPC D06F 23/02 (2013.01) [D06F 39/06 (2013.01); D06F 39/14 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A front load washing machine appliance, the washing machine appliance comprising:
a cabinet;
a wash tub positioned within the cabinet;
a wash basket rotatably mounted within the wash tub and accessible through an opening in the cabinet;
a door mounted to a front of the cabinet and movable between an open position and a closed position for selectively controlling access to the wash basket;
a vent line extending from the wash tub, the vent line providing for a flow of air along a flow direction from the wash tub, the vent line having a vent inlet positioned at the wash tub; and
a vent filter disposed at the vent inlet to the vent line, the vent filter comprising a plurality of louvers located adjacent to each other and spaced apart from each other so as to form a plurality of openings for the flow of air from the wash tub, each louver comprising
an upstream face and a downstream face along the flow direction;
a bottom portion and a top portion along a vertical direction; and
a top lip extending from the top portion, the top lip having an upstream surface forming an obtuse or right angle with the upstream face,
wherein the upstream face is positioned so that fluid ejected from the wash basket during rotation of the wash basket impinges upon the upstream face to deter fluid from travelling through the vent line.