Did Whirlpool let the Jet Stream Water Flow Patent on the older Front Loaders Expire?

[a440]

Or whatever it was called.....

 

Just wondering because LG and Samsung has incorporated the "Turbo Wash" and "Quick Cycle" on their machines that runs during the wash and rinse.  I thought that Whirlpool held on to that patent?  I can understand LG being able to get away with it somewhat since it is at the bottom of the drum.  Samsung however has it for the wash at the 11 O'clock position and 1 O'clock position for the rinse in there front loaders.  The Samsung's recycle flow if very wide and strong like the Lady Kenmore / Whirlpool Front loader combo machines of the past.  I find the Samsung to be more effective because it is at the top and quite wide and forceful for both wash and rinse.  The LG's...I don't understand their concept.  For a full load (like I always wash) the jets would only be hitting the clothes in the front of the basket.

 

Just curious about the old WP Patent.  Does anyone know?

 

B

 

[tomturbomatic]

Lawyers from a law firm in Washington, DC came to the Museum in the early 2000s to film the wash stream washing action of the 29" Kenmore combo in preparation for their patent infringement fight with Whirlpool. We never heard anything more about it and did not expect to. I suppose that the design patent was still in force and could have been applied in the Resource Saver, Catalyst and later top-loading HE machines.

 

[a440]

Tom that is very interesting.  Where they defending a client that was sued by Whirlpool? 

 

[tomturbomatic]

Yes, we believe so.

 

[jetcone]

The problem was

that WP held a patent on spray "washing" from 1959 for the Combo, which was long expired so I would guess the battle was over what Tom said about a design patent as those can be issued in no time at a later date.

The funny thing is no one ever mentioned the spray rinse drain patent from 1938 the Bendix held. I don't even see why WP won its 1959 Patent in light of the earlier Bendix patent.

 

Any lawyers out there monitoring ?????????

 

 

[turquoisedude]

Maybe off-topic a bit, but did GE ever take any flak about the pause during the spin cycle on the early combos?  I thought that was a Philco-Bendix exclusive... 

 

[tomturbomatic]

Paul, are you talking about the pause before the spin or the pauses in the spin when the cylinder stopped then returned to tumble to redistribute the load? GE was not the only one to do that. If you are talking about the pause before the final spin, the huge original WP machines did this also, although for a weaker reason. In the Bendix, it was to prevent the load from sticking to the cylinder after the high speed spin. There was no danger of that in the 33" wide WP-built machines, but perhaps it did serve to give the load another chance at better distribution where they would perhaps tumble better in a slightly less-waterlogged state before the increasing cylinder speed pulled them against the wall.

Jon, could it have been because WP was using the pump in recirculate mode and not pumping out water during a flush spray? Also, it was not one segment of the cycle between the drain after wash and before the first spin like the Bendix Assured Rinse was, but was the entire operation?

 

[a440]

~ Jon the "Combo Man"

Interesting points I did not know or did not remember Jon.

Thanks

B