Overnight cycle for horizontal axis clothes washer

Abstract

A method and modified clothes washer provides for an overnight dry cycle. A standard washer is modified to draw air from external to the housing, direct the air into the tumbling drum, and remove the air with a blower to exhaust from the housing during an extended drying period overnight. By selecting this option, the consumer need not move the clothes from the washer to the dryer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of washing and drying laundry in a single apparatus that includes a drum that rotates about a substantially horizontal axis, the method comprising:
 washing the laundry in the apparatus; and   drying the laundry in the apparatus without removing the laundry from the drum and wherein the drying step includes directing ambient temperature air from outside the apparatus into the drum, and tumbling the laundry while the ambient temperature air is directed into the drum.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the drying step includes passing the air from outside the apparatus adjacent a drive motor prior to introduction into the drum. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the air is not recirculated in the drying step. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the drying step is only available if the laundry load is a small or medium load selection. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the drying step includes retaining the laundry in the drum up to seven hours after the washing step is complete. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising an input that requires selection of an approximate number of laundry items in the load. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising delaying a start of at least one of the washing and drying steps so that the laundry is completed in an overnight time period. 
     
     
         8 . A method for washing and drying articles disposed with a drum of an appliance, the method comprising:
 initiating a wash cycle of the appliance;   directing liquid water into the drum of the appliance during the wash cycle;   rotating the drum of the appliance during the wash cycle;   starting a drying cycle of the appliance after the wash cycle of the appliance, the articles remaining within the drum of the appliance between the wash cycle and drying cycle;   blowing air from outside the appliance into the drum of the appliance during the drying cycle; and   spinning the drum of the appliance during said step of blowing.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein a heating element does not operate to heat air within the drum of the appliance during the drying cycle. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said step of blowing comprises blowing ambient temperature air from outside the appliance into the drum of the appliance during the drying cycle. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising directing air from the drum out of the appliance during the drying cycle. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the air directed from the drum out of the appliance includes moisture from the articles within the drum of the appliance. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising passing the air from outside the apparatus adjacent a drive motor of the appliance during said step of blowing and prior to introduction into the drum. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein air is not recirculated within the drum during the drying cycle. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the drying cycle lasts at least three hours from an end of the wash cycle. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising delaying a start of at least one of the wash cycle and the drying cycle so that the drying cycle is completed in an overnight time period. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising activating an air handler of the appliance during said step of blowing.