Laundry washing machine

Abstract

A laundry washing machine having an outer casing, washing tub, rotatable drum inside the tub, detergent dispenser, and fresh-water supply circuit for channeling fresh water to the tub. The machine has an electrochemical device having: an electrolytic cell to convert brine into chlorine-based sanitizing agent, an unpressurized salt container to contain consumable salt grains, a water supply line to channel water into the salt container to dissolve the salt grains and form brine, and an unpressurized brine container that communicates with the salt container and collects brine formed in the salt container to avoid prolonged stagnation of the water/brine in the salt container. The electrolytic cell communicates with the brine container so as to receive the brine contained therein.

1 - 44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . A laundry washing machine comprising:
 an outer casing;   a washing tub inside the outer casing;   a rotatable drum housed in an axially rotatable manner inside the washing tub and configured to hold laundry to be washed;   a detergent dispenser configured to supply detergent into the washing tub;   a fresh water supply circuit configured to selectively channel fresh water from an external water source to the detergent dispenser and/or the washing tub; and   an electrochemical device comprising:
 an electrolytic cell capable of internally converting a brine into a chlorine-based sanitizing agent to be channeled into the washing tub, 
 an unpressurized salt container configured to contain a given amount of consumable salt grains and having an unsealed loading inlet that is directly exposed or exposable to the outside of the outer casing, 
 a water supply line configured to selectively channel a given amount of water into the salt container to dissolve at least part of the salt grains contained therein and form a quantity of brine, and 
 an unpressurized brine container in fluid communication with the salt container and configured to collect and contain the quantity of brine formed in the salt container to thereby avoid any prolonged stagnation of water and brine in the salt container, and 
 wherein the electrolytic cell in in communication with or located in the brine container so as to be in contact with the quantity of brine contained in the brine container. 
   
     
     
         46 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , wherein the brine container is located beneath the salt container and is in direct fluid communication with the salt container such that the quantity of brine flows by gravity from the salt container to the brine container. 
     
     
         47 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , wherein the electrolytic cell is located inside the brine container. 
     
     
         48 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 47 , wherein the electrochemical device additionally comprises a first pump assembly configured to selectively move liquid accumulated in the brine container, from the brine container to the detergent dispenser or the washing tub. 
     
     
         49 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , wherein the electrolytic cell is separated from the brine container. 
     
     
         50 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 49 , wherein the electrochemical device additionally comprises a second pump assembly configured to selectively move the quantity of brine accumulated in the brine container, from the brine container to the electrolytic cell, and wherein. 
     
     
         51 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 50 , wherein the second pump assembly, when deactivated, is configured to isolate the brine container from the electrolytic cell in a watertight manner. 
     
     
         52 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 49 , wherein the electrolytic cell is located along the fresh-water supply circuit. 
     
     
         53 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , wherein the salt container and the brine container are located above the washing tub. 
     
     
         54 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , wherein the unsealed loading inlet of the salt container is located on a front wall or on an upper worktop or top wall of the outer casing. 
     
     
         55 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , wherein the salt container is dimensioned to contain an amount of consumable salt grains sufficient for producing an amount of chlorine-based sanitizing agent sufficient for performing a sanitizing or bleaching process in several washing cycles. 
     
     
         56 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , comprising at least one drawer that is inserted in extractable manner into a corresponding drawer housing located inside the casing, and the salt container is located on the drawer. 
     
     
         57 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 56 , wherein the drawer comprises a basin-shaped salt compartment configured to contain the given quantity of consumable salt grains; and the water supply line is configured to selectively channel, when the drawer is completely inserted into the drawer housing, the given amount of water into the salt compartment so as to dissolve at least part of the salt grains contained therein and form the quantity of brine. 
     
     
         58 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 57 , wherein the drawer has a brine draining system configured to allow the brine to flow out of the salt compartment and fall on a bottom of the corresponding drawer housing after a temporary stay inside the salt compartment. 
     
     
         59 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 57 , wherein the drawer further comprises one or more basin-shaped detergent compartments that are arranged beside the salt compartment and are each configured to receive a respective given amount of detergent, softener or other washing agent; and the laundry washing machine further comprises a drawer flush circuit connected to the fresh-water supply circuit for receiving the water of the external water source, and configured to selectively channel the water into any one of the detergent compartments, so as to selectively flush the detergent, softener or other washing agent out of the respective detergent compartment and down onto the bottom of the drawer housing. 
     
     
         60 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 59 , wherein the water supply line is incorporated into the drawer flush circuit. 
     
     
         61 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 59 , wherein the drawer flush circuit comprises a platelike water conveyor that forms an upper lid of the drawer housing and is provided with a number of water delivery portions each structured to allow the outflow of water from the platelike water conveyor towards the beneath-located drawer; and wherein the electrolytic cell is in fluid communication with the platelike water conveyor for channelling the chlorine-based sanitizing agent into the washing tub via the platelike water conveyor. 
     
     
         62 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 61 , wherein the platelike water conveyor comprises an internal sanitizing-agent delivery line configured to separately channel the chlorine-based sanitizing agent arriving from the electrolytic cell directly into the bottom of the drawer housing, without passing through the detergent compartment/s of the drawer. 
     
     
         63 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 56 , wherein the brine container is located immediately underneath the drawer housing and includes an unpressurized storage tank which directly communicates with the bottom of the drawer housing so as to receive and accumulate preferably substantially the whole quantity of brine arriving on the bottom of the drawer housing. 
     
     
         64 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 63 , wherein the bottom of the drawer housing is divided in into two separated basin-shaped bottom portions which are located, when the drawer is completely inserted into the corresponding drawer housing, one beneath the detergent compartment/s and the other beneath the salt compartment of the drawer; and wherein the brine container in in communication with a one of the basin-shaped bottom portions beneath the salt compartment of the drawer. 
     
     
         65 . The laundry washing machine according to  claim 45 , wherein the salt container is configured to contain a given amount of consumable salt grains of sodium chloride (NaCl), and the electrolytic cell is configured to perform electro-chlorination of the brine arriving from the brine container, so as to produce water-diluted sodium hypochlorite. 
     
     
         66 . A laundry washing machine comprising:
 an outer casing;   a washing tub inside the outer casing;   a rotatable drum housed in an axially rotatable manner inside the washing tub and configured to hold laundry to be washed;   a detergent dispenser configured to supply detergent into the washing tub;   a fresh water supply circuit configured to selectively channel fresh water from an external water source to the detergent dispenser and/or the washing tub; and   an electrochemical device comprising an electrolytic cell capable of internally converting a brine into a chlorine-based sanitizing agent to be channeled into the washing tub;   wherein the detergent dispenser comprises:
 a drawer housing located inside the outer casing, 
 a detergent drawer selectively insertable into the drawer housing and having one or more detergent compartments each structured for being manually fillable with a given amount of detergent, softener or other washing agent, and 
 a drawer flush circuit connected to the fresh-water supply circuit for receiving the water of the water mains, and having a platelike water conveyor that forms an upper lid of the drawer housing with a number of first water delivery portions each structured to allow the outflow of the water of the water mains from the platelike water conveyor towards a respective beneath-located detergent compartment of the detergent drawer; and 
   wherein the electrolytic reactor communicates with the platelike water conveyor to channel the chlorine-based sanitizing agent into the washing tub via the platelike water conveyor.