Laundry bag

Abstract

Soiled garments are placed in a mesh laundry bag. Two holes in the bag are connected by a spindle sleeve and placed over a spindle of a washing machine so the spindle passes through the center of the bag to center the bag during washing. The bag allows delicate garments to be washed and held separate from other garments in the washing machine. The bag is releasably fastened to connectors on the washing machine's tub which contains the spindle. Releasable closures around the holes prevent garments from slipping out of the bag during washing. An internal stand can be placed in the spindle sleeve to hold the bag in position to receive laundry when the bag is outside the tub. An external frame can do the same.

1 . An assembly using a laundry bag for washing laundry in a washing machine having a rotating tub containing a spindle with a base and a shaft perpendicular to the base, the shaft having a diameter, comprising:
 a bag made of a porous material, the bag having at least one spindle passage therein extending through the bag, the spindle passage having an opening sized to allow the shaft to pass through the opening during use of the bag in washing;   an access opening sized to allow laundry to be inserted into and removed from the bag;   a releasable closure around at least a portion of the access opening; and   means on the bag for releasably connecting the bag to a connector fastened to the tub.   
   
   
       2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spindle passage comprises a generally cylindrical sleeve and the means comprises a plurality of loops attached to the bag at reinforced locations or a plurality of holes at reinforced locations. 
   
   
       3 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spindle passage comprises a generally cylindrical sleeve having opposing ends fastened to opposing sides of the bag. 
   
   
       4 . The assembly of  claim 3 , wherein one end of the sleeve is closed. 
   
   
       5 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the means comprises a plurality of loops of material fastened to the bag. 
   
   
       6 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the means comprises a drawstring. 
   
   
       7 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one connector for fastening to a hole in the tub, and means on the bag for releasably connecting to the at least one connector. 
   
   
       8 . The assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one connector comprises a bracket fastened to at least two holes in the tub. 
   
   
       9 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a stand cooperating with the exterior periphery of the bag to support the bag in a position for insertion of laundry through the access opening. 
   
   
       10 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a stand cooperating with the spindle passage to support the bag in a position for insertion of laundry through the access opening. 
   
   
       11 . The assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the stand comprises a funnel-shaped structure. 
   
   
       12 . The assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the stand comprises a funnel-shaped tube having a removable top which is fastened to the bag and sized to fit over the spindle during washing. 
   
   
       13 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the bag has an annular shape with the annular shape defining the spindle passage. 
   
   
       14 . A assembly for washing clothes in a washing machine having a spindle inside a rotating tub and at least one connector fastened to the tub, comprising:
 a mesh bag having spindle means for fitting around the spindle to position the bag relative to the spindle during washing, the bag having a closable access opening for accessing the inside of the bag; and   means on the bag for releasably fastening to the connector on the tub during use.   
   
   
       15 . The assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the connector means comprises a plurality of holes in the bag at reinforced locations or a plurality of loops fastened to the bag. 
   
   
       16 . The assembly of  claim 14 , further comprising removable indicia on the bag associated to allow the laundry in the bag to be correlated with the person who provided that laundry. 
   
   
       17 . The assembly of  claim 14 , further comprising stand means for supporting the bag outside the washing machine in a position to receive laundry. 
   
   
       18 . A method of washing clothing in a washing machine having a rotating spindle inside a rotating tub and having at least one connector on the tub, comprising:
 placing laundry to be washed in a porous bag, the bag having a spindle sleeve connected to at least one surface of the bag;   placing the bag inside the tube and placing the spindle sleeve over the spindle;   connecting the bag to the at least one connector on the tub;   washing the bag and the laundry within the bag by rotating the spindle; and   removing the bag from the spindle, connector and tub.   
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising removing the laundry from the bag. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising placing the washed bag into a heated dryer with at least some of the washed laundry still inside the bag. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising releasably connecting the laundry bag to the connector during washing using at least one loop fastened to the bag engaging the at leas one connector or at least one hole in the bag engaging the at least one connector. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising closing one end of the spindle sleeve and suspending the bag from the spindle by engaging the spindle with the closed end during washing. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising fastening opposing ends of the spindle sleeve to opposing ends of the bag to form an annular bag with the spindle extending through the spindle hole in the annular bag during washing. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising removably fastening the bag to the tub by use of a connector releasably fastened to at least one hole in the tub. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising removably fastening the bag to the tub by using a drawstring around an opening on the bag to fasten to a connector fastened to a hole in the tub. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising placing more than one such bag containing laundry on the same spindle during washing. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising placing more than one such bag containing laundry on the same spindle during washing and placing indicia on each such bag that is associated with a person whose laundry is in the bag. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising placing a stand in the spindle sleeve and supporting the bag in a position to receive laundry when the bag is outside the washing machine. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising connecting a periphery of the bag to an external frame and supporting the bag in a position to receive laundry when the bag is outside the washing machine. 
   
   
       30 . A washing machine having a spindle inside a tub, comprising:
 a rotating tub in the washing machine, the tub having at least one hole in a side wall of the tub; and   a connector having a fastener extending through the at least one hole in the tub to fasten the connector to the tub, the connector having an engaging device facing the spindle for releasably engaging a laundry bag in the tub.   
   
   
       31 . The washing machine of  claim 30 , further comprising a laundry bag in the tub, releasably connected to the engaging device. 
   
   
       32 . The washing machine of  claim 30 , wherein the connector comprises a bracket with the engaging device on one side of the bracket and the fastener extending from the other side of the bracket. 
   
   
       33 . The washing machine of  claim 31 , wherein the bracket has more than one fastener, each extending through a different hole in the side wall of the tub. 
   
   
       34 . The washing machine of  claim 30 , wherein the bracket has more than one fastener aligned along an axis generally parallel to a rotational axis of the spindle, each fastener extending through a different hole in the side wall of the tub. 
   
   
       35 . The washing machine of  claim 30 , further comprising more than one connector each fastened to the tub and arranged generally symmetrically about the spindle. 
   
   
       36 . The washing machine of  claim 35 , wherein a bag is releasably engaged with more than one of the connectors. 
   
   
       37 . The washing machine of  claim 35 , wherein there are at least two bags, each of which is releasably engaged with only one of the connectors. 
   
   
       38 . The washing machine of  claim 30 , wherein the fastener includes a threaded connection and the engaging device comprises the head of the fastener. 
   
   
       39 . The washing machine of  claim 30 , wherein the bag has a spindle sleeve extending through the bag with the sleeve inserted over the spindle. 
   
   
       40 . The washing machine of  claim 30 , wherein the connector includes a magnet.