Water-circulating household appliance with an embossed washing drum

Abstract

The invention relates to a water-circulating household appliance that may be, for example a washing machine, washer-drier, or clothes drier. The household appliance includes a rotatably mounted washing drum with a drum casing and a drum cover face. The washing drum is embossed with protrusions in the form of embossments whose edges are ellipsoidal.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
   
   
       20 . A drum for imparting movement to items disposed therein while the drum is moved about a drum axis, the drum comprising:
 a.) a drum casing extending angularly around a drum axis, the drum casing having nominal surfaces extending along a predetermined angular circumference that is at a nominal radial spacing from the drum axis;   b.) a drum cover extending radially and located at one axial end of the drum casing, the drum cover and the drum casing together delimiting an interior volume and the drum cover having nominal surfaces extending along a predetermined nominal radial plane and the drum cover having an inward facing cover surface that faces in the axial direction toward the interior volume; and   c.) a plurality of protrusions disposed on at least one of the drum casing and the drum cover, each protrusion having a base edge that is generally ellipsoidal in shape and each protrusion protruding inwardly from its base edge toward the interior volume, as viewed relative to the nominal surfaces of the respective one of the drum casing and the drum cover on which the protrusion is disposed, and the protrusions being at a relatively minimal spacing from adjacent other protrusions with the protrusions at this relatively minimal spacing arrangement delimiting channel-like interstitial configurations between adjacent protrusions.   
   
   
       21 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein protrusions are disposed on the drum casing. 
   
   
       22 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the ellipses delimited by the base edge of one of the protrusions delimits a pair of ellipses each defined relative to an ellipse half-axis and the half-axes of these ellipses are different from the half-axes defining a pair of ellipses of the base edge of another one of the protrusions such that the ellipses of the base edge of the one protrusion have at least one of a different size and a different form than the ellipses of the base edge of the another one of the protrusions. 
   
   
       23 . The drum as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the ellipses of the base edge of the one protrusion include a large half axis having a length of 5 to 15 mm and a small axis having a length of 2.5 to 10 mm. 
   
   
       24 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the contour of the cross-section of the protrusions is a selected one of an ellipsoidal shape, an arched shape, and a shape having at least one angle parallel to an axis of the respective protrusion. 
   
   
       25 . The drum as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the contour of the cross-section of the protrusions is a selected one of a triangular shape and a rectangular shape. 
   
   
       26 . The drum as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein at least one of the curvatures in cross-section of the protrusions is non-uniform and the incline of the protrusions in cross-section is different. 
   
   
       27 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the depth of the protrusions is 0.5 mm to 5 mm. 
   
   
       28 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the protrusions are arranged at a minimum distance of 3 mm to 10 mm from one another. 
   
   
       29 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the protrusions are arranged offset from one another to facilitate the density of protrusions per unit area. 
   
   
       30 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20  and further comprising flow holes formed in the drum casing. 
   
   
       31 . The drum as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the flow holes are disposed at at least one of between the protrusions and in the protrusions. 
   
   
       32 . The drum as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the flow holes each have a diameter of 1 mm to 4 mm and the distance between the flow holes is 2 mm to 10 mm. 
   
   
       33 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the drum casing includes an axially extending agitator rib and the protrusions are not located on the agitator rib. 
   
   
       34 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the drum is operable to be rotatably mounted in a water-circulating household appliance. 
   
   
       35 . The drum as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the drum is operable to be rotatably mounted in a household appliance that is a selected one of a washing machine, a washer-drier, and a clothes drier. 
   
   
       36 . A washing drum comprising:
 a drum casing;   at least one drum cover face; and   embossed sections formed on the washing drum, the embossed sections being directed inward and having ellipsoidal edges and the embossed sections being arranged at a minimum distance from one another, thereby forming channel-like cavities.