Laundry Treating Machine with Bottom-Side Air Passage

Abstract

A laundry treating machine has a casing ( 1 ) formed by side walls ( 2 ), an upper wall portion ( 3 ) and a bottom wall portion ( 4 ), said casing ( 1 ) accommodates therein a laundry container ( 6 ), at least one air flow path and further operational devices ( 5 ) for carrying out a treatment on the laundry. The bottom wall portion ( 4 ) includes an air passage ( 12 ) in fluid communication with the at least one air flow path.

1 . A laundry treating machine comprising a casing formed by side walls, an upper wall portion and a bottom wall portion, said casing accommodating therein a laundry container, at least one air flow path and further operational devices for carrying out a treatment on said laundry, wherein said bottom wall comprises an air passage in fluid communication with the at least one air flow path. 
     
     
         2 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 1 , wherein said air passage comprises a first inlet fluid opening and at least a second fluid inlet opening is provided on one of the side walls. 
     
     
         3 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 2 , wherein said second fluid inlet opening is provided on a front side wall of the casing. 
     
     
         4 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the first inlet fluid opening is arranged downstream of the second fluid inlet opening relative to the direction of air moving along said air flow path. 
     
     
         5 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 1 , wherein a fluid outlet opening is provided on a front side wall of the casing. 
     
     
         6 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one air flow path comprises a cooling air open-circuit for cooling at least a part of said operational devices, said air passage being provided in fluid communication with said cooling air open-circuit. 
     
     
         7 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 6 , wherein said air passage comprises a first fluid inlet opening and at least a second fluid inlet opening is provided on one of the side walls, and said first and second fluid inlet openings are in fluid communication with the cooling air open-circuit. 
     
     
         8 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 7 , wherein said operational devices comprise at least one of the following: a motor, a fluid compressor, a heat exchanger, a fluid condenser and/or evaporator, and a portion of a heat pump circuit. 
     
     
         9 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising a basement having a hollow space formed on a lower side thereof, the bottom wall portion being associated under the basement for substantially closing said hollow space thereby forming an air conduit. 
     
     
         10 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 9 , wherein said basement has an upper side comprising seats formed thereon for receiving operational devices of the laundry treating machine. 
     
     
         11 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 10 , wherein a motor is interposed between and coaxially arranged with a pump on said seats, said motor and pump being further arranged in parallel with said air conduit on a level of said basement which is separated from the conduit by a wall. 
     
     
         12 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 11 , wherein the pump and air conduit are associated through a conveyor which is adapted to reverse an air path by about 180 degrees and raise it from a first lower level of said basement to a second upper level thereof. 
     
     
         13 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 12 , wherein said conveyor comprises an inner transverse section surface area which gradually increases from a conveyor joining section with the air conduit to conveyor joining section with the pump so as to create a Venturi effect. 
     
     
         14 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 13 , wherein said conveyor is arranged perpendicularly relative to the bottom wall and is removably attached to said wall by means of a spring clip. 
     
     
         15 . A laundry treating machine according to  claim 1 , wherein said machine is a laundry dryer or a washing-drying appliance.