Foreign substrate collector for a laundry appliance

Abstract

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet. A door is operably coupled to the cabinet. A drum is disposed within the cabinet proximate to the door. A lifter is disposed within and operably coupled to the drum. A foreign substrate collector is disposed within the lifter.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A laundry appliance, comprising:
 a cabinet;   a door operably coupled to the cabinet;   a drum disposed within the cabinet proximate to the door;   a lifter disposed within and operably coupled to the drum; and   a foreign substrate collector disposed within the lifter, the foreign substrate collector including a mesh body having a mesh wall that extends perpendicularly from a mesh base, and wherein the mesh wall and the mesh base cooperate to capture particulate matter within the mesh body.   
     
     
         2 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the mesh wall and the mesh base are supported by a frame of the foreign substrate collector. 
     
     
         3 . The laundry appliance of  claim 2 , wherein the frame includes a slide lock feature that secures the foreign substrate collector to a housing of the lifter. 
     
     
         4 . The laundry appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the housing of the lifter includes attachment features that selectively engage apertures of the drum, wherein the attachment features selectively secure the lifter and the foreign substrate collector to the drum. 
     
     
         5 . The laundry appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the attachment features of the lifter are positioned to define openings such that a portion of the lifter proximate the attachment features is separated from the drum, wherein the openings allow the particulate matter to enter into an interior of the lifter to engage the foreign substrate collector. 
     
     
         6 . The laundry appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the slide lock feature of the frame engages the attachment features of the housing for the lifter. 
     
     
         7 . The laundry appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the slide lock feature of the frame is incorporated into the mesh wall of the foreign substrate collector. 
     
     
         8 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a blower operably coupled to the cabinet and configured to direct airflow within the drum, wherein the blower is configured to direct a flow of process air through the lifter and through the mesh base and the mesh wall of the foreign substrate collector; and   a fluid delivery pump that delivers a flow of wash fluid to the drum.   
     
     
         9 . The laundry appliance of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a controller configured to execute a particulate capturing cycle of said laundry appliance, wherein the particulate capturing cycle operates to direct at least one of the flow of the process air and the flow of the wash fluid into the drum.   
     
     
         10 . The laundry appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the particulate capturing cycle includes a pre-wash air cycle that directs the flow of the process air through the foreign substrate collector, wherein the pre-wash air cycle is defined by operation of the blower and rotation of the drum in advance of a wash cycle being initiated. 
     
     
         11 . The laundry appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the fluid delivery pump delivers a first level of the wash fluid to the drum during a standard wash cycle, and wherein the fluid delivery pump delivers a second level of the wash fluid to the drum during the particulate capturing cycle, wherein the second level is higher than the first level, wherein the controller during the particulate capturing cycle is configured to direct the flow of the wash fluid through the foreign substrate collector. 
     
     
         12 . The laundry appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the door is attached to a front panel of the cabinet and the drum rotates about one of a horizontal axis and an angled axis. 
     
     
         13 . A laundry appliance, comprising:
 a cabinet;   a door operably coupled to the cabinet and including a barrier layer;   a drum disposed within the cabinet proximate to the door;   a lifter disposed within and operably coupled to the drum, the lifter having a crescent shaped profile that extends outward from the drum; and   a foreign substrate collector selectively disposed within the lifter, the foreign substrate collector including a plurality of bristles that capture particulate matter within the lifter.   
     
     
         14 . The laundry appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the lifter includes a slit defined within a housing that defines the crescent shaped profile, and wherein the foreign substrate collector having the plurality of bristles is selectively separable from the lifter via the slit. 
     
     
         15 . The laundry appliance of  claim 14 , wherein the foreign substrate collector includes a grasping portion that selectively engages the housing of the lifter proximate the slit of the housing. 
     
     
         16 . The laundry appliance of  claim 15 , wherein the foreign substrate collector includes a body that extends from the grasping portion, and wherein the plurality of bristles extend outward from the body. 
     
     
         17 . The laundry appliance of  claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bristles are positioned to extend through slots defined within the housing. 
     
     
         18 . A laundry appliance, comprising:
 a cabinet;   a door operably coupled to the cabinet;   a drum that is rotationally operable within the cabinet and proximate to the door;   a lifter disposed within and operably coupled to a perforated wall of the drum; and   a foreign substrate collector disposed within the lifter, the foreign substrate collector including a mesh body having a mesh wall that extends perpendicularly from a mesh base, wherein the mesh wall and the mesh base cooperate to capture particulate matter within the mesh body, and wherein the mesh wall includes an elongated attachment portion having a groove that is adapted to engage a slide lock that selectively secures the foreign substrate collector to an interior of the lifter.   
     
     
         19 . The laundry appliance of  claim 18 , wherein the slide lock of the mesh wall is disposed along an edge of the mesh wall to engage an underside of a housing for the lifter. 
     
     
         20 . The laundry appliance of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a blower operably coupled to the cabinet and configured to direct airflow within the drum, wherein the blower is configured to direct a flow of process air through the lifter and through the mesh base and the mesh wall of the foreign substrate collector; and   a fluid delivery pump that delivers a flow of wash fluid to the drum.