Removable agitator with fabric softener dispenser

Abstract

An agitator for use in a laundry treating appliance includes a barrel having an upper end and a lower end, configured to removably attach to an impeller mount, comprising a plurality of tabs extending radially outward from an exterior surface of the barrel, and a plurality of snaps, and a modular accessory configured to be selectively attachable to the barrel, the modular accessory defining exterior features to interact with laundry items, the modular accessory comprising an accessory body defining a hollow interior sized to receive the barrel, the accessory body having an open bottom, generally cylindrical sides, and an open top; a plurality of tab holders disposed on an inner surface of the accessory body, the tab holders positioned to receive the tabs of the barrel when the modular accessory is slid onto the barrel; and a plurality of snap locks disposed on the inner surface of the accessory body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An agitator for use in a laundry treating appliance, comprising:
 a barrel having an upper end and a lower end, configured to removably attach to an impeller mount, comprising:   a plurality of tabs extending radially outward from an exterior surface of the barrel, and a plurality of snaps, and   a modular accessory configured to be selectively attachable to the barrel, the modular accessory defining exterior features to interact with laundry items, the modular accessory comprising:
 an accessory body defining a hollow interior sized to receive the barrel, the accessory body having an open bottom, generally cylindrical sides, and an open top; 
 a plurality of tab holders disposed on an inner surface of the accessory body, the tab holders positioned to receive the tabs of the barrel when the modular accessory is slid onto the barrel; and 
 a plurality of snap locks disposed on the inner surface of the accessory body, each snap lock defining a locking surface configured to engage a hook of a corresponding snap of the barrel to secure the modular accessory to the barrel. 
   
     
     
         2 . The agitator of  claim 1 , wherein the modular accessory is removably attachable to the barrel by sliding the accessory body upward onto the barrel until the tabs engage the tab holders and the snaps engage the snap locks, and wherein the modular accessory is detachable by manually compressing the snaps inward to release them from the snap locks. 
     
     
         3 . The agitator of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tabs are disposed at the upper end of the barrel, and the plurality of snaps are disposed at the lower end of the barrel. 
     
     
         4 . The agitator of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior features comprise a bristled surface including a plurality of bristles extending radially outward from an exterior surface of the accessory body, such that during a cycle of operation the bristled surface imparts mechanical energy to the laundry items to assist in removing debris and stains. 
     
     
         5 . The agitator of  claim 4 , wherein the bristles are arranged in a spiral or helical pattern wrapping around the cylindrical sides of the accessory body. 
     
     
         6 . The agitator of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior features comprise a vane profile. 
     
     
         7 . The agitator of  claim 6 , wherein the vane profile defines a solid spiral or helical structure that wraps around the accessory body. 
     
     
         8 . The agitator of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior features comprise a plurality of divider panels for segregating the laundry items within the laundry treating appliance, the divider panels extending radially outward from the accessory body, the divider panels being sized to divide a laundry basket into multiple sections extending from the barrel to an inner circumference of the basket, the divider panels defining perforations distributed across their surfaces to permit water flow between the sections. 
     
     
         9 . The agitator of  claim 8 , wherein the divider panels are equidistantly spaced around a circumference of the accessory body to divide the laundry basket into a plurality of equal sections. 
     
     
         10 . An agitator for a laundry treating appliance, comprising:
 a barrel having a hollow interior and an upper end and a lower end;   a handle portion removably attachable to the upper end of the barrel;   a locking post extending downward into the hollow interior of the barrel; and   an internal filter, positionable within the hollow interior of the barrel, and attachable around the locking post, the internal filter comprising two connectable filter halves collectively forming a hollow cylindrical structure with an open top and a closed bottom, the hollow cylindrical structure defining a plurality of openings configured to allow water to pass through,   wherein the filter halves define snapping hinges facilitating connection of the filter halves.   
     
     
         11 . The agitator of  claim 10 , wherein each of the snapping hinges comprises:
 a hinge pin disposed along a vertical edge of a side of each of the filter halves forming a pivot axis for opening and closing the filter halves; and   an annular snap fit disposed along an opposite vertical side of each of the filter halves, the annular snap fit sized to receive the hinge pin to secure the filter halves together in a closed position.   
     
     
         12 . The agitator of  claim 11 , wherein the hinge pin defines a rounded shape and the annular snap fit defines a concave section to receive the hinge pin and facilitate rotation open of the filter halves. 
     
     
         13 . The agitator of  claim 10 , wherein each of the filter halves defines a hemispherical half of the bottom of the internal filter as a horizontal surface connecting an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical sides, the bottom of the internal filter defining a locking post passthrough, sized to fit around the locking post when the internal filter is assembled. 
     
     
         14 . The agitator of  claim 13 , wherein the locking post defines a filter retaining slot, recessed into the locking post at a height corresponding to an attachment point of the bottom of the internal filter to the locking post, such that the internal filter is fixable in place vertically inside the agitator,
 wherein a combined depth of the locking post passthrough and the filter retaining slot allows the filter halves of the internal filter to completely close around the locking post.   
     
     
         15 . The agitator of  claim 10 , wherein the handle portion defines at least one filter water inlet vertically through the handle portion for introducing the water into the hollow interior of the barrel during a cycle of operation. 
     
     
         16 . The agitator of  claim 10 , wherein the barrel defines a pair of release buttons positioned on opposite sides of the handle portion for securing the handle portion to the barrel, and the handle portion defines button openings sized and positioned to receive the release buttons in an attached state, such that a bottom surface of each of the release buttons latches against an upper surface of a respective one of the button openings to secure the handle portion onto the barrel, and further that pressing the release buttons inward frees the release buttons to allow removal of the handle portion. 
     
     
         17 . A filtering agitator configured to be removably mounted to an impeller mount as a clothes mover, the agitator comprising:
 a barrel having an upper end and a lower end, the barrel defining a hollow interior and a series of water passages through the barrel into the hollow interior enabling water flow into and out of the agitator;   a connector disposed at the lower end of the barrel, the connector being configured to removably attach to a corresponding connector of the impeller mount;   a handle portion disposed at the upper end of the barrel; and   a filtering locking post, controllable at the upper end of the barrel, configured to be adjusted between a locked position in which the agitator is secured to the impeller mount and an unlocked position allowing movement of the agitator with respect to the impeller mount, the filtering locking post including a pull portion positioned to facilitate gripping of both the handle portion and the pull portion, such that the pull portion is configured to be compressible towards the handle portion to transition the filtering locking post from the locked position into the unlocked position,   wherein the filtering locking post defines a plurality of perforations along its length arranged in zones of varying sizes for capturing particles in the water flow.   
     
     
         18 . The agitator of  claim 17 , wherein the zones of varying sizes includes:
 coarse perforations at a lower end of the locking post for filtering larger debris;   medium perforations in an intermediate zone for capturing medium-sized debris; and   fine perforations near an upper end of the locking post for trapping finer particles.   
     
     
         19 . The agitator of  claim 17 , wherein the handle portion comprise a handle top, handle locks positioned within the handle top, and a bayonet mount-type connection to secure the handle portion to the barrel. 
     
     
         20 . The agitator of  claim 17 , wherein the filtering locking post defines vertical support ribs reinforcing the locking post and maintaining structural integrity of the perforations.