Laundry washing machine for use with unit dose detergent packages

Abstract

A laundry washing machine with a vertical-axis agitator and a control unit. The control unit has a processor and a memory with instructions that, when executed, cause the laundry washing machine to: receive a selection of user preferences via a user interface, determine whether or not the user preferences include a selection of a unit dose package mode having instructions to modify the default wash filling process, and based on this determination: operate the washing machine to execute the user preferences without applying the instructions to modify a default wash filling process if the user preferences do not include the selection of the unit dose package mode, or operate the washing machine to execute the user preferences with applying the instructions to modify the default wash filling process if the user preferences do include the selection of the unit dose package mode.

1 . A laundry washing machine, comprising:
 a casing;   a tub supported in the casing; and   a control unit having a processor and a memory, the memory having stored therein instructions that, when executed, cause the control unit to operate the laundry washing machine to:
 receive a selection of user preferences, wherein the user preferences comprise a washing program having a default wash filling process comprising a predetermined default wash fill level, 
 receive a user command to operate the laundry washing machine according to the user preferences, 
 determine whether or not the user preferences include a selection of a unit dose package mode, wherein the unit dose package mode comprises instructions to modify the default wash filling process, wherein the instructions to modify the default wash filling process comprises filling the tub with water to a modified fill level that is different than the predetermined default wash fill level, and 
 upon determining that the user preferences include the selection of the unit dose package mode, operate the laundry washing machine according to the instructions to modify the default wash filling process. 
   
     
     
         2 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the default wash filling process further comprises a default wash temperature setting. 
     
     
         3 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 2 , wherein the user preferences comprise a user instruction to modify the default wash temperature setting. 
     
     
         4 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a drum mounted in the tub, an agitator mounted in the drum and configured to rotate about a rotation axis, and a motor operatively connected to the drum and the agitator. 
     
     
         5 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 4 , wherein the default wash filling process comprises filling the tub without operating the motor to rotate the agitator, and the instructions to modify the default wash filling process further comprise instructions to rotate the agitator during a modified wash filling process. 
     
     
         6 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 5 , wherein the instructions to rotate the agitator during the modified wash filling process comprise instructions to rotate the agitator after reaching a first wash fill level, but before reaching the modified fill level. 
     
     
         7 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 4 , wherein the rotation axis is a vertical axis. 
     
     
         8 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the modified fill level is a predetermined percentage of the predetermined default wash fill level. 
     
     
         9 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the modified fill level is a predetermined fixed amount, regardless of the predetermined default wash fill level. 
     
     
         10 . A laundry washing machine, comprising:
 a casing;   a tub supported in the casing; and   a control unit having a processor and a memory, the memory having stored therein instructions that, when executed, cause the control unit to operate the laundry washing machine to:
 receive a selection of user preferences, wherein the user preferences comprise a washing program having a default wash filling process comprising a default wash temperature setting, 
 receive a user command to operate the laundry washing machine according to the user preferences, 
 determine whether or not the user preferences include a selection of a unit dose package mode, wherein the unit dose package mode comprises instructions to modify the default wash filling process, wherein the instructions to modify the default wash filling process comprises setting a modified wash temperature that is different from the default wash temperature setting, and 
 upon determining that the user preferences include the selection of the unit dose package mode, operate the laundry washing machine according to the instructions to modify the default wash filling process. 
   
     
     
         11 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 10 , wherein the modified wash temperature is greater than the default wash temperature setting. 
     
     
         12 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 10 , wherein the default wash filling process further comprises filling the tub to a predetermined default wash fill level, and the instructions to modify the default wash filling process further comprise instructions to fill the tub with water to a modified fill level that is different than the predetermined default wash fill level. 
     
     
         13 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 12 , wherein the modified fill level is one of a predetermined percentage of the predetermined default wash fill level or a predetermined fixed amount, regardless of the predetermined default wash fill level. 
     
     
         14 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 10 , further comprising a drum mounted in the tub, an agitator mounted in the drum and configured to rotate about a rotation axis, and a motor operatively connected to the drum and the agitator, wherein the default wash filling process comprises filling the tub without operating the motor to rotate the agitator, and the instructions to modify the default wash filling process further comprise instructions to rotate the agitator during a modified wash filling process. 
     
     
         15 . A laundry washing machine, comprising:
 a casing;   a tub supported in the casing;   a drum mounted in the tub and configured to rotate about a rotation axis;   an agitator mounted in the drum and configured to rotate about the rotation axis;   a motor operatively connected to the drum and the agitator; and   a control unit having a processor and a memory, the memory having stored therein instructions that, when executed, cause the control unit to operate the laundry washing machine to:
 receive a selection of user preferences, wherein the user preferences comprise a washing program having a default wash filling process comprising a predetermined default wash fill level without running the agitator, 
 receive a user command to operate the laundry washing machine according to the user preferences, 
 determine whether or not the user preferences include a selection of a unit dose package mode, wherein the unit dose package mode comprises instructions to modify the default wash filling process, wherein the instructions to modify the default wash filling process comprises rotating the agitator while filling the tub with water, and 
 upon determining that the user preferences include the selection of the unit dose package mode, operate the laundry washing machine according to the instructions to modify the default wash filling process. 
   
     
     
         16 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 15 , wherein the default wash filling process further comprises a default wash temperature setting. 
     
     
         17 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 16 , wherein the user preferences comprise a user instruction to modify the default wash temperature setting to a modified wash temperature. 
     
     
         18 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 17 , wherein the modified wash temperature is greater than the default wash temperature setting. 
     
     
         19 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions to modify the default wash filling process further comprise instructions to fill the tub with water to a modified fill level that is different than the predetermined default wash fill level. 
     
     
         20 . The laundry washing machine of  claim 19 , wherein the modified fill level is one of a predetermined percentage of the predetermined default wash fill level or a predetermined fixed amount, regardless of the predetermined default wash fill level.