Samsung patents washing machine with detachable detergent pump
Samsung has been granted a patent for a washing machine design featuring a detachable detergent pump that docks with a separate detergent container. The pump includes a built-in sensor that inserts into the container to measure the remaining detergent level before pumping it into the wash tub.
In the filing’s own words
A washing machine includes a cabinet, a tub disposed within the cabinet, and a detergent supplier configured to supply detergent to the tub, wherein the detergent supplier includes a detergent container, and a detergent pump dockable with the detergent container, the detergent pump includes a first case including a detector having at least a portion located within the detergent container, an inlet portion formed to allow detergent to be introduced from the detergent container, and an outlet portion formed to allow the detergent introduced through the inlet portion to be discharged, a second case couplable to the first case, the second case including a terminal electrically connectable to the detector, and a pump configured to draw in detergent through the inlet portion and discharge the drawn-in detergent through the outlet portion.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A washing machine, comprising: a cabinet; a tub disposed in the cabinet; and a detergent supplier configured to supply detergent to the tub; wherein the detergent supplier comprises: a detergent container to store the detergent to be supplied, the detergent container including a detection hole; and a detergent pump dockable with the detergent container, the detergent pump comprising: a first case including: a detector configured to detect an amount of the detergent in the detergent container; a detector insertion portion configured to be inserted into the detection hole of the detergent container based on the detergent pump being docked with the detergent container, one end of the detector being configured to pass through the detector insertion portion and be located inside the detergent container; an inlet portion configured to allow the detergent to be introduced from the detergent container therethrough; and an outlet portion configured to allow the detergent introduced through the inlet portion to be discharged therethrough; a second case coupled to the first case, the second case including a terminal electrically connectable to the detector; and a pump configured to introduce the detergent from the detergent container through the inlet portion and discharge the introduced detergent through the outlet portion.
Facts
- Company
- Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
- Official title
- Washing machine and clothing treatment apparatus
- Patent number
- US12742276B2
- Application number
- 18782819
- Filed
- Jul 24, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 4
- Claims
- 15
Classified under
D06F 39/022 Textiles & paperD06F 39/083 Textiles & paperD06F 39/12 Textiles & paperMore from Samsung in Other
- Samsung patents vacuum cleaner that spins to shake off dust Sep 22, 2026
- Samsung patents washer that dries its own tub using dryer heat Oct 20, 2026
- Samsung patents wastewater system that uses UV light to break down PFAS Oct 15, 2026
- Samsung patents dryer that adds water when clothes get too hot Oct 15, 2026
- Samsung patents clothes cleaner that uses plasma and targeted ultrasonic waves Oct 22, 2026
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.