US2236748A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

O. J. CHAYIE WASHING MACHINE April 1, 1941.

Filed May 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. OLA ER J (11H y/E BY I PM W ATTORNEYLS.

April 1941. o. J. CHAYIE WASHING MACHINE Filed May 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. I

' VII BY OLA ER J. (HHY/E WCWQW=rM ATTORNEYS- April 1, 1941. o. J. CHAYIE WASHING MACHINE Filed May 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ililrlllliltlll INVENTOR. BY OLIVER CHHY/E fic M r M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 1, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mesne assignments, to American Machine and Metals, Inc., East Moline, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application May 28, 1938, Serial No. 210,566

7 Claims.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved water-inlet means for spraying the water from an annular spray just inside the mouth of the basket when in its upper position, to insure a flushing action during rinsing. A further object is to arrange the inlet and drain valves for automatic operation.

Important features of novelty relate to the automatic cycle of operation, to automatic means for operating a clutch for connecting the basket to the agitator, to be raised and lowered and rotated thereby, and to other novel combinations and desirable arrangements, all of which will be apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the machine, on the line l-l of Figure 4;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the machine at right angles to Figure 1, on the line 2-2 of Figure 4;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the upper part of the machine, on the line 3-3 of Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the machine, on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged section through part of the drive mechanism, at the left on the line 55 of Figure 2 and at the right through the axis of the machine;

Figure 6 is an enlarged elevation of the shifting means for the driving gears;

Figure 7 is a partial elevation on the line l-l of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view, on the line 8-8 of Figure 5, showing a clutch member;

Figure 9 is a partial section on the line 9-9 of Figure 8;

Figures 10 and 11 are partial central vertical sections, on an enlarged scale, of the means for clutching the basket and agitator together, with the parts in different positions;

Figure 12 is a wiring diagram; and

Figure 13 is a diagram of the cycle of the machine.

mounted on sponge rubber blocks l2 having metal plates vulcanized to their upper surfaces and carrying fastenings to secure them to the base, and having vulcanized to their lower surfaces other plates frictionally engaging the floor. The base I0 is provided with a transverse bottom member M which supports some of the parts described below.

The base l0 supports a horizontal cast member I6, upon which rests a suitable generallycylindrical tub I8, shown as formed by permanently securing together a cup-shaped bottom stamping and a cylindrical central member, and detachably securing thereto an annular overhanging top member 20. A cabinet 22 is suspended from the member 20, and forms a housing for the machine. A removable cover 24 is provided for the machine. The annular member 20 has welded to its lower edge a ring 26 fitting within the top of the tub l8. An annular inlet pipe 28 is secured to and within the upper edge of member 20, and is perforated at intervals to dis charge a large number of jets downwardly and radially inwardly into the tub.

Within the tub I8 is mounted a perforated basket or clothes container 30, shown made of two main stampings and a reinforcing stamping permanently secured together, and which is arranged for rotation about a vertical axis and for reciprocation upwardly and downwardly in the direction of that axis. The bottom of the basket 30 is secured to the lower end of a hollow shaft 32 which is sleeved about a vertical stationary hollow support or standp-ipe 34 passing through and permanently centrally secured to the bottom of the tub l8, and fitting within a sleeve formed centrally in the casting l6.

Within the basket 30 is arranged an agitator for washing the clothes, the one shown being a vertically reciprocating vacuum cup ongdasher mamane'fitly serTriYi'g together three stamped cones 36, 38, and 4|! arranged upon a vertical axis. As best shown in Figures 10 and 11, the cone 40 is secured to the upper end of a hollow rotatable and reciprocable shaft 42 which passes down through the stationary standpipe 34. The cone 38 slides upon the hollow shaft 32.

The hollow shafts 42 and 32 are provided at their upper ends (see Figures 10 and 11) with a clutch by which they can be connected and disconnected. The clutch illustrated comprises a series of balls 44 arranged in openings in the wall of shaft 42, and which can be forced out to seat in grooves in the upper end of shaft 32.

The machine illustrated comprises a base It, 85, The movement of the balls is controlled by a cam plunger 46 formed with a groove so that in one position (Figure 10) the balls can move inwardly to disconnect the shafts. By moving the cam plunger 46 downwardly to the position of Figure 11, the balls 44 are forced outwardly to clutch the shafts together. It will be noted that the shaft 32 in this position rests on the tops of the balls 44, so that the shaft 42 can now lift the shaft 32 as well as rotate it. The cam plunger 46 is manipulated by a rod 48 passing downwardly through the hollow shaft 42.

A friction drive wheel 50 is journaled on the lower end of the stationary standpipe 34 and carries on its lower face a clutch member 52 formed, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, for oneway driving engagement with plungers 54 urged upwardly by springs 56 and having stems 58 passing through sleeves 60 seated in arms of a carrier plate 62 and provided at their lower ends with nuts or other stops 64 to limit their upward movement.

A lower cover plate 66 bolted to the carrier plate is formed with an annular recess 68 for th lower ends of stems 58, and has rotatably journaled in a central opening a flat-headed sleeve 10 through which the rod 48 passes, and which is threaded into the top of, or otherwise secured to, a carrier casting 12 having depending therefrom a guide plunger 14 passing through a guide opening in a bracket 16 mounted on the base plate I4.

The head of the sleeve 10 rests on a ball thrust bearing 18, and supports another ball thrust bearing 80 engaged by a fitting 82 to which the lower end of the hollow shaft 42 is secured. This fitting 82 has tongue-and-groove interlocking clutching engagement with plate 62, and serves to key that plate to the shaft.

It will be noted that lowering the carrier 12 disengages the plunger-s 54 from the clutch member 52, while raising it again causes re-engagement, springs 56 yielding if it is necessary for the plungers 54 to slipover the tops of the teeth of clutch 52 before driving engagement takes place. The carrienJZ is reciprocated yertically during washing by a cam-roller 84 riding in a face cam track 86 in one side of a disk 88 eccentrically mounted on a shaft 90 driven through a pulley 92 by a belt 94. The shaft 90 is sup ported by a bracket 96.

The rod 48 is provided at its lower end with a fitting 98 arranged in a recess in carrier 12, and having a pin received in a fork in one end of a lever I pivoted on the carrier 12 and forked at its other end to embrace a pin carried by a core plunger I02 having its ends reciprocating in solenoid coils I04 and I06. All of these 'parts move up and down with the carrier 12, but only the plates 62 and 66 and the fitting 82 and the hollow shaft 42 rotate when the clutch 52 drives the plungers 54.

When so driven, the carrier 12 is held in upper position by a spring latch plunger I08 mounted on the bracket 16 and forked to fit over a reduced portion of the plunger 14 and operated by a solenoid H0, and the friction disk 50 is driven by a vertical disk II2 rigid with a pulley driven by a belt I I4.

The belts 94 and H4 are driven respectively by small and large pulleys H6 and H8 on shafts I20 and I22 mounted in a transmission housing I24 secured to and depending from a bracket I26 bolted to the bottom of the casting I6. This bracket I26 also supports a shaft carrying the drive disk I I2 and its pulley.

Cir

The shafts I20 and I 22 have secured thereon gears I28 and I30, either of which may mesh with a shiftable gear I32 slidably keyed on an intermediate shaft I34 provided with a pulley I36 driven by a belt I38 from a motor I40. The motor I 40 (see Figure 1) is mounted on a support I42 pivoted on the bracket 96, and is urged by the weight of the motor and by a spring I44 in a direction to tighten the belt I 38.

The gear I32 is shifted yieldingly in one direction or the other, to drive either the disk or the eccentric 88, by a shift lever I46 having a yoke end with the usual pins projecting into a groove in the shift collar of gear I32, and having its forked outer end confined between springs I48 and I50 sleeved on a plunger I52 mounted to serve as the core of two opposed solenoid coils I54 and I56.

Wash water is supplied to the inlet ring 28 through a conduit I58 from a mixing chamber I60 connected by a conduit I62 with hot and cold solenoid-operated inlet valves I64 and I66 (Figure 12) in a valve un-it I68 connected in any desired manner to sources of hot and cold water. The normal water level is controlled by a float I10 in a float chamber I12 communicating with the tub through the drain above the drain valve by a conduit I14. The float I10 operates a float switch I16, to cut ofi the water supply when the water reaches the desired level. There may also be, as a safety measure, an overflow pipe I18 communicating with the drain pipe directly.

The bottom of the tub is provided with a drain fitting I communicating with the drain pipe I82 under the control of a drain slide valve I84 operated by a solenoid I86.

The cycle of the machine is controlled by a multiple motor-driven cyclic switch I88, which may be of the construction described in application No. 129,429, filed March 6, 1937, by Rex Earl Bassett, Jr., and John W. Chamberlin, now Patent No. 2,165,884, July 11, 1939, or of the construction described in application No. 240,163,

filed November 12, 1938, by Rex Earl B-assett, Jr.

This switch controls the various circuits of the machine, shown in Figure 12, the various units being shown grounded and supplied with current from a line I90.

This switch has a shaft driven through one revolution during each cycle of the machine, and provided with cams opening and closing a series of contacts I, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The timing of the opening and closing of these contacts is shown in the diagram of Figure 13.

Contact 1 controls parallel circuits, one circuit I92 passing through the inlet float switch I16 to th inlet valve solenoids I64 and I66 in parallel and thence to ground, and the other circuit I94 passing independently of and shunting the float switch I16 through the lock solenoid IIO to ground; thus the lock I08 is released whenever the inlet .valve circuit I92 is closed, regardless of the float switch I16.

Contact 2 controls a circuit I96 through the solenoid I06, contact 3 controls a circuit I98 through the gearshift solenoid I54, contact 4 controls a circuit 200 through the solenoid I04, contact 5 controls parallel circuits 202 and 204 respectively through the inlet valve solenoids I64 and I66 and through the drain valve solenoid I86 respectively, and con-tact 6 controls a circuit 206 through the gear shift solenoid I56. Both circuits I98 and 206 are also connected by lines 208 and 2H], through the motor I 40 to ground,

so that closing either one of said circuits I98 and 206 will cause operation of the motor.

There may also be a parallel circuit 2I 2 from line I90 shunting the multiple switch I88 through a manually operable switch 214 direct to the drain valve solenoid I86, to facilitate draining the machine at the end of a period of use.

If desired, the machine may also 'be provided with a rheostat 2I'6 (Figure 4) in the circuit of motor I 40, to vary the motor speed.

In operation, the machine is filled with materials to be washed, sufiicient soap powder or the like is supplied, cover 24 is placed firmly in position, and switch I 88 turned far enough ahead to start its motor running, to turn its bank of cams through one revolution. The basket at this time is locked in its upper position.

This closes contact I through circuits I92 and I94, causing injection of wash water through the inlet ring 28 until the float valve IIB cuts out, the water passing through the load with a flushing and soaking action, and withdraws the lock plunger I08 ready to lower the basket. Then contacts 2 and 3 close without opening contact I, contact 2 only closing momentarily. This raises the plunger 46 to release th lock 44 between shaft 42 and the basket and thereby permits the basket to return to its lowermost position, and shifts the gears to drive disk 88 to reciprocate the agitator 40, at the same time starting the motor I 40.

Thereafter, for some time, theagitator 40 continues to reciprocate to wash the clothes. Just at the end of this period the contact 4 closes momentarily, closing circuit 200 through the solenoid I04, so that on the last upward stroke of shaft 42 the basket is raised with it out of the wash water. At the end of the washperiod, the spring lock I08 is released by the opening of contact I and the motor is stopped by the opening of contact 3.

Immediately thereafter contact 5 closes, causing rinse water to be injected through the ring 28 and also opening the drain valve. Near the end of this rinse period .the contact .6 closes circuit 206 through solenoid I56, shifting gears to cause the disk 50 to rotate the basket at high speed, at the same time starting motor M again.

Shortly after rotation of the clothes basket start-s, contact opens again, closing the inlet valves and the drain valve. Som of the cleanest of the rinse water is thus retained in the tub, as it is centrifugally forced from the clothes, to be used as part of the wash water of the next cycle.

While one illustrative embodiment has been described in detail, it is not the intention to limit the scope of the invention to that particular embodiment, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An automatic machine comprising a tub, a basket in said tub mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and for reciprocation in the direction of said axis, a lock device movable to a position to hold the basket in its upper position, an agitator within said basket, a. source of power, means for operating the agitator and for raising and lowering the basket and for rotatin the basket by power from said source, includ ing a two speed transmission, electrical devices for changing the transmission speed, an automatic control device driven through a predetermined cycle, and connections rendered operative by the control device for releasing the lock device and lowering the basket and operating the agitator while the basket remains in its lower position and for then raising the basket. to an upper position and re-engaging the lock device and rotating the basket to dry the contents centrifugally, said connections including a circuit having said power means and the electrical means for shifting the gears to drive the agitator arranged in parallel relationship and another circuit having said power means and the electrical means for shifting the gears to rotate the basket arranged in parallel relationship.

2. A washing machine comprising a tub having a drain with a control valve, an open-top basket inside the tub mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and for movement in the direction of that axis, means operable when the basket is in its lower position for agitating the contents of the basket, means for rotating the basket when in its upper position, power means for operating the basket and the agitating means, an annular water inlet fitting inside the open top of the basket when in its upper position to spray water through the contents with the drain open to rinse them by a flushing action, an electrically operated control valve for said inlet, and an automatic electrical control device for said valves and power means arranged to cause agitation of the clothes with the basket in its lower position and with the tub provided with water by closing the drain valve and opening the inlet valve, and for th-ereafiter raising the basket and opening both valves to rinse said contents, and for finally rotating the basket at high speed with the inlet valve closed to dry th contents centrifugally.

3. A washing machine comprising a tub, a basket in the tub, an agitator within the basket, coaxial vertical hollow shafts connected respectively to the basket and to the agitator, the inner shaft extending below the tub, a clutch at the upper ends of said shafts for connecting them together, operating means for said clutch extending axially downward through the inner one of said shafts, and means below the tub for actuating said operating means.

4. A washing machine comprising a tub, a baske t in the tub, an agitator within the basket, coaxial vertical hollow shafts connected respectively to the basket and to the agitator, the inner shaft extending below the tub, a clutch at the upper ends of said shafts for connecting them together, an operating rod for said clutch extending axially downward through the inner one of said shafts, and an electrically-controlled device for actuating said rod supported by said inner shaft below the tub.

5. A washing machine comprising a tub, a basket mounted within said tub, an agitator mounted within the basket, a shaft extending upwardly through the bottom of the tub and having the agitator mounted at its upper end, a hollow shaft surrounding the first shaft and secured to the basket at its lower end and having at its upper end a clutch for connecting it to the first shaft, an operating rod for said clutch ext-ending axially downward through the inner one of said shafts, an electrically-controlled device for actuating said rod supported by said inner shaft below the tub, a motor, connections from the motor to reciprocate and to rotate the first shaft, and automatic control means for engaging and disengaging the clut-ch and controlling said connections and timed to cause operation of the agitator with the basket in a lower position and then to raise the basket to an upper position and rotate it.

6. A washing machine comprising in combination with a tub having a rotatable and verticallymovable basket arranged therein and with an agitator within th basket, power-driven means for raising and lowering and rotating the :basket and for operating the agitator, a multiple timer switch having a plurality of leads therefrom, wator-inlet means for the tub having an electric control device, a float controlled by th water level in the tub and actuating an electric control device, said devices connected in series with one of said leads, a lock for holding the basket in its upper position having an electric control device connected to the same lead in parallel with said other control devices, connections from others of said leads for controlling the powerdriven means, and a drain valve having an electric control device connected to another of said leads.

7. A washing machine comprising, in combination with a tub having a rotatable and verticallymovable basket arranged therein and with an agitator within the basket, power-driven means for raising and lowering and rotating the basket and for operating the agitator, a multiple timer switch having a plurality of leads therefrom, water-inlet means for the tub having an electric control device, a float controlled by the water level in the tub and actuating an electric control device, said devices connected in series with one of said leads, a lock for holding the basket in its upper position having an electric control device connected to the same lead in parallel with said other control devices, connections from others of said leads for controlling the powerdriven means, a drain valve having an electric control device connected to another of said leads, and a connection from another of said leads to the control device of the water-inlet means bypassing the control device of said float.

OLIVER J. CHAYIE.

Images