US2660311A - Centrifugal rinsing device - Google Patents

Description

Fil ed Feb.

H Em m H H mm D 0 2 8 M 4 mi N A o o o o c o M 0'0 fl o mv 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .L 0 0 0 0 0 v0 0 0 w 2 u 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0% WY 0 0 0 0 0%030 0 B 0 a 0 wm mwmmuxnmmmmmm l onlJhnhukukulPunf. 0o 4 6 A. 6 020 O w w 0 0 0 0 0 v I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 o o 0 0 0 0 h. 00 0 0'0 0 0|0| H0 Q 0 .w 0 0 0 u ?atentecl Nov. 24, 1953 CENTRIFUGAL RINSING DEVICE William G. Landwier, Fayetteville, N. Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 19, 1949, Serial No. 77,308

3 Claims.

This invention relates towashing machines, and more particularly to centrifugal rinsing mechanism operable in connection therewith.

In applications Serial No. 49,682, now Patent Number 2,628,488, filed September 17, 1948, and Serial No. 66,280, now Patent Number 2,60 filed December 20, 1948, there is disclosed a laundry apparatus having a centrifugal rinsing device in which there is employed a power driven extractor drum having centrally disposed therein an elongated perforat rinse fluid distributing tube. In the arrangement shown, laundry is placed within the extractor drum direct from the washing chamber and rinse water is centrifugally distributed centrally of the laundry from such tube to rinse the soap suds or detergent therefrom centrifugally, after which the laundry is centrifuged to a damp dry condition.

In apparatus of the type described, the laundry contained in the extractor drum is placed therein manually, and upon rotation distributes itself along the drum wall usually with a greater number of layers of fabric adjacent the bottom as compared to the distribution of the laundry at elevated positions. It is therefore preferable that the distribution of rinse water be axially imiform with no subnormal distribution particularly in the lower regions because of the greater amount of soap suds or detergent to be washed therefrom.

The present invention is directed to an improvement in the distributing means disclosed in such applications, whereby the quantity of rinse water centrifugally distributed in the lower regions by an elongated central perforate tube may be increased and rendered more uniform over the length of the distributing tube, or concentrated if desired in certain regions thereof.

The invention has for its object a relatively simple and economical construction for deriving the distribution described.

The above and other novel features of the inventicn will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section taken through an extractor drum and the distributing tube, showing the distributing means of the invention;

Figure 2 is a magnified transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is an elevational view of the top openlllg of the distributing tube taken substantially as viewed from the line 3--3 of Figure 1. -Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there 1s shown an extractor tub l0 having an annular support shoulder l2, bottom I l and drain outlet [6. The bottom It has a central aperture I8 through which extends a bearing support sleeve 20, the latter forming a part of a transmission housin boss 22. The tub bottom is is clamped between suitable washers 2t and 26 located between the nut 2i and the boss 22. Extending through the bearing sleeve is a drive shaft 28 having a squared drive end 38 over which is mounted an integral extractor hub and bottom plate 32. Such hub has a complemental recess 34 for receiving the squared end 36 of the shaft 28 and a sleeve-like portion 38 embracing a substantial length of the exposed end of the shaft 28 and a belled mouth section 38 surrounding the bearing sleeve 20, the bell mouth merging into the annular bottom in. The bottom plate is flanged upwardly as at 42 and a substantially cylindrical extractor drum 44 is rigidly secured thereto, the latter being inwardly flanged as at 46 at the top to provide a working or loading opening. The drum is provided with a plurality of perforations 48 uniformly distributed over the entire area thereof.

Centrally arranged within the extractor drum 44 is a tubular elongated distributing member 50 of generally conical shape and having a multiplicity of apertures 52 arranged therein substantially uniformly spaced over the entire wall thereof. The distributor tube 55) is of such shape as to be adapted for support upon the bell mouth section 38, the latter being provided with one or more elementally disposed support ridges 54 through which rivets 56 may extend. The ridges 54 provide clearance as at 58 between the cone and around substantially the entire circumference of the bell mouth portion,

Rinse water is supplied to the distributing tube from a suitably disposed nozzle 60 located axially above the open top of the distributing tube The top of the distributing tube is provided with a grille G2 or other intercepting or spreading means in the manner shown from an annular rim member 64 having depending spring fingers 6B and a disk of coarse wire mesh 68. With laundry disposed within the extractor drum 44 and the same rotating at a speed in the neighborhood of 900 R. P. M., rinse Wateris discharged through the grille 62 into the interior of the distributing tube 50. Rotation of the grille in intercepting the rinse fluid causes a considerable portion thereof to be subjected to rotation and thrown against the inside internal wall of the distributor tube 58, whence it is thrown by centrifugal force through the multiplicity of perforations 52 as it gravitates along the internal cone surface 5|. While rinse fluid is discharged from the distributor tube by the action described over its entire length, there may be, for example, in the lower region, an area where the quantity of such distribution is subnormal. some rinse fluid may gravitate more or less axially of the distributor tube without contacting or adhering to the internal wall thereof. Such water may flow over the hub sleeve and ultimately gravitate to the lower region of the cone such as the space 58 between the bell and lower cone end, and is thereafter thrown radially outward in substantial quantities. It has been found that the region thereabove tends to receive or distribute a subnormal quantity of rinse water.

Since laundry placed within the extractor drum 44 arranges itself in layers, the number and thickness tending to be greater in the lower regions, it is desirable that such rinse water as tends to gravitate within the distributor tube 56 should be caused to be thrown against the internal wall of the distributor tube in a region where distribution is subnormal or where it is desirable to increase the quantity of rinse water discharged through the perforations 52 of the tube.

Accordingly, it has been found desirable to provide an annular distributing plate 10 having a slightly flared central aperture '52 adapted to closely fit the hub sleeve 36. Such plate may be forced upon the hub sleeve 3 31 and positioned along the length of the hub sleeve at such position as may appear desirable in order to eifect an increase in the rinse water distributed from the distributing tube, at the region chosen. As shown, the plate H! is adapted to intercept such rinse fluid as gravitates thereupon and by its rotation throw such rinse fluid against the internal wall of the distributing tube in the region indicated at X, whereupon the amount of rinse fluid thrown through the perforations 52 in such region is materially increased, thereby enhancing the volume of rinse fluid centrifugally distributed to the laundry in the region located Iadially outward therefrom. The plate acts as a secondary means for imparting centrifugal force to such excess rinse water as would otherwise tend to imduly concentrate the discharge in the lowermost regions heretofore referred to. The action is such as to smooth the overall distribution pattern along the length of the tube so that uniform quantities are distributed along the length for efficient rinsing. The arrangement has been found such as to provide a uniform distribution pattern over a wide range of input volumes of rinse wateiu. since the input volume may vary widely with different available pressures and is subject to further variation by the manual control of the supply faucet, this is an important advantage.

Through the arrangement described, it becomes possible to regulate the distribution of rinse water along the length of the distributing tube. It is also possible to provide greater quantity of rinse water in those regions where there is a greater quantity of soap suds to be rinsed from the laundry contained within the extractor basket or where the distribution might otherwise be subnormal.

While a single modification of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A centrifugal laundry rinsing device com prising, a vertical axis laundry-containing extractor, a central hollow conical tube mounted for rotation with said extractor and having a multiplicity of perforations therein along substantially its entire length, stationary means for delivering rinsing liquid into the space within said tube from the upper end thereof, means at the upper end of the tube for initially imparting a degree of rotation to the liquid, and transverse bafile means rotatable therewith and located within said tube in spaced relation to the inner wall of said tube at the lower enlarged diameter region thereof below said rotation-imparting means, said baiile being constructed and arranged for radially distributing falling liquid upon the inner wall of said tube in the region of said baffle.

2. A centrifugal laundry rinsing device comprising, a base, an upstanding central hub, a surrounding laundry-containing, substantially circular wall secured to said base, and surrounding said tub, a conical distributing tube mounted upon said base and surrounding said hub, said tube having its large diameter end at the bottom and being open ended at the top thereof and perforated substantially over its entire length and circumference, and a distributor plate mounted upon said hub and extending transversely of the axis thereof within said tube at the lower enlarged diameter region thereof the marginal edge of said plate bein spaced from said tube, and stationary means for supplying rinse liquid to the open end of said tube, part of which liquid directly flows along the wall thereof and the remainder of which is thrown against said wall by said plate in the region thereof.

3. A centrifugal laundry rinsing device comprising, a laundry supporting centrifuge rotatably mounted on a central axis, and comprising an annular base, a surrounding laundry confinin circular wall, and a central hub sleeve extending upwardly into the centrifuge, a central elongated distributing tube having an open upper end and perforations in the side wall along the axial length thereof, said tube being mounted coaxially within the centrifuge and around said hub sleeve, means carried by the tube adlacent its open end for intercepting and spreadmg rinse liquid into internal contact with said tube, stationary means for supplying rinsing liquid into the open end of said tube, a transverse annular disk within said tube of a larger diameter than said open end mounted on said hub sleeve and rotatable therewith for radially distributing rinse liquid impinging thereagainst, said disk being spaced from said tube, and located axially in position to augment the supply of rinse liquid to the inner wall of said tube in the region embracing the plane of said disk.

WILLIAM G. LANDWIER. 10

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 15 706,441 McLaughlin Aug. 5, 1902 Number 6 Name Date Altorfer June 11, 1929 Barrett Nov. 12, 1929 Geldhof Feb. 18, 1930 Husk et a1. May 6, 1930 Van Ness May 20, 1930 Geldhof Dec. 30, 1930 Sanchez Oct. 19, 1937 Dunham Feb. 24, 1942 Kirby Oct. 12, 1943 Sanchez Nov. 30, 1943 Castner July 4, 1950 Scheele May 6, 1952

Images