US2927450A - Combination washer-dryer - Google Patents

Description

12A. PW-1- March 8, 1960 c. E. POOL 0 COMBINATION WASHER-DRYER Filed Jan. 19, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 F'IGI EDS/8 (.REIGHTON E. POOL HIS ATTORNEY March 8, 1960 c. E. POOL 2,927,450

COMBINATION WASHER-DRYER Filed Jan. 19, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 5 r S a so ,a 23

F l Z Z INVENTOR.

CREIGHTON E. POOL BY MPW HIS ATTORNEY March 8, 1960 c. E. POOL 2,927,450

COMBINATION WASHER-DRYER Filed Jan. 19, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 'cRmo'v-rron: E. POOL BY WWW HIS ATTORNEY March 8, 1960 c. E. POOL 2,927,450

COMBINATION WASHER-DRYER Filed Jan. 19, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIGS F'ILL DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN WASH 4 I IRmssI l-nmss-l i |sPm|- DRY 4 8 l2 I6 20 24 28 32 36 4O 44 INVENTOR. CREIGHTON E. POOL.

HIS ATTORNEY 2,927,450 coMeiNA'rroN WASHER-DRYER Creighton E. Pool, Charlestown, Ind., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application January 19, 1959, Serial No. 787,711

4 Claims. (Cl. 6812) This invention relates to combination washer dryers where the washing cycle, which includes centrifugal ex traction of the clothes, may, at theoption of the operator, be followed by a heat drying operation. More par ticularly, it relates to such a machine where different speed centrifugal extraction operations are provided depending upon whether the heat drying operation has been elected or omitted.

Combination washer dryers perform the combined functions of Washing machines and drying machines, that is, the same machine washes the clothes and then heat dries them. The washing portion of the sequence which is provided is in general approximately the same as that of standard washing machines in that it includes basically, a washing cycle, at least one rinse cycle to get rid of the washing liquid, and a centrifuging or spin operation to get most of the liquid out of the clothes. These operations may at the election of the operator immediately be followed by the heat drying operation which consists of providing heat to vaporize moisture from the clothes as they are tumbled in the clothes receptacle. One problem that has been encountered in such machines is the tendency of the clothes in the rotating basket to adhere to the walls of the basket after the last centrifuging operation. This occurs to the extent that if no corrective measures are taken and the speed reaches a certain level, the clothes remain in a tight annulus adhering to the inner basket surface during heat drying. It is thus'important'that the speed be kept within the limits dictated by the sticking tendency. However, it has further developed that when the speed is kept low enough to prevent sticking, although a substantial amount of water is removed from the clothes there is still enough left in the clothes so that they may have an objectionable tendency to drip when handled by the operator. This means that when the operator elects to remove the clothes after the centrifugal extraction operation, that is, without a heat drying-operation, she will have to handle clothes which may still be dripping.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved control arrangement for use in a combination washer dryer whereby election of a fullcycle including the heat drying operation automatically provides a relatively low spin speed and election of a cycle which omits the heat drying operation automatically causes a higher spin speed to beprovided.

A further object of the invention is to provide anirnproved machine wherein the sticking problem is obviated when a heat drying operation is to follow the'spin and the clothes dripping problem is obviated where no heat drying operation is to be provided.

According to one aspect of my invention, I provide a laundry machine with a clothes receptacle rotatable on a non-vertical axis. Suitable means are provided for rotating the receptacle either at a tumbling speed, at a first lower centrifuging speed, or at a second higherc'e'ntrifuging speed. The machine also includes suitable components for effecting a wash and rinse operation and suitable components for effecting a heat drying. opera.-

atent in the third operation, cooperative action of the heating components and rotation of the receptacle at tumbling speed causes drying of the clothes. Associated with the means for controlling the various operations, I provide manually operable means which has at least two positions: in the first position, the manually operable means preselects a sequence which includes all three operations, while in the second of its positions the manually operable means preselects a sequence including only the first and second operations. Movement of the manually operable means to its first position also causes the control means to provide the lower centrifuging speed for the second operation, while in its second position the manually operable means causes the control means to provide the higher centrifuging speed for the second operation.

The lower centrifuging speed is selected to be approximately the maximum permissible without incurring the danger of sticking, while the higher centrifuging speed is selected to be at least high enough to eliminate all possibility of objectionable dripping. In this manner, where the heat drying operation is to be provided its effectiveness is insured by precluding any sticking effect on the clothes. Also, where the operator is going to remove the clothes from .the receptacle after the centrifugal extraction operation the clothes will have been spun at a speed sufiicient to prevent their dripping. In the latter case, while sticking of the clothes around the receptacle may have occurred, it is without significance inasmuch as there is virtually no difference in the effort required for the operator to remove clothes which are adhering to the basket wall as clothes which are free therefrom.

The subject matter which constitutes my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. The invention itself, both as to organization and method of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of a combination washer dryer of the type in which my invention may be embodied;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the combination washer-dryer with the rear panel removed to illustrate details;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the machine, partly in section and with certain surfaces broken away to show details;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in cross section along line 4-4 in Figure l,-with the clothes basket and tub of the machine removed in order to illustrate details of the drive of the machine;,

Figure 5 is a schematic electrical wiring diagram illustrating in simplified form a control system for the machine embodying my invention in one form thereof; and

Figure 6 is a sequence control cam chart illustrating a suitable sequence of operation for the timer switches shown in Figure 5 in order to provide an operative cycle for the machine.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown a combination clothes washing and drying machine Where the operating elements of the machine are included within an outer cabinet structure having a central wrap-around section 1. Section! is supported on abase and toe board assembly 2. and carries a separate top 3 on which is supported a backsplash panel 4 which may, as shown, be mounted on posts 5. Control panel 4 is provided with appropriate control devices such as, for instance, dial on (which provides for various types of washing and drying sequences), dial 6!) for controlling drying:

a generally horizontal axis within an outer enclosing tub structure 12. Basket 11 comprises a cylindrical shell or wall 13 which is closed at its rear end by means of a suitable wall or plate 14. The basket also includes a front wall 15 which is formed so as to define an access or loading opening 15 in registry with an opening 17 provided in wrap-around section 1 for door 9. The basket is rotatably supported by a shaft 18 which is mounted in an elongated bearing i9 supported from rear wall 29 of tub 12. The tube is also provided with an opening 21 aligned with opening 17 and opening 16 so that clothe s may be placed into and removed from the basket when door 9 is opened. The door seals against a suitable gasket 22 during operation of the machine,

Referring now particularly'to Figure 4 andalso to Figures 2 and 3, during the operation of the machine the basket 11 is driven from an electric motor 23. The drive from the motor to the basket includes a pulley 2-2 which is secured to the motor shaft so as to rotate therewith and over which passes a belt 25 which drives an adjustable sheave assembly 26. The adjustable sheave assembly includes a shaft 27 to which are rigidly secured two sheave plates 28 and 29. An intermediate sheave plate 30 .is keyed on shaft 27 so as to be movable along the shaft to varying distances from sheave plates. 28 and 29. It will be observed (Figure 3) that sheave plate 28 has a sloping surface 31 which in cooperation with. a sloping surface 32 on movable sheave plate 30 forms a groove 33 of adjustable width. Similarly, on its other side movable sheave plate is provided with a sloping surface 34 which cooperates with a sloping surface 35 of. rigidly secured sheave plate 29 to form a second groove 36 of adjustable width.

Since belt 25 has a predetermined width, it can be seen that movement of sheave plate 3% relative to sheave plate 28 will cause the belt 25 to seat in groove 33 at a distance from the center of shaft 27 which is determined by the distance of sheave plate 3 from sheave plate 23. The linear speed of be t 25 is constant, assuming the speed of motor 23 to be substantially constant, and therefore the rotational speed of the adjustable sheave assembly 26 is dependent on the effective sheave diameter provided by the cooperation of sheave plates 28 and 39. When the sheave plates 28 and 3b are in the position shown in the figures, sheave assembly 26 is rotating at a relatively low speed. If sheave plate 30 is moved to the left, as viewed in Fig. 3, away from sheave plate 2.8 then belt 25 will move in radially toward shaft 27 as groove 33 widens and will cause a greater rotational speed of the sheave assemgy 26 for a given rotational speed of pulley 24 bymotor A second belt 37 is driven groove 35 by the sheave formed by the cooperation of sheave plates 30 and 29. When adjustable sheave plate 30 is in the position shown so that groove 36 is quite wide, belt 37 has to move in radially toward shaft 27 a substantial amount before it seats on the surfaces 34'- and 35 of sheave plates 30 and 29 respectively. This means that for a given rotational d speedof the adjustable sheave assembly 26 (as imparted to it by belt 25), belt 37 will be traveling at a relatively low rate of linear speed. If sheave plate 30 is moved to the left so that belt 37 is forced outwardly in groove 36, then for a given rotational speed of the sheave assembly a relatively high linear speed of belt 37 is provided. Thus, by controlling the position of sheave plate 3% an infinite varietyof speeds between the two limits of position of the sheave plates may be provided, with the arrange ment shown in Figure 3 providing the lowest output speed to belt 37 since belt 25 is causing the lowest rate of rotation of sheave assembly 26, and rotation of the sheave assembly 26 is causing the lowest linear speed of belt 37. 'The highest rate of speed will be provided if sheave plate 30 is moved as far as possible to the left to provide the highest rotational speed of the assembly 26 for a given linear speed of belt 25, and the output linear speed of belt 37 is the highest possible for a given rotational speed of assembly 26.

Belt 37 passes over a sheave 38 which forms part of a unitary assembly with a sheave 39 which drives a belt 40. Referring now primarily to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that belt 40 drives a sheave 41 which is rigidly secured to the end of shaft 18 so as to rotate basket 11.

Returning now to the adjustable sheave assembly 26, and with particular reference to Figures 2 and 4, it will be-observed that the assembly is mounted on an arm 42 which is pivotably secured on a pin 43 within a bracket 44 secured to the base 2 of the machine. A spring 45 has one end 46 secured to the machine base and has its other end 47 secured to an arm 48 which is also secured tothe sheave assembly 26, whereby the assembly is biased to the left shown in Figure 2. At the outer end 49 of the arm 48 there is secured achain member 50. At its other end (Figure 4) chain member 59 is secured to a pulley 51 operated through a small electric motor and gear assembly 52. It will be seen that when pulley 51 is caused to rotate by assembly 52 it will wind up chain 50 and through arm 48 will move the entire adjustable sheaveassembly to the right as viewed in Figure 2 cause ing arm 42 to pivot to the right. Since belt 25 cannot stretch, it will be apparent that when this occurs belt 25 will move inwardly within groove 33 forcing sheave 30 .to the left (as viewed in Figure 3) to eifect an increase in the speed transmitted to sheave and basket 11. When motor and gear train assembly 52 is shut off, the spring '45 overcomes the motor and gear train and pulls theadjustableasheave- 26 back to the position shown in the figures to reduce. the speed. The motor and gear train assembly 52. is' of the type which can, without adverse effect, remain energized although stalled; this has the result that high speed operation is maintained only as longias energization of the motor continues.

The assembly of sheaves 3i; and 39 is also movably mounted, on a linkage arrangement 53 pivotably secured on apin 54 mounted within a bracket 55 secured to the base 2. The linkage arrangement includes two arms 56 and 57 which are pivotably secured together through a pin 58. A spring 59 secured at one end 60 to the base 2 of the machine is secured at its other end 61 to the assembly of sheaves 38 and 39 so as to bias them downwardly and to the right as viewed in Figure 2 in order to eifectabelt tensioning function for belts 37 and 40.

The: proportioning of the various parts of the drive assembly above described is such as to provide an appropriate range ofspeeds. For instance, when the parts are in their position as shown, a tumbling speed of approximately forty-seven rpm. mayv be provided to the basket solenoid coil. Whenmember 63 is inv the position shown.

55 that is, when the solenoid is de energized, it extends into the path of movement of arm 48 so as to stop arm 48 in the position shown by the left hand phantom outline thereof.

The positioning of solenoid 62 and member 63 with respect to arm 48 is so selected that the arm (and therefore the sheave assembly 26) is stopped at a point when the speed being transmitted to basket 11 is on the order of two hundred and ten r.p.m. Only upon energization of solenoid 62 to pull member 63 upwardly out of the path of movement of member 48 can the sheave assembly 26 be pulled to its extreme right hand position by motor 52, as indicated by the right hand phantom outline of arm 48. The speed of three hundred and fifty r.p.m., which has previously been stated as that provided in the extreme right hand position of the-sheave assembly 26, is high enough to extract enoughliquid fromvthe clothes to prevent any dripping of the clothes when they are handled by the operator at the end of the spin operation. The intermediate speed of two hundred and ten, provided when solenoid 62 is de-energized, represents a speed which, while it still extracts a substantial amount of liquid from the clothes, is low enough to preclude sticking of the clothes to the periphery of basket 11.

The components for effecting washing and rinsing steps, thatis, the means for supplying water to tu-b 11, are particularly shown in Figure 2. The water supply means includes connections 63a and 63b through which hot and cold water is supplied to the machine for the washing operation. A valve controlled by a solenoid 64 admits hot water to the machine and a valve controlled by an opposed solenoid 65 admits cold water to the machine. The hot and cold water valves under the control of the solenoids 64 and 65 discharge through a common outlet conduit 66, through a suitable air gap, and into a funnel 67 to a sump 68 formed at thebottom of tub 12. The connection may be made through a suitable conduit 69, a portion of which is shown adjacent the sump in Figure 2. The air gap provided by the funnel 67 makes it impossible for the water to be siphoned from the machine and to contaminate the incoming supply line. A pressure actuated sensing device or water level control 70 controls both solenoids 64 and 65 to maintain the proper water level in the machine during the washing operation. Sensing device 70 is connected to the interior of tub 12 by a suitable line 71.

In order to discharge water from the machine through sump 68 at the bottom of tub 12 at appropriate times during the operating sequence of the machine, suitable means are provided. In the present case these include a discharge hose 71a which'leads from the sump to a motor driven drain pump 711: which may (asshown in Figure 4) be driven directly from motor 23 and which discharges through an outlet opening 72 to a conduit 73 (Figure 2) leading to a drain valve 74 controlled by a suitable solenoid 75 (Figure Since pump 71b is continually operated by motor '23, the draining of waterfrom sump 68 is controlled by the drain valve'74, draining occurring upon energization of solenoid 75.

Suitable means are provided to heat-the clothes during thedrying portion of the cycle-which follows the centrifugal extraction operation. 'In' the present machine, these include a pair of heaters 76 and 77 which are mounted within the upperportion of tub 12 so that when energized they beat the basket 11. When the heaters are energized, the heat transferred to the clothes basket is then passed on to the clothes to cause vapor migration out of the clothes. Since the outer cylindrical wall of the basket is perforated bya great many small spaced openings 78' (Figure 3) there is' also some heat from the elements which passes directly to the clothes by radiation.

The illustrated machine is of the type which uses cold water during the dryingcycle for condensing the moisture extracted from the clothes. The condenser water isadand the timer motor.

mitted to the machine through an additionalsolenoid actuated valve controlled by a solenoid 79 which is met-- gized during the drying operation so that the valve passes water at a slow rate sufficient to condense from the air the moisture vaporized from the clothes. As shown, the condenser water valve discharges into a conduit 80. From this conduit, the water flows through an appropriate air gap (not shown) and then through another conduit (not shown) to the inlet 81 of a vent trap 82 which is of the type commonly provided in connection with machines of this type in order to seal off the tub and basket from atmosphere during heat drying of the clothes while leaving the tub vented to atmosphere at other times. An appropriate construction for vent trap 82 is, for instance, fully described and claimed in Patent 2,800,008. Raczynski issued on July 23, 1957 and assigned to the General Electric Company, owner of the present invention. From the vent trap 82 the condenser water flows into a tub 12 through an opening 83 and then flows in a thin sheet down the lower left wall 84 of the tub (Figure 2) so as to cool a substantial portionof the area of the side wall and provide a large cool surface for condensing the moisture extracted from the clothes.

The condenser Water and the moisture extracted from the clothes during the drying operation, may, of course, be discharged from the machine through the sump 68 by the same drain means including pump 71b and valve 74 as described for removing the washing and rinsing water. 7

Referring now to Figure 5, there is shown in schematic form a control arrangement for controlling the sequence of operation of the various components of the machine hereinabove described. It will, of course, be understood that in actual practice various interlocking arrangements of the difierent functions may be provided together with various electrically controlled safety features; however, these frequently assume some complexity and have been omitted since they do not form a part of the invention and such circuit modifications are well known to those skilled in the art.

The basic operation of the means for controlling the squence is provided through a suitable timer motor 85 (Figure 5); it further includes a series of switches 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93 and 94 which are actuated in a desired sequence by appropriate switch operating means (such as cams) driven by the timer as indicated schematically in Figure 6. Typically, the camsjarealso manually controlled by dial 611, so that they may-be rotated to cyclestarting position by the operator with motor 85 then carrying them through the cycle. In the particular representation of Figures 5 and 6 it is to be understood that each of the switches 86 to 94 schematically shown in Figure 5 is closed during the periods indicated by the heavy black lines in Figure 6. v

It will further be understood that in the usually provided construction the switch operating cams are preferably driven by an impulse or intermittent motion by means of a suitable mechanism connected between them A scale has been shown on the cam chart of Figure 6 purely to facilitate an understanding of the description of the operation of the circuit; the scale is intended to show the length of the impulses given by advancing the cams in the forward rotational direction. In otherjwords, the chart of Figure 6 may be regarded for the purposes of this explanation as a development of the peripheries of the respective'switch'operating earns, the heavy lines showing the cam rises.

At switchover points, where the chart shows one switch opening and another closing, the impulse-type action readily provides a quick breakaction so that one switch is closed simultaneously as the other is opened.

The power for energizing the different components shown in Figure 5 is supplied from a three wire power source comprising power supply lines 95 and 96 and a ncutralline 97. This three wire source may, for exanrpie, comprise the conventional two hundred and thirty.

volt domestic supply having a voltage of two hundred and thirty volts between supply lines 95 and 96 and a voltage of a hundred and fifteen volts between each of the supply lines and neutral line 97. The heating elements 7-6 and 77 are connected across the two hundred and thirty volt supply lines 95 and 96. Energization oi the heating elements is controlled by movable contacts 98 and 99 which in turn are controlled by a relay coil 100-.

All ot'the' other components of the machine are connected betwen a conductor 101 and neutral line 97. Conductor 101 may be connected to conductor 96 through either of timer switches 87 and 88 so that when connection between conductor 101 and conductor 96 is completed the elements of the machine are energized subject to the opening and closing of the other timer controlled switches; While switch 88 is directly connected to conductor 101', switch 87 is connected through a contact member 102, which, togetherwith a contact member 103, is moved downwardly upon depression of lever 8 (Figure 1) to a' first position and upwardly upon raising lever 8 to a second position. When lever 8 is depressed it will be observed that contact member 102 opens the connection from conductor 96 to conductor 101 independentlyof the timer motor. At the same time, contact lfll' c'ompletes a circuit, subject to timer switch 86, from conductor 101 to solenoid 62.

The only other elements'shown in Figure 5 which have not been described hereinabove include a contact memher 104 operated by lever 7 (Figure 1) for making a water temperature selection, and-the usual temperature limiting device 105 for opening the heater circuit at a predetermined high temperature.

The operation of the above described components of the machine will now be described making reference to Figures 5 and 6. Let it be assumed that neither the lever 8 nor the lever 7 shown in Figure 5 has been depressed. That is, contact 102 is closed, contact 103 is open and contact 104 (which is closed in the depressed position oflever 7 and open in the raised position thereof) is open. The cycle is started in the conventional manner by rotating dial 6:: to cycle-starting position for the switches 86--94. Referring to Figure 6 it will be seen that at the beginning of the cycle switches 88, 89, 90 and 94 are closed. The closing of switch 88 connects conductor 96 to conductor 101 to place the energization of the various components within control of their respective associated timer control switches. Energization of contact 89 energizes solenoid '75 which as has been explained, closes valve 74 to prevent water from draining out of the tub 12. Closing of contact 90 energizes hot water solenoid 64'to cause hot water to be introduced in the tub;

" position to tie-energize the hot water solenoid. The machine after the supply of hot water has been shut off, then continues to rotate the basket slowly at tumble speedto cause the clothes to be washed in the water to- 'gether with whatever appropriate cleansing materials have been added;

After. eleven impulses, switches 89 and 90 are opened while switches 88 and 94- remain closed. Opening of switch '90 prevents energization of the hot water solenoid regardless of the position of pressure sensitive device 70, and opening of switch 89 de-energizes solenoid 75 to permit pump 71 to drain the water outof the tub. After two impulses switch 89. is reclosed together with switch- 91. The closing of switch89 re-energizes solenoid 75 to prevent further draining of water from tub 12, and theclosing of switch 91 energizes cold water solenoid 65 to. cause it to fill the tub until pressure sensitive device opens that circuit.

At the endof the rinse operation, at the sixteenth impulse, switches 89 and 9 1 are opened so that thewater is drained again out ofthe tub and solenoid 65 remains de-energized regardless of thereturn to engagement position of the pressure sensitive device 70. After two more impulses a second rinse is provided by closing switches 89, 90 and 91. The closing of switch 89 again causes draining to stop, while the closing of switches 90 and 91 cause both hot and cold water to be provided as the result of the energization of bothsolenoids 64 and 65, until pressure sensitive device'70 causes their de-energization.

After 23 impulses, switch 89, 90 and 91 are opened to cause draining of the water and to insure continued .deenergization of solenoids 64 and 65. This continues for two impulses to complete draining, at which time the washing and rinsing operation of the complete sequence is substantially complete.

At this point, the secondoperation, that of extracting a substantial amount of water from the clothes by high speed rotation of the receptacle is provided by the clos: ing of contact 86. This. causes energization of motor 52; since button 8 is in the up position the circuit to solenoid 62 remains open. With the motor 52 energized and with solenoid-62 tie-energized, the motor pulls the adjustable sheave assembly 26 over the right (as viewed in Figure 2) until it strikes the member 63 at which point, with continued energization' of the motor, the sheave assembly remains in that position to give a spin operation at about 210 rpm. This continues for a suitable period and, as will be noted the water so extracted is drained out by the pump inasmuch as solenoid is not energized.

Shortly before the end of the spin operation timer motor closes switch 87 so that, where the contact 102 is closed asis the case when lever 8 has not been depressed, conductor 101 is connected to conductor 96 both through switch 88 and through switch 87.

At the end of the spin operation, after approximately 28 impulses of the timer motor, switches 86 and 88 open. Reopening of switch 86 de-energizes, motor 52 and as a result spring 45-causes the sheave assembly 26 to be pulled back. to. its extremeleft position to return the basket to tumble speed. The opening of switch 88 opens that particular co'nnection'froin conductor 96 to conductor 101. However, due to the closing of switch 87 and the fact that contact 102 is in closed position, conductor 101 continues to. be. connected to conductor 96, so that the timer motor 86 continues to operate.

Inadditiomswitches 92 and 93 are closed by the timer motor at this time. The closing of switch 93 energizes relay to close contacts 98 and 99 and complete a 230 volt circuit across the heating elements 76 and 77. The closing of contact 92 completes an energizing circuit for solenoid 79 so that cold water is introduced at a slow rate through opening 83 to flow in a thin sheet down side 84 of the tub. This arrangement causes a suitable heat drying operation'to take place, with the basket tumbling the. clothes as they are heated by elements 76 and 77 .and with the thin sheet of cold water flowingdown wall 84 of the'tub thereby removing a substantial amount of the moisture. The condensing water and the moisture are pumped down the drain since solenoid 75 is not energized. These actions continue. to the full end of the cycle at which time the timer motor first opens switches 92 and 93 to end the heat drying operation and then opens switches 87 and 94 to shut-itself on. This completes the drying operation to finish the sequence; l

g a I It will be seen from the foregoing that the arrangement described has provided a complete sequence consisting of three operations of washing and rinsing, centrifugal extraction, and heat drying.

If, instead of the sequence described, the operator desires to remove the clothes without having them heat dried, she.- initially depresses lever 8 to close contact 103 and open contact 102. The sequence then proceeds exactly as before through the washing and rinsing operation since this operation is not dependent upon the lever 8. At the end of the washing and rinsing operation, the closing of contact 86 not only energizes motor 52 as before, but also causes energization of solenoid 62 since contact 103 is completing a circuit thereto. Energization of solenoid 62 causes it to pull member 63 upwardly out of the path of arm 48 as it is moved to the right by energized motor 52. The motor is thus free to move the sheave assembly 26 to the extreme right hand position so as to provide a centrifugal extraction at a speed of 350 rpm.

At the end of the spin operation, switch 86 is opened to permit the sheave assembly 26 to be returned to the left by spring 45, and to de-energize solenoid 62. Also, it will be recalled that switch 87 has been closed and that at this point switch 88 opens. With lever 8 depressed, contact 102 no longer completes a circuit through switch 87 from conductor 96 to conductor 101. There is therefore no connection at all between conductors 96 and 101 and the entire sequence therefore ceases after the second or spin operation.

It will thus be seen that where the sequence is to consist of only the wash and rinse operation and the spin operation, the provision of solenoid 62 as described makes possible a high speed spin operation which will positively prevent the clothes from dripping when they are handled by the operator. It will further be seen that where the first cycle described is selected, i.e., all three operations are to be provided before the sequence ends, the spin speed is maintained at a low enough value so that sticking of the clothes does not occur. Therefore, the clothes are properly tumbled during the heat drying operation.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and I therefore aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A laundry machine comprising a clothes receptacle rotatable on a non-vertical axis; means for rotating said receptacle at tumbling speed, at a first lower centrifuging speed, and at a second higher centrifuging speed; means for effecting a wash and rinse operation in said receptacle; means for effecting a heat drying operation in said receptacle; control means for said rotating means, said means for effecting said wash and rinse operations and said heating means to provide in sequence first, second and third operations, in the first of which said washing and rinsing means are operated and said receptacle is rotated at tumbling speed during at least part thereof, said receptacle is rotated at one of said centrifuging speeds during at least part of said second operation, and said heating means is operated and said receptacle rotated at tumbling speed during at least part of said third operation; and manually operable means operably asso ciated with said control means and having at least two positions for preselecting a sequence including all three said operations in one position and preselecting a sequence including only said first and second operations in the other position, said control means causing said rotating means to provide said lower centrifuging speed ascents It) for said seeenacperation when said manually operable means is in said one position, said control means causing said rotating means to provide said higher centrifuging speed for said second operation when said manually operable means is in said other position.

2. A laundry machine comprising a clothes receptacle rotatable on a non-vertical axis; means for rotating said receptacle, said rotating means having a first extreme position providing tumbling speed and having a second extreme position providing a relatively high centrifuging speed, said rotating means providing intermediate speeds increasing from said tumbling speed to said relatively high centrifuging speed as it is moved from said first extreme position to said second extremeposition, means for stopping said rotating means intermediate said two extreme positions at a point suitable to provide a rela tively low centrifuging speed for said receptacle; means for effecting a wash and rinse operation in said receptacle; means for effecting a heat drying operation in said receptacle; control means for providing in sequence first, second and third operations, said control means causing operation of said washing and rinsing means and rotation of said receptacle at tumbling speed during at least part of said first operation, said control means causing movement of said rotating means towards said second extreme position to cause rotation of said receptacle at a centrifuging speed during at least part of said second operation, said control means causing operation of said heating means and a return of said rotating means to said first extreme position thereby to rotate said receptacle at tumbling speed during at least part of said third operation; and manually operable means associated with said control means and having at least two positions, said manually operable means preselecting a sequence in cluding all three said operations in one position and preselecting a sequence including only said first and second operations in the other position, said control means causing said stopping means to prevent said rotating means from moving to its second extreme position there by to provide said lower centrifuging speed for said second operation when said manually operable means is in said one position, said control means precluding said stopping means from stopping said rotating means whereby said rotating means is moved to its second extreme position to provide said higher centrifuging speed for said second operation when said manually operable means is in said other position.

3. The apparatus defined in claimed 2 wherein said stopping means comprises an electrical solenoid member and a member movable from a first position to a second position by said solenoid member when energized, said movable member stopping said rotating means from moving to said second extreme position when said solenoid is de-energized and permitting said rotating means to move said second extreme position when said solenoid member is energized, said solenoid being de-energized by said manually operable means in said one position and being energized by said manually operable means in said other position.

4. A laundry machine comprising a clothes receptacle rotatable on a horizontal axis; means for rotating said receptacle comprising an adjustable sheave belt transmission assembly, said rotating means rotating said receptacle at tumbling speed in a first extreme position of said adjustable sheave assembly, at a relatively high centrifuging speed at the second extreme position of said adjustable sheave assembly, and at intermediate speeds for intermediate positions of said adjustable sheave assembly; water supply means for supplying water to said receptacle; heating elements adjacent said receptacle for effecting a heat drying operation in said receptacle; control means for providing in sequence first, second and third operations, said control means causing operation of said water supply means and rotation of said receptacle bysaid rotating means with said adjustable sheave as sembly in said first extreme positionduring at least part of said first operation, said control means causing movement of said adjustable sheave assembly toward'said second extreme position during at least part of said sec- 0nd operation, said control means causing energization of said heating elements and rotation of said receptacle by said rotating means with said sheave assembly in said first extreme position during at least part of said third operation; manually operable means associated with said control means and having at least two positions, said manually operable means preselecting a sequence including all three said operations in one position and prese'lecting a sequence including only said first and second'operations in the other position; and stop means controlled by said manually operable means, said stop means'being movable to and from a Position to prevent movementofi said adjustable sheave assembly past a predetermined intermediate point at which a relatively low centrifuging speed is provided when said adjustable sheave assembly is moved toward said second extreme position, said control means causing said stop means to be moved to said preventive position thereof when said 10 operable means is in said other position.

References Cited in-the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 2,760,639 'Hav'erstock Aug. 28, 1956 2,895,320 Long July 21 1959

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