US2645548A - Cabinet structure for washing machines - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1953 M. A. KREITCHMAN ET AL 2,645,548

CABINET STRUCTURE FOR WASHING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheeti Filed May 21. 1948 i I I I N VEN TORS- July 14, 1953 M. A. KREITCHMAN ET AL 2,645,543

CABINET STRUCTURE FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed May 21, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO EY July 14, 1953 M. A. KREITCHMAN ET AL 2,645,543

CABINET STRUCTURE FOR WASHING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 21. 1948 INVENTORS; Mar/022 An eli/amaze y AT R M. A. KREITCHMAN ETAL 2,645,548

CABINET STRUCTURE FOR WASHING MACHINES July 14, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 21. 1948 INVENTORS; MorfoaA.h'ezl zizzzazz y Wi /61' 110K902? July M, 1953 M. A. KREITCHMAN ET AL 2 6 CABINET STRUCTURE FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed May 21, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented July 14, 1953 UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE CABINET STRUCTURE FOR WASHING MACHINES Application May 21, 1948, Serial No. 28,473

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to washing machines of the type adapted to be driven at centrifugal extraction speed as well as at a slower Washing speed, and is particularly directed to the construction of a cabinet and supporting structure for such machines.

In the copending application of W. C. Bruckman and M. A. Kreitchman, Serial No. 12,983, filed March 4, 1948, and assigned to assignee of this application, a washing machine is described comprising a tub, clothes basket, a motor and a speed change transmission assembled as a unitary structure and mounted on balls to permit freedom of movement thereof, within limits, during washing and fluid extraction speeds. The balls are mounted on bearing surfaces disposed either in a common plane or on a curvature having as its center the imaginary point of suspension of the unitary structure when regarded as a compound pendulum suspended from such point. When the basket has an unbalanced load and is accelerated or decelerated, the unitary structure may tend to gyrate or nutate beyond the predetermined free movement limits of the balls as the speed of the basket passes through the critical range of speed determined by the mass of the structure. While the snubbing of these nutations is short in duration the vibratory forces thereof must be satisfactorily absorbed by the cabinet and supports for the washing machine.

While the tub and basket may be mounted with the spin axis disposed vertically or horizontally, the preferred arrangement disclosed in the aforesaid copending application is about 40 to the horizontal. This angular relationship of the basket together with clothes lifting and scrubbing vanes insure ideal clothes tumbling, scrubbing, compressing and flexing thus resulting in a most efficient washing action.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved cabinet and support for a washing machine of the character described above, capable of absorbing or withstanding any vibratory forces that may be produced by the worst eccentric loading that may occur in the loading of a washing machine; and to so absorb the same with a minimum of cabinet vibration.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cabinet wherein the panels are braced by and form a part of the structure supporting the tubbasket assembly.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the 2 invention itself will behest understood, by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a sectional view in elevation with certain parts removed of one form of machine embodying cabinet and support features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the rear body portion of the cabinet with the front portion, tub and basket assembly removed, the view being taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cabinet with the tub and basket assembly removed, taken along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the body portion of the cabinet taken along line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the removable front cabinet portion shown in assembled position in Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing another embodiment of the tub supporting structure; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 'l'! of Fig. 6.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, a washing machine is shown supported in the cabinet in accordance with the disclosure of the aforesaid copending application, the machine comprising a water supporting tub I, approximately frusto-conical in shape, and a perforated basket 2 of similar shape inside and closely spaced with respect to the tub. A centrally located bearing 3 carried by the tub I supports the basket spindle 4. A motor 5 drives the basket through a variable speed transmission 6, two speeds being sufficient for the usual washing and spinning operations. Solenoid-operated valves for admitting water to and draining water from the tub are provided-and when energized sequentially with the speed changing means of the transmission 6, also solenoid-operated, may automatically soak, wash, drain, rinse and spin a charge of clothing and/or other fabrics the desired number of times and in the desired order to complete laundry service. The basket, tub, motor, transmission, and smaller elements are assembled as a rigid unitary structure and are so mounted within a cabinet 1 as to permit a freedom of movement without objectionably vibrating the cabinet.

The cabinet 1 in accordance with our inventlon comprises a main body portion 8 and a front removable portion 9. The body portion comprises a rear panel [0, two side panels H and I2, and a top panel l3. The removable front portion 9 comprises a front panel having upper and lower substantially vertical portions l4 and i5 with an intermediate portion l6 inclined therebetween. The upper front panel portion is provided with two control knobs Hand l8 while the bottom portion is provided with an inspection door opening I9. The intermediate portion I6 is provided with opening and a cover 2! whereby clothes may be introduced and removed from the basket, the door being supported when open in a horizontal position by hinges 22.

The front edges of the side panels I l and I2 of the main body portion are provided with laterally disposed flanges 23 and 24 while the side panels of the removable front portion are likewise provided with laterally disposed flanges as indicated at 25, Fig. 3. The flanges 23 and 24 are provided with holes as indicated at 25 to receive fastening buttons 2! carried by the flanges 25 of the removable body portion 9. The front portion 9 is also provided with toe studs 28 and 29 which are received in openings at the front end of the flanges 23 and 24 of the main body' portion as best indicated in Fig. 3. The top panel [3 of the main body portion 8 is provided with a downwardly projecting flange at the front edge thereof, attached to which is an angle strip 30 which providestherewith a pocket to receive the upper downwardly turned edge 3| of the front panel portion I4. The front portion 9 may thus be removed by lifting it so that the studs 28, 29 and the lip 3| clear the main body portion, the buttons 21, of course, being previously disengaged.

As hereinbefore pointed out, the tub is mounted on balls so that the tub may have a free movement within limits during the washing and fluid extraction operations. As shown in Fig. 1, the tub together with the driving mechanism for the basket contained in the tub are mounted on three balls, 32, 33 and 34 carried on bearing surfaces disposed substantially in a common plane. Each bearing surface over which a ball may roll is defined by an annular abutment 35 which is engaged by the ball should the tub be caused to yrate or nutate beyond a predetermined amount. The balls being of rubber or a rubber substitute such as Butyl provide considerable snubbing resistance to the slippage of the tubacross the balls when the balls are stopped by abutments 35. This condition, however, only occurs for a very short length of time during acceleration and deceleration of the basket when bringing the speed of the basket up to and down from the fluid extraction speed, and then only when passing through the critical range of speed of the tubb'asket mass. The tub is normally centered upon the balls by two springs 36 and 3'! which are suspended from the rear upper corners of the cabinet and two smaller springs, such as the one indicated at 38, Fig. 1, connected to the front removable cabinet portion 9.

During the washing operation and also the through the critical range of speed greater forces to withstand forces resulting from nutations of the tub, we have found that the cabinet when properly designed with a bracing structure to support the balls that the structure will absorbthe vibratory forces during nutation of the tub without any appreciable cabinet vibration. In fact, the vibratory forces are so Well absorbed that the top of the cabinet is remarkably steady throughout.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 it will be seen that the back panel H) of the casing is secured preferably by spot welding to flanges turned in from side panels I and I2 as indicated at 39, Figs. 1 and 3. The panel plate I0 is provided with anangular section 40 at the top to which springs 36 and 31 are anchored. About half way down the cabinet the plate l'll is inclined inwardly at 4|, then extended vertically as indicated. at 42 and thence back with a right angle turn 43 adjacent flanges 39 to which it is secured. The plate It is also welded at its top to the downturned flange 44 of top panel l3.

A bracket 45 is mounted on the box-like portions d|-42 of plate H], the top plate 46 of which forms the bearing surface for the upper ball 32. The bearing surface for ball 33 is provided by a channel member 41, Figs. 2 and 4, which is also secured to the inclined portion 4!, one side flange 48 of which is welded or otherwise secured to the side panel ll of the cabinet. In the vicinity of the abutment 49 which defines the bearing surface of the channel member ll for ball 33 is a strut 50 which extends from the rear side of the plate d! to the back corner of the cabinet where it is received in a foot member 5 l.

The bearing surface for the lowermost ball 3:3

is provided by a plate 52 roughly triangular in shape with a flanged edge to stiffen it for strength. The abutment 53 which defines the bearing surface for ball M is welded to the apex of plate 52. A strut 54 is mounted beneath the bearing surface and is anchored in a foot member 55 at the rear corner opposite the foot member 5|. The forward ends of plate 52 and the channel mem ber ll terminate in foot members 56 and 51, respectively- The cabinet also includes a bottom plate 58 which extends upwardly at the front toe of the cabinet as indicated at 59 for welding connection with lateral flanges 23 and 24. The bottom plate 58 also extends beneath foot members 5|, 55, 56 and 51 and for a short distance up the side and rear panels to which it is welded or otherwise secured.

From the foregoing it is clear that the bearing surfaces for the three balls are disposed substantially in the same plane or at least in parallel planes so that gyratory movement of the tub will follow substantially the action of a compound pendulum supported at a remote imaginary point of the axis of the rotatable basket. As pointed out in the aforesaid copending application, the restriction of movement of the tub to a plane substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the basket greatly minimizes the g ratory' movement of the tub in response to unbalanced loads. While the balls and coa cting bearing surfaces are shown in the present embodiment below the tub, they may obviously be located at points along the side of the tub and if desired divided between the bottom and side locations. More than three balls may also be used.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7 a modified cabinet and ball supporting structure is shown. The cabinet includes a body portion 60, similar to the cabinet portion 8 shown in the embodiment described above, in that it includes back, right and left side and bottom and top panels. The cabinet, however, is strengthened by a diaphragm 6| which extends from adjacent the rear upper corner to the front lower edge thereof. The diaphragm is shaped by known sheet drawing methods so as to have marginal flanges such as indicated at 62, whereby it may be welded or otherwise secured to the panels of the cabinet. The diaphragm is further drawn to form cups 63, 64, and 65 at desired locations to support the balls 32, 33 and 34. The cups are formed adjacent the center cutout of the diaphragm the inner wall of the diaphragm being flanged to add strength to that portion supporting the cups. The cutout is necessarily large so as to accommodate for the driving mechanism mounted on the bottom of the tub.

While both embodiments are shown with three ball supporting cups only, it will be understood, of course, that a greater number may be provided, if desired. It will also be understood that the plane of the bearing surfaces need not be inclined as shown but may be disposed at a different angle or in the horizontal or vertical, if desired. Furthermore, the bearing surfaces need not conform to a single or several parallel planes but may conform to one or more concave surfaces having a center on the axis of rotation of the basket.

While we have described above the principles of our invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of our invention.

We claim:

1. A cabinet for washing machines comprising a body portion having a rear panel and two side panels and supporting means carried at least in part by said rear and said side panels, said supporting means presenting a plurality of fixed parallel plane bearing surfaces inclined at an angle with respect to said rear panel, one adjacent each of said panels, the bearing surface closest to the rear panel being at an elevation higher than the other bearing surfaces and comprising a bracket mounted on the rear panel, one side of said bracket serving as one of said bearing surfaces.

2. In a cabinet according to claim 1, wherein said supporting means further includes a plate extendin from said rear panel adjacent one of said side panels toward the front edge thereof, means providing a bearing surface carried by said plate, another plate disposed adjacent the forward edge of the other of said side panels, and means providing a bearing surface carried by said another plate.

MORTON A. KREITCHMAN. WALTER J. OLSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 929,865 Mahony Aug. 3, 1909 1,005,963 Groat Oct. 17, 1911 1,276,031 Casper Aug. 20, 1918 1,452,242- .Tensen Apr. 17, 1923 1,636,176 Fisher July 19, 1927 1,837,845 Zerbi Dec. 22, 1931 1,882,968 Schenck Oct. 18, 1932 1,952,574 Adams Mar. 27, 1934 2,002,646 Smith May 28, 1935 2,037,151 Safford Apr. 14, 1936 2,217,351 Soderquist Oct. 8, 1940 2,230,345 Bradbury Feb. 4, 1941 2,243,565 Kimball et al May 27, 1941 2,296,257 Breckenridge Sept. 22, 1942 2,296,260 Breckenridge Sept. 22, 1942 2,296,261 Breckenridge et al. Sept. 22, 1942 2,309,940 Douglas Feb. 2, 1943 2,323,765 Haberstump July 7, 1943 2,343,742 Breckenridge Mar. 7, 1944 2,386,788 Geldhof et a1 Oct. 16, 1945 2,414,506 Bowen Jan. 21, 1947

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