GB2043704A - Machine for washing or drying laundry - Google Patents

Abstract

A washing and/or drying machine comprises a rotatable drum (1) having an access opening (2) closable by shutters (3, 4) pivoted on hinges (5, 6) which are parallel to the axis of the drum and exterior to the drum, the shutters being resiliently urged open. The adjacent ends of the shutters are held closed by a bent end (9) of spring plate (8) on the shutter (4) engaging in a slot (7), Fig. 1 (not shown), in the shutter (3). When the shutters (3, 4) and an external door (18) are open, rotation of the drum (1) in direction of arrow (16) is prevented by the end (9) catching on an abutment (14) and rotation in the reverse direction is prevented by the shutter (4) pivoting in its opening direction and the end (9) catching on an abutment (15). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Machine for washing or drying laundry, comprising an improved drum The invention relates to a machine for washing or drying clothes or other laundry comprising an improved drum, and more particularly to such a machine in which the opening of the drum is provided with shutters having a closing device ensuring, besides closing, a blocking from rotation of the drum in the open position.

Such machines generally comprise a drum turning inside a chamber, both being furnished with an access opening, the opening in the drum being provided with a pair of shutters articulated on hinges oriented along the generatrices of the cylinder formed by the drum, these shutters being returned to the open position by spring devices. There exist several types of devices to keep these shutters in the closed position.

One such device is constituted by a lateral locking mechanism comprising two bolts which can move along one generatric of the drum at the level of the free longitudinal edges of the shutters which come face to face with each other in the closed position.

This device has the disadvantage of needing both the users hands to open the drum.

In another type of device, the shutters are hooked together by their ends which meet up in the closed position. The operation of opening this device is carried out by pressing on the shutters so as to make them move into the drum and to permit disengage mentofthe mutual catching of the two ends of the shutters. This device has several disadvantages which cannot be accepted especially with modern fast drying machines where the washing is urged forcefully against the walls of the drum. First of all the fact of being obliged to make the shutters move into the drum necessitates giving them a size less than that of the opening in the drum which risks tearing any item of washing wedged in the space created by the gap between drum and shutter.Then the movement of the shutters, now inside now outside the drum, leads to having directly in contact with the washing from which there is also the risk of damage. Finally, after rapid drying, the laundry can remain stuck to the periphery of the drum and, in particular, against the shutters. At the moment of stopping the shutters could open inwards before the drum has completely stopped, when it is in a bad position, thus making possible a displacement of the laundry between the drum and the chamber, elsewhere than facing the opening in the chamber.

The object of the invention is a machine which does not have these disadvantages.

According to the invention the surface area of the shutters is greater than the surface area of the drum access opening and the shutters comprise, at their free end, a device for mutual catching or interlocking independent of the drum.

It is seen that, with this arrangement, items of laundry cannot escape by the gap which would have existed between shutter and drum if the dimensions of the shutters had been less than the dimensions of the drum opening. Also, the hinges which are disposed outside the drum do not risk damaging the laundry. Finally it is unnecessary to provide a device to prevent the shutters from opening inwards.

The operation of opening the catching device is obtained solely by the pressure of one finger on a flexible plate.

According to another feature of the invention, the mutual catching device is constituted on the first shutter by a slot situated adjacent its free end and oriented parallel to the axis of the drum and on the second shutter by a plate, of which one end is bent outwards with respect to the axis of the drum and of which the other end is articulated on the second shutter, the bent end of the plate being situated substantially at the free end of the second shutter, facing the slot of the first shutter when in the closed position, a spring device tending to separate the plate from the second shutter.

It is desirable that in the course of the loading and unloading operations the drum does not turn, so as to avoid the laundry items becoming wedged between the drum and the chamber. For this purpose it is not essential totally to prevent all movement of the drum in the position where the openings of the drum and the chamber are exactly facing each other, but it is arranged that the ends of the shutters cannot pass the position where they bear against the walls of the opening in the chamber, in one direction or the other. This is done by providing the corresponding wall with an abutment on which can engage in one direction or the other the end of the plate fixed on a shutter.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the wall of the access opening into the chamber, against which the second shutter comprising the bent plate bears when it is in the open position, has a stop of which the position and shape corresponds to those of the bent end of the plate, by which the bent end catches on this stop in both directions of rotation of the drum.

The access opening to the chamber has a size such that, in one position or another of the drum, the first shutter always bears against the opposite side of the chamber opening wall. It is seen that, with this arrangement, from the moment when the drum access is open the space between the chamber and the drum is inaccessible and items of laundry cannot slip into this space.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the drum of one embodiment of washing machine according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the drum showing the shutters in the open position (dashed lines) and in the closed locked position (solid lines), and Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections of the drum showing the device for blocking the rotation of the drum.

Referring to the drawings, a rotatable drum 1 comprises an opening 2 and first and second shutters 3 and 4, pivotable respectively about two hinges 5 and 6 oriented along generatrices of the cylinder which forms the drum.

The dimensions of these shutters are such that, in the closed position, these shutters cover the opening 2 and can not pivot towards the interior of this opening.

A resilient return system tends to urge the shutters to the open position shown in dashed lines in Fig. 2.

The first shutter, shutter 3, has a slot-like opening 7 of elongated shape, situated adjacent its free end.

The second shutter, shutter 4, has a spring plate 8, bent outwards at its end 9. This plate can pivot about an axis 10 and a spring 11 exerts a rotational torque on the plate 8 which tends to separate the bent end of this plate from the shutter 4.

The plate 8 comprises one or more stop devices 12 for blocking the other side of the bent end with respect to the pivotal axis 10. These stops limit the maximum rotation of the plate 8 in a direction which corresponds to a spacing of the bent part 9 with respect to the shutter 4.

The operation of the locking device is as follows: When the machine is stopped and one wishes to obtain access of the interior of the drum, the cover of the chamber 18 is opended (Figures 3 and 4), the opening 2 of the drum is brought opposite the access opening in the chamber of the machine, defined by walls 13 and 19. The locking system being in the position shown by solid lines in Fig.2, it is sufficient in order to unlock the system, to press on the plate 8 against the force exerted by the spring 11.

The bent part, which is engaged in the opening 7 of the shutter 3, then moves aside and frees the shutter 3 which opens under the action of a spring return device provided at the region of the hinge 5. At the same time, the shutter 4 tends to open under the action of a spring return device provided at the region of the hinge 6. In Fig. 2, these shutters have been shown in the open position in dashed lines.

To close the drum, first of all the shutter 4 is brought to the closed position, then the shutter 3, which presses against the plate 8 and causes it to pivot so that the bent part 9 can penetrate into the opening 7 of the shutter 3. Once this part 9 is engaged in the opening 7, one then stops pressing on the shutter 3 and the plate 8 which is caused to rise under the action of the spring 11, locks the system.

The shape of disposition of the plate 8 forms an automatic locking of the shutters in proportion as the speed of rotation of the drum increases. In effect, the centrifugal force which the laundry exerts on the locking system tends to block the bent part 9 of the plate 8 in the opening 7.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a device for blocking the rotation of the drum when the shutters are open. This device prevents the open drum from turning and washing from falling to the bottom of the chamber.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the operation of this blocking device. On the wall 13 of the access opening of the chamber are formed two protruding stops or abutments 14 and 15, on which the edge 9 of the spring plate 8 can engage and which are oriented respectively horizontally towards the interior of the opening and vertically upwards.

In the case of rotation in the direction of the arrows 16 in Fig. 3, the edge 9 of the plate 8 will catch on the stop 14 and the drum is thus blocked from rotating in the direction of the arrow 16.

In the case of rotation in the direction of the arrow 17, the shutter 4 pivots in the direction of opening under the action of the spring return device and the edge of the plate 8 will catch on the stop 15 and the drum will be stopped from rotating in the direction of the arrow 17.

According to a further embodiment, the two stops 14 and 15 are replaced by a single stop 20 the shape and protrusion of which is such that the stop 20 can engage the edge 9 whatever the direction of rotation of the drum, a characteristic of the invention being that the bent end 9 of the plate 8 which penetrates into the slot 7 is the same one which catches in the stop or stops 14, 15 or 20.

To the advantages already indicated for this invention can be added the fact the opening of the drum and its immobilisation only require a single operation; namely pressure on the plate 8, whereas in previous applications, immobilisation of the drum necessitates execution of a special operation and interlocking of a bolt, which is integral with the drum, in a recess provided for this purpose on the chamber.

Claims (7)

1. A machine for washing or drying laundry items comprising a drum rotatably mounted in a chamber, both the drum and the chamber having access openings which can be brought opposite each other, wherein the access opening into the drum can be closed by two shutters which are external to the surface of the drum and mounted on hinges oriented along generatrices of the drum, the free end regions of said shutters which lie adjacent to each other when the shutters are closed being provided with interengaging means which are independent of the drum and which can be operated by simple finger pressure.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the free end region of one shutter is provided with an opening which can be engaged by a hook portion mounted on the free end region of the other shutter.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the hook portion is formed at one end of a plate pivotally mounted on said other shutter and including a spring means for urging said hook portion away from the adjacent surface of said other shutter, the other end of said plate forming a stop which engages the surface of said other shutter to limit the action of said spring means.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1,2, or 3, including means for urging said shutters to the open position.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, in which a wall of the opening into the chamber is provided with stop means which can be engaged by said hook portion mounted on said other shutter, when said other shutter is in the open position, in order to prevent rotation of the drum in either direction.

6. Machine for washing or drying laundry, comprising a drum rotatable inside a chamber, both the drum and the chamber being furnished with an access opening, the opening in the drum being closed by a cover having a surface area greater than that of the opening and formed by two shutters pivotable about hinges oriented along generatrices of the drum and furnished with spring devices returning them to the opening position, wherein the shutters comprise a closing system constituted, on the one hand, by a plate pivotally mounted adjacent one of its ends on one of these shutters and resiliently spaced from this shutter by a spring to a position defined by a stop device, and having its other end bent outwards in the shape of a hook and, on the other hand, an opening formed in the second shutter which engages, upon closure of these shutters, the bent end of said plate by pivoting the latter against the spring until the bent end of the plate engages in the opening.

7. Amachineforwashing ordrying laundry items substantiially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.