GB2145744A

GB2145744A - Clothes washing machine

Info

Publication number: GB2145744A
Application number: GB08419349A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ignacio Erce Ochoa
Original assignee: MAYC SA
Current assignee: MAYC SA
Priority date: 1983-07-28
Filing date: 1984-07-30
Publication date: 1985-04-03
Also published as: GB8419349D0; GB2145744B; IT8453664V0; DE3427839A1; FR2549868A1; ES524529A0; ES8500641A1

Abstract

In a clothes washing machine (1) having a drum (2) which is adapted to be loaded from the top and is rotatably mounted in a frame (4) for incorporation in a standard kitchen unit, the front and rear vibration damping means (3) for the drum are convergent downwardly towards the centre of the machine to permit the lower end of the frame to be inset at the front and rear. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Clothes washing machine This invention relates to clothes washing machines with top loading incorporated into kitchen furniture.

In keeping with the tendency to standardise the fittings of a modern domestic kitchen it has become the practice to dispense with the metal cabinet and incorporate the works of a washing machine in a unit similar to the others with which a kitchen is fitted.

This practice can present problems when it is required to leave a clearance or gap at the base of a unit to allow the insertion of part of a person's foot and thus permit the user to stand closer to the unit. Because of the way they are constructed present-day washing machines lack a clearance at the base and this creates the main problem when it is required to fit the works of a machine into a kitchen unit.

Indeed, known washing machines are usually provided at their lower ends with damping systems which absorb the vibrations of the drum and these systems, whatever their type, extend vertically or are outwardly inclined from the sides of the drum towards the bottom of the frame, thus occupying the space that is left free in other items of kitchen furniture. This problem, though not serious, adversely affects the general appearance of the kitchen considered as a whole and it is the object of the present invention to solve it.

According to the invention, therefore, front and rear vibration damping means are secured at their upper ends to the drum mounting and are downwardly convergent towards their lower ends which are secured to the base of the machine frame. In this way, sufficient space is provided to allow the lower end of the frame to be inset at the front and also at the rear for the passage of electrical leads and supply lines.

For a better understanding of the invention and purely by way of example, the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the incorporation into an ordinary standard kitchen cabinet of a clothes washing machine in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a cross-section, also diagrammatic, through the machine and cabinet shown in Fig. 1.

The drawing shows a clothes washing machine and tumble drier 1 of the type in which the clothes are loaded from the top into a drum or tub 2 rotatable about an axis parallel with the front surface of the machine 1 and tub 2 and having vibration damping means 3 mounted below it at the front and rear, converging downwardly towards the centre and fixed at their lower ends to the base of the machine frame 4.

This downward convergence is such that, as shown in Fig. 2, the distance A between the lower ends of the damping means 3 is less than the distance B between the upper ends of said damping means 3.

In this way, all the space necessary for a recess at the front of the machine and a clearance 5 at the rear is left free, the latter allowing the passage of leads and supply and return lines for the machine.

It is obvious that this downwardly converging arrangement of the vibration damping means for the drum may be applied to any type of washing machine and not just to the one described and shown.

1. A clothes washing machine comprising a drum which is adapted to be loaded from the top and is rotatably mounted in a frame for incorporation in a standard item of kitchen furniture, characterised by front and rear vibration damping means secured at their upper ends to the drum mounting and downwardly convergent towards their lower ends which are secured to the base of the machine frame.

2. A clothes washing machine according to Claim 1, wherein the downward convergence of said damping means is such as to permit the lower end of the frame to be inset at its front and rear.

3. A clothes washing machine, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Clothes washing machine This invention relates to clothes washing machines with top loading incorporated into kitchen furniture. In keeping with the tendency to standardise the fittings of a modern domestic kitchen it has become the practice to dispense with the metal cabinet and incorporate the works of a washing machine in a unit similar to the others with which a kitchen is fitted. This practice can present problems when it is required to leave a clearance or gap at the base of a unit to allow the insertion of part of a person's foot and thus permit the user to stand closer to the unit. Because of the way they are constructed present-day washing machines lack a clearance at the base and this creates the main problem when it is required to fit the works of a machine into a kitchen unit. Indeed, known washing machines are usually provided at their lower ends with damping systems which absorb the vibrations of the drum and these systems, whatever their type, extend vertically or are outwardly inclined from the sides of the drum towards the bottom of the frame, thus occupying the space that is left free in other items of kitchen furniture. This problem, though not serious, adversely affects the general appearance of the kitchen considered as a whole and it is the object of the present invention to solve it. According to the invention, therefore, front and rear vibration damping means are secured at their upper ends to the drum mounting and are downwardly convergent towards their lower ends which are secured to the base of the machine frame. In this way, sufficient space is provided to allow the lower end of the frame to be inset at the front and also at the rear for the passage of electrical leads and supply lines. For a better understanding of the invention and purely by way of example, the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the incorporation into an ordinary standard kitchen cabinet of a clothes washing machine in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a cross-section, also diagrammatic, through the machine and cabinet shown in Fig. 1. The drawing shows a clothes washing machine and tumble drier 1 of the type in which the clothes are loaded from the top into a drum or tub 2 rotatable about an axis parallel with the front surface of the machine 1 and tub 2 and having vibration damping means 3 mounted below it at the front and rear, converging downwardly towards the centre and fixed at their lower ends to the base of the machine frame 4. This downward convergence is such that, as shown in Fig. 2, the distance A between the lower ends of the damping means 3 is less than the distance B between the upper ends of said damping means 3. In this way, all the space necessary for a recess at the front of the machine and a clearance 5 at the rear is left free, the latter allowing the passage of leads and supply and return lines for the machine. It is obvious that this downwardly converging arrangement of the vibration damping means for the drum may be applied to any type of washing machine and not just to the one described and shown. CLAIMS