GB2202014A

GB2202014A - Concertina-type seal for a clothes washing machine

Info

Publication number: GB2202014A
Application number: GB08805238A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Luciano Lorenzetti; Piero Durazzani
Original assignee: Industrie Zanussi SpA
Current assignee: Industrie Zanussi SpA
Priority date: 1987-03-05
Filing date: 1988-03-04
Publication date: 1988-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2008-03-04
Also published as: IT8734018V0; GB8805238D0; FR2611757A3; DE8801392U1; GB2202014B; ES1004595Y; IT211723Z2; ES1004595U; FR2611757B3

Abstract

A concertina-type seal for the loading opening of a clothes washing machine is provided with a folded-over circular sleeve portion (7) produced in one piece with first and second terminal lips (8, 9) which are capable of being sealingly applied against a corresponding raised circular edge of the respective openings in the casing and the tub of the machine, the latter lip involving the fitting of at least one circular clamping ring. The circular sleeve portion (7) and said first and second terminal lips (8, 9) are formed by a non-vulcanised rubber with thermoplastic characteristics and there is provided a separate annular fixing element (21) co-operating with said first terminal lip (8) to lock it in position. The annular fixing element (21) is of a section formed by an inclined leg (22) and a vertical leg (23) which are connected with a horizontal leg (24); said legs (22, 23, 24) can be respectively fitted against a corresponding inclined part (14) of said first terminal lip (8), the corresponding vertical surface of said casing (1) and a further horizontal part (15) of said first lip (8) which is connected to said inclined part (14). <IMAGE>

Description

CONCERTINA-TYPE SEAL FOR A CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE The present invention relatesto a concertina-type seal for a clothes washing machine, which is capable of being connected between the corresponding openings in the casing and the tub to permit access to the drum of such a machine.

At the present time the concertina-type seal which forms the loading opening of a clothes washing machine is formed by a single component of synthetic rubber which is shaped in such a way as to provide a circular folded-over sleeve portion and two circular lips which are disposed at the respective ends of the circular sleeve portion, the lips being greater in thickness than the sleeve portion so that they can be sealingly applied against the corresponding raised circular edges of the respective openings in the casing and the tub of the machine, the latter lip involving the fitting of a circular clamping ring.

The concertina-type seal in question is reliable in operation, while also ensuring an effective sealing connection between the casing and the tub, but it must be produced with a substantial wall thickness and thus uses a substantial amount of material, in order to be able to withstand the corrosive action of the washing bath and the dynamic forces acting thereon from the tub-drum unit of the machine during operation of the drum at the various washing and spin speeds.In addition, fitting such a concertinatype seal in position is found to be a difficult operation which is not very convenient in a practical situation since each lip thereof has to be opened out beforehand to a sufficient extent to permit the corresponding circular edge to be passed into the associated recess provided in the lip, and subsequently it has to be pressed sufficiently against that circular edge, thereby to provide effective interengagement of those components.

According to the present invention, there is provided in a clothes washing machine, a concertina-type seal for the loading openings of the clothes washing machine, the seal being provided with a folder-over circular sleeve portion produced in one piece with first and second terminal lips which are capable of being sealingly applied against a corresponding raised circular edge of the respective openings in the casing and the tub of the machine in the latter case, by the fitting of at least one circular clamping ring, the circular sleeve portion and the first and second terminal lips being formed by a non-vulcanised rubber with thermoplastic characteristics and there being provided a separate annular fixing element co-operating with said first terminal lip to lock it in position.

The above disadvantages are eliminated in accordance with the invention by means of a concertina-type seal made from an elastic material with a high level of resistance to the corrosive action of the washing bath and to the mechanical stresses produced, such as to make it possible to reduce the wall thickness and thus the level of consumption of material in comparison with present-day concertina-type seals, wherein the seal can also be fitted quickly and without difficulty on the corresponding circular edges of the respective openings in the casing and the tub of the clothes washing machine.

The invention will be further described by way of nonlimitative example with reference to the accompanying single drawing figure showing a sectional view in the longitudinal direction of a portion of a clothes washing machine incorporating a concertina-type seal embodying the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, the clothes washing machine in question essentially comprises a casing 1 provided with a front opening 2 which can be closed by means of a portholetype door (not shown) and a washing tub 3 provided with an access openingtat a position corresponding to the above mentioned opening, said tub containing a rotating drum 5 for the laundry, said machine also comprising the concertinatype seal 6 according to the invention.

ore particularly the seal constitutes the loading opening of the clothes washing machine

introducing laundry into and removing laundry form the#drum, and it is provided with a circular sleeve portion 7 which is folded over into a concertina-like shape, and two terminal lips 8 and 9 which are made in one piece with the circular sleeve portion, using a thermoplastic rubber, that is to say a non-vulcanised rubber having thermoplastic characteristics, which is a material having a high level of resistance to the corrosive action of the washing bath contained in the tub of the clothes washing machine.

Solely by way of example, a suitable thermoplastic rubber of that kind is produced by onsanto Co, under the trade mark Santoprene.

As will be described hereinafter, the terminal lips 8 and 9 are shaped in such a way as to be applied against the to ti corresponding raised circular edges ti and @ of the respective openings 2 and 4 in the casing 1 and the tub 3, in such a way as to ensure that this concertina-type seal is fixed sealingly between the casing and the tub.

For that purpose, the terminal lip 8 of the seal is of circular shape and has two elongate portions 12 and 13 which are connected to the circular sleeve portion 7 and which are extended in two opposite directions and inclined tin a transverse direction with respect to the sleeve portion. In particular the elongate portion 12 is of substantially constant section and is of a length such that it can be caused to bear with a first part 14 against the outside surface of the raised edge 1C and is bent over horizontally towards the casing 1 in regard to a second part 15 of the portion 12. In turn, the other elongate portion 13 is of a section similar to the portion 12 and is extended towards the opening 2 in the casing 1 in such a way as to form the conventional front support surface for the porthole-type door (not shown) of the clothes washing machine.

In addition, the terminal lip 9 of this seal is of circular shape and is of a U-shaped curved section which can be fitted into a corresponding seat provided in the raised circular edge 11 of the tub 3, wherein that lip is thus fixed in position by means of a conventional circular clamping ring 16 which is fitted into the cavity in the lip.

Finally, that lip is connected to the circular sleeve portion 7 of the seal in such a way as to define a rectangular recess 17 which is of such dimensions as to permit the fitting thereto of a separate annular element 18 of plastics material which is of L-shaped cross-section formed by two legs 19 and 20. The legs in particular are of such dimensions as to be fitted respectively against the front surface of the circular edge 11 and in the recess 17 in the lip 9, and against the circumferential surface of the edge defining the opening 4 of the tub 3. The annular element 18 is also provided with a circular opening 25 which coincides with the access opening 26 of the drum 5, and a series of circular through holes 27 of small diameter which are distributed along the circumference and which are provided in the vicinity of the leg 19 of the element 18.

The purpose of the annular element 18 which is disposed at a small spacing relative to the front surface of the bent-over rim configuration of the access opening25 of the drum 5, is to prevent laundry and any foreign bodies (buttons etc) contained in the drum from being able to pass into the tub, by passing through the access opening 26.

Equally, the presence of the holes 27 in the annular element 18 permits the water which collects in the folds of this concertina-type seal to return to the interior of the tub 3, thereby preventing leakage to the outside of the water when the door of the machine is open.

The above-described concertina-type seal is fixed in position by engaging the leg 19 of the element 18 into the recess 17 and the U-shaped region of the terminal lip 9 into the corresponding seat in the circular edge 11 and then fitting the annular element 18 in position. At the same time, the clamping ring 16 is disposed in the cavity of the U-shaped region of the lip 9 and clamped against the lip in such a way as to prevent it from becoming disengaged from the circular edge 11, further ensuring a sealing connection between the concertina-type seal and the tub 3.

In turn the terminal lip 8 of the seal in question is sealingly fixed on the corresponding circular edge 10 of the casing 1 of the machine, using a further separate annular element 21 of plastics material which is of a cross-section formed by an inclined leg 22 and a vertical leg 23 which can be respectively fitted against the corresponding inclined surface of the part 14 of the terminal lip 8 and the corresponding vertical surface of the casing 1, and also comprising a horizontal leg 24 connected to the abovementioned legs and being such that it can be fitted against the horizontal part 15 of the lip.The concertina-type seal, by virtue of being formed by the above-mentioned thermoplastic rubber which is an elastic material having a high level of resistance to the dynamic forces produced by the tub-drum unit of the machine, can be made with a constant and reduced wall thickness, with the result that it involves a lower level of consumption of material in comparison with the present-day seals of synthetic rubber, while in addition it can be produced directly by means of injection moulding, using conventional machines for processing plastics materials, rather than specific machines for processing rubber.

In addition the seal can be fitted in position in a simple fashion which is convenient in a practical situation, using the above-mentioned annular elements 18 and 21.

That fact also makes it possible to provide for diS-erentiaWed aesthetic aspects in regard to clothes washing machines, by making the seal and the above-mentioned annular elements in various colours and by combining them together in different ways.

Finally, it should be noted that the present seal may also be fitted to top-loading clothes washing machines, with the same criteria as described above, without thereby departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. In a clothes washing machine, a concertina-type seal for the loading openings of the clothes washing machine, the seal being provided with a folder-over circular sleeve portion produced in one piece with first and second terminal lips which are capable of being sealingly applied against a corresponding raised circular edge of the respective openings in the casing and the tub of the machine in the latter case, by the fitting of at least one circular clamping ring, the circular sleeve portion and the first and second terminal lips being formed by a ron-vulcanised rubber with thermoplastic characteristics and there being provided a separate annular fixing element co-operating with said first terminal lip to lock it in position.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the annular fixing element is of a section formed by an inclined leg and a vertical leg which are connected with a horizontal leg, wherein said legs can be respectively fitted against a corresponding inclined part of said first terminal lip, the corresponding vertical surface of said casing and a further horizontal part of said first lip which is connected to said inclined part.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or 2 and comprising a second separate annular fixing element of L-shaped crosssection formed by two legs which ca be respectively fitted against the front surface of the corresponding circular edge and into a recess of said second terminal lip, and against the circumferential surface of said edge, which defines the opening of said tub, said annular fixing element also being provided with a circular opening which coincides with the opening in the drum and a series of through holes which are distributed around the circumference of said element and which are disposed in the vicinity of said leg.

4. A clothes washing machine incorporating a concertinatype loading-opening seal, the seal being constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.