GB657700A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for extracting liquid from clothes and likearticles - Google Patents

Abstract

657,700. Washing and drying apparatus. KAHN, L. M. Aug. 26, 1948, Nos. 22523/48 and 19804/49. [Class 138 (ii)] Apparatus for washing and extracting liquid from clothes or like articles comprises a container adapted to receive the articles and provided with a piston member 6 which is advanced into the container to reduce the space available for the articles and locked against return movement from such advanced position, and at least one inflatable bag or membrane 9 adapted when inflated to reduce the space still further and squeeze liquid from the articles. The bags or membranes may be mounted on the surface of the piston (Fig 3) or on the end wall of the container itself (Fig. 7) or even on the side walls thereof. They may be inflated by means of air or water, being made of canvas, rubber, or a rubberized or waterproofed material. The apparatus may be incorporated in a washing machine, comprising as in Fig. 3, an outer container 1 having a water inlet 2 and outlet 3, and an agitator 4. The clothes or other articles 5a are placed in an inner perforated container 5 containing also a piston 6 and hollow piston-rod 7 through which liquid under pressure may be supplied to the bag member 9. A spring 10 returns the bag 9 to its collapsed state when the pressure is released. A number of pivoted locking pawls 8 biassed by spring or other yielding means lock the piston against upward movement while leaving it free to move downwardly. The pawls may engage with sawtooth ratchets accommodated in grooves in the wall. Alternatively they may be replaced by locking bolts adapted to engage holes or rounded recesses in the wall. The container may be free of perforations in its lower part, or the perforations in the lower part may be in the form of longitudinal slots which do not present any transverse edges that might damage the clothes. In a modification (Fig. 6) the inner container is omitted and the piston slides in the container 1 which is provided with a perforated false bottom 12. The agitator 4 is in a recess 14 which may be covered by a perforated plate (not shown) or the piston may carry a metal shield plate 13 to protect the bag member 9. In another construction (Fig. 7) the clothes are washed and then dried in a container 15 rotatably mounted inside a housing 16. A piston member 23 is connected by means of a thrust sleeve 27 to a hydraulic piston 28, the connection being such as to permit rotation of the member 23 relative to the sleeve. A pump 49 supplies liquid to one end or the other of a cylinder 29 in which the piston works, by means of a change-over valve 30, which at the same time causes liquid from the opposite end to be discharged through a drain pipe 31 to a reservoir 32. The other end of the container 15 is supported by a stub axle 33 having an internal bore 34 through which liquid under pressure is supplied from the pump to a bag 36. A change-over valve 35 allows the bore 34 to be alternatively connected to an outlet pipe 44, the bag 36 being returned to its collapsed state by means of springs 37 and a protecting plate 48 which may be perforated and/or provided with draining grooves. The piston 23 is provided with locking bolts 25 co-operating with saw-tooth racks 26 located in grooves in the washing ribs 17. The bolts 25 are connected by a toggle arrangement 40 with a release rod 41 extending through the sleeve 27. The rod 41 is normally urged to an inner position by a spring 42, and has fixed to it a collar 43 which rests against the outer surface of the piston 28. The piston 23 is retracted to its outermost position by admitting liquid under pressure to the inner side of the piston 28. This causes the piston 28 to exert a pull on the collar 43 and withdraw the rod 41 and locking bars 25 before a flange 27a on the thrust sleeve 27 engages lugs 23a on the piston 23 to retract the latter. In order to extract water from the clothes the piston member 23 is first advanced by admitting liquid to the far end of the cylinder 29 and then inflating the bag member, while the container 15 is still being rotated. The rotation causes the articles to be compacted to form a body of substantially uniform density throughout the cross-section of the drum. After extraction of the water the bag 36 is deflated and the piston member retracted, the drive being continued until the clothes in the container have become loose by tumbling about therein. They may then be removed through a cover 21 and inner door 22. If the drive is discontinued before the return of the piston 23, the latter can be withdrawn after suitable setting of the valve 30 by pulling on a knob handle 45 on the rod 41. The axis of the drum may be inclined at an angle of 45 degrees or may be vertical. Means may be provided for limiting the expansion of the bag, e.g. the movement of the plate 38 may be limited by stops on the drum 15 or by connecting it to the end of the drum (or to the piston in Fig. 3) by means of cords or chains. Suction may be applied to assist in the removal of liquid from the squeezed articles. In a further modification the water may be agitated for washing by back and forth, rotary, or other movement of the piston member and/or bag, thus eliminating the provision of a separate agitator.