673,021. Wringers. BRITISH THOMSONHOUSTON CO., Ltd. Dec. 13, 1949 [Dec. 24, 1948], No. 31990/49. Class 138 (ii). In a power-driven wringer of the kind having roll drive mechanism mounted in a head 6 and movable by a control handle 33 or the like between driving and neutral positions, a frame 3 carrying the rolls 1, 2, and means for moving the drive gearing from the driving to the neutral position when the frame is moved relative to the head under the instinctive emergency reaction of the user, spring- loaded means is arranged normally to retain the drive mechanism in driving or neutral position, and a member 41 is shiftable with the frame and overcomes the spring and moves the gearing positively from the driving to the neutral position when the frame is moved in a direction opposite to that of the clothes passing through the rolls. The control handle 33 (shown in full lines in neutral position in Fig. 2) is mounted on a shaft 31 and has a driving link 48 secured to it, and this link is connected by a pair of drag links 49, 50 to a cam plate 43. Cam plate 43 is pivoted to the wringer head 7 by means of a pin 44, and has inclined abutments 45, 46 and a cam slot 47. A toggle spring 51 is anchored at its lower end 52 to the wringer head and at its upper end to a trolley 53 which has a pin 54 sliding in the cam slot 47. This provides a " snap " action for the handle 33 and tends to maintain the handle in neutral or in either of the operating positions. This action is assisted by providing the control shaft 31 with a pair of index balls 39 which resiliently engage in any one of three pairs of complementary index sockets 40. The frame 3 is pivoted. to the.head 6 by studs 9, 10 and is normally maintained in a fixed position relative to the head by a pair of compression springs 13 (only one shown). If clothes being fed through the rolls are pulled outwardly the frame will pivot about the pins 9, 10 and the cam pin 41 carried by a cover-plate 42 on the frame is moved to press against the inclined face 46. The result is to move the cam plate 43 from the dotted to the full line position of Fig. 2 and thus stop the drive to the rolls 1, 2. The drive to the lower roll 2 is through a coupling 14 and crown gear 15 which is selectively driven in opposite directions by pinions 17, 18 constantly meshing with the crown gear and loose on a vertical drive shaft 19. One or other of the pinions 17, 18 is coupled to the shaft 19 by means of a shifting member 26 -having yokes 27, 28 received in annular grooves 29, 30 respectively in gears 17, 18. An eccentric pin 34 carried by the control shaft 31 is received in a horizontal slot in the member 26. Thus by moving the handle 33 in opposite directions through an angle of about 30 degrees from the neutral position the member 26 can be shifted up and down to effect a driving connection between clutch teeth 36 on pinion 18 and driving pins 38 on the shaft 19, or between clutch teeth 35 on pinion 17 and driving pins 37 on shaft 19. Specification 634,333 is referred to.