735,185. Washing and drying machines. BEATTY BROS., Ltd. Aug. 20, 1951 [Aug. 19, 1950], No. 19628/51. Class 138 (2). An automatic washing-machine comprises a flexible wall 25 normally lying against the inside of a container 18 and defining a con. tractible compartment in which the clothes are maintained during the washing, rinsing and drying operations, means (A) for agitating the clothes during washing and rinsing operations, a valve-controlled opening 165 for admitting rinse water at the bottom of the compartment to rinse the clothes and to discharge the washing liquid and suspended and floating foreign matter through an upper drain outlet, means (128) separate from the agitating means for retarding the mixing of the rinsing liquid with the washing liquid, and means for contracting the compartment to expel liquid from the compartment after rinsing and to damp dry the clothes. Container construction.-The flexible wall 25 is formed with a thickened lower rim 26 received in registering grooves in plates 27, 29 which are secured together. Overlying the inlet 165 is an umbrella or water spreader 128 having sloping walls with perforations 129a to distribute the water evenly in all directions. An air vent 131 allows air to escape from between the container 18 and wall 25 but prevents the passage of air therethrough (see Fig. 6, not shown). The upper rim of the wall 25 is thickened and gripped between the edge of the container and a pressure ring 35. The inner rim of the ring 35 is formed with four equally spaced recesses, the sections of the rim between the recesses being slightly inclined downwardly in a clockwise direction. A perforated cover 138 has four similarly inclined sections which can be engaged with the recesses in the ring 35, and the cover locked in position by rotating it through 90 degrees. Drive mechanism.-The agitator A is oscillated by means of a toothed quadrant 126 which engages a pinion 125 and is driven through suitable mechanism by a motor 13. The pinion is movable into and out of driving engagement with a clutch member 127 on the agitator shaft 111 by means of a forked member 260 which engages a groove in the pinion. The forked member 260 is on a rod 259 moved vertically by a control arm 258 on a shaft 257 which is actuated by a cam in a timer unit 15. Water supply and discharge.-The top of the container 18 has a drain trough 19 provided with an outlet 164 connected to a drain pump 14 by a pipe 164a. A baffle plate 163 prevents back surges of water from splashing over the trough 19 into the container 18. The inlet side of the pump 14 is also connected to the drain 207 of a valve assembly 16, and the pump discharges to waste through a flexible hose 164b. Water is supplied to a valve body 141 through an inlet 142 and passed to the valve assembly 16 through a pipe 143. Associated with the inlet 142 is a vacuum breaker valve (Fig. 5, not shown). A ball-cock 152 shuts off the water supply in the event of a power failure to prevent overflow. The valve assembly 16 comprises a squeeze valve, a squeeze drain valve, a rinse valve and a container drain valve (Figs. 12, 13, not shown). The rinse water inlet 165 is used as a drain outlet during the last part of the drying operation, which is performed by admitting water under pressure through a pipe 249 and inlet 166 to the space between the flexible wall 25 and container 18. Timing mechanism (Fig. 7). This comprises a shaft 229 on which are mounted the cam for operating the clutch 127, four cams for the valves in the valve assembly 16, index and ratchet plates, and a drive plate 225. The index plate is formed with, e.g. 40 teeth. The ratchet plate is slightly greater in diameter than the index plate, is rotatably mounted on .the shaft 229, and is provided with 39 shallow teeth and one deep tooth. The drive plate 225 carries a pawl 236 which engages the teeth of the ratchet plate and, after each complete revolution of the ratchet plate, engages a tooth of the index plate when the pawl enters the deep tooth on the ratchet plate, and moves the index plate and cams one increment. The drive plate 225 is reciprocated in unison with the agitator by means of an eccentric hub 238 and connecting rod 239. An indicator dial 8 is rotated with the cam assembly by means of a chain 241 and wheels 242, 243. The desired cycle can be selected by means of a handle 9 connected to the cam assembly through levers 247, 248 and a drive plate 245 carrying a pawl 246 which engages a second index plate 228 on the shaft 229. Operation.-The container 18 is filled manually with water to the load mark 116 with the dial 8 registering " off ". The dial is then turned to the number of minutes desired for washing. This period may be' extended by turning off the water pressure before the end of the wash period, resetting the dial 8, and then turning on the water again. At the end of the wash period a cam actuates the rinse valve and rinse water is admitted through inlet 165. The dirty water overflows and is carried away through the drain pipe 164a, pump 14 and drain 164b. The water spreader 128 prevents mixing of the cold rinse water with the hot wash water. One increment before the end of the rinsing operation the pinion 125 is raised out of engagement with the clutch 127 to stop the agitator. Cams then close the rinse valve and open the squeeze valve to allow water to enter the inlet 166 and expel the rinse water through the cover 138. If the tap pressure is below 40 lbs. a pump 36 increases it to this value. Any water trapped below the agitator is discharged when the container drain valve opens towards the end of the squeezing operation, a breather pipe 168 allowing air to enter through an opening in the inlet 165. The container drain valve is closed one increment before the squeeze drain valve is opened, and the squeeze valve is closed one increment after the squeeze drain valve is opened so that squeezing pressure is maintained for one increment after the drain valve is opened. Finally an arm carried by one of the cams opens a switch to stop the motor 13. Specifications 643,486, 654,254, 688,872 and 735,217 are referred to.