US1253634A - Operating mechanism for washing-machines. - Google Patents

Description

C. A. SCHWANKE.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8 l9l5.

Patnted Jan 15, 1918.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I INVENTOR Clarehce A. schwanlze BY U Q a ATTORNEY C. A. SCHWANKE. OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES; APPLICATION min occ. s ms 1,253,634. Patented Jan. 15,191&

3 SHEETSSHEET Z- INYENTOR Clarence A.. Schwanke WITNESSES C. A.- SCHWANKE.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. B. 1915.

Patented J an. 15, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Fig. 3.

2 29 v g 12 g & INVENTOFI A Clarence A. Schwanke wmuzsszs I 5 A0. W

ATTORNEY CLARENCE A. SCHWANKE, 0F WILLOW CITY, NORTH DAKOTA.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

I Application filed December 8, 1915. Serial No. 65,724.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, .i LARENG E A. SOI-IWAIN' a citizen of the United States,

residing at 'Willow City, in the county oi Bottinean and State of North Dakota, have .ll'H'l-Blltutl certain new and useful Improvements in Operating Mechanism for Waslr ingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

My present. invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in washing machines am more essentially, to an improved o )erating mechanism therefor; and as its primary object, it contemplates the provision of a novel apparatus of the above nature which is constructed so as to be .eilicicnt in operation and wherein the parts are so arranged whereby they are not likely toget out of order.

A "further ob'ect of my invention is to provide a device 01': the type in question that is extremely simplein construct-ion, strong and durable, and highly practical from both the standpoint of the manufac-v turer and the standpoint of the user; and which, it is believed, may be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

Various other objects and advantages will become apparent during the continuance of the following descriptiom In the accompanying drawings wherein like characters designate like parts throughout. the several views;

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation illustinting my invention as in its preferred embodiment, the several. parts being shown in operative relation; 1

Fig. 2 is a View in top plan showing more clearly the relative disposition of the wringer actuating mechanism;

Fl g. 3 a view similar to Fig. 1 showing partsv of the supporting stand and the clothes container the construction thereof more clearly;

Fig. 4 is a view-in detail of a novel form of rubber that is employed;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the supporting stand broken away and in section to disclose more clearly the mechanism for oscillating the container shaft;

Fig. (3 is a view of the container showing ll'lB'Siill'lG- broken away and in section and illustrating the means for drawing the Water or other liquid therefrom;

broken away to illustrate- Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the supportin stand showing the mechanism for actuating the container shaft;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the improved belt shifting mechanism that is also employed;

Fig. 9 a sectionalview taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 3.

In reducing my intention to first provide. a suitable supporting stand, which in the present embodiment consists of a series of legs '10 connected through the medium of end and side pieces 11 and 12 respectively, and having a platform 13 assoelated therewith, such as'shown in Fig. 3. In order to further insure the rigidity of the legs 10, at all times, they may he also connected intermecfliate their ends, through the medium of side and end brace rods it and 15 respectively. Although this type of. supporting structure may be advantugeousiy employed, it is to be fully understood that 1 do not limit myself to the specific construction in any way in view of the fact that my invention may be also employed in connec tion with various other fhrms of support h1g7! structures.

ith a view of supporting the clothes container 16, I equip the same with a carrying shaft 17 that is arranged to extend through an opening 18 in the plat-form 1 (see Fig. 3) and engage with a guide mornber 19 that is carried by the bracing rods 1%. Upon its under face the container 16 ca ies a bearing block 20 which may be secured thereto as at 2.1 and which is do signed to eoiiperate with a similarly formed bearing hloclr. 22 that carried upon the platform 13 as at 23. tiuitable anti-friction bearings '24: may be interposed between'fthe hearing blocks 20 and 22 respectii-"ely so as to etliciently support the container in your able relation with the supporting structure. In order to precludeaccidental dislodguient. of the carrying shaft/l7, during the operaiion of the deviee,the same may be provided with a collar 25 which is adj ustably mounted .of the carrying shalt may be squared, as at 27 for reception into a similar opening in practice, t

- 29 for facilitatin the carrying block 20, whereby the connection with the bearing block and the retalnment of the latter in a rigid position at all times is assured. Furthermore, this method of associating the carrying shaft with the bearing block eliminates the necessary of journaling the upper end thereof into ther able opening 28 that is eoaxially alincd with the opening 18 of the tplatform so as to receive the carrying sha t l? and permit free operation thereof at all times.

While I do not limit myself to that type of container shown, it is pointed out that this form may be used to advantage in connection with the associated mechanism. In its present embodiment, the container consists of bottom member 29 which may be constructed of any desirable material, that is connected in a suitable manner with the side wall or casing structure 30. As is clearly apparent upon reference to- Fig. 3, bolts such as designated by the numeral 21 may be passed through the. bottom member the attachment of the bearing block 20 t ereto; however, as above pointed out, the necessity of journaling the carrying shaft 17 in the bottom member has been eliminated. The inner face of the bot tom member 29 and the casing structure 30 is provided with any suitable means to exert rubbing action on the clothes or other articles being acted upon, during operation and to this end I have shown the same provided with spaced slats 31 which may be aifiXed thereto in any desired manner. Adjacent its upper end the casing structure 30 of the container is provided with a projecting ledge which is designed to support, at certain times, a cover member 33;v conseduently, any suitable means may be em-- ployed to lock the cover 33 in place.

A rubber, such as shown in detail in Fig. 4-, is designed to operate within the con- .tainer 16 in a manner whereby the thorough cleaning 'of the clothes is insured. This rubber, in its present embodiment, is shown inthe form of a circular body structure 34 having spaced openings35 to permit the passage of the fluid .therethrough and a series of spaced rubbing ribs 36 to engage with the clothes in the usual manner. A re:

inforcing disk 37 is fixed to the rubber,

'such as shown at 38 which is designed. to

connect with one end of a suitably formed carrying stud 39; the latter being journaled through an opening 40 formed in the cover 33 in the manner shown. I also provide 1 suitable means to guide the stud 39 during n'iovement of the rubber and to retain t e same in a stationary position with respect to the container 16, which means will be subsequently described.

In order to facilitate the discharge of the liquid contents of the container 16 and at the same lime facilitate the interchanging of the water during the washing of the clothes, 1 provide the con tainer with a suitable faucet 4:1 that is arranged in the manner whereby its receiving pipe 42 communicates with the container at a point sufliciently low or in alinement with the inner face of the bottom member 29. In accomplishing this, it may be necessary to cut away the member 29 such as'indicated by the numeral 43 whereby the entire liquid contents of the container may be dispensed Without tilting the same or moving it in any manner.

'With a view of providing mechanism to properly actuate the container 16 and other devices that may be associated therewith, I employ a stub shaft 44 that is journaled through a bracket. 45 on one of the brace rods 14.- and another bracket 26 mounted on a transversely arranged so pporting member 47. A driving pulley a8 is suitably keyed to the stub shaft 44f as at 49 (see Fig. 7), while a second pulley 50 is mounted to be movable thereon and provided with. a worm gear 51. Although not'limiting myselfto any specific form of connection between the loose pulley 50 and the worm gear 51 thereof, it is pointed out that the said gear may be castintegral with the pu1ley,'if such. is"

'45 whereby movement in an opposite d-irec-.

tion will a o be prevented. This will insure eflici'ent connection between the worm gear mechanism and the apparatus associated therewith to the end that the device, as a whole will operate eliiciently at all. times.

Intermediate its ends, the supporting member 47 is provided with an upstanding stud 52 upon which is' rotatably mounted a beveled gear 53 of relatively large diameter ice which meshes with'a like gear of smaller diameter designated by the numeral 54. that is carried on the stub shaft 44. In order to eliminate friction between. the gear wheel 53 and the supporting member 47, it may be necessary to mterpose a spacing member such for instance as designated by the numeral 55 therebetween; although it will he understood that this is noteessential. Likewise, it may be necessary to arrange =1 spacing member such as shown at 56 lmlwenn the beveled gear 54; l'llll'l. the bearing 417 M the stub slmlt such as illustrated in Fig .1 ml the LllilWll'lgH. 5 The carrying shall, 17 is in (,nrn provided, adjacent its lower ends, with n crank arm 5'? which is :uljustuhly connected therewil'l: throu h the medium of a fastening nm'nher 58 an l ]')10Vl(l0(l at one end with an n aetaunhing Sll'itl 59 such as shuwn in Fig 5%. '1 1] inn purl mm'cn'mnt from the still.) shall, 44- tn {the cnrlyiz'ig shall 17, further provicle a lllll: G0 wh'lnh has it respective ends lmmaly em heeled with the stud 59 of the; crank arm $37 in one inhuman and in z stud 61 that 31; can rind 0n. the gem wheel I in the other in "sllz meeu "lfllltll f it wlll he. recognized that the tendency 01 in geniwheel 53 will he to impart movement to (he mnrying shaft 1! filnfough the rrmiliurn 0'? ziil link.

The, carrying shal 1? i 'lli lllllfii, prm. ideal with oppnflnly pr vimizmg urn when: 'lree ends :1 amnnn zmwjl with l; irraei le spy:

" minim;

cievzwn wally remain la Z' in n parsi- 36 tion WlHBTQlLly is will 9 rellzve intly llrlll'l against srntnl lve n'mwnmenl; ljpen move: ment of the gear wheel the carrying nlni'lt ll' he :4; cause nmven'lent if n e an" an oh'vinns manne i 'ihe wig-alum 0x". Elan r wheel does nnt therelern, ac" the entire rotation nil lhe carrying shaft 1'? since are swan as the helmet-ting l nl n {lend file zrelira-licljle spring an film n all the (Elli-i E nppnsltel wa he cmltinmu agitation nf its lint-nil a:

nnun.

I 22150 pnwiile the snppmfting ssh-nature with a "suitable stand such designated in its entilret 'i'iy the numeral 07 (see Fig l} whieli in the present qnlxnli:neni; ennn of stainlarcls 68 and =59 renpeeliwlgg that an: suitably nunnected with the supporting slime-Lure and which lnlanrn carry a, trnnsversesupporting beam 70 that: may he at tnclie gl thereto thmugl' th s medium al sin bolts '71. 'lln. ennui ma be constructed {if g1 1 mhle mwn en h 01 insl'nnce 115;: :mefal on wood flllil is p: mm i ly nnpnrt. n. l'llolh'es Wringer (not ehnwn} fllall l npexnl ing nwnl'nu'iism: there-for. Tin m'lei" tha-Mhe, wginger may he more'ellieienl'ly opernte l in cumiention with the-Stand of this 1mitlnlnr conslructlun, the latter may he provided. with suitable spacing boards 72 whereby the (BlOlI-l'lGS being rubbed will be kept out of engagement with the COIIlJlU'l'lQl' HlJ'llCllllIO at all times.

ln emijuneliiim with the stand (37, I fulflhei: en'ipluy a sulljnlrle support-lug linnckct su rh n's (lnsignatwl by the nmneml 73 which being suhslnnlxinlly U-Hlmped when viewed in side elevutium may be secured to the stnml. W? as uh 74. This suppin'l-ing frame is pref m'uhly eoi'mlz-iwml of: lnelnl, whereby it may l)( :npnl'ile 0f witlislnnilingz; the pressure sillje ted l1l1 31'WJH'l, nt enrlain tlmes, and. thus insure the olheimit 0 ')e1'n.li(m ol the device, an: all l'in'ies, ll may be in lurn proviilwl with =1 suitable mver member 7:") so as l n r.,-mn 'ilvtely n-meet the interim? mechnn hlll thereof from moisture, rust, dirt and other foreign malarial. While 1 do not desire 1.20

limit myself to any specific means for afliX- ing the (fe er member 1n place, it is pointed (Mil lhn'; sel Sfltfivi; '76 such as shown in Fig 23 2112; lw. net-ml in thin ezipncity. 'lherellore, it

as n'lll ex'pmjl'ile oiling '01 the mljnstznent n'l l'lw meehnnism (um-ital ll the li'nme Y3.

I l iillll ills upper eml, filler cove! n'nnnl'mr 7.3 is mighlly vnlmgnil an lnlienlell ltn the mime-ml I?" he said P-illizligl'il'llfilll being in mm provided with a l-hrnngh npening or flUL "F8 and a series ol 11ml; teeth 79 acljaeni'xi; The nfinresaid slot. The function (if the en lzwggenim'n'" 7-7 nml the various parts thereof will he snln-iecnlenlly panned out. i

l also final il' expedient lz-a provide another alinfl. 80 which has itupper end journnled im'nugh thin lower wall of the frame 73wh'1le it snpporl znljarenl; Ill'l; other and through the ll lnin'iei'ilnlil'y of a beating nieinlw 81L All" irs'lmwir and the sl'iaft 80 i'a z'rien a pinion P32 for meshing ei'igagement lh {lw worm gem 551 above. referred to, nhile a beveled gear 83 is keyed to the upper as shown in Fig. l to mesh at nth- 21? hm'nleifl pinions 8 1- 35 l9H}'}'(fl;l\*Ql}-' l'lldl' are enmlml upon a able sleeve 86. The shaft 86 in the ywesent en'xbiirliment, in reduced slightly at poinlfin imlienled hy the numerals S7 and. 88

l'ms flnhln engngmnent with the resymclive iile lls of lhe fimne. 7;) While One and potlion in squared as at 89 for engagementwith lna wringe! ineehnnisn'l not .shown), In

lax-(lexto px'nphnly Slllfl) the sleeve 86' 530 that Fig; l) and through the slot ment with the rack teeth 79"through the instrumentality of a pivoted. actuating member 05 whereby the operating lever may be held in certain adjusted positions, as is ob \ious. By properly shifting the sleeve 86, the selected one of the gears 84 and 85 may he brought into engagement with the gear wheel 83 and thus the directionof rotation of the shaft 86 reversed. This renders the mechanismvery applicable to conventional forms of wringing devices, since the direction of the rotation of the Wringer rolls may be properly controlled and the direction of rotation row-arsed when the clogging of the material thcrehetween occurs.

A. belt 00 from a suitable source of power is arranged to operate in conjunction with the pulleys 48 and 50 respectively whereby the washing machine or the wringer mechanism may be )lCllHtittKl. Thus in order to 't'acilitate the shifting of the belt from one pulley to another I provide the supporting siructure of the device with a projecting supporting arm 97 which is slightly enlarged adjacent one end as at 98 and pivctally supports an actuating lever 99 as at 100. The enlarged portion 98*.015 the supporting arm may be provided at a suitable point witlna series of notches 101 for co operation with a pawl 102 that in. turncarried by the operating lever through the medium of a slidable rod or other carryin member 103. A pivoted member 104 may be employed to properly actuate the rod 103 and the lug carried thereby while spaced bearings 105 may also be provided to guide the rod 103 and insure the proper seating of the pawl 102. The supporting structure of the device is further provided with a carrying plate 106 through an opening 107 of which is journaled a carrying rod 108. One end of this carrying rod is pivotally connected as at 109 to the operating lever 99, while it carries a pair of spaced engaging fingers 1.10 ata point intermediate its ends to be associated with the belt 96, in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 2. Set screws as designated by the numeral 111 may also be employed for the purpose of retaining the lespeotive engaging fingers 110 in certain adjusted positions upon the shaft or rod 108 whereby they maybe advantageouslyemp'loyed inlconnection with belts of varying .ividths. Consequently, it will be seen that by rocking the"lever 99, the rod 108- will be thrust inwardly or outwardly with respect to the supporting structure, such as the case may be, whereby the belt 96 may be moved from one pulley to another. hen on the pulley 48 it will serve to operate the con. tlainer 16 in the manner hereinbefore described while when on the pulley 50, the wringer actuating mechanism will be open ated. However, by properly inanipulating the belt 96 it may be made to enga c with both of the pulleys at one time so t at the container and the wringer operating mechanism may be actuated simultaneously. I desire to lay great stress on this particular feature of the device, since it is believed that it adds materially to the utility thereof.

As hereinbebre stated, I also providemeans for retaining the rubbing member 3% against rotation, with, respect to the container 16 but to permit slight vertical movement thereof to be caused bythe action of the contents of the container. Therefore, to this end I provide the stand 67 with a suit able su 'iporting block 112 to which is movably connected one end of a carrying arm 113. The other end of the carrying arm is provided with a squared opening such as- :iner, wherebyit will be efiicient in parts movement to the respective pulley,

such for instance as the pulley 48 thereby causing operation of the shaft 44 and the consequent operation of the beveled gear 53 through the beveled pinion 54. Such movement of the beveled gear 53 will cause the actuation of the carrying shaft 17 such as before stated, whereby the contents of the container 16 will be kept in a continued state of agitation so as to bring the clothes in engagement with the side and bottom walls thereof and theunder corrugated or ribbed face of the rubbing member 34. By this arrangemcnt, it is believed that the clothes or other materlal being washed will be thoroughly' cleaned.

On the other hand, when the belt 96 engages with the pulley 50, the Worm gear 51= will be actuated so as to cause rotation of the pinion 82 and the respectiveshafts 80.

and the consequent rotation of the beveled gearwheel 83. Theoperator now adjusts the hand lever 92 so as to bring a selected one of the gears84 or 85 in engagement with the said rotating gear wheel 83 whereby the \vringer mechanism (not shown) will be actuated and the rolls. thereofrotated in a desired direction. Furthermore, it will beseen that by properly shifting the belt 96 it may be brought to engage with both of the pulleys at the same'tnne, thus causing the simultaneous actuation of both the container 16 and the respective wringer actuating mechanism.

From the foregoing it is believed that the advantages and novel'features of m invention will be readily understood an therefore, further detail description is deemed unnecessary.

In reducing my invention to practice I find that the form referred to herein as the most practical and preferred embodiment is the most eliicient, but realizing that certain conditions will necessarily vary in concurrence with the adoption of my device, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in the details of construction and in the proportion of parts may be resorted to when required without sacrificing any of theadvantages of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination with an oscillatory element, of an operating mechanism therefor including a stub shaft, a pulley keyed to said shaft, a supporting frame, a Wringer rayrying shaft, a second shaft, a gear Wheel on said second shaft, pinions on said wringer carrying shaft, means to shift said pinions info and out of engagement with said ear wheel whereby said wringer carrying s aft will be rotated in two directions, means to retain said pinions in adjusted positions, a pulley loosely mounted on said stub shaft, a belt for driving both said pulleys, worm gear n'iecl'ianism connected with said last n'ientioi'ied pulley, a pinion keyed to Said second shaft and meshing with said worm gear inechai'iism, a supporting arm, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said sup porting arm, means to retain said lever 1n adjusted position, and means carried by said operating lever to shift said belt in a position whereby said pulleys will be operated simultaneously.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE 'A. SOHWANKE. \Vitnesses C. W. WILKINS, G. M. ROBERTSON.

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