US1310702A - Timing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

F. R. JAEGER.

TIMING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24. 1918.

Patented July 22, 1919.

FRIEDEMAN R. JAEGER, 0F OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

TIMING Mncmrmsiai p Original application led .Tune 14, 1918, Serial No. 239,915.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919. Divided and this application filed August 24,

1918. Serial No. 251,299;

To @ZZ 1c/wm it may concern:

lic it known that I, FRIEDEMAN R. JAEGER, ay citizen of the United States, residing at t )a k Park, in the county of Cook and State ot' Illinois, have invented certain new and usct'ul Improvements in Timing Mechanisms, ot' which the following is a specification.

M v invention relates to timing appliances, such as are suitable and desirable for employment. with various mechanisms, for eX- ample, clothes washing machines, whereby the operator may be advised when the cleansing operation has proceeded suiiicicutly and the clothes are ready for further treatment. To this end, the timingV mechanisni is connected directly to thepower-transmitting means or driving-shaft of the washing machine which may be of the reversing type, that is to say, it may be equipped with an oscillatory cylinder which rotates in one direction a predetermined number of revolutions and then automatically reverses its direction of movement. and completes the same number of revolutions in such opposite direction, whereupon it again reverses and continues this operation until stopped by the operator. Machines of this style ordinarily have a double clutch mechanism associated with a main drive shaft constantly rotated in one direction, and the improved timing device is driven by such main shaft so that it always works in the same direction regardless of which clutch is active and regardless of the reversals of movements of the cylinder. The timing device is properly graduated and has an index readily returned to zero position, and, inasmuch as the washing machine is ordinarily driven by a practically constant-speed, electric-motor, the timing appliance may lbe graduated in minutes and fractions thereof.

ln order that those skilled in this art may have a. full understanding of the structural features of this invention and the functional advantages accruing therefrom, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and throughout the various views of which like reference characters refer to the. same parts, a preferred and desirable embodiment of the invention associated with the' operating mechanism of a washing machine.

ln this drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation showing the reversing driving mechanism for the cylinder tongue 23 on the 'a worm-wheel 28 on o oluble in suitable bearings 30 and 31.

of the washing machine in association with the timing appliance, the electric-motor being shown fragmentarily;

gig. 2 is a face view of the -timing device; an l Fig. 3 is a fragmentary -section through the central portion of the same.

he improved appliance is driven by a constant-speed electric-motor 10 operating a sha-ft 11 provided with two op ositely-facing bevel pinions 12 and 13,l bot constantly in mesh with a larger bevel-gear 14: connected to and driving an oscillatory clothescontaining drum or cylinder, notv shown. Operatively associated with these pinions is a double-clutch mechanism l5, 16, adapted to render either pinion active by connecting it to shaft 11 by reason of the inter-engagement or meshing of the usual clutch-teeth, the duplex clutch appliance being controlled or actuated by a lever or handle 17 fulcrumedat 18, and which, when in upright or neutral position, holds both clutches inactive or inoperative. When the handle is swung to the right, clutch 15 becomes operative and the clothes drum or cylinder is revolved in one direct-ion, and when thehandle is shifted to the left, such clutch connection is bro-ken, the other one, 16, being rendered active, and the drum or cylinder is rotated in the opposite direction. Such shifting clutch action uordinarily occurs entirely automatically, as set forth, for example, in my United States Patent No. 1,252,698, mechanical movements, granted January 1918, whereby the -cylinder is rotated a detinite or predetermined number of revolutions in one direction and then the same number in the opposite direction, and this laction is automatically maintained or continued until manually terminated lby holding or stopping the lever or handle in neutral or midway position.

The timing mechanism proper is .inclosed within a casin 20 and comprises a shaft 21 having a notc ed end 22 accommodating a end of shaft llfsu'ch slot and tongue comprising a positive and direct driving connection. Shaft 21 has a worm 24 coacting with aworm-wheel 25 on a shaft 26 rotatablyrsupported in the housing, which shaft in turn has a worm 27 meshing with a hollow shaft 29'rev- This hollow shaft has an inclined disposition and its upper end has fixed thereto a notched disk 32, (Figs. 2 and 3), whose periphery is provided with 12 notches, each corresponding to a period of five minutes. The hollow shaft 29 has withinit a solid shaft or rod 33 equipped outside of the casing or housing with a thumb piece or knob 34 and a pointer or index linger 35 equipped on its under side with a lug or pin 36 adapted to enter any one of the notches of disk 32. The

, knob and index are rigid with-and necessarily rotate with the solid inner shaft and all through with the outer hollow shaft when the lug is in the notch of the disk,

such lug and disk representing a drlvingclutch connection. The pointer or index and its turning thumb piece 34 to which it is rigidly fastened, are held against the face of the casing or housing by means of a spring 37 bearing at one'end against the end of the hollow shaft and at the other end against a head 38 on the rod or solid shaft 33.' This permits a temporary raising or lifting of the knob and the pointer so that the latter may be shifted or turned back to zero position, the lug beneath it dropping into another notch and being held therein' by reason of the action of the spring as soon as the knob is free from the hand of the operator. As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the face of the cover 39,:for the timing mechanism feature is supplied with a circular ,graduated scale 40 with which the pointer cooperates, such scale being divided into 60 parts. representing minutes, the five minute graduations being more conspicuous than the others.

' vBefore the appliance is set in operation,

the operator'. lifts theknob 34 and its associated pointer or index and turns the latter back to or substantially -to zero position, whereupon the pin 36 springs into the corresponding notch of the disk. Then as.

the mechanism operates, the finger or pointer 35 travels over the dial quite slowly, its movements being so timed with relation to the speed of the motor that the graduations or markings of the scale with which it cooperatesrepresent minute periods. When the washing machlne or other mechanism with which the clutclr device and timing mechanism are associated has been actu- L ated the desired period, as shown by this finger 35, the mechanism is stopped, and then the pointer may be returned to or substantially to zero position, ready for indicating the period ofthe next operation. It will be observed that since this timing device is directly connected to the shaft 11 and since such shaft always rotates in the same direction regardless of the oscillatory mover ment of the clothes cylinder, the period of rotation of the shaft, that is, the length of time the main device operates, is at all times indicated on this timing mechanism regard.

less of the various automatic shiftings of the clutch mechanism. v To thoseskilled in this art it will be clear that many minor mechanical changes may be made in the apparatus illustrated and described without departure from the substance and principle of the invention and without the sacrifice of any of its substantial benefits and advantages. f

This' application is a division of my earlier application for improvements in clutches, Serial No. 239,915, filed June 14, 1918.

I claim:

In a time-indicating appliance of the character described, the combination of a hollow shaft, a bearing for said shaft, means to rotate said shaft at a substantially-uniform speed, a notched-disk mounted on and revoluble with said shaft, a second shaft slidable in and adapted to be turned relatively to said hollow shaft, a knob mounted on said inner shaft by which the latter may be manipulated, an index mounted on and the i dex to zero or substantially zero posi-` tion, substantially as described.

FRiEnEMAN R.- JAEGER.

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