US1651625A - Safety device for laundry machines - Google Patents

Description

Dee. 6,1927.

R. H. PALM ET AL SAFETY DEVICE FDR LAUNDRY MCHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l mama; 1,651,625

R. H. PALM El Al.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR LAUNDRY IIAOHINBS Filed Nov. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 516mg; jfbbertfl Palm woLZ/wm/ h/Inmmm 3 mm a.

Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE."

ROBERT H5 PALM AND WILLIAM F. POHLMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO F. W. MATEER & (10., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORFOBATION OF ILLINOIS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR LAUNDRY MACHINES.

Application filed November The invention pertains to laundry machines of the type actuated from a source of power through the medium of power transmission under the control of a manually operable control element, and further comprising a body forming a receptacle for the operating mechanism to which access may be had through an opening closed by a cover movably mounted on the body.

The object of our invention is to provide in a machine of this character a safety device serving to prevent access to the operating mechanism in the body while the machine is in motion, and to prevent on the other hand the machine from being set in motion when the cover is in open position.

We have in the present instance illustrated our invention as applied to a rotary machine of the type generally known as an extractor. The control element for the power transmission is in the form of a hand lever arranged to operate a belt-shifting bar, and the cover for the body is hinged at one edge to swing upwardly .away from thebody. One feature of our invention is to provide means operatively associated with said control element adapted to prevent opening movement of the cover when the control element is in its operative position with the operating mechanism of the machine in motion, and also serving to lock the control element in inoperative position when the cover is in its open position. Another feature is the provision of a locking means adapted when the machine is in operation to prevent the manipulation of said stop means in a manner such as to permit the cover to be opened,-said locking means being capable of manipulation only when the machine is at rest.

It is a general object of our invention to provide for the safety device a construction simple in character and capable of easy 0pcration under proper conditions.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken approximately in the plane of line l-1 of Fig. 2, and.Fig. 1 is a fragmentary detail view.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with the driving belt shown in section.

15, 1924. Serial No. 750,17s.

(not shown) and having an opening in its upper end which is arranged to be closed by a cover 6 hinged at 7 for swinging movements. At one side of the body 5 is rigidly secured a bracket 8 in the form of a U- shaped frame and providing bearings for a shaft 9 carrying a tight pulley 10 and a loose pulley 11. Said frame also carries upstanding members 12 in which is supported a slide bar 13 carrying belt-shifting fingers or guides 14, the belt 15 being shown as operating over the loose pulley 11 adapted to receive power from an overhead shaft (not shown). A third pulley 16 is rigid with the shaft 9 and is arranged to be connected by a belt 17 in a well-known manner to the operating mechanism of the extractor. The slide bar 13 is arranged to be moved longitudi- -nally by means of a hand lever 18 pivoted between its ends at 19 on one of the upstanding members 12 and pivotally connected by a link 20 with the bar 13.

We provide a stop member or arm 21 for the cover 6, mounted for swinging movements into and out of the path of movement of the cover and adapted when overlying the cover to prevent its being swung upwardly to expose the operating mechanism. The member 21 is pivotally mounted at 22 upon a bracket arm 23 secured by bolts 24. to the longitudinally through the medium of the release the cover to swingin handle 29.

We provide means operable, when the belt 15 has been shifted to the guide pulley 10 to set the operating mechanism in motion, adapted to prevent the rod 24 from being slid in a direction to swing the stop member 21 out of the path of swinging movement of the cover 6. This means comprises in the present instance a pair of coacting stop members 30 and 31 one of which is rigid with the slide rod 24 and the other of which isconnected with the control element or hand lever 18 of the power transmission. The member 30 is herein shown as formed integral with a collar 32 which carries the handle 29, and the member 31 is formed integral with the lower end of a vertical bar 33 sliding between a pair of plates 35 and 36 (Fig. 1) one of which is formed integral with the bracket arm 23. The upper end of said bar 33 is pivotally connected by a twisted link 37 with an outwardly projectin portion 38 on the lower end of the ham? lever 18. The arrangement is such that when the hand lever is operated to actuate the slide bar 13 through the medium of the link 20, the stop member moves upwardly into the path of movement of the member 30, provided the cover is in its closed position. If the cover is in its open position, said member 30 overlies the member 31 and thus prevents the hand lever from being operated to shift the belt. Thus it will be observed that these two interlocking stop members 30 and 31 are operatively associated respectively with the cover and with the control element 18 so as to prevent, in the first place, opening movement of the cover when the machine is in operation, and, in the second place, operation of the control element to set the machine in motion when the cover is in its open position.

The locking means which we have provided for such interlocking mechanism is of a character such that after the machine has been in operation the locking means must be adjusted into a certain position before the interlocking mechanism can be operated to movement. This means comprises an annu ar casing 39 (Figs. 2, 4 and 5) mounted coaxially of the shaft 9 at the outer end of the slide rod 24. Said casing is rotatable on the shaft through the medium of a radial hand lever 40 and is suitably held against longitudinal movement on the shaft. In one wall of, the casing is a hole 41, and a stop member 42 .is mounted on the shaft 9 in frictional contact therewith through the medium of a split collar 43 having its separate portions connected by a bolt 44 with a coiled spring 45 between the nutof the bolt and one of the members.

The arrangement is such that the member 42 tends to rotate with the shaft 9 but the extent of such rotation is limited by the free end of the member contacting a shoulder 46 formed at one edge of the hole 41. Rotation of the casin also is limited by a pair of opposed. shou ders 47 and 48 which are disposed on the outer periphery of the casing on opposite sides of a finger 49 rigid with the slide rod 24.

Assuming that the machine has been in operation with the shaft 9 rotating in the direction of the arrow a (Fig. 4), the casing will have rotated in the same direction until the shoulder 48 has engaged the under side of the pin 49; and the stop member 42 willhave rotated until its free end engages the shoulder 46. The machine being at rest, the operator first rotates the casing in the direction of the arrow 6 (Fig. 4) until the shoulder 47 on the outer periphery of the casing engages the pin 49. This serves to position the stop member 42 below the hole 41, and a. reverse rotation of the casing serves to position the hole 41 in register with the pin 49, thus permitting the latter to be moved radially into the casing as shown in Fig. 5. The slide rod 24 may now be operated by grasping the handle 29 to swing the stop member 21 out of the path of swinging movement of the cover; but as a condition precedent to this operation, the control element 18 must be operated to carry the belt onto the loose pulley, in which event the stop member 31 will have moved downwardly to permit the member 30 on the rod 24m clear it in the operation of swinging the stop member 21. Conversely, when it is desired to set the machine in motion, it is first necessary to operate the rod 24 to move the stop member 30 clear of the member 31 (Fig. 1) and incidentally swing the stop member 21 over the lid 6. Thereupon the lever 18 may be operated to shift the belt 15 onto the pulley 10.

It will thus be observed that we have provided an interlocking mechanism for the movable cover element of the machine and the control element of the power transmission; and additional locking means associated with the driven shaft so as to be operable only when the operating mechanism is at rest. The construction employed by preference is of a simple and otherwise advantageous character, but it is contemplated that various changes may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A machine of the character described comprising, incombination, power transmission, a body having a swinging closure, 9. member pivotally mounted for movement into and out of the path of movement of said closure, means for operating said member, and means operatively associated with the power transmission adapted when the machine is in operation to lock said swinging member against movement.

2. A machine of the character described comprising, in combination with a body having a closure, power transmission including a control element, said closure being mounted for swinging movements, and means operable in the movement of the control element to actuate the power transmission to hold said cover in closed position when the operating mechanism is in motion and comprising a stop member movable into and out of the path of swinging movement of the closure, means for moving said member, a second stop member operatively associated with said control element, and a third stop member operable to hold the first stop member against movement when the control element is in its operative osition.

3. The combination of a body having a closure, an arm mounted to swing into and out of the path of movement of said closure, means for swinging said arm including a slide rod having a stop member thereon, power transmission for the machine including a control element, and a stop member 0 eratively associated with said control element and adapted when the latter is in its operative position to prevent movement of the first stop member and thereby movement of said arm.

4. A machine of the character described having, in combination with power transmission including a driven element, a safety device adapted to prevent operation of the machine, and means for preventing operation of the safety device to permit the machine to be set in motion, said means including a pin, a casing arranged to'be moved by said driven element, means on said casing adapted to engage said pinto limit movement of the casing by the driven element,-

and a stop member in the casing also ar ranged to be moved by said driven element, said casing having means adapted to limit movement of said stop member by the driven element and an opening adapted to receive said pin, and being further adjustable to carry said stop member out of position in front of said opening and to position the opening opposite said pin.

5. A machine of the character described having a movable closure, an arm ivoted at one side of. the closure so as to be moved into and out of position over the closure,

power transmission including a control element, a stop member connected with said arm for-movement therewith, and a stop member connected with the control element and movable therewith into and out of the path of movement of the first stopmember.

6. A machine of the character described having a movable closure, an arm pivoted at one side of the closure so as to be moved into and out of position over the closure, power transmission including a control element, a stop member connected'with said arm for movement therewith, and a stop member connected with the control element and movable therewith into and out of the path of movement of the first stop member, and additional means operatively associated with preventingthe power transmission for movement of said arm when the in motion.

7. A machine of the character described comprising, in combination with a movable closure, a stop member movable into and out of position to prevent opening of said closure, manually operable means for actuating said stop member, power transmission for said machine, manually operable means for controlling said transmission, and coacting stop members, one of which is associated with said first mentioned means, and the other of which is associated with said last mentioned means, said coacting members being adapted to coact in two difl'erent ways to prevent actuation of saidfirst mentioned means when the power is connected and to machine is prevent actuation of said last mentioned means when said closure is open.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto aflixed our signatures.

ROBERT H. PALM. WILLIAM F. POHLMANN.

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