US1838559A - Apparatus for laundering - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 29, 1931. T. L. LOWE 1,838,559

APPARATUS FOR LAUNDERING Filed Sept. 17. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

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Dec. 29, 1931'. T. L. LowE 1,838,559v

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Dec. 29, 1931. T. 1 LOWE I APPARATUS FOR LAUNERING 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed. Sept. 17, 1926 'VENTOR ToRNEYs,

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washing machine, taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 2s

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the wash wheel shown in Figs. 2 and G and with the clothes receptacles removed;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of part of an end portion of one of the several perforated receptacles for receiving and carrying the clothes, While being tumbled and Washed by the wheel, shown in 2, 6 and 7;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the receptacle shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. l0 shows a sectional side elevation of a portable and rotatable rack for carrying the several receptacles for containing and transporting the articles to be washed;

Fig. 11 is an end view of portable rack shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 1? is a diagrammatical view of three of the rotatable racks each containing four clothes receptacles as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and arranged in relative locations for the purpose of receiving the several different classes of articles, of a given customers bundle, to be washed; and

Fig. 13 shows a modification in the form of a single receptacle or pocket for receiving articles to be washed and adapted for use in my washing machine.

I have deemed it advisable in illustrating the present invention to represent a three unit type of washing and drying equipment since l believe it to be the most practical and commercial ferm of installation, espeeially for large laundries, smaller laundries could perhaps use a two or even a one unit type of machine more economically.

The three unit type of machine layout, shown in Fig. 1, includes several associated portable racks for carrying the receptacles in which the articles to be washed are assorted, transported to and from the washing machine, and later distributed. The individual units of the washing machine as well as the portable racks are designed to hold four of these receptacles each arranged in spaced relation to the axis of the machine, and each receptacle includes a series of compartments in which different washes or different articles of the same wash are placed. These racks, see Fig. 1, serve as a convenient means for not only receiving and transporting the receptacles with articles to be washed, but also as ay required means for the positioning of the receptacles in alinement with the ends of the washing machines preparatory to plac ing the receptacles in said machine for the purpose of washing the articles carried therein. These racks further serve to receive the receptacles after the cloths have been washed and dried and for the transporting and posi tioning of the receptacles to a location for the distribution of the clothing. These receptacles, of which but four are shown, in

the drawings, are each formed of perforated metal so that the water may flow through them freely, and are divided into a series of compartments generally triangular or sector shaped in cross section, preferably siX in number, and each compartment is provided with a door through which the clothes can be put into and removed from the compartments.

In view of the similarity of the construction of the several washing units l will use similar reference characters upon each to indicate similar parts in describing in detail the several units, and follow this with a description of the common drive means the water supply and other cooperative features as are shown in the illustration of the multiple unit layout, as contained in the drawings.

Referring in detail to the characters of reference marked upon the drawings 12-12 represent end frame members which are sub-- stantially alike in construction and preferably formed of metal. These end members are provided with feet and together with an intermediate member 14 are seated upon the floor and serve to support and form a part of a large elongated cylindrical reservoir 13 which is preferably formed of sheet metal. This obviously forms the housing in which the Wash wheel, carrying the removable containers, before referred to, are rotatably mounted. A suitable number of Water outlet or drain pipes l5 are connected to the bottom of the reservoir while suitable vents 16 ar. located in the top. rlhe water, chemicals and other ingredients may be supplied to these Washers through the main and branch pipes 17 and 18 shown in Fig. 1.

The wash wheels of the several. units are rotated by power furnished from a motor 19 which drives the shaft 20, carrying suitable worms 2l connected with and driving gears 22 upon tlie shaft Q3 of each of the individua-l units. These shafts are supported in suitable brackets Q4. and carry upon their outer ends relatively small gears 25 that mesh with and drive the larger gears Q6 mounted upon the rotatable hollow shaft 27 of the Wash wheel, as will later be more fully explained.

The end frame members 12-12 of the reservoir 13 are provided with extended and thickened alined bearin g portions 8 in which the before mentioned hollow shaft 27 is secured. The said shaft extends out beyond. these bearing portions 28 for the attachment of the before mentioned gear 26 whereby the said hollow shaft and its wash wheel is rotated for the purpose of washing the clothing. To the ends of the said hollow shaft 27 is secured a suitable clutch member 29 for the connection thereto of a. similar clutch member 30 of the portable racks.

The Wash wheel contained within the reservoir is made up of three somewhat similar TTL.'

` wheel and the third rotate-d centrally.. These beamte spider-like members 1130,32fone of' which is positioned at; oppositeendso the spiders e'aehinclude` a, 'hubfportion 8f3 that lis secured Vto the before"mentionedshaft 2'( in any `suitable mann-er; andfhaving radially disposed 1 spoke-like portions .Sil preferably ceptacles, for holdingthe clothes to be Washed, are positioned as will laterV again be referred to. While these spiders and the Wheel as a Whole, of Which they form a part, can be constructed tol form d Herent numbers o-.f pockets for the receptacles 87, yetll have preferablyshovvn a construction, with Jfour poeh-ets to accommodate fo r' off these recepA teclee, vvhichrmeans; that each of the spiders includes four spokes and lthat the Vtriengular or sector shaped spaces or pockets the-rebetween form; openings in and through which the receptacles are placed. These pockets andthe receptaclesgp-lacedtherein, are positionedin spaced relation to the center or aniso the vvash Wheel so that the receptacles containing the clothes to` be Washed-are revolved in alinement with the axis. proper.` 1 'lhe cylindrical body 'of' the reservoir in which the Wash Wheel properoperates. ijs closed except for the required pipe connections and thus ias no doors in its cylindrical vtaceWhatever for the reception or removal of thgeclothes to be Washed. After the clothes to be Washed are placedin the receptacles, saidreceptacles toeeth er with, the clothes,A arey positioned iu the Washing machineA by being inserted through ari-opening 38, in,y one end` which if: normally closed by' a door 39 mounted Jfor vertical operation in guides lO'in one of thc end frame members` 1,2; There are two of these doors, one at each end ot the machine, and in practice both are opened'at once to alloy!V of the simultaneous introduction and removal of receptacles.A These doors are normallyclosed by gravity-and opened through the manual operation, of; a handle ll and lever 12. The doors throiigh which vthese receptacles are inserted and removed are positioned in the upper end portions of the machineI and above'the level `of the Wash liquorand are, designedlto aline with one of. the pockets` of the Washy Wheel When the y latter is stationary and positioned to receive said; receptacles.` As they do, not extend below the level: oli the Water they need not llt; strictly Water tight.

g Channel iron strips4 35.v and 36 are prefy erably secured to the opposite side portions ot the spokes or armsBt to-` engage and guide the side portion. oi the receptacles, Whilethe angleV iron. 36 attached to 'the opposite` sides of the. outer end portions ofthe -spokes serves for the enga-gement and guidance of the outer around said axis and are in no Way parallel, longitudinalyedge *portion ofl the receptacles so 4as toeretain them in their rela--` tive position during the operation of thewash Wheel'and also during: the Vinsertion and re moval of the said receptacles.

Inorderto insure a. free movement of the receptacles 37 into and out of the wash Wheel. I-p'rovide one or more series of rollers i3l upon Which `these receptacles are moved, said;

rollers being preferably mounted in one or more lengthsof relatively small channel irons 44. rEhe ends of Vthese channel irons fare loosely positioned in notches l5 in the .hule` of the spi-der sothat the said channel iro with their series of rolls are free to moveradially with'respectV to the airis of the Wash Wheel and in a Way to engage and sup-pow the-receptacles.

These channel irons and rollers 4:3 together with other mechanism, which l will nextdoscribe, also serve tol loch the receptacles in position vby forcing them out so that their parallel longitudinaledges will tirmly grip the flanges ot the angle irons 38 carried by theY arms of thespiders, Referring new more particularly to and d it will be seen. that Within the perforatedhollow shaft 27 I provide a longitudinal rod d6 that i-s posie tioned centrally'in alinement with the axis oi the wash Wheel and is mounted to rotate in'suitable bearingsl? ca ried Wit-hin thehol-4 lov7 shaft, said rod being,` threaded in part as at 48 to engage one oi' said bearings so.

that v-.f'hena Wrench or handle is applied to the outer headed end 49 of the said rod and is turned thereby, the said rod- Will be `given a longitudinal movement throughout the length of the said hollow shaft around Which the perforated' receptacles are positioned. Upon this'rotatable and longitudinallyv movable rod llo, l provide a' suitable number of conical' Wedges 50 which are carried with the said rodY in both itsrotary and longitudinal movements. A series of radially disposed pins 51 are mounted in the hollow shaft around these conical Wedges and against which they normally engage. lhave shown. four such pins in engagement with the Wedges and one of each of this series of pinsis in yieldable engagement with the chan-ncll strips 44:; carrying; rolls 43 to,` support' the receptacles heretofore mentioned. Inasmuca as there'are several of these Wedges and associated pin connections located at suitable distances apart, the channel irons are properly supported throughout their length.. A spiral spring 52 is mounted on the'said pin 51 intermediate of a shoulder 53 thereof y the lunderside'ot the channel iron eid in. many ner to normally holdV the said, channel ironl and its rolls in a radially extended position so as to properlyengage andr support `the inner longitudinal surfaceoifthe receptacles, as before noted The Wash wheel, before referred to, is

r secured to the said shaft and from which radiate spoke members Si, as heretofore de- 'preferably constructed are of a generally .'1 )i l 1 pt' ,can ,i scuote, anc in acti ion i pioaLW loi earn of said members a ring 54 secured to and surrounding the end portions of the spokes 34%, said ring being so formed and applied as to form an annular band that conforms to the outer peripheral faces ofthe receptacles so that the same may be slid in under the band when being` placed into or removed from the wash wheel. .he receptacles 3T', as

elongated tubular design, made of perforated sheet metal and of substantially triangular or sector shaped in cross section, to better fit into the quarter section pockets of the wash wheel. As shown these receptacles are each divided into a series of six compartments 55, each compartment being` provided with a door adapted to be closed during the washing` operation and opened when the receptacles have been transferred to the portable racks 5T and positioned for unloading ln Fig, i3 l have shown al modification of this feature of the invention in the illustration of a single compartment receptacle adapted to be used with other similar receptaclcs in series and loaded into the pockets of the wash wheel, one against the other. from one end of the machine in the same manner that the larger receptacles are in- 35` troduced, it being obviously apparent that these individual or smaller receptacles would be of a proportionate length to permit desired number to be positioned in a single pocket. The machine as described not only adapted for washing clothes when placed in the several compartments of the recepta cles carried by the wash wheel but is also adapted to dry the same after being washed. For the purpose of the washing operation, the machine would he filled with clothes before described, and the reservoir filled with water through the pipe connections l? and 18, before mentioned, to about the level of the shaft 4G whereupon the wheel is rotated backward and forward, the water then changed and the operation repeated., and finally when the washing` operation is finished the water is drained out through the bottom pipe l5. Steam then introduced through the pipe 59 and annular port G0 of the hub 28, through perfo lsgi, ns (il ofthe hollow shaft, and finally out through other perforations 62 of the same shaft so that said steam may be introduced centrally throughout the length of the washer in a manner to permeate the wet clothes and extract the water therefrom.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. l, l0, 1l and l2 wherein l have illustrated the portable racks 57 for handling the recentacles, it will be seen that this rack is both portable and rotary, that is, the rack proper comprises a rotatable member and which in turn is mounted upon a portable frame or truck which allows the rack in which the receptacles are mounted to be conveniently moved from one place to another. The truck includes a platform 63 which is mounted upon wheels 64 for carrying supports 65 in which the central alined bearings G6 are formed to receive a longitudinal shaft GT. Upon the ends of this shaft are secured clutch members 68 for connection to the before mentioned clutch member `29 of the wash wheel shaft 27, so that the pockets of the rack may be maintained in alinement with those of the wash wheel. This is of particular importance when the rack is but partially loaded with receptacles as otherwise it might be difficult, due to the lack of rotative balance of the rack frame when but partly loaded, to maintain the desired pocket therein in position opposite to the door opening in the reservoir to discharge into or receive a receptacie from the wash wheel. The rotatable rack is mounted upon this shaft 67 'and between the before mentioned end supports G5 anc. is secured to rotate with the shaft. This rack is in part constructed somewhat after the style of the wash wheel in that it includes a plurality of spiders 69 comprising hub portion 70 mounted upon and secured to the before mentioned shaft 67, and radially disposed arms 7l.

The arms of the several spiders are in alincment, one with the other, and connected by longitudinal guide strips 72 and angle iron 73 between and against which the receptacles are adapted to be placed and secured. The receptacles are placed in these racks by being` shoved in from the end in substantially the same position and manner that they are placed in the wash wheels and are arranged in annular spaced relation to each other and likewise in spaced relation to the anis of the rotary member of the rack in which they are mounted.

l simple form of spring catch 74 may be attached to the outer face of the arms of the end spiders in a way to engage the face of the end of the receptacles to hold them against any slight tendency toward longitudinal displacement that might occur. A series of rollers 75 carried in brackets 76 secured to the central shaft G7 serve to support and facilitate the introduction and removal of the receptacles when slid into and removed from the racks. Each of these brackets is provided with a series of arms and rollers and the arms and rollers of the series of brackets are in alinement with each other so that one roll of each bracket will engage and support the inner face of a receptacle. These racks can be loaded with wash and unloaded to the best advantage when arranged in the formation shown in Fig. l2, in which case the used.

substantially centrally of the formation andf' in easy reach of the compartments of each ofi' The particular system to be;`

the containers. p followed in this distribution would be for the ment, No. 6 for instance, of a container carried in each rack and in distributing the whites in No. 5 of one rack, the lights in No. 6 of the acent rack, and 'the darks in No. 6 of the third rack, thus segregating the various classes of goods in each wash, where-L upon the three said compartments would be closed. The compartment No. s of the saine three racks would next be opened and the further operation of distribution similarly repeated; This method is carried out in the filling of the twenty-four compartments of each rack. After the clothes have been washed and the racks again returned and positioned, as shown in Fig. 12, the same order would be followed in the assembling of the several portions -of the respective washes of the different customers, that is the. corresponding compartments of the several similarly positioned receptacles would be opened simultaneously to collect the whites from one, the lights from another and the darks from the third, and then the three kinds of clothes put together tocomplete all the articles belonging to asingle customer. When this method is followed all of the compartments of any one rack contain thesame class of goods, as white, lights or darks, and the compartments of the several racks are treated for landering separately and simultaneously in separate units when three units are used, o successively when one unit is Thus the washings of the several classes are kept separate, while such a relationsliip between the goods of the several washes is maintained that correct reassembly of all-the goods of each wash is made easy.

I claim: i

l. In combination a. wash wheel having a frame defining an annular series of sector shaped pockets open at their ends, means for supporting said frame for rotation about the airis of said annular series of pockets, a reservoir in which said frame is positioned and having alined openings in its ends directly over the axis of rotation of said frame and opposite to which said open pocket ends may be successively presented, doors with downwardly converging side edges normally closing said openings, and clothes compartments insertable and removable through said openings into and out of said pockets.

2. The combination with a reservoir of a washing machine and a frame having an annular series of open endedpockets in said reservoir, a shaft for rotatably support-ing said frame about the axis of said series, and extending beyond the end of said reservoir,

. saidreservoirl having larilo'pfening witliA -vvi'hich an elleHY 0f @ich l reeket' mariseltrlr fb@- bousllt ist@ reentry by rebaten Oise-id frame, of a rack having ashaft which'ni-ay broughttfiiito axial` alinement with `'said operator to open a corresponding compara" `wasl'iing vmachine shaft, means :for

Shaffesther iframe' fixed to 'Said "rack shaft and'fhaving'an annular series'of wash of a particular customer, to put the openeiidedV ipockets similar tothe pocketsof said;washingI frame,"and laundry receiving receptacles slidablyvltittine in said pockets and transferable by movement lengthwise 0f said shafts from one to the other of said frames through said opening when said shafts are iii coupled relation. t

3. The combinationwith a washing machine having a reservoir and a frame rotatable in said reservoir and having an annular series of open ended pockets, said reservoir having oppositely disposed end openings with which said pockets may be brought successively into registry, of a pair of racks each having a rotatable frame having an annular series of open ended pockets similar to the pockets of said machine frame, said racks being movable from and to positions with their respective pockets in'aXial alinement with the pockets of said machine frame, laundry receiving receptacles slidably fitting in said pockets Y. whereby a receptacle in any of the pockets of" said machine frame may be pushed out of said machine frame through one of said openings into a pocket of one of said racks by engagement therewith of a similar receptacle being pushed into the machine pocket through the opposite opening from the alined pocket of said other rack, and means' for couplingV the frames of said racks with said machine frame for simultaneous rotation.

4. A wash wheel comprising acentral" shaft, a frame carried by said shaft defining an annular series of pockets, removable clothes receptacles for said pockets, and

means movable axially of said shaft for simulu taneously clamping or unclamping said re` along said shaft, a. removable clothes recep!" tacle for each of said pockets, a member mov able axially through said hollow shaft, and means engageable with said receptacles and forcing them outwardly into clamping en-M gagement with said frame when said member is moved in one direction and movable inwardly to release said receptacles on movement of said member in the opposite direc` tion.

6. A washing machine comprising a reservoir, a rotary shaft extending axially of said reservoir, a frame fixed to said shaft and'de- 'izo iining an annular series of pockets, the ends of said reservoir having sector shaped open-y ings directly over said shaft for successive registry With said pockets as said shaft is rotated, doors With downwardly converging side edges for normally closing said openings, and clothes receptacles insertable through one of said openings into the pockets presented successively in registry therewith, said receptacles being removable from said pockets through the other of said openings.

In testimony whereof I have afIiXed my signature.

THOMAS L. LOWE.

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