US2035481A - Washing and drying machine - Google Patents

Description

March 31, 1936.

J. 'r. HUME WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Nov. 15, 1930 March 31, 1936. J. HUME WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filgd Nov. 13, 1930 n pl mm U i ml fiiiwMl/l/I x "wa Z Z 1? 70 w Q 7, W m 7 3 fl Q a 0 0 w W Z M March J T HUME WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 13, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 QNY AQQ

i mam March 31, 1936. J HUME WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE.

Original Filed Nov. 13, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 in J 1 w y% W! M 0 M Win 6 a i 9 1| 7a 1 1; 7 a M M m a a March 31, 1936. J. T. HUME WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 13, 1930 Sheets-$216M 5 ;Z%7zf071 w?! 1 2 50726 I March 31, 1936. J. T. HUME 2,035,481

WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 13, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Mar. 32, iii/ 36 UNITED STATES WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE John T. Hume, Chicago,

111., assignor to Electric Household Utilities Corporation, Cicero, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Original application November 13, 1930, Serial No. 495,444. March 15, 1933,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in washing and drying machines and the present application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 495,444, filed November 13, 1930.

5 In the operation of a laundry machine, particularly those in which the clothes-contacting parts have angular or rotary movements about a vertical axis, there is a tendency for vibration to be set up during the operation of the machine which 1 causes the machine as a whole to move about upon its legs or other supports. This vibratory movement may become very objectionable under some circumstances, as, for example, when a basket containing clothes to be dried is operated 15 at high speed with the clothes in an unbalanced position in the basket, and when such objectionable conditions arise, it is often necessary to arrest the operation of the machine and to make a readjustment of the clothes, for example, before 20 resuming operations. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a laundry machine embodying a rotary clothes drying basket with motor driven means for rotating the basket and automatic means operated by excessive vibration of the machine for automatically arresting the operation of the motor. A further object of the invention is to provide a laundry machine having a rotary clothes-contacting element driven by an electric motor in combination with a switch located in the circuit of the motor and having connections with the support of the machine whereby the switch is automatically opened when excessive vibration of the machine causes movement of said support about the floor or the like upon which the support rests. Still another object of the invention is to provide a laundry machine having a rotary clothes-contacting element driven by an electric motor in combination with a switch connected in the circuit of the motor and adapted to be actuated by relatively movable parts mounted in a supporting leg of the machine in such a manner that the excessive vibration of the machine causes relative movements of these parts to open the switch. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a partial axial vertical section through a washing and drying machine embodying the improvements of the present invention,

Divided and this application Serial No. 660,797

with portions of the machine shown in side elevation;

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged central vertical section taken through the axis of the machine illustrating the structure of the parts by which the clothes agitator and clothes basket are directly driven and the connection therewith of the driving mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a. detail horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged vertical section taken axially through the machine on the line 5-5 of Fig. 8, showing the means for rotating the clothes drying basket and the means for operating the clothes agitator;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through a portion of the casing above the driving motor, which is shown in elevation, illustrating the connections of the motor with the mechanism by which the basket and agitator are driven;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit connections of the motor and the controlling devices included in the circuit;

Fig. 8 shows a partial horizontal section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5, looking upwardly in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 9 shows a. partial horizontal section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 5 looking downwardly;

Fig. 10 shows an enlarged elevation of one leg of the machine with the lower part thereof cut away to reveal in vertical section the means by which the circuit of the motor is automatically controlled, upon excessive vibration of the machine, by connections extending from the roller to the switch mounted in the upper part of the leg;

Fig. 11 shows an enlarged front elevation of the mechanism of the switch shown in Fig. 10, with the front cover of the switch casing removed;

Fig. 12 is a detail vertical sectiontaken on the line I2|2 of Fig. 11; and

Fig. 13 is a detail horizontal section taken on the line l3 |3 of Fig. 10.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is embodied in a washing machine comprising a hollow frame or casing 25 having a removable lower part 25 which is attached to the upper part 25 by means of cap screws 26 engaging the projecting flanges around the edgesof these parts. The upper part of the casing is provided with radially extending arms 25 which are united at their outer ends with a circular metallic frame member 2?. The ends of the arms 25 are also connected to supporting legs 28 which are formed of sheet metal andswhich are bent to have a substantially U-shaped horizontal cross-section with side walls 28 extending inwardly beneath the arms of the frame or casing. The outer portion of each leg has an upwardly extending flange 28 which lies in contact with the circular frame member 2? and the side walls 28*- are provided at their upper ends with flanges 28 which underlie the arms 25 of the casing 25, as shown in Fig. 10. The flanges 28 and 28 are secured to the respective arms 25 of the casing by bolts 29 and nuts 30, as shown particularly in Figs;

1- and 10. The lower portion of each leg 28 is bent into tubular form with the meeting edges united by means of projecting flanges 28 and bolts 3|. These lower cylindrical portions of the legs serve as bearings for the trunnions of the casters 32 which are provided with rollers 33 adapted to rest upon the floor or other support 34. The casters are thus free to turn about verti- -cal axes and permit the machine to be moved 'about bodily on the support.

Within the upper portion of the circular frame member 21 is located the lower part of the tub or vessel 35 which is adapted to contain washing fluid. The wall of this tub has an annular head 35 which rests upon the upper edge portion 21 of the circular frame so that the tub is removably positioned on the frame or casing 25 which contains the driving mechanism. The extreme upper end of the tub 35 is turned outwardly and embedded in a ring of rubber 36 which serves as a support for the removable cover 31 having a centrally located handle 38. A basket 40, adapted to contain the clothes to be washed and dried, is located in the upper part of the tub or vessel 35. This basket has an outer annular wall 60 which is preferably flared upwardly and which has its upper edge turned inwardly as shown at 40 with a plurality of apertures 4! located just below the curved portion so that when the basket is rotated at high speed, the water in the clothes is carried by centrifugal force up the inclined wall 413 and thence outwardly through the openings 4|, from which region it drops into the lower part of the vessel 35. The curved portion 40 of the basket terminates in a head 20 which surrounds the openings through which ciothes are inserted into or withdrawn from the basket. The lower wall 48 of the basket is tapered upwardly toward its center and is secured to the arms of a spider 42 by means of rivets 43. The spider has a hub portion 42 which is secured to a vertically extending sleeve 45, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2'. This sleeve has its lower end 45 turned outwardly beneath the hub of the spider and a bushing 45 is interposed between the hub and the sleeve with a portion of the bushing extending upwardly beyond the hub. Through connections made with the sleeve 65, the basket to is rotated when it is desired to dry the clothes between them. as shown in Fig. 2. The lower part of the column 55* of the agitator is provided with an annular inwardly extending rib 50, as shown in Fig. 2, which carries a bushing 52 having a bearing upon the upper end of the bushing 45 carried by the basket. A number of openings 55 at the lower end of the space 5i permit the escape of any water which may collect in this space. The upper end of the column 50 terminates in a hub portion 50 of reduced diameter having splines or keyways 53 on the inner side thereof for establishing a driving connection with the driving member 54 while at the same time permitting the removal of the agitator when desired. a

For the purpose of actuating the agitator 50 and the basket 40, driving connections are established through the lower walls of the basket and the tub, as shown particularly in Fig. 2. The upper portion 25 of the casing 25 is provided with a hub 25 having secured therein a hollow center post 55 which extends upwardly through an opening in the lower wall 35 of the tub. A fluidtight connection is established between the post 55 and the wall 35? by means of a collar 56 having a sleeve fitting on the center post and another collar 51 threadedly engaging thesleeve of the first collar with gaskets 58 compressed between the collars and the intervening portion of the tub. The center post 55 extaeds upwardly into the sleeve 45 of the basket and is provided within the hub 42 of the spider 42 with a fixed annul'ar bearing member 59 on which revolves a bushing 50 carried by the sleeve 45. Within the center post 55 there is located a hollow shaft 6! for driving the sleeve 45 of the basket, and within the hollow shaft 81, there is located a solid shaft 62 for driving the clothes agitator. The upper end of the post 55 is provided on its inner side with a bushing 63 which serves as a bearing for the upper portion of the hollow shaft 6| which extends above the center post with its upper end secured to a, driving member 64. This driving member is splined within a driving block 65 secured within the upper end of the sleeve 45 so that when the hollow shaft Si is rotated, the basket is rotated at the same speed. 'The solid shaft 52, which drives the agitator 50, has a hard metal bearing member 56 secured to the upper part thereof to revolve within a bushing 61 which is carried by the upper end of the hollow shaft ti, and the solid shaft 62 projects above this bearing with its upper end keyed within the driving block 54, previously described, so that a driving connection is thereby established between this shaft and the agitator. A collar 68 surrounds the shaft 52 in contact with the upper end of the tubular bearing member 66 and serves to limit the downward movement of the hub portion 50 of the agitator upon the driving block 54. During the operation of washing the clothes within the basket, the shaft 62 is adapted to have an oscillatory motion imparted thereto, and during the subsequent drying of the clothes, the shaft 52 is adapted to remain stationary while the hollow shaft 5! is rotated at high speed to effect a corresponding rotation of the basket.

Although the vibration of the machine which might give rise to the automatic operation of the circuit controlling mechanism of the present invention might be caused by the motion of the various moving parts of the machine, it is most likely to be caused by the high speed rotation of the basket ill and the description of the driving mechanism will therefore be largely confined to that portion of the mechanism which effects the rotation of the basket. The mechanism is driven by an electric motor I5, shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 6, which has a flange I6 extending outwardly from the upper end of its casing to be engaged by cap screws 11 passng through insulating bushings I into threaded apertures formed in the lower part 25 of the casing 25, so that the motor is detachably secured in position. The armature of the motor has its shaft journaled in a ball bearing unit 8| which is secured within a bearing plate 82, mounted to serve as one end of the motor casing, and detachably secured in place by bolts 83. Immediately above the ball bearing 8 I, the motor shaft 80 is provided with a number of upwardly extending pins 85 arranged to engage apertures 08 in the blocks 81 embedded in a flywheel 88. The flywheel is adapted to maintain the uniform operat on of the motor independently of sudden shocks which may be imparted to the clothes basket or the clothes agitator during the operation of the machine. This flywheel has a, driving connection with an enlarged vert cal shaft 90 which is mounted to revolve within a bushing 0I secured within a hub 92 which is carried by the lower part of the casing 25. The upper end of this shaft 90 is reduced in diameter and isjournaled in a bushing 94 mounted in a hub 95 formed in the upper part 25 of the casing. A pinion 91 is secured on'the shaft 90 below the bushing 94 and this pinion meshes with an intermediate gear 98 which is secured on a shaft 99. The shaft 99 is arranged to revolve in bushings I00 which are mounted between the cups IOI secured within the hubs I02 and I03 formed in the lower and upper parts of the casing 25. respectively.

The driving connections from the gear 98 to the parts by which the hollow basket driving shaft BI is actuated are shown particularly in Figs. 2, 5, and 9. The gear 98 rotates continuously when the motor is in operation and it meshes continuously with another gear I05 which revolves about the lower end of the shaft 82 through the intermediate bushing I08 secured within the hub of the gear. The lower portion of the gear I 05 is formed integrally with a pinion I01, which operates the mechanism by which the shaft 62 of the clothes agitator is oscillated, and the lower end of this pinion rests upon a collar I08 mounted around the shaft 62 and supported by the pinion I09 fixed on the lower end of the shaft 02. The extreme lower end of this shaft is mounted to revolve in a ball bearing unit IIO which is located within a cup II I adapted to prevent the leakage of oil from the lower part of the casing 25 in which it is secured. The pinion I01 meshes continuously with a gear II2 which operates through another pinion to drive a large gear II5. This gear operates an eccentric I2I which revolves within a block I23 mounted to slide in guides I24 carried by an oscillatory arm I25. This arm is pivoted at one end upon a bearing I26 and at its other end it is provided with a gear sector I25 which actuates the pinion I09, previously described, to impart an oscillatory motion to the shaft 62 and the clothes agitator 50. The bearing member I26 is eccentrically mounted on a vertical operating shaft I30 which is provided at the side of the tub with a handle I39 which may be manipulated to rotate the bearing member I25 and thus move the gear sector I25 into and out of engagement with the pinion I 09. This mechanism for actuating the clothes agitator is described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 338,456, filed February 8, 1929.

The rotation of the basket 40 at high speed for drying purposes is effected by the continuously rotating gear I05 which is adapted to be connected to the lower end of the hollow shaft IiI through a friction clutch member I40 mounted to revolve about the bushing I4I which is secured to the shaft 6| and which serves as a bearing for the lower part of the shaft 82. The lower end of the hollow shaft 6| revolves in a bushing I42 which is secured in the lower end of the center post 55 and the clutch member I40 is splined on the lower extremity of the hollow shaft SI so that the rotation of the clutch member will cause the hollow shaft and the basket 40 to be rotated. When the clutch member I 40 is moved downwardly, this lower flat face is adapted to engage a number of friction blocks I44, of cork or the like. which are secured in recesses formed in the upper side of the gear I05 so that a driving connection is thereby established between this gear and the hollow shaft 62 for the purpose of rotating the basket 40. When the clutch member is elevated, as shown in Fig. 2, the gear I05 continues to rotate about the shaft 02 without effecting the rotation of the basket.

The vertical movement of the clutch member I40 is effected through a bell crank lever I45 which is provided with a pair of ears I45 pivotally mounted on a shaft I45 which is secured to the top wall of the casing by a stud I41. The bell crank lever is provided with a horizontally extending bifurcated arm I45, parts of which ext nd on opposite sides of the clutch member I40, with their extremities provided with pins I48 upon which are mounted blocks I49 located in the annular groove I40 of the clutch member. The bell crank lever I45 has a depending arm I45 which is pivotally connected at I5I to a horizontal shifter arm I50. The shifter arm extends through the casing 25 above the gear II5. as shown in Fig. 5, and the outer end thereof is provided with a notch I50". shown particularly in Fig. 8, thus forming a forked end which straddles the reduced portion I34 of a depending hub I34 formed on the upper part 25 of the casing. At a point adjacent this end of the shifter arm I50, it is engaged by a bolt I52 carrying a bushing I53 upon which a roller I54 is mounted to revolve. This roller bears against the peripheral surface of a cam I55 which is formed integrally with the eccentric bearing member I26 previously described. As shown in Fig. 8, a cam I55 is provided atone side with a recess I55 so that when it is turned to bring this recess into engagement with the roller I54, the shifter arm I50 is permitted to move toward the right. as viewed in Fig. 5, as the clutch member I 40 falls by gravity into engagement with the friction blocks I44, thereby establishing a driving connection between the gear I05 and the clutch member. When the cam is rotated to the position shown in Fig. 8, the bell crank lever I 45 is rocked to elevate the clutch member I40 and thereby permit the gear I05 to rotate without rotating the basket. The depression I55 in the I cam I55 is so located with respect to the eccentricity of the bearing member I26 that it is impossible to move the clutch member I40 into engagement with the friction blocks of the gear I05 at the same time that the gear sector I25 of the oscillatory arm is in mesh with the pinion I09, thus preventing the operator from effecting the simultaneous actuation of both the clothes agitator and the drying basket. 7

Referring now-to the electric circuit by which the operation of the motor 75 is controlled, and particularly to Figs. 7, 10, 11, 12, and 13, it will be seen that the electric motor is applied with current through a pair of line conductors H which have a double pole switch 256 connected therein and located in the auxiliary casing 1135 at one side of the machine, as shown in Fig. l and as more fully described in my original application above referred to. One of the conductors M5 leads to one terminal of the motor 55 and the other line conductor 2H5 leads to a rheostat 222 from which a conductor 223 leads through a circuit controlling switch 225 to the other terminal of the motor 15. The circuit controlling switch 224 is mounted in the upper part of one of the supporting legs 28 of the machine, as shown in Fig. 10, and during the normal operation of the machine this switch is closed. It is provided for the purpose of automatically opening the circuit and arresting the operation of the motor in case the vibration or the machine becomes excessive during the rotation of the basket dd for drying purposes, and it comprises a casing 266 which is secured in the upper end of the leg 23 and which encloses a pair of contact blades 2M mounted on an insulating block 262 and each connected to a separate part of the conductor 223. The blades 2M are adapted to be connected by a movable contact member 2% which is movable to the closed position shown in Fig. 11 by a bell crank lever 265 upon which it is mounted. The bell crank lever is pivoted at 266 within the switch casing and is provided with a downwardly extending arm 26% having at its lower end a pair of shoulders 265 and 265, the latter of which is bounded on one side by the projecting tongue 2$5 gages the ledge 26% which is formed at one side of a lever 26?, of U-shaped cross-section, pivoted at 263 in the lower part of the casing 2%. This lever Edi is provided with a slot 263 through which the lower end of the arm 285 of the bell crank lever extends. A coil spring are connects the lever 26? with the upper horizontal arm of the bell crank lever 265 but the two levers are normally prevented from moving toward each other under the influence of this spring by the engagement of the shoulder 25% with the ledge 267 so that the lever 26% is normally not moved from the position wherein the movable contact 256 serves to connect the switch blades 256.

'This movement of the lever 285 to open the in diameter and a coil spring 2% is interposed between the shoulder H3 which is thus formed on the plunger and another shoulder didwhich is formed at the upper end of the enlarged bore of the sleeve 27 3. This spring is of such strength that the leg 28 and sleeve 24 are ordinarily permitted to occupy their normal position on the plunger 213, as shown in Fig. 10, during the normal operation of the machine. The upper end of the plunger 273 is threadedly engaged by a stud 2'36 which secures in place a washer 2W adapted to overlap the upper end of the bore of the The shoulder 265 normally en-' sleeve 275. The head oi the stud Zlt is pivotally connected to a rod 279 which threadedly engages lished between the lever and the plunger 213.

The effective length of the rod 219 may be varied by adjusting the nut 28d and then securing it in adjusted position by a lock nut 282. With this arrangement, the parts normally remain substantially as illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Upon vibration of the machine, due to the rotation of the basket it, the leg 26 and sleeve 27% tend to move upwardly on the plunger 2113, and when an excessive degree of vibration occurs, the upward movement of the leg and switch casing causes a relative separation vertically of the lever 26? and the switch casing, thereby permitting the ledge 26? to move out of engagement with the adjacent shoulder 265 on the lever 265. The bell crank lever 265 is then free of restraint at the lower end of its arm 265 so that the spring Elli can pull the upper arm of the lever 265 downwardly and open the switch, during which time the ledge 26? of the lever 2M passes into engagement with the shoulder 265 of the lever 2% and the tongue 2% finally limits the opening movement of the switch. The operation of the motor 75 is then automatically arrested and cannot be restored until the operator restores the switch 224% to its closed position. This may be done by engaging with the fingers a handle 285 which is pivotally connected to the arm 265 of the bell crank lever 265 and which projects from the switch casing, as shown in Figs. and ll. This handle may be manipulated to restore the contact 226 to its circuit-closing position and to bring the shoulder 285 again into engagement with the ledge 261 of the lever 26?. In this way, there is provided a circuit-controlling device which responds automatically to the vibration in the machine. By adjusting the eiiectlve length of the rod 279, the switch may be caused to open when a predetermined degree of vibration is reached.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other forms coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a laundry machine, oi a tub having a floor-engaging part, a rotary basket mounted in said tub, means for rotating said basket, and means actuated by the vibration of said floor-engaging part for arresting the op eration of said rotating means.

2. The combination in a laundry machine, of a. tub having a supporting leg comprising relatively movable parts, a rotary basket mounted in said tub, means for rotating said basket, and means actuated by the relative movement of said parts for arresting the operation of said rotating means.

3. The combination in a laundry machine, of a tub having a supporting leg comprising relatively movable parts, a rotary clothes drying basket mounted in said tub, means comprising an electric motor for rotating said basket, an electric circuit for controlling the operation of said motor, a normally closed switch in said circuit, and means actuated by the relative movement of said parts of said leg for opening said switch.

4. The combination in a laundry machine, of a tub comprising three supporting legs, one or said legs comprising parts which are relatively movable in a vertical plane, a rotary basket mounted in said tub, means comprising an electric motor for rotating said basket, an electric circuit for controlling the operation of said mtor, a normally closed switch in said circuit, and means connecting said switch with said relatively movable parts for opening said switch upon a predetermined relative movement of said parts.

5. The combination in a laundry machine, of a tub, supporting means for said tub comprising a leg having telescoping members, a spring interposed between saidmembers to oppose the relative movement thereof in one direction, a rotary basket mounted in said tub, means comprising an electric motor for rotating said basket, an

- electric circuit for said motor, a normally closed switch connected in saidcircuit and mounted on said leg, a lever for controlling the opening of said switch, and means connecting said lever with one of said telescoping members for effecting the opening of said switch upon a predetermined relative movement of said telescoping members in opposition to said spring.

6. The combination in a laundry machine, of a tub, supportingmeans for said tub comprising a leghaving telescoping members, a spring interposed between said members to oppose the relative movement thereof in one direction, a rotary basket mountedin said tub, means comprising an electric motor for rotating said basket, an electric circuit for said motor, a normally closed switch connected in said circuit and mounted on said leg, a lever for controlling the opening of said switch, means connecting said lever with one of said telescoping members for efiecting the opening of said switch upon a predetermined relative movement of said telescoping members in opposition to said spring, and manually operated means for restoring said switch to closed position.

- JOHN T. HUME.

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