US2054797A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 22, 1936. w, FRAN LIN 2,054,797

WASHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, 1953 s Sheets-Sheet; 1

M2 //7 w v km /08 2:1 109 I /27J6706J7 fiJ/IZ 14 Sept. 22, 1936.

R. W. FRANKLIN WASHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 22, 1936. R. w. FRANKLIN WASHING MACHINE Filed Feb; 6, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 22, 1936 NT OFFICE WASHING MACHINE Ray W. Franklin, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Application February 6,1933, Serial No. 655,407

Claims.

This invention relates to washing machines and particularly to washing machines of the hydraulic type in which the articles are washed by the impact and subsequent scrubbing action of the washing fluid.

The washing machine shown in the drawings and hereinafter described is particularly applicable for use in washing dishes, eating and cooking utensils, and the like, but its principles of operation and structure may readily be adapted for other uses.

- I have observedin the washing of dishes and like articles that tubs have been utilized in which the dishes are placed either by means of a basket or by setting them inside of the tub and the dishes are washed by passing water over the surfaces thereof.

' These dishwashing machines were not satisfactory for several reasons. While these devices may have employed motor driven pumps and the like for flowing water over the dishes,'it was extremely difficu'lt to obtain high' velocity and high volume of water flow. Furthermorelarge volumes of hot water were needed and the difficulty and expense of! heating the water was high. It was oftentimes necessary that considerable hand labor be used in cleaning the dishes of food material before they were placed in the washing machine because the machine was not adapted for handling or taking care of this solid material.

Another difliculty was that the dishes were not well washed on all sides, as one dish might'shield another from the washing action of the water.

Another difficulty was that air and foam became mixed with the water while it was being circulated thus detracting from the efliciency of the machine as a washing agency. The machines were noisy'because air was sucked in through the passageways of the water circulating system. No

provision was made for withdrawing the solid material which collected in the water circulating system. v

I have" thoroughly studied theproblems met with in the devices of the prior art and, after considerable experimentation and thought, have devised means for overcoming the difllculties of the devices of the prior art. h

An object of my invention is to provide, in dishwashing machine of the above character, means whereby all sides of the dishes are presented at one time or another to the currents of water.

Another object of my invention is to provide means'whereby a small volume of water may be used in the operation of washing a batch 'of dishes, but such that a high velocity and volume per unit. of time of the washing solution may be I secured; that is, means whereby with a rela- 5 tively small total supply of washing fluid, an extraordinarily high speed of circulation and a large volume of water flow is secured.-

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby when the machine is stopped the 10 washing fluid is withdrawn into a chamber well below the dishes which have been washed.

Another object of my inventionis to provide' means for separating the solid material out of the washing fluid and for discharging it from the machine.

Anotherobject of. my invention is to provide means for supplying water to the pump without permitting the admission of air. This result is of particular importance because it is extremely desirable that a solid current of water only should strike the dishes. If air is mixed with the water the efiiciency of the machine as a washing device is materially lowered and the machine becomes noisy by reason of the flow of air through the various conduits and passageway s.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for selectively discharging washing'fluid from the machine or for directing the fluid onto 3 the dishes for washing them. Another object ofmy invention is to-provide adjustable means for regulating the flow of washing fluid to the pump.

Still another object of my invention is to provide in a basket or like device for holding the dishes, means for cushioning the dishes to prevent them from being broken and to prevent them from being marked by the basket.

Other and furtherfeatures and objects of my 40 invention will be more apparentto those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and following specification, wherein is disclosed several exemplary embodiments of the invention, with the understanding, however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a view in perspectiveof a device. constructed according to one embodiment of my invention. Portions of the cabinet and tub have been broken away to show the parts of the device. I 56 elevation of a washing machine constructed according to another embodiment of my invention.

Figure is'a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a portion of a modified form of basket structure constructed according to one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of one of the vertical members of the basket shown in Figure 5, and

Figure '7 is a view in section of a-fragmentary portion of the lower wall of the pump housing of the device shown in Figures 1 to 3.

Referring now to Figurel there is shown at I8 generally a cabinet which acts as a housing for the washing machine and as a support for the driving motor and with the top portion adapted to act as a drain board. The cabinet may be of sheet. metal suchas the non-rusting alloys. The cabinet here shown is comprised of angle iron legs I I, a flat top l2, side walls l3, and a shelf M. The parts may be bolted or welded together in any desired manner.

The top I2 is provided with a circular opening l6, and a cylindrical tub I! is located within the enclosure formed by the walls l3 of the cabinet, with the upper edge of the tub projecting through the opening I6 in the top l2.

The bottom edge of the cylinder I! (see Figures 2 and 3) is bent inwardly to form a flange l8 and this inwardly bent flange is clamped between a ring [9 and the outwardly projecting flange 2| of a bowl 22 which forms a housing for the operating and actuating parts of the device. The flange 2| and the ring l9 are clamped on the flange I8 by means of screws 23 thus forming a water tight joint. Theflange 2| is provided with a plurality of outwardly projecting ears 24 and the ears are provided with suitable upwardly projecting flanges 28 to permit fastening the machine as a unit to the walls |3 of the cabinet i8.

' The bowl 22 is comprised of four concentric cylinders of decreasing diameter. The uppermost of these cylinders 21, with the inwardly projecting flange 28 which joins it to the next cylinder, de fines a chamber 28 in which a basket carrier ring 3|, hereinafter more particularly described, is housed. The next smaller cylinder 32, with its inwardly projecting flange 33 defines a chamber 34 which may be termed the intake chamber. The third and next smaller cylinder 35 is provided with a relatively narrow inwardly projecting flange 38 at its lower edge and with a ledge 31 at its upper edge to receive a circular plate 39 hereinafter described. The cylinder 36, the flange 38, and the plate or disk 38 deflnea chamber 4| which may be termed the pump chamber and an impeller type pump 42 having impeller blades 43 is located within this chamber.

The smallest cylinder 48 is'entirely closed at the bottom by'means of the disk .41. and the chamber 48 defined by these parts may be termed the drainage well or drainage chamber. A ledge is provided at the upper inside edge of the cylinder. 48 for the reception of a ring like plate 58. Outlet from the drainage chamber 48 is provided by means of a tapped opening 5| and drainage conduit 52.

drilled as at 54 to provide a bearing for'the impeller drive shaft 56. The drive shaft is driven by means of a pulley 51, (see Fig. 1) the driving means being hereinafter more particularly explained.

A cap 58 is fastened to the top of the boss 53 as by means of screws 59. A washer 6| is located within a suitable recess in the cap 58 and this washer closely embraces the shaft 56 and is held in place by the screws 59 which secure the cap 58 to the boss 53.

A packing washer 62 is located within the chamber 54 of the boss 53 and this washer is provided with an outwardly and downwardly sloping beveled edge 63 adapted when the washer is driven downwardly to drive packing material 64 in about the shaft 56 to form a water tight packing. The lower end of the chamber 54 is closed by means of a beveled flange 56 which is also adapted to drive the packing material into a close fit about the shaft 55. Downward pressure on the washer 52 is accomplished by means of a spring 6'! which is located within the chamber 54 and bears against the lower side of the cap 58 and the upper face of the washer 62. The hub of the impeller 42 is secured to the upper end of the shaft 56 by means of a key 68 and the blades 43 of the impeller occupy the chamber 4| as previously stated. The blades are curved in accordance with the usual practice so that when the blades are rotating in the direction shown in Figure 2 water entering I near the hub is thrown out radially to enter various 'water circulation passages hereinafter described.

' The plate 38 is provided with a circular central opening II and the opening is surrounded by a domed structure 12 having louver openings. 13 adapted to permit water to pass therethrough and through the circular opening into the pump chamber. The top ofthe domed member 12 is closed off by means of a disk I4 which is secured thereto by means of screws 16. The outer edge of the disk .14 droops downwardly as shown at 11 to assist in controlling the flow of water into the pump. 1

The location and configuration of the dome H and the height, location, and configuration of the plate are of extreme importance because these members control the flow of water into the pump and if these members are properly constructed and located a solid stream of water having few or no air bubbles mixed therewith will flow from the pump thus resulting in high washing eiflciency and very little noise while if these parts are not properly shaped and located the washing machine will be ineflicient and noisy.

This point will be hereinafter further explained. A second boss 8| is formed inside the cylinder 32 and on the bottom flange 33 and projects upwardly to a level substantially even with the top of the plate 14 and the top surface of the flange 28 of cylinder 21. The boss 8| is vertically drilled asat 82 and a basket-carrier-drive-shaft 83 is rotatably mounted within the boss by means of a washer 84 held in placeby'screws 85 and pump packing 8'|- and springs 88 in substantially the same manner as the pump packing previously described. g

A pinion 88 is keyed to the upper projecting end of the shaft 83 and this pinion is in mesh with gear teeth 8| formed on the inner wall of the basket carrier ring 3|.- The basket carrier ring is provided with depending flanges shown at 92 adapted for rotatably mounting a plurality of rollers 93 which roll on the flange 28 of cylinder 21 and thus permit the ring 3I to be rotated by the pinion 89. Other rollers 94 are horizontally disposed in suitable recesses in the, ring 3| and are so positioned as to engage the inner wall of the cylinder 27. It may readspeed of rotation considerably ily be understood that the ring 3| may be placed within the basket carrier ring chamber 29 and the teeth 9| will be in engagement with the teeth Of'the pinion 89 so that when the shaft 83 is rotated the ring will be rotated within the cham ber. A shield 96 is placed over the pinion 89 to prevent entrance into the teeth of particles of material.

The ring 3I is provided with a'n'inwardly projecting flange 91 which forms a means for supporting the basket 98. The conventional basket 38 here shown is formed of a web of uprights 99 and horizontally-extending bars IOI and a latticework bottom I02.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, the shaft 56 is driven by means of the pulley 51 which is rotated by means of a belt I01 from the pulley I08 on motor I09. The motor may be fastened tothe shelf I4 of the cabinet I or to any other convenient part of the cabinet as byrotation in suitable bearings II3 which are a'.

part of a bracket I I4 which is fastened to the bottom of the drain-chamber bottom-closureplate 41. A bevel gear I I6 is mounted on the shaft I I2 at the opposite end from the worm I I I and this bevel gear is in mesh with a second bevel gear II! which is mounted on a shaft 83, which in turn is rotatably mounted within a bearing II9, which is also a part of the bracket H4. The shaft 83 is the basket-carrier driveshaft previously mentioned.

It is apparent that when electric power is furnished to the motor I09 the shaft 56 will be rotated at a relatively high speed thus rotating the blades 43 of the pump impeller at a speed sufllcient to pump a considerablevolume of water at high velocity to the tub of the dishwasher.

The basket-carrier-driveeshaft 83 will also be rotated through the train of gears II1, I I6, I I I and I06, but of course at a much lower speed because of the gear reduction. Rotation of the basket-carrier-ring-drive-pinion 89 produces rotation of the basket-carrier 3I and since the ratio of the number of teeth on the basket-carrier ring to the number of teeth on the drive pinion is high, the basket-carrier ring will rotate at a lower than that of the speed of rotation of the shaft 83.

There are a plurality of openings such as the openings I2I in the side Wall of the pump chamber 4I. While any number of these openings may be employed I prefer to use eight openings and to use two sets of conduits for conducting ,water forced through these openings from the pump up into the tub. One'set of conduits, comthe sidewall of the cylinder 36,. and areprovided with other flanges I24 at their upper ends adapted to be bolted to the under side of the flange 2 I' at the upper edge of the bowl 22. The conduits.

I22 communicate with the channels I04 in the uprights I03 and water issuing from the pump I provide a number of other conduits I26 and these conduits are preferably flattened so that they may be brought up on the outside of the tub I1 between the tub and the walls I3 of the cabinet. The conduits I26 .are also provided with flanges I2'I, similar to the flanges I23, which are also bolted to the side wall of the cylinder 36 to cover the remaining four openings therein. The upper ends of the conduits I26 are secured within a hollow bracket I28 which communicates with a plurality of openings I 29 at the top of the tub. In a preferred embodiment of the invention more particularly illustrated in Figure 2, I shape the walls of these brackets in such a manner that water is directed tangentiallyinto the tub. I have found that by directing the water tangentially less splashing occurs and the articles in the basket are struck with higher velocity and through a wider angle.

The circulation of thewashing fluid through' the machine will now be described. In operation hot water is poured into the machine until the water reaches a level slightly above the top of the plate "I4. It is apparent from inspection of the drawings that the bowl 22 requires only a very small amount of water in relation to the size of the tub I1, and this quanin the washing operation. When the motor I09 is energized the impeller blades 43 revolve throwing the water outwardly through the openings I2I in the wall of cylinder 36. The water rushes upwardly through the conduits I22 and I 26 and -is discharged into the tub in two sets of four streams each. The streams of water flow smoothly and with high velocity onto the articles in the basket 98 and theimpact and scrub- .tity of water is all that is necessary or desirable bing action of the water washes the articles thoroughly in a very few minutes.

As has been stated, it is highly important that the streams of water be free of bubbles of air and without trying to explain the theory of hydraulics involved, I have found that the shape and configuration of the dome I2 and the position and configuration of the plate I4 is highly important. It is found that the dome and plate constructed according to my invention so regulate the influx of water to the pump that air is not permitted to enter, and I have found that merely to vary the-size of the openings I3 has no appreciable result in preventing the entry of air into the circulating system. With the plate I4 in place on the dome and spaced at a proper distance from the plate 39, it is found that no air enters into the washing fluid and that the very small amount of water contained in the bowl 22 is quite suflicient for providing solid streams of water which are highly eflicient as a washing agency. The fact that by this construction I am enabled to use a very small amount of water is highly important because a small volume of water is more readily introduced into and discharged from the tub, and it is much less expensive and takes less time to heat thev small amount of water necessary.

Another decided advantage of my invention is that the large passageways, the construction of the dome I2 'and plate I4 and the drainage chamber 48 are effective to cause separation of the particles of solid food material from the washing fluid. Such material passes downwardly desired the co-acting by means of a dis through the openings 13 and 1], through the space between the blades of the pump, and through the opening I3I between the cap 58 and the ring 50 at the top of the chamber 48 and into the drainage chamber 48. This solid material readily separates from the washing fluid and may be drained off from the drainage or' settling chamber 48 by opening a suitable valve I32 at the lower'end of the pipe connection 52, thus permitting the material to be discharged through the discharge pipe or conduit I33. If walls of the ring 50 and cap 58-may slope outwardly as illustrated in enlarged detail in Figure '1 so that the, projecting edge of the ring 50 will separate the solid material from the washing fluid as it is discharged Erom the vanes of the pump and pass the material through the openings I3I into the settling chamber 48 by reason of the fact that such material, being usually heavier than water, tends to settle toward the bottom. A separator action is thus set up which materially assists in separating the solid material from the washing fluid and this separating action is a very important function of my device.

As has been hereinbefore stated the location of the cap 14 with relation to the bottom plate 39 is very important and, therefore, in Figure 4 I have illustrated a means whereby the position of this cap may be adjusted. In this embodiment of my invention the dome 12a is provided with threads on its outer wall. 14a is provided with a depending flange 14b adapted to fit over the flange 12b of the dome and is provided with suitable threads on its inner wall adapted to engage the threads on the outer wall of flange 12b. The cap 14a may thus be rotated tomove it up and down with relation to the plate 39a and thus the position of the cap, which will insure most effective and eflicient washing fluid flow control, may. be secured.

It is sometimes desirable, as for instance when the machine is installed in .a recess which does not have a drain, th't means be provided for pumping water out o the tub through an upwardly-extending pipe of some character.

Thedevice shown in Figure 4 illustrates a means by which water may be pumped from the machine by the same pump which is employed to circulate water within the machine. In the modified embodiment of my invention shown in Figure 4 I utilize substantially the same water inlet construction and water pumping mechanism, but in order to utilize the pump 42 for pumping water from the tub, I eliminate the drain chamber 48 and close off the bottom of the pump chamber 4I I40 and insert a ring I4I between the outer ends of the impeller blades 43 and the walls of the bowl 36a.

There may be any number of openings through the walls of the ring I;4I corresponding to the number of conduits for conducting water to the tub, but the device shown in Figure 4' is provided with two diametrically disposed openings I42 so that when the. ring is in its normal position, the openings I42 coincide with the openings I2Ia in the walls of the cylinder 36a, and when the pump is actuated, water is driven through the openings I42, I2Ia and through conduits I220. and I26a, and back into the tub where the water drains through the openings in the dome 12a. The

direction the water normally takes is shown by the arrows. A third opening I43 is provided in the wall of the cylinder 361: at a spaced distance The capfrom one of the openings I42 and the ring may be rotated to a position illustrated by the section I42b so that the opening I42 will coincide with the opening I43 and the openings I2 Ia will be covered by the ring I whereby water from the pump is driven out through the opening I42, the opening I43, and up through an additional conduit I44 and out through any suitable drainage connection such as the hose illustrated at I46 so that water from the tub may be conducted to any point such as a sink, a drain, or the like, where it may be discharged.

The ring I M is adapted to be rotated by means of a pinion I41 which is located in asuitable chamber I48 provided by extending the plate I40 downward to form a cup-like member I49. The pinion I41 is mountedupon a shaft .I5I which passes through a suitable packing nut indicated at I52 which is threaded to permit its close threaded engagement into the cup-like member I49.. The ring MI is provided with teeth I53 through a small sector at its lower edge and-these teeth are in geared engagement with the teeth of the pinion I41. Rotation of the shaft I5I is secured by means of a hand wheel I54.

By means ofv the structure just described the machine may be drained of water by the same pump which is used to circulate the water, which is, of course, a decided advantage.

I have found also that the baskets usually used for holding. dishes and the like are not entirely satisfactory for the reason that the dishes may be broken by the basket or frequently are marked by the zinc or other metal which forms thebasket framework. Furthermore the baskets of the prior art are not always satisfactory for draining water off the dishes and their construction is an expensive manufacturing operation. I

I have therefore devised a basket which I feel has considerable advantage over the usual construction. This basket is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 3 illustrates a conventional basket. The main supporting members of the basket are comprised by the uprights I6I and rings I62 and I63. The uprightsIGI are prefer: ably made of metal stampings the sides of which have been bent toward each other to form a U-shaped channel as indicated at I64 and the ends of which, as indicated at I66, are curved in order that-they may engage the rings I62 and I63. I prefer to insert T-shaped members I61 preferably of resilient material such as rubber in the channels I64 with the top of the T-shaped member rounded as shown and projecting from the channel to form a buffer which prevents the dishes or other articles from striking the uprights I6I. The base of the T-shaped member, of course, is inserted in the channel I64 and is held there by friction since there is practically no force acting to drive the T-shaped members from the channel.

The rings I62 and I63 which may also be of V-shaped cross section may also have T-shaped inserts, as indicated in Figure 5, which also serve to prevent the dishes from being broken or marked. Other rings I68 are provided which are adapted to be received within suitable recesses I69 which are provided in the walls of the uprights freely therefrom, and openings may be provided as illustrated at I13 to assist in draining water from the basket. The edges of these openings are preferably covered by means of grommets I14 of resilient material such asrubber which also aid to prevent the dishes and other articles being washed from coming into contact with the metal parts of the basket.

The shape and location of the drain ,disk I12 of the area of the openings therein are of importance as the disk forms a control means for controlling the flow of washing fluid when the machine is in operation. With the disk in place the-washing fluid does not pass as quickly from the tub and the washing action is improved. The action of the disk in the basket is similar to that of the dome i2 and plate 14 previously described. The total area of the openings 113 should be such that the flowof washing fluid therethrough ishinhigh velocity and large'jvolume of water flow is secured with a relatively small total volume of washing fluid. The device constructed according to my invention is simple, durable,- and relatively inexpensive.

Although I have described several embodiments of my invention it is apparent that the invention issusceptible to a wide modification and variation in structure and usage. Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the ap-.

pended claims.

-I claim as my invention: a 1. In a washing machine, a tub, a basket within the tub, and a support for the basket comprising a flanged member in the shape of a circular track having vertically and horizontallyextending walls mounted in the bottom of the tub and a ring mounted within the flanged member and having rollers in the periphery of the ring for rotatably supporting it on the flanged member, some of the rollers being, adapted to roll on the vertical walls of the flanged member and other of the rollers being adapted to roll on the horizontally-extended portion of said flanged memed on the basket carrier ring support, a pump rotatably mounted within the pump chamber, means for controlling the flow of water to the pump, and means for driving the pump. and rotating the ring.

3. In a washing machine, a tub, a bowl beneath I the tub consisting of a plurality of communicating cylindrical chambers, of decreasing diameter from top to bottom, to provide an intake cham her, a pump chamber and a drainage chamber, a pump within the pump chamber, means for controlling the flow of water to the-pump comprising a plate covering the pump and having a central opening therein, a dome shaped member having a plurality of -verti ca l slots arranged around its outer face in flxed spaced relationship therein and located about the central opening of the plate and a second plate adj'ustably mounted on top of the dome member and having its outer edge curved downwardly and conduits for conducting fluid from the pump to the tub.

- 4. In a washing machine, a tub, a bowl located beneath the tub, a; pump within the bowl, the bowl being formedwith a cylindrical drainage chamber beneath the pump, the bowl having a wall between the pump and the drainage chamber and the wall having radial openings therethrough the sides of which are adapted to separate the solid material from the washing fluid as it is discharged from the pump, means for controlling the flow of washing fluid to the pump and discharge conduits from the pump to the tub.

5. In a washing machine, a, tub, and a bowl below the tub, the bowl being'provided' with walls arranged to provide four chambers, the diameters of which are successively less from top to bottom,

a basket carrier ring'disposed in the uppermost of these chambers, a fluidcontrol means located within the next of these chambers and connecting with a pump, a centrifugal pump located within the next smaller chamber, discharge conduits leading from the pump to the tub, and a separatv in disk having radial openings therethrough arranged'to divide oi! the last mentioned chamber from the lowest or drainage chamber.

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