US2150654A - Agitator for washing machines - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1939. P. E. GELDHOF AGITATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Shem- 1 Filed Sept. 6, 1935 P. E. GELDHOF AGITATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES March 14, 1939.

Filed Sept. 6, 1935 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M/Z/d I/AMHJAJ ATTIJRNEY INYENTEIR M Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATE amass aer'ra'ron ron wssnmo monmns Peter Eduard Geldhof, Syracuse, N. 1., assigninto Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 6, 1935, Serial No. 30.404

My invention relates to washing machines and, more particularly, to a novel agitatorv or dolly therefor.

an agitator adapted to be mounted .for oscilla-' tion in a washing vat which is adapted to circulate the clothes and washing fluid in one circulatory direction around the vat, whereby the u clothes are constantly changing their relative positions in the vat so as to continually present new clothes surfaces to the washing action of the agitator.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a novel agitator for a washing machine in which the blades are mounted on a central portion at an angle to the vertical, whereby the thrusts produced by the agitator in the opposite directions of rotation thereof are slightly unequal so that while the movement of the clothes and washing fluid is primarily oscillatory in character, the clothes and washing fluid tend, at the same time, h to circulate in one direction around the vat accompanied by an upward and 3 downward movement of the clothes,

More specifically, my invention contemplates the provision of an agitator for a washing machine in which the'central portion thereof is a pyramid having a blade secured to each face thereof, said blades extending at an angle to the vertical whereby, upon oscillation of the agitator. the clothes and washing fluid are thoroughly agitated and cleansing of the clothes is effected in a minimum of time.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the aci companying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view of the agitator, in vertical I section, showing 'the agitator mounted in a washing vat.

Figure 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the agitator showing the shape and manner of mounting the blades on the central portion.

Figure 4 is a view taken in the line 4-4 of taken on the line 5-5 of The agitator of my invention is adapted to be mounted in a vat or tub II in which the clothes and washing fluid are placed. The washing vat may be of any desired shape, either square, 'or, as shown in the drawings. circular in cross sec- 5 tion. The agitator, generally indicated by the numeral I2, is preferably mounted centrally of the vat II and is driven by a shaft ll extending upwardly through the bottom of the vat. The shaft is may be driven in an oscillatory manner 10 by any suitable mechanism. not necessary to be shown or described herein, since such driving mechanism is well known in the art to which this invention applies. Preferably, the shaft is driven in an oscillatory manner through an arc of 1 180, more or less, and at a speed of about flfty -or sixty oscillations per minute.

A sleeve i4 surrounds the shaft l2 and provides a bearing point for the shaft at IS. The

sleeve it extends downwardly concentric with 2 A the shaft, has a flange II adapted to engage the bottom of the vat-and has a portion ll which extends through the bottom of the vat. The pro- ,iecting portion ll of the sleeve is provided with threads for securing the sleeve to a member I8. 25 A plate 20, which is part of an apron which partially encloses the machinery for oscillating the shaft I3, is interposed between the member I9 and the bottom of the vat. Suitable packing 2i is provided to prevent leakage of cleansing fluid from the vat around the sleeve when the sleeve is screwed tightly into the member is.

The central portion of the agitator is hollow. as indicated in the drawings, and at its lower portion is provided with suitable bosses 22 extending inwardly from the inner side walls of the central portion of theagitator. The bosses 22,

q preferably three in number, are adapted to receive a bearing, 23. The bearing is press fltted into the bosses for oscillation with the agitator and has'a running flt, as indicated at 26, on an enlarged portion 21 of the sleeve ll.

The top of the agitator shaft I3 is splined, as

indicated at 28, which splines are adapted to intermesh with splines 28 formed in a collar ii.

The collar Si is press fltted into a bore formed in the top of the central portion of the agitator.

A hollow cap 32 of any suitable shape is secured to the top of the agitator by means of a screw 50 33. A flat plate 36 forms the bottom of the cap and rests upon fins 31 which are integral with the central portion 38 of the agitator. The plate 36 is formed with flanges 38 and 40, the inner flange 40 of which closely surrounds the central portion of the agitator while the outer flange is secured to the top portion of the cap 32.

The central portion 38 of the agitator has a downwardly and outwardly extending surface such as that presented by a cone r, as indicated in the drawings, the cen al portion is preferably a pyramid. While the pyramid may have any number of sides, it preferably has three faces 4i so that the angles formed at the corners 42 of the pyramid are 60 and, therefore, form relatively sharp angled projections which, when the agitator is oscillated, produce a scrubbing and rubbing efiect on the clothes.

Atthe bottom of the agitator, the faces 4| are flared outwardly so that the bottom of the agitator is substantially circular. Each -of the faces of the pyramid is provided with a :blade 44. The blades 44 are preferably straight throughout substantially their entire length and each of them extends from one corner 42 of the pyramid diagonally across one face to the other corner so that each of the blades extends at an angle to the vertical. Toward the bottom of the central portion of the agitatorjwhere the pyramid is flared outwardly to form the circular base,

as at 46, the blades are slightly curved in the direction of inclination of the blades to the vertical and merge into the base at 48. While the blades may extend the entire helghth of the pyramid, preferably, they extend through only about three-quarters of the heighth thereof, as shown in the drawings. Preferably, also, the blades are comparatively narrow near the top and gradually widen as they extend downwardly across the faces of the pyramid toward the bottom, the point of greatest width being at the point 49 slightly below the point at which the blades begin to curve into the base. From this point, the blades gradually become narrower and merge into the base.

When the agitator is oscillated by reason of the fact that the blades extend in the same direction at an angle to the vertical and are slightly curved in the same direction near the bottom of the agitator, they tend to exert a greater thrust thorough agitation of the clothes.

on the clothes and washing fluid when the agitator is rotated in the clockwise direction than alien it is rotated in a counterclockwise direc- While the horizontal component of the thrusts caused by opposite faces of the blades are nearly equal, there is suflicient diiference between them to cause the clothes to move around the vat slowly in a clockwise direction. Thus, the clothes are caused, at times, to change their relative position in the vat so that new clothes surfaces are constantly being presented to the action of the agitator. The vertical components of the thrust exerted by the agitator tend to cause the clothes and washing fluid to be raised upwardly during the clockwise rotation of the agitator and to be thrust downwardly during the counterclockwise rotation thereof. This upwardand downward movement of the clothes insures a During the oscillation of the agitator, the edges 42 of the pyramid, as well as the blades themselves, exert a substantial scrubbing action on the clothes without causing deterioration thereof.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the agitator of my invention is of new and novel design and that various modiflcations and changes may be made iii the form and relation of parts thereof without departing from the spirit of the appended claim.

I claim:

An agitator for a washing machine adapted to be mounted in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid comprising a central pyramid having an outwardly flared portion toward-the bottom thereof, each face of said pyramid having a substantially straight blade extending from one corner of said pyramid downwardly along the face at an angleto the vertical substantially to the adjacent corner of the pyramid, each of said blades being curved near the lower end and merging with the outwardly flared portion at the bottom.

PETER'EDUARD GELDHOF.

Images