US2207926A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1940. Q N 2,207,926

WASHING MACHINE Filed MarCh 2S, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l (I 22 F5511 a INVENTOR.

C. E. LANG WASHING MACHINE July 16, 1940.

Filed March 23, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

' ATTORN Y Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASHING MACHINE Carl E. Lang, Berkeley, Calif.

Application March 23, 1938, Serial No. 197,638 14 Claims. (Cl. 68-21) The present 'invention relates to washing mashown by way of illustration and not of limitation, chines, and more particularly to a washing mapreferred embodiments thereof.

chine of the type having an oscillating and ele- In the drawings, wherein like numerals refer vating agitator that operates when oscillating to like parts throughout the several views: to wash the clothes, and which when elevated Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a wash- 5 cooperates with an overhanging pressu r si ting machine constructed in accordance with the ing member to extract water from the clothes invention, with the parts in their clothes washing preliminary to their removal from the machine. position,

An object of the invention is to provide a new, Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing novel and improved form washing machine e p ts in he pos t o as e hen e 10 having the above features, which is practicaL'efchine is operating to q e e Water from the fective and inexpensive to manufacture. clothes.

Another object of the invention is to provide Figure 3 is a plan view of the washing machine, an improvement in washing machines of the type with certain parts in section, to disclose details employing an oscillating agitator, wherein the of construction, 15

agitator is adapted to be raised and cooperate F ure 4 is a horizontal sectional view, taken with a fixed pressure resisting member to extract along line Iii-IV of F gure 2, looking in direcwacer from the clothes after washing. tion of arrows.

Another object of the invention is to provide Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective a new and novel form of mounting for the oscil- View, Showing details of a p t o O e driving 20 lating agitator element of a washing machine, nism. and a f which will permit an elevation of the agitator ele- Figure 6 is a fragme ta y Perspective w. merit within the tub for the purpose of squeezing showing further details ofconstruction of a mat water t of (Homes a i d therby i a chine constructed in accordance with this invensimple and convenient manner. o 25 Another object of the invention is to provide a As ust t d in Figures 1 a 2 0f the drawnew and novel agitator element for washing maingS, the ppa tu c osen to illustrate the preschines of the type having an oscillating and ent invention includes a clothes receptacle or ftub vertically movable agitator means, in which I0 having a cover II which is ad pt d ir -hem v the agitator means is provided with radially thereover during the clothes Washing p r ti 30 disposed agitator vanes that move into an The tub is Supported upon a Cylindrical founoperative position when the agitator element dation Support and u d upon brackets is in its clothes washing position, and move [3 within the foundation 12 there is a gear box l4 out of engagement with the clothes when the having a Suitable moi/OI: driven mechanism by agitator element is elevated, as when squeezmeans of which the Vanous elements of i 'i 35 mg water from the clothes mg machine are operated, as will be described in Another object of the invention is to provide a i heremafter' At tms pomt It W111 be new and practical arrangement wherein an ex- Clem to statfe that the apparatus contemplates pandible fluid containing flexible member coboth a washing and squeezmg of the Wash water 40 operates with an elevated clothes carrying memggg fig figggg k gig 2:2 2:35 g gsgggg rfig' 40 33 novel manner to squeeze water from t estal l6, and at the upper end of this pedestal IS A further object of the invention is to provide there is bushmg through. whlch vertically movable tubular support I8 is adapted to slide a new and novel arrangement ma washing maand also oscillate. Extending upwardly into the chine of the type having an oscillating and elevatvertically movable tubular Support '8 there is a ing chines carrying agitator means wherein the screw threaded shaft It with which the lower end agitator means may be Selectively coupled to of the tubular support H! has a threaded connecdriving motor to impart either an oscillating on as at At the upper end f the tubular movement 01' an elevating movement thereto in a supporting member there is a, hexagonal exten- Simple and Convenient mannersion 2| which provides a splined connection, or Other objects and advantages, of the invention mounting for a saddle-like member 22 that, exwill be in part evident to those skilled in the art tends downwardly over the outside of the hollow and in part pointed out hereinafter in connection stationary pedestal Hi to a point adjacent the with the accompanying drawings, wherein there is bottom of the tub l0. At its lower end the saddle- 55 like member 22 supports a clothes carrying agitator 23 upon which there is pivotally mounted a plurality of agitator vanes 24. The agitator vanes 24 are preferably arranged radially upon the clothes carrying member 23 and are located in slots which permit a downward pivotal movement thereof through the bottom of the clothes carrying member 23 when this member is elevated, as will hereinafter appear. The agitator vanes 24 are pivoted between suitably spaced ears 25 which extend outwardly from the bottom of the clothes carrying member 23. Arranged in the bottom of the tub I0, at a point where it will be engaged by the lower edges of the agitator vanes 24, there is a plate-like member 26 that serves to hold the agitator vanes in an operative position, as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, when the washing machine is operating to wash clothes. When the parts are in this position the lower end of the tubular supporting member l8 will be extended out of the hollow stationary pedestal 16, so that its threaded end 20 can be engaged by a slidable clutch collar 21 to connect the clothes carrying member 23 and the agitator vanes though the saddle-like member 22 to the motor driven mechanism l5, as will also hereinafter appear. At this point it may be pointed out that when the apparatus is connected, as has been above described, and the motor driven mechanism I5 is operated by a motor 28, the clothes carrying member 23 with the agitator vanes 24 will be oscillated within the tub I 0, so that the clothes will be subjected to a washing action, as is'well understood in the art.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 of the drawings, for a description of another aspect of the present invention. In this figure of the drawings it will be noted that the clutch collar 21 has been moved downwardly so that pins 29 carried thereby are projected into a worm gear 30 of the motor driven mechanism l5. When the clutch collar 21 is thus moved downwardly into the position illustrated, the oscillating connection between the driving mechanism l5, the clothes carrying member 23 and its agitator vanes 24 will be rendered ineilective, and at the same time the pins 29 upon the clutch collar 21 will connect the screw threaded shaft 19 directly to the worm gear 30. As a result of this connection, when the worm gear 30 is driven by the motor'29, the screw threaded shaft l9 will be rotated in a continuous direction and move the tubular supporting member I8, due to its threaded connection, either up or down within the hollow stationary pedestal l6. When the screw threaded shaft I9 is rotated in a forward direction, the tubular supporting member l8 will be caused to move upwardly within the hollow stationary pedestal I6 and carry the overhangingsaddle-like member 22 also upwardly. This will raise the clothes carrying member 23 and any clothes carried thereby out of the washing water, designated by the numeral 3|. As the clothes carrying member 23 is thus raised out of the washing water 3|, the agitator vanes 24 carried thereby will be moved away from the plate-like member 26 at the bottom of the tub Ill, and as a result these agitator vanes will move downwardly about their pivotal'supports 25 and into the positions shown in this figure of the drawings. In order to prevent a displacement of the agitator vanes 24 from their respective slots in the bottom of the clothes carrying member 23, the supporting ears 25 are provided with an abutment 32 which serves to hold the agitator vanes 24 with their upper edges per end of the hollow stationary pedestal I6.

substantially flush with the inside surface of the clothes carrying member 23.

From the above it will be seen that by connect ing the screw threaded shaft l9 directly to the motor driven mechanism l5, it is possible to elevate the clothes, designated by the numeral 33, out of the washing water 3|. In order to utilize this feature of the invention for the wringing or squeezing of water from the clothes 33, the tub I9 is provided with a swingable arm 34 that is mounted upon the upper end of a vertical shaft 35 which is journaled in bearings 36 and 31 upon the side of the tub I0. This permits the swingable arm 34 to be positioned over the tub lll during the clothes squeezing operation of the machine. The extending end of the arm 34 has three smaller radially extending arms 38 to which there is secured a semiannular supporting member 39, to the underside of which there is secured a fluid containing expandable member 40. The member 40 may be of any suitable construction. In the drawings the member 40 is shown as made of a heavy rubber tube-like material which is closed at its ends. For the purpose of inflating the fluid containing expandable member 49 there is shown a connection 4! having a valve 42 and,

placement thereof when pressure is exerted there- 'l upon, the overhanging end of the swingable arm 34 is secured in place by means of an interlocking washer-like member'44 that engages an overhanging flange 45 upon the bushing IT at the up- Upon referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that the swingable arm 34 is cut out between two of the smaller supporting arms 38 so as to permit its overhanging end to move into a position concentric with the hollow stationary pedestal Hi. It will also be noted that the semiannular supporting member 39 is also cut out, as at 46, so as to permit its movement into concentric relation with the tub l0 when the arm -34 is in its operative position, ,as shown. In this figure of the drawings it will also be noted that the expandable member 49 has its ends arranged so as to permit its movement with the swingable arm 34 into a position substantially concentric with the clothes carrying member 23.

As shown in this figure of the drawings, the in-' terlocking washer-like member 44 has two oppositely. disposed inwardly projecting tongues 46 that extend under the flange 45 upon the bushing I I at the upper end of the hollow stationary pedestal l6. The tongues 46.upon the interlocking washer-like member 44 are made sufliciently long to permit a disposition of the 'washer-like member 44 around the outside 01, the

Reference is now made to Figure 4 of the drawings, for a description of the motor driven mech-r anism 15 which, as suggested above, operatesto and low-* drive the clothes washing and squeezing elements of the apparatus. As shown, the movements of the slidable clutch collar 21 are controlled by a forked yoke 43 secured upon the end \of a shaft 43 and from which there extends a suitable foot or hand operated lever 50. This lever 50 is shown as extending out through a wall of the foundation or support l2 upon which the tub III is mounted, where it can be operated by foot or hand as desired. The shaft 49 is also shown as having a short lever arm 5| which connects through a link 52 with a crank arm 53 carried by an eccentric shaft 54. Mounted upon the eccentric shaft 54 there is an oscillatable gear sector 55 that meshes with a smaller gear 56 which iseshown as secured upon the screw threaded shaft l3 by means of a pin 51. The oscillatable gear sector 55 is also shown as having an outwardly extending arm 58 to which one end of an offset link 59 is connected. The other end of the offset link 53 is connected to a crank pin 60 carried by an additional gear 6! which permanently meshes with gear teeth 62 formed upon the worm gear 30. At this point it will be noted that the worm gear is adapted to be driven by a worm 63 that is directly connected to the motor 23 by means of a shaft 64.

With the above arrangement it will be seen that when the hand or foot operated lever 50 is moved from one of its extreme positions to another, the forked yoke 28 will be moved to carry the slidable collar 21 either up or down. At the same time the lever arm 5| upon the shaft 43 will operate through the link 52 and the crank arm 53 to rotate the eccentric shaft 54 so as to move the gear sector 55 into and out of engagement with the gear 56 which is secured upon the screw threaded shaft l9. At this point it should be stated that the disposition of the forked yoke 48 with respect to the lever arm 5i carried by the shaft 43 is such that when the slidable collar 21 is in its uppermost position. as shown in Figure 1, the gear sector 55 will be in mesh with the gear 56, whereas when the slidable collar 21 is in its lowermost position, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, the gear sector 55 will be held out of meshing engagement with the smaller gear 56 upon the screw threaded shaft l9. This latter position of the parts will permit a continuous rotation of the screw threaded shaft IS in one direction. During this operation of the machine, the gear sector 55 will continue to oscillate as the gear 6| will continue to rotate, but during this period of operation the gear sector 55, as stated above, will be held out of engagement with the smaller gear 56 upon the screw threaded shaft l9. At the same time, when the slidable collar 21 is in its lowermost position, the pins 29 carried thereby will beprojected through the smaller gear 56 and into the worm gear 30, so as to provide a direct driving connection from the worm gear 30 to the screw threaded shaft IQ for elevating and lowering the clothes carrying member 23 in the tub.

Upon referring to Figure 5 of the drawings, it will be noted that the vertically movable supporting member I8, in addition to being threadedly connected at its lower end to the screw threaded shaft l3, also has a series of spline forming grooves 65 into which spline forming tongues 66 carried by the slidable collar 21 are adapted to be moved to effect a driving connection between the slidable collar 21 and the vertically movable supporting member lilwhen the motor driven mechanism i5 is operating to oscillate the clothes carrying member 23.

Reference is now made to Figure 6 of the drawings, for a detailed description of the means provided at the upper. end of the hollow vertical pedestal l6 for securing the swingable arm 34 against vertical displacement during the clothes squeezing operation of the machine. In this figure of the drawings a portion of the saddlelike member 22 has been broken away to uncover the flanged end of the /bushing i1 which is threaded into the upper end of the hollow vertical pedestal 16. As is shown by this illustration, the flange 45 upon the bushing l1 has oppositely disposed slots 61 through which the tongues 46 upon the washer-like member 44 may be passed before being rotated into interlocking relation with the flange 45 of the bushing l1. It will be understood that during the. downward movement of the tongues 66 upon the member 44 through the slots 61 in the flange 45, the vertical slots 41 in the saddle-like member 22 will be aligned with the slots 61. When the tongues 46 upon the washer-like member 44 have been passed through the slots 61, they can be rotated into interlocking relation with the flange 45 upon the bushing H by a slight turning of the saddle-like member 22. After the washer-like member 44 has been thus positioned upon the end of the swingable arm 34, the slots 41in the saddle-like member 22 will permit a free upward and downward movement of this member without disturbing the interlocking connection between the flange 45 and, the tongues 46 upon the washer-like member 44. If desired, the washer-like member 44 may be provided with a radially extending handle or lever for turning it into interlocking relation with the flange 45 upon the bushing 11. Means such as a set screw may also be provided for securing these parts in their interlocking positions if found necessary.

The operation of the apparatus disclosed above, may be described as follows: When the machine is to be used for the washing operation, the parts will be in the positions illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. Under these conditions the clothes carrying member 23 will be in its lowermost position at the bottom of the tub ill with the agitator vanes 24 elevated by the plate 26 so as to engage the clothes and cause them to be oscillated in the washing water as the clothes carrying member 23 is oscillated. It will be assumed that the motor 28 has been started by any suitable switch and that the slidable clutch collar 21 is in its uppermost position, where it is in splined engagement with the lower end of the tubular support l8. Under these conditions, as the motor 28 continues to operate it Will drive the worm gear 30, and through the gear teeth 62 formed thereupon, the gear 6| will be also rotated continuously in one direction. This rotation of the gear 6| will cause the crank pin 60 carried thereby, to impart a reciprocating movement to the offset link 59, as shown in Figure 4v of the drawings, and this movement of the link 59 will in turn cause the oscillatable gear sector 55 to oscillate and thus impart an oscillating movement to' the smaller gear 56. This oscillating movement of the smaller gear 56 will then be transmitted through the pins clutch collar 21 to the tubular support l8, which in turn will oscillate the clothes carrying member 23 with the clothes through the medium of the saddle-like supporting member 22. During this operation of the machine the swingable arm 34 29 carried by the will be swung out into a position clear of the tub so that the cover ll may be placed thereover.

When the apparatus is operated to squeeze water from the clothes, the parts at the end of the squeezing operation will be substantially in the positions illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. This operation is accomplished by throwing the foot or hand lever 50 down so as to movethe slidable clutch collar 21 out of its splined engagement with the lower end of the tubular support l8 and project the pins 29 carried thereby into the worm gear 30. This downward movement of the foot or hand lever 50, as has been described above in connection with Figure 4 of the drawings, will also rotate the eccentric shaft 54 so as to move the gear sector 55 out of engagement with the smaller gear 56 secured to the lower end of the screw threaded shaft I9. If the motor 28 is now connected to the power circuit for forward rotation, the worm 63 will drive the worm gear 30, and thus, through the medium of the pins 29, the screw threaded shaft l9 will be rotated in a forward direction. This will cause the tubular support l8 with its threaded connection upon the shaft l9 to move upwardly and carry the saddlelike support 22 with the clothes carrying member 23 and the clothes upwardly. During the initial upward movement of the clothes carrying member 23 the agitator vanes 24 carried thereby, will swing downwardly until they engage the abutments 32 carried by the supporting ears 25.

It will be understood that prior to the above operation of the apparatus, the swingable arm will be swung over the tub so as to bring the semiannular support 39 and the expandable member 40 into a position concentric with the clothes carrying member 23, where it will be secured by the washer-like member 44, as has been previously pointed out in connection with Figure 6 of the drawings. The expandable member 40 may be partially filled with a fluid, or it may be completely inflated. If this member is completely inflated, the continued upward movement of the clothes carrying member 23 will bring the clothes into engagement with the member 40, and as pressure is applied by a further rotation of the screw threaded shaft l9, the Water will be squeezed from the clothes.

In accordance with another aspect of themvention, it is contemplated that the expandable member 40 may be empty or only partially filled when the clothes are moved into engagement therewith, and that subsequently water or other fluid under pressure may be admitted thereto, to produce the pressure for squeezing the water out of the clothes. In this latter event, the clothes carrying member 23 will be elevated to a suitable height, after which the motor 28 will be stopped. Then the pressure will be exerted upon the clothes by the admission of a fluid to the expandable member 40. In either event, after the clothes have been squeezed, the fluid will be allowed to flow from within the expandable member 40 and thus relieve the pressure upon the clothes to permit their ready removal from the clothes carrying member 23 without necessitating a lowering of this member, which might bring the clothes into contact with the water in the tub III.

In connection with the fluid used in the expandable member 40, 'it may be said that this may be water at city pressure, or the water may be circulated through a suitable pump to produce the pressure desired. It is contemplated that where air under pressure is available, such a fluid may be used. It is also contemplated that the driving connection between the motor 28 and the worm 63 may be provided with a torque responsive circuit controlling switch, as is disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 51,413, filed November 25, 1935, for Washing machine, issued February 14, 1939, as Patent No. 2,147,303.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose my invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated specific devices and arrangements, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and it is desired to claim it so that all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a clothes washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub adapted to contain a washing fluid, a hollow stationary pedestal disposed centrally within said tub and extending above the top thereof, a screw threaded shaft extending upwardly into said hollow stationary pedestal, motor driven means for driving said screw threaded shaft in a forward and reverse direction, a tubular agitator supporting element movable vertically within said hollow stationary pedestal over said screw threaded shaft and having a threaded connection with said screw threaded shaft, 2. saddle-like supporting member engaging the upper end of said tubular agitator supporting element and extending downwardly over the outside of said hollow stationary pedestal and into said tub, a' dished agitator element carried by said saddle-like supporting member, a plurality of agitator vanes pivotally mounted upon said agitator element adapted to move downwardly into an inoperative position when said agitator element is elevated by a. turning of said screw threaded shaft, and meansv at the bottom of said tub arranged so. as to engage said agitator vanes and move them upwardly into an operative position when said agitator element is lowered into the tu 2. In a clothes washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub adapted .to contain a washing fluid, a hollow stationary pedestal disposed centrally within said tub and extending above the top thereof, a screw threaded shaft extending upwardly into said hollow stationary pedestal, motor driven the specific means disclosed, butmeans for driving said screw threaded shaft in a forward and reverse direction, clutch means for connecting said screw threaded shaft to said motor driven means, a hollow agitator supporting element movable vertically within said hollow pedestal over said screw threaded shaft and having a threaded connection at its lower end with said screw threaded shaft, a ing member secured to the upper end of said agitator supporting element and extending downwardly over the outside of said hollow stationary pedestal and into said tub, an agitator element at the lower end of said saddle-like supporting member, a plurality of agitator vanes pivotally mounted upon said agitator element arranged to move downwardly into an inoperative position when said agitator element is elevated by a turning of said screw threaded shaft in one direction, and means at the bottom of, said tu'b arranged saddle-like supportso as to engage said agitator vanes and move them upwardly into an operative position when said agitator element is lowered into the tub by a turning of said threaded shaft in a reverse direction.

3. In a clothes washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub adapted to contain a washing fluid, a hollow stationary pedestal disposed centrally within said tub and extending above the top thereof, a screw threaded shaft extending upwardly into said hollow stationary pedestal, a tubular agitator supporting member movable vertically within said hollow pedestal support and having a splined projecting end and a threaded connection with said screw threaded shaft, a saddle-like supporting member movable with and engaging the upper end of said agitator supporting means and extending downwardly over the outside of said pedestal-like support and into said tub, an'agitator element suspended in said tub and carried by said saddle-like supporting member, a motor driven means for rotating said screw threaded shaft in a forward and a reverse direction to raise and lower said saddle-like support and said agitator with respect to the tub, said motor driven means being also adapted to impart an oscillating movement to said saddle-like supporting member and the agitator carried thereby, and a selectively operating clutch means for connecting said motor driven means to said screw threaded shaft or to the splined end of said saddle-like supporting member when the latter member is in its lowermost position to respectively raise and lower said agitator or oscillate same with respect to said tub.

4. In a washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub having a centrally disposed tubular pedestal arranged therein, a screw threaded shaft extending upwardly into said pedestal, an agitator supporting member extending downwardly into said tubular pedestal having a threaded connection with said screw threaded shaft, said agitator supporting member also having a splined extension at the lower end thereof adapted to project out of said tubular pedestal when in its lowermost position, an agitator disposed within the tub and suspended from said supporting member, a power driven mechanism for rotating said screw threaded shaft in either direction or oscillating said agitator supporting member within said tubular pedestal, and a selectable driving connection associated with said power driven mechanism adapted to provide a connection thereof with said screw threaded shaft to elevate said agitator supporting member or with the splined end of said agitator supporting member when in its lowermost position to produce an oscillatory movement thereof.

5. In a washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub having a centrally disposed tubular pedestal arranged centrally therein, a screw threaded shaft extending upwardly into said pedestal, an agitator supporting member extending downwardly into said tubular pedestal having a threaded connection with said screw threaded shaft, said agitator supporting member also having a splined extension at the lower end thereof adapted-to project out of said tubular pedestal when in its lowermost position, an agitator secured upon said supporting member and disposed in the tub, a power driven mechanism for rotating said screw threaded shaft in either direction or oscillating said agitator supporting member within said tubular pedestal, and a selectable driving connec tion associated with said power driven mechanism adapted to provide a connection thereof with said screw threaded shaft to elevate said agitator and supporting member or with t e splined extension of said supporting member 0 produce an oscillatory movement of said agitator within the tub.

6. In a washing machine of the character described, the combination of a clothes containin tub, a clothes carrying and agitating member disposed within said tub, means for elevating said clothes carrying and agitating member to press water out of the clothes carried thereby, a pressure resisting member adapted to be secured in a fixed position above said clothes carrying member, a yieldable fluid containing member secured upon the under side of said pressure resisting member against which the clothes when lifted out of the tub by said elevating means will be pressed to squeeze the water therefrom, and means for discharging the fluid from said fluidcontaining member to thereby relieve the pressure upon the clothes and permit removal of same without a lowering of the clothes carrying memher.

7. In a washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub, a clothes carrying and agitating member disposed within said tub, means secured at the bottom of said tub for elevating said clothes carrying and agitating member to press the water out of the clothes carried thereby, a swingable support adapted to be positioned centrally above said clothes carrying member,'a yielding fluid containing member secured upon the underside of said support against which the clothes when lifted out of the tub by said elevating means will be pressed to remove the water therefrom, and a pressure resisting connection between said swingable support and the means at the bottom of the tub for elevating said clothes carrying member, said connection extending centrally through said yielding fluid containing member and said clothes carrying member.

8. In a washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub having a centrally disposed tubular pedestal arranged therein, a screw threaded shaft extending upwardly into said pedestal, a supporting member extending downwardly into said tubular pedestal having a threaded connection with said screw threaded shaft, a clothes carrying member suspended from said supporting member and disposed within the stationary tub about said tubular pedestal, a power driven mechanism for rotating said screw threaded shaft in either direction to raise and lower said clothes carrying member resisting member of semi-circular configuration adapted to be positioned substantially concentric with the upper end of said tubular pedestal, and means associated with said pressure resisting member interlocking with the upper end of said tubular pedestal to prevent vertical displacement of said pressure resisting member when said screw threaded shaft is rotated to raise said clothes carrying member to squeeze water out of the clothes carried thereby.

9. In a washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub having a centrally disposed tubular pedestalarranged therein, a screw threaded shaft extendwithin said tub, a swingable pressure ing upwardly into said pedestal, a supporting member extending downwardly into said tubular pedestal, means associated with said pressure resisting member interlocking with the upper end of said tubular pedestal to prevent vertical dis-- placement of said pressure .resisting member when said screw threaded shaft is rotated to raise said clothes carrying member to squeeze water out of the clothes carried thereby, and a fluid containing collapsible means carried by said swingable pressure-resisting member against which the clothes are pressed and adapted when the fluid is discharged therefrom to permit a removal of the clothes without a lowering of said clothes carrying member,

10 In a washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub having a tubular pedestal arranged centrally therein,

v a screw threaded shaft extending upwardly into said pedestal, a supporting member extending downwardly into said tubular pedestal having a threaded connection with said screw threaded shaft, said supporting member also having a splined extension at the lower end thereof adapted to project out of said tubular pedestal when in its lowermost position, a clothes carrying member having radial slots in which agitator vanes are positioned; suspended from said supporting member and disposed within the stationary tub, a power driven mechanism for rotating said screw threaded shaft in either direction to raise and lower said clothes carrying member within saidtub, a clutch means for selectively engaging the splined end of said supporting member to connect same to amospillating mechanism when the clothes carrying member is lowered into the tub, a plurality of radially disposed agitating vanes pivotally mounted upon said clothes carrying member and, movable vertically through the slots therein as said clothes carrying member is raised and lowered, stop means for limiting the downward movement of said vanes to an inoperative position when said clothes carrying member is elevated, and means for raising said agitator vanes into an operative position when said clothes carrying member is lowered into the tub.

acter described, the'combination of a stationary tub, a clothes carrying member mounted within said tub, means for elevating said clothes carrying member to remove the clothes from the water within said tub after washing, a support swingher,

ably mounted upon the side of said tub, an expandable fluid containing member mounted on said swingable support adapted to be positioned over the clothes upon said clothes carrying memand means for admitting a fluid under pressure to the interior of said expandable member, whereby said expandable member will expand and exert a pressure against the clothes upon said clothes carrying member to squeeze water therefrom when the clothes are raised out of the water in the tub. e

11. In a clothes washing machine of the char-- said clothes agitating member, and means for admitting a fluid under pressure to the interior of said expandable member, whereby said expandable member will be expanded and exert a pressure against the clothes to squeeze water therefrom when raised out of the water in the tub by an elevating of said clothes agitating member.

13. In a'clothes washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub adapted to contain a washing fluid, a hollow stationary pedestal forming a part of said tub and extending centrally above the top thereof, elevating means arranged within said hollow stationary pedestal and extendible from the top of said hollow stationary pedestal, a saddle-like supporting member engaging the extendible end of, said elevating means and extending downwardly over the outside of said hollow stationary pedestal and into the tub, a dished clothes supporting element carried by said saddle-like supporting member and having a plurality of radial- 1y disposed slots in the bottom thereof, a plurality of agitator vanes associated with said dished clothes supporting member adapted to project through the radially disposed slots thereof, and means at the bottom of said tub arranged so as to project said agitator vanes upwardly through the radially disposed slots of said clothes 'carry-.

ing member when the latter is lowered into the tub and to permit said agitator vanes to move downwardly with respect to said clothes carrying member and into an inoperative position when said clothes carrying member is elevated for a removal of the clothes from the tub.

14. In a clothes washing machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary tub adapted to contain a washing fluid, a hollow stationary pedestal disposed centrally within said tub and extending above the top thereof, an elevating means movable within said hollow pedestal and extendible from the top thereof, a. saddle-like clothes supporting and agitating element encasing said hollow stationary pedestal and connected at its upper end to the elevating means within said pedestal and adapted to move in unison therewith, said saddle-like element havinga dished clothes supporting flange with radial slots in the bottom thereof, agitator vanes cooperating with said clothes supporting and agitating element movable through the radial slots thereof as said clothes supporting and agitating element is raised and lowered within the tub by said elevating means, and means at the bottom'of said tub arranged to project said agitator vanes upwardly through the slots in the clothes supporting flange of said saddle-like element and into an operative position when said element is lowered into its clothes washing position and permit said vanes to move into an inoperative position when the clothes supporting and agitating element is raised within said -tub by said

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