US2386788A - Suspension means for automatic washers - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 16, 1945. P. 1;. GELDHOF ET AL 2,386,788

SUSPENSION MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC WASHERS Original. Filed Dec. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mimr" Peter Edward Geld/20f ,L'uther. Ringer.

Oct. 16, 1945. P. E. GELDHOF ET AL SUSPENSION MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC WASHERS 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Original Filed Dec. 2, 1940 asses on r, as

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SUSPENSION MEANS FQR AUTOMATIC WASRS Peter Eduard Gcldhoi' and Luther Ringer, .St.

Joseph, Mich, assighors to Nineteen Hundred Corporation, St. Jose of New York ph, Mich, a corporation Qriginal application December 2, 1940, Serial No.

368,190, now Patent No. 2,347,190,

dated April 25, 194 3. Divided and this application May 1, 1943, Serial No. 485,293

ll (Claim. ((31. 2 i8-20) This invention relates to a novel means for supporting and carrying the washing and operating mechanisms of an automatic washing, rinsing and drying machine. It provides a means for resiliently supporting a complete operating and control mechanism for such a machine within the rigid frame structure therefor.

The instant application is a division of appli-. cation Serial No. 368,190, entitled Automatic washer filed Decemberl 1940, by Peter Eduard Geldhof and Luther Ringer, and which issued on lip- r11 25, 19%, as Patent No. 2,362,190.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a yieldable supporting means for a washing, rinsing and drying machine such that the operating mechanism thereof is carried in a substantially floating relationship with respect to the rigid frame structure or housing, whereby the vibration or other operational shocks or jars initiatecl by the operating mechanism transmitted to the housing will be greatly minimized, if not completely eliminated.

It is a further object of the invention to provide suspensions for the operating and control mechanisms of such machines to permit a certain degree of freedom of lateral movement of themechanism with respect to the housing structure therefor. The provision of even restricted freedom of lateral movement serves to correct for and minimize the effect upon the apparatus of unbalanced loading of the centrifugal means during its actuation for carrying out the drying operation.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide, in a centrifugal type of device embodying a housing and a container therein in which centrliugal means is disposed, means for supporting said conta'ner inthe housing comprising a plurality of suspensions extending between the bottom of the container and the wall of the housing.

Each of the suspensions includes a supporting element having an end cushioned in dampening means. I

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided a. supporting frame, a base, and suspension means extending between said frame and base, each of said suspension means being characterized by a pair of brackets joined, by a, connecting member so constructed that it provides a resilient, swingable mounting for said base with respect to said frame.

The novel which we believe characterlstic of our invention are set-forth with particularity in the appended claim. Our invention itself, however, both to its manner of construction and operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a wash ing, rinsing and drying machine looking down on the floating mounting for the tub and drive moonanism which represents one embodimentoi the present invention;

Figure 2 is a partial verticalsection through one of the supporting means shown in Figure 1 taken along the line II-II; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view of one of the lower suspension pad socket members taken along the line III-III of Figure 2.

As will best be seen fromFigure l of the draw ings, the automatic Washing, rinsing and drying machine with which the suspension means of the present invention is advantageously employed includes, in general, a casing It which houses the entire mechanism and controls therefor. Secured totwo of the inner faces of the casing it are bars H which are bolted to the casing as by means of bolts i2, These bars are preferably of such length as to extend completely across the side on which they are mounted and around the adjacent corners in end portions it. The other two inner faces of the casing to are provided with angle irons i l and [5 secured thereto by bolts to which pass through the casing 59, the ends til of bare it, and the angle irons it and IS.

A pair of suspension brackets it are mounted across the corners of the casing it adjacent the angle iron it. These suspension bracket ii are preferably made ofrelatively thick stock (for example, mch stock) and are apertured at one end for the reception of the mounting bolt it which secures the bracket to the angle iron The brackets 57 are provided with a pair of tapped holes it in their opposite ends for receiving a pair of bolts 28 whose heads are countersunk in the bar it and do not extend through the wall of cas s lo.

A supporting base or spider 2i is suspended directly from'the angle iron it and the suspension bracket ll by means of a plurality of suspension members 22 which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Substantially all of the principal operating and control mechanism oi the washing, rinsing and drying machine is mounted on and carried by spider 2 I. It will be observed from Figure 1 that a tub 23 is mounted on the spider 2t and rotatably mounted within the tub 28 is a perforated drying basket 24. Within the dlying basket 2| and mounted concentrically with respect to the mounting for drying basket 24 is an agitator 2i which is arranged to be oscillated during the From the above description, it will understood that a substantially floating mounting is provided for spider II with respect to the substantially rigid casing II. It willbe noted thatwashing operation. Suspended from the under 5 the portion of the rubber cushioning pad II above side or spiderzl are driving means, transmissions. pump means and suitable clutch and control mean which-are described in greater detail in the aforementioned parent application Serial No,- W- 368,190, but not shown here for the reason that 1 they form no part 01 the present'invention.

The details of construction'of the suspension members 22 and their associated structure may best be seen from an inspection of Figures 2 and 3. The opposite ends of the suspension rod 28 oi each suspension member 22 are drilled and tapped for the reception of the threaded shank of a bolt 21. The bolts 21 are Provided with relatively large heads 28 about each of which is formed a molded rubber cushioning pad 29. A look nut ll is provided on each bolt 21 to limit the extent to which the bolt may be screwed into the suspension rod 2!.

therein. The bracket 32 serves to prevent the 30 rubber cushioning pad 29 from coming out of the socket ii. The bracket 32 is bolted to a pair of projecting cars 33 formed on spider II by means of bolts 34. The lower suspension pad socket Si is bolted to brackets 32 by means of bolts ll 35 which extend from .the base or the socket ll alongside of the cushioning pad 29 (see Figure 3) The upper suspension pad socket ii for the suspension member 22 located at the right hand side of Figure 1 is closed by a cover plate a and is directl bolted to a slightly bent up portion 31 of the angle iron H by means of bolts .38 which extend from the base of the socket 3| through the cover plate 36 and the bent-up portion 3! of the angle iron ll. The remaining two suspension members 22 which are supported from the suspension bracket II are generally similar to the suspension member 22 connected to the angle iron II with the exception that the cover plate I of each of the former suspension rods and the socket 3| are directly bolted to the bracket H.

The lower suspension 25 bolt head 28 in the lower socket II is under a compressive'force, while the portion of the'rubber cushioning pad 2 below-the bolt head a in the upper socket member Si is also subjected to a compressive force. By virtue of this arrange- .ment, it will be understood that an essentially as is provided by the present invention is iacilivtated by an arrangement of the several parts of the operating and control mechanism suspended from the under side of spider 2i so as to provide a substantially eq ally distributed load at each of the three points or suspension in the structure illustrated in Figure 1.- The same results may be obtained, however, by varying the number and disposition of the suspension members 22. Furthermore, by artificially loading the spider 2 i i. e. by making it abnormally heavy, its inertia is increased, and thus tends to reduce vibration in the machine.

While we have shown and described particular embodiments of our invention, it will. of course, be understood that we do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and we, therefore, contemplate. by the appended claim to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of our invention.

We claim as our invention:

Ina laundry machine having a substantially rectangular casing, means for suspending the operating mechanism of said machine in said casing comprising a base member, angularly disposed plates secured to said frame members in two adjaeent comers of said casing and a third plate substantially centrally. disposed on the opposite side or said casing, and means including resilient supp rt means connected between said plate; and said base.

. PETER EDUARD GELDHOF.

LUTHER RINGER.

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