US2405641A - Roll pressure adjuster for wringers - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 13, 1946. CQNTERMAN 2,405,641

ROLL PRESSURE ADJUSTER FOR WRING'ERS Filed July 51, 1943 I Patented Aug. 13, 1946 ROLL PRESSURE ADJUSTER FOB- WRINGERS Fred A. Conterman, Jamestown, N. Y., assignor to Jamestown Metal Equipment Company, Inc., Jamestown, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 31, 1943, Serial No. 496,900

This invention relates to an improvement in washing machine wringers and particularly to a roll pressure adjuster.

It is common practice to provide wringers with manually operable adjusters by which to vary the roll pressure through adjustment of the pressure of a roll spring. However, it is considered advantageous to the operator of a wringer to be able to determine the roll pressure best suited for a given type of clothes without the need of running a trial piece through therolls. To this end, the present invention has been developed and, in addition to providing necessary roll pressure adjusting means, provides, through an index structure, visual markings by which an operator may determine the roll pressure for which the adjuster has been set.

It is an object and advantage of the present invention to provide aroll adjuster that is freely operable, regardless of the roll pressure to which the adjuster has been previously set. It is also an object of the invention to provide an adjuster that discloses to the wringer operator the extent of roll pressure through suitable markings at any given position of adjustment. It is also an object of the invention to provide a roll pressure adjuster which may be changed from one marking to another and readily indicate to the operator, without trial, that the roll pressure is as desired for the type of clothes to be passed through the wringer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from a consideration of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing; and in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the top portion of a wringer in which one form of the invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the top portion of. a wringer, parts being broken away to disclose certain structural details; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral I is employed to generally designate a wringer in which one form of the invention is embodied. The wringer comprises a body portion H and a removable cover l2. For convenience of illustration, only that portion of the wringer is shown in the drawing that concerns the invention, and such disclosure includes an upper roll 13 mounted in end bearings M, these bearings being located in channel guides l 6. The

3 Claims. (Cl. 68-262) upper surface of each heatin I4 is engaged by an end portion I! of a roll spring [8.

Directly over the central portion of the spring l8 the cover may be formed with a reinforced portion, such as indicated at l 9, and this portion provided with an opening 2|, the inner end of which is counterbored, as at 22. A substantially circular adjusting knob 23 is located exteriorly of the cover l2. This knob, as shown, is hollow and includes diametrically opposite apertures 24. Within the knob is a centered fixed hub 26 that is adapted to receive an internally threaded sleeve 21. The sleeve 21 is secured against rotation and displacement with respect to the hub in any suitable manner, as by a set screw 28. The lower end of this sleeve i formed with an annular rim or flange 29.

The central portion of the spring I8 is enclosed by a pair of straps 3| that include abutting, upstanding flanges 32. These flanges are formed with concentric, transverse openings through which a, horizontally disposed rod 33 projects. A threaded shaft 34 projects into the sleeve 21. This shaft, at its lower end, terminates in a forklike portion consisting of a pair of spaced apart, parallel arms 36. The lower end of each of these arms is arcuate, the lowermost portion of the arc contacting horizontal portions of the straps 3i. Concentric openings in'the arms 36 are of a size to receive rod 33. The rod is prevented from axial displacement with respect to straps 3| and arms 36 in any suitable manner, as by a struckup portion 31 and cotter pin 38. Adjacent the counterbored area of the reinforced portion I9, the cover includes a pair of depending arms 39 These arms are spaced to receive an end of the rod 33, and serve as a guide for the rod during use of the adjuster.

' The other end M of the rod 33 may be of reduced diameter to mount one end. of an indexing pin 42. This pin projects upwardly through a suitable opening in the reinforced portion IQ of the cover into the interior of the knob 23. The pin is provided with suitable index markings, such as indicated at .43, these markings being visible through one or the other aperture 24 in the rim of the knob.

In assembling the structure, a bearing washer 44 is seated in the counterbored area 22 prior to projecting the sleeve 21 through the opening 2|. When the sleeve has been properly installed, the rim or flange 29 thereof abuts washer 44. A further bearing washer 46 is mounted on the sleeve 21' and rests upon the upper surfaceof the reinforced portion lil. When the interior parts of the structure have been assembled, the knob 23 is mounted by enclosing the upper portion of the of t e spring l8 and thus increasethe. pressurev of t 6 spring ends I! on the bearings M of the;

upp r wringer roll I3.

Since the top roll is in contact with the lower roll (not shown), pressure 7 applied in this manner will 'bedirectly'trans mitted to the rolls. It will, of" course, be appre-' ciated that as the knob is rotated in a direction to feed the shaft 34 downwardly of the sleeve 21',

pin 42 will also move downwardly and thus another marking 43 will be. made visible through one of the apertures 24. For example, if it is desired to wring out clotheshaving inconsequential bulk, or to wring out heavier clothes to, agreater degree of dryness, the knob 23 is rotated until the marking 3is .visible through one of the apertures 24. If a lesser degree of 'pressure of the rolls is desired, reverse rotation of. the knob 23,- will bring themarking 2 'or="1 into registry-withone of the openings 24. .It will be clearly understood that a wringeroperator may repeatedly obtain the same degree of? roll pressure by rotating the knob 23 in one direction'or the other until the desiredmarking, registers with one of the openings 24.

Although applicant has shown and described his invention in its application to one. type of wringer, it will be understood that variations of the structure maybe made and are contemplated in the-application of the structure to other wringers insofar as such variations are within the spirit and scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus set forth my invention what 1 claim as new and for which I desire protection by Letters Patent is:

1.- En. a-wringer structure having a pair of adjustable rolls and a spring operable to exert a yieldinglpressure on said rolls,an adjusting device for said spring comprising a manually rotatable" member mounted exteriorly of said structure and including means preventing displacement from a position of close proximity with said structure, a shaft having threaded engagement with said member and being axially movable by rotation of said member, said shaft having operative engagement with said spring, and means preventing rotation of said shaft during axial movement thereof, said means mounting an indicator pin in a manner to be axially movable with and to the same extent said shaft is movable, said pin being capable of such movement with-respect to said member as to give indication of the extent to which said shaft has actuated said roll pressure spring.

2; Inagwringer structure having a pair of adjustable rolls and a spring operable to exert a yielding pressure on said rolls, an adjusting device for said spring comprising a hollow member mounted 8Xi381l01] of said structure for manual rotative movement, a shaft having a threaded end engaged with and enclosed, by said member and being axially movable by rotation of said member, said shaft being joined to said spring in a manner to alter the tensionv thereof .upon rotation of said member, andan, indicator pinpjoined to and movable. v.withsaid; shaft, said pin projecting through said structure into the interior of said member, and markings on said pin register-able with an aperture in said member andserving to indicate theextent of pressure applied tosaid rolls,

3. In a wringer structure having a pair of adjustable rolls and a spring operabl to exerta yielding pressure on said rolls,.an adjusting device for said spring comprising a hollow rotatable member located exteriorly of said structure and havingmeans preventing axial. displacement with respect to said structure, a non-rotatable shaft projecting into and having a threaded end enclosed by said member, said shaft being joined to saidspring and movable in the. direction, of its length by rotation of said member to alter the pressure of said rolls, and an indicator pin joined to and movable in therdirection of movement of said shaft,.said pin projecting into said member and includingv markings adjacent the. upper end registerablewith an aperture in said member to indicate the pressure of said springas applied to said rollsl FRED A. CON'IERMAN.

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