US2495295A

US2495295A - Textile washer and drier utilizing compression waves

Info

Publication number: US2495295A
Application number: US786236A
Authority: US
Inventors: Spanier Fritz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-08-06
Filing date: 1947-11-15
Publication date: 1950-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 1967-01-24

Description

Jan. 24, 1950 F. SPANIER TEXTILE WASHER AND DRIER UTILIZING COMPRESSION WAVES Original Filed Aug. s, 1947 FIG. 2

Fuel

INVEN TOR. fie/r2 5mm which are sometimes paddles, cups, etc.

. cover 24 Patented Jan. 1950 'rnxms wssnnrrsnn Damn UTILIZING COMPBESSIONWAVES,

I Fritz Spanler, Staten Island, N. Y.

' Original application August .0, 1947, Serial No.

766,490. Divided and this application Novemher 15; 1947, Serial No. 786,236

' My invention relates to compression waves or ultrasonic waves and more specifically to their use to wash clothes. The principal object of my invention is to construct an apparatus topractice the process set forth in my copending application Serial No. 766,490, flied Aug. 6, 1947. of which this application is a division: r

A further object is to prouide a clothes washer to wash clothes without the necessity of contacting the' clothes with any interior matter such as "A further object is to construct a clothes washer "which will be more efllcient than any on the market w'ithwhich'I am familiar.

My means of accomplishing the above objects may be more readily apprehended by having reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation'partly in section; I Fig. 2 isa side elevation partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a top sectional elevation on line 3-4 oi Fig.1; looking in the direction of the arrows. showing the piping system.

.Si'rnilar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification.

As shown in Figure 1, I provide a closed treatreferred to 'as supersonic .4 Claims. (CL 68-420) where electrode lead lines 40 and 42 connect the opposite sides of .the crystal 34 to the oscillator system 38 which, in turn, is connected to a suitable source of input current (not shown) by lead line 44 and leads 36 and 31 through ajc'over operated switch led by'leads 30 and 32 respectively.

I provide a sealed chamber 46 in which the crystal 341s positioned and in this chamber I provide a dielectric such'as a light petroleum oil ment chamber "in whichbasket l2, preferably rubber covered, is suspended on the ledge l4 holding the lip ll of the basket i2 so that water entering through inlet pipe will cover the contents of the basket. As soon asthe water reaches the predetermined level, as indicated at 22, in the chamber It, a valve, (not shown) automatically closes pipe 20. The means for this is well known and is not apart of my invention, consequently I shallfinot'describe any with a convenient handle through which the clothes are inserted into the basket [2. The cover 24 is secured in a flange 26 fitted into a groove 28 formedin the. container ill as part of the ledge l4. A check inlet port I! is providedto admit air and exhaust it as the system'is filled {and emptied. It will be noted that leads 30 and 32 run to acover operated switch whereby when the cover 24 is open the circuit is broken and no vibration can occur. At the bottom of the chamber I0 I provide a transducer such as a crystal 34 which may be natural or manufactured.

Preferably the transducer used is of the crystal known in the art. As shown, the crystal. is

suspended in a chamber in one form. I provide a so that thevibrations' of the crystal 34 will be fully communicated to the thin resilient dia phragm or plate 48 which is in contact with the chamber i0 and vibrates the fluid therein. An exhaust pipe 50 is provided to drain the system when'required. The pump for this is not shown. Heating pipes indicated generally at 52 are perforated as at54 and provide the drying'm'eans for hot air as pumped in by pump through a heating box- 58. These pipes are preferably formed in a coil and are located in troughs formed in the bottom of the container and may extend upwardly following the contour of the container. The controls for these pumps and the oscillator are not shown as they are old and .well known. b

It is well known that in crystal vibrating systerms, the effect of the vibrations is in a direct line of the vertical axis of the crystal as it vibrates. Therefore, if desired, more than one crystal may be employed in the same manner as the crystal 34 described and shown in the drawings without positioned with their electric axis in parallel and are connected in parallel to the oscillating sys-'- tem. The operation of the is as follows: if

The clothes to be cleaned are now introduced I into the treatment chamber i0; inserting them in the basket I2; V

A small amount of a detergent and/orw'ashing soap" may be added if the material to be treated or cleaned is very soiled. The cover 24 is closed and the water is turned on. As soon as the desired height is reached the water is turned off and a switch (not shown) is thrown to start the vibration of the crystal 34. As soon as the desired time interval has elapsed the switch is cut off and the pump is'engaged, draining of! the dirty fluid through the pipe 50. When the chamber I0 is exhausted, outlet pipe 50 is" a dielectric bath closed cit;

.theinlet pipe 20 is opened, and water above described apparatus is again admitted to the desired height. Again, the inlet valve is closed, the current switch is thrown and vibration again occurs for a specified time. Upon the ceasing of the vibration, the outlet valve opens, the exhaust pump starts and the system is again exhausted.

-The clothes are left where they are and the drying pump 56 connected to air pipes 52 is started and hot air is circulated into the treatment chamber ID for the desired time.

There are several arrangements, well known, and familiar to those skilled in the art whereby all these functions maybe automatically timed and controlled. It will be clear that the method is exactly the same for cleaning clothes, dishes, sterilization of instruments and the like, except that the duration of the vibration period will be varied according to the type of material being treated.

I have found that with vibrations of approximately 60,000 cycles per second cotton textiles will be washed in a few minutes, while silk and rayon clothing will naturally requiregess time.

Having described my invention what I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. In a device for washing and drying textiles, a container substantially open at the top adapted to hold fluid, there being a central opening in the bottom of said container surrounded by an annular depression, a diaphragm covering said central opening, a crystal transducer of a responsive frequency of substantially 60,000 cycles per second, said crystal being located directly below said diaphragm in position to vibrate said diaphragm and the fluid in the container by compression waves, a basket to hold said textiles, said basket being positioned directly above said diaphragm, and a pipe to introduce heated and compressed air into said container, said pipe being formed in a substantially flat coil located in said annular depression and outside of the vibrating area of said diaphragm, said pipe having spaced orifices therein.

2. In a device for washing and drying textiles, a container substantially open at the top adapted to ho;d fluid, there being a central opening in the bottom of said container and a channel formed in said bottom and surrounding said opening, a diaphragm covering said central opening, a crystal transducer of a resonant frequency of less than 100 kc. per second, said crystalbeing located directly below said diaphragm in position to vibrate said diaphragm and the fluid in the container by compression waves, a basket to hold said textiles, said basket being positioned directly above said diaphragm, and a pipe to introduce heated and compressed air into said container, said pipe being formed in a substantially flat coil located close to and substantially in the channel formed in the bottom of the container and outside of the vibrating area of said diaphragm, said pipe having spaced orifices therein.

3. In a device for washing and du ing textiles, a container substantially open at the top adapted to hold fluid, there being a channel formed in the bottom of said container and surrounding a central opening in said bottom, a chamber being attached to said container, fluid tight means closing said central opening and separating said container from said chamber, a crystal transducer in said chamber of a resonant frequency less than kc. per second located directly below said fluid tight means and in a position to vibrate the same and the fluid in the container by compression waves, said cham. ber being substantially filled with a dielectric such as oil, said fluid tight means adapted to transmit compression waves set up by said crystal through said dielectric to said fluid, said crystal being positioned in said chamber in register with the center of said aperture, a pipe to introduce heated and compressed air into said container, said pipe being formed in a substantially flat coil located in said channel below a plane through said fluid tight means and out side of the vibrating area of said fluid tight means.

4. In a device for washing and drying textiles, a rectangular container open at the top adapted to hold fluid, a basket to hold said textiles, the bottom wall of said container having troughs surrounding a central rectangular orifice, pipes to introduce heated and compressed air into said container located in said troughs, a diaphragm covering said orifice, said pipes being arranged to follow the contour of said container, said pipes being substantially below the level of said diaphragm, a crystal transducer whose resonant frequency is between 30 and 100 kc. per second, a transducer chamber, said transducer being suspended in said chamber, said chamber being substantially filled with oil, said chamber attached to said container directly below said diaphragm, said diaphragm adapted to transmit compression waves set up by said crystal through said oil to said fluid.

' FRITZ SPAN'IER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS are of record in the Number