US2526982A - Pump for washing machines and the like - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 24, 1950 c. VONK 2,526,982

PUMP FOR WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. '24, 1950 c, vo 2,526,982

PUMP FOR WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 2, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1 I Z J... I P 24 73 54 61 34 I '1 i/ um 1mm L i n. x /25 m i 3 m L I .4 I

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Patented a. 24, 1950 PUMP FOR WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Corneilius Vonk, Muskcgon Heights, Mich, as-

signor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application October 2, 1946, Serial No. 700,675

IClaims. (Cl. 103-87) 1 This invention relates to laundry machines,

and is particularly concerned with drain water pumps adapted to be advantageously employed in such machines.

A feature of the invention is to provide a water pump which may be assembled integrally with and directly under the tub drain opening of a washing machine, thereby eliminating the usual undesirable hose connections between the tub drain and the pump.

An object and accomplishment of the present invention isto provide a pump of the above character having a maximum freedom from lint trouble by facilitating complete and quick accessibility to where lint usually collects, thereby providing a meansfor easy removal of such lint and other foreign matter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pump of the above character, which is free from air locking.

The invention has for a further object the provision of a pump of the above character in which there is provided a simple, economical drive arrangement readily adaptable to standard washers and which drive arrangement eliminates separate expensive motors and other necessary power sources.

The present improvement in drain water pumps for washers is directed to simplify the construction thereof, thus reducing the cost and increasing its versatility in use, and yet providing a pump that is compact and requires a minimum of space and having a foolproof easy operation with a minimum of expensive parts requiring replacement, repair or adjustment.

Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention disclosed herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after the construction and operation are understood from the within description.

It is preferred to accomplish the numerous objects of the invention and to practice the same in substantially the matter hereinafter fully described, and as more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a washer tub vided with a pump embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the pump assembly of the present invention taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 and with portions thereof cut away and shown in section to more clearly illustrate the construction;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the PIO- 2 pump embodying the invention assembled to the washer tub and is taken substantially on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view illustrating a modified structure of the pump depicted in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the drive bracket of the pump depicted in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating the handle lock for the modified structure depicted in Fig. 4.

The drawings are to be understood as being more or less of a schematic character for the purpose of disclosing a typical or preferred form of the improvements contemplated herein, and in these drawings like reference characters identify the same parts in the several views.

A washing machine, to which the water, pump of the present invention advantageously may be employed in an adjunctive capacity and illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is designated in its entirety by the numeral 20 and comprises, generally, a substantially circular tub 2| having an upstanding side wall 22 and abottom. wall 23 provided with a drain opening 24, said tub being suitably carried by a base or apron 25, a unitary power transmission 26 suitably carried by the tub and base structure and adapted to operate an agitator (not shown) mounted in said tub, an electric motor 21 suitably mounted in said base, and a drive assembly between said motor and transmission which may be in the form of a V belt drive comprising a relatively small sheave 28 suitably mounted on the drive shaft of said motor and a relatively larger sheave 29 suitably mounted on the input shaft of said transmission, and a V belt 30 of suitable size and cross section.

The tub 2| may be of any desirable design and constructed in accordance with any approved practice and enameled or otherwise suitably coated, inside and outside, and colored in keeping with the usual present day color scheme and character of ornamentation. Sufllce it to say, since the invention is not particularly concerned with the specific structure of the washing machine generally, it will not be further described in detail. It is to be understood that details of the construction of the washer in general may be modified to suit particular conditions and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction thereof as set forth herein.

Having thus described the general environment surrounding the drain water pump with which the present invention is particularly con- 3 cerned, the specific construction and function of parts of said pump will now be described in detail.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the pump assembly is designated in its entirety by the numeral Ii and comprises generally, a housing 32 provided with an impeller assembly 33 and a removable cover 34. a drive bracket 35 carried for swinging movement by the pump housing 32 and having integrally formed thereto or otherwise suitably secured thereto, a suitable handle a extending outwardly through the apron to within easy reach of the operator to facilitate the swinging movement of the drive bracket 35, the specific construction and cooperating function of these parts to be hereinafter described in detail.

Referring to Fig. 3, the pump housing 32 includes an enlarged top portion 38 having an open top and defining a chamber 31 substantially concentric and circular in form and in which the impeller 33 is located. Integrally formed with and extending from an opening into the chamber 31 is a water discharge spout 38 (Fig. 1) being provided at its outer end with a lip portion llover which a suitable hose connection (not shown) may be secured to carry 01! the water to any desired place or location.

Extending downwardly and integrally formed with the enlarged top portion It is a tubular extension lll having a bore 4!, an external bearing area 42 for the drive bracket 38 and having an outwardly projecting shoulder as at 43 to serve as a restriction to the upward movement of the drive bracket.

An aperture 44, opening into the bore ll of the tubular extension ll from the chamber 31, is provided to receive a shaft ll having fixedly secured thereto concentric with the shaft by any approved practice, a vertically disposed and radially extending impeller plate I! adapted to be rotated in said chamber in a clockwise direction.

A washer a of suitable material such as, for example, vulcanized fiber which will not be affected by hot soap water. alkalines or caustic soda, is interposed between the lower wall and the chamber 31 and the bottom portions of the impeller 33 to provide quiet and smooth operation.

A bushing 41 adapted to serve as a bearing for the shaft l5 and preferably of graphite bronze or other material of like characteristics, is disposed in the bore ll of the tubular extension ll and has a suitable bore ll adapted to receive the shaft 45 for rotative movement therein.

Located in the upper portions of the bore ll and held in restricted position by shoulders 49 defined by the aperture M, is a water' seal 5. formed of a suitable packing material and retained in operative position by a packing retainer ring 5| which in turn is held in position and in bearing engagement with the packing by a compression spring I! of suitable strength and size and whose movement at the end opposed to the ring II is restricted by engagement with the top edge 53 of the bushing 41.

The cover 34 comprises a vertically extending portion 54 provided with a central threaded through bore I! and a depending horizontally outwandly extending flange ll whose outer peripheral edge is provided with suitable apertures adapted to receive suitable screws as at II, the ends of which are received in suitably threaded apertures lla located in the enlarged top portion of the pump housing thereby removably se- 4 curing the cover to the pump housing proper. Interposed between the cover It and the enlarged top portion 36, to provide a water tight seal therebetween, there is provided a gasket 58 preferably of composition cork or the like.

A cap is is provided and includes a central downwardly extending portion iii having a central through bore 8i and provided with suitable threads exteriorly of said central portion which are adaptable to be received in the threaded bore I! of the cover 34, and a depending horizontally outwardly extending flange 52 adapted to engage the tub II as at 63 thereby to fixedly secure the pump assembly to the tub proper. A suitable water seal in the form of a washer is provided as at N.

Disposed above the cap it and enclosing the entire depression in the tub 2| adjacent the opening 24, an easily removable screen 05 may be provided, which screen may be made of suitable wire mesh the interstices of which define openings through which the water may fiow; however, it is to be understood that the foregoing construction of the screen is merely suggestive and any other approved construction thereof may be advantageously employed as desired.

Referring to Fig. 3, the pump drive bracket It comprises two tubular portions 8' and 61 having integrally formed bar shaped portions 88 and i! separating and holding said tubular portions in spaced relationship one to the other. The tubular portion I1 is provided with a through bore ll adapted to receive the bearing portion 42 of the pump housing 32 whereby the drive bracket 3! is carried by the pump housing to facilitate swinging movement of the drive bracket between operative and inoperative positions illustrated in Fig. l.

The tubular portion I is provided with a through bore H adapted to receive a Jack shaft 12 having secured thereto at one end thereof a wheel II having serrations 14 on its peripheral edge. and said jack shaft having secured to it at its other end a pulley It. A pulley ll secured to the lower end of the impeller shaft 48 is provided to complete the belt drive between the jack shaft 12 and the impeller shaft II.

The drive bracket is urged into its operative position illustrated in Fig. 2 by means of a tension spring 11, one end (not shown) of which is secured to any convenient part of the apron 2| and the other end of which is suitably secured to a projection ll integrally formed with the tubular portion OI.

Referring to Fig. 3. it can be seen that the handle "a projects through an opening II in the apron II and is provided with a handle grip ll suitably secured to the outer end thereof in a convenient position to facilitate operation by the user.

The opening II is preferably slot-shaped to permit transverse movement of the handle "a. At the left-hand side of the slot there is provided an enlargement extending upwardly and having a lip 82 to provide a lock for the handle whereby the handle will be retained in its inoperative position when it is desired to disengage the drive as-- sembly. The handle Ila is bent downwardly slightly when located in the slot proper. Therefore. when it is desired to disengage the drive, the user need only to move the handle grip to the left and it will automatically snap into locked position in the enlarged portion of the slot and its movement will be restricted by the lip '2.

The construction of Fig. 4 is substantially similar in most respects to that of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and parts therein corresponding to like parts in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 have been indicated by the samereference numerals.

Referring to Fig. 4, it may be advantageous, in some cases, to urge the drive bracket 35 into its operative position by tension spring means comprising a spring 90 formed of spring wireof suitable strength and thickness, one end of which. as at 9|, is provided with a suitable hook formation adaptable to embrace the tubular portion" and is held in restricted position by a projection 82 integrally formed with said tubular portion. The other end of the spring, as at 93, is adaptable to be suitably secured to a handle 94 as shown.

In the exemplary embodiment depicted in Figs. 4 and 5, the handle 94 is formed of suitable bar stock and is provided with a grip portion 95 and is pivotally secured to the drive'bracket I! by means of rivet 98 which is adapted to be received into a bracket projection 91 integrally formed with the drive bracket 35.

As shown, the handle 94 is provided with a projecting portion, as at 98, which is adapted to engage portions of the tubular portion 61, as at 99, thereby to restrict the pivotal movement of the handle when the handle is moved forwardly or to the left. Upon further movement of the handle to its locked position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6 wherein I have shown a slotted hole 8M.

adapted to receive the handle 95 and provided with a lip 82a to restrict the movement of the handle, the handle will cause the drive bracket to be rotated about its axis a predetermined distance and the drive wheel then will be removed from engagement with the belt 30, thereby placing the drive bracket in its inoperative position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5.

When the drive assembly is in its operative position, the engagement of the serrated surface of the wheel 13 and the belt 30, which belt is traveling over pulleys 28 and 29 in a counter-clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, will cause the wheel I3 to rotate which in turn will drive the jack shaft 12 and through the medium of the belt drive composed of pulleys I5 and 16, the impeller 33 will be caused to rotate thereby to pump the drain water from the tub. which drain water is received into the pump through the opening 6| in the cap 59. The water is then forced by the action of the impeller 33 into the discharge spout 38 (Fig. 1) which may be provided with a hose extension if desired.

With this construction and arrangement of parts, specifically the location of the pump directly under the tub drain opening and the provision adaptable to standard washers and which drive arrangement eliminates separate expensive motors and other necessary power sources.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been illustrated, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is not intended that the invention is to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but shall include all of the relationship with said inlet, said impeller having of the enlarged top portion of the pump housing,

air locking is prevented.

Having thus described my invention, it is apparent that I have provided a highly efllcient drain water pump for washing machines, which ump is compact and requires a'. minimum of space and having a fool-proof easy operation with a minimum of expensive parts requiring replacement, repair or adjustment, and having advantages which may be summarized as follows:

1. Maximum freedom from lint trouble. When lint does collect it is only necessary to remove the screen over the tub drainopening and lift out the lint and foreign matter that may have collected;

2. Elimination of the usual undesirable hose connections between the tub drain and the pump;

3. Freedom from air locking; and

4. Economical pump drive arrangement readily a, drive shaft adapted to be received in said aperture and projecting through said bore, and an impeller drive arrangement comprising a bracket having a tubular portion provided with a bore adapted to receive said tubular portion of said pump housing at the bearing area whereby the bracket is carried by said pump housing for swinging movement between operative and inoperative positions, a jack shaft carried by said bracket for rotative movement, drive wheel means mounted at one 'end of said jack shaft, and belt drive means to operatively connect the jack shaft and the impeller shaft thereby to cause said impeller to rotate.

2. A pump for use on washing machines, comprising a housing provided with liquid inlet and outlet openings, said inlet being'adaptable for connection directly under the drain opening of said washing machine, impeller means rotatably mounted in said housing in co-axial relationship with said inlet, and an impeller drive arrangement comprising a bracket carried by said pump housing for swinging movement between operative and inoperative positions, a jack shaft carried by said bracket for rotative movement, drive wheel means mounted on one end of said jack shaft, and drive means carried by said bracket to operatively connect the jack shaft and the impeller means to cause the impeller to rotate.

3. In a pump arrangement, including means defining a pump housing having a co-axial inlet and a peripheral outlet, means defining an impeller positioned in said housing in co-axial relationship with said inlet, and an impeller drive arrangement comprising a bracket carried by said pump housing for swinging movement between operative and inoperative positions, a jack shaft carried by said bracket for rotative movement, drive wheel means mounted on one end of said jack shaft, and drive means carried by said bracket to operatively connect the jack shaft and the impeller means to cause the impeller to rotate.

4; In a pump assembly for washing machines having a tub provided with a drain opening, an apron supporting said tub and a unitary transmission including belt drive therefor, the combination comprising, a pump housing having a co-axial inlet and a peripheral outlet, said inlet being adaptable for connection directly under the drain opening of said tub, impeller means rotatably mountedin said housing, and a impeller drive assembly comprising a bracket carried by said pump housing for swinging movement between operative and inoperative positions, a jack shaft carried by said bracket for rotative movement, drive wheel means mounted on one end of said jack shaft and being adaptable to engage said belt drive when the said drive bracket is in its operative position thereby to cause said jack shaft to rotate, and driving means carried by said bracket to operatively connect the jack shaft and the impeller means to cause the impeller to rotate.

5. In a pump assembly for washing machines having a tub provided with a drain opening, an apron supporting said tub and a unitary transmission including belt drive therefor, the combintion comprising, a pump housing having a coaxial inlet and a peripheral outlet, said inlet being adaptable for connection directly under the drain opening of said tub, impeller means rm tatably mounted in said housing, an impeller drive assembly comprising a bracket carried by said pump housing for swinging movement between operative and inoperative positions, a jack shaft carried by said bracket for rotative movement, drive wheel means mounted on one end of said jack shaft and being adaptable to engage said belt drive when the said drive bracket is in its operative position thereby to cause said jack shaft to rotate, and driving means carried by said bracket to operatively connect the lack shaft and the impeller means to cause the impeller to rotate, spring means adapted to urge said drive wheel means into engagement with said belt drive, and handle means carried by said bracket and extending outwardly of said apron within reach of the operator to facilitate movement of said bracket between operative and inoperative positions.

6. A pump assembly for washing machines having a tub provided with a drain opening, an apron supporting said tub and a unitary transmission n including belt drive therefor, said pump assembly comprising, a pump housing having an inlet and an outlet, impeller means rotatably mounted in said housing, an impeller drive assembly comprising a. bracket adaptable for swinging movement between operative and inoperative positions, a jack shaft carried by said bracket for rotative movement, drive wheel means mounted on one end of said jack shaft and being adaptable to engage said belt drive when the said drive bracket is in its operative position thereby to cause said Jack shaft to rotate, and driving means carried by said bracket to operatively connect the Jack shaft and the impeller means to cause the impeller to rotate, spring means adapted to urge said drive wheel means into engagement with said belt drive, and handle means carried by said bracket and extending outwardly of said apron within reach of the operator to facilitate movement of said bracket between operative and in operative positions.

7. In combination, a pump housing having a co-axial inlet and a peripheral outlet, impeller means rotatably mounted in said housing, an impeller drive assembly comprising a bracket carried by said pump housing for swinging movement between operative and inoperative positions, a jack shaft carried by said bracket for rotative movement, drive wheel means mounted on one end of said jack shaft, and driving means carried by said bracket to operatively connect the jack shaft and the impeller means to cause the impeller to rotate, spring means adapted to urge said drive wheel means into operative position, and handle means carried by said bracket within reach of the operator to facilitate movement of said bracket between operative and inoperative positions.

CORNEILIUS VONK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,366,204 Mills et a1 Jan. 18, 1921 1,997,089 More et al Apr. 9, 1935

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