US2622427A

US2622427A - Locking device for clothes wringer

Info

Publication number: US2622427A
Application number: US108807A
Authority: US
Inventors: Orville F Couchot
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-08-05
Filing date: 1949-08-05
Publication date: 1952-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 1969-12-23

Description

l 23, 1952 Q 1:. QOUCHOT 2,622 427 LOCKING DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Aug. 5, 1949 Attorney Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKING DEVICE FOR- CLOTHES WRINGER Orville F. Couchot, De Land, Fla.

Application August 5, 1949, Serial No. 108,807

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a locking attachment for a clothes wringer whereby a clothes wringer may be releasably locked to a wall of a laundry tub to releasably retain the wringer against swinging movement relatively thereto to enable the wringer to be more efficiently utilized for wringing clothes and to eliminate the need for manually holding the wringer to prevent it from swinging relatively to the sections of a laundry tub while clothes are being applied thereto.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a wringer locking attachment of extremely simple construction which may be very economically manufactured and applied to wringers and which will efiectivel function to retain the clothes wringer in a predetermined position and which be easily operated for positioning the attachment in a locking position or in a released position.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view showing a four section laundry tub of the type conventionally used in self-service laundries and showing the wringer mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view, partly in section taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4c is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the locking device in a released position, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the locking plate, shown removed.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, for the purpose of illustrating one application and use of the invention, hereinafter to be described, a conventional type of laundry tub is illustrated in Figure 1 and designated generally 6 and is provided with four tub sections or compartments I separated from one another by the internal partitions or walls 8. Each of said tub sections 1 may be provided with an agitating unit 9. A clothes wringer ii) of conventional construction is mounted above the tub 6 and is provided with a gear head ll beyond one end thereof which is suitably supported for swivel movement at the center of the tub 6 so that the wringer ll! may be disposed directly over any one of the partitions B. A means for swivelly mounting the clothes wringer it has not been illustrated and constitutes no part of the present invention.

The locking attachment, designated generally 12 and comprising the invention includes a pair of depending ears l3 which are formed integral with or suitably secured to the outer end wall I4 of the clothes wringer H). A plate It: has a rod or shaft It extending therethrough adjacent one end thereof and the ends of which project from the side edges of the plate l5 and are journaled in aligned apertures of the depending ears l3 for swingably mounting the plate [5 on the outer end of the wringer l3 and beneath its end Wall Hi for swinging movement longitudinally of the wringer. The plate 15 is provided with a longitudinally extending notch ll which opens outwardly of its opposite, free end and which is adapted to straddle any one of the partitions 8 over which the wringer IE is disposed when said plate is in a depending, substantially upright position, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The plate [5 has an apertured ear I8 projecting from its inner side above and adjacent the notch l'i in which a right angularly disposed headed end I9 of a strand of wire, designated generally 20, is journaled. The strand 20 is formed of a resilient metal and has its opposite end portion extending outwardly through an opening 2 I of the wall it and provided with a loop or eye 22 at the terminal thereof forming a finger grip and which is located outwardly of said wall l4. The wire strand 26 is inwardly bowed with respect to the plate 15 and wall l4 and is provided with a bend 23 located adjacent the finger hold 22 and another bend 2!; which is disposed substantially intermediate of its ends. When the portion of the strand 20, disposed between the loop 22 and bend 23, is in engagement with the opening 2| the plate I5 is disposed in a depending position substantially in alignment with the end wall I so that the notch I! thereof may straddle one of the partitions 8 to prevent the wringer iii from being swung relatively to the tub 6. The resilient strand 26 will releasably retain the plate 15 in this its locking position, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, due to the bend 23 engaging frictionally against the inner edge of the opening 2| and the loop 22 engaging the wall around the outer end of said opening to thereby releasably retain the locking attachment l2 in a locking position.

By grasping and exerting a pull on the loop 22 in a direction away from the wringer W, the bend portion 23 will be caused to yield and pass outwardly through the opening 2! so that the plate 55 may be swung upwardly in a clockwise direction from its dotted line to its full line position of Figure 4, in which latter position the bend 24 is disposed in frictional engagement with the Wall of the opening 2! to releasably support the plate I with the notch i1 thereof disposed above the upper edges of the partitions 8, as seen in Figure 4, so that the wringer may swing relatively to the tub 6 to position the wringer above any one of the partitions 8. It will be readily apparent that the wringer can be re-locked in any position to which it is moved above a partition 8 by forcing the strand 2D in the opposite direction or from right to left of Figures 3 and 4 through the opening 2| to return the parts to their positions of Figure 3 for releasably locking the wringer in a new position over another partition 8. A metal plate or strip may be secured by fastenings 26 to the end wall It and is provided with a depending end 21 which is disposed outwardly of the plate I5 to provide a stop for limiting the swinging movement of said plate in a counterclockwise direction or toward an operative position.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the locking device 12 may be readily operated by manually engaging the loop or finger grip 22 for moving it to and from a locked and released position and when in a released position will permit the wringer ill to swing freely relatively to the tub partitions 8 and when in a locked position, will effectively prevent any swinging movement of the wringer relatively to the partitions 8 and tub sections 7.

It will be readily apparent that the looking attachment I2 is equally well adapted for use on a laundry tub having only two tub sections. Various modifications and changes in the structure of the invention as disclosed are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A locking attachment for wringers of the type which are swivelly mounted for swinging movement above a laundry tub having partitions dividing the tub into a plurality of tub sections and over any one of which partitions the wringer is adapted to be disposed, comprising a plate, means for swingably supporting said plate at one end thereof on the outer end wall of a clothes wringer for swinging movement of said plate in a direction longitudinallly of the wringer and in substantially a vertical plane, said plate having an outwardly opening notch in its free end adapted to straddle the upper edge of a partition of a tub over which the wringer is disposed when said plate is in substantially a .perpendicular position for locking the wringer thereto to prevent swinging movement of the wringer relatively to the tub, and a spring wire pivotally connected at one end to said plate and with its other end free for manual grasping and slidably and frictionally engaginga portion of the wringer for swinging the plate upwardly and out of engagement with the tub partition over which the wringer is disposed or downwardly andinto engagement therewith and having portions for frictionally engaging a part of the wringer to maintain the plate in either a raised, released position or a depending, locked position.

2. A locking attachment for swingably mounted clothes wringers associated with wash tubs having partitions comprising a locking member adapted to be swingably mounted on the outer, free end of a wringer for straddling a tub partition over which the wringer is disposed when in a depending position for locking the wringer against swinging movement, and a spring wire connected to said locking member and having a free end exposed for manual grasping and slidably and frictionally engaging a portion of the wringer for releasably retaining the lockingmember in either a depending locked position or a raised, released position above the level of the partition.

3. A locking attachment for wringers of the type which are swivelly mounted for swinging movement above a laundry tub having partitions dividing the tub into a plurality of tub sections and over any one of which partitions the wringer is adapted to be disposed, comprising a plate, means for swingably supporting said plate at one end thereof on the outer end wall of a clothes wringer for swinging movement of said :plate in a direction longitudinally of the wringer and in substantially a vertical plane, said plate having an outwardly opening notch in its free end adapted to straddle the upper edge of a partition of a tub over which the wringer is disposed when said plate is in substantially a perpendicular position for locking the wringer thereto to prevent swinging movement of the wringer relatively to the tub, and means pivotally connected to said plate and slidably and frictionally engaging a portion of the wringer for swinging the plate upwardly and out of engagement with the tub partition over which the wringer is disposed or downwardly and into engagement therewith and having .portions for frictionally engaging a part of the wringer to maintain the plate in either a raised, released position or a depending, locked position, said last mentioned means comprising a strand of resilient wire having a right angularly turned end, an ear projecting from one side of said looking plate and in which said right angularly turned end of the wire is journaled, said wringer portion constituting a part of the outer end wall of the wringer and being provided with an opening through which the opposite end portion of the strand projects in a direction outwardly of the wringer, and said portions of the strand comprising spaced bent parts forcibly movable through the wringer wall opening and selectively engageable frictionally therewith for releasably retaining the plate in either an operative or released position.

ORVILLE F. COUCHOT.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 927,279 Ramby July 6, 1909 1,461,226 Reddig July 10, 1923 1,559,427 Marbach Sept. 14, 1926 1,726,301 Judelson Aug. 27, 1929 2,111,586 Frantz Mar. 22, 1938 2,193,247 Dyer Mar. 12, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 662,901 France Mar. 29, 1929