US2811034A - Control mechanism for clothes washing machines - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 29, 1957 1 E. HINTON 2,811,034

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 18, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l zz forne gs.

Oct. 29, 1957 L. E. HINTON ,8

I CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES 2 sheets-snet 2 Filed Jan. 18, 1955 57 7 w 2,? I 74 8 K :4 76 k ""v -"nm-r" E: i 34 46K Pi k 60 57 i W 45 W 67 I ,46

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United States P CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES Louis E. Hinton, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Gilson Manufacturing Co. Limited, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Application January 18, 1955, Serial No. 482,624

1 Claim. (Cl. 68-133) This invention relates to improvements in clothes washing machines and particularly to motor driven machines of this type having a pump by means of which water may be removed from the tub of the washing machine and which is driven by the motor which also operates the washing mechanism. The invention relates particularly to manually controlled washing machines of this type, as distinguished from automatic washing machines.

One of the objects of this invention is to improve and simplify the operation of a hand-controlled clothes washing machine by providing the machine with a single lever which may be moved into a neutral position in which neither the pump nor agitator is in operation, into another position in which only the agitator only is operated and into a third position in which both the agitator and the pump are operated for removing water from the tub of the machine. Another object is to provide a simplified control mechanism which is of sturdy construction and reliable in operation. It is also an object of this invention to provide a control mechanism for a clothes washing machine by means of which it is possible to operate the agitator while the pump is in operation so as to keep the solid matter resulting from washing of the clothes in suspension when the water is being removed and thus avoid depositing or precipitation of such matter in the tub in the form of a sludge which might cause plugging of the pump. A further object is to provide a mechanism by means of which the agitator of the washer is yieldingly maintained in driving connection With the motor by means of a spring, and is disconnected from the motor by a positive actuation of the control lever. It is also an object to provide a washing machine of this type in which the control lever is formed to shift the pump bodily into and out of driving relation to the motor.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fi l is a fragmentary side elevation of the washing machine provided with control mechanism embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional plan view thereof, on an enlarged scale, on line 2-2, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, thereof on line 33, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, on a still larger scale, on line 44, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation similar to a portion of Fig. 4 and showing the parts in different positions.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof, on line 66, Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I have shown a portion of a washing machine including a tub 7 and a skirt or housing portion 8 below the tub which contains the driving and actuating mechanism for the washing machine. This housing. is

generally made of sheet metal in cylindrical form and supports a cross brace 9 and a second or clutch lever brace 10 secured to and extending at an angle to the cross brace. There is also supported by the housing 8 of the machine the usual gear case 11 containing gears which drive an upwardly extending shaft having the usual clutch spline 12 secured thereto. The driven shaft of the gear case may be connected by a clutch to a shaft 14 which extends through the bottom of the tub 7 and operates an agitator 15 of any suitable or usual construction. Another spline 17 is formed near the lower end of the agitator shaft 14, and a sleeve 18 with internal teeth or splines is movable into an upper position shown in Fig.4 in which it engages only with the upper spline 17, and into a lower position shown in Fig. 5, in which the sleeve 18 also connects with the spline of the driven shaft of the gear case, thus coupling the two splines for driving the agitator 15.

The coupling sleeve 18 of the clutch is provided with upper and lower flanges 20 between which a forked portion of a clutch lever 21 engages. This lever, in the construction shown, is of substantially inverted U-shape and is pivoted at 22 to an upwardly extending post 24 welded or otherwise secured to the clutch lever brace 10. The other end of the clutch lever 21 is yieldingly urged upwardly by any suitable means, such for example as a coil spring 25. Consequently, if the clutch lever is free to swing about its pivot 22., the spring 25 will urge the lever into a position, such as shown in Fig. 5, in which the sleeve or collar 18 engages the lower spline 12 and connects the same with the upper spline 17, thus driving the agitator 15 from the driven shaft of the gear case.

27 represents an electric motor by means of which the machine may be driven in any suitable manner and which is mounted on the undersurface of the cross brace 9. The shaft of the motor may, for example, be provided with a pair of pulleys 28 and 29, the pulley 28 being connected by means of a belt 30 with a pulley 31 secured on a shaft 32 which is the driving shaft of the gears within the gear case 11. The other pulley 29 drives a belt 34- which in turn drives a pulley 35 secured to the shaft of a pump 36. The pulley 35 is preferably of the type usually employed with flat belts so that the V-belt 34 can be more readily disengaged from this pulley.

This pump is movably mounted so as to move into and out of driving relation to the motor 27. In the construction shown, the pump is movable toward and from the motor27 for loosening or tightening the belt 34 in such a manner that when the belt 34 is loose, the pump will not be driven. In the particular construction shown, the pump is pivotally mounted on a bracket 40 secured on the inner surface of the housing 8, the bracket 40 having a pair of outwardly extending arms 41 which form pivotal supports for the pump. For this purpose, the casing of the pump may be provided with an outwardly extending rib 42 which terminates in a sleeve or tubular part 43 arranged'between the arms 41 and pivotally connected therewith by means of a bolt 44. Any other means for movably mounting the pump may be provided. The housing of the pump is also provided with an upwardly extending plate 45 and a spring 46 secured to one end to the plate 45 and at its other end to a stationary part of the machine, such as a pin or post 47 (Fig. 3), extending downwardly from the cross brace & This spring yieldingly urges the pump to swing in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2 for moving the pump toward the driving motor 27 so as to slacken the belt 34 sufliciently so as to prevent the belt from driving the pulley 35 of the pump.

48 represents a combined brake and belt support to hold the belt 34 in correct relation to the cylindrical pulley 35. The pump is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in its idle or non-:-

3 driving position, and in this position the brake 48 bears against the face of the pulley underneath the belt 34, and thus holds the belt up in position to contact with the pulley. When the pump is swung away from the motor to tighten the belt 34, the pulley 35 moves out of engagement with the brake 48, but the belt still remains in contact with the brake. This brake may be merely in the form of a disk of rubber or other suitable material.

The operation of the apparatus may be controlled by means of a control lever having on one end thereof an upwardly extending handle portion 50 which is preferably formed integral with a horizontal portion 51 of the control lever, the rear end of which is provided with an upwardly extending arm 52 arranged underneath the clutch lever 21. The control lever bears at one end in an aperture formed in the housing 8 and near its opposite end in an upstanding lug 53 or other bearing support secured on the clutch lever brace 10.

The part 51 of the lever is provided with a cam 55 rigidly secured thereto in position to engage the upwardly extending plate 45 of the pump. This cam is so shaped that when the clutch lever is in upright position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the cam 55 permits the spring 46 to swing the pump about its pivotal mounting to such an extent as to slacken the belt 34 and thus avoid driving of the pump. When on the other hand, the end 50 of the control lever is swung to the left into the broken line position in Fig. 1, the cam will be swung into a position to engage the plate 45 and move the pump about its pivot to the left in Figs. 2 and 3, into a position to tighten the belt 34 and thus drive the pump.

The inner up-turned end 52 of the control lever which engages the undersurface of the clutch lever 21 will be in upright position, as shown in Fig. 4, when the handle portion 50 thereof is in upright position as shown in Fig. 1. When in this position, the end 52 is in engagement with an upwardly extending depression or recess 57, in which position the clutch engaging end of the clutch lever is raised to its maximum extent, and in this position, which is shown in Fig. 4, the movable clutch sleeve 18 engages only the spline 17 and is out of engagement with the lower driving spline 12 so that the agitator 15 will not be operated. Consequently, when the control lever is in this position, neither the agitator nor the pump will operate. When, on the other hand, the handle portion 50 of the control lever is swung into the right-hand position shown in Fig. 1, the upstanding end 52 of the control lever will be in the position shown in Fig. 5, in which the spring swings the clutch lever 21 about its pivot 22 into a position in which the clutch sleeve 18 is in full engagement with the lower spline 17 so that the agitator will be driven. In this position, the cam 55 will be in the position shown in Fig. 6 in which the spring 46 swings the pump about its pivot toward the motor, thus moving the pump pulley 35 out of driving engagement with its belt 34. Consequently, the pump will not be in operation when the control lever 50 is in the right hand position shown in Fig. l to cause the agitator or other washing mechanism to operate.

When the handle portion 50 of the control lever is swung from its full line position to the left in Fig. l, the upstanding end 52 of the lever will be moved into the broken line position shown in Fig. 4. The limit of movementof the control lever is determined by means of a downwardly extending stop projection 59 which may, for example, be formed by punching out a part of the clutch lever 21 and bending the same downwardly. When the upstanding part 52 of the lever is in this position, the cam 55 will be turned to a position to swing the pump against the action of the spring 46 into position to tighten the belt 34 so that the pump Will be driven. When in this position, the spring 25 will also swing the clutch lever into a position in which the clutch sleeve 18 engages with the lower spline 12, thus resuiting in the operation of the agitator or other washing mechanism when the pump is in operation. This is desired, for the reason that any solids which may be in the water in the tub of the washer will be prevented by the agitator from settling and thus possibly forming a sludge or relatively solid mass which may plug the pump. If, however, it is desired to withdraw the water from the tub without operating the agitator, it is, of course, an easy matter to remove the agitator from its shaft 14 since this is recommended after each washing operation to enable the agitator as well as all parts of the tub to be cleaned.

In order to hold the control lever in correct relation to the mechanism, the part 51 of this lever may be provided with a washer or sleeve 64 secured thereto and a spring 65 is arranged between this washer or sleeve and the housing 8. This spring urges the lever into a position in which the handle portion 50 thereof will be urged toward the front of the machine into contact with a plate 62. By means of this construction, the control lever will be yieldingly held in correct position to actuate the clutch lever and the pump.

The inlet of the pump 36 may be connected with the tub in any desired manner, for example, by means of a flexible hose 60 which may be permanently connected with the bottom of the tub at one end and with the intake of the pump at its other end. This flexible hose permits swinging of the pump about its pivot. Similarly the discharge duct 61 of the pump is made of flexible mate rial and extends as usual through a suitable hole in the housing 8 of the washing apparatus.

The construction described is easy to operate, and if desired, the plate 62 may have the words pump and wash thereon at opposite sides thereof to indicate the direction in which the handle portion 50 of the control lever is to be swung to actuate either the pump or the washing mechanism. The single piece control lever is of strong and rugged construction and when installed in a Washing machine is held against excessive endwise movement by arrangement of the upstanding portion 52 between the two downwardly extending flanges of the U-shaped clutch lever. The control lever will, of course, be held by gravity in either its pump or washing positions and is yieldingly held in its neutral position by means of the indentation 57 in the clutch lever.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A clothes washing machine having a tub and washing mechanism therein, a pum a flow passage for con necting said pump with said tub for emptying the same, a motor, a belt drive connecting said motor with said pump, a clutch member driven by said motor, another clutch member for connecting and disconnecting said first mentioned clutch member with said washing mechanism, a control lever including a rotatable part extending below said tub, a clutch lever mounted on said machine and extending crosswise of said control lever, said clutch lever being pivoted on said machine and having one end thereof connected with said other clutch member, for moving the same into and out of positions in which said clutch is in driving or non-driving positions by swinging of said clutch lever about its pivot, said control lever having a part movable relatively to said clutch lever when said control lever is turned into one position, for swinging said clutch lever into non-clutching position, a movable mounting for said pump on which said pump may move toward and from said motor for loosening and tightening its belt drive connection with said motor, and another part on said rotatable control lever which when swung into a difierent position engages said pump for moving the same into belt-tightening position, said belt drive comprising a drive shaft on said pump, said drive shaft bein provided with a pulley secured thereto and having its belt-engaging face flat in a direction transverse thereof, a V-belt pulley on said motor, and a. combined brake and belt-supporting member mounted in fixed position on said Washing machine and arranged below said belt and adjacent to said pulley of said pump, and which is engaged by said pump pulley to act as a brake when said pump is moved toward said motor to slacken said belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS More Apr. 9, 1935 Frantz Apr. 14, 1942 Sheahan Jan. 9, 1951 Geldhof Feb. 6, 1951 Gabrielson May 22, 1951 Share Apr. 20, 1954 Share Jan. 17, 1956

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