US3009342A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 21, 1961 K O 3,009,342

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1958 Fig. 7

I NVENTOR B WM, Jai

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3,009,342 Patented Nov. 21, 1961 ffice 3,009,342 WASHING MACHINE Max Kron, 242 Frohburgstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland Filed Apr. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 730,679 Claims priority, application Switzerland Apr. 26, 1957 3 Claims. (CI. 68-45) This invention relates to a washing machine having a container for the washing liquid and the rinsing liquid, and for the laundry, and agitator means for producing a circulatory motion of the washing liquid and the laundry to obtain a thorough washing action. Known machines of this type have the disadvantage, that owing to the shape of the container and the disposition of the agitator, the laundry tends periodically to accumulate, to form a ball and to bear against the agitator, thus causing the laundry to be unduly worn and frequently damaged, and also braking the agitator drive and interrupting the washing process. Relatively great driving power is required to regain the necessary agitator speed for the washing movement each time this occurs; moreover, owing to the tendency of the laundry to accumulate, the linen material in the middle of the accumulated ball goes not get the full benefit of the washing. Furthermore, in known machines the container is enclosed in a heavy casing of relatively large dimensions which also contains the agitator means for setting the washing liquid in motion and the control switches. Therefore these machines are relatively voluminous and require a large base, and/or they must be restricted to smaller or narrower containers, and yet they are too heavy to be lifted or carried about, so that they cannot be placed and operated, for instance on a stool, a sink or in the bath tub and they therefore require a lye pump for conveying the washing liquid to the level of the outlet when emptying the container.

It is an object of the invention to avoid these disadvantages. According to the invention the washing machine comprises a container which is substantially symmetrical with respect to its vertical axis and which tapers towards its bottom. Owing to said tapering and to the adjacent bottom surface, the laundry is set in circular motion by the agitator, on the one hand around the extended axis of the agitator and on the other hand around the vertical axis of the container; by this combined motion, the laundry is continuously withdrawn from the agitator in lateral direction, so that accumulations of laundry in front of the agitator and numerous other disadvantages resulting therefrom can be avoided.

The annexed drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 1 shows the washing machine in vertical section and FIGURE 2 a plan view of the machine.

The illustrated washing machine comprises a container 1 of a size containing for example 50 litres, adapted to receive the washing liquid and the laundry, said container tapering towards its top and towards its bottom, and at the same time forming the casing of the washing machine; it consists of an upper part 2 and lower part 3, joined by an overlap 4 that extends along its greatest diameter. The upper part has an inwardly flanged edge 5, the cross section of which is hook-shaped; said edge prevents spilling-over of liquid during operation, and at the same time serves as a convenient handle for easily carrying the machine single handed and setting it down. The lower part 3 is provided with a short cylindrical extension 14 having a flat base 15, the diameter of which is less than that of the container. A heating body 6 is mounted within the extension 14 and covered by a perforated, removable, plane or slightly curved bottom plate 7. The outlet (not shown) for the container 1 also is disposed in the extension 14.

As diagrammatically indicated, a casing 8 is provided on the outside of the container 1, for a built-in motor driving the agitator disc or impeller 10. In an extension of said casing 8, the switches 11 and 12 for agitator and for the heating body 6, as well as a signal lamp 13 for the heater, are arranged.

The shaft of the motor 9 which is mounted on the external side of a flattened portion 16 of the lower part 3 of the container, is inclined and passes through the wall of the container 'by means of a stuffing box. The end of the shaft projecting into the container bears the impeller disc 10, which forms an obtuse angle with the surface 7 or 15.

The weight of the container, on one hand, and of the casing 1 with the driving and switching members, on the other hand, is so distributed, that the machine, when emptied of its contents, remains approximately in normal vertical position, when it is lifted by hand gripping the edge 5 at a point situated above the motor 9.

For operating the machine, the container is filled to about 2; of its height with lye and laundry; if desired, hot lye can be introduced, otherwise the lye can be heated, or kept warm in the container by switching-on the heater :6; the signal lamp 13 lights up as soon as the heat is turned on. For the washing process, the motor 9 is started by means of switch 11, and the rapidly rotating impeller disc 10 imparts the above described circulatory motion to the contents of the container. Immediately below the disc 10 the bottom surface forms an obtuse angle with the plane of the discsaid surface being formed by the plate 7 covering the heating body, or if no heater is installed, by the base 15; this surface has the eifect that the horizontal rotary movement of the washing liquid caused by the lower part of the impeller disc is suppressed in favor of the rotary movement in opposite direction caused by the upper part of the disc; thus the pieces of laundry approaching the impeller are moved away from the latter. In FIGURE 1 the prinicipal components of the currents in the part of the liquid behind the plane of the vertical section are indicated by arrows. The same process is repeated for the rinsing operation. Owing to the shape of the container and the conditions of flow inside thereof, more laundry can be washed with a given amount of lye than in heretofore known machines.

Because of its comparatively light weight and of the compact construction, its handy size and small base area this machine can be placed and operated on surfaces of reduced extent (e.g. in the bath tub, on the sink, on a stool etc.) and in proximity to running water supply for easy filling and emptying of the container, whereby these manipulations are greatly facilitated. The machine can be used both for heavy laundry in a wash-house and for light washing in the home or apartment. When out of use, the described machine takes up but little space, and it is possible, for example, to store a laundry centrifuge inside the container.

I claim:

1. A washing machine comprising a container for the washing liquid and the articles to be washed, said container having a fiat bottom and having a lower portion with the shape of a segment of a body of revolution about an axis perpendicular to said flat bottom, the lower portion of the side of said container being tapered downwardly and inwardly toward said flat bottom, an agitator disc mounted on the inside of the lower tapering portion of the container and extending to immediately adjacent the flat container bottom surface, the plane of said agitator disc forming an obtuse angle with said bottom surface, and means for rotating said agitator disc continuously in one direction, whereby when the container has washing liquid therein, rotation of the agitator disc moves the laundry in a circular motion around the extended axis of the agitator disc and around the vertical axis of the container, and the laundry is continuously withdrawn from the agitator in a lateral direction and accumulations of laundry in front of the agitator are avoided.

2. A washing machine comprising a container for the washing liquid and the articles to be washed, said container being bowl-shaped and having a fiat bottom toward which the lower portion of the side of the container is tapered, the upper portion of the container tapering inwardly towards the top, an agitator disc mounted on the inside of the lower tapering portion of the container and extending to immediately, adjacent the fiat container bottom surface, the plane of said agitator disc forming an obtuse angle With said bottom surface, an electric motor having an inclined shaft mounted on the outside of said tapered portion, said agitator disc being directly secured to the shaft of the motor, the top edge of the container being inwardly, then downwardly and then outwardly flanged, the weight of the container and of said motor and switching means being distributed, whereby when the empty machine is lifted and carried by hand by gripping said flanged upper edge of the container above the motor, the machine remains substantially in its normal vertical position, and whereby when the container has washing liquid therein, rotation of the agitator disc moves the laundry in a circular motion around the extended axis of the agitator disc and around the vertical axis of the container, and the laundry is continuously withdrawn from the agitator in a lateral direction and accumulations of laundry in front of the agitator are avoided.

3. A washing machine comprising a container for the Washing liquid and the articles to be Washed, said container being bowl-shaped and having a fiat bottom toward which the lower portion of the side of the container is tapered, an agitator disc mounted on the inside of the lower tapering portion of the container and extending to immediately adjacent the fiat container bottom surface, the plane of said agitator disc forming an obtuse angle with said bottom surface, a cylindrical extension extending from the flat bottom, a heating body within said extension, and a perforated bottom plate between said heating body and the interior of said container, whereby when the container has washing liquid therein, rotation of the agitator disc moves the laundry in a circular motion around the extended axis of the agitator disc and around the vertical axis of the container, and the laundry is continuously withdrawn from the agitator in a lateral direction and accumulations of laundry in front of the agitator are avoided.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,034,244 Mikulasek Mar. 17, 1936 2,615,320 Belaieff Oct. 28, 1952 2,727,379 Colston Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,346 Great Britain 1907 130,831 Australia Jan. 10, 1949 148,825 Sweden Feb. 15, 1955

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