US3065622A - Bleach agent dispenser system for washing machines - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 27, 1962 J. BOCHAN 3,065,522

BLEACH AGENT DISPENSER SYSTEM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Aug. '7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ll O o 27 J O o Z6 Z S 0 Z INVENTOR.

D'OHN BOG-HAN Hls ATTORNEY J. BOCHAN Nov. 27, 1962 BLEACH AGENT DISPENSER SYSTEM FOR WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 7, 1961 iii INVHVTOR. J'OHN BOCHAN BY M 40 ms ATTORNEY 3,065,622 BLEACH AGENT DISPENSER SYTEM FUR WAdl-HNG MACHINES John Eochan, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 129,614 5 Claims. (Ci. 68-207) This invention relates to automatic clothes washing machines, and more particularly to such machines where it is intended that a liquid bleach be automatically added to the washing liquid at the proper time in the washing cycle.

Automatic washing machines customarily proceed through a sequence of operations in order to wash, rinse and dry the clothes. The sequence ordinarily includes a washing operation, one or more rinsing operations, and a final extraction operation in which the rinse water is removed from the clothes. Where the machine is of the combination waher-dryer type, the extraction operation may then be followed by a heat drying operation. Of course, depending upon the particular machine, variations on the above basic sequence may be provided, but the general sequence of washing, rinsing and extracting is used in almost all automatic washing machines.

As automatic washing machines have become more perfected, they have automatically performed an increasing number of functions which previously had to be performed manually. For instance, suitable dispensers for detergents, water softeners, and fabric softeners may be provided. In addition to these, it will readily occur that a suitable liquid bleach or bleaching agent is among the more important additives required by many operators for a large part of their operations. An important point as to the dispensing of liquid bleach into the washing liquid is that, if the bleach is introdced into the liquid at the very beginning of the cycle (that is, at about the same time as the detergent), the bleach has a tendency to counteract the beneficial whitening effect which is provided by many modern detergents in the form of a fiuo rescent or optical dye; when this occurs, the full optical brightening effect of the detergent is not achieved. It has been determined that, where clothes are being washed during the introduction of the wash water, the optical dye in the detergent can complete its action on the clothes by the time all the needed wash water has entered, and the bleach is then free to treat clothes without interfering with this action. This result of this approach has been shown in the laboratory to be visibly better than where bleach and detergent are both introduced at the beginning of the washing operation.

Thus, a highly desirable washing machine structure is one wherein the bleach, although introduced into the machine prior to the start of the washing cycle, is held in readiness throughout the initial part of the washing operation so that virtually all of it remains outside the basket in which the clothes are being washer, and then contacts the clothes.

It is consequently an object of my invention to provide an improved washing machine wherein bleach dispensing means are provided to dispense the bleach into contact with the clothes in response to the shutting off of the inlet supply of washing liquid.

A further more specific object of my invention is to provide a bleach dispenser in which the bleach is contained in a recirculation system which is dependent for operation upon the stopping of the inlet water, the recirculation then causing the bleach to enter into contact with the clothes.

In one aspect of my invention I provide a conventional Washing machine of the type wherein a liquid receptacle, with an opening in the side and an opening in the hot- 3,0fi5fi22 Patented Nov. 27, 1962 tom, has within it means for washing clothes. The machine is of the type wherein the agitation of the clothes starts at the very beginning of the cycle during the introduction of water from supply means; this approach is generally used in machines wherein the clothes agitation is obtained by use of a perforated drum rotating within the liquid receptacle on a non-vertical axis. The water is supplied through a supply conduit which has an outlet positioned to discharge into the receptacle through the side opening, the flow of water to the supply conduit being controlled by suitable inlet valve means.

In order to provide liquid bleaching agent at the right time, a bleach fill conduit is arranged with an open top end arranged to receive bleach, and with a bottom portion connected to the bottom opening of the receptacle. The bottom portion is further formed to contain suflicient bleach for a washing operation below the level of the second opening, that is, without having it overflow up into the receptacle. The side opening is connected to an intermediate part of the bleach fill conduit by a recirculation conduit, and the level of liquid reached in the receptacle during washing is suitably controlled so that it reaches up adjacent but below the side opening.

The side opening is so arranged that a substantial amount of liquid can pass through the recirculation con duit from the receptacle into the bleach fill conduit when the aforementioned liquid level is present and the agitating means is operated so as to create turbulent movement of the water. However, this fiow through the recirculation conduit is prevented during the initial supply of water because the supply means if formed to provide a sufiicient velocity head of Water entering the receptacle through the side opening to prevent entrance of liquid into the recirculation conduit from the receptacle. The recirculation is necessary to introduce the major part of the bleach from the bottom portion where it is contained up into the receptacle, and because this recirculation can start only as a result of the completion of the action of the water introducing means, a delay is thereby provided before the introduction of any substantial part of the bleach.

The feature of the invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to organ ization and as to method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a washing machine incorporating my invention, partially in section and with certain surfaces broken away to show details; and

FIGURE 2 is a rear view of the machine of FIGURE 1, with the rear panel removed and with certain surfaces broken away to illustrate further details.

Referring now to both figures, I have shown my invention in one form as applied to a domestic laundry machine. The operating elements of the machine are included within an outer cabinet structure 1 which is supported on a base and toe board assembly 2. The cabinet 1 includes a top surface 3 on which is mounted by any suitable means, such as for instance posts 4, a backsplash portion 5 designed to contain the usual control mechanism (not shown) for the machine. A suitable manually operated member 6 may conventionally extend from backsplash portion 5 so that the operator may select and desired sequence of operations. Access to the interior of the machine is provided by a door 7 which may be mounted on the front panel 8 of cabinet 1 by concealed hinges and opened by any suitable means (not shown).

conventionally, when a load of soiled clothes is placed within the machine, the control mechanism is used to aoeaese cause the machine to proceed through an appropriate sequence of operations. Typically, the sequence starts with concurrent introduction of water and tumbling of the clothes, the water being shut off at the appropriate level and the tumbling continuing. Then the water is drained to end the initial wash step, and one or more rinses and drains are provided, followed finally by a damp drying or liquid extraction operation.

As shown in the figures, the machine is of the nonvertical axis type (more specifically, horizontal in the present case) where a cylindrical clothes basket or drum 9 is mounted for rotation on a generally horizontal axis within an outer enclosing tub structure 10 which, as will be more fully set forth below, serves as a liquid receptacle. Preferably, for a purpose to be explained below, the rotation of basket 9 is clockwise, as viewed in FIGURE 2 and shown by the arrow therein. The basket 9 has a cylindrical shell or outer wall 11 with perforations 12 formed therein. The basket is closed at its rear by means of a suitable wall 13 (which may be of double thickness, as shown, for structural strength), and has a front wall (not shown), provided in the usual manner with an excess or loading opening. The basket is rotatably supported by a shaft 14 secured to rear wall 13 and mounted in a suitable bearing 15 supported between two spaced wall portions 16 and T7 of the tub l0. Tub 10 is conventionally provided in the front wall thereof with an opening (not shown) which is arranged relative to door 7 so that clothes may be placed into or removed from the basket and so that the door seals the opening during operation of the machine. Tub It) thus forms a container for liquid during the treatment of clothes, and the basket 9 forms both a container for the clothes, and, by virtue of inwardly extending vanes or ribs 18 formed therein, a means of tumbling clothes within tub 10.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 2, during the operation of the machine the basket 9 is driven from an electric motor 19. The drive from the motor to the basket includes a pulley 24 which is secured to the motor shaft so as to rotate therewith and over which passes a belt 21. Belt 21 drives an adjustable sheave assembly 22 of the type which is well known for use in achieving variable output speeds from a constant input speed source. The adjustable sheave assembly in turn operates a belt 23 to cause rotation of pulleys 24 and 25. The rotation of pulley 25 is passed on through a belt 26 to a pulley 27 which is secured on the end of basket shaft 14. In this manner, the motor 1? may be driven at a constant speed, and through the adjustable sheave assembly 22, the speed imparted to pulley 27 and basket 9/ may be varied so as to provide an appropriate range of speeds for the basket. For instance, for tumbling purposes during washing and rinsing operations, the basket may be rotated at a speed of approximately 47 rpm, while a centrifuging speed of several hundred r.p.m. may be provided to the basket for effecting centrifugal extraction of the liquid from the clothes subsequent to the completion of the washing and rinsing operations.

The operation of the variable speed drive briefly described above does not form any part of the present invention, and is merely set forth is provide a substantially complete description of an operative machine. A complete detailed description of such a drive is provided, for instance, in Patent 2,950,613 issued to me on August 30, 1960, and assigned to the General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention.

Means whereby water is admitted to tub 19 during washing and rinsing operations of the machine include connections 28 and 29 through which hot and cold Water is supplied from a suitable source to the machine for the washing and rinsing operations. A valve controlled by a solenoid 30 permits passage of hot water when the solenoid is energized, and a valve controlled by an opposed solenoid 31 permits passage of cold water when the solenoid is energized. The hot and cold water valves under the control of the solenoids 3t) and 31-discharge through a common conduit 32 and a suitable air gap into a funnel 33 positioned below the outlet of conduit 32. Funnel 33 leads into a downwardly extending supply conduit 34 terminating at its lower end in an outlet 35 so that water flowing through the conduit 34 passes out through outlet 35 and then, by virtue of its velocity head, through a side opening 36 formed in tub 10. It will readily be understood that conduit 34 may be so designed that the velocity of the water coming out of outlet 35 is sufiicient to cause virtually all of it to pass through the opening 36 into the tub 10.

A conventional pressure actuated sensing device 37 is provided in controlling relationship to both solenoids 3t) and 31, it being understood that the circuitry for effecting this control purpose is conventional and is not further described herein. Sensing device 37 is connected to the interior of tub lit) by a suitable line 38 which connects with the tub almost at the bottom thereof at 39 as shown. By virtue of the air trapped in line 38, the device 37 is sensitive to increases in the liquid level within tub 10, and is so formed as to shut off the flow of water by de-energizing solenoids 30 and 31 when the liquid reaches up to a level which is below but adjacent opening 36. In this connection, an appropriate level is shown by the line A in FIGURE 2. It will be noted that, while the level A is below the opening 36, rotation of basket 9 to tumble clothes in the washer will cause a degree of turbulence in the water which causes it to splash up in substantial quantities into opening 36; this is particularly true where, as in the present case, basket 9 rotates up toward opening 36. It will further be noted that, although this tubulence is occurring during filling of the machine because of the basket rotation, the inlet velocity of the water coming through opening 36 from outlet 35 of conduit 34 is sufiicient to prevent any liquid from passing out of tub 10 through opening 36. Thus, while a substantial quantity of water can pass out of tub Ill through opening 36 during regular tumbling rotation of basket 9 after the water has finished entering, substantially no water will splash out through opening 36 during the filling operation.

Vitiated water from washing operations is discharged from the machine through an opening 40 formed at the bottom of tub 10. A suitable conduit portion 41 leads from opening 40 to the inlet of a pump 42 (FIGURE 1) which may, as shown, be driven from the motor 19 through a clutch 43 controlled by a solenoid 44, the solenoid operating in the conventional way so that when energized it causes the clutch to connect the motor to the pump in driving relationship, and when the solenoid is not energized the pump is not operated by the motor. Thus, when draining is desired after washing and rinsing operations, solenoid 44 is energized, and pump 42 consequently draws water through the conduit portion 41 and passes it out through a conduit 45 to a suitable drain (not shown).

In order to receive a suitable quantity of liquid bleach to be used during a washing operation, I provide a bleach fill conduit 46 which may, for convenience, be provided with .an enlarged upper end 47' having an opening 48 and a spout 49 accessible to an operator at the front of the machine. It is intended that the operator pour through spout 49 a quantity of bleach which is desired to be introduced for the washing operation to follow. The bleach thus introduced flows down a vertical portion 50 of the conduit 46 and then enters the conduit portion 41 which in effect forms the lower part of the conduit 46. The conduit portion 41 has sufiicient internal volume so that it is capable of containing any amount of liquid bleach which will normally be introduced in connection with a single washing operation without having the bleach rise up to the level of the opening 40.

Intermediate its ends, the vertical portion 50 of conduit 46 is connected to the opening 36 by a recirculation conduit 51 which is preferably formed as shown so that it slopes downwardly from opening 36 to its junction with bleach fill conduit section 50. Supply conduit 34 is formed entering the portion 52 of conduit 51 so that the discharge of water into the tub actually passes through a small part of the recirculation conduit and then through opening 36 into the tub.

As the liquid level in tube 10 rises during introduction of Water, the rotation of basket 9 causes splashing of the water, and some of the water will tend to splash through opening 36, as mentioned above, but the velocity head of the supply water prevents this. As a result, no water passes from opening 36 through the recirculation conduit to the bleach fill conduit during filling. Inasmuch as the bleach is in the bottom portion 41 of bleach fill conduit 46, the introduction of Water into tub 10 tends to keep the bleach down where it is and, while a very small amount of bleach may escape into the tub 10 and mix with the water during the fill operation, it will be so little as not to affect adversely the operation of the optical dye present in most detergents. In other words, if a detergent has been introduced prior to this part of the operation, by the time the filling operation terminates the optical dye will have had time to take effect.

As soon as the fill operation terminates as a result of the de-energization of solenoids 30 and 31 by control 37 when level A is reached, the substantial turbulence and splashing which has been previously mentioned will cause a substantial quantity of water to pass through opening 36. This water then passes down recirculation conduit 52 into bleach fill conduit 46; as more and more of this water accumulates in conduit 46, it tends to move the bleach from its location within portion 41 of the bleach fill conduit up through opening 40 and into the tub where the tumbling action of basket 9 will cause thorough mixing. In other words, the cooperative action of the turbulence of the Water in tub 10 and the velocity head of the water being introduced from the supply source are utilized to prevent any force tending to introduce bleach during introduction of supply water, and to provide a force tending to introduce the bleach. Thereafter, as a result, the bleach is introduced in response to the attain ment of liquid level A and the desired bleaching action is obtained, suitable time having been provided for the optical dying effect to take place.

It will be understood that at the end of the washing operation, as provided for a suitable period of time, solenoid 44 is energized to connect pump 42 to motor 19' so that the pump draws liquid through opening 40 and conduit 41 to its inlet, and then passes the liquid out through conduit 45 to drain.

It will thus be seen that my invention provides a structure responsive to the completion of the water introducing operation to introduce the bleach, the bleach being held substantially separate until this occurs. It will further be observed that this result is achieved without the need for mechanically timed introduction of the bleach.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and I therefore aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desrie to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a washing machine: a liquid receptacle having first and second openings formed respectively in the side and bottom thereof; means for agitating clothes in said receptacle; means for supplying water to said receptacle including a supply conduit having an outlet positioned to discharge into said receptacle through said first opening, and inlet valve means controlling the passage of Water into said supply conduit; a bleach fill conduit having an open top end arranged to receive bleach and a bottom portion connected with said second opening, said bottom portion being formed to contain bleach for a Washing operation below the level of said second opening; a recirculation conduit connecting said first opening to said bleach fill conduit intermediate the ends thereof; liquid level control means arranged to shut said valve means when the liquid in said receptacle rises to a level below and adjacent said first opening; said side opening being arranged to permit a substantial amount of liquid to pass through said recirculation conduit into said bleach fill conduit when the liquid level controlled by said level control means is present and said agitating means is operating; said supply means being formed to provide a sufficient velocity head of water entering said first opening to prevent entrance of liquid into said recirculation conduit from said receptacle when water is entering from said supply conduit.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said means for agitating clothes comprises a substantially cylindrical basket member having a perforated outer Wall mounted for rotation within said receptacle on a substantially non-vertical axis.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said recirculation conduit slopes downwardly from said first opening to its junction with said bleach fill conduit.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said means for agitating clothes further comprises drive means for rotating said basket so that its outer wall moves upwardly when passing by said first opening.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 including drain means for draining said receptacle, said drain means also being connected to said second opening, and means for controlling operation of said drain means.

References Qiteti in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 529,539 Welden Nov. 20, 1894 750,185 Grace Ian. 19, 1905 FOREIGN PATENTS 213 Great Britain of 1910 970,610 France June 21, 1950

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