US3216224A - Clothes washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 9, 1965 R. R. POOLE 3,216,224

CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Filed June 10, 1963 5 00000 40 0 (/03; o OOOOO0oooo i /2 United States Patent 3,216,224 CLOTHES WASHING MACE Donald Robertson Poole, Berkharnsted, England, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation 'of Delaware Filed June 10, 1963, Ser. No. 286,703 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 28, 1962, 24,846/ 62 6 Claims. (Cl. 6823) This invention relates to clothes washing machines.

It is particularly concerned with such machines as have a tube which contains an agitator for washing the clothes and which is rotatable to effect some drying of the clothes by centrifugal action. The .agitator may be of the reciprocatory or the rotary type.

According to the present invention the clothes washer machine comprises a tub and an agitator therein, in which the wall of the tub has a series of radial and upwardly extending grooves of inwardly concave form and a series of external plates closing said grooves to form sediment extraction channels having inlet openings at the bottom of the tub.

By means of such a construction any grit, sand and like matter sinks to the bottom of the tub and passes through the drain holes during the wash phase, and thus it is practicable not only to effect an overflow rinse with minimum retention of grit and sand in the clothes, but it is also practicable to spin the tub and eject water through the overflow holes, and simultaneously eject water and grit through the radial ducts.

Preferably the drain holes communicate with the lower ends of the radial channels through the intermediary of a common annular drain channel or header.

The radial ducts can conveniently be formed by hollow ribs pressed in the tub wall and closed by the strips. This construction effects a stiffening and strengthening of the tub.

The scope of the monopoly is defined by the appended claims and how the invention may be performed is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a clothes washer machine tub; and

FIGURE 2 is a section along the lines II-]I of FIG- URE 1.

Only the tub portion of clothes washer machine has been shown, because various types of centrifugal extraction machines are known and this invention is applicable to any upright axis tub type. The drive mechanism and the arrangement of other extraneous parts are not shown.

The water collection portion is indicated generally at A in FIGURE 1. In one convenient construction the tub 1, contains a vertically reciprocatable agitator 2, and is mounted for rotation about the vertical axis co-incident with the agitator axis. It is formed with vertical sides which curve towards the fiat base 3; and adjacent its upper edge there is a series of holes 4 for the overflow of water and which determines the normal water level in the tub. Above the holes there is a flange or inturned lip 5 which prevents the clothes from being thrown out of the tub during spinning.

In the flat base 3 of the tub there is an annular channel 6 having a series of drain-holes 7, which lead into a lower annular channel or header 8. The drain-holes are of sulficient size for any grit or sand or like material to pass through into the lower annular channel.

Spaced around the tub circumferentially are a plurality of inwardly-pressed ribs 9, each closed by an outer strip or plate 10, to form ducts. At their lower ends the ducts communicate with the lower channel or header 8; and at their upper ends 11, they are open to the outside such that the lower edges 12, of the openings 11, are slightly above the top edges of the over-flow holes 4, around the rim of the tub.

With such an arrangement, the normal washing phase of the whole cycle of operations is effected by means of the agitator. Heavy particles of grit, sand and the like sink to the bottom and pass through the drain-holes 7, to the annular channel or header 8.

If it is desired to have an overflow rinse, the rinse Water is passed into the tub and flows out of th drain-holes 4, carrying any scum and other floating material.

After the wash and rinse phases of the complete cycle, the tub is rotated to effect partial drying and drainage. As a consequence some of the water passes out through the upper overflow holes 4, and some of the water contained in the lower annular channel 8 passes upwardly through the ducts 9 and out through the outlets 11, adjacent the upper rim 5 of the tub 1.

I claim:

1. A clothes washer machine including a rotatable single walled tub, and an agitator therein, the wall of said tub having a series of radial and upwardly extending grooves of inwardly concave form, and a series of external plates closing said grooves to form sediment extraction channels having inlet openings at the bottom of the tub.

2. A machine according to claim 1, in which said inlet openings communicate with drain holes in the bottom of the tub through the intermediary of an annular channel.

3. A machine according to claim 1, in which said grooves have upper ends forming sediment outlets opening to the outside of the tub, said outlet openings having lower edges which are slightly above the top edges of overflow holes around the rim of the tub.

4. A rotatable single walled tub adapted to contain a liquid and rotatable to centrifuge the liquid therefrom, the wall of said tub having a series of spaced apart radial and upwardly extending grooves of inwardly-pressed form defining ribs to strengthen said tub, and a series of substantially cross-sectionally flat, imperforate, external plate means closing said grooves to form sediment extraction channels having inlet openings at the bottom of said tub, and said plate means fastened to said wall on opposite sides of said grooves to assist said grooves in strengthening said tub during rotation thereof.

5. A rotatable single walled tub adapted to contain a liquid and rotatable to centrifuge the liquid therefrom, the wall of said tub having a series of radial and upwardly extending grooves of inwardly-pressed form defining ribs to strengthen said tub, and a series of imperforate, external plate means closing said grooves to form sediment extraction channels having inlet openings at the bottom of said tub, and said plate means fastened to said wall on opposite sides of said grooves to assist said grooves in strengthening said tub during rotation thereof.

6. The tub of claim 5 in which said inlet openings communicate with drain holes in the bottom of the tub through the intermediary of an annular channel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 23,481 4/52 C-astner et al 68--23 1,428,010 9/22 Daniels 210-38,0 2,274,402 2/42 Dunham 68-23 X 2,361,767 10/44 Hays 68-23 2,470,140 5 49 Castner 6823 2,509,753 5/50 Woodson 6823 X 2,683,535 7/54 Smith 6823 X IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 4. A ROTATABLE SINGLE WALLED TUB ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A LIQUID AND ROTATABLE TO CENTRIFUGE THE LIQUID THEREFROM, THE WALL OF SAID TUB HAVING A SERIES OF SPACED APART RADIAL AND UPWARDLY EXTENDING GROOVES OF INWARDLY-PRESSED FORM DEFINING TIBS TO STRENGTHEN SAID TUB, AND A SERIES OF SUBSTANTIALLY CROSS-SECTIONALLY FLAT, IMPERFORATE, EXTERNAL PLATE MEANS CLOSING SAID GROOVES TO FORM SEDIMENT EXTRACTION CHANNELS HAVING INLET OPENINGS AT THE BOTTOM OF SUBSTANAND SAID PLATE MEANS FASTENED TO SAID WALL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID GROOVES TO ASSIST SAID GROOVES IN STRENGTHENING SAID TUB DURING ROTATION THEREOF.

Images