US3245235A

US3245235A - Washer agitator having collapsible fabric actuator means

Info

Publication number: US3245235A
Application number: US346268A
Authority: US
Inventors: George B Long
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1964-02-20
Filing date: 1964-02-20
Publication date: 1966-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 1983-04-12
Also published as: GB1036054A

Description

April 12, 1966 G. B. LONG 3,

WASHER AGITATOR HAVING COLLAPSIBLE FABRIC ACTUATOR MEANS Filed Feb. 20, 1964 *I L J 25211135 INVENTOR. George 8. Long His Attorney United States Patent M 3,245,235 WASHER AGITATOR HAVING COLLAPSIBLE FABRIC ACTUATOR MEANS George B. Long, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 346,268 6 Claims. (Cl. 68-17) This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to a new agitator for vertically reciprocatingly agitating in a clothes washer.

One type of domestic clothes washer uses vertical reciprocation for washing clothes wherein an agitator is attached to the top of a vertically reciprooable power shaft for movement in a water filled tub. As the agitator moves up and down, toroidal water currents are produced in the tub which causes the clothes to turn over and over-the flexing of the clothes in the presence of the surging currents serving to effect a cleaning process.

Clothes tangling has been a troublesome problem in prior art clothes washers of this type and such problems probably existed due to the different orbiting speeds between the clothes and the washing fluid. Where the clothes are turning over in a restricted area at the radially outer portion of the tub and the water is toroidally circulating throughout the entire tub, relative movement is set up between different garments in the tub and an intertwining or tangling condition results. This invention is directed to a novel agitator for use with vertical reciprocation which overcomes these problems.

Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide an improved vertically reciprocable clothes washer agitator.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a clothes washer agitator adapted for vertical reciprocation and including a hollow column, a pump ring below the column for producing toroidal currents in response to vertical reciprocation, and a thin frusto-conical clothes actuator ring on said column above said pump ring for ratcheting the clothes in an orbital path, the clothes actuator ring, due to its conical shape, retaining said shape when the agitator is moving in one direction, but, due to its flexibility, collapsing much like an umbrella when the agitator is moving in the opposite direction.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic sectional view, partly in elevation, of a clothes washer provided with the novel clothes agitator of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view, partly in elevation, of a clothes washer spin tub in combination with the agitator of this invention showing the clothes actuator ring in a collapsed position asthe agitator moves upwardly; and

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the clothes actuator ring in an extended position as the agitator moves downwardly.

In accordance with this invention and with reference to FIGURE 1, a clothes washer 20 is comprised of a control housing portion 22 and an outer cabinet or casing 24. The casing 24 is generally divided into a mechanism portion or compartment 26 and a washing portion or water container chamber 28. A generally centrally located bulkhead 30 separates the mechanism compartment 26 from the water container chamber 28 which is further bounded by a cylindrical water container wall 32. Within the 3,245,235 Patented Apr. 12, 1966 water container 3-2 is a spin tub 34 having .a top opening 36 and a plurality of centrifuging outflow ports 38. The ports 38 are designed to permit egress of water from the tub 34 when the tub is rotated at high speed. For filling the tub 34 with water, a conventional water supply system 40 may be provided. Within the tub 34, an agitator or pulsator 48 is adapted to reciprocate for producing toroidal circulation of water in the tub and for agitating clothes therein. Thus, clothing placed within the tub 34 is washed as the agitator 48 forces surging currents of washing fluid and detergent through the fabric. Conventional sequentially operating timer means, shown generally at 50 on the control housing 22, may be included to selectively admit water through the supply system 40, to spin the tub 34 .and to vertically reciprocate the agitator 48.

A prime moving system, shown generally at 52, in the mechanism compartment 26 is adapted to selectively rotate the tub 34 and reciprocate the agitator 48. TWO agitating and spinning mechanisms suitable for such selective use with this invention are shown in the patents to Sisson 2,987,904, issued June 13, 1961, and to Brucken 3,087,321, issued April 30, 1963. Such mechanisms may be designed for agitate speeds of 330 and 220 1.75-inc-h strokes per minute with spin speeds of 710 and 465 revolutions per minute. In addition to selectively operating the spin tub and the agitator, the agitating and spinning mechanism 52 includes a pump for draining the water container 32 through the drain conduit 54.

Turning now to FIGURE 3, the novel agitator 48 of this invention is shown comprised of a lower pump ring 60, a hollow dispensing column 62 thereabove and a cap 64 closing the open upper end of the column 62. A nut 66 holds the column 62, the pump ring 60 and the agitator shaft 68 in assembled relationship. Carried on the outside of the agitator column 62 is a fabric actuator ring 70. The ring 70 is constructed frusto-conically of rather thin material so that it will hold its shape as the agitator moves downwardly much like an umbrella in its raised position. This relationship is seen in FIGURE 3 wherein the outer peripheral edge 74 of the actuator ring 70 nudges the fabric coming in contact therewith to ratchet the garment around in its toroidal path.

On the up stroke of the agitator seen in FIGURE 2, the fabric actuator ring 74 collapses with the excess sidewall folding in rather undulating fashion on itself-much like an umbrella in its collapsed position. Since the fabric actuator ring 70 collapses as the agitator moves upwardly, the fabric being turned over is permitted to move closer to the agitator 48. This is so, because no repelling currents are set up by the ring 74 as it moves upwardly which might cause the fabric to follow a kidney-shaped circulatory path. In other words, the toroidal circulation of the water remains true and the turnover of fabric therein is homogeneous, i.e., follows the same generally circular path as the water. Then, when the agitator starts moving downwardly, the actuator ring 70 snaps to its extended position (FIGURE 3) to ratchet the clothes in a submerging direction along a toroidal path.

Although the collapsing fabric actuator concept of this invention could be embodied in other ways, the following dimensions have been found particularly effective. With reference to FIGURES 2 and 3, the pump ring 60 may be formed of a bell-shaped cast urethane having a large diameter A of 9 /2 inches, a height B of approximately 4 inches and a small outer diameter C at the top thereof of 3 inches. In cross-section (FIGURE 3), the inside upper diameter D may be 3 inches. A preferred bell shape may be effected with an inside radius E and an outside radius F of 7 inches. The pump ring 60 will have a desired flexibility with a cross-sectional thickness G at the peripheral edge thereof of 0.100 inch.

Turning now to the unidirectionally flexible or floppy fabric actuator ring of this invention (FIGURES 2 and 3), the ring may be formed as a frusto-conical ring 70 of cast urethane having the following dimensions: large diameter K of 6 inches, -a height L of 1 inches and a small diameter N of 3 /2 inches. Satisfactory flexibility has been obtained in the ring 7 0 when the cross-sectional thickness M is 0.050 inch.

Washing agents may be placed within the hollow 75 of the agitator column 62 by removing the cap 64. As the agitator 48 reciprocates, these washing agents will be dispensed past the support spider 76 and between the bottom of the column 62 and the top of the pump ring 60 into the tub 34.

It should now be seen that an improved agitator has been provided wherein one ring is used for setting up toroidal currents of washing fluid while a second fabric actuator ring serves to nudge or ratchet the clothes toward the surging currents initiated at the pump ring. The fabric actuator ring is made collapsible so that fabric being washed may move freely into close proximity to the agitator column during the up stroke thereof, thereby to be in an effective position to be ratcheted downwardly by the fabric actuator ring when the agitator moves into its down stroke.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A fabric agitator adapted for automatic linear reciprocation in a container of washing fluid comprising, pump means movable in one direction for pumping said washing fluid in toroidal fashion when the agitator is reciprocating in the presence of said washing fluid, fabric actuator means in spaced relationship to said pump means and movable in said one direction for submerging fabric coming into engagement therewith, said fabric actuator means having sufficient rigidity to retain an extended shape when said agitator is moving in said one direction for ratcheting the clothes submergingly toward said pump means, said fabric actuator means having sufficient flexibility to collapse undulatingly upon itself like an umbrella into a retracted shape when said agitator is moving in another direction for permitting the clothes to move close thereto by preventing the formation of repelling fluid pressures in the vicinity thereof.

2. The fabric agitator of claim 1 wherein said pump means is a bell shaped urethane ring having outer end diameters of substantially 9 /2 inches and 3 inches and a length of substantially 4 inches between said di ameters and wherein said fabric actuator means is a frusto-conical cast urethane ring having outer end diameters of substantially 7 inches and 3 /2 inches, a length of substantially 1 inches and a wall thickness of substantially 0.050 inch.

3. A fabric agitator adapted for automatic linear reciprocation in a container of washing fluid comprising, pump means movable in one direction for pumping said washing fluid in toroidal fashion when the agitator is reciprocating in the presence of said washing fluid, fabric actuator means in spaced relationship to said pump means and movable in said one direction for submerging fabric coming into engagement therewith, said fabric actuator means comprising a frusto-conical ring having sufficient rigidity to retain its frusto-conical shape when said agitat-or is moving in said one direction for ratcheting the clothes submergingly toward said pump means, said ring having suflicient flexibility to collapse undulatingly upon itself like an umbrella when said agitator is moving in another direction for permitting the clothes to move close thereto by preventing the formation of repelling fluid pressures in the vicinity thereof.

4. The fabric agitator of claim 3 wherein said ring is urethane having a wall thickness of substantially 0.050 inch.

5. In combination, a tub adapted to enclose a washing fluid and contain fabric, a fabric agitator adapted for automatic linear reciprocation in said tub, and automatic means for reciprocating said agitator, said agitator comprising pump means movable in one direction for pumping said washing fluid in toroidal fashion to effect fabric turnover when the agitator is reciprocating in the presence of said washing fluid, fabric actuator means in spaced relationship to said pump means and movable in said one direction for submer ging fabric coming into engagement therewith, said fabric actuator means comprising a frustoconical, ring having suflicient rigidity to retain its frustoconical shape when said agitator is moving in said one direction for ratcheting the clothes submergingly toward said pump means, said ring having suflicient flexibility to collapse undulatingly upon itself like an umbrella when said agitator is moving in another direction for permitting the clothes to move close thereto by preventing the formation of repelling fluid pressures in the vicinity thereof, thereby to facilitate said fabric turnover homogeneously throughout the cross-sectional area of said tub.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said pump means and said fabric actuator means are carried on the outside of a hollow column, the hollow of said column being in communication with said tub for dispensing Washmg agents from said column into said tub.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,338,277 4/1920 Beatty 68-215 2,303,940 12/1942 Kuhn 68-131 2,471,876 5/1949 Kuhn 68-131 2,522,242 9/1950 Wagner 68--l31 X 2,990,709 7/1961 Bochan 68-131 3,091,108 5/1963 Martin et al. 6817 3,091,954 6/1963 Bullock et al. 6853 X FOREIGN PATENTS 609,985 10/1948 Great Britain.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A FABRIC AGITATOR ADAPTED FOR AUTOMATIC LINEAR RECIPROCATION IN A CONTAINER OF WASHING FLUID COMPRISING, PUMP MEANS MOVABLE IN ONE DIRECTION FOR PUMPING SAID WASHING FLUID IN TOROIDAL FASHION WHEN THE AGITATOR IS RECIPROCATING IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID WASHING FLUID, FABRIC ACTUATOR MEANS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID PUMP MEANS AND MOVABLE IN SAID ONE DIRECTION FOR SUBMERGING FABRIC COMING INTO ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, SAID FABRIC ACTUATOR MEANS HAVING SUFFICIENT RIGIDITY TO RETAIN AN EXTENDED SHAPE WHEN SAID AGITATOR IS MOVING IN SAID ONE DIRECTION