US3581527A

US3581527A - Laundry machine structure

Info

Publication number: US3581527A
Application number: US886182A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas R Smith; Charles W Burkland; Edward O Mccartney; Frank E Ross
Original assignee: Maytag Corp
Current assignee: Maytag Corp
Priority date: 1969-12-18
Filing date: 1969-12-18
Publication date: 1971-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-01
Also published as: CA926144A

Abstract

A compact laundry machine includes a two-compartment molded plastic tub supported on the upper metal edge of a cabinet structure. The forces associated with agitating means mounted on one wall of the plastic tub in a first compartment, the springbiasing force on a seal assembly at a spinner in the second compartment, and the weight of fluid within the two compartments are all carried through the plastic tub to the supporting edge of the cabinet.

Description

United States Patent Inventors Appl. Nov

Filed Patented Assignee LAUNDRY MACHINE STRUCTURE [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,333,282 8/1967 Mustee 68/232X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,036,123 7/1966 Great Britain 68/26 Primary ExaminerWilliam 1. Price Attrneys-William G. Landwier and Richard L. Ward ABSTRACT: A compact laundry machine includes a twocompartment molded plastic tub supported on the upper 19 Chums 8 Drawmg Figs metal edge of a cabinet structure. The forces associated with US. Cl 68/26, agitating means mounted on one wall of the plastic tub in a 68/3R first compartment, the spring-biasing force on a seal assembly Int. Cl D06f 29/02 at a spinner in the second compartment, and the weight of Field of Search 68/3, 26, fluid within the two compartments are all carried through the 232 plastic tub to the supporting edge of the cabinet.

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LAUNDRY MACHINE STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a laundry machine and more particularly to the supporting of a plastic tub within a laundry machine cabinet structure.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art discloses washing machine structures including a tub having an upper outwardly extending flange or a plurality of hooks supportable on a cabinet at an upwardly facing flange or surface. In these prior art structures, the tub has been formed of sheet steel so that the cooperating flanges or hooks are sufficiently strong to carry the weight of the tub, fluid contained therein, and components associated with the tub. With the advent of plastic materials for integrally molded laundry machine tubs, supporting structures beneath the bottom wall of the tub were provided. Each of these prior art supporting methods require considerable space within the laundry machine and result in increased fabrication cost. As the search for economical compact-size washing machines continues the need for an improved supporting structure for an integrally molded plastic tub becomes more acute.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the instant invention to provide an improved washing machine structure including a molded plastic tub.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide an improved washing machine structure including an integrally molded plastic tub supportable at the upper edge of a sheet metal cabinet structure.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide an improved washing machine structure including a two-compartment integrally molded plastic tub providing a support for agitating means and spinner seal means and in turn being sup ported on the upper metal edge of an enclosing cabinet structure.

These objects are achieved in a washing machine apparatus having a plastic tub insertable into a cabinet structure and including a generally downwardly facing load-bearing surface engageable with a generally upwardly facing sheet metal edge on the cabinet structure for supporting the tub. In addition, a preferred embodiment of the laundry machine includes an agitating means mounted on the wall of the tub so that the loading of the fluid within the tub and the loading associated with the agitating means are supported on the cabinet edge through the plastic tub.

Further details of construction of the apparatus and further objects and advantages thereof will become evident as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying three pages of drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention with similar numerals referring to similar parts throughout the several views, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a simplified perspective view of a laundry machine including a two-compartment plastic tub;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the washing machine of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a rear fragmentary view showing the mounting of the agitating means on the plastic tub and drive system therefor;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the centrifugal extraction portion of the washing apparatus of FIG. I as taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the agitating means mounted on the wall of the plastic tub of the washing apparatus of FIG. 1 as taken generally along lines 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the mounting of an access panel on the cabinet structure as taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing further details of the supporting of the plastic tub within the cabinet and of the assembly of the top cover to the cabinet enclosure; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of an upper portion of a tub wall partially separated from the supporting cabinet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. I, there is shown a laundry machine 10including washing and centrifugal extraction portions 11 and 12. A two-compartment tub l4 defines a pair of fluid containers 15 and I6 and is enclosed within a cabinet structure 18. The cabinet structure I8 includes, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, a wraparound sidewall portion 19 forming an endless member through the upper rear section 17, a lower front panel 20, a rear panel 21, a base 23, and a top cover 24. The washing and centrifugal extraction portions 11 and 12 are individually accessible through a pair of panels or

lids

29 and 30 mounted on the top cover 24 as best shown in FIGS. I and 2. The instant invention is primarily directed to the two-compartment integrally molded plastic tub 14, its support within the cabinet structure 18, and the mounting on the plastic tub 14 of various components associated with either the washing or extraction portions.

In a specific example of the preferred embodiment, the tub 14 is molded of an asbestos-filled polyethylene-polypropylene copolymer though other compounds such as a polypropylene material has been found satisfactory. The top cover 24 and

lids

29 and 30 are also molded of a plastic material and may be molded of an ABS or a modified phenylene oxide thermoplastic material.

Referring still to FIG. I, it is seen that the tub l4 defines a substantially rectangular washing container 15 and fluid extraction container 16 each having substantially vertical sidewalls, including a common dividing wall 31, that join with adjacent sidewalls at substantially right'angle corners such as at 33 and 34. Each of the containers includes a bottom wall having a conduit connected with a pump (not shown) operable for selective energization to remove fluid from one of the containers as desired by the operator.

In the washing container 15, a pair of agitators 35 are positioned on the rear sidewall 36 of the tub 14 in a side-by-side relationship with the axis of rotation of each of the agitators 35 substantially parallel to the other. In this particular embodiment, the agitators 35 are positioned in a horizontally related side-by-side relationship. The agitators are identical and therefore explanation of the construction and mounting of one of the agitators 35 is sufficient. The agitators, the driving system for the agitators, and the mounting of the agitators and agitator drive pulleys 38 to the tub are best shown in FIG. 5 with additional reference being made to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.

Each agitator 35 has a one-piece molded construction having a plurality of projecting vanes 39 numbering four in the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings. The portion between the adjacent vanes is substantially flush with the rear sidewall 36 of the washing container 15.

As previously indicated, the agitators 35 and drive pulleys 38 are mounted on the rear sidewall 36 of the washing container 15. The rear sidewall 36 comprises a thin wall having a pair of openings 40 formed therein with each of the openings surrounded by an annular recess 41. The thin wall of plastic material is reinforced with a rigid plate 43 attached by threaded members 44 to integrally molded studs 45 projecting rearwardly from the wall 36. The rigid plate 43 includes a pair of hubs 46 aligned with the openings 40 and a plurality of webs 49 interconnecting the hubs 46 and the plurality of studreceiving sockets 50. The reinforcing plate 43 is spaced from the back panel 21 and is supported entirely by the tub sidewall 36. Each hub 46 in the rigid plate 43 includes three axially extending ribs for supporting a pair of bearings 51 and defining pockets for lubrication material 53. A shaft 54 is rotatively supported by the pair of bearings 51 and includes end portions extending outwardly from the bearings. At the rear end, the drive pulley 38 is fixed to the shaft by a cross pin 55. At the other end of the shaft 54 and disposed within the washing container is the agitator securely fixed to the shaft 54 by a hub 56 molded within the plastic agitator 35.

A water seal assembly 60 is disposed between the agitator hub 56 and the annular flange 61 surrounding the opening in the rear wall 36 to seal the opening against escape of fluid from the washing container 15. The seal assembly includes a resilient member 63 having a seal nose 64 dynamically engageable with the agitator hub 56 to effect a seal therewith under the biasing of a spring member 65. A slinger 66 is posi tioned on the shaft 54 adjacent to the spring member 65.

Referring to FIG. 3, an elevation view shows the rear panel 21, the rigid plate 43, the pair of drive pulleys 38, the tub rear sidewall 36 and a drive motor 69. The drive motor 69 is securely mounted on the base 23 of the laundry apparatus 10 by mounting bracketry 70 and is operable for effecting a common drive of the pair of pulleys 38 through an endless drive belt 71 having a round section and stretch characteristics. The motor 69 is rated at one-fourth horsepower and bidirectionally operable at 1,725 rpm. for driving the agitators 35 in first one direction and then the other direction at approximately 400 r.p.m. under control of a circuit including a timer (not shown).

Referring again to FIG. 5, there is shown a fluid deflector 75 mounted on the rear sidewall 36 of the washing container disposed above the side-by-side agitators 35 and extending substantially horizontally between the common dividing wall 31 and the opposite sidewall of the washing container 15. The deflector 75 is attached to the rear sidewall 36 by a plurality of screw members 76 and effectively adds additional rigidity to the rear sidewall. The deflector 75 is positioned at approximately the recommended washing fluid level and includes a downwardly facing concave-type surface 79 for receiving the fluid from the agitator 35 and redirecting it downwardly in the body of fluid. The continuous rotation of the agitators 35 in one direction or the other establishes a substantially continuous-type fluid flow from the agitators for a predetermined period and includes a component directed upwardly from the outer edge of the agitator vanes 39 toward the deflector 75 and then downwardly into the fluid container in a direction tending to assist movement of fabrics within the washing container. If the level of the washing fluid is below the deflector 75, the deflector will redirect splash from the agitators 35 downwardly into the container. The deflector 75 therefore tends to assist in washing action, permits operation of the washing machine with the lid 29 in the open condition, and provides a reinforcing or rigidizing effect on the container back wall 36.

Referring to FIG. 4, the centrifugal extraction portion 12 of the laundry machine 10 will be briefly described. FIG. 4 shows that the wraparound cabinet portion 19 is mounted on the base 23 that is in turn supported on a horizontal surface 80 by a plurality of casters 81. A substantially horizontally extending divider or bulkhead 83 is positioned below the tub l4 and defines a lower chamber for the drive system of the washing apparatus. The divider 83 is primarily a barrier between the plastic tub l4 and the lower chamber and does not provide support for the tub.

A fabric container 84 is disposed within the extractor portion fluid container 16. The fabric container 84 is fixed to a hub 85 and in turn to a shaft 86 and is rotatable within the fluid container 16. A seal assembly 89 is positioned at the bottom of the fluid container 16 substantially coaxial with the shaft 86 and is operable for closing the bottom of the container and providing a dynamic seal connection with the rotatable hub 85. The seal assembly 89 includes a resilient member 90 having a convoluted portion 91 permitting nutational movement of the fabric container 84 relative to the fluid container 16 during rotative operation of the centrifugaldriven fabric container 84.

The seal assembly 89 also includes a spring 93 operating between the resilient member 90 and the annular flange 94 surrounding the opening in the bottom wall 95 of the fluid container 16. Since the fabric container 84 moves relative to the fluid container 16 and since fluid in the container 16 is effectively acting against the spring 93 the spring must be sufficiently strong to achieve satisfactory sealing pressure in the presence of fluid pressure and side-to-side movement of the fabric container. This spring force acts downwardly on the bottom wall 95 of the tub and upwardly on the resilient seal member 90.

The centrifugally rotatable fabric container 84 is mounted for nutational movement relative to the tub l4 and cabinet structure 18 by a mounting including a weighted coupling member 99 effectively attached to the shaft 86 with setscrews 100. A driven pulley 1011 is attached to the weighted coupling member 99 by a plurality of threaded members 103. An assembly rotatable as a unit is thus formed and may be generally considered the spinner assembly 104 and includes the fabric container 84, hub 85, shaft 86, coupling 99 and driven pulley 101. The spinner assembly is rotatably supported on a resilient mounting assembly 105 fixed to the base 23. The resilient mounting assembly 105 includes a resilient flexible portion 106 permitting nutational movement of the spinner assembly 104 relative to the base 23. A bearing 107 movable with the spinner assembly 104 is provided between the resilient mount 105 and the spinner assembly 104.

Further details of construction and mounting of the centrifugal extractor is shown in the copending application entitled Centrifugal Extractor Mounting filed by Edward O. McCartney on the date of filing of the instant invention and assigned to a common assignee.

The drive system for the centrifugal extractor portion is shown generally in FIG. 4 and includes the motor 110 mounted on the base 23 through the mounting bracketry 111. A drive pulley 114 is disposed at the lower end of the motor 110 in substantially the same horizontal plane as the spinner assembly pulley l0] and is drivingly connected thereto by the belt 115.

The laundry machine 10 further comprises pumping means 118 operable for controlling fluid flow in the fluid system of the laundry machine and including a pulley 119 substantially aligned in the horizontal plane of the driving pulley 114 and the driven pulley 101. The pump pulley 119 is driven by the motor 110 for operating the pump but in addition the pumping means is pivotally mounted on the base 23 so that the pump pulley 119 is operable as an idler in the drive system of the extractor to maintain proper driving tension on the endless driving belt 115.

Further details of construction and mounting of the drive system and pumping system of the centrifugal extractor and also a control system for the centrifugal extractor are shown in the copending application entitled Spinner Control for a Laundry Apparatus filed by Thomas R. Smith on the date of filing of the instant invention and having a common assignee.

Referring to FIG. 6 and to the upper portion of FIG. 5, the hinged connection of the lid 29 providing access to the washing portion 11, typical also of the hinging of the access lid 30 to the centrifugal extractor portion 12, is shown. The top cover 24 is formed with a recess 120 to receive the access panel or lid 29 and position the top surface of the lid substantially flush with the top surface of the top cover 24. The top cover 24 and the lid 29 include aligned

holes

121 and 122 at the sides near the rear of the recess 120. A hinge pin element 125 is aligned with the

holes

121 and 122 so that the radially extending flange 126 of the hinge pin is below the axially extending cylindrical portion 127 of the hinge pin element. The hinge pin element 125 is moved axially into engagement with the aligned

holes

121 and 122 and then rotated on its own axis and relative to the lid 29 to move the hinge pin flange 126 to a position of detented engagement with a downwardly extending abutment 128 fixed to the lid 29 as shown in FIG. 6. The lid 29 is then free to pivot with the hinge pin 125 relative to the top cover 24.

As best shown in FIG. 5, the top cover 24 is formed with a further recess 132 at the rear corners to provide clearance for the back flange 133 of the lid 29 as it pivots to the open posi tion. The bottom of the rear flange 133 of the lid is engageable however with an abutment 134 on the top cover 24 to effectively serve as a stop for the lid 29.

The plastic tub 14 is supported within the wraparound portion 19 of the cabinet structure along its upper edge 140 as best shown in FIGS. 5 through 8. The upper portion of the peripheral sidewalls of the plastic tub 14 includes a shoulder 141 extending outwardly from the wall to provide a downwardly facing load-bearing surface 142. This narrow load-bearing surface 142 is substantially the width of the thickness of the sheet metal of the wraparound portion 19 of the cabinet structure and is engageable therewith along the major portion of the periphery thereof for supporting the tub. The position of the load-bearing surface 142 adjacent to the tub wall minimizes the bending movement and effectively reduces the stresses to bearing and shear. The load-bearing surface is by definition in this application the portion engageable with the supporting metal edge 140. FIG. 5 shows the support along the rear of the machine while FIG. 6 shows the side of the machine and FIG. 7 shows the front with the more specific position of each view being indicated in FIG. 2.

Spaced around the upper periphery of the tub are a number of inverted U-shaped clips 145 engageable with the inner surface 146 of the upper portion of the tub wall and extending down along the outer surface 147 of the upper portion of the cabinet wraparound portion 19 to maintain contiguous engagement of the load-bearing surface 142 of the tub with the edge 140 of the cabinet wraparound portion 19. The cabinet wraparound portion 19 is formed with an inset 150 adjacent the upper edge and extending around the periphery to receive the downwardly extending flange 151 of the top cover that effectively covers the clips 145 and the joint between the cabinet 18 and the tub 14. The assembly of the top cover to the wraparound portion of the cabinet structure is maintained by a plurality of screws 154 which may be inserted through the top cover flange, the inset cabinet flange and the upper portion of the tub and into a threading engagement with the inner leg of the clip 145. A decorative trim strip 155 may also be included as shown in FIG. 7.

The wall of the plastic tub is normally spaced inwardly from the cabinet sidewall but under the forces of hot water, such as above 150 F., the wall may become less rigid. With abnor mally hot water, the wall may expand and contact portions of the cabinet sidewall. The cabinet sidewall, however, is sufficiently rigid to limit lateral expansion of the tub sidewall.

The previous description thus shows that the tub 14, its contents, and the forces associated with the agitators 35 and the biased seal assembly 89 in the extractor fluid container 16 are supported entirely along the upper load-bearing surface 142 of the plastic tub 14. This loading, which could exceed 200 pounds, at first might seem to be an unreasonable requirement for a plastic load-bearing surface no greater than the width of the cabinet sheet metal thickness. In a specific example, the width of the loading-bearing surface 142 is 0.047 inches and the vertical height of the shoulder or the shear plane as indicated on line 156 in FIG. 8, is approximately 0.250 inches. The peripheral length is approximately 60 inches to provide, in this specific example, a bearing area around the periphery of approximately 3 square inches and a shear area of approximately square inches. It is thus easily seen that the bearing stress and shear stress are far below the acceptable limits for the plastic material used in molding the tub.

Referring to FIGS. 57, there is also shown a resilient seal 159 disposed between the underside of the top cover 24 and the top edge of tub shoulder 141. The seal extends around the upper periphery of the tub.

The instant invention relating to the supporting of a plastic tub within a washing apparatus therefore provides an unusually compact and simple supporting arrangement. The structure eliminates entirely the need for a lower framework for supporting the tub along its bottom wall. Furthermore, this arrangement permits the interior of the tub to be maximized within a cabinet having the exterior dimensions of IS inches by 24 inches by 30 inches high in accordance with the desired compact characteristics.

In the drawings and specifications, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in form and the proportion of parts as well as the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. In a laundry machine, the combination comprising: base means supportable on a substantially horizontal surface; cabinet means supported on said base means and comprising a plurality of substantially vertical sidewalls and a generally upwardly facing supporting edge adjacent an upper portion of said sidewalls; a plastic tub disposed within said cabinet means and having a bottom wall spaced upwardly from said base means and further having sidewalls extending upwardly from said bottom wall and including shoulder means defining a generally downwardly facing load-bearing surface approximately the width of the upwardly facing supporting edge of said cabinet means and engageable therewith; and means for maintaining said load-bearing surface of said tub engaged with portions of the upwardly facing supporting edge of said cabinet means for supporting said tub within said cabinet means.

2. In a laundry machine as defined! in claim 1 wherein the sidewalls of said cabinet means are rigidly joined to form a substantially rectangular open-top enclosure having an upwardly facing edge extending substantially endlessly around said rectangular enclosure for engagement by at least portions of the load-bearing surface of said tub.

3. In a laundry machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the shoulder means of said tub is in the form of a peripheral flange on the upper outside of the tub sidewalls and wherein the vertical thickness of said flange greatly exceeds the width of the downwardly facing surface to provide resistance to shear at said flange.

4. In a laundry machine as defined claim 1 and further including agitating means mounted on one of the sidewalls of said plastic tub for effecting a washing action within said tub.

5. In a laundry machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said tub defines two compartments and wherein the combination further includes agitating means mounted on one of the sidewalls of said tub and operable for effecting a washing action in one of the compartments and wherein spinner means is mounted on said base means and rotatively operable within the other compartment.

6. In a laundry machine as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the sidewalls of said cabinet means below said upper portion is normally spaced outwardly from said tub sidewalls and engageable by said tub sidewalls upon lateral expansion of said tub sidewalls under loading of hot washing fluid in said tub, said sidewalls of said cabinet means being sufficiently rigid to provide auxiliary support for limiting said lateral expansion of the tub sidewalls.

7. In a laundry machine, the combination comprising: base means supportable on a substantially horizontal surface; a cabinet supported on said base means and including a plurality of substantially vertical sheet metal sidewalls terminating in an upper sheet metal edge; a unitary plastic tub having a bottom wall spaced upwardly from said base means and further having sidewalls extending upwardly from said bottom wall and terminating at an upper flange defining a loading surface substantially the width of the upper sheet metal edge of said cabinet sidewalls and facing generally toward said upper sheet metal edge for engagement therewith; and means for maintaining the upper flange of said tub substantially aligned with portions of the upper sheet metal edge of said cabinet sidewalls for engagement of said loading surface with said upper sheet metal edge to support said tub within said cabinet.

8. In a laundry machine as defined in claim 7 wherein the upper sheet metal edge of said cabinet presents a substantially horizontal upwardly facing support for the loading surface of said tub flange.

9. In a laundry machine as defined in claim 7 wherein said last named means is in the form of an inverted U-shaped clip means engageable with said cabinet sidewalls and said tub flange to maintain alignment of said tub flange with said upper sheet metal edge and wherein said laundry machine further includes top cover means defining access means into said tub and having an outer downwardly extending peripheral flange for enclosing the connection between said upper sheet metal edge and said tub flange.

10. In a laundry machine as defined in claim 7 wherein said tub is substantially imperforate for containing liquid and wherein the sidewalls of said tub are spaced inwardly from the sidewalls of said cabinet whereby the tub and fluids contained therein are supported on said upper sheet metal edge.

11. A laundry machine as defined in claim 7 and further including substantially rigid reinforcing means attached to the outside of one of the sidewalls of said tub spaced from the sidewall of said cabinet and defining a bearing means for said agitating means.

12. A laundry machine as defined in claim 11 and further including drive means mounted on said base means and drivingly connected to said agitating means.

13. A laundry machine as defined in claim 9 and further including seal means adjacent the peripheral flange of said top cover and engageable with the upper flange of said tub for effectively providing a fluid seal.

14. A two-compartment laundry machine comprising: base means supportable on a substantially horizontal surface; a cabinet supported on said base means and including a plurality of substantially vertical sidewalls terminating in an upper edge; a two-compartment unitary plastic tub having bottom wall means spaced upwardly from said base means and further having sidewalls extending upwardly from said bottom wall means and including an upper outwardly extending shoulder defining a loading surface engageable with the upper edge of said cabinet sidewalls for supporting said tub within said cabinet; and a generally horizontally disposed top cover means defining individual access means into each of said compartments and having an outer downwardly extending peripheral flange enclosing the connection between the upper edge of said cabinet and the upper shoulder of said tub.

15. A two-compartment laundry machine as defined in claim 14 and further including agitating means mounted on one of the sidewalls of said plastic tub for effecting a washing operation within one of said compartments.

16. A two-compartment laundry machine as defined in claim 15 and further inciuding drive means mounted on said base means and belt means drivingly interconnecting said agitating means to said drive means.

17. A two-compartment laundry machine as defined in claim 14 wherein said bottom wall means includes a first portion defining an opening in a first of said compartments and wherein the combination further includes spinner means nutationally mounted on said base means and extending axially through said opening into said first compartment.

18. A two-compartment laundry machine as defined in claim 17 and further including resilient seal means disposed in said opening and including bearing means for said spinner means.

19. A two-compartment laundry machine as defined in claim 17 and further including agitating means mounted on one of the sidewalls of said plastic tub for effecting a washing operation within the second of said compartments.

Claims

2. In a laundry machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the sidewalls of said cabinet means are rigidly joined to form a substantially rectangular open-top enclosure having an upwardly facing edge extending substantially endlessly around said rectangular enclosure for engagement by at least portions of the load-bearing surface of said tub.

16. A two-compartment laundry machine as defined in claim 15 and further including drive means mounted on said base means and belt means drivingly interconnecting said agitating means to said drive means.