US3635055A - Twin agitator washing machine - Google Patents

Twin agitator washing machine Download PDF

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Publication number
US3635055A
US3635055A US886118A US3635055DA US3635055A US 3635055 A US3635055 A US 3635055A US 886118 A US886118 A US 886118A US 3635055D A US3635055D A US 3635055DA US 3635055 A US3635055 A US 3635055A
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United States
Prior art keywords
agitators
sidewall
washing
pair
washing machine
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US886118A
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English (en)
Inventor
Thomas R Smith
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Maytag Corp
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Maytag Corp
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Publication date
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Publication of US3635055A publication Critical patent/US3635055A/en
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F17/00—Washing machines having receptacles, stationary for washing purposes, wherein the washing action is effected solely by circulation or agitation of the washing liquid
    • D06F17/06—Washing machines having receptacles, stationary for washing purposes, wherein the washing action is effected solely by circulation or agitation of the washing liquid by rotary impellers

Definitions

  • a washing apparatus includes a substantially rectangular [58] Field of Search ..68/ 131, 26, 27 washing container having a pair of agitators mounted side by side on one generally vertical sidewall.
  • the agitators are rota- [56] References Cited tively driven by a motor alternately in a first common direction and a second common direction.
  • a substantially UNITED STATES PATENTS horizontally extending fluid deflector is attached to the 2 630 696 3/1953 casmerm "68/131 sidewall above the agitator for directing fluid from the agitator 3,167,701 1/1965 Lindgren 68/131 x back mm the ma 11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Z3 Z4 V a. Q m 3; P T
  • This invention relates to clothes washing machines and more particularly to agitation means operable in a fluid container.
  • a washing machine having a pair of agitators, in one embodiment, mounted on a generally vertical sidewall of a generally rectangular container with the axis of rotation of the agitators being substantially parallel.
  • the agitators may be rotated in first one direction and then the other to achieve the desired washing action.
  • FIG. 1 shows a simplified perspective view of a laundry machine including washing and centrifuging portions
  • FIG. 2, shown on the second sheet of drawings, is a front elevational view of the laundry machine of FIG. 1 partially sectioned to expose twin agitators of a preferred embodiment of the instant invention
  • FIG. 3 shown on the sheet with FIG. I, is a section view of an agitator, agitator mounting structure, and drive pulley of the laundry machine shown in FIG. 1 as taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 4 shown beside FIG. 3 on the sheet with FIG. 1, is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of one of the agitators as taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 5, shown on the third sheet of drawings, is a rear view of the washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and illustrates the drive system for the twin agitators;
  • FIG. 6 is an electrical diagrammatic sketch showing the control system for the washing apparatus of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic chart showing the switching of the timer contacts shown in FIG. 6.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a laundry machine 10 including washing and centrifugal extraction portions 11 and 12 enclosed within a tub 14 and in turn in a cabinet structure 15.
  • the cabinet structure I5 includes, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, a wraparound sidewall portion 16, a lower front panel 19, a rear panel 20, a base 21, and a top cover 23.
  • the washing and centrifugal extraction portions II and 12 are individually accessible through a pair of panels or lids 24 and 25 mounted on the top cover 23.
  • the instant invention is primarily directed to the washing portion 11 of the laundry machine 10 and the agitation means comprising a pair of agitators 26 disposed within the washing container 29 defined by tub l4.
  • the tub I4 defines a substantially rectangular washing container 29 having substantially rectangular washing container 29 having substantially vertical sides that join with adjacent sides at a substantially right angle comer such as at 30.
  • the washing container 29 includes a bottom wall 31 having a conduit 33 connected with a pump (not shown) operable for removing washing fluid from the container 29 upon completion of the washing operation.
  • the pair of agitators 26 are positioned in the washing container 29 on the rear sidewall 34 of the tub 14 in a side-by-side relationship with the axis of rotation of each of the agitators 26 being substantially parallel to the other.
  • the agitators 26 are positioned in a horizontally related side-by-side position.
  • the agitators 26 are substantially identical and therefore explanation of the construction and mounting of one of the agitators suffices.
  • a section view of the agitator 26 is shown in FIG. 3 as taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.
  • the agitator 26 is a molded one-piece construction having a plurality of projecting vanes 40, wherein the shape is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Each agitator includes four vanes in the preferred embodiment. The portion 41 between the adjacent vanes 40 is substantially flush with the rear wall 34 of the washing container 29.
  • the agitator 26 and drive pulley 43 are cooperatively mounted on the rear sidewall 34.
  • the rear sidewall 34 comprises a thin wall construction having a pair of openings 44 formed therein and surrounded by an annular recess 45.
  • the tub l4, and therefore the rear wall 34 is integrally formed of a plastic material.
  • the thin wall construction is reinforced with a rigid plate 49 attached by threaded members 50 to molded studs 51 projecting rearwardly from the sidewall 34.
  • the rigid plate 49 includes a pair of hubs 53 and a plurality of webs S4 interconnecting the hubs 53 and stud receiving sockets 55.
  • Each hub 53 includes a plurality of radially inwardly extending ribs 57 for supporting a pair of bearings 56 and defining pockets for lubrication material 59.
  • a felt washer 58 is positioned on the shaft 60 at the inside end of the hub.
  • a shaft member 60 is rotatively supported by the pair of bearings 56 and includes end portions extending outwardly from the bearings.
  • the drive pulley 43 is fixed to the shaft 60 by a cross pin 63.
  • the agitator 26 securely fixed to the shaft 60 as by a press fit with a hub 65 molded within the plastic agitator 26.
  • a water seal assembly 69 is disposed between the agitator hub 65 and the annular flange 70 surrounding the opening 44 in the rear wall 34 to seal the opening 44 against escape of fluids from the washing container 29.
  • the seal assembly 69 includes a resilient member 71 having a seal nose 72 dynamically engageable with the agitator hub 65 to effect a seal therewith under the biasing of a spring member 73.
  • a slinger is positioned on the shaft 60 adjacent to the spring member 73 with a small drain passage (not shown) being provided through the rear wall 34 below openings 44 to drain the space behind seal 69 of possible seepage.
  • an elevation view shows the rear wall 34, the rigid plate 49 and the drive pulleys 43.
  • the drive motor 79 is securely mounted on the base 2i of the laundry apparatus by a mounting bracket 80 and is operable for effecting a common drive of the pair of pulleys 43 through an endless drive belt 81 having a round section and stretch characteristics.
  • the motor 79 is rated at one-fourth hp. and operable at 1,725 rpm. for driving the agitators 26 at approximately 400 r.p.m.
  • the motor 79 is bidirectionally operable for driving the agitators 26 in first one direction and then the other direction under control of a control circuit including a timer shown schematically in FIG. 6.
  • the electrical circuit for the laundry apparatus is shown schematically and includes lIO-volt power input across lines 83 and 84. Connected between the lines 33 and 84 is motor 85 that is not shown in the other views but is operable in the washing machine for centrifugally driving the fabric container spinner and motor 79 operable for driving the agitator pulleys 43.
  • the circuit also includes a timer motor 89 operable for sequentially operating timer contact pairs 90 through 93 between open and closed positions as shown in FIG. 7, wherein the shaded portions indicate the intervals in which the respective contact pair is closed.
  • the agitating motor control circuit includes centrifugal switch 94 and the timer contact pairs 90 through 93.
  • Timer contact pair 90 is effectively a motor on-off switch and is closed upon the manual advancing of the timer out of the off section 95 of the cam profile, as shown in FIG. 7, for initiating the washing cycle.
  • the timer contact pair 91 is periodically opened during the washing cycle, as also shown in FIG. 7, to permit the motor 79 to stop for reversing the direction of rotation.
  • the contact pairs 92 and 93 are operable to a closed position one at a time during alternate halfminutes to selectively energize one of a pair of start windings 96 and 97 to effect the desired direction of rotation.
  • Both start windings 96 and 97 are removed from the circuit upon operation of the centrifugal switch 94 to the open position at a predetermined operating speed of the motor 79.
  • the motor continues to operate in the selected direction through continued energization of the run winding 98.
  • timer contact pair 90 will close and energize the timer motor 89 for driving the timer to effect sequential operation of contacts 91 through 93 and thereby effect an alternating directional drive of the motor 79.
  • a preferred sequencing of timer contacts 91 through 93 effects rotation of the motor in a first direction for a period of approximately seconds followed by a pause of 5 seconds for reversing the direction of rotation.
  • the motor 79 is then operated in the opposite direction for 25 seconds.
  • the frequency of direction-reversal must be such as to occur before some of the fabrics move into a position of twisting and tangling with the other fabrics in the washing container.
  • the time at which the twisting and tangling begins has a regularity that depends on a number of factors including the size of the fluid container, the size of the agitator, the location of the agitator within the fluid container, and the speed of the agitator.
  • the operation in each direction for 25 seconds with each period followed by a S-second pause has been found to be effective in the apparatus of the preferred embodiment for preventing tangling, balling up, and bogging down while achieving good washability.
  • tub size approximately l3 l4Xl5 inches deep agitator size: approximately 6 inches diameter with four vanes projecting approximately 1% inches agitator speed: approximately 400 rpm.
  • a fluid deflector MN mounted on the rear wall 34 of the washing container disposed above the side-by-side agitators 26 and extending substantially horizontally between opposed sidewalls 101 and 102.
  • the deflector 190 is attached to the rear sidewall 34 by a plurality of screws I03. Disposed at each end of the deflector is a seal member 104.
  • the deflector is positioned at approximately the recommended fluid level for washing and includes a downwardly facing concave-type surface 105 for receiving the fluid from the agitators 26 and redirecting it downwardly in the body of fluid.
  • the continuous rotation of the agitators 26 in one direction or the other establishes a substantially continuous type fluid flow from the agitator for a predetermined period and includes a component directed upwardly from the outer edge of the agitator vanes 40 toward the deflector 100 and then downwardly into the fluid container in a direction tending to assist movement of fabrics witliin the washing container. If the level of the washing fluid is below the deflector 109, the deflector will redirect splash from the agitators 26 downwardly into the container. The deflector, therefore, permits operation of the washing machine with the lid 24 in the open condition.
  • the instant invention provides an improved washing apparatus in which a pair of wall-mounted agitators 26 are operable in a unique combination.
  • the compactness of the washing apparatus is enhanced by the agitators which occupy relatively little space within the container 29.
  • the wall-mounted continuously bidirectionally rotatable agitators permit a relatively simple drive system and, in cooperation with the reversing drive for the agitators 26, avoids the common tangling and balling problems heretofore encountered with continuously unidirectionally rotatable agitators.
  • the provision for a fluid deflector I00 positioned above the agitators assists the washing operation and permits operation of the device with the lid open.
  • a washing machine comprising: a washing container for receiving fabrics and washing fluid and having a substantially vertical sidewall; a pair of agitators mounted in side-by-side juxtaposition on said sidewall for operation within said container, the axis of rotation of each of said agitators being generally parallel to the other; a horizontally extending deflector spaced above said agitators, said deflector being mounted on said sidewall and having an effective length approximating the overall width of said pair of sideby-side agitators; and drive means for operating said agitators to effect a washing of said fabrics in said liquid.
  • a washing machine comprising: a washing container for receiving fabrics and washing fluid and having a substantially vertical sidewall; a pair of agitators mounted in side-by-side juxtaposition on said sidewall for rotation within said container on generally parallel and horizontal axes of rotation; a horizontally extending deflector spaced above said agitators, said deflector being mounted on said sidewall and having an efi'ective length approximating the overall width of said pair of side-by-side agitators; bidirectional drive means for rotating said agitators alternately in first and second common directions to effect a washing of said fabrics in said fluid.
  • said drive means includes a bidirectional motor and means for controlling said motor to alternately rotate said agitators in said first direction and then said second direction.
  • said means for controlling the motor includes timing means for effecting operation said agitators in each of said first and second directions for predetermined time periods.
  • said drive means includes a pair of drive pulleys for driving said pair of agitators and wherein said drive means further includes a motor and an endless belt drivingly connecting said motor to said pair of pulleys.
  • a washing machine comprising: a substantially rectangular washing container for receiving fabrics and washing liquid and having a sidewall in a substantially vertical plane; a pair of agitators mounted horizontally side-by-side on said sidewall for operation within said container on generally parallel axes of rotation, each of said agitators having a diameter of approximately one-half of the width of said sidewall whereby said pair of agitators effectively span the width of said sidewall; drive means for selectively operating said agitators to effect a washing of said fabrics in said liquid; and a horizontally extending liquid deflector means mounted on said sidewall above said agitators for redirecting liquid within said container.
  • liquid deflector means includes a generally downwardly facing concave portion and wherein said deflector means extends between the opposed walls of said rectangular container that are adjacent to said sidewall.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Detail Structures Of Washing Machines And Dryers (AREA)
  • Main Body Construction Of Washing Machines And Laundry Dryers (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
  • Rollers For Roller Conveyors For Transfer (AREA)
US886118A 1969-12-18 1969-12-18 Twin agitator washing machine Expired - Lifetime US3635055A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US88611869A 1969-12-18 1969-12-18

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US3635055A true US3635055A (en) 1972-01-18

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US886118A Expired - Lifetime US3635055A (en) 1969-12-18 1969-12-18 Twin agitator washing machine

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Country Link
US (1) US3635055A (fr)
AU (1) AU1629170A (fr)
BE (1) BE752594A (fr)
CA (1) CA918440A (fr)
CH (1) CH503147A (fr)
DE (1) DE2031284A1 (fr)
FR (1) FR2071617A5 (fr)
GB (1) GB1271899A (fr)
NL (1) NL7011813A (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5829277A (en) * 1996-12-16 1998-11-03 Maytag Corporation Top loading clothes washer
US6220063B1 (en) * 1999-02-09 2001-04-24 Maytag Corporation Drive system for clothes washer

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2630696A (en) * 1950-01-14 1953-03-10 George P Castner Clothes-washing machine
FR1278510A (fr) * 1961-01-28 1961-12-08 Aspirateurs Samy Soc Nouv Machine à laver
US3167701A (en) * 1958-12-23 1965-01-26 Electrolux Ab Washing machine provided with motor reversing means

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2630696A (en) * 1950-01-14 1953-03-10 George P Castner Clothes-washing machine
US3167701A (en) * 1958-12-23 1965-01-26 Electrolux Ab Washing machine provided with motor reversing means
FR1278510A (fr) * 1961-01-28 1961-12-08 Aspirateurs Samy Soc Nouv Machine à laver

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5829277A (en) * 1996-12-16 1998-11-03 Maytag Corporation Top loading clothes washer
US6220063B1 (en) * 1999-02-09 2001-04-24 Maytag Corporation Drive system for clothes washer

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU1629170A (en) 1971-12-16
DE2031284A1 (de) 1971-06-24
GB1271899A (en) 1972-04-26
BE752594A (fr) 1970-12-01
NL7011813A (fr) 1971-06-22
CH503147A (de) 1971-02-15
CA918440A (en) 1973-01-09
FR2071617A5 (fr) 1971-09-17

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