USRE694E - Improved washing-machine - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAMILTON El SMITH, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

iMPRovED WASHING-MACHINE.

Specitication forming part of Letters Patent No. r21,909, dated October 26, 1558 Reissue No. 694-, dated Y Aprilia, 1559. f

To al@ whom, t may concern: l

Be it known that I, HAiuILToNE. SMITH,0f

. thecity and connty'of Philadelphia,and State of Pennsylvanim'have invented certain new 'and nsefullmprovements in Washing-Machines; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference-being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ot1 reference marked thereon.

.My invention relates to an improvement in wasliing-n'iachinesin which a reciprocating .plunger is used to act on the clothescontained in a tubor other vessel; and my improvement consistsin placing within the vessel a valved diaphragm, and above the latter a perforated beipg arranged to yield together tothe pressure of the plunger on the clothes, and to return to their former positions on the removal of this pressure, the whole being combined with two pipes connected to any suitable heating apparatus'aud communicating with the vessel, one above andthe other below the diaphragms,

so that portionspf the cooler Waterat the npyper'end of the tub maypass into the heater yielding diaphragm small forcible jets of wa-` ter arefcaused to pass through the interstices of the clothes, which are thereby thoroughly and rapidly cleansed," the jets of water, at'ter passing'through the clothes, being directed downward into the'vc'ssel by a Iiange on` the plungenwhich thus prevents any inconveu` int splashing.

In order to enable others to matie and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On' reference to the accompanying drawings,

whichv forma part of this specification,Figurey 1,l is a sectional elevation of lmy improved washing-'machine with the plunger in the act of being raised; Fig; 2,'a section of a portion'of the machine, with the plunger" pressed down on the'clothes.'- 'A i' A is the foundation-plate ofthe apups-tratos',i;

B, the Wash-tub; C, the plunger attached to a cord or wire, the opposite ends of which are connected to the springposts D andD', secured to the foundation A.

E is the fire-place., Fa coiled tube within the same, and G and H. pipes connected to. and communicating with boththe coil and wash-tub. The sides of the latter toward the bottom are paral1e],`and in this parallel portion two diaphragms, I and J, fit snugly, but so as tomove freely. The upper diaphragm, I, is pcrforatcdjvith a numberof holes and has any convenient number of pins c, which rest on the upper surface of the diaphragm J. The two Adiaphragms are thus maintained a short distance apart. In the lower diaphraginLrJ, are any,convenientL number of nopenings with valves c ou the top, the said valves opening upward, and between the diaphragm J and the bottom ofthe tub intervene any suitable number of spiral .or other suitable springs, h. The orifice which forms the communication between the pipe H andthe tub is furnished with a. valve, i, and both pipes may be supplied with cocks to` regulate the ilow of water through the same.,`

The plunger c is formed at its lower end in the peculiar manner illustrated in thedrawings. The enlarged end has alrecess, -1n,wl1ich is bounded by a an'ge, a, and is perforated with'any convenient number of orifices, p,im

mediatelyabove which the plunger has auoth'er enlargement, q, equal, or tliereabont, in diameter to the lower enlargement and slightly hollowed on the under side.

l Sufficient water beingplaced in the tub to raise the level of the water labove the orifice communicatingwith the pipe G, and the fuel being'ignited in the fire-place E, theclothes are placed on the upper perforated diaphragm and pressed upon by repeatedstrokes of the plunger C upper and lower diaphragms will be depressed to an extent depending upon theV amount of pressur'e and rigid-ityr of the springs h. 'T he water,` which had become heated in the coil and had previously passed through the pipe H'into the space between the lower diaphragm, J, and the bottom of the tub, now that the `diaphragms are depressed and the valve consequently closed, will rnshlthrough theori- As the latter descends both the through those of the upper diaphragm and act on the clothes prior to passing to the space above. During this depression of the plunger the water which has passed from. the upper portion of the tub through the pipe G into the coil F becomes vincreasedin temperature,` andthe moment the plunger is raised the diaphragms, through the recoil of the springs'h,`

will be elevated, and the valves of the lower diaphragm being closed, it will actin the'same manner as the piston of a pump, causing a partial vacuum beneath, opening the valve i,

and allowing the reheated water, or water and steam combined,to lill the lower compartment preparatory to being driven through the per'- i'orations ofthe diaphragms, as before, bythe descent of the plunger on the clothes.

It will thus be seen that at every stroke of theplnngerasupply of reheated water is with" drawn from the coil and brought to bear on the clothes, While the supply is replaced iu the coil from the partially-cooledwater near the top of the-tub. The action of this superheated water,as a means of electually and rapidly cleansing the clothes, Willv be too obvious to need further description.

During Vthe above described operation the position of the plunger is changedso as to act on every part of the clothes. N owthe pressure of the plunger causes the diaphragms to yield and the water consequentlyto be forced through the perforationsin small forciblejets. ,At'eachsuecessive pressure ofthe vplunger on the' clothesa portion of the lattereqnal in size to the enlarged end of the plunger is confined'by the dangc n, and held'irnily against i the upper diaphragm as the latter yields. The jets of water-passing through those perfora;

tions of the plunger can thus pass in no otherdirection than through the interstices of that portion of the clothes tightly held by the Bange n. The perforations p allow a free escape of the water which passes through the clothes, and prevent the accumulation of compressed air in the vacuity m.

T he upper enlargementof the plunger tends,`

by its concavity on the under side, to direct the jets of water which pass through the per- -foratio'ns p-downward, and thus prevents iuconvenient splashing` y I do not desire to confine myself to the use of a coil for superheating the water, as other heating apparatus equally as eic-ient might be used; but

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pati ent- 1. The vessel B,with its yielding valved diaphragm J and the perforated diaphragm I, or its equivalent, ilicombination with a pipe, G, communicating with the vesselv at a point above and the pipe H at a point below the said diaphragm, and both pipes communicating with any suitable heating apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The reciprocating plunger C, With its' enlarged end constructed as set forth-namefy, with the recess m, ange n, and perforations '19, in combinatioh with the yielding diaph'ragn'l I, for the purpose specified.

3.1Iroviding theplunger CV with an upper enlargement, q, concave on the underside and arranged in respect to the lower plunger, sub- 'stantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

In'testimony'whereof Ihavesigned my name to thisfs'pecification in the presence'of two sub'- `scrihing witnesses. HAMILTON E. SMITH. WVitnesses:

- HENRY HoWsoN, I

i CHARLES D. FREEMAN.

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