ZA200505509B - Manual washing machine - Google Patents

Description

' 2 I TY ggnn Ton (1) TITLE OF THE INVENTION

MANUAL WASHING MACHINE

(2) FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to clothes treating appliance of the kind that involves the performance of a variety of clothes treating functions in performing a clothes-treating routine. While not so limited the invention is particularly useful when reiating to a manually operable motorised washing machine for performing washing, rinsing and spin-drying functions. (3) SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a clothes treating appliance of the kind that involves the performance of a variety of clothes treating functions in performing a clothes treating routine comprising a number of appropriately driven clothes treating items of equipment each constituted to perform a specific and different non-manual clothes treating function once the appliance is in use and between each of which clothes being treated is manually transferable while the relevant items of equipment of the appliance are appropriate suppliable from a source of 2s water and drainable once having performed the relevant clothes treating function.

The may incorporate at least three clothes treating items of equipment.

The clothes treating items of equipment may inciude a motorised washing item cf equipment and a motorised rinsing item of equipment, the appliance thus including appropriate electrical circuitry to activate or deactivate the various items of equipment.

EL 2005/2575 70

In a preferred embodiment the washing item of equipment may be in the form of an appropriately drainable clothes washer.

The clothes washer may preferably be in the form of an upright mounted cylindrical clothes holding washing vessel fitted with a suitably driven conventional floor mounted washing pulsator and a reopenably closable washer drain via which spent washing water and agent is drainable.

The rinsing item of equipment may preferably be in the form of an appropriately drainable clothes rinser.

In a specific embodiment the clothes rinser may be in the from of an upright mounted cylindrical clothes holding rinsing vessel fitted with a suitably driven conventional floor mounted rinsing pulsator and a reopenably closable rinser drain via which spent rinsing water and agent is drainable, the washing and rinsing items of equipment in the appropriate case being are substantially identical while being mounted in side by side relationship.

The washing and rinsing items of equipment may be independently driven.

The clothes treating items of equipment may preferably include a suitably driven motorised spin drying item of equipment.

The spin drying item of equipment may convenientiy be in the form of an appropriately drainable clothes spin dryer.

In a preferred embodiment the spin dryer may be in the form of an vibration effect accommodating upright mounted cylindrical perforated spin drying vessel conventionally mounted within a housing and driven by way of motor mounted to the base of appliance and connected via a drive shaft to the spin drying vessel, the housing being fitted with a spin "dryer drain via which water released during a spin-drying action is drainable while the various clothes treating items of equipment, in the appropriate case, extending in triangular plan view parallel relationship with one another.

The spin drying vessel may be vibration effect accommodated by its drive motor being conventionally mounted on a resilient support.

The spin dryer drain may be automatically openable in conjunction with the activation of the spin dryer.

The appliance may incorporate a pump arrangement used for discarding drained water and agent, where applicable, from the various clothes treating items of equipment.

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The pump arrangement may preferably be in the form of a common drain pump connected to the drainage of each of the items of equipment for use in discarding drained water from the selected source or sources.

The activation and deactivation of the various pieces of equipment that are electrically operated may preferably be done from a switching panel that is in the appropriate case situated at a high elevation between the various vessels to which panel the relevant switches enabling the independent operation of the various clothes treating items of equipment are mounted. (4) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings

Figure 1 in three dimensionai partly exploded frontal view shows a cloines treating appliance in the form of an independently operable washing routine clothes washing machine,

Figure 2 in shows the interior components of the washing machine excluding the lid in three- dimensional diagrammatic frontal view,

Figure 3 shows the washing machine along section A-A in figure 1, and

Figure 4 shows the washing machine along section line B-B in figure 1, and

Figure 5 diagrammatically shows the various water flow lines, drains, valves and screens fitted and extending within the housing of the machine. (5) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings a clothes treating appliance, according to the invention, in the form of an independently operable washing routine clothes washing machine is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.

The machine 10 comprises three appropriately driven clothes treating items of equipment in »s the form a motorised washing item of equipment, rinsing item of equipment and spin drying item of equipment as provided by an appropriately drainable clothes washer 12, clothes rinser 14 and spin dryer 16.

Both the washer 12 and the rinser 14 are in the form of rigidly upright mounted drum type vessels in the form of tubs 18 each fitted with a conventional through the floor operating pulsator 20 used for performing the appropriate washing/rinsing function. The pulsators 20 are independently driven from reverse rotation motors 22 via drive trains 24 each of which

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PAVEVEVES 2h ued motors 22 is mounted to the base 26 of the machine 10. While not shown the pulsators 20 are conventionally resiliently mounted to accommodate non-rotation pulsator movement relative to its vessel 18.

The washer 12 and the rinser 14 are drainable via respective drains 28, 30 that are closable by means of valves 32 of which the discharge sides are connected via drain pipes 34 ending in a common discharge pump 36.

The spin dryer 16 comprises a perforated upright cylindrical vessel in the form of a spin drying drum 38 that is rotatably mounted inside a housing 40 fitted with a drain 42 via which water extracted from spin dried clothes is extracted. While the housing 40 is fixed the drum 38 is mounted to accommodate unbalanced and thus off centreline spinning. This is achieved by its driving motor 44 being mounted to the base 26 via a resilient support (not shown). The drum 38 is thus solely supported by its drive shaft 46 as extending from the motor 44.

Drainage of water from the drum 38 is controlled by means of a manually operable closure in the form of a flap valve 48 of which the discharge connects via a pipe 50 to the pump 36.

The various drains 28, 30 and 40 are fitted with removable screens 51 used for cleaning purposes.

The vessels 18 and the housing 40 are fixedly secured in triangular adjacent pattern. The pump 36 is naturally fitted with a discharge hose 52 via which water and agent is sent for final discharging. in referring particularly to figures 1 and 3 the washer 12, clothes rinser 14 and spin dryer 16 and appurtenances are housed within a housing 54 fitted with a removable side cover as 7 extending along the side remote from that shown enabling access to the various functional items of the machine 10. lt is also fitted with an overhead cover 56 for closing off the washer 12, clothes rinser 14 and spin dryer 16 during use to limit environmental spillage and access thereto during use. This is particularly important in the case of the spin dryer 16. The cover 56 is thus in the form of a split facility of which the one sub cover 56.1, as appropriately hingedly connected via hinges 58 to the housing 54, is used for covering the washer 12 and the rinser 14 and the other sub cover 56.2, as hinged secured via hinges 60 to the housing 54, is used for covering the spin dryer 186.

As also shown in figure 1 the controlling of the machine 10 is achieved via control switches mounted to a panel 62 forming part of its upper wall 64. The electrical circuitry of the machine 10 is not shown as it is of conventional layout. The switches are in the form of a wash timer switch 66 for activating the clothes washer 12 for the desired length of time, a rinse timer switch 68 for activating the clothes rinser 14 for the desired length of time, a spin timer and pump switch 70 that activates the pump 36 while opening the flap valve 48 for the desired length of time, a wash and rinse vaive selector and pump switch 72 via which opening of the appropriate valve 32 is selected and the pump 36 thus activated once the washer 12 or the rinser 14 is desired to be drained. The spin dryer 16 is activated via a switch 74 mounted to the sub cover 56.2.

The washing machine 10 is conventionally manually used by locating garments to be washed in the tub 18.1 of the washer 12, suitably filling it with water, adding washing powder and then commencing washing via switching of the timer switch 66. Once the wash cycle of the washing routine is completed the washer 12 is drained via its drain 28 in response to appropriately switching the switch 72. Once desirably drained the washed garments are manually transferred to the spin dryer 16, then to the rinser 14 and finally to the spin dryer 16 again. The rinsing cycle of the routine is performed by appropriate switching of the 72 after the tub has been desirably filled with rinsing water and agent where applicable. Once completed the rinser 14 is drained via its drain 30 in response to appropriately switching the switch 72. The garments are then transferred to the drum of the spin dryer 16, which is activated via its switch 74 after appropriate selection of the switch 70.

While a specific bundle of washing can be processed through the various stages of the washing routine of the machine 10 an advantage is found in that the various stages can be run simultaneously owing to being independently driven thus enabling the simultaneous processing of three washing bundles. Several bundles can indeed be washed and rinsed in —-- a single charge of water rendering the machine 10 also economical and environmentally friendly.

Claims (1)

1. (6) CLAIMS (1) A clothes treating appliance of the kind that involves the performance of a variety of clothes treating functions in performing a clothes treating routine comprising a number of appropriately driven clothes treating items of equipment each constituted to perform a specific and different non-manual clothes treating function once the appliance is in use and between each of which clothes being treated is manually transferable while the relevant items of equipment of the appliance are appropriate suppliable from a source of water and drainable once having performed the relevant clothes treating function. (2) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 1 that incorporates at least three clothes treating items of equipment. (3) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 2 in which the clothes treating items of equipment includes a motorised washing item of equipment and a motorisec rinsing iiem of equipment, the appliance thus including appropriate electrical circuitry to activate or deactivate the various items of equipment. (4) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 3 in which the washing item of equipment in the form of an appropriately drainable clothes washer. (5) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in ciaim 4 in which the clothes washer is in the form of an upright mounted cylindrical clothes holding washing vessel fitted with a suitably driven conventional floor mounted washing pulsator and a reopenably closable washer drain via which spent washing water and agent is drainable. (6) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5 in which the rinsing item of equipment is in the form of an appropriately drainable clothes rinser. (7) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in any one or claims 3 to 5 in which the clothes rinser is in the from of an upright mounted cylindrical clothes holding rinsing vessel fitted with a suitably driven conventional floor mounted rinsing pulsator and a reopenably closable rinser drain via which spent rinsing water and agent is drainable, the washing and rinsing items of equipment in the appropriate case being are substantially identical while being mounted in side by side relationship. (8) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6 in which the washing and rinsing items of equipment are independently driven.

   3 2005715509 (9) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 8 in which the clothes treating items of equipment include a suitably driven motorised spin drying item of equipment.

   (10) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 9 in which the spin drying item of equipment is in the form of an appropriately drainable clothes spin dryer. (11) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 10 in which the spin dryer is in the form of an vibration effect accommodating upright mounted cylindrical perforated spin drying vessel conventionally mounted within a housing and driven by way of motor mounted to the base of appliance and connected via a drive shaft to the spin drying vessel, the housing being fitted with a spin dryer drain via which water released during a spin-drying action is drainable while the various clothes treating items of equipment, in the appropriate case, extending in triangular plan view parallel relationship with one another.

   (12) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 11 in which the spin drying vessel is vibration effect accommodated by its drive motor being conventionally mounted on a resilient support.

   (13) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12 in which the spin dryer drain is automatically openable in conjunction with the activation of the spin dryer.

   (14) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 13 that incorporates a pump arrangement used for discarding drained water and agent, where applicable, from the various clothes treating items of equipment.

   (15) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in claim 14 in which the pump arrangement is in the form of a common drain pump connected to the drainage of each of the items of equipment for use in discarding drained water from the selected source or sources.

   (16) A clothes treating appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which

   »s activation and deactivation of the various pieces of equipment that are electrically operated are done from a switching panel that is in the appropriate case situated at a high elevation between the various vessels to which panel the relevant switches enabling the independent operation of the various clothes treating items of equipment are mounted.

   (17) A clothes treating appliance substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

   A P S van der Merwe Patent Agent for Applicant A N/—