US1441643A - Clutch mechanism - Google Patents

Description

am. m i i EDWARD TOMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

Application led J'uly 16, 1919, Serial No. 311,333. Renewed August 2.5, 1922. Serial. No. 584,230.

' T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, EDWARD Toi/IAN, a

i citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in a Clutch Mecha'- nisin, of which thefollowing is a description, reference being had to the accompanying ldrawing, which forms apart of my specification.

" My invention relates to a safety device driven washing machines intended for domestic use; and the invention has for its object the provision of a construction whereby the power-transmitting mechanism for the wringer, which is usually attached to machines of the class referred to, may be under the absolute control of the operator and thev power to the wringer immediately shut off at .the will of the operator, o-r through the change of the operators position.

Theobject of my invention is to provide aconstruction whereby the power to the wringer will be so controlled, that in the event the-fingers of the operator are caught between the rollers of the wringer, the o perator need merely shift position or liftv the foot, with the result that theY power will be imediately shut oif from the wringer and crushing of the fingers or hand prevented. As both hands of the operator are frequently employed in passing the clothes through the wringer, it is essential to provide mechanism which may ,be otherwise operated than by hand in order that the operation of the wringer will at all times be under control of the operator; a-ndy for that purpose l. provide a foot-operated device which automatic-ally assumes normal or inoperative position when the foot of the operator is withdrawn therefrom.

The purposes and advantages of my construction will be moreJ -readily comprehended from the following detailed description of the drawing, wherein vFigure 1 is a side elevation o f a type of power-operated washing machine with` a power-operated wringer and provided with my improved safety device; portions of the operating mechanism shown in section.

-Figure 2 is an enlarged detail View, partially in section, illustrating a portion of the foot-control mechanism or lever.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view of the clutch mechanism whereby the power-imparting shaft of the wringer is brought into operative 'relation with the main driving shaft of the machine.

In the exemplification of the invention, l have shown a well known type of powerdriven washing machine, in side elevation, at 10, provided with an electrical motor illustrated at 11, the power-shaft 12 whereof is shown provided ,with a suitable gear 13 meshingA with a gear 14 which is secured to a sectional driven shaft 15. The gears 13 and 14.- are encased in a suitable housing, as at y16, all ofwhich is properly supported on the side of the washing machine.v

The sectional driven shaft is vertically dis osed, `with the lower section provided wit 1 a gear 17 which meshes with a gear secured to the laterally disposed driven shaft 18 which drives the cylinder within the washing machine, through the medium vof suitable gearing, usually of an alternating or reversing type, enclosed in the housing or casing 19 at the side of the washing machine in alignment with the spindle or trunnion of `the cylinder. rlhe vertically disposed sectional driven shaft 15 is preferably shown extended through the housing 20, with` the. .upper end of the lower section provided with a female member-.21 of a friction clutch secured thereto in any suitable manner, as for example by' the pin 21a,

see Figure 3, which causes the female inem- 'ber'21, to constantly rotate with the lower section of the vertically disposed. driven shaft 15. The lower section of the driven shaft 15 is intended to have longitudinal or vertical movement and for'that reason lthe gear 17. -is slidably feathered on the lower shaft section so as to permit the lower shaft section to slide throu h the gear 17 and at the same time cause t e gear to constantly rotate therewith.

The female member 21 on its" upper side is lprovided with an inwardly tapered peripheral surface 22 corresponding with the taper or bevel of the male member or cone 23, so as to permit the vlatter to come into frictioalyrelation with `the inwardly tapered peripheral surface 22 when the lower section of the driven shaft 15 is forced upwardly. The cone or male member 23 is secured to the upper section y15a of the driven shaft 15l in any suitable manner, as for example by the pin 24, so as to cause the upper shaftsection lato rotate with extends into a. countersunk portion or dethe members 21 and 23 in the separated, in-

operativehrelation shown in Figure 3, when upward pressure on the lower shaft-section 15 has been removed.

The upper shaft-section 15fL leads to the wringer indicated at'27 in Figure 1, and by means of suitable gearing not shown, butenclosed within the housing 28, operates the rollers of the wringer when operative relation betweenv the shaft-sections 15, 15a is established.

The lower end of the lower shaft-section 15 extends through the housing 16 and has rotative bearing in a suitable bracket 29 secured to the side of the washing machine as shown in .Figure 1. The bracket 29 is preferably provided with the separated lobes or ears 30 so as to receive a fulcrum member 31 therebetween and therefore maintain the member 31 in position but at the same timepermit member 31 to oscil-A late about the end of the lower shaft-section 15. i e

The lower shaft-section 15 -is disposed beyond the lower side of the bracket 29, see Figures 1 and 2, so as to be inlcontact with a foot-lever 32. rfhe fpot-lever is preferably made in two sections with its inner section fulcrumed at 33 on the. fulcrum member 31 so as to permit vertical oscillation of the lever; and the two sections ofr the 4foot-lever are pivotally connected together at 34 so as to permit the outer end or foot-receiving section to be swung uprefine-is shown Tand described, in order to provide operative relation between the driven shaftsections 15, 15a so as to transmit power to the wringer, the operator must depress footlever 32 and maintain the lever inthe de- 70 pressed position toA force and maintain the lowershaft-section 15 upward, against the action of gravity as well as the action of spring 26 and thereby bring the clutchelements 21 and 23 into frictional and oper-W5 ative relation with each other. When clutch elements 21 and 23 are y,held in frictional relation, power will be transmitted to the upper shaft-section 15a by the.con stantly rotating lower shaft-section 15 80 which is driven by the power shaft 12 through the operation of the motor. With this construction, it is evident that the moment the operators foot is taken off Jof foot-lever 32, the lower shaft-section 15 85 through leXcitement,-have been unable to shut off the power in time to prevent injury.`

lt is apparent that with my construction, thel power to the wringer is under the control of the operator regardless of the position of the hands, as the mere excitement will in itself induce the operator to shift position or liftt the foot off of foot-lever 32, when the spring 26 will force the clutch elements 21 `and 23 105 into separated, inoperative relation, with Y the result that further rotation of the rollers of tl'ie'wringer will immediately stop.

With the lfulcrum member 31 'oscillatingly mounted between `the lobes or ears of the bracket member 29 and with the foot lever 32 composed of the pivoted sections, the fulcrum member and foot-lever may be swung into any position desired and may also be moved out of the'way when. not in opera- 115 tion.

ll: have illustrated and described my improved construction as moreI especially i adapted for use on power-driven-washing machines, but it is evident that my invention V may be applied to any power-driven device and injury Vto the hands of'the operator i thereby prevented; and while I have shown f and described what I believe to bethe simplest embodiment ofthe invention, it is ap- .125 parent that it is susceptible of modifications embodying the'spirit off my invention.`

v1. Clutch mechanism \of the class described, comprising a shaft consisting of two i ,sections arranged in alignment, one section being adapted to have longitudinal movement, a clutch, one portion or element whereof is secured to the adjacent ends of each section of said shaft whereby operative relation between the two sections may be eected, a bracket member mounted adjacent the opposite end of said longitudinally movable section of said shaft, a itulcrum` member o scillatingly mounted on said bracket member, and a foot-lever fulcrumed ony said fulcrum member with the inner end of the foot-lever'in operative relation with the y' 'end of said movable section of the shaft whereby pressure on the foot-lever will cause said longitudinally movable section of the shaft with its clutch element to be forced linto operative relation with the clutch element of the other section of said shaft.

2. ln a clutch mechanism of the class described, the combination of a vertically disposed shaft made in two sections arranged in alignment, the lower section being adapted to have longitudinal movement, the ad- .jacent ends of the sections of said shaft being each provided with a clutch element whereby the two sections of said shaft may be brought into operative relation, a spring disposed intermediate of the clutch elements and normally tending to maintain'the latter in separated relation, a fulcrum member os` cillatingly mounted to swing laterally while the free end thereof yis disposed to one side of the longitudinal axis of. the lower shaft section, and a ootlever fulcrumed intermediate of its'ends, at the free end of said lfulcrum member, so as to have the inner end of the foot-lever in operative contact with the lower end ofI the lower section of said shaft whereby downwardpressure' on the 'foot-lever will cause said lower section of said shaft to move upwardly against the action of said spring and force the clutch elements into clutching engagement with each other. l

3. In a clutch mechanism of the class de- 'scribed, the combination of a vertically disposed shaft .made in two sections, the lower section being mounted to Ahave longitudinal movement, a cone-shaped clutch element secured to the end of the upper section to rotate therewith, with the lower face of the cone-shaped element being provided with aI able frictional relation between the elements to be eiected, with a u'lcrum member disposed adjacent the lower section of said shaft, and a foot lever fulcrumed on said fulcrum member with the inner end thereof in contact with the lower end of the shaft section so that downward pressure on the foot leverwill force the lower shaft section with its clutch element upwardly against the action of the spring and cause frictional relation between the clutch elements.

EDWARD I0-MAN. W'itnesses:

G. HEIDMAN, JF,- A. FLORELL.

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