US1485323A - Safety device for clothes wringers - Google Patents

Description

Feb. Z6 v1924. 1,485,323

J` J. WOOD SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS Filed Aug. 14 1922 Patented eb. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES J. WOOD, OEFORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO'GENERAL ELECTRIC COH- PANY, A CORPORATION F NEW YORK.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGEBS.

Application led August 14, 1922, Serial No. 581,628.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES J. WOOD, a citizen of the United States residing at Fort Wayne, county of Allen, tate of Indiana,

have invented certain new and usefulIml provements in Safety Devices for Clothes Wringers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to powerdriven clothes wringers""such as are usedwith washing machines and has for its object -to provide an improved arrangement for automatically stopping the wrin er when abnormal conditions occur and wdiich also enables the operator to quickly stop the wringer under .emergenc conditions.

For a consideration o what I` believe to be novel and my invention, attent-ion is directed to the accompanying description-and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a Side elevation- Of a wringer embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation plartly in section of one end of the wringer s own in Fig. l, drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view of the wringer shown in Fig. 1,

and Fig. 4 is an end view showing certain parts in a different position.

In the drawing, I have shown my invention in connection with a wringer having an individual motor drive but it will beunder- Y stood that the invention is not necessarily limited to this particular arrangement.

Referring to the drawing, 6 indicates the frame of a wringer in which are arrangedv rolls 7 having engaging ar wheels 8 on their shafts so the two ro ls are driven together. Fixed to one end of the wringer frame is a casing 9 containing gearing 10 adapted to be coupled to the lower wringer roll shaft by a suitable clutch ll-operated by a handle 11. Attached to gear casing 9 is an electric motor 12 having its shaft connected to lthe driving shaft of the gearing. By reversing the direction of rotation of motor 12, the direction of rotation of the wringer rolls is reversed. ,At 12'* is a stud for use in fastening the wringer to a support, such as a tub.

In casin `9 is a reversing switch mechanism 13 suitably wired to the motor for controlling it. The switch is operated by a handle 14 which is pivoted at its lower end at 15, the upper end projecting out through the top wall of the casing. When the switch handle is in vertical position the switch is open. When it is moved toward the left in Figs. 3 and 4 it closes circuit on the motor to operate it in a direction so that rolls 7 are turned to wring clothes fed in from the right hand side of the wringer and when it is moved toward the right the motor is reversed for wringing through the wringer in the opposite direction. Or, as viewed from the side, in using the wringer ,the switch handle is moved in the direction in which the clothes are to move. The detail structure of `the switch is not shown as its-specific structure forms no part of the present invention. It may be of any suitable type;`

land somewhat above the contact line of the two rolls. Rods 17 are connected to the ends of arms 18y so that such rods extend across the wringer one on each sideand in front of and just above the meetin line of the rolls. In F-ig. 3 the guard rame is shown in central position and it may be moved a limited distance in either directon on its pivots swinging one rod toward the wringer and the other away from the wringer. The extent of the swinging movement is indicated in Fig. 4.

On top of casing 9 is a bearing block 19 astened by screws 20 and pivoted in it is a short, horizontal shaft 21. Fixed to one end of shaft 21 is an upwardly projecting arm 22 provided with a slot 23 in which is located the head of a pin 24 fastened to the adjacent end fork 16. Fixed to the other end of`shaft 21 isa downwardly projecting arm 25 having a switch fork 26 at its lower end which straddles a pin 27 fastened to switch lever 14. l

During normal operation the guard frame may stand in central position as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3 or it may be moved to bring the rod 17 on the side at which the clothes are being fed into the wringer away from the rolls and the rod 17 on the other may take when clothes are being fed into the wringer from left to right. The sides of the wringer frame form stops for limiting the movement of the guard frame in either direction. When it is desired to operate the wringer, switch handle 14 is moved from its central open position toward either the right or left according to the direction it is desired to wring clothes. The guard frame may occupy7 any position between central position as shown in Fig. 3 or its extreme position in one direction or the other, an example of which is shown in Fig. 4.

From its central open position shown in Fig. 3, switch handle 14 may be moved toward the leftv or toward the right to close the circuit through motor 12 for wringing clothes through the wringer from right to left or from left to right. The guard frame will assume either a central position or lit may be moved beyond such position in the direction which the switch handle is moved.

Assume for example, that switch handle 14 is moved to the left in Fig. 3 so as to wring clothes from right to eft. Under these conditions the guard frame will stand in central position or turned toward the right. If now for an reason the guard frame is moved towardy the left in Fig. 3, switch fork 26 will be moved toward ythe right due to pin 24 moving arm 22 toward the left and one of the switch fork fingers will engage pin 27 and move switch handle 14 back to central or open position. This is illustrated in Fig. 4 where the guard frame is shown as having been moved to the left and the switch` handle to open position. The operation is the same when the switch handle is moved to close the circuit through the motor for operation in the opposite direction.

With the guard frame in the position shown in either Fig. 3 or Fig. 4, switch handle 14 may be moved toward the right for wringing from left to right and in case the guard frame is moved toward the right, the switch will be moved to open position.

If when the wringer is in use any hard or bulky object gets in the way of rod 17, such as for example, the hand or arm of the operator, an unduly large bundle of clothes, or the head of the operator, a thing which might happen should the operators hair get caught between the rolls, such object will strike one of the rods 17 turning the guard frame and stopping the wringer. It will be noted that rods 17 are a short distance above the meeting line of the wringer rolls so that the material being passed through the wringer must be fed under the rods. This distance is made such that with normal operation the material being wrung will pass beneath the rods without engaging them but in case the material begins to bunch up so as to become too bulky to pass through the wringer, it will strike the rod on the side upon which material is bein fed to the wringer and draw the rod towar the wringer, thus opening the switch. In case it is desired to quickly stop the wrin er the operator has only to push on the ro 17 on the side of the wringer at which the material is being fed. Ordinarily, the operator stands on the side from which the material is being fed. Should the operator get a hand caught in the wringer the o erator can instantly stop the wringer by pus ing rod 17 toward the' wringer.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now believe to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the :11pparatus shown is only illustrative and t e invention may be carried out by other means.

Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In combination, a wringer, means for controlling the application of power to the wringer for driving it which means when moved in one direction from neutral position effects the operation of the wringer in one direction and when moved in another direction from neutral position eifects the 0peration of the wringer in the opposite direction, a guard frame which presents a part which lies along` and substantially in front of the wringer rolls, said part being free to be moved and carried by the frame in a substantially horizontal plane, a pivotal support for the frame on which it moves, and a' connecting mechanism between the guard frame and the controlling means for moving the latter to the neutral positionv when said part of the guard frame is moved in the same direction as material passing through the wringer.

2. In combination, a wringer, means for controlling the application of power to the wringer for driving it which means when moved in one direction from neutral position effects the operation of the wringer in one direction and when moved in another direction from neutral position effects the operation of the wringer in the opposite direction, and a movable guard frame comprising a member movable with the frame which extends along in front of the wringer rolls and which when moved in the direction in which material entering the rolls moves carries the controlling means to neutral position.

3. In combination, a wringer, means for controlling the application of power to the wringer for driving it which means when moved in one direction from neutra-l position effects the operation of the wringer in one direction and when moved in another llO direction from neutral position eii'ects the operation of the wringer in the .opposite dlrection, a guard frame pivoted to the wringer frame comprising two rods which extend along the wringer rolls in front of them, and means connecting the guard frame to the controlling means for moving it to neutral position when the rods are moved in the same direction as material passing through the wringer rolls.

4. In combination, a Wringer, a motor for driving it, a reversing switch for the motor, and a guard frame having parts which extend in front of the wringer rolls on opposite sides thereof and which when moved in the same direction as material passing through the wringer rolls moves the switch to neutral position.

5. In combination, a wringer comprising a frame and rolls, a housingvxed to the wringer frame, a motor fastened directly to said housing, earing in the housing through which t e motor drives the rolls, a reversing switch -for the motor, a pivotally supported and movable guard frame having parts which extend in front of the wringer rolls and means forming an operating connection between the reversing switch and the guard frame for moving said switch to the neutral position when the guard frame is moved in response to pressure Vexerted on it in the direction in wllilich material is traveling through the ro s.k

6. The combination with a wringer having power-driven rolls, of an automatically operable safety device for stopping said rolls, comprising a pair of rods extending along `in spaced relation to and parallel with the rolls on opposite Vsides thereof and 4 lying above and in close parallel relation to an imaginary plane passing through the meeting line of the rolls, a pivotally suspended frame by which the rods are carried and permitted to move substantially parallel to said plane, a power controlling de- Vice for the rolls having a neutral position into which it may be moved to stop the rolls, and means including the frame forming anv operative connection between the controlling device a-nd the rods for moving the -controlling device to said neutral position in response to movement of said rods in the direction in which material moves when entering the rolls.

In witness whereof I have hereunto setmy hand this 10th da of August, 1922.

JA ES J. WOOD.

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