US2647388A - Washing machine - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 4, 1953 c. c. SCHEELE WASHING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1948 s Sheets-Silas: 1

E Y H m Eh .mwWA m Aug. 4, 1953 c. c. SCHEELE 2,547,383

' WASHING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1948 3 ShetS-SheetE INVE'N TUE! CHARLES E.5cr-1E :ELE

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 4, 1953 WASHING MACHINE Charles C. Scheele, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 20, 1948, Serial No. 16,081

1 Claim.

This invention relates to washing machines, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for washing, utilizing centrifugal force for moving the washing fluid.

In washing machines of the agitator extractor type employing separate compartments for washing and damp drying, it has been the practice to confine the washing operation to the agitator compartment and the rinsing and damp drying of the laundry to the extractor compartment. Such an arrangement involves the necessity for manually removing the laundry from the agitator tub to the extractor tub while wet with hot soapy suds, and the balancing of the wet load in the centrifuge extractor basket. The removal of heavier or larger articles of clothing from the agitator compartment to the extractor basket is not as difiicult an operation. as scavenging for smallerarticles and subsequent transfer to the extractor basket. The present invention is directed to an arrangement wherein the extractor basket may be utilized for washing, rinsing, and extracting sequentially in a cycle, and in which centrifugal force is employed in each stage,

whereby the manual transfer of laundry from one tub to the other is eliminated.

The invention is especially applicable to light loads and smaller articles of clothing as above mentioned, but may also be utilized in connection with a load equivalent to the capacity of the extractor basket. The invention also is applicable for dry cleaning where special cleaning fluids such as carbon tetrachloride are employed.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus wherein wash fluid may be recirculated from a central region within the extractor basket of a machine of the type described, and through the basket wall and laundry held thereby under centrifugal force.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in connection with a centrifugal extractor of the type described, a circulating system involving valves and a pump, wherein wash fluid may be recirculated or sent through the basket to drain as may be desired, and wherein the wash load so rinsed Within the basket may be subsequently centrifuged for water extraction. A further object of the invention is the provision of the mechanism above described in conjunction with an agitator extractor type washing machine, so that washing may be performed in a separate compartment or in the extractor compartment at will.

A further object of the invention has to do with the novel process involved embodying the centrifugal recirculation of wash fluid through laundry contained in an extractor type basket, and subsequently performing the operations of rinsing and extraction without intermediate handling of the laundry being washed.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying 'drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a washing machine of the agitator-extractor type, with the extractor broken away, and the wash and rinse fluid passages exposed. M

Figure 2 is a transverse axial section of the extractor taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 a short distance above the base of the extractor basket;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially'on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, immediately below the extractor basket; and g Figure 5 is a diagrammatic View showing the wash and rinse fluid connections.

Referring to Figures 1 through 4, there will be seen a washing machine having a tub I I] used for washing and which may contain an agitator of any type such as will be well understood in the art. There is also shown an adjoining tub I2 containing a centrifugal extractor basket I4 mounted for high speed rotation about a vertical axis. The tubsIfl and I2 are mounted upon ,a base I3 supported on legs I6 and I8. The base has mounted therein a driving motor 20 connected to a transmission 22which is adapted to at will rotate the extractor I4 or, at will drive the agitator in the wash tub 10 or both as will be well understood in the art. The motor 20 also drives a centrifuge pump 24 which is driven by a belt drive 26 to the motor. A similar construction of the apparatus thus far described will appear in Geldhof Patent No. 2,111,143.

The extractor tub I2 is mounted upon a base I3 and is provided with a drain' outlet 28. The tub I2 is centrally located with respect to a transmission supported bearing-supporting member 30 through which extends a drive shaft 32, the latis secured to a base 38 having a central spider 49 the arms M of which extend to a shaft-supported hub 42. The base 38 is provided with a central flange 44 from which the legs 4( of the spider 40 extend and around which is mounted a conical upstanding perforated water distributing The latter may be secured to the sleeve 46. flange 44 by rolling the marginal edge 48 thereof in an annular groove 56 and by means of a central stud 52 threaded into the end of the hub 42, the stud having a screw head nut 54 at the upper end, bearing against a cap 56 on the end of the cone. The cap 56 may have a centering flange in the form of depending fingers 58 so as to rigidly hold the cone substantially coaxial with the basket.

Washing fluid or rinsing fluid may be distributed from the perforations 60 of the cone 46, such water being injected into the cone from a plurality of stationary nozzles or jets 62 located beneath the basket in such a position as to pro ject streams of fluid past the spider arms 4I into the cone. The jets 62 are supplied from an annular manifold 64 formed in the member 39, the manifold being connected to a source of fluid supply through the manifold inlet connection 66. i

It will be seen that the base of the tub I2 is suitably perforated as at 68 to permit the passage of fluid from the manifold 64 through the jets 62. The jets 62 are so directed into the cone as to provide a substantially even distribution of fluid through the length of the cone so that substantially uniform axial and radial distribution of fluid emerging from the apertures in the cone 46 will be assured when the cone and basket assembly are rotated at a relatively high predetermined speed. The construction which may be used is further exemplified in my copending appath being closed when the drain valve 12 of the tub I0 is closed, and the valve 14 of the drain hose 16 is likewise closed. Thus, by the introduction of a desired amount of washing fluid within the extractor tub I2, the pump 24 will recirculate the fluid causing streams of washing fluid to be projected from the nozzle 62 into the distributing cone 46, Assuming the basket to be loaded with laundry for washing purposes, upon causing the basket to revolve at high speed, the washing fluid will be uniformly distributed over the clothing from the cone 46. The laundry will in turn be distributed on the inside basket wall, and the washing fluid will be driven through the fabrics by centrifugal action, The washing fluid thereafter is allowed to flow into the outlet 28 whence the fluid will be recirculated continually under pressure by the pump until suflicient washing action has occurred.

By rotating the valve I0, 90 clockwise, the circulation previously described is interrupted and by subsequently opening the valve I4, the washing fluid may be pumped from the extractor tub I2 and discharged to drain as, for example, into a neighboring sink or set tubs, or such wash water may be saved by delivering to the tub It by Iii valve 18 into the nozzles 62.

hanging the usual gooseneck I8 over the rim of the tub I0 or through an aperture in the top thereof, as will be well understood in the art. During this procedure, the valve I2 will remain closed.

A circulatory rinsing operation may be performed as soon as the washing fluid has been removed from the tub I2 by first closing the drain hose valve 74 and by admitting a quantity of rinsing fluid from the supply tap 82 through the When a suflicient quantity has been admitted, the supply tap is turned off, and thereafter the valve I0 is returned to the position shown in Figure 5. The extractor is then caused to revolve at high speed and the pump 24 thereupon recirculates the rinsing water for such period as may be desired. Thereafter, the valve 10 may again be turned clockwise, the drain hose valve I4 opened, and the rinse water discharged to the drain as for example, into a nearby sink or set tubs. While the foregoing rinsing method is similar to the previously described washing cycle and may be effective, it is not the most desirable method of rinsing, and would be availed of only where conditions dictate.

A continuous rinse operation preferable to that above may be performed utilizing a continuous stream of fresh rinsing fluid merely by the open ing of the water supply tap 82 while rotating the basket at high speed to drain the suds contain ing rinse water and maintaining thedrain open to remove and discharge. After such rinsing operation has progressed a sufficient length of time as may be varied to suit conditions, the supply of fresh water may be cut off at the valve. 82. The rinsed laundry contained within the basket I4 may thereafter be centrifuged to extract substantially all the moisture therein. Thereafter, the extractor basket may be stopped and the damp dry laundry removed therefrom.

The arrangement shown in Figure 5 will be seen to admit of the introduction of wash water from the agitator tub In to the extractorbasket I2, this being accomplished by preferably closing the drain valve 14, although this is not essential because of elevation of the end of drain hose 1B, and opening the agitator tub valve 12, thereby permitting flow of washing fluid from tub It into tub I2 so long as the centrifuge pump 24 is not rotating. It will thus be seen that the tub l0 may act as a storage reservoir for washing fluid for theextractor tub I2 when utilized for centrifugal washing, while the washing fluid remaining in the tub I6 may be employed for ordinary agitator washing therewithin, the latter being well understood in the art. It will also be observed that upon utilization of the washing fluid thus introduced into the extractor tub 12 from the wash tub l0, such wash water may be returned to the tub I0 for further use either in agitator washing within the tub I6 or for storage purposes until a subsequent wash load is placed within the extractor compartment I2, and the washing part of the cycle is to be performed.

While the apparatus thus described will be found, very eifective upon light pieces of laundry or delicate fabrics, it will be understood that if heavy garments or items likely to produce lint are introduced, a lint filter may be employed in the recirculatory system, as between the pump M and valve ill, the valve 70 and the manifold 63, or between the outlet 28 and pump. Such filter will minimize the danger of lint either plugging-the jets 62, or the apertures 66 in the cone 46. It will be appreciated that the circulatory rinsing operation might also be rendered more desirable by the introduction of a filter or other separating device in place of the lint filter, for the purpose of removing soap supported solids, as scum curds, etc. Thus, the fluid before recirculation is cleared of a part or all of the residue picked up by the rinse water as it passed through the soapy freshly washed laundry. Such an operation would be highly desirable in the event dry cleaning solutions are to be employed, and special rinsing solutions also employed.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in conjunction with certain parts of apparatus previously developed by me and employing a vertical axis extractor, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, nor to the form illustrated and described, but may be practiced upon various equivalent apparatus, and the apparatus modified as desired. As various changes in procedure and construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claim for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a washing machine, a Wash tub, a centrifugal extractor tub, said tub having a centrifugal extractor basket and axial spray rinsin device rotatably mounted therein, a drain pump having a connection from each of said tubs connected to its inlet, a valve in the connection from said laundry tub, a connection having a valve from said pump having means for delivering the outflow of said pump to the wash tub or a sink drain, a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of rinse water under pressure, and a branch connection leading from said last-named connection between the pump and valve, a threeway valve having two inlet ports connected to said branch connection and said rinse water supply conduit, and an outlet port connected to said axial spray rinsing device.

CHARLES C. SCHEELE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,234,498 Seymour July 24, 1917 1,496,644 Karasinski June 3, 1924 1,542,292 Eddy June 16, 1925 1,787,243 Geldhof Dec. 30, 1930 1,861,244 Schweiterman May 31, 1932 1,890,156 Konig Dec. 6, 1932 2,062,286 Birr Dec. 1, 1936

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