US3121317A - Washing machine with improved tub cover - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 18, 1964 TQMA WASHING MACHINE WITH IMPROVED TUB COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1963 3 m S 7 r M d o T A S S E .J M M M 5 0 9 V 0 5 f a 4 3 T O S 2 W. W T T 8 N A 5 5 o o o 0 S 3 1... 0 0 0 L 9 6 6 2 o o o o S I- E H 4 8 N o O O o .I S o o o o 0 Z Y 6 o o o o B IO\ 3\|O o o O O a I o S 3 Y .I l 8/ "w M B 2 1| l l I G I a m I S o 0 o k F 3 o o o m m a M 7 o 2 3 Q c Q ":1 o o o O O O r 0 r0 o o a Z M o 7 7 7 o 2 O S 6 M 6 Z 6 Z 4 lo 34 a m 3 9 3 I A 4 1 %V Feb. 18, 1964 D. N. TOMA 3,121,317

WASHING MACHINE WITH IMPROVED TUB COVER Filed-May 22, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fl 6.2, Q l

H15 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,121,337 WASHENG lvlACHlNE "Wllll EMPROVED TUB (IUVER Daniel N. Toma, Louisville, Ky, assigns: to General Electric Comps-n, a corporation oi New York Filed May 22, 1963, Ser. No. 262,465 3 @laims. ll. 63-23) This invention relates to clothes washing machines, and more particularly to an improved tub cover structure for such machines.

Clothes washing machines of the type which provide an automatic operation including washing and centrifugal liquid extraction invariably provide an outer tub within which is an inner clothes containing basket. Most machines presently on the market provide for the centrifugal extraction to be provided by spinning the clothes basket on a vertical axis within the outer tub, with both the tub and basket being open at their tops to provide access for an operator to the inside of the basket.

There are many functions which must be provided for in automatic machines of this type, either from necessity insofar as operation is concerned, or from the point of view of making the machine more desirable and thus more readily saleable. These include, for instance, minimizing contact of the operating components of the machine with hot moist air and vapor, filtering of the wash water, minimizing the damage from liquid overflow, and minimizing the possibility that clothes will be passed out or" the clothes basket into the outer tub.

it is an object of my invention to provide an improved cover for the tub of an automatic washing machine which, by virtue of its novel construction, will perform many of the functions heretotore achieved by individual components and will do so by a unitary, economically provided structure.

in carrying out my invention in one form thereof, 1 provide my improved tub cover in a clothes washing machine which, in the usual way, has a stationary outer open-top tub and an open-top clothes basket movably mounted within the tub, but restricted from substantial vertical motion. My invention comprises a unitary molded plastic annular cover member for the tub, with its outer edge secured about the rim of the tub and its inner edge defining an access opening to the basket. The inner edge is formed with a substantially continuous downwardly depending ge extending into vertical adjacency with the top of the basket, thereby to mi iize the problem of clothes passing out of the basket an, into the space between the basket and the outer tub. Preferably, this flange extends upwardly as well as downwardly so as to provide, to a substantial extent, a seal between the operating machinery of the machine and the clothes and water containing portions of the machine.

The cover is also preferably formed with tabs extending upwardly therefrom so that when it is inserted on the tub, and when a cabinet with a separate top is arranged around the ope-rating parts of tae machine, the cabinet top will automatically press the cover down onto the tub so as to secure them together. in addition, in the preferred structure, my improved tub cover provides a special relationship of the water inlet and of an overflow, the cover sloping upwardly from the water inlet to the overflow. in addition, where, as is often the case with presently provided machines, recirculation of the water is provided, my cover may be formed so as to provide part of the discharge nozzle for the recirculated stream or" water, thereby minimizing the cost of this component.

The subject matter which I regard as my invention is part'cularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the "ice concluding portion of this specification. My invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the folloving description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a clothes washing machine including my invention, the view being partly broken away and partly in section to illustrate details;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the machine of FIG- URE 1 with the top part of the cabinet removed;

3 is a view along line 3--3 of FIGURE 2; and

FlGURE 4- is a view along line 4-- l of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown an agitator-type clothes washing machine 1 having a conventional basket or clothes receiving receptacle 2 provided over its side and bottom walls with perforations 3 and disposed within outer iliperforate receptacle or tub 4. Tub 4 serves as a liquid receptacle, the basket and tub together serving in effect as container means for the clothes and liquid in which they are to be washed and rinsed. basket 2 may be provided with a suitable clothes retaining member 5 which aids in preventing clothes from being floated over the top of the basket, as will be further described herebelow, and with a balance ring 6 to help steady the basket when it is rotated at high speed.

Tub d is rigidly mounted within an appearance cabinet "i which includes a cover 8 hingedly mounted in the removable top portion of the cabinet. When cover 8 is lifted, it provides access to an opening Ill to basket 2. The rigid mounting of tub within cabinet 7 may be efiectcd by any suitable means. As a particular example of one such means, l provide strap members ll, each of which is secured at one end to an inturned flange 12 or" the cabinet and at its other to the outside of tub l.

At the center of basket 2,, there is positioned a vertical axis agitator 13 which includes a center post 14 and a plurality of curved water circulating vanes 15' joined at thei lower ends by an outwardly flared skirt lb. Both the clothes basket 2 and the agitator 13 are rotatably mounted. The basket is mounted on a flange 17 of a rotatable hub 15, and the agitator is mounted on a shalt (not shown) which extends upwardly through hub 13 and through center post id, and is secured to the agitator so as to drive it.

During a typical cycle of operation of machine 1, water is introduced into tub 4- and basket 2', and agitator l3 is then oscillated back and forth on its axis, that is, in a horizontal plane within the basket. This causes washing of the clothes by effecting relative motion of the clothes and the liquid, as well as suitable flexing of the fabric of the clothes. Then, after a predetermined period of this washing action, basket 2 is rotated at high speed to extract centrifugally the Washing liquid from the clothes and discharge it to drain. Following this extraction operation clean water is introduced into the baket for rinsing the clothes and the agitator is again oscillated. Finally, the basket is once more rotated to extract the rinse water.

Basket 2 and agitator 13 may be driven through any suitable means. By way of example, i have shown them as driven from a reversing motor 39 through a drive including a clutch Zll mounted on the motor shaft. The clutch allows the motor to start without load and then accept the load as it comes up to speed. A suitable belt 21 transmits power to a transmission assembly 22 through a pulley 213. Thus, depending upon the direction of 3 motor rotation, pulley 23 of transmission 22 is driven in opposite directions.

Transmission 22 is so arranged that it supports and drives both the agitator drive shaft and basket mounting hub 18. When motor 19' is rotated in one direction the transmission causes agitator 13 to oscillate in a substantially horizontal plane within basket 2. Conversely, when motor 19 is driven in the opposite direction the transmission rotates wash basket 2 and agitator 13 together at high speed for centrifugal extraction. While the specific type of transmission mechanism used is not part or" my invention, reference is made to Patent 2,844,225 issued to James R. Hubbard et al. on July 22, 1958, and owned by the General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention. That patent discloses in detail the structural characteristics of a transmission suitable for use in the illustrated machine.

In addition to operating transmission 22 as described, motor 19 also provides a direct drive through flexible coupling 24 to a pump structure generally indicated at 25, which may include two separate pump units 26 and 27 both operated simultaneously in the same direction by motor 19. Pump 26 has an inlet which is connected by a conduit 28 to an opening 29 [formed at the lowermost point of tub 4. Pump 26 also has an outlet which is connected by a conduit 3% to a suitable drain (not shown).

Pump 27 has an inlet connected by a conduit 31 to the interior of tub 4 and an outlet connected by a conduit 32 to an opening 33 formed near the top of tub 4 and which communicates with a nozzle 34-, regarding which a further more specific description will be given herebelow. Each of the pumps 26 and 2 7 is substantially inoperative in the direction of rotation in which it is not used.

Nozzle 34 is positioned for discharge into a filter pan 35 secured on the top portion 36 of agitator 13 so as to be movable therewith. With this structure then, when the motor is rotating so as to provide agitation, pump 27 draws liquid through conduit 31 from tub 4 and discharges it through conduit 32 so that the liquid passes through tub opening 33 and from nozzle 34 into filter pan 35, and then down through a number of small openings 37 provided in the bottom of the filter pan and back into basket 2. In this manner the filter pan 35 with its small openings 37 and its upstanding side wall 38 causes lint which is separated from the clothes during the washing operation to be filtered out of the clothes and thus prevents it from being redeposited on the clothes. This type of structure is more fully described and claimed in Patent 2,481,979 issued to Russell H. Colley on September 13, 1949, and assigned to General Electric Company, owner of the present invention.

The motor 19, clutch 2h, transmission 22, basket 2 and agitator 13 form a suspended washing and centrifuging system which is supported by the stationary structure of the machine so as to permit isolation of the vibrations from the stationary structure. It will be understood that such vibrations occur primarily as a result of high speed spinning of basket 2 with a load of clothes therein, as mentioned above. Any suitable suspension structure may be used which serves to permit movement of the basket within the tub but restricts the basket substantially from vertical motion. One suitable structure includes a bracket member 39 with transmission 22 mounted thereon and motor .19 mounted to the underside thereof. The bracket member in turn is secured to upwardly extending rigid members and each of the two upwardly extending members 4t? is connected to a cable 41 supported at the top of the machine by three pulleys 42, 3, and 44 (FIGURE 2). The three pulleys are mounted on the cabinet as shown so that together they serve to provide a mounting for the suspended system which permits horizontal motion and all rocking motion but which substantially precludes vertical motion. While only a portion of the suspension system is shown in Fl-GURES 1 and 2,

such a vibration isolation system is fully described and claimed in Patent 2,987,189 issued on June 6, 196 1, to iohn M. Evjen and assigned to General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention.

In order to accommodate the movement which occurs between basket 2 and tub 4 without any danger of leakage between them, the stationary tub 4 is joined to the upper part of transmission 22 by a flexible boot member 45. Boot 45 may be of any suitable configuration, many of which are known in the art, to permit relative motion or the parts to which it is joined without leakage therebetween.

The level to which water rises in basket 2 and tub 4 may be controlled by any suitable liquid level sensing means. One typical arrangement for doing this is to provide an opening as in the side or tub 4 adjacent the bottom thereof. Opening 45 is connected through a conduit 47 and a tube 4 3 to a conventional pressure sensitive switch (not shown) which may be positioned in the backsplasher 4 9 of machine 1.. In the conventional manner, as the water rises in basket 2 and tube 4- it exerts increasing pressure on the column of air trapped in tube 4 8. At a predetermined pressure level the column of air then operates the pressure sensitive switch to shut off the water inlet valve generally shown at 51 Valve 5% is adapted to supply hot and cold Water to the machine, the valve being connected respectively to hot and cold water sources (not shown) through conduits 51 and 52. The valve 50 may have solenoids 53 and 54 so tnat energization of solenoid '53 permits passage of hot Water through the valve, energization of solenoid 54 permits passage of cold water through the valve, and energization of both solenoids permits mixing of hot and cold water in the valve and passage of warm water therefrom through the outlet conduit 55 extending from the valve.

The backsplasher 49 may have suitable manual controls such as that shown at 56. Controls 56 are used to control, for instance, washing and spin speeds, water temperature, water level within tub 4- and basket 2, etc., for the washing of different types of fabrics.

Secured to the top of tub 4 is a unitary annular cover member 57 formed of a suitable molded plastic such as, for instance, polypropylene with an appropriate filler. The outer part of cover member 57 is formed with an upwardly extending wall part 58 terminating in an outwardly extending flange 59', the wall 53 and flange 59 being formed so as to cooperate with a gasket 6% to form a seal against the upper edge 61 of tub 4.

The inner edge of cover member 57 terminates in a flange structure which includes an upwardly extending flange 62 and a downwardly extending flange 63. Flange 63 extends down toward retainer member 5 so as to terminate vertically adjacent thereto. This relationship, while there is no actual touching of the parts during proper operation of the machine, will nonetheless serve to virtually eliminate the problem of clothes passing up over the edge of member 5 and then outwardly between tub 4 and basket The upwardly extending flange 62 is so formed that it comes into substantially continuous horizontal engagement with the downwardly extending edge 64 of top portion 9 which forms opening Illl. Since the outer edge of cover member 57 is sealed to the top of the tub as described, this engagement of the inner flange 62 with portion 64 of top member 9 helps close oil. the liquid-containing part of the machine. As a result, the escape of steam and vapor, which naturally result from the use of the machine, will be minimized.

Another aspect of my invention lies in the means of securing tight engagement between cover 57 and the top 61 of tu'o 4. In order to achieve this, the unitary cover 57 has molded into the top thereof a series of circumferentially spaced tabs or projections 65 which extend upwardly from flange 59 and which are each of substantial length and thickness so as to have structural rigidity.

The height of these projections is such that they extend up to a point where they must be pushed down slightly in order for the cabinet top 9 to be secured to the remainder of the cabinet 7. As a result, the cover member 57 is automatically sealed to the top 61 of tub 4- by the positioning of the top part 9 of the cabinet. Again, it will be seen that this is effected by a formation molded integrally with the remainder of cover member 57.

At one position around its circumference the cover member 57 may be formed without the downwardly extending projection 63, and at this point instead it is arranged in cooperative relation with a plastic member 66 secured to and extending from opening 33 in the upper portion of tub below the cover member. Member 66 is formed with sides, one of which is shown at 67 in FiGURE 1, which extend upwardly into engagement with the cover member so as to cooperate therewith to form the nozzle 3 previously mentioned. In other words, once the conduit 32 is brought up to the opening 3 3 and top it is only necessary to provide a simple molded piece of plastic 66 secured to the tub in order to complete the formation of recirculation nozzle 34.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, it will be observed that cover 57 is formed with an opening 63 extending therethrough. Portion 69 of the cover member, which forms the bottom of opening 68, is at a relatively low level with respect to the remainder of the cover member. The molded conduit 55 extending from the valve 50 has a horizontally projecting section 7% which terminates in a flange portion 71 at its top. The base of section 70 of member 55 rests on the flange 59, and the flange 71 of portion 70 extends into engagement with an upwardly extending part 72 of the cover member. In this way the liquid is guided between part 72 and portion 69 so as to pass from member 55 through the cover member and into tub 4. There is an opening 73 at each side of the water inlet formed in cover member 57 so that the inlet 68 actually forms the air gap which is usually re quired by law to be provided in connection with the water inlet system of such machines. It will be seen that by use of the molded member 57, the formation of the water inlet, complete with air gap, is relatively simple compared to the somewhat complex structures which are presently provided.

A further feature included in my improved cover member 57 is an overflow structure, shown in FIGURE 4, and circumferentially spaced from the inlet as shown in FIG- URE 1. This structure includes an opening 74, formed in the base of the outer wall 58, connecting with a member 75 secured in an opening 76 in the wall of tub It will be observed that, except directly at opening 74, the cover member around the opening 74 is at a relatively high level, as shown by the dotted portion 77, when compared with the water inlet portion 69. This means that the cover member slopes upwardly from the water inlet 63 to the overflow 74, thereby insuring that normal splash at the water inlet will not cause liquid to pass out through overflow 74. To the contrary, overflow 74 will be used only in the event of malfunctioning of the machine, and will then serve to pass liquid outside the top of the machine in a position where it is not close to the electrical components of the machine. That is, the liquid will flow onto the floor so as to be visible to the user and serve as a warning.

It will be seen from the foregoing that my invention provides an improved tub cover member which provides many individual advantages which, both individually and together, represent a substantial reduction in the cost of washing machine structures over what is provided today without any loss of function or effectiveness.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention, and I therefore aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

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

1. In a clothes washing machine having a stationary outer open-top tub, an open-top clothes baslcet movably mounted within said tub, and a cabinet enclosing said tub and basket and including a removable top portion: a unitary plastic annular cover member having an outer edge positioned on the rim of said tub and having circumferentially spaced projections extending upwardly from said outer edge and positioned to be engaged by said removable cabinet top when said removable cabinet top is in position whereby said cover member is pressed down onto said tub.

2. In a clothes Washing machine having a stationary outer open-top tub and open-top clothes basket movably mounted within said tub: a unitary plastic annular cover member having an outer edge secured about the rim of said tub and having an inner edge defining an access opening to said basket, said cover member having a water inlet opening formed therethrough and an overflow formed therein circtunferentially spaced from said inlet opening, the cover member being formed to slope circumferentially upwardly from said inlet opening to said overflow.

3. In a clothes washing machine having a stationary outer open-top tub, an open-top clothes basket movably mounted within said tub, and a recirculation conduit for recirculating liquid from the bottom of said tub back to the top thereof: a plastic annular cover member having an outer edge secured about the rim of said tub and having an inner edge defining an access opening to said basket; and means forming a nozzle for reeciving liquid from said recirculation conduit and ejecting said liquid into said basket, said cover member being formed to provide the top of said nozzle, and a separate plastic member being secured to said tub and engaging the underside of said cover member to form the bottom of said nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,709,908 Altorfer June 7, 1955 2,868,006 Tingley Ian. 13, 1959 2,903,216 Cazzaniga Mar. 29, 1960 3,027,741 Bullock Apr. 3, 1962

Claims (1)

1. IN A CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE HAVING A STATIONARY OUTER OPEN-TOP TUB, AN OPEN-TOP CLOTHES BASKET MOVABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID TUB, AND A CABINET ENCLOSING SAID TUB AND BASKET AND INCLUDING A REMOVABLE TOP PORTION: A UNITARY PLASTIC ANNULAR COVER MEMBER HAVING AN OUTER EDGE POSITIONED ON THE RIM OF SAID TUB AND HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED PROJECTIONS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID OUTER EDGE AND POSITIONED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID REMOVABLE CABINET TOP WHEN SAID REMOVABLE CABINET TOP IS IN POSITION WHEREBY SAID COVER MEMBER IS PRESSED DOWN ONTO SAID TUB.

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