US2816429A - Automatic washer-dryer - Google Patents

Description

E. KURLANCHEEK. AUTOMATIC WASHER-DRYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 17, 1957 Filed April 29,' 1955 Dec- 17, 1957 E. KURLANCHEEK 2,816,429

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' I AUTOMATIC WASHER-DRYER Filed April 29, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. /4

L MMR ERW/N KURLANGHEEK" l vmf ATTORNEYS United States Patient@ AUTOMATIC WASHER-DRYER Erwin.Kurlanchek,'Kingston, Pa.

Application April 29',`1955,.Serial No. 504,960

11` Claims. (Cl. 68-19)' This vinvention relates' to a' combination automatic washer and dryer and more particularly to a unithaving se'parat'elw'asher "and dryer units ywith the appropriate' associated powervand` control means all mounted on or in`4 a-single fhousing.

The combination automatic washer and dryer units presently 'available-have onlya single tub or 'drum in whi'chfthewashing is rst performed and then the drying. Oneof the obvious drawbacks to this arrangement is that only one washing may-be handled' at a time. If the'total time for-acomplete 'washing and drying cycle were l hour and ZOminutes then threeloads would require-atleast'four hours. This time can bel considerably reduced-*by employing -a'unit having'separate washer anddryerportiohs so that they may bel simultaneously in'opeirationi In vadditionithere' are many peculiar problms-'iaris'ingfwhen the same tub or drum is used for both'washing and drying.

In view'of` the above, it 'is one object of this `invention to provide a combination automatic washer and dryer having separate units for the washing 'and drying with means for automatically moving the clothes fromk th'ewashing unit'into the drying unit.

Another object of this invention 'is to provide a washing 'unit in'which the 'washing action' is. produced' bya pressuriz'ed'stream of water which is directedinto the wash' tub so as to develop'y a water motion acting to.-

produce`r an effective cleaning action.

A* further object is to provide a washing ,unit as described above'wherein the wash tub has an upsta'nding con`elike` protrusion centrally positioned inthe bottom thereof which aids'in developing `the desired wash water;

mOtiOilL Yet another object is to provide'a washingmachine in which the usual power means used to agitate the wash water and spin the wash tub are eliminated.

A still'further object of this invention is to provide.

rotatably mounted wash tub with buckets on its, outer surface upon which wateris .idirectedaby anozzle so as to spin theV tub for purposes of extracting-.water fromthe clothes therein Anotherl object is` -to provide acombination automatic washerand dryer which iis sturdy, .economical-to. operate and -may be manufactured at a1 .veryv' lowvv` cost.

A..furtherobjectof this :inventionis the provisionV of combination .Washer and dryer. as described. inthe: previous objectsl wherein thef washer'v and.. dryer may bef manufactured -as separate `operating units and are adapted to bewcom'binedrto produce a combinationmachine.

Further'.objectsandadvantages of this invention will b'e'come I apparentfrom Vthe following' detailed `description of a preferredembodimenty when takenfin conjunction With the following drawings, wherein:

Fig;I l1 is a: vertical cross-section .ofA the combination machineshowingl the relative-positions of the. majorr elements; t

Fig--2 is a-partialsectiontaken alongli'ne 22 of 2,816,429 Patented Dec. 17, 1957 ICC 2l' Fig; 1 showing-details of thebrake means usedjto retain the wash tubshaft in position;

Fig- -3 is a horizontal vsectional View Ytaken-along line 3-3 of-'Figql showing the washtub; andl the-,water feed nozzle;

Fig; 4 is a sectional view taken -alongbroken line 4`-4 of Fig. 1 showing details of the drying zdrum'jin plan;

Fig. 5 is a side' elevation ofY a portion of Fig. 4 showingrth'e clutchv means associatedy with the dryerdrum shaft;

Fig. v6 is-'a side elevational view ofthe dryer drurnA and itsl mounting; 1

Fig.-7 is Aa cross-section taken along li'ne 7-'-7 `of Fig; 6 showing the position of the solenoid inthe dryer drum;

Fig- 8 "is a cross-section taken along line. 8+8 jof Fig. 6 showing details of the doors mounted in' thedrum;

Fig. 9 is a cross-section. taken along i line 9l-9 of Fig. 6 showing v the sliding doors and/the door return means;

Fig.V 10V is a cross-section similar to that of VFi`g.k9`with the dryer drum doors open;

Fig. ll vis a cross-section taken along linel 11i-11 vof -Fig. 9.y showing the channel means for` guidinggthel drum "doors;

:i prises a housing adapted to support separate washngand dryingwunits mounted in vertical relationshiplwithlthe washer on top. The washingand rinsingis. accomplished by-r jet action, that is, the. water. isrecirculated..under pressure and ejected through;A a.` nozzle,.into,v the, wash tub to produce an agitation of the wash or rinserwater. The Wash tubis mounted. onA a yball,.bearing.,supporting means for spinning action. in spinidryingithe clothes. After `the spin drying, the vwashingportionof the unit is drainedand the wash tub is invertedtddumpi the clothes in the dryerpositioned directly therebeneath.,` Afterv this the clothes are dried and arethen readyforineuronal.v

As shown in Figs.y l and 13 of. the drawings,..this.-,aut o matic washerand. dryer comprisesa housing generally .designated las 10 which is` divided into: an upperzwashing chamber 12..and a lower drying, chamber 14. A wash tub. assembly16 is mountedHin-.thelupuper chamber 12. This. .assembly comprises an outer tub-.18. and. aninner perforated-:tub 20 having., an .inturned ',upwardlyextendingflip 22, which servesto keep. the.clo.thes :inthe..tub duringgthe. washing and spin. dryingoperations.; Azplurality of turbine buckets 24 are securedftoatherlower portion ofthe outside wall of thezzouter,wbr-18,; The outer tub has a lcentrallyT upstanding-V., somewhat-fcone-:like elementlt and is adapted to vnest witlrsimilarlyashaped portion; 28 ofinner.` tub 20,.these.ftubs being-suitably secured together.

Af-ball bearing mounting assembly 30l encircles't-andfis secured `.to .theouter wall of the outertubapproximately midway up the. Wall. A pair of aligned'horizontal shafts 32` and .34=are secured to and extend diametricalllyout from the outer race of the ball bearing assembly.A 3.0. These shafts are rotatably carried by suitable.. hearings` 3.6 secured to. the housing 10.v

A solenoid operated brake 4,0v is assembled ,ongthe shaft 32.to.hold the latter in iixed position duringy certain ,cycles of the washing. and drying. As shown in ldetailirrFig.,2,

. tight housing 70.

' water at the desired temperature.

the brake 40 comprises a pair of brake shoes 42 hinged at one side so that they may swing over shaft 32. A bolt 44 extends through holes in the free ends of the shoes and has a spring 46 surrounding one end of it so as to exert a force tending to maintain the brake in contact with the shaft. A bracket 48 secures the brake to the housing 10. A solenoid 50 is mounted on the housing 10 and has an arm 52 with a bent portion adapted to t between one end of the spring 46 and the upper face of the upper brake shoe so that upon energization of the solenoid the spring will be retracted thus freeing shaft 32.

The upper washing chamber 12 and the lower drying chamber 14 are separated by a transverse partition generally designated 54, see Fig. 1. This partition comprises a fixed panel section 56 with a rectangular opening 58 which is closed by doors 60, 60 as best shown in Fig. 3.

, These doors are slidably carried in channels 62 and are opened by solenoids 64 whose armatures 66 are suitably attached to the `doors 60. Coil springs 68 are positioned in the channels and are adapted to be compressed when the doors are opened and expand to close the doors when the solenoids are de-energized.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 12, motor M which is the only means used to furnish power for the entire washer-dryer, is mounted on the upper face of partition 54 in a water A pump P is also mounted on the upper surface of partition 54.' A shaft 72 extends from each end of the motor M, one end extending across the wash chamber to the pump P. This pump is a high speed pump g adapted to develop a reasonably high water pressure through the conduit means associated with it.

As best shown in Fig. 1 the discharge side 74 of the pump s connected to a pipe 76 having a side outlet forming a nozzle 78 which directs water under pressure against the turbine buckets 24 to spin the wash tub. Pipe section 80 is swivelly mounted on pipe 76 at point 82, and terminates in a nozzle 84 which directs the water axially into the wash tub. An electric heating coil 86 surrounds a portion of pipe section 80 so as to maintain the wash Pump P also has an inlet 88 for taking the water from the washing chamber and pumping it either through pipe 76 or through drain outlet 90 when it is desired to empty the washing chamber.

The flow of water through the various pipes is controlled by solenoid operated valves. Solenoid operated valve 92 controls the flow of water through drain outlet 90, valve 94 controls the flow through pipe 76 and valve 96 controls ow through turbine nozzle 78. The sequence in which all of these valves operate is controlled by the master timing cam mechanism which is of conventional design and forms no part of this invention.

As shown in Figs. l2 and 13, the means for inverting the wash tub includes a worm 1150 freely carried on shaft 72 and held against movement toward motor M by collar 102 which is secured to the shaft. Worm 100 meshes with worm wheel 104 on the shaft 110 of sprocket 106. A bearing 108 aixed to the housing supports shaft 110. A sprocket 112 is lixed on shaft 34 and a sprocket chain 114 tits around sprockets 112 and .106 to act as the power connecting means therebetween. The worm 180 has a clutch face portion 116 which is adapted to engage a similar face 118 on clutch member 120 splined on the Vshaft 72 for sliding movement back and forth. This movement is effected by means of a spring biased solenoid unit. The solenoid 122 has an armature 124 with a fork 126 adapted to tit over the clutch member 120. The armature 124 is held in the extended position by means of spring 12S attached to post 130. Energization of solenoid 122 causes the armature 124 to move toward motor M and engage clutch member 121i with the clutch face 116 of worm 1G0, thus causing it to rotate and impart motion through worm wheel 184, sprocket 106, chain 114 and sprocket 112 to rotate shaft 34 and thereby slowly invert the wash tub, continued rotation bringing the tub back to its upright position. The entire mechanism for inverting the wash tub is covered by a watertight housing 129.

The lower drying chamber 14 contains a rotatably mounted dryer drum assembly 130. As shown in Figs. l, 4 and 6, the drum assembly comprises a horizontal perforated drum 132 having a rim element 134 on the periphery of each end which rides in grooved rollers 136 to rotatably carry the drum. The back end of the drum is closed and has secured thereto and extending therefrom a shaft 13S which passes through the housing 1i) and has a pulley 140 fixed on its outer end. This pulley is connected to pulley 144 on motor shaft 72 by belt 142. This belt and pulley arrangement is covered by a housing 146.

The forward end of the dryer drum has a circular opening 143 surrounded by a flange 150 which telescopes anged circular member 152 secured to the front housing Wall 10 to form a seal for the drum end and an opening adapted to receive the ydoor member.

As best shown in Fig. 4, the dryer drum has a rectangular opening generally designated as 154 which is closed by two circumferentially sliding doors 156, 158. The drum has a grooved portion extending peripherally from both sides of the opening 154. The doors also have similar grooves 162 to allow them to be retracted. The doors 156 and 158 slide in guides 166 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6 and also shown in section in Figs. 9, 10 and ll. These guides are formed by suitably securing channels 164 to the inside wall of the drum.

A solenoid 168 is mounted in the groove 160 on each side of the opening 154. An enlarged section showing the solenoid in groove 160 is shown in Fig. 7. The solenoid armatures 170 have their free ends attached to the doors so that energization will retract the armatures and open the doors. Upon de-energization of the solenoids, the doors are closed by springs 172 suitably fastened to the doors and to post 174. The drum is shown with the doors open in Fig. 10.

The 'dryer drum is equipped with a plurality of protuberances 176 which extend inwardly from the inside Wall thereof and serve to aid in tumbling the clothes during the drying process. The drum is also furnished with a weight member 178 which causes the door portion of the drum to always stop facing upwardly in registration with the partition opening 58. Power to operate the solenoids is furnished by means of a slip ring assembly 180.

As previously described power to rotate the dryer drum is furnished through pulley 144 and belt 142 to pulley 144) on shaft 138. A conventional spring return solenoid operated clutch assembly 182 serves to connect the dryer drum to the rotating pulley 140 and shaft 138. Upon energization of the solenoid the clutch faces are engaged to thereby impart rotation to the drum and upon de-energization the spring return causes the clutch face to be disengaged.

The bottom of the drying chamber 14 has a channel 192 extending fore and aft generally coextensive with the length of the dryer drum, see Figs. 1 and 4. This channel acts as a lint trap and as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 a discharge pipe 194 is connected to pump outlet 90 and this channel, so that the discharged wash water may be used to wash the lint collected therein out through channel outlet 196. In order to avoid the water entering the drying chamber during thisaction, the channel is closed by a sliding door 198. This door is operated by a solenoid and spring arrangement wherein a solenoid 200 having an armature 202 is energized to open the door 198 and upon de-energization the door is closed by spring 204.

The drying chamber is equipped with a suitable heating element 286 which is mounted on the inside wall of the housing as shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 a thermostatic mixing valve is mounted in the housing so as to furnish wash water of the proper temperature.

A perspective view of the housing 10 is shown in engages Fia 14 gwhiehffit .should Ibenotedthatdoor 1.59 `altering :access to the washing ehannber .is .hinged .at v 152 so that upon being swung upwardly and backwardly vaportion .of .the .front .and a portion .of ,the top ,are opened. This feature .makes yit easier .to .introdotte .the .clothes y.into the wash tub..

'1t kis eontemplatesl that this .machine will-ibeeontrolled .by a plurality lof .n.raster timing var rrrnaerl .in Aa .unit .of eonuentiofnal ,type and A constan .ntly no v.s peeilie show- 'ins .of this .oontrol .means has .been .shown- In operation, the controls are set as desired, the clothes plagen .inthe tnb iand .the motor M started. The water at ...the desired temperature .enters the washing chamber 1.2 eh thermostatie valve .199 and .tows in through punrp inlet .88 'into the pnrnp .P. At this .stage valt/e915 .in Home '7.8 and valve ,99 in pntnp outlet 90 are closed and valve 94 in pipe 76 ,is open so that the water lloyvs through pipe 7.o; pipe 80 and out nozzle 84 Vinto the inner .wash .tub .29. .After .the preserlbeo amount of Water enters ,the washing chamber the thermostatio valve is closed and thewashing action continues for the proper time cycle.

The wash .water leaves the nozzle .underhigh pressure and strikes the raised portion 28 of the inner tub to produce a rolling-motion to the vwaterfin the tub. As indicated -bythe arrows in Fig. l the water follows Atheeurved bottom portion and then the wa'llto rform what might be termed a rotating annulus of water. The clothes are caught up in this water and develop a similar motion. Excess water in the tub is spilled over the upper edge of tub 18, the inturned portion 22 holding the clothes in the tub 20.

In addition, it is contemplated that valve 96 may be opened slightly to allow a small amount of water to ow through nozzle 78 and strike the turbine buckets 24 to impart a slow rotation to the wash tub assembly.

The spring biased solenoid operated brake assembly 40 is held in engagement with the tub shaft 32 to aid in holding the tub assembly in position.

After the washing cycle is completed, the wash water is directed through nozzle 78 by opening valve 96 and closing valves 92 and 94. The action of the water striking the turbine buckets 24 imparts a high speed rotation to the tub assembly thereby removing the water from the clothes. After spinning the clothes so that they are damp-dry the wash water is discharged from the washing chamber by closing valves 94 and 96 and opening valve 92 so that water will flow through pipe 194 into channel 192 and out discharge pipe 196. During this operation the door 198 closes o the channel from the drying chamber and as soon as the water is completely discharged the door 198 is opened by energizing solenoid 200 to retract the armature 202 secured to the door. After this the rinsing operations take place which are nothing more than a repeat of the washing operation on a shorter cycle.

After the clothes have been rinsed, spun dry, and the water removed from the washing chamber, they are then placed in the dryer by the following means. The dryer doors 156 and 158 are opened by energizing solenoids 168, 168 and partition doors 60, 60 are opened by energizing solenoids 64, 64. With both sets of doors open the tub assembly is inverted by energizing solenoid 50 of tub shaft braking assembly 40 to release the shaft 32 so that it will be free to rotate. After this, `solenoid 122 is energized to connect rotating shaft 72 with the tub shaft 34 so as to rotate the tub. The timing is so set that upon 180 rotation of shaft 34, solenoids 122 and 50 are de-energized so that the rotational power is removed from the shaft 34 and brake assembly 40 again engages shaft 32 to hold the tub assembly in the inverted position. With the tub in the inverted position the clothes are dumped into the dryer drum, after which solenoids 50 and 122 are again energized so that the tub may be brought to the upright position whereupon they are again de-energized. After this solenoids 1,63. .195.8 ,and 6.4, :64 are 4.ole-eliersaed .thereby allowing .the .dryer doorsansl the, vdoors 'to-elose.`

Upon .the return .of `tlre tub .assembly ...to .the .upright Aposition tnewashine n, .rearlyfortne .washvrAftertlre clothes na. been ,nrnpeql in the dryer darm, .the heaterelernent 2.0.6 is t d This .is asoonrnlisned by sizing the solenni gluten 1.8.,2 lto .elose .Sartre ,so the rot '.o.11.of. sl1af .t..13.8 is .imparted to the ornrn Upon completion of .the drying eyele the solenoid opetateoelntoh .1821s .de-.energizerl'arrd the dryer slrnnroeases to .rotatareturning to position .so that ythe doors are faoins upward 4under 'the lnlusnoe of weight 1.7.8- This `completes washing and drying eyole.-

It is contemplated `that this .combination washer and dryer maybe manufactured and `sold as two separate units that may be combined tomake up the combined machine.

This feature should appeal to nboth .the seller `and lthe buyer since it is conceivable someone might jneed only a washer or dryer.

1t is obvious ythatvthis combination automatic washer ,and dryer has solved the problems normally found in `combination Washer-dryers'using the `same tub or drum -for both operations. 1n addition, this machine kuses a single power source, namely, one electric motor and should 'be economical to manufacture.

I claim:

n1. A combination washer and dryer comprising: a housing, a partition separating the housing into an upper washing chamber which holds the wash water and a lower drying chamber, a wash tub pivotally mounted in the upper chamber for inversion about a horizontal axis, said wash tub having its open end upward, the partition having an opening of such size that clothes dumped from the wash tub, when it is inverted, will readily pass therethrough, a closure member mounted on the partition for closing the partition opening, a dryer drum rotatably mounted in the lower chamber for rotation about a horizonal axis, said dryer drum having an opening adapted to be positioned beneath the partition opening, and closure means on the dryer drum for closing the drum opening.

2. The device as described in claim 1 and including a pump mounted in the washing chamber, a nozzle positioned over the open end of the wash tub and adapted to direct water which is under pressure into said tub, and conduit means connecting the pump to the nozzle.

3. The device as described in claim 2 wherein the wash tub comprises a cup-shaped tub and a cone-like upstanding projection centrally positioned in the bottom of the tub, said projection adapted to deflect wash water directed thereon by the nozzle to produce an inwardly rotating annulus of wash water within the tub.

4. The device as described in claim 3 wherein the Wash tub is mounted in a horizontal bearing assembly which encircles and is secured to the outer wall of the tub and is supported by the housing so that the tub will be free to` spin about a vertical axis, aplurality of turbine buckets xed on and encircling the tub outer wall, and an outlet extending from the conduit means connecting the pump and nozzle, said outlet being angularly directed at the buckets so as to direct water against the bucket members to impart a spin to the tub.

5. The device as described in claim 4 wherein the conduit means and the outlet each have valves therein adapted to selectively control the flow of water therethrough.

6. A combination washer and dryer comprising: a housing, a generally horizontal partition dividing the housing into an upper washing chamber and a lower drying chamber, a wash tub assembly within the upper chamber having an open end facing upwardly, a horizontal bearing assembly secured to and encircling the outside of the tub assembly and supported by the housing so that the tub assembly may spin freely about a vertical axis, a pair of supporting shafts extending diathe shafts so that the tub assembly may be inverted,

means engaging the shaft on one side of the tub assembly to hold said tub assembly in a stationary position, a plurality of bucket members secured to and encircling the outer wall of the tub assembly, a pump mounted in the washing chamber, a nozzle positioned over the open end of the tub assembly, conduit means connecting the pump to the nozzle, an outlet extending from the conduit means, said outlet being angularly directed at the buckets so as to project water against the bucket members to impart a spinning motion to the tub assembly, motor means connected to one of the wash tub assembly supporting shafts to invert the tub assembly, the aforementioned partition having an opening of such a size that clothes dumped from the tub when it is inverted will readily pass therethrough, a closure member carried on the partition for closing the opening, means connected to the closure member for opening and closing it, a dryer drum horizontally and rotatably mounted in the lower chamber, said dryer drum having an opening to pass the clothes from the tub assembly, a closure means for the drum opening, means connected to the closure means for opening and closing it, and said motor means connected to the dryer drum for rotating it.

7. The device as described in claim 6 wherein the wash tub assembly comprises a' cup-shaped outer'tub and' a perforated cup-shaped inner tub securedy to andwithin the outer tub.

8. The device as described in claim 7 wherein the conduit means and the outlet eachv have valves adapted to selectively control the passing of water therethrough.

9. The device as described in claim 8 wherein the dryer drum has a weight secured to it at a point diametrically opposite from the drum opening so that said opening will always face upwardly when the dryer drive is not in motion.

l0. The device as described in claim v8 wherein the inner tub has a raised cone-like portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion, so that the nozzle is adapted to direct the Wash water down on this raised portion to produce an inwardly rotating annular mass of wash Water in the inner tub.

1l. The device as described in claim 10 whereinthe means engaging the shaft on one side of the tub assembly comprises a solenoid Opened, spring-biased brake assembly.

References Cited iii the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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