US3447174A - Laundry apparatus or the like - Google Patents

Description

June 3; 1969 R. R. CANDOR ETAL 3,447,174

- LAUNDRY APPARATUS on THE LIKE Filed May s, 1967 v I Sheet of 5 TORS FIG. 2 ROBEE T 'A CANDOR 8. JAMES T. CANDOR THEIR ATTORNEYS June 3, 1969 R. R. CANDOR ET AL 3,447,174

LAUNDRY APPARATUS OR THE LII (E Filed May 5-, 1967 o o o 0 of INVENTORS ROBERT R. CANDOR a JAMES T. CANDOR THEIR ATTORNEYS June 3, 1969 R. R. CANDOR ET AL 3,447,174

LAUNDRY APPARATUS OR THE LIKE Filed May 5, 1967 Sheet 3 of 5 INVENTORS ROBERT R. CANDOR 8| JAMES T. CANDOR THEIR ATTORNEYS June 3, 1969 CANDQR ET AL 3,447,174

LAUNDRY APPARATUS OR THE LIKE Filed May a, 1967 Sheet 4 of 5 INVENTORS ROBERT R. CANDOR 8; JAMES T. CANDOR FIG.I5 4 Mia THEIR ATTORNEYS June 3, 1969 R. R. CANDOR ET L 3,447,174

LAUNDRY APPARATUS OR THE LIKE Filed May 5, 1967 Sheet 5 INVENTORS ROBERT R. CANDOR a JAMES T. CANDOR HG 4 Quin /@444".

THEIR ATTORNEYS United States Patento 3,447,174 LAUNDRY APPARATUS OR THE LIKE Robert R. Candor, 5940 Munger Road 45459, and James I. Candor, 5540 Cynthia Lane 45429, both of Dayton, Ohio Filed May 3, 1967, Ser. No. 635,848 Int. Cl. B08b /00; D06f 29/02; F26b 3/06 US. Cl. 8158 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to improved means for treating laundry or the like by tumbling the laundry in a supporting and rotating drum-like member and causing fluid to be forced through the laundry while the same is being compressed between the supporting drum and a nozzle means disposed within the drum, the nozzle means either forcing the fluid from the nozzle means through the compressed laundry or drawing the fluid through the laundry into the nozzle means.

This invention relates to a washing machine with a surface effect air pressure or suction baflle means.

The invention is applicable to washing or dry cleaning and the like. These terms .are used herein interchangeably.

A feature of this invention includes means for applying air pressure for agitating, wringing, and evaporatively drying clothes and other laundry or materials in a washing machine, or a dry cleaning machine.

Another feature of this invention includes the use of a surface effect, or ground effect, air pressure baflle for agitating the clothes and other laundry or other materials during the washing, wringing, and evaporatively drying the clothes, etc.

Another feature of this invention includes the use of a flexible air trapping baffle for producing such washing, wringing, and drying operation.

Another feature of this invention includes the use of a rigid baflle means on the perforated drum to cooperate with the air trapping bafile for the purpose of washing, wringing, and evaporatively drying the clothes and other laundry, or materials.

Another feature includes the use of the foregoing features for the purpose of dry cleaning the clothes.

Another feature of this invention is to provide a nozzle means for direct contact with the laundry to cause fluid flow directly through the contacted laundry and nozzle means.

Other features of this invention are apparent from this description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claimed subject matter.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of this invention, partly in cross section.

FIGURE 2 is a cross section transverse to FIGURE 1, in vertical cross section.

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 and showing the perforated drum in another position.

FIGURE 4 is a detailed view of one embodiment of the surface effect pressure baffle.

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal, horizontal cross section of the bafile supporting portion of FIGURES 14.

FIGURE 6 is an embodiment somewhat similar to FIGURES 14, and using a substantially circular surface effect bafile and/or a close centering drum construction.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross section of the circular plate of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic showing of a combined water pump and air blower for circulating air and/or water through the surface effect baffle.

FIGURE 9 is a cross section of a rear support for an eccentrically supported rotatable bafile and cylindrical drum.

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken on line 10-10 of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic transverse cross section of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of this invention and is taken on line 12-12 of FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 1313 of FIGURE 12 and illustrates the apparatus in one of its operating positions.

FIGURE 14 is a view similar to FIGURE 13 and illustrates the apparatus in another operating position thereof.

FIGURE 15 is a schematic view illustrating a valving function of the apparatus of FIGURE 12.

Referring first to FIGURES 1-5, a stationary, imperforate, cylindraceous outer drum 20 is provided to retain washing or dry cleaning liquid for washing, dry cleaning, or otherwise treating materials such as laundry or articles to be washed and/or dry cleaned. An inner cylindraceous, perforate drum 22 is rotatably mounted in the stationary drum 20, within which the articles to be treated, 24, are placed. These articles may be introduced into and removed from the apparatus through an .access opening 26, which may be placed at one end of the drums 20 and 22 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Such opening 26 may be provided with suitable covering or door means, also well known to those skilled in the art, for the purpose of retaining the articles to be treated and the liquid introduced therein, also .as is well known to those skilled in the art.

Under certain conditions the drum 20 may be rotatable, but for the purpose of brief description it may be referred to as a stationary drum, with the understanding that, under certain conditions, the drum 20 may be rotatable.

A surface effect air pressure applying bafile 28 may be placed in the perforated drum 22 and may be so mounted that it can rotate simultaneously with such drum 22. In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-4, such baflle 28 may be provided with a relatively rigid plate support 30, which may be supported or secured to one or both of the end members of the rotatable drum 22. For example, such plate may be secured to the end wall 32 of the rotatable drum 22. A similar wall 34 may be provided at the other end of the drum 22, and such wall may have an access opening 36 for introduction and removal of clothes and the like, as is obvious to those skilled in the art.

The plate 30 may also be secured to the other end wall 34, which may be the front end wall of the perforate drum 22, which may be provided with an access opening 36, of the character heretofore described. As shown in FIGURE 5, the plate support 30 may be secured to the rotatable end walls 32 and 34, so that the plate 30 rotates with the drum 32.

A flexible, air pressure applying curtain 38 may be secured to the plate 30 in such a manner that the curtain 38 tends to hang downwardly from the plate 30, when the plate 30' is in its lowermost position, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The curtain 38 may be a single curtain, or a double curtain, depending how the central part of the curtain is produced. The outer edges 40, FIGURE 4, may be secured to the outer edges 42 of the plate 30. The inner edges 44 of the curtain 38 may be united together, if desired, or they may be separately secured to a central air distributing bar 46, which is provided with a central conduit 48, which has one or more branches 50 with one or more openings 52 for distributing the air to the interior or interiors 54 of the curtain 38. The curtain 38 may have small openings 56 for permitting the air to discharge from the interior or interiors 54 into the central plenum portion 58 of the curtain 38.

The curtain 38 may have end closures 60, FIGURE 5, to retain the air in the interior or interiors 54.

The central conduit 48 of the plate support 30 may be connected to a compressed air supply pipe 62, which may have an offset portion 64 connected to a central portion 66, which may be connected to an air supply means to be described.

If desired, a rigid longitudinal baffle 68 may be provided on the drum 22 on the rear or following side of the curtain 38, it being understood that the drum 22, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, rotates in a counterclockwise direction. The purpose of the baffle 68 is to cooperate with the curtain 38 to cause the articles to be treated to form into an accumulation 24, as indicated by the dotted line 70 in FIGURE 2, which is partly under the curtain 38 in the position shown in FIGURE 2, to cause such accumulation of clothes 24 to rise with the curtain 38 on the right hand of FIGURE 2 and to continue completely around with the curtain 38 until it reaches some position on the falling side, as shown in FIGURE 3, where the clothes may fall partly or Wholly from the curtain 38, as indicated by the line 72.

The curtain 38 is of such a character that it tends to retain compressed air from the pipe construction 62-66 to press the curtain 38 downwardly to form lobes 74, which tend to press the clothes downwardly against perforated drum 22 and also allow the compressed air to discharge from the lobes 74 into the central plenum part 58 of the curtain construction and then through the clothes and through the openings 76 in the drum 22. The air then may be allowed to escape, such as through a discharge pipe 78, which may be vented to any desired place, such as to the exterior of the building in which the apparatus is being used, if desired.

The pipe 62-66 may be supplied with compressed air, which, if desired, may also be heated. For example, the pipe 66 may pass through a packing box or the like, 80, of well-known construction, which allows the pipe section 66 to rotate with the drum 22 and allows the stationary pipe section 82 to be stationary and to be connected to the air compressor 84. The construction is such that the compressor 84 may supply compressed air through the stationary pipe 82, packing box 80, to the rotatable part 66 of the supply sections 62, 64, 66. If desired, the pipe 82 may pass through or be a part of a chamber 86, which may be heated by an electric heater 88, which heats the air which is pumped by the pump 84 and supplies the same in heated condition to be caused to pass through the clothes 24 and dry the same at the proper time. The electric heater 88 may be automatically controlled by a timer operated switch 90, which energizes the heater during the desired time of the washing operation to produce the drying action. Additionally, the heater 88 may be controlled by the thermostatic switch 92, which may be responsive to the air temperature in the chamber 86, such as by a thermostatic bulb 94.

The perforated drum 22 may be driven at a suitable rotational speed, such as to cause the tumbling action heretofore described, and which is diagrammatically indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3. For example, such drum 22 may be rotated by the motor 96, which actuates a speed reduction transmission 98, of any well-known construction, and which may be manually or automatically adjustable, so that it drives the rotatable shaft 100, which partly or wholly supports the drum 22 and drivingly rotates the same. The shaft 100 may be rotated within the bearing 102, which is connected to the rear wall 104 of drum 20.

The drum 20 may be provided with a front wall 106,

having an opening 108 for insertion and removal of articles to be treated.

The openings 36 and 108 of FIGURE 5 may be provided with suitable sealing means and cover means, which are well known in the art, and which need not be specifically disclosed herein.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 6, the inner drum 22 may be a perforated drum somewhat similar to the drum 22 heretofore described, except that it may have reduced or tapered Wall 109 and 110, which cause the clothes to be moved toward the longitudinal center of the apparatus, directly under a circular plate support 30A, which is supported within the drum 22A to rotate therewith, in a manner substantially similar to that described in connection with drum 22. The drum 22A may be provided with a ibafile 68A, which may extend throughout the length of the drum 22 or may be less wide at the central part than at the ends 112, as desired.

The bafiie 68A may have higher wall ends, as shown at 112 in FIGURE 6. The outer drum 20A of FIGURE 6 may have slanting Walls 114, similar to slanting walls 109 and of the inner drum 22.

The curtain 38A may be similar to the curtain 38, except that the curtain 38A may be circular in horizontal cross section at all parts thereof, [including the plate 30A.

The supply pipe 62A may enter the plate 30A and may discharge into any part of the curtain 38A, without the necessity of a distributing device, since the air can circulate completely around the interior of the curtain 38A.

The inner edge 44A, FIGURE 7, of the curtain 38A may be provided with an opening which is covered by a perforated wall 115, which may be a perforated plate or a wire mesh construction, which may be resiliently supported from the plate 30A by any spring construction 116, which permits the inner edge 44A to rise and fall slightly as desired. Openings 56A may be provided, if desired, to correspond to openings 56 of the previous figures, or they may be omitted.

The plate 30A may be supported by any suitable means from the end walls of the drum 22A. For example, the pipe 62A may be constucted to be supported from the end wall 32A of the drum 22A. A suitable rod 118 may extend from the plate 30A to the front end wall of the rotatable drum 22A such front wall not being shown, but which may be otherwise similar to the front wall 34 of FIGURE 5, except of smaller diameter, in corresponding fashion to rear wall 32A because of the slanting walls 109 and 110.

The outer drums 20 and 20A may be provided with a suitable drain 120 at the bottommost part, which may be connected to a drain valve 122. This valve 122 may be solenoid operated to open and close at the proper time. The valve 122 may be connected to a water pump 124, the discharge portion 126 of which may be connected by a suitable flexible hose or the like to a drain or laundry tub, as is obvious.

In the operation of FIGURE 1, clothes may be introduced through the openings 36 and 108 and the various parts of the apparatus may be controlled by a suitable timer in the usual manner which controls the desired operation of the various parts of the machine. The timer may cause the drum '22 to be rotated at a slow speed, such that it allows the articles to be washed or cleaned to be caught by the baffle 68 and be accumulated at 70 under the curtain 38, when the parts reach the lowermost position of FIGURE 2. The curtain 38 contacts the top of a portion of the clothes 24 in some such manner as indicated by the dotted line 70 of FIGURE 2, so that the compressed air from the pipes 66, 64, and 62 enters the lobes 54 of the curtain 38 and passes through the openings 56 into the cleaning chamber 58 from whence the air is forced through the clothes 24 and may pass out through openings 76 to the drum 20 and out through the discharge pipe 78 to the exterior.

.During the initial washing operation, no compressed air need be introduced into the baffle 28 and, the baflle 68 may lift and drop the clothes during the washing operation. On the other hand, if desired, air may introduced into the curtain 38 during the washing operation and this will aid in the lifting and dropping of the clothes from and into the water at the bottom of the apparatus. The valve 122 is closed during this time.

The drain valve 122 may be opened, and the pump 124 operated, if necessary. The liquid is then drained from the tub 20. The tub 22 may be rotated or allowed to cOntinue to rotate with the curtain 38 inflated by the compressed air. This action lifts and drops the clothes as indicated respectively by the FIGURES 2 and 3 so that different parts of the clothes are subjected to the compressed air from the curtain 38 repeatedly. The action can continue indefinitely to a complete drying of the clothes. The compressed air may be heated continuously, or only during the time of the evaporative drying of the clothes, when the switch 90 may be closed, to energize the heater 88 for the desired time, with or without automatic cycling by the thermostat 92.

Substantially the same action takes place in the embodiment of FIGURES 6 and 7, as is obvious. A feature in FIGURES 6 and 7 is that the clothes are concentrated at the central part during the dropping operation, because of the slanting sides 109 and 110. The curtain 38A may thus be smaller than the curtain 38, which will concentrate the action of the curtain 38A to a relatively small area.

The Water pumps 124 of FIGURES 2, 3, 6 may be combined water and air circulators, as shown at 124A in FIGURE 8. Such circulator 124A discharges into a threeway valve 128 which may be solenoid and timer operated, if desired.

The three-way valve 128 may discharge into a drain through pipe 130 to empty the tub 20. The valve 128 may discharge into pipe 132 which discharges throu'gh filter 134 and into heating chamber 86 of FIGURE 1 and then into pipe 64 of FIGURE 1 or 64A of FIGURE 6, etc.

This permits water to be circulated through the clothes by the flexible curtain constructions 38, 38A, etc., during the washing action. It also permits air to be circulated through the clothes by the curtain constructions 38, 38A, etc., during the water, moisture and vapor extraction portions of the wash-dry operation.

If desired, valves 136 may be provided to bypass the water through pipe 138 around the heating chamber, if desired. Such valves 136 may be solenoid and timer operated, if desired.

In FIGURE 9, parts which generally correspond to previously described parts are shown with a suffix B instead of either no suflix or sufiix A, as is obvious.

There is a stationary pipe 82B, a longitudinally rotatable pipe 66B and a radially rotatable pipe 64B.

The pipes 66B and 82B are supported in a stationary cylindrical block 140 which is supported on a pedestal 142.

The block 140 rotationally supports the rotatable sleeve 144 which rotationally supports the rotatable end wall 32B of the rotatable perforate drum 22B.

The stationary cylindrical drum 20 has a stationary rear end wall 104B with a stationary sleeve 146 surrounding the rotatable sleeve 144 and having a seal 148 between the end wall 104B and sleeve 144. Another seal 150 may be provided between the rotatable sleeve 144 and stationary cylinder block 140.

A bolt 152 is fixed to the end wall 32B and has a rotatable ring 154 which loosely receives the pipe 64B so that the ring 154 causes the pipe 643 and pipe 62B to rotate about the pipe 66B as an axis 156. The drum 22B rotates about the axis 158 eccentrically to the rotation of the pipe 62B. When the pipe 62B has rotated to its 6 uppermost position it will be farther away from the cylindrical wall 22B, as illustrated in FIGURE 11.

The pipe 62B may support a surface effect carrying member 160 with a flexible impervious surface effect curtain 162 which is closest to the drum 22B at one part of the revolution and farthest away at 180.

In FIGURE 11, the pipe 66B may be at about from 30 to 45 away from the vertical plane 164 on the rising side of the drum 223 at approximately the lower right quadrant. The member 160 likewise is closest at from 30 to 45 from such vertical plane. Such mem-- ber 160 will be farthest away from drum 22B at from 30 to 45 on the topmost position at plane 164, at approximately the upper left quadrant.

A longitudinal bafile 166 may be placed on the trailing side of curtain 162.

As the drum 22 rotates, the batile 166 gathers an accumulation of clothes at its bottom part of rotation and carries them to be pressed under curtain 162 with pressure air being applied to and through the clothes at the lower right quadrant. The curtain 162 will be removed from the clothes at the upper left quadrant sufliciently to release the clothes to allow them to fall and redistribute themselves before they are again gathered up by the baffle 166 near the bottom of rotation and then pressed by the curtain 162 at the lower right quadrant.

If desired, the pipe 62B may carry the member 160 somewhat as is done in FIGURE 6 at 30A with another support member 118B at left end of FIGURE 9.

The support member 118B may be received in a stationary bearing member 168 in the inward flange 170 which also forms the clothes receiving opening 172.

The drum 22B may have an outward flange 173 which rotates about the inward flange 170 to complete the clothes receiving opening.

A bolt 174 and loose ring 176 may have a similar action on support 118 that is produced by bolt 152 and ring 154 on pipe 64B at the right end of FIGURE 9.

While the previously described embodiments of this invention disclose the nozzle means or air baflle as being utilized to force fluid from the nozzle means through the laundry compressed between the nozzle means and rotating supporting structure for a moisture removing operation, it is to be understood that the nozzle means of this invention can be utilized to draw fluid through the compressed laundry into the nozzle means for such moisture removing operation whereby the rotating supporting structure can be liquid retaining rather than foraminous as previously described. Of course, in such embodiment of this invention, the rotating supporting structure could also be foraminous if desired.

In particular, reference is now made to FIGURES 12- 15 wherein another laundry apparatus of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 200 and comprises a rotatable liquid retaining cylindrical drum means 201 having an opening 202 at one end Wall 203 thereof to insert laundry and the like into the drum 201 and to remove the same therefrom, the access opening 202 being adapted to be opened and closed by suitable door means in an outer surrounding casing for the apparatus 200 (not shown) in an suitable manner. For example, see the copending patent application Serial No. 308,262, filed September 11, 1963, now Patent No. 3,344,447 for details of various means of opening and closing the access opening 202.

A nozzle or baffle means 204 is supported within the rotatable drum 201 by offset pipe means 205 having an end 206 passing through the center of the closed end Wall 207 of the drum 201 and being rotatable in unison therewith while being supported in and rotated relative to a stationary bearing means 208 in the manner previously described for the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 9. If desired, another supporting means for the nozzle or baffle means 204 can be utilized in the manner previously described and is indicated by the reference numeral 209 7 to support the bafliie or nozzle means 204 to the front end wall 203 of the drum 201.

As illustrated in FIGURE 13, the nozzle or baflle means 204 includes a rigid plate means 210 carrying a flexible member 211 and having its outer periphery 212 secured to the outer periphery 213 of the plate 210. The central part 214 of the flexible member 212 is provided with a plurality of openings 215 with the central part 214 being internally sealed from the flexible member 211 by a flexible member 216 extending between the perforated part 214 and the rigid end wall 210. In this manner, the nozzle means 204 defines an annular chamber 217 surrounding the inner flexible member 216 and being separated from an inner chamber 218 being disposed in fluid communication with the perforated part 214 of the flexible member 211. If desired, a compression spring 219 can be disposed in the chamber 218 and have its opposed ends thereof disposed against the rigid wall 213 and the foraminous or perforated portion 214 as illustrated.

The conduit member 205 internally carries three conduits 220, 221 and 222 with the con- duits 220 and 222 being in fluid communication with the annular chamber 217 and the conduit 221 being in fluid communication with the chamber 218, the conduit 222 having a restriction means 223 therein for a purpose hereinafter described.

The conduits 220, 221 and 222, which are rotatable in unison with the drum 201, are adapted to cooperate with conduits 224, 225 and 226 which are stationary and extend into the end 227 of the supporting conduit means 205 in a manner hereinafter described, the conduit 224 normally leading to the inlet of a pumping means 228, the conduit 225 normally leading to the outlet of the pumping means 228 and the conduit 226 leading to a vent, drain or exhaust.

As illustrated in FIGURE 15, the right hand end of the conduits 220, 221 and 222 are carried by a disc valve member 229 having its face surface 230 interrupted by ports 231, 232 and 233 respectively disposed in fluid communication with the conduits 220, 221 and 222. The port 233 is centrally located in the circular disc valve member 229 while the ports 231 and 232 are offset relative to the center of the disc member 229 and in diametrically opposed relationship to each other. A stationary disc valve member 234 has a face surface 235 disposed in sealing relationship with the face surface 230 of the rotatable valve member 229 and is secured to the left hand ends of the conduits 224, 225 and 226. A central port 236 in the disc member 235 is disposed in fluid communication with the conduit 226 and a pair of arcuate diametrically offset and opposed port means 237 and 238 are formed in the face surface 235 of the disc member 234 and are respectively disposed in fluid communication with the conduits 224 and 225, the arcuate ports 237 and 238 of the stationary disc member 234 being adapted to cooperate with the ports 231 and 232 of the rotatable disc member 229 in a manner now to be described.

The housewife or the like disposes the desired quantity of laundry soap and the like into the drum 201 through the access opening 202 which can be subsequently closed. When the housewife turns on the apparatus 200 for a complete washing and drying cycle, suitable timer selector means and the like energizes a valve means 239 on the pump means 228 to interconnect a liquid supply line 240, such as water, cleaning fluid and the like, to the conduit 224 so that the treating fluid is directed through the arcuate part 237 of the stationary disc member 235 to force fluid through the port 230 in the rotary disc member 229 during the time the port 232 is aligned therewith, the port 232 being aligned with the arcuate port 237 during the entire time that the drum means 201 is locating the nozzle means 204 below the horizontal diameter of the drum 201 whereby such fluid will be introduced into the interior of the drum 201 and out through the openings 215 in the perforated part 214 of the nozzle means 204.

Since the drum 201 is in the position illustrated in FIGURE 13 during the fluid filling operation, a body of liquid is created in the drum 201 to the desired height through a timed operation to at least partially submerge the laundry in such body of liquid, any air pressure being created in the drum 210 during such liquid filling operation being expelled through a one-way check valve means 241 carried in the closed end wall 207 of the drum 201.

After the drum 201 has received the desired quantity of liquid therein, the main motor (not shown) is energized to rotate the drum 201 whereby the battle means 204 and the baflle means 242 rotate in unison with the drum 201 and agitate the body of liquid and laundry therein in a manner sufliciently to provide a wash cycle therefor in the manner previously described.

After the wash cycle, a water removing cycle is created wherein the pump reversing valve 239 is actuated in any suitable manner to effectively interconnect the conduit 224 to the inlet side of the pump 228 and the conduit 225 to the outlet side thereof.

In this manner, as the drum 201 continues to rotate and the pump 228 is operating, each time the nozzle means 204 is rotating in the direction of the arrow in FIGURE 13 below the horizontal diameter of the drum 201, the pump 228 is creating a suction in the chamber 218 by the inlet means thereof and the pump 228 is creating pressure within the chamber 217 by the outlet means of the pump 228 with such pressure in tht chamber 217 causing the flexible member 211 to expand downwardly to compress the aligned laundry against the drum 201 in the manner previously described. The fluid pressure being created in the chamber 217 by the pump 228 is subsequently passtd out of the chamber 217 through the conduit 222 through restriction means 223 to the drain conduit 226 whereby the restriction means 223 maintains a pressure in the chamber 217 sufficiently for expanding the flexible member 211 for the clothes squeezing or compressing action previously described.

However, as the nozzle means 204 is being rotated above the horizontal diameter of the drum 201 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 14, a reversing action takes place through the disc valve means 234 and 229 to interconnect the outlet side of the pump 228 to the chamber 218 to blow off any laundry engaging against the foraminous portion 214 thereof while the inlet side of the pump 228 is interconnected to the chamber 217 to cause the flexible member 211 to collapse away from the supporting drum 201 as illustrated in FIGURE 14 and permit the clothes to fall free from the nozzle means 204 to produce a different accumulation thereof which will again be engaged by the nozzle means 204 when the same rotates below the horizontal diameter of the drum 201.

Thus, as the drum 201 is rotating and the pump 228 is operating in the above manner, the body of liquid in the drum 201 is subsequently withdrawn therefrom through the nozzle means 204 and expelled out through the drain conduit 226.

As the body of liquid is subsequently withdrawn, the moisture or liquid remaining in the laundry is pulled therefrom by the direct suction of the nozzle means 204 against the laundry at the inlet means 214 of the nozzle means 204 as the same is rotating below the horizontal diameter of the drum 201 until all of the moisture from the laundry is removed by the action of the nozzle means 204 in the above manner if an intermediate rinse cycle or cycles are not required.

In order to induce heat into the interior of the drum 201 during the aforementioned drying operation, the outlet side of the pump 228 can include a heating means 242 in combination therewith so that not only is heated air supplied within the chamber 217 to heat the surface 211 in nozzle means 204 during the time the nozzle means 204 is below the horizontal diameter of the drum 201 to heat the atmosphere within the drum 201, but also when the nozzle means 204 is above the horizontal diameter of the drum 201 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 14, the heated air is directly expelled out of the openings 215 of the nozzle means 204 directly into the drum 201 to be subsequently drawn, through the trapped laundry into the chamber 218 of the nozzle means 204 when the nozzle means 204 is below the horizontal diameter of the drum 201.

Therefore, it can be seen that the apparatus 200 of this invention readily compresses the laundry against the liquid retaining drum 201 when the nozzle means 204 is below the horizontal diameter of the drum 201 to tightly seal the inlet 214 of a suction means against the laundry so that the suction in the chamber 218 can sweep a large volume of air or fluid from the drum 201 through the top layer of compressed laundry into the chamber 218 to remove moisture through such trapped laundry. Thereafter, the nozzle means 204 is collapsed away from such trapped laundry in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 14 by having the flexible member 211 drawn inwardly toward the rigid member 210 while the nozzle outlet 214 is expelling fluid outwardly into the drum 201 to permit the laundry to fall therefrom and produce a new accumulation of clothes in the lower part of the drum 201 to be subsequently trapped by the nozzle means 204 when the same again moves below the horizontal body member of the drum 201.

In this manner, the moisture in the laundry can be completely removed by a suction action to dry such laundry.

While the form of the invention now preferred has been disclosed as required by the statutes, other forms may be used, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for treating laundry and the like comprising a confining means for receiving said laundry and supporting the same in said apparatus, a nozzle means carried by said apparatus and having an end means provided with opening means, means for causing said laundry to have different sections thereof disposed between said end means of said nozzle means and said confining means, means for causing said end means of said nozzle means to be disposed in substantially sealed relation with each said section of said laundry, and means for causing a direct fluid flow between said opening means and the particular section of laundry aligned between said open-H,

ing means and said confining means to treat said particular section of laundry with said fluid, said nozzle means comprising flexible sheet means at least partially surrounding said opening means and defining said nozzle end means, said means for causing said end means to be disposed in sealed relation with said section of laundry comprising means for imposing a fluid under pressure against one side of said sheet means to cause the other side thereof to press against said laundry in said confining means.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for imposing said fluid under pressure also defines said means for causing said direct fluid flow by forcing said fluid out through said opening means towards said laundry in said confining means.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for causing said direct fluid flow comprises suction means for drawing fluid from said apparatus through said particular section of laundry into said opening means of said nozzle means while said sheet means is being urged against said particular section of laundry by said pressure fluid.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said suction means has its outlet means comprising said means for imposing said fluid under pressure.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for causing said direct fluid flow comprises a suction device operatively interconnected to said nozzle means to draw said fluid from said apparatus and through said particular section of laundry into said opening means of said nozzle means.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for causing said direct fluid flow comprises a pumping device operatively interconnected to said nozzle means to pump said fluid out through said opening means of said nozzle means and through said particular section of laundry into said apparatus.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said confining means is a liquid retaining means.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said nozzle means is adapted to direct treating liquid into said confining means to at least partially submerge said laundry in a body of said liquid in said confining means.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said nozzle means is adapted to withdraw said body of liquid from said confining means.

10. Apparatus for treating moisture bearing material and the like comprising a supporting means for supporting said material in said appartus, a nozzle means carried by said apparatus and having an end means provided with opening means, means for causing said material to have different sections thereof disposed between said end means of said nozzle means and said supporting means, means for causing said end means of said nozzle means to be disposed in substantially sealed relation with each said section of said material, and means for causing a direct fluid flow between said opening means and the particular section of material aligned between said opening means and said supporting means to treat said particular section of material with said fluid, said nozzle means comprising flexible sheet means at least partially surrounding said opening means and defining said nozzle end means, said means for causing said end means to be disposed in sealed relation with said section of material comprising means for creating a pressure differential across said sheet means to cause one side thereof to tend to press against said material on said supporting means.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for causing said direct fluid flow comprises a suction device operatively interconnected to said nozzle means to draw said fluid from said apparatus and through said particular section of material into said opening means of said nozzle means.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for causing said direct fluid flow comprises a pumping device operatively interconnected to said nozzle means to pump said fluid out through said opening means of said nozzle means and through said particular section of material into said apparatus.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for creating said pressure differential across said sheet means also defines said means for causing said direct fluid flow by forcing said fluid out through said opening means towards said material on said supporting means.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for causing said direct fluid flow comprises suction means for drawing fluid from said apparatus through said particular section of material into said opening means of said nozzle means while said sheet means is being urged against said particular section of material by said pressure differential across said sheet means.

15. A method for treating moisture bearing material and the like comprising the steps of supporting said material on a supporting means, causing said material to have different sections thereof disposed between an end means of a nozzle means and said supporting means, causing said end means of said nozzle means to be disposed in substantially sealed relation with each said section of said material, and causing a direct fluid flow between opening means in said end means of said nozzle means and the particular section of material aligned between said opening means and said supporting means to treat said particular section of material with said fluid, said step of causing said end means of said nozzle means to be disposed in sealed relation with said section of material comprising the step of creating a pressure diflerential across a flexible sheet means of said nozzle means that at least partially surrounds said opening means and defines said end means of said nozzle means to cause one side of said sheet means to tend to press against said material on said supporting means.

16. A method a set forth in claim 15 wherein said step of causing said direct fluid flow comprises the step of drawing fluid from said apparatus through said particular section of material into said opening means of said nozzle means.

17. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein said step for causing said direct fluid flow comprises the step of forcing fluid out through said opening means of said nozzle means and into said particular section of material.

18. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein said step for creating said pressure differential across said sheet means and said step for causing said direct fluid flow comprise the step of forcing fluid under pressure into said nozzle means against the other side of said sheet means so as to flow out of said opening means towards said material on said supporting means.

12 19. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein said step for causing said direct fluid flow comprises the step of drawing fluid from said appartus through said particular section of material into said opening means of said nozzle means while said sheet means is being urged against said particular section of material by said pressure difierential across said sheet means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,350,353 8/1920 Bair 68--183 X 1,525,946 2/ 1925 Mellor 68-51 3,262,218 7/ 1966 Cymbalisty 68---58 X WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R.

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