US3230748A - Washing machines - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 25, 1966 l. JACOBS 3,230,748

WASHING MACHINES Filed Sept. 18, 1963 F l ,O/ ff) Cf) a g 2 F l -A-1 m 3 L .Il

.al O (9)/ ff) INVENTOR /V//VG (//4 6056 BY MMJ/ ATTORNEY Y United States Patent Odce 3,236,748 Patented Jan, 25, 1966 3,236,748 WASIHNG MACEHNES Irving Jacobs, Hendon, London, Engiand, assigne-r to The Washing Machine Research and Deveiopment Company Limited Filed Sept. 18, 1%3, Ser. No. 309,830 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May '7, 1963, 18,068/ 63 1 Claim. (Cl. 6ft-140) The invention relates to domestic washing machines of the kind in which an inner perforated drum is mounted horizontally for rotation in an outer water-tight drum which carries electrical means for rotating the inner drum and which outer drum is suspended non-rotatably from a frame.

The invention has among its objects to provide a drum which will rotate at high speeds without the transmission of excessive vibration to the supporting frame.

According to the invention the outer drum is supported at each end within the casing by means of support springs formed as coiled springs held at the upper ends in inwardly extending brackets mounted on the chassis or casing and with the lower ends connected, as by being hooked, into brackets secured to the end faces of the nonrotatable drum.

According to the invention furthermore, the springs are set at an inclination with the upper ends further apart than the lower ends. Furthermore the springs are mounted in position below the transverse axis of the drum in 'such manner that a horizontal plane extending through the points Where the springs are linked to the end face of the drum passes substantially through or near the principal axis of the system comprising the drum and the driving motors.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional side elevation of an automatic washing machine according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of the construction shown in FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawings, is an inner rotatable drum mounted on shafts 301; in an outer non-rotatable drum 30C.

An opening 30e in the inner drum 30 can be brought into coincidence with an opening 30d in the outer drum 30e for the purpose of charging the inner drum with clothes to be Washed and for removing the clothes from the drum after the washing operation is completed.

A lid 30a hingedly mounted on the inner drum 30 is automatically operable to close the drum when the drum starts to rotate.

A shaft 3012 extends through the outer drum 30e and carries a pulley 32 connected by a belt to a motor drive system 34. The system 34 is carried by a support bracket 35 under the drum 30C. A support frame 31 carries inwardly directed brackets 36 which are connected by springs 38 to the brackets 37 secured to the end faces of the outer drum 30C.

In operation the articles to be Washed are loaded into the inner drum through the opening Stiti with detergent and water.

When the inner drum 30 is rotated at high speed with a load in the drum which is unevenly distributed, the drum assembly tends to oscillate about the principal axis. Pro- Cil vided the springs 38 restraining the outer drum 30C are linked to the drum relatively closely together only a small restoring torque is exerted on the outer drum 3de hence the transmission of vibration from the drum to the supporting frame is limited.

By securing the ends of the springs 38 linked to the support frame 31 further apart than the ends secured to the drum 30C, the drum assembly is stabilised in the support frame 31. The distance apart of the top ends of each pair of springs 3S relative to the bottom ends determines the amount of vibration transmitted to the casing due to lateral (that is to say back and forth) movement of the drum 36C.

The springs at each end are also held apart at the position of attachment to the casing at a distance greater than the length of the drum 30e. The angle of the springs viewed from the front elevation of the machine provides a component of force stabilising the drum in the casing with respect to end to end movement.

It will be understood that a similar pulley system may be provided at the opposite end of the drum.

What is claimed is:

A washing machine, comprising in combination: a support frame; a horizontal outer watertight drum; an inner perforated drum, said inner drum being horizontally disposed and supported at both its ends on said outer drum for rotation with respect to said outer drum; electrical drive means mounted on the lower side of said outer drum and means connecting said drive means to said inner drum for effecting rotation thereof; a pair of coil spring means for supporting each end of said drum, said outer drum being free from any other connection to said support frame so that said coil spring means constitute the sole means for supporting said Outer drum on said support means; means for securing the upper ends of said spring means to said support frame and means securing the lower ends of said spring means to the end faces of said outer drum adjacent to the lower side thereof, the upper ends of the spring means being spaced apart a greater axial distance than the lower ends thereof and the upper ends of the two spring means at each end of said outer drum .being spaced apart in a lateral direction a distance greater than the lateral spacing of the lower ends of the two spring means whereby the two spring means at each end of said outer drum are inclined toward each other in a direction toward the lower side of said outer drum, the lower ends of said spring means being secured to said outer drum at points close to the lowermost point on said outer drum and in symmetrical positions in a horizontal plane which passes substantially through the principal axis of the system comprising the drums and the electrical drive means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,780,036 2/157 Dunlap 68--24 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,214,337 11/1959 France. 1,261,973 4/ 1961 France. 611,156 10/ 1960 Italy.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner. WALTER A, SCHEEL; Examiner.

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