US2918812A - Laundry machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 29, 1959 OHM'ANN ETAL 2,918,812

LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 m m S mm VMU NHD A M mm LT in WW Y B AT TO RN EYS Dec. 29, 1959 WQOHMANN ETAL 2,918,812

LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2V INVENTORS WILLIAM OHMANN WALTER A. UNES BY D AT TO RN EYS Dec. 29, 1959 w. OHM ANN ET AL LAUNDRY MACHINE 4 Sheets- Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 26, 1957 m m NNE Wm m .OA. MR. ME m ww W.

ATTORNEYS Dec. 29, 1959 w, OHMANN ErAL LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1957 4' Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS WILLIAM OHMANN WALTER A. DUNES ATTO RNEYS United States Patent LAUNDRY MACHINE William Ohmann, Clyde, and Walter A. Dunes, Fremont,

Ohio, assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application February 26, 1957, Serial No. 642,404

Claims. (Cl. 68-22) The present invention relates to improvements in domestic laundry machines and more particularly to an improved arrangement of elements for a laundry machine, which achieve a rigid stable structure and yet which enable simplified more efi'icient assembly of the machine.

With the increased range of availability of electrical power throughout the world and improved standard of living and sanitation habits, the use of modern household mechanisms such as washing machines has become more common even in remote locations. In the distribution of mechanisms such as home laundry machines to these remote areas, the problem of transportation makes it necessary that the machine be packed into as compact a unit as possible for shipping. The necessity of compactness is prevalent even in transporting these machines in the United States, wherein the cost to the consumer .can be reduced and the ease of handling enhanced, if the .device can be shipped in a disassembled state and packed as a small unit for shipping.

The problem arises, however, in the assembly of the machine when it reaches its destination, for frequently there are not the tools or mechanical skill available to assemble anything of a complicated mechanical nature. It is important, therefore, to satisfy the exigencies of shipping disassembled laundry machines over long dis- 'tances and to remote places where special tools and mechanical skills are lacking, to provide a machine which can be readily and sturdily assembled from few parts, and wherein the connections are simple, yet reliable in nature.

,It ,is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved washing machine assembly which .can ,be completely disassembled to its basic parts for simple andinexpensive shipment, and which can be easily .and quickly .assembled at its destination with a minimum of mechanical skill and without the need of special tools.

It is another object of the invention to provide an im- :proved washing machine assembly which can be completely disassembled as stated above, and which when reassembled willprovide a sturdyand secure machine assembly with the points vof connection not easily disassembled through vibration or by accident.

It 'is .a further object of the invention to provide a machine wherein the expense of production is reduced to .a minimum wherein a minimum of parts are provided for connecting the various elements and wherein the .danger of losing parts over a long shipping route is greatly reduced.

One of the morespecific obiects of the invention is to provide a domestic type laundry machine having animprpVed supporting leg assembly structure.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved means of interconnecting individual legs to the tub of a domestic laundry and interconnecting supporting braces for the legs by a simplified attaching mechanism.

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Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved leg assembly comprising a caster and brace wherein the parts mutually cooperate to support the machine and interconnect the parts, and wherein the structure can be economically and simply made with a reduction in manufacturing cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved supporting assembly for a laundry machine having legs and cross braces wherein the braces are secured to the legs by casters and wherein the legs and braces can be easily connected and disconnected by simple removal of the casters.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent with the teaching of the principles of the invention in connection with the disclosure of the preferred embodiment in .the specification, claims and drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an assembled washing machine embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view taken throughthe base of the leg illustrating the relationship of the parts;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detailed view in elevation of the relationship of the parts at the base of the leg;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line VV of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an exploded view illustrating the relationship of the elements of the laundry machine as they go together in their assembled relationship;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional View of another form of leg for the laundry machine with the section being taken along line VIIVII of Figure 8;

Figure 8 is an elevational view of the leg in the form shown in Figure 7 and being illustrated with the caster being removed;

Figure 9 is a plan view taken from the bottom of the leg of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view of the pintle of the .caster;

Figure 11 is a plan view of the cross braces whichextend between the legs and with portions of the braces removed for purposes of illustration; and,

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII of Figure 11.

One embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figure *1, shows a domestic type laundry machine having .a tub 10 for containing washing fluid. As shown in the exploded view of Figure 6, within the tub is an agitator 12, which is suitably driven in an oscillatory motion by the power mechanism 14.

The power mechanism includes a gear case 16 and a driving motor 17, and their position relative the tub is .-also illustrated in Figure 2.

The power mechanism has a suitable upwardly extending drive shaft 13, which is splined to the agitator 12 to drive it in an oscillatory motion. The power mechacase that leads to the opening 18, as shown in Figures .2

and 6, from which power is taken from driving the wringer 20.

The wringer is supported on a wringer head 22, which is carried at the upper end of a wringer tube 24 that is suitably secured to the side of the tub 10 such as by a securing fitting 24a and bolts 24b. The wringer is driven by a drive shaft 26 and the relationship of these parts as they are brought together in assembly will be discussed in connection with Figure 6.

Operation of the power mechanism 14 to drive the agitator 12 within the tub 10 is controlled by a control handle 28. Operation of the wringer is also controlled by a wringer control handle '30.

The tub is filled through the top which is closed during operation by a cover 32 and the washing fluid is drained from within the container through a hose 34 by gravity means. The hose is secured to a connector member 36 connected to the bottom of the tub in a manner to be described later in connection with Figure 6.

The above-discussed assembly is supported at operating height from four individual legs 38, 40, 42 and 44. Each of the legs is individually attached to the side of the tub 10. Since the legs are separate, they can be packed during shipment in a compact unit requiring a minimum of space. The legs are shown in a difierent form in Figures 7, 8 and 9, and will be described later.

As illustrated in Figure 6, each of the legs are provided at their top end with a pair of horizontally spaced holes 46, 46. These holes are spaced so that they may be aligned with corresponding holes 48, 43 extending through the tub wall. Bolts such as 50, 51) are provided with nuts 52, 52 to draw the upper end of the legs tightly to the tub to secure them thereto.

For purposes of preventing damage to the tub, either during assembly or during operation, a cushioned spacer member 56 is located between the upper end of each of the legs and the tub. This spacer member will help prevent the tub from being damaged, if the nuts 52, 52 for the connecting bolts Stl, 50 are drawn up too tightly. The spacer members 56 will assimilate vibrations during operation to prevent damage to the tub. The spacer members 56 will also serve as gaskets to prevent leakage from occuring through the holes 43 through the walls of the tub.

The legs are rigidly held in fixed spaced relationship at their lower ends by braces 58 and 60, which extend at right angles to each other between legs at opposite sides of the tub 1-0. The braces may be of reinforced structure shaped with a base 62 and up-turned side flanges 64. At the ends of each of the braces is a special interlock construction which is of a simplified nature to obtain a strong, yet simply attached relationship to the legs.

Each of the ends of the braces 58 and 60 are identical in nature and, therefore, only one need be described and common reference numerals will be used. Another form of brace is shown in Figures 11 and 12, and will be described later.

As may be viewed in Figure 5, the ends 66 of the braces 53 and 60 are T-shaped and have locking ears 68 and 70, which hold the brace in position relative to the leg.

For forming a cooperative lock between the brace and leg, the leg is provided with a T-shaped slot, which is shown in Figures 3 and 4 at 72 as an upper wide portion 74 and a lower narrow extension '76. In moving to locking position, the brace is first slid into the upper wider portion 74 of the slot and then dropped down into the narrow portion 76. In the position above described, the ears 68 and 7b of the T-shaped end of the brace lock at the edges of the narrow portion of the slot. As long as the brace is held downwardly in the slot 72 it will be held in locked relationship to the leg.

For holding the brace down in the base of the slot, a locking washer 78 is fitted into a groove 80 in the spindle 82 of the caster 84, as may be seen in the detailed drawing of Figure 3.

A caster 84 is provided for each of the legs and is swivelled at the base of the legs for purposes of rolling the washing machine to the desired location. The caster 84 includes the spindle 82, which provides the swivelled support, and attached to the bottom of the spindle 82 are a pair of downwardly extending brackets 86, 86 which carry between them the roller 88. The roller is rotatably supported on the shaft 99 extending between the brackets 86. Above the brackets 86 is a shoulder 92 which rotatably bears against the base of the leg 38, as shown in Figure 3. The upper end 94 of the spindle 82 is semi-spherical or rounded in shape to provide a. bearing surface.

For providing a socket to receive the spindle 82 of the caster 84, the lower end of the leg is bent inwardly in a flange 96, which is provided with a hole 98 for receiving the spindle. To support the upper end of the spindle, a tongue 1% is cut from the side of the leg 38 leaving a slot 1112. This tongue is bent inwardly and is formed with a concave downwardly-facing surface 104, to rotatably receive the upper rounded surface 94 of the spindle.

Thus, the weight of the washing machine rests on the caster at the points of contact between the concave surface 194 of the tongue 19% bent from the leg, and the under-surface of the flange 96 bent inwardly at the base of the leg. As previously described, the upper end of the caster has a groove 34? which receives a locking washer 78 to hold the brace 58 downwardly in the base of the slot 72. This washer also holds the caster in place and prevents it from dropping out of the socket formed by the combination of tongue 1% and flange 95. In assembly the brace may be extended into the slot 72 and pushed to the base of the slot, and the spindle 82 of the caster 84 projected upwardly through the hole 98 in the flange 96, through the hole 1% in the end of the brace 58 and against the concave portion of tongue 101 The locking washer '78 may then be slipped in place to hold the caster in the socket and hold the base downwardly in the base of the slot 72. in addition to being held in place in the slot by the tabs 63 and 7t) at the end of the base, the hole 1%, through which the spindle extends, prevents the brace from being drawn outwardly and it is held by the spindle 82 of the caster.

With reference to the figures of the drawing and especially Figure 6, the assembly of the entire machine will be described. The machine may be disassembled for shipping in its basic component parts including the wringer 2t) and head 22, not shown, in Figure 6, the wringer support tube 24, the tub 10, the agitator 12, the wringer drive shaft 26, the power mechanism 14, the drain fitting 36, the drain tubing 34, the legs 38, 40, 42, and 44, the casters 84, and the braces 58 and 60. Miscellaneous connector members such as bolts and nuts, may also be included. It will be noted that these basic parts can be compactly packed with most of them being capable of being housed within the tub 10 for shipping. The components, being few in number, and being easily assembled, can be readily and quickly assembled when they reach their destination without the need of special tools or special mechanical skill.

The power mechanism 14 is suspended directly beneath the tub 10 with its power shaft 13 projecting upwardly through the opening in the center of the tub. The gear casing 16 is held in place by a nut 109 threaded over a hub 111 at the top of the gear casing. The wringer drive shaft 26 is mated with the driving portion within the gear case 16 and the wringer supporting tube 24 is fitted to the top of the gear casing and suitably connected to the side of the tub 10. The wringer head 22 and wringer are then placed on top of the supporting tube 24.

The drain arrangement is another element which is simply installed without the aid of special tools and consists of a drain funnel 114 which is projected down through the offset opening 15 in the base of the tub, Figure 2. A sealing washer or gasket 117 is placed beneath the head 116 of the funnel. The flanged head 116 prevents the funnel from passing down through the opening and seats in the depression of the metal around the opening 15. The funnel carries camming shoulders 118 and 124) over which is slid the locking washer 122. The washer has a central opening 124 with enlargements 126 and 128 at the sides of the opening 124 to pass over the shoulders 118 and 120. When the locking washer is in place, it is rotated and is cammed upwardly against the base of the tub to lock the drain funnel 114 in place.

I crowned top 160 of the spindle 162 of the caster.

. I The hose 34 is then' s'uitably connected to the lower end 130 of the'funnel and the hose is used for a gravity drain, being dropped to a position lower than the tub to drain it and being raised when the fluid is to be retained in the tub.

The legs 38, 40, 42 and 44 are attached to the body of the tub with bolts in the manner previously described. The cross braces 58 and 60 are then extended into the slots 72 at the base of the legs and the casters areinserted into the sockets at the lower ends of the legs. The lock washers 78 are thenslipped overthe spindles 82 of the casters 84 and the assembly of the machine is completed. The sequence of assembly is not important, and it may be desirable to install the legs first for obtaining asupport for the tub. The agitator 12 is dropped in place in driving relationship with the power mechanism and the cover 32 is placed on the top of the tub 10 during operation.

Another form of leg for supporting the laundry machine ora like appliance is shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9. The leg 132 is made of pressed sheet metal and is provided with a vertical longitudinal centrally located rib 134, which strengthens the construction. The edges of the leg 132 are bent inwardly .to form flanges 136 and 138 which strengthen the legs.

At the top of .the legs the flanges 136 and 138 are cut away to form shoulders 140 and 142 to project beneath the tub 1-0 and help support it. At the top of the legs a-pair of holes 144 and 146 aredrilled, and the holes are spaced soas to be able to .be aligned with the holes 48 in the sides. of .the. tub to receive the bolts 50 for securing the legs to the tub. A cushioning pad 56 is placed between the upper end of the leg and the tub in the same manner as when the legs illustrated in Figures 1 through 6 are used.

, The legs are provided with sockets 148 for receiving the spindles 162 of the caster 152. The sockets 148 are cylindrical in shape, and to form the sockets 148 the lower end of the ridge 134 is enlarged to form half of the socket. The other half of the socket 148 is provided by a shaped attached plate 152. This plate is pressed to form half of the tubular socket 148 and is secured such as by points of weld 154 to the inner face of the leg 132.

The caster is similar to the ones used in Figures 1 through 6 and has a pair of downwardly extending brackets 156, 156 with an axle pin 159 extending between the lower ends to rotatably carry the caster wheel 160. The brackets 156 join at their top and may be formed of a single yoke-shaped piece of material. A shoulder 158 is provided at the top of the brackets 156, 156 to share the load of the washing machine.

The weight of the washer primarily rests at the As may be seen in the detailed drawing of Figure 10, the caster is provided with a deep annular groove 164 just below the crowned top 160. A spring washer 166 is positioned in the groove 164 and this washer 166 springs outwardly against the inner surface of the tubular socket 148 to hold the caster in place. 'The spring washer 1166 is in the deep groove 164 and will contract when the spindle is forced into place in the cylindrical or tubular socket 148. This will hold the caster in place while it is being used or while the machine is being lifted, but the caster can be forcibly withdrawn from the socket, if desired.

In addition to supporting the caster 152 on the legs 132, the spindle 162 also provides means for securing the ends of the cross braces 168 and 170, as shown in detail in Figures 11 and 12.

Each of the cross braces 168 and 170 has a raised rib 172 and 174 for strengthening the structure. If desirable, the edges of the braces may be turned upwardly or downwardly to lend strength to the braces.

The braces have bored holes 176, 178 and 180 at their 6 ends to receive the spindles 162 of the casters whereby the braces are cooperatively locked to the base of the legs 132. For additional rigidity the braces have bored holes through their centers to receive securing bolts 182.

In assembly of the form of legs and cross braces with connector means shown in Figures 7 through 12, the legs 132 are first attached to the tub 10. The cross braces 168 and are attached to each other in right angle relationship by the central bolt 182, and the ends of the braces are secured to the legs by projecting the spindles 162 of the casters through the holes 176, 178 and at the ends of the braces and into the cylindrical sockets 148 at the base of the legs. This simple sequence in steps completes .the assembly, and it is to be noted that no special tools or skills are involved. Further, the parts can be disassembled and brought together in a compact unit for ease of handling and shipping.

Thus, it will be seen that we have provided an improved washing machine assembly which meets the objectives and advantages hereinbefore set forth. The improved relationship' of the parts and arrangement for inter-connection thereof simplifies and reduces the cost of the manufacturing process and obtains a product which requires a minimum number of parts.

The reduction in parts and simplification of assembly thereof makes the machine well suited to shipment to all parts of the world in that shipping cos-ts are reduced and in that no special training is necessary for assembly of the machine.

We have, in the drawings and specification, presented a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiment of our invention, but it is to be understood that we do not intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling within the scope of the principles taught by our invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a washing machine assembly having a tub and a power driven agitator therein, the combination of individual legs for supporting the tub having slots at the lower ends with a narrow extension at the base of the slot, individual connecting means for connecting each of the legs individually to the surface of the tub, brace means extending between the legs, T-shaped connectors at the ends of the brace means to be received by the slots in the legs and held in the narrow extensions at the base to secure the legs to the brace in their relative positions, sockets extending upwardly througr the base of the legs and through the ends of the braces, casters having spindles extending into the sockets and through the braces, and means on the spindles of the casters and engaging the braces whereby the T-shaped ends are urged downwardly and held in said narrow extensions in interlocking engagement with the legs.

2. In a washing machine assembly including a tub for containing washing fluid and a power driven agitator in the tub, legs formed of sheet metal, means for individually connecting the legs to the tub, a caster for each of the tub legs to transport the machine, a flange turned inwardly at the base of each leg with an opening to receive the caster spindle, a tongue cut from the side of the leg and bent inwardly over the flange and provided with a socket for receiving the upper end of the caster spindle whereby the caster is connected to the leg, braces extending between the legs and having openings at the ends through which the caster spindles extend, brace receiving means on the leg for locking the brace when held downwardly, and means on the caster spindle for holding the brace downwardly to lock the assembly in connected relationship.

3. A washing machine comprising assembled elements including a fluid containing tub having a centrally located opening and an offset opening in the bottom, a power supply mechanism adapted for suspension below the tub and having a vertical power shaft, means for detachably supporting the power supply mechanism from the centrally located opening in the tub bottom with the power shaft extending therethrough, a drain element, means for detachably attaching the drain element to the oflset opening, a wringer for removing moisture from the clothes that are washed in the tub, a wringer support member detachably secured to the side of the tub, a power connecting means extending between the wriuger and the power supply means, an agitator attached to the power shaft of the power supply means within the tub, individual legs attached to the sides of the tub, means for individually detachably attaching each of the legs directly to the tub, brace means extending between the legs and holding them in a fixed spaced relationship, and detachable means connecting the brace means to each of the legs whereby each of the elements may be removed from the assembly for compact handling and shipping.

4. In a washing machine assembly having a tub and a power driven agitator therein, the combination of individual legs for supporting the tub having stepped slots at their lower ends, individual connecting means for connecting each of the legs individually to the surface of the tub, brace means extending between the legs and having end portions formed for insertion into the slots and for locking engagement therein to secure the legs to the braces in their relative positions, sockets extending upwardly through the base of the legs and through the ends of the braces, casters having spindles extending into the sockets and through the braces, and means on the casters engaging the braces along the upper surfaces thereof to 0 urge the braces downwardly and maintain the formed end portions thereof in locking engagement with the legs by firm location in the slots therein.

5. In a washing machine assembly including a tub for containing Washing fluid and a power driven actuator in. the tub, legs formed of sheet metal, means for connecting the legs to the tub, casters having upright spindles being received by the base of the legs, spaced inwardly extending flange portions carried along the lower end of each leg, one of said flange portions having an opening to receive the caster spindle, and another of the flange portions being provided with a socket for receiving the upper end of the caster spindle whereby the caster is connected to the leg, braces extending between the legs and having openings at the ends through which the caster spindles extend, brace receiving means on the leg for locking the brace when held downwardly, and means on the caster spindle for holding the brace downwardly to lock the assembly in connected relationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 97,619 Dugan Dec. 7, 1869 1,691,716 Herold Nov. 12, 1928 1,736,949 Szekely Nov. 26, 1929 1,918,604- Johnson July 18, 1933 2,181,569 Conterman Nov. 28, 1939 2,215,952 Beckman Sept. 24, 1940 2,233,577 Blu Mar. 4, 1941 2,281,740 Blickhan May 5, 1942 2,659,927 Simpson Nov. 24, 1953

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