Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of automatic washing
machines employing vertical axis agitators which oscillate to
provide a tumbling motion to the clothes contained within the
machine and provides an agitator construction which is par-
ticularly useful with large or heavy clothes loads to improve
the movement of the clothes within the machine and thereby
the washing action.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
It has long been appreciated that the most efficient
clothes movement pattern for washing clothes within an automatic
washing machine having a vertical axis agitator is a pattern
which provides a rollover of the clothes which involves moving
the clothes down the agitator barrel, then radially outward
from the oscillating agitator vanesj upward along the wall of
the tub, and inward to the barrel. Conventional washing machines
are reasonably proficient in achieving this type of rollover
pattern when light loads are being washed, but not with heavy
loads. When the washing basket is tightly packed with clothes,
the load crowds the agitator and the basket area. A conventional
oscillating agitator has difficulty in attaining any kind of a
rollover to the clothes load under these conditions. The
conventional-type agitator then scrubs merely the bottom
portion of a tightly-packed heavy load, resulting in a very poor
uneven cleaning action.
There are a few examples in prior patents of agitators
which move in separate paths during a washing operation. For ex-
ample, the Bryant Patent No. 1,834,936 suggests dual agitator
mem~ers which are reciprocated in opposite directions within the
tub, the object being to create a violent water action.
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The Krolæick Paten~ No. 3,678,714 assigned to the
same assignee as the present invention describes a washing
machine assembly including a pair of agitators, the two
agitators being coupled together for mutual oscillation, but
having cam means or the like provided between the two agitators
to effect a vertical reciprocation of one with respect to the
other during such oscillation.
Prior art patents disclose agitators with spiral vane
elements. For example, Dyer Patent No. 2,331,897 discloses a
washing machine having an agitator provided with a spiral vane
on an upper portion, the agitator rotating at motor speed during
washing.
Krolzick Patent Des. 196,194 assigned to the same
assignee as the present invention shows an agitator for a
laundry machine wherein the ornamental design for the agitator
includes a spiral vane arrangement.
Geldhof Patent No. 2,734,367, assigned to a predecessor
of the assignee of the present invention, shows an agitator for
a laundry machine wherein the agitator includes spiral vanes
which extend in the form of radial vanes on their lower edges
with radial projections or vanes extending intermediate the
spiral vanes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a washing
màchine having a driven oscillating shaft and two vertically
aLigned agitators mounted on the shaft, wherein the lower
agitator is provided with outwardly extending vertically oriented
vanes and is mounted on a lower part of the shaft by means of a
locked, non-rotating connection, and the upper agitator is provided
with at least one outwardly extending inclined vane and is mounted
on an upper part of the shaft by means of a one-way clutch so that
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rotation of the shaft in one direction gives a positive drive to
both agitators, and rotation of the shaft in the reverse
direction gives a positive drive to the lower agitator only,
said inclined vane being inclined upwardly with respect to said
one direction o~ rotation of the shaft, and at least the lower
parts of said vertically oriented vanes extending radially
outwardly by a greater amount than said at least one incllned
vane.
In effect, therefore, the upper agitator acts to con-
tinuously feed clothes downwardly along the barrel of the
agitator where they come under the influence of the osclllatlng
vertically positioned vanes of the lower agitator which direct
the clothes radlally outwardly toward the periphery of the
basket, and eventually upwardly and back to the barrel of the
upper agitator element, completing a repeating rollover cycle
which is extremely efficient for securing a uniform scrubbing
contact of the clothes with the wash liquid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DR WINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention
will be readily apparent from the following description of certain
preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may
be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel
concepts of the disclosure, and in which:
Figure 1 is a view partly broken away, of a conventional
automatic washing machine assembly provided with an improved
agitator means according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the
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improved agitator means of the present invention during a
washing cycle showing the manner in which the clothes are
rolled over to insure efficient contact with the wash liquid;
Figure 3 is a view in elevation of the upper agi-
tator element shown in the assembly of Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is an elevational view of a modified form
of upper agitator element which can be used for the purposes
of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
.
In figure 1, reference numeral 10 indicates generally
a washing machine of the automatic type including a frame 11
carrying vertical panels 12 forming the sides, front and back
of the machine. A hinged lid 13 is provided in the usual
manner to provide access to the interior of the washing machine.
The washing machine 10 has the usual console 14 including a
timer dial 15 and a program selector 16.
Internally of the machine there is disclosed an
imperforate tub 17 which is supported within the cabinet by
means of a base support plate 18. A plurality of suspension
20 rods 19 having resilient spherical end portions 20 and 21 are
positioned about the tub 17 in the usual manner to suspend
the tub freely within the interior of the cabinet.
A perforate washing receptacle or basket 22 is positioned
concentrically with the tub 17. Centrally of the perforate washing
basket 22 is an improved agitator means which has been designated
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generally in the drawings at reference numeral 23.
Liquid is introduced into the washing machine by
means of a solenoid controlled inlet valve 24 which directs
the liquid through a conduit 25 and through an anti-siphon device
26 into the washing area. A filter 27 is positioned along a tub
ring 28a disposed between the tub 17 and the basket 22. A
conduit 28b connects the outlet port of a pump 29 to the filter
27, and a second conduit 28c provides fluid communication between
the inlet pcrt of pump 29 and the clothes washing area of the
washing machine. During the agitate portion of the wash cycle
wash water is circulated by the pump 29 through conduit 28b to
filter 27, from the filter into the washing area, and from the
washing area through a second conduit 28c back to the pump. A
filtering of the wash water is thus accomplished.
The pump as well as the other movable parts of the
assembly are driven by means of a motor 30 which operates
through a transmission 31. A clutch and brake assembly generally
indicated at reference numeral 32 is provided for energizing the
agitator means 23 during washing, and for disengaging the agitator
and engaging a spin tube, subsequently to be described, for spinning
the basket 22 during the liquid extracting portion of the washing
phase. All of the drive elements and hydraulic units described
thus far are conventional in vertical-axis automatic washing
machines, and the improvements of the present invention are
centered in the agitator means 23, which is described specifically
below.
As seen in Figure 2, the agitator means 23 has a lower
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"~ agitator elementl33 with a skirt portion 34 which carries a plurality
of spaced, generally vertical agitator vanes 35. An agitator drive
shaft 36 extends through the lower agitator element 33 and an upper
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agitator element or member 33a and is threadedly received within
an agitator cap 37. The shaft 36 has a splined portion 38 which
is rigidly connected to an agitator drive coupler 39 for oscil-
lating the lower agitator element 33 in the usual manner.
A spin tube 40 surrounds the shaft 36 over a portion of
its length and is received between spaced bearings 41 and 42.
A pulley 43 is provided about the spin tube 40 for mechanical
connection to a drive motor and transmission in the usual manner.
The upper end of the spin tube 40 is received within a basket
drive block 44 and its associated nut 45 to drive the basket 22
at high speed during the extraction cycle when wash liquid is
removed from the clothes by centrifugal force.
The upper agitator element 33a is composed of a syn-
thetic resin or the like and, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3
is hollow and has a larger-diameter end portion 46a in the area
adjacent to the lower agitator element 33, and a smaller-
diameter upper portion 46b at the upper end thereof. As best
illustrated in Figure 2, the lower end of the upper agitator
element 33a is received in overlapping relationship with the
upper portion of the lower agitator element 33. The agitator
drive shaft 36 extends up through the upper agitator element
33a and is mechanically coupled thereto through a one-way drive
mechanism such as a one-way clutch 47 (which may be for example,
a Torrington positive grip one-way roller clutch model RCB-101416)
located at the upper end of the shaft 36. The one-way clutch
acts as means for interconnecting the upper and lower agitator
elements but for allowing the upper element to be movable in one
direction relative to the lower element. A sleeve bearing 48
provides for relative rotation between the lower agitator
element 33 and the upper agitator element 33a.
The outer periphery of the upper agitator element 33a
is provided with vane means 49 for urging clothes downwardly
i.e. for imparting a downward motion to the clothes.
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A continuous helical vane 4~ is shown extending outwardly from
the conical wall of the upper agitator element 33a down the
length of the upper agitator element 33a and terminating short
of the vertical agitator vanes 35 for urging or deflecting
clothes downwardly. With the arrangement shown, the upper
agitator element 33a is positively driven through one-way
clutch 47 only when the agitator drive shaft 36 is moved in
a counterclockwise direction. Under very light loads the
upper agitator element will tend to oscillate with the lower
agitator element 33. However, under a full clothes load,
when the agitator drive shaft 36 moves in a clockwise direction,
the one-way clutch 47 allows the upper agitator element to
remain relatively stationary due to the frictional drag
placed thereon by the water and clothes~within the basket.
Thus there is substantially automatic sensing of the magnitude
of the clothes!load to provide incremental rotation under
clothes load conditions. This incremental or intermittent
rotation of the upper agitator element 33a with a clothes
load provides a double action agitator with interacting
elements which cause the helical vane 49 to act as an auger
and thus auger or urge the clothes!identified at reference
numeral C downwardly along the upper agitator element into the
oscillating vertical agitator vanes 35 which move the clothes
out radially toward the periphery of the basket 22, thence
upwardly and inwardly toward the upper agitator element 33a,
all as indicated by the arrows shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.
This creates a highly desirable generally toroidal rollover
movement or action which subjects the clothes to intimate
contact with the washing liquid and to effect scrubbing action
from the lower agitator element.
A modified form of upper agitator element 50 for use
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ln the present invention is illustrated in Figure 4 of the
drawings. This figure illustrates an upper agitator element 50
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having two helical vanes 51 and 52 each having a pitch
differing somewhat from the pitch of the helical vane 49
shown in detail in Figure 3 which advantageously may have one
and one-quarter (1-1/4) turns over the length of upper agi-
tator element 33a. The pitch of these helical vanes affects
the rate at which clothes are moved down along the upper agi-
tator element with a greater pitch increasing the rate.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present
invention provides an agitator means having a lower agitator
element mounted for oscillating motion about an axis and an
upper agitator element mounted for unidirectional rotation
about the same axis, the upper agitator element having means
associated therewith for urging clothes adjacent the upper
portion down to the lower portion of the agitator means. This
type of double action or dual agitator especially improves the
washing action of heavy loads of clothes because the unidirec-
tional upper portion urges the clothes down to the oscillating
lower portion for positive rollover and washing action. Thus
the present invention provides improved means for effectively
washing a relatively large clothes load with a given amount of
washing liquid thereby permitting economies in water usage,
detergent usage, and power usage for heating the washing liquid.
The agitator means provides good washing action for both light
and heavy loads, with the oscillating lower ~ortion ~roviding
most of the action on the light loads. In addition, the agi-
tator means is simple and easy to construct and can be accom-
modated on conventional drive shaft constructions. Further-
more, the pitch of vanes associated with the agitator means can
be varied to change the downward movement of the clothes during
agitation, thereby making the agitator means more readily adapt-
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able to various sizes and shapes of baskets.
It should be evident that various modifications can
be made to the described embodiments without departing from
the scope of the present invention.
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