Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
_ _ ~
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to washing machinesof the vertical axis type having double acting agitators
for insuring toroidal movement of the wash load in the
machine.
2. The Prior Art
A double acting agitator with a unidirectionally
rotating auger agitator element above an oscillating agitator
element therebelow has been disclosed in the Ruble Patent
3,987,652 and the Platt Patents 3,987,651 and 3,987,508, all
assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
These patents disclose that the desirable toroidal rollover;
pattern of wash liquid and articles to be washed within a,
washing machine clothes receptacle can be greatly improved,
especially in the presence of very heavy wash loads, by
.....
- ' ~
~O9Z3~5
augering the articles downwardly along the centPr of the
clothes basket and into the area swept by oscillating vanes
on the lower portion o the agitator at a skirt.
While the double acting agitators have proven ~
very effective, they can tend to rot:ate the clothes load ~-
within the basket about the axis of the machine. Such net
rotation can lead to tangling of the clothes. A U.S. Patent ~-
No. 4,048,820 issued on September 20 1977 to Pielemeier, also
assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses
10 the use of ramped scrubbing vanes on the lower agitator -~
portion to eliminate such rotation. The ramps on the vanes
extend between upper edges of the scrubbing vanes and portions ~ -
of the skirt in the direction of rotation of the auger portion.
SUMM~RY OF THE INVENTION
_ _ _ _ ,: . . .
:; ~ :;.
A double acting agitator having an upper, uni-
, . .
directionally rotating auger portion and a lower oscillating i~
portion has rigid vanes on the skirt of the lower portion, ;
the outward ends of which are curved in the direction of
rotation of the auger portion. The cur~ed vane ends affect-
ively eliminate or reduce tangling of clothes in the washer
induced by the one-way rotation of the auger.
More specifically, the invention provides in an auto~
matic washing machine of the vertical axis type hav mg a uni~
directionally rotating upper auger element and a lower ; `
oscillating element coaxial therewith having upstanding vanes
carried on a skirt portion thereof, said vanes extending -
radially outwar~ly from the center post portion of the lower -
oscillating element, the improvement comprising: each of
said vanes extendlng outwardly onto an~outward portion of
the skirt from the inner portion of the skirt and having a
curve therein in the direction of the rotation of the
~' -.
-- 2 --
:
O ~ ~ 3 ~ 5
rotating auger element.
The invention can also be defined as an agitator
assembly for a vertical axis automatic washing machine~ the
assembly comprising: a lower agitator element mounted for
oscillation about said axis and having a center post and a
lower skirt; a upper agitator element mounted about said axis
upwardly adjacent the lower agitator element and in coaxial
relation therewith; means associated with the upper agitator
element for urging articles suspended in wash liquid adjacent
thereto in a downward direction; drive means for oscillating
the lower agitator element about the axis and foT rotating
the upper agitator e'ement in-one direction about said axis; ;~
and a plurality of vanes carried on said skirt portion of the
lower agitator element and extending upwardly therefrom and
radially outwardly from said center post, each said vane ~
having a radially outwardmost portion curved in the direction ~;
of rotation of the upper agitator element.
The invention also consists of an automatic washing
- machine of the vertical axis type comprising: a two-part, ~ -
20- double acting agitator mounted about said axis and comprising,
an upper par~ having ahelical auger vane thereon and being ~
unidirectionally rotatable on said axis, and a lower part ~-
having a generally conical skirt portion and at least two up-
standing scrubbing vanes carried on said skirt portion; and
drive means for driving said upper part of said agitator in
said unidirectional rotation and oscillating said lower part;
and wherein each of said scrubbing vanes extends radially from
the inner portion of the skirt and is curved in the direction
of rotation of the upper part of the agitator along the outer
portion of the skirt to a vane end.
' 'j - ' '
THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 i5 a prespective view of a washing machine
with portions of the cabinet cut away to show the wash
receptacle, agitator, and other internal parts thereof.
Figure 2 is a top, partly in section, plan view
of an agitator and surrounding tub and basket.
Figure 3 is a side viewr partly in section on line
III-III of Figure 2, of the washing machine agitator of the
,: .. ,
.. ~ . ...
;., ,.:' :~
.'.,~ ,' .,
.~ '
. ,:
~' :
.
:: : ' : -`''
- 2b ~
3~
present invention and related parts.
Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the
agitator of the invention.
T~IE PREFERRED ~MBODIMENTS
_ .
A washing machine 10 of the automatic, vertical
axis type is shown generally in Figure 1, comprising a
cabinet 11 having a hinged lid 12 for permittinq access to
the lnterior of the machine 10. Within khe cabinet 11
is an imperforate fluid retaining tub 13 and a perforate
washing receptacle or basket 14 mounted coaxially therewithin.
An agitator assembly 15 is mounted coaxially with
the tub 13 and the basket 14 within the machine 10. The
agitator comprises an upper auger element 16 having an
upstanding barrel portion 17 and a helical vane 18 extend-
- ing outwardly therefrom, and a lower agitator element 19
having a center post portion 20, a generally conically
descending skirt portion 21 extending outwardly from the
lower portion of the post 20, and a plurality of upstanding
vanes 22 carried on the skirt portion 21.
A drive means 23 comprises a motor and related
pulleys and belts for drivlng a shaft 24 in deslred oscillatory
and rotational movements about the machine axis for carry-
ing out the washing, rinsing and spinning functions of the
agitator 15 and basket 14. During the washing cycles, the
drive shaft 24 is oscillated about a vertical axis 25 of the
machine to drlve the lower agltator portion 19 in correspond-
ing oscillations in directions 26 and 27 successively.
~ The vanes 22 are thus osoillated through the lower
portion of the basket 14 for scrubbing articles~suspended
in wash fluid within the tub 13 and the basket 14 and to
` ~9Z385
direct the articles outwardly therein. The drive shaft 24
also rotates the auger element 16 in a unidirectional
rotation 28 as described in U.S. Patents 3,987,508 and
3,987,651. ~ one-way ratchet clu-tch assembly such as that
shown in Figure 4 of U.S. Patent 3,987,652 is employed for
converting the oscillatory motion of the shaft 24 into the
unidirectional rotation desired.
Such unidirectional rotation in the direction
28 in the configuration shown urges wash liquid and articles
of clothing ad~acent the barrel portlon 17 downwardly along
the upper auger element 16 and into the paths of the vanes
22. ~s disclosed in the prior patents cited, such double
acting agitation is surprisingly effective in achieving
toroidal rollover of even heavily packed loads of laundry
within the basket 14.
In accordance with the principles of the invention,
the vanes 22 carried on the upper portion of the skirt 21
have end portions 30 which are curved in the direction of
rotation of the upper auger element 16. As shown in the draw-
ing figures, each vane 22 extends from a radially i~nward-
most portion 35 at the lower agitator center post 20 and
::
radially outwardly through a middle or center portion 36
and then into the curved portion 30 to a terminal end 37
spaced somewhat radially inwardly from a periphery 38 of~the
agitator skirt 21. Each curved~portion 30 has an axis of
curvature 39 as shown in Figure 2 which is vertical and~
parallel to the axis 25 of the agitator assembly 15 but
ofset radially~therefrom.
The configuration of each vane 22 is defined by
an upward edge 40 thereof and a height dimension H between
3~5
the outwardly descending upper surface of the skirt 21
and such edge ~0 of the vane 22. The heiyht H of each
vane 22 is constant over the center portion 36, but is
somewhat greater at the radially inwardly portion 35. The
height H decreases throuyh the curve 30 at the end of each
vane.
Also, in the preferred en~odiment vanes 2~ are
attached to the skirt portion21 along their entire radial
extent. Such continuous attachment makes the vanes rigid
and substantially improves the washing efficiency of the
assembly.
In operation, once the tub 13 is filled with
wash liquid and the basket 14 with articles to be laundered,
the drive means 23 is actuated and the drive shaft 24 begins
its oscillatory movement. The lower agitator element 19
oscillates directly with the drive shaft 24 in the directions
of the arrows 26, 27. Simultaneously, the upper auger
element 16 rotates stepwise in the direction 28.
Movement of the helical vane 18 augers articles
being laundered downwardly adjacent the barrel portion 17
in the center of the basket 14, while the vanes 22 both beat
or scrub the articles and direct them outwardly from th;e
center post 20. ~Toroidal motion continues upwardly along
the outer wall of the basket 14 and inwardly alon~ the
surface of the washing liquid. Action of the upper auger
element 16 and the lower element 19 thus creates the desirable
toroidal rollover in the wash llquid and articles therein
throughout the volume of the washing basket 14.
The unidirectional rotat1on of~the upper auger
element 16 tends, however, to induce a net rotation of the
~(~9Z3~5
.
wash liquid about -the axis 25 of the assembly within the
basket 14. Such net rotation of the wash liquid can
cause objectionable tangling and even damage to the clothes,
together with higher torque requirements in the drive means
23. However, the curvature of the vanes 22 at their outward
ends 30 greatly reduces the tanyling, clothes damage, and
high motor torque problems. The vane curvature appears to
provide an increased outward thrust on the wash liquid upon
oscillations in the direction 27 opposite the rotational
direction 28 of the auger element, offsetting the net liquid
rotation otherwise induced by the auger element.
Although various minor modifications may be
suggested by those versed in the art, it should be under-
stood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent
warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and
properly come within the scope of my contribution to the
art.
'
..
; ' .~.
..
...... ~ . . .
.
