U.S. patent application number 10/945358 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-10 for commercial laundry machine with improved loading hopper.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ellis Corporation. Invention is credited to Kroeger, Michael T., Shaw, James M..
Application Number | 20050050926 10/945358 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24391522 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050050926 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shaw, James M. ; et
al. |
March 10, 2005 |
Commercial laundry machine with improved loading hopper
Abstract
A commercial laundry machine having a loading hopper effective
for substantially reducing loading time. The hopper has a
relatively large effective passage area for communication with a
front opening rotary drum of the laundry machine, and a splash door
is pivotally mounted adjacent a front face of the machine housing
for movement between a lowered closed position and an upwardly
extending open position which neither reduces the effective passage
of the hopper chute nor impedes the passage of launderable items
directed through the chute. The laundry machine further includes an
improved toggle actuated locking and sealing device for securing
the hopper in sealed relation with the machine housing, and
trunnion mounted hydraulic cylinders which are effective for more
reliably and effectively pivoting the hopper unit through an arc
greater than 90 degrees to its removed position.
Inventors: |
Shaw, James M.; (West
Chester, OH) ; Kroeger, Michael T.; (Cincinnati,
OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEYDIG VOIT & MAYER, LTD
TWO PRUDENTIAL PLAZA, SUITE 4900
180 NORTH STETSON AVENUE
CHICAGO
IL
60601-6780
US
|
Assignee: |
Ellis Corporation
Itasca
IL
|
Family ID: |
24391522 |
Appl. No.: |
10/945358 |
Filed: |
September 20, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10945358 |
Sep 20, 2004 |
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10242473 |
Sep 12, 2002 |
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6792777 |
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10242473 |
Sep 12, 2002 |
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09597443 |
Jun 20, 2000 |
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6463768 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
68/24 ; 68/138;
68/210; 68/58 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 95/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
068/024 ;
068/058; 068/138; 068/210 |
International
Class: |
D06F 039/14 |
Claims
1-44. (Canceled)
45. A laundry machine comprising: a housing, a drum rotatably
mounted within said housing and having a circular front opening
through which launderable items may be introduced and withdrawn
said housing and drum being tiltable between a horizontal operating
position and a loading position with the circular drum opening
tilted upwardly and an unloading position with the circular drum
opening tilted downwardly, a hopper unit having a chute that
defines a passage, a hopper unit actuating device for moving said
hopper unit between a first position adjacent a front face of said
housing wherein said chute passage communicates with said circular
drum opening such that launderable items deposited into said chute
are directed into said drum through said front opening during a
loading cycle and a second position in which said chute is located
remote from said circular drum opening to permit removal of
launderable items through said circular drum opening during an
unloading cycle, said hopper unit including a splash door that is
movable an opened position for permitting passage of items through
said first position and a closed position in which said splash door
at least partially closes said chute passage, a splash door
actuating device for moving said splash door between said opened
and closed positions, and said chute having an effective passage
area defined by the smallest cross-sectional area of said chute
passage through which launderable items can be directed which is at
least 83 percent of the area of said circular drum opening.
46. The laundry machine of claim 45 in which said shoot has a
rounded bottom portion positionable adjacent a rounded bottom
portion of said circular drum opening.
47. A laundry machine comprising: a housing, a drum rotatably
mounted within said housing and having a circular front opening
through which launderable items may be introduced and withdrawn
said housing and drum being tiltable between a horizontal operating
position and a loading position with the circular drum opening
tilted upwardly and an unloading position with the circular drum
opening tilted downwardly, a hopper unit having a chute that
defines a passage, a hopper unit actuating device for moving said
hopper unit between a first position adjacent a front face of said
housing wherein said chute passage communicates with said circular
drum opening such that launderable items deposited into said chute
are directed into said drum through said front opening during a
loading cycle and a second position in which said chute is located
remote from said circular drum opening to permit removal of
launderable items through said circular drum opening during an
unloading cycle, said hopper unit including a splash door that is
movable an opened position for permitting passage of items through
said first position and a closed position in which said splash door
at least partially closes said chute passage, a splash door
actuating device for moving said splash door between said opened
and closed positions, said chute having a rounded bottom portion
positionable adjacent a rounded bottom portion of said circular
drum opening, and said chute having an effective passage area
defined by the smallest cross-sectional area of said chute passage
through which launderable items can be directed which is at least
80 percent of the area of said circular drum opening.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to
commercial/industrial washing, drying, dyeing and like laundry
machines, and more particularly, to a commercial laundry machine
having a hopper that facilitates loading of launderable items into
the machine prior to a laundry cycle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Commercial/industrial laundry machines typically are large
in size (i. e., 100 to 1200 pound in capacity)for laundering large
amounts of items simultaneously. Apart from the actual laundering
cycles, i. e. for example, the washing and extract cycles, a
substantial amount of time is consumed in loading large quantities
of items to be laundered into the laundry machine. As will be
appreciated, the time consumed in loading the laundry machine
restricts the actual operating time. Thus, the time associated with
loading the laundry machine has a significant impact on the
operational efficiency of the commercial laundry facility.
[0003] One common method of loading commercial laundry machines
involves transporting bag-like slings containing launderable items
along an overhead sling conveyance system to a position above the
laundry machine and then opening the sling to drop the launderable
items into the laundry machine. To facilitate such loading, it is
known, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,772 (hereinafter the
"'772 patent"), to tilt the front opening end of the laundry
machine drum upwardly from a normal horizontally-oriented operating
position and to utilize a chute-like hopper to guide items into the
drum as they are released by the overhead sling. The hopper, which
is in the form of a rectangular cross section trough, includes a
splash door mounted within the hopper for pivotal movement between
an open position which permits items to pass through the hopper
into the drum opening and a closed position covering the drum
opening during a washing cycle after the drum is returned to its
horizontal position. Following completion of a laundering cycle,
the hopper is moved away from the front of the laundry machine drum
to enable unloading of the laundered items by tilting of the front
opening end of the drum in a downward direction.
[0004] Unfortunately, the prior art arrangement disclosed in the
aforesaid '772 patent does not appreciably shorten the loading
cycle time. In fact, the hopper unit restricts the drum opening
through which the launderable items are introduced into the drum.
In commercial laundry machines made pursuant to the '772 patent,
the effective opening or passageway of the hopper, as defined by
the smallest cross-sectional area through the hopper, has been
found to be less than 50 percent of the area of the drum opening.
Moreover, since typically as many as six 200 pound slings of
launderable items can be required to fill a commercial washer,
sequencing of the slings to the unloading position and directing
the items into the laundry machine can be very time consuming.
Heretofore, up to 35-50 percent of the time necessary for
completing a laundering operation can be occupied by loading the
machine.
[0005] Use of loading hoppers in conventional commercial laundry
machines, furthermore, has been problem prone. Items introduced
into the hopper during loading can catch upon or fall behind the
splash door, which can impede its operation. Items also can hang up
in the hopper and the splash door if water is not continually
sprayed down the hopper to assist in moving the items into the
drum, which can result in raising the liquid within the drum above
the programmed level and necessitate a drainage cycle prior to
start of washing. Wet items piled in the hopper further can require
the splash door actuating mechanism to incur excessive stresses in
causing the splash door to forcefully push items hung up in the
hopper into the drum opening as an incident to closing, or
alternatively, an employee must climb up on the machine to manually
force the items into the laundry machine. With the splash door
pivot mounting exposed to water and chemicals, films also can build
up which impede movement of the splash door, while dirt and soil
can accumulate in the hopper behind the door.
[0006] Moreover, during the extract cycle of operation, i. e. the
high speed spin cycle that forces liquid from laundered items
following a wash cycle, the machine can experience extensive
vibrations, particularly if the laundry load becomes out of
balance. Indeed, during the extract cycle, items rotating within
the laundry machine can be exposed to forces up to 300 times
gravity, While it is known to support the laundry machine on
inflated bags during the extract cycle for better isolating the
machine from the floor, since the hopper is mounted on the laundry
machine, it still can be subjected to such severe vibrations as to
cause structural failure to the hopper, or its support and
actuating mechanisms.
[0007] Problems further have been incurred in maintaining the
hopper in a securely closed and sealed condition against the
laundry machine housing during the washing operation as is
necessary in order to prevent leakage of the washing fluid. It is
known to use hopper locking devices which include cams that force
the hopper into engagement with an interposed sealing gasket. Such
cam actuated devices tend to over compress the gasket causing a
permanent set. The cams also can incur wear. The combined effect is
that over time the cam locking devices can develop a looseness to
the extent that leakage about the door can occur and machine
vibrations ultimately can cause the loose camming device to
forcefully strike and break adjacently mounted proximity switches
intended to monitor the locked condition of the hopper.
[0008] Since the loading hoppers of conventional laundry machines
are relatively massive, problems further have been incurred in
reliably raising the hopper to an unloading position following a
laundry cycle. While it is desirable to pivot the hopper at least
90 degrees away from the front face of the laundry machine so as
not to impede the discharge of items during unloading, heretofore
this has required costly and complex operating mechanisms. For
example, proposals for raising the hopper by means of large
actuating cylinders mounted in front of the laundry machine impede
access to the machine and movement of unloading conveyors in front
of the laundry machine. Efforts to locate actuating cylinders on
the machine itself, and at locations that do not impede access to
the machine or increase the floor footprint or height of the
machine, have not been found to be effective or reliable in lifting
and retaining the heavy hopper unit.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
commercial laundry machine having a loading hopper designed to
substantially reduce the loading time, and hence, substantially
improve operating efficiency of the laundry machine. In this
regard, a more particular object is to provide a commercial laundry
machine having a loading hopper effective for reducing the loading
time by more than half and for improving the overall machine
productivity of the laundry machine by 25 percent or more.
[0010] Another object is to provide a commercial laundry machine as
characterized above which is adapted for directing larger
quantities of items into the laundry machine drum during loading.
In this regard, it is an object to provide a commercial laundry
machine in which the hopper is effective for receiving launderable
items from much larger loading slings so as to reduce by up to 50
percent the number of slings that must be handled during loading of
the laundry machine.
[0011] A further object is to provide a commercial laundry machine
having a hopper with a splash door which when in an open position
neither restricts the size of the access opening to the laundry
machine drum, nor impedes movement of goods introduced into the
hopper. A related object is to provide such a commercial laundry
machine and hopper in which the splash door, in fact, facilitates
direction of goods into the hopper and laundry machine drum.
[0012] Another object is to provide a commercial laundry machine
having a hopper with a design that facilitates transfer and
direction of launderable items into the laundry machine during
loading and which reduces stress concentrations and structural
failures in the hopper during usage.
[0013] Still another object is to provide a commercial laundry
machine having a hopper lifting device that neither impedes access
to the machine, nor movement of unloading conveyors in front of the
machine. In this regard, it is an object to provide a hopper
lifting device that is effective for reliably pivoting the hopper
unit at least 90 degrees with respect to the front face of the
laundry machine, while not increasing the floor footprint or height
of the machine.
[0014] Yet another object is to provide a commercial laundry
machine having a loading hopper locking mechanism adapted for more
reliable long term operation in securely retaining the hopper in
sealed relation to a front face of the laundry machine during
laundering cycles.
[0015] A further object is to provide an improved sealing
arrangement between the hopper unit and machine housing effective
for preventing transmission of vibrations between the housing and
hopper unit during extract cycles of operation.
[0016] Another object is to provide a commercial laundry machine
having a removable loading hopper designed to minimize the need for
water to facilitate direction of goods through the hopper into the
laundry machine, and hence, eliminate the need for a liquid
drainage cycle prior to a washing operation.
[0017] A further object is to provide a commercial laundry machine
having a loading hopper which is less susceptible to the
undesirable accumulation or build up of dirt and grime in the
hopper after prolonged usage. A related object is to provide such a
commercial laundry machine having a liquid spray arrangement
adapted for more effectively maintaining the hopper in clean
condition.
[0018] Other objects, and advantages of the invention will become
apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon
reference to the drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front perspective of an illustrative commercial
laundry machine having a loading hopper unit in accordance with the
present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a partially diagrammatic side elevational view of
the laundry machine and loading hopper unit shown in FIG. 1, taken
in the plane of line 2-2;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a partially diagrammatic view of the laundry
machine and loading hopper unit in a loading position below a sling
of launderable items;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a partially diagrammatic view of the laundry
machine and loading hopper unit in an unloading position;
[0023] FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of
the laundry machine and hopper unit, showing movement of the
loading hopper unit between a position adjacent a front end of the
laundry machine and a raised unloading position;
[0024] FIG. 6 is an front elevational view of the illustrative
laundry machine and loading hopper unit;
[0025] FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged fragmentary sections taken in the
planes of lines 7-7 and 8-8, respectively, in FIG. 6;
[0026] FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary section illustrating the
sealing arrangement between the hopper unit and laundry machine
housing;
[0027] FIG. 9A is an enlarged fragmentary section illustrating an
alternative sealing arrangement between the hopper unit and laundry
machine housing adapted for more effectively preventing the
transmission of vibration between the machine housing and hopper
unit during extract cycles of operation;
[0028] FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a hopper unit
locking device taken in the plane of line 10-10 in FIG. 6, showing
the device in a locking position;
[0029] FIG. 11 is a fragmentary section, similar to FIG. 10,
showing the locking device in an unlocked position;
[0030] FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary section, taken in the
plane of line 12-12 in FIG. 6, showing the hopper unit being raised
to an unloading position;
[0031] FIG. 13A is a diagrammatic depiction of the minimum
effective passage area of the illustrated hopper unit; and
[0032] FIG. 13B is a diagrammatic depiction of the minimum
effective passage area of a prior art hopper unit;
[0033] While the invention is susceptible of various modifications
and alternative constructions, a certain illustrative embodiment
thereof has been shown in the drawings and will be described below
in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no
intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed,
but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,
alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the
spirit and scope of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0034] Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is
shown an illustrative commercial laundry machine 10 having a
loading hopper unit 11 embodying the present invention. The laundry
machine 10 includes a conventional drum 13 that is rotatably
mounted within a machine housing 14 and has a front opening 15,
through which launderable items are introduced into the drum 13 for
laundering. As is known in the art, the housing 14 and drum 13 are
adapted to be tilted relative to the horizontal between loading,
laundering, and unloading positions. The illustrated laundry
machine 10 further has inflatable bags 16 of a conventional type
for supporting the machine in isolated relation to the floor during
liquid extract cycles of operation when the machine is subjected to
extensive vibrations.
[0035] For facilitating the direction and loading of launder-able
items released from an overhead sling 18 into the front opening 15
of the laundry machine drum 13, the hopper unit 11 is mounted on a
front face 19 of the housing 14 in overlying relation to the front
opening 15 of the drum 13. The hopper unit 11 includes an upwardly
opening chute or trough 20, in this case having an outwardly
extending base plate 23 about its perimeter adapted for positioning
in adjacent overlying relation to the front face 19 of the laundry
machine housing 14.
[0036] In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the
hopper unit chute defines a relatively large passage to the front
opening of the laundry machine drum so as to enable larger
quantities of launderable items to be quickly and efficiently
introduced into the laundry machine. To this end, the illustrated
hopper unit chute 20 has a lower portion 21 formed with a horseshoe
cross-sectional configuration defined by vertical planar side wall
sections 21a, a planar bottom wall section 21b, and large radiused
corner sections 21c interconnecting the side and bottom wall
sections 21a, 21b. The corner sections 21c preferably have radii at
least 1/3rd the diameter of the drum opening 15 so that the lower
chute portion 21 has a generally rounded shape about the drum
opening 15 when the hopper is positioned adjacent the front face 19
of the laundry machine housing 14, as depicted in FIG. 2. The
bottom planar section 21b in this instance extends outwardly and
upwardly from the front face 19 of the laundry machine housing at
an angle of about 45 degrees.
[0037] The upper perimeter of the illustrated hopper chute 20 is
defined by a relatively shorter depth flange portion 22 which
extends in upwardly directed fashion from the lower chute portion
21. The chute flange portion 22 similarly has a horseshoe
configuration defined by straight side wall sections 22a, a flat
front section 22b, and large radiused corner sections 22c. The side
sections 22a in this instance extend in co-planar relation to the
side sections 21a of the lower chute portion 21 and the front
section 22b is angled upwardly with respect to the bottom section
21b. As depicted in FIG. 2, the upper perimeter of the flange
portion 22 is in a plane that angles downwardly at an angle of
about 25 degrees to the horizontal when the laundry machine housing
14 is horizontally oriented with the hopper unit 11 positioned
adjacent the front face 19 thereof. The "effective passage area" of
the hopper, i. e. herein meaning the smallest cross-sectional area
through which launderable items can be directed through the hopper,
in this case is in a plane 24 extending downwardly and outwardly of
the front forward face 19 at an acute angle, such as about 30
degrees (FIG. 7). It will be understood by one skilled in the art
that the effective passage area controls the quantity of goods that
may be directed through the hopper at a given time.
[0038] In carrying out the invention, the hopper unit chute 20 has
a relatively large effective passage area in relation to the front
opening 15 of the laundry machine drum 13 for facilitating more
efficient direction of launderable items into the drum 13 prior to
a laundry cycle. In the illustrated embodiment, the chute 20 has an
effective passage area 25 with a horseshoe cross-sectional
configuration, as depicted in solid lines in FIG. 13A, which is
significantly smaller than the perimeter of the hopper unit opening
at the top of the chute, as diagrammatically depicted in phantom in
FIG. 13A. The effective passage area 25 in this instance is defined
by a section through the side sections 21a, 22a, corner sections
21c, and bottom section 21b of the chute 20. In a typical 800 pound
capacity commercial laundry machine having a conventional drum with
a 50 inch front opening 15, the effective passage area 25 is
defined by sides having a length "l" of 38 inches, a width "w" of
47 inches, and corner sections 21c defined by a radius "r" of 18
inches. In such embodiment, the effective passage area 25 of the
chute 20 is 11.43 sq. ft. versus a 13.63 sq. ft. area for the 50
inch drum opening 15. Hence, in such embodiment, the effective
passage area 25 of the chute 20 is 83.9 percent of the area of the
drum opening 50. Preferably, in achieving the advantages of the
invention, the effective passage of chute 20 should be at least 75
percent of the area of the drum opening 15. In contrast, prior
commercial laundry machines having hopper units constructed under
the aforesaid '772 patent have been found to have effective passage
areas of less than 50 percent of the drum opening. As depicted in
FIG. 13B, the effective passage area 26 of such a hopper unit has a
rectangular configuration, which in practice, has been found to be
defined by sides "l" having a length of 32 inches and a width "w"
of 27 inches. The resulting effective passage area 26 of 6 sq. ft.
is 44 percent of the 13.63 sq. ft. area of a 50 inch conventional
drum opening.
[0039] In practice, the large radiused corner sections 21c, 22c of
the hopper unit chute 20 not only enhance the effective passage
area of the hopper unit, but facilitate the direction of
launderable items into and through the chute 20.
[0040] More particularly, unlike the rectangular cross-sectional
hoppers, typical of prior art, in which items tend to hang up in
the corners of the hopper unit, the large radiused section corner
sections 21c, 22c of the chute 20 direct items centrally into the
chute 20 and into and through the drum opening 15. The radiused
corner sections 21c, 22c further eliminates high stress
concentrations and potential failures at the corners of the hopper
unit, typical of rectangular configured hopper units, particularly
during extract cycles when the hopper unit can incur severe
vibrations.
[0041] In carrying out a further feature of the invention, the
hopper unit 11 has a splash door 30 mounted on a horizontal pivot
axis adjacent a front face of the laundry machine housing 14 and
extending across the top of the chute 20 for movement between a
lowered position that at least partially closes the upper end of
the hopper and a raised, upwardly extending position that neither
reduces the effective passage area 25 of the chute 20 nor impedes
the introduction of launderable items into and through the chute.
In the illustrated embodiment, the splash door 30 is mounted on a
horizontal pivot shaft 31 which extends across the top of the chute
20 adjacent the base plate 23, which in turn is adjacent the front
face 19 of the machine housing 14. In order to securely support the
splash door 30, the pivot shaft 31 has a square cross section, as
depicted in FIG. 8, mounted in a rearwardly opening channel 34
across the top of the splash door 30. Retaining bolts 35 secure the
splash door 30 on the pivot shaft 31. Opposite axial ends of the
pivot shaft 31 extend through side wall sections 22a of the chute
20 and are supported by bearings 36 secured to opposite sides of
the chute 20.
[0042] For raising and lowering the splash door 30 between open and
closed positions, a pair of double acting hydraulic cylinders 38
are mounted on opposite sides of the chute 20. The cylinders 38
each have a lower end pivotally mounted in a support bracket 39
fixed to a respective side of the chute 20 and a cylinder rod 40
pivotally connected to one end of a crank arm 41, the other end of
which in fixed to the pivot shaft 31. It will be seen that
actuation of the cylinders 38 will extend the cylinder rods 40 and
pivot the crank arms 41, which in turn pivot the splash door 30
upwardly to an open position, as shown in phantom in FIG. 7.
Reverse actuation of the cylinders 38 returns the splash door 30 to
a lowered closed position.
[0043] The illustrated splash door 30 has a U-shape perimeter which
when pivoted to the lowered closed position conforms with the inner
perimeter of the horseshoe configured lower chute portion 21 to
close communication through the chute 20 to the drum opening 15. As
depicted in FIG. 7, in the closed position, the splash door 30 is
oriented at an acute angle, such as 30 degrees, to the front face
19 of the machine and is in substantially perpendicular relation to
the lower planar section 21b of the chute 20. An appropriate seal
is provided about the perimeter of the splash door 30 for sealing
engagement with the chute 20 when the splash door is in a closed
position. In the raised position, as depicted in FIG. 7, the splash
door extends upwardly nearly parallel to the plane of the front
face 19 of the machine housing 14. A resilient bumper 44 in this
instance is mounted on a rear side of the splash door 30 for
engaging a stop 45 mounted in forwardly extending relation to the
front face 19 of the machine housing 14 for limiting upward
movement of the splash door 30 to a predetermined raised position.
When the laundry machine housing 14 and drum 13 are tilted upwardly
and the splash door 30 is raised for a loading cycle, as shown in
FIG. 3, the upper perimeter of the chute is in a substantially
horizontal plane with the splash door 30 angled rearwardly with
respect to a vertical drop line of items from the sling 18. It can
be seen that in such-open position the splash door 30 neither
limits or restricts the effective passage 25 of the hopper unit,
but rather, serves as an upstanding guide for directing items
centrally into the hopper unit. With the splash door 30 in such
upwardly and rearwardly extending relation relative to the drop
direction from an overhead sling, launderable items also will not
become hung up on the splash door, typical of the prior art,
requiring excessive forces to rotate the splash door to a closed
position. With the pivot shaft 31 of the splash door 30 located
adjacent the top of the hopper unit, it also is less likely to be
exposed to water and chemicals which can create films that impede
long term reliable operation.
[0044] In practice, it has been found that the relatively large
effective passage area 25 of the hopper unit chute 20, combined
with the upwardly raised splash door 30 that assists in directing
launderable items into the hopper unit, enables significantly
larger quantities of launderable items to be simultaneously
introduced into the machine drum 13 than heretofore possible. While
200 pound slings are conventionally used for loading commercial
laundry machines, a laundry machine with a hopper unit 11 in
accordance with the present invention is adapted for receiving
goods from slings twice that size, i. e. 400 pounds, thereby
reducing the number of slings that must be handled and loaded into
the laundry machine by 50 percent. While six 200 pound slings
typically can be required for loading a conventional commercial
laundry machine, a laundry machine 10 with the hopper unit 11 may
be loaded with three slings, reducing the typical loading time from
about 18 minutes to about nine minutes. Depending upon the
particular wash and extract cycles, the reduced loading time alone
can improve laundry machine productivity by 24 to 32 percent.
[0045] In keeping with a further aspect of the invention, the
hopper unit 11 includes a liquid spray arrangement that is operable
with lesser liquid requirements for maintaining the chute 20 in a
clean condition and providing required lubricity for enhanced
passage of items through the chute. In the illustrated embodiment,
a U-shaped liquid supply line 48 is mounted along the inside of the
chute 20 adjacent the upper end of the front and corner sections
22a, 22c, which is supplied with liquid Tom a central supply line
49 and is formed with a plurality of discharge orifices for
directing liquid down the front sections and corner sections of the
chute 20. Since water need not be sprayed about the splash door,
typical of the prior art, to the extent a liquid spray is used to
improve lubricity of the hopper chute 20 significantly lesser
quantities of water are required. Since the splash door 30 is
raised from the chute 20 during both cleaning and unloading, liquid
may be applied directly to the chute for more effective and
efficient usage. The substantially shorter loading time further
minimizes liquid usage, and eliminates the need for a liquid drain
cycle prior to the start up of a laundry operation.
[0046] In keeping with a further feature of the invention, the
laundry machine has an improved locking and sealing arrangement for
securely maintaining the hopper unit in closed position during
laundering cycles, as well as during extract cycles when the hopper
unit can be exposed to significant vibratory forces. In the
illustrated embodiment, an inlet end of the chute 20 is defined by
an outer peripheral spinning 50 which is mounted rearwardly of the
base plate 23 and protrudes inwardly through a front opening 51 in
the front face 19 of the machine housing 14, as depicted in FIGS. 7
and 9, for communication with the front opening 15 of the drum 13
when the chute 20 is in a lowered position. A seal 52 is retained
about the perimeter of the spinning 50 in rearwardly projecting
relation to the hopper base plate 23 and is secured thereto by a
rearwardly facing U-shaped end 54 of the spinning 50. When the
hopper unit 11 is in a lowered or operative position, as shown in
FIGS. 7 and 9, the seal 52 engages a sealing flange 56 mounted in
forwardly extending relation to the front face 23 of the machine
housing 14.
[0047] For forcing the chute 20 and the seal 52 carried thereby
against the housing sealing flange 56 to create a water tight seal
between the hopper unit and machine housing, pneumatic toggle
switches 58 are provided for cooperation with respective latch
boxes 59 mounted in outwardly extended relation to the hopper unit
base plate 23. In this case, the hopper unit 11 has a pair of latch
boxes 59 extending radially outwardly from opposite lower sides of
the base plate 23, which each are engageable by a respective toggle
switch 58 mounted on the front face 19 of the laundry machine
housing 14. The toggle switches 58, which may be a commercial type
sold under the trademark Testaco, each are mounted on a support
plate 60 fixed in forwardly extending relation to the front face 19
of the housing 14 (see FIG. 10). The toggle switches 58 each
include a cylinder body 61 having a downwardly extending piston rod
62 connected to a locking arm 64 through an overcenter connecting
link 65. Actuation of the cylinders 58 will extend the cylinder
rods 61 and pivot the lock arms 64 downwardly through an opening 66
in the latch box 59 and into engagement with a strike plate 68, as
depicted in FIG. 10, urging the hopper unit 11 toward the front
face 19 of the machine housing 14 with the seal 52 engaging the
housing sealing flange 56. For preventing overcompression of the
hopper unit seal 52, an adjusting screw 70 is mounted in rearwardly
extending relation to the hopper unit base plate 23 for engagement
with the front face 19 of the housing 14. Selected positioning of
the adjusting screws 70 relative to the hopper base plate 23
enables the establishment of a desired sealing pressure. As shown
in FIG. 11, reverse actuation of the toggle switches 58 and
retraction of the piston rods 62 will pivot the toggle switch
locking arms 64 outwardly of the respective hopper latch boxes 59
for enabling movement of the hopper unit 11 away from the front
face 19 of the laundry machine housing 14, as will become
apparent.
[0048] For monitoring the locked condition of the hopper unit 11,
each cylinder 58 has a respective read switch 72 mounted thereon
for sensing the position of the cylinder rod 62. It will be
appreciated by one skilled in the art that since the desired
sealing pressure between the hopper unit 11 and machine housing 14
can be maintained by the combined effect of the adjusting screws 70
and the toggle switches 58, the locking arrangement is less
susceptible to wear and looseness typical of prior art hopper
locking devices after prolonged usage under severe vibratory
conditions. The read switches 72 further are adapted for long term
reliable operation.
[0049] In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention,
an alternative sealing arrangement is provided between the hopper
unit and housing for more effectively preventing the transmission
of vibrations between the machine housing and the hopper unit
during extract cycles of operation. With particular reference to
FIG. 9A, wherein items similar to those described above have been
given similar reference numerals with a distinguishing prime, i. e.
"'" added, a seal 71 is provided which is adapted for three
directional sealing and shock absorption between the hopper unit 11
and housing 14' when the hopper unit 11' is in a closed position.
The seal 71 preferably has an elongated hollow tubular shape, and
like the seal 52 described above, is disposed on a rearward side of
the hopper unit base plate 23' in surrounding relation to an outer
perimeter of a spinning 50'. The seal 71 preferably is mounted in a
stretched condition about the hopper unit 11' so as to be biased or
urged into retained engagement with a corner of the hopper unit
defined by the rear side of the base plate 23' and an outer
perimeter of the spinning 50'. A rod-like retaining member 73 is
disposed on a side of the seal 71 opposite the spinning 50' for
further locating and retaining the seal in mounted position.
[0050] In carrying out this embodiment of the invention, the hopper
unit 11' and housing 14' define three seal-engaging surfaces each
oriented at an angle with respect to each other when the hopper
unit is in a lowered closed position. A first sealing surface 74a
is defined by the rear side of the hopper unit base plate 23', and
more particularly, in this instance by the rear side of a radial
flange of the spinning 50', the second sealing surface 74b is
defined by an outer annular side of the spinning 50' which in the
illustrated embodiment extends in generally perpendicular relation
to the first sealing surface 74a and a third sealing surface 74a is
defined by an angled sealing plate 77 mounted on the machine
housing 14' and in rearwardly and inwardly extending relation
thereto. The angled sealing plate 77 in this case is defined by one
leg of a V-shaped retaining plate which has an opposite leg 77a
affixed, such as by weldment, in forwardly extending relation to
the front face 19' of the housing. The inclined sealing plate 77 in
this case extends rearwardly and radially inwardly at an angle of
about 45.degree. to the front face 19' of the housing and the first
and second sealing surfaces 74a, 74b and has a terminal end portion
77b that extends rearwardly to define the front housing
opening.
[0051] It will be seen that when the hopper unit 11' is forced into
closed and sealed engagement with the annular seal 71, such as by
the locking unit described above, an inwardly directed clamping
pressure or force F1 is exerted against the sealing member 77 by
the sealing surface 74a in a direction parallel to the axis of the
drum and the housing opening and a lateral pressure or force F2 is
exerted by the sealing surface 74b against the sealing member 71 in
a direction perpendicular to the force F1. These forces are
resisted and countered by the inclined sealing plate 77 when the
hopper unit 11' is in a closed position with the tubular sealing
member 71 interposed between the three angled sealing surfaces,
74a, 74b, 74c. It will be seen that the tubular sealing member 71
not only provides three point sealing contact between the hopper
unit 11' and the housing 14' but tends to dampen and prevent
transmission of vibrational forces from the machine housing 14 to
the hopper unit 11' in both axial and radial directions, which can
be significant during extract cycles of operation. It has been
found that the tubular sealing member 71, combined with such three
point sealing engagement `more effectively prevents the
transmission of vibrations from the housing to the hopper unit,
which can otherwise cause damage and breakage to the relatively
massive overhung hopper unit and its mounting. In carrying out yet
another feature of the invention, hydraulic cylinders 75 having
forward trunnion mountings are provided for pivoting and lifting
the hopper unit 11 through an arc of at least about 90 degrees
between a lowered operative position adjacent the front face 19 of
the machine and a pivotally raised position for enabling unloading
of the laundry machine following a laundry cycle without
interference from the hopper unit 11. In the illustrated
embodiment, hydraulic cylinders 75, which may be of a conventional
type, are mounted on opposite sides of the machine housing 14 a
relatively short distance below the hopper unit pivot shaft 71
(FIGS. 5 and 6). The hydraulic cylinders 75 each have a cylinder
body 78 mounted at a forward end for relative pivotal movement by a
respective trunnion 76 extending outwardly from a side of the
laundry machine housing. The hydraulic cylinders 75 in this case
each have a forwardly extending cylinder rod 79 extending through a
respective slot 80 in the front face 19 of the machine housing 14
with an outer end pivotally connected to the hopper by a respective
bearing 81 fixed to an extending bracket member 73 mounted to the
hopper base plate 23.
[0052] With the hopper unit 11 in its operative position adjacent
the front face 19 of the machine housing 14, as seen in FIG. 2, it
will be seen that the hydraulic cylinders 75 extend rearwardly in
substantial parallel relation to the horizontal axis of the
machine. Actuation of the hydraulic cylinders 75 will extend the
cylinder rods 79 pivoting the hopper unit 11 outwardly and upwardly
from the front face 19 of the laundry machine, with the hydraulic
cylinders 75 simultaneously pivoting downwardly. It will be
appreciated that the front trunnion mounting of the hydraulic
cylinders 75 enables the hopper unit 11 to be pivoted upwardly
through an angle greater than 90 degrees, while the hydraulic
cylinders 75 pivot through an acute angle only slightly greater
than 45 degrees. Hence, the front trunnion mounting of the
hydraulic cylinders 75 enables the hopper to be pivoted a wider
angle for facilitating unloading of laundered items without
interference from the hopper unit 11, while at the same time
occupying a relatively small space adjacent the upper sides of the
hopper unit so as not to interfere with loading conveyors or other
access to the laundry machine. It will further be appreciated by
one skilled in the art that the hydraulic cylinders 75 are operable
for reliably pivoting and lifting the relatively massive hopper 11
even though the pivot arm "d" (FIG. 12) is relatively small in
relation to the depth of the hopper. In the illustrative
embodiment, the pivot arm "d" is less than 1/5.sup.th of the total
depth of the hopper. The use of hydraulic cylinders also is
effective for reliably actuating the hopper without instabilities
typical of conventional pneumatic cylinders.
[0053] In operation of the laundry machine 10, it can be seen that
with the hopper unit 11 positioned in sealed relation to the front
face 19 of the laundry machine housing 14 with the toggle switches
58 securing the hopper unit 11 in place through actuation of the
pneumatic cylinders 61, the laundry machine housing 14 and drum 13
may be tilted upwardly, as shown in FIG. 3, and the splash door 30
pivoted to an upwardly and rearwardly extended position through
actuation of the hydraulic cylinders 38. Upon release of goods from
an overhead sling 18 the goods will be directed centrally into the
hopper chute 20 under the guidance of its horseshoe configuration
and the upwardly and rearwardly extending splash door 30. Direction
of goods through the hopper unit chute 20 and into the laundry
machine drum 13 further can be facilitated by the discharge of
liquid from the liquid supply line 48 about the upper end perimeter
of the chute 20. Since launderable items introduced into the chute
20 need not pass over the splash door 30, minimum water or liquid
is required to maintain the lubricity of the chute and to maintain
the chute in a clean condition. Moreover, by virtue of the
relatively large effective passage area 25 of the chute 20,
commercial laundry machines may be loaded with no more than three
400 pound slings, thereby significantly shortening the normal
loading time and further reducing the liquid spray requirement.
With the laundry machine loaded with launderable items, the splash
door 30 may be closed through reverse actuation of the hydraulic
cylinders 38 and the laundry machine housing 14 and drum 13 tilted
to a horizontal position for carrying out the laundry cycle in a
conventional manner. As is known in the art, during the extract
cycle, the bags 16 may be inflated to minimize the transmission of
vibratory forces from the laundry machine to the floor. By virtue
of the hydraulic cylinders 38 and 75 for the splash door 30 and
hopper unit 11 and the toggle actuated hopper unit locking devices,
the hopper unit 11 and splash door 30 are reliably maintained in
closed and sealed conditions during laundry cycles, notwithstanding
extensive vibrations. The horseshoe configuration of the hopper
unit chute 20, and particularly the large radiused side sections
21c, 22c thereof, also withstand such vibrations without creation
of high stress concentrations. Following completion of the laundry
cycle, the hopper unit 11 is pivotally raised through an angle
greater than 90 degrees upon actuation of the hydraulic cylinders
75 and the laundry machine housing 14 is tilted downwardly to
permit unloading of laundered items in a conventional manner
without interference from the hopper unit.
[0054] From the foregoing, it can be seen that the commercial
laundry machine of the present invention has a loading hopper
designed to substantially reduce loading time, and hence,
substantially improve operating efficiency of the laundry machine.
The hopper unit chute has a substantially larger effective passage
area which, in combination with a splash door that is pivotal
upwardly and away from the chute to assist in guiding items into
the chute, enables substantially larger loading slings to be used
with the laundry machine. The hopper unit locking and sealing
arrangement also is adapted for long term reliable usage, and the
trunnion mounted hopper unit actuating cylinders are effective for
pivoting the hopper through a wider opening angle for enabling 5
unloading of the washing machine without interference from the
hopper.
* * * * *