U.S. patent number 3,902,236 [Application Number 05/374,030] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-02 for washer spin tube puller.
Invention is credited to Robert K. Deem.
United States Patent |
3,902,236 |
Deem |
September 2, 1975 |
Washer spin tube puller
Abstract
A device for pulling the spin tube assembly from a washing
machine. The puller device has a fixed arm which bears against the
washer cabinet. A rotatable threaded shaft engages a threaded hole
in the fixed arm. The shaft carries a moveable member which is
removeably attached to the spin tube assembly by means of cables
passing around the drive pulley and brake assembly on one end of
the spin tube. When the shaft is rotated it moves axially in the
threaded hole in the fixed member and causes the moveable member to
move with the shaft toward the fixed arm member and pull the spin
tube assembly with it out of its assembled position in the washer.
The moveable member may have pivoted hook-shaped arms as an
alternative to the cables for attachment to the spin tube assembly.
One end of the rotatable shaft extends into the hollow spin tube to
aid in maintaining axial alignment between the shaft and the spin
tube.
Inventors: |
Deem; Robert K. (Tallmadge,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
23474946 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/374,030 |
Filed: |
June 27, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/256; 254/100;
29/259 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25B
27/023 (20130101); Y10T 29/53848 (20150115); Y10T
29/53861 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B25B
27/02 (20060101); B25B 027/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;29/256,258,259,261,266,282 ;254/98,100 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Smith; Al Lawrence
Assistant Examiner: Smith, Jr.; Harold P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Milliken; Paul E.
Claims
I claim:
1. A device for removing the spin tube assembly from a washing
machine comprising:
A. a rotatable bar having a threaded portion thereon;
B. fixed means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent one end
thereof to bear against a fixed portion of the washing machine;
C. moveable means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent to the
end opposite the fixed means and removeably attachable to the spin
tube assembly of the washing machine;
D. a pair of flexible cables, each having a first end attached to
the moveable means at a location radially opposite from the
attachment location of the other cable, and means for attaching a
second end of each cable to the moveable means, whereby each cable
engages a radially opposite side of the spin tube assembly from
that engaged by the other cable to provide a substantially evenly
balanced axial pulling force on radially opposite sides of the spin
tube assembly to reduce any tendency of cocking or binding of the
spin tube assembly during removal;
E. at least one of said fixed means and movable means threadably
engaging the threaded portion of the bar to effect relative
movement between that means and the bar and relative movement of
the moveable means with respect to the fixed means upon rotation of
the bar; and
F. means rotating the bar to cause the moveable means to move
toward the fixed means and pull the spin tube assembly from its
assembled position in the washing machine.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 including means maintaining axial
alignment between the rotatable bar and the spin tube assembly,
said means comprising an extension of the rotatable bar which
protrudes beyond the moveable means and extends into the hollow
spin tube when the device is in use in removing a spin tube
assembly.
3. A device for removing the spin tube assembly from a washing
machine comprising:
A. a rotatable bar having a threaded portion thereon;
B. fixed means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent one end
thereof to bear against a fixed portion of the washing machine;
C. said fixed means threadably engaging the threaded portion of the
bar to effect relative axial movement of the bar with respect to
the fixed means upon rotation of the bar;
D. moveable means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent to the
end opposite to the fixed means and removeably attachable to the
spin tube assembly of the washing machine;
E. a pair of flexible cables, each having a first end attached to
the moveable means at a location radially opposite from the
attachment location of the other cable, and means for attaching a
second end of each cable to the moveable means, whereby each cable
engages a radially opposite side of the spin tube assembly from
that engaged by the other cable to provide a substantially evenly
balanced axial pulling force on radially opposite sides of the spin
tube assembly to reduce any tendency of cocking or binding of the
spin tube assembly during removal;
F. stop means on the rotatable bar to engage the moveable means and
cause it to move with the bar when it moves in an axial direction,
while permitting the bar to rotate with respect to the moveable
means; and
G. means rotating the bar to cause the moveable means to move with
the rotatable bar toward the fixed means and pull the spin tube
assembly from its assembled position in the washing machine;
H. means maintaining axial alignment between the rotatable bar and
the spin tube assembly, said means comprising an extension of the
rotatable bar which protrudes into a hollow spin tube of the spin
tube assembly to prevent cocking and binding of the assembly during
removal from the washing machine.
4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means rotating the
bar is a hand wrench.
5. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means rotating the
bar is a motor driven wrench.
6. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the fixed means is an
elongated member extending transversely across the rotatable bar
and adapted to bear against the cabinet of the washing machine
adjacent each end of said elongated member.
Description
PRIOR ART
The closest prior art know to applicant is U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,025
issued to A. J. Holman which shows a spline puller for wash machine
agitators.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a device for pulling
loose a spin tube assembly which has become frozen in the assembled
position in the washing machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for pulling
a spin tube assembly from a washing machine without the need for
pounding on the end of the spin tube which may cause the end of the
tube to become battered and even more difficult to remove.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a washing
machine spin tube puller which is compact, light weight and easy to
operate.
These and other objects of the invention will become more fully
apparent as the description proceeds in the following specification
and the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of spin tube puller of this invention
attached to a spin tube assembly;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spin tube puller shown in FIG. 1 with
the spin tube assembly removed;
FIG. 3 shows a spin tube puller similar to the one shown in FIG. 1
in operative position in a washing machine ready to withdraw the
spin tube assembly from the machine and with the puller powered by
an electric motor driven wrench;
FIG. 4 shows a fragmentary plan view of an alternative device for
attaching the spin tube puller to the spin tube assembly;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternative cable
fastener for the cable which attaches to the spin tube assembly;
and
FIG. 6 is another fragmentary perspective view of another
alternative cable fastener.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings the spin tube assembly
puller device is indicated as a whole by the numeral 1 and is shown
attached to the spin tube assembly 2. FIG. 2 shows the puller
device 1 separately when not connected to the spin tube assembly 2.
The puller 1 has a rotary bar or shaft 3 which passes through a
hole 4 in a fixed cross arm member 5 and through a threaded nut 6
welded to a reinforcing plate 7 attached to the arm 5 by rivets 8
or other suitable means. The shaft 3 could also engage a threaded
hole made directly in the cross arm 5 if the arm is sufficiently
thick and the material is strong enough to carry the load of the
threaded shaft 3 when it is pulling the spin tube assembly from the
washer. The cross arm 5 extends transversely across the shaft 3 and
when used with a washing machine 9 as indicated in phantom lines in
FIG. 3 bears against the bottom of the washer cabinet 10 thereby
providing a fixed anchor member for the device when the pull is
applied to the spin tube assembly 2 as will be described later.
On the end of the shaft 3 opposite the fixed arm 5 is a moveable
arm member 11 having a hole 12 as shown in FIG. 2 through which the
shaft 3 passes. A washer 13 retained by a cotter pin 14 prevents
the arm 11 from coming off the end of the shaft 3 while permitting
the shaft 3 to rotate with respect to the arm 11. The arm 11 has an
eye bolt 15 on one end and a similar eye bolt 16 on the opposite
end. A cable 15a has one end attached to the bolt 15 and the
opposite end attached to a hook 15b. Likewise a cable 16a is
attached at one end to the eyebolt 16 and has its opposite end
attached to a hook 16b.
The spin tube assembly 2 as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a hollow spin
tube 17, which carries on one end thereof, a drive pulley 18, a
brake yoke 19, and a brake assembly 20. As shown in FIG. 3 the spin
tube 17 is carried in bearings 21 and 22 held in a support tube 23
which is mounted on a base plate 24 beneath the tub 25. One of the
major problems encountered in removing the spin tube assembly 2 is
that accumulations of rust and dirt build up on the spin tube 17
and make it difficult to pull the tube through the supporting
bearings 21 and 22. Pounding on the top of the tube can sometimes
batter the tube end to the point that it becomes even more
impossible to remove.
The puller is used to eliminate the need for pounding on the tube
17. After the gear casing and drive gear assembly (not shown) is
removed from the bottom of the spin tube assembly 2 the end of the
shaft 3 is inserted into the hollow spin tube 17 as shown in FIGS.
1 and 3 until the moveable arm 11 is adjacent to the bottom of the
spin tube. Cables 15a and 16a are then wrapped around the spin tube
17 above the brake assembly 20 and hooks 15b and 16b are
respectively hooked in eyebolts 15 and 16 as shown. The shaft 3 is
then rotated either by the hand wrench 26 in FIGS. 1 and 2 or by an
electric motor driven wrench 26a shown in FIG. 3. The direction of
rotation is such as to cause the shaft to move in an axial
direction by being screwed through the nut 6 on the arm 5 and as
the shaft 3 moves it pulls the moveable arm 11 with it. The arm 11
in turn pulls on the cables 15a and 16a which pull the spin tube
assembly 17 out of the bearings 21 and 22. In withdrawing the spin
tube 17, the moveable arm 11 moves from the position shown in FIG.
3 to a position adjacent the fixed arm 5. It should be mentioned
that the end of the shaft 3 which protrudes into the spin tube aids
in maintaining proper axial alignment between the shaft 3 and tube
17.
While in the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown, the
shaft 3 threadably engages the fixed arm 5 and rotates freely in
the hole 12 in the arm 11, it is also possible to reverse the
arrangement and have the shaft 3 rotate freely in the arm 5 and
threadably engage the arm 11. In such a case the arm 11 would move
axially along the shaft 3 when it is rotated instead of moving with
the shaft as it does in the shown preferred embodiment.
FIG. 4 shows another alternative method to attach the puller to the
spin tube assembly 2 by means of hook shaped arms 27 attached by
pivot pins 28 to the arm 11 and held in position on the brake
assembly 20 by a hook 29 engaging a pin 30.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which a continuous loop of cable
31 is held in an open hook 32 at each end of the arm 11. Each loop
31 is first placed around the spin tube 17 above the brake assembly
20 similar to the manner the cables 15a and 16a are positioned
around the tube and then the loops 31 are hooked in the hooks
32.
FIG. 6 shows the use of U-bolts 33 on each end of the arm 11
instead of the eyebolts 15 and 16. The cables 33a are passed around
the spin tube 17 in the same manner as the cables 15a and 16a and
the hooks 33b are hooked into the U-bolt 33 in the same manner that
the hooks 15b and 16b are hooked into eyebolts 15 and 16.
While fastening means such as the use of cables and hook-shaped
arms have been shown to illustrate the invention, it will be
obvious that various other means can be used to grip the spin tube
for withdrawal from the washing machine. Means other than the hand
and power wrench shown herein may be used for rotating the shaft 3.
For example cranks or other suitable devices may also be used.
Various other modifications may be made to the devices shown herein
without departing from the scope of the invention.
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