Automatic Washing Machine And Overflow Tub Ring Therefor

Abstract

A compact automatic washer having a tub ring in the form of an excursion limiting channel having diametrically opposed protrusions projecting therefrom for engaging the inside of the cabinet during excess gyratory movement of the tub and thereby protecting the timer and other control parts within the cabinet. The excursion limiting channel is in the form of an upwardly opening U-shaped channel having a downwardly opening channel extending about the tub and having a series of openings along the base of the channel in registry with the tub to allow any water splashing into the channel to flow back into the tub and to accommodate overflow of wash water to rise up into the channel and flow out through one of the excursion limiting protrusions to the base of the washing machine.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Compact portable automatic washer having protection means, protecting the electrical parts of the machine from water and from damage caused by gyratory motion of the tub.

BACKGROUND, SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Heretofore, automatic washing machines have had annular covers extending about or recessed within the top of the tub for the washing machine and extending over the clothes container to contain water splashed by the agitator to the tub. Such top covers have also had openings therein accommodating the drainage of water from the cover to a sump at the bottom of the cabinet for the washing machine upon overfill conditions in the tub, which may be caused, for example, by sticking of the fill valve for the tub, or a defective water level switch, or timer. Such covers are shown in a U.S. Pat No. to Morgan No. 3,390,554 and a U.S. Pat. to Douglas No. 3,604,225.

While such covers have been effective to contain splashing water to the clothes container during a washing operation and also to take care of limited overfill conditions, these covers are not effective to limit excursion of the tub caused by an unbalanced load and offer little, if any, real protection to the timer or other control elements of the machine during extreme gyratory motion of the tub caused by unbalanced loads.

The present invention improves upon the tub covers of the aforementioned patents in that the cover is arranged in the form of an upwardly opening channel having a series of holes leading through the base of the channel to accommodate water which may be splashed into the channel to flow back into the tub and also to accommodate the rising level of water in the tub, caused by failure of the solenoid controlled water valve to shut off, or by failure of the pressure switch to operate properly, to pass into the channel and flow outwardly through an excursion limiting protrusion to the base of the cabinet. The channel has a diametrically opposed protrusion similar to the drain protrusion which cooperates with the drain protrusion to limit gyratory motion of the tub and prevent damage to the timer contained within the cabinet by the gyratory motion of the tub upon extreme unbalanced conditions of the load in the clothes container. The excursion limiting ring may advantageously be a one-piece molded part having provisions for filtering recirculated wash water and supplying water to the tub. Further openings may be provided through the channel adjacent the overfill excursion limiting protrusion having sufficient capacity to assure the flow of water out through the overfill protrusion and avoid the overflow of the channel.

The advantages of the invention, therefore, are that the U-shaped annular channel in addition to limiting tub excursion, contains the filtering water inlet and forms a flow control for overfill water and is of such a shape and construction that it may readily be molded as a one-piece molded part.

A further advantage of the invention is that the tub excursion limiters, aside from providing a means for protecting the timer during extreme gyratory motion of the tub, provide a convenient and adequate path for the flow of overflow water from the tub.

A further advantage of the invention is that the tub excursion limiters on the tub ring are of sufficient size that the excursion limiter forming the overflow opening has sufficient capacity to assure that the water flowing through the opening flows out of the channel, and thereby avoids overflowing the walls of the channel.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment 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.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a generally perspective view of an automatic washing machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention with parts of the cabinet, tub and clothes container broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the washing machine shown in FIG. 1 with the cabinet shown in section and certain parts of the cover for the channel broken away.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line III--III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along line IV--IV of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1 of the drawings, an automatic washing machine of a conventional household type is shown in which a tub 10 has a clothes container or spin basket 11 contained therein, and an agitator 12 is contained in the spin basket and mounted for oscillatable movement with respect thereto and for spinning movement with the basket upon the extraction of water from the clothes in the basket. The tub 10, spin basket 11 and agitator 12 and the drive mechanism therefor an enclosed in a cabinet 13. The cabinet 13 is shown as being generally rentangular in form having side walls 14b and 14d, back wall 14c and front wall 14a which may be detachably mounted on upright flanges 15 of a base 16 as by screws 17. The screws 17 may be self tapping screws of a conventional form and extend through the walls 14b, 14c and 14d and flanges 15 to detachably secure the cabinet 13 to the base 16. The cabinet 13 also includes a top 19 having a hinged lid 20 openable to afford access to a clothes receiving opening 21 in a tub ring 22 extending about the tub and over a corresponding opening in the spin basket 11. The cabinet 13 has a timer dial 23 connected to a timer 25 and mounted on front wall 14a near the top of the cabinet beneath the top 19. Suitable wiring 25a connects the timer 25 to the motor 29 and other electrically operated devices of the machine. A water level pressure switch 58 (FIG. 2) connected to wiring 25a by connections (not shown) interacts with the timer 25 to control the water level in the tub 10.

Supported above the cabinet base 16 on vibration damping spring and rod assemblies 26 is a base plate 27 forming a support for the tub 10, spin basket 11 and agitator 12 in a conventional manner. The base plate 27 may be a cast aluminum base plate or may be made from any other suitable material. The base plate 27 may be suitably supported on any vibration damping spring assemblies which provide support for the base plate 27 from the cabinet base 16 and which absorb vibration during spinning movement of the spin basket 11. The assemblies 26 form to part of the present invention and therefore need not herein be shown or described further. The base plate 27 also forms a support for a motor 29 and a drive control mechanism or transmission generally indicated by reference numeral 30 which may also include a clutch and control mechanism, as well as drive mechanism for oscillatably driving the agitator 12 or spinning the spin basket 11 and releasing the agitator to freely spin with the spin basket. A pump 31 for removing wash or rinse water from the tub 10 at the termination of a washing or a rinsing operation is also supported to depend from the base plate 27 and is connected to a drain (not shown) through a drain conduit 33. It should be understood that the motor 29, drive control mechanism 30, and pump 31 can be mounted in any convenient manner between the cabinet base 16 and the base plate 27 and need not necessarily depend from the base plate 27 as shown. The cabinet 13 also forms a mounting for a suitable inlet water valve 32 of a conventional construction to supply the tube with washing liquid as shown in FIG. 2. The inlet valve 32 is connected with a source of water (not shown) through an inlet conduit 35. The valve 32 controls the supply of water through a conduit 32a to an anti-siphoning device 34 and through conduit 34a to a water inlet 24 mounted on tub ring 22. The tub ring further houses a removable filter element 121 which receives wash water from the pump 31 in a conventional manner through conduit 122 and delivers the water back into the basket 11.

Referring now in particular to the tub ring or excursion limiting overflow channel member 22, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the tub ring includes an upwardly opening channel 100 having a base 135 having inner and outer side walls 36 and 37 extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom. The downwardly extending portion of the inner side wall 36 extends downwardly of the base 135 within the top open portion of the spin basket 11. The opposite or outer flange 37 also extends upwardly and downwardly of the base 135 (see FIG. 3) and the downwardly extending portion forms an outer wall of a downwardly opening channel 39 fitting over the upper rim of the tub 10. Openings 40 are provided in the base 135 through which clips (not shown) extend to secure the tub ring 22 to the top of the tub 10. The outer wall 37 of the channel 100 has a recessed portion 41 therein forming a mounting for the water inlet 24 on the outside of the wall and extending inwardly therefrom and opening through the base 135 of the channel to direct water into the tub 10 and spin basket 11. A filter element housing 120 extends across the base 135 of the channel and houses the removable filter element 121, opening along its bottom into the tub and spin basket 11. The removable filter element operates on principles similar to the filter shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,192 and is no part of the present invention, so need not herein be shown or described further. Wash water is recirculated from the bottom of the tub through a conduit 122 to the filter element 121 by the pump 31.

A series of openings 42 are spaced along the base 135 of the channel 100 to allow water which is splashed into the channel to flow back into the tub. Furthermore, during an overfill condition of the tub caused by failure of the inlet fill valve 32 or water level pressure switch 58, the openings 42 provide passageways accommodating the water rising in the tub to pass into the channel 100 and flow outwardly of the channel through an excursion preventing protrusion 43 protruding from the side wall 37 and formed integrally therewith.

The excursion preventing protrusion 43 has a bottom wall 44 sloping downwardly at a slight angle to a drain opening 45 which is connected by a lower extension 43a of protrusion 43 to a flexible sleeve 45a that extends downward and provides a passage from the drain opening 45 to the base of the cabinet 13 to one side of the tub 10. The drain opening 45 is shown as being elongated and of a relatively large volumetric capacity to freely drain water from the channel and prevent overflow of the water above the tops of the walls 36 and 37.

Spaced inwardly of the excursion limiting protrusion 43 are enlarged openings 46 in the base 135 of the channel in alignment with the discharge opening 45. The openings 46 have ribs 47 extending thereacross to strengthen the portion of the channel in the region of the openings 46 and to aid in directing the water to flow outwardly to the opening 45. Thus, during an overfill condition, most of the water will flow through the openings 46 between the ribs 47 and out through the discharge opening 45 while additional water will flow up through the openings 42 and along channel 100 to be discharged through the outlet opening 45. The openings 46 and 42 together with the large volumetric capacity of the discharge opening 45 thus assure a full discharge of overflow water from the channel 100 and prevent the filling of the channel and overflow over the tops of the walls 36 and 37 thereof.

Diametrically opposed to the excursion limiting protrusion 43 is an excursion limiting protrusion 48 of a form similar to the protrusion 43 and opening at its top. FIG. 2 shows in broken lines the position the tub will assume during offbalance of the load sufficient to produce large gyrations of the tub. During such extreme gyrations, the protrusion 48 will engage the inside of wall 14d of the cabinet 13, while the tub ring side wall 37 may come into engagement with the inside of front wall 14a of said cabinet. This Figure clearly illustrates that during such gyratory motion of the tub, the timer 25 is fully protected from the tub in its extreme positions of gyration. It should be understood that protrusion 43 operates in a similar manner against side wall 14b to protect the pressure switch 58 and anti-siphoning device 34.

A cover 49 is provided for the tub ring 22 and channel 100 therein. The cover 49 is partially shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and is of a generally annular form having a plurality of hasp-like projections 50 extending laterally therefrom adapted to be engaged by the outwardly extending hook ends of hook-like latch members 51 projecting upwardly of the outer side wall 37 of the tub ring channel 100. The material from which the excursion limiting channel member is constructed, which preferably is a plastic material, is sufficiently resilient to allow the hook ends of the latches to snap into engagement with the projections 50 as the ring is pressed downwardly on the tub ring to cover the channel extending thereabout. The cover 49 also has an inner shouldered portion 52 (FIG. 3) engaging the top portion of the inner wall 36 of the channel and has an axially extending flange portion 53 extending along the inner side of the inner wall 36 of the channel. A plurality of lugs 54 project downwardly of the axial flange 53 into the space between pairs of circumferentially spaced vertical ribs 55 (FIG. 3). The ribs 55 have upper recessed (not shown) forming recesses to engage the axial flange 53 and aid in locating the cover on the tub ring and in holding the cover in position on the channel.

The top surface of the cover 49 slopes inwardly as indicated at 49a, FIG. 3, to drain water that may be splashed thereon into the tub while the front and rear peripheral portions of the cover are flattened. Only the front flattened portion is shown herein and is indicated in FIG. 2 by reference numeral 57. These flattened portions serve as visual aids in registering the cover when placing it on the channel and also provide clearance between the cover 49 and a wiring harness (not shown) that is secured along the upper portion of cabinet front wall 14a.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In an automatic washer having a cabinet,

a tub in said cabinet,

a clothes containing basket within said tub,

said tub having means defining a top opening and being movably suspended within said cabinet for receiving washing liquid,

a tub ring mounted on said tub and defining the opening thereinto,

said tub ring comprising an annular excursion limiting channel member extending around said top opening of said tub,

at least two opposed outwardly projecting excursion limiters extending from said channel member for limiting gyratory movement of said tub within said cabinet, and

wall means defining a drain opening through one of said excursion limiters.

2. In an automatic washer in accordance with claim 1, further including

a timer within said cabinet adjacent the upper end portion thereof, and

wherein the outwardly projecting excursion limiters are so arranged relative to said timer as to prevent said tub from damaging said timer upon excess gyratory motion of said tub caused by extreme unbalanced loads.

3. In an automatic washer in accordance with claim 2, wherein the outwardly projecting excursion limiters are diametrically opposed and open at their tops.

4. In an automatic washer in accordance with claim 3, including an annular cover for said excursion limiting channel member, and means detachably securing said cover to said excursion limiting channel member.

5. In an automatic washer in accordance with claim 4,

wherein the means detachably securing the cover to said excursion limiting channel member comprise

upwardly projecting hook-like lugs projecting upwardly of said excursion limiting channel member, and

hasp-like members extending radially of said cover for receiving said upwardly projecting hook-like lugs.

6. In an automatic washer in accordance with claim 1, wherein said tub ring includes water inlet means for the injection of washing liquid into said tub.

7. In an automatic washer in accordance with claim 1, wherein pump means are provided for pumping washing liquid from said tub through a fluid circuit back to said tub, and filter means are provided in said circuit extending through said channel member for filtering particles from washing liquid pumped through said circuit.

8. In an automatic washing machine, a cabinet, a tub mounted within said cabinet and having an annular top opening, a clothes container mounted within said tub, means rotatably driving said clothes container to extract water from the clothes therein, an agitator within said clothes container oscillatably driven to effect a washing operation, means supporting said tub within said cabinet to accommodate excursion of said tub during an extracting operation upon offbalance of the load in said clothes container, the improvement comprising,

a tub ring in the form of an annular overflow excursion limiting channel member supported on the annular top of said tub and extending radially inwardly therefrom to a position adjacent said clothes container,

said channel member having a bottom wall and annular side walls projecting from opposite sides of said bottom wall and having passageways leading through said bottom wall to drain water splashing into said channel back to said tub and to accommodate excess water in said tub to flow into said channel, at least one excursion limiting means projecting from said channel, and

a drain passageway leading from said channel through said one of said excursion limiting means and having communication with said cabinet to drain overfill water to the bottom of said cabinet.

9. In an automatic washing machine in accordance with claim 8, wherein the excursion limiting channel member has a downwardly opening channel extending thereabout fitting along the annular top of said tub and positioning the bottom wall of said channel to extend over said tub.

10. In an automatic washing machine in accordance with claim 9, wherein two excursion limiting means are provided comprising opposed excursion limiting protrusions limiting gyratory movement of said tub upon an offbalance of the load in said clothes container.

11. In an automatic washing machine in accordance with claim 10, wherein said excursion limiting channel member and excursion limiting protrusions are in one piece, made from a plastic material, with the excursion limiting protrusions diametrically opposed with respect to each other.

12. In an automatic washing machine in accordance with claim 11, wherein an opening is provided in the base of said channel in alignment with the one excursion limiting protrusion having the drain passageway leading therethrough.

13. In an automatic washing machine in accordance with claim 11, including

a timer within said cabinet adjacent the upper end thereof, and

wherein the other excursion limiting protrusion projects from said channel member in such a position relative to said timer to limit excursion of said tub and protect said timer from damage caused to gyratory motion of said tub.

14. In an automatic washing machine in accordance with claim 12,

wherein an annular cover is provided for said channel, and

wherein both excursion limiting protrusions open to the top thereof along the outside of said cover.