Washing machine

An automatic washing machine of the fresh-water, vertical-axis type has a dynamic system which includes a single perforate wash basket arranged to be driven continuously such that its central axis moves in an orbital path about another axis. The basket is restrained from rotating about its central axis when it is moving about the other axis and each point of the basket moves in a circulate path having an effective diameter which is small in relation to the diameter of the basket and having substantially the same excursion as the orbital path of the central axis of the basket. Water and soil removing agent are introduced into the basket during orbital motion and that motion is effective to induce a continuous motion of the fabric article load for washing the load. The machine tub and other working components are placed in the moving system and provide a stable base for the basket. Following washing, preferably the basket's central axis is positioned in substantial alignment with the axis about which it was orbiting and is rotated about this axis to centrifugally remove water from the fabric load. The basket is contoured to enhance toroidal and annular movement of the fabric load. The machine transmission has an input shaft driven by a reversible electric motor, and an output shaft connected to the basket, the transmission having drive elements for interconnecting the output shaft and the input shaft. The drive elements include eccentric drive members operative to shift the axis of the output shaft laterally from the axis of the input shaft when the input shaft is rotated in one direction, thereby driving the output shaft in an orbital path about the axis of the input shaft, and operative to return the axis of the output shaft from its laterally offset relationship when the input shaft is rotated in the other direction, thereby causing the output shaft to rotate about the axis of the input shaft. A one-way clutch and a disc brake assembly, including an off-center coupling, cooperate with the drive elements to restrain the basket from rotating about its own axis when in the orbit mode and to rotationally drive the basket when in the water extraction mode.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a washing machine for the washing of 
fabrics such as clothes and, more particularly, to a washing machine of 
the vertical-axis type wherein a single basket receives both the items 
being washed and the washing liquid. 
Conventional clothes washing machines of the vertical-axis agitator type 
are traditionally rather large and complex. In such machines, generally 
there is provided a cabinet enclosing an outer water-retaining tub in 
which is situated an inner, clothes-receiving basket. An agitator is 
mounted within the inner basket. The agitator and the basket are coupled 
to a suitable power transmission driven by an electric motor. The 
transmission converts the high speed revolutions of the motor to the speed 
appropriate for centrifugal extraction of water and to the oscillatory 
motion appropriate for agitator movement during the wash cycle. Such 
machines generally include a water pump for recirculating water within the 
machine and a filter for separating out lint and other particles from the 
recirculated water. Included with the pump and filter mechanism is a 
plethora of plumbing and hoses. Inherently, such machines use large 
amounts of water. Also, there is a high energy interface between the 
clothes being washed and the oscillating agitator, causing high wear of 
fabrics being washed. Many machines also suffer from vibration and 
travelling problems resulting from unbalances in the machines during the 
centrifugal water extraction or spinning operation. Other machines use 
complex suspension systems including counterweights, and many times the 
clothes basket is also provided with an annular balance ring disposed 
somewhere around the circumference thereof to alleviate this problem. 
Attempts have been made to simplify these washing machines, and especially 
the drive mechanisms thereof, and the "wobble" type of machine is one such 
effort. U.S. Pat. No. 2,555,400 to De Remer discloses a wobble type of 
washing machine including a non-rotating tilted spin shaft which rests 
against inverted conical walls of a gyrator and is moved in a conical path 
so that the axis of the basket describes a cone having an apex below the 
basket. Helical blades on the basket wall provide a vortex motion to the 
clothes and motion about the rotor axis in a direction opposite to 
movement of water and direction of gyration. A spring centering force and 
gyroscopic forces cause the spin shaft axis to move to a vertical position 
for the spin mode of operation. Many other wobble-type machines are known 
such as the machine shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,824 to Kost, where the 
tub axis is made to wobble in a conical path while the tub is oscillated 
about its own axis. The washing motion is accomplished by an inclined post 
and a ball pivot, extended into a cocked off-center bearing in a worm 
wheel. An attached slide link provides angular placement of the post about 
its axis. Most of the wobble-type of washing machines share the problem of 
expensive complex suspension systems and such designs place very large 
stresses on the systems. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,432,766 to Kirby describes a washing machine wherein the 
clothes-receiving receptacle is caused to execute an orbital movement 
while at the same time being rotated about its own axis. The motion is 
achieved by the provision of a nested assembly of interfitting sleeves 
within which a drive shaft is eccentrically mounted. Rotation of the shaft 
causes rotation of the basket about its own axis. Although the degree of 
gyration appears to be much less than in a true wobble-type washer, the 
motion is still of the nutating or wobble type. 
Other washing machines are also known in which the wash basket is 
oscillated, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,130 in which an oscillatable 
basket is provided within a washing machine tub. A pair of blades are 
attached eccentrically to the basket for affecting a washing action. A 
more dated means of obtaining washing action in a vertical-axis type of 
machine wherein basket motion rather than agitator motion provides the 
washing forces is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,688,555 to Rankin 
wherein two or more clothes chambers revolve around the center of an outer 
water chamber, at the same time revolving on their own axis. 
It is desirable then to provide a washing machine of the vertical-axis type 
having a relatively simple and uncomplicated drive mechanism and effective 
to move the wash basket so that the predominant energy transfer to the 
load being washed is through the basket sidewall, and without requiring 
expensive and complex vibration dampening and counterbalancing structure. 
It is also desirable to provide a washing machine wherein the mass of the 
suspended tub and drive components are used to advantage in both the wash 
and spin modes of operation. It is also desirable to provide a relatively 
simple and low-cost drive train or transmission; to provide a washing 
machine basket which may use common wash and spin speeds and which has the 
ability to handle large or small loads gently with minimum wear to the 
fabrics; and to provide a machine which has low water usage. It is also 
desirable to provide a washing machine in which the energy input to the 
fabric articles being washed is an approximate function of the load size. 
It is further desirable to provide a washing machine which has an 
effective detergent concentration level with minimum total detergent use, 
which has few parts and low component stress levels, which is reliable, 
which uses a symmetrical rotating mechanism and which has a wash basket 
which provides excellent clothes turnover and washability. It also is 
desirable to provide a flow-through wash system which continuously washes 
with fresh water and continuously flushes water, with its entrained lint, 
scum and soil, down the drain. 
The present invention provides a washing machine of the vertical axis type 
which is rather simple of construction, highly reliable, and of economic 
construction and which meets one or more of the requirements above 
described and other objectives. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there 
is provided a washing machine of the fresh-water, vertical-axis type 
having a dynamic system including a single perforate wash basket. The 
basket is positioned such that the central axis of the basket is offset 
laterally with respect to another axis and it is driven so that its 
central axis moves in a predetermined path about the other axis while at 
the same time the basket is restrained from rotating about its central 
axis. Each point of the basket moves in a circulate path whose radius is 
small in relation to the radius of the basket and is substantially equal 
to the radius of the orbital path of the central axis of the basket. Water 
and soil removing agent are introduced onto the basket during the orbital 
motion and that motion is effective to induce a continuous motion of the 
fabric article load for washing the load. The tub and other working 
components of the suspended system provide a substantially stable base for 
the basket. Following washing, the basket is positioned so that its 
central axis is substantially aligned with the axis about which it was 
orbiting and the basket is rotated about this axis to centrifugally 
extract water from the fabric load. The wash basket is provided with a 
plurality of ribs and vanes to enhance a toroidal and annular movement of 
the fabric load during washing. 
The transmission for driving the wash basket includes a first rotary drive 
element driven by a reversible electric motor, a second rotary drive 
element mounted eccentric to the axis of and driven by the first rotary 
drive element for movement about the axis of rotation of the first rotary 
drive element, and a third rotary drive or output element mounted 
eccentric to the axis of and driven by the second rotary drive element for 
movement about the axis of rotation of the first rotary drive element. The 
wash basket is mounted to the third rotary drive element for movement 
therewith. A lost motion driving connection is provided between the first 
and second rotary drive elements to limit relative rotation of the first 
and second rotary drive elements between first and second relative angular 
positions. The axis of rotation of the third rotary drive element is 
eccentrically located with respect to the axis of rotation of the first 
rotary drive element when the first and second rotary drive elements are 
in their respective first relative angular positions for orbital washing 
motion of the basket. The axis of rotation of the third rotary drive 
element is substantially concentrically located with respect to the axis 
of rotation of the first rotary drive element when the first and second 
rotary drive elements are in their respective second relative angular 
positions for spinning the basket to centrifugally extract water from the 
fabrics. Rotation of the first rotary drive element in a first direction 
is effective, through the lost motion driving connection, to cause the 
first and second rotary drive elements to assume their first relative 
angular positions for orbiting, and rotation of the first rotary drive 
element in a second direction is effective, through the lost motion 
driving connection, to cause the first and second rotary drive elements to 
assume their second relative angular positions for spinning. 
The transmission causes the central axis of the basket to orbit about the 
axis of the first rotary or input drive element at a predetermined 
distance therefrom during wash such that the central axis describes a 
cylinder having a radius equal to said predetermined distance. Each point 
on the basket describes a circulate path of diameter substantially equal 
to the diameter of the cylinder. During wash, the predominant energy 
transfer to the fabric load is through the engagement between the basket 
sidewall and the load. The post and bottom of the basket provide the 
remaining energy, usually in the listed order of contribution. Thus 
reference to the wall of the receptacle or basket will be understood to 
include all three surfaces, namely the sidewall, the exterior of any 
central post, and the basket bottom. When the orbital speed is above a 
certain minimum value, there is a periodic change in the contact force 
between the load and the sidewall, depending on the frequency and 
amplitude of orbit, on what part of the orbital circle the basket is 
traversing and on the inertia of the load. Thus, as the basket sidewall 
approaches the load, the contact force increases, and as the wall recedes 
the contact force decreases. This cyclical variable force and the 
coefficient of friction at the interface between the basket sidewall and 
the load causes the load to move annularly in a direction opposite to the 
direction of basket orbit. Basket wall roughness, such as by surface 
treatment in the form of ribs or otherwise, increases the coefficient of 
friction and thus increases the energy transfer from the basket wall to 
the load. This energy transfer manifests itself as a vigorous annular 
circulation of the load within the basket. Excess liquid in the basket 
would decrease the effective friction between the fabrics and the basket 
sidewall and thus would lessen the energy transfer from the basket wall to 
the load. There is also an internal action between the individual items in 
the load due to the orbital motion. This interfacial scrubbing, plus the 
scrubbing occurring at the basket wall to load interface, provides the 
mechanical washing action on the fabric load. 
Since gravity causes the load to be more compacted at the bottom of the 
basket than at the top, a more vigorous washing action occurs adjacent the 
basket bottom. Thus, it is preferable to impart a toroidal turnover motion 
to the load superimposed on the annular motion so as to bring all parts of 
the load into the bottom area of the basket. This is accomplished in part 
by providing the basket with a center post having a conical lower section 
which uses the effect of gravity to move the load outwardly toward the 
basket sidewall. Spiral vanes are positioned on the conical portion of the 
post to convert some of the energy of the annular motion to also force the 
load outwardly toward the basket sidewall. Additionally, inclined ramps 
are provided along the basket sidewall to engage the fabrics to enhance 
turnover. With this basket geometry the load moves toroidally while 
circulating annularly, with the fabrics moving inwardly at the top of the 
load and outwardly at the bottom. The spiral vanes and ribs on the basket 
sidewall also provide a certain amount of turbulence to the wash load. The 
turbulence tends to open the fabric articles so that heavy soil and dirt 
tend to settle out and to cause movement of the fabrics so that different 
ones of the fabrics come to the surface of the torus. A limited pool of 
water at the basket bottom enhances this settling-out or particulate soil 
removal process. 
With this preferred embodiment of the present invention the wash basket 
orbits and spins within a tub. The tub is a water container which 
surrounds the basket and is mounted from the machine frame or cabinet by a 
suitable vibration isolation system. The tub supports the motor, pump and 
transmission of the machine, with the basket being carried by the output 
shaft of the transmission. Ideally, this suspension accommodates the 
described orbital excursion and spin motion of the basket with minimum 
force transmission to the supporting structure (the washing machine 
cabinet). The tub and the structure it supports provide the inertial 
resistance against which the basket acts when orbiting and also provides 
an unbalanced excursion-limiting, mass during basket spin. Many types of 
suspension systems known in the art may be used with washing machines 
incorporating the present invention. It is desirable, however, to suspend 
the tub structure (including the working machine components) so as to 
limit any secondary induced motions due to the unbalanced mass of the 
moving basket so as not to materially affect the orbiting or circulate 
motion of the basket described above. 
A preferred mechanism used to produce the orbital and spin functions 
consists primarily of an assembly of nested, offset cranks or cylinders. A 
feature of these mechanisms is the simplicity of having the eccentricity 
of the parts either add or cancel each other to obtain orbital wash motion 
or axial spin motion, respectively. The phasing of these eccentricities is 
obtained by providing a lost motion connection between the eccentric parts 
which connection is positioned for orbiting or spinning by reversing the 
direction of rotation of the drive motor. A feature of the illustrative 
embodiment is that orbiting and spinning of the wash basket is at the same 
speed. This eliminates the gearing used to obtain the relatively slow 
agitate function of conventional machines. 
As mentioned previously, the volume of water introduced into the wash 
basket is such as to enhance good washability. The illustrative washing 
machine is of the fresh-water type in which a small volume of water is 
added to the basket over a period of time. It flows through the fabric 
load and basket and exits through holes in the bottom and sides of the 
basket. At least periodically, water is accumulated so that the lower 
portion of the basket and fabric load is immersed in a limited or shallow 
pool of water. This enhances the removal of particulate soil such as sand 
while still allowing minimal water usage. 
The illustrative machine also includes a two-way water input system with a 
portion of the incoming water being diverted to a detergent dispenser for 
gradual addition of detergent during the wash operation. The fresh-water, 
flow-through wash of the machine with gradual detergent addition provides 
a very effective, high detergent concentration during wash while using 
substantially less detergent than the standard liquid bath, agitator type 
washing machines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
General 
In the following description and in the claims, various details are 
identified by specific names for convenience. The names, however, are 
intended to be as generic in their applications as the art will permit. 
Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the 
drawings. 
In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, 
certain alternate forms of the invention have been disclosed for the 
purpose of explanation, but it will be understood that other modifications 
in these as well as other aspects and details may be made without 
departure from the broad aspects of the invention. 
In accordance with one form of the present invention, and referring to FIG. 
1, there is shown a washing machine 10 of the vertical axis type which 
includes a cabinet 12 having a base portion 14 and a top 16. Such a 
machine may be supplied with leveling legs for adjusting and leveling the 
machine to various floor surfaces. They have been omitted for the sake of 
simplicity. Cabinet top 16 includes a control panel 18 normally provided 
with a plurality of switches and controls for user control of the 
operation of the machine. 
Cabinet top 16 also is provided with an access lid 24 hinged for movement 
between a closed position as shown and an open position permitting access 
to the interior of the washing machine. Lid 24 is provided with a water 
receiving trough or compartment 26 having a fluid inlet aperture 28 and a 
discharge spout 30. 
The Basket 
Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a single perforate wash basket or 
clothes-receiving container 32, having perforations 34 formed in its 
sidewall 56, is disposed within an outer imperforate tub or casing 36. The 
basket or receptacle 32 receives items such as fabric articles to be 
washed, as well as the washing medium, usually water. The basket 32 is 
intended to be rather lightweight and may, for example, be molded from a 
plastic material such as polypropylene. The basket 32 is of a two-piece 
construction with the center post 38 being formed separately and attached 
to an upstanding shoulder 40 of the main part of the basket. It will be 
understood that the basket can be made in one piece. Post 38 has a 
cup-shaped receptacle 48 press fitted thereto, the annular rim 48a of the 
receptacle 48 engaging the upwardly extending cylindrical wall of the post 
38. Receptacle 48 is adapted to receive and dispense detergent and/or 
other wash additives. 
Basket 32 is mounted to a mounting collar or flange 44 of a mounting hub 45 
by means of a plurality of bolts 42. The mounting hub 45, as will be 
explained hereafter, is driven by the transmission of the washing machine 
to transmit both orbital and spin motion to the basket. 
Basket 32 has three primary wall sections, namely: a conical section 50 
which projects outwardly and downwardly from the central shoulder 40, an 
annular relatively flat bottom section 52 having a plurality of apertures 
54 therein, and an outer, generally cylindrical, perforate sidewall 56 
extending upwardly from the bottom section 52. The basket 32 may be 
provided with a suitable stiffening member or retainer 46 around the upper 
peripheral edge of sidewall 56. In the embodiment shown, the bottom of 
post 38 has a flared or conically shaped skirt 38a which engages conical 
section 50 of the basket 32. The skirt 38a has a plurality of curved or 
spiral vanes 39 formed thereon. Vanes 39 extend radially outwardly and are 
sloped downwardly along the conically shaped skirt in a counterclockwise 
direction, viewed from above, which is the direction fabric articles are 
caused to move during washing, as will be described in more detail later. 
The basket bottom portion 52 includes a plurality of radially spaced apart 
upstanding annular ribs or rings 53 with the apertures 54 being disposed 
between the rings 53. Rings 53 serve to allow heavy soil particulates to 
settle out of the fabric load into troughs 53a between the rings and then 
to drain from the basket 32 through apertures 54. To this end, the upper 
surfaces 53b of the rings elevate the fabrics to prevent the fabric 
articles from blocking the apertures 54. 
Outer sidewall 56 is shown as cylindrical and substantially vertical 
although other forms of the wall 56 could also be used. For example, the 
sidewall could be tapered inwardly from bottom to top in the general shape 
of a frustrum of a cone. Sidewall 56 is provided with a plurality of 
vertically extending ribs 58 which protrude radially inwardly. Ribs 58 
serve to impart a substantial annular motion to the fabric load in a 
direction opposite to the direction of basket orbit. As the axis of the 
basket orbits about a vertical axis offset therefrom, the axis of the 
basket substantially traces a vertical cylinder and each point of the 
basket moves in a substantially circulate path. The distance by which the 
axis of the basket is laterally offset from the vertical axis is much 
smaller than the radius of the basket and those portions of the sidewall 
56 adjacent the fabric load repeatedly impact the fabric load, move away 
from and again impact the fabric load. The repeated impacts cause the 
fabrics to move annularly around the inside of the basket in a direction 
opposite to the orbital movement of the basket. The ribs 58 enhance the 
driving effect of the wall impact with the fabrics. Of course, other means 
to provide frictional or surface roughness on the basket inner sidewall 
such as, for example, a plurality of bumps thereon also could be employed 
to enhance the driving engagement of the wall 56 with the fabric load. Any 
such friction enhancing means preferably has a radial dimension less than 
the orbital excursion amplitude so that the sidewall 56 will break driving 
contact with the fabrics. 
A plurality of vanes 60 are formed or mounted on sidewall 56 projecting 
inwardly into the basket and are inclined relative to the bottom 52 in the 
direction the fabric articles are caused to move, in this case 
counterclockwise, to help cause the fabric load to roll or turn over in a 
toroidal manner. The vanes are wider, i.e. protrude further into basket 32 
than ribs 58, to create the rolling or turning of the fabrics and also to 
create turbulence in the liquid and fabric load. This turbulence tends to 
break up the toroid of fabrics so that more of the total fabric surface is 
exposed to the interfacial scrubbing action of the basket and the 
inner-fabric scrubbing action is enhanced as well, all assisting 
achievement of uniform washing. 
As previously pointed out, the outer basket wall 56 provides the 
predominant mechanical washing energy to the fabric load. The amount of 
the sidewall involved in the washing process is essentially directly 
proportional to the size of the fabric load. That is, as more fabrics are 
washed, the load in the basket is deeper, and more of the sidewall is 
involved. Therefore, the per unit energy input to the fabrics remains 
generally constant regardless of load size. In prior art machines, the per 
unit energy input is higher for small loads unless complicated and 
expensive remedial actions, for example multi-speed drive mechanisms and 
multiple agitators, are utilized. 
In a basket having: a diameter of approximately 21.5 inches, a basket 
bottom portion 52 having a radial dimension of approximately 5 inches, a 
conical section 50 having a slope of about 15.degree. degrees, ribs 58 
having a radial width of depth of approximately 0.25 inches and three 
vanes 60 having a radial width or depth of approximately 2 inches and a 
developed length of 14 inches inclined at an angle of about 30.degree. 
from bottom portion 52, which basket is orbited at about 600 rpm through 
an excursion of 3/4 of an inch, fabric turnover, both annular and 
toroidal, has been found very effective for a large range of fabric load 
sizes. 
It has also been found that with a 3/4 inch excursion and with a basket of 
the above dimension an orbiting speed of less than 500 rpm does not 
provide adequate annular fabric rotation. As the orbiting speed increases, 
the annular speed of rotation of the fabric load also increases, as does 
the rate of fabric turnover. The orbiting speed of 600 rpm provides very 
effective annular and toroidal movement. A spin speed in the range of 600 
rpm provides desirable water extraction with acceptable machine 
vibrational characteristics. An orbit or spin speed of approximately 700 
rpm induces undesirable resonant vibrational movement and resultant noises 
in certain flooring presently permitted by many residential building 
codes. Thus, an orbiting speed of about 600 rpm does not require any 
motor/transmission speed changes between wash and extraction operations. 
This eliminates the need for complex and expensive gearing as found in 
many well known prior art machines. 
THE SUSPENDED SYSTEM 
Tub 36 is suspendedly mounted to the cabinet 12 by three rods 64 which are 
fixed to resilient spherical members 66. The spherical members in turn are 
secured to sockets 68 and 70 formed in a cabinet 12 and in a retaining 
support member 72 attached to the tub 36, respectively. Only two rod and 
socket combinations are fully shown in FIG. 1, but it will be understood 
the other rod and socket combination is identical, and the rod and socket 
combinations are spaced 90.degree. apart around the tub 36 and disposed in 
three of the corners of the machine cabinet. A transmission or washer 
drive mechanism 74 is positioned in an opening in the tub 36 which is 
concentric with the vertical axis of the tub 36 and is secured to the tub 
by a plurality of bolts 76. Basket 32 is mounted on collar 44 by bolts 42, 
and hub 45 of the collar is mounted on the transmission output shaft 78 by 
two bolts, one of which is shown at 80, and a clamping bar 81. 
A sump 90 is secured in an opening of the bottom of tub 36 to receive 
washing liquid flowing from basket 32. A water level switch 92, which may 
be of a type well known in the art, is mounted in a control panel 18. An 
air chamber 94 is connected to nipple 96 of sump 90 and a hose 94a 
connects the air chamber to switch 92. As water accumulates in sump 90, 
the air in chamber 94 is compressed and switch 92 is closed. Basket 36 is 
driven through transmission 74 in response to operation of a reversible 
motor 20 through a system including a suitable load-limiting clutch 102 
mounted on the motor shaft 20a. Shaft 20a also supports and drives pump 98 
as is customary in the art. Motor 20 and the structure supported thereby 
are suitably mounted to tub 36 by mounting member 104. A suitable belt 106 
transmits power from clutch 102 to the input shaft S of the transmission 
assembly 74 through a pulley 108. Thus, depending upon the direction of 
motor rotation, pulley 108 and therefore input shaft S of transmission 74 
is driven in opposite directions. When motor 20 is rotated in one 
direction, the transmission causes the central axis of basket 32 to orbit 
about the axis of input shaft S in a substantially horizontal plane. 
Conversely, when motor 20 is driven in the opposite direction, the 
transmission aligns the axis of basket 32 with the axis of the input shaft 
S and rotates the basket at a high speed for centrifugal liquid 
extraction. Illustrative embodiments of transmission or drive mechanisms 
for selectively providing orbiting and spinning motion of the basket will 
be explained in more detail subsequently. 
Pump 98 is connected to sump 90 by a hose 100 for withdrawing water from 
tub 36. Pump 98 is formed so that, in either direction of motor rotation, 
pump 98 will draw liquid from sump 90 through hose 100 and discharge it 
through hose 101 to a suitable drain (not shown). The particular form of 
the pump assembly 98 is not significant so long as the pump withdraws 
liquid from the tub in response to motor rotation in either direction. 
It should be noted that with use of the suspension system as shown and 
described, the motor 20, clutch 102, transmission 74, tub assembly 36 and 
basket 32 are all suspended and supported from the cabinet 12 by rods 64. 
During orbital operation, there are action and reaction forces between the 
basket 32 and transmission 74. If the mass of an unloaded basket 32, on 
the one hand, and the mass of the tub 36 and the other components carried 
by it (such as the motor 20, clutch 102, pump 98 and transmission 74, for 
instance), on the other hand, were equal, the orbital excursion would be 
divided approximately equally between the basket and the tub structure. 
Conversely, as the mass of the suspended structure increases relative to 
the mass of basket 32, the orbital excursion of the basket increases. 
Thus, the tub structure (the tub and other components supported by it) is 
constructed to have substantially greater mass than the mass of the basket 
and most of the orbital excursion is by the basket. The tub structure 
moves very little during orbital operation, and the suspension, including 
rods 64 and resilient spheres 66, tends to isolate even this movement from 
the cabinet 12. Thus, there is very little vibration of the cabinet. It 
has been found with a basket having the general dimensions noted above, 
the actual excursion of the basket measured from a fixed reference point 
decreases slightly as the fabric/liquid load increases due to the limited 
relative movement of the suspended structure. This slight decrease in 
orbital excursion does not have a significant effect on washing 
performance. 
In the illustrated embodiment, during spin extraction, the basket 32 is 
rotated about its geometric center. The mass of the water is quickly 
removed and the mass of fabrics will affect the center of gravity of the 
mass of the rotating basket. If the mass of the fabrics is evenly 
distributed in the basket, there will be very little vibration. However, 
as often occurs, uneven fabric distribution will result in vibration by 
the basket. The mass of the non-rotating parts of the suspended system, 
that is the tub structure, resists such vibrations, i.e., the tub 
structure resists moving. Since the mass of the tub structure is large 
compared to the mass of the basket, the tub structure has only a small 
amount of vibration, which is further isolated from the cabinet 12 by rods 
64 and resilient spheres 66. The effect of the tub structure can be 
enhanced by increasing its mass such as, for example, by simply mounting a 
weight like a body of concrete to the tub 36. 
The suspended system of machine 10 is a pendulum system and has a resonant 
frequency, typically about 120 rpm. As the motor 20 and transmission 74 
accelerate the basket through the resonant frequency, a small unbalance 
can cause a very large movement of the suspended system. A frictional 
damper such as that shown at 36a facilitates passage through the resonant 
frequency. A number of friction damper structures known in the art can be 
used for this purpose. 
Although the rod-type suspension is shown, it should be understood several 
other suspension systems may be used with machines incorporating the 
present invention, provided the tub and working components are 
incorporated in the "moving" system as described above. That is, since the 
tub and the structure it supports provides the inertial resistance against 
which the basket acts when orbiting and also provides an unbalance, 
excursion-limiting mass during basket spin, the suspension system should 
accommodate the orbital excursion and spin motion with minimum force 
transmission to the supporting cabinet. The tub and other suspended 
working components should be suspended so as to limit any secondary 
induced motion due to the unbalanced mass of the moving basket so as not 
to adversely affect the orbiting or "circulate" motion of the basket. 
For purpose of description herein the term "circulate" is used. This term 
generally shall mean to move in an orbit along a substantially closed 
path. It is to be understood, however, that other induced motion of any 
particular suspension system may be slightly elliptical and may move 
slightly vertically and therefore lie within a locus of points describing 
a torus. Also, any rotation or precession of the basket during orbit will 
mean the path of any point on the basket will not exactly close upon 
itself. Therefore, the term "circulate" is intended to encompass all of 
these limited motions. Regardless of the suspension used, however, the 
central axis of the basket will always be caused to move in a 
predetermined path about and spaced a predetermined distance from a 
predetermined axis which, in the preferred embodiment, is the axis 
associated with the input shaft of the transmission about which the basket 
is orbiting. 
One form of suspension that may be used is that known as a "fixed node" 
suspension such as that shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,854,297 
and 2,930,215, for example. The fixed node suspension provides an 
invaginated dome-like base mounted at the bottom of the machine cabinet 
and capable of supporting a drive shaft in a vertical position. The 
dome-like structure serves as an anchoring means for the assembly 
supporting the shaft and permits relatively limited nutational movement of 
the shaft about a vertical axis. A variation of this suspension is shown 
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,247,689 and 3,277,742. 
As noted above in the discussion of the Suspended System, it is 
contemplated that the basket may slightly move vertically during its 
circulate motion. In a washing machine constructed to have a suspension 
system substantially in accordance with FIG. 1 and a basket configuration 
substantially in accordance with FIGS. 1-2, satisfactory turnover of the 
fabric article load was obtained. The basket had a slight vertical 
movement with respect to the ground due to movement of the suspension. In 
the testing of machines incorporating the present invention and utilizing 
other basket configurations, it has been found that at least in some 
instances slight vertical movement of the basket is desirable to aid the 
turnover of the fabric article load. A machine with a "fixed node" 
suspension of the general type described above, and utilizing the 
Alternate Transmission, described below, was used in testing other basket 
configurations, including a preferred basket configuration in which a 
series of annular ledges were formed on the flared skirt 38a of point 38 
in place of the spiral vanes 39. Each of the ledges had a number of spaced 
apart apertures and an upstanding lip along its outer edge. The rings 53 
were removed and the ribs and vanes were of somewhat different 
configurations than shown at 58 and 60 respectively. Good turnover of 
fabric article loads was achieved with that machine. A presently preferred 
basket which includes such features is described in copending application 
of Everett D. Morey and Eddie W. Dooley, Ser. No. 172,092, filed July 25, 
1980, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. When baskets 
of that configuration were installed in other fixed node suspension 
machines utilizing the Alternate Transmission, turnover of fabric article 
loads in some of those other machines was not as good as in the fixed node 
suspension machine first described above, and in some such machines 
acceptable turnover was not achieved. It was found that in the 
first-described fixed node suspension machine utilizing the Alternate 
Transmission, the crankshaft H (see FIG. 9) was, through inadvertence, 
made such that upper shaft 310 and lower shaft 316 deviated slightly from 
parallelism of their axes. This caused the circulate movement of the 
basket to include a small vertical component which facilitated movement of 
the lower part of the fabric load across the flared skirt and basket 
bottom during toroidal turnover of the load. The lack of parallelism of 
the axes of the shafts was found by Gerald L. Roberts and a washer 
construction including a preferred manner of having the axis of the upper 
shaft of crankshaft H slightly canted radially outwardly, on the order of 
one degree, and in a direction such that the projection of the canted axis 
of the upper shaft into a plane normal to the axis of the lower shaft lags 
the lateral offset of the axis of the upper shaft relative to the 
direction of movement of the axis of the upper shaft in the washing 
operation by about thirty degrees, is described in his copending 
application, Ser. No. 203,208, filed Nov. 3, 1980, and assigned to the 
assignee of the present invention. The slightly canted axis, when used 
with the above-described Morey and Dooley basket configuration and a fixed 
node suspension, provides good turnover of the fabric article load. The 
present application is intended to cover washing machines incorporating 
the present invention wherein the circulate motion of the basket includes 
a slight vertical movement irrespective of the structure causing it. 
Fluid System 
Washing machine 10 is a fresh-water flow-through machine. The machine 
includes water supply means in the form of a solenoid-operated, mixer 
valve 118 (shown in phantom) having solenoids 118a and 118b and coupled to 
sources of hot and cold water, such as household faucets, through hoses 
120 and 122, respectively. By selective energization of the solenoids 118a 
and 118b, hot, cold or warm water will be provided at the output of valve 
118. The output of mixer valve 118 is fed through a conduit 124 to a 
solenoid diverter assembly 126 having a solenoid-operated control valve 
126a. When valve 126a is de-energized or closed, all of the water entering 
assembly 126 is fed to hose 128. When valve 126a is energized or open, the 
flow from assembly 126 is divided between hoses 128 and 130 in a 
predetermined ratio such as, for example, 4:1. Hose 128 is connected to a 
fill ring 132 which is secured to an annular mounting frame 134 which, in 
turn, is suitably mounted to the upper extremity of tub 36. Fill ring 132 
is a continuous hollow annular tube having a plurality of apertures 136 
formed therein so that water from hose 128 will spray downwardly all 
around the inside of basket 32. 
Hose 130 is connected to a fluid nozzle 138 which is fastened to an 
aperture formed in the cabinet top 16. Nozzle 138 is in juxtaposition to 
aperture 28 formed in lid 24 to supply water to trough 26. Output from the 
trough 26 is discharged from the spout 30 into the dispensing receptacle 
48 for mixing with the detergent liquid or granules which have been placed 
therein. 
The water sprayed from ring 132 wets the load of fabrics in the basket. 
After the fabrics are wet to a degree that water soaks through, water will 
pass through the items being washed and thence through the performations 
54 at the tub bottom 52. The water and any sand and/or other soil 
particulates carried by the water pass into an annular pan 140 disposed 
beneath basket 32. Pan 140 is connected to the mounting collar 44 by the 
bolts 42. Pan 140 has an annular upwardly inclined bottom portion 140a 
which slopes toward the central axis of the machine 10 and a vertically 
extending outer lip 140b which rises slightly higher than the 
substantially horizontal bottom section 52 of tub 32. Pan 140 serves to 
form a shallow or limited liquid bath at the bottom of basket 32 relative 
to the basket's vertical dimension, thereby at least periodically 
completely covering the bottom 52 of basket 32. In the exemplification 
basket 32, having the dimensions previously described in detail, as lip 
140b is overlapping the bottom portion of basket 32 sufficiently to 
provide a pool having a depth of approximately 1 inch has been found to be 
satisfactory. 
The turnover or torodial movement of the fabric load results in each fabric 
becoming immersed in this fluid bath from time to time. Immersion of the 
fabrics enhances removal of particulate soil such as sand. Pan 140 also 
includes a plurality of apertures 144 disposed adjacent the radially 
inward terminus of the inclined portion 140a. The water, along with the 
particulate and other soil carried by the water, passes through the 
apertures 144 of the pan 140 into the lower portion of tub 36 and the sump 
90. The water, and entrained soil, is pumped from the sump 90 by pump 98 
and is discharged through pump discharge hose 101. It will be understood 
that apertures 145 are sized so that the flow of the water through 
apertures 145 is less than the flow through apertures 54 so that water 
will accumulate in pan 140 to a level which at least periodically 
overflows lip 140b. 
A typical clothes washing operation proceeds as follows. The clothes to be 
washed are placed within the basket 32 and the desired amount of detergent 
is placed in receptacle 48. The operator chooses the appropriate washing 
cycle times and water temperatures and turns on the machine 10. First, 
there is an initial wet-down or soaking of the fabric articles in basket 
32 by the flow of water from the fill ring 132 without any flow of water 
from trough 26. This action thoroughly wets the clothes and prepares them 
for washing without using any detergent. When the clothes are thoroughly 
soaked, water will drain through the basket bottom 52 into pan 140 and 
thence through apertures 144 into sump 90. As the water collects in sump 
90, pressure switch 92 is activated and energizes motor 20 which, in turn, 
causes transmission 74 to move the basket 32 in its orbital or washing 
mode, as will be described in more detail hereafter. Motor 20 includes a 
centrifugal switch which closes when the motor starts rotating. Thus, even 
though the water is pumped from sump 90 thereby resetting pressure switch 
92 during the wash operation, the motor will continue to run. Closing of 
switch 92 also results in the energization of valve 126a so that the flow 
of water is divided between ring 132 and trough 26. The water directed to 
trough 26 flows from spout 30 into the detergent receptacle 48 where it 
mixes with the detergent in receptacle 48 and, due to the motion of the 
basket, is ejected from the receptacle 48 and mixes with the clothing in a 
diluted form. 
As machine 10 is of the flow-through type in which the fabrics are washed 
by a small, constantly changing amount of water, it is desirable to 
provide fresh water to the basket at a rather slow rate. In an 
exemplification machine, an effective rate of one-half gallon per minute 
has been found acceptable. It is difficult to get economical solenoid 
water valves which will accurately control a continuous flow at that low 
rate. Thus, in the exemplification, the effective flow is obtained by 
pulsing the water supply. That is, water is supplied at the rate of two 
gallons per minute for fifteen seconds once each minute throughout the 
wash process, which may be variable in length. A pulsed flow has another 
advantage. When water is being supplied a pool of water builds up in pan 
140 and immerses fabrics in the lower portion of basket 32. When the water 
flow is interrupted, that pool of water drains into sump 90. Pump 98 
exhausts the water from the machine and the water carries with it much of 
the scum, soil and particulate matter which had been removed from the 
fabrics. This removal process is repeated with each pulse of water, 
enhancing the washing action. 
Since the detergent is added gradually and only a small amount of water is 
in a machine embodying my invention at any one time, a very effective 
concentration of detergent is maintained in the wash water with an overall 
detergent usage substantially less than with prior art deep water bath 
machines. 
At the conclusion of wash, there is a centrifugal extraction of the wash 
water. To accomplish this, the direction of rotation of motor 20 is 
reversed. This causes transmission 74 to align the axis of basket 32 with 
the main drive axis S of the transmission and to rotate the basket at high 
speed about this axis. The pump 98 removes the centrifuged water from the 
machine. 
The rinse process following the centrifugal extraction of the wash water is 
very similar to the wash process with orbital movement of the basket, but 
often with a change in the water temperature selection. In rinse, the flow 
normally will be through the fill ring 132 only, either in a continual or 
pulsed fashion continuing throughout the rinse process. Upon conclusion of 
the rinse portion of the cycle, the water flow is terminated and the 
machine enters another centrifugal water extraction or basket spin mode of 
operation such as described above. 
Of course, more than one washing and/or rinsing operation may be provided, 
if so desired. A number of other modifications may be made to the cycle 
such as the addition of spray rinses during the spinning operation. Other 
steps can be provided such as, for example, a fabric loosening operation 
in which the basket is orbited without addition of water after the last 
centrifugal extraction to loosen the fabrics which will have been pressed 
against the sidewall by the centrifugal extraction. 
It will be understood that other flow rates and other pulse times, or 
continuous low level flow, can be utilized with machines incorporating my 
invention. For example, a cycle of operation could include a wash step 
beginning with a high flow rate (for instance about three gallons per 
minute) wet down of the fabrics; followed by about five minutes of orbital 
movement accompanied by water input at a low rate (for instance about 0.7 
gallon per minute) during which detergent is added; followed by about five 
minutes of orbital movement without water addition; followed by a final 
five minutes of orbital movement with low flow rate water addition and no 
detergent addition. After a spin and fluff step a rinse step could include 
a high flow rate wet down followed by about four minutes of operation with 
low flow rate water addition. The cycle could end with another spin and 
fluff step. 
It will be recognized that the water used for each wet down varies with the 
size of the load and the type of fabrics being washed; fabrics of blended 
materials absorbing less water than cotton and purely synthetic fabrics 
absorbing less than blended materials. Thus the water usage will vary 
somewhat from machine to machine and load to load. However with a machine 
of the size and general operation as described above, the last described 
wash cycle would use about twenty gallons of water to wash eight pounds of 
cotton fabrics. 
By way of comparison, deep bath agitator type washing machines currently 
marketed in the United States, when set for water levels appropriate to 
wash an eight pound load typically use between about thirty-five and about 
forty-five gallons of water. The actual amount varies from manufacturer to 
manufacturer and with the size of the machine. 
The prescribed washability test of the Association of Home Appliance 
Manufacturers (AHAM) provides for the use of 6 grams of standard detergent 
per gallon in the wash bath. The amount of water in the wash bath of 
currently available agitator machines varies from manufacturer to 
manufacturer. In the current agitator machines made by the assignee of the 
present invention the bath is about twenty-three gallons. This equates to 
about one cup of AHAM detergent for the AHAM test. With the flow through 
type washing action of the preferred embodiment of the present invention 
the amount of water in the "wash bath" is about ten and one-half gallons, 
on the basis that all water supplied to the machine prior to the rinse 
step constitutes "wash bath" water. When using a washing cycle generally 
as last described above in a machine incorporating the present invention 
with three-quarters cup of detergent, washability results are very 
favorable in comparison with AHAM test results obtained with various 
commercially avaialable deep bath agitator washers. Further, on the basis 
that all "wash bath" water supplied to a machine embodying the present 
invention is supplied solely as hot water, it is readily apparent that a 
machine embodying the present invention effects a significant energy 
saving in comparison with typical deep bath agitator machines currently 
marketed in the United States. 
The Transmission 
Referring now to FIS. 3 through 5, one embodiment of a transmission or 
drive mechanism 74 for use in the machine 10 is shown. The three primary 
rotary drive elements are shown bracketed in FIG. 4 as elements or 
assemblies "A," "E" and "F." The transmission has an output shaft 78 which 
drives the basket 32 in an orbital mode for wash and rinse and in a rotary 
mode for spin. The output shaft 78 is moved eccentrically of the input 
shaft of the transmission for the orbital action and rotates with and on 
the same axis of the input shaft for the spin action. 
Referring more particularly to the exploded view of FIG. 4, the 
transmission 74 will be described in its order of assembly, commencing at 
its output or upper end. The rotary drive element or assembly "A" includes 
the vertical output shaft 78, having a radially extending collar 78b, a 
splined axial extension 78c and a circumferential groove 78d formed 
thereon by suitable machining techniques. A coupling assembly designated 
generally by the bracket "B" is assembled to shaft 78 to permit eccentric 
motion of the shaft 78 relative to the transmission housing 256 (See 
bracket F) in order to orbit the basket 32. The assembly B, of the type 
known as an "Oldham" coupling, consists of an upper plate 170, a center 
plate 176, and a lower plate 180. The upper and lower plates 170 and 180 
may be fabricated from, for example, sintered iron, and the center plate 
may be fabricated from a low friction material such as that sold under the 
tradename Delrin by DuPont. Upper plate 170 has a radially inner, 
downwardly extending, internally splined collar 172 engaging splined axial 
extension 78c of shaft 78. Collar 78b of shaft 78 rides on the upper 
surface of plate 170. A pair of opposed, radially extending engagement 
members or ribs 174 protrude downwardly from plate 170. Center plate 176 
has an oval opening 176a formed therein which receives collar 172 and 
allows lateral movement of collar 172 within plate 176. Center plate 176 
includes two sets of diametrically opposed, radially extending slots 177 
and 178, respectively. The slots are spaced apart 90 degrees, one set from 
the other. Slots 177 are formed in the axial upper face of plate 176 to 
receive engagement members 174, and slots 178 are formed in the axial 
bottom face of plate 176 for receiving engagement members or ribs 182 
which extend axially upward from the top surface of lower plate 180. Plate 
180 also has a downwardly extending cylindrical sleeve 184 having a 
plurality of splines 186 formed on its outer surface. During the wash and 
rinse steps, the output shaft 78 is moved about an axis offset from its 
own axis by elements of the transmission to be described below. The Oldham 
coupling permits this motion while preventing rotation of the shaft 78 
about its own axis. 
It will be appreciated that if lower plate 180 is held stationary while the 
shaft 78 and therefore the splined upper plate 170 is moved about an axis 
offset or eccentric to the axis of lower plate 180, center plate 176 will 
move back and forth relative to lower plate 180 on the engagement of 
members 182 with slots 178 and upper plate 170 will move back and forth 
relative to center plate 176 on engagement of members 174 with slots 177. 
This allows the shaft 78 to orbit about an axis offset from its own axis 
while restraining the shaft 78 from rotating about its own axis. 
Conversely, if lower plate 180 is not held in a stationary fashion, the 
entire coupling assembly B will rotate with the shaft 78. 
The next portion of the transmission 74 to be assembled to shaft 78 is the 
clutch mechanism generally designated by the bracket "C". This clutch 
mechanism connects shaft 78 to its driving member, described below, for 
rotation therewith in the spin mode and permits relative movement between 
shaft 78 and its driving member in the orbital mode. A convoluted spring 
washer 188 is placed over shaft 78 into engagement with the bottom 
extremity of axial extension 172 of upper coupling plate 170. A splined 
clutch thrust washer 190 is received on splined extension 78c of shaft 78 
adjacent to washer 188. A friction clutch lining member 192 is placed on 
the other side of thrust washer 190. Clutch liner 192 has a plurality of 
radially extending outer splines 194 formed thereon for engagement with 
mating slots 202 formed in a radially inner surface of an upwardly 
extending axial extension 204 of an upper eccentric sleeve 206 (See 
bracket E). A splined steel clutch disc 195 engages splined extension 78c 
of shaft 78 and another clutch liner 192 completes the illustrated clutch 
assembly. It will be understood that additional clutch liners 192 and 
clutch discs 195 may be used if desired. 
A brake assembly generally designated by the bracket "D" is used to hold 
lower plate 180 of the Oldham coupling stationary during orbital movement 
of shaft 78. The brake assembly consists of a plurality of friction 
material brake liner members 196, and steel brake discs 198 stacked in an 
interleaved fashion. While only two liners 196 and one disc 198 have been 
illustrated, it will be understood that additional such members can be 
used in an interleaved array. Each brake disc 198 has a plurality of 
radially extending slots 199 formed in its inner edge for mating with 
splines 186 on the sleeve 184 of lower plate 180, and each brake liner 196 
has a plurality of radially extending slots 197 formed in its outer edge 
for engagement with mating splines 256a formed on the radially inner 
surface of an axial flange 256b of transmission housing 256 (see bracket 
F). The uppermost brake liner 196 engages the bottom annular surface of 
lower plate 180 and the lowermost brake liner 196 engages an annular 
shoulder 256c formed in housing 256. When the significant downward force 
component on shaft 78 (resulting from the weight of the basket, etc.) is 
transmitted through collar 78b and the coupling plates 170, 176 and 180 to 
brake assembly D, the liners 196 and discs 198 are forced together and 
will not move relative to each other. Since the liners 196 are splined to 
stationary transmission housing 256 and the discs 198 are splined to lower 
coupling plate 180, this restrains plate 180 from rotating. When the 
significant downward force is removed the liners 196 and discs 198 can 
move relative to one another and plate 180 can rotate. 
A rotary drive element or assembly for transmitting both orbital and spin 
motion to output shaft 78 is generally designated by bracket E and will be 
referred to as the inner eccentric assembly. Inner eccentric assembly E 
includes an upper eccentric sleeve 206, a drive tube 216 and a lower 
eccentric sleeve 220. Upper eccentric sleeve 206 has a cylindrical section 
204 having a plurality of slots 202 formed in its radialy inner surface, 
for mating with clutch splines 194 of clutch liner 192, as noted above. 
Section 204 extends axially upwardly from a radially extending, 
cylindrical flange 207. A radially inner and a radially outer arcuate tab 
208 and 209, respectively, project downwardly from flange 207 (see FIG. 
6). Upper eccentric sleeve 206 also has an axially downwardly extending 
cylindrical section 210 radially inward of inner tab 208, the 
circumferential surface thereof comprising a bearing surface. A bore 212 
extends through sleeve 206 for receiving shaft 78. The axis Z--Z of the 
bore 212 is offset or eccentric to the axis Y--Y of the bearing surface 
formed by section 210. The cylindrical section 204 which interacts with 
clutch C is concentric about axis Z--Z. 
Drive tube 216 has an axially extending upper section 216a having a 
flattened area 216b. Tube 216 is mounted in bore 212 with flat 216b 
aligned with a flat 212a of the bore 212 and is preferably permanently 
connected thereto as by welding. Sleeve 216 also has an axially extending 
lower section 216c with a flat for mating receipt in a flattened bore 221 
of a lower eccentric sleeve 220. Sleeve bearings 218 and 219 are 
press-fitted to the upper and lower openings, respectively, of drive tube 
216 for rotatably supporting shaft 78. 
Lower eccentric sleeve 220 is a cylindrical member, with an outer diameter 
equal to the outer diameter of cylindrical section 210 of the upper 
eccentric 206, and its outer surface also serves as a bearing surface. The 
inner eccentric assembly E is mounted to shaft 78 by aligning the clutch 
liner splines 194 with slots 202 of sleeve 206 and inserting shaft 78 
through tube 216. The completed assembly with coupling B, clutch C and 
brake D positioned around the shaft is secured by thrust washer 222 and 
snap ring 224 received in an annular groove 78d of shaft 78. 
The third and final main rotary drive element or assembly of the 
transmission 74 is generally designated by the bracket "F," assembly F 
being the input drive (including shaft S of FIG. 1) connected to the drive 
pulley. For purposes of description, assembly F is referred to as the 
outer eccentric assembly. Outer eccentric assembly F includes a generally 
cylindrical upper eccentric member 232, which can be seen in more detail 
in FIG. 6, a drive tube 240 and a lower eccentric member 244. The main 
axis of the outer eccentric assembly is designated as X--X. The upper 
eccentric member 232 has a bore 233 with an axis Y--Y which is offset or 
eccentric to the input shaft axis X--X. Drive tube or sleeve 240 has an 
axial extension 240a press-fitted in and welded to bore 233 of upper 
eccentric member 232. The downwardly extending cylindrical sections 210 of 
upper eccentric sleeve 206 and lower sleeve 220 of assembly E are received 
in a bore 241 of drive tube 240. Thus, axis Y--Y is the axis of upper and 
lower eccentric sleeve 206 and 210 and drive tube 240. Drive tube 240 has 
an annular groove 240b formed in its inner surface at its lower end for 
receiving lower eccentric member 244 which is welded to sleeve 240. Lower 
eccentric 244 has an eccentric mounting section 244a centered on axis 
Y--Y. The axis of bearing support hub 244b and axially extending shaft 
244c is centered on axis X--X of shaft 244c used for mounting to pulley 
108 (not shown). The axis of shaft 244c is the same as the axis of the 
upper eccentric member 232 of assembly F, namely X--X. 
The inner eccentric assembly E is inserted into drive tube 240 of outer 
eccentric assembly F and pin 246 is inserted into aperture 242 in drive 
tube 240. Pin 246 projects into tube 240 between cylindrical section 210 
and lower eccentric 220 of inner assembly E. This provides inner eccentric 
assembly E (see FIG. 3) with a controlled amount of axial movement 
relative to outer eccentric assembly F. The completed transmission 
assembly is inserted into the transmission housing 256 with the brake 
liner slots 197 aligned with the splines 256a of housing 256. A main 
housing bearing 250 is inserted between housing 256 and an outer bearing 
surface of upper eccentric 232 of outer assembly F. Ball bearing assembly 
252 is positioned between housing 256 and support hub 244b and is held in 
place in housing 256 by two snap rings 254 and 255 secured to the support 
hub 244b of outer assembly F and the housing 256, respectively. 
The purpose of the transmission 74, as already noted, is to drive the shaft 
78 in two different modes, i.e., an orbital washing mode and a spin 
extraction mode. In both of these modes, the shaft 78 is driven by input 
torque supplied to the input shaft 244c. For the orbital mode, the 
transmission offsets or shifts the axis of the output shaft slightly from 
the axis of the input shaft whereas, for the spin mode, the transmission 
aligns the axis of the input and output shafts. The switching between the 
two modes, i.e., the aligning or offsetting of the output shaft and the 
input shaft is accomplished through relative motion between the inner and 
outer assemblies E and F, respectively. The manner in which this relative 
motion is accomplished may be best understood by referring to FIG. 6. 
Referring to FIG. 6, the upper eccentric sleeves 206 and 232 of the inner 
and outer eccentric assemblies E and F, respectively, are shown in an 
exploded perspective view. Upper eccentric 232 of assembly F is shown 
rotated approximately 180.degree. from the position shown in FIG. 3 to 
correspond to its relative position shown in FIG. 5. Note that in this 
position the axis Z--Z of shaft 78 is aligned with the main axis X--X of 
the outer eccentric assembly F, thereby aligning the input and output 
shafts of the transmission for the spin mode. For purpose of description, 
the positions of inner and outer eccentric assemblies E and F shown in 
FIG. 3 will be referred to as their first relative angular positions and 
the positions of eccentrics assemblies E and F shown in FIG. 5 will be 
called their second relative angular positions. In the first relative 
positions, the transmission produces the orbital motion and, in the second 
relative positions, produces the spin motions. To accomplish moving the 
shaft between these modes, an inner and an outer arcuate axially extending 
section 236 and 237, respectively, are provided on member 232. The 
sections 236 and 237 project upwardly from member 232 and are concentric 
about the axis Y--Y. The downwardly projecting tabs 208 and 209 of inner 
eccentric member 206 also are concentric with axis Y--Y. Tab 208 is 
positioned to be engaged by cam 234 and driving surfaces 234a and 236a of 
section 236. Tab 209 is positioned to be engaged by cam 235 and driving 
surfaces 235a and 237a of section 237 of member 232. 
When eccentrics E and F are in their first relative angular positions, as 
shown in FIG. 3, driving surfaces 236a and 237a engage the tabs 208 and 
209, respectively. Rotation of the input shaft 244 in a clockwise 
direction by motor 20 and pulley 108 causes driving surfaces 236a and 237a 
to move about axis X--X. Their engagement with tabs 208 and 209, 
respectively, cause eccentric 206 of assembly E to orbit or move about 
axis X--X with an eccentricity equal to the offset of axis Y--Y from axis 
X--X (see FIG. 3). 
Axis Z--Z of bore 212 in eccentric 206 is further offset from axis X--X of 
input shaft 244c by the offset between axis Y--Y and axis Z--Z. Output 
shaft 78 is received in bore 212 and thus is orbited or moved about axis 
X--X with an eccentricity equal to the total offset from axis X--X of 
input shaft 244c from axis Z--Z of output shaft 78. Since brake assembly D 
is effectively engaged by the downward force component acting on it, 
output shaft 78 is restrained from rotating about its axis Z--Z as it 
orbits or moves about the axis X--X of input shaft 244c. Thus, the output 
shaft 78 carries basket 32 so that the center or central axis of basket 32 
orbits about the axis X--X of input shaft 244c with an eccentricity equal 
to the total offset between the axes X--X and Z--Z. 
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the offset between axes X--X and Y--Y is equal to 
the offset between axes YY and Z--Z. In the exemplification each offset is 
3/16 of an inch, the distance from X--X to Z--Z is 3/8 of an inch and thus 
the eccentricity of the basket relative to the input shaft is 3/8 of an 
inch so the total excursion of the basket is 3/4 of an inch. This means 
the central axis of basket 32 moves such that it describes a cylinder as 
having its axis X--X, i.e., the axis of input shaft 244c, and a radius of 
3/8 of an inch relative to input shaft 244c. If transmission 74 and 
therefore input shaft 244c were absolutely fixed from any lateral or 
vertical movement, each point of the basket 32 would be driven by input 
shaft 244c to move in a circle having a diameter of 3/4 of an inch. 
However, slight movement of the transmission is permitted by the 
suspension system as noted above, and the actual orbital excursion of each 
point of the basket 32 as measured from ground or a fixed reference point 
in space, is somewhat different than 3/4 of an inch depending on the size 
of the load, speed of orbit, etc. Nonetheless, the orbiting motion 
generated by the transmission produces the washing motion described above. 
It will be understood that while the amount of eccentricity built into 
transmission 74 may be varied, the total excursion of the basket 32 should 
be substantially less than the diameter of the wash basket, i.e., less 
than 20 percent thereof. 
At the end of the orbital movement of the wash or rinse cycle, motor 20 is 
reversed and begins to rotate input shaft 244c of assembly F in a 
counterclockwise direction thereby driving drive tube 240 and eccentric 
232 of assembly F in the same direction. Drive tube 240 and eccentric 232 
of assembly F rotate approximately 180.degree. with the bore 241 of tube 
244c rotating relative to bearing surfaces 210 and 220 of assembly E. This 
translates or shifts the axis Y--Y of sleeve 206 from one side of input 
shaft 244c, as seen in FIG. 3, to the other side of input axis X--X, as 
seen in FIG. 5. This translation brings axis Z--Z of output shaft 78 into 
alignment with the axis X--X of input shaft 244c. During this 180.degree. 
of rotation cam surfaces 234 and 235 of eccentric 232 engage tabs 208 and 
209 of sleeve 206 and lift sleeve 206. At the end of the aforementioned 
180.degree. of rotation, driving surfaces 234a and 235a of eccentric 232 
are in engagement with tabs 208 and 209, respectively. Continued rotation 
of input shaft 244c in the counterclockwise direction causes the 
assemblies E and F to rotate together about axis X--X in the configuration 
shown in FIG. 5 with input shaft axis X--X aligned with output shaft axis 
Z--Z. 
Lifting of sleeve 206 compresses the components of clutch assembly C 
together and lifts plate 170 of coupling B. This substantially removes the 
compressive force from brake D and the brake is effectively disengaged to 
allow coupling B and shaft 78 to rotate under the driving force supplied 
through the clutch assembly C. With this configuration, axis Z--Z of shaft 
78 is concentric with axis X--X of input shaft 244c and is rotated through 
clutch assembly C to rotate basket 32 for centrifugal water extraction. 
Referring to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the vertical translation of upper 
coupling plate 170 is accommodated by members 174 of plate 170 and slots 
177 of center plate 176 without complete disengagement of members 174 from 
slots 177. 
At the end of the centrifugal extraction (spin dry) cycle, the motor is 
de-energized. As the inertia of the motor 20 is much less than that of the 
basket 32, the basket becomes the effective driving force. This returns 
the transmission to its orbit configuration as shown in FIG. 3 and the 
brake quickly stops the basket. 
Referring to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the complete transmission housing 
256 is mounted to tub 36. An annular gasket 258 is fitted in a channel 
formed in an annular mounting collar 256d of housing 256 and bears against 
the tub with a liquid tight seal when the housing is bolted to tub 36 by a 
plurality of bolts 75 and retaining nuts 77. Clamp 84 secures a boot 82 to 
the cylindrical extension 256b of housing 256 with a liquid tight seal. 
The upper extremity of boot 82 is secured to a shaft seal assembly 82 by a 
clamp 88. 
Shaft seal assembly 86 consists of a bearing 260 press-fitted to shaft 78, 
an annular bearing support sleeve 262 circumferentially enveloping bearing 
260, a cup-like seal liner 264 and an annular seal 266, the liner 264 and 
seal 266 are press-fitted to sleeve 262. The seal assembly 86 is retained 
from axial translation along shaft 78 by thrust washer 268 secured to a 
circumferential groove 78a of shaft 78. 
As described above, basket 32 and pan 140 are secured to the basket 
mounting hub 45 by a plurality of bolts 42, hub 45 being secured to 
vertical shaft 78 by the bolt 80 and a locking nut 81. 
Alternate Clutch 
Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, another form of a clutch is shown which may 
be used in place of that designated as clutch C in FIG. 4. FIG 7B shows 
the clutch mechanism C' in an exploded perspective, and FIG. 7A shows the 
clutch mechanism assembled to the shaft and coupling assembly in the same 
relative position as that illustrated for clutch C in FIG. 3. The 
identical parts of the transmission are identified by the same reference 
numerals used in describing the mechanism of FIGS. 3 through 6. The shaft 
278 is similar to shaft 78 except splined section 278c has been shortened. 
Upper coupling plate 270 corresponds to plate 170 except that the axial 
dimension of extenson 272 of upper coupling plate 270 has been shortened. 
The radial dimension of eliptical opening 276a of center plate 276 has 
also been slightly increased to receive this clutch assembly. 
A sleeve bearing 282 is inserted into bearing housing 284, and a one-way 
clutch spring 286 and a grease retainer 288 are placed over the bearing 
housing 284 in engagement with an annular shoulder 284a formed thereon. 
This subassembly is then slid upwardly on shaft 278 until the upper axial 
surface of bearing 282 engages the axially lower radially extending 
portion of spline section 278c of shaft 278. Thrust washer 290 and snap 
ring 292 fix the clutch from axial translation by placement of snap ring 
292 into an annular groove 278e in shaft 278. When shaft 278 is inserted 
in upper coupling plate 270, the spring clutch closely overlies extension 
272. When the inner eccentric subassembly E is assembled to clutch 
subassembly C', a flat section 284b on a lower axial extension 284c of 
housing 284 engages flat section 212a of inner upper eccentric sleeve 206 
for fixed common rotation therewith. 
Spring 286 is commonly referred to in the art as an L.G.S. spring and is 
operative to slip when a member to which it is mounted moves rotationally 
in one direction but lockably engages the member to which it is mounted 
when it rotates in the reverse direction. When inner and outer eccentric 
assemblies E and F, and therefore bearing housing 284, are driven in the 
clockwise or orbiting direction, bearing housing 284 rotates within spring 
286 in a slipping mode of operation. However, counterclockwise rotation of 
the inner and outer eccentric assemblies, and therefore housing 284, 
causes spring 286 to lockably engage housing 284 to the axial extension 
272 of upper coupling plate 270. The relative axial alignment of shaft 278 
in the orbiting mode and in the spin mode, and the operation of the brake 
assembly D, are the same as was described in reference to FIGS. 3-6. That 
is, counterclockwise rotation of the input shaft 244c causes sleeve 206 to 
rise vertically as tabs 208 and 209 ride up cams 234 and 235 thereby 
releasing the compressive braking forces exerted against brake assembly D 
through coupling B. Since plate 270 is splined to shaft 278, the 
counterclockwise rotational movement of the rotary drive elements is 
transmitted to shaft 278 causing it to also rotate about its own axis. 
Alternate Transmission 
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, another form of transmission for use in the 
present invention is shown. Transmission 300 has three primary rotary 
drive elements: an input shaft G, an eccentric or crankshaft H and the 
output or straight drive tube I. The three rotary drive elements are 
mounted for selective rotational movement relative to each other in 
transmission housing 302. 
The operation of transmission 300 is very similar to that of transmission 
74 of FIGS. 3-6. The input drive or assembly F of transmission 74 performs 
the same function as input shaft G of transmission 300; that is, to 
deliver input torque in order to drive the output shafts A and I, 
respectively, in two different modes of operation, i.e., an orbiting 
washing mode and a spin extraction mode. For the orbital mode, both 
transmissions shift the axes of the output shafts slightly from the 
principal axis, i.e., the axis of the input shafts, whereas for the spin 
mode, the transmissions align the axes of the input and output shafts. The 
shifting or switching between the two modes is accomplished through a 
lost-motion connection between the inner and outer eccentric assemblies E 
and F of transmission 74 and lost-motion between input assembly G and 
crankshaft H of transmission 300. In both transmissions, the output shafts 
are connected to drive the basket in an orbital mode for wash and rinse 
and in a rotary mode for spin. The relative spacing of the input and 
output axes X--X and Z--Z, as well as the placement of the axis Y--Y of 
the intermediate elements E and H, is identical. Thus, the eccentricities 
of transmission 300 either add as in orbit to provide a basket excursion 
of 3/4 of an inch, or cancel as in spin whereby axes X--X and Z--Z are 
aligned. The manner in which transmission 300 accomplishes these 
operations will now be described. 
In the order of assembly, sleeve bearing 304 is slid on the upper shaft or 
offset portion 310 of the crankshaft assembly H and into engagement with 
an annular axially extending collar 312. Output or drive tube I, having an 
annular channel 322 formed on its lower radially inner surface, is slid 
over bearing 304 until it also engages collar 312 with channel 322 fitting 
around sleeve bearing 304. L.G.S. spring 324, similar to that shown as 
clutch C' in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and grease-retaining cap 325 are slid 
downwardly over drive tube I into engagement with annular flange 314 of 
the crankshaft H. The inner diameter of spring 324 is sized to 
contactively engage the circumferential surfaces of collar 312 and tube I. 
The Oldham coupling assembly 330 consisting of upper, center and lower 
plates 332, 334 and 336, respectively, are slid onto drive tube I and into 
engagement with spring 324 and cup 325. Oldham coupling 330 is similar to 
that shown as coupling B in FIG. 4; however, the upper plate 332 has an 
axially upward extension 333 which is rotationally fixed to spin tube I 
such as by use of a pin 338 inserted through a bore drilled through 
extension 333 and a complementary notch drilled tangentially through drive 
tube I. 
Crankshaft H also includes a lower axially extending shaft 316, and a slide 
or cam follower 318 (see FIG. 9) protrudes axially downwardly from flange 
314. The upper shaft 310 is formed along an axis Z--Z and the lower shaft 
is formed along an axis Y--Y, with the two axes being offset one from the 
other as in the prior embodiment. 
The input or eccentric drive tube G consists of a central portion 340 
having a cam surface 342 and two driving surfaces 344 and 346 formed on 
and extending axially from its upper radial surface. (This is more clearly 
seen in FIG. 9 in which the rotary drive elements G and H are shown 
rotated 180.degree. from FIG. 8.) Drive tube central portion 340 also 
includes an annular bearing engaging shoulder 348 and a reduced diameter 
lower extension 340a to which is connected the drive pulley 108 (not 
shown). The main axis of drive tube G, including the lower extension 340a 
is X--X. An axially extending bore 350 is drilled in central portion 340 
along axis Y--Y, which is offset from axis X--X as in the prior 
embodiment. 
Elements H and I are assembled to element G by inserting shaft 316 into 
bore 350 of rotary drive element G. The assembly is provided with limited 
axial displacement by inserting a bolt 352 through an aperture of the 
central section 340 of the eccentric drive tube G so that the lead end of 
the bolt protrudes into an annular channel 319 formed on the outer 
circumference of lower shaft 316. The brake liner members 354 are 
assembled to the splined extension 302a of housing 302, and brake discs 
356 are assembled to the splined flange 337 of lower coupling plate 336, 
in a manner as was described above in reference to the brake assembly D of 
FIG. 4, and the complete assembly is placed into housing 302. The splined 
flange 337 of lower coupling plate 336 engages a sleeve bearing 358, 
annular shoulder 348 of shaft 340 engages a ball bearing assembly 360, and 
the reduced axial extension 340a of tube 340 engages a sleeve bearing 362. 
A bearing lubrication assembly 364, commonly known in the art, may be 
fitted to the shaft extension 340a and exterior housing 302 as shown. 
A boot assembly consisting of a flexible boot 368 and a sleeve bearing 370 
to which the upper end of the boot is secured by means of a clamp 372 is 
assembled to the output drive tube I. The lower portion of boot 368 is 
clamped to housing 302 by means of a clamp 374. A compression spring 369 
is encapsulated within upper extension 368a of boot 368 and engages the 
upper extremity of bearing 370 and the radially extending surface of 
extension 368a. The spring 369 forces boot extention 368a against a face 
seal 376. 
Bearing 378 is placed in an appropriate groove 379 formed in the inner 
surface of drive tube I and engages shaft 310, and the basket hub 380 is 
mounted to drive tube I by pins 382, thereby locking the basket hub to the 
drive tube 320. Retaining cap 384 is fitted to the axially upper extremity 
of basket hub 380. 
The complete transmission assembly is bolted to the tub 36 by a plurality 
of bolts 366. 
Upon clockwise rotation of input shaft or rotary drive member G, driving 
surface 346 engages face 318a of cam follower 318 and drives shaft H, and 
therefore basket 32, in an orbital path about the input axis X--X while 
basket 32 is held from rotation about its own axis Z--Z by the brake 
assembly. The excursion of the orbital path is the offset of axis Y--Y 
from axis X--X plus the offset of axis Z--Z from axis Y--Y. 
Upon counterclockwise rotation of rotary drive element G, the cam surface 
342 of eccentric drive tube 340 engages the face 318b of cam follower 318, 
axially lifting rotary drive assembly H, relieving the braking forces 
applied to the brake assembly through lower coupling plate 336. It will be 
understood that the relative angular motion permitted between input shaft 
G and crankshaft H is 180.degree. so that the axis Z--Z of the output 
shaft I is shifted into concentric alignment with axis X--X of member G. 
Counterclockwise rotation of rotary drive element G causes spring 324 to 
lockably engage annular collar 312 of drive element H and output tube I, 
causing output tube I, and therefore the basket 32, to be rotated about 
axis Z--Z in a counterclockwise direction for centrifugal liquid 
extraction. 
At the end of the centrifugal extraction (spin dry) cycle, the motor is 
de-energized. As explained above regarding transmission 74, this returns 
the transmission to its orbit configuration, as shown in FIG. 8, and the 
brake quickly stops the basket. 
Alternate Coupling 
Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, there is shown still another form of 
eccentric coupling which may be used with the present invention. The 
transmission 400 includes a housing 402, which may be mounted to a washer 
tub (not shown). An eccentric rotary drive input tube 410 is mounted 
within housing 402 by sleeve bearing 412 and is suitably connected for 
being driven by pulley 108 shown in FIG. 1. The lower portion of 
transmission 400 may be of the construction of transmission 300 shown in 
FIG. 8. Drive tube 410 includes an axially extending yoke 414 having a cam 
groove in the form of a helix 416 formed therein. A cylindrical bore 418 
is drilled in member 410 for receipt of an offset or crankshaft 420 
similar to the rotary drive element H of FIG. 8. Crankshaft 420 has a 
lower axial extension 422 mounted within bore 418 of drive tube 410 and an 
offset or eccentric upper shaft 424 which extends vertically from an 
annular flange 426. A basket hub or rotary output member 428 is 
concentrically mounted to shaft 424 by means of a sleeve bearing 431. 
Input drive 410 has an axis of rotation X--X, lower shaft 422 of the crank 
member 420 has an axis Y--Y eccentric to axis X--X, and shaft 424 has an 
axis Z--Z eccentric to axis Y--Y. Crankshaft 420 has a radially extending 
pin 425 (shown in phantom, FIG. 10A) received in slot 416 of drive tube 
410. 
The relative eccentricities and spacing of axes X--X, Y--Y and Z--Z are the 
same as set forth above for transmissions 74 and 300, and the operation of 
offsetting and aligning axis Z--Z relative to axis X--X for orbit and 
spin, respectively, is also similar to that of transmission 74 and 300. 
A clutch assembly such as subassembly C of transmission 74, shown in FIG. 
4, is received in an annular slot 427 formed in flange 426 of crankshaft 
420. The clutch liners 432 and thrust washer 434 are mounted on splined 
section 424a of shaft 424 while clutch discs 436 are mounted to splines 
426a of flange 426. 
Basket hub 428 has a cylindrical axially extending section 429 which is 
suitably connected to the basket and boot seal structure (not shown) 
which, for example, may be of the construction used in the transmission 
300 of FIG. 8. Basket hub 428 also has an annular flange 430 having a 
plurality of equally spaced apertures 430a formed therethrough. The 
diameter of the apertures 430a is equal to twice the eccentricity (total 
offset between axes X--X and Z--Z, plus the diameter of the pins 438 which 
protrude vertically upward from lower coupling plate 440. Pins 438 are 
mounted to or formed on lower coupling plate 440 and protrude through 
apertures 444 in a disc 446 which is fabricated from a low friction 
material to permit basket hub 428 to freely slide on disc 446. As was 
generally described above in regard to the other illustrative transmission 
assemblies, with a selected eccentricity of 3/16 of an inch between each 
pair of axes, the total excursion of the basket hub 428, and therefore the 
basket itself, will equal 3/4 of an inch which is equal to twice the 
distance between the axes X--X and Z--Z. In this example, the diameter of 
apertures 430a will equal 3/4 of an inch plus the diameter of pins 438. 
In operation, input drive tube 410 is driven in a clockwise direction 
during the washing and/or rinsing operations driving the crankshaft 420 in 
a clockwise direction thereby causing the basket hub 428 to move in 
orbital path about the axis X--X. Basket hub 438 is restrained from 
rotating about its own axis Z--Z due to the weight of the basket being 
applied to the brake assembly through hub 428 which holds lower coupling 
plate 440 from rotation. 
When the eccentric drive tube 410 is rotated in a counterclockwise 
direction, crankshaft 420 translates in an axial direction as pin 425 
thereof rides upwardly along the slot or groove 416 of drive tube 410, 
relieving the braking forces applied through plate 440. The relative 
angular movement of the drive tube 410 relative to the crankshaft 420 is 
limited to 180.degree. as shown by the slot 416 thereby cancelling the 
eccentricities and shifting axis Z--Z into alignment with axis X--X. Thus, 
upper shaft 424 aligns with the input axis X--X and the basket hub 428 is 
concentric with axis X--X. The vertical displacement of crankshaft 420 
causes the clutch assembly through thrust washer 434 to engage the basket 
hub 428 and the basket hub 428 is driven in a counterclockwise direction 
for water extraction. At the conclusion of spin, the weight of the basket 
causes crankshaft 420 to again rotate relative to input drive 410 so the 
transmission assumes the position shown in FIG. 10A and the brake is 
applied, stopping the basket from rotating. 
Control Circuitry 
Referring to FIG. 11, the electrical control system for washing machine 10 
of FIG. 1 will be described. In connection with the circuit of FIG. 11, it 
will be understood that present-day washers often include various 
improvements such as control panel lights, etc., which do not relate to 
the present invention, and to some extent these have been omitted for the 
sake of simplicity and ease of understanding. 
In order to control the sequence of operation of components of machine 10 
of FIG. 1, the circuit includes an automatic sequence control assembly 
which incorporates a timer motor 500 driving a plurality of cams 502, 504, 
506, 508, 510, 512, 514, 516, 518, 520 and 522. These cams, during their 
rotation by the timer motor 500, actuate various switches (as will be 
described) causing the machine to pass through an appropriate cycle of 
operations, first wetting the clothes, then washing the clothes, 
centrifuging the wash water from the clothes, then rinsing the clothes and 
finally centrifuging the rinse water from the clothes. The operating 
surfaces of the various cams are indicated in the schematic view of FIG. 
12. 
A typical cycle may, for example, be selected when the user has a 
seven-pound load of fabric articles of both cotton and synthentic 
material, the clothing having a normal soil level. The cycle may utilize a 
warm wash and a cold rinse with a normal speed wash, rinse and spin and a 
wash time of approximately nine minutes. User selections are implemented 
on control panel 18 in any of many different forms known in the art such 
as pushbutton switches, toggle switches, rotary switches and slide 
switches. The user selector switches are shown schematically in FIG. 11 as 
switches 524, 526, 528, 530 and 532. Each selection made for the 
illustrative operation of the typical cycle is shown by an X in the left 
hand portion of the timer chart of FIG. 12. Switches 524 and 526 are in 
the upper position to provide normal speed for wash and spin, switches 528 
and 530 are closed to allow opening of the hot and cold water valves 118a 
and 118b, respectively, by cam-operated switches 517 and 519, and switch 
532 is opened to prevent operation of the special optional cycle which (in 
conjunction with cam switch 521) would provide an extended rinse 
operation. The remaining user selection involves the wash time, which for 
the illustrative cycle requires turning a timer knob (not shown) so that 
the cycle starts at the three-minute point of Chart 12. This leaves the 
desired nine minutes of wash time left on the timer cams. 
The electric circuit as a whole is energized from a power supply, such as 
the normal household supply, through a pair of conductors 534 and 536. The 
circuit includes a manually operated push-pull switch 538 which is closed 
by the operator for initiating the cycle, and a lid switch 540 which is 
closed when the lid is closed. At the beginning of the cycle the water 
level pressure switch 92 is in its "down" position as shown so when the 
operator actuates switch 538, assuming the washer has been loaded and the 
lid is closed, water valves 118a and 118b are energized since water 
selection switches 528 and 530 are closed and cam-actuated switches 517 
and 519 are closed by cams 516 and 518, respectively, and motor-operated, 
normally-closed centrifugal switch 542 is also in its closed or "down" 
position. Motor 20 and timer motor 500 are inoperative due to cam bypass 
switch 507 being held open by cam 506 and motor-actuated centrifugal 
switch 544 begins in its normally open position as seen. Cam-actuated 
switches 503 and 509 are closed by cams 502 and 508, respectively, 
enabling subsequent motor operation. Cam-actuated switch 523 is opened by 
cam 522 so that the output of the mixing valve assembly 118 is directed to 
only the fill ring 132 by the diverter assembly 126. 
Initially, water enters basket 32 from ring 132 to wet the fabrics. When 
the fabrics are wet, water will flow out of the basket and collect in sump 
90. When sufficient water has collected in the washer sump 90, water level 
pressure switch 92 is activated thereby moving to the "up" position. This 
momentarily connects the power supply to the timer motor 500 and the drive 
motor 20. Motor 20 starts in the "normal" speed through run winding 546 
regardless of the speed selected by the operator due to the normally "up" 
position of motor speed centrifugal switch 548. As motor 20 comes up to 
speed, normally closed centrifugal switch 550 is opened to de-energize 
start winding 552; switch 548 moves to the "down" position for possible 
connection of the motor to the slow speed winding 554; however, the normal 
winding remains in the circuit because of the settings of switches 524 and 
526; centrifugal switch 542 opens permitting the water flow to be 
determined by cam 514 and switch 515; and normally open centrifugal switch 
544 closes. At this stage of operation, motor 20 and timer 500 are 
connected such that they will continue to run until the main switch 509 
opens under the influence of cam 508, even though the washer pump 98 has 
drained the sump 90 thereby resetting the pressure switch 92 to the "down" 
position. 
The machine now proceeds through nine minutes of orbital washing action. 
Switches 515 and 523 are closed for fifteen seconds once each minute so 
that water is periodically provided to the machine with the flow divided 
between the ring 132 and trough 26. Pump 98 drains the water as it 
accumulates in sump 90. Just before the end of wash, cam 506 closes switch 
507. This continues operation of timer motor 500 and enables restart of 
drive motor 20 even though centrifugal switch 544 opens when motor 20 
pauses at the end of wash. 
At the end of the wash portion of the cycle, cam switch 503 is opened, 
initiating a short pause. Cam 510 moves switch 511 to position "B" so that 
the polarity of start coil 552 is reversed for reverse rotation of the 
motor. Switch 503 is reclosed and spin begins. At the end of the spin 
cycle, switch 503 again opens, switch 511 moves to position "A" connecting 
the start winding for the "orbit" rotation of motor 20 and switch 503 is 
reclosed. A rinse operation follows in a very similar manner to the wash 
operation. 
Note that during the rinse portion of the cycle, switch 521 is closed by 
cam 520 and switch 515 is opened by cam 514 so that only cold water is 
allowed to flow into the basket, and that switch 523 is open so all the 
water enters the basket through ring 132. At the end of rinse, the motor 
is once again reversed and a final spin is accomplished, after which the 
machine turns off. 
With the above-described control circuitry, one will appreciate that the 
amount of wet down will satisfy the particular load demand as water will 
not begin to accumulate in sump 90 until the fabric articles are 
sufficiently wet. Also, a variable wash time has been provided since the 
timer may be set anywhere in the wash phase of the cycle. To select the 
special cycle the operator may close the switch 532, causing a similar 
closing of switch 505 by cam 504 which extends the rinse cycle by 
bypassing the open switch 503 which opens at the conclusion of the typical 
cycle's final rinse. This special cycle permits an extended rinse with 
maximum water flow-through for good heavy soil removal. Also, with the 
positioning of the water level pressure switch 92 as shown, one skilled in 
the art will appreciate that a water level override feature is inherently 
provided. That is, the circuit controlling the water valves will be open, 
terminating water flow whenever the water level in sump 90 is sufficient 
to move switch 92 to the "up" position. A thermal overload switch 556 has 
also been provided to prevent motor 20 from being overheated, as is normal 
in the art. 
If desired, a further operating step may be added to the washing machine 
operation following the final spin step of the normal washing cycle. This 
additional step comprises a fluffing operation during which the spin dried 
clothes are moved within the basket without the addition of water. This 
movement separates the individual clothing articles from each other and 
from the basket sidewall thereby allowing the clothes to be removed in a 
somewhat fluffed condition. In this additional step, the basket is moved 
by transmission in its orbital mode of operation, but without any water 
being introduced into the basket. The basket side wall striking the 
clothes in the same manner as in wash or rinse causes the separation and 
fluffing of the clothes. A modification of the control circuit can 
appropriately be made to accomplish this additional step.