Appliance mounting assembly

An assembly to mount an appliance on a floor includes a pair of openings in the appliance base, each surrounded by a helical thread. The thread includes a pair of downwardly projecting detents. A mount for each opening includes a head with a shaft extending from the top thereof and received in the opening. The shaft includes an external helical thread mating with the appliance base thread. The mount is made of plastic which cold flows sufficiently for the shaft thread to conform to the detents. An unbalance responsive mechanism includes a strap extending across the housing with a transverse pin adjacent each end. A mount for each end of the strap includes a head with a shaft extending from the top thereof. The distal end of the shaft includes transverse openings to receive an end portion of the strap and the corresponding transverse pin. Non-skid, insulating pads are bonded to the bottom of the heads.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Major household appliances, such as automatic clothes washers, clothes 
dryers and refrigerators for example, typically include some mechanism for 
leveling the appliance housing so that it will operate optimally, even 
though the floor on which it is mounted is not level. In addition, some 
appliances, particularly automatic clothes washers, include mechanisms to 
adjust the mounting of the machine in response to unbalanced or 
non-symmetric loads, such as when the washer is centrifugally extracting 
water from an unbalanced load. 
Clothes washers typically have adjustable mounts or feet adjacent their 
front corners and an unbalance compensating mechanism at their rear. 
Typically the unbalance compensating mechanism includes a strap, bar or 
rod which is connected to mounting feet with a degree of freedom so that 
the strap can move relative to the feet or to the housing to compensate 
for the unbalance. 
Such assemblies and mechanisms present a number of problems in the 
manufacture and use of such appliances. For example it is desirable to 
assemble the mounts or feet to the housing at the factory. However, if 
they are attached early in the manufacturing process, they are subject to 
damage and inhibit the use of traditional conveyor systems for subsequent 
manufacturing steps. 
It is desirable that the mounts be easily and quickly assembled to the 
unbalance compensating mechanism, preferably by merely snapping them into 
place. 
Typically the front mounts are rotatable relative to the housing base to 
adjust their height when the appliance is installed. It is desirable that 
the mounts be easily installed at the factory using normal factory 
equipment and, at the same time, be adjustable at appliance installation, 
using only normal hand tools such as a wrench. 
Typically the front mounts and the mounts or feet used with the unbalance 
compensating mechanism are significantly different. In some highly 
automatic manufacturing processes, it is advantageous to use a single 
design mount for all locations, even though each mount includes features 
that are not needed in any particular individual location. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention an appliance 
leveling assembly includes an appliance housing with a base. An opening is 
provided in the base adjacent each front corner of the housing, surrounded 
by a helical thread with a pair of axially projecting detents. An 
unbalance mechanism at the rear of the housing includes a strap extending 
across the base, with a transverse cross member adjacent each of its ends. 
A mount is provided for each opening and each end of the strap. Each mount 
includes a head with a bottom to support the appliance from a floor and an 
elongated shaft extending from the top of the head. The shaft includes an 
external helical thread which mates with a corresponding helical thread in 
the base. The mount is molded from a plastic material which will cold flow 
sufficiently for the shaft thread to conform to the detents on the housing 
thread. The distal end of the shaft remote from the head includes a pair 
of mutually perpendicular openings which receive one end of the strap and 
the associated cross member. A pad is bonded to the bottom of the head and 
engages the floor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 illustrates a top loading automatic clothes washer or washing 
machine 10 with a top 11 having a door 12 providing access to the interior 
of the machine for loading and unloading items to be washed. A backsplash 
13 contains various controls for user control of the operation of the 
machine. The machine 10 has a hollow, rectangular, box like housing with a 
front panel 14, side panels 15 and a rear panel 16. The housing includes a 
base joining the various vertical panels 14-16. In the illustrative 
machine 10, the housing base includes a front brace 17, which extends 
between the side panels 15 just inside the front panel 14, and a rear 
brace 18, which extends between the side panels 15 just inside the rear 
panel 16. 
The operating components of washer 10 are not part of the present invention 
and have been omitted for the sake of simplicity. However it will be 
understood that, when machine 10 is operated to wash a load of fabrics, 
forces are generated and transferred to the floor on which the machine is 
mounted. This is particularly true when the machine spins the fabric 
containing tub (not shown) at high speed to centrifugally extract liquid 
from the fabrics. If the machine is not level or the weight distribution 
is non-symmetric, these forces often will cause the machine to "walk", 
that is to move across the floor on which it is mounted. 
There are two aspects to leveling the housing. First mounts or feet are 
mounted to the base adjacent the front corners of the housing. These 
mounts are vertically adjustable to level the housing. Second, an 
unbalance compensating mechanism normally is provided at the rear of the 
machine to enable the rear of the machine to move relative to the rear 
mounts in response to unbalanced forces generated during operations, 
particularly during extraction. 
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is illustrated the right front mount 
and its connection to the base of the housing of the illustrative machine 
10. In particular a mount 20, positioned adjacent the right front corner 
of the machine, and its connection to or mounting on the front brace 17 is 
illustrated. It will be understood that an identical mount is connected to 
the front brace 17 adjacent the left front corner of the housing. 
Preferably the mount 20 is molded form a suitable plastic material such as 
polypropylene. The mount 20 includes a head 21 with a pad 22 overlying its 
bottom. Preferably the pad is formed from a suitable plastic material, 
such as sontoprene. Preferably the pad is placed in the mold for the mount 
before the mount is formed and bonds to the mount 20 during the molding 
process. The pad 22 serves two purposes. First it provides an anti-skid 
surface to inhibit the machine from sliding across the floor on which it 
is mounted. Second, it isolates vibrations of the machine from the floor. 
A shaft 23 projects perpendicularly from the top of the head 21 and 
includes a helical thread 24 along its outer surface. A mating helical 
thread 25 with an interruption 26 is formed in the front brace 17 and 
defines a central opening 27. The mount 20 is mounted on the brace 17 by 
inserting the distal end 27 of the shaft 23 into the opening 26 and then 
rotating the shaft to engage the thread 24 with the thread 27. The length 
of the shaft 23 below the brace 17, and thus the distance from the bottom 
of machine 10 to the bottom of pad 22, is adjusted by screwing the shaft 
into and out of the brace. For this purpose the bottom of the head 21 is 
formed with a polygonal recess 29 to receive a power tool for mounting and 
adjusting the position of the mount 20 during manufacture of the machine 
10. A polygonal collar 30 is formed on the outer surface of shaft 23 next 
to the head 21. This provides a drive surface for a tool, such as an open 
end wrench for example, to adjust the height of the mount 20 when the 
machine is installed. In this way, during and after the machine is 
installed, the mount can be adjusted with the machine sitting upright in 
its normal operating orientation. Preferably both the recess 29 and the 
collar 30 are hexagonal to fit typical tools. Conveniently the mount 20 at 
each front corner of the machine 10 is essentially fully seated in the 
brace 17 during manufacture to minimize the possibility of damage during 
shipment. When the machine is installed, each mount 10 is then adjusted to 
level the machine. 
Once the machine is leveled at installation, it is important that the front 
mounts 10 do not accidentally move relative to the front brace 17. The 
thread 25 includes a pair of detents 31 which project axially downward on 
diametrically opposite sides of the thread 25. The detents 31 are forced 
against the upper surface 32 of the thread 24 by the weight of the 
machine. The material of the shaft, polypropylene in the exemplification, 
will cold flow under this pressure sufficiently that the upper surface 32 
will form indentations 33 which conform to the detents. The detents 31 and 
indentations 33 in the thread 24 form stops which deter the mounts 20 from 
accidentally moving relative to the brace 17. However, once someone 
deliberately moves a mount 20 slightly, its indentations 33 no longer hold 
the conforming detents 31 and the mount can easily be adjusted to another 
shaft height or length. 
The weight of operational components of washing machines often is not 
distributed evenly. In addition the floor on which the machine is mounted 
may be uneven. This may result from the floor sagging under the weight of 
the machine, faulty floor construction or any of a number of other 
reasons. This tends to add to the non-symmetrical weight distribution of 
the machine and the machine may vibrate excessively and "walk" across the 
floor. Typically washing machines include an unbalance compensating 
mechanism or assembly to compensate for such non-symmetric weight 
distribution. Such mechanisms typically include a cross member, in the 
form of strap or rod, which extends across the rear of the machine and is 
mounted to the rear mounts or feet. Either the connections of the cross 
member to the feet or to the housing is vertically adjustable under the 
influence of the non-symmetrical weight distribution to compensate for 
such non-symmetry. One such system or assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,304,032, issued to Roy K. Yates and assigned to General Electric 
Company, assignee of the present invention; which patent is hereby 
incorporated herein by reference. 
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a part of the 
non-symmetrical weight or unbalance compensating assembly of the 
illustrative machine 10. The rear brace 18 includes a horizontal bottom 
wall 36 and a vertical side wall 37. A vertical tab 38 is lanced from the 
bottom wall 36 and bent upwardly to extend parallel to the side wall 37. 
Ears 39,40 are lanced form the side wall 37 and tab 38 respectively and 
bent outwardly. The ears are angled to provide angled slots 41,42 
respectively. It will be seen that the tops of the slots and ears are 
closer to the side wall 15 than are their bottoms. While not shown, it 
will be understood that mirror image ears and slots are formed adjacent 
the other end of the rear brace 18. In this way the slots and ears at the 
ends of the brace converge from top to bottom. A strap 44 extends across 
the rear of the housing and has its ends generally aligned with the slot 
and ear arrangement adjacent each end of brace 18. A cross member 45 is 
mounted adjacent each end of the strap 44 and projects perpendicularly to 
each side of the strap. Conveniently the cross members are in the form of 
circular cross section cylindrical pins which are tightly received in 
circular openings 46 in the strap 44. Each cross member projects through 
the slots 41,42 and the weight of the machine causes the ears 39,40 to 
engage the cross members. Non-symmetric weight of or forces generated by 
the machine will cause the strap and cross members to shift relative to 
the machine. That is, one end of the strap will move downwardly relative 
to the corresponding ears and slots while, the other end of the strap will 
move upward relative to the corresponding ears and slots. 
The mount 20 is designed for use with such non-symmetry or unbalance 
compensating or self-leveling mechanisms. More particularly the distal end 
of shaft 23, remote from head 21 is formed with mutually perpendicular 
slots 48 and 49 which extend axially into the shaft from its end and 
project transversely completely across shaft. The mount 20 is inserted 
about the junction of the strap 44 and cross member 45 with the strap 44 
fitting closely in slot 48 and cross member 45 fitting closely in slot 49. 
The friction between shaft 23, on the one hand, and the strap 44 and cross 
member 45, on the other hand, maintains the mount on the strap. 
FIG. 6 illustrates a mount 50 of slightly different construction than mount 
20 The mount 50 has a head 51 and a shaft 53 with threads 54, a polygonal 
collar 56 and a distal end 57. The head also has a polygonal recess, not 
shown, in its bottom and a pad 52 is bonded to the bottom. The distal end 
57 of shaft 53 includes one slot 58, which extends across the shaft and 
projects into the shaft from its end. A cylindrical hole or bore 59 
extends through the shaft perpendicular to slot 58. Mount 50 is placed on 
the end of strap 44, with the strap tightly received in the slot 58 and 
with the opening 46 aligned with the bore 59, before the cross member is 
attached. Then the cross member 45 is inserted through the opening 46 and 
bore 59. Thus it will be recognized that mount 50 is more securely mounted 
on the strap 44 than mount 20 but the assembly process is slightly more 
complicated. 
The mounts 20 and 50 have composite configurations. That is a single mount 
configuration can be used at both the front and back corners of a machine. 
This enables a manufacturer to stock only one part. It will be recognized 
that, if desired, the mounts can be modified to provide different 
configurations tailored to front and rear usage. On the one hand, mounts 
tailored for the front would not have either the crossed slots or the slot 
and bore arrangement at the distal end of the shaft. On the other hand 
mounts tailored for the rear would not have the thread, the polygonal 
collar on the lower portion of the shaft or the polygonal recess in the 
bottom of the head. 
While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and 
described herein, it is realized that modifications and changes will occur 
to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. It is 
therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover 
all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and 
scope of the invention.