Patent GB-684464-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to domestic laundry apparatus
IPC: D06F39/08
Filed: 1951-06-12
Abstract: 684,464. Washing and drying machines. HOOVER, Ltd. June 12, 1951. [June 12, 1950] No. 13920/51. Class 138 (ii). [Also in Group XXIX] A domestic laundry machine includes a washing tub 20 and a separate rinsing container 24, aid a manually controllable combined inlet, mixing and distributing valve unit adapted for regulating the supply of a mixture of hot and cold water in any desired proportions from separate external sources under pressure, and for delivering the appropriate mixture to the washing tub when required for washing and to the rinsing container when required for rinsing. General structure. An impeller 21 is mounted in the side wall of the tub 20 and driven by an electric motor 22 through a belt 23. The tub 20 and the container 24 for rinsing and squeezedrying are mounted in a casting 25 which supports all working parts of the machine and is itself secured to a housing 26. The motor 22 also drives a pump 44. which serves to discharge waste liquid to a drain through a flexible hose attached to its outlet. The clothes are rinsed and squeeze-dried in a flexible rubber bag 54 whose upper edge is trapped between a cylinder 53 and a ring 51 constituting the container 24. The ring 51 has a series of holes 52 for water to pass to or from an annular space 60 and port 61 formed in the casting 25. A hinged lid 64 for the container 24 is provided with a locking device 66. The part of the casting 25 not occupied by the tub and container is formed as a dished drainage platform 70 with a central sump 71 and may be used to support wet clothes during laundering. The sump 71 is covered by a rectangular indicator plate 72 having notches 73 in its flanged edge for drainage of liquid to a drain valve and pump 44. Water supply and discharge. A stand pipe 74 is secured to the sump 71 and is connected to a manifold 75 containing the inlet and discharge valves. A movable overflow tube 76 carries at its lower end an annular valve member 78 adapted to engage a valve seating 79 in the manifold 75, Fig. 11. The manifold is connected by a conduit 80 to the inlet of the pump 44 and thus any liquid overflowing into the tube 76 or passing the valve seating 79 is drained away. The stand pipe 74 is connected to the interior of the washing tub 20 through a port 81 in the manifold and a pipe 82. Thus, with valve 78, 79 closed, water will stand at the same level in the tub 20 and pipe 74, the overflow tube 76 preventing filling above the level 83. To empty the tub 20 and stand pipe 74, the valve member 78 is lifted off its seating by means of a hooked handle 84 passing through a hole in the plate 72. A compression spring 87 biases the tube 76 to its lowered position in which the hooked part of the handle 84 passes through a second hole in the plate 72. The manifold 75 has ports 90, 91. (Fig. 13) connected to hot and cold water supply pipes 92, 93 respectively. Poppet valves 94, 95 loaded by compression springs 96, 97 respectively, have heads 98, 99 projecting into a central chamber 100 containing a cam 101 mounted on a vertical operating shaft 102. The cam 101 is adapted to engage either or both of the heads 98, 99 to open the respective valves and admit hot or cold water or both to the chamber 100. The operating shaft 102 passes up the centre of a delivery pipe 103 and carries at its upper end a control knob 104 located over suitable indicia on the indicator plate 72. A flow valve 105 at the top of shaft 102 controls the delivery of water from the pipe 103 either into the washing tub or into the bag 54 through the holes 52 for rinsing. As shown in Fig. 6 the valve 105 comprises a housing formed in the casting 25 and a hollow valve body 107 capable of rotation or vertical movement in the housing. The interior of the body 107 is of hexagonal section to slidably but non-rotatably receive a hexagonal nut 108 secured to the top of the shaft 102. An enlarged portion 113 of the valve has a series of radial holes 114 and in its lowered position (Fig. 6) is surrounded by an annular chamber 117 connected to the port 61. The lower end of the valve body 107 comprises a member 111 which is located in a chamber 115 communicating with the sump 71 through a port 116, and is adapted to engage a centrally perforated gasket 112., Vertical movement of the valve body 107 can only take place when a recess in a flange 120 on the body 107 is in alignment with a corresponding protrusion in a hole 122 in the indicator plate and this is arranged to take place when the inlet cam 101 is clear of both inlet valves so that hot and cold.water are both shut off. A spring 124 biases the control knob 104 to raised position. The central part of the manifold comprises a chamber 130 (Fig. 13) having three connections 131, 68 and 133. Conduit 131 contains a poppet valve 134 which, can be opened against the force of the valve spring 97 by means of a cam 135 engaging the head 136 of the valve. The cam 135 is carried by a vertical control shaft 137 which also carries a gate valve 138 to shut off the conduit 133 leading to the part 75c of the manifold and to the main drain conduit 80. When conduit 133 is shut off, cam 135 engages head 136 and mains pressure water flows through the conduit 68 to the container 24 to squeeze the bag 54. On returning shaft 137 to the position shown the cold water will be shut off and water surrounding the bag 54 can be drained by gravity through the conduit 133. To prevent dangerously high water pressure in the chamber 130, a relief ball valve 140 is provided which vents through a port 141 into the conduit 133. The shaft 137 is in two sections adjustably joined by a sleeve 144 and carries a control handle 147 (Fig. 3). A pin 145 projecting from the shaft co-operates with fixed stops 148 (Fig. 11) to prevent more than 90 degrees rotation of the valve 138. In a modification Fig. 16, (not shown) the cam 135 is replaced by a curved metal strip carried by the gate valve 138 itself. To prevent air locks in the pump 44 a bleeder pipe 160 connects the interior of the pump inlet to the relief valve port 141 (Figs. 2 and 13). Operation. The tube 76 is first lowered to close the drain valve 78, 79 and with the flow valve 105 in its raised position (Fig. 3), the control knob 104 is rotated to admit water at the desired temperature to the delivery pipe 103, and via the sump 71 and stand pipe 74 to the washing tub 20. When the overflow level 83 is reached knob 104 is turned off. Soap and the clothes are then added and the motor 22 is started to rotate the impeller 21 and drive the pump 44. After washing, the clothes are removed to the squeeze bag 54 and the lid 64 closed and latched. Control handle 147 is turned through 90 degrees to admit cold water from the mains through the conduit 68 to the lower cylinder 53 so as to squeeze the clothes in the bag. Thus washing liquid is returned via the sump to the stand pipe 74 and is not wasted. Meanwhile a second batch of clothes may have been inserted in the tub for washing. After squeezing the first batch, handle 147 is turned back to shut off the pressure and open the conduit 133 to dispose of the water in the cylinder 53. To rinse the clothes, the flow valve 105 is closed by depressing the control knob 104 and then turning it to admit water at the required temperature to the bag 54. After rinsing, knob 104 is raised and water pressure again applied to the outside of the bag to expel the rinse water down the overflow tube 76 and dry the clothes. The subject-matter of this Specification also is described in Specifications 684,465 and 684,466.