Patent GB-818139-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the cleaning of textiles
IPC: D06F25/00
Filed: 1956-01-25
Abstract: 818,139. Washing-machines. WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION. Jan. 25, 1956 [Feb. 7, 1955], No. 2507/56. Class 138 (2). [Also in Groups XIII and XXIV]  Textile articles are treated by confining them within a container, introducing a stream of liquid into the container to wet the articles, continuously draining the liquid from the container so as to prevent formation of a pool of liquid therein, and returning the drained liquid to the stream whilst rotating the container about an at least substantially horizontal axis at a rate sufficient repeatedly to raise the articles to the upper region of the container and to cause them to fall therefrom freely towards the bottom of the container to impact the non- liquid surface thereof. General arrangement.-The invention is applied to a combined washing, rinsing, extracting, and drying machine comprising a perforated drum 26 rotatably mounted within a casing 22. On its inner surface the drum 26 is provided with a number of clothes elevating ribs 37, alternate ribs being formed with high ends 38 adjacent an annular front wall 31 of the drum and low ends 39 adjacent a rear wall 27, the ribs therebetween sloping in the reverse direction. This staggered arrangement of the ribs tends to direct the clothes towards the centre of the drum. An annular brush 53 mounted on the front wall 51 of the casing 22 prevents clothes being caught between the walls 51 and 31. An annular rubber gasket 60 has a sealing lip adapted to engage the side walls 62 of a door 63 glazed as at 64 and controlling access to the interior of the drum 26. Liquid supply, circulation, and discharge.- Fresh water is supplied to the drum 26 through a conduit 69 discharging at 70 into a funnel 71 having a spout 72 projecting through the wall 51. The water escapes through the perforations in the drum 26 into a sump 24 (Fig. 5) having an outlet 73 connected by a conduit 76 to a suction pump 74 driven by an electric motor 82. The pump 74 has a two-way discharge controlled by a solenoid-operated valve 77, one discharge leading to a drain conduit 81 and the other through a conduit 78 to a discharge outlet 7 9 for returning the liquid to the drum 26. The outlet 79 may be located adjacent the spout 72 or in a diametrically opposite position or in any intermediate position. With the outlet 79 in the position shown in Fig. 5 the stream of liquid will strike the clothes during the last portion of their fall from the upper portion of the drum, assuming the drum is rotating in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 5. Since the clothes in the drum are not immersed in liquid, introduction of a rinsing liquid may be commenced before the washing liquid is drained from the sump 24 or while it is being drained therefrom with a resultant time saving. The rinsing liquid may be re-circulated by the pump 74 or discharged to drain through the conduit 81. The sump 24 may be provided with an immersion heater 144. Drive mechanism.-A pulley 49 mounted on a shaft 41 carrying the drum 26 is drivingly connected through belts 92, 109, 108 (Fig. 10) to a pulley 84 on the shaft of the motor 82. The belts 92, 109 pass round two portions of an idler pulley 86 rotatably carried by a bracket 88 pivoted at 89. A tensioning spring 110 connected to the bracket 88 takes up slack in the pulley belt system. A variable speed device 93 is provided between the belts 108, 109 and comprises three pulley sheave members 102, 103, 104 mounted on a pin 101 carried by a yoke member 99. The yoke member 99 is pivotally connected at 105 through a yoke member 97 pivoted at 96 to a stationary bracket 94. The two outside sheave members 102, 103 are connected for rotation with the pin 101, while the middle member 104 is laterally movable on the pin 101. The yoke member 97 is acted upon by two coil springs 112, 114, as shown in Fig. 10. Spring 114 is connected at one end to a movable member 157 of, e.g., a solenoid 158. To change from low speed to high speed drive the solenoid 158 is energized so as to move the pin 101 and pulley members thereon to the right in Fig. 10 so as to move the member 104 laterally on the pin 101 and move the belt 108 inwardly and the belt 109 outwardly. A mechanically-operated device may be used in place of the solenoid 158. Drying means.-A duct 116 attached to the back wall 43 (Fig. 6) of the casing 22 has an opening 118 and is divided into front and rear passages 120 and 121 by a partition 119 carrying electric heating coils 122. The rear wall 43 is provided with an opening 124 having a plurality of vertical louvres. The front wall 51 of the casing is provided with a plurality of louvred openings 127 comprising a series of circumferentially spaced arcuate slots extending through approximately 180 degrees around the opening in the wall 51. The openings 127 are located radially inwardly of the bristles of the brush 53. The front wall 51 has an opening 128 (Fig. 9) in line with a rearwardly extending duct 129 leading to a blower 130 having a discharge duct 131. The blower 130 draws air upwardly through the duct 116 where it is heated by the heating coils 122, and through the opening 124, drum 26, opening 127, duct 58, opening 128, and duct 129. The blower 130 may be operated continuously, and in order to prevent the passage of heated drying air through the machine except during the drying period a valve 141 is provided for sealing the opening 128. Alternatively the blower 130 may be so connected as to be operated only during the drying period The blower 130 may be drivingly connected by a belt and pulley to the motor 82. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 761,989.