Patent GB-810115-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to clothes washing machines
Inventor: TEGERDINE GEORGE EDWIN
IPC: D06F29/02
Filed: 1954-06-09
Abstract: 810,115. Washing-machines. BEDCO Ltd. [formerly BEDCO AERO COMPONENTS Ltd.]. June 9, 1955 [June 9, 1954; Feb. 16, 1955], Nos. 16969/54 and 4701/55. Class 138 (2). [Also in Group XIII] A washing-machine comprises, in a single cabinet 1, a washing chamber 18 and a drying chamber 86 located at least mainly forwardly and mainly below the washing chamber, the washing chamber 18 housing a washing basket 19 which is rotatable about its substantially horizontally and forwardly directed axis and being adapted to receive water for the partial immersion of the lower part of the washing basket 19, and the drying chamber, 86 (see Group XIII) housing a centrifuging basket 88 rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, means being provided for driving the baskets 19 and 88 at low and high rates respectively, the basket 19 having a front loading and unloading opening from which guide means 36 leads upwardly to a position wholly above the normal water level in the washing chamber and over a loading and unloading opening in the upper end of the basket 88, thereby facilitating the transfer of clothes from the washing to the drying basket without interrupting the washing operation or draining the washing chamber. The centrifuging basket is provided with a loading and unloading shoot 91 and is driven by a motor 100. The shoots 36 and 91 are provided with a common water-tight hinged door 11 furnished with two windows 13, 14 formed of glass or transparent plastic mounted in the door with the aid of sealing strips 15 which also bear against the bevelled flanges 10 of the door opening (Fig. 6, not shown). The window 14 may be wholly or partly replaced by a grille for allowing a free circulation of air through the centrifuging basket. The cabinet 1 has a removable rear panel 16 provided with louvres 17. Washing assembly.-The washing chamber 18 is approximately egg-shaped in front elevation (Fig. 7), the lower part extending downwardly to provide a water bath 21. The washing hasket 19 is mounted on a shaft 25 supported in bearings 24, 27 carried by the rear wall 23 of the washing chamber 18. The bearing 27 is mounted in a bracket 28 having forwardly cranked ends 29 welded or otherwise secured to the wall 23 (Fig. 8, not shown). This bracket 28 serves to reinforce the wall 23 which may be additionally reinforced by radial fluting thereon or by welding radial ribs thereon. In order that the washing basket 19 may be withdrawable bodily from the washing chamber 18 the rear wall 23 is separable from the peripheral wall 30 of the chamber, a fluid-tight seal (Fig. 9, not shown) being provided between the peripheral and rear walls. The front wall of the washing chamber has a large circular opening 34 registering with the lower end of the shoot 36, the upper end of the shoot 36 being rectangular. The chamber 18 is detachably mounted within the cabinet 1 by being supported on a pair of metal straps 41, longitudinally contractable by bolts 42 and secured at their upper ends to side members of the frame 3 of the machine The chamber is secured in position on the straps 41 by a pair of retaining straps 43, 43 which pass over the upper part of the chamber and are peripherally contractable thereabout by bolts (not shown). The rear wall of the washing basket 19 comprises an inner skin 58, the central part 59 of which is forwardly coned around a central shaft receiving hole, and on to the rear of this inner skin 58 is peripherally welded a centrally apertured flat disc 60. The marginal portions of these parts 58 and 60 surrounding the shaft receiving holes therein are coned towards one another and have located therebetween an annular distance-piece 63 of truncated triangular cross-sectional form (Fig. 8, not shown). The shaft 25 has a frusto-conical head and lock nut for securing these parts together. Internally the basket 19 is provided with a plurality of equiangularly spaced hollow agitating paddles 71 each having a perforated radial front wall 72, an imperforate rear wall 73, and a rounded forward edge 74, as shown in Fig. 7. When each paddle 71 is in its lowermost position water enters through the perforations in the front wall 72 and traps air contained in the paddle. This water is released in the form of sprays on to the clothes, whilst some of the air escapes as the paddles re-enter the water, so causing bubbles of air to flow upwardly through the water in the lower part of the basket and aerating the same. An external scoop (not shown) may be provided on the washing basket opposite each paddle. The basket 19 is rotated by means of an electric motor 54 through speed reduction means comprising belts and pulleys. This motor is carried in a U-shaped bracket 55 by means of resilient mountings 56. Water supply and discharge means.-The washing chamber 18 has a filler pipe 135 (Fig. 7) and an outlet 45 leading into a filter chamber 46 containing a perforated U-shaped filter 48 mounted on horizontal guides 47 in the chamber 46. A door (not shown) is provided in the end wall of the cabinet 1 to give access to the filter for removal purposes. The filter chamber 46 is connected by a hose 51 through a rotary or centrifugal pump 53 driven by the motor 54. During washing the water is circulated in the machine, being drawn off by the pump 53 and discharged through its outlet 136 to a hose 137 connected to a two-way valve 138 having an operating knob 140 exposed at the front of the cabinet. The valve 138 has one outlet leading to a flexible hose 142 having a nozzle 143 which penetrates the wall of the shoot 36 and is directed so as to discharge water into the washing basket 19. The second outlet of the valve 138 is connected to a drain-pipe 145 which discharges from the back of the cabinet adjacent the discharge pipe 121 from the drying assembly. Modification.-Instead of providing two motors 54 and 100 a single motor may be used to drive the washing and centrifuging baskets, appropriate gearing being provided to give the different speeds, with means for selectively operating the baskets. Provisional Specification 16969/54 also describes a reservoir located below the drying chamber and into which both the drying and washing chambers discharge through flexible pipes, the outlet from the drying chamber being provided with a non-return valve. A pump for discharging liquid from the reservoir is operated from the same drive as the drying basket.