Patent GB-300101-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to washing apparatus specially applicable for laundry work
IPC: D06F95/00
Filed: 1927-09-06
Abstract: 300,101. British-American Laundry Machinery Co., Ltd., (American Laundry Machinery Co.). Sept. 6, 1927. Divided on 298,748. Washing-machines with rotary receptacles.-An externally arranged device for loading the rotary receptacles 16 of a battery of washing- machines 8, 9, comprises a series of as many hoppers 6, 7 as there are machines, each hopper being provided with as many pockets 6<a>, b, c, 7<a>, b, c, as there are compartments in the corresponding machine. Each pocket is formed by a pair of pivoted flaps 25, 25<a> biassed by springs 26, Fig. 2, to closed position and held closed by a latch 28 which engages the flap 25 when a corresponding solenoid 29, 30, 31 is de-energized. When a solenoid is energized the flaps of the corresponding pocket open under the weight of the contents of the pocket to discharge into the next lower pocket or into a compartment of the washing- machine. The pockets are automatically opened in sequence starting from the bottom, and the top pockets are refilled by a conveyer 4 which is moved intermittently and in alternate opposite directions by a motor 5. The machine is shown in the loading position wherein one of a number of contacts 22 on a disc 21 rotated synchronously with the machine bridges a pair of stationary contacts 23. When a button 39 is depressed a relay 36 is energized to complete a circuit through the solenoid 29 to open the pocket 6<a>. The flaps are returned by their springs and contact is made at 33 in the circuit through the solenoid 30, this circuit being completed and the circuit through the solenoid 29 broken and the pocket 6<a> locked when the machine 8 is rotated sufficiently for contact 22 to bridge contacts 24. The contents of the middle pocket 6<b> then discharge into the lower pocket. 6<a>, the weight acting on the flap 25<a> of this pocket to break the circuit of the solenoid 30 at 33, whilst the flap 25<a> of the middle pocket, newly returned to closed position, makes contact 34 to complete a circuit through the solenoid 31. The upper pocket then discharges into the middle pocket and the circuit is broken at 34. When the flap 25a of the top pocket makes contact on its return at 35, a relay 40 is energized to close contacts 42, 43. The closing of contacts 42 energizes the circuit of the motor 5 through 50, 42, 51, 53, 42, 52 for operating the conveyer 4 in the direction to discharge into the top pocket 6<c> until contacts 35 are broken. The closing of contacts 43 energizes a circuit for the motor 3 through 54, 45, 54<a>, 54<b>, 45, 52 to operate a conveyer 2 to feed from a table 1 on to the conveyer 4, tha contacts 45 being closed by the relay 44 which is energized when the contacts 43 are bridged. Similarly actuation of a button 39<1> initiates the operation of the pockets of the other hopper 7. When the upper pocket 7<c> is emptied and contacts 35' bridged a relay 40<1> is energized to complete contacts 42<1>, 43<1>, the contacts 42<1> completing a circuit for the motor 5 in the reverse direction to that closed by the emptying of the upper pocket of the hopper 6, so that the conveyer 4 is moved in the opposite direction to feed into the pocket 7<c> until contacts 35<1> are broken. The motor 3 of the conveyer 2 is actuated in the same direction as before through the closing of the contacts 43<1>. 'When either relay 40, 40<1> is energized the corresponding normally closed contacts 41, 41<1> are opened so that the circuit of the motor 5 cannot be made in two opposite directions simultaneously. Also the button 39 is in the circuit that includes the contact 41<1> so that if the relay 40<1> is energized for moving the conveyer 4 in the direction for feeding the hopper 7, actuation of the button 39 produces no effect.