Patent GB-807990-A (GB)
Title: Improved washer machine
IPC: D06F39/04
Filed: 1957-10-25
Abstract: 807,990. Washing - machines. GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION. Oct. 25, 1957 [Nov. 19, 1956], No. 33375/57 Class 138 (2). A washing-machine is designed to fit into a kitchen unit and is arranged so that access to the principal working parts may be gained by the removal of the front panel, after which further access is possible by removing the front cover of the drum casing, and then the drum itself, without the necessity of removing the machine from the unit. As shown, the machine has removable front panels 24, 25 and an access door 206. Behind the door there is an opening in the front cover 31 and the drum case 30 to allow access to the drum, the front cover 31 and the drum case 30 being joined by means of flanges 32, 33 drawn together by a wedgeshaped ring 36 which has a clamp nut and bolt. An electric thermostatically controlled air heater 90 is fitted into a bulge 91 in the casing, access to this heater being possible when the drum is removed from the casing. There is also a water heater 70 in the lower part of the casing between the front cover 31 and the drum 40 controlled by thermostats 79 (not shown) and 80 to which access is gained when the front cover 31 is removed. A drain pump 65 has a front closure plate 67, including an inlet connected by a flexible pipe to an outlet in the drum casing, which can be easily removed for cleaning the pump when the front panel 25 has been removed. The rear wall 30a of the drum casing 30 is of conical shape and has an additional oppositely conical wall 30b welded to it. These walls 30a, 30b have aligned openings 52 into which reduced end portions of sleeve 51 are welded. An inner bearing sleeve 53 is press-fitted within sleeve 51 and contains the outer races of two ball bearings 54 spaced apart on shaft 41 by sleeve 55. Shaft 41 is positioned by a ring 57 axially locked on shaft 41 and engaging the right-hand bearing 54. The drum 40 is perforated, it has lifter ribs 191 (Fig. 6) to agitate the washing and a rear wall 50 with a conical central portion 49 having an additional conical portion 48 welded thereto, both of which have aligned apertures into which fits a hub 47 having shoulders to space apart portions 48 and 49. Hub 47 has an inwardly tapered hole into which fits a tapered end 41a of the shaft 41 and is secured thereto by nut 46 which engages the thread on the end of shaft 41. This nut is located in a recess in hub 47 which is closed by a cover cap 45 retained by a screw 44. A stiff stabilizer torsion bar 130 (Fig. 5) is mounted in bracket 131 on base 21 and at the end of the bar are fixed arms 132, 133 the ends of which are pivotally attached to channel member 135 secured to the bottom of drum easing 30. Two telescopic shock absorbers 147 have their lower ends pivoted in brackets 146 on the base 21 and their upper ends in brackets 145 on the sides of drum casing 30. Springs 140 and 141 are held between end cups 143, 144, the combination of springs, dampers, torsion bar and heavy counterbalance weight 170 serving to damp any excessive vibration during operation. A cylindrical panel 34 of drum casing 30 is displaced at the side to form a trough 150 whose side is partly closed from the interior of the casing by a lip 151 (Fig. 6). The trough 150 is connected to a feed pipe 155 which has a funnel inlet 154 directly below hook outlet 153 connected to an inlet pipe 152. The pipe 152 leads from a valve body 156 which includes a full-flow hot water solenoid valve 157 controlling hot water from conduit 158, a full-flow cold water solenoid valve 159 controlling cold water conduit 160 and a limited-flow cold water solenoid valve 161 controlling a limited flow from conduit 160. A level responsive switch 175 connected by tube 177 to an air entrapping capsule turns off the water solenoid valves when a certain level is exceeded.