Patent Publication Number: US-3875770-A

Title: Laundering apparatus having controlled spinning

Description:
United States Patent [191 Brimer, deceased et a1.  
  22 Filed: .Ian. 12, 1973 21 Appl.No.:322,922  
  Related Application Data 1631 Continuation of Ser. No. 77,914, Oct. 5. 1970,  
 [76] Inventors:  
 abandoned.  
 [52] US. Cl 68/231; 68/148 [51 1 Int. Cl. D06f 23/04 [58] Field of Search 68/23, 23.1, 23.2, 23.3,  
 156] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,590,470 6/1926 Means 68/133 X 2,438,273 3/1948 Eastes... 68/151 X 2.735.286 2/1956 Sperry 68/151 2,986,910  
 6/1961 Bochan 68/23 X 1 1 Apr.8, 1975 3.026.701 3/1962 Houser 68/233 Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby Assistant Examiner-Philip R. Coc  
 [57] ABSTRACT A laundering apparatus and method adapted to achieve more effective spin drying of laundered articles and the like. The apparatus includes a spin basket having imperforate, tapering side walls and adapted to discharge water over the upper edge thereof in use. The spin basket contains vanes thereon adapted to cooperate with fixed vanes in the spin basket receptacle to provide slow spinning action when water fills the receptacle and lies in the area between the vanes and to allow fast spinning when the intervane area of the receptacle is free of water. In use, spinning for an initial period causes the water to move the spin basket into the spin basket receptacle and fill the area between the vanes, which slows the spin basket, temporarily interrupts water removal and allows the laundered articles to redistribute themselves within the remaining water in the spin basket for better dynamic 8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR INVENTOR JOE W. VON BRIMER #9 AT T&#39;v s LAUNDERING APPARATUS HAVING CONTROLLED SPINNING This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 77,914, filed Oct. 5, 1970, and now abandoned.  
  The present invention relates to laundering machines or the like, and more particularly to machines having the spin basket and other elements thereof constructed in a novel manner, and in which the spinning cycle used to remove water or other cleaning fluid from the articles to be laundered is different from ordinary spin cy cles, for the purpose of causing more effective spin drying, better balanced spinning, and for performing a given spinning operation with less power consumption.  
  In an ordinary automatic washing machine or the like, articles of clothing, after washing and/or rinsing thereof, are partly dried by rapidly spinning the spin basket which is a perforated, generally cylindrical basket, to force water from the clothing through the openings in the spin basket side wall. As commercially manufactured, such machines generally have several characteristic features. one of which is that a large amount of power is required to initiate the spin cycle. This is because of the heavy weight of the water-saturated clothes, because of the design of motors, and because of the path the water must follow in leaving the clothing and passing through the foraminous side walls of the spin basket. Since the motors used in these laundering machines draw a very large amount of current under the heavy load required to initiate the spin cycle, the cycle must be initiated rapidly since the motors and the household circuits to which they are connected are not capable of sustaining such heavy current draw over a period of time longer than relatively few seconds.  
  However, rapidly removing water from generally randomly disposed wet clothing is disadvantageous for a number of reasons. First, assuming that the clothing is randomly distributed, heavy parts thereof are likely to lie in one sector of the spin basket with lighter parts being likely to lie in one or more other sectors. If the water is extracted before the clothing can be equally distributed about the basket. these heavy or out-ofbalance spots tend to remain, making it difficult to balance the spin basket for high speed extraction and imposing a practical limit on the speed at which the basket can be spun during the extraction portion of the spin cycle. Furthermore, in addition to those parts of the clothing lying in different radial sectors of the spin basket, it is likely that heavier portions and lighter portions of the clothing will be disposed in different axial sections of the spin basket, creating a further problem of dynamic spin basket balance, particularly at high speeds.  
  Another problem of prior known spin basket constructions and the operational cycles in which they are used is that the centrifugal force applied to the water is such that it tends to force floating material, such as soap scum, lint, or foreign matter such as seeds, straw, etc., through the clothing, with the results that this debris either passes through or dirties the clothing or is trapped thereby with the clothing acting in the manner of a filter.  
  Furthermore, prior art washers have not always successfully provided gradual removal of water from the clothing to be dried, since the spin basket has always been characterized by holes forming a substantial portion of the area of the spin basket side walls and bottom walls. Accordingly, the water cannot be held within the spin basket above the level at which the water is maintained in the outer tub or receiver. Since it is customary to drain the rinse water entirely away before initiating the spin cycle, the clothes are no longer able to move about the spin basket within the water. Accordingly, the articles being washed or spun cannot distribute themselves while within the water if such distribution involves significant movement, since a significant amount of water is present only for a matter of a few seconds after the spin cycle is begun. However, while in the water, the clothes are of a pliable consistency or plasticity, that is, they can be formed into most shapes upon the application of only a slight force, and they will retain this general shape while wet. It is well known that it would be desirable to produce a washing machine having a spin cycle so characterized that, to the greatest possible extent, the clothes would be free from lint, scum, and other floating debris, and in which the load would be balanced to the highest degree possible prior to high speed extraction.  
  Accordingly, in view of these desirable characteristics of an improved washing machine, and in view of the failure of prior art laundering devices to provide some or all of the foregoing characteristics and advantages, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved clothes washing machine.  
  Another object is to provide an improved method of laundering wherein the water may be separated from the clothes to be laundered under controlled conditions.  
  Another object is to provide a washing machine wherein the operation of the spin cycle is carefully controlled in response to the demands made by the clothing to be cleaned.  
  A further object is to provide a washing machine wherein the water is extracted by passage over an upper edge of the spin basket rather than through the side walls thereof.  
  A further object is to provide a washing machine wherein automatic or self-regulating means are provided for intermittently allowing the spin basket to rotate at high speeds, then at low speeds, and so on until spin drying is completed, with the load being rebalanced during each slow portion of the cycle for improved spinning action during the high speed portion of the cycle.  
  A further object is to provide a washing machine wherein the length of each of a plurality of spin cycles is determined in relation to the amount of water extracted by the just-previous high speed cycle.  
  A further object of the invention is to provide a washing machine wherein a fixed portion thereof, such as the receptacle for the spin basket, and a portion of the spin basket have thereon cooperating means for resisting rapid spin basket rotation in one mode of operation and for permitting rapid spin basket operation in another mode, with each mode being determined by the amount of water removed from the basket in the previous mode.  
  A still further object is to provide a washing machine wherein the duration of each extraction and spin cycle takes place is determined by mere mechanical dimensions of related washing machine parts rather than by mechanical and/or electrical timers and the like.  
  These objects, and other inherent objects of the invention are accomplished by providing a laundering apparatus which includes a spin basket, an agitator for washing articles held within the spin basket, means to spin the basket for removal of water therefrom. and means respectively on the basket and a receptacle for the basket for permitting relatively free rotation of the receiver when extracted water is at one level in the receptacle and for resisting free movement and said water or other fluid is at a lower level in said receptacle.  
  The exact manner in which these objects, and other inherent objects and advantages of the invention are achieved will become more apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, with portions broken away and partly in vertical section, showing a laundering apparatus according to the invention;  
  FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the spin basket, the outer tub or receptacle, the agitator and other principal elements of the washer of the invention;  
  FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, with portions broken away, of the washer of FIG. 2;  
  FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the washer of the invention, showing somewhat diagrammatically the operation of one portion of the spin cycle of the machine;  
  FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the operation of a subsequent portion of the spin cycle;  
  FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 4 and 5, showing a still later portion of the spin cycle; and  
  FIG. 7 is a graph showing changes in spinning speeds undergone by the spin basket with the progress of time during a complete spinning cycle.  
  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Although it will be understood that the principles of the invention are applicable to a number of different forms of washing machines, cleaning machines, and the like, an illustrative embodiment of the invention will be described wherein the washer somewhat resembles a conventional, vertical-axis washing machine, wherein the basket is electrically driven and wherein the washing fluid is water. In particular, the drive for the agitator and spin basket may be of the type shown in my [15. Pat. No. 3,194,032, wherein a linear induction motor is used as the motive element. However, a conventional drive system may be used, although the spinning system of the present invention is particularly advantageous when used with motors of the type described in said US. Pat. No. 3,194,032.  
  Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a washing machine generally indicated at to include a body portion 22, an upper control panel 24, an outer tub assembly or spin basket receptacle 26 defined by imperforate side walls 28, and a bottom wall 30, and being provided with a fluid drain port 32 disposed in the lower part of a water sump 34. A spin basket assembly 36 is disposed within the outer tub assembly or receptacle 26 and includes outwardly and upwardly inclined side walls 38, and a bottom wall 40. Extending downwardly from the bottom wall 40 of the spin basket 36 are a plurality of vertically disposed, radially outwardly extending vanes 42, while the lower surface 30 of the tub 26 includes radially extending vertically disposed vanes 44 which are substantially mirror images of their counterpart vanes 42 on the spin basket 36.  
  A third major component of the washer 20 is the agitator assembly 46 which includes a plurality of vanes 48, a bottom plate 50 and drive means in the form of a vertically extending drive shaft 52 extending through a water-tight bearing assembly 54 or the like. For reasons which will presently appear, an upper, generally radially inwardly extending lip 56 extends over and somewhat radially inwardly of the upper edge 58 of the spin basket 36.  
  Referring now to the operation of the novel washer unit 20, FIG. 4 shows that, with the apparatus 20 being typically filled to a water level L-l, the agitator 46 is operated in a conventional oscillating mode, thereby washing the laundry in a known manner. When it is desired to remove the wash or rinse water, as determined by a timer or other well known mechanism (not shown) extrinsic to the agitator and spin basket, the drive shaft 52 is actuated in a unidirectional mode, and the basket 36 is spun, causing the water level, after a time, to assume the general contour shown at dotted line X-l, with the result that the remainder of the water will have passed over the upper edge 58 of the basket 36 and fallen into the spin basket receptacle 26, typically reaching a level designated by the numeral 60.  
  Inasmuch as there is no restriction at the upper edge 58 of the basket 36, initial spinning will result in rapid passage of a relatively great volume of water over the edge 58. Since the drain port 32 is relatively small, the sump area 34 and the lower portion of the spin basket receptacle 26 will rapidly fill with water. As soon as or shortly after the water in the receptacle 26 reaches a level above the inter-vane area 62, the combination of the water and the opposed vanes 42, 44 acts in the manner of a fluid coupling or dynamometer, causing the spinning rate of the basket 36 to be greatly reduced. During the time the water is escaping over the edge 58, the articles A to be washed have distributed themselves generally somewhat uniformly within the liquid volume defined at the bottom and sides thereof by walls 38, 40 and at the inner surface thereof by contour X-l. These articles A move within the water somewhat in the manner of a fluid with a very high viscosity, that is, they move into an annular configuration which approximates the shape of the inside of the basket 36, but the articles move somewhat more slowly than the water.  
 By the time the spin basket 36 has been substantially.  
 slowed by the action of the vanes and the water, the amount of water remaining in the basket 36 is such that, with little or no rotation, its level will be approximately level L-2 shown in FIG. 5. During the time of greatly reduced rotational speed, the articles A of clothing will have the opportunity to redistribute them selves into a generally equally distributed or balanced pattern in sufficient time to permit enough water to pass through the drain port 32 in the sump 34 so that the water level then lies below the level of the intervane area 62, the decreased resistance to spinning of the spin basket 36 permits the basket to accelerate rapidly while the water continues to drain out port 32. Within a short time, the articles therein which have previously distributed themselves generally into a uniform annulus, are forced outwardly to the walls of the basket into the contour shown at line X-2, and additional water is lost from the basket as the water level therein is lowered to the level X-2. This water is collected in the receptacle 26, wherein the water level 60 again rises above the inter-vane area 62. Consequently, the basket 36 is again slowed by hydrodynamic resistance in the inter-vane area 62 and the water therein assumes a new level L-3. Once again, when the water level 60 in the receptacle 26 has receded below the level of area 62, the spin speed of the basket 36 increases rapidly. This causes all or a major portion of the remaining water again to pass out of the spin basket 36 over the upper edge 58 thereof, and causes the articles A, which were previously generally equally distributed below water line L-3, to assume the generally balanced contour shown as line X-3. In undergoing the foregoing portions of the spinning sequence, it will be appreciated that, each time the level of the water in the basket 36 decreases, the basket as a whole becomes lighter and is able to accelerate more rapidly under the same applied power than it does when it is in a relatively heavier or more full condition.  
  Accordingly, the basket may reach successively somewhat higher peak speeds during each later portion of the first part of the spin cycle. After several sequences of the types just described have occurred, substantially all of the free water has been eliminated from the basket 36, and the remaining water is only that which is absorbed in the articles being washed or rinsed. The washing machine of the invention is designed so that the cross-sectional area of the port 32 permits water to flow therethrough rapidly enough to prevent buildup of water in the sump 34, provided that the volume of the water entering the sump 34 is only the water which is absorbed in the clothing, whereas the port 32 is small enough so that water spilled over the edges 58 of the basket 36 during the early portions of the cycle cannot pass through the port 32 at the same rate at which it is discharged into the interior of the tub or spin basket receptacle 26. Therefore, after several cycles of the type illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, the spin basket is permitted to achieve a velocity which is determined by the maximum speed characteristic of the motor. As a result of the articles A being washed having had an opportunity to distribute themselves evenly within the water as the water is discharged from the basket 36 subsequently being pressed and held by centrifugal force against the walls 38 of the basket 36 in such a distributed condition, the load for the basket is quite evenly balanced, making vibration-free attainment and maintenance of a very high spinning speed a practicality.  
  Referring now to H6. 7, the operation of a complete spin cycle is shown, with the spin basket rotational velocity being shown to increase upwardly on the vertical axis of the graph, and elapsed time in minutes being shown to increase toward the right hand side of the graph. Thus, the line 5 showing the speeds reached from time to time indicates that the spin basket 26, starting from a standstill, may typically reach a rotational velocity of about 200 r.p.m. in to 30 seconds; that this speed will then drop to about r.p.m. and remain there for 10 to seconds, for example, before again reaching 200 r.p.m. or more, and that this approximate cycle will be repeated with slight increases in spin basket speed being achieved successively until, at the end of 4 minutes, for example, all non-absorbed water will have been removed and the spin basket may readily reach a much higher velocity, for example up to 900 r.p.m. The high speed spin or extraction portion of the cycle may then continue for one or more minutes. It will be understood, of course, that the times taken for these portions of the cycle, and the actual speeds, etc., will be determined by the size and type of motor, the size and type of basket, etc. In this connection, it will be appreciated that a smaller basket may rotate as a higher number of revolutions per minute than a larger basket to produce the same acceleration. Since the water being removed at the end of each spin cycle will be characterized by fairly high energy, and since the water removed at the beginning of the spin cycle will be removed in fairly great volume, the need for the receptacle lip 56 can be appreciated. That is, the overhanging lip 56 insures that all the water removed by spinning at any speed will be confined to the interior of the spin basket receptacle 26.  
  Referring again to FIG. 7, it should be understood that the variations in spin basket speed there depicted occur without substantial change in the energy applied to the motor, and without the use of any external speed control devices. In other words, slowing down of the spin basket after reaching a series of intermediate speed peaks occurs because of resistance caused by the hydrodynamic effect of the vanes 42, 44 and the water in the receptacle 26. Any changes in current brought about by these speed variations are both temporary and intermittent, since as can be seen from the graph, periods of higher rotational resistance are spaced apart in time, while there is very little resistance to high speed rotation when the load is lightened by elimination of most of the water therefrom.  
  When the load is inherently balanced by the method just described, laundry which is spin dried in the manner just described has been found to be free of entrapped solid material of the type which is normally found in laundered articles having the water removed therefrom in the conventional manner. For example, since the water is removed by flowing over the top edge of the basket, and since the light articles commonly creating this problem, namely matches, vegetal material, etc., flow outwardly over the top edge of the basket on the surface of the water, these articles are not attempted to be driven centrifugally through the articles being washed and therefore are not trapped therein. Furthermore, the repeated cycles provide several opportunities for this material to escape, since each slow speed portion of the cycle permits the low density material to return to the surface of the water.  
  FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 represent a sequence wherein removal of most of the non-absorbed water occurs in three stages, whereas FIG. 7 illustrates a four step removal of this water. However, it will be understood that this water may be removed in any finite number of steps, as may be indicated by the circumstances, the principal requirement being only that the articles being laundered be given an opportunity to distribute themselves from time to time within a reduced volume of liquid in such a way as to bring about a relatively balanced condition thereof. As a result&#39;of the better balance achieved by operating a washing machine according to the invention in the manner described, a more dry laundered article may be produced, since higher spin speeds can be used without creating undesired inbalance. On the other hand, assuming a given rotational velocity is necessary to achieve a desired degree of water extraction, a machine using the structure and method of the invention may be made lighter, more compact and less expensively than a differently constructed machine.  
  It will also be appreciated that another important advantage of a machine constructed according to the present invention is that, no timers or other controls are required to bring about the accelerating and decelcrating spin speed portions of the cycle.  
  Another important aspect of the invention is that a drain pump or the like is not required to provde an operating washing sequence, since, when the spin basket remains fixed and the agitator is in operation, water remains in the spin basket, since the side walls thereof are imperforate when the spin basket rotates. water entering the receptacle merely drains therefrom through the port 32. Thus, water may be removed from the spin basket 36 by spinning only and water is removed from the receptacle 26 by draining therefrom.  
  In carrying out the method of the present invention, a number of additional advantages are present. For example, since the articles being washed may have the major portion of the water removed therefrom prior to the time they are subjected to high speed spinning, less total force is applied against the inside of the spin basket, since the relatively drier articles are less plastic and of lighter weight. This results in fewer wrinkles and less tendency for the articles to adhere to the spin basket. One advantage of the reduced tendency of these articles to be adhered to the spin basket is that the articles are more easily returned to the lower portion of the basket where they may be better exposed to hot air in the event that a washer of the invention is embodied in combination with a dryer unit. In this connection, a problem with prior art combination washer-dryers has been that the articles undesirably tended to adhere tenaciously to the foraminous walls of the spin basket and could therefore not be freely tumbled in the presence of drying hot air.  
  As is well known in the art, and as has been pointed out above, the type of motors described in US. Pat. No. 3,194,032 is particularly suited for use in this type of invention because, in contrast to a conventional induction motor wherein rapid acceleration to full spin speed is required as a practical matter, motors of the type described in such patent may be efficiently operated throughout a wide speed range. Nevertheless, the invention is operable with conventional motors, including electrical induction motors.  
  In connection with the drive shaft, it will be noted that the drive shaft assembly 52 is actually composed of an outer sleeve 53. which is permanently attached as at 55 to the bottom wall 40 of the spin basket, and an inner sleeve 57 which is attached, as by cap 59, to the agitator 46. Normally, free relative motion is permitted between the outer sleeve 53 and the inner sleeve 57 so that the agitator 46 may oscillate while the spin basket 36 remains fixed, or the inner and outer sleeves 57, 53 may be adapted to be rotated together when they are fixed to each other in any appropriate manner. Accordingly, the inner and outer sleeves 57, 53 may be driven by indivdual mechanisms, or may be driven by the same mechanism in two different modes, that is, in an oscillating mode and in a rapid spinning mode, with means being provided to selectively connect them together or disconnect them from each other.  
  It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an improved washer unit or the like and washing method, said machine and method having a number of advantages and characteristics, including those referred to herein and others which are inherent in the invention.  
 It is claimed:  
 1. A laundering apparatus comprising:  
 a spin basket having a bottom and a side wall, said bottom and at least the lower portion of said side wall being imperforate to define a first fluid receiving chamber within said basket;  
 a receptacle having a bottom and a side wall for receiving said spin basket, said receptacle defining a second fluid receiving chamber;  
 drive means for rotating said spin basket at a rate sufficient initially to cause fluid in said first receiving chamber to spill over into said second receiving chamber;  
 speed control means for slowing the rotation of said basket as said second receiving chamber fills with fluid; and  
 means for draining fluid from said second fluid receiving chamber at a controlled rate such that the rate of rotation of said spin basket cyclically decreases as said second fluid receiving chamber fills, and cyclically increases as said second fluid receiving chamber empties.  
  2. A laundering apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said controlled drain rate is less than the maximum spill-over rate of said fluid from said first fluid receiving chamber to said second fluid receiving chamber.  
  3. A laundering apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said side wall of said spin basket is upwardly and outwardly inclined.  
  4. A laundering apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said speed control means comprise a plurality of vanes rotatably coupled to said spin basket and extending into said second fluid receiving chamber.  
  5. A laundering apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said speed control means provide increasing resistance to the rotation of said spin basket as said second fluid receiving chamber fills with fluid, and wherein said drive means rotates said spin basket at a rate inversely related to the resistance presented by said vanes.  
  6. A laundering apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said speed control means comprise a plurality of generally radially extending vanes disposed on the.  
 upwardly facing bottom surface of said receptacle and extending into said second fluid receiving chamber, and a plurality of coacting generally radially extending vanes disposed on the downwardly facing bottom surface of said basket and also extending into said second fluid receiving chamber.  
  7. A laundering apparatus as defined in claim I wherein said spin basket has associated therewith an agitator on the inside thereof, said agitator being adapted to be operated independently of said spin basket for operation of said machine in an agitating mode, and to be fixed in relation to said spin basket in another mode, whereby said agitator may be rotated with said basket when said basket is operated in a high speed spinning mode.  
  8. A laundering apparatus or the like comprising in combination, a receptacle for receiving a spin basket,  
 a spin basket disposed within said receptacle, said spin basket including bottom and side wall portions, said bottom wall and at least the lower portion of said side wall portion being imperforate to define a fluid retaining reservoir within said spin basket. said side walls being at least partially inclined upwardly and outwardly, vanes disposed on an outside surface of said basket, vanes disposed on an inside surface of said receptacle in a generally oppositely facing relation to said vanes on said basket, said inside surface of said receptacle and said outside surface of said basket defining therebetween a fluid receiving area, means for driving ervoir empties.