Improvements in Washing Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1897-Accepted, 14th Aug., 1897
Improvements in Washing Machines.
I, JAMES MCALLISTER of 7 Rupert Street, Great Western Road, Glasgow,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
At present in large steam laundries it is usual to have separate machines for
performing the washing and drying operations, eiz, a, (or more than one) rotary
washer and for drying purposes a hydro-extractor working on the centrifugal
principle.
The rotary washer is generally caused, by means of the reversing gear, to
alternately revolve in opposite directions so as to thoroughly clean the clothes.
My invention has for its object to combine in one machine or apparatus both
a washer with an alternately reversing action and a centrifugal drier. By so
doing not only is initial expense reduced by making one machine take the place
of two, but both time and labour in the washing operations are also saved.
The invention can be carried out in various ways without departing from its
principle.
By way of example or illustration, I have annexed hereto two explanatory sheets
of drawings which show methods of carrying the invention into effect or practice
and it is to be clearly understood that I do not confine myself to these precise
methods.
I will now proceed to describe the constructions of my combined washer and
drier as shown on the drawings.
.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section, and
Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form of the machine. In this fig. the cover of the
casing is removed.
Fig. 1 is a detail view.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation to a reduced scale showing gearing for driving a
machine such as at Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a part section and Fig. 5 an inverted sectional plan of another construc-
tion of the machine.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a third construction of the machine.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate the same
or similar parts.
The machine shown at Figs. 1, 2, and 3, consists of a casing a of sheet metal,
or it may be a casting, which is provided with a partition b so arranged and fitted
as to divide the casing into two compartments c, d, of unequal size. Passed up
through the partition 6 and also through the cover e of the casing is a vertical
shaft. At its lower end the shaft f may work in a footstep learing g, or other
well known and suitable form of bearing, and, at its upper end, may be passed through
a bearing bracket & secured to the cover e. Fitted on the shaft is a rope (or belt)
pulley by which it may be driven at a high speed from a counter shaft or a
primary shaft in Fig. 3.I have shown the pulley i as driven by a rope i from a
pulley secured on a short shaft & which in turn is driven by a belt from a

page_text: counter shaft m actuated by means of a belt m' from any convenient primary
driving shaft. n, n, are fast and loose pulleys on the shaft m which latter is
carried in a bearing socket o made in the bracket and in a bearing q' carried by
the pillar 7. The pillar q hasa jawed bearing bracket which carries the
shaft k.
The shaft passes up through a stuffing box r fitted in the partition and through
a collar and a loose sleeve s. The collar which is rigidly attached to the
bottom of the eylindrical basket t is pinned, or otherwise secured to the shaft f.
The loose sleeve s, which extends up through the basket and cover e to the
bracket h, is provided with, gearing by which it can be revolved independently
of the shaft f. In Figs. 1 and 3 I have shown by way of example bevel gear-
ing u, u, for revolving the sleeves. This bevel gearing is automatically reversed
at every few revolutions by means of any suitable and well known automatic
"reversing mechanism. In Fig. 3 I have shown a common arrangement of belt
pulley reversing mechanism mounted on the shaft which latter is, carried by
the bracket frame p. The bevel pinion can be thrown into and out of-gear
with the wheel a by means of a lever fulcrumed on the arm of, the bearing
bracket. This lever is forked at its upper end and acts on a pin u²on the
sleeve of the bevel pinion which latter slides on the end of the shaft v aud' is
guided by means of any well known and suitable featlier and groove arrangement.
The sleeve has rigidly secured to it three tubular arms or beaters $1 (see
also Fig. 2). Each "beater" or stirring arm may have tubular uprights.
The basket is perforated, as sliown at , all round its sides and it is provided at
intervals on its inner surface with vertical semi-circular or rounded rubbing
tubes (shown also in dotted lines at Fig. 2). The lid or cover of the basket
has three openings as shown clearly in the plan view Fig. 2 and also in the
view at Fig. 6 for the insertion of the clothes to be washed. As will be seen these
openings are arranged between the radial beators s¹.
"
wo is a water inlet pipe which is arranged in a circle just underneath the cover
of the casing and above the basket. This pipe w is perforated at the parts over the
“openings & so that, when rinsing the clothes, the water descends in sprays or jets
through the openings and on top of the clothes. r is a drain pipe for carrying
off the water from the space and this pipe and also the pipe and the steam
inlet pipe a¹ is provided with a shut off cock or valve.
The footstep bearing g may be carried by a strong crossbar y secured to the
casing a.
In order to lock the basket in position when necessary a catch of any suitable
and well known construction is provided. In Fig. 1 I have shown a catcli con-
sisting of a locking pawl. z which is hinged at its lower end to the block 2*
secured to the casing. This pawl is weighted and when let down by disengaging
the ring of the chain 22 from the catch, secured to the cover e, it automatically
locks into a notched or toothed bar a secured to the basket t. This bar is shown
in plan view at Fig. 1' and as will be seen it is bevelled at each end. The ring 25
is sufficiently large to prevent the chain passing right through the hole in the
cover.
Figs. 4 and 5 show a modification wherein the sleeves is driven from an auto-
matically reversing shaft m actuated in any well known and suitable manner
whilst the basket i is rotated by means of a rotary steam or water motor... The
fluid under pressure from any suitable and available source of supply passes through
the pipe and out at the nozzle . From the nozzle the fluid issues with con-
siderable force and strikes against the cups or buckets arranged around the
bottom of the basket t. The buckets, as shown, are made of a hollow wedge shape
with their mouths. or openings at . Any other suitable and well known form
of bucket may be used instead of that shown at Figs. 4 and 5: 'The use of the
rotary motor arrangement obviates the necessity for driving the shaft by means
of gearing. The waste water from the motor can be drawn off by the pipe a,
whilst, if steam is the fluid used it can be drawn off by a pipe suitably arranged.
1 .1
1.1

page_text: In the modification shown at Fig. 6 the driving gear is arranged below the
partition b. In this case the basket is secured at its upper end by means of the
collar (shown in block) to the shaft f whilst the sleeves extends down through
the stuffing box r and has the bevel wheel at its lewer end. This bevel wheel
is driven by the pinion of the automatically reversing driving shaft in the
same manner as set forth in connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The shaft and
basket tare rotated by means of the pulley and band as before. is a collar
on the shaft for supporting the sleeve s. s is a collar of the sleeves which serves
as a support for the bottom of the basket t. The bevel wheel ¹ is capable of
being thrown into and out of gear with the wheel u.
The cover is provided with a door e².
With this apparatus, after the clothes have been inserted in the basket steam
can, as usual, be admitted by the pipe a¹. The gearing u, u², can now be put in
motion and the beaters a' caused to slowly revolve a number of times in one direc-
tion and then a number of times in the opposite direction so as to thoroughly stir
up the clothes and subject them to the action of the boiling water and steam.
When the clothes have been sufficiently washed the steam is cut off and the gear-
ing for driving the shaft is thrown out of action and the pinion a¹ is also thrown
out of gear with the bevel wheel u, thereafter the shaft is rotated at a high speed
in one direction only so as to revolve the shaft and basket very rapidly and
thereby extract the moisture from the clothes by centrifugal action. The water
is allowed to drain away through the piper. During the centrifugal action the
beaters and sleeve s. are free to revolve with the basket.
V
During the time the beaters are in action the basket t is held stationary by means
of the catch.
It is to be understood that I make no claim for the automatic reversing gear
shown on the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to claim is : —
1. A washing machine in which the clothes are first washed and during the
washing operation are caused to circulate alternately in opposite directions and
are then dried by centrifugal action, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination in a washing machine of a casing, a basket (capable of being
rapidly rotated) fitted in the casing, and circulating or stirring arms arranged
within the basket and capable of being rotated in opposite directions, independently
of the basket, substantially as set forth.
3. The construction of combined washing and drying machine substantially as
horein before described and shown at Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings annexed.
4. The construction of combined washing and drying machine substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown at Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings annexed.
5. The modified construction of combined washing and drying machine sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and shown at Fig. 6 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 29th day of June 1897.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.