CA1049803A - Unidirectional agitation accessory for automatic washer - Google Patents
Unidirectional agitation accessory for automatic washerInfo
- Publication number
- CA1049803A CA1049803A CA213,501A CA213501A CA1049803A CA 1049803 A CA1049803 A CA 1049803A CA 213501 A CA213501 A CA 213501A CA 1049803 A CA1049803 A CA 1049803A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- agitator
- sleeve
- accessory
- ratchet ring
- agitator portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F13/00—Washing machines having receptacles, stationary for washing purposes, with agitators therein contacting the articles being washed
Abstract
"UNIDIRECTIONAL AGITATION ACCESSORY
FOR AUTOMATIC WASHER"
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An agitator accessory for washing machines having an oscillating vertical-axis agitator, the accessory comprising a sleeve which is securable to the barrel of the agitator in coaxial alignment therewith, the sleeve having a vane means attached thereto. A one-way clutch means is included to rotate the agitator accessory incrementally, during one-half cycles of the oscillatory agitator movement, to thereby force fabrics being washed downward along the agitator and toward vanes extending from the skirt of the agitator.
FOR AUTOMATIC WASHER"
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An agitator accessory for washing machines having an oscillating vertical-axis agitator, the accessory comprising a sleeve which is securable to the barrel of the agitator in coaxial alignment therewith, the sleeve having a vane means attached thereto. A one-way clutch means is included to rotate the agitator accessory incrementally, during one-half cycles of the oscillatory agitator movement, to thereby force fabrics being washed downward along the agitator and toward vanes extending from the skirt of the agitator.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention This invention is in the field of agitating elements for washing machines and provides an agitator accessory con-sisting of a detachable vaned sleeve structure which cooperates with the agitator vanes in forcinq the fabrics being washed downwardly toward said agitator vanes as the agitator oscillates.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
1 0 '-It has been found that the most efficient means for washing clothes within an automatic washing machine having a vertical axis agitator is to provide a substantially continuous cyclical rollover movement pattern of the clothes during , washing which involves moving the clothes down along the agi-tator barrel, then radially outwardly from the oscillating , vanes, then upwardly along the wall of the washing basket and inward to the barrel of the agitator, and so forth. Conven-tional washing machines are reasonably proficient in achieving ; this type of rollover pattern when light loads are being washed, but not with heavy loads. When the washing basket is tightly packed with clothes the load crowds the agitator and basket area. A conventional oscillating agitator has diffi-culty in attaining any kind of a rollover to the clothes load under these conditions. The conventional-type agitator may merely scrub the bottom portion of a tightly-packed heavy load, resulting in a very uneven uniformity of cleaning.
; There are a few examples in prior patents of agitators .
which move in separate paths during a washing operation. For example, the Bryant Patent No. 1,834,936 suggests dual agi-tator members which are reciprocated in opposite directions ., , "
-, , .~ . , ~- 1049803 within the tub, the object being to create a violent water action.
The Krolzick Patent No. 3,678,714 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention describes a washing machine assembly including a pair of agitators, the two agitators being coupled together for mutual oscillation, but having cam means or the like provided between the two agitators to effect a vertical reciprocation of one with respect to the other during such oscillation.
Dyer Patent No. 2,331,897 discloses a washing machine having an agitator provided with a spiral vane on an upper portion, the agitator rotating at motor speed during washing.
Krolzick Patent Des. 196,194 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention shows an agitator for a ~-laundry machine wherein the ornamental design for the agitator includes a spiral vane arrangement.
Geldhof Patent No. 2,734,367, assigned to a pre-decessor of the assignée of the present invention, shows an agitator for a laundry machine wherein the agitator includes spiral vanes which extend in the form of radial vanes on their lower edges, with radial projections or vanes extending intermediate the sprial vanes.
Ref~rence is also made to our co-pending Canadian , patent application Serial No. 213,500 which is closely ; related to the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ~-~ According to the invention there is provided an -~
- agitator for a washing machine having a driven oscillating ~-shaft, said agitator comprising: a first agitator portion capable of being mounted on said shaft by means of a ' : E
, ,~ ., .
locked, non-rotating connection and having an upper part, and a lower part provided with outwardly extending sub-stantially vertically oriented vanes; a second agitator portion in the form of a sleeve having at least one outwardly extending, inclined vane, said sleeve being rotatably mounted on the upper part of the first agitator portion and a one-way clutch located between the first and second agitator portions, the first agitator portion being adapted to drive said clutch and the second agitator portion being adapted to be driven by said clutch so that rotation of the first agitator portion gives a positive rotation to the second agitator portion in only one direction of rotation of the first agitator portion, said inclined vane being inclined upwardly with respect to the direction of positive rotation of the second agitator portion, and at least the lower parts of said vertically oriented vanes extending radially outwardly by a greater amount than said at least one inclined vane.
The upward inclination of the inclined vane as men-tioned above has the effect of moving adjacent articles of ' clothing and washing fluid downwardly during positive rotation of the second agitator portion during use of the washing machine.
In a preferred form of the invention, the upper end of the sleeve may be provided with teeth which are arranged to receive a ratchet ring which is detachably coupled to the first agitator portion for oscillation therewith.
Upon oscillatory movement of the agitator the pawls of the ratched drive the sleeve in one direction of agitator rotation, but not in the other. The inclined vane on the sleeve is configured to urge, deflect or auger clothes . . .
'~ ~
$;,, ' ' " ., .
-`- 1049803 within the receptacle downwardly toward the lower-agitator portion where they may be contacted by a set of generally vertically-extending vanes preferably disposed about the skirt portion of the agitator.. The agitator accessory thereby acts to feed clothes downwardly along the barrel of the agitator where they come under the influence of the oscillating vertically-positioned agitator vanes on the skirt portion of the agitator which direct the clothes radially outwardly toward the periphery of the basket, and eventually upwardly and back to the barrel of the upper agitator, completing a rollover cycle which is extremely : efficient for securing scrubbing contact with the wash .
. liquid.
: BRIEF DESC IPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the -~ . invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, ,: .
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, : although variations and modifications may be effected `.~ without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure and in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective, partly broken away, . of.a conventional type of automatic washing machine which .: is provided with the improved agitator accessory of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ., . -. ,:
..
~ ' .. ...... .
, . .
- 3a -,,.. ~
:. ~
. . : :
~ PA 4728-0-AW
machine during operation, and illustrates the type of rollover pattern which can be achieved through the~use of the agitator accessory of the present invention; ~~ ~-Fig~re 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of theagitator accessory of the,present invention, partly broken away, illustrating the means by which a unidirectional drive is achieved in the accessory; and Figure 4 is an exploded fragmentary view of the agitator accessory and a portion of the agitator barrel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a washing machine of the automatic type which includes a frame 11 carrying vertical panels 12 forming the sides, front an~
back of the machine. The machine 10 is supported by means of threaded legs 13 extending from each of its corners.
The machine also includes a hinged lid 14 providing access to the interior of the washing machine and a console 15 having a timer dial 16 and a program selector 17.
Within the cabinet formed by the vertical panels 12 there is an imperforate tub 18 which is supported within the cabinet by means of a base plate 19. A plurality of suspension rods 20 having resilient spherical end portions 21 and 22 are positioned about the tub 18 to suspend the tub freely within the interior of the cabinet.
A perforate washing basket 23 is positioned concen-trically within the tub 18. The improved agitator accessory of the present invention has been designated generally at reference numeral 24a and is positioned with the agitator 24 centrally of the perforate basket 23.
Liquid is introduced into the washing machine by ' .
~ .
, ~ . ' .
. PA 4728-0-AW
. .
means of a solenoid-controlled inlet valve 25 which di~ects the liquid through an intake conduit 26 and an anti-siphon device 27 into the washing area. A filter 28 is positioned along a ~ub ring 29 disposed between the tub 18 and the basket 23 and delivers filtered wash water to the tub by means of an outlet conduit 30 f'ed from the outlet port of a '~
pump 31. The inlet port of the pump 31 is in fluid communi-cation with the tub 18 by means of an inlet conduit 30a, thus forming a means for circulating washing liquid through the filter 28 during the agitate cycle of machine operation.
The pump 31 as well a~ the other movable parts of the assembly are driven by means of a motor 32 which operates through a transmission 33. A clutch and brake assembly generally in-dicated at reference numeral 34 is provided for energizing the agitator 24 in an oscillatory fashion during washing, and for disengaging the agitator and engaging means for spinning ~i the basket 23 during the liquid-extraction portion of the washing cycle.
The arrangement shown in Figure 1 is conventional ' 20 in vertical-axis washing machines and has been shown for the sake of comPleteness.
Referring now to Figure 2, it will be seen that the agitator 24 which comprises a first unitary member has an upseanding -center post or barrel portion 35 and a lower vaned portion or ~; skirt 36 about which are disposed a plurality of generally ver,tically disposed agitator vanes 37. A splined drive shaft 38 extends through the agitator 24, as shown best in Figure 3-, and is ' secured at the top of the barrel portion 35 by means of a washer 39a and a threaded stud 39. The stud 39 has an integral shoulder portion 39b which serves to hold the washer 39a and therefore the agitator 24 in place, and the shoulder portion _ 5 _ , ~Q, .
may have a hexagonal shape to facilitate tightening. The top portion of the stud 39 is provided with threads to hold the agitator cap 51 in place at the top of the assembly. When the agitator cap 51 is made up tight on threaded stud 39 the lower portion of the agitator cap circumferentially contacts the top of the ratchet ring 45 and holds it in contact with the top of the sleeve 41, preventing any substantial vertical movement of the ratchet ring or the sleeve with respect to the agitator 24 or with respect to each other.
The upper end of the barrel portion 35 has a reduced diameter portion 40 which is co-axially received within and is encompassed by a sleeve or vaned member 41, the bottom of the sleeve 41 resting on a shoulder 42 of the barrel portion 35. The sleeve 41 has radially outwardly extending vane means or fabaric deflecting members asso-ciated therewith, in the illustrated embodiment two inclined helical vanes 43 extend from its outer periphery . .
somewhat like an auger such that upon rotation of the sleeve 41 in one direction, the vanes 43 tend to move or auger the clothes downwardly toward the generally vertical agitator vanes 37 as best illustrated in Figure 2.
One-way clutch means, which acts as means for drivingly .
interconnecting the sleeve 41 with the agitator 24, are -provided to ca~se rotation of the agitator accessory 24a in one direction only. In the illustrated embodiment the one-way clutch means comprises a ratchet ring 45 and a -~ series of teeth formed on sleeve 41. The upper end of the sleeve 41 has a plurality of teeth 43a around its periphery as best illustrated in the exploded view of Figure 4. These teeth are arranged to engage pawls 44 ; ~ - 6 -~ .
.:: . , - . .
.
~` 1049803 extending from ratchet ring 45. The pawls 44 may be somewhat flexible. The upper portion 48 of the agitator barrel is tapered and has vertical grooves 53 formed on opposite sides of the periphery thereof which receive i-inwardly-projecting ' .
.
, : .
~,'' ' ' ''".
`~
~' .
.
- 6a - ~
, ,, - . . . , . .. . . . ~ .
. . . .. . . . .
, ~ . . :~ .. .. .. . .
,_ .
~ : 104980.3;
tongue~ 52 of the ring 45. The ratchet ring 45 is thus coupled to the agitator barrel 35 through this tongue and groove arrangement and the two therefore oscillate together.
In operation, as the agitator barrel 35 is oscillated, the flexible pawls 44 on the ratchet ring 45 engage the teeth 43a of the sleeve 41 to incrementally rotate the sleeve when movement of the agitator is in the counterclockwise direction.
When the washing machine is loaded and the agitator i~ moved in a clockwise direction, the flexible pawls 44 slip over the teeth due to the frictional drag created on the sleeve 41 by the action of the clothes against the inclined vanes. Thus, as the agitator 24 oscillates the agitator accessory 24a ~ncluding the sleeve 41 and the attached inclined vanes 43 rotates intermittently in the counterclockwise direction.
,. That ls, as the agitator 24 oscillates, its counterclockwise movement and only said counterclockwise movement is imparted to the agitator accessory 24a. It has been found that this in-~-. cremental rotation of the inclined vanes 43 tend to create a ~ generally toroidal rollover ~Y~e~e~-or pattern of the/type shown in Figure 2, that is, the clothes adjacent to the agitator ~ accessory are forced downwardly toward the generally vertical àgitator vanes 37 which in turn propel the clothes radially out-. wardly and upwardly along the inner periphery of the basket 23 and - bsck to the vicinity of the agitator accessory 24a. This creates a - highly desirable rollover action which sub~ects the clothes to ; intimate contact with the washing liquid. ;
- The agitator accessory of the present invention is -simple and easy to construct, as all the parts thereof can be made of an easily molaable synthetic resin such as poly-propylene. It should also be noted that the agitator ~7~
A
.,, , - '1 ~ PA 4728-0-AW
10498~3 '. accessory is easily removable from the agitator itself so that' the machine can be utilized with or without the accessory, .~ depending upon the size of the load being washed.
, It will be evident that various modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
, ~::
. .
; .
:.
, ~, .
.
, .' ' ' ~,.-'.
", ' ' : ' '''''' .
: ' - . , ' .: . . .
.
Field of the Invention This invention is in the field of agitating elements for washing machines and provides an agitator accessory con-sisting of a detachable vaned sleeve structure which cooperates with the agitator vanes in forcinq the fabrics being washed downwardly toward said agitator vanes as the agitator oscillates.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
1 0 '-It has been found that the most efficient means for washing clothes within an automatic washing machine having a vertical axis agitator is to provide a substantially continuous cyclical rollover movement pattern of the clothes during , washing which involves moving the clothes down along the agi-tator barrel, then radially outwardly from the oscillating , vanes, then upwardly along the wall of the washing basket and inward to the barrel of the agitator, and so forth. Conven-tional washing machines are reasonably proficient in achieving ; this type of rollover pattern when light loads are being washed, but not with heavy loads. When the washing basket is tightly packed with clothes the load crowds the agitator and basket area. A conventional oscillating agitator has diffi-culty in attaining any kind of a rollover to the clothes load under these conditions. The conventional-type agitator may merely scrub the bottom portion of a tightly-packed heavy load, resulting in a very uneven uniformity of cleaning.
; There are a few examples in prior patents of agitators .
which move in separate paths during a washing operation. For example, the Bryant Patent No. 1,834,936 suggests dual agi-tator members which are reciprocated in opposite directions ., , "
-, , .~ . , ~- 1049803 within the tub, the object being to create a violent water action.
The Krolzick Patent No. 3,678,714 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention describes a washing machine assembly including a pair of agitators, the two agitators being coupled together for mutual oscillation, but having cam means or the like provided between the two agitators to effect a vertical reciprocation of one with respect to the other during such oscillation.
Dyer Patent No. 2,331,897 discloses a washing machine having an agitator provided with a spiral vane on an upper portion, the agitator rotating at motor speed during washing.
Krolzick Patent Des. 196,194 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention shows an agitator for a ~-laundry machine wherein the ornamental design for the agitator includes a spiral vane arrangement.
Geldhof Patent No. 2,734,367, assigned to a pre-decessor of the assignée of the present invention, shows an agitator for a laundry machine wherein the agitator includes spiral vanes which extend in the form of radial vanes on their lower edges, with radial projections or vanes extending intermediate the sprial vanes.
Ref~rence is also made to our co-pending Canadian , patent application Serial No. 213,500 which is closely ; related to the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ~-~ According to the invention there is provided an -~
- agitator for a washing machine having a driven oscillating ~-shaft, said agitator comprising: a first agitator portion capable of being mounted on said shaft by means of a ' : E
, ,~ ., .
locked, non-rotating connection and having an upper part, and a lower part provided with outwardly extending sub-stantially vertically oriented vanes; a second agitator portion in the form of a sleeve having at least one outwardly extending, inclined vane, said sleeve being rotatably mounted on the upper part of the first agitator portion and a one-way clutch located between the first and second agitator portions, the first agitator portion being adapted to drive said clutch and the second agitator portion being adapted to be driven by said clutch so that rotation of the first agitator portion gives a positive rotation to the second agitator portion in only one direction of rotation of the first agitator portion, said inclined vane being inclined upwardly with respect to the direction of positive rotation of the second agitator portion, and at least the lower parts of said vertically oriented vanes extending radially outwardly by a greater amount than said at least one inclined vane.
The upward inclination of the inclined vane as men-tioned above has the effect of moving adjacent articles of ' clothing and washing fluid downwardly during positive rotation of the second agitator portion during use of the washing machine.
In a preferred form of the invention, the upper end of the sleeve may be provided with teeth which are arranged to receive a ratchet ring which is detachably coupled to the first agitator portion for oscillation therewith.
Upon oscillatory movement of the agitator the pawls of the ratched drive the sleeve in one direction of agitator rotation, but not in the other. The inclined vane on the sleeve is configured to urge, deflect or auger clothes . . .
'~ ~
$;,, ' ' " ., .
-`- 1049803 within the receptacle downwardly toward the lower-agitator portion where they may be contacted by a set of generally vertically-extending vanes preferably disposed about the skirt portion of the agitator.. The agitator accessory thereby acts to feed clothes downwardly along the barrel of the agitator where they come under the influence of the oscillating vertically-positioned agitator vanes on the skirt portion of the agitator which direct the clothes radially outwardly toward the periphery of the basket, and eventually upwardly and back to the barrel of the upper agitator, completing a rollover cycle which is extremely : efficient for securing scrubbing contact with the wash .
. liquid.
: BRIEF DESC IPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the -~ . invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, ,: .
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, : although variations and modifications may be effected `.~ without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure and in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective, partly broken away, . of.a conventional type of automatic washing machine which .: is provided with the improved agitator accessory of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ., . -. ,:
..
~ ' .. ...... .
, . .
- 3a -,,.. ~
:. ~
. . : :
~ PA 4728-0-AW
machine during operation, and illustrates the type of rollover pattern which can be achieved through the~use of the agitator accessory of the present invention; ~~ ~-Fig~re 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of theagitator accessory of the,present invention, partly broken away, illustrating the means by which a unidirectional drive is achieved in the accessory; and Figure 4 is an exploded fragmentary view of the agitator accessory and a portion of the agitator barrel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a washing machine of the automatic type which includes a frame 11 carrying vertical panels 12 forming the sides, front an~
back of the machine. The machine 10 is supported by means of threaded legs 13 extending from each of its corners.
The machine also includes a hinged lid 14 providing access to the interior of the washing machine and a console 15 having a timer dial 16 and a program selector 17.
Within the cabinet formed by the vertical panels 12 there is an imperforate tub 18 which is supported within the cabinet by means of a base plate 19. A plurality of suspension rods 20 having resilient spherical end portions 21 and 22 are positioned about the tub 18 to suspend the tub freely within the interior of the cabinet.
A perforate washing basket 23 is positioned concen-trically within the tub 18. The improved agitator accessory of the present invention has been designated generally at reference numeral 24a and is positioned with the agitator 24 centrally of the perforate basket 23.
Liquid is introduced into the washing machine by ' .
~ .
, ~ . ' .
. PA 4728-0-AW
. .
means of a solenoid-controlled inlet valve 25 which di~ects the liquid through an intake conduit 26 and an anti-siphon device 27 into the washing area. A filter 28 is positioned along a ~ub ring 29 disposed between the tub 18 and the basket 23 and delivers filtered wash water to the tub by means of an outlet conduit 30 f'ed from the outlet port of a '~
pump 31. The inlet port of the pump 31 is in fluid communi-cation with the tub 18 by means of an inlet conduit 30a, thus forming a means for circulating washing liquid through the filter 28 during the agitate cycle of machine operation.
The pump 31 as well a~ the other movable parts of the assembly are driven by means of a motor 32 which operates through a transmission 33. A clutch and brake assembly generally in-dicated at reference numeral 34 is provided for energizing the agitator 24 in an oscillatory fashion during washing, and for disengaging the agitator and engaging means for spinning ~i the basket 23 during the liquid-extraction portion of the washing cycle.
The arrangement shown in Figure 1 is conventional ' 20 in vertical-axis washing machines and has been shown for the sake of comPleteness.
Referring now to Figure 2, it will be seen that the agitator 24 which comprises a first unitary member has an upseanding -center post or barrel portion 35 and a lower vaned portion or ~; skirt 36 about which are disposed a plurality of generally ver,tically disposed agitator vanes 37. A splined drive shaft 38 extends through the agitator 24, as shown best in Figure 3-, and is ' secured at the top of the barrel portion 35 by means of a washer 39a and a threaded stud 39. The stud 39 has an integral shoulder portion 39b which serves to hold the washer 39a and therefore the agitator 24 in place, and the shoulder portion _ 5 _ , ~Q, .
may have a hexagonal shape to facilitate tightening. The top portion of the stud 39 is provided with threads to hold the agitator cap 51 in place at the top of the assembly. When the agitator cap 51 is made up tight on threaded stud 39 the lower portion of the agitator cap circumferentially contacts the top of the ratchet ring 45 and holds it in contact with the top of the sleeve 41, preventing any substantial vertical movement of the ratchet ring or the sleeve with respect to the agitator 24 or with respect to each other.
The upper end of the barrel portion 35 has a reduced diameter portion 40 which is co-axially received within and is encompassed by a sleeve or vaned member 41, the bottom of the sleeve 41 resting on a shoulder 42 of the barrel portion 35. The sleeve 41 has radially outwardly extending vane means or fabaric deflecting members asso-ciated therewith, in the illustrated embodiment two inclined helical vanes 43 extend from its outer periphery . .
somewhat like an auger such that upon rotation of the sleeve 41 in one direction, the vanes 43 tend to move or auger the clothes downwardly toward the generally vertical agitator vanes 37 as best illustrated in Figure 2.
One-way clutch means, which acts as means for drivingly .
interconnecting the sleeve 41 with the agitator 24, are -provided to ca~se rotation of the agitator accessory 24a in one direction only. In the illustrated embodiment the one-way clutch means comprises a ratchet ring 45 and a -~ series of teeth formed on sleeve 41. The upper end of the sleeve 41 has a plurality of teeth 43a around its periphery as best illustrated in the exploded view of Figure 4. These teeth are arranged to engage pawls 44 ; ~ - 6 -~ .
.:: . , - . .
.
~` 1049803 extending from ratchet ring 45. The pawls 44 may be somewhat flexible. The upper portion 48 of the agitator barrel is tapered and has vertical grooves 53 formed on opposite sides of the periphery thereof which receive i-inwardly-projecting ' .
.
, : .
~,'' ' ' ''".
`~
~' .
.
- 6a - ~
, ,, - . . . , . .. . . . ~ .
. . . .. . . . .
, ~ . . :~ .. .. .. . .
,_ .
~ : 104980.3;
tongue~ 52 of the ring 45. The ratchet ring 45 is thus coupled to the agitator barrel 35 through this tongue and groove arrangement and the two therefore oscillate together.
In operation, as the agitator barrel 35 is oscillated, the flexible pawls 44 on the ratchet ring 45 engage the teeth 43a of the sleeve 41 to incrementally rotate the sleeve when movement of the agitator is in the counterclockwise direction.
When the washing machine is loaded and the agitator i~ moved in a clockwise direction, the flexible pawls 44 slip over the teeth due to the frictional drag created on the sleeve 41 by the action of the clothes against the inclined vanes. Thus, as the agitator 24 oscillates the agitator accessory 24a ~ncluding the sleeve 41 and the attached inclined vanes 43 rotates intermittently in the counterclockwise direction.
,. That ls, as the agitator 24 oscillates, its counterclockwise movement and only said counterclockwise movement is imparted to the agitator accessory 24a. It has been found that this in-~-. cremental rotation of the inclined vanes 43 tend to create a ~ generally toroidal rollover ~Y~e~e~-or pattern of the/type shown in Figure 2, that is, the clothes adjacent to the agitator ~ accessory are forced downwardly toward the generally vertical àgitator vanes 37 which in turn propel the clothes radially out-. wardly and upwardly along the inner periphery of the basket 23 and - bsck to the vicinity of the agitator accessory 24a. This creates a - highly desirable rollover action which sub~ects the clothes to ; intimate contact with the washing liquid. ;
- The agitator accessory of the present invention is -simple and easy to construct, as all the parts thereof can be made of an easily molaable synthetic resin such as poly-propylene. It should also be noted that the agitator ~7~
A
.,, , - '1 ~ PA 4728-0-AW
10498~3 '. accessory is easily removable from the agitator itself so that' the machine can be utilized with or without the accessory, .~ depending upon the size of the load being washed.
, It will be evident that various modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
, ~::
. .
; .
:.
, ~, .
.
, .' ' ' ~,.-'.
", ' ' : ' '''''' .
: ' - . , ' .: . . .
.
Claims (5)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An agitator for a washing machine having a driven oscillating shaft, said agitator comprising: a first agitator portion capable of being mounted on said shaft by means of a locked, non-rotating connection and having an upper part, and a lower part provided with outwardly extending substantially vertically oriented vanes; a second agitator portion in the form of a sleeve having at least one outwardly extending, inclined vane, said sleeve being rotatably mounted on the upper part of the first agitator portion; and a one-way clutch located between the first and second agitator portions, the first agitator portion being adapted to drive said clutch and the second agitator portion being adapted to be driven by said clutch so that rotation of the first agitator portion gives a positive rotation to the second agitator portion in only one direction of rotation of the first agitator portion, said inclined vane being inclined upwardly with respect to the direction of positive rotation of the second agitator portion, and at least the lower parts of said vertically oriented vanes extending radially outwardly by a greater amount than said at least one inclined vane.
2. An agitator according to claim 1 wherein said at least one vane of said sleeve is in the form of a helix.
3. An agitator according to claim 1 wherein said one-way clutch comprises a plurality of teeth circumferentially spaced around the top of the sleeve; a ratchet ring co-axially mounted on the upper part of the first agitator portion to move therewith above the top of the sleeve, said ratchet ring having a plurality of pawls downwardly directed about its periphery and engaging the teeth of said sleeve; and an agitator cap co-axial with and removably connected to the top of the agitator, the bottom of said agitator cap contacting the perimeter of the top of the ratchet ring to restrain the vertical movement of the ring.
4. An agitator according to claim 3 wherein the upper part of the first agitator portion has a pair of vertical grooves formed on opposite sides of its upper portion, and wherein said ratchet ring has corresponding inwardly projecting tongues that ride in said grooves thus pre-venting relative rotational motion between the upper part of the first agitator portion and the ratchet ring.
5. An agitator according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said lower part of the first agitator portion includes a flared skirt at the lower end thereof.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US41837973A | 1973-11-23 | 1973-11-23 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1049803A true CA1049803A (en) | 1979-03-06 |
Family
ID=23657883
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA213,501A Expired CA1049803A (en) | 1973-11-23 | 1974-11-12 | Unidirectional agitation accessory for automatic washer |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS5436779B2 (en) |
| BR (1) | BR7409818A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1049803A (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1469329A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6311527B1 (en) | 1998-05-12 | 2001-11-06 | Notetry Limited | Method and apparatus for containing and agitating the contents of a container |
| US6854300B2 (en) | 1998-05-12 | 2005-02-15 | Dyson Limited | Method and apparatus for containing and agitating the contents of a container |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5980292A (en) * | 1982-10-29 | 1984-05-09 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Aditator for washer |
| CN107130395A (en) * | 2017-06-26 | 2017-09-05 | 柯丹 | A kind of cleaning method of sterilizing washing machine and clothes washing method and washing machine |
| CN112663287A (en) * | 2019-10-16 | 2021-04-16 | 青岛海尔洗衣机有限公司 | Washing machine stirrer and washing machine thereof |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS49133217A (en) * | 1973-04-26 | 1974-12-20 |
-
1974
- 1974-11-12 CA CA213,501A patent/CA1049803A/en not_active Expired
- 1974-11-18 GB GB4981774A patent/GB1469329A/en not_active Expired
- 1974-11-21 JP JP13321874A patent/JPS5436779B2/ja not_active Expired
- 1974-11-22 BR BR981874A patent/BR7409818A/en unknown
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6311527B1 (en) | 1998-05-12 | 2001-11-06 | Notetry Limited | Method and apparatus for containing and agitating the contents of a container |
| US6381790B2 (en) | 1998-05-12 | 2002-05-07 | Dyson Limited | Method and apparatus for containing and agitating the contents of a container |
| US6497123B2 (en) | 1998-05-12 | 2002-12-24 | Dyson Limited | Method and apparatus for containing and agitating the contents of a container |
| US6854300B2 (en) | 1998-05-12 | 2005-02-15 | Dyson Limited | Method and apparatus for containing and agitating the contents of a container |
| US7197901B2 (en) | 1998-05-12 | 2007-04-03 | Dyson Technology Limited | Washing machine |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| BR7409818A (en) | 1976-05-25 |
| GB1469329A (en) | 1977-04-06 |
| JPS5436779B2 (en) | 1979-11-10 |
| JPS5085157A (en) | 1975-07-09 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US3987652A (en) | Unidirectional agitation accessory for automatic washer | |
| US4068503A (en) | Combined oscillating and unidirectional agitator for automatic washer | |
| US9920465B2 (en) | Washing method for washing machine and a washing machine | |
| US3987651A (en) | Combined oscillating and unidirectional agitator for automatic washer | |
| EP0668387B1 (en) | Vertical axis washer | |
| EP0668389B1 (en) | A method of washing in a vertical axis washer | |
| EP0668388B1 (en) | A method of rinsing in a vertical axis washer | |
| US4118957A (en) | Centrifugal dispenser for washing machine agitator | |
| US9115452B2 (en) | Laundry treating appliance impeller | |
| US4077239A (en) | Pumping agitation system for an automatic washer | |
| US4193275A (en) | Agitator mechanism for clothes washing machine | |
| US5937677A (en) | Washing machine having a spraying nozzle assembly | |
| US5651278A (en) | Agitator with enhanced clothes engaging vane for automatic washer | |
| US3987508A (en) | Method of washing clothes | |
| CA1049803A (en) | Unidirectional agitation accessory for automatic washer | |
| US2921460A (en) | Clothes washing machine having undulatory vane type agitator | |
| CA1045401A (en) | Combined oscillating and unidirectional agitator for automatic washer | |
| CA1233658A (en) | Triple action agitator for automatic washers | |
| CA1095734A (en) | Combined oscillating and unidirectional agitator for automatic washer | |
| US4127015A (en) | Agitator assembly with clothes camming ramp for automatic washer | |
| US6082152A (en) | Washing machine having a washing liquid pumping apparatus | |
| JP4012114B2 (en) | Washing machine stirring blades | |
| CA1123623A (en) | Agitator mechanism for clothes washing machine | |
| JPS5830553Y2 (en) | Agitator device that combines forward/reverse alternating rotation and unidirectional rotation for automatic washing machines | |
| KR200173178Y1 (en) | Pulsator device of washing machine |