US3376654A - Dry cleaner machine drive assembly - Google Patents

Description

April 9, 1968 B. o. PUGH 3,376,654

DRY CLEANER MACHINE DRIVE ASSEMBLY Filed March 2l, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet l 4 Sheets-Sheet fl Bobby 0. Pugh NVNTOR. da.

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DRY CLEANER MACHINE DRIVE ASSEMBLY Filed March 2l, 196 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 5

PULLE'V 26 28 BLOWER 34 SHAFT 74 l `Stuff/V010 :T l 20 22 'FX1 l 73 ll l I l- -CLUTCH l ELECTRIC 7 /8 /Z MOTOR L i /0 j Fig 8 M /4 bby 0. PUQ/7 INVENTOR. 56 64 66 q 5 62 70 BY saunas WER Mdm/wy V Almmrjx 50 "64 68 April 9, 1968 B. o. PUGH 3,376,654

DRY CLEANER MACHINE DRIVE ASSEMBLY Filed March 2l, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 32 Fig. 6

30 anun PULLEY Z8 @LOWER SHAFT 66 soLE/vo/o 73 aLl/rch' ELECTR/C MOTOR 66 soLewa/o Bobby 0. Pug/7 INVENTOR.

WW1/wy ZMIQLW 73 cLurcH United States Patent Gfice 3,3 76,654 Patented Apr.v 9, 1968 3,376,654 DRY CLEANER MACHINE DRIVE ASSEMBLY Bobby O. Pugh, 5706 La Sierra Ave., Riverside, Calif. 92505 Filed Mar., 21, 1966, Ser. No. 535,971 3 Claims. (Cl. 34-53) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A conversion method for extending the average operating time between repair intervals of a dry cleaner machine which includes a main driving motor operating the rotating cleaner drum during a dry cleaning cycle by means of a pulley drive. .During a period of time within the dry cleaning cycle, a timer actuates a solenoid which in turn actuates a clutch for the purpose of engaging two pulleys. The first of these pulleys is linked by means of a belt to the main drive motor -and at such time when the clutch is actuated and the first and second pulleys are linked, rotation is imparted to the second pulley. Attached to this second pulley is a belt which is extended over a blower shaft. Therefore, in effect, the main drive motor continually operates the rotating drum and in addition operates the blower during a preselected period within the operation cycle. The conversion method practiced upon the above characterized machine consists of removing the pulley between the main drive motor and the aforementioned rst pulley which is clutch linked to the second pulley. In addition, the electrical output from the timer is disconnected from the solenoid thereby completely disconnecting the solenoid, clutch, and associated pulleys from the system. Instead, the timer output lines are connected to a second motor which is mounted on the machine, the shaft of this motor is coupled to a pulley which drives the blower.

This invention relates to a novel and useful dry cleaning machine drive assembly and more specifically to a modification of an existing dry cleaner machine drive assembly.

At least one make of dry cleaner machine presently in use includes a frame from which a drum is rotatably journaled and a blower rotatably journaled from the drum with single motor means being drivingly connected to the drum and also the blower. In these conventional dry cleaning machines the single motor means drives the drum and also a lay shaft on which a pulley is journaled, the latter being drivingly connected to the blower and a solenoid actuated clutch being provi-ded for selectively drivingly coupling the lay shaft to the pulley thereon. A suitable` timing mechanism is provided and electrically connects vthe solenoid actuated clutch to a suitable source of electrical potential during operation of the single motor means at pre-programmed intervals for causing the blower to operate during such intervals.

Although at first experience this type of intermittent driving of the blower appears to be economical in that only one motor'is utilized to drive both the drum and the blower, the solenoid actuated clutch must not only be capable of transmitting the normal blower starting loads such as would be the case if the single motor drove only the blower, but also an additional load represented by the momentum of the heavy drum, the latter resisting the motor slowing down. If the solenoid actuated clutch were required only to handle the driving torque of the motor and the inertia of the rotating parts of the motor independently of the inertia of the heavy drum, the starting load on the clutch to initiate rotation of the blower would be substantially reduced and the clutch would have a greatly increased life expectancy.

It is accordingly the main object of this invention to provide more efficient drive means for the blower of this type yof conventional dry cleaning machine and to provide a means whereby such a conventional dry cleaning machine may be readily modified in accordance with the present invention.

A further object of this invention is to provide supplemental drive means for the blower of the aforementioned type of `conventional dry cleaning machine which will Ibe relatively inexpensive to purchase and easy to install.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a novel blower drive conversion assembly for substantially all -diy cleaning machines being produced with only single motor means for driving both the drum and blower of the dry cleaning machine.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the ac companying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary rear elevational view of a conventional dry cleaning machine drive assembly modified in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional View of the drive assembly illustrated in FIGURE l taken substantially upon a plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of FIG- URE l;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket of the additional drive motor of the instant invention illustrated on somewhat of a reduced scale;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatical view of a portion of the electrical controls of the modified dry cleaning machine with portions of the old single motor drive circuitry illustrated in phantom lines;

FIGURE 5 is .a fragmentary rear elevational view of a conventional dry cleaning machine drive assembly;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the drive assembly illustrated in FIGUR-E 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially upon a plane indicated by the section line 7-7 of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE `8 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the electrical controls of the conventional dry cleaning machine.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 1t) generally designates a conventional form of dry cleaning machine modified in accordance with the present invention. The machine 10 includes a frame generally referred to by the reference numeral 12 from which a main drive motor 14 is supported. The drive motor 14 includes an output shaft 16 having a rst large pulley 18 mounted thereon as well as a second pulley 20. The first large pulley 18 is aligned with a third pulley 71 on alay shaft 22 also journaled from the frame 12 and having a.

second pulley 24 rotatably Imounted thereon. A solenoid 66 actuates clutchassembly 73 which is provided for drivingly coupling the lay shaft 22 to the second pulley 24 and the second pulley 24 is aligned with the drive pulley 26 of a blower shaft 28 of the machine 10. Blower shaft 28 operates a blower (shown in phantom) which is located in the interior of the machine. The second pulley 20 is aligned with a drive pulley 30 carried by a hollow rotatable shaft 33 which is aiiixed to the drum 32 of the machine 10. An endless flexible belt 34 drivingly couples the pulley 20 to the pulley 30 for rotation of the drum 32 in response to operation of the electric motor 14.

Originally, an endless flexible belt 74 drivingly connects the second pulley 24 to the pulley 26 wherein the output shaft 16 of the motor 14 would be drivingly coupled to the blower shaft 28 during actuation of the clutch assembly.

Inasmuch as the starting load of the blower shaft 28 is substantial and the aforementioned solenoid actuated clutch assembly was found not to be capable of repeatedly handling this starting load with a long life expectancy due to the increased inertia of the drive shaft of the motor 16 by the heavy drum 32 driven by the drive shaft 16, the machine 10 has been modified Iby providing a second motor 36 mounted from the frame 12 of the machine 10 by means of an inverted generally L-shaped bracket 38 secured to the frame 12 as at 40 and having the motor 36 secured thereto in any convenient manner such as by fasteners 42. The motor 36 includes .an output shaft 44 on which a drive pulley 46 is mounted and the drive pulley 46 is aligned with the pulley 26 on the blower shaft 28 and is drivingly coupled to the latter by means of an endless tiexible belt 48 entrained about the pulley 46 and the pulley 26 as well as a tensioning pulley 50 previously utilized to tension the discarded endless exible belt used to drivingly connect the pulley 24 to the pulley 26, a tensioning pulley 52 being utilized to properly tension the endless iiexible belt 34.

The machine 10 includes an electrical timer generally referred to by the reference numeral 54, see FIGURE 4, electrically connected to a suitable source of electrical potential 56 by means of suitable conductors 58 and 60. The timer 54 is electrically connected to the motor 14 by means of suitable conductors 62 and 64. The timer was also previously electrically connected to the solenoid 66 of the solenoid actuated clutch assembly above referred to -by means of conductors 68 and 70. However, in order to operate the motor 36, which requires generally the same amount of current as the solenoid 66, no longer used, the conductors 68 and 70 are disconnected from the solenoid 66 and connected to the motor 36 for actuation of the latter in lieu of solenoid 66. Of course, actuation of the motor 36 causes the blower shaft 28 to be rotated at the same time intervals determined by the timer 54 that the solenoid 66 was previously actuated to drivingly connect the pulley 18 to the pulley 26 through the lay shaft 22.

Accordingly, it may be seen that by the addition of the electric motor 36 to the machine 10 and by causing the electric motor 36 to be actuated from the same conductors 68 and 70 which were previously utilized to actuate the solenoid 66, operation of the blower shaft 28 is effected at the proper pre-programmed periods determined by the timer 54.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction `and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A dry cleaner machine drive assembly including a rotatable drum coupled to a hollow rotatable first shaft upon which is fixedly mounted a first pulley wheel, a second rotatable shaft independently disposed and coaxial within the hollow of said first shaft and upon which is mounted a second pulley wheel at one end thereof, the opposite end of said second shaft coupled to blower means enclosed within said machine, said blower means forcing air circulation within said drum, a third pulley wheel mounted upon the rotatable shaft of a first drive motor, said motor fixed to said machine, said third pulley wheel being in planar alignment with said first pulley wheel, an endless flexible belt entrained about said first and third pulley wheels, motion of which causes rotation of said drum, a second motor supported from ,said` machine in fixed position thereto and including a drive Y shaft having a fourth pulley wheel mounted thereon in coplanar alignment with said Vsecond pulley wheel, a flexible endless belt entrained about said second and said fourth pulley wheels, motion of which causes rotation of said blower means, a two state actuation electric timer selectively interconnecting a voltage source to said motors wherein said first state actuation allows said first motor to run continually during an operation cycle and second state actuation allows said second motor to run during selected intervals within said operation cycle.

2. The combination of claim 1 Vwherein said machine includes belt tensioning means operatively mounted in engagement with said first and second endless belts for maintaining said belts in a properly tensioned condition.

3. The method of extending the average operating time between repair intervals of a dry cleaner machine includ-I ing a rotatable drum driven from a main motor output shaft, a blower drive shaft driven at certain periods` during rotation of the drum by means of a driven pulley drivingly connected to the blower drive shaft by means of an endless drive member driven from .a rotatable shaft on which the driven pulley is journaled and in turn driven by said main motor, a solenoid clutch operative to driv-` t ingly connect said rotatable shaft tosaid driven pulley for rotation of the latter with the former, and a timer mechat operation of the latter in response to actuation of said` timer mechanism in lieu of actuation of said solenoid clutch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,755,716 7/1956 Epstein 34---53`X` 3,002,287 10/ 1961 Smith 68--20 X 3,103,420 9/1963 'Epstein 34--58` 3,161,481 12/1964 lEdwards 34-45 CHARLES li. MYHRfE, Primary Examiner.

FREDERICK L. MATPESON, IR., JAMES W. WEST- IHAVER, Examiners.

A. D. HERRMANN, Assistant Examiner.

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