GB2074613A

GB2074613A - Clothes-washing Machine Comprising Improved Product Boxes

Info

Publication number: GB2074613A
Application number: GB8111406A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Thomson-Brandt SA
Current assignee: Thomson-Brandt SA
Priority date: 1980-04-14
Filing date: 1981-04-10
Publication date: 1981-11-04
Also published as: EP0038247B1; ATE11799T1; DE3168858D1; YU93181A; JPS56161097A; BR8102289A; ES8207604A1; AU6932881A; ES501291A0; EP0038247A1; GB2074613B; FR2480319A1; FR2480319B1

Abstract

A washing machine comprises a washing-agent box 6 disposed at least on one side of the machine between the drum 2 and the upper part of the tank 3, said box 6 having a flattened shape practically matching the shape of the drum. The box is open at its lower end to allow the water+agent mixture to pass therethrough while retaining the undiluted agent comprises further openings 20 or an opening (48), Fig. 3 (not shown), for introducing water brought by a ring of water formed by rotation of said drum in the partially filled tank. In one embodiment, Fig. 1, a fixed box 6 for powder has a rib 13 which participates with a trough 14 to retain dry powder. Water enters the box through louvre apertures 20 and apertures 21 and the mixture leaves through an opening 12. In a modification, Fig. 2 (not shown), the powder box is removable. In another embodiment, Fig. 3 (not shown), a removable box for liquid agent empties, under the action of the ring of water, through a siphon system (44). <IMAGE>

Description

1 GB 2 074 613 A 1

SPECIFICATION Clothes-washing Machine Comprising Improved Product Boxes

The present invention relates to a clothes 5washing machine comprising boxes for products whose contents will be automatically emptied into the tank of the machine at the desired moment, these boxes being particularly simple, efficient and requiring no special electromagnetic valve.

Practically all clothes-washing machines comprise boxes for products which are filled, before operation of the machine, with the appropriate products; these products are for example: the washing powder for the washing properly speaking (as opposed to the prewashing product), bleach or suppling agents.

In numerous machines known up to the present, the discharge of the products from these boxes is achieved, at the desired moment, by the 85 opening of electromagnetic valves controlled by the programmer of the machine, an electromagnetic valve being for example associated with each product box. These techniques for pouring the products into the tank of the washing machine present several drawbacks. They are uneconomic to the extent that an electromagnetic valve must be provided for each box of product; they may be subject to failures to the extent that an electromagnetic valve may break down.

Other simpler and more economic solutions have already been described, for example in the German patent application No. 2 116 980 belonging to the company Licentla. In this patent application a process is described consisting, in order to cause the discharge at the right moment of the product present in a box of product placed at the upper part of the tank, in causing the drum of the machine to rotate in the tank partially filled with water, at a speed sufficient for a ring of water to be created about this drum. This ring of water creates in a manner of speaking projections w hich fill up the box of product and cause it to discharge into the tank.

This solution is very interesting to the extent that it completely eliminates the conventional electromagnetic valves.

A variation of a machine using this process has been described by the Applicant in French patent No. 79/10530 filed on 25 April 1979 and 115 published under the No. 2 455 113. In the machine described in this patent application, the principle of the ring created by sufficiently rapid rotation of the drum is used to cause the boxes of product fastened under the upper lid of the machine to be emptied. This solution presents in comparison with the preceding one the advantage, particularly, of disencumbering the tank and so allowing less bulky machines to be constructed.

This solution presents however a drawback common with that of the abovementioned German patent application. In fact, as long as it is a question of discharging into the tank liquid products, the discharge of these products takes places satisfactorily. However, when it is a question of discharging into the tank powdery products such as a washing powder for example, the discharge poses problems.

In fact, boxes of powder must have a sufficient volume to contain the amounts of washing powder required for a washing operation. When the water arrives into the box of powder, the washing product before beginning to be discharged, becomes damp and risks creating blocks of moist powder which risk taking a long time before they disintegrate, and which may even sometimes not disintegrate completely before the beginning of washing. Thus the washing powder which can no longer be discharged during the washing properly speaking, since the drum will rotate at a slower speed insufficient for creating the ring of water, will not have been completely released into the tank, and the washing will be carried out with an insufficient quantity of powder.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to a washing machine comprising at least one box for powdery products, arranged and disposed in the machine so as to; on the one hand, present minimum encumbrance and to allow the construction of small machines easily fitted in with other elements, and on the other hand to allow complete and rapid discharge of all the powder contained in the box.

According to the invention a clothes-washing machine comprising a drum rotating in a tank about a horizontal axis, and at least one box for powdery products for storing provisionally treatment products, the discharge of these products into the tank taking place, under the control of a programmer, by formation of a ring of water about the drum rotating in the tank containing water, this ring of water carrying the treatment products from the product box to the tank, is characterized in that this box:- is housed between the drum and the upper part of the tank, in the vicinity of the opening zone of the machine; has a flattened shape mating with the shape of the drum and having a small thickness along the radii of the drum; extends slightly into the opening zone of the machine so as to be able to receive the powdery product through this opening; is provided with apertures not letting the dry powder pass therethrough but allowing the water from the ring of water to enter into the powder box; comprises, at its lower end, an aperture not letting the dry powder pass therethrough but allowing the water+powder mixture to escape under the action of the ring of water.

In one embodiment, the powder box is removable and is fixed in the tank for example by means of a slide system. This removability allows 2 GB 2 074 613 A 2 it to be replaced at will by a box of liquid product having the same general form but differing therefrom, of course, by 'Ehe fact that it is sealed so as to retain the liquid product outside the periods of format-on cv, the ring of water.

Description of the Dravsings

Other objects, characteristics and results of the invention will become clear from the following description given by vijay of nonlimiting example, and illustrated by the accompanying figures which represent very schematically:

Figure 1, a first embodiment of a washing machine comprising a box for a powdery product in accordance with the invention; Figure 2, a variation in which the box of powdery product ol Figure I is removable; 80 Figure 3, the variation of Figure 2 in which the removable box is replaced by a liquid product box; 3. Figure 4, a sectional view of the box of Figure Description of the Preferred Embodiments

There is shown very schematically in Figure 1, the casing 1 of a clothes-washing machine comprising a drum 2 with horizontal axis rotating in a sealed tank 3 intended to receive the washing 90 or rinsing water. It car, be seen in this figure that the upper park of tank 3 opens through an opening 4, this opening being for example connected -to the rest of the casing of machine 1 by sealing bellows 5. The upper part of the casing of the machine and the lid for closing it have not been shown here so as to simplify the figure. As for drum 3, a door, not shown either, allows clothes to be introduced therein.

There is shown here in more detail what forms the characteristic part of a machine in accordance with the invention, i.e. its powder box 6.

It can be clearly seen in this Figure 1 that powder box 6 in accordance with the invention is situated towards the upper part of the machine between a part of tank 3 - forming a slight protuberance 7 with respect to the rest of the tank, and the cylindi-Ical wall of drum 2. This part of tank 3 forming a protuberance,7 is connected to the opening 4 of tank 3.

The powder box 6 comprises essentially a bottom 8 having approximately the same shape as the cylindrical wall of drum 2, this bottom 8,orming a box with three lateral walls. The two lateral walls such as 9 which form the sides of the 115 powder box may, in one embodiment, be the rneans by which this powder box is fastened to the upper ace of the protuberance 7 of the tank. As for the third lateral face, this is the vertical wall 10 which extends, as -hown in the figure, into the opening 4 of the tank. The space 11 between the opening of the tank and the vertical wall 10 of the box, when the door Of 'the machine is open, will allow the powder to be Introduced into box 6. As for the lower part 12 o'l the bottom of box 6, it is not closed; it opens in fact directly into tank 3. This will allow thewater+powder mixture to be discharged into the tank as will be seen further on.

6E- However, so that the powder when introduced through the upper space 11 does not fall directly into the tank, instead of being held back as long as the washing cycle properly speaking has not begun, a restriction is provided at the bottom of the box which, by the embankment effect, will retain the dry powder and prevent it from failing into the tank. This restriction is formed, in the ' example illustrated here, by the cooperation of a rib 13 causing the bottom of the powder box to be raised slightly in the direction of the upper wall of the tank, and a small trough 14 situated at a certain distance from the bottom 8 of the powder box.

This small trough 14 may be for example fixed directly on the upper part of the tank (protuberance 7), or be fixed to the lateral walls 9 of the powder box 6. This small trough 14 may further be formed by an appropriate counterpressing in the tank.

Whatever the method for securing it, this trough is disposed so that, cooperating with rib 13 on the bottom of the box, it prevents the dry powder from flowing, while leaving between it and the bottom of the box a space sufficient for the water+powder mixture to be suitably discharged when powder box 6 is supplied with water.

As for the bottom 8 of this powder box 6, it has several apertures such as louvers 20. These louvers 20 are dimensioned so as not to let the dry powder pass therethrough but to let therethrough the water brought by the ring of water which will be described further on. These louvers may be formed for example by cutting out, on three sides only, small rectangles in the bottom 8 of the powder box, and by bending these small rectangles back inwardly of this box. Thus the apertures 20 are provided for the passage of the water therethrough; the dry powder is at the same time held back by these bent-back parts of bottorn 8. These louvers may also be arranged so that they hold back the powder in the form of an embankment.

It is further possible, as shown here, to provide such apertures in the vertical wall 10 of box 6. These apertures 21 will facilitate further the entry of the water into the powder box.

In the embodiment described here, it can be seen -that the central part of vertical wall 10 and the adjacent part of bottom 8 of the powder box form a protuberance 22 in this box, which results in a hollow in the direction of the drum. In some types of machine where the door ol the drum, when it opens slides along the drum, this hollow 22 willl enable the operator to pass his hand between the powder box and the drum to sieze the door and close it. This arrangement is not necessarily requited for all types of machine. It is only required when the door of the drum has to be seized below the powder box.

The operation of the machine in accordance with the invention is the following.

1 3 GB 2 074 613 A 3 Once the clothes have been introduced into the drum, the door thereof is closed, the washing powder introduced into powder box 6 and the door of the machine (not shown here) closed 5 again, the washing cycle will begin.

When it is necessary to introduce powder P into the washing tank, the programmer controls the introduction of a certain amount of water into tank 3, and the bringing into rotation of the drum in the direction shown by arrow F, at a speed sufficient for a ring of water E to be created about drum 2. This ring of water E will create water projections which, due to the construction of the powder box 6 which has just been described, will rapidly come and completely wash the inside of powder box 6. The water+ powder (E+P) mixture thus formed falling rapidly through the lower opening 12 into tank 3.

It is clear that with the relatively flattened shape of this powder box 6 there is very little risk of moist lumps of powder being created which would take a long while to dissolve and fall into the tank. Because of the cooperation of the numerous apertures such as 20 and 21 provided in powder box 6, and the relatively flat shape of this powder box, all the powder is very rapidly washed out through opening 12 into tank 3.

Thus the powder box which has just been described presents not only the advantage of taking up very little room by practically assuming the shape of the drum, but also allows all the powder contained in box 6 to be discharged easily and rapidly.

In the example described here there has been shown a machine comprising a single powder box 100 6 placed on one side of the machine. It is clear that it is possible to have a second one symmetrical with this latter on the opposite side 30 of the tank. This second box, in order to be emptied, would require rapid rotation of the drum in the opposite direction to that of arrow F. It is thus possible to provide a machine comprising for example a box for prewashing powder and a box for washing powder.

It is further possible to dispose on side 30 opposite powder box 6, a product box of a more conventional design, for receiving for example a liquid product.

Figure 2 shows schematically a variation of the powder box described with reference to Figure 1, 115 the essential characteristic of the variation being that this powder box is removable.

Generally, the elements of the machine and of the powder box which are identical, or practically identical, with those of Figure 1 are shown with 120 the same references.

Powder box 6 which, in Figure 1, was fixed to the very structure of the machine, to tank 3 under the protuberant part 7 is here replaced by a box 31 removably mounted by a system of slides. 125 For that, for example, a part 33 comprising slides 34 is fixed under the upper face 32 of the protuberant part 7 of tank 3. As for powder box 3 1, its general construction is the same as that described in Figure 1, except that it comprises, at 130 the top of its lateral faces 9 bent-back parts 35 which will be housed in slides 34 when box 31 is positioned in its housing 7. The correct positioning of the box in its housing will be ensured when the rear wall 36 comes to bear on the corresponding wall 37 of housing 7 of the tank. This correct positioning presents a certain importance to the extent that it influences the distance between rib 13 of the bottom of the box and the small trough 14 integral with the tank, which distance has an influence on the correct retention of the dry powder through the embankment effect.

In the embodiment illustrated here part 33 which comprises slides 34 also comprises the small trough 14 whose positioning is thus facilitated.

Figure 3 illustrates schematically how the removable powder box of Figure 2 may be very easily replaced by a product box 40 having the same general shape, i.e. elongated, fairly flat and with slides 35, but intended to receive a liquid product, and so liquid-tight.

This box 40 does not of course comprise the openings which box 31 comprises, nor the lower inlet openings for the water of the ring of water 20 and 2 1, nor opening 12 for the outgoing water+powder mixture. It is on the contrary liquidtight so as to suitably retain the liquid product when the ring of dischargp water is not present. For proper tightness it is closed at its upper part by an additional wall 41 which extends as far as the rear wall 86 off-the box and is sealingly joined thereto. The lower part of this wall' 41 has a setback portion 42 so as to allow suitable positioning of the box despite the presence of trough 14 integral with part 33 supporting slides 34.

In the version shown in Figure 3 and the sectional view of Figure 4, the liquid product box empties, under the action of the ring of water, through a siphon system 44.

For that, the user, before starting up the machine, fills liquid box 40 to the height corresponding to axis 43 (Figure 4). Siphon 44 is housed inside box 40 and comprises an inner pipe 45 whose lower part opens into the tank for discharging the water+liquid mixture and whose upper part is also open for the siphon effect, and an outer pipe 46 around pipe 45. The upper part 47 of outer pipe 46 situated above the maximum filling level 43 is closed and its lower part is open about pipe 45.

In this variation where the product box is sealed the water from the ring of water for discharging the product enters solely through the upper opening 48 of the box, i.e. the opening serving for introducing liquid into the box. The entry of the discharge water is then less rapid and less spread out than in the powder boxes of Figures 1 and 2; this presents no disadvantage to the extent that the liquid does not risk forming lumps like a powder.

When the ring of water fills box 40, the level rises above axis 43, the liquid rises in pipe 46 4 GB 2 074 613 A 4, above level 43 and the siphon starts. The product 45 box is then completely emptied through the siphon effect.

Here again, as in the case of Figure 1, it is clear that a product box may be disposed on the other side of the tank and emptied by a ring of water in the opposite direction caused by the rotation of the drum in the opposite direction to arrow F.

Claims

1. A clothes-washing machine comprising a drum rotating in a tank about a horizontal axis, and at least one box for powdery products for provisionally storing treatment products, the discharge of these products into said tank taking place, under the control of a programmer, by formation of a ring of water about the drum rotating in the tank containing the water, this ring of water washing the treatment products from said product box into said tank, wherein the box:

is housed between said drum and the upper part of said tank, towards the opening zone of the machine; has a flattened shape matching the shape of the drum and has a small thickness along the radii 70 of the drum; extends slightly into said opening zone of the machine so as to be able to receive the powdery product through this opening; is provided with apertures not allowing the dry powder to pass there-through but allowing the water from the water ring to enter into the powder box; and comprises, at its lower end, an aperture not allowing the dry powder to pass therethrough but allowing the water+powder mixture to escape under the action of the ring of water.

2. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein its surface, adjacent to the surface of said drum, comprises several apertures for the water to pass to the inside of said box.

3. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the part of said powder box extending into said opening zone of the machine is terminated by a vertical wall comprising apertures for the water to pass to the inside of said powder box.

4. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said aperture at the lower end of said powder box is elongated parallel to the axis of said drum and is defined at its upper part by a small trough for retaining said dry powder in an embankment.

5. The machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bottom forming said lower surface of said; powder box is terminated, at the lower end of said box, by a rib participating with the small trough in retaining the dry powder following the slope of the embankment.

6. The washing machine as claimed in one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, said drum having a door to be operated from inside said opening of the machine, the part of said powder box extending into said opening zone comprises a hollow freeing in said opening of the machine a passage for operating said drum door.

7. The washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said powder box is a removable box.

8. The washing machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said part of said tank under which said powder box is housed comprises slides in which said powder box slides provided, for this purpose, with parts capable of sliding in said slides.

9. The washing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein said removable powder box is replaceable by a liquid product box having the same general form as the removable powder box but comprising a single aperture at its upper part, this single opening serving on the one hand for the introduction of the liquid product by the user before starting up the machine and, on the other hand, for the entry of water from the ring of water for discharging said liquid product.

10. The washing machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein said liquid product box comprises a siphon system for completely emptying said product box by means of the ring of water.

11. A washing machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by the Courier Press, Leamington Spa, 1981. Published by the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1 AY, from which copies may be obtained.

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