GB877429A - Improvements relating to washing machines - Google Patents

Abstract

877,429. Washing-machines. HOOVER Ltd. Oct. 18, 1957 [Nov. 6, 1956], No. 33922/56. Class 138 (2). A washing-machine includes a basket 30 to contain the clothes, located within a container 25 for washing liquid and mounted to rotate about a horizontal or oblique axis, an impeller of disc-like form 31 mounted in one end of the basket to rotate coaxially with the basket and means for rotating both the basket and the impeller simultaneously and also relative to one another, for washing the clothes. The container 25 is supported by rubber belts 32 and wire ties 33 and the frame is provided with upper and lower buffers or cushions 34 and 35 and side buffers 36. To prevent excessive vibration when spin drying, weights 37 are attached near the mouth of the container. An annular rubber bellows 55 provides a watertight resilient seal for the connection between the container and the remainder of the machine. An electric motor 70 is bolted to gear-box 29 which it drives by means of a shaft 90 transverse to the basket axis coupled by a bevel drive 91 to a pair of coaxial driven bevels 92 and 93 so as to rotate them in opposite directions at slightly different speeds, a differential gear 96 coupling the driven bevels to a planet carrier 97 so as to drive the latter at a greatly reduced speed, and the impeller is coupled by means of clutch 115 to the impeller drive shaft 81. A coil spring clutch 104 couples the basket to the planet carrier 97 for low-speed drive, this clutch over-running freely when the basket is coupled by clutch coil 105 to bevel 93. The machine can be operated automatically under the control of a sequence timer 150 and level responsive switches 151 and 152 which are in pneumatic communication with the liquid in sump 50. Hot and cold water supplies are controlled by solenoid-operated valves and a pump 145 is used to remove spent liquid from the sump. Specifications 612,737, 624,191 and 877,430 are referred to.