US2959045A - Agitator - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 8, 1960 .1. CARTWRIGHT AGITATOR Filed Nov, 8 19 a/d/Tuw United States Patent AGITATOR Jessie Cartwright, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 8, 1954, Ser. No. 467,540

1 Claim. (Cl. 68-134) This invention relates to washing machines and more particularly to washing machines equipped with a device for rippling or imparting a gentle activation to washing fluid contained therein. The invention further relates to the art of washing fine fabrics such as woolens, cashmeres and the like in a conventional automatic washing machine.

An automatic washing machine having an agitator of the conventional type has never proved satisfactory for washing woolens, cashmeres and similar fabrics. Invariably such materials become matted and felted or shrink during the washing cycle. At one time it was believed that the undesirable results noted above were due to improper temperatures of the washing fluid. Recent work directed to determining the cause of felting and shrinking occurring in the course of washing fine woolens automatically has revealed that the matting and shrinking are directly attributable to the agitation of the fabrics.

In order to overcome the problem certain manu- 'facturers of automatic washers have recommended that woolen articles be washed by soaking and agitating alternately. This procedure involves soaking woolens for a 'brief interval and thereafter operating the conventional agitator type washing device for a short interval in the hopes that a slight current of washing fluid will flow through the woolens, thereby extracting soil material without appreciably agitating the clothes. This method of washing requires constant machine attention and does not overcome the shrinking or matting problem even when the agitator is operated for extremely short intervals because an inherent function of the agitator is that of physically moving the material being washed in addition to moving the washing fluid.

It has been determined that by removing the agitator [from a washing machine and replacing it with a device designed to generate a rippling or slight activation of the washing fluid without imparting motion to the articles being washed, the shrinking, matting and felting of woolen fabrics can be substantially overcome.

Accordingly it is an important object of this invention to provide a means for activating washing fluid contained in the washing receptacle of an automatic washing machine without agitating or otherwise physically moving the material being washed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a means for generating a rippling or slight fluid current through fabrics without agitating the fabrics.

A washing machine illustrating certain features of the present invention may comprise a basket for receiving washing fluid and material to be washed, means including a vertical shaft disposed inside the tub and adapted to be oscillated about its vertical axis and a hollow cylindrical sleeve rigidly mounted to the shaft, said cylindrical sleeve having a plurality of radially extended fins integral therewith, and said fins having a configuration which defines a bead extending the full length of the sleeve and "ice blending into a circular segment intermediate the ends thereof for gently rippling the washing fluid.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following specification when read in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a vertical section of a washing machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, slightly enlarged, of a portion of Fig. 1 and taken along the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig. 1 there is shown a basket 10 rotatably mounted and having an arcuate bottom wall 11. The wall 11 represents the upper portion of a gear casing indicated generally at 12 whose bottom portion 13 acts to support the basket 10 for rotation in the manner disclosed in a co-pending application of Andrew H. Gerhardt and Edward J. Frey, S.N. 246,604, filed September 14, 1951, now Patent 2,807,951. Secured to the upper portion 11 of the gear casing 12 is a sleeve 14 (Fig. 2) having a bearing 16 for supporting the upper end of a shaft 17. The reference numeral 18 designates a seal for preventing the flow of washing fluid into the interior of the sleeve 14. Disposed within the gear casing 12 are means for oscillating the shaft 17 about its vertical axis in a manner similar to that shown in said co-pending application. In wedging engagement with the upper end of the shaft 17 and rotatable therewith is a bushing 19. The bushing 19 is held in place by means of a double-ended stud 21. The periphery of the bushing 19 is hexagonal in cross-section and acts as a support for a water current inducing device or agitator 22. v

The present invention is not particularly directed to the precise construction of the washing machine and its related parts, consequently it is deemed sufficient to show and describe only those portions thereof adjacent to and cooperating with the agitator. It is to be understood that the details of construction of the washing machine with which the agitator may be employed may assume a wide variety of arrangements and I do not desire to be limited to the particular washing machine disclosed except where the construction thereof relates to the contemplated invention.

The internal contour of the agitating device at the upper end thereof is hexagonal as at 23 so as to complement the hexagonal bushing 19. A cap 24 in threaded engagement with the upper end of the stud 21 is utilized to hold the agitator 22 in engagement with the bushing 19.

It is apparent therefore that the agitator 22 will rotate with the shaft 17 and is readily removable from the bushing 19. Accordingly, an agitator such as is disclosed in said co-pending application may be readily replaced with the rippler 22 of the present invention whenever it is desired to wash fine woolen fabrics.

Having thus described, by way of example, a possibleadaptation of the agitator and a washing machine and having set out generally the environment of the adaptation, the specific construction of the agitator which constitutes the present invention will now be described in detail.

Referring now to the exemplary embodiment of the in.- vention shown in Fig. 2, it is to be noted that the agitator may be fabricated from a non-metallic material such as a thermoplastic or a thermosetting resin compound or hard rubber and may be of laminate or other reinforced structure.

The agitator has a long cylindrical body portion 26 having a relatively thin wall and expanding radially at the bottom end thereof into a bell-mouthed or bell shaped portion 27. Formed integrally with the body portion 26 and spaced substantially at right angles to one another are four beads 28. The beads 28 extend the full length of the body portion 26 and blend into circular small blades or vanes 29 intermediate the ends of the beads.

When the agitator 22 is oscillated by the means disclosed in said co-pending application, the blades 29 act to gently activate the washing fluid by creating fluid currents in the upper regions of the washing device while the beads 28 tend to encourage a very slight current in the lower regions of the device Without disturbing the woolen fabrics being washed. The bell-mouthed portion 27 of the agitator is sufficiently foreshortened so as not to carry or physically move the woolens being washed. It is noted that there is suflicient area in the outer portions of the wash basket 10 to permit the material being washed to lie motionless. The blades 29 of the agitator also function to activate or suds detergent or other soil loosening agent. Accordingly, the fluid level within the basket 10 is maintained just above the blades 29 for this purpose.

It has been establshed that soil matter can be readily loosened from woolens by soaking the materials in washing fluid, but it is necessary to create a gentle current or ripples in the wash fluid in order to remove the soil particles from the woolens after being loosened. As stated before, the currents generated must be sufiiciently restrained to avoid agitating the woolen materials. It has been found that satisfactory results are obtained using an agitator having a substantially smooth outer surface at the lower end thereof, the friction between the Washing fluid and the agitator being sufficient to develop a very light fluid current thereabout.

Various arrangements and dispositions of the bead structure may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the head 28 may be spiralled about the body portion or it may be discontinuous or it may be both spiralled and discontinuous having a single or double lead.

A specific embodiment of the invention and one with which particularly satisfactory results may be obtained may take the form of the agitator shown in the drawings where the bead height is 5 of one inchmeasured radially from the body portion 26 of the agitator.

It is anticipated that various other arrangements of the present invention may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

An automatic clothes washing machine comprising a clothes and water receiving basket of substantially cylindrical shape and having a bottom therein, a drive shaft extending upwardly through the bottom of the basket at the center thereof, an agitator comprising a long cylindrical body enveloping said shaft and connected thereto, said-body terminating at its bottom in a bell-shaped portion, a plurality of relatively small blades in the form of circular segments extending outwardly from said body intermediate the ends thereof and above said bell-shaped portion with the opposite ends of said blades merging with said cylindrical body in spaced planes intersecting the axis of said body, said blades being positioned immediately below the water level of the basket, the portion of the body below said blades and including said bell-shaped portion having a plurality of substantially fiat beads thereon and merging with the ends of said blades, said beads functioning to provide fluid currents in the lower regions of the water in said basket without imparting any motion to the clothes in said basket, said small blades providing fluid currents in the upper regions of the water in said basket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 870,865 Brownlee Nov. 12, 1907 1,724,594 Huntington Aug. 13, 1929 1,746,250 Getz Feb. 11, 1930 1,795,395 Hoke Mar. 10, 1931 1,955,403 Barker Apr. 17, 1934 2,038,058 Pryor Apr. 21, 1936 2,149,987 Altorfer Mar. 7, 1939 2,199,027 Little Apr. 30, 1940 2,363,184 Jacobs Nov. 21, 1944 2,688,241 Stevenson Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT errieE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Nod 2,95%045 November 8 1960 Jessie Cartwright,

' It is herebfi eertified that error appears in the-printed specification e5? she ebovemumb-ered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2 line 32,, after 22" and before the period insert; M with which the invention is particularly concerned line 53. for "rippler" read M agitator D Signed and sealed this 25th day of April 1961,

(SEAL) Arrest:

ERNEST W0 SWIDER. DAVID Lg LADD Aireeiing Oflicer Commissioner of ?aients

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