US3200622A - Dry cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 24, 1961 INVEN TOR. BYRON L. BRUCKEN HIS ATKIEY JvltlH 1965 B. L. BRUCKEN 3,200,622

DRY CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

- BYRON L. BRUCKEN ma ATT nmsv United States Patent 3,200,622 DRY CLEANING APPARATUS Byron L. Bracken, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 24, 1961, Ser. No. 112,296 1 Claim. (Cl. 68-48) This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to a system for filtering dry cleaning solvent.

In the dry cleaning art, it is necessary to provide means for filtering the dry cleaning solvent in order to maintain the solvent in an uncontaminated condition. Prior art equipment for performing this filtering function has been rather complicated and costly and has required frequent maintenance. Further, considerable technical knowhow is necessary to maintain such equipment at top operating efliciency.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simplified filter arrangement for dry cleaning solvent which incorporates a centrifuge for filtering the solvent.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a low pressure solvent system for a dry cleaning apparatus.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a dry cleaning solvent system with a gravity fed centrifuge incorporating a rotatable wire basket for supporting a built-up filter mediumthe solvent being filtered as it moves radially outwardly from the inside of the basket to the outside before returning to the dry cleaning apparatus.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic representation of a dry cleaning system suitable for use with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of a modified form of the centrifuge filter of this invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a top elevational View of the filter shown in FIGURE 2 with parts broken away to show the centrifuge basket.

In accordance with this invention and with reference to FIGURE 1, a plurality of clothes or fabric agitating machines are shown manifolded together to form a group of dry cleaning machines. Each of the dry cleaning machines 10 could be a conventional washing machine having a vertical spin tub 12 such as shown in the patents to Sisson 2,758,685, issued August 14, 1956, or Clark 2,366,236 issued January 2, 1945. A conventional washing machine of this type, in addition to the spin tub 12, may include an agitator 14 and an agitating and spinning mechanism shown generally at 16 selectively to spin the tub 12 or oscillate the agitator 14. Each of the washing machines 10 is connected through a supply or fill conduit such as 18 which overlies the top Opening of the spin tub 12. In each of the supply conduits is located a solenoid actuated valve such as 20 which is operated from a conventional timer mechanism and coin box (not shown). In other words, the valve 20 is opened when the proper amount of money is placed in the coin mechanism of the selected machine 10. The supply conduits 18 are manifolded into a fill conduit manifold 22 which is in turn connected by way of a conduit 24 with a clean solvent storage tank 26. Makeup solvent for the storage tank 26 may be supplied the tank through a makeup line 28 overlying the storage tank.

Since the spin tub 12 is adapted for rotation, any solvent which enters the top of the tub may be spun or centrifuged therefrom when the agitate and spinning mechanism 16 is properly energized. Such solvent will be 3,266,622 I Patented Aug. 17, 1955 thrown from the spinning tub and will enter a drain manifold 30 through a drain conduit 32 extending from each machine to the drain manifold. In each of the drain conduits 32 is located a check valve such as 34 to prevent back fiow into any one of the non-operating machines 10. The drain manifold is closed at one end and connects at its other end into an elongated nozzle 36 which distributes contaminated solvent over the face of a centrifuge filter 40 as will be described next following.

The centrifuge filter 40 of this invention is comprised of an outer imperforate cylindrical filter container or casing 42 which includes a top opening 44 closed by an access door 46. A top wall 48 of the filter container serves to support a motor 50 which is connected by a resilient support 52 to the filter container. Within the container 42, is located a spin filter basket 54 having a top opening 56 defined by an annular radially inwardly directed ledge 58. The circumferential or peripheral wall of the spin filter basket 54 is comprised of a reticulated screen 60 which extends between the ledge 58 and a bottom wall 62 of the filter basket, the bottom wall having a plurality of outflow ports 64. Note that the drain manifold nozzle 36 extends into the spin basket 54 and has a plurality of orifices 66 which are directed in a manner to spread the solvent over the entire inner surface of the screen 60 and also to direct the solvent toward the screen tangentially or angularly in the direction of spin basket rotation. This angular impingement on the rotating basket keeps the jets of solvent from breaking up or disturbing the filter bed.

The motor is connected through a shaft 70 with the bottom wall 62 of the spin basket 54 and thus the spin basket is rotated whenever the motor 50 is energized. A shaft retainer 72 is positioned on the bottom wall of the drum 42 to limit the amplitude of the oscillations of the spin shaft when the basket is spinning with an unbalanced load.

An annular filter bed shown generally at St) is caused to be built up on the radially inner side of the cylindrical screen wall 60. Such a filter build-up is conventional in nature and is comprised of a fine filter medium 82, a carbon filter portion 84 and a coarse radially inner portion 86 which serves as a protective shield to prevent the force of the solvent jets from the nozzle 36 from breaking up the annular laminations of the filter bed. In building the filter 80 the ingredients for the filter may be placed sequentially within a filter slurry container 88 which includes a manually operated valve 90 for admitting the filter slurry to the drain manifold 30. To effect the rebuilding of a filter bed, a by-pass conduit 92 is connected at one end into the drain manifold and at its other end to a return conduit 94. A sump pump 96 serves to withdraw filtered solvent through a suction line 97 from a sump or low portion 98 in the filter container drum 42. A manually operated valve 100 is disposed between-the pump 96 and the clean solvent storage tank 26, a valve 102 between the pump 96 and the by-pass conduit 92 and a valve 104 in a drain or waste conduit 106.

In building a filter bed on the spin basket 54, it is necessary first to close the valves or flow control means 100 and 104 and open the valves or flow control means 102 and 90. The pump 96 is energized to withdraw solvent from the sump 98 where it flows by gravity and to circulate it to the nozzle 36. Since the valve 99 is open, the filter slurry enters the center portion of the spin basket 54 by way of the nozzle 36 and is distributed or ejected toward the inner face of the screen 60. The motor 50 is energized at this time to rotate the spin basket 54 so that the filter slurry will be slowly deposited on the radially inner side of the screen 60 in the form of an annular filter bed. When the filter has been built up, the valves 90 and 102 are closed and the valve 100 opened. Thus,

up the filter medium and to permit it to form a slurry' with the solvent in the drum 42. Then the pump 9-6 is energized and the valve 104 is opened so that the slurry may be pumped to a remote drainthe slurry leaving the basket 54 by way of the outlets 64.

It should be understood that the filter medium 80 disclosed hereinabove is only by way of example and may be formed of any suitable filter components.

Turning now to FIGURE 2, a modified centrifuge filter 110 is set forth, the same reference numerals being used for equivalent parts. Here also the filter 110 includes the outer generally cylindrical drum 42 which encloses" a cylindricalfilter basket 114. The basket 114 difiers from that set forth hereinbefore in that it includes an,

inner cylindrical screen 116 supported from the bottom wall 118 to form a lint and button or particulate filter. In such an arrangement, the inner screen 116 minimizes the solvent impact on the built-up filter 80 to efiect a longer lter bed life and also prevents sliming on the surface of the filter bed.

Note that both filters 4t) and 110 provide a'clearance such as 120 between the top of the filter drum and the basket, which effects a by-pass around the filter bed 80 when solvent flows to the spin baskets 54 or 114 faster than it can be filtered through the medium 86. Note also that the basket 114 includes a plurality of outflow ports 122 which permits the spin basket to be drained when the filter bed is being removed.

It should now be seen that an improved filtering arrangement has been effected for a solvent recirculating system which uses a centrifuge in addition to a filter medium for cleaning contaminated solvents.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

In combination with a solvent storage tank and a dry cleaning machine having a spin tub adapted to receive clothes to be dry cleaned and connected to said storage,

tank for receiving solvent therefrom, means for agitat ing in said tub and means for selectively oscillating said agitating means to clean said clothes and for spinning said tub to remove the solvent from the clothes and the tub, a filtration system for said dry cleaning solvent comprising a centrifugal filter for simultaneously decontaminatingthe solvent of solid'contaminants and dissolved contaminants, said filter having a closed, stationary filter drum and'a rotatable cylindrical screen basket enclosed in said drum for supporting a filter bed including a radially inner layer of coarse filtering medium, a radially .Outer layer of fine filtering medium and a layer of carbonaceous medium sandwiched therebetween on a sidewall of said basket, said basket having an open top portion spaced from the top of said drum to permit solvent to overflow the top of said basket when fiow through said filter bed is restricted and a plurality of outflow ports on the bottom thereof spaced radially inwardly from said filter bed and in communication with said filter drum, spray means in communication with the spin tubto receive contaminated dry cleaning solvent being removed therefrom and having an outlet end in spray relationship to said filter bed, inner screen means between said spray means and said filter bed to filter lint and buttons from the solvent, said inner screen means being spaced from said filter bed in intercepting relationship to the solvent from said spray means to minimize the impact of said solvent on said filter bed by breaking up the solvent sprayed toward saidfilter bed, means operative with said spray means for rotating said basket to centrifuge contaminated solvent from the radially inner portion of said basket through said'filter' bed to the filter drum on the radiallyouter side of said basket thereby to decontaminate the solvent, pump means connected to said filter drum and said storage'tank for returning the decontaminated solvent from said drumto said storage tank, means adapted to contain a slurry of one of said filtering mediums and said carbonaceous medium, and flow control means for periodically connecting said 'spray means to said slurry containing means for spraying a new filter bed on said basket, said flow control means including means for disconnecting said pump means from said storage tank and for connecting said pump means to said spray means whereby to cause solvent pumped from said filter drum to mix with said slurry and facilitate'the building of said new filter bed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,050 3/86 De Lisser 210 193 X 725,549 4/03 Ellis 210-'211 X 827,024 7/06, n66 210 380 1,129,682 2/15 Irwin 210 193 1,138,608 5/15 Dibbets 210/193 X 1,160,052 11/15 .Dibbets 210 193 1,165,567 12/15 Brown 210 193 1,669,235 5/28 Fenton' 210- X 1,869,797 8/32 Cleaver 21078 2,044,828 6/36 Angelus et a1. 8-l42 2,107,909 2/38' Schaaf 210-193 2,130,817 9/38 Shaw 68'-18 X 2,153,581 4/39 Millar 210-493 X 2,325,635 8/43 Schutte' 210-406 X ,866 6/51 Weaver et al. 210-75 X 2,828,021 3/58 Ruegg 2l0-377X 2,832,473 4/58 Oberholtzer -210- 206 X 2,968,401 1/61 Sheldon 209 144 3,063,564 11/62 1 Smith et al. 2lO-78 REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner.

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