Whirlpool Corporation

Ernest B Ruble

James I Czech

A simplified arrangement for alternately operating an agitator and a spinning clothes container in a laundry machine. A container driving member and an agitator driving gear are both mounted rotatably and reciprocably on the agitator shaft, and a shifter selectively effects concurrent driving clutching engagement between the container and the container driving member and declutching of the gear from the shaft, and alternatively the shifter controls the container driving member to declutch from the clothes container and concurrently controls the driving gear to enter into clutching driving relation to the agitator shaft. Improvements in mechanism include the shifter assembly, an anti-clash device for the gear clutch, an inertial spring clutch for the container driving member, an agitator spin drive snap ring and spring clutch, and load sensitive brake and clutch means for the clothes container.

Automatic washer operating apparatus

A method of assembling an electric motor in which a rigid first end bell is provided with a bearing seat in which is positioned a bearing. Then a rotor shaft for the motor is positioned in the bearing, and the end bell and rotor assembly is fixed in a holding fixture including a plurality of spaced shims, for further assembly steps. The shims extend upwardly through the first end bell and are spaced therefrom and from the motor shaft. Next a stator is placed on the first end bell with the shims extending therethrough. The end bell and stator are dimensioned such that a gap is established between them when assembled. Then a curable epoxy fluid resin is placed in the gap. Next a second end bell and second bearing held thereby is placed over the rotor shaft and a force applied to the end bell to force tabs on the second bell into the fluid epoxy resin. Finally the epoxy resin is cured to a solid and the end bells are mechanically secured together.

Assembly method for a motor

An agitator accessory for washing machines having an oscillating vertical-axis agitator, the accessory comprising a sleeve which is securable to the barrel of the agitator in coaxial alignment therewith, the sleeve having a vane means attached thereto. A one-way clutch means is included to rotate the agitator accessory incrementally, during one-half cycles of the oscillatory agitator movement, to thereby force fabrics being washed downward along the agitator and toward vanes extending from the skirt of the agitator.

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South Haven, MI, United States of America

Ernest B Ruble