Whirlpool Corporation

Richard L Fanson

William L Kennedy

James W Titus

Ralph E Denny

David B Bean

A balancing ring attachment system for an automatic washer including a wash basket having an annular top edge defining a circular opening at a top end thereof. An inwardly projecting annular ledge surface is formed into the wash basket below the top edge. A plurality of slots are provided on the wash basket between the ledge and the top edge. A balancing ring, sized to fit within the inner diameter of the wash basket, rests on the annular ledge and a plurality of resilient hooks outwardly extending from the balancing ring snap fit into the slots provided on the basket thereby securing the ring to the basket. Inset portions are provided in the ring behind each of the outwardly extending tabs while the basket further includes a plurality of bumps formed into the top edge of the wash basket wherein the bumps are formed as pairs along the top edge and define the location of the slots. During assembly, the bumps are received into the inset portion provided on the ring thereby controlling alignment and preventing missassembly. A plurality of flexible fingers are molded downwardly extending from the balancing ring wherein the fingers resiliently engage the annular ledge such that the fingers deflect and bias the balancing ring upwardly.

Balance ring attachment in an automatic washer

A liquid diverter is provided in an automatic washer to cause a spray of liquid to impact on the side wall of the tub above a top level of perforations of the basket to assure that any suds or other extraneous matter is rinsed from the tub wall at such an elevation and is not allowed to remain there after a given wash cycle. The diverter is in the form of a ring which is carried on and rotates with the wash basket and includes a plurality of downwardly depending rib pairs which support therebetween a liquid intercepting wall and an inclined channel. The inclined channel directs the liquid upwardly when the basket is spinning so that the diverted liquid will impact against a higher elevation of the tub wall.

Water diverter for spinning basket of automatic washer

A water inlet device for an automatic clothes washer is provided which provides a flow of water against an interior surface of a wash basket and onto a clothes load within the basket through a wide range of inlet water pressures while preventing excessive splashing against the basket wall at high water pressures. The inlet device has a downwardly angled front wall which redirects the inlet water into the wash basket, and the wall has a varying downward angle along its length to provide the automatic pressure compensation. A central portion of the lip is angled downwardly toward the basket wall and the lateral edges are angled downwardly away from the basket wall such that at normal water pressures most of the inlet water is directed at the central portion, and thus toward the basket wall, and at higher pressures more water is directed toward the lateral edges which direct the excess water away from the basket wall and directly onto the clothes load.

Water inlet device for automatic washer

An attachment arrangement is provided between a rotatable wash basket and a balancing ring in an automatic clothes washer which permits the ring to be locked onto the basket upon downward movement of the ring relative to the basket. The ring has a bottom wall with a channel therein which receives the edge of the basket opening. A plurality of spring clips having inwardly facing tangs are locked into the channel. The basket opening has a downwardly facing shoulder associated therewith and one of the tangs engages the edge of the opening below the shoulder to prevent removal of the ring while the other, opposed tang provides a biasing force to prevent the tang from disengaging from the shoulder.

Automatic washer balancing ring with spring clip attachment means

An attachment arrangement is provided between a wash basket and a balancing ring of an automatic washer which permits the ring to be locked onto the basket upon rotation of the ring relative to the basket. The degree of interlocking is increased during normal operation of the washer in that the attachment arrangement is comprised of mating ramp surfaces on the basket and ring which increasingly engage upon relative rotation and at least one tab on the ring which increasingly engages a lip on the basket upon relative rotation. The tab and ramps are oriented such that braking of the basket at the end of a spin cycle results in increased interlocking of the basket and ring.

Balancing ring and attachment means for automatic washer

An improved delay mechanism for providing a delay in the spin cycle of an automatic washer is operated by means of a resilient spring driver pivotable about a stud rotating on an eccentric, which in turn is engageable with a spin gear only in one direction of rotation, and thereby provides a delay of substantially one revolution of the eccentric upon a change in direction of rotation of the eccentric.

Automatic washer energy absorbing spin delay mechanism

A shipping system for an automatic washer is provided wherein a split block upper shipping brace locks into position as it is installed to secure the upper portion of the basket and a lower shipping brace is attached to the foot holes on the base and connected by a retainer to a boss on the transmission to secure the movable mechanism of the washer against excessive movement during shipping, wherein removal of the shipping means is compelled prior to normal operation.

Growing community of inventors

St. Joseph Township, MI, United States of America

Richard L Fanson