Whirlpool Corporation

Victor W Cuthbert

Robert A Brenner

Anthony Mason

Brenner Martin Sharp

Albert T Braga

Vonda K Johnston

Joseph H Zahrn, Jr

Joel M Snider

Gregory Gene Hortin

Jim J Pastryk

James Phillips Carow

Gerald L Kretchman

David W Carr

Daryl Lee Harmon

Mark H Nelson

Steven Edward Tolliver

Verne H Myers

Roger J Cartier

James R Peterson

Jean-Paul D Merlin

Andrew M Oltman

Steven J Mejeur

Eric M Coates

A drive and support system for a bottom plate disposed in the bottom of a wash basket of an automatic washer. The bottom plate is driven to radially gyrate or wobble within the wash basket by an output shaft which extends upwardly though the bottom and is rotatable in a first and second direction. A spin tube is disposed coaxially about the output shaft and has a top end which engages the bottom of the basket. The spin tube is co-rotatable in the second direction with the output shaft. A universal joint pivotably supports the wash plate about the top end of the spin tube. Drive means connect the wash plate with the upper end of the output shaft such that the wash plate is disposed in an angled orientation when the output shaft is driven in the first direction and the wash plate is disposed in a level orientation when the output shaft is driven in the second direction. In this manner, the bottom plate is supported for wobbling during the wash portion of the wash cycle and is supported in a level orientation during the spin extraction portion of the wash cycle.

Drive system for a vertical axis washer

A refrigerator having a cabinet which defines a freezer compartment having an access opening and a closure member for closing the access opening. An ice maker is disposed within the freezer compartment for forming ice pieces. An ice storage bin is mounted to the closure member below the ice maker for receiving ice from the ice maker. An ice level sensing finger extends from the ice maker into the ice storage bin for sensing the level of ice within the storage bin. A lever is pivotably connected to the ice maker and biased toward the closure member for lifting the ice level sensing finger out of the ice storage bin when the closure member is opened. The lever further operates to prevent the dispensing of ice pieces when the closure member is open.

Ice making and storage system for a refrigerator

In an automatic washer, a system of automatically positioning and holding a cylindrical basket having an opening provided with door flaps within a tub having a tub access opening such that the basket doors and tub access opening are aligned for loading and unloading clothes to and from the basket. The basket includes a stop opening disposed on the periphery wall of the basket. A motor is drivingly connected to a pulley which is drivingly connected to the wash basket such that the wash basket may be rotated about its horizontal axis. A control shaft is provided rotatably supported by the tub and having a main portion disposed adjacent the basket and an end extending external of the tub. A holding arm is supported adjacent the basket by the main portion of the control rod such that rotation of the control shaft moves the holding arm into the outer surface of the wash basket for engagement with the stop opening for rotationally positioning and holding the wash basket. A rotary positioning member or hub is rigidly attached to the externally extending end of the control shaft. A latching mechanism is disposed adjacent the hub for latching the hub in a predetermined angular position against a spring bias urging the holding arm toward the basket. A tripping mechanism is provided, associated with the pulley, for selectively engaging the latching mechanism for releasing the holding arm to rotate into the basket and engage the stop opening, thereby positioning and holding the basket in the desired position for loading and unloading clothes.

Basket positioning system for a top loading horizontal axis automatic

A system for automatically opening basket doors of an automatic washer. The automatic washer includes an enclosure having an opening provided with a lid hingedly connected to the enclosure for selectively covering the enclosure opening. An imperforate tub disposed within the enclosure surrounds a rotatable perforate wash basket having an opening for accessing the interior of the basket. A first door flap having an engagement opening and a second door flap having a catch portion extending therefrom are provided being hingedly mounted on opposite rims of the basket opening and being biased toward their open position and further being adapted to partially overlap one another in a closed position such that the catch portion engages the engagement opening for locking the first door flap and the second door flap in a closed position. A tab extends from the second door flap generally opposite the main portion of the second door flap beyond the hinged connection with the basket. A tab engagement arm is disposed adjacent the basket for selectively engaging the tab for disengaging the second door flap from the first door flap. The tab engagement arm is interconnected with the lid such that moving the lid from a closed position to an open position causes the tab engagement arm to disengage the respective door flaps.

System for automatically opening basket doors of a top loading

A top-loading horizontal axis automatic washer with improved accessibility to the wash basket interior and improved operating convenience of the basket doors. The washer cabinet is provided with an access opening extending partially along the front surface and top surface of the washer cabinet, providing the operator with improved access to the basket interior through an aligned tub opening and basket opening. A lid is provided on the cabinet top for selectively opening and closing the access opening. First and second door flaps are provided on the back and front edges, respectively, of the basket opening, serving as doors for selectively opening or closing the basket opening. The second door flap has an arc length approximately one-third the size of the first door flap. Both flaps are arranged so that, when opened, they are out of the path of loading and unloading clothes items from the basket. The door flaps are further arranged for simultaneous single-handed closing, whereby when the first door flap is moved from an open position to a closed position it overlaps the leading edge of the open second door flap, causing the second door flap to simultaneously move to a closed position.

Top loading horizontal axis automatic washer

A pulley system for an automatic washer wherein the automatic washer includes a wash basket rotatably disposed within a tub and a motor having a motor shaft for selectively rotating the wash basket about a horizontal axis. The pulley system is disposed between the motor and the basket for drivingly connecting the motor with the basket and includes a drive hub disposed external of the tub drivingly interconnected with the wash basket. A pulley having an inner surface slidably disposed about the outer diameter of the drive hub is provided such that the pulley may rotate a predetermined angular distance about the hub before drivingly engaging the drive hub for co-rotation. A trip arm is interconnected with the drive hub and the pulley and is adapted for selective partial extension beyond the outer periphery of the pulley in response to the direction of wash basket rotation. A belt is drivingly disposed about the motor shaft and the pulley for drivingly interconnecting the motor with the pulley.

Pulley system for automatic washer

A reversing drive for a triple action agitator is provided in which the agitator has an upper portion with helical grooves formed therein and a thruster barrel is received over the agitator upper portion. The thruster barrel has inwardly directed pegs which cammingly ride in the grooves to provide vertical movement to the thruster relative to the agitator. A two position clutch has an alternating rachet-type engagement between the agitator and the thruster to prevent rotary motion between the thruster and agitator when the agitator is rotating in a first direction, but to permit rotary motion between the thruster and agitator when the agitator is rotating in a second direction when the clutch is in a first position. When the clutch is in the second position, relative rotary motion is permitted when the agitator is rotating in the first direction and is prevented when the agitator is rotating in the second direction.

Reversing drive for triple action agitator

A cabinet construction for domestic appliances is provided in which four vertical side panels are secured to a horizontal base panel and each other by interlocking slot and tab means and two restraining bars securing the top ends of the side panels. A top panel is securable by slot and tab means and resilient snap fasteners so that the entire cabinet can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled. One or more of the side panels can be removed during operation of the appliance to view the interior mechanism for assistance in servicing.

Method of constructing a cabinet for an automatic washer

Cabinet construction for an automatic washer

A suds return valve for automatic washers is provided in which a flapper valve can be manually set to save suds water for subsequent use, the valve being automatically returned to direct rinse liquid to drain after the suds water has reached a predetermined height in a storage receptacle. The valve can be manually set to use suds water in a wash cycle and the valve would be automatically returned to send water to the drain after a predetermined amount of suds water has been removed from the storage receptacle.

Suds return valve for automatic washers

A rinse or detergent additive dispenser for use in a laundry appliance hangs inside a spin basket and has a first compartment to hold and retain additive during a wash portion of a cycle, and a second compartment communicating with the first compartment which is filled by centrifugal force imparted to the additive in the first compartment during a spin portion of a wash cycle. An opening in the bottom of the second compartment allows gravitational draining of the additive therein when the centrifugal force is removed when rotation of the spin basket ceases, allowing the additive to be dispensed. The first compartment and the automaic washer water inlet are constructed and disposed in registry so that as the dispenser passes under the water inlet during the spray rinse spin of the cycle, the dispenser is rinsed clean.

Rinse out centrifugally operated dispenser for automatic washer

An agitator for a vertical axis washing machine and for effecting uniform, repetitive oscillations about the machine axis has upper, lower and middle portions with different degrees of lost motion so that the agitator can achieve multiple stroke lengths and so relative motion can be effected between the vanes and the skirt, for example, because of different stroke lengths.

Agitator having vanes adjustable to provide different stroke lengths

Mounting apparatus for installing a food waste disposer in a sink in a bottom opening thereof wherein the disposer is moved downwardly through the opening and is clamped to the sink about the edge of the opening. A water inlet connector is mounted to the disposer subjacent the sink and a waste discharge conduit is mounted to the disposer below the water inlet connection. An improved clamp ring and locking ring structure are provided for effecting the clamping of the disposer to the sink opening edge. The water inlet connector is installed by movement downwardly through the upper end of the disposer and subsequently urging it outwardly through a horizontal opening of the disposer. The water discharge conduit includes a tubular element secured to the disposer by a strap clamp encircling the disposer.

Waste disposer mounting apparatus

A food waste disposal apparatus having an improved effluent recirculating structure for facilitating dislodging of waste material which may become lodged in the comminuting portion of the disposer. The recirculating structure includes a tubular wall member having a plurality of openings to the grinding chamber above the cutter-impeller structure. The tubular wall member is spaced inwardly of the housing to define therebetween an annular flow space for conducting a portion of the effluent delivered from the cutter-impeller outwardly to and inwardly through the wall member openings to provide the desired waste dislodging recirculation of the effluent.

Food waste disposal apparatus

An improved brush assembly for use in an electrical device having a wall spaced from a current-carrying element. The brush assembly includes a holder having a first portion and an opposite second portion with a through channel opening at its opposite end through the holder portions. A terminal is mounted to the brush holder to have a turned end thereof received in the channel. Tangs are formed integrally with the terminal end for locking the terminal to the brush holder. The locking action is preselected to resist displacement of the terminal from the brush holder notwithstanding application of biasing spring force against the terminal by the spring provided for urging the brush into electrical contact with the current-carrying element of the device. Resultingly, the brush assembly may be preassembled and inserted to between the spaced wall and current-carrying element whereby the base portion of the terminal may be captured between the brush holder and the wall to further retain the terminal in position on the brush holder in the assembled electrical device.

Growing community of inventors

Sodus Township, MI, United States of America

Victor W Cuthbert