The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 29, 1981
Filed:
May. 04, 1979
Anthony Mason, Lincoln Township, Berrien County, MI (US);
Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI (US);
Abstract
A transmission shift mechanism for use in a vertical axis automatic washing machine having reversible rotary drive means has a drive gear on which is mounted an eccentric for translating rotary motion into oscillatory motion in a plane perpendicular to the washing machine axis. The oscillatory motion is transmitted to the agitator shaft of a washing machine by a rack and pinion. The pinion is rotatably mounted on the agitator shaft and has teeth on a lower surface thereof which engage teeth on an upper surface of a sleeve co-rotatable with the agitator shaft to form a jaw clutch for driving the agitator shaft from the rack and pinion. A shifter fork also connected to the eccentric operates cams to raise the pinion out of engagement with the sleeve to disengage the jaw clutch when the eccentric is rotating in a first direction, and returns the clutch teeth to engagement when the eccentric rotates in an opposite direction.