Textiles: fluid treating apparatus – Machines – Impulsing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2001-05-08
Stinson, Frankie L. (Department: 1743)
Textiles: fluid treating apparatus
Machines
Impulsing
C068S02300A
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227013
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clothes washing machine, and more specifically to a wash plate therefor having fins and triangular protrusions positioned along its surface to distribute wash liquid and clothes evenly and enhance washability.
2. Description of the Related Art
The general construction of clothes washers is well known in the art. A common type of washing machine is the vertical axis washer having an agitator and incorporating a submersion process. An imperforate tub is mounted in a perforated wash basket for receiving clothing and the tub is filled with a wash liquid of detergent and water. An oscillating agitator imparts mechanical energy to the submerged clothing.
There have been advances in agitator washers improving the overall energy efficiency such as the vertical axis washer described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,627 (Cur et al.) that uses less energy and water through an improved wash process.
Additionally, since a relatively large amount of water is used to submerge the clothes in an agitator washer, alternate clothes washers have been developed that do not require a conventional agitator. One type of agitatorless washer that does not require complete submersion of clothes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,955 (Mueller). The washer in this patent has a wash basket disposed within a tub and rotatable about a vertical axis. A bottom plate is disposed within the lower portion of the wash basket and is mounted for a wobbling motion. This wobbly motion within the tub agitates and distributes the clothes during washing.
Furthermore, clothes washers range from those not having a wash plate to those having a wash plate that enhances washability. For example, the washer described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,802,356 (Kirby) does not have a wash plate or agitator. Instead, the wash basket is mounted for providing a wobbly motion within the tub. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,380 (Lim et al.), the pulsator, or wash plate, is designed with a plurality of radial ribs to cause a vortex flow within the rotatable tub. The ribs have axial holes to pass air bubbles to the tub. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,167 (Wyatt et al.), a wash plate having a clothes deflector is described. This wash plate is designed to seal the wash plate against the wash basket.
For clothes washers having a wash plate, it is desirable to have one that increases washability and reduces twisting and damaging of the clothes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a wash plate for an automatic clothes washer. Typically the washer has an imperforate wash tub, a rotatable wash basket provided within the tub and a wobble
utate wash plate within the wash basket. The clothes washer has a drive system for rotating the wash basket and wobbling
utating the wash plate.
It is an object of the invention to provide a wash plate with a center area and a surrounding skirt area having a substantially circular outer perimeter. There is a hub extending upwardly from the center of the wash plate and fins and protrusions encircling the hub and extending upwardly from the wash plate. The hub is at a height greater than that of the fins and the fins are at a height greater than that of the protrusions.
It is an object of the invention to provide a wash plate having at least three fins extending upwardly from the skirt so as to divide the skirt area into at least three substantially equal sections. A plurality of protrusions extend upwardly from the skirt area and are provided within each of the sections.
It is a further object of the invention to provide at least three fins on the wash plate. Each fin has a left and a right planar side and a top and a bottom edge. Each fin is connected to the skirt area along its bottom edge and extends radially away from the hub toward the skirt perimeter. The top edge of each fin is positioned further from the skirt near the hub than near the skirt perimeter. The fins are integrally molded to the wash plate.
Another object of the invention is to provide protrusions that are polygonal in shape and are integrally molded to the wash plate. The protrusions have three planar faces, each face being substantially triangularly shaped. Each face has three angles and one angle of each face meets at a common point making each protrusion substantially a three-sided pyramid.
It is an object of the invention to provide three protrusions within each of the sections. Therefore, there are fins defining equal sections, and three protrusions are positioned within each of the three sections.
It is a further object of the invention to provide protrusions on the skirt at different radial lengths from the hub. Each section has a middle protrusion and two outer protrusions. The middle protrusion is positioned at a first length from the hub and the outer two protrusions are positioned at a second length from the hub.
An object of the invention is to provide a wash plate having a substantially circular center area with a hub extending upwardly therefrom. A skirt area surrounds the center area and has an outer perimeter. Three fins are spaced equidistantly on and extend upwardly from the skirt area. The fins extend substantially radially away from the center area and define three equal sections. Two outside and one inside multi-faced protrusions extend upwardly from the skirt within each section.
Further, it is an object of the invention to provide a wash plate having a skirt that defines an upwardly sloping surface from the outer perimeter toward the hub.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1688031 (1928-10-01), Altorfer
patent: 1712755 (1929-05-01), Dieten
patent: 1747750 (1930-02-01), Beatty
patent: 3736775 (1973-06-01), Smith
patent: 4494390 (1985-01-01), Hayashi et al.
patent: 4987627 (1991-01-01), Cur et al.
patent: 5253380 (1993-10-01), Lim et al.
patent: 5353612 (1994-10-01), Noguchi et al.
patent: 5460018 (1995-10-01), Werner et al.
patent: 5504955 (1996-04-01), Mueller et al.
patent: 5595072 (1997-01-01), Bai et al.
patent: 5619870 (1997-04-01), Kim et al.
patent: 5791167 (1998-08-01), Wyatt et al.
patent: 5839300 (1998-11-01), Yoon et al.
patent: 6070439 (2000-06-01), Jung
patent: 10050 (1933-11-01), None
patent: 1129655 (1956-09-01), None
patent: 62-201189 (1987-09-01), None
patent: 1-146575 (1989-06-01), None
patent: 1-320089 (1989-12-01), None
Rice Robert O.
Roth Thomas J.
Stinson Frankie L.
Van Winkle Joel M.
Whirlpool Corporation
LandOfFree
Wash plate for a clothes washer does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Wash plate for a clothes washer, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Wash plate for a clothes washer will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2468336