Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Fluid treatment – Manipulation of liquid
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-01
2003-12-23
El-Arini, Zeinab (Department: 1746)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Fluid treatment
Manipulation of liquid
C008S159000, C068S012120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06665899
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from my application WASHING MACHINE AND THE WASHING CONTROL METHOD filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Sep. 19, 2000 and there duly assigned Serial No. 54981/2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fully automated washing machine, and more particularly to a washing machine and its washing method adapted to form a variety of water current according to power multi-switched by a power switching motor operated being separated from a drainage motor, thereby embodying a new washing method appropriate to cloths.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A water tub
1
according to the prior art includes, as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a driving motor
3
formed at a bottom external side thereof for generating a driving force, and power transmission means
2
centrally formed at a bottom surface, a drainage hole
1
a
connected to a drainage hose
4
disposed at a predetermined distance from the power transmission means
2
for draining water in the water tub
1
and a drainage motor
6
arranged at a predetermined distance from the drainage hole
1
a
for controlling the drainage hole
1
a.
FIG. 2
is a schematic drawing for illustrating power transmission means
2
according to the prior art, where the means
2
is mounted with a pulley
12
at a lower tip end relative to periphery of a driving shaft
10
, with the pulley
12
coupled by a driving shaft coupling
14
at an upper side thereof, and the driving shaft coupling
14
is rotably provided thereon with a gear case
16
.
The gear case
16
is mounted at an upper periphery thereof with a rotable drum
18
and the drum
18
is equipped at an upper inner peripheral surface thereof with a driven shaft coupling
20
. The driven shaft coupling
20
is mounted thereon with a spin-dry tub
24
coupled by a plurality of bolts
22
. The spin-dry tub
24
is equipped thereon with a pulsator
28
via a bolt
26
, and is also arranged with a unidirectional clutch bearing
46
abraded by rotational direction of the gear case
16
to rotate the gear case to one direction.
At an upper periphery of the driving shaft coupling
14
and at a lower periphery end of the gear case
16
there is mounted a clutch spring
30
and the clutch spring
30
is peripherally formed with a clutch holder
32
while the clutch holder
32
is peripherally provided with a sleeve member
36
via a brake ring
34
.
The clutch spring
30
is connected at one tip end thereof to the gear case
16
while the clutch holder
32
is connected to the other tip end thereof. The sleeve member
36
is formed at one side thereof with a clutch lever
38
, while the clutch lever
38
and brake lever
40
are cooperatively moved by a connecting lever
42
connected to the drainage motor
6
.
The drainage motor
6
is installed at one side thereof with a connecting bracket
8
via a steel wire
8
a
for controlling the power transmission means
2
and opening and closing of a drainage hole
1
a.
The connecting bracket
8
is cooperated to the drainage motor
6
during its operation at a first step to activate the brake lever
40
connected to the connecting lever
42
at the power transmission means
2
and simultaneously open the drainage hole
1
a.
In the power transmission means
2
thus constructed, when the washing course is selected, the drainage motor becomes inoperated, while, simultaneously the driving shaft coupling
14
, driving shaft
10
and the pulsator
28
connected to the power line are rotated to form water current to water supplied to the spin-dry tub
24
and to agitate the laundry.
Meanwhile, when the spin-dry course is selected, the connected bracket
8
is pulled via the steel wire
8
a
connected to one side of the drainage motor
6
according to operation of the drainage motor at its first step while the connecting bracket
8
pulls a cap that has been blocking the drainage hole
1
a
with the connecting lever
42
connected to one side thereof, to thereby drain the water in the water tub
1
through the drainage hose
4
connected to the drainage hole
a.
In other words, the washing machine is disposed with a unidirectional brake band
44
formed at a periphery of the drum
18
for controlling the rotation of the spin-dry tub
24
in the water tub
1
and the pulsator
28
, a unidirectional clutch bearing
46
formed at a periphery of the gear case
16
, a clutch spring
30
for connecting and disconnecting the power between a washing axle line (by way of example, the driving shaft coupling connected to the driving shaft) and a spin-dry axle line (by way of example, the gear case), and the drainage motor
6
formed at a bottom side of the water tub
1
for controlling the operation of the unidirectional brake band
44
and the clutch spring
30
and opening and closing of the drainage hole
1
a.
However, there is a problem in the washing machine thus constructed according to the prior art in that the drum
18
is braked not to rotate to both directions by operations of the unidirectional brake band
44
and unidirectional clutch bearing
46
and the washing axle line is rotated while power with the spin-dry axle line is disconnected by unwinding operation of the clutch spring
30
, such that the pulsator
28
is rotated forward and backward while the spin-dry tub
24
is not rotated during the washing course to thereby prevent from making more than one kind of water current.
There is another problem in that the water current made by the pulsator
28
which is relatively strong cannot adequately cope with a variety of cloths, thereby damaging the cloths.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine adapted in clutch structure to have a power switching motor for controlling a brake band and a clutch spring in multi-stage and for determining water current embodiment and washing method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a washing control method for embodying various water current according to the clutch structure and operation of drainage motor to cope with varying clothes and to make an adequate water current for protection of clothes thereby preventing in advance damage to the cloths.
In accordance with one object of the present invention, there is provided a fully automated washing machine, the washing machine comprising:
a spin-dry tub rotably disposed in a water tub and connected to a drum and a gear case via a power line;
a pulsator rotably disposed in the spin-dry tub and connected to a driving shaft coupling and a driving shaft via power line;
a brake band for braking and releasing the rotation of the drum;
a clutch spring for disconnecting and connecting the power of the driving shaft coupling and the gear case; and
power switching motor for controlling in multi-stage operations of clutch spring and the brake band.
In accordance with another object of the present invention, there is provided a washing method comprising:
a first washing mode wherein only a pulsator is repeated in forward and backward rotations while a power switching motor is inoperative;
a second washing mode wherein the pulsator and a spin-dry tub conversely repeat forward and backward rotations according to a first step control of the power switching motor;
a third washing mode therein the spin-dry tub and the pulsator repeat forward and backward rotation in one direction according to a second step control of the power switching motor; and
a fourth washing mode wherein the pulsator rotates in forward and backward rotations according to forward and backward rotations of a driving motor while the spin-dry tub repeats only forward rotation under the third washing mode.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5327603 (1994-07-01), Roh et al.
patent: 5469719 (1995-11-01), Imai et al.
Lee Joon-Yeop
Lee Ki-Su
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
El-Arini Zeinab
LandOfFree
Washing machine and its washing method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Washing machine and its washing method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Washing machine and its washing method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3095922