US3783653A

US3783653A - Locking device for washing machine drums

Info

Publication number: US3783653A
Application number: US00272826A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Haerick
Original assignee: EM dHooge NV
Current assignee: EM dHooge NV
Priority date: 1972-07-18
Filing date: 1972-07-18
Publication date: 1974-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1991-01-08

Abstract

Improved locking device for washing machine drums of the type in which said drum''s periphery is fitted with one or more access doors, characterized in that it mainly consists of one or more hook-shaped components fitted to one side border of a curved door; of one shaft assembled in a rotary manner with regard to the drum wall and, fitted to this shaft, of devices operating together with said hook-shaped components when the door involved is being closed, all this for the purpose of both locking and tightening said door in its guides.

Description

United States Patet 9 1 Haerick Jan. 8, 1974 LOCKING DEVICE FOR WASHING 2,921,710 l/1960 Hutterer 68/143 x MACHINE DRUMS 3,513,672 5/1970 Macoh et a] 68/210 A d H [75 1 Invent fil g? amck Primary ExaminerWill1am I. Price Attorney-Richards & Geier [73] Assignee: Em. DHooge N.V., Ledeberg,

elgum 57 ABSTRACT 22 F1 d: 1 1 7 y 9 2 Improved locking device for washing machine drums PP 272,826 of the type in which said drums periphery is fitted with one or more access doors, characterized in that it 52 US. Cl. 68/145 mainly wk-Shaped [51 1111. c1. D06f 39/14 fitted one Side bmde' a curved 58 Field of Search 68/139 142 143 Shaft assembled in a "nary manner with regard 4 68/144: the drum wall and, fitted to this shaft, of devices operating together with said hook-shaped components [56] References Cited when the door involved is being closed, all this for the UNITED STATES PATENTS purpose of both locking and tightening said door in its uides. 2,051,014 8/1936 Strobridge 68/143 g 2,438,737 3/1948 Batina 68/143 7 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PAI'ENTEO 81974 3. 783.653

sum a nr 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM 1 LOCKING DEVICE FOR WASHING MACHINE DRUMS This invention concerns an improved locking device for washing machine drums, more particularly for drums on the periphery of which one or more access doors have been provided for.

It is commonly known that up to this day, the access doors for such drums show a flat design in which said doors form a section of the chord of a drum diameter segment and in which the second section of said chord is formed by a solid structure, generally with additional reinforcements in the shape of a binding joint, of ribs or similar.

The'important inconvenience of such drums is that, first, they require a heavy structure because of the centrifugal force to which they are exposed and, second,

that in this manner a significant part of the drum space will remain unused.

This invention concerns an improved locking device for such drums, which device will allow for fitting curved doors, so that the structural design may be significantly lighter and drum space may be fully used, while the design itself will be exceptionally simple.

This improved locking device for washing machine drums according to the invention and with regard to the type in which the drums periphery is fitted with one or more access doors, consists for this purpose mainly of one or more hook-shaped components fitted to one side edge of the curved door; of one axis assembled in a rotary manner with regard to the drum wall and, fitted to this axis, of devices operating together with said hook-shaped components when the door involved is being closed, all this for the purpose of simultaneously locking and tightening said door in its guides.

In order to emphasize the inventions characteristic features, we shall detail hereinafter, as an example and without restriction, a preferential design by referring to the drawings hereto-attached, in which FIG. 1 shows the front view of a drum fitted with an improved locking device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 represents a section of line 11-11 in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 show the larger scale of components pointed out in FIG. 2 by, respectively, F3, F4, F5 and F6;

FIG. 7 represents a partial view according to pointer F7 in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 represent, respectively, sections according to lines VIII-VIII, IX-IX and X-X in FIG. 7;

FIGS. 11 and 12 show two characteristic positions of the locking device according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a drum 1 formed mainly by a cylindrical outer wall 2 and by two end faces 3-4. This drums inside is separated into three equal compartments 5-6-7 by means of partitions 8-9-10 attached to one common shaft 11.

To the cylindrical outer wall 2 will be fitted, in this case, two U-shaped

guides

12 and 13 while, between said guides and in the drum wall has been arranged, for each respective compartment 5-6-7 an access opening 14-15 and 16.

Instead of forming a border for said openings 14-1- 5-16, drum wall 2 has been bent outwards in order to form a catch component, respectively 17-18 and 19, while stop components in the shape of small blocks 20-21 and 22 have been assembled in appropriate places of each

guide

12 and 13.

drawn from the centre point of said shaft 11 and the free outer ends of each door assembled in

said guides

12 and 13 in such a manner as to slide freely.

Each door 23-24-25 is formed mainly by a plate possibly reinforced in an appropriate manner, with one edge of said plate showing a part bent inwards, respectively 26-27 and 28, while the second edge has been fitted with evenly spaced hook-shaped locking components 29.

In this case, each door has been fitted with six components 29, each of said components showing in its outer plane a semi-cylindrical hollow 30 with all of said hollows 30 being arranged in a coaxial line.

Instead of the lateral borders of each opening 14-1- 5-16, two small blocks 31-32 for each component 29 have been provided for on drum wall 2 and facing said

catch components

17 and 19, which small blocks are spaced in such a manner as to just allow intermediate motion of the corresponding component 29.

Each of the various pairs of small blocks 31-32 has been fitted with a cylindrical hole 33 with said holes 33 being arranged in a coaxial line; through these various small blocks 31-32 has been passed a shaft 34 that will pass, at the same time, through the outer wall of the U-

shaped guides

12 and 13 while each end of said shaft has been fitted with an appropriate operating device formed, e.g., by a lever, respectively 35 and 36.

Said shaft shows between each pair of small blocks 31-32 semi-cylindrical parts 37.

Operating the lock device according to the invention is quite simple and as follows When any door 23-24 or 25 is in open condition, like for instance in FIGS. 1 and 2, with regard 'to door 24, then the rear border 27 of said door will rest on the small blocks 21 concerned. In this position, the compartment involved, in this case compartment 6, can be filled with the wash.

For the purpose of closing door 24, we slide said door manually, or by means of an appropriate device not shown here, in

guides

12 and 13 until the hook-shaped components 29 engage between said

small blocks

31 and 32. At this moment, shaft 34 will be in such a position that the semi-cylindrical parts 37 will be directed outwards as shown by FIG. 11 and in such a manner that the hook-shaped components 29 are allowed to pass underneath said parts 37.

Subsequently we only have to rotate shaft 34 by means of devices 35-36 by in order to obtain that the cylindrical part of the semi-cylindrical parts 37 engages into the various hollows 30 of the hook-shaped components 29 with the result, that door 24 will be locked in a convenient manner against drum wall 2 while being tightened against said guides 13-14 in such a manner as to prevent any motion thereof while the drum is revolving.

Said bent edges 17-18 and 19 of the drum wall will be, preferably, arranged in such a manner as to operate, when the door involved is closed, together with the doors correspondingly bent parts 26-27-28.

In this manner we obtain an extremely simple locking device that will both lock and tighten the door, thus allowing to use doors of simple and light-weight design with a curved shape for maximum use of drum capacity.

It is self-understood that, generally, said doors will be provided with fixtures that allow for controlled opening and closing of said doors.

It is also self-understood that said fixtures 35-36 may be replaced in any suitable manner by mechanical or other devices controlling the rotary motion of shaft 34.

This invention will in no way be limited to the designs detailed as examples and shown by the drawings hereto-attached and a locking device of this nature may be materialized in multiple shapes and measurements without exceeding the limits of this invention.

What I claim is 1. Improved locking device for washing machine drums of the type in which said drum s periphery is fitted with one or more access doors, characterized in that it mainly consists of one or more hook-shaped components fitted to one side border of a curved door; of one shaft assembled in a rotary manner with regard to the drum wall and devices connected with said shaft and operating together with said hook-shaped components when the door involved is being closed for the purpose of both locking and tightening said door in its guides.

2. Improved locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that said hook-shaped components are formed by small blocks, the surface of which shows a semi-cylindrical hollow.

3. Improved locking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the centre lines of said semicylindrical hollows of the various small blocks are arranged in a coaxial line.

4. Improved locking device according to claim 3, characterized in that a rotary shaft has been fitted, for each door, to the drum wall, while said shaft is showing, opposite to each hook-shaped component of the door involved, a semi-cylindrical part.

5. Improved locking device according to claim 4, characterized in that said shafts semi-cylindrical part shows a length equivalent to or somewhat greater than the width of said hook-shaped components fitted to the door.

6. Improved locking device according to claim 5, characterized in that a small block has been fitted at each outer end of a semi-cylindrical part of said shaft to the drum wall.

7. Improved locking device according to claim 6, characterized in that the free outer ends of said shaft are connected to devices that will allow for rotating said shaft by

Claims

1. Improved locking device for washing machine drums of the type in which said drum''s periphery is fitted with one or more access doors, characterized in that it mainly consists of one or more hook-shaped components fitted to one side border of a curved door; of one shaft assembled in a rotary manner with regard to the drum wall and devices connected with said shaft and operating together with said hook-shaped components when the door involved is being closed for the purpose of both locking and tightening said door in its guides.

3. Improved locking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the centre lines of said semi-cylindrical hollows of the various small blocks are arranged in a coaxial line.

5. Improved locking device according to claim 4, characterized in that said shaft''s semi-cylindrical part shows a length equivalent to or somewhat greater than the width of said hook-shaped components fitted to the door.

7. Improved locking device according to claim 6, characterized in that the free outer ends of said shaft are connected to devices that will allow for rotating said shaft by 180*.