Dishwasher

May 28, 1935

2,003,003

R. E, MARBURY

DISHWASHER

Filed Nov. 11, 1931

Sheets-Sheet 1

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WITNESSES:

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INVENTOR

Ralph E. Marbury.

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May 28, 1935. r. e. marbury 2,003,003

DISHWASHER . Filed Nov. 11, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2

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May 28, 1935. r. e. marbury 2,003,003

DISHWASHER Filed Nov. 11, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3

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Patented May 28, 1935

2,003,003

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,M3,MS DISHWASHER Ralph E. Marbury, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Efectric A Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania

Application November 11,1931, Serial No. 574,253

Claims.

My invention relates to household appliances and more particularly to dish washers.

An object ot my Invention Is to provide a relatively simple and highly efficient dish washer.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dish washer that shall have a minimum number of operating parts.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dish washer that shall be self cleansing and be 10 easy to maintain in sanitary condition at all· times.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dish washer that shall embody means for preventing water from the tub entering a motor dels pending therefrom.

In practicing my invention I provide a container or tub having a motor depending therefrom and supported thereby, and a motor shaft extending into the tub and engageable by a re20 movable impeller unit. A water inlet pipe enters the container near its upper edge and a rotatable spray pipe, supported on the inside of a hinged cover, engages the Inlet pipe when the cover is closed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 Is a view in front elevation of a sink with which is associated a dish washer embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section therethrough 30 taken on the line H—Π of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an exploded view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, of a part of a dish washer embodying my invention and showing more particularly a rotatable spray pipe,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, of a water inlet pipe,

Fig. 5 is a partial view, in front elevation, of a rotatable spray pipe,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a fluid-guide and 40 tray-supporting member, and

Fig. 7 is a view, mainly in vertical section, through the motor and impeller unit,

I have illustrated my improved dish washer as constituting an integral part of a sink structure 45 shown generally at I f in Fig. 1 of the drawings. This sink structure is of the usual construction now provided in many homes and includes a back wail 12 and the usual depressed sink 13 with a front apron 14, all of the usual or standard 50 kind. A tub or container 16 may constitute an integral part of the structure 11, and, while I have elected to illustrate and describe the parts or elements more particularly constituting my invention as applied to a stationary structure, my in99 vention is not limited thereto, but the container (CL 141—9) and the other parts associated therewith may be made in the form of a movable device, and is well known to those skilled in this particular art.

A drain pipe 17 is provided for the sink portion 13 and water inlet pipes controlled by a usual 5 fixture 13 may also be provided. The drain 17 is connected to an outlet pipe 19 and the tub or container 16 is provided with a suitable outlet pipe 21 which is opened or closed by an actuating handle 22 or by any suitable similar means effective 10 for the desired purpose. The outlet 2i is connected to pipe 19 by suitable means designated generally by the numeral 23 in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The tub 16 has a water inlet pipe 26 entering ie the same near the upper rear edge thereof immediately below a hinged cover 27, which is pivotally supported by a plurality of suitable hinges 28 secured to the back wall 12.

A rotatable spray pipe assembly is illustrated go more particularly in Figs. 3 to 5 Inclusive of the drawings and includes a fixed tubular socket 31 which may be located substantially centrally of the cover 27 and which has one end of a radiallyextending spray inlet pipe 32 connected thereto, 25 the other end of the pipe 32 fitting tightly into a block 33 held against the under surface of the cover 27 by any suitable means not shown in the drawings. The block 33 has an opening therethrough, indicated by the broken lines to provide 30 a conduit 34 of substantially S-shape, one end of which registers with one end of the spray inlet pipe 32 and the other end of which is adapted to fit tightly over the Inwardly projecting end 36 of inlet pipe 26 when the cover is closed so that 35 water flowing through pipe 26 may flow also through conduit 34 and into pipe 32. The opening in pipe 26 extends downwardly at the inner end of portion 36, as is indicated at 37 in Fig. 4 of the drawings, so that if it is desired to admit 40 water into the tub 16 at a time when the cover 27 is in its open position, the water will flow downwardly, thereby preventing splashing thereof on an operator who may be standing in front of the tub 16. 45

A rotatable spray structure mounted on the socket 31 includes a top hub 38 having a central opening 39 therein of such size as to fit over the socket 31. A pair of radially-extending tubular wings or conduits 41 and 42 have their inner ends 50 fitting into the hub 38 which is provided with radially-extending openings 43 therein to permit water to flow into the radial wings 41 and 42. These tubular members are closed at their outer ends and are severally provided with a number 55 >003 poses, but my invention Is not limited to these specific details, as any other elements operative for the same purpose may be utilized.

The upper end 52 of bearing bracket 11 is made of lesser diameter and is provided with s internal screw threads so that the motor and the bearing bracket may be suspended from the hushing 12 by being screwed thereon, this screwthreaded engagement being made tight enough to compress the upper annular gasket 74 and a iu lower outer gasket 83 to ensure a fluid-tight joint and closure of the opening 11. I may here state that while the upper portion 82 directly engaging the budling 12 is illustrated as being integral with the bearing bracket 17, my invention 15 is not limited to this particular construction and I may utilize an upper member directly engaging the bushing 72, which is made separate from the part of the bearing bracket directly engaging the housing 16 as may be found necessary 20 or desirable for construction or assembly purposes. The lower portion of the tubular bushing 72 has an annular recess 84 therein by the provision of an inner annular flange 86.

An inner bearing sleeve 91 surrounds the up- 23 per portion 92 of rotor shaft 78, the lower end portion 93 thereof fitting within the annulus II, hereinbefore described, and being adapted to compress a fluid tight packing 94 inside of the annulus 16, which, as shown in Fig. 7 of the 30 drawings, is provided with a lower annular portion 96 to retain the packing 94 in its proper operative position. The upper end portion of member 91 is provided with external screw threads fitting and screwing into internal threads 33 in bushing 72, whereby the packing 94 may be tightly compressed.

The upper end of member 91 is provided with an annular recess 97 in which is located an upper packing 98 which is held in place and compressed 40 by an upper sleeve 99 which is, in turn, held within the opening 97 by a nut 101, the lower end of which has screw-threaded engagement with the upper end portion of member 91.

It is very desirable, if not necessary, that fluid 45 which may be located in the tub 16, be prevented from entering the motor structure depending therefrom, which fluid might find its way along - the external periphery of shaft 92. In order to prevent this, I provide two annular recesses 102 and 103 in member 91 intermediate its ends and, therefore, intermediate the two packings 94 and 98. A plurality of openings 104 in member 91 extend downwardly and slightly outwardly from the annular recesses 102 and f 03. Extended op- 55 eration of the device has shown that any water flowing downwardly along the shaft 92 past the sleeve 99 and through the packing 98 will be thrown radially outwardly when it reaches the annular recesses 102 and 103, and, as the open- 50 ings 104 communicate with the outer portions of these recesses, and particularly the lower portions thereof, any fluid thus trapped will flow downwardly into the recess 84 from which it may be conducted away from the motor structure by ¢5 a pipe 106. It may be noted by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings that this pipe is connected by suitable intermediate members to the outlet pipe 19.

A removable impeller unit includes a conical 70 sleeve 111 of tubular shape, the lower opening 112 therein being of such internal diameter as to fit snugly over the nut 101 to be centered thereby. The upper reduced portion 113 has a bearing sleeve 114 therein in which is located a rotatable 75

2,003 of relatively small openings 44 which are located at opposite sides of the two members so that water flawing out of these openings and, therefore, substantially tangentially to the axis of the tub, will cause this hub to rotate.

Means for holding the hub in its proper operative position on the socket >1 may include a bolding nut or stop 44 which Is also of tubular shape and provided with an enlarged flange inter10 fitting with the hub 30, and an upper extension 47 having screw-threads thereon, which engage internal screw-threads in the lower part of the tubular socket 31. A bottom spray pipe 48 has its upper end in tight engagement with a bottom 15 piece 4· which is of conical tubular shape, the upper enlarged end portion having inner screwthreads fitting onto the lower portion Si of hub 38. The Intermediate part of member 49 is provided with a plurality of radially-extending rela20 tively small openings 52 through which water may flow. Spray pipe 48 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially distributed small water outlet openings 53 and more particularly with two slots 54 and 55 at its bottom end, which slots may 25 be of substantially 90° in arcuate extent and which are made wide enough so that a substantial quantity of water may be admitted therethrough. It may be here pointed out that I consider the provision of these arcuate slots in the end of the 30 spray pipe 48, which end is of semi-spherical shape, as an important element in my improved dish washer, as the water emitted therefrom is in the shape of a fiat spray of fan shape. The width of the slots 54 and 55 is such that, as here35 inbefore stated, a considerable quantity of water may flow therethrough, which operation together with the rotating motion of the pipe will be particularly effective in rinsing dishes after they have been cleansed of adhering matter.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, I have illustrated a wire basket 51 of open construction in which dishes, such as plates 62, may be stood on edge with their soiled Inner surfaces facing the axis of the tub 16. I have found it 45 preferable to place the flat tableware, such as plates, in the bottom of the wire basket 61 and cups 63 and tumblers 64 in an upper portion of container 61, substantially as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The inside of the cups and 50 tumblers should also point inwardly in order that, water from the openings 52 and 53 in the rotatable sprayer may be forced into the inside of these dishes.

Referring now to Fig. 7 of the drawings, it 55 may be noted that the tub 16 is provided with an opening 71 in the bottom wall thereof, In which opening there is located an outer bushing 72 which has an integral enlarged flange 73 at Its upper end resting upon a suitable gasket 60 74 in order to cooperate with other elements to provide a watertight closure for tfce bottom of the tub. A driving-motor structure includes a motor housing 76 having a bearing bracket 77 either integral therewith or secured thereto in 65 a manner well known In the art. The housing 76 has located therein the usual stator structure of a motor (not shown in the drawings) and a rotor structure (not specifically shown in the drawings) is indicated more particularly by a 70 rotor shaft 78, the upper end of which is maintained in proper operative position within the bearing bracket Π by a ball bearing 79 located in a bearing flange 81 of usual construction. I have illustrated certain details of the shaft of 75 the upper bearing structure for illustrative pur9,008,003 3 stub shaft ί 13 provided with a groove I IT at its lower end into which a tongue I ITa on the upper end of shaft 32 may fit to effect a driving connection therebetween.

An impeller structure lit has screw-threaded engagement with the upper end of shaft 116 which projects beyond the thrust sleeve bearing 114 and any suitable or desired number of vanes or blades 119 may be provided. It may be noted 10 that the impeller structure including more particularly the impeller III and the supporting sleeve III, may be easily and quickly removed from operative engagement with the upwardly projecting end portion of shaft 92 and its sur15 rounding bearing structure and that so long as it is in operative engagement therewith and the impeller is being driven by the motor, the reactive thrust on the vanes III will maintain such operative driving engagement.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings, 121 indicates a fluid-guiding and tray supporting member, including a tubular shroud 122 surrounding the impeller blades I IS, a substantially flat annular portion lit at the bottom of shroud 25 122 and a plurality of flat radially-extending guide and supporting portions 124 whose upper edges are secured to the lower surface of annulus 123 and whose lower edges conform to the surface of the sleeve III. This provides not only 30 a support for the basket 81, but also ensures that the water actuated by the impeller will move in a proper path from the outside of the tub and between the conical surface of member 111 and the annulus 123, the thin vertical members 124 35 preventing swirling of the water circumferentially of the axis of the impeller.

If it is desired to operate the dish washer, the larger plates and similar tableware will be placed in positions shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, 40 standing on edge and preferably having the upper edges thereof located farther radially outwardly than the lower edges thereof, the tumblers and silverware being located at the top of the basket 61. Upon closure of the cover 2T, hot 45 water may be turned on to enter the pipe 26 from which it will flow through conduit 34 into the fixed pipe 32 and outwardly through the spray structure shown more particularly in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive of the drawings, and, I prefer to permit 50 such a quantity of water to enter the tub as to bring the fluid level thereof to substantially the broken lines indicated by 131 in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The motor may be energized coincident with the admission of water to the tub, and, 55 by actual observation, I have determined that the water thrown upwardly by the impeller 113 when there is but a small quantity of water in the tub barely sufficient to be agitated or moved by the blades, will be thrown substantially ver60 tically upwardly inside of the tubular member 122, the general shape of the path of the water drops or particles being that of a spiral whose initial travel is vertically upwardly and then spirally outwardly.

As the quantity of water in the tub increases, the spiral path changes, as does also the vertically-upward path, the former becoming more and more radial and the latter becoming more and more angularly radially outwardly. This 70 will be especially the case when the level of the water is substantially that indicated by the broken line 131, at which time there will be an efficient surging action, as well as a highly efficient circulation of the water, the surging action 75 being sufficient to remove soil adhering to the plates by a scouring action while the circulation of the water presents fresh water, so to speak, to assist in softening the adhering soil which may then be more easily removed by the surging action of the water. 5

If an excessive quantity of water be located in the tub, as for instance if the water level is at the broken line 132 of Fig. 2, the surging action will be greatly decreased and the water will be merely circulated, but with relatively little dy- 10 namic force therein. Because of the path of the circulating water being radially upwardly and outwardly, an efficient cleansing action on the entire surfaces of plates 12 and other dishes is effected and it is not essential that a minimum 15 number only of such dishes be placed in the basket as the circulation of the water will effect a cleansing of all of the dishes within a relatively short time, it being understood, of course, that suitable soap or soap powders may be provided to assist 20 in cutting and removing any greasy soil.

After the dishes located within the tub 13 have been thoroughly cleansed, the drain may be opened and the water permitted to flow out of the tub. Then the dishes are rinsed by admitting 25 water to the inlet pipe 23 which will then flow out of the spray structure hereinbefore described, the reactive effect of the water Sowing through the openings 44 in pipes 41 and 42 causing a rotation of the spray structure. A relatively large 30 volume of water will flow out of the spray pipe 48 through the openings 54 and 55, this spray being of fan shape and rotating so that an efficient rinsing action of the hot water on the dishes will be obtained, while at the same time water 35 flowing outwardly through the openings 52 will effect a rinsing action of tableware located in the upper part of the wire container 51. It is not necessary that the drain from the tub be closed during the rinsing action, thereby permitting an 40 effective flushing action of the entire interior of the machine.

Extended experiments with a bearing structure of the kind shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings has indicated that there is little or no leakage of 45 water flowing downwardly along shaft 92 into the motor structure, but that there is an appreciable drainage out through pipe 183, thus showing that the device particularly embodying my bearing structure is highly efficient in precluding entrance 50 of water into the motor structure.

The device embodying my invention thus provides a relatively simple and highly efficient structure for, first, washing and then rinsing dishes which may be placed in a container, the 55 structure embodying relatively few and simple parts highly efficient for the desired purpose.

Various modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only 60 such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are set forth in the appended claims.