Automatic home washing and dry cleaning mechanism

June 13, 1961 j. έ. mack 2,987,902

AUTOMATIC HOME WASHING AND DRY CLEANING MECHANISM

Filed Nov. 12, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1

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ATTORNEYS

June 13, 1961 j. e. mack 2,987,902

AUTOMATIC HOME WASHING AND DRY CLEANING MECHANISM

Filed Nov. 12, 1958

Sheets-Sheet 2

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June 13, 1961 j. _E. _MACK 2,987,902

AUTOMATIC HOME WASHING AND DRY CLEANING MECHANISM

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2,987,902

Patented June 13, 1961

United States Patent Office

2,987,902

AUTOMATIC HOME WASHING AND DRY CLEANING MECHANISM

Jack E. Mack, Scottsbluff, Nebr., assignor of one-half to J. H. Mack and one-half to Patrick K. Mack, both of Scottsbluff, Nebr.

Filed Nov. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 773,253

Claims. (Cl. 68—4)

The present invention relates to a combined washing and dry cleaning mechanism and more particularly to automatic cycling home washing and dry cleaning mechanism.

It is well known in the prior art to provide automatic cycling washing machines for home and commercial usage and automatic dry cleaning machines for commerical usage. So far as is known, however, no one has devised a combined automatic cycling washing and dry cleaning machine for home usage or for neighborhood rental to the home or apartment dwellers.

It, accordingly, is a primary object of this invention to provide a combined washing and dry cleaning machine for use by housewives.

A further important object of the present invention resides in the provision of an attachment that may be readily connected to an existing cycling home washer and dryer to provide the housewife with facilities for home dry cleaning of suits, draperies, and like articles used in and around the home now normally sent out to commercial dry cleaning establishments.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide simple dry cleaning fluid reservoir means having fluid connections and pump and control means adapted for inclusion in the fluid and electrical circuitry of a conventional cycling home washer to adapt the home washer for use as an automatic cycling dry cleaning plant for effectively dry cleaning, rinsing and drying clothes and fabrics now generally sent out by home owners to commercial dry cleaning establishments.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a conventional cycling home washer having a solenoid controlled water supply valve for supplying hot or a mixture of hot and cold water, a selectively operable drain pump, timer means, a motor driven wash tub and a shifter solenoid for selectively effecting low and high speed drive of the wash tub to effect a cycled water cleansing, rinsing and drying of fabrics with fluid means and electrical control circuitry for selectively by-passing the water supply valve and substituting therefor a supply of dry cleaning fluid to effect a cycled dry cleaning fluid cleansing, rinsing and drying of fabrics.

Further objects will appear from the following description and appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view illustrating the present invention in the form of a dry cleaning attachment unit adapted for converting an existing cycling home washing machine for use as a dry cleaning unit;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the washer and dry cleaning attachment unit of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the washer and dry cleaning attachment unit of FIGURE 1 with the rear cover plate of the washer removed to illustrate the simplicity of the connection of the dry cleaning attachment unit to an existing washing machine;

FIGURE 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating in dotted lines the control circuitry required for controlling the cycling operations of one conventional type of washer and illustrating in solid lines the additional circuitry for adapting the machine for selective dry cleaning usage;

FIGURE 5 is a piping diagram illustrating in dotted lines the conventional piping and valving provided for the washer of FIGURE 1 and in solid lines the additional piping and valving for adapting the machine for selective dry cleaning usage in solid lines;

FIGURE 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating in dotted lines the control circuitry required for controlling the cycling operations of one conventional type of washer and illustrating in solid lines additional circuitry for converting the control circuitry of the aforesaid washer for combined washer and dry cleaning control; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmental view of the piping diagram of FIGURE 5 illustrating a modified location of the solvent filter provided for the dry cleaning mechanism of the present invention.

With continued reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals are employed throughout to indicate the same parts, the present invention contemplates either a pair of housing structures 2® and 21 (FIGURES 1-3) respectively comprising a conventional motor driven cycling home washing machine adapted to be plugged into a home wall receptacle and a dry cleaning fluid reservoir means, pump and filter unit or a single housing structure 22 (FIGURE 7) adapted to house both a cycling home washer and a dry cleaning fluid reservoir means and the necessary motors, piping, pumps, filters, etc. required to provide a combined cycling washing and dry cleaning machine as contemplated by this invention. It will be clear from the following description, that a combined unit such as disclosed in FIGURE 7 can be effectively produced merely by an increase in the lateral dimension of -the housing structure 20 of FIGS. 1 to 3 to accommodatae the dry cleaning fluid reservoir means, pump and filter unit to be presently described in detail. It is to be understood, therefore, that the following detailed description applies with equal accuracy to the structure required to provide either an attachment unit or a combined washer and dry cleaning machine of initial production.

Referring for the moment to FIGURES 1 through 3, the present invention contemplates an automatic washer such as the Bendix “Gyramatic” #312 washer although any other suitable automatic washer would, by appropriate by-passing of the water supply valve control circuitry to introduce dry cleaning fluid in place of water, work equally well. The illustrated washer comprises an imperforate walled chamber 25 of any conventional home washer construction having a fluid inlet connection 26 and a fluid drain connection 27 and a back wall having a centered boss 28 adapted to journal the stub support shaft 29 of a generally conically shaped clothes receiving chamber or tub 31 (FIGURE 3). Conical tub 31 converges toward the front face of housing 20 where it terminates in a filler opening 32 opposite a similar opening in the front wall of chamber 25 adapted to be sealingly closed in conventional manner by a hinged door 33 mounted on an elongated hinge pin supported conventionally on the front wall 34 of housing 20.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, stub support shaft 29 protrudes rearwardly from boss 28 and mounts a pulley wheel 35 which is non-rotatably secured to shaft 29 by a key 36 or other suitable means. The conical receiving chamber or tub 31 is non-rotatably supported on the forward end of shaft 29 in conventional manner and its defining wall is perforated throughout as indicated at 37 to permit free fluid flow into and out of the receiving chamber in well known manner. A conventional drive motor and transmission mechanism 41 is supported in the lower portion of housing 20 for driving tub 31 at a low washing or tumbling speed or high spin drying speed under control of a timer motor and time control switch assembly 42 of conventional construction.

Admission of washing or cleaning fluid to chamber 25 is provided by an inlet hose 43 conventionally directly

2,987,902 to contact 68α of time control switch and a terminal contact 85 normally connected to, one lead of cold water solenoid 50έ the other lead of which is connected by lead 79 to terminal 80 of normally closed pressure switch 81. The switch terminal of switch 54 is directly connected to switch contact 67b of time control switch 63 by lead 77α. The opposite leads of a shifter solenoid 86, associated with the transmission of motor and transmission mechanism 41 are connected by leads 87 and 88 of cable 89, also carrying motor leads 69 and 73, to switch contact 685 of time control switch 63 and lead 79. A by-pass circuit between lead 79 and power lead terminal 75 bypassing pressure switch 81 is provided by lead 91 interconnecting lead 79 and switch contact 76 of time control switch 63.

To adapt such an automatic washer for service also as a home dry cleaner, this invention contemplates a storage chamber 101 for dry cleaning fluid, preferably a high flash point dry cleaning solvent, such as “Dowper,” a perchloroethylene marketed by Dow Chemical Co., having soap emulsifier agents incorporated therein. Such fluids are obtainable on the commercial market, present no dangerous Are hazards and may be reused for extended periods of time if filtered promptly to remove dirt and foreign matter removed from fabrics during the cleaning operation. Chamber 101 may be mounted either in an attachment housing 21 as shown in FIGURES 1 through 3 or formed with washer chamber 25 as an assembly unit using rigid piping as shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 5 for factory incorporation into a single housing. In either case, the side walls of chamber 101 at a point spaced downwardly from the upper out-turned support flanges 102 are provided with any suitable filter support means such as lugs 103 (FIGURE 3) to support a filter unit 104 comprising a flanged, perforated, covered tray containing activated carbon or other fluid filtering matter adapted to remove dirt and other foreign matter that might discolor the fluid or otherwise render the fluid unsuitable for use. Alternatively ⁴⁰ a filter unit 104α as shown in FIGURE 7 could be inserted in the outlet from chamber 101 to filter the solvent as it leaves the storage chamber.

As best shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, chamber 101 at its upper rear edge preferably at the corner nearest 45 washer chamber 25 is provided with a fluid inlet fitting 105 extending into filter unit 104 and adapted for connection through a supply tube or pipe 106 to an outlet of three port solenoid operated routing valve 107 the inlet port 109 of which is connected to the discharge end 50 of outlet pipeline 58 leading from Washer drain pump 59. The third port 111 of routing valve 107 has a discharge hose 112 connected to it for a purpose to be hereinafter pointed out. The valve element (not shown) of routing valve 107 is of conventional construction and 55 is preferably biased to normally connect inlet port 109 to outlet port 111 and is adapted, upon energization of its solenoid 113, to connect inlet port 109 with the outlet connected to supply tube or pipe 106.

At its lowermost point, chamber 101 is preferably 60 provided with a dirt sump 114 normally closed by a removable plug 115 designed for periodic removal to drain chamber 101 and permit removal of accumulations of dirt and foreign matter that may get past filter 104 during long usage or in event of the cleaning of unusually 65 dirty or greasy fabrics. Adjacent sump 114 and at. a higher point in the bottom wall of chamber 101, chamber 101 is provided with an outlet fitting 116 provided with a one way reducer check valve 117 of any suitable construction or alternately with filter unit 104α and valve 70 117. The outlet of valve 117 is connected by pipe line 118 to the inlet 119 of a centrifugal pump or other suitable fluid pump 121 driven by a motor 122 and adapted to pump dry cleaning fluid from chamber 101 through pump outlet 123 connected to dry cleaning fluid supply 75 hose 47. Pump motor' 122^; is shunt connected into connected to the single outlet connection of a solenoid controlled water supply valve 44. In practicing the present invention, hose 43 is connected to valve 44 through a T connection 46 the second supply branch of which- is adapted through a hose 47' to be connected' to^j a- supply of 5 dry cleaning fluid in a manner to be presently pointed out.

As clearly shown in FIGURE 3, valve 44 is provided with a hot water connection 48 and cold water connection 49 and its respective control solenoids 50α and 50έ are connected by lead cables 51α and 516 into the conventional 10 cycling washing circuitry provided in the automatic home washing machine and controlled conventionally by respective selector buttons 52 and 53 of a main double throw selector switch 54 to provide either a cycling operation utilizing straight hot wash water or a mix of hot and cold 15 water at all times according to the fabrics to be cleaned.

As is customary in such automatic washing machines the removal and resupply of the fluid contents of ’chamber'25 after set periods of operation is effected automatically. To accomplish this, a solenoid actuated drain valve 20 55 having its solenoid 56 connected through lead cable 57 into the conventional cycling washing circuitry is connected to drain connection 27 and to an outlet pipeline 58 containing a fluid pump 59 (FIGURE 3) driven by motor and transmission mechanism 41 to effect rapid re- 25 moval of the fluid contents as required during the operating cycles. The main power switch 61 of the basic washer is shown to the left in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The structure so far described, except for the T-connection and its second branch supply hose 47 is cohventional and may be found in various forms in all conventional automatic cycling home washers. All such washers also contain control circuitry for automatically effecting the cleaning and drying of the fabrics in a desired manner. The control circuitry of the Bendix “Gyramatic” #312 is typical and is disclosed here merely to illustrate how the dry cleaning operation contemplated by this invention can be incorporated either as an attachment device for existing machines or as an integral part of a combined factory built machine.

As clearly seen from FIGURE 4, wherein the conventional circuitry of the illustrated Bendix washer is shown in dotted lines, the timer motor and time control switch assembly 42 includes a motor 62 and the motor driven cam switch 63, one cam contact 64 of which is disposed to cooperate with the movable contact of main power switch 61 upon actuation of switch 61 to connect main power lead 65 to cam switch 63 and initiate cycling operation of the washer. Contact 64 is carried by a common bus bar connecting cam contacts 67 and 68 with contact 64 and also to a common lead 69 connected at 71 to one lead of timer motor 62 and one lead of the motor of drive motor and transmission mechanism 41. The opposite leads of these motors are connected by respective leads 72 and 73 directly to the other A.C. power line 74 extending to one contact of double terminal 75 of switch contact 76 of switch 63.

The conventional Bendix washer circuitry gangs the switch contacts 64, 67, 68 and 76 for unitary cammed operation and also includes a pair of opposed contacts 67α and 67b cooperating with contact 67, a pair of opposed contacts 68α and 68b cooperating with contact 68 and a single contact 76α cooperating with contact 76. The opposite terminals of drain solenoid 56 are connected by the lead wires 57α and 57b respectively to contact 67α and lead 73.

The supply water solenoid valve 44 is spring biased to an intermediate shut-off position between inlets 48 and 49 and the terminals of its hot water solenoid 50α are respectively connected by lead line 77 to one contact terminal 78 of selector switch 54 and by lead 79 to terminal 89 of a normally closed pressure switch 81 the opposite terminal of which is connected to power lead 74 by a lead 82. A second contact terminal 83 of switch 54 is connected'to a multi branch lead 84 leading respectively

2,987,908 the conventional washer circuitry heretofore described through a double pole, double throw selector switch 124 having one of its pole contacts connected to lead contact 85 and its two related fixed contacts respectively connected to one lead of cold water solenoid 50b and to motor lead 126. The other motor lead 127 is in turn connected to the other lead of cold water solenoid 505 so that motor 122 is shunt connected around cold water solenoid 505 to replace solenoid 505 in the circuitry upon actuating switch 124 to its dry cleaning position.

Since solenoid 113 of routing valve 107 should be energized at all times that tub chamber 25 is being drained during the dry cleaning operation, it can be shunt connected into the circuit controlled by contacts 61—64 as illustrated in FIGURE 6, with lead 126α connected between lead 69 and the other pole contact of switch 124 and lead 127α, including solenoid 113 and indicator or tell-tale light 128 mounted on the switch panel adjacent selector switch 124, connected to the appropriately related fixed contact of switch 124 and lead 73. Such a circuit arrangement would be particularly appropriate for a factory built combination with the selector switch 124 located on the single control panel containing the buttons 52 and 53 for selector switch 54.

To simplify the connections in a construction wherein the dry cleaning mechanism is sold as an attachment unit in a separate housing 21, the additional control circuitry preferably takes the form shown in FIGURE 4. In this figure, motor 122 is shunt connected by leads 126 and 127 into the conventional washer circuitry in the manner heretofore described in connection with FIGURE 6. This is accomplished by disconnecting lead connection 85 from the cold water solenoid contact and connecting it directly to the first pole contact of switch 124 and connecting the related fixed pole contact to the disconnected cold water solenoid contact. This can be readily accomplished through a two wire cable 128 shown best in FIGURE 3, connected between its ends to switch 124 and having the leads at one end connected to the contacts of motor 122 at the factory.

A similar cable 130 (FIGURE 3) is employed to connect solenoid 113 and tell-tale light 128 in series with the second pole and fixed contact of selector switch 124, the respective leads 126α and 127α being extended beyond switch 124 to a conventional plug P adapted for plugged connection in a 115 volt wall receptacle of the user’s home. In this way the added circuit for energizing solenoid 113 and tell-tale light 128 will be a completely separate circuit under control of selector switch 124 and a simple two point connection to the existing washer circuitry only will be required.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that the pump and valve control circuitry for initiating and maintaining cycling operation for dry cleaning fabrics are merely imposed on the existing washer control circuitry to selectively substitute solvent pump 122 for cold water supply solenoid 505 and to continuously energize routing valve solenoid 113 and tell-tale light 126 when the dry cleaning operation is desired. Furthermore, since the cycling controls of the illustrated washer control circuit are set up so that the hot water solenoid 50α is energized when selector switch 54 is in the position illustrated in FIGURE 4 and then only during the wash cycle, the motor control contacts of switch 124 of the attachment unit are intentionally interposed in the place of the cold water solenoid circuitry to assure proper sequential operation of motor 122. Switch 124, however, could be incorporated in a combined factory built machine in any other suitable way that the basic cycling circuitry may require to assure a dry cleaning fluid supply and return flow when required.

To fully understand the cycling system herein illustrated, it should be understood that the contacts of time control switch 63, assuming proper actuation of selector switches 54 and 124, are closed in the following sequential order to complete a cleaning cycle:

<td> Contacts Closed</td><td> Washing Operation</td><td> Dry Cleaning Operation</td>

<td> 61-64 and 68-68a—............... 61-64 and 67-676_________________ 61-64 and 67-67α, 76-76α, 68-68a._ 61-64 and 68-68a......... - 61—64 and 68—--------- 61-64 and 67-67«, 68-686__________ 61-64 and 67-67«_________________</td><td> Soak (cold water). Wash (hot water).. Spray rinse (cold water). 1st deep rinse (cold water). 2nd deep rinse (cold water). Extract (spin drying). Drain (final)......</td><td> Soak (solvent). Wash (solvent). Spray rinse (solvent). 1st deep rinse (solvent). 2nd deep rinse (solvent). Extract (spin drying). Drain (final).</td>

Due to the fact that motor 122 is energized in the dry cleaning operation whenever contacts 67—675 or 68—68α are closed, it will be seen that solvent will be pumped under pressure to tub chamber 25 during the soak, wash, 1st deep rinse and 2nd deep rinse operation, unless the circuit is interrupted by opening of pressure switch 81 indicating a sufficient level of solvent in tub chamber 25. Solvent will also be pumped continuously during the spray rinse operation since the circuit including contacts 76—76α by-passes pressure switch 81 to maintain motor 122 energized. During all dry cleaning operations washer motor 41, timer motor 62 and routing valve 107 will be continuously energized irrespective of which of the two disclosed circuits is used. As a result, return of solvent discharged or draining from tub enclosure 25 to storage chamber 101 will be assured yet discharge of wash and rinse water through discharge or waste hose 112 will likewise be assured during normal washing operations. Therefore, a constant supply of clean solvent is assured at all times during dry cleaning operation and loss of dry cleaning fluid and objectionable water dilution of the solvent is avoided.

Since certain of the dry cleaning fluids have toxic effects chamber 101 is preferably provided with an airtight cover 135 (FIGURE 7) and a vent tube 136 adapted to receive suitable lengths of vent pipe (not shown) to vent the dry cleaning fluid storage area to the outside atmosphere.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.