Washing machine appliance having a removable agitator
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorPaul Owen Davis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A washing machine appliance may include a tub, a basket, an impeller base, and an extended post. The impeller base may include one or impeller fins and a mounting face. The mounting face may include a threaded bracket defining a mounting thread extending about a rotation axis. The mounting face may define a vertical slot radially inward from the mounting thread. The extended post may be removably attached to the impeller base to rotate therewith. The extended post may include a base body, an auger fin, and a mating face. The base body may extend between a bottom end and a top end. The auger fin may extend radially from the base body. The mating face may be disposed on the bottom end. The mating face may define a mating thread matched to the mounting thread to rotatably enmesh therewith.
Claims20
A washing machine appliance comprising:
- a tub;
- a basket rotatably positioned within the tub;
- an impeller base rotatably mounted within the basket and defining a rotation axis, the impeller base comprising
- one or more impeller fins extending radially outward from the rotation axis, and
- a mounting face disposed radially inward from the one or more impeller fins, the mounting face comprising a threaded bracket defining a lower mounting thread (LMT) segment and an upper mounting thread (UMT) segment, the LMT segment and the UMT segment extending separately about the rotation axis;
- and
- an extended post removably attached to the impeller base to rotate therewith, the extended post comprising
- a base body extending along the rotation axis between a bottom end proximal to the impeller base and a top end distal to the impeller base,
- an auger fin extending radially from the base body between the bottom end and the top end, and
- a mating face disposed on the bottom end, the mating face defining a lower mating thread (LAT) segment and an upper mating thread (UAT) segment, the LAT segment being matched to the LMT segment to rotatably enmesh therewith, and the UAT segment being matched to the UMT segment to rotatably enmesh therewith.
A washing machine appliance comprising:
- a tub;
- a basket rotatably positioned within the tub;
- an impeller base rotatably mounted within the basket and defining a rotation axis, the impeller base comprising
- one or more impeller fins extending radially outward from the rotation axis, and
- a mounting face disposed radially inward from the one or more impeller fins, the mounting face comprising a threaded bracket defining a mounting thread extending about the rotation axis, the mounting face defining a vertical slot radially inward from the mounting thread;
- an extended post removably attached to the impeller base to rotate therewith, the extended post comprising
- a base body extending along the rotation axis between a bottom end proximal to the impeller base and a top end distal to the impeller base,
- an auger fin extending radially from the base body between the bottom end and the top end, and
- a mating face disposed on the bottom end, the mating face defining a mating thread matched to the mounting thread to rotatably enmesh therewith;
- and
- a connector bar slidably extending within the extended post along the rotation axis between a lower end and an upper end, the lower end comprising a connector tab slidably received within the vertical slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.