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US 12,584,257 B2Granted
Laundry washing machine with spiral variable length agitator
AssigneeMidea Group Co., Ltd.
InventorsBryan T. Snook, Aaron Daniel Abbott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laundry washing machine includes a variable length agitator that is configurable in multiple configurations that provide different lengths for the agitator along its axis of rotation. The variable length agitator includes at least first and second members that are moveable relative to one another both along and about the axis of rotation to vary the length of the variable length agitator along the axis of rotation.
Claims21
A laundry washing machine, comprising:
- a housing;
- a wash tub disposed within the housing;
- and
- a variable length agitator disposed within the wash tub and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation, the variable length agitator being configurable in at least first and second configurations that respectively provide first and second lengths for the variable length agitator along the axis of rotation, and the variable length agitator including first and second members, wherein the first member is moveable relative to the second member both along the axis of rotation and about the axis of rotation to vary the length of the variable length agitator along the axis of rotation;
- wherein the variable length agitator further includes a slot operably coupling the first member to the second member and restricting relative rotation between the first and second members such that movement of the first member relative to the second member along the axis of rotation imparts rotation of the first member relative to the second member about the axis of rotation.
2 more elements
A laundry washing machine, comprising:
- a housing;
- a wash tub disposed within the housing;
- and
- a variable length agitator disposed within the wash tub and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation, the variable length agitator being configurable in at least first and second configurations that respectively provide first and second lengths for the variable length agitator along the axis of rotation, and the variable length agitator including first and second members, wherein the first member is moveable relative to the second member both along the axis of rotation and about the axis of rotation to vary the length of the variable length agitator along the axis of rotation;
- wherein the second member includes a channel configured to receive a portion of the first member;
- wherein the first member includes a fin and the second member includes a channel configured to receive a portion of the first member, and wherein the channel of the second member includes a slot configured to receive a portion of the fin.
3 more elements
A laundry washing machine, comprising:
- a housing;
- a wash tub disposed within the housing;
- and
- a variable length agitator disposed within the wash tub and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation, the variable length agitator being configurable in at least first and second configurations that respectively provide first and second lengths for the variable length agitator along the axis of rotation, and the variable length agitator including first and second members, wherein the first member is moveable relative to the second member both along the axis of rotation and about the axis of rotation to vary the length of the variable length agitator along the axis of rotation;
- wherein the variable length agitator further comprises a locking mechanism configured to selectively lock the variable length agitator in at least one of the first and second configurations;
- wherein the locking mechanism is configured to selectively lock the variable length agitator in the second configuration, the variable length agitator is unlockable in the first configuration, and the variable length agitator is biased towards the first configuration;
- wherein the locking mechanism includes a rotatable actuator configured to rotate about the axis of rotation to selectively lock and/or unlock the locking mechanism;
- wherein the rotatable actuator is coupled to the first member and includes a first catch member and the second member includes a second catch member configured to engage with the first catch member when the variable length agitator is locked in the second configuration;
- wherein at least one of the first and second catch members includes a generally U-shaped profile such that movement of the locking mechanism between locked and unlocked states requires movement of the rotatable actuator along the along the axis of rotation in a direction opposing the bias towards the first configuration prior to rotation of the rotatable actuator, and such that the bias towards the first configuration inhibits rotation of the rotatable actuator when the locking mechanism is in the locked state.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.