US 3,978,693 AGranted

Belt drive mechanism for automatic clothes washing machine

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorJoseph C. Worst

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A belt drive mechanism for an automatic clothes washing machine having a timer to control the operational cycles of the machine, a basket supported for rotation, and a vaned structure for agitating the clothes in the basket. A motor provides a plurality of operational modes and has a start winding and a run winding. There is an input shaft connected with the motor by a belt and coupled to the vaned structure for agitation thereof for a first mode of operation of the motor and coupled to the basket for effecting rotation thereof during a second mode of operation of the motor. An idler pulley engages the belt with means arranged for biasing the pulley against the belt to place tension on the belt and means including the motor windings to overcome the pulley biasing means during energization of the motor start winding to thereby release tension on the belt.

Claims10

Dependent claims

a. a motor having a start winding and a run winding and providing a plurality of operational modes,
b. an input shaft,
c. means including a belt connecting said motor and said input shaft,
d. means providing coupling between the input shaft and (i) the vaned structure for agitation thereof for the first mode of operation of the motor, (ii) the basket for effecting rotation thereof during a second mode of operation of the motor,
e. an idler pulley for engaging the belt,
f. means for biasing the pulley against the belt to place tension on the belt, and
g. means including the motor windings to overcome the pulley biasing means during energization of the motor start winding to thereby release tension on the belt.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.