Front drum access and support for dryer
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsWilliam A. Jackson, Karolis Jautakis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clothes dryer with a non-circular front access opening is provided with a split ring bearing attached to the dryer drum in a manner to allow for expansion and contraction of the bearing relative to the drum and which rides on a support ring which is attached to and conforms to the access opening, thereby providing a front support for the drum.
Claims15
In a clothes dryer having a rotatable drum with an inner wall surface forming a front circular opening for receiving clothes to be dried, motor means for driving said drum and a cabinet having a front wall for housing said drum and motor, a drum front support means comprising:
- wall means forming a non-circular access opening in said front wall of said cabinet;
- a front support ring having a portion connected to and supported by said wall means, said portion conforming to the non-circular shape of said access opening, another portion of said support ring forming a circular bearing surface projecting inwardly of said drum circular opening;
- a split bearing ring between said inner surface of said drum circular opening and said bearing surface of said support ring;
- tab means for connecting said split bearing ring to said drum inner wall surface, said tab means adapted to allow movement of said ring relative to said drum surface due to heat expansion and contraction of said ring and said drum;
- and
- support bearing and seal means mounted between said split bearing and said circular bearing surface for supporting said drum front on said front support ring.
In a clothes dryer having a rotatable drum with a front lip forming a front circular opening for receiving clothes to be dried, motor means for driving said drum, a cabinet having a front wall for enclosing said drum and motor and air circulation and heating means for conditioning air to be circulated through said clothes, a drum front support means comprising:
- wall means defining an access opening in said front wall of said cabinet;
- a front support means having a first portion conforming to the shape of said access opening and a second portion forming a cylindrical bearing surface projecting inwardly of said drum lip means, said first portion secured to and supported by said wall means;
- and
- split bearing ring portions between said drum lip and said bearing surface of said support means connected to said drum lip by means adapted to allow for movement of said ring portions relative to said drum lip due to said conditioning of the air flowing through the clothes.
In a clothers dryer of the type utilizing a rotatable drum with non-rotatable front and rear walls and having a lip forming a front circular opening, the improvement of,
- a front panel having an access opening and an openable door controlling the opening,
- a support ring inwardly adjacent to said front panel having an outer circumferentially extending drum support surface for rotatably supporting said drum lip and an opening corresponding in size and shape to said access opening,
- said access opening and said opening in said support ring being generally rectangular including curved side edges and spaced parallel top and bottom edges, and
- support bearing and seal means mounted between said drum lip and said support ring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.