Appliance control and programmer timer therefor

An electromechanical programmer timer for controlling energization of an electrical appliance comprising:

• (a) motor means operable upon connection to a source of electrical power to provide timed rotation of a power shaft;
• (b) switch means operable upon actuation and deactuation to energize and de-energize said motor means and said appliance;
• (c) cam means operable operator intitial positioning and upon timed advancement to actuate and deactuate said switch means in accordance with a selected program;
• (d) advance means connected to said power shaft and operable to advance said cam means in accordance with a selected program;
• (i) oscillating pawl means,
• (ii) a ratchet wheel having plural segments of ratchet teeth for engagement by said pawl means with a first segment of teeth having a first root diameter for rapid advance, a second segment of teeth having a second root diameter significantly less than said first segment teeth, a third segment of teeth having a third root diameter intermediate said first and second root diameters,
• (iii) masking means operable upon operator selection of a desired program having a timed interval greater than a predetermined minimum to cause said pawl means to engage said third segment of teeth for indexing therealong, said masking means operable, upon operator selection of and time down to a program interval less than said minimum, to cause said pawl means to engage said first segment of teeth for rapid advance of said cam means during time-out of the remainder of said interval, said masking means operable upon operator selection of an auxiliary mode function position of said cam means to cause said pawl to engage said second segment teeth for indexing therealong, said masking means further operative to cause said pawl to contact said second segment teeth upon time-out of said selected program interval.

An appliance control system comprising:

• (a) electrical appliance function means operable upon electrical energization to perform an appliance function;
• (b) a motor operable upon electrical energization to provide power to a rotary shaft means;
• (c) switch means operable upon actuation and deactuation to energize said motor means and said appliance function means;
• (d) program cam means selectively positionable by the appliance operator to an initial position corresponding to a selected program and operable upon advancement to actuate and de-actuate said switch means in accordance with said program;
• and,
• (e) advance means connected to receive power from said shaft means and operable to advance said cam means from said initial position for accomplishing said program to a timed-out position, wherein upon said operator selection of an initial cam position corresponding to a program time interval less than a predetermined minimum, said advance means is operable to advance said cam means at a first expanded scale rate to provide a fastest rate of cam advancement, and upon operator selection of an initial cam position corresponding to a program time interval greater than said minimum, said advance means is operable to advance said cam means at a compressed scale rate substantially slower than said expanded scale rate, said advance means further operable, upon operator selection of an auxiliary mode cam means position, to effect actuation of said switch means to initially energize said motor means and advance said cam means at a rate slower than said compressed scale rate for effecting selected delayed actuation of said switch means to energize said function means.

An electromechanical programmer timer for controlling an electrical appliance comprising:

• (a) motor means operable upon connection to a source of electrical power to provide rotation of a shaft means;
• (b) load switch means adapted for, upon actuation and deactuation to energize and de-energize said appliance from a source of power;
• (c) timing switch means operable upon actuation and deactuation to energize and de-energize said motor means and third switch means electrically in parallel with said first switch means
• (d) program cam means selectably positionable at an initial position by the appliance operator and operable upon timed advancement to provide a preselected program of actuation and deactuation of said first and second switch means;
• (e) advance means operable, upon rotation of said shaft means to provide sequential advancement of said cam means from said initial position for said selected interval to a timed-out position in which said load and timing switch means are deactuated;
• (f) sub-interval cam means operable in response to rotation of said shaft means to actuate and deactuate said third switch means at for a predetermined fraction of the period of rotation of said shaft;
• (g) said advance means including delay means operable, upon operator selection of an auxiliary function initial position of said cam means, to actuate said timing switch means and advance said program cam means at a slowest rate for a selected interval before actuating said load switch means, whereupon said program cam means is advanced at a faster rate for an appliance program interval, wherein as said program interval is timed out, said advance means is operative to advance said program cam means at a fastest rate for time-out of a predetermined terminal portion of said program interval, said fastest rate of advance of said program cam means.

An electromechanical programmer timer for an electrically energized appliance comprising:

• (a) timing motor means operable to provide rotation of a shaft means at a predetermined rate;
• (b) a load switch operable for actuation and deactuation and adapted for energizing and de-energizing an appliance;
• (c) timing switch operable upon actuation and deactuation to energize and de-energize said motor means;
• (d) program cam means operator positionable at a selected initial position and operable upon timed advancement to actuate and deactuate said switches for providing a selected program of appliance operation;
• and,
• (e) advance means connected to said shaft means and operable, upon rotation of said shaft means, to step-index said program cam means from said initial position to a timed-out position, for providing the selected program interval said advance means operable in response to a first mode of initial position of said cam means corresponding to minimum program intervals to advance said program cam means at a first expanded rate for time-out, said advance means, in response to a second mode of initial positions of said program cam means corresponding to program intervals greater than said first mode, operable to advance said program cam means at a second rate less than said first rate, said advance means, in response to a third mode of initial positions of said program cam means corresponding to an auxiliary mode function program, operable to advance said program cam means at a third rate, wherein for said third mode initial positions, said motor switch means is actuated and actuation of said load switch means is delayed thereafter until elapse a selected interval.

An electromechanial programmer timer for an electrically energized appliance comprising,

• (a) timing motor means operable to provide rotation, of a shaft means at a predetermined rate;
• (b) a motor switch operable upon actuation and deactuation to energize and de-energize said motor means;
• (c) a load switch operable for actuation and deactuation and adapted for energizing and de-energizing said appliance;
• (d) program cam means selectively positionable by the operator of said appliance to an initial position and operable upon timed advancement to actuate and deactuate said switches for providing a selected program of appliance operation;
• (e) an auxiliary function switch operable upon actuation to shunt said load switch;
• (f) advance means connected to said shaft means and operable upon rotation of said shaft means to step-index said program cam means for the selected program interval from said initial position to a timed-out position, said advance means operable in a first mode of initial positions of said program cam means corresponding to a minimum program interval to advance said program cam means at a first expanded rate for time-out, said advance means in response to a second mode of initial positions of said program cam means is operable to advance said program cam means at a second compressed rate less than said first rate, said advance means upon time-out of said selected program interval, operable to advance said program cam means at a third rate for time-out of an auxiliary function interval;
• and,
• (g) sub-interval cam means connected for rotation by said shaft means and operable to actuate and deactuate said auxiliary function switch for intervals comprising a fraction of the period of rotation of said shaft means, wherein said cam means is operable upon program time-out and advancement at said third rate and time-out of said auxiliary interval to effect deactuation of all of said switch means.