Reversing drive for triple action agitator

In an automatic washer having a basket for receiving clothes to be washed, an agitator means within said basket for agitating the clothes during a wash cycle, said agitator means including an upper portion, and motor means drivingly connected to said agitator, a secondary agitation means mounted on said agitator for enhancing rollover of said clothes in said basket during agitation, said secondary agitation means comprising:

• a driven thruster barrel surrounding said upper portion of said agitator, said driven barrel having vane means on an exterior portion for forcing clothes downwardly along said upper portion of said agitator, said driven barrel further provided with inwardly projecting pegs;
• said upper portion of said agitator barrel containing a recessed area for receiving said pegs, said recessed area comprising helical grooves extending vertically and angularly around the exterior of said upper portion of said agitator;
• a clutch means selectively engagable between said thruster barrel and said drive barrel to prevent rotary motion between said two barrels when said drive barrel is rotating in a first direction, but to permit rotary motion between said two barrels when said drive barrel is rotating in a second, opposite direction with said clutch means in a first engaged position and with said clutch means in a second engaged position, rotary motion between said two barrels is permitted when said drive barrel is rotating in said first direction and is prevented when said drive barrel is rotating in said second direction;
• whereby, relative rotational movement between said barrels will cause said pegs to move in grooves causing said thruster barrel to vertically reciprocate.

In an automatic washer having a basket for receiving clothes to be washed, an agitator means within said basket for agitating the clothes during a wash cycle, said agitator means including an upper portion, and motor means drivingly connected to said agitator, a secondary agitation means mounted on said agitator for enhancing rollover of said clothes in said basket during agitation, said secondary agitation means comprising:

• a driven thruster barrel surrounding said upper portion of said agitator;
• said driven barrel having vane means on an exterior portion for forcing clothes downwardly along said upper portion of said agitator;
• said driven barrel further provided with inwardly projecting pegs;
• said driven barrel still further having an internally splined portion extending around the entire periphery of said driven barrel;
• said upper portion of said agitator barrel containing a recessed area for receiving said pegs, said recessed area comprising helical grooves extending vertically and angularly around the exterior of said upper portion of said agitator;
• a clutch means including a clutch member mounted on said drive barrel and being pivotable between two positions to selectively engage said thruster barrel;
• said clutch member having two opposed arms with outwardly directed teeth to selectively engage with said splined portion of said driven barrel to prevent rotary motion between said two barrels when said drive barrel is rotating in a first direction, but to permit rotary motion between said two barrels when said drive barrel is rotating in a second, opposite direction with said clutch member in a first engaged position, and with said clutch member in a second engaged position, and with said clutch member in a second engaged position, rotary motion between said two barrels is permitted when said drive barrel is rotating in said first direction and is prevented when said drive barrel is rotating in said second direction;
• two inwardly projecting shift pegs carried on said driven barrel, vertically and angularly spaced apart to alternatively engage said clutch member and alternatively urge it into said two positions;
• and
• an over-center spring to bias said clutch member into a selected one of said two positions until one of said shift pegs engages and urges said clutch member into the other of said positions.