US 6,363,755 B1Granted

Timed release washing machine lid lock

AssigneeArk-Les Corporation

InventorsKenyon A. Hapke, Timothy Laseke

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Abstract

A lid lock for a washing machine or the like employs a rapid bistable electromagnetic actuator that is released at a predetermined time interval after the cessation of a spin signal, the time interval being selected to allow the spin basket to coast to a stop prior to the lid being unlocked. Because the actuator is bistable, it can remain locked despite possible power failure during which the spin basket may still be coasting yet the driving circuitry stores reserved power to unlock the lid after a suitable time delay. These same components can provide protection against entrapment in which the lid closure activates the spin cycle and lock because of a previous initiation of the spin cycle signal. Here, for the spin cycle to be initiated, the spin cycle signal must occur after lid closure.

Claims13

Dependent claims

In a washing machine having a lid that may be opened to provide access to a spin basket and closed to prevent access to the spin basket, the spin basket being driven by an electric motor when a spin cycle signal from a spin cycle timer is present, a lid locking assembly comprising:

(a) a bistable electromagnetic lid locking mechanism, in a locked state, holding the lid closed until an unlock signal is received and in an unlocked state allows the lid to be freely opened until a lock signal is received, and where the unlock and lock signals are power applied to the electromagnetic lid locking mechanism and wherein, absent power applied to the electromagnetic lid locking mechanism, the electromagnetic lid locking mechanism remains in its last state of locked and unlocked;
and
(b) a logic circuit including a timer and an energy storage capacitor to provide the unlock signal to the electromagnetic lid locking mechanism a predetermined period of time after the cessation of the spin cycle signal, wherein the storage capacitor provides energy for the unlock signal in the event of loss of external power to the washing machine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.