Rotating/tipping agitator for a washing machine
AssigneeMaytag Corporation
InventorKeith E. Kropf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combination rotating/tipping mechanism for an agitator arranged in an inner tub of a washing machine includes a drive member, a tipping member fixedly mounted to the agitator and pivotally mounted to the drive member, and a pivot link interconnecting the tipping member and the inner tub of the machine. In operation, rotation of the drive member imparts an oscillating/rotating motion to the tipping member about a rotational axis. Simultaneously, the pivot link is caused to pivot about a pivotal axis, thereby restricting the movement of the tipping member and causing the tipping member to pivot about another pivotal axis.
Claims18
A washing machine comprising:
- a cabinet shell;
- an outer tub mounted within the cabinet shell;
- an inner tub rotatably mounted within the outer tub;
- an agitator positioned within a bottom portion of the inner tub;
- a motor driven drive shaft defining a rotational axis;
- and
- a tipping mechanism drivingly interconnecting the drive shaft and the inner tub to the agitator, said tipping mechanism including:
- a drive member mounted for co-rotation with the drive shaft, said drive member being adapted to provide rotational movement about the rotational axis;
- a tipping member interconnecting the drive member and the agitator, said tipping member being adapted to provide pivotal movement to the agitator about a pivotal axis;
- and
- a linking member having a first end pivotally mounted to the inner tub and a second end pivotally mounted to the tipping member, wherein rotation of the drive member about the rotational axis causes the agitator to both rotate about the rotational axis and pivot about the pivotal axis.
A method of washing a load of clothes placed upon an agitator in an inner tub of a washing machine comprising:
- causing a drive shaft to rotate a drive member about a rotational axis;
- causing the drive member to rotate a tipping member about the rotational axis;
- restraining a portion of the tipping member through a linking member which is pivotal relative to the inner tub and tipping member such that rotation of the tipping member about the rotational axis also causes tipping of the tipping member;
- and
- imparting rotating and tipping motions of the tipping member to the agitator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.