BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes washer having an agitating device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an agitating device including the vane of the present invention.
FIG. 3A is a side view of the vane of FIG. 2.
FIG. 3B is a second embodiment of the vane of the present invention.
FIG. 3C is a back view of the vane of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a third embodiment of the vane of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a fourth embodiment of the vane of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With reference to FIG. 1, a general vertical axis washing machine 10 is depicted. It should be understood to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be used with any type of vertical axis washing machine. Generally, the washing machine 10 may include a basket 12 for receiving cloth items (not shown) and an agitating device 20. The washing machine 10 may also include a conventional drive system (not shown) for driving the agitating device of the washing machine.
Referring to FIG. 2, an agitating device 20 for use in the washing machine 10 is shown. The agitating device 20 may be an agitator having a center shaft 22 and a skirt 26. It should be understood to those skilled in the art that the skirt 26 could have many different shapes. The center shaft 22 may include a spiral portion 24 extending therefrom for rolling and moving wash liquid and cloth items (not shown) in a circular direction during the wash process of the washing machine 10. The agitating device 20 may include one or more vanes 30 extending therefrom to further move wash liquid and cloth items in a circular direction during the wash process. The vanes 30 may be partially attached to the skirt 26 as shown in FIG. 2, or the vanes 30 may be fully attached to the skirt 26 as shown in FIG. 3B. The vanes 30 may extend in a radial direction toward an outer perimeter of the skirt 26.
Referring to FIG. 3A, one embodiment of a vane 30 of the present invention is shown. The vane 30 may include a proximal end 31 located adjacent to the center shaft 22 of the agitating device and having a base portion 32. The base portion 32 may attach the vane to the center shaft 22 of the agitating device 20. The base portion 32 may also attach the vane 30 to the skirt 26 of the agitating device. The vane 30 may further include a distal end 33 located opposite the proximal end 31 and having an enlarged tip 34. The enlarged tip 34 functions to roll the cloth items in the washing machine 10. The enlarged tip 34 may be round, as shown in FIG. 3A, or the enlarged tip 34 may have a different shape. The shape, size, position, and thickness of the vane tip 34 is determined by the amount of vane 30 needed for the desired wash action, which in turn is balanced with the amount of torque that can be provided by the drive system. Preferably, the enlarged tip 34 includes a smooth curve so that it does not wear on the cloth items, thereby reducing fabric abrasion.
The vane 30 may have a hinge point 39A. Moving from the tip of the vane in a direction toward the center shaft 22, the hinge point 39A is the first point where the vane 30 is attached to the skirt 26 and is the point on the vane where the most stress is exerted. The hinge point 39A may comprise a hinge band, such as hinge band 39 shown in FIG. 3C, or, alternatively, multiple hinge points or bands. The location of the particular hinge points or bands of a vane depends upon the geometry of the vane. For example, a further hinge band may be located along the point of attachment of the base portion 32 of the vane to the skirt 26 of the agitating device 20.
The vane 30 also may include a depression 36 located between the proximal end 31 and the distal end 33 on a topside 35 of the vane 30. The depression 36 may have a concave shape, for example. The location of the depression 36 serves to control the angle of the bend of the vane 30 by determining the location of a second hinge point 39B. Thus, a hinge band 39 is created between hinge points 39A and 39B, and the vane may bend along the hinge band 39. As an alternative to the depression 36, the height of the vane 30 may gradually decrease toward the tip 34, as shown in FIG. 3B.
The vane 30 may further include an indentation 38 for stress relief located on an underside 37 of the vane. The indentation 38 is preferably located at the hinge point 39A between the base portion 32 and the enlarged tip 34. The indentation 38 reduces the stress concentration at the hinge point 39A, and thereby lowers the maximum value of stress at the hinge point 39A by making the change in the geometry from the base portion 32 to the curved enlarged tip 34 of the vane less abrupt. The indentation 38 may have a smooth curvature to lower the stress at the hinge point 39A.
As shown in FIG. 3C, the base portion 32 of the vane 30 may comprise at least two supports 41, 42, defining a cavity 44 therebetween. The cavity 44 may be formed in various shapes and sizes, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition to the shape of the cavity shown in FIGS. 3C, 4 and 5, the cavity may have alternate shapes. Referring to FIG. 3C, the cavity 44 may have two flat surfaces 41, 42 defining a trough shape. The front (not shown) of the cavity 44 may be formed by a partial cone, and the back 46 of the cavity may be open to the center shaft 22. Alternatively, the cavity 44 may have any number of supports and thus may take a number of shapes. By splitting the planar vane known in the prior art into a wedge-like support at the base portion 32, the maximum stress value experienced by the vane 30 is reduced because some of the load carried by the vane is distributed between the supports 41, 42 instead of being concentrated at the hinge band 39. The formation of the cavity 44 allows the maximum stress value of the hinge band 39 of vane 30 to decrease without lowering the stress to a point at which the vane becomes less flexible.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, additional embodiments 50, 60 of the vane of the present invention are shown. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shape of the cavity may vary slightly while still meeting the desired stress level of the hinge point or hinge band of the present invention. For example, in FIG. 4, the shape of cavity 52 is more tapered and narrower than the cavity 44 shown in FIG. 4B. Similarly, in FIG. 5, the shape of the cavity 62 is shorter than the cavity 44 shown in FIG. 3C.
As shown in FIG. 5, the depression 64 of the vane 60 is larger than the depression 36 in FIG. 3C. The larger depression 64 causes the top 66 of the vane 60 to bend more than the bottom of vane, and may affect wash performance. The remaining aspects of the vanes 50 and 60 are the same or similar to those described in vane 30.
In operation, the agitating device 20 oscillates in a back and forth fashion or rotates in one direction to move wash fluid and cloth items (not shown) in a circular direction. The vanes 30 flex to help circulate water and roll the cloth items in a circular motion. The vane design of the present invention allows the necessary amount of flexing while minimizing vane breakage. The circulation of the water and flexing of the vanes 30 work to clean the cloth items during a washing machine wash cycle.
While certain features and embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the invention encompasses all modifications and enhancements within the scope and spirit of the following claims.
Patent Application
20070277563
