RECIPROCATING LAUNDRY MACHINE

Abstract

A reciprocating laundry machine includes a drum assembly unit including an outer drum inclined in a housing, an inner drum inclined in the housing, a first motor disposed in the housing, a sheave at a second end of the inner drum, a belt rotatably interconnecting the sheave and the first motor wherein the first motor activates to rotate the inner drum; and a reciprocating unit in the housing and including a second motor disposed externally of the outer drum, a guide rod passing through the outer and inner drums, and a reciprocating agitator board. The second motor engages a first end of the guide rod. The reciprocating agitator board is pivotably secured to a second end of the guide rod. The second motor may activate the guide rod which in turn moves the reciprocating agitator board forward and backward alternately in the inner drum.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to washing machines and more particularly to a reciprocating laundry machine having improved characteristics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional washing machines can be classified as top-loading type and drum type washing machines. Taking the top-loading type washing machine as an example, its loading direction is perpendicular to the ground and has a top opening. In operation, dirty clothes are loaded through the opening, then an appropriate amount of water and detergent are poured into the outer drum, and then the drum in the outer drum is activated to perform washing, cleaning and drying cycles. During the washing and cleaning cycles, the drum rotates left and right repeatedly quickly to create a vortex in the water, and imparts the impact of water flow to the clothes in order to achieve the purpose of washing clothes. Further, during the drying cycle, the drum rotates freely at high speed, and the centrifugal force generated by the rotation separates the water from the clothes to achieve the purpose of drying clothes.

In addition, taking the drum type as an example, its loading direction is inclined to the ground and has a forward opening. In operation, dirty clothes are loaded through the opening, then an appropriate amount of water and detergent are poured into the outer drum, and then the drum in the center of the outer drum is activated to perform washing, cleaning and drying cycles. During the washing and cleaning cycles, the drum rotates slowly, then the clothes are rolled from the bottom of the drum to the top thereof, then the clothes are rolled from top to bottom due to weight (i.e., gravity), and impart the impact of water flow to the clothes. As a result, the purpose of washing clothes is achieved.

However, the top-loading type washing machines consume a considerable amount of water in operation. When the drum rotates and the water generates a vortex, the clothes are often twisted into a ball. Thus, the overall washing cycle consumes more time. While the drum type washing machine consumes less water in comparison with the top-loading type washing machine, rolling of the clothes is restricted due to less space available for clothes movement. As a result, the cleaning efficiency is low and it takes a relatively long time to wash the clothes.

Thus, the need for improvement still exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a reciprocating laundry machine comprising a housing; a drum assembly unit including an outer drum inclined in the housing, an inner drum inclined in the housing, a first motor disposed in the housing, a sheave disposed at a second end of the inner drum, and a belt rotatably interconnecting the sheave and the first motor wherein the first motor is configured to rotate the belt which in turn rotates the sheave which further in turn rotates the inner drum in the outer drum; and a reciprocating unit disposed in the housing and including a second motor disposed externally of a first end of the outer drum, a guide rod passing through the outer drum and a central portion of the inner drum, and a reciprocating agitator board wherein the guide rod has a first end and a second end, the second motor engages the first end of the guide rod, and the reciprocating agitator board is pivotably secured to the second end of the guide rod so that the second motor is configured to activate the guide rod which in turn moves the reciprocating agitator board forward and backward alternately in the central portion of the inner drum.

The invention has the following advantages and benefits in comparison with the conventional art:

The second motor may activate the guide rod which in turn moves the reciprocating agitator board forward and backward alternately in the central portion of the inner drum. At the same time, the reciprocating agitator board may rotate and pivot about the guide rod. Thus, the clothes and water are agitated and rolled, thereby the water consumption and operating time are decreased significantly and greatly increasing the washing performance of the reciprocating laundry machine.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reciprocating laundry machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drum assembly unit and the reciprocating unit;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the drum assembly unit and the reciprocating unit;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the reciprocating unit;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the drum assembly unit;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the drum assembly unit and the reciprocating unit; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing an operation of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, a reciprocating laundry machine 100 in accordance with the invention comprises the following components as discussed in detail below.

A housing 10 includes a hinged cover 11 having a window 12 so that a user may see clothes being washed through the window 12.

A drum assembly unit 20 includes an outer drum 21, an inner drum 22, and a first motor 23. Both the outer drum 21 and the inner drum 22 are inclined in the housing 10 and configured to contain a quantity of water. The outer drum 21 includes a first opening 211 through a surface, a first hole 212 through a center of a first end, a cavity 223 in the first hole 212, and a limit member 224 in the cavity 223. The inner drum 22 includes a second opening 221 through a surface and aligned with the first opening 211. Both the first opening 211 and the second opening 221 facilitate clothes access. The inner drum 22 further comprises a second hole 222 through a first end. The second hole 222 is aligned with the first hole 212. A sheave 24 is provided at a second end of the inner drum 22. A belt 23 rotatably interconnects the sheave 24 and the first motor 23. In detail, the first motor 23 can be activated to rotate the belt 25 which in turn rotates the sheave 24. Further, the sheave 24 rotates the inner drum 22 in the outer drum 21 so that the clothes are dried. The inner drum 22 further comprises a plurality of holes 225 for allowing water to flow in or exit.

A reciprocating unit 30 is disposed in the housing 10 and includes a second motor 31, a guide rod 32, and a reciprocating agitator board 33. The second motor 31 is disposed externally of the first hole 212 of the outer drum 21. The second motor 31 includes a pinion 311 adjacent to the guide rod 32. The guide rod 32 passes through both the first hole 212 and the second hole 222. The guide rod 32 has a first end 321 and a second end 322. The guide rod 32 includes a linear gear member 323 on a top adjacent to the first end 321. The pinion 311 engages the linear gear member 323. The guide rod 32 further comprises a groove 324 in a bottom opposing the linear gear member 323. The limit member 224 may move in the groove 324. The guide rod 32 further comprises a swivel head 34 at the second end 322, and a bearing 341 rotatably interconnecting the swivel head 34 and the guide rod 32. Thus, the swivel head 34 may rotate 360-degree about the guide rod 32 via the bearing 341. The reciprocating agitator board 33 includes a pivot 331 pivotably secured to the swivel head 34, i.e., the reciprocating agitator board 33 may pivot about the swivel head 34. The second motor 31 may activate the guide rod 32 which in turn moves the reciprocating agitator board 33 forward and backward alternately in a central portion of the inner drum 22. The reciprocating agitator board 33 can be one of a number of different shapes and made of one of a number of different materials as long as it does not adversely affect the shape and the material of the clothes. The pivot 331 includes two external, opposite springs 332 biased between the swivel head 34 and the reciprocating agitator board 33. The reciprocating agitator board 33 may pivot at an angle between 0 and 45 degrees due to expansion and compression of the springs 332. Thus, the clothes and water are agitated and rolled in the operation.

A control unit 40 includes a controller 41 disposed in the housing 10 and a control panel 42 disposed on a top of the housing 10. The controller 41 is electrically connected to the control panel 42, the first motor 23, and the second motor 31 respectively so that the second motor 31 may activate to wash clothes and the first motor 23 may activate to dry the clothes respectively. The arrangement of the control panel 42 facilitates operation of the reciprocating laundry machine 100.

Referring to FIG. 7 in conjunction with FIG. 1, an operation of the reciprocating laundry machine 100 is described below. A user may open the hinged cover 11. Next, the user may load dirty clothes through the first opening 211 and the second opening 221 into the inner drum 22. Next, the user may close the hinged cover 11. Next, the user may operate the control panel 42 to activate both the second motor 31 and the first motor 23. Also, the pinion 311 engages the linear gear member 323 so that the guide rod 32 can be activated by the second motor 31. And in turn, the guide rod 32 moves the reciprocating agitator board 33 forward and backward alternately in the central portion of the inner drum 22. Thus, the clothes and water are agitated and rolled. At the same time, the activated first motor 23 rotates the belt 25 which in turn rotates the sheave 24. Further, the sheave 24 rotates the inner drum 22 to assist in agitating and rolling the clothes. Also, the reciprocating agitator board 33 moves forward and backward alternately in cooperation with the guide rod 32 to agitate and roll the clothes. Finally, the clothes are dried. It is envisaged by the invention that the water consumption and operating time are decreased significantly and the washing, cleaning and drying performance of the reciprocating laundry machine 100 is increased greatly.

It noted that the limit member 224 in the cavity 223 can guide the guide rod 32 to move forward and backward alternately in the inner drum 22. Otherwise, the guide rod 32 may rotate abnormally.

It is further noted that as shown in FIG. 6 specifically, the swivel head 34 may rotate about the guide rod 32 via the bearing 341. In detail, the swivel head 34 and the pivotally connected reciprocating agitator board 33 together may rotate 360-degree about the guide rod 32. At the same time, the reciprocating agitator board 33 may pivot at an angle between 0 and 45 degrees due to the expansion and the compression of the springs 332. Thus, the clothes and water are agitated and rolled, thereby greatly increasing the washing performance of the reciprocating laundry machine 100.

While the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A reciprocating laundry machine, comprising: a housing;a drum assembly unit including an outer drum inclined in the housing, an inner drum inclined in the housing, a first motor disposed in the housing, a sheave disposed at a second end of the inner drum, and a belt rotatably interconnecting the sheave and the first motor wherein the first motor is configured to rotate the belt which in tum rotates the sheave which further in tum rotates the inner drum in the outer drum; anda reciprocating unit disposed in the housing and including a second motor disposed externally of a first end of the outer drum, a guide rod passing through the outer drum and a central portion of the inner drum, and a reciprocating agitator board wherein the guide rod has a first end and a second end, the second motor engages the first end of the guide rod, and the reciprocating agitator board is pivotably secured to the second end of the guide rod so that the second motor is configured to activate the guide rod which in tum moves the reciprocating agitator board forward and backward alternately in the central portion of the inner drum.

2. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the outer drum includes a first opening through a surface, and the inner drum includes a second opening through a surface, the second opening aligned with the first opening.

3. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the outer drum includes a first hole through a central portion of a first end, a cavity disposed in the first hole, and a limit member disposed in the cavity, wherein the inner drum includes a second hole through a first end, the second hole aligned with the first hole; and wherein the guide rod passes through both the first hole and the second hole.

4. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 3, wherein the second motor includes a pinion; wherein the guide rod includes a linear gear member on a top adjacent to the first end, the linear gear member engaged the pinion, and a groove in a bottom opposing the linear gear member, and wherein the limit member is configured to move in the groove.

5. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the guide rod includes a swivel head at the second end; further comprising a bearing rotatably interconnecting the swivel head and the guide rod so that the swivel head is configured to rotate 360-degree about the guide rod via the bearing.

6. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 5, wherein the reciprocating agitator board includes a pivot pivotably secured to the swivel head.

7. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 6, wherein the pivot includes two external, opposite biasing members biased between the swivel head and the reciprocating agitator board so that the reciprocating agitator board is configured to pivot at an angle between 0 and 45 degrees due to expansion and compression of the biasing members.

8. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the inner drum includes a plurality of holes for water to flow in or exit

9. The reciprocating laundry machine of claim 1, further comprising a control unit including a controller disposed in the housing and a control panel disposed on a top of the housing wherein the controller is electrically connected to the control panel, the first motor, and the second motor respectively so that the second motor is configured to activate to wash clothes and the first motor is configured to activate to dry the clothes respectively.