ROTARY DISTRIBUTOR ASSEMBLY FOR WASHING MACHINES

• US 3,567,076 A
• Filed: 05/08/1968
• Issued: 03/02/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zanussi Lino
• Original Assignee: Zanussi Lino
• Inventors: ZANUSSI LINO
• Application Number:
  US04/727,645
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• US Class Current: 222/144
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 33/06 substantially mechanically
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/02 Devices for adding soap or other washing agents

Abstract

A rotary distributor for sequentially dispensing dosage units of detergents in a washing machine including a plurality of sectoral compartments adapted to hold each a different kind of detergent, with the distributor also serving as a water-flow intercepting means and means for imparting a predetermined direction to a water jet impinging into the distributor for sweeping away the detergent towards the washing tub of the machine. Means are also provided for transferring the drive, unidirectionally, from the shaft of the programming timer of the machine to the rotary distributor, along with means for discharging the water left in the individual compartments of the distributor on completion of a washing cycle.

Claims

1. A rotary distributor assembly for washing machines of the type embodying a water main, a programming timer mechanism for controlling the operative cycle of said washing machine, at least two containers adapted to contain preselected dosages of a detergent and/or another washing adjuvant in solid and/or liquid form, and a duct for establishing communication between said containers and the interior of a washing tub of said washing machine, the improvement including a single stop valve mounted in said duct controlled by said programming timer, a rotary flow distributor, and means directly and mechanically connecting said distributor of said timer for rotation by said programming timer during periods of time in which said timer keeps said valve closed, with said distributor rotating said container into communication, sequentially and during preselected times of the washing cycle, between said water feeding duct and said containers.

2. The rotary distributor assembly according to claim 1, in which said flow distributor comprises a hollow cylindrical body having an inlet port at either end and at least two outlet ports at the opposite end, and an intercepting disc coaxially arranged for rotation within said body, said disc having a perforation adapted to establish communication between one of said outlet ports at a time and said inlet port, the timer having a rotating shaft, the rotation of said disc being controlled by said timer through a direct and mechanical coupling drive between the disc per se and the rotating shaft.

3. The distributor according to 2, characterized in that said perforation and said outlet ports have a circular outline.

4. The rotary distributor according to claim 2, characterized in that said perforation and said outlet ports have the form of an elongate slot.

5. The distributor according to claim 2, characterized in that said duct contains a magnetic valve controlled so as to be closed prior to the complete closure of the perforation of the disc and to be opened prior to the complete reopening of the perforation, with said magnetic valve being kept closed for the whole duration of the complete closure of said perforation.

6. The rotary distributor assembly according to claim 1, in which said rotary distributor includes a fixed body and a rotary container mounted internally of said fixed body, said programming timer mechanism having a shaft, said container being controlled for rotation, directly and mechanically by the shaft and being subdivided into sectoral compartments adapted to contain a detergent and which are positioned at preselected instants of time beneath a single water jet which enters the machine and conveys the detergent towards the interior of the washinG tub.

7. The assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that said rotary container is divided into sectoral compartments, each of which comprises a radially innermost chamber intended to contain the detergent and an annular radially outermost chamber intended to receive said water jet, said innermost and said outermost chambers being partitioned by a partition wall extending in a circumferential direction and terminating at a certain distance from the bottom of said container, so that said two chambers are in mutual communication.

8. The assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that said rotary container is connected for rotation through a flexible drive-transfer mechanism to the shaft of said programming timer mechanism of said washing machine.

9. The assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that said fixed body has an overflow for discharging accidentally overflowing water.

10. The assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that a single water jet is provided, which is controlled by a single magnetic valve, directly by said programming timer mechanism.

11. The assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the water feeding duct solid with said fixed body, and the edge of the underlying annular chamber are placed at a distance from one another, thus providing a duct cutoff mechanism, and said inlet duct having an outlet opening with an elongate cross-sectional shape.

12. The assembly according to claim 11, characterized in that said outlet opening has a rectangular outline.

13. The assembly according to claim 6, in which between the shaft of said programming timer mechanisms and the rotary container, a drive-transfer mechanism is provided for permitting the transfer of the rotary drive from the shaft to the container but not the transfer of the rotary drive from the container to the shaft, at least a compartment for dispensing a liquid detergent to the washing tub of said washing machine, said compartment having valve means for discharging the water left in the liquid detergent dispenser, and said means being actuated at the end of a washing cycle.

14. The assembly according to claim 13, in which said mechanism comprises two sleeves, engaged by the shaft of the programming timer mechanism, and by a hub of said rotary container, respectively, said sleeves being adapted to be mutually engaged along two surfaces having a helical trend with respect to the axis of said sleeves, the sleeve for said hub being resiliently maintained in engagement with said other sleeve by compressible spring means, and said valve means comprising a poppetlike seal adapted to close in sealtight manner a perforation formed through the bottom wall of said liquid detergent dispensing compartment, with said poppetlike seal being affixed to an actuating stem and resiliently maintained in its closed position but manually actuable towards its opening position.

15. A rotary distributor assembly for washing machines of the type embodying a water main, a programming timer mechanism for controlling the operative cycle of the washing machine, at least two containers adapted to contain preselected dosages of a detergent and/or another washing adjuvant in solid and/or liquid form, and a duct for establishing communication between said containers and the interior of a washing tub of the washing machine, the improvement including a single stop valve mounted in said duct controlled by said programming timer, and a rotary flow distributor, actuated and controlled directly and mechanically for rotation by the programming timer mechanism during periods of time in which said timer mechanism maintains said valve closed, with said distributor establishing communication, sequentially and during preselected times of the washing cycle, between said water feeding duct and said containers, said rotary flow distributor including a hollow cylindrical body having an inlet port at either end and at least two outlet ports at the opposite end, an intercepting disc coaxially Arranged for rotation within the body, said disc having a perforation adapted to establish communication between one of said outlet ports at a time and said inlet port, said disc being mounted adjacent the end of the body having said outlet ports so as to allow the disc to sealingly close the ports not in registry with the perforation in the disc, the rotation of said disc being controlled by means of said timer mechanism and said disc being of a resiliently yieldable material whereby the pressure of the liquid entering the inlet urges the disc against the end having the outlet ports thereby closing in a sealtight manner the outlet ports not in registry with the perforation.