Clothes washing machine having a reinforced pulsator

• US 5,906,118 A
• Filed: 03/30/1998
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Min-Su, Park, Kyoung-Weon
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US09/050,132
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 68/53, 68/134
• US Class Current: 68/53
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 17/10 Impellers

Abstract

A clothes washing machine has a washing water spurting apparatus for spurting washing water directly upwardly from a center of a pulsator. The washing water is guided by at least guide one duct affixed to the pulsator. The pulsator has a plurality of first ribs formed on an underside of the pulsator and second ribs formed in recesses of the lower surface of the underside. Each of the first ribs is spaced a predetermined distance from the inlet of the guide duct. Each of the second ribs has a height extending from the underside of the pulsator, which is smaller than a height of a top border of the inlet. The first and second ribs enable the washing water to flow smoothly into the inlet of the guide duct when the pulsator rotates. The pulsator and the rotating blades are prevented from being deformed by the presence of the ribs.

Claims

1. A clothes washing machine comprising:

a housing;

a spin basket mounted in the housing;

a pulsator rotatably mounted at a bottom of the spin basket, the pulsator including a rotating plate, a plurality of rotary blades, and a plurality of first ribs, the rotary blades protruding upward from an upper surface of the rotating plate, the first ribs being disposed on an underside of the pulsator so as to prevent the pulsator from being deformed; and

a washing water spurting apparatus assembled with the pulsator, the washing water spurting apparatus including at least one guide duct and a spurt cap, the guide duct having a radially outer inlet and a radially inner outlet for guiding washing water from the inlet to the outlet adjacent a center of the pulsator, the spurt cap directing upwardly the washing water ejected from the guide duct from the center of the pulsator,

wherein each of the first ribs is spaced by at least a predetermined distance from the inlet of the guide duct.

2. The clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first ribs extend radially outward from the center of the pulsator, and each of the ribs is arranged to make an angle of about 75 degrees with respect to a normal line extending through an inner corner of the inlet of the guide duct from the center of the pulsator.

3. The clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the underside of the pulsator further comprises second ribs for preventing the rotating blades from being deformed.

4. The clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the second ribs is provided in respective recesses which constitute hollow interiors of the rotary blades.

5. The clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the second ribs protrudes downward from a bottom of each of the recesses beyond the underside of the pulsator, and each of the second ribs has a first height extending downwardly from the undersurface of the pulsator, the first height being smaller than a second height defined by a top border of the inlet.