Control and indicating apparatus for automatic washing machines

Claim 1

CONTROL AND INDICATING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES OF SELECTIVELY PROGRAMMED OPERATION, COMPRISING A WASHING-MACHINE STRUCTURE, A PROGRAM-CONTROL DEVICE MOUNTED ON SAID STRUCTURE, PROGRAM-SELECTOR MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID DEVICE AND HAVING MANUALLY MOVABLE MEANS FOR SELECTION OF DIFFERENT WASHING PROGRAMS, AN INDICATING DEVICE HAVING A PORTION NORMALLY NON-DETACHABLE FROM SAID MACHINE STRUCTURE AND COMPRISING AN INDICATOR MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID CONTROL DEVICE AND MOVABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COURSE OF THE SELECTED WASHING PROGRAM, SAID INDICATING DEVICE HAVING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SCALES OF INDICIA FIXEDLY CONNECTED WITH SAID MANUAL MEANS AND CORRELATED TO SAID DIFFERENT PROGRAMS RESPECTIVELY, WHEREBY SELECTIVE ACTUATION OF SAID MANUAL MEANS PLACES ONE OF SAID RESPECTIVE SCALES INTO COACTIVE RELATION TO SAID INDICATOR MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SELECTED WASHING PROGRAM, SAID MANUALLY MOVABLE SELECTOR MEANS COMPRISING A SELECTOR MEMBER INSERTABLE INTO AND REMOVABLE FROM SAID PORTION OF SAID INDICATING DEVICE, SAID SELECTOR MEMBER HAVING A FLAT AND RECTANGULAR SHAPE AND BEING STATIONARY WHEN INSERTED, ONE OF SAID SCALES OF INDICIA BEING LOCATED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID RECTANGULAR SELECTOR MEMBER AND BEING VISIBLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID INDICATING DEVICE WHEN SAID SELECTOR MEMBER IS INSERTED, SAID SELECTOR MEMBER HAVING SWITCH ACTUATING MEANS ON ITS OTHER SIDE, SAID INDICATING DEVICE HAVING A SLIDER DISPLACEABLE RELATIVE TO THE INSERTED SELECTOR MEMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OPERATION OF SAID PROGRAM-CONTROL DEVICE, AND ELECTRIC SWITCH MEANS MECHANICALLY CONNECTED AND DISPLACEABLE TOGETHER WITH SAID SLIDER TO BE ACTED UPON BY SAID SWITCH ACTUATING MEANS WHEN SAID SLIDER TRAVELS RELATIVE TO SAID SELECTOR MEMBER, SAID SWITCHES BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED WITH SAID PROGRAM-CONTROL DEVICE FOR OPERATION OF THE LATTER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WASHING PROGRAM SELECTED BY THE INSERTED SELECTOR MEMBER.