Laundry apparatus

Claim 1

LAUNDRY APPARATUS COMPRISING: A ROTATABLE CONTAINER FOR FLUID WITHIN WHICH FABRICS ARE WASHED; MEANS FOR AGITATING THE FLUID AND FABRICS WITHIN SAID CONTAINER; TRANSMISSION MEANS INCLUDING ELEMENTS SELECTIVELY ROTATABLE EITHER IN A FORWARD OR A REVERSE SENSE, ROTATING IN ONE SENSE BEING EFFECTIVE TO ROTATE THE CONTAINER TO CENTRIFUGE FLUID FROM FABRICS WITHIN SAID CONTAINER IN ACHIEVEMENT OF ONE PHASE OF A WASHING CYCLE, AND ROTATION IN THE OTHER SENSE BEING EFFECTIVE TO DRIVE THE AGITATOR MEANS WHILE THE CONTAINER REMAINS SUBSTANTIALLY STATIONARY IN ACHIEVEMENT OF ANOTHER PHASE; A SINGLE PUMP INCLUDING A PAIR OF PORTS, SAID PUMP BEING DRIVEN BY REVERSIBLE ELEMENTS OF SAID TRANSMISSION MEANS; MEANS FOR HANDLING SAID FLUID DURING SAID PHASES AND PROVIDING EITHER FOR DISCHARGE OF FLUID AS IT IS CENTRIFUGED FROM SAID CONTAINER UPON ROTATION THEREOF, OR FOR CIRCULATION FO FLUID FROM SAID CONTAINER TO FLUID TREATING MEANS FROM WHICH SAID FLUID RETURNS GRAVITATIONALLY TO SAID CONTAINER AS SAID AGITATOR IS DRIVEN, SAID MEANS FOR HANDLING FLUID INCLUDING FLUID DRAIN CONDUIT MEANS FOR SAID CONTAINER CONNECTED TO ONE PORT OF SAID PUMP, AND FLUID DISCHARGE CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER PORT OF SAID PUMP AND OPERABLE, WHEN SAID PUMP IS ROTATED IN ITS ONE DIRECTION, TO PROVIDE FOR FLOW OF FLUID FROM SAID CONTAINER THROUGH SAID DRAIN CONDUIT MEANS FOR DELIVERY TO THE DISCHARGE CONDUIT MEANS; AND CONTROL MEANS OPERABLE, WHEN SAID PUMP IS ROTATED IN ITS OTHER DIRECTION, TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIAL REVERSE FLOW OF FLUID FROM SAID PUMP INTO SAID CONTAINER THROUGH SAID DRAIN CONDUIT MEANS AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MENTIONED CIRCULATION OF FLUID FROM SAID CONTAINER TO THE FLUID TREATING MEANS.