Pulley drive for a side-loaded drum type washing machine

Claim 1

In a drum type washing machine which is loaded through a loading opening provided in the side surface thereof, said drum being mounted on a rotatable shaft within the machine housing and being driven by a drive motor coupled thereto by a pulley belt drive arrangement, and including means for stopping the drum with the loading opening therein aligned with respect to a loading opening provided in the machine housing, an improved pulley drive, comprising: a first annular pulley part fixed to said drum shaft for coupling said pulley drive arrangement to said drum shaft; an annular rim, mounted on said first pulley part in concentric disposition with respect thereto, and including a plurality of lug members extending radially outwardly from the periphery thereof; a second pulley part including a ring-shaped body portion having a radially inner edge adapted for slidable disposal over said rim, and a plurality of radially outwardly extending lug members, including at least one stopping lug member of greater axial length than the others of said lug members, said radially inner edge including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart recesses disposed in said body portion for receiving said annular rim lug members; and resilient tension means, coupled to said first and second pulley parts, for absorbing the rotational momentum of the drum during stopping and for aligning said drum and machine housing loading openings subsequent to the stopping of said drum.