Clothes washer suspension system

Claim 2

In combination with a washing machine having a movable mass including a rotatable spin tub adapted to contain clothes or the like in a washing fluid, an oscillatable agitator in said tub and a mechanism operable to horizontally oscillate said agitator for agitating said clothes or the like in said washing fluid and to rotate said spin tub for centrifugally removing the washing fluid from said clothes or the like durinng operation of said washing machine, a suspension system comprising: a fixed support member having an upwardly facing annular convex portion, a movable support member having a downwardly facing annular convex portion, said movable mass being secured in fixed relationship to said movable support member, an annular shuttle member located between said upwardly facing convex portion and said downwardly facing convex portion and having an internal wall defining a cavity between said support members, at least a portion of each of said convex portions located within said cavity, said shuttle membeR having an upper bearing portion in mating engagement with said downwardly facing convex portion to form a first interface, said shuttle member having a lower bearing portion in mating engagement with said upwardly facing convex portion to form a second interface, both of said interfaces being located below the center of gravity of said movable mass, said shuttle member being controlled in its movement relative to said fixed support member and said movable support member by forces applied through the interfaces by the pinching effect of said fixed support member and said movable support member, said movement of said shuttle member facilitating the closest possible proximity of said movable support member to said fixed support member within said cavity, and biasing means tending to center and vertically orient said movable mass and resist the twisting thereof, said biasing means including first spring means between said fixed support member and said movable support member outboard of said shuttle member and a second spring means in said cavity between said fixed support member and said movable support member, said second spring means being formed as a hat-shaped rubber cup interconnecting said support members inboard of said shuttle member, the crown of said hat-shaped rubber cup having means for fastening to one of said support members while the brim of said hat-shaped cup has means in combination with the other of said support member to fasten to the other of said support members, whereby during operation of said washing machine both of said spring means tend to center said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member to vertically orient said movable mass while said second spring means tends to counteract the twisting of said movable mass in response to the horizontal oscillations of said agitator, and whereby during shipment of said washing machine said second spring means delimits the sidewise excursions of said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member.

Claim 3

In combination with a washing machine having a movable mass including a rotatable spin tub adapted to contain clothes or the like in a washing fluid, an oscillatable agitator in said tub and a mechanism operable to horizontally oscillate said agitator for agitating said clothes or the like in said washing fluid and to rotate said spin tub for centrifugally removing the washing fluid from said clothes or the like during operation of said washing machine, a suspension system comprising: a fixed support member having an upwardly facing annular convex portion, a movable support member having a downwardly facing annular convex portion, said movable mass being secured in fixed relationship to said movable support member, an annular shuttle member located between said upwardly facing convex portion and said downwardly facing convex portion and having an internal wall defining a cavity between said support members, at least a portion of each of said convex portions located within said cavity, said shuttle member comprising a ring having an upper bearing insert portion in mating engagement with said downwardly facing convex portion to form a first interface, the ring of said shuttle member having a lower bearing insert portion in mating engagement with said upwardly facing convex portion to form a second interface, said upper bearing insert portion having one anti-friction characteristic adapted especially for said first interface with said downwardly facing convex portion whereby to provide less motion along said first interface with less noise and said lower bearing portion having another anti-friction characteristic especially adapted for said second interface with said upwardly facing convex portion, both of said interfaces being located below the center of gravity of said movable mass, said shuttle member being controlled in its movement relative to said fixed support member and said movable support member by forces applied through the interfaces by the pinching effect of said fixed support member and said movable support member, said movement of said shuttle member facilitating the closest possible proximity of said movable support member to said fixed support member within said cavity, and biasing means tending to center and vertically orient said movable mass and resist the twisting thereof, said biasing means including first spring means between said fixed support member and said movable suport member outboard of said shuttle member and a second spring means in said cavity between said fixed support member and said movable support member, said second spring means being formed as a hat-shaped rubber cup interconnecting said support members inboard of said shuttle member, the crown of said hat-shaped rubber cup having means for fastening to one of said support members while the brim of said hat-shaped cup has means in combination with the other of said support member to fasten to the other of said support members, whereby during operation of said washing machine both of said spring means tend to center said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member to vertically orient said movable mass while said second spring means tends to counteract the twisting of said movable mass in response to the horizontal oscillations of said agitator, and whereby during shipment of said washing machine said second spring means delimits the sidewise excursions of said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member.

Claim 4

In combination with a washing machine having a movable mass including a rotatable spin tub adapted to contain clothes or the like in a washing fluid, an oscillatable agitator in said tub and a mechanism operable to horizontally oscillate said agitator for agitating said clothes or the like in said washing fluid and to rotate said spin tub for centrifugally removing the washing fluid from said clothes or the like during operation of said washing machine, a suspension system comprising: a fixed support member having an upwardly facing annular convex portion, a movable support member having a downwardly facing annular convex portion, said movable mass being secured in fixed relationship to said movable support member, an annular shuttle member located between said upwardly facing convex portion and said downwardly facing convex portion and having an internal wall defining a cavity between said support members, at least a portion of each of said convex portions located within said cavity, said shuttle member comprising a ring having an upper bearing insert portion in mating engagement with said downwardly facing convex portion to form a first interface, the ring of said shuttle member having a lower bearing insert portion in mating engagement with said upwardly facing convex portion to form a second interface, said upper bearing insert portion having one anti-friction characteristic adapted especially for said first interface with said downwardly facing convex portion whereby to provide less motion along said first interface with less noise and said lower bearing portion having another anti-friction characteristic especially adapted for said second interface with said upwardly facing convex portion, both of said interfaces being located below the center of gravity of said movable mass, said shuttle member being controlled in its movement relative to said fixed support member and said movable support member by forces applied through the interfaces by the pinching effect of said fixed support member and said movable support member, said movement of said shuttle member facilitating the closest possible proximity of said movable support member to said fixed support member within said cavity, and biasing means tending to center and vertically orient said movable mass and resist the twisting thereof, said biasing means including first spring means between said fixed support member and said movable suport member outboard of said shuttle member and a second spring means in said cavity between said fixed support member and said movable support member, said second spring means being formed as a hat-shaped rubber cup interconnecting said support members inboard of said shuttle member, the crown of said hat-shaped rubber cup having means for fastening to one of said support members while the brim of said hat-shaped cup has means in combination with the other of said support member to fasten to the other of said support members, whereby during operation of said washing machine both of said spring means tend to center said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member to vertically orient said movable mass while said second spring means tends to counteract the twisting of said movable mass in response to the horizontal oscillations of said agitator, and whereby during shipment of said washing machine said second spring means delimits the sidewise excursions of said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member.

Claim 5

The suspension system of claim 2 wherein said downwardly facing convex portion has a galvanized surface and said upper bearing portion is coke-filled polytetrafluoroethylene and wherein said upwardly facing convex portion has a porcelain surface and said lower bearing portion is polytetrafluoroethylene having a fiber glass fill.

Claim 6

The suspension system of claim 2 wherein said hat-shaped rubber cup has the characteristic of a variable rate spring during said sidewise excursions by placing one side of said cup in tension while the other side thereof is in compression during a minor sidewise excursion of said movable support member and by placing both sides of said cup in tension during a major sidewise excursion of said movable support member.

Claim 7

In combination with a washing machine having a movable mass including a rotatable spin tub adapted to contain clothes in a washing fluid, an oscillatable agitator in said tub and a mechanism operable to horizontally oscillate said agitator for agitating said clothes in said washing fluid and to rotate said spin tub for centrifugally removing the washing fluid from said clothes during operation of said washing machine, a suspension system comprising: a fixed support member having an upwardly facing annular convex portion having a porcelain surface, a movable support member having a downwardly facing annular convex portion having a galvanized surface, said movable mass being secured in fixed relationship to said movable support member, an annular shuttle member located between said upwardly facing convex portion and said downwardly facing convex portion and having an internal wall defining a cavity between said support members, at least a portion of each of said convex portions located within said cavity, said shuttle member having an upper coke-filled polytetrafluoroethylene bearing portion in mating engagement with the galvanized surface of said downwardly facing convex portion to form a first interface, said shuttle member having a lower fiber glass and molybdenum disulfide filled polytetrafluoroethylene bearing portion in mating engagement with the porcelain surface of said upwardly facing convex portion to form a second interface, both of said interfaces being located below the center of gravity of said movable mass, said shuttle member being controlled in its movement relative to said fixed support member and said movable support member by forces applied through the interfaces by the pinching effect of said fixed support member and said movable support member, said movement of said shuttle member facilitating the closest possible proximity of said movable support member to said fixed support member within said cavity, and biasing means tending to center and vertically orient said movable mass and resist the twisting thereof, said biasing means including coil springs vertically oriented between said fixed support member and said movable support member outboard of said shuttle member and a rubber spring and damper in said cavity between said fixed support member and said movable support member, said rubber spring and damper being formed as a hat-shaped rubber cup interconnecting said support members inboard of said shuttle member, the crown of said hat-shaped rubber cup having means for fastening to one of said support members while the brim of said hat-shaped cup has means in combination with the other end of said support member to fasten to the other of said support members by trapping said brim in a sandwich between a portion of the other of said support members and a circumscribing retainer affixed to said other of said support members, whereby during operation of said washing machine said coil springs and said rubber spring and damper tend to center said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member to vertically orient said movable mass while the twisting of said rubber spring and damper tends to counteract the twisting of said movable mass in response to the horizontal oscillations of said agitator, and whereby during shipment of said washing machine said rubber spring and damper delimits the sidewise excursions of said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member, the hat-shaped rubber cup having the characteristic of a variable rate spring during said sidewise excursions by placing one side of said cup in tension while the other side thereof is in compression during a minor sidewise excursion of said movable support member and by placing both sides of said cup in tension during a major sidewise excursion of said movable support member, the hat-shaped rubber cup by the hysteresis loss in said rubber adding to the dampening effect of said bearing portions along said interfaces during operation of said washing machine.

Claim 8

In combination with a washing machine having a movable mass including a rotatable spin tub adapted to contain clothes in a washing fluid, an oscillatable agitator in said tub and a mechanism operable to horizontally oscillate said agitator for agitating said clothes in said washing fluid and to rotate said spin tub for centrifugally removing the washing fluid from said clothes during operation of said washing machine, a suspension system comprising: a fixed support member having an upwardly facing annular convex portion having a porcelain surface, a movable support member having a downwardly facing annular convex portion having a galvanized surface, said movable mass being secured in fixed relationship to said movable support member, an annular shuttle member located between said upwardly facing convex portion and said downwardly facing convex portion and having an internal wall defining a cavity between said support members, at least a portion of each of said convex portions located within said cavity, said shuttle member having an upper coke-filled polytetrafluoroethylene bearing portion in mating engagement with the galvanized surface of said downwardly facing convex portion to form a first interface, said shuttle member having a lower fiber glass and molybdenum disulfide filled polytetrafluoroethylene bearing portion in mating engagement with the porcelain surface of said upwardly facing convex portion to form a second interface, both of said interfaces being located below the center of gravity of said movable mass, said shuttle member being controlled in its movement relative to said fixed support member and said movable support member by forces applied through the interfaces by the pinching effect of said fixed support member and said movable support member, said movement of said shuttle member facilitating the closest possible proximity of said movable support member to said fixed support member within said cavity, and biasing means tending to center and vertically orient said movable mass and resist the twisting thereof, said biasing means including coil springs vertically oriented between said fixed support member and said movable support member outboard of said shuttle member and a rubber spring and damper in said cavity between said fixed support member and said movable support member, said rubber spring and damper being formed as a hat-shaped rubber cup interconnecting said support members inboard of said shuttle member, the crown of said hat-shaped rubber cup having means for fastening to one of said support members while the brim of said hat-shaped cup has means in combination with the other end of said support member to fasten to the other of said support members by trapping said brim in a sandwich between a portion of the other of said support members and a circumscribing retainer affixed to said other of said support members, whereby during operation of said washing machine said coil springs and said rubber spring and damper tend to center said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member to vertically orient said movable mass while the twisting of said rubber spring and damper tends to counteract the twisting of said movable mass in response to the horizontal oscillations of said agitator, and whereby during shipment of said washing machine said rubber spring and damper delimits the sidewise excursions of said movable support member with respect to said fixed support member, the hat-shaped rubber cup having the characteristic of a variable rate spring during said sidewise excursions by placing one side of said cup in tension while the other side thereof is in compression during a minor sidewise excursion of said movable support member and by placing both sides of said cup in tension during a major sidewise excursion of said movable support member, the hat-shaped rubber cup by the hysteresis loss in said rubber adding to the dampening effect of said bearing portions along said interfaces during operation of said washing machine.