US3220230A - Washer and dryer with means in the washer for removing lint from the dryer - Google Patents

Description

Filed Feb. 24. 1964 J W. JACOBS ETAL WASHER AND DRYER WITH MEANS IN THE WASHER FOR REMOVING LINT FROM THE DRYER l I/ J J Nov. 30, 1965 om. M0 JL .B We Sg er mw JG Y B Their Attorney United States Patent C) WASHER AND DRYER WITH MEANS IN THE WASHER FOR REMVING LlNT FROM THE DRYER James W. `acobs and George B. Long, Dayton, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 346,983 Claims. (Cl. 68-19) This invention relates toa domestic appliance and more particularly to an improved carefree arrangement for disposing of lint from a dryer through the drainage system of an adjacent clothes washer.

During the drying of clothes, lint is generated by the tumbling of fabric, and this lint, along with evaporated moisture, is carried from the dryer by a circulating air stream. Prior art devices have sought to lter the lint from the exhausting air by means of a collecting net or screen disposed at some point in the exhaust air system. such a prior art arrangement requires that the lint collecting screen be periodically cleaned. This invention is directed to an arrangement whereby periodic maintenance of the dryer lter screen or the like is eliminated by causing the lint to be disposed of along with the waste water of a companion clothes washing machine.

Accordingly, it is -a general object of this invention to eliminate the need for a lter screen in a clothes dryer.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a lint disposal arrangement which uses the wash water drainage system of an adjacent clothes washer for collecting and disposing of the lint from the clothes dryer.

A more specic object is the provision of a separate washer and separate dryer arrangement wherein the exhaust of the dryer is conveyed into moisture condensing and lint depositing relationship with a trough of water in the clothes washer, said collected lint and condensate being removed from the clothes washer along with the soiled wash water by the pump-out system of the clothes washer.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be `apparent from the following description, reference being had to the 'accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic side elevational view of the washer and dryer arrangement of this invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, of the clothes washer shown in FIGURE l.

In accordance with this invention and with reference to FIGURE 1, a clothes washer is shown positioned adjacent aclothes dryer 12. In general, theclothes dryer 12 is provided with anouter cabinet 14 enclosing a rotatabletumbling drum 16 and having anaccess door 18 in axial alignment with the front Iaccess opening 20 of the tumbling drum. Air ow through thetumbling drum 16 is induced by ablower 22, the inlet of which is connected to the access opening 20 by means of afront duct 24. The blower orair circulating means 22 is adapted to exhaust from thedryer 12 by means of anexhaust outlet 26. For further details of theclothes dryer 12 other than the lint collecting scheme, reference may be hadV to the patent to Whyte 2,843,945, issued July 22, 1958.

Turning now to theclothes washer 10, its construction is shown to include anouter cabinet 30 into which hot and coldwater supply lines 32 lead to amixing valve 33. Adrain line 34 extends from thecabinet 30 to any convenient domestic sewer. Electric power may be supplied, respectively, to thewasher 10 and thedryer 12 by means of anelectric cord 36, 38.

ice

Turning now to FIGURE 2, the novel lint disposal arrangement of this invention will be described with reference to the novel construction of theclothes washer 10. The outer cabinet of the clothes washer encloses a generallycylindrical water container 40 having a closed lower end orbulkhead 42 from which adrain line 44 extends. Aspin tub 46 is rotatably mounted on thebulkhead 42 within thewater container 40, said tub including a plurality of circumferentially arrangedouttlow ports 48 through which soiled wash water may be centrifuged into the surrounding water container whenever thetub 46 is rotated. Such tub rotation may be accomplished by an agitating andspinning mechanism 50 of the type taught in either the patent to Sisson 2,987,904 issued June 13, 1961, or Brucken 3,087,321 issued April 30, 1963. Apump 52 is driven by eithermechanism 50 in a manner to pu-mp the soiled wash water from the water container 4t) via thedrain lines 44 and 34. Soiled wash water is created, of course, when dirty clothes are placed within thespin tub 46 through an access door S4 on the top of the clothes washer cabinet, and an automatic wash cycle is initiated.

The lint and condensate disposal arrangement within theclothes washer 10 is comprised of a duct means 56 attached to one side of the water container 4t) between thespin tub 46 and the water container. Thelower end 58 of the duct extends into Ian arcuatetrough 60 which is positioned on thebulkhead 42 immediately adjacent the cylindrical wall of the water container 40-thetrough 60 being adapted to contain a level of water therein which will submerge theend 58 of theduct 56. Ailexible conduit 62 interconnects theexhaust 26 to thedryer 12 with theduct 56 in the clothes washer whereby to cause the dryer exhaust -air to bubble through the water in thearcuate trough 60 whenever theblower 22 is operating. This bubbling action will condense the moisture from the dryer exhaust and will cause the lint to be wetted and separated from the air. Air bubbling out of thetrough 60 may then escape from the cabinet of the clothes washer 10 by way of an opening 66 in the top of thewater container 40 andlouvers 68 in the back wall of the clothes washer.

In operation, clean wash water is supplied to thespin tub 46 by `means of thewater supply lines 32 and the agitating andspinning mechanism 50 is then operated to agitate the clothes for a predetermined interval to remove the soil therefrom. At the conclusion of the agitate cycle, the soiled wash water is removed from thetub 46 when the tub is -rotated by themechanism 50, said soiled wash water being centrifuged from the tub through the outflow ports 48-the rotating action of thetub 46 im- Iparting a swirling action to the centrifuged water which spirals down around the cylindrical wall of thewater container 40 until a portion thereof reaches thetrough 60. At this point the swirling water will sweep the stagnant water from thetrough 60 and carry with it the lint and condensate deposited therein from the dryer. This ushing or purging action will continue so long as the soiled wash water is being centrifuged from the tub with only a small amount of the swirling wash water remaining in thetrough 60 at the conclusion of spin to condition the trough for handling subsequent condensing and lint separating operations for the dryer. The condensate and lint which have been purged from thecollector trough 60 into the bottom of thewater container 46 are then pumped to drain along with the soiled wash water via thedrain lines 44 and 34. Thus, the purging action of thecollector trough 60 serves also to condition the trough with another load of water `through which subsequent dryer exhaust operations can continue to bubble.

Although the foregoing has been explained in connection with a submerged dryer exhaust to secure a bubbling moisture condensing and lint removing action, an alternate arrangement would have theduct 56 terminate above the water in thetrough 60, relying on the surface contact of the hot moist dryer air to separate the lint and condense the moisture.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferre/d form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination, a clothes washer having clean water inlet means and soiled water discharge means, said water discharge means including tub means rotatable for centrifuging soiled water therefrom and trough means in the path of the water being centrifuged, said trough means being purged by the swirl of the water centrifuged and adapted to retain a portion of said water after said centrifuging, a clothes dryer having means for circulating a stream of drying air into moisture and lint removing relationship to said clothes and for exhausting the lint and moisture laden air from said clothes dryer, and duct means in communication with said clothes dryer at one end thereof for receiving the lint and moisture laden air exhausted and connected with said clothes washer at the other end thereof for conveying said lint and moisture laden air thereto, said duct means at said other end extending into said trough means below the surface of said portion of water for directing said lint and moisture laden air into moisture condensing and lint depositing relationship with said portion of water, the purging of said trough means by the water centrifuged from said tub means serving to condition the condensed` moisture and lint for removal from said clothes washer along with the soiled water centrifuged from said tube means.

2. In combination, a clothes washer having clean water inlet means and soiled water discharge means, said water discharge means including tub means rotatable for centrifuging soiled water therefrom, cylindrical water container means `enclosing said tub means and in water receiving relationship to the water centrifuged, trough means in said water container means in the path of the water being centrifuged and pump means for draining the water centrifuged from said water container, said trough means being purged by the swirl of the water centrifuged and adapted to retain a portion of said water after said centrifuging, a clothes dryer independent of said clothes washer and having blower means for circulating a stream of drying air into moisture and lint removing relationship to clothes being dried and for exhausting the lint and moisture laden air from said clothes dryer, and duct means in communication with said clothes dryer at one end thereof for receiving the lint and moisture laden air exhausted and connected with said clothes washer at the other end thereof for conveying said lint and moisture laden air thereto, said duct means at said other lend extending into said trough means below the surface of said portion of water for directing said lint and moisture laden air into moisture condensing and lint depositing relationship with said portion of water, the purging of said trough means by the water centrifuged from said tub means serving to sweep the condensed moisture and lint into said water container for removal from said clothes washer by said pump means along with the soiled water centrifuged from said tub means.

3. In combination, a clothes washer having clean water inlet means and soiled water discharge means, said water discharge means including means operable for removing soiled water from said clothes washer and collector means in the path of at least some of the water being removed, said collector means being purged by at least some of the water removed and adapted to retain a portion of water after said removal, a clothes dryer having means for directing a stream of drying air into moisture and lint removing relationship to said clothes and for exhausting the lint and moisture laden air from said clothes dryer, and means in communication with said clothes dryer for receiving the lint and moisture laden air exhausted and connected with said clothes washer for conveying said lint and moisture laden air thereto, said last named means extending toward said collector means and the surface of said portion of water for directing said lint and moisture laden air into moisture condensing and lint depositing relationship with said portion of water, the purging of said collector means by water being removed from said clothes washer serving to condition the condensed moisture and lint for removal from said clothes washer along with the water being removed.

4. In combination, a clothes washer having clean water inlet means and soiled water discharge means, said water discharge means including means operable for removing soiled water from said clothes washer and collector means in the path of at least some of the water being removed, said collector means being purged by at least some of the water removed and adapted to retain a portion of water after said removal, a clothes dryer having means for directing a stream of drying air into lint removing relationship to said clothes and for exhausting the lint laden air from said clothes dryer, and means in communication with said clothes dryer for receiving the lint laden air exhausted and connected with said clothes washer for conveying said lint laden air thereto, said last named means extending toward said collector means and the surface of said portion of water for directing said lint laden air into lint depositing relationship with said portion of water, the purging of said collector means by water being removed from said clothes washer serving to condition the lint for removal from said clothes washer along with the water being removed.

5. In combination, a clothes washer having clean water inlet means and soiled water discharge means, said Water discharge means including means operable for removing soiled water from said clothes washer and collector means in the path of at least some of the water being removed, said collector means being purged by at least some of the water removed and adapted to retain a portion of water after said removal, a clothes dryer having means for directing a stream of drying air into lint removing relationship to said clothes and for exhausting the lint laden air from said clothes dryer, and means in communication with said clothes dryer for receiving the lint laden air exhausted and connected with said clothes washer for conveying said lint laden air thereto, said last named means extending toward said collector means and the surface of said portion of water for directing said lint laden air into lint depositing relationship with said portion of water, the purging of said collector means by water being removed from said clothes washer serving to condition the lint for removal from said clothes washer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,750,779 6/1956 whyte 68--19 2,843,943 7/1958 Geidhofet a1.

3,078,702 2/1963 come@ 68-20 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 5. IN COMBINATION, A CLOTHES WASHING HAVING CLEAN WATER INLET MEANS AND SOLIDED WATER DISCHARGE MEANS, SAID WATER DISCHARGE MEANS INCLUDING MEANS OPERABLE FOR REMOVING SOLID WATER FROM SAID CLOTHES WASHER AND COLLECTOR MEANS IN THE PATH OF AT LEAST SOME OF THE WATER BEING REMOVED, SAID COLLECTOR MEANS BEING PURGED BY AT LEAST SOME OF THE WATER REMOVED AND ADAPTED TO RETAIN A PORTION OF WATER AFTER SAID REMOVAL, A CLOTHES DRYER HAVING MEANS FOR DIRECTING A STREAM OF DRYING AIR INTO LINT REMOVING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID CLOTHES AND FOR EXHAUSTING THE LINT LADEN AIR FROM SAID CLOTHES DRYER, AND MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CLOTHES DRYER FOR RECEIVING THE LINT LADEN AIR EXHAUSTED AND CONNECTED WITH SAID CLOTHES WASHER FOR CONVEYING SAID LINT LADEN AIR THERETO, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS EXTENDING TOWARD SAID COLLECTOR MEANS AND THE SUFACE OF SAID PORTION OF WATER FOR DIRECTING SAID LINT LADEN AIR INTO LINT DEPOSITING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID PORTION OF WATER, THE PURGING OF SAID COLLECTOR MEANS BY WATER BEING REMOVED FROM SAID CLOTHES WASHER SERVING TO CONDITION THE LINT FOR REMOVAL FROM SAID CLOTHES WASHER.

Images