Retractable Self-Leveling Support Assembly for Automatic Washer

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to self-leveling support assemblies for heavy machinery, and in particular to such assemblies used in automatic laundry appliances.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Self-leveling support assemblies for use in redistributing uneven weight loading caused by setting an appliance on an uneven floor, or by vibrations produced in the operation of the appliance, are known in the art. Such assemblies utilize non-expandable tying means to connect two feet which are movable in a general vertical direction.

The assemblies known in the art have the disadvantage of having the feet deployed at all times, thus requiring special packing of the appliance in order to ensure stability of the appliance during shipping. Further, construction of the assemblies known in the art is such that damage to the assembly is likely should the appliance be moved an appreciable distance without such special packing.

The present invention is an improved self-leveling support assembly having a storage position and a deployed position. The assembly has a rigid horizontal frame member having upwardly diverging slots disposed at opposite ends thereof, covered by brackets having corresponding slots therein. A pin is slidably engaged in each of the pairs of slots, the pin connecting vertically movable feet to respective ends of an adjustable horizontal tension bar.

The adjustable tension bar is comprised of two slidably interlocking portions held together by a spring, each portion having a relieved section therein to receive a flanged end of the other portion, each relieved section having a notched surface arranged to engage the flange received in the relieved section and oppose horizontal movement of the portions with respect to each other. In the deployed position, the feet connected to the tension bar may rest on an uneven surface, and the pins connected to the tension bar will be free to slide in the upwardly diverging slots so as to allow leveling of the appliance and redistribution of the weight thereof.

The assembly is also movable to a retracted or storage position wherein the tension bar is manually extended to a greatest allowable length and pegged in that position by a pin inserted through the tension bar and received in the horizontal frame member. When the bar is in this position, the pins in the diverging slots are forced to the uppermost ends thereof, fully retracting the feet attached thereto, but maintaining the feet in a rigid, vertically disposed position to facilitate easy packing and movement without damage to the assembly, and still providing stability for the appliance.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a laundry appliance embodying a self-leveling support assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a self-leveling support assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV--IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 2 in a fully-extended deployed position immediately prior to the contact with a supporting surface.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 2 in a deployed position on a non-level supporting surface.

FIG. 7 is a partly cut away detailed view of the expandable tension arm of the assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII--VIII of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the appliance of FIG. 1 showing the assembly of FIG. 2 in a deployed position.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the self-leveling support assembly.

Domestic appliances such as automatic laundry machines are frequently required to stand on uneven supporting surfaces, such as basement floors or the like. Proper functioning of such machines, in particular vertical axis washing machines having a high speed spin or centrifugal extraction cycle, requires that the machine be level. If the machine is not level the forces generated by the rotating basket and clothes load cause the machine to experience vibrations which are not only noisy, but may also result in structural damage to the machine. In some cases, the vibrations may be sufficient to cause the machine to "walk" over the surface on which it rests.

It is desirable that assemblies constructed to remedy this problem by leveling the appliance be self-leveling so that re-positioning of the appliance by the user will not require readjustment of the leveling assembly by the user. Additionally, storage and packing of the appliance without loss of stability can be achieved if the assembly is retractable to a storage position while still providing support for the appliance.

A laundry appliance of the vertical axis type embodying the principles of the present invention is shown generally at 10 in FIG. 1. The appliance 10 has an outer cabinet 11 which houses a stationary tub 12 therein, containing a perforate spin basket 13. An agitator 14 is vertically disposed inside the spin basket 13, and a generally circular opening 15 in the top of the tub 12 for entry and removal of laundry is covered by a hinged lid 20.

The appliance 10 is driven by a motor and drive means 16 which is supported on an interior frame 17. The frame 17 is supported in tripod fashion by two struts 23 connected at a front of the cabinet 11 to a cabinet base 22. A suspension mechanism 18 minimizes transfer of vibrations from the moving interior parts to the cabinet 11.

As shown in FIG. 9, the front of the cabinet 11 is conventionally supported by threaded screw-adjustable feet 71, for limited selected manual adjustment of the height of the cabinet 11 above a supporting surface 72.

As shown in FIG. 2, a third strut 24 of the tripod supporting the frame 17 is connected to a self-levelling support assembly shown generally at 25. As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the assembly 25 consists of a horizontal frame member 26 made from sheet steel bent to form a vertical flat wall 30 and a horizontal flat wall 60 at a right angle thereto. A stiffening portion 61 of the horizontal wall 60 is bent partially upwardly to add strength to the mid point of the horizontal wall 60. The top of the vertical wall 30 is bent into an L-shaped configuration having a horizontal portion 37 and a vertical portion 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical portion 36 engages a portion 32 of the cabinet 11 and is held in place by three machine screws 33. Outwardly extending ends 37a of the top horizontal portion 37 are bent downwardly to abut end brackets 35, and are attached thereto by any suitable means, such as by spot welding. Supporting brackets 40 are attached to the end brackets 35 such as by spot welding, and are connected to a cabinet frame 34.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 10, a bracket 41 and a bracket 42 are connected respectively at the left and right ends of the assembly 25. The brackets are attached to the horizontal portion 60 of the frame member by any suitable means, such as by spot welding, and are held in place by an upwardly extending tab 66 which extends through slots in the top horizontal portion 37 of the frame and are held in place by respective ones of screws 33. The top horizontal portion 37 thus interconnected with bracket 41 forms a hollow chamber 65.

Upwardly and outwardly slanting slots 62 and 62a are formed in the frame as shown in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 4, this is accomplished by bending a severed portion 63 of the vertical wall 30 outwardly of chamber 65. A corresponding slot 43 is formed by bending a portion 45 of the bracket 41.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the other bracket 42 has a slot 44 formed therein by bending a portion 46 of the bracket outwardly, the slot 44 slanting outwardly in a direction opposite to that of the slots 43 and 62 so as to register with slot 62a.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a pair of feet 50 and 51, having respective vertical legs 70 and 64 attached thereto, extend into the chambers 65 formed between the frame 26 and the brackets 41 and 42. A horizontal arm 54 extends into the area between the left bracket 41 and the frame 26, and is engaged in a slot 70a in the upper portion of the leg 70. The arm 54 is held therein by a horizontal pin 52 passing through the leg 70 and a corresponding hole in the arm 54. An identical assembly holds a second horizontal arm 55 in engagement with the leg 64, and the two are held together behind the right bracket 42 by a pin 53.

As assembled, each of the pins 52 and 53 are free to slide within the confines of the respective slots 43 and 44. The outwardly extending portions 45, 63 and 46 and the other outwardly extending wall not shown on the frame member 26 behind the bracket 42, provide bearing surfaces against which the pins 52 and 53 can move.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 7, 8 and 10, the arm 54 has a flanged end 81 which is received in an aperture 76 in the other arm 55. The arm 55 has a similar flange 82 which is received in a similar aperture 73 in the arm 54. Extension of the assembled arm combination is opposed by a biasing spring 56 connected at its ends to each of the arms 54 and 55, and disposed in overlapping rectangular apertures 71 and 85 in the respective arms 54 and 55.

Each of the arms 54 and 55 has a respective second aperture 74 and 77 therein, connected by respective channels 75 and 78 to the apertures 73 and 76. A generally vertical portion 73a of the aperture 73 is disposed at one end of the channel 75, and a generally vertical portion 76a of the aperture 76 is disposed at an end of the channel 78.

As shown in FIG. 3, the assembly 25 may be placed in a retracted position by applying a downward force to move the arms 54 and 55 out of horizontal alignment, and by applying opposed outwardly directed forces to each of the arms 54 and 55 to extend the combination to a greatest length. This allows the flanges 81 and 82 to respectively move into the channels 78 and 75. When this occurs, the pins 52 and 53 are moved a greatest distance apart to the tops of the respective slots 43 and 44, thereby pulling the feet 50 and 51 into the cabinet 11. Because the spring 56 is now extended, the assembly must be pegged in this position, which is accomplished by means of a pin 57 inserted through an aperture in the vertical wall 30.

When the feet 50 and 51 are in the position shown in FIG. 3, the assembly is suitable for packing and/or movement of the appliance 10 without damage to the retracted feet. The stability of the appliance 10 is not lost, however, because the feet 50 and 51 in addition to dimples 31 extending downwardly from the horizontal wall 60, provide a secure means for supporting the appliance 10, even in the retracted position.

Prior to placing the assembly 25 in the deployed positions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the front adjustable feet 91 are adjusted to level the front of the appliance 10 on a supporting surface 72 as best as can be achieved. The rear portion of the appliance 10 is raised so that no weight is being supported by the assembly 25, the pin 57 is removed and the arms 54 and 55 are moved back into horizontal alignment. Referring to FIG. 5, the spring 56 will contract pulling the arms 54 and 55 together while the flange 82 slides through the channel 75 into aperture 73 and the flange 81 slides through the channel 78 into aperture 76. Flange 81 and 82 will continue to be moved by spring 56 in respective apertures 76 and 73 until contact is made with end walls opposite respective vertical portions 76a and 73a. The arm combination is thus now in a rigid, non-expandable form, and the feet 50 and 51 are fully extended with the pins 52 and 53 at the bottom of the respective slots 45 and 44. As weight is brought to bear on the rear of the appliance 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the feet 50 and 51 will engage the supporting surface 72 which may be slanted an angle from the horizontal. Extension of the arms 54 and 55 is now prevented because the flanges 81 and 82 abut a limiting means comprising vertical walls 76a and 73a respectively. Instead of assuming a position 50a level with the foot 51, the foot 50 will rest against the supporting surface 72, so that the pin 52 will not slide as far in the slot 43 as the pin 53 slides in the slot 44. The arm combination 54 and 55 will thus be slightly canted but the cabinet 11 and the appliance 10 will be level.

If the appliance 10 is subsequently moved by a user, the assembly 25 will automatically readjust to a changing angle to that the rear of the appliance 10 will automatically be self-leveled whenever moved.

Although changes and modifications may be suggested by those skilled in the art it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art.