The present invention refers to a washing machine tub and inertia counterweight assembly, which is usually available within a modern washing machine for household purposes.

Washing machine tub and inertia counterweight assembly is disclosed in SI 20945 A. A tub is among others furnished with outwardly protruding pair of arms extending towards the counterweight. A counterweight as such consists of concrete, in which metallic inserts are embedded. Each of said inserts is optionally attached to a reinforcing ring, which is also embedded within the concrete, and is moreover furnished with a ring-shaped end portion protruding out of the concrete. Said counterweight is interconnected with the tub by means of screws, which are inserted through said ring-shaped portions on the counterweight and screwed into recess between each pair of said arms on the tub. Manufacturing of such assembly is pretty difficult and time consuming, due to pre-forming and positioning of said inserts, forming said arms on the tub and also assembling said tub and said counterweight by means of screws.

By taking into consideration drawbacks of known assemblies of washing machine tubs and counterweights, the purpose of the invention is to improve and further modify both the tub and the counterweight, such that manufacturing of each assembly could be more efficient and less time consuming. In order to overcome the aforementioned deficiencies of known solutions, the invention proposes an improved washing machine tub and inertia counterweight assembly, wherein such assembly comprising

- a hollow essentially cylindrical tub, which is elastically suspended within a washing machine body and adapted to receive a basket which is rotatably embedded therein and driven by appropriate motor; as well as

- at least approximately annular inertia counterweight, which is mounted onto said tub and is adapted for compensating dynamic forces and dampening vibrations on said tub, wherein said tub optionally consists of appropriately preformed metallic material or of molded or otherwise preformed thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers, while said counterweight preferably consists of reinforced concrete,

and wherein the assembly is characterized in that

the tub is furnished with at least two, preferably three or more at least approximately in radial direction outwardly protruding and in the circumferential direction of said tub apart from each other located interconnecting means, which are integrally embedded within the material of the tub and consist of weldable material, and in that the counterweight is furnished with at least two, preferably three or more at least approximately in radial direction outwardly protruding and in the circumferential direction of said counterweight apart from each other and correspondingly to said interconnecting means on the tub located interconnecting means, which are integrally embedded within the material of the counterweight and consist of weldable material.

Consequently, when the tub and the counterweight are assembled, each particularinterconnecting_means_on_the_tub_matches with each corresponding interconnecting means on the counterweight, or vice versa, and interconnecting means on the tub are interconnectable in a non-detachable manner with the interconnecting means on the counterweight by means of heating for the purposes of at least partially melting of said interconnecting material, followed by pressing them towards each other and solidifying in the non-detachably interconnected state thereof. Optionally, each interconnecting means, or at least one interconnecting means on said tub and/or on said counterweight can be available either at least approximately in the form of a pin or at least approximately in the form of a plate.

The first embodiment of the invention provides that each interconnecting means on said tub and/or on said counterweight consist of a weldable metallic material. A further embodiment of the invention provides that each interconnecting means on said tub and/or on said counterweight consist of a weldable thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers.

The term "weldable" in this application annotates capability of a material part to be welded with another material part, namely to be adhered to another material part in a non-detachable manner by means of welding with or without adding material. Such welding should normally occur due to at least partially melting of at least parts of surface areas of said material parts by means of thermal heating or ultrasonic oscillating or electric resistance or in any other known manner, which is followed by facing both material parts towards each other and joining them either by means of liquid material or by simply pressing them to each other.

Invention will be described on the basis of embodiments, which are shown in the enclosed drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of a washing machine tub and inertia counterweight assembly according to the invention;

Eig._2_is_a_cross=section_in_the_radiaLplane_II - II of-the.tub;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section along the plane III - III according to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a washing machine tub and inertia counterweight assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view in the opposite direction with respect to Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a cross-section in the radial plane VI - VI of the tub. Washing machine tub and inertia counterweight assembly is shown in Fig. 1. Said comprises a hollow and essentially cylindrical tub 1, which is during the use elastically suspended within a not-shown washing machine body and is moreover adapted to receive a not-shown basket which is preferably perforated and is rotatably embedded within said tub 1 and driven by appropriate motor. In addition to said tub, the assembly comprises at least approximately annular inertia counterweight 2, which is mounted onto said tub 1 and is adapted for compensating dynamic forces and dampening vibrations on said tub 1, which normally occur due to rotation of said basket, within the tub 1.

In most cases, the tub 1 consists of molded or otherwise preformed thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers. Such embodiment is shown in Figs. 1 to 3. Alternatively, the tub 1 may also consist of appropriately preformed metallic material, and such embodiment is shown in Figs. 4 to 6. The counterweight 2 preferably consists of reinforced concrete,

In order to simplify manufacturing of such assembly, establishing of a non-detachable interconnection between said tub and counterweight is foreseen, which is preferably achieved by means of welding. To this aim, the tub 1 is furnished with at least two, preferably three or more interconnecting means 1 1 ', 1 1 ", which are separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the tub 1 and wherein each of said interconnecting means 1 1 ', 1 1 " extends at least approximately in radial direction of the tub 1 and protrudes outwardly towards the counterweight 2. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, said interconnecting means 11 ', 11 " are integrally embedded within the material of the tub 1 and consist of weldable material.

Quite analogously, the counterweight 2 is also furnished with at least two, preferably three or more at least approximately in radial direction outwardly protruding and in the circumferential direction of said counterweight 2 apart from each other and correspondingly to said interconnecting means 1 1 ', 11 " on the tub 1 located interconnecting means 2 , 21 ", which are integrally embedded within the material of the counterweight 2 and consist of weldable material.

Consequently, when the tub 1 and the counterweight 2 are assembled, each particular interconnecting means 1 1 ', 1 1 " on the tub 1 matches with each corresponding interconnecting means 2 , 21 " on the counterweight 2, or vice versa, wherein said interconnecting means 11 ', 11 " on the tub 1 are interconnectable in a non-detachable manner with the interconnecting means 2 , 21 " on the counterweight 2, e.g. by means of heating for the purposes of at least partially melting of said interconnecting material, followed by pressing them towards each other and solidifying in the non- detachably interconnected state thereof.

In this, each particular interconnecting means 2 , 21 " of the counterweight 2 is able to be welded with each corresponding interconnecting means 11 ', 1 1 " of the tub 1 namely to be adhered to each belonging interconnecting means 11 ', 11 " of the tub 1 in a non-detachable manner by means of welding with or without adding material. Such welding can be performed by means of at least partially melting of at least a portion of surface areas of each pair of interconnecting means 11 21 ' and 1 1 ", 21 " on the tub 1 and the counterweight 2, wherein said melting is achieved either by means of thermal heating or by means of ultrasonic oscillations, or by means of electric current due to resistance, or in any other known manner, which is followed by facing both material parts towards each other and joining them either by means of liquid material or by simply pressing them to each other and maintaining them in such state until the material is solidified.

In the first embodiment (Figs. 1 to 3), each interconnecting means 1 , 1 1 "; 2 , 21 " on said tub 1 and/or on said counterweight 2 is available at least approximately in the form of a pin. On the contrary, a further embodiment according to Figs 4 to 6 provides that the interconnecting means 1 1 ' on the tub 1 are formed as pins, while the interconnecting means 2 on the counterweight 2 are essentially plate-like. In this respect, just a part of each available interconnecting pins 1 1 ', 1 1 "; 21 ', 21 " on the tub 1 and/or on the counterweight 2 may also be available in the forms of pin, while the residual interconnecting pins 1 1 ', 1 1 "; 21 21 " can be plates.

In the first embodiment, the tub 1 consists of plastics, and a metallic interconnecting means 1 1 ' (Figs 2 and 3) is anchored within the plastic material and adapted to abut the interconnecting means 21 ', which is firmly embedded within the concrete counterweight 2. On the contrary, the embodiment according to Figs. 4 to 6 provides a metallic tub 1, in which the interconnecting means 1 1 ' are foreseen, to which the interconnecting means 2 of the counterweight 2 are brought to abutment, optionally by means of engagement in the sense of bayonet joint.

It is therefore obvious that the described modification of both the tub 1 and the counterweight 1 enables much more efficient and less time consuming manufacturing of such washing machine assembly.