Patents by Inventor Gerald L. Roberts

Gerald L. Roberts has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4637230
    Abstract: This invention relates to automatic clothes washing machines, and more particularly to an improved structure in such machines for affecting the washing of very small loads of clothing in a high detergent concentration. The clothes washing machine has wash, rinse and spin extraction operations including an outer imperforate tub, an agitator, a first basket within the tub, a second smaller basket disposed within the first basket and positioned on the agitator for movement therewith. There is also a water supply for feeding water into the machine, drive system for operating the agitator to effect washing of clothes and for rotating the basket to centrifugally extract water from the clothes. Water is allowed to flow from the basket to the tub and then recirculated through a filter and into the baskets. The recirculation system is controlled wherein only a predetermined volume of water is transferred from the outer tub to the small basket by the recirculation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1987
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Gerald L. Roberts
  • Patent number: 4410329
    Abstract: An automatic clothes washing appliance of the type incorporating a stationary tub, a clothes receiving basket movably supported in the tub, a spray system for distributing fill water over the articles received in the basket, and a drive motor which selectively drives the basket for wash and spin cycle operation. The control system for the appliance includes an arrangement for detecting the existence of an oversuds condition in the tub and basket which is operative upon detection of an oversuds condition to interrupt appliance operation and initiate a corrective cycle which includes actuation of the spray system to spray water over the clothes in the basket. Upon completion of the corrective cycle, normal appliance operation is resumed from the point of interruption. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the detection arrangement monitors motor speed to detect a change indicative of an increased load on the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1983
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Theodore J. Blevins, Gerald L. Roberts, Robert K. Hollenbeck, Jimmy R. Rickard
  • Patent number: 4329859
    Abstract: A washing machine of the vertical axis orbiting type in which washing action is achieved by imparting toroidal motion to the wash load as the load containing basket moves in its circulate path about a reference axis without rotation about its own axis, is provided with means for supporting the basket such that the horizontal projection of the central basket axis lags the direction of the lateral offset by a predetermined angle relative to the direction of movement of the basket in its circulate path about the reference axis. This canting of the basket causes a component of vertical motion to be imparted to the load in the basket as it traverses its circulate path to enhance the turnover of the fabric articles comprising the wash load in the basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1982
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Gerald L. Roberts