Washing machine

Abstract

In order to increase washing volume, a washing machine comprises of: a cabinet holding moving and non-moving parts; a stationary tub located within the cabinet, both of which have an upper opening; and a basket located within the stationary tub which rotates around a vertical shaft, wherein the stationary tub can be attached to the cabinet using fasteners or cushioning materials and can be attached to the base bearing assembly with a flexible part, such as a rubber boot. The said base bearing assembly and the basket are suspended by a plurality of hanging rods with spring and damping elements to absorb vibrations and forces generated by an imbalanced clothing load. A tapered basket can be used to further increase the volume of the washing machine.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a stationary tub located within the cabinet having a top opening for the clothes entry and a large bottom opening attached to a flexible boot, which is further attached to the base bearing assembly; a plurality of hanging rods hanging at the upper portion of the cabinet and supporting the base bearing assembly with spring and damping elements therein through the corner cavities between the cabinet and the stationary tub; and a basket located within the stationary tub. 
     
     
         2 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , where the stationary tub has a large opening at the bottom with a flange or the like, or without. 
     
     
         3 . The washing machine of  claim 2 , where the flange or the like can be facing up into or facing down out of, or both, the stationary tub. 
     
     
         4 . The washing machine of  claim 2 , where the flange or the like can be facing in to, or facing out of, or both, the stationary tub, where the flange location can be much higher than the bottom surface of the basket. 
     
     
         5 . The washing machine of  claim 2 , where the stationary tub is installed inside of the cabinet with fasteners or cushioning materials at the approaching areas of the cabinet and at the bottom of the stationary tub. 
     
     
         6 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , where a boot made of flexible materials is used to connect the stationary tub and the base bearing assembly using one or more fasteners, such as clamps or the like, or other means. 
     
     
         7 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , where the base bearing assembly comprising: a motor, a spinning shaft with or without a clutch to drive the basket and agitator or impeller; and a bracket to hold the hanging rods with spring and damping elements. 
     
     
         8 . The washing machine of  claim 7 , where the base bearing assembly either has a flange, or the like, structure to attach the boot at its lower portion or has a means with or without accessory parts to sandwich the boot at its upper portion. 
     
     
         9 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , where the basket can be designed to have a tapered angle to fully utilize the space inside the tub, where the tapered angle is equivalent to the tub draft angle, approximately. 
     
     
         10 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , where a plurality of hanging rods hanging at the upper portion of the cabinet and supporting the base bearing assembly with spring and damping elements therein through the corner cavities between the cabinet and the stationary tub to absorb vibrations and forces generated by an imbalanced clothing load. 
     
     
         11 . A washing machine comprising: a cabinet; a tub located within the cabinet having a top opening for the clothes entry; and a basket, which has a tapered angle equal to the tub draft angle approximately, located within the tub.