h a l f b a k e r yBaker Street Irregulars
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Im going to be moving home again soon, and washing machines are HEAVY !!!
most of it is reasonably heavy, but unsuprisingly the heavy bits are the concrete weights in the base. Why don't washing machines come with a little hatch low in the front panel, from which you can easily remove the concrete
weights. Each block could be made to weigh about 4kg & would be long & slender to be easy to move about. This would make lifting the damn thing a hell of a lot easier, ditto "dancing" it into final position in your home. You then simply put the concrete weights back. It would also allow them to sell extra weights for those whose machines dance like a punk.
Now patented
https://www.theguar...am-trent-university
[hippo, Aug 05 2017]
US 5829084
https://www.google.com/patents/US5829084
Method and system for balancing an upright washing machine [xaviergisz, Aug 06 2017]
US 3580014 - Filed in 1969
https://www.google.com/patents/US3580014
A machine ... such as a washing machine, wherein a container ... with ... water ... dischargeable to facilitate ... handling [scad mientist, Aug 07 2017]
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<obligatory misreading>I misread this as "Washing Machine Ballet"</obligatory misreading>
Good idea. You could also make the ballast a tank of water so that you could empty it out, move the machine and then fill it up at your destination. |
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yeah, thought about liquid ballast & even about using the rinse water to fill the ballast before the spin cycle. but am getting bit caught up in the dream of actually having one & didnt want something else that could malfuction & flood my home AGAIN !
& blissmiss, can you come round & command mine for me ? please.. |
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good points rod,
& stopped my huge suction cup thinking dead in its tracks. how about a skeleton base which you put in place & make fully level. the front of which is a ramp for the main unit whic is on wide wheels, you then push the main unit onto the skeleton base & retract the wheels, which locks it on. you then slide in the concrete ballast blocks. wotcha think as this is some turbo baking. |
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Or drop-down wheels or feet (whichever you prefer). |
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Washing Machine ballet...hmmm! |
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Just suspend the thing from the ceiling like a hanging plant and watch it go. |
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<Mandatory misinterpretation> Stuff you put in the washer to balance it when you only want to wash a few items that are too light by themselves </Mandatory misinterpretation> |
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19" rack-mounted washing machine? Hmm. |
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the problem with drop down feet/wheels is that they would have to be self levelling in order to help out Rods Tiger. also, i'm not a ballet hater, as the optional number of concrete blocks would allow you to "tune" the ballet according to your mood. frustrated housewives take note. |
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It took 4 adult male software engineers* to shift one domestic washing machine up 42 narrow steps.
We concure with your removable ballast concept.
As far as mounting systems, why dont they use tripods. |
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Another more than halfbaked idea for improving domestic white goods. Put sufficient handhold points so they can be lifted, and improve the ergonomics of handholds so you don't slip or gouge your hands. |
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Never heard of concrete ballast in a washer. Guess my ancient Maytag is heavy enough by itself... |
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I hope that the original poster of the idea has his/her name on the patent, as it first appeared here on this site. (That would be you Hippo?) "you could also make the ballast a tank of water so that you could empty it out, move the machine and then fill it up at your destination."
It always makes me laugh (or get angry if they're mine) when I hear people claiming originality for ideas that appeared years earlier right here on the HB. |
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Hippo, regarding your "Now patented" link. |
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You invented the water ballasted washing machine in 2002
so nobody but you could patent this unless they prove that
they invented it before March 21st 2002. |
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Once you posted your idea on this site, it became
"published" meaning anybody could see it. You had till
March 21st 2003 to patent it after that. |
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If somebody other than you submitted a patent after you
posted this without proof that they came up with the idea
first, this invention is public domain meaning anybody can
use it. |
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Not trying to make you feel bad, just hipping you to how
that works. It's a darn clever idea BTW. |
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Agreed - this is the point I was making. The "Patent" is invalid and should be challenged. |
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A washing machine with water ballast was patented
4 years before (and probably many patents with
minor variations since) this idea was posted. |
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In that case the "geniuses" of the University who were amazed that "no one had thought of it before" should fully acknowledege the prior invention. |
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Wow! So how much did those university "researchers" get paid? |
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I'll invent the electric light bulb for half what they got paid to
"invent" the water ballasted washing machine. |
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No [xaviergisz], the patent you mention is much more
advanced. The concept of a basic water ballast (or other
removable ballast) was filed in 1969 [link]. |
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