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A vertical-axis, automatic washing machine has a central drive shaft for oscillatably driving a first agitator portion with a clutch member splined thereto. The clutch has downwardly-facing teeth having drive surfaces and slip surfaces. An auger or second agitator portion coaxial with the first agit

A vertical-axis, automatic washing machine has a central drive shaft for oscillatably driving a first agitator portion with a clutch member splined thereto. The clutch has downwardly-facing teeth having drive surfaces and slip surfaces. An auger or second agitator portion coaxial with the first agitator portion has cooperating upwardly-facing teeth. Upon a drive or forward oscillation of the drive shaft and first agitator portion, the drive surfaces engage one another to drive the auger portion in a stepwise rotation. During an opposite rotation of the first agitator portion, the slip surfaces engage one another and, where the contents of the washer basket retards a reverse movement of the auger, the teeth will slip past one another, with the clutch member reciprocating vertically upon its splined connection. An annular cushioning member placed between the clutch and the agitator parts cushions impacts between the teeth during such reciprocations by controlling the depth of tooth engagement. Thus, noise otherwise normally produced during ratcheting of the clutch is substantially reduced.

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In a washing machine having a receptacle for containing a load of items to be washed, a double action agitator mounted within said receptacle for scrubbing said items and for providing an augering action to facilitate rollover of said items in the presence of a sufficient quantity of items within sa

In a washing machine having a receptacle for containing a load of items to be washed, a double action agitator mounted within said receptacle for scrubbing said items and for providing an augering action to facilitate rollover of said items in the presence of a sufficient quantity of items within said receptacle, and drive means for driving said double action agitator; said double action agitator including a first agitator member oscillated by said drive means about an axis, a second agitator member rotatably mounted on said first agitator member and including a helical vane for imparting a rollover movement to said items, and clutch means responsive to the oscillatory movement of said first agitator member for unidirectionally driving said second agitator member; said clutch means comprising: a clutch member mounted on said first agitator member for axial movement with respect thereto and for oscillation therewith in a driving and in a non-driving direction, said clutch member including a plurality of downwardly-facing ratchet teeth each forming a first tooth drive surface and a second tooth slip surface; a plurality of upwardly-facing ratchet teeth formed on said second agitator member each defining a first tooth surface and a second tooth surface, said first surfaces of said upwardly-facing teeth engageable with said first surfaces of corresponding downwardly-facing teeth in response to driving movement of said clutch member, said second surfaces of said upwardly-facing teeth being slidable along said second surfaces of adjacent downwardly-facing teeth in response to non-driving movement of said clutch member and a resistance to rotation of said second agitator member caused by sufficient contact with said items to be washed, said clutch member reciprocating axially with respect to said second agitator member in response to said sliding movement between said ratchet teeth; a spring mounted and retained adjacent said clutch member for biasing said clutch member downwardly against said second agitator member; and a cushioning member between said clutch member and one of said first and second agitator members for cushioning the contact between adjacent second tooth surfaces of said upwardly-facing and said downwardly-facing ratchet teeth as said clutch member reciprocates; and wherein said first agitator member further comprises a horizontal, annular support surface; and said second agitator member further comprises a horizontal, annular portion extending in overlying relationship to said support surface of said first agitator member, the horizontal portion having an undersurface, and a plurality of radial ribs formed upon said undersurface of said horizontal portion of said second agitator member in slidable contact with said annular support surface of said first agitator member.