609,089. Ironing-presses. BENDIX HOME APPLIANCES, Inc. March 5, 1946, No. 6873. Convention date, April 9, 1945 [Class 138(ii)] An ironing-machine comprises a roll 10, a shoe 61 which is mounted so as to be movable out of contact with the roll by gravity action and the effect of a resilient member, and drive mechanism for moving the shoe into contact with the roll against the action of gravity and the resilient member. General arrangement. The roll 10 is mounted, as shown in Fig. 2, on bearings 13, 14 for rotation on a stationary shaft 12 extending from one end support 11, and the shoe 61, which is mounted centrally under the roll, as shown in Fig. 13, carries a table 62 along its front edge and is supported by a pivoted L-shaped lever 64 and pivoted member 67. Control mechanism. Both the roll-drive and the means for moving the shoe to and from the roll are controlled by cam and clutch mechanism disposed on a shaft 44 as shown in Fig. 7. This shaft carries, rotatably, a worm wheel 32, which is driven by a worm 34 from a driving motor, and a sprocket 28 adapted to drive the roll through chain and sprocket mechanism. The worm wheel 32 and sprocket 28 are normally clutched in driving relation by a clutch plate 36 secured on the bushing 29 of the sprocket 28 and having lugs 37 which engage notches in a clutch member 33 on the hub 31 of the worm wheel. In order to withdraw the clutch plate 36 against the acion of a spring 38, a yoke 39 mounted on a vertical shaft is adapted to be moved so that its arms engage an annular extension on the clutch plate, the shaft being rotatable for this purpose by a control cable 42 and knee-control lever 43, Fig. 1 The shaft 44 has also rotatably mounted thereon a cam 45 engaging a pivoted lever 46, Fig. 3, in order to oscillate a shaft 47 which controls the shoe-actuating mechanism, the arrangement being such that, after one-half revolution of the cam, the shoe is in contact with the roll, and, after the second-half revolution, is in its extreme outer position. The cam 45 is controlled for this purpose by a pin 49 which extends through the cam and is normally urged by a spring into one of the notches of the clutch member 33. The pin 49, which is connected to one end of a member 51 mounted on a pivot 52 rotatable with the cam 45, is withdrawn from driving engagement with the clutch member by positioning an arm 54, Figs. 3 and 7, which is pivoted on a pin 55, so as to engage one of the ends of the lever 51. When the arm 54 is swung upwardly by a cable 50a and knee-control lever 50, Fig. 1, the pin 49 engages.the clutch member and causes the cam to rotate. Unless the arm 54 is held in this position by the control cable, it will swing back so as again to disengage the pin when the lever 51 and cam 45 have rotated through 180 degrees. For synchronizing the rotation of the roll with the movement of the shoe, a cam 57, which rotates with the cam 45, is arranged at the appropriate time to contact a pin 58 on the yoke 39 and thereby effect engagement of the roll-clutch members 33, 36. Roll-driving mechanism. The roll 10 is driven through an internal gear 15 and pinion 16 from a shaft 17, Fig. 2, on which are rotatably mounted two sprockets 18, 19. These sprockets are driven respectively, by chains, 22, 23, Figs. 3 and 4, and associated sprockets 24, 25, which are rotatable with a third sprocket 26 driven by a chain 27 from the sprocket 28 on the control shaft 44. The two chain-drives provide for rotation of the roll at two different speeds, according to the setting of a slidable clutch 21 on the shaft 17 Mechanism for moving the shoe. The L- shaped lever 64, Fig. 13, supporting. the front of the shoe 61 is pivoted at 66 under the main table and to brackets 63 extending from the under side of the shoe. The second support 67 for the shoe is pivoted centrally to the underside of the shoe and is formed with a threaded portion 69 extending downwardly through a pin 71 carried between the two spaced plates 72 of a bell-crank lever. A spring 73, which surrounds the portion 69 extends between the pin 71 and a nut 74 ,m the member 69; the nut being adapted to vary the tension of the spring and adjust the position of the shoe. The bell-crank lever 72 is freely mounted on the control shaft 47 and is adapted to be latched thereto to operate the shoe by the engagement with the face of an intermediate latch lever 83 of an abutment 81 on a lever 79 which is mounted on a lever 78 carried by the shaft 47; this lever 83 cooperates with a solenoid-controlled lever 88 so that. when the solenoid 93 is energized, the lever 88 holds the lever 83 in a position in which the bell-crank lever 72 is latched to the shaft 47. A spring 94 which is connected to a bracket on the shaft 47 tends to turn the shaft into the position in which the shoe is withdrawn from the roll. Operation of machine. Assuming the shoe to be in the lower position, the electric circuit, which controls the driving motor, solenoid 93, and heating of the shoe, is closed so as to drive the clutch member 33, and the knee control 50 is operated to move the arm 54 out of contact with the lever 51 and cause engagement of the clutch members 33, 49 for rotation of the cam 35 through a half revolution. The bellcrank lever 72, being latched through the solenoid-controlled means to shaft 47, is then swung so as to lift the shoe to the roll against the action of springs 94. During rotation of the cam 45, the cam 57 contacts the pin 58 on yoke 39 so that the roll clutch 33, 36 is engaged in time to rotate the roll before the shoe makes contact with the latter. As the shoe moves upwardly, rotation of the lever 64 about the pivot 66 is stopped by a stop 101 before the shoe reaches the roll, and the subsequent movement of the shoe into pressing position is more nearly vertical. The cam 45 is stopped automatically by the lever 57 when the shoe contacts the roll, and is held in this position until the knee contacts the roll, and is held in this position until the knee control 50 is again actuated to cause the cam 45 to operate the bell-crank lever 72, whereby the shoe moves by gravity and the action of spring 94 to its lowered position where it is stopped by a contact 102. In this lowered position, the operator may swing the mechanism against the pull of a spring 103 so that the supports 64, 67 turn about their lower pivots 66, 71 and the shoe 61 and table 62 are drawn towards the front of the machine. Emergency release. Should it be desired urgently to release the shoe from engagement with the roll, a master switch, which controls the electric circuit of the driving motor, solenoid 93 and heating of the shoe, is opened by means of a control lever 104, Fig. 1. Movement of this lever may also be used to swing the entire shoe assembly to a position in front of the machine.