US1179217A - Mangle or flatwork-ironer. - Google Patents

Description

G. F. RAMM.

MANGLE OR FLATWORK IRONER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.15, 1915.

Patented A 1,1916.

3SHEET ET I.

G. F. RAMM.

MANGLE 0R FLATWORK IRONER. I

APPLICATION FILED SEPTA-5| \915.

1,179,217. Patented Apr. 11,1916.

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G. F. RAMM.

MANGLE 0R FLATWORK IRONER.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 15. 1915.

1,179,217. Patented Apr; 11,1916. 1

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Duclcluucluu nnnauuuuu wuemto z To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES GEORGE E. RAMM, OF DEL MONTE, CALIFORNIA.

MANGLE OR FLATWORK-IRONEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Application filed September 15, 1915. serial No. 50,849.

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. RAMM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Del Monte, in the county of Monterey and State of California, have invented new and useful- Improvements in Mangles or Flatwork-lroners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in laundry ironing machines of the character commonly known as mangles or flatwork ironers, designed particularly for use in ironing certain classes of goods, commonly known as flatwork. Ironing machines of this type generally consist of a feeder and an ironing mechanism, to which the goods are conveyed by the feeder, the ironing mechanism consisting, in a single ironing machine, of a single heated ironing roll and a moving web or apron, together. with pressure rolls for bringing the work in contact with the 'roll, whereby it is ironed, a double ironing machine of the type described having two ironing rolls or drums and a corresponding number of aprons, by which the work is first passed around one drum to iron the work on one side and then passed around the other drum to iron the work on the other side.

The feeder referred to commonly consists of a series of endless bands passing around a driven shaft and an idler, and commonly made of a fabric material. As the aprons employed in connection with the drums and the bands of the feeder are subjectto much strain and friction, these aprons and bands stretch and quickly wear out, requiring them to be renewed at frequent intervals at much expense. Furthermore, the bands of the feeder stretch to unequal degrees, resulting in an imperfect feeding action, and constant work in an attempt to keep the feeder in good working condition, all of which is a source of annoyance and source of expense.

One ob ect of my invent on 18 to provide a v mangle embodying ironing mechanism including a sheet metal apron for each ironing roll or drum employed, whereby a strong, and durable type of apron is produced, which will maintain its shape and wilflast for a long eriod.

Another object of the invention is to provide a feeder embodying metallic feed bands,

and a construction whereby bands of such material may beefliciently employed, together with means whereby the bands are maintained properly taut, thus furnishing a feeder which is of great durability and will operate with little or no attention.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a feeder embodying means to insure the proper conveyance of the work to the ironing mechanism, and which includes means for preventing injury to the person or attendant in charge of the feeder.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a mangle embodying my invention, showing only so much of the mangle as is neces-. sary to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is a section through one of the slack take-up devices shown in Fig.- 1 on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the aprons. Fig. 4 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of the feeder. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the metallic feed belts, showing the construction. of the meeting ends thereof, shown in separated condition: Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a bolt for coupling the meeting ends of each belt, the parts of the bolt being disconnected. Fig. 9 is a sectional View through the hinged portion of a belt, showing the same connection by the bolt.

The machine may embody in its organization any preferred type of frame structure and running gearing, all of those in common use being adaptable for the purposes of my invention, the inventionbeing applicable to any ordinary type of mangle or flatwork iron. In the present instance I have shown secondary ironing roll or drum 3 and feed belt 4 associated therewith, said rolls being mounted upon shafts or aXes 5 and 1n superposed relationship. The work is first then ironed upon one side thereof.

conveyed by the feeder to the upper portion of the roll 1, which revolves in an upward and rearward direction, the work being carried between the upper portion of the periphery of said drum and a series of pressure rolls 7, and thence engaged and carried by the moving apron 2 against the lower portion of the periphery of the drum, whereby the work is first straightened out and As shown, the aprons 2 and 4: respectively have portions 2 and 4 which move in contact with portions of the periphery of the drums, and said aprons also have portions 2 and a which are in contact with each other. lhe work is thus carried rearwardly around the top of the drum 1, then forwardly around the bottom of the drum 1, whereby it is ironed upon one face, and is then engaged and fed to the drum 3 by the portions 2 and e of the aprons, then carried downwardly and rearwardly around the lower portion of the drum 3, whereby the work is ironed on the opposite side, and the work finally discharged by a delivery portion 4 of the apron 1 to a folder or into a receptacle for further treatment.-

The aprons 2 and 4 are in the form of wide endless bands arranged to travel around a series of rollers 8, at least one of the rollers associated with each apron being positively driven from a part of the running gear of the press and provided with teeth 9 which engage openings 10 in the longitudinal edges of the apron, thus insuring a positive feed motion of each apron. Each apron is made of a highly durable, flexible mate-,

rial, such as spring sheet steel or brass, which possesses great wearing capacity and durability and is proof to a high degree against stretching, thus overcoming the objections to ordinary fabric aprons. slack which occurs in either apron may be taken up by a slack take-up device comprising an idle roll 10 mounted at each end in a sliding bearing 11 having fixed thereto a screw stem 12 fitting within an internally threaded tube or sleeve 13 suitably journaled, as at 14, upon a part 15 of the frame of themachine, and having openings 16 for the passage of a lever bar or handle whereby it may be turned, thus allowing the roller 10 to be adjusted as occasion may require to take up the slack in the apron. As the apron is positively driven, it will be further seen that friction and wear therefrom will also be reduced to the minimum, and greater durability and a more positive feed insured than is possible with the use of aprons which areliable to slip and cause excessive friction and retard the feed of the work.

A feeder B comprises a drive shaft 17 j ournaled in sliding bearings 18 on the machine frame 15, in which bearings are swiveled the inner or rear ends of adjusting Any screws 19 engaging threaded openings lugs 20 on the machine frame and provided at their outer ends with crank wheels 21, whereby the screws may be turned and the bearings adjusted in and out to vary the po sition of the shaft, as will be readily under stood. Also journaled on the machine frame between the drive shaft 17 and the primary pressure roll 7 of the series of pressure rolls is a. countershaft or idler 22, around which drive shaft and countershaft passes a series of endless belts or bands 23. These bands, of which any suitable number may be employed, pass around the shafts 17 and 21 between intervening spacing disks or washers 24, whereby they are held from relative lateral motion, and each belt or band is provided with a central longitudinal series of sprocket holes or openings 25 to engage teeth 26 upon a sprocket wheel 27 secured to the shaft 17.

In practice, the belts or bands 23 are made of thin sheet steel. or brass, and are positively geared to the shaft 17 as described so as to be directly driven thereby, thus avoidscrews 23, whereby the ends of the bands are pivotally or flexibly united, each screw being preferably composed of two sections, one having a socket to receive a reduced threaded stem on the other, whereby the surfaces of the sections lie flush to avoid injury to the work. In practice the sprocket wheels 27 may be made of wood and the teeth ofrawhide suitably fixed therein, the construction being such that the teeth will project only slightly, if at all, through the openings 25, so as to avoid all liability of injury to the work. By the use of flexible sheet metal bands, friction, due to slipping, and wear are reduced to the minimum, and even and positive feeding of the work insured, and time, labor and expense saved in keeping the machine in working condition. By disposing the sprocket openings and teeth at the center of each band, a satisfactory driving action is secured, while the objections incident to the use of two sets of openings and teeth along the edges of the bands are avoided. The bands may be primarily'tightened and kept tight through the adjustability of the shaft 17, and the top or supporting stretches of the bands are maintained in a horizontal plane and prevented from sagging under the weight of bands are arranged to deliver the work between the upper face of the-drum 1 and the primary pressure roll 7, and to cover the gap between the feeder and rolls and prevent the work from following the bands around the roll 22, I provide a guide plate 31, which is arranged in parallel relation to the roll 22 and spaced-slightly from the adjacent bight portions of the bands 23, so as to form a shelf or surface disposed in the space between the feed bands and the drum 1 to insure the passage of the work from said feed bands between the drum 1 and the primary pressure roller 17. Projections 32 are carried by the guide plate 31 to slightly lap over the adjacent ends or bight portions of the bands, so as to prevent the work from tending to follow the bands downward around the roll 22. The plate 31 has reduced ends 33 which are cylindrical in form and fit within corresponding openings 34 in brackets 35 having slotted portions for the passage of screws 36, whereby the brackets and platemay be adjusted toward and from the delivery ends of the bands as oocasion may require. The plate 31 is also adapted to be tilted on its reduced portions or trunnions 33 in the sockets 34 of the bearings 35 to adjust theprojections 32 verti-' cally with relation to the bands, and to be fastened in adjusted position by a set screw 37, allowing the maximum efliciency of adjustment to be secured.

Arranged upon the frame is a Work holder or receptacle 38 of suitable construction, from which the work is taken and passed to the feeder, the work being maintained as it is fed forward in flattened-condition by a straightening roll 39 adjustably and removably mounted in slotted uprights 40 ca rried by the machine frame. As stated, the

ironing drums or rolls are driven in any suitable manner from the running gear of the machine, and for the purpose of driving the feeder a sprocket drive gear 41 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 17 and driven by a chain 42 from some suitable part of the running gearing, and this sprocket gear 41 is provided with a clutch member 43 normally engaged by a sliding clutch member 44 feathered to slide upon and rotate with the shaft 17, whereby the drive gear is normally coupled to the shaft. The clutch member 44 is pivotally connected with one of the arms of a laterally movable bell crank lever 45, the other arm of which is pivotally connected with one of the armsof a second vertical movable bell crank lever 46, having its other frame, the construction and arrangement being such that in the event of the hand or other part of the person of the operator of the feeder passing forwardly beyond a predetermined position the gate or guard will.

be rocked on its pivotal connection, thus throwing the shaft 17 out of engagement with the driving mechanism so as to stop the motion of the feeder and avoid liability of injury to the operator. The guard 48 is normally maintained by gravity in a perpendicular position to keep the clutch rnem bers 43 and 44 in engagement with each other and serves as a means by which the action of the feeder may be manually or automatically arrested, as will be readily understood. It will be evident that as thus constructed the feeder not only insures safety to the operator and work against liability of injury, but secures maximum durability and efficiency in obviating the objections hereinbefore pointed out.

I claim 1. In an ironing machine of the character described, the combination, with ironing means 1ncludmg an ironing drum and a pressure roll, of a feeder, and a guide plate disposed in the space between the feeder and the drum and roll, said guide plate being tiltably and slidably adjustable and comprising a bar or plate arranged in parallel relation to the delivery edge of the feeder and provided with projections eX- tending over such edge of the feeder.

Witnesses: L. A. RUTA-N NEY OTIS.

GEORGE F. RAMM;

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