US1209773A

US1209773A - Apparatus for treating fabrics.

Info

Publication number: US1209773A
Application number: US8789016A
Authority: US
Inventors: Math Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1916-03-31
Filing date: 1916-03-31
Publication date: 1916-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1933-12-26

Description

M. SMITH.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. I916.

1 09,773 Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

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APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FI LED MAR. 31. I916.

Pafented Dec. 26,1916.

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M. SMITH.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1916.

1 09,773. Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

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vapor or steam an ra ion.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2c, 1916.

Application filed March 31, 1916. Serial No. 87,890.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, MATH SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Davenport, in the county of Scottand State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for treating fabrics and has especial reference to devices of this character for raising the nap on velvet, or the like, for smoothing wrinkles out of such or other material and for sponging, shrinking and steaming cloth and other such fabrics.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a neat machine, simple in construction and eflicient in operation, adapted to be cheaply produced and which will thoroughly, completely and evenly distribute ,moisture and heat throughout the fabric structure, whereby to impart that desirable new appearance and quality to the fabric by raising the nap, removing wrinkles and creases and furthermore by contracting its dimensions by the process of shrinking.

Other and further. objects of my invention will become readily apparent, to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device with parts broken away and shown in section. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of'Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is an end view showing parts in section. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the top or cover showing parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a transverse view through the top or cover and part of the vapor generator. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5. i

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred form of my inven tion, which consists of three separable, major portions comprising the base frame 10, the L generator 11 and the top or c0ver12.

' The base portion is provided with two end frames 13 and 14:. each having two legs 1515, upon which the device is supported. To each of the frames is secured a bracket 16, as by rivets or bolts 17, upon which to support thegas burner 18. A strap 19 overlies the gas burner, or pipe 18, and is secured to the upper surface of each of the brackets 16 by screws or rivets to hold the gas burner in proper position. The burner pipe 18 is provided with a series of spacedapart burners 20, let into the upper surface of the burner pipe and having slots 21,angularly disposed, so as to provide substantially a continuous flame from one end to the other of the pipe, so as to uniformly heat the bottom 22 of the vapor generator or water container 11. The frames 13 and 14: are connected together by a longitudinally extending, perforated strip 23, as at 24. This strip is bent at an angle, as at 23, to form a base upon which the generator 11 rests. Another strip 25, which is preferably an inturned part of each of the frames 13 and 14, and which are in substantially the same plane as the strips 23, join the latter oppositely disposed parallel strips, being connected thereto, as by rivets, as at 26. Side wings 27, constituting flame guards extend laterally and downwardly from the upper edge of the supporting structure and are inturned at their ends, as at 28, and connected at their ends to the respective frames 13 and 14, as at 29. These portions provide shields for protectionofthe fabric, or cloth 30 being treated, from direct contact with the flame issuing from the burner 18. To the inside surface of the guards 27 is secured a lining 3lof asbestos, or the like, to prevent theupper metal surface of the guards from being heated to such a dangerous degree as to scorch or injure the fabric.

The steam or vapor generator,or water receptacle 11, is generally rectangular in form, tapering slightly from the bottom to the top; the top being slightlyconvexdconcave or raised near itstransverse center provided with a longitudinally extending trough-like depression 32 containing in its bottom wall a series of spaced apart, angularly disposed slots 33, through which the steam or vapor is to pass out of the receptacle 11, into the trough in a substantially continuous longitudinally extending stream through or into contact with the cloth that is being treated, by this means every particle of the overlying fabric is evenly subjected to the eifect of the heat and steam or vapor. Surrounding the-part 32 is another troughlike structure or water trap 34., somewhat larger than the structure 32 leaving a substantial space therebetween and provided in its side walls with a series of steam or vapor admitting perforations 35. These perforations are made near the top of the side walls of the structure 34 thus forming a trap in the structure 34 through which the steam passes, in its exit from the generator through the

slots

33 and 35, into the longitudinally extending depression or trough immediately below the cloth 30. At each end of the structure 3%, and at one or two other intermediate points, a small perforation 36 is made in the bottom wall to permit the entrapped water or condensed vapor that may be caught in the structure 34, to entrain back into the reservoir or generator. The area of the perforations 36 is sosmall, compared to the perforations that little if any steam or vapor will pass through the former perforations, most of it going through the perforations and out through the perforations 33, the water being returned through the perforations 36.

I prefer to cover the longitudinally extending depression or slot 32, in the top wall of the generator 11, when the cloth 30 is being treated, for the purpose of confining. the vapor directly to the cloth and for holding the cloth intimately in contact with the upper surface of the trough, and with this end in view I provide the top 12, consisting of longitudinally-extending angularly disposed

top plates

37 and 38, which as a matter of fact is a single piece bent at the apex 39, and extending downwardly and laterally, each being under-turned at its longitudinal edge, as at 40, to provide a roll or conduit 41. The under side of the

plates

37 and 38 contain a sheet of moisture-absorbing material 4-2, such as a strip of felt, having its longitudinal edges terminating over the conduits 4 14l, so that when this fabric or absorbing material becomes super-saturated with moisture it will drip off at its longitudinal edges into the conduits fl-" L1 and be entrained hold it in place, having the ends 48 of each of its loops tucked under the salient edges 40 of the

plates

37 and 38 to hold the pad in place. The wire structure a7 may be easily removed for supplying a new pad.

Each of the end plates 44: is provided with an upwardly extending latch member 49 to receive rod ends 50. A strip of flannel, or other similar yielding material 51 surrounds each of the rods 50 and extends over and between the conduits lO-l0, and yieldingly rests upon the upper edge of the depression or trough 32 made in the top wall of the generator. The rods 50 are held parallel and in place by the brackets QED-49 and by means of a centrally disposed clip 52. The clip has its ends upturned into hooks 53 which partly surround the rods 5050 to hold them spaced apart the proper distance to maintain the rods parallel, the cloth 51 being cut away, as at 55, for exposing the rods, and to the center of the clip 52 is secured a knob or handle 54, by means of which the top, as a whole, may be lifted from its resting place upon the generator. Bythis means the cloth 51 may be held in its place and a new cloth may be substituted by disengaging the rods from the fend brackets and the central clip, a new cloth may be put on the rods and the cloth and rods replaced.

Located at one end of the generator 11 is a water reservoir consisting, preferably, of a glass jar, such as a Mason jar, having ascrew threaded top 61 provided with an orifice 62, supported in a tray 63 which communieates with the interior of the reservoir, as by means of a pipe 64. A tray 63 is secured in place by braces 65 which are fixed to the under side of the tray and to the sides of the generator. The jar 60 is filled with water and inverted and placed with its neck in the tray 63, and automatically maintains the water level in the generator 11 at a constant height, by a principle well understood.

The operation of the device is as follows The top 12 is removed and the cloth strip of velvet, or the like, is grasped by its ends in the hands, one end in each hand, and after the top has been replaced, and with considerable downward pressure the strip is slowly drawn back and forth transversely across the rounded top of the generator. Hot, dry steam or vapor will pass through the oblique openings 33 into the longitudinally extending trough 32 in the top wall and into and through the fabric. The superposed cloth 51 will hold the steam and heat within that portion of the cloth 30, that is at the time over the trough being treated, and will prevent condensation of the moisture, or steam, and escape of the heat, thus maintaining the cloth so treated a longer time under the influence of the heat and moisture proceeding blotches in the fabric to cause undesirable discoloration or unequal shrinkage.

While I have herein shown a single embodiment of my invention for the purpose of clear disclosure, it is evident that consider able variation may be made in the general arrangement and disposition of the parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, What I claim is l. A device of the character described, comprising a generator, provided with an arched top wall having a trough-like depression extending substantially its full length and into said generator and perforated in its bottom wall for egress of steam, or vapor, into said trough, whereby to= evenly distribute it unobstructedly to the superposed fabric under treatment; a sur rounding trough-like trap, Within said generator, having its side Walls perforated for communication with the generator and its bottom wall having relatively small perforations whereby to entrain the liquid of condensation, and means for heating the liquid within the generator.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a generator, provided with an arched top wall having a trough-like depression extending substantially its full length and into said generator and perforated in its bottom wall for egress of steam, or vapor, into said trough, whereby to evenly distribute it unobstructedly to the superposed fabric under treatment; a superposed cover for overlying said fabric under treatment; an absorbent, yielding sheet normally covering said trough, carried by said cover, and a guide for holding the cover on said generator and spacing it thereabove.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a burner-supporting frame structure; a separable steam generator, removably mounted thereon, said generator having a. continuous elongated slot formed in its top wall; a water trap extending under said slot, within said generator, having openings to entrain water into said generator and to permit only steam or vapor to escape through said elongated slot.

4:. A device of the character described,

comprising a burner-supporting frame structure; a separable steam generator, removably mounted thereon, said generator having a continuous elongated slot formed in its top wall; a water trap extending under said slot, within said generator, having openings to entrain Water into said generator and other openings to permit steam, or vapor to escape through said elongated slot and means to automatically maintain water level in said generator below said trap.

5. A device of the character described comprising a burner-supporting frame structure; a separable generator, removably mounted thereon, said generator having a continuous elongated slot formed in its top wall; a water trap extending under said slot Within said generator, having openings to entrain water into said generator and other openings to permit steam or vapor to escape from said elongated slot into contact with the cloth being treated; means to automatically maintain water level in said generator, below said trap and a removable top or cover having a yielding moisture-absorbing fabric normally covering said slot and to overlie the cloth being treated by use of the device.

6. A device of the character described, comprising a burner structure surmounted by a. water containing steam generator, said generator having a transversely arched top provided with a channel-shaped depression having a plurality of diagonally disposed steam orifices in the bottom thereof, and a removable spaced-apart cover provided with a yielding fabric normally overlving and covering the mouth of said channel.

7. A device of the character described, comprising a heat generating structure; a steam or vapor generating structure separably mounted thereon and provided with a channel shaped depression extending longitudinally of its top wall and having steam or vapor openings spaced apart in the bottom of said depression; a trap Within said water compartment surrounding said channel-shaped depression throughout its length, and a Water reservoir rising above and communicating with said steam or vapor generator to automatically maintain water level therein.

8. A device of the character described, comprising a steam or vapor generator, having an arch-shaped top with a depression in the wall of the said top at the apex of the arch, said depression provided with steam openings; a removable spaced-apart arch-shaped top structure, having the apex of its arch substantially in the same vertical plane as that of the generator structure and having its terminal side edges inturned to form conduits; a moisture absorbing pad underlying the members of the arch structure, terminating in said conduits and a yielding cloth extending between said conduits and overlying the dehand in the presence of two subscribing Witpresslon 1n the top of szud generator, benesses. tween WhlCh and said depression the cloth or fabric to be treated is to be contained, and MATH SMITH means for heating the contents of the gen- In the presence of erzttor. MARY F. ALLEN,

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my Fomn BAIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D C. o