US1644928A

US1644928A - Conveyer press

Info

Publication number: US1644928A
Application number: US730132A
Authority: US
Inventors: James C Ledbetter
Original assignee: Prosperity Co Inc
Current assignee: Prosperity Co Inc
Priority date: 1924-08-05
Filing date: 1924-08-05
Publication date: 1927-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 1944-10-11

Description

1927' J. c. LEDBETTER .CONVEYER PRESS Filed Aug. 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet ,1

MNH.

INVENTOR James C l edbeifer' A BY p 7 I W ATTORNEYS q lemma 119 L927 J. c. LEDBETTER CONVEYER PRESS Filed Aug. 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 if 4 E INVENTOR James Zedb a Patented Oct, 11, 1927.

NIED s ray JAMESqC. LEDBETTER, 0F BRQOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENIS, TO THE PROSPERITY COMPANY, INC., OE SYRACUSE, NEW YGRK, A COR PORATIOIQ 9F NEW YGRK.

converse runes.

Application filed August 5, 1925.. Serial No. 730,132.

This invention relates to garment finishing machinery and in particular to conveyor presses.

An object is to produce improvements i respect'to pressing machinery and garment handling means whereby the work is rapidly placed within the press and removed therefrom. To this end my invention is so constituted that a single press operator may work at a place removed from the vicinity of the press jaws thereby rendering personal accidents impossible; and the garment is spread out upon a conveyer or tray surface where visibility of the work i.s exceptionally'good and th operator is not hampered by having to spread the garment across and into the hot press jaws.

Furthermore my improvements increase the working eliiciency oi pressing machines as regards the quantity/of production, in that the quantity of wort: turned out is somewhat increased because the operator does notlose time between pressing operations for the reason that while one garment or set of arments is being treated in the press or eating zone, the operator is engaged in removing the completed work and spreading out new worn on the conveyor and making ready for the next pressing operation. The operator uses all his time working" at this machine and not part of the time as in old style presses now in use.

For the purpose of illustrating myinven tion, the accompanying drawings show twopart or multi-unit work tray conveyor but other forms, such as a single conveyer, or even three or more tray conveyers, may be incorporated into the pressingmachine; and a feature of the invention is roll in and roll out multiple tray which crosses one over the other in approaching and leaving the press. My conveyor improvements constitute a large saving in floor space because, regardless of the size oi conveyor tray, apron or other means for holding the work or garment, the space set aside on the machine for the conveyer is substantially equal to the area of the conveyor tray only while in fact the conveyeris double capacity in that two trays are provided.

While garment forms, trays, conveyors and the like, have been suggested for use in connection with pressing machines they have occupied too much space because the floor area covered by the machine and frame usually equalled substantia-lly three times that of the tray and form employed which was due to the fact that as one form, tray or conveyer moved into the press from one side, the other tray bearing the finished goods was ejected from the press on the other side which is to say that a floor area equal to that of each work holder was set aside on each side of the press, with the press in the center thereby covering a floor area about three times that of the press. I employ a back and forth conveyor, the units of which pass each other, one over the other, going in opposite directions, and which are moved in and out of the press from one side of the machine only, and therefore one floor unit area is saved because the treated work returns to the same side ofthe press as it' started "from. t

The accompanyin drawings illustrate one form of the improved conveyor press which is adapted tor-use in connection with any suitable form of pressing machine.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the double tray conveyor mounted on a conventional pressing machine.

Figure shows a sectional view taken on the line 2'2 of Figure l with the pressing machine head removed to produce an un-' obstructed plan view of the two trays with the cable supporting and traveling means therefor.

it has been suggested to construct a conveyer press embodying a plurality of working trays adapted to roll in and out, one above the other, of the heating zone or pressing jaws whereby one tray with its work is being pressed while the other tray is having its work removed and additional work replaced thereon for the next pressing operation, and said trays have ordinarily been supported on tracks. The present improvements, however, have, to do with the'elimination oi the tracks, the reduction of the number of parts employed in the conveyer construction with resulting simplification and lowering of manufacturing cost.

A description will first be given of the conveyer itself and thereafter reference will be made to a typical press with which the conveyer is adapted to be used.

Llll

A pair of main cable supporting rollers second pair of rollers 7 are mounted on a shaft 8. The shafts 6 and 8 are spaced apart and carry cables 9 in pairs, and carry cables 12 in pairs, passed over and traveling upon the rollers 5 and 7. Secondary guide rollers 10 are placed closely to the mairi rollers 5 and 7 for the purpose of bringing the upper and lower cables 9 and 12 into closely spaced parallel 0 positely traveling relation in order that re atively little clearance exists between the two cables 9 and 12. This closely spaced cable relation is acquired by disposing the main rollers 5 and 7 slightly above the secondary rollers 10, or by any similar or equivalent arrangement in the rollers whereby the said cable portions or sections 9 and 12 are made to pass in oppositely traveling relation and at the same time be moved rather closely together. However, it is to be noted that the rollers 5 and 7 may be reduced to such size that the diameter thereof is equal to the clearance s ace between the two cable portions, but t is is not always practical because the rollers must be large enough not to distort or strain the cross section of cable as it passes thereover.

A tray frame is inserted in the upper cable section 9 by attaching one edge of the tray to the ends of the pair of cables 9 and by attaching the other side of this tray 15 to one end of the pairs of cables 12. Likewise, another tray frame 13 is inserted within the lower cable section 12 by attaching the end of cables 9 and the end of cables 12 to the opposite edges of the frame 13. the trays are suspended by the cables one above or alongside the other and therefore tracks and car wheels are not needed to support the trays. A cloth tray piece 11 is stretched inside the respective tray frames and is held in taut relation by lacings 14- which hold the canvas trays 11 tightly within the

frames

13 and 15. The tray center structure 11 may as well be fine copper gauze to permit heat, steam and air to flow therethrough and through the work if desired; or the tray center 11 may also be formed of metal sheets.

While it is noted that the

trays

13 and 15 are held in spaced relation and therefore. do not travel in the same plane, it is to he understood that both trays should preferably be capable of moving into the same plane during the pressing operation or heat treating period to which the work on the respective trays is subjected. To this end springs 16 are interposed between the upper tray 15 and respective cable ends 9 and 12. Thus the four springs 16 in effect comprises aportion of the cable link in that the springs 16 sup ort the weight of the tray 15 and the wor thereon. The springs 16 are sulli- Thus shafts in positionon the press.

ea-aces ciently strong to cause both pairs of cable sections 9 and 12 to stand out in perfect alignment without undue tendency to sag. However, the springs 16 stretch enough to permit the tra wardly into alignment with the lower cable 12 and tray 13.

The double tray conveyer construction as aforesaid is effectively combined with a pressing machine of any suitable type. For exam lo, a pressing ma -hinehaving a buck 20 an head 21 is carried on a frame 22. An understanding of how the roll in and out double tray conveyor is used in connection with the pressing machine is understood by reference to the fragmentary portion of a pressshown in the two views. The press head 21 is shown in uplifted position, and the cables 9 and 12 are arranged to run' alongside the margin of the press head and buck just outside thereof so as not to be within the path of the closing press jaws. The

tray frames

13 and 15 are preferably somewhat larger than the pressing jaws which comparative size causes the tray frames to extend around the margin of the press jaws without coming in contact therewith and thus the cloth tray or gauze center piece 11 of each tray spreads across the surface of the buck 20. When the head 21 moves downwardly on the tray, the meeting press jaws 20 and 21 do not come in contact with any portion of the tray other than the cloth center together with the work or garments carried on the said cloth center tray pieces 11 and so ressure, heat treatment, air treatment, sterilization, baking,. airing, take place between the hot jaws.

Brackets 23 serve to mount the rollers and One set of rollers are placed adjacent the press jaws or treating machine while the other set is spaced therefrom. Y

In operation, work such as a garment is spread upon the tray 15 which is moved inwardly to a position coextensive with the mainpress jaws whereuponthe press head 21 moves downwardly engaging the work and tray 15. The springs 16 readily stretch under the movement of the head 21 which permits the tray 15 together with the work thereon to move downwardly against the buck 20 in alignment with the tray 13 which has of course by this time moved outwardly the same distance as the tray 15 has traveled mwardly. In other "words, the trays evchanszc position merely by moving one tray which is to say that the tray 15 is manually 15 to press or move downetc,

ltlll ,creases the utility of the press forthe reacarryin son that the operator does not lose time as he ordinarily would do if he had to wait for the iwork to be treated before he could arrange additional work for pressing.

lVhile one tray is being pressed, the opera-' tor is removing and replacing new work on the external tray.

Furthermore, in garment pressing and ironing equipment of this character, the

head 21 is not required to lift so high as is ordinarily the case with now on the market.

ressing machines armentpress or ironing presses now generally in use require wide opening'jaw movement to permit the work to be stretched upon the buck, but with this improvement in conveyer presses, the work 'is spread out upon a visible tray located somewhat distantly from the pressing machine. Furthermore, the operator not being required to smooth the work out upon the buck 20, is saved the danger accident to working between the open press jaws, and therefore the machine is more safe to operate as well as having increased production over pressing machines now in use. The operators health is not menaced by having to work in close vicinity of the hot press jaws and he is removed from the disagreeable ironing odors aising from high temperature high speed ironing machine. i hat 1 claim is 1. A machine comprising in combination,

a work treating zone into which an article is conveyed for treatment, a flexible traveling member, rollers over which the member-travels, a secondary set of rollers over which the member travels and by which a portion of the traveling member is spaced from the remaining portion, a work carrying device attached to and suported on each spaced portionof the traveling member and moving one over and past the other to and from the zone.

2. A machine comprising in combination, a work treating zone into which annrticle is conveyed for treatment, a flexible traveling member, rollers over which the member travels, a secondary set of rollers over which the member travels and. by which a portion of the travelingmember is spaced from the remaining portion, a work carrying device attached to and su ported on each spaced portion of the trave ing member and moving one over; and past the other to and from the zone, and means permitting one of the work devices to move perpen icular to' the line of travel of the flexible member whereby the spaced work carrying devices are permitted to move into the same plane.

3.- A machine comprising in combination, a Work treating zone into which an article odily in a planeis conveyed or treatment, a flexible traveling member, rollers over which the member travels, a secondary set of rollers over which the member travels and by which a portion of the traveling member is spaced from the remaining portion, a work carrying device attached to and supported on each spaced portion of the traveling member and moving.

one over and past the other to and from the zone, and a spring included in the flexible member which permits the spaced work carrying devices tomove into the same plane for treatment in the "zone.

4. A conveyer press comprising in combination cooperating press jaws between which the work is treated, a cable running alongside the margin of the jaws and spacedtherefrom, a work tray mounted on the cable and moving in and out of the jaws, said tray comprising a flat plane thin supporting surface on which the work is placed and adapted to spread across the jaw area of the press when moved into the jaws.

i I 5. A conveyer press comprising in combination cooperating aress jaws between which the work is treatec, a cable running along side the margin of the jaws and. spaced therefrom, a work tray mounted on the cable and moving in and out of the jaws, said tray comprising a fiatplane thin supporting surface on which the work is placed and adapted to spread across the jaw area of the press when moved into the jaws, another cable running parallel to the first cable, and another work tray mounted on said last named cable. I

6. A. conveyer press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws, a plurality of parallel sets of cables running past the press jaws, a work tray mounted on each parallel set of cables thereby holding each tray in parallel spaced planes, and means supporting the cables in taut condition thereby holding the trays in straight line travel to and trom the press.

7. A conveyer press comprising in com bination, cooperating press jaws, a plurality of parallel sets of cables running past the press jaws, a work tray mounted on each parallel set of cables thereby holding each tray in parallel spaced planes, means supporting the cables in taut condition thereby holding the trays in straight line travel to and from the press, and means included in each parallel cable permitting the stretching thereof without harming the cable whereby the trays are forced into the plane of the pressing jaws.

8. A. conveyer press comprising in combination, cooperating press aws, a plurality of parallel sets of'cables running past the press jaws, a work tray mounted on each parallel set of cables thereby holding each tray in parallel spaced planes, means supporting the cables in taut condition thereby holding the trays in straight line travel to and from the press, and a. spring included in each cable by which the cable is stretched to permit the press jaws to move the trays out of their normal line of travel into the pressing plane.

9. A conveyer press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws, a plurality of parallel sets of cables running past the press jaws, a work tray mounted on each parallel set of cables thereby holding each tray in parallel spaced planes, means supporting the cables in taut condition thereby holding the trays in straight line travel to and from the press, said cables being connected together thereby causing said parallel cables with their respective trays to travel in opposite direction with the trays crossing over each other, and guide means causing said oppositely traveling cables to run in substantially close s aced relation.

10. conveyer press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws in which the work is treated, a main set oi rollers, a pair of cables running tliereover pastthe press jaws which provides closely spaced parallel oppositely traveling cable sections, a work tray mounted on each cable section and similarly traveling simultaneously in opposite directions to and from the press jaws.

11. it conveyer press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws in which the Work is treated, a main set of rollers, a pair of cables running thereover past the press jaws which provides closely spaced parallel oppositely traveling cable sections, a work tray mounted on each cable section and similarly traveling simultaneously in opposite directions to and from the press jaws, one of the work trays moving into the pressing plane but the other tray being spaced therefrom, and means cooperating with the spaced tray permitting the press 'i'rom the opposite side of the masses carried by the cables and having a greater perimeter than that of the press jaws which enables the tray frame to lie outside the jaw margin, and a work support piece stretched within and attached to the frame and spreading across the jaw surfaces.

13. A conveyer press comprising in combination, press jaws, main cable support rollers disposed adjacent one side the press jaws, another set of similar rollers spaced ress jaws, a cable passed over each set 01' rollers and running alongside the jaws, secondary rollers cooperating'with the main rollers and acting to form the cables into closely spaced oppositely traveling sections, a work tray carried by one cable section, a work tray carried by the other cable section, said trays guided one over the other in closely spaced relation, and the movement of one tray being adapted to move the other tray in opposite direction.

14:. A conveyer press as set forth in claim 13, characterized by the fact that the work trays are placed in series with the cables by cutting the cables and inserting the work trays.

15. A conveyer press as set forth in claim 13, characterized by the fact that the work trays are placed in series Withthe cables b cutting the cables and inserting the wor trays, and springs inserted between the trays and cable and adapted to stretch when the jaws move the trays into the pressing plane.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. 7

JAMES C. LEDBETTER.