US1650617A - Ironing machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 29, 1927. 1,650,617

F. H. EHNTS IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 30, 1922 Sheets-Sheet 1 vENToR ATTORNEY F. H. EHNTS IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. .30, 19.2221 3 sneezs-sneetz ATTORNEY www. 29, w27.

F. H. EHNTS IRONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 3

0, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTORNEY irnnnnnrc n. nHNrs,4 or GERNANTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, assIeNoN, BY MnsNn AssreNMnN'rs, ro H. W. BUTTERWQBTH a soNs COMPANY, A conronacrIoN or rENN-' sYLvaNra.

moNINe MACHINE.

Application led August 10, 1922. Serial No. 585,150.

This invention relates to ironing machines and more particularly in some of its details to such machines adaptedy for ironing all kinds of wearing apparel, flat work, etc.

1t is a general object of the invention to provide an improved ironing machine of the class mentioned, having a novel and convenient arrangement of elements, being durable and sturdy in service, simple and eilicientin operation and comparatively inexpensive to make.

Another object is to provide a machine of the class mentioned having an improved mechanism for automatically'connecting or disconnecting the ironing roll from the power drive.

Another object is to provide an improved mechanism for the adjustment of the ironing roll.

Another object is to provide improved driving connections for the operative ele inents of the ironing roll.

Still ano-ther object is to provide an improved arrangement for a temperature indicating means so the operator can see at a glance the temperature conditions of the ironing shoe.

Other objects will be in part obvious in connection with the following detailed de# scription and in part pointed out in connection therewith.

The invention `accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of.

elements, and arrangement of parts, which 2 will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative but preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Figure l is a front elevation of an ironing machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end elevation looking toward the right end of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation looking toward the left end of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a section takenapproximately on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the drive mechanism for the ironer roll;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig.l

description of the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed the operative elements of the ironer are mounted on a supporting frame, including integral cast end frames 1 and 2 rigidly secured together by longitudinally extending frame rods 3. Each end frame hasupright legs or standards integrally connected near their upper `and lower ends by transverse frame pieces 5 and 6 and an upright integral pedestal 7 rises from each frame piece 6 near one .side of the end frame, forming a support for the ironing shoe. Spaced from the pedestal 7 of the end frames are integral upstanding legs 8 and 9 to which are pivoted standards .10 carrying a swinging feed board 11 and having faces contacting with corresponding faces of the legs 8 and 9. rlhese faces may beserrated and wing nuts 11a are provided to hold them in engagement to secure the feed board in any desired adjusted position. The leg 9 is formed with integral bosses 12 for the attachment of a driving motor 13 at the upper side thereof while similar bosses 14 on the transverse frame piece 6 are arranged for attachment to the lower side of the motor. A bracket 15 forming a receptacle for a dampened sponge or cloth is carried by the4 leg 9, overlying the motor 13 and providing a shield and housing'therefor. The end frames are preferably flanged, presenting smooth external surfaces and furnishing convenient means for the attachment of the various fixtures of the ironer.

Supported on the spaced pedestals 7 and secured thereto by screw bolts, is an ironing shoe 16 presenting a curved face formed by the main body casting 17 of the shoe. `A spaced sheet or plate 18 is suitably secured to the shoe casting and, together with the end flanges of the casting, forms an internal heating compartment or heated chamber in which is positioned a heating element such ws a gas burner 19 for heating the shoe to the required ironing temperature.

Near the upper edge of the shoe casting and preferably within said heated chamber is an integral formation 20 providing a boss or support for the attachment of a temperature indicator 21. This boss is provided with an u wardly directed surface, preferably face off so as to be perfectlyfiat for the reception of a corresponding flat face of the indicator. When the indicator is secured in position in contact with the boss, an effective heat conducting joint is provided so the sensitive elements of the indicator carried by the indicator casing will be maintained at the same temperature as that of the shoe and an accurate indication of the temperature conditions of the shoe given to the operator. Instead of being perectly flat, the contacting surface of the supf porting boss and the indicating instrument may be ribbed so as to provide intimately engagine` contact surfaces inclined to each other. s an additional insurance that lthe sensitive element of the indicator shall at all ,times be maintained at the same temperature as that of the shoe, the face of the indicator casing is disposed within the heated chamber of the shoe and subjected to the temperature therein, which is approximately the same as that of the shoe casting 17 and the concave ironing surface of the shoe. It will also be noted that the temperature indicator casing is directed upwardly through an opening 1n the plate 18 presenting its dial in position for convenient reference by the operator. By this arrangement the sensitive elements of the indicator are protected from external agencies tending to influence the temperature thereof, such, for example, as air currents.

An ironing roll'22, cylindrical in Jform and padded on its ironing surface with a suitable material 23 is rotatably mounted on a longitudinal axis extending parallel to the shoe. The roll is mounted for swinging movement on arms 24 and 25 rigidly secured to a shaft 26 rotatabl mounted in bearings in the pedestal 7. s sh`own in Figure 3, the arm 24 is curved downwardly, forming an upward openin loop or open end for the reception of t e work while ironing cus, rullles, etc. The 'roll is thus mounted for lswinging movement toward and away from the concave ironing surface of the shoe with which it cooperates in the ironing operation.

For effecting this swinging movement; roll raising arms 27 are rigidly secured to the shaft 26, being operatively connected by rods 28 with a edal member 29. Springs 30 are interpose in these connections so as to appl uniform pressure to work of different t icknesses and to rmit yielding oscillation of the roll dur1ng the ironing to conform to irregularities. The pedal member 29 is carried by pedal arms 3l secured to one of the frame rods, 3, which is rotatably mounted in bearings 32 carried by the end frames; the rod 3 thus acts in the double capacity of a rotatable support for the pedal member and of a framing member for connecting the end frames.

For holding the ironing roll in ironing position, a ratchet locking device is provided which is conveniently mounted for cooperation with the pedal mechanism. This locking device includes a ratchet plate 33 carried by the end frame and having a series of teeth for engagement with a pivoted pawl 34 carried by the pedal and being springpressed into locking position with the ratchet plate by aspring 35. This arrangement provides for locking the roll in any adjusted position which may be found desirable according to the thickness of the roll padding which ordinarily settles on the roll due to usage. The pawl 34 is released by any desired. means when the roll is to be dropped. It will be understood that a pawl locking device, as described, is ordinarily employed for both ends of the pedal and the construction will be the same in both cases.

A pan 36 of sheet metal or other flexible material underlies the roll for supporting the work and preventing injurious contact thereof with -the frame work or moving parts of the machine. At the upper edge ot' the pan is an angularly disposed flange 37 lying between the upper edge of the pedestals 7 and the ironing shoe for securing the pan in position and the lower part of said pan is supported by the transverse frame pieces 5 and 6. The lower edge of the pan sheet may be rolled around a rod 63, as shown in Figure 6, presenting a finishing terminal bead near the forward side of the machine.

Means for transmitting power from the motor 13 to the ironing roll is shown in the drawing, this being arranged to make alltomatic connection for operation of the roll when moved into cooperating position with the ironing shoe, and to automatically disconnect the power when the roll is retracted. The motor shaft 38 is connected by a flexible coupling 39Vwith a. longitudinally aligned shaft 40 carrying a worm 4l. This worm is disposed within a casing 42 carrying a bearing for the worm shaft and belng attached by a bracket 43 to the end frame 2. The casing is constructed to form a compartment for receiving lubricant for the worm and associated parts.v A worm wheel 44 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 26 at a part projecting beyond its support in the end frame 2, as shown in Figure 5. A Shield 45, resting on the worm casmg 42 and secured thereto, protects the lower part of the worm wheel and prevents throwing of the lubricant on to the adjacent parts of the machine or to the clothes under treatment. A toothed vpinion 46 is rotatably mounted on the projecting end of shaft 26 and longitudinally slidable thereon, meshing with a gear 47 pinned tto the roll shaft 48. The hub of the worm wheel is provided with angularly spaced lugs 49 and the tpinion 46 has similarly spaced lugs 50 facing the for mer and adapted to mesh therewith to form a driving clutch. A gear housing 50a en cases the driving mechanism, being supported by the shield 45.

For operating this driving clutch a pe-` ripheral groove isformed in the clutch pinion 46, engageable in which are lugs 51 carried by a bifurcated clutch lever or shifter fork 52 pivotally mounted on a lug 53 0n the casing 42. As shown in F ig. 5, a compound operating rod 54 connects the clutch shifter fork for automatic operation by the roll raising arm 27. This rod is composed of two telescoping sections 55 and 56, section 56 extending through an opening in the shifter fork and having a pin 57 in engagement with the far side of the fork, while the near side thereof is engaged by a washer, 58 surrounding the rod. The rod 54 is mounted for longitudinal slidable movement in a housing having two spring compartments arranged in tandem. A spring 59 disposed in the forward spring compartment surrounds rod section 56, being compressed between the washer 58 )and the annular shoulder presented by the larger telescoping rod 55, while a second spring 60 is disposed in the rearward spring compartment surrounding rod section 55 and being compressed between the annular shoulder presented by the enlargement at the rear end of this section and the shoulder formed in the casing at the forward end of the spring compart-ment. The rear end of the operating rod projects from the housing and has a contact surface lying adjacent a cam 61ndjustably mounted on the roll raising arm 27.

As shown in F ig. 1, a clothes rack for the work is mounted` on the machine, and this may be located on either side thereof. 'Ihe rack is shown as supported by the end frame 1 carrying a base block 62 connected by the rod 63 to a similar block 62 on the end frame 2. Superposed hubs 64 and 65 are mounted on the block 62, being connected thereto by a vertically disposed supporting pin suitably anchored to the end frame. Arms 66 for carrying the clothes are provided by tubing screwed into the hubs. 'Ihese arms may be swung into extending positions outwardly toy carry the clothes, or folded into position when not in use out of the way along the side of the machine.

A bracket 67 is mounted on the end frame 2 for-supporting the leading-in wires 68 of thelmotor, and a controlling switch 69 for starting and stopping the motor is mounted for convenient access adjacent the sponge pan 15.

The operation of the machine will be clear from the foregoing detailed description, but may be briefly set out as follows. The feed board 1l is ordinarily operated in vertical position, as shown in Figure 6, but it may become desirable to swing it backwardly and downwardly for the accommodation of certain pieces of work requiring the utilization of greater roll surface than would be accessible when the board is vertical. Also, when the board is swung away from the roll, the latter is accessible for repadding, adjustment of the pads, etc.

When it-is desired to bring the roll forward into position for cooperation with the concave ironing face of the ironing shoe, the pedal is depressed until the pawls 34 engage with the appropriate teeth of the locking plate to lock the roll in operative position. During this movement the cam 61 on the roll-raising arm 27 comes into engagement with the projecting end of the clutch operating rod 54, moving the same forwardly against the resistance of spring 60 to bring the clutch dogs 49 and 50 into inter-meshing engagement with each other. In case the movement of the lugs to intermeshing position is obstructed by engagement of their opposed faces when not lying in proper position to intermesh, damaging of the operating connections is preventedl by the yielding connection between the sections of the telescoping compound rod 54, the spring 59 being compressed under these conditions. lVhen the .lugs come into proper position to intermesh, the clutch pinion 46 is thrust forwardly by the expansion of the spring 59 and the driving connection thus established. The cam 61 may be adjusted so as to bring the clutch into engagement at the desired instant for advantageous operation.

As many changes could be made in the aboveY construction and many apparently Widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, ,it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be,u interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cov/er all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by4 Letters Patent, is:

1. In an ironing machine, in combination,

`a supporting frame, anlironing shoe suppoi-ted upon said framing, an ironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relation with said shoe, a shaft mounted on said frame to which said arms are rigidly secured, an operator operated member connected to operate said shaft for raising and lowerin said roll, a clutch rear rotatably mounte on said shaft and slidable thereon into clutched or unclutched position, automatic mechanism dependent for operation upon swinging of the roll to control the clutching action of said clutch gear, and operating means including a gear concentric with said ironing roll and in mesh with said clutch gear for driving said roll.

2. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironing shoe supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relation with said shoe, a shaft mounted on said frame to which said arms are rigidly secured, an operator operated member connected to operate said shaft for raising and lowering said roll, a clutch gear rotatably mounted on said shaft and slidable thereon into clutched or unclutched position, operating means includin said clutch gear for driving said roll, a'sIidably mounted operatingV rod having a resilient connection with said clutch gear, and a connection between said operator operated member and said operating rod for automatic operation of said clutch gear. A

3. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironing shoe supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relation with said shoe, a shaft mounted on said frame to which said arms are rigidly secured, an operator operated member connected to operate said shaft for raising and lowering said roll, a clutch gear rotatably mounted on said shaft and slidable thereon in to clutched or unclutched position, operating means iiicliiding said clutch gear for driving said roll, a slidably mounted operating r od including telescopic sections one of which is connected -with said clutch gear, resilient means for opposing telescopic movement of said rod sections, and a cam connection between said operator operated member and said operating rod for automatic operation of said clutch gear.

4. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironing shoe supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relation with said shoe, a shaft mounted on said frame to which said arms are rigidly secured, an operator operated member operatively connected to said shaft for raising and lowering said roll, a Worm Wheel rotatabll' t 5. In an ironing machine, in combination,

a supporting frame, an ironing shoe supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relation with said shoe, a work supporting pan carried by said frame and attached atone .edge thereof adjacent said shoe and extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom to points underlying said roll, a feed table mounted for independent adjustment toward and away from said roll, and means for se- Y curing said feed table in adjusted operative position. f

6. In an ironing machine, in combination, a supporting frame, an ironing shoe'supported upon said frame, an ironing roll, a pair of arms for supporting said roll for swinging movement into cooperative relation with said shoe, one of said pivoted arms having a loop therein for the reception of work, a work supporting pan carriedpby said frame and underlying said roll, a feed table positioned adjacent said roll, a support for mounting said feed table for adjustment so as to vary its distance from the working surface of the roll, and securing means for securing said feed table in different adjusted' operative positions.

7. In an ironing machine, in combination, an ironing shoe having an ironing surface, an ironing roll mounted for moveinet with respect to said shoe and cooperating with said ironing surface, means for moving said roll with respect to said shoe, clutch mechanism having dogs interengageable in meshino' relationship for transmitting power to said roll, a rod having yieldingly connected telescopic sections, means for connecting said rod to said clutch mechanism, and means including a cam engageable with said rod to operate the latter for controlling said clutch mechanism when said roll moving means is operated.

8. In an ironing machine, in combination, integral cast end frames, each having upright legs and transverse connecting members, an upstanding pedestal adjacent one edge of each of said end frames, an ironing shoe supported by said pedestals and havin a curved ironing surface, an ironing ro supported by said pedestals and mounted for co-operation with said ironing shoe, a

feed table supported adjacent said feed roll,

and a flexible work supporting pan supported at one edge b'y said pedestals, and beine downwardly and forwardly curved beneath said ironing roll to points substantially underlying said feed table.

9. In an ironing machine, in combination, an ironing shoe having an ironing surface, an ironing roll mounted for movement with respect to said shoe and coo erating with said ironing surface, a pedal or controlling `the movement of said roll, spaced' resilient connections between said `pedal land said roll, spaced ratchet plates secured in stationary position upon the ironing machine and osltioned respectively adjacent said space resilient connections, and spaced rockalole pawls attached to said'pedal and being normally biased for engagement, respectively, with said ratchet lates. In testimony w ereof I ax my signature.

FREDERIC H. EHNTS.

Images