US1937421A - Ironing machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 28, 1933. w. J. ASHER IRNING MACHINE Filed Feb. 20, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l m. m Kyi V Nov. 28, 1933. w 1 ASHER 1,937,421

IRQNING MACHINE Filed Feb. zb, 1929 4 sheets-sheet 2 Nov. 28, 1933. w ,1 Asl-IER 1,937,421

IRONING MACHINE Filed Feb.. 20. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 28. 1933. w, ASHE'R 1,937,421

IRONING MACHINE Filed Feb. 20, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 patented Nov.e zs 1933 Y Y '71,937,4211.

1 UNET STATES PATENT 0F FICE moNiNd MACHINE f William J. Asher, Colorado Springs,-.Colo. Application February 2051929. serial No-341551o e 21 claims. (o1- css-7 9) This inventionrelates to Yironing machines and the articles pass from one moving element to anmore particularly to the type adapted to handle other, and hence each succeeding element is; articles which varyin size', shape andthickness. driven at a speed slightly greater thanV the ele` VIn ironing machines of this character, Wrinment from whichthe articleV is passing.v

*klinghas been one ofthe greatestproblems, and It is therefore;another object of the invention i60 A the problem has been complicated by the desirto provide a slightly increased speed for the`` abilityofhaving the machine rcapable ofhandling 4greater numberof the moving elements of thenot only flat articles such as sheets, blankets and machine, in the order in which they come into@ handkerchieis, but also garments Vor'v `irregular. Contact with-thegoods intheirvpassagethrough l'shape ory provided withbuttons. Obviously, the the.fmachine. c Y Y 1 j V Y65 provisions for preventing the breakingoi buttons At` the front end oithe machine an'` apron;` and for handling a varied character of worlrren loosening roll is provided-for one ofthe cylinder der. it very difficult to preventwrinklingfor all aprons, Whichroll, together with the do'ing types of work. A e knivesandiitsrassociated rolls, arezall mounted f l5` It has been proposed to provide a power-ironupon a rocking frame. Doing tapes are mount- 70 e ing machinewith a single roller orefectinga ed upon a roller carried by this frame so as tosimultaneousadjustment of the tension ofboth coact withthecylinder apron-to. hold the articles, aprons which guide the work. in its path ,through thereon in transitfro'm the first cylinderr to the c the machine. In practice, the aprons stretch or point wherethe two `cylinderaprons meet to recontract unequally. and hence the single adjust-l ceive the'goods. A tensioningroller is provided-*75 ment was not entirely satisfactory.` Inl the pres-r for the doiing tapes so that When the rocking ent machine, means are provided for adjusting. frame is raised tov permit access to the dong eachof the aprons independently of the other, baror to relieve vthe tension in the cylinder apron,y

v so as to keep eachapron under'the exact necesthelgrav-ity actuated tensioning device Willifuncsary tension. tion to tension the doiling tapes at the same time. 80

It is therefore the object of the present inven-4 Hence, whenever the operator raises the rockingl tion to provide a power ironing machine with, frame, boththe apron andthe tapes are automatimeans for adjusting Athe aprons independently, callyV tensioned, and it is not possible for an oper'-y whereby wrinkling of the work` is avoided. v atorto` neglect tensioning these elements` when It has been customary-.to vprovide two ironing getting ready to operate thefmachina .l 85 cylinders each provided with aprons Iwhich carry It is therefore azfurther'objeet of the invention the work around one cylinder and then convey to. provideV a tensioningV device for the doilng vit to the second cylinder-,and present it thereto. `tapes associated with the apron at the front end Various pathsY for these apronslhave been pro- Vof theironing machine, whereby the tapes are posed, and heretofore it was thought desirable for automatically tensionedi-when the doing knives 90 Various reasons'to have the aprons make a'sharpA- are raised. angle in the path between the cylinders. How- With the for-mer lmachines the ironed goods ever, it isbelievedthat this arrangement of the discharged at the` delivery end were so highly` apronscauses the greater portion of the'wrine heated from the ironing, that the'hands of the 40 kling of the goods which was met within practice. operators would be burned when these articles95 The present inventioncontemplates the bringwere grasped without first being allowed to cool.

ing of the two aprons together to secure the goods, This difficulty is avoided in the present-invention ata point immediately above the first cylinder by a cooling deviceV which receives the highly and passing the aprons togethertcward the bote heated articles from the apron'and passes themV tom of the -second cylinder along aplane which uponaseries'of tapes toa receivingy boardfor 100 is as nearly as possible horizontal. table. Provision is made for the access of the It is therefore the object of the present inven,r air to almost the entire surfaceof-the articles in.'r tion to provide means for transmitting thework transit through this mechanism, which lhas an flOm One Cylinder 150 aIlOtheI Without Wrinklng agitating portion to wave the'articles to and fro. the work. y This yarrangementcools the articles muchA more 105 The relative speeds of the various parts is of rapidly than when passing in a simple transitory considerable importance, and the applicant has path,` and articles discharged therebyV are suideveloped the ratios which producethe most satciently cooled to be easily handled; v. A i isfactory results. In this ,respect it has been It is thereforeanother object of the invention found desirable to increase slightly the speed as to discharge the articles from the ironing ma- 110 chine in a cooled condition so as to permit comfortable handling thereof.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent as the following description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsyin which:

Figurel 1 is a side elevation of the entire power operated ironing machine according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the rolls and aprons employed in the present machine, showing the path of the aprons through the machines;

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail view of the front or feeding end of the machine, showing the dcfng bar and the tensioning devices for the aprons;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the delivery portion of the machine, showing particularly the cooling device; and

Figure 5 is a partial section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The general arrangement and proportions of the machine will be evident from an inspection of Fig. l of the drawings. All the operating parts are mounted in parallel side walls of a large frame, the near wall of whichis indicated at 10.

The frame is provided with a bottom portion 11 which may be mounted upon a substantial base,

although there is little vibration due to the oper-v ation of the machine, inasmuch as all of the larger operating parts merely rotate about fixed axes. The side members such as 10 have numerous openings for the reception of shafts,'etc.,V and other openings are provided for lightening.. Y Two of these openings are indicated atA 12 and 13 respectively,l andit will be understood that corresponding openings are provided in the opposite side of the frame, as the two sidefrnembers are substantially symmetrical. Supporte'dupon the lower edges of the four openings are four bearings, each of which is indicated generally at B. The opposed bearings of each pair are in axial alignment and serve to support for rotation the cylinders 14 and 15. These cylinders 14 and 15 are heated by steam or other heating agents in any well-known manner, such as by steam intro` duced through the supply pipe shown at'16 so as to constitute the ironing cylinders. The cylindrical faces of these members constitute ironing surfaces for the goods which pass through the machine. They are driven in opposite directions forming constantly operating walls and at slightly different speeds. In actual operation of themachine the cylinder 14 is driven faster than the cylinder l5 by the arrangement of the drive gearing now to be described.`

The drive pulley for both cylinders is indicated at 17, and may be driven by any suitable source of power, and provided with a clutch mechanism of a known type by which the pulley may be operatively engaged with or disengaged from the drive shaft 18 of the machine. Upon this shaft 18 is rigidly secured a pinion 20 which meshes with a gear wheel 2l xed upon an idler shaft 22. The teeth of the gear 21 mesh with -those of a second gear 28 mounted upon an idler shaft 24. Idler shafts 22 and 24 carry pinions 25'and 26 respectively, which pinions are in engagement with large gears 27 and 2S lwhich are Vlxed upon the axles of t-` e heated cylinders.

. From this `arrangement' of gearing -it follows that'the cylinders are driven in oppositedirections at substantially the same speed. However it will also be observed thatthe gear wheel 21 is of slightly less diameter than the gear wheel size, this results in the cylinder 14 being driven at a somewhat faster rate of speed than the cylinder 15.

Associated with each of the cylinders is an endless apron. The apron of the first cylinder is indicated at 50, and that of the second cylinder at 51. These aprons are guided over rollers hereinafter to be fully described and are employed for the purpose of holding the articles to be ironed in close contact with the cylinders as the cylinders revolve about their axes. The aprons further cooperate in transferring the goods, ironed onone side by the first cylinder, to the second cylinder where the articles are ironed on the opposite side. The aprons may be of various materials, as is wellknown, but with the arrangement of pressure and guide rollers which I employ in the present machine, the relatively inexpensive cotton aprons may be employed with very satisfactory results. The arrangement of aprons is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. Here the end of the feed Yboard is indicated at 52 overlying the feed basket 44, and this end is shown to be positioned in close proximity to the feed tape roll 45, over which pass the feed tapes.

'on tothe top of pressure roller 53 are drawn downwardly between the apron 50 and the outer cylindrical ironing surface of cylinder 15. This Acylinder is in constant rotation andv the endless apron50 constantly passes on to the same at one point, i'. e., between pressure roller 53 and the cylinder, and is constantly removed at another point, i.' e., adjacent the apron drive roll 54. Very nearly the entire surface of the cylinder, therefore, is covered by the apron and the goods being ironed are tightly pressed thereby, during the period of their travel around the cylinder axis, against the cylinder. In addition to pressure roller 53, additional pressure rollers are provided indicated respectively at 48, 55, 56 and 57, the function of these rollers being solely to press the apron tightly vagainst the cylinder. The rollers are therefore provided with layers of relatively soft materials on their surfaces, such as rubber or cloth.

After the articles being ironed have passed around the cylinder 15 from pressure roller 53 to the proximity of the drive roller 54, they are removed from the ironing surface by the dofilng knives 58 mounted upon a series of pads 59 that are pivoted to the transversely extending dofling bar. rear of the` cylinder 15 by the apron 50 and its cooperating tapes 60, clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These tapes are spaced between the doifing knives 58, and their spaced relation permits escape of free steam from the articles being lironed at this portion of their path of travel.

lapronand'cause thein to drop ontovthe secondY apron tov loeY carried vthereby to the second/cyl-r` inder to the-point over the roller-64 where the: aprons separate.` The first apron 50 passes over` the vguide rollerA 65, take up l,roller 66,` guide rollers6'7, 68 and 69 and outside of the-.pressuree rollers 57,56, 5 5 and 53, and returnsfto'the first cylinder in the direction of theA arrow.

Thesecond apron 51 passes around roller 64 on to the` surface` of the cylinder 14, andis held; thereagainst by the pressure rolls-64,63 andr49,u

and then leaves .theV cylinder over the aprondrive rollerv '7d-,guide roll '71 and drive roll '72, adjusting roll '73, and guide roll '74, thence-downwardly overthe common guide-rolls -61 and 62.V The articles, after being .ironed by both cylii'iders'are` removed from the` surface of the second. cylinder4 bydofng knives indicated .at '7 5and delivered loy` means to be hereinafter described.

It should henotedthat the-twoaprons 50 and 51 travel together hetweenthe cylinders- 14 and` l5 along-a predetermined and unchanging path, as-.each of-the rolls 61, 62, 63-and -'74-are mounted on fixed axes. Thereare` no adjustahlerolls inthe common path., as the take up rolls 66'and. '73 are located in the return paths of their respectiveaprons. By having the two apronscometogether lahcvethe rst cylinder, and not separate -or turn until underfthe second cylinder, av

verylongiiat reach is provided. The Contact vof the two hot aprons with thevgoods for this long reach facilitates:the` drying of the goods;

Where the :two aprons separate, after conveying the goods to the secondcylinder, a doffer brush 43 is-` mounted in contact with the rst apronV where it passesover the'roller G5 Yso as to remove any articles whichl tend to cling to the iirst inder.

TheY apron 50 is driven frointhe first apron drive `roller 54, which isdriven froinftherst cylinder drive gear 28,A through the intermediategears 39 and 40 shown in Fig. 3. The gear 40 meshes with the gearl 41- which rotates with the roller 54. As the roller 54 isof` greater diameter than the gear 41, thespee'd of' the-apron 50` isslightly greater than the peripheral speed of theA cylinder 15. The cylinder is also larger than the gear 28 but the different ratio gives the greater.A

speed.- v

The apronl is driven from the secondapron drive roll '72, Which'carriesk a sprocket30 of.. slightly smaller diameter driven by a chain 31v` passing, overidlcr sprocketY 32in,v its path from a sprocket 33 carriedV by a ygear 34 ofv slightly smaller diameter which mesheswiththe second cylinder drive gear 27. the apron 51 at a speed slightly greaterthan the peripheral speed of the cylinder 14. f

The mounting of the auxiliary tapes ,60gisi clearly shown in Fig. 3. Referringto this iigure,

a rocking traine 86 is shown as mounted on apivot 81 ahcve the iront portion of the cylinderl This frame' has journaled-thereinthe axisY 82 of `the drive roll 54 for the apron 50 and the axle 83 of the doffer tape drive roll 84. Doffing knife pads 59 Vsupported by abar thaty is fastened to a pair of brackets bolted direct toeither main frame lo.' The-frame 80 further provided with extensions to which are pivoted shorter arnis 91 providing journals for the axle of the dofer tape pinch roll 92.

It will he apparent that the apron 50 coming on of the'cylinder 15 passes around the drive roll 54 and extends back over the cylinderVand passes over the 'oai-e apron roll 61. The doffer rThis `arrangenfient drives tapeg60; which passes ',:between the doi-Eer knives rextendsaround'the. roll 54 on top Yofthe apron 50;, butleaves'l itV before itureaches.thev roll 61 and passes back over thedrive roll 84, being forcedthereagainsthy the pinchL roll. 92.. The

doicr; tapes.`r 60 `are slack beyondrthe drive' roll 84,.y andpassunder. thedoiier bar andn pads 59 and; extend up; around them andpass between thedoier knives. 58and extend. thereheyondto f overlie. the; apron ,drive roll 54.

The. bight ofgthe doffer tape 60 passes overV the doffer4 tape; stretchr tube. 93, the journals oi which arecarried byfreely pivoted arms 94, the pivotal `supports of which are adjustably secured by, bolts-95 .in slots r96 rin 'each of theinain'side frames'A of the machine. This arrangement prothesame time that thefapron 50 is tensioned. It

ofthe tapes 60, produced ley` the upward move-- nient oftherolls54and 84 about`pivot 81, will be taken up bythe roller 93 Vunder the. influence ofA gravity. Y'

yFor the removal of the ironed .goods from the i machine, aerating tapes are'provided which aresomewhat-similar to the domng tapes 60,. and their arrangement is shown in detail in Fig.r4. Thesev tapes .pass between doihng knives ,'75 carried hy the doflng pads 101 and pass over theV aerating tape drive roll 102 which is journaled main frame of the machine. A pair o swinging arms 105, are pivoted oneach end of the shaft 104 and terminate at their Vlower ends `in sleeves 106 whichslidably receiverods 115'?, learring lrolthe sleeves 106carries a-l'ug 1,06" toene of which is ypivoted a.connectingrodlil),` which at its other end" is eccentrically pivoted on a disc 110. Also pivoted to the.` lugs 10,6 aresleeves 112 carrying sliding armsliS havingv rollers 114 journaled in their lowerlends. f l

.The aerating tapes 100, Apassing hetweenther doling knives 75, extend over the drivefroller 102 and down under theroileitlii, then pass upward over .a bare roll 1715 journaledfin the arm,g1'03, andf'then hack under thedoihngfbar and-,pads 101:

Cooperating with the aerating tapes 100 are aerating tapes120which also pass over the roller 102V outside ofthe tapes. 100. The outerl tape-s 1201then pass .down aroundthe roller 108,` and upxover aniadjustable take up roller i211, which is journaled in theouter ends of sliding rods 122 "carried'by sleeves123 rigidly secured to thearrn 103.. The Vforward ends ofthe auxiliary tapes then pass around a driving roll,125 journaled in arnis V126 integral with the arms-103. y

Thedisk 110 is provided'with sprocket teeth, andserves to drive both' sets of aeratingtapes,

vas well'as to oscillate VtheV swinging arrn 165. A

drive chain'f140 driven Vhy the sprocket 110`passes over an idler 1'41 carried bythe arm 131, which swingsabout the center of roll 125 and then passesunder the sprocket 142 whichdrives the roll 125 and the outer tapes 120. The chain 140 then passes over sprocket: 143,r Which drives the `vides for the tensioningY of the doffer tapes at.

,wilibe `obviousfronian inspection of Fig. 3 that upon a shaft 104 inanarm 10,3 rigid with the YVlers108 journaledloetweentheir ends. Each of loll inner tape driving roll 102and its tapes 100. The arm 131 carries the brush roll andadjusting arni for the idler sprocket to take up slack in brush roll drive chain. v

Rigid with the disk 11() is a gear 144 meshing with a pinion 145 keyed on a shaft 146 journaled in one orn the side frames 10. Also keyed on this shaft is a smaller gear 147, whichl meshes with the second cylinder drive gear 27. Withthis arrangement the doffer tapes 100 and the aerating tapes 120 are driven at speeds slightly greater than the surface speed of the cylinder 14.

1t will be readily apparent that the articles held against the cylinder 14 by the apron 51 will be removed therefrom by the doilng llrnives 75, slightly below the point where the apron 51 leaves the cylinder 14. and passes 'back around the roll 7G. The ironed articles will then be carried away by the aerating dofing tapes 100. articles maytend to cling to the apron 5l as it passes upwardly around the roll 70,'and to positively remove these articles a dering brush 43 is mounted to engage the tapes at this point. The dodng brush shaft is vjournaled in arms 131 adjustably carried bythe threaded arms 132 and 133 pivotally secured to the main frame of the machine. Y.

A sprocket 135 is keyed on the dofring brush .shaft and receives ka chain 136 which passes over a take up idler sprocket 137, and a drive sprocle 138 secured to the bare apron roller 7G, which in turn is driven suitable gearing iron the main gear 27. Thus the dofrlng brush 180 is ydriven at a much greater speed than the apron 5l, and in the opposite direction so as toefiectively dislodge from the apron any articles tending to cling thereto, and drop'theni onto the doiiing tapes 10G.

The ironedV articles on the tape 100 pass ben neath the roller` 125 and engage the auxiliaryl tapes 12e. Then the two sets of tapes 100 and 120 together convey the `ironed articles up over they are delivered to the folding the roll 102 and down to the rollers 114 and 108. As the ironed articles pass down beyond the roller 102, they are subjected to a waving, to and fro. motion, due to the oscillation of the arrn 105,l

which is imparted to the rollers 114 and 108 and the tapes carried thereby. The oscillation of the arrn 105 is transmitted by the bar 109 from the isk 110 on which it is eccentrically mounted. The relatively long path from the dong knives 75 to the roller 102, the spaced relation of both sets of' aerating tapes 100 and 120, and the nal agitation in their downward path to the rollersfouling the apron atthis point, a guard 149 is mounted at the rear end of the folding board toconne the ar icles thereon so as to constitute .a receiver for the ironed goods. x

The means for driving the doer brush 43 is shown in detail in Figure 5. It will be observed that a pinion 15G mounted on the doier brush shaft 151 meshes with a gear 152 xed on counter shaft 146 so that the dofer brush is driven by power taken from the large ring gear 27.v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. In an ironing machine, in combination, two

However, some `comprising a pair `ci conveyors each c spaced ironing cylinders, an apron associated with each of said cylinders, a plurality of rollers for guiding said aprons in unchanging substantially straight parallel downward paths to carry the goods being ironedfroin adjacent the periphery or" one cylinder to adjacent the periphery of the other, and independent gravityactuated automatic tensioning rollers located in the return A paths of the respective aprons.

2. 1n an ironing machine, in combination, a fraine, an ironing cylinder, an apron associated therewith, a'roller over which said apron passes, doier tapes contacting with said apron, a pivotal mounting for said roller permitting it to be raised, a roller over which the doilng tapes pass,

. arms rotatably supporting the ends of said roller,

and means carried by the frame upon which the arms are pivotally mounted, said means being adjustable in the frame.

3. 1n an ironing machine having an ironing cylinder, an apron, and a roll over which said roller over which said apron passes, whereby rocking or" the frame tensions the apron, a strip- Aping rneans and doer tapes associated with said stripping means for holding the goods on said apron after they are stripped from the cylinder, and a gravity actuated tensioning means for said doier tapes.

5. In an ironing machine, in combination two spaced ironing cylinders, an apron associated with each of said cylinders, each apron adapted to carry the goods being ironed around its cylinder, and both aprons cooperating to carry the goods from the first cylinder to the second, means for stripping the goods from the first cylinder, dofer tapes associated with said stripping rneans adapted to hold the goods on the first apron until it is engaged by the second, and pivotally mounted roller over which said doier tapes pass, which serves as a gravity tensioning device for said doier tapes.

6. In combination with an ironing machine having an ironing cylinder and an apron passing substantially around its periphery and leaving the cylinder to pass around an apron roll, a doliing knife below said apron roll, dcng tapes passing below said knife, a rocking frame pivoted to said ironing machine frame and carrying said apron roll, and a roll for said domng tapes, whereby upward movement or" said frame moves said rolls away from said cylinder and releases the tension in said apron, a swingable roll over which no Y said doiiing tapes pass, said swingable roll servingV to tension said tapes as the apron vis tensioned.

7. In combination with an ironing machine, ineans for delivering ironed articles therefrom, inprising a set of parallel tapes perd access or" air to said articles in transit, and having a common path for their contiguous sides and means for simultaneously l oscillating said for drivngeach'of said aprons slightly faster than conveyors together at a portion Yci? the common pathl 3. In combination with. an ironinglmachine, means fordelivering ironed articles therefrom, comprising an elevated roller spaced from the lironing mechanism oi said machine and a swingfof rollers carriedV bysaid swinging arm, endless 'tapespassing together over said elevated'roller and respectively over Vsaid pair of rollers, and means, for oscillating said swinging larinirom a driven element of the machine, said pair of rollers being 'respectively` carried by said swinging arm by slidable connections, whereby their weight serves for gravity tensioning of their respective tapes. l 1

l0. In combination with anv ironing machine including a rotatingdrum and apron associated therewith Yand having a cooling device adapted to receive goods ironed by the machine and deliver themin a cooled condition for handling, a rotaryVA brush for doiiing the goods from the ironing niachine apron and causing them to fall into position to be engaged by said cooling device.

11. In combination with an ironing machine comprising a cylinder and an apron extending substantially entirely therearound,` said apron leaving the cylinder at a point above the point where it passes on tov the cylinder, a knife for separating the goods from the cylinder, and a doiiing brush for separating the goods l:from the apron.

12. In combination with an ironing machine having an ironing cylinder and an apron for holding the articles being'ironed thereagain'st for a partei its periphery, said apron leaving said cylinder and passing around an apron roll, a doling knife below said apron roll for removing the articles from said cylinder, tapes passing under said doling knife to deliver the articles from the machine, and a -doi'ling brush in contact with said apron roll to prevent the artiv cles from being carried away by Said apron and insuring their delivery by said tapes.

13. An ironing machine comprising in combination, a pair of cylinders each having an apron passing substantially around the periphery thereof, then leaving its cylinder and passing to a point adjacent the periphery or the other, said aprons having a common path to convey articles being ironed from the first cylinder to the second,

and a dofng brush located above the end of the common path to prevent the articlesadhering to the first cylinder apron and insuring their passing to the second cylinder upon its apron.

14; In an ironing machinecomprising in cornbination a pair or" spaced ironing cylinders, an apron passing substantially around the periphery Yof each of said cylinders to hold the goodsbeing ironed thereagainst, means for bringing' vsaid aprons together between the cylinders to transfer the goods from one cylinder to the other, the combination of means for driving the second cylinder slightly faster than the rst cylinder, and means lits associated cylinder.

` l5. Inan ironing machine, in combination, two

lironing cylinders, a :First cylinder and a second c ylinder,horizontally spaced apart and mounted Yto rotate in opposite-directionsiaboutparalleli axes, two endless aprons, one associated with each cylinder, Yand means forrguiding the aprons so that .they move alongclosed and substantially xed paths in the operation of the machine, a portion `of each :apron extending substantially around the cylinderwith whichitis associated, at all times, to'hold flat goods against thecylindrical surface thereof, the first apron, after leaving the r'st cylinder, passing over the top vci. this cylinder and'beneath the second cylinder, andthe second apron, after leaving the second cylinder, passing over'the top ofv this cylinder and to a point above the iirst cylinder where it meets the nrst apron, bothaprons then passing in close parallel relationship downwardly from this meeting point and under the second cylinder to a parting point adjacent the,v second cylinder, whereby 'thel goods which have passed around the first cylinder are conducted and delivered to the second.

f 16. In an ironing machine, in combination, two ironing cylinders, a iirst` cylinder and a second cylinder, horizontally spaced apart and mounted to rotate in opposite directions about parallel axes,

`two endless aprons, one associated with each cylinder, and means for guiding the aprons so thatthey move along closed and substantially fixed Apaths in the operation' of the machine, a portion of each, apron extending substantially around the cylinder with which it is associated, at all times, to Yhold iiat goods against the cylindrical surface thereof, the first apron, after leaving the rst cylinder, passing over the top of this cylinder and beneath the second cylinder, and thev second apron, after leaving the second cylinder, passing overthe top of this cylinder and `'to a point above the rst cylinder whereV it meets the first apron, both aprons then passing inclose parallel relationship downwardly in substantially straight paths fronithis meeting point to a point beneath` the second cylinder, the parallel aprons making, between these two points, such angles with the horizontal that goods held therebetween are supported thereby against downward sliding movement relatively to the aprons under the influence of gravity, the aprons then continuing to a parting point adjacent the second cylinder.

17. In combination with an ironing machine and the ironing apron thereof, means for delivering ironed articles therefrom comprising a conveyor including two sets ofvendlessv tapes, means causing portions ofsaid tapes to move in parallel iso Y adjacent paths so asto engage and `rictionally retain articles therebetween in such manner that large areasfof both sides of each article are eX- posed to the atmosphere to permit cooling of the articles in transit by contact with the atmosphere.'

o 18. In combination with an ironing machine', means for delivering ironed articles therefrom comprising two sets of endless tapes, guide means for said tapes whereby they are caused to move'in parallel vadjacent vpaths for portions of their lengths and to receive and retain between them ironed articles, and meansgor oscillating portionsA f of the tapes which retain such articles between them and thereby bodily oscillating such articles to elect cooling thereof.

19. In combination with an ironing'machine, means for positively moving the goods from the ironing element, means for receiving said ironed goods and conducting them to a folding board comprising two sets of tapea'means for guiding portions of said sets of tapes respectively in closely adjacent parallel paths so as to frictionally been ironed so as to permit access of the air t0 substantially the entire surface of the goods conducted thereby, whereby the goods are cooled suiciently for comfortable handling at the folding board, and means for supporting and oscillating article retaining portions of said tapes to give the goods a to-and-fro waving motion to facilitate cooling.

v2O. The combination with an ironing machine having a pair of ironing cylinders and a pair of aprons for conducting the articles being ironed from one cylinder to another, the rst apron assing orf 01' the first cylinder and the second apron passing on to the second cylinder, said aprons having a common path adjacent the second cylinder and separating adjacent the second cylinder, the second apron passing on to the second cylinder, of a doi'ing brush positioned to act upon the iirst apron, after it has separated from the second and at a point directly above the second apron, for dislodging articles from the iirst apron and causing them to be deposited by gravity upon the second apron. grip and retain between them articles Which have 21. In combination With an ironing machine, mechanism for conducting` the ironede'oods to a receiver, said mechanism including tape supporting means, two sets of movable endless tapes mounted on said means, each tape of one set having a reach disposed parallel to and closely ad jacent a reach of a tape ci the second set and extending longitudinally in the same direction so that goods interposed therebetween may be engaged and transported by the tapes, the tapes of each set being spaced apart at such intervals that the greater part of the surfaces thus conveyed is exposed to the air, the tape supporting means comprising an oscillating element for supporting portions of the tapes which are for the time being in Contact withthe goods so that the goods may be given an oscillatory or waving motion when transported.

WILLIAM J. ASHER.

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