US2171356A - Ruffle press - Google Patents

Description

M. FLOREA RUFFLE PRESS Aug. 29, 1939.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1v Filed Feb. 19, 1937 INVENTOR.

M W/ AT ORNEYS.

Aug. 29, 1939. M. FLoREA 2,171,356 1 RUFFLE PRESS l' Filed Feb. 19, 1957 3 Sheets- Sheel'I 2 @mw/7M IN VEN TOR.

TORNEYS.

Aug. 29, 1939. M. FLoRl-:A- 2,171,356

yRUFFLE PRESS Filed Feb. '19, 19:57 3 sheetssheet s www@ EN TOR.

'l %`ORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED `STATES PATENT OFFICE `R'UFFLE PRESS Application February 19, 1937, Serial No.`126,661

2- Claims.

My invention relates to presses for laundry Work and more especially to presses for Work on rufliesto make them look natural after they have been washed in a laundryand dried; an object being'in my press to provide a means for pressing curtain ruflies andthe like where it is desired to put such rufllesinthe most natural and beautiful shape afterthe curtains have been cleaned and stretched.

A further purpose of myfpress is to provide an effective .means of mechanically pressing curtain ruliles Aand other ruilies without pressing them by hand andwithout running the curtain -anol the like through a process vthat would be hard on the curtain.

A particular purpose of my rufe press is toprovideamachine by which the curtain ruille or other ruflle maybe pressed carefully and quickly and the operation not require anything of unusual skill in doing it and by which much time may be saved in doing such work.

I attain `the objects of my machine by the press set forth in-the annexed speciiication, recited in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings `in Which vlike reference numerals indicate like parts. in the Aseveral drawings. Y

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. .1 is a perspective of my ruffle press wherein the molds shown areto be used in the pressing of a curtain ruffle.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View of my press` showing a curtain ruflle being held in place by the press while the Apress `fingers are operating.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. `2 wherein there is shown Ian additional control of the .press fingers.

Fig. 4 is anend view of my ruliie press when the press fingers are .-lifted and 'the machine is not in operation.

Fig. Y5 is a lperspective of one of the ruflies formed by my press.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a larger rufe formed by larger molds than would be used for the ruffle shown in Fig.r 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective of some V shaped ruies which will be used in some situations and which would require a suitable form of mold and pressing finger operating in connection with my press, such as is shown in Figure 1l.

Fig. 8 is a perspective of a group of knife pleats for ruilles adapted to be formed by still a diiierent form of mold and pressing iinger (see Fig. 12) operating in connection with my machine.

Fig. 9 is a rear view of myrule press disclosing details of the mechanical structure thereof.

Fig. 10 isa perspective of one of the pressing iingers used for forming the ruliles shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6.

Fig. 11 is a detail of one of the pressing iingers illustrated for pressing one of the V shaped ruiiles as shown iin Fig."7.

Fig. 12 is a detail of a pressing finger adapted to be used on my devicefor pressing knife pleats as shown in Fig. 8.

Referringin more detail to the preferred construction of my ruffle press and to its operation, Ihave developed apractical and economical device wherein I provide a series of uniformly spaced molds I set atdesired spaces apart and heated by any suitable heat medium, which in this case I have chosen to be an electric heating coil 2 to avoid'too much machinery to be handled.

These molds may be made of any desired design and placedcloser together or farther apart as the need may require on different ruliles of different design.

However, in the drawings` the `molds aredesigned as shown for curtain ruliles and are relatively larger than a-moldfor a small ruiiie would be.

VIn the operation of my press therefore as a curtain ruffle press in this instance, I `provide a series of molds vI aligned either in a straight line along a shelf -2 as shown in Fig. l or in a curved line or other desired arrangement of molds.

The operator places ythe curtain ruie 3 for instance on 'the press, as shown in Fig. l (the curtain ruffle only is shown in this iigure), with the ruie spreadout over `the `molds I as shown so that the Vbinding edged will lay snugly up close to the molds on'shel'f 2.

He then pushes down on `foot pedal V5 to pivotally swing the top portionl over 'into operative position over Ythe ruffle mold `I so that bar 'I will hold binding edge 4 tightlydown.

While bar 'I is holding binding edge 4 of the curtain in place so that the curtain rutile 3 may be pressed then the linger presses 8 which are arranged in parallel spaced relation are at the same time lowered in between the molds to press the curtain ruffle 3 between molds I; thus these fingers hold the curtain ruffle snugly down over the molds.

Thus When the top portion 6 is pivotally moved down to permit fingers 8 to press down on ruie 3 and when the heat is applied to the molds and to the fingers 8 the curtain rufe 3 will be heated and pressed into the form desired for it.

In the meantime after lingers 8 will let down upon the ruffle the free end of the fingers may be forcefully but carefully placed harder against ruiiie 3 by the operator merely by pushing on handle lever I I in order to pivotally swing fingers 8 down more snugly against the rullie. This movement forces the free end I2 of nger 8 more firmly against that portion of the ruffle lying between molds I.

On the other hand when it is desired to move the entire linger down against the ruflie as is shown at numeral I3 in Fig. 3 this movement may be made in the iingers by iirst pushing in on handle I4 as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 to release the pressure on bolt I5 and permit supporting bar I8 to slidably move down with its pivotal pin I'I in slot I8. After pushing in on member I4 releasing the pressure of lug I9 from bolt I5 the operator pushes on lever `II to force the entire group of fingers 8 down into the position shown in Fig. 3.

When moving the fingers back in place again springs 28 and 2| will aid in the movement of lingers 8 to put them back into place.

Fig. 2 shows lingers 8 in operative position before bar I4 is pushed in.

It will be noted that top portion 6 includes the electric heating coils, the frame 22, link 23, bar I4, the heater casing 9 and the pressing iingers 8; while this upper portion is supported in its operative position by brackets 24 and 25 pivotally secured to rod 26 and is controlled by foot pedal 5 in its pivotal operation which is adapted to make the adjustment in link 21 and crank arm 28 secured to rod 26 while all this is supported on frame 29 mounted upon a table 3D supported by brackets 3 I.

It will be observed that handle I I for the upper portion 6 of my press has a pivotal support bar 3| while bolts 32 are adapted to hold bar I4 in proper alignment in their guiding slots 33 for the adjustment of pressing fingers 8.

Springs 34 are adapted to lift pedal 5 when pressure is released therefrom as Well as to pivotally move the upper portion 6 back up out of the way as shown in Fig. 1 following the pressing operation.

The heating coils II) in casing 9 are connected with a source of electric energy through a wire 35. Molds I also have heat coils connected through wire 35 with a source of electric energy therefor.

While I would not wish to be limited in this invention to the construction of pressing fingers illustrated in Figs. 10, 11 and 12 for the formation of ruilles shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8 respectively yet these drawings will suitably illustrate a form of pressing fingers in each case that will accomplish the purpose desired.

It will be obvious to the experienced operator of pressing machines in a laundry that within the scope of my invention it will not be necessary to be limited in the form of ruflle to be pressed thereby; since it is evident that any one of a number of forms of mold can be used as well as any desired pressing fingers on my machine.

I do not choose to be limited to the specific construction of ruilie press disclosed in this speciiication for the reason that it is evident that certain minor changes may be desired in the form of the pressing fingers or the form of the molds without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and the method of operating the same, what I claim is:

1. A rullle press comprising a machine frame, a plurality of pressing molds arranged in alignment in parallel spaced relation, a plurality of pressing fingers pivotally supported and pivotally adjusted and a hand lever for making said adjustments; said pressing fingers adapted to be operatively moved into the space between said molds, means for heating said pressing molds and said pressing lingers and foot control lever means for moving said pressing fingers into operative position, a marginal clamp for holding a curtain and the like along the edge of said molds when the rufles thereof are being pressed and a shelf in front of said molds for supporting the adjacent portions of a curtain and the like while the ruffle thereof is being pressed.

2. As a new article of manufacture a ruille press for pressing curtain ruliies and the like and comprising a press frame, a shelf thereon, a plurality of pressing molds arranged in spaced relation adjacent said shelf and means for heating said molds, a foot control lever, brackets and a plurality of pressing fingers operatively and pivotally supported thereby, said foot control lever for optionally moving said pressing fingers into operative position between said pressing molds for forming said ruilies into predetermined shapes of pleats, a hand lever operatively and controllably connected with said pressing fingers for the adjustment and manipulation thereof after they have been moved into a position adjacent their operative position between said molds by said foot lever, a marginal clamp operatively mounted with said pressing fingers and adapted to be moved into operative position by said foot lever for holding a curtain and the like while the ruifles thereof are being pressed, electric coil means operatively connected with said pressing lingers for heating the same, a lever for manipulating said pressing fingers pivotally and means for optionally adjusting the position of said 1ingers and spring means connected with said foot lever and said hand lever for automatically retracting said pressing fingers and their mounting when released by the foot on said foot lever or by hand by said hand lever.

MANUEL FLOREA.

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