US2179590A - Safety feeding attachment for clothes wringers - Google Patents

Description

Nov. M, 11939. J. DOUGHERTY. SR

SAFETY FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS Filed May 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 meberf ow. M, 193%. J. DOUGHERTY. SR

SAFETY FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS Filed May 2, 1938 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES SAFETY FEEDING CLOTHES ATTACHMENT FOR WBJNGER-S John Dougherty, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 2, 1938, Serial No. 205,594

Claims.

This invention relates to clothes wringers and more particularly to a safety feeding attachment therefor.

The object of the invention is to provide a 5 safety attachment of simple and inexpensive construction capable of being quickly attached to any style or type of clothes wringer and which will effectually prevent a person from mashing or otherwise injuring his or her fingers when feeding clothes between the wringer rollers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety attachment comprising spaced supporting brackets adapted to be positioned on one or both sides of the wringer rollers and in which are mounted for rotation auxiliary rollers carrying an endless feed belt for conveying the clothes to the wringer rollers.

A further object is to construct the feed belt or conveyer in a plurality of sections separated by spacing members, means being provided for adjusting the belt rollers within the supporting brackets to regulate the tension of said feed belt.

A further object is to provide the supporting brackets with terminal channel guides adapted to fit over the clinch guard or vertical flange on the wringer frame, said brackets being adjustable vertically of the guard or flange and held in adjusted position by clamping members mounted on said supporting brackets.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efficiency.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of a combined washing machine and wringer showing my improved safety feeding attachment in position on the wringer frame,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, the conveyer belt and its associated parts being shown in elevation,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the supporting brackets detached, and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the feed belt rollers.

50 The improved safety attachment forming the subject-matter of the present invention may be used in connection with any style or type of washing machine, and by way of illustration is shown in connection with a washing machine of 55 standard construction in which 5 designates the body of the machine and 6 the vertical post or standard supporting the wringer I, the latter being provided with the usual wringer rollers, indicated at B. The wringer rollers 8 are journaled in the wringer frame in the usual manner 5 and extending inwardly from the wringer frame on opposite sides thereof are vertically disposed clinch guards or flanges 9 which serve to prevent the clothes from coming in contact with the Journals of the wringer rollers. 10

The attachment comprises oppositely disposed sets or pairs of supporting brackets Ill, each having its inner end bent laterally to form guide channels II which fit over and receive the adjacent vertical flanges or guards 9 and are ad- 15 justable vertically thereon, as shown, said brackets being retained in adjusted position by means of clamping bolts l2 extending through openings l3 in the brackets and provided with wing nuts 14. Interposed between the wing nuts and brackets iii are washers l5 which bear against the outer faces of the brackets and the adjacent faces of the vertical guard flanges 9 so that by tightening the wing nuts I4 said brackets will be securely clamped in a set position. The brackets are provided with longitudinal slots l6 opening through the lower edges thereof, as indicated at H, and fitted in said slots are rods l8 having feed rol1ers l9 mounted for rotation thereon, as shown. Each feed roller 19 comprises a tubular member 20 loosely mounted on the adjacent rod l8 and around which extend yieldable sleeves 2| preferably formed of rubber, as shown. Disposed at spaced intervals on the tubular members 20 .and interposed between the yieldable sleeves 2! are spacing members preferably in the form of circular disks 22 and extending around the rollers and disposed between the spacing disks 22 are a plurality of endless conveyers 23 for feeding clothes from either side of the wringer between the wringer rollers thereof. The feed belts 23 may be formed of rubber, canvas or other suitable material and may be either endless or made in sections with their adjacent ends united as desired, the purpose of said belts being to direct and deliver the clothes to the wringer rollers, as previously stated. The opposite ends of the tubular members 20 are upset and flattened against the adjacent supporting disks, as indicated at 25, and inasmuch as the yieldable sleeves 2| and spacing disks 22 are mounted on the tubular members 22, all of said parts will rotate as a unit on the rods Hi. If desired, however, instead of upsetting the metal at the ends of the tubular members 20, suitable keys or cotter pins may be employed for engagement with the adjacent spacing members. The ends of the rods it are threaded at and extend through the slots l6 and are provided with inner and outer clamping nuts 26 which bear against the brackets. By loosening the clamping nuts 26' and adjusting the rods l8 longitudinally within the slots l6 of the brackets, the tension of the feed belts may be adjusted at will and after the desired adjustment has been effected tightening of the nuts 26 will securely hold the rollers in adjusted position. In order to remove the rollers I! from the supporting brackets to repair or replace any of the feed belts, it is merely necessary to loosen the clamping nuts 26 and move the threaded ends of the rods l8 inwardly of the brackets Ill until the threaded ends of the rods register with the openings II when the rollers tioned over the clinch guards or flanges 9 and adjusted vertically thereon until the upper reaches of the feed belts assume the desired inclination, after which the wing nuts ll are adjusted to clamp said brackets in set position. The threaded ends of the rods l8 are then introduced within the supporting brackets through the openings Il therein and adjusted longitudinally of the brackets until the desired tension is imparted to the feed belts and in which position they will be retained by tightening the clamping nuts 26, as previously stated.

It will here be noted that the feed belts are disposed on opposite sides of the wringer frame and are inclined upwardly in the direction of the wringer rollers 8 so that handkerchiefs, napkins, hosiery and other articles after being washed will be directed by the feed belts upwardly between the wringer rollers 8 without danger of mashing or otherwise injuring the fingers or hand of the operator. Where clothes are fed directly between the wringer rollers, it often happens that the fingers of a person are drawn between the rollers with the article being fed to the wringer with the result that a persons hands or fingers are injured and this cannot occur with the present invention as it is merely necessary to rest the articles on the feed belt when they will be directed between the wringer rollers without any further attention on the part of the operator. Inasmuch as the upper stretches of the feed belts are interposed between and contact with the wringer rollers 8, rotation of the wringer rollers will impart a corresponding movement to the feed belts. Where the device is applied to clothes wringers not provided with the present vertical clinch guards or flanges 9, the supporting brackets in may be secured in any suitable manner to any desired portion of the wringer frame. While I have shown and described a pair of supporting brackets on each side of the wringer frame, it will, of course, be understood that said brackets may be attached to one side of the frame only without departing from the spirit of the inven tion.

It will also be understood that the devices may be made in different sizes and shapes and provided with any desired number of feed belts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination with a clothes wringer including wringer rollers and vertical guard flanges, of supporting brackets detachably mounted for vertical adjustment on the guard flanges, an auxiliary roller supported in the brackets and movable therewith, a feed belt extending between the wringer rollers and around said auxiliary roller, and means for adjusting the auxiliary roller longitudinally of the brackets to regulate the tension of the feed belt.

2. The combination with a clothes wringer including a frame and wringer rollers mounted mounted for rotation on the rod, a feed belt extending between the wringer rollers and around the said auxiliary roller, and clamping nuts engaging the threaded ends of the rods and bearing against the adjacent faces of the supporting brackets. 3. The combination with a clothes wringer including wringer rollers and vertical guard flanges, of supporting brackets mounted for vertical adjustment 0n the guard flanges and provided with channel portions receiving said guard flanges,

bolts extending through the brackets, wing nuts engaging the bolts and bearing against the brackets and guard fianges for holding said brackets in adjusted position, auxiliary rollers supported in the brackets, and a feed belt extending between the wringer rollers and around the auxiliary rollers and inclined downwardly in opposite directions from said wringer rollers.

4. An attachment for clothes wringers comprising supporting brackets for attachment to the frame of a clothes wringer, said brackets being formed with longitudinally disposed slots opening through the lower edges of the brackets, means for clamping the brackets in different positions of vertical adjustment on the frame of a wringer, rollers supported in the slots of said brackets, and a feed belt fitting around the rollers.

5. A safety attachment for clothes wringers comprising supporting brackets each having its inner end bent to form a channel guide member and its outer end provided with a longitudinal

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