US2729844A - Machine for dust cleaning garments - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 10, 1956 G. WEISS MACHINE FOR DUST CLEANING GARMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1951 INVENTOR. GEORGE M /55 f2? ATTQRNEYB Jan. 10, 1956 3, W355 2,729,844

MACHINE FOR DUST CLEANING GARMENTS Filed Dec. 11. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Y 650665144755 8 ATTORNEYS United States Patent MACHINE FOR DUST CLEANING GARMENTS George Weiss, New Hyde Park, N. Y., assignor to B. Altman & Co., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 11, 1951, Serial No. 261,057

9 Claims. (Cl. 15-308) This invention relates to apparatus for dust cleaning fur and cloth garments prior to placing them in cold storage vaults.

It is customary before storing cloth and fur garments in cold storage for an extended period to subject them to a cleaning operation, which thoroughly removes all dust and possible moth larvae therefrom. This is usually accomplished by feeding to the workers movable racks n which a number of the garments are supported by individual hangers. Each worker is provided with a closed-in individual table on which he places the garment to be cleaned after removing it from the rack and its hanger. He then cleans the garment by means of compressed air directed at the garment by a hand operated blower. During this cleaning operation, the garment is manipulated by the worker so that each portion of the garment, both inside and out, is subjected to the compressed air for a sufiicient time to remove the dust therefrom. As this operation naturally fills the confined air space around the table with a high concentration of dust, the worker is obliged to wear a mask. Exhaust means are also usually provided to remove the dust in the vicinity of the table, but such means does not remove the dust which fills the air in the room occupied by the operator. Consequently, even a garment which has been subjected to a thorough cleaning operation will accumulate some dust from the air while it is still in the room. After the garment has been cleaned, the worker replaces it on the hanger and hangs the latter on a rack for removal to the storage vault.

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus which will remove dust and possible moth larvae from garments more thoroughly and satisfactorily than prior known devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus which will eliminate the disadvantages inherent in heretofore known methods of dust cleaning garments and which will reduce to a minimum the handling of the garment being cleaned.

Other objects of the invention as well as the advantages and novel features of construction thereof will appear from a perusal of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a front elevational view of a booth or cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional viewof the cabinet shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 of the drawings; Fig. 3 is a top view of the cabinet and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the cabinet.

In the drawings, the numeral generally designates the cabinet which is provided with a partition 11 to form an upper compartment in which the garment is to be hung and a lower compartment 13. The partition 11 is provided with a large centrally disposed opening 12 affording communication between the two compartments and covered by a wire screen which permits free passages of air and dust into compartment 13, but prevents articles such as buttons and the like, from falling into such r'ce compartment. Compartment 13 is connected by an exhaust duct 14 to a suitable source of suction. Supported on the partition 11 and overlying the screen 15 is a wood rack 16 for preventing overly long garments catching on screen 15 or blocking or cutting off the flow of air suction through compartment 13, and for inducing smooth gliding of the bottom of such a garment as it is being rotated in the upper compartment 11.

The cabinet 16 is provided with a door which permits access to the upper compartment and which is composed of two sections 17 and 18 provided with large glass panels through which the operator may observe clearly the operation taking place in the cabinet. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, the section 17 of the door is connected by a piano hinge to the front wall 19 of the cabinet, while section 18 is connected by a piano hinge to door section 17. Door section 18 is provided with a handle 47 having connected thereto a pivotal bolt or latch 46 whose outer end is receivable in a locking socket 45 to lock the door in closed position.

The top wall 20 of the cabinet is provided with a plurality of openings 21 through which is drawn air by' the exhaust duct 14, and which reduces the intense suction created in the upper compartment of the cabinet to an extent suliicient to permit the operation of the door sections 17 and 18. Mounted centrally of the top wall 20 is a bolt 23', which at its lower end supports a depending triangularly-shaped, metal swivel member 22. The swivel member 22 is connected by a suitable ball bearing unit to the bolt 23 so that it is freely rotatable about the latter as an axis. The swivel member 22 serves as a support for the hanger 25 on which is mounted the garment 24 to be cleaned.

The side walls 26 and 27 of the cabinet are provided with narrow transversely disposed partitions 28 and 29, respectively, which form a plurality of vertical, narrow compartments along the interior sides of the cabinet. The two compartments formed by the partition 28 are covered by a lattice framework 35) composed of a plurality of spaced, horizontally disposed guard bars. The two compartments formed by the partition 29 are covered by a similar lattice framework 31. The widths of the partitions 28 and 29 are such that the frameworks 30 and 31 are spaced from the side walls 26 and 27, respectively, a distance approximately four inches. As can be seen from Fig. 2 of the drawings, the lower ends of the frameworks 3t) and 31 are spaced a short distance above the wood rack 16 and such frameworks extend upwardly to approximately the height at which the shoulders of the garment are supported by a hanger 25 hung on the swivel member 22. Extending vertically downwardly through the top wall 20 of the cabinet and into the compartments formed by the partitions 23 and 29, are four pipes 32, 33, 34 and 35; each pipe being located within one compartment, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and all four pipes terminating short of the grating 16 at approximately the lower ends of the frameworks 3G and 31 (note Fig. 2). The lower ends of pipes 32, 33, 34 and 35 are closed by suitable caps. The upper ends of the pipes 32 and 33 are connected by pipes 41 and 48, respectively, to a pipe 49 extending along the inner side of side wall 27 (note Figs. 2 and 3). The upper ends of pipes 34 and 35 are directly connected to pipe 49. Pipe 49 is connected by means of a pipe 42 to a source of air pressure (not shown) capable of delivering air to pipe 42 under a pressure of approximately eighty pounds. A hand operated valve 43 is included in pipe line 42, so that the air entering such pipe may be manually controlled and adjusted. Except for adjusting the air or shutting oil or starting the operation of the apparatus, the valve 43 remains untouched while the apparatus is normally operating. Intermediate pipe 42 and pipe 49 is a suitable solenoid operated valve 44 which is included in a simple, suitable V circuit containing a pair of contacts in the socket 45;the

arrangement being such that when the handle is in the position shown in Figs 1 of the drawings, the ,valve 44 is opentopermitthe flow of compressed air to pipes '49, 41 and 4 8 and pipes 32,33,34 and 35, while when the handle 47 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1 of the drawings, to lift the latch 46 from the socket 45,,the circuit is opened to cause valve 44 to close, thereby shutting off the supply of compressed air 7 from pipe '42.

Each of pipes 32, 33,34 and 35 are provided with a series of spaced openings arranged in alignment for a portion of the lengthof such pipe and so located on such pipe as to direct the jets of compressed air emitted from such openings, in a predetermined direction within the upper compartment of the cabinet 10. Thus, it will be noted from Fig. 2-of thedrawings, that pipe 32 is provided with a series of vertically aligned openings which extend along that portion of the pipe from which project thearrows 36, and that such openings are so located as to direct jets of air toward the coat at the angle shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The arrows 37in Fig. 2 of the drawings, similarly indicate the range of the openings in pipe '33, and the arrow 37 in Fig. 4 indicates the angle at which the jets of air from such openings are directed toward the coat. In a similar manner, arrows 33 and 39 in Fig. 2 of the drawings, indicate the ranges of the open ings inpipes 34 and 35, respectively, and arrows 38 and 39 in Fig. 4 of the drawings indicate the angles at which the air jets are directed from pipes 34 and 35, respectively. It will benoted from Fig. 2 of the drawings, that the vertical range of all the openings completely covers the entire height. of the body of the garment hung on the hanger and swivel 22, and that there is no vertical portion of the garment which will not be subjected to a jet from one of the openings in pipes 32, 33, 34 and 35. it willalso be noted from Fig. 4 of the drawings, that the jets from the pipes 32, 33, 34 and 35 are directed at the coat, so as to induce a rotary flow of air in a counterclockwise fashion. Mountedon pipe 32 above the range of openings indicated by arrows 37 in Fig. 2 of the drawings, is a nozzle '40 which has a flattened, elongated opening arranged to direct a fiat stream or jet of air against the collar of the garment.

It will be understood from the foregoing, that in the use of the apparatus, the operator opens the door of the booth tor cabinet, takes a garment 24 on a hanger 25 and inserts the hooked end of the latter into the swivel 22. The operator then closes the door and as he turns the handle 47 in aclockwise direction to lock the door in closed position, the latch 46 closes the circuit containing the solenoid valve 44, therebycausing the latter to open and permit the compressed air from pipe 42 to enter pipes .49, 41, 4.8, and 32 to 35. The openings in the pipes 32 to 35 and the nozzle .40 are so arranged that with the entry of compressed air, the garment is completely and evenly subjectedfrom collar to hem with steady jets or streams of compressed air at a high pressure so that the air will penetrate the fabric or the fur down to the pelt. Asthe several series of air jets from the pipes are disposed at the varied angles previously mentioned, the garment Orr-the hanger which is held suspended by the freely rotatable sWivel'22, will be :given a rotating motion by such air jets. The coat 24 is preferably mounted in opened position on the hanger 25, with its sleeves loose. As the garment rotates under the influence of the high pressure air jets, it comes into contact with the lattice frameworks 30 and '31, the door and rear wall of the cabinet and such parts :and particularly the lattice frameworks 3t) and 31induce a whipping action which loosens the dust and further tends to remove it. When the apparatus is in full operation, the coatunder the influence of the jets and the lattice work,is violently whipped around in a rotary fashion so that the dust is beaten loose and the garment is completely subjected to'high compression air throughout every 7 portion thereof, both inside and out. In this manner, the garment is subjected to an efficient and thorough dust cleaning operation. The bars forming the frameworks 3i) and 31 are sufficiently close so that the garment does not come into contact with the pipes 32 to 35 or the partitions 28 and 29 during this whipping action. During the removal of dust from the garment, the removed dust is constantlybeing drawn oif througn the'bottom of the booth by means of suction action andcarried off through the duct 14 into a suitable dust hopper or receptacle. At eighty poundspressure of compressed air the garment rotates approximately thirty revolutions in forty-five seconds, at which time the garment is thoroughly dust cleaned and may be removed. The booth is opened by turning the handle 47 in a counter-clockwise direction to lift the latch 46. This breaks the circuit to thesolenoid valve 44 causing the latter to shut off the flow of air. It is within the contemplation of the invention, that the apparatus for creating the suction through the duct 14 may also be controlledby the handle 47 and latch 46, so that it is shut off when the dooris unlatched. The garment is then removed on its hanger 25 from the booth and hung on the rack on .which it is to be transferred to the storage vault. A new garment is then hungin the cabinet to be cleaned.

it willbe observed from the foregoing, that in the operation ofthe apparatus, the worker is not required to remove the garment from the hanger; the coat is thoroughi-y dust cleaned in arelatively short time by a rotary whipping and heating action induced by the streams of high compression air andthelatticc work, and without the need for anymotor; the garment is guided during this whipping action by the lattice work, thereby protecting the garment, and the room in which the cleaning takes place is entirely freefrom dust and dirt. The operation is accomplished in a relatively short period of time and due to the factthatthe operator need not give it his undivided attention, he may operate more than one booth at the same'time.

While I have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may 'be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of'the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dust cleaning apparatus for garments comprising a cabinet, means in said cabinet for suspending a garment to be cleaned and being freely rotatable to enable the suspended garment to be rotated about its vertical axis, means for supplying air under relatively high pressure,a plurality of pipes connected to said supply means and arranged vertically in spaced relation in said cabinet, each pipe havinga series of closely spaced openings to direct a plurality of air jets toward the garment to be cleaned, and extending'through 'a diiferent vertical range than the series of openings in the other pipes, the total range of the series of openings of all of the pipes being substantially continuous ina vertical direction so that all portions of the garment located in such total range are subjected to a "continuous of air jets, the series of openings in each pipe being directed at a difi'erent angle than that of the series of openings in the other pipes and the angles of the openings of ail of the pipes being arranged to induce a rotary flow of air about the-vertical axis of a freely suspended garment within the cabinet, whereby the garment is caused to rotate with whipping action'by such air jets, means in said cabinet around the area occupied by a suspended garment and constructs and arranged to be struck by portions of the garment rotated under the action of said air jets and thereby exercise a beating action on such garment portions, and suction means for exhausting the air and dust from the cabinet.

2. A dust cleaning apparatus such as defined in claim 1 in which a plurality of said pipes are arranged in spaced relation on one side of said cabinet and a plurality of said pipes are arranged in spaced relation on the other side of said cabinet, the series of openings of the pipes on one side of the cabinet being substantially continuous throughout one vertical range and the series of openings of the pipes on the other side of the cabinet being substantially continuous throughout a different vertical range.

3. A dust cleaning apparatus such as defined in claim 1, in which said supporting means includes a hanger supporting swivel and means mounted on the top wall of said cabinet for supporting said swivel for free rotational movement about a vertical axis, and a nozzle connected to said supply means and arranged to direct a stream of air on the collar of the garment.

4. A dust cleaning apparatus such as defined in claim 1, including an apertured partition in said cabinet forming an upper compartment for the garment and a lower suction chamber, the top wall of said cabinet being apertured to enable atmospheric air to flow therethrough and through said upper compartment to such suction chamber, and including a door in said upper compartment to permit the insertion and removal of garments, the said pipes being located in said upper chamber and said means arranged to be struck by the garment being located between said pipes and the area occupied by a suspended garment and constructed and arranged relative to such pipes to prevent engagement of a rotating garment with said pipes without interfering with the action of air jets on the garment.

5. A dust cleaning apparatus such as defined in claim 1, including a door for said cabinet, means for locking said door in closed position, means for controlling the flow of air from said supply means to said pipes, and means controlled by said locking means for controlling said flow controlling means.

6. A dust cleaning apparatus for garments comprising a cabinet, means in said cabinet for suspending a garment to be cleaned and being freely rotatable to enable the suspended garment to be rotated about its vertical axis, means for supplying air under relatively high pressure, a plurality of pipes connected to said supply means and arranged vertically in spaced relation in said cabinet, each pipe having a series of closely spaced openings to direct a plurality of air jets toward the garment to be cleaned, and extending through a different vertical range than the series of openings in the other pipes, the total range of the series of openings of all of the pipes being substantially continuous in a vertical direction so that all portions of the garment located in such total range are subjected to a continuous series of air jets, the series of openings in each pipe being directed at a different angle than that of the series of openings in the other pipes and the angles of the openings of all of the pipes being arranged to induce a rotary flow of air about the vertical axis of a freely suspended garment within the cabinet, means in said cabinet to whip the garment as it is rotated by the jets from said pipes so that the dust is removed from such garment by a simultaneous blowing and beating operation, and suction means for exhausting the dust and air from the cabinet.

7. A dust cleaning apparatus comprising a cabinet, means in said cabinet for supporting a garment to be cleaned at its shoulders so that the remainder of the garment is freely suspended for transverse movement in said cabinet and being freely rotatable to enable the suspended garment to be rotated about its vertical axis by air jets, means for supplying air under relatively high pressure, means connected to said supply means and constructed and arranged to direct a plurality of jets of air toward the garment to be cleaned and at varying angles so that such garment is rotated by such jets about a vertical axis, lattice framework arranged in front of said jet directing means and through which the jets of air penetrate without substantial interference, said lattice framework being arranged in said cabinet to be engaged. by and to whip the garment as it is rotated by said jets so that the dust is removed from such garment by a simultaneous blowing and beating operation, and suction means for exhausting the air and dust from the cabinet.

8. A dust cleaning apparatus comprising a cabinet, means in said cabinet for supporting a garment to be cleaned at its shoulders so that the remainder of the garment is freely suspended for transverse movement in said cabinet and being freely rotatable to enable the suspended garment to be rotated about its vertical axis by air jets, means for supplying air under relatively high pressure, means connected to said supply means and constructed and arranged to direct a plurality of jets of air toward the garment to be cleaned and at varying angles so that such garment is rotated by such jets about a vertical axis, means in said cabinet to whip the garment as it is rotated by said jets so that the dust is removed from such garment by a simultaneous blowing and beating operation, and suction means for exhausting the air and dust from the cabinet.

9. A dust cleaning apparatus comprising a cabinet, means in said cabinet for suspending a garment to be cleaned and being freely rotatable to enable the suspended garment to be rotated about its vertical axis, means for supplying air under relatively high pressure, means connected to said supply means and constructed and arranged to direct a plurality of jets of air toward the suspended garment to be cleaned and at varying angles so that such garment is rotated by such jets about a vertical axis on said suspending means, means in said cabinet to whip the garment as it is rotated by said jets so that the dust is removed from such garment by a simultaneous blowing and beating operation, said garment whipping means comprising two sets of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally disposed members of rounded cross-section arranged to be engaged by the garment in its whipping movements, and suction means for exhausting the air and dust from the cabinet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,539,779 Selph May 26, 1925 1,583,511 Woodson May 4, 1926 1,807,634 Okun June 2, 1931 2,169,427 Mosca Aug. 15, 1939

Images