US2772493A - Ironing boards - Google Patents

Description

R. T. HOOD IRONING BOARDS Dec. 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2, 1954 R. T. HOOD IRONING BOARDS Dec. 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1954 United States Patent O IRONING BOARDS Robert Turner Hood, Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham, England, assigner to Bradley and Company Limited, Mount Pleasant, Bilston, England, a British company Application February 2, 1954, Serial No. 407,765

4 Claims. (Cl. 38-121) This invention relates to an improved ironing board of the kind incorporating a pair of pivotally interconnected leg structures, one of which is pivotally connected to the underside of the board whilst the other is connected to a slide which is capable of a sliding movement within guides on the underside of the board and wherein the two leg structures may be folded into sub stantially parallel abutment with the underside of the board.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved ironing board of this kind incorporating means for positively locating the slide at various positions rela* tive to the guides so as to admit of variable height settings of the board and to provide simple and etfective means for unlocking the slide and means for preventing the legs being collapsed into substantial abutment with the board whilst the board is standing upon the legs, thereby obviating the attendant risk of the `user trapping his or her fingers.

The invention consists of an ironing board of the kind referred to characterised in that the slide carries a detent which is spring urged into the contact with an apertured rack bar which is fixed relative to the board and by a release catch extending over the apertures in the rack bar whereby the detent can be removed or prevented frorn engagement with apertures in the rack bar.

A convenient embodiment of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a plan from below of an ironing board in accordance with the present invention shown in the collapsed position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the board, the section being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is also a sectional side elevation of the same board, but shown in an operable position, the section being taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the slide and associated parts removed from the remainder of the board and seen from above, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the release catch, the section being taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The board 1@ is formed of apertured metal and secured to the underside thereof adjacent the one end is a bracket 11 within which is pivoted what will hereinafter be termed the rear ieg structure. This rear leg structure is formed by two parallel tubes 12 which are welded at their lower ends to `a transverse tube 13 which is adapted to rest upon the lioor and to form a foot. The ends of this foot extending beyond the parallel tubes 12, are furnished with anti-friction pads in the form of rubber cups 1d. The ripper end of these two tubes 12 are interconnected by means of a transverse pin 15 which extend through the tubes 12 and is located within the bracket 11, the transverse pin 15 having a spacing sleeve 16 disposed around it between the two tubes. Intermediate the ends of the rear leg structure, this structure is pivotally interconnected with the forward leg structure ICC which is formed by a pair of parallel tubes 17 but these are spaced apart by a greater distance than the tubes 12 so that the tubes 12 of the rear leg structure may lie between the tubes 17. The pivotal interconnection of the two leg structures takes the form of a transverse pin 18 which passes through all four tubes 12 and 17, the tubes being spaced apart by sleeves 19 surrounding this pin. The foot of the front leg structure is similar to that of the foot of the rear leg structure and comprises transverse tube 20 with anti-friction pads 21. The two parallel tubes 17 of the front leg structure are flattened and welded at their upper end to a transverse pin 22 the ends of which extend beyond the tubes and are located within a pair of oppositely directed channels 23 secured to the under side of the board 10 and forming guides within which this transverse pin 22 may slide longitudinally relative to the board. Mounted between the transverse pin 22 and the under side of the board 1t) is a spring loaded plate 24 which together with the transverse pin 22 forms the slide. This spring loaded plate 24 is spring urged in one direction about the transverse pin 22 by means of a coiled compression spring 25 disposed between its rearward end and a skid 26 engaging the edge of a downwardly directed angle bar 27 forming a stiffener of the board 10, this skid 26 being pivotally connected -to the spring loaded plate 24 by means of integral tongues on the skid which engage slots on the plate. The forward end of the spring loaded plate 2d is furnished at both sides with an integral upwardly directed tongue 28 which forms a detent which is adapted to enter any one of a plurality of apertures 29 formed in the upper and longer wall of each channel of the guides 23. It will be understood that due to the spring `loading of the plate 24 the detents 28 are spring loaded into engagement with these apertured walls of `the guides 23 which form rack bars and the detents 23 are so shaped that during the movement of the legs from the collapsed position in adjacency with the under side of the board as seen in Fig. 2 to an operable position as seen in Pig. 3, the detents 28 on the spring loaded plate can slide over the apertures 29 but a reverse or closing motion of the legs is prevented. The plate 24 is located relative to the transverse pin 22 and associated front leg structure by virtue of the fact that the pin 22 projects at each end through a gap formed in a downwardly directed peripheral flange 30 on the plate .2d and the said gap is held in engagement with the pin 22 by virtue of the spring loading of the plate 24.

In order to effect a release of the detents from their associated rack bars there is provided a release catch which takes the form of a doubly cranked plate 31 which is rockably mounted upon one of the channels 23 of the guides. This plate has in its intermediate portion a pair of apertures which engage freely upon outwardly directed pins 32 on the channel 23 and the plate is retained in position by coil compression springs 33 located between it and nuts 34 on the free ends of said pins 32. The one portion 31a of this release catch extends over all the apertures 29 in the one rack bar and is normally disposed by means of its spring loading 32 in a position well above the rack bar so as to admit of the detents 28 associated with this rack bar entering the apertures 29, whilst the opposite edge extends below the board to adjacent the one marginal side thereof. The portion 31a of the release catch which extends above the apertures 29 in the rack bar is formed with protuberances 35 pressed out from the lower face and corresponding in size to the apertures 29 in the rack bar so that,l when the release catch is manually rocked against its spring loading these protuberances 3S which are of substantially the same size `as the apertures 29 enter the said apertures and release the detent 28 from an aperture with which it is engaged or, alternatively, prevent its engagement with any one of the apertures, it being appreciated that a corresponding disengagement of the detent 28 associated with the other rack bar will take place since both detcnts are on the same spring loaded plate 24.

Due to the plurality of apertures 29 in the rack bars it will be understood that a plurality of angular settings of the leg structures relative to one another can be obtained thereby providing for a number of different heights of the board 10 to suit the requirements of different individuals. When it is desired to collapse the board from an operational position the release catch can be operated and the board pressed downwardly. If this is done to such an extent that the leg structures are substantially in contact with the under face of the board 1t), there is a risk that the fingers of the operator may become trapped d to prevent this contingency there is provided a gr catch 36 which is freely pivoted by a tongue and slot hinge to the plate 24 and carries a projection 37 which when the board is in its operational position rests upon an upturned tlange 2.3a of the one guide 23. This flange 23a is provided with a notch 23h into which the projection 37l will fall to limit the collapsing motion of the leg structures until the board is turned upon one end to remove the gravity catch 36 from engagement due to the angular position of the board. lt is thus essential that after collapsing the legs to a predetermined degree the board must be turned upon one end before the legs are moved into substantial contact with the under face of the board. When the board is resting upon this end then the gravity catch will hang in a position in which the projection 37 is out of engagement with the notch 23b to permit complete collapsing of the board.

I claim:

1. The combination of a flat ironing board member of sheet metal, having downturned llanges along its sides, a bracket fixed to the underside of said board member, an elongated rear leg structure pivoted to said bracket on a nonshifting axis positioned beneath said board member, an elongated front leg structure, said rear and front leg structures being pivoted to each other intermediate their ends in scissors-fashion, a pair of channel members constituting guide means tixed to the underside of said board member, a pin mounted at one end of said front leg structure, the ends of said pin forming projections which are carried by said front leg structure and are slidable along said guide means, said guide means being provided with a series of apertures extending longitudinally of said guide means, a spring loaded catch pivoted to and carried by said projections and carrying a detent adapted to engage in said apertures thereby constituting means to arrest said projections in selected positions along said guide means and a manually tiltable plate lying along said guide means and extending `therefrom toward the side of said board member, said plate being equipped with prol tuberances adapted to enter said apertures in opposition to said detent and thus constitute means to disable the means to arrest said projections, whereby said rear and front leg structures may be folded against said board member.

2. The combination of a flat ironing board member of sheet metal, an elongated rear leg structure pivoted on a nonshifting axis positioned beneath said board member, an elongated front leg structure, said rear and front leg structures being pivoted to each other intermediate their ends in scissors-fashion, a pair of channel members constituting guide means fixed to the underside of said board member, a pin mounted at one end of said front leg structure, the ends of said pin forming projections which are carried by said front leg structure and are slidable -along said guide means, said guide means being provided with a series of apertures extending longitudinally of said guide means, a spring loaded catch pivoted to and carried by said projections and carrying a detent adapted to engage in said apertures thereby constituting means to arrest said projections in selected positions along said guide means and a manually tiltable plate lying along said guide means and extending therefrom toward the side of said board member, said plate being equipped with protuberances adapted to enter said apertures in opposition to said detent and thus constitute means to disable the means to arrest said projections, whereby said rear and front leg structures may be folded against said board member.

3. The combination of a flat ironing board member of sheet metal, an elongated rear leg structure pivoted on a nonshifting axis positioned beneath said board member, an elongated front leg structure, said rear and front leg structures being pivoted to each other intermediate their ends in scissors-fashion, guide means fixed to the underside of said board member, projections which are carried by said front leg structure and are slidable along said guide means, said guide means being provided with a series of apertures extending longitudinally of said guide means, a spring loaded catch pivoted to and carried by said projections and carrying a detent adapted to engage in said apertures thereby constituting means to arrest said projections in selected positions along said guide means and a manually tiltable plate lying along said guide means and extending therefrom toward the side of said board member, said plate being equipped with protuberances adapted to enter said apertures in opposition to said detent and thus constitute means to disable the means to arrest said projections, whereby said rear and front leg structures may be folded against said board member.

4. The combination of a at ironing board member of sheet metal, an elongated rear leg structure pivoted on a nonshifting axis positioned beneath said board member, an elongated front leg structure, said rear and front leg structures being pivoted to each other intermediate their ends in scissors-fashion, guide means fixed to the underside of said board member, projections which are carried by said front leg structure and are slidable along said guide means, said guide means being provided with a series of spaced apertures extending longitudinally of said guide means, spring loaded catch pivoted to and carried by said projections and carrying a detent adapted to engage in said apertures thereby constituting means to arrest said projections in selected positions along said guide means and a manually tiltable plate lying along said guide means and extending therefrom toward 'the side of said board member, said plate being equipped with means acting to oppose engagement of said detent with said stops and thus to disable the means to arrest said projections, whereby said rear and front leg structures may be folded against said board member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,484,768 Van Pelt Oct. 11, 1949 2,661,554 Siczkiewicz et al Dec. 8, 1953 2,662,319 Hortman Dec. 15, 1953 2,663,101 Olander Dec. 22, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 463,799 Canada Mar. 21, 1950

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