US2939233A

US2939233A - Ironing table top

Info

Publication number: US2939233A
Application number: US731537A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald J Munson
Original assignee: J R Clark Co
Current assignee: J R Clark Co
Priority date: 1957-02-19
Filing date: 1958-04-28
Publication date: 1960-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 1977-06-07

Description

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INVENTOR. a/wun J.' Mwvso/v BY WP/Q4 United States Patent IRONING TABLE TOP Donald J. Munson, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to The J. R. Clark Company, Spring Park, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Apr. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 731,537V

6 Claims. (Cl. v58139) This invention relates to ironing tables and is particularly directed to improvements in ironing table tops or boards.

In my application Serial No. 641,149, filed February 19, 1957, there is disclosed a novel top construction for ironing tables which allows the front end portion or nose of the normally tapered top to be expanded to convert the top to a condition where it has a constant width throughout its length. The present invention is a modification of the concept disclosed in that application.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved top construction for ironing tables wherein a conventional shaped elongated top having a unitary top surface with a tapering nose is provided with means for expanding and contracting the ironing surface area provided by the nose.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ironing table top having wing sections mounted thereon for relative spreading and closing movement to convert the top between tapered and generally rectangular shapes and having a new and improved control means for so moving said wing sections.

With these and other objects in view the invention broadly comprises the providing of a conventional shaped ironing table top having a tapered front end or nose portion with a pair of laterally opposing wing sections which are pivoted to the top for movement between a relatively closed position lying under the top nose portion and a relatively spread position on either side of the nose portion to give the top a constant width throughout its length, and a control member pivoted to the underside of the top and connected to the wing sections.

The above mentioned and additional objects of the invention will be brought to light during the course of the following specication, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view -of the top with the nose wing section closed leaving the nose in tapered condition for normal ironing.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the front end or nose portion of the top in expanded condition for use in ironing large pieces of tlatwork or the like.

Fig. 3 is a left side elevation of the nose portion of the top in expanded condition.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section through the control pivot housing taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the top with. the nose expanded and taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the nose portion of the top in collapsed or normal operating condition.

Fig. 7 is an inverted plan view of the nose portion of the top in expanded condition as in Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings reference numerals will be used to denote like parts or structural features in the diierent views. The top is denoted generally at 10. It comprises a frame made up of longi- 2,939,233 Patented June 7, 1960 tudinal frame members 11`and transverse frame members 12 which support an elongated sheet 14 of sheet material, such as flattened expanded metal, which forms the ironing surface. A marginal flange, denoted generally at 15, extends peripherally around the sheet 14 and is preferably connected to the ends of the frame members to provide a rigid unitary top structure. The top is, of course, supported by a suitable understructure such as a pair of leg Aframes connected to the frame for erecting and collapsing operation. Inasmuch as such top supporting structure forms no part of the present invention, it is not shown in the drawings.

The top has the usual forwardly tapering design with the llange 15 having portions 16 extending in parallel throughout the main portion of the top length and portions 17 which converge toward the front end of the top into an arcuate flange portion 18 forming a tapered nose. As thus far described the top has a conventional design.

A pair of wing sections mounted on the nose portion of the top for laterally expanding and contracting that portion are each designated generally at 19. Each of these sections comprises an elongated longitudinally tapering piece of flat rigid sheet material 20 having a marginal ilange 21 along one straight edge. The sections are mounted as shown in Fig. l with their broader ends lying in overlapping relation immediately under the sheet 14 and 'with the llanges 21 extending rearwardly along the flange portions 17. At the junction of the

top flange portions

16 and 17 at each side of the top, the flange 15 is provided with a vertical slot 22 (Fig. 2). Flange 21 on each wing section 19 has a tongue 24 projecting rearwardly therefrom and inwardly through the slot 22 to provide a hinge connection between the top and wing section for moving the section 19 on a horizontal plane about a vertical pivot connection at its rear end. -l-"lange portions 17 on the top lil are provided with elongated slits 25 which extend along the ilange immediately below the plane of the sheet 14 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. These slits extend the entire length of the sections 19 and the sheeting sections 29 extend therethrough along the underside of the sheet 14. While the front portions of the longitudinal ribs 11 are positioned to support the sheet 14 they are not connected thereto thus allowing the wing section sheets 20 to slide therebetween. Thus the two sections 19 are movable between the relatively closed and spread positions shown respectively in Figs. l and 2, with the sheets 20 of sections 19 in each case lying just under sheet 14 to present a substantially continuous surface therewith when lying in their spread or outer positions. A guide plate 26 is mounted across the leading ends of members 11 to guide the wings in their inward and outward movement.

A control means for operating the wing sections between their spread and closed positions is provided and will now be described in detail. A tray-shaped shield member 27 is mounted under the nose portion of the top with its lateral and front edges secured to the

flange portions

17 and 18. The side walls of the shield are provided with longitudinally extending slots 28. An elongated control handle 29 is pivoted on top of the shield 27 as by a rivet at 3i) for swinging movement about a vertical axis. The shield is provided with an arcuate slot 31 formed about the axis of pivot 30. The controlv extends in opposite directions from the pivot Vwith an'gextended portion 3.2A extending through theslot 31 and'carrying a knob 34 atits end. A pairrof rigid links 35 have their inner ends'pivoted to the control ,29- at points which are diametrically opposed and, equally spaced with respect to the pivot laxis 30 and theirrouter ends pivoted to the anges 21 on the wing sections 19, the links extending laterally through slots 28.

t The inner edges of the wing top sheetsr'Z maymbe 'Y curled slightly in opposite directions as at 36 to prohibit edge to edge contact whenthe sections are closed and enabling the sheets to smoothly slide one over the other. The-frontcdge's .f37f;of'the sectionsare preferably formed with: a smoothlyv curveddesign 'eliminatin'g any 'sharp cornersk to prohibitdamagetto vany padlused to cover the top-in its expanded condition. Y l Y Operation of vthe invention 'will-betreadily--understood During performance Vofthe normal vironing operations the Anosetof Ythe top .will be ctmtracted-`asin Figs.` I 'and 6 with the :wing section lsurface'vpieceselying in closed overlapping positionainfcontiguous relation @under 4the nose portion of sheet .14. lflhe flangesZl-will rest against flange portions 17'of1the top10. In this ucondition the top, of course, has ya forward endwise taper and is `shaped Y in the rua-nner ofLa-conv'entional'top.

, When the ,operator desires/to expand-thenosefor atwork Aironing Ashe merely pullsV the knob V'34 swinging, v`the lever in its arcy of movement Aabout the pivot 30 tothe position shown in Fig.v 7.f This,- of course, places links 35 under compression causing the Awing sections to be pulled outwardly through slits 25 in a relatively'tspreading movement about their rear end pivotal connections. When the control 29 engages the end 'of 'slot 31 the sections Vwill be fully -spread `with the flanges 21Y inalong-itudinal alignment with the rimV portions V16. inasmuch as the sheeting sections 2i) lie immediatelybelow the sheet 14 they will in effect form lateral extensions tothe ironing surface of the top nose portion and give the overall ironing surface a rectangular shape.

Conversely, to close the sections 19 4the control is swung in a Yreturn direction on its 'pivot `and links 35 will be placed under-'tension pulling Athe sections 19 into the lateral limits of the top nose portion with anges 21 Y resting against the rim portions 17.

scribed my invention, what I claim to be new and dei sirey to protect by Letters Patent is:

1.'An ironing table top structure comprising an elon- 'gated unitary top member having a body portion with parallel sideedges and ia nose portion extending integrally from one end of the body portion and having converging side edges, an elongated Vside wing member extending longitudinally along one side of the nose portion with the wingrmember and nose portion complementarily providing argenerally ilat ironing surface and the longitudinal side edge of the wing member remote from the nose portion being straightY and disposedin longitudinal alignment with the adjacent side edge of the body portion, means movably mounting the Wing member on the top member for inward movement of the wing member in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the ironing surface into overlapping relation with respect to the nose portion so as Vto provide for a contracted end .ironing surface, and said nose portion extending endwise from the body portion a distance `greater than the wing member.

' 2. An ironing table top structure comprising an elongated unitary top member having a body portion with parallel side edges and 4a noseA portion extending integrally from one Vvend of the body portion andhaving convergingv Yslide edges, Vapair of elongated sideY wingv members extending longitudinallyat opposite sides of the nose portion' Withthe wing 'members and nose por# .tion complementarily providing. a generally'rat ironing v"surface which is equal in width togthe body portion,

means movably mounting the wing memberson VVVthe top Y member for inward movement of the wing members in `a plane generally parallel tothe plane of the ironing surface into overlapping-relation with respect to the nose portion so as to provide for a contracted end ironing surface, and said nose portion iextending endwise from the `body portion a distancev greater than the wing members. D Y

t A3. The subject matter of claimt?. whereinea single control memberV is -rotat'ablyinfounted Yon the :underside of lthe top for rotation on an -axis perpendicular'rtolthe ironing surface, and means connecting` the control member to both wing men`i`bersfor 'simultaneously moving such `planesparallel:to said ironing surface between relatively spread'position lying besideV the noseV portion and a reiatively closed position overlapping the nose portion, Vsaid wings having'flattop Vsurfaces and being mounted with said surfaces in contiguous' relation to 'the underside of said shee'tingto form extensionsY of 'said Vironing surface when in spread., position" and to underlie said sheeting when in closed position, the length of the top forward ofthe pivot axes being greater than the length of the Wing members forward of the pivot axes.

5. The subject matter of claim 4 wherein vthe top is provided with depending flange means extendingv along the end of the nose portion and in 'parallelism 'along the sides of the body portion, Vand each wing member having astraight depending flange along Vits outerfedge adapted to connect the nosep'ortion and the adjacent body portion flange means whenV the wing'm'embers are in closed position and tollie Vin end'to end alignment with said bodyportion flange means when the wing memberstare in spread positionfV 6.- In an ironingv table top structure,V a top having a body portionnand .an end portion,v said Q-eridv .portion be ing Ycomprisedrof Van integral` extensionfof the `bodyy portion and a pair of side wings one'attreach-sidejof ythey extension having -top surfaces complementarily ywithv the extension providing aV generally-,Hat .ironing surface, means movably mounting: said wingsonthe top for movement ofy the entire top surfaces thereof .on planes generally parallel to the plane of Athefironing `Surface into overlapping relation with respect to vthejextension so as to provide for `a contracted .end ironing surface, a

wing control member Ipivoted Vto the underside of the extension transversely intermediate the wings on en -axis perpendicular to said surface, land rigid link means connecting the wings to diametrically'opposing points on the control with respect to theY control-pivot axis.

References Cited in vthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS