US3429063A

US3429063A - Sheet feeding and spreading apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3429063A
Application number: US528327A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wayne E Myers
Original assignee: McGraw Edison Co
Current assignee: McGraw Edison Co
Priority date: 1966-01-03
Filing date: 1966-01-03
Publication date: 1969-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 1986-02-25

Description

Feb. 25, 1969 w. E. MYER-s 3,429,053

SHEET FEEDING AND SPREADING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 3. 1966 [\..f\

Sheet l of 6 INVENTOR' YI WAV/v5 E. ,w1/Ens a BY AGE-:NL

Feb. 25, i969 w. E. MYERS SHEET FEEDING AND SREADING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 5. 1966 Feb. 25, 1969 w. E. MYERS SHEET FEEDING AND SPREAIYDINGAPPARATUS \\\x\\\\\\\\\\ N MN Feb. 25, 1969 w. E. MYERS 3,429,063

SHEET FEEDING AND SPREADING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 5. 1966 Sheet Lof6 F'IG. 8

INVENTOR WA wvE E. MYERS 20,7% #5f BY AGENT Feb. 25, 1969 w, E, MYERS 3,429,063

SHEET FEEDING AND SVPREADING APPARATUS Filed Jan.. s, 196e sheet 5 of@ NVENTOR WAYNE E.,- MYERS n? wlw Feb. 25, 1969 w:E.MY1-:RS '13,429,063'

SHEET' FBEDING AND SPREAD'ING 'APPARATUS I Filed Jan. s, 196e sheqt of e' FIG. 9

INVENTOR I3 WAV/vf E. MYERS k?. #LW

BY AGENT United States Patent O 3,429,063 SHEET FEEDING AND SPREADING APPARATUS Wayne E. Myers, Rochester, N Y., assignor to McGraw- Edison Company, Elgin, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 528,327 U.S. Cl. 38-143 12 Claims Int. Cl. D06f 67/04; D06c 3/00, 3/06 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present machine comprises two diverging conveyor chains adapted for gripping the corners of one edge of a sheet to carry the sheet through the machine in a suspended condition and simultaneously to tauten the leading edge. The suspended portion is so carried through rst and second spreading stations spaced from each other lengthwise of the machine. Each spreading station includes a pair of spreading belts running sidewise in opposite directions from the center of the machine and having ripples for imparting a wavy motion to the `sheet to spread the sheet sidewise and to de-wrinkle the same. Following each pair of spreading belts is a flipper roller having aps to help in drawing the sheet across the spreading belts. Also, a roller having spiral ridges respectively running clockwise and counterclockwise from the center thereof is provided ahead of the second spreading belt to help in lifting the suspended portion of the sheet and in spreading the same.

This invention relates to an apparaus for spreading and simultaneously feeding at work laundry pieces to a delivery zone where the laundry pieces are to undergo further processing. By Way of preferred example, the apparatus is especially adapted for spreading and simultaneously feeding washed and extracted sheets to `an ironer.

The invention comprises improvements in the Automatic Sheet Feeding Device disclosed in the Grantham Patent No. 3,174,238, dated Mar. 23, 1965.

A general object of the invention is to provide improvements in the spreading and feeding apparatus of the character described which enables an operator to insert successive sheets therein at a faster rate and which enables the apparatus to perform a more eicient spreading and dewrinkling operation on the suspended portions of the sheets.

Another object and feature of the invention resides in the provision of an upright cylindrical rotary conveyor which is indexed in synchronism with a step advance of the spreading apparatus for carrying successive sheets draped over the top edge of the conveyor into position to be picked up and inserted into the spreading apparatus by an operator sitting or standing within the rotary conveyor.

Another object is to provide a sheet spreading and feeding apparatus wherein each sheet is suspended from a pair of diverging conveyor chains which bring the leading edge into a taut condition at the delivery end of the spreading apparatus and wherein the suspended portion of each sheet is drawn across `a pair of transverse spreading belts moving in opposite directions from a longitudinal center line between the conveyor chains.

Another object is to provide such spreading belts with an attached undulating or wavy strip for rippling the sheet to remove kinks and wrinkles therefrom as the suspended portion of each sheet is drawn thereacross.

Another object is to provide overhead belts in association with the outer portions of each rippling belt which depress the sheet onto the rippling belts to render the latter more effective in their spreading operation.

"ice

Another object is to provide a plurality of spreading stations each including a pair of rippling belts across which the suspended portions of each sheet are drawn as the sheet is carried from the receiving end to the delivery end of the spreader-feeder apparatus.

Another object is to provide transverse flipper rollers just past the rippling belts which are provided with rubber blades driven at sufficient speed to draw the suspended portion of each sheet across the rippling belts and cause the sheet to be suspended in a hanging down condition before it reaches a next successive spreading station.

Another object is to provide a control switch operated by passage of the leading edge of the machine onto the ironer feed ribbons which lowers a clamp onto the drag roller and a plurality of clamps onto the central portion of a flipper roller there behind to cause the front portion of the sheet to run slower than the rear portion thereof whereby the sheet is tucked down into a hanging down condition before it reaches a pair of ripple belts preceding the ironer feed ribbons.

Another object is to provide `a transverse drag roller just preceding the ironer feed ribbons to place the sheet under longitudinal tension as it is led onto the feed ribbons.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

In the description of my invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a sheet spreader :and feeder apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the operators station at one end and the ironer feed ribbons at the other end of the apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of this sheet spreader and feeder apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is a left hand sectional view taken on a longitudinal center line 3 3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fractional rear elevational View on the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a front fractional elevational view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2i;

FIGURE 6 is a fractional sectional view to larger scale as seen from the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view showing a portion of one of the ripple-type spreading belts;

FIGURE 8 is a left hand sectional view on the line 8--8 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 9 is a detailed view, showing a portion of the conveyor chain stopped at the loading station, with the sheet gripping clamp in open position;

FIGURE l0 is a side elevational view of the conveyor chain 'and clamp, with the clamp in closed position, gripping the leading edge of a sheet;

FIGURE l1 is a fractional section on the line 1,1-11 of FIGURE 6, showing the air pressure means for lifting and lowering the spreading belt relative to the ironer feed ribbons;

FIGURE 12 is a section to larger scale taken on the line 12-12 of FIGURE l, illustrating the roller support means for the operators rotary conveyor; and

FIGURE 13 is a section to a larger scale taken on the line 13-13 of FIGURE 1, illustrating the means for confining the rotary conveyor to rotation about a central axis.

The present spreader-feeder apparatus has a skeleton base frame 10l comprising side members 11 and 12 secured intermediately by cross member 13 and at the back by cross member 14. This base frame is supported at its four corners on casters 15. Secured to the fore part of the base frame 10 are four upright posts 16 bridged by a rectangular frame 17 at the top made of front and back channel bars 18 and side channel bars 19 welded together at the ends. The base frame 1t) is secured at the rear side by brackets to a wide rectangular frame 21. The frame 21 has closed upright

rectangular housings

22 and 23 at the sides in which are housed the drive mechanism components of the apparatus. The frame 21 is supported at the rear end by casters 24.

At the front of the base frame 10 there is a circular frame comprising an annular angle iron 25 having a series of equally spaced brackets 26 secured to the inner Wall thereof (FIGURE 3)` These brackets are supported by respective casters 27. The annular angle iron 25 forms a circular track on which is mounted a rotary cylindrical conveyor 28. This cylindrical conveyor is surrounded at the base by a circular platform 29 which is mounted on a series of radial arms 30 welded to an annular angle iron 31 which in turn is bolted to the exterior wall of the conveyor. Secured to the underside of the annular angle iron 31 are respective inverted U brackets 32 (FIGURE 12) carrying cross shafts for respective caster rollers 33 which ride on the outwardly extending horizontal member of the annular angle iron 25 to support the rotary conveyor vertically. Secured to the annular angle iron 31 are respective L-shaped brackets 34 which are welded to both the lugs 35 and annular angle iron l31 as shown in FIGURE 13. The lower horizontal member of each bracket 34 and the bottom member of the annular angle iron 31 carry a vertical shaft on which is journaled a caster roller 36 which rides against the outer wall of the upright member of the annular angle iron 25 to keep the rotary conveyor centered so that it will turn in effect about a central vertical axis.

Secured to the outer wall of each lug 35 is a small L- shaped annular angle iron 37 (FIGURES 12 and 13) which carries a series of outwardly extending teeth 38. The teeth 38 are engaged by a chain 39 which surrounds the rotary conveyor except where the chain runs off tangentially to a drive sprocket 40 as shown in FIGURE l. The sprocket 40 is journaled to the central base frame 10. In order that the chain 39 may be retained in a taut condition the annular angle iron 25 is suitably rigidly connected to the base frame 10 by suitable means not shown. The lower arm of each bracket 37 serves to support the chain 39 vertically so it does not run olf of the teeth 38 from gravitational force.

A ferrule 41 caps the upper edge of the rotary conveyor 428 to provide a well rounded surface across which sheets to be spread and ironed may be draped at successive intervals with the outer lower portions resting on the annular platform 29. Suitable marks 43 on the ferrule 41 at 45 intervals designate the successive areas within which the successive sheets are to be draped, A door 42 (FIGURE 3) is openable to enable an operator to enter the rotary conveyor 28. The operator within the conveyor 28 picks up the successive sheets from the top edge 41 and attaches them to the spreader as the conveyor is indexed in synchronism with the step advance of the spreader, as will appear.

The spreader and feeder mechanism comprises two

conveyor arms

44a and 44b which are pivotally supported at the receiving end of the spreader apparatus and which extend in diverging relation to each other through the spreader apparatus to the delivery end thereof. The

arms

44a and 44b have identical vertical V-shaped frame plates 45a and 45b secured thereto at the receiving end of the apparatus. Journaled to the upper portions of these plates are relatively large sprockets 46a and 46h and to the lower portions relatively small sprockets 47a and 47b. Journaled to the far ends of the

conveyor arms

44a and 44b are small sprockets 48a and 48h. Endless conveyor chains 49a and 4917 are trained around the three sprockets on each conveyor arm with the bottom run of each chain being positioned below and extending substantially parallel along the length of each conveyor arm. A drive transmission 50 is mounted on the frame 17 between the conveyor arms at the receiving end of the apparatus. This drive transmission has opposed drive ends connected through universal joints 51a and 51b to the respective sprockets 45a and 45b. These universal joints not only supply driving power to the

conveyor chains

49a and 49b but also support the

conveyor arms

44a and 44b for swinging movement. Braces 52a and 52b are pivotally connected to the central frame structure 17 about in line vertically with the universal joints 51a and 51b and are extended obliquely downwardly along the conveyor arms to make pivotal connection to the arms at 53a and 53h. These braces hold the conveyor arms in horizontal positions and allow the arms to swing towards and away from each other. Additionally, there is a spring pressed plunger 54 betweenthe two conveyor arms which are secured at one end to the frame structure 17 and 4which is connected at its rear end through

links

55a and 55b to central portions of the conveyor arms to spread the conveyor arms apart under spring pressure,

Secured at equal intervals to the

respective conveyor chains

49a and 49b are clamps 56a and 5619. Each clamp shown in FIGURES 9 and l0 comprises a flexible strip 57 which may be of leather or plastic secured to spaced bracket-type links 58 and 59 'by means of rivets 60. Each flexible strips portion between the

successive bracket links

58 and 59 has a bowed portion 57a so that the chain can follow around the respective sprockets. Secured to the exible strip at the link 59 is a rigid metal strip 61 having at one side of its connection point a tongue 61a which is curved inwardly towards the chain and having on the other side of its connection point a straight gripping pad 61b. In each indexed position of the conveyor chains one of the

clamps

56a and 56b is in a loading position directly below the sprocket 47. The cooperating strip portion 57a is then extending around the sprocket 47 away from the cooperating clamp member 61b to place the clamp in an open position (FIGURES 3 and 9). The operator at the front of the machine grasps the opposite corners of a sheet draped over the edge 41 of the rotary conveyor and thrusts them into the angle between the strip 57a and clamp member 61h of the respective clamps while the

conveyor chains

49a and 49b are stopped. When the conveyor chains are next advanced from the positions shown in FIGURE 3, the

clamps

56a and 56b below the sprockets 47 are closed by the chain moving into a straight run and, further, the clamps are closed under pressure by the straight mn of the chains ybearing against the curved tongues 61a. When the clamps holding the sheet reach the sprockets 48a and 48b at the far end of the conveyor arms 44a 'and 44b the clamps are automatically opened to release the sheet by the movement of the strips 57 around the sprockets 48.

There are six clamps 56a and six clamps 56b on the

respective conveyor chains

49a and 49b. Because each chain, say the chain 49a is trained around the relatively large sprocket 46a in its return run from the sprocket 48a to the sprocket 47a the third clamp in advance of the clamp below the sprocket 47a at the receiving or loading station is on the return run of the chain past the sprocket 48a. This is done so that when the chains are stopped in their indexed positions to permit the operator to attach another sheet at the loading station, the sheet at the delivery end of the spreader will already have been released onto a set of ironer conveyor ribbons 62 leading to an ironer 63 as shown by broken lines in FIGURE 1. The conveyor chains 49a and 49h and the rotary cylindrical conveyor 28 are driven by a motor 64 mounted in the right side portion of the upper frame 17 (FIGURE l). This motor has a speed reduction gear box 65 with a rearwardly extending shaft 66 supporting electric clutch drive section and driven section 171 that is secured to shaft 172 journaled in a bearing in the rear frame 18 (FIGURE 1). The shaft 172 has a sprocket 67 pinned thereon which is coupled by a chain 68 to a sprocket 69 pinned to a shaft 50a leading into the drive transmission 50. Secured to the shaft 50a is a drive sprocket 173 coupled via a chain 174 and driven sprocket 175 to a shaft 176 journaled in a bearing in the rear frame 18. The shaft 176 is coupled via a bevel gear transmission 70 mounted on the frame 17 to a vertical shaft 40a of the drive sprocket 40 for the rotary conveyor 28.

Every time the operator has taken a sheet from the rotary conveyor 28 and attached the two leading corners to the

conveyor chains

49a and 49b, he presses a pair of

control buttons

71a and 71b (FIGURE l) which causes the electric clutch to be engaged for a short interval through a pair of electric switches 177a and 177b operated by cams 178:1 and 178b. The electric clutch engages the drive for the conveyor chains 49a and 4912 and rotary conveyor 28 to advance the conveyor chains by 42. inches-the distance between successive clamps 56a or 56h-and to index ahead the rotary conveyor by 1/8 revolution. Since the third clamp 56a or 56h in advance of the loading station has already released the sheet and started back on the return run, there are two stations of the spreader between the loading station and the delivery end which are herein referred to as the spreading stations S1 and S2 (FIGURES 1 and 3).

As a sheet is carried from the loading station through the first interval to the first spreading station S1 the lower hanging portion of the sheet is carried on a conveyor 72 located near the floor between the rotary conveyor 28 and a point just past the first spreading station. This conveyor comprises a group of 18 conveyor tapes 73 (FIG- URE l) trained around front and

back rollers

74 and 75 and across a centrally located roller 76 positioned at a raised level to cause the bottom hanging portion of the sheet to be carried over a hump. When a sheet is first attached to the

conveyor chains

49a and 49b it is in a bunched condition with the two top corners separated only by the distance between the two

clamps

56a and 56b at the loading station (FIGURE l). After one interval of advance to the first spreading station S1 the two upper corners will have been spread by about half the width of the sheet. As shown in FIGURE 1 the oor conveyor 72 is even wider than the width to which the sheet is spread at this first spreading station.

After the operator has attached the leading corners of another sheet to the clamps 56a and 56h at the loading station he presses again the

control buttons

71a and 71b to turn the rotary conveyor 28 through another s revolution and to advance the clamps 56a and 56h by another 42 inches to bring the first sheet to a second spreading station S2 and to bring the sheet just attached to the first spreading station S1 (FIGURE 3). As -a sheet is advanced from the station S1 to the station S2 its leading edge is further spread by about the full width of the sheet and the suspended portion is drawn across the upper runs of a pair of right and left spreading

belts

77a and 77b running sidewise in opposite directions from the central portion of the machine to the opposite sides thereof. The belt 77a is trained around a drive pulley 79 in the housing 22 and around a guide pulley 80 near the longitudinal center of the machine journaled on a crossbar 81 (FIGURES 3 and 5) which bridges the two

housings

22 and 23. The belt 77b is trained around a guide pulley 82 also near the center of the apparatus journaled also on the crossbar 81 and around a drive pulley 83 in the housing 23. The spreading belts are rotated continuously while the apparatus is in use.

Each spreading

belt

77a and 77b is of a unique construction shown in FIGURE 7 having a continuous exible strip 84 as of fabric or plastic riveted at equal intervals along the length of the belt with the portions of the strip 84 between successive rivet points bowed outwardly to form successive ripples 84a. The ripples impart a wavy movement to a sheet as the sheet is drawn across the belt. The belt proper may satisfactorily be of a construction comprising a series of overlaid strips 77s as of fabric secured together by successive rivets 85.

Along the outer portions of the spreading

belts

77a and 77b are overhead belts 86a and 86h (FIGURES 1 and 3) which are preferably of a rubber-fabric composition provided with an outer tread. The right overhead belt 86a is trained around a pair of vertically spaced guide pulleys 87 to cause the belt to have a wrap-around driving engagement with a pulley on the shaft of the drive pulley 79 (FIGURE 5). At its inner end the belt 86a is trained around an intermediate guide pulley 88 about midway between the right side and the center of the spreading apparatus. Similarly, the left overhead belt 86b is trained around a pair of vertically spaced guide pulleys 89 to cause the belt to have a wrap-around driving engagement with a pulley on the shaft of the drive pulley 83 (FIGURE 5). At its `inner end the belt 86b is trained around an intermediate guide pulley 90 midway between the left side and the center of the spreading apparatus. The two overhead belts are supported so that their lower runs are at about an elevation equal to a medial line through the ripples 84a on the upper run of the adjacent spreading

belts

77a and 77b. Thus, a bite is provided between the upper run of each spreading belt and the lower run of the respective overhead belt by reason of the overhead belts running continuously with the bottom runs moving in opposite directions from the intermediate portion of the apparatus to the opposite sides thereof. The overhead belts therefore enable the spreading belts to grip the sides of the suspended portion of a sheet and draw the sheet apart more effectively as it is carried forwardly by the overhead conveyor chains across the spreading belts. In order that the bite between the overhead belts and the adjacent spreading belts is unobstructed the intermediate guide pulleys 88 and 90 are journaled on the inner end portions of horizontal cantilever arms 91a and 91b extending along the overhead belts midway between the top and bottom runs thereof from the frame structure at the sides of the spreading apparatus. The cantilever arms are however supported vertically by vertical tie bars 92a and 92b which are anchored at their upper ends to oblique side braces 93a and 9311 interconnected between the side portions of the upper frame 17 and the frames of the side housings 22 and 23 (FIGURES l and 5).

Just past the spreading

belts

77a and 77b is a transverse flipper roller 94 which extends throughout the f-ull width of the apparatus (FIGURES l and 3). This flipper roller is journaled in bearings in the frame structure 21 and is rotated in an advanced direction-clockwise as seen from FIGURE 3-at a peripheral speed in excess of the speed of the conveyor chains 49a and 49h. The flipper roller comprises a central shaft having four flaps 94a of a exible sheet material such as of fabric or rubber running most of the length of the roller. The flipper roller extends slightly above the level of the spreading

belts

77a and 77b so that the flaps 94a will come into brushing engagement with the underside of a sheet soon after the sheet is drawn onto the spreading

belts

77a and 77b by the

conveyor chains

49a and 49b and cause the remaining suspended portion of the sheet to be moved across the spreading belts and flipper roller onto a tray 95 near the floor preceding the second spreading station S2. At the end of the second step advance the sheet will be hanging down from the

clamps

56a and 56b with its leading edge in a nearly taut condition and with the suspended portion of the sheet just in front of the second spreading station S2. After the operator attaches another sheet to the clamps at the loading station he will press the

controls

71a and 71b to cause the sheets to be advanced by another interval which will now cause the first of the sheets to be carried through the second spreading station S2 onto the ironer feed ribbons 62. The spreading station S2 has in the sequence here named a transverse spiral roller 96 journaled at its ends in the side walls of the frame 21 and having spiral ridges leading clockwise and counterclockwise from the center to the ends of the roller as shown in FIGURE l, a pair of spreading

belts

97a and 97b without however any cooperating overhead belts, a flipper roller 103 journaled also at its ends in the side walls of the frame 21, a pair of spreading belts 104a and 104b and a transverse drag roller 110 journaled at its ends in the side walls of the frame 21 and located directly below the far end sprockets 48a and 48b where the sheet clamps 56a and 56b are opened to release the sheet from the

conveyor chains

49a and 49b. The first spreading belt 97a is trained around a drive pulley 98 in the housing 22 and a centrally located guide pulley 99 journaled on a transverse frame bar 100 and the spreading belt 97b aligned with the belt 97a is trained around a drive pulley 101 in the housing 23 and a centrally located guide pulley 102 journaled also on the frame bar 100. The spreading belt 104:1 is trained around a drive pulley 105 at the back of the housing 22 and a centrally located guide pulley 106 journaled to a transverse bar 107 and the second spreading belt 104b is trained around a drive pulley 108 at the back of the housing 23 and a centrally located guide pulley 109 also journaled to the frame bar 107.

The flipper roller 103 is driven at a peripheral speed greater than the speed of travel of the

conveyor chains

49a and 49b and the drag roll 110 so that it will draw the lower hanging portion of the sheet quickly over the second spreading

belts

97a and 97b and tuck the sheet down into the space before the third spreading belts 104a and 104b. This also enables the trailing portion of one sheet to be drawn away from the leading edge of the next sheet behind it. Further, when the sheet is thus tucked down in the manner described it will be `drawn by the force of its own weight across the third pair of spreading belts 104a and 10411 to provide a better spreading action.

The spread between the

conveyor arms

44a and 44b at the delivery end of the spreading apparatus is greater than the width of each sheet to cause the leading edge of a sheet to be drawn taut and the conveyor arms to be drawn together slightly against the action of the plunger 54 before a sheet is released. As the leading edge of a sheet is released by the movement of the clamps 56 around the sprockets 48, it places the front portion of the sheet over the drag roller 110 and onto the ironer feed ribbons 62. The ironer feed ribbons are driven at a faster speed than the peripheral speed of the drag roller so that the portion of the sheet being led onto the ironer feed` ribbons is kept under a constant longitudinal tension to remove wrinkles from the sheet. As the leading edge of the sheet is moved onto the ironer feed ribbons it operates a wire-linger switch 111 (FIGURES 1 and 2) to lower a forward clamp 112 onto a smooth central portion 110a of the drag roller 110 and it lowers several clamps 113 onto a central portion 103a of the flipper roller 103. These clamps assure that the portion of the sheet engaging the drag roller will run slower than the rear portion of the sheet being drawn across the spreading belts 97 whereby to assure that the sheet will be tucked down onto the table 95a before it is drawn across the spreading belts 104.

As the leading edge of a sheet is carried further along the ironer feed ribbon 62 it operates another wire-finger switch 114 to lower the bottom runs of two horizontal spreading belts 115a and 115k onto the ironer feed ribbon 62. The right spreading belt 115:1 is trained around a drive pulley 116 and an intermediate guide pulley 117 (FIG- URE 6) both journaled on a transverse channel bar 118 extending across the width of the ironer feed ribbons. The left spreading belt 115b is likewise trained around a left drive pulley 119 and an intermediate guide pulley 120 also both journaled on the channel bar 118. The journals for the

intermediate pulleys

117 and 120 are slidably mounted and a tension spring 121 is connected between these mountings to keep the spreading belts under constant tension. The

drive rollers

116 and 119 are rotated from respective shafts 116:1 and 119a extending from the

housings

22 and 23. The direction of drive of these pulleys is such that the lower runs of the spreading belts move in opposite directions from the central portion of the apparatus respectively to the opposite sides thereof.

The bottom runs of the spreading belts 115a and 115!) are normally at a short distance above the ironer feed ribbon 62 but are shiftable downwardly by channel-shaped pressure plates 122a and 1221; so that the ripples of the botto-m runs of the belts are brought into brushing contact with the feeder ribbons (FIGURES 6 and ll). Each pressure plate is secured to a pair of vertical guide rods 123 which extend slidably through respective bearings 124 mounted on brackets 125 welded to the back side of the channel bar 118. Interposed between the brackets 125 and head portions 123e of the respective guide rods 123 are compression springs 126 which normally hold the pressure plates 122 in raised positions against the -bottom side of the bracket 125 and out of contact with the bottom runs of the spreading belts. Engageable with the head portions 123a are rocker arms 127 which are secured to a rocker shaft 128 within the channel bar 118, the arms eX- tending through clearance openings 129 in the channel bari The rocker shaft extends lengthwise of the channel bar 118 and is journaled in bearings 130 bracketed to the channel bar. Pinned to the right end of the rocker shaft is an actuating arm 131, and pivotally connected to the outer end of this actuating arm is a plunger 132 of an air cylinder 133. The air cylinder is pivotally supported at 134 to an upright bracket 135 on the channel bar 118. The plunger 132 is normally held in downmost position wherein the arms 127 are free of the guide rods 123 by a compression spring 136. When air is admitted to the bottom end of the air cylinder through a nipple 137 the plunger 132 is driven upwardly to move the pressure plates 122 downwardly whereby to shift the bottom runs of the spreader belts into contact with the ironer feed ribbons. Such downward shifting of the `bottom runs is accompanied by a slight shifting apart of the

intermediate pulleys

117 and 120 against the tensioning of the spring 121.

The oor conveyor 72 and the spreading belts and rollers of the feeder-spreader apparatus are all driven by a motor 138 in the right drive housing 22 (FIGURES 2 and 4). The motor is coupled by a belt 139 to a shaft 140 of a right angle gear box 141 mounted on a bracket 141a. The shaft is also coupled through universal joints 142 and an intermediate cross shaft 143 to a shaft 144 of another right angle gear box 145 mounted on a bracket 145a inthe drive housing 23 (FIGUR 8).

In the right drive housing 22 a right angle shaft 146 of the gear box 141 is coupled by a chain 147 to a common shaft 148 for the drive pulley 79 of the spreading belt 77a, the drive pulley 98 for the spreading belt 97a and the drive pulley 105 for the spreading belt 104a. Similarly, in the left drive housing 23 a right angle shaft 149 of the gear box 145 is coupled by a chain 150 to a common shaft 151 for the drive pulley 83 for the spreading belt 77b, the drive pulley 101 for the spreading bet 97b and the drive pulley 108 for the spreading belt 10412.

Further, in the right drive housing 22 a chain 152 is trained around the outer side of a sprocket 153 (FIGURES 2 and 4) on the shaft 148 and thence around a lower guide sprocket 154 and an upper drive sprocket 155 on the shaft 119a to drive the spreading belt 115a. Likewise, in the left drive housing 23 a chain 156 (FIGURE 4) iS trained around the outer side of a sprocket 157 (FIGURE 8) on the common shaft 151 and thence around a lower guide sprocket 158 and an upper drive sprocket 159 on the shaft 116a to drive the spreading belt 115b.

Further, in the left drive housing 23 (FIGURE 8) a chain 160 is trained around a drive sprocket 161 on the shaft 144 and thence around an idler sprocket 162, a drive pulley 163 for the floor conveyor 72, a drive sprocket 164 for the first ipper roller 94, a drive sprocket 165 and a drive sprocket 166 for the second ipper roller 103. In the right drive housing 22 (FIGUR 2) the shaft of the first flipper roller 94 is coupled by a belt 167 to the shaft of the spiral roller 96 to drive the latter. As shown in FIGURE 3, the drag roller 110 is driven at a lesser speed than the ironer feed ribbon 62 `by a chain 168 from the front roller 169 for the feed ribbons.

The embodiment of my invention herein particularly shown and described is intended to be illustrative and not necessarily limitative of my invention since the same is subject to changes and modifications Without departure from the scope of my invention, which I endeavor to express according to the following claims.

'I claim:

1. In apparat-us for spreading and feeding laundry sheets, said apparatus having a receiving end and a delivery end: the combination of two endless conveyor belts extending from the receiving end to said delivery end, each of said conveyor belts having clamp means equally spaced therealong each adapted for gripping one of the opposite corner portions of the leading edge of a sheet to carry the sheet in a suspended condition through the spreading apparatus, drive means for advancing said conveyor belts by steps, and an upright circular conveyor at the receiving end of said spreading apparatus journaled for rotation about a central vertical axis and having a top circular edge across which successive sheets are draped to be picked up and fed into said spreading apparatus, said circular conveyor being sufficiently large to accommodate an operator therein for transferring the successive sheets from the circular conveyor to said conveyor belts.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 including means coupling said circular conveyor to said drive means for indexing the circular conveyor in synchronism with the intermittent step advance of said conveyor belts.

3. The spreading apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said circular conveyor is provided with an exterior circular platform in surrounding relation thereto for carrying the end portions of the sheets draped across said top circular edge of the conveyor, and marking means on the upper circular edge of said circular conveyor at intervals equal to the indexing intervals of the circular conveyor for indicating the spaces within which successive sheets are to be draped on the conveyor.

4. The spreading apparatus set forth in claim 1 including a floor conveyor extending from said circular conveyor inwardly of said feeding apparatus in the direction of feed of said conveyor belts through a distance of an index interval of said conveyor belts for carrying the lower hanging portions of the sheets suspended from said conveyor belts as the sheets are advanced through the first index interval from the receiving end of the spreading apparatus.

5. An apparatus for spreading and simultaneously feeding sheets to a processing means, comprising two conveyor belts operated in synchronism and extending from the receiving end to the delivery end of the apparatus, said belts having clamp means equally spaced therealong for receiving the opposite corner portions of the leading edge of respective sheets to carry the sheets in a suspended condition to the delivery end of the apparatus: the combination of means for intermittently advancing said conveyor belts by the distance between successive clamp means to advance the respective sheets to successive stations in the transit from the receiving end to the delivery end of the spreading and feeding apparatus, and a pair of spreading belts having the upper runs thereof moving respectively from the central portion to the opposite sides of said apparatus in transverse relation to the direction of feed of the conveyor belts, said spreading belts having a rippled outer surface of a flexible material for spreading and smoothing the suspended portions of the respective sheets by frictional contact therewith as the sheets are moved thereacross.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 including a roller extending transversely of the apparatus and positioned at the far side of said spreading belts, said roller having yieldable flipper members therealong and being rotated in a forward direction to cause the flipper members to engage the hanging portions of the respective sheets as the same are carried past said spreading belts whereby to draw the hanging portions of the sheets past the spreading belts and enhance the spreading and smoothing action of the latter.

7. The apparatus set forth in claim S including a pair of overhead belts extending respectively along the outer end portions of said spreading belts and having the lower runs thereof below the rippled surface on the upper runs of the spreading belts and moving respectively in directions from the center to the outer sides of said apparatus, said conveyor belts being closely spaced apart at the receiving end of the apparatus causing the respective sheets to be initially bunched between said pair of overhead belts whereby after an initial spreading of the suspended portion of a sheet by said spreading belts the side portions of the sheet are engaged between the spreading belts and the respective overhead belts to enhance the spreading action of the spreading belts during the continuing transit of the sheet through said apparatus.

8. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein said spreading belts are provided with a fabric strip lengthwise thereof and riveted thereto at equal intervals with the intervening portions of the fabric strip between successive rivets being bowed outwardly from the belt and forming a means for rippling the sheets as they are drawn across the spreading belts.

9. An apparatus for spreading and feeding laundry sheets to an ironer having motor driven ironer feed ribbons at its input end, comprising two conveyors extending from the receiving end to the delivery end just prior to said ironer feed ribbons, each conveyor having a plurality of clamp means equally spaced by a distance less than the length of a sheet to be ironed, said clamp means being adapted for releasably gripping the respective corner portions of the leading edge of a sheet and holding the sheet in a suspended condition until the leading edge of the sheet is brought to said ironer feed ribbons, means for advancing said conveyors by steps through the distance between successive clamp means on the respective conveyors whereby to carry a sheet to successive stations, a drag roller at the delivery end of said conveyors across which a sheet is fed to said ironer feed ribbons, means for rotating said drag roller in an advance direction but at a substantially slower peripheral speed than the speed of said ironer feed ribbons, a clamp member for engaging said drag roller, and means for lowering said clamp member onto said drag roller as each sheet is fed ontoy said ironer feed ribbons comprising a control switch operated by the leading edge of a sheet in its initial movement on the ironer feed ribbons.

10. The apparatus set forth in claim 9 including in the sequence here named a transverse spiral roller having thereon a wide open spiral ridge leading from the center outwardly to the opposite ends of the roller for spreading a sheet as it is drawn thereacross, a pair of spreading belts located just past said spiral roller and running from the central portion to the opposite sides of the apparatus, a flipper roller just past said spreading belts and running at a faster peripheral speed than the speed of said conveyors for drawing the hanging portion of a sheet past said spiral roller and spreading belts and tucking the hanging portion downwardly ahead of the flipper roller, and another pair of spreading belts just behind said drag roller across which the tucked down portion of a sheet is drawn and smoothed before it is moved onto said drag roller.

11. The spreader and feeder apparatus set forth in claim 10 including clamp members for engaging said last-mentioned flipper roller, and means controlled also by said control switch for lowering said clamp members onto said flipper roller as each sheet is fed onto said ironer feed ribbons.

12. The spreader and feeder apparatus set forth in claim 11 including a second control switch located past said first control switch and operated by the leading portion of a sheet carried by said ironer feed ribbons, a pair of spreading belts spaced above said ironer feed ribbons and running in opposite directions from the center to 1 1 12 the opposite sides of the machine, and means controlled by said second control switch for lowering said last-men- FOREIGN PATENTS tioned spreading belts onto the top side of a, sheet 769 393 3/1957 G wat Britain carried by said ironer feed ribbons for smoothing the 9571095 5/1964 G wat Britain:

sheet from the center to the opposite side edges thereof before it enters into said ironer, said spreading belts hav- 5 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Pfl-mary Examiner' ing a rippled surface for brushing contact with the sheet carried by Said immer feed ribbons GEORGE V. LARKlN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. References Cited 10 26 54J 63 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,174,238 3/1965 Grantham 38-143 3,228,127 1/1966 Roiland 38-143