US3599356A

US3599356A - Electric ironing machine

Info

Publication number: US3599356A
Application number: US3876A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hans Buchner
Original assignee: GM Pfaff AG
Current assignee: GM Pfaff AG
Priority date: 1969-01-21
Filing date: 1970-01-19
Publication date: 1971-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-17
Also published as: CH497638A; AT307356B; SE350548B; DE6902061U; FR2028761A1

Abstract

An electric ironer comprises a stationary iron pad and a rotatable ironing roller operable into engagement with and retraction from said pad. The roller-operating mechanism comprises a torsion rod mounted upon the frame of the machine and serving as a rotating axis for a pivot tube bridging a pair of parallel oscillating arms to which is further connected a supporting tube carrying an electric driving motor and gearbox and rotatively supporting the ironing roller enclosing the motor and gearbox. The latter has two output shafts selectively rotatable depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor, one of said shafts being operably connected with the ironing roller and the other shaft having a crank and pin engaging a guide slot in an abutment lever secured to one end of the torsion rod whose opposite end is rotatable by a tensioning lever cooperating with a cam for the adjustment of the torsion bias of the rod and in turn of the ironing pressure. The rotation of the motor in one direction causes operation of the roller aggregate via said levers into engagement with and retraction from the ironing pad and rotation of the motor in the opposite direction drives the roller during the ironing operations.

Description

United States Patent f 72] Inventor Hans Buchner Karlsruhe-Durlach, Germany [21] Appl. No. 3,876 [22] Filed Jan. 19, 1970 [45] Patented Aug. 17, 1971 [73] Assignee G. M. Piaff AG Kaiserlauternpfalz, Germany [32] Priority Jan. 21,1969 [33] Germany 3 l] G 69 02 061 [541 ELECTRIC IRONING MACHINE 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. CI 38/59 [5 l Int. Cl D06f 63/00, D06f 65/08 [50] Field ofSem-ch 38/58,59, 60, 61

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,789,378 4/1957 Barnes 38/59 2,851,800 9/l958 Schrader 38/59 3,134,181 5/1964 Schrader.. 38/59 3,184,870 5/1965 Buchner 38/59 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-George Vv Larkin AtlorneyGreene & Durr ABSTRACT: An electric ironer comprises a stationary iron pad and a rotatable ironing roller operable into engagement with and retraction from said pad. The roller-operating mechanism comprises a torsion rod mounted upon the frame of the machine and serving as a rotating axis for a pivot tube bridging a pair of parallel oscillating arms to which is further connected a supporting tube carrying an electric driving motor and gearbox and rotatively supporting the ironing roller enclosing the motor and gearbox. The latter has two output shafts selectively rotatable depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor, one of said shafts being operably connected with the ironing roller and the other shaft having a crank and pin engaging a guide slot in an abutment lever secured to one end of the torsion rod whose opposite end is rotatable by a tensioning lever cooperating with a cam for the adjustment of the torsion bias of the rod and in turn of the ironing pressure. The rotation of the motor in one direction causes operation of the roller aggregate via said levers into engagement with and retraction from the ironing pad and rotation of the motor in the opposite direction drives the roller during the ironing operations.

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SHEEY 3 [1F 3 XNVENTOR HANS ,9 u'cHA/EQ BY lmeA 24T A r 7 8 NE Y ELECTRIC IRONING MACHINE The present invention relates to an electric ironing machine of the type comprising a heatable ironing pad and an ironing or mangling roller operable into resilient pressure engagement with said pad, said roller being rotatably supported by the ends of a pair of oscillating arms rotatively mounted in the frame of the machine and being connected by a further tube rotatively supporting the roller and carrying the driving motor and gear mechanism enclosed thereby for rotation and operation of the roller aggregate towards and away from said pad, respectively.

In so-called table ironers of the foregoing general type, the mounting of the motor and gear mechanism inside the ironing roller has the advantage of providing adequate stacking space for the ironing goods emerging from between said roller and the ironing pad.

Furthermore, in known ironing machines of this type, pairs of abutment levers are provided at both ends of the roller-supporting tube, said levers being fitted with slide bushes which serve as abutments for cylindrical pins upon the pressure-applying operating shaft. The latter is driven by the motor via a gearbox, a slip coupling and a pair of gear segments. Since the roller-supporting tube, together with the pairs of abutment levers, remain stationary during the rotation of the roller aggregate, the latter is raised and lowered together with the pressure-applying shaft depending on the direction of rotation of the motor and due to the engagement of the cylindrical pins of the shaft, joumaled in the gearbox, with said bushes.

Ironing pressure in machines of this type depends upon the antifriction coating of the slip coupling, as well as on the torque of the driving motor. This results in a decrease of the pressure in a known manner with increased use and wear of said coating, and in turn reduces efficiency with increasing life of the ironer.

The use of a slip coupling in ironing machines of the known type is necessary, foremost on account of the rigid mounting of the abutment levers, to avoid fracture or destruction of the machine by the increased ironing pressure caused by thickness variations of the ironing goods.

In order to adapt such a machine to the ironing goods, it is customary to resiliently support the ironing pad by means of springs interposed therebetween and its support. This floating" arrangement of the pad greatly interferes with the proper insertion of the ironing goods.

Finally, where it is desired to adjust the ironing pressure in the known machines, it is necessary to disassemble and readjust the slip coupling. Such a procedure is prohibitive in the case of household ironing machines.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is the provision of an improved ironing machine of the referred to type which is substantially devoid of the foregoing and related disadvantages and drawbacks inherent in the prior art ironing devices; which machine is both simple and compact in construction; which will enable the ironing pressure to be adjusted closely and accurately and without the removal or disassembly of parts of the machine; which will enable the ironing roller to be retracted manually in case of power-failures and other emergencies; and which may be operated easily and reliably for use with ironing goods of different thicknesses and varying types.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention involves generally the provision of a torsion rod rotatably mounted upon the frame of the ironing machine and serving as rotating axis for a pivot tube connected to a pair of parallel oscillating arms which carry the ironing roller aggregate operable to provide engagement of the roller with and retraction from a heatable stationary ironing pad. For this purpose, the ironing roller is rotatably supported, via a pair of supporting spiders carrying bearing rollers, by a further supporting' tube bridging said oscillating arms and, furthermore, carrying the driving motor and automatic gearbox, the latter having a pair of output shafts being selectively rotatable depending upon the direction of rotation of said motor. One of the output shafts of the gearbox serves to rotate the ironing roller via a pinion and internal gear carried by said roller and the remaining output shaft of the gearbox serves to operate the roller aggregate towards and away from the heating pad of the ironer. For this purpose, the last-mentioned output shaft has a crank and pin engaging a guide slot in an abutment lever secured to one end of the torsion rod, to support the roller aggregate and to rotate the same about said rod via the oscillating lever for engagement with, and retraction from the ironing pad. The opposite end of the torsion rod is rotatively adjustably mounted for the control of the torsion or bias of the rod and in turn, of the ironing pressure, to suit varying types and thicknesses of goods to be ironed. Further means are provided for manual retraction of the ironing roller, to prevent singeing of the goods during power failure and other emergencies.

By the utilization of a torsion rod according to the invention, resilient mounting of the ironing pad is dispensed with, and the roller aggregate is enabled, during the passage of thickened portions of the ironing goods through the ironer, to yield in the upward direction due to the engagement of the crank of the operating shaft with the abutment lever connected to one end of the torsion rod. Besides, the adjustable abutment, in the form of a cam cooperating with the lever at the opposite end of the rod, enables a simple and reliable variation of the torsion and in turn of ironing pressure.

The use of a crank in conjunction with the abutment lever subject to the torsion or bias of the torsion rod as pressure-applying means makes it, furthermore, possible to more closely control or define the nonuse of retracted position of the aggregate, as well as to influence the relaxation of the torsion rod by the driving arm of the crank in cooperation with sections of varying steepness of the guide slot in the abutment lever.

According to an improved feature of the invention, the form of the guide slot is so designed, that an increased load is imparted upon the motor during the final phase of the retracting movement, to reduce the idle run upon disconnection of the motor in the retracted position. At the same time, it is possible to affect, by the shape of the slot, the speed of relaxation of the torsion rod, to avoid a jerky retraction of the roller aggregate from the ironing pad.

The invention, both as to the foregoing and ancillary objects as well as novel aspects thereof, will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred practical embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this disclosure and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the ironer;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, shown partly in section, of the roller aggregate including the pressure-applying mechanism, the quick lifting device and means for controlling the ironing pressure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the torsion rod with its tensioning and abutment layers;

FIG. 4-is a sectional view of the gearbox mounted within the ironing roller; and

FIG. 5 shows a simplified electric wiring diagram of the ironer according to the preceding figures.

Like reference numerals denote like parts in the different views of the drawings.

Mounted upon the frame or baseplate 1, FIG. 1, of the ironing machine is an upright 2 which supports a stationery, curved and heatable ironing pad 3, fitted with a work feeding plate or table 4.

Disposed opposite to the upright 2 and secured to the base 1, is a pair of spaced angular-shaped standards 5 and 6, being of square tubular cross section or the like and terminating in a pair of upper bearing forks 7 and 8 in which is journaled a torsion bar or rod 9, (see also FIG. 3). Rotatably mounted upon the torsion bar 9 by means of a pivot tube 10 is a pair of oscillating arms 11 and I2, rigidly connected by said tube and to which is'in turn secured, by means of screws 13, the supporting tube 16, FIGS. 2 and 4, of a hollow cylindrical ironing or mangling roller 17, tube 16 serving to further support a motor 14 to which is attached a gearbox 15. The inner metallic cylinder 18 of the roller 17 is rotatably supported at both its ends by rollers 19 supported by pins 41, FIG. 4, which are disposed at the ends of a pair of star-shaped supports or spiders 40 on tube 16, only one of which is shown in FIG. 4. The ironing roller 17 is rotated by a pinion 20 mounted upon a shaft 21 of the gearbox l and meshing with an internal gear 22 upon the cylinder 18.

The pressure-applying and operating mechanism of the ironer includes a further operating shaft 23 journaled in the gearbox and the oscillating arm 11, said shaft 23 terminating in a crank 24 which has a crankpin 25 supporting a roller 26 engaging a guide slot 27 consisting of sections of varying steepness and provided in a lever 28 fast upon one end of the torsion rod 9, said lever serving as an abutment for the crank 24 and in turn the pressure-applying shaft 23 of the roller aggregate during operation of the latter towards and away from the pad 3.

As more clearly shown in FIG. 4, the end of the driving shaft of the motor 14 projecting into the gearbox 15 carries a worm 42 adapted to cooperate with a steep-toothed counter wheel 43 secured to a coupling sleeve 44. The coupling sleeve 44 is axially slidably supported by a cross-shaft secured in the gearbox 15. Both ends of the sleeve 44 are fitted with unidirectional coupling means, consisting, in the example illustrated, of oppositely acting oblique coupling teeth 46, 47 effective in producing a coupling in a single direction of rotation only. The coupling sleeve 44, with its teeth 46 is displaceable, in one direction of rotation of the motor 14, into engagement with corresponding coupling teeth 48 provided upon the edge of the hub of an axially nondisplaceable worm 49 rotatably mounted upon the cross-shaft 45. Worm 49 meshes with a worm gear 50 shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4 and which is secured to the output shaft 21 in the gearbox 15. As already described, shaft 21 carries at its front end, the pinion 20 cooperating with the internal gear 22.

Similarly, in the opposite direction of rotation of the motor 14, the coupling sleeve 44 with its teeth 47 displaceably engages corresponding teeth 51 disposed upon the front end of the hub of a worm 52 rotatably, but nonaxially displaceably mounted upon the cross-shaft 45. Worm 52 meshes with a worm wheel 53 indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 4 and affixed to the operating shaft 23, joumaled in the gearbox 15 and oscillating arm 11, FIG. 2. There is thus provided an automatic gearshift mechanism depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor 14, in that the coupling sleeve 44 is axially displaced to engage, in one direction of the motor 14, the coupling teeth 48 of the worm 49 for the rotation of the ironing roller 17 and that, in the opposite direction of rotation of the motor 14, said sleeve is axially displaced to engage the coupling teeth 51 of the worm 52 driving the roller aggregate operating shaft 23, respectively. 1

The lever 28 serving as abutment for the operating shaft 23 is rotatably within predetermined limits to enable compensation of the ironing pressure due to variations of the thickness of the ironing goods passing between the roller 17 and pad 3. For this purpose, the abutment lever 28 is provided with a bore 29 into which projects an eccentric bolt or stop 30 adjustably mounted in the fork 7 of the standard 5.

Secured to the opposite end of the torsion rod 9 is a tension lever 31 which cooperates with the circumference of an eccentric 32 mounted upon a shaft 33 which is rotatably supported in the fork 8 of the standard 6. Shaft 33 has a hand lever 34 terminating in a spherical knob 35.

The oscillating arm 12 has an extension 36 forming an abutment surface 37 disposed in the path of the circumference of the eccentric 32, the latter engaging said surface after rotation of the eccentric manually in the direction H for the retraction of the roller aggregate from the pad 3, as described in greater detail hereafter.

The eccentric 32 is fitted with a flat braking spring 38 which has one end secured in a split bolt 39 upon the oscillating arm 12 and which extends at first arc-fashion from its securing point in the (roller aggregate) retracting direction H of and towards the eccentric 32 and subsequently extends in the direction opposite to the arrow H and engages, with its free end, the circumference of the eccentric 32.

The electric control device of the ironer comprises a threestep electric switch 54, FIG. 5, including a contact bridge 58 carrying three mutually isolated contacts 55, 56, 57, and contact rails 5966 disposed in the path of movement of said contacts, a changeover switch 67 having a bridging contact 68, a terminal 69 and a pair of contacts 70, 71, with the contact 68 normally closing the contact 70, and a normally open interrupting switch 72 having a contact bridge 73 and a pair of contacts 74 and 75. The

switches

67 and 72 are mounted upon the oscillating arm I l in such a manner as to cause the actuating pins of the bridging contacts 68 and 73 to cooperate with the upper portion of the lever 28 during rotation of the ironing roller aggregate, in the manner to be described in greater detail hereafter.

The driving motor 14 of the ironer shown, is a conventional reversible single-phase induction motor, having terminals 76, 77 and 78, a capacitor 79 being connected between the terminals 77 and 78. Terminal 76 is connected through a lead 80 to one pole of an alternating current source 81 whose other pole is connected through a lead 82 to the terminal 69 of the changeover switch 67. Connected respectively between terminals 76, 77 and 76, 78, are the motor windings 83 and 84.

The contacts 70 and 74 of the

switches

67 and 72 are connected through a lead 85 which is in turn connected through a lead 86 to the

contacts

61 and 65 of the switch 54.

The terminal 77 of the motor 14 is further connected through a lead 87 to the contact 75 of the switch 72, on the one hand, and through a further lead 88 to the

contacts

59, 62 and 66 of the switch 54, on the other hand. Terminal 78 of the motor 14 is connected through a lead 89 to the contact 64 of switch 54, and finally the contact rails 60 and 63 of the switch 54 are connected through a lead 90 to the contact 71 of the changeover switch 67.

Operation of the three-step switch 54, or of its contact bridge 58, is effected, in the example shown, by means of a foot pedal 91 operably connected to said bridge and rotatably mounted upon a baseplate 92. In the normal or nonuse position, the pedal 91 is urged to a rest position shown in FIG. 5, by the action of compression spring 93, whereby to cause the bridge 58 of the switch 54 to assume a normal or staring position denoted as I in FIG. 5. During operation, the switch 54 is controlled by the pedal 91 between position I and a pair of operating positions II and III, in the manner as will become further apparent from the following description of the operation of the ironer shown and described in the foregoing.

Starting with the rest or retracted position of the ironing roller 17, as shown by FIGS. 1, 2 and S, the rails 59 and 60 are bridged by the contact 56 of the bridge 58 (switching position I), whereby, with the remaining switches being in the position as shown by FIG. 5, operation of the ironer is as follows.

The ironing pressure required for the particular ironing goods, being dependent upon the bias of the torsion rod 9, is adjusted by means of the operating lever 34 of the eccentric 32, which cooperates with the tensioning lever 31 of the rod 9, whereby the bore 29 of the abutment lever 28 at first engages the eccentric stop 30 to result in the increase of the bias of the rod 9, depending upon the angle of rotation of the lever 34. More particularly, rotation of the eccentric 32 in the direction of the arrow S, FIG. 2, results in increased bias of the rod 9 and rotation, in the direction of the arrow l-l reduces the bias or torsion of said rod, respectively. Suitable indicating indicia may be provided to facilitate the adjustment of the bias of the torsion rod 9 or ironing pressure, respectively.

Adjustment of the angular position of the eccentric stop 30 enables a further fine adjustment of the bias of the rod 9 or ironing pressure, respectively.

In order to operate the roller aggregate into pressure en- 7 gagement with the heatable pad 3, the switch 54 is operated to its position II by depression of the foot pedal 91 or bridge 58, respectively. In the switching position II, the

rails

61, 62 and 63, 64 are bridged by the contacts 55 and 57, respectively of the bridge 58. As a consequence, the winding 83 of the motor 14 is energized through a circuit traced as follows: lead 82- terminal 69-bridging contact 68 of switch 67contact 70- lead 86-

rails

61, 62 conductively connected by contact 55- leads 88 and 87-winding 83terminal 76lead 80terminal 77. As a consequence, the motor 14 is started to rotate in one direction, whereby, by virtue of the teeth of the steeptoothed wheel 43 cooperating with worm 42 upon the drive shaft of the motor 14, there results an axial force causing the coupling sleeve 44, carrying the wheel 43, to be displaced upon the cross-shaft 45, in such a manner as to effect coupling connection of the teeth 47 with the teeth 51 of the worm 52, to thereby establish driving connection, via the worm 52, between the motor 14 and the operating shaft 23 and crank 24, 25, 26. Due to the engagement of the driven

arm

25, 26 of the crank 24 with the guide slot 27 of the lever 28, acting as a stationary abutment and to the mounting of the operating shaft 23 in the gearbox and oscillating arm 11, the entire roller aggregate including the oscillating arms 11 and 12 is rotated about the torsion rod 9 as rotating axis supported in the forks 7, 8 of the standards 5, 6, whereby to operate the roller 17 towards and into pressure engagement with the pad 3.

During this movement, the bridging contact 73 through its actuating pin, engages the contacts 74, 75 of the interrupting switch 72. As soon as the operative or pressure position has been reached by the roller 17, the actuating pin of the'bridging contact 68 of the changeover switch 67, normally closing the contact 70, cooperates with the abutment lever 28 to result in the operation of the changeover switch 67 and to thereby cause disconnection of the motor 14 and stoppage of the roller aggregate in the engaged or ironing position, by contact 68 now engaging the bridging contact 71. Subsequently, the motor, due to the closing of contact 71 by the bridging contact 68 of the changeover switch 67, is switched to the opposite direction of rotation by the establishment of an energizing circuit for the reverse winding 84 being traced as follows: lead 82terminal 69-bridging contact 68contact 7l-lead 90-contact 62contact 67-contact 64lead 89and terminal 78-winding 84-terminal 76-lead 80.

With the motor 14 rotating in the opposite direction, the

axial force acting upon toothed wheel 43 and coupling sleeve 44 now has the effect of displacing the coupling sleeve 44 upon the cross-shaft 45 in such a manner as to cause the teeth 46 to engage the teeth 48 upon the front edge of the worm 49. As a consequence, the worm gear 50 cooperating with the worm 49 drives the shaft 21 journaled in the gearbox 15, resulting thereby in the rotation of the roller 17 via the pinion 20 and gear 22.

If it is desired, for the pressing of the ironing goods, to interrupt the rotation of the roller 17, the contact bridge 58 of the switch 54 is operated to its position III by further depression of the pedal 91, in which position only

contacts

65 and 66 are conductively connected by the contact 55 of the bridge 58, while the connection between

contacts

63 and 64 is interrupted, to result in the disconnection of the motor 14.

in order to resume the ironing operation or rotation of the roller 17, the bridge 58 of the switch 54 is returned to the II position by release of the pedal 91 being subjected to the action of the spring 93, in which position rails 61, 62 and 63, 64 are again conductively connected by the contacts 55 and 57, respectively, resulting in the restarting of the motor in the original direction for continuation of the ironing operation.

During the passage of ironing goods of varying thickness between the roller 17 and the pad 3, the entire roller aggregate is enabled to yield in the upward direction or away from the pad 3 to an extent determined or limited by the position of the eccentric stop 30 traversing the bore 29 in the fork 7 of the standard 5.

In order to avoid, in the course of power failure or other disturbance, a singeing of the ironing goods by the pad 3, the roller aggregate may be lifted or retracted manually be means of the lever 34 connected to the eccentric 32.

For the latter purpose, all that is necessary is to rotate the eccentric 32 in the direction of the arrow H by the aid of the lever 34. During a rotation of about 180, at first the torsion rod 9 is relaxed, whereupon the eccentric 32 engages the surface 37 of the extension 36 and continued rotation results in the lifting or retraction of the roller aggregate from the pad 3, whereby at first the bridging contact 68 of the changeover switch 67 engages the contact 70 and subsequently the contacts 74, 75 of the disconnecting switch 72 are opened by engagement of the actuating pin of the bridging contact 73 by the abutment lever 28.

During the rotation of the eccentric 32 in the direction of the arrow H, the braking spring 38, secured in the bolt 39 upon the arm 12, becoming distorted by virtue of its shape and mounting, exerts a braking force upon the eccentric 32 which is greater than the braking force acting upon the eccentric in the opposite direction (S). The advantage of this action of the spring 38 is due to the fact that the eccentric 32 is braked practically in the lifting or retracting direction of the aggregate in which the torsion rod 9 imparts a torque upon the lever 31 in the direction of the arrow H which, in the absence of the braking action of the spring 38, results in jerky or recoillike rotation of the eccentric 32.

In order to resume the ironing operation after removal of the disturbance, the eccentric 32 is returned to the tensioning position of the rods, whereby the roller aggregate is rotated to its engaged position with the pad 3 and the torsion rod 9 rebiased or tensioned. The motor 14 is then restarted for the operation of the roller 17- switching position ll of the contact bridge 58-and the ironing operation may be continued.

At the completion of an ironing operation, the pedal 91 is released, to return, as a result of the action of the spring 93, to its rest position and to operate the switch 54 to the position l of its contact bridge 58. Since at first the contacts 74 and 75 of the disconnecting switch 72 are closed in the engaged position of the roller aggregate, the motor 14, in the switching position I with the contacts 59, 60 connected by the contact 56 and with the bridging contact 68 of the changeover switch engaging the contact 71, is restarted by the establishment of a circuit traced as follows: lead 82-terminal 69-bridging contact 68-contact 71lead 9-contacts 59, 60 connected by contact 56leads 87 and 88terminal 77. As a consequence, the motor is started in a direction of rotation in which the teeth 47 of the coupling sleeve 44 engage the teeth 51 of worm 52, to drive the operating shaft 23 by the worm gear 53 cooperating with worm 52. As a consequence and due to the engagement of the driven

arm

25, 26 of the crank 24 with the abutment lever 28 and the mounting of the operating shaft 23 and the gearbox 15 in the oscillating arm 11, the roller aggregate is lifted from the pad 3 and retracted to its starting or nonuse position. During this retracting movement, at first the bridging contact 68 of the changeover switch 67 engages the contact 70, whereby to establish a motor-operating circuit traced as follows: lead 82terminal 69-bridging contact 68-contact 70 of changeover switch 67-lead 85-contacts 74 and 75 of changeover switch 72 connected by bridging contact 72lead 87-terrninal 77-winding 83-lead 80. After reaching of the retracted position of the roller aggregate and resultant engagement of the actuating pin of the bridging contact 73 of the disconnecting switch 72 by the abutment lever 28, contact 74 and 75 are opened, to result in the disconnection of the motor in the retracted position of the roller aggregate.

During the final phase of the retracting movement, the driven

arm

25, 26 of the crank 24 engages a portion of increased steepness of the guide slot 27 in the abutment lever 28. As a consequence, the load on the motor is increased above the normal load shortly before the roller 17 reaches its retracted position thereby reducing the idle run upon disconnection. ln thismanner, the retracted position of the roller aggregate may be defined closely and accurately. By a proper choice of the shape of the guide slot, it is furthermore possible to control the relaxation of the torsion rod 9.

In the foregoing, the invention has been described in reference to a specific exemplary device or embodiment. It will be evident however that variations and modifications, as well as the substitution of equivalent parts or elements for those shown for illustration, may be made without departing from the broader scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An electric ironing machine comprising in combination:

a frame,

an ironing pad fixedly supported by said frame,

a torsion rod rotatively mounted upon said frame,

an ironing roller aggregate operable towards and away from said pad including a. a pivot tube mounted upon said rod and having connected thereto a pair of parallel oscillating arms,

b. a supporting tube bridging said arms,

c. an ironing roller concentric with and rotatively supported by said supporting tube,

d. electric motor drive means having a pair of selectively rotatable output shafts and mounted upon said supporting tube inside said roller, and

e. motion-transmitting means operably connecting one of said output shafts with said roller, to rotate the same in its position of engagement with said pad,

5. an abutment lever having a guide slot and secured to one end ofsaid rod,

6. a crank upon said output shaft having a crankpin engaging said slot, and

7. adjusting means to rotate the opposite end of said rod, to

vary the torsion bias,

. whereby to rotate said aggregate about said rod as pivot axis into engagement of said roller with and retraction from said pad by said guide slot acting as abutment therefore.

2. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electric drive means consists of a reversible motor and a gear drive connected thereto having a pair of output shafts, and automatic coupling means between said drive and said motor, to selectively rotate one of said shafts in one direction and to rotate the other shaft in the opposite direction of rotation of said motor.

3. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a pair of supporting spiders having a plurality of arms mounted upon opposite ends of said supporting tube, friction rollers mounted on the arms of said supporting spiders, said ironing roller being supported by said friction rollers.

4. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 1, including an adjustable eccentric stop mounted upon said frame and passing through a bore of said abutment lever.

5. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adjusting means consists of a cam rotatively mounted upon said frame and a tensioning lever connected to said rod and engaging the circumference of said cam, to increase the torsion bias of said rod by rotation of said cam in a first direction and to decrease said bias by rotation of said cam in a second opposite direction, respectively,

6. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 5, including an operating lever for said cam and an abutment therefor upon the adjoining oscillating arm for manually retracting the roller aggregate by operation in said second direction to engage said abutment.

7. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 6, including a braking spring effective upon said cam during rotation in said second direction, to effect a smooth manual retraction of said aggregate from said pad.

Claims

1. An electric ironing machine comprising in combination: 1. a frame, 2. an ironing pad fixedly sUpported by said frame, 3. a torsion rod rotatively mounted upon said frame, 4. an ironing roller aggregate operable towards and away from said pad including a. a pivot tube mounted upon said rod and having connected thereto a pair of parallel oscillating arms, b. a supporting tube bridging said arms, c. an ironing roller concentric with and rotatively supported by said supporting tube, d. electric motor drive means having a pair of selectively rotatable output shafts and mounted upon said supporting tube inside said roller, and e. motion-transmitting means operably connecting one of said output shafts with said roller, to rotate the same in its position of engagement with said pad, 5. an abutment lever having a guide slot and secured to one end of said rod, 6. a crank upon said output shaft having a crankpin engaging said slot, and 7. adjusting means to rotate the opposite end of said rod, to vary the torsion bias, 8. whereby to rotate said aggregate about said rod as pivot axis into engagement of said roller with and retraction from said pad by said guide slot acting as abutment therefore.

2. an ironing pad fixedly sUpported by said frame,

3. a torsion rod rotatively mounted upon said frame,

4. an ironing roller aggregate operable towards and away from said pad including a. a pivot tube mounted upon said rod and having connected thereto a pair of parallel oscillating arms, b. a supporting tube bridging said arms, c. an ironing roller concentric with and rotatively supported by said supporting tube, d. electric motor drive means having a pair of selectively rotatable output shafts and mounted upon said supporting tube inside said roller, and e. motion-transmitting means operably connecting one of said output shafts with said roller, to rotate the same in its position of engagement with said pad,

5. an abutment lever having a guide slot and secured to one end of said rod,

5. An ironing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adjusting means consists of a cam rotatively mounted upon said frame and a tensioning lever connected to said rod and engaging the circumference of said cam, to increase the torsion bias of said rod by rotation of said cam in a first direction and to decrease said bias by rotation of said cam in a second opposite direction, respectively.

6. a crank upon said output shaft having a crankpin engaging said slot, and

7. adjusting means to rotate the opposite end of said rod, to vary the torsion bias,

8. whereby to rotate said aggregate about said rod as pivot axis into engagement of said roller with and retraction from said pad by said guide slot acting as abutment therefore.