US3883051A

US3883051A - Garment finishing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3883051A
Application number: US508885A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stanley M Bailey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-05-14
Filing date: 1974-09-24
Publication date: 1975-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 1992-05-13

Abstract

Garment finishing or pressing machine equippage is disclosed that utilizes a closed piping system for indirectly supplying heat continuously at a relatively high temperature through the agency of a circulating, hot fluid, such as steam, interiorly of a garment that may be positioned along a permeable garment bag. The atmosphere of the bag and interior of the garment is supplied with hot air that is heated by the piping system. Perforated jacket or sleeve means is positioned along the piping system and is adapted to, at intervals or periodically, be supplied with a so-called blast of hot fluid in the nature of a moisture containing fluid such as steam. Fluid returning from circulation through the piping system is passed through a heat exchanger for preliminarily heating the air being supplied to the garment.

Description

[ May 13,1975

[ GARMENT FINISHING APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Stanley M. Bailey, 242 Washington St., Hamburg, Pa. 19526 22 Filed: Sept. 24, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 508,885

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 469,829, May 14.

[52] US. Cl. 223/51; 223/70; 223/73 [51] Int. Cl A4lh 43/00 [58] Field of Search 223/57, 70, 51, 52, 70,

223/72, 73, 74, 76, 79, 80; 38/1 R, l A, 14-16, 71; 68/5 R, 5 A

Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Parmelee, Miller, Welsh & Kratz [57] ABSTRACT Garment finishing or pressing machine equippage is disclosed that utilizes a closed piping system for indirectly supplying heat continuously at a relatively high temperature through the agency of a circulating, hot fluid, such as steam, interiorly of a garment that may be positioned along a permeable garment bag. The atmosphere of the bag and interior of the garment is supplied with hot air that is heated by the piping system. Perforated jacket or sleeve means is positioned along the piping system and is adapted to, at intervals or periodically, be supplied with a so-called blast of hot fluid in the nature of a moisture containing fluid such as steam. Fluid returning from circulation through the piping system is passed through a heat exchanger for preliminarily heating the air being supplied to the garment.

12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GARMENT FINISHING APPARATUS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my applicant's application Ser. No. 469,829 filed May 14, I974, and entitled Pants Presser."

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to improved apparatus for finishing or pressing garments or articles of clothing, such as shorts, trousers, slacks, dresses, shirts, sweaters and jackets and particularly, to apparatus having a new and improved fluid supplying means for pressing and creasing garments, utilizing a hot fluid and especially, a combination of fluids. such as air and steam.

2. Description of the Prior Art The Paris US. Pat. No. 3,7l3,567, as well as my cpending application Ser. No. 469,829 show improved pants pressing machines or apparatus which makes use of expandable leg pairs of endwise-extending blades. My co-pending application discloses a new and improved form of apparatus or equipage utilizing hot fluid for finishing or pressing a garment, as applied by way of representation, to a pants pressing machine.

The present application deals particularly with garment finishing apparatus employing improved hot fluid supply means, such as illustrated in my co-pending application which has been found to have a somewhat universal type of application, in the sense that it may be advantageously employed not only with machines for finishing pants-like articles of wear, but also may be employed advantageously to machines for finishing other forms of garments, such as sweaters, dresses, shirts, jackets and the like.

The apparatus of the invention meets a problem in the art from the standpoint of providing a close, accurate control of a finishing operation, from the standpoint of maximized heat economy, of assuring a uniform temperature along the garment, of enabling a quicker and more efficient operation, of adaptation to the requirements of the many types of fabrics now encountered, and of enabling the periodic introduction of moisture as in the form of a hot steam blast. The hot fluid supply system of the present invention makes possible an improved finishing operation that is easily adaptable to various forms of materials, such that a garment may be finished or pressed with a maximum speed and effectiveness and without danger of damage to or of misshaping its fabric.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has thus been an object of the invention to develop an apparatus or a system that will provide a quick, economical, and improved type of garment finishing operation and that may be better controlled as to its operating temperatures and characteristics.

Another object has been to devise a garment finishing machine, equipage or apparatus that will enable an improved type of steam application and hot fluid control.

These and other objects of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the illustrated embodiment and the drawings thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, FIG. I is a side view in elevation, partially broken away, illustrating a finishing machine utilizing apparatus of the invention and showing a permeable garment bag in operating position by dot and dash lines;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view on a slightly enlarged scale with respect to FIG. I, particularly illustrating a basic fluid utilization system of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections respectively taken along the lines III-III and IV-IV of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken along the line VV of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged fragmental isometric view showing details of the construction of a closed-off, loop pipe member system and a perforated, tubularjacket or sleeve-like distribution assembly for providing an improved distribution of heat and steam along the inside of the length of a garment being processed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Although, as previously indicated, the present inventionis applicable to various types of garment finishing machines and to the finishing of various species of garments, for the purpose of simplified illustration, apparatus of the invention has been applied to a finishing machine of the type shown in my abovementioned copending application which involves the pressing of a pants-like garment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a mounting and support base unit 10 is shown having a rectangular enclosing housing 11 for an air supply means such as blower 13. Air is drawn into the hollow interior or chamber of the housing 1] through a screened side Ila, as indicated by the arrows a, and is then directed under forward, positive pressure into and along duct 14 by the blower 13. The blower I3 may be actuated by. a belt driving electric motor 12. Air which is thus moved upwardly through the duct 14 (see arrow 12) is heated for utilization. In this connection, it is adapted to pass through and over a heat exchanger 32 which is heated by a steam-like fluid that has been circulated through closed piping systems A, A. Each system is shown positioned along a pair of longitudinally forwardly extending, transversely spaced-apart support members 35 of the machine. A permeable expander bag B of a suitable fabric material such as nylon is shown mounted at its open back and enlarged end on a front flange structure 15a of support head 15 to receive the heated air, as represented by the arrows 6.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Paris US. Pat. No. 3,713,567 and FIG. 7 of my co-pending application show a typical construction of a permeable garment bag that is to be used for finishing or pressing a garment in the nature of trousers, pants or shorts. FIG. II of the Paris US. Pat. No. 3,737,080 shows the use of a bag suitable for processing a shirt-like garment. A bag is preferred but is not essential where a system of the invention is to be employed. Such a bag is interposed as an intermediate forming agency between support or frame members of the machine and the interior of the garment being finished.

As previously indicated, air or hot fluid is introduced into the garment bag B or directly into the interior of the garment being finished through a hot fluid supplying support head 15. It is heated by passing used steam that has been previously circulated through one or more closed piping systems A, A into the heat exchanger 32 before it is discharged through downstream piping 33 and an outlet nipple 34 that is shown mounted to extend from the housing 11. The exhaust flow from outlet 34 may be then discharged to the atmosphere or returned for reconditioning in the steam generator. Live steam or hot fluid is shown in FIG. 1 as introduced through a nipple 18 from a conventional generator of steam into a condensate separator and trap unit. 17. Liquid collected in the trap of the unit 17 may be taken off through side mounted outlet nipple 19.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steam leaves the trap 17 through a main supply line 21, to pass check valve V (see FIG. 2) and move into branch lines 21a and 21b. Both the branch lines are connected to a steam supply and distributor header 20, but the line 2117 has a control valve V therein for supplying, at suitable intervals or periodically, a burst of steam to perforated tubular or sleeve-like jacket diffusion members 30. The valve V, may be provided with a remote control 90 that is shown mounted on the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the distribution head 20 is mounted substantially centrally within the support head by cross arms 16 that are secured to and extend from front and

back flange portions

15a and 15b.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, a continuous flow of heated fluid such as steam may be supplied through branch line 21a, and upper forked passageways in the distribution header to closed piping systems or loops A and A. Each system A and A has an upper, longitudinally forwardly extending pipe member 25 connected at its outer end by a cross pipe member 25a to a parallel,.lower, longitudinally extending return flow pipe member 26. The pipe members 26 are connected by forked passageways within the header 20 to a downstream or outflow pipe member 31 that serves as an inlet to the heat exchanger 32.

Steam introduced through branch line 21b passes through forked passageways in the header 20, out through short length pipe members 28 into crossextending, connector pipes 28a that, as shown in FIG. 6, supply steam to inlet inner ends of longitudinally forwardly extending diffusion members 30. The members 30 extend from end connectors 29 in a spaced relation substantially fully as jackets along the upper and

lower members

25 and 26, of the loop-like closed pipe systems A and A. Steam may thus be directly supplied, as in hot moisture carrying bursts, through the holes, open portions or perforations that are spaced along the members 30, see the arrowsfof FIG. 6.

Reference will not be made to a pants pressing machine shown in FIG. 1 which has been fully described and illustrated in my co-pending application, and which has been used in the present application as a representative machine to which the hot fluid supplying apparatus may be applied.

Reversible or dual acting

fluid motors

50, 60 and 70 areconnected to operate each pair of pants leg creasing blades 47 through the agency of respective upper and lower spread arm pairs 45, 55, and 56. Air under pressure is introduced through inlet 87 into a filter, regulator and lubricator unit 86 and thence, through flexible tubing to the

motors

50, 60 and 70 and also 80. The

motor 80 is carried on a slide arm 78 by a channel 76 that is adjustably mounted on the support head 15 by mounting brackets and bolts 77. Thumb screws 79 are carried by channel 76 to adjustably position the arm 78 with respect thereto. A fly presser head 85 is mounted on a cross plate 84 through the agency of a pair of spaced-apart expansion spring and bolt mounts 84. Piston rod 81 of dual acting air motor is secured to the plate 82 and a guide rod 83 extends through a hole in the arm 78 and is also secured to the plate 82.

The apparatus provides an excellent finishing of garments without danger of over or under conditioning and of localized heat-scorching of the fabric. The operations may be controlled by air or electrically to provide desired sequence and timing. The closed-off piping helps to accurately maintain the hot air within the bag and the garment at a substantially uniform desired temperature along length portions of the garment. A maximum of heat economy is also assured with a controlled operation that minimizes the time element in accomplishing a finishing operation. The cooperative mounting of the hot fluid direct applying means 30 in a heat exchange relation with respect to the

members

25 and 26 of the indirect or closed systems A and A provides a maximum of economy and utilization of heat energy. Air under positive pressure may be introduced into inlet 87 through an air flow control valve 89 (see FIG. 1).

I claim:

1. In a garment finishing machine having a support base and a longitudinally extending supporting means carried on the support base, a steam supply header and a hot air supply duct, means for mounting a permeable garment bag along the supporting means for receiving hot air from said supply duct, a closed loop piping system extending along the supporting means and connected at an inlet end to said steam supply header for indirectly heating air within the bag, a heat exchanger within said hot air supply duct for heating air being supplied thereto, and said closed piping system having an opposite outlet end thereof connected to said heat exchanger for supplying residual heat from the steam thereto.

2. In a finishing machine as defined in claim 1, steam applying means positioned in a spaced relation along said piping system and connected to said steam supply header to receive steam therefrom and directly apply it within the bag.

3. In a finishing machine as defined in claim 2, said steam applying means having open portions therealong, and means for supplying the steam from said header through the open portions of said applying means at intervals in the form of a blast.

4. In a garment finishing machine having a support base and a longitudinally extending supporting means carried by the support base, a closed piping system extending along the supporting means for receiving hot fluid at one end thereof and for exhausting circulated fluid from another end thereof to indirectly apply heat along the supporting means, fluid applying means extending along said piping system for directly supplying hot fluid therefrom, and a distribution header for supplying hot fluid to the one end of said closed piping system and separately to said fluid applying means.

5. In a finishing machine as defined in claim 4, means for mounting a permeable garment bag in an extending relation along the supporting means, and said piping heat exchanger and actively into the garment bag.

7. In a finishing machine as defined in claim 4, said hot fluid applying means being cooperatively mounted in a heat exchange relation with members of said closed piping system.

8. In a garment finishing machine as defined in claim 4, a pair of hot fluid inlet supply lines to said distribution header, one supply line being connected for continuous supply of hot fluid to said piping system, and the other supply line being connected and provided with means for periodically supplying a burst of hot fluid to said hot fluid applying means.

9. In a finishing machine as defined in claim 4, said fluid applying means is in the form of perforated jacket means positioned in a spaced relation along said piping system.

10. In a garment finishing machine as defined in claim 9, said distribution header carrying said piping system and said jacket means, and means for supplying hot fluid in the form of steam to said header.

11. In a garment finishing machine as defined in claim 9, an air supply duct connected to supply heated air along the supporting means, and said distribution header being mounted within said duct.

12. In a garment finishing machine as defined in claim 11, a heat exchanger in said duct connected to the exhaust end of said closed piping system.

Claims

5. In a finishing machine as defined in claim 4, means for mounting a permeable garment bag in an extending relation along the supporting means, and said piping system and said fluid applying means being adapted to supply heat and hot fluid within and along the permeable bag.

6. In a garment finishing machine as defined in claim 5, a duct for supplying heated air to the garment bag from an inner end thereof, a heat exchanger positioned in said duct and connected to said piping system for receiving circulated fluid therefrom, and a blower positioned at one end of said duct for moving air over said heat exchanger and actively into the garment bag.