USRE1360E - Improved clothes-wringer - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES N. A. RHOADS, `OF WATER/RUBY, VERMONT.

IMPROVED CLOTHES-WRINGER.

Specificationforming part of Lett-ers Patent No. 34,646, dated March l1, 1862; Reissue No. 1,360, dated December 9, ieee.

DIvIsIoN A.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through `the machine, taken in the vertical plane indicated by the red line z z in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through Fig. 3, as indicated by the red line :vw thereon. Fig. 3 is a trans-v verse section through Fig. 1, taken in the vertical plane indicated by. the' red line Y Y thereon.

Similar letters ofreference indicate spending parts in the three gures.

My invention relates to certain novel improvements in that class of clothes-wringcrs which are made very portable and clamped to the tub or box in which the clothes are washed, and in which the articles are wrun g, by passiug them between two rollers having elastic surfaces, and subjecting them at the same time to the requisite degree of pressure to squeeze ont the water. A y To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A represent `two uprights, whichv are braced together by transverse rods a a a, so as to form a strong quadrangular frame for containing and supporting the wringing and clamping apparatus. B B'are'two iron shafts which have theirbearings in journal-boxes b b b' b'. One end of shaft B passes through a vertical slot, F, made through one of the uprights A, and receives on its end a hand-crank, C, by means of which the shaft B is turned in' operating .the machine. .The journalboxes b b b b' are let into vertical grooves E E, in which grooves these boxes are allowed to have a free vertical play, so that the shaftB while preserving its parallelism with the shaft B may at the same time be moved farther from and nearer to this sh aft,-as occasion requires. The shaft B is made with grooves, ribs, serra-- tions, or longitudinal projections of any suitaclthe stationary blocks A' A'.

.ble description on its surface, and on this sur.

face .arubber roller, D, is formed in the usual man ner of pn ttin g rubber rollers on shafts. The india-rubber being put 011 such a shaft properly, all liability of this rubber working loose on the shaft is eiiectually-prevented. A rubber roller, D', surrounds the upper shaft, B', which may be of the same orof a greater or less dialneter than the lower roller, D, and this latter roller, D', may be put on a shaft constructed as described for thelower roller, but as this upper roller, D', is less liable to become loose on its shaft than the roller D the shaft B' may have `a smooth surface, if preferred. The proper construction of these two india-rubber rollers is important, and it is desired to so construct them that the articles which are passed be tween them should be squeezeduniformly, if there be as usual a greater bulk between-the middle than between the ends of these rollers. For this purpose the surfaces of the two rubber rollers D and D' taper from their ends'to their middle, so that they are smaller in diameter in the middle than at their ends, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The peripheries of these two rollers D and D' Will thus touch each other at and near their ends, but a space will be left between the two rollers D and D', at and near the middle thereof, corresponding with the increased thickness ofthe.

clothes usually passed through the machine at that point, `through space the greatest bulk of articles willpassas they are submitted to the action of the rollers, and all befequally or nearly equally squeezed. The ends of the npper roller, D', rest on lthe ends of the lower y roller, D, and the upper roller, with its shaft B', is rotated in its bearings by the rolling friction of the lower roller. India-rubber springs g g are placed ou the boxes b' b' in the grooves E E, and on those blocks of rubber g g the ends of a transverse bar, G,.rest. Above this transversc'bar G a shaft, H, is arranged, having its upward bearings against This shaft H is furnished with a lever or handle, H', and on cach end of the shaft is a cam-shaped enlargement, h, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 ofthe drawings. Cams h h, are faced with metal, and the ends of the bar G are yalso faced with metal, as represented in Fig. 1. These cams rninish in bulk.

h h are used to increase or diminish the pressvure on the articles passed between the rollers D D and to give therequired pressure to either.

lhe required pressure on the articles is ob- A tained almost rinstantly by raising or depressing the handle H', which operation rocks the cam-shaft H and brings the cams h h in` the desired position, and while the articles are passing between the roller D D' the pressure can be regulated as the articles increase or di- It will be understood that the cams' k h do not lift the upper roller D'. This roller is raised by the articles passed between the rollers, when the cams h h are in such a position as will/allow the journal-boxes b' b' to rise. Pins g' g' extend from the journal-boxes b' b' up through the rubber springs g and cross-bar Gr, as represented, to keep the parts in place.

An important advantage results from the employment and particular arrangement of the bar G with reference to the springs g g, the cams h h, and shaft H and lever or handle H', as the said bar by such not only becomes useful as astop for the handle and as a bearing for the cams, but it serves to so connect the two springs as to prevent either from crippling `or bending laterally as well as being thrown out of place under the upward pressure of the roller-journal under it. Besides, it enables the journals of the shaft to be arranged directly over the springs,.respeetively, and to have the cams placed Vnext to and between such journals.

vOn one side of the frame A A, and hinged at M to the nprights of said frame, is a clamping-frame, consisting of two parallel clamping bars, J J, a transverse bar, j, and a rocking cani-shaft, K. This frame is hinged to frame A A by fulcrum-screws M, which are inserted strongly into A through tapering holes in the parallel bars J, and allow these bars to rock longitudinally.

The clamping of the entire machine to atub,box, or barrel is eli'ected by means of turn ing the shaft K, carrying cams K fixed on its ends, which, on being turned, act against A, as represented, and force the upper ends of frame J outward, and through the rocking of the lframe on the hinges at M also forces the lower ends thereof inward.

To adapt the machine for tubs in'which the staves are unusually thick the screws may be set farther out b`y unscrewingthem to the proper extent, thus increasing the distance between the lower ends of the uprights A A and .those of the frame J. The edges of the clamping ends of the frames A and J are beveled, as represented in Fig; 2 of the drawings, to taccommodate theln tothe curvature of the" tu Lois a transverse rock-shaft, carryingcn its ends two beveled cams or eccentrics,` l` l, and having its bearings in the lower ends of the uprights A A. This shaft is rocked by a handle, L', and it may be used either in conjunction with the cam-shaft'K for clamping the machine tothe tub, or it may be used independently of this camshaft, and with the frame J, secured rigidly to the frame A A, at'- ter the forked ends of the machine are placed y outside of the edge of the tub. The eccentrics l l are, by turning the shaft L, forced hard against theinside of the tub, andthemachine is thus rigidly clamped to the tub.

Inusing the above described machine the screws at M are adjusted until the-edge of the tub will pass between the lower ends of the uprights A A and those of the frame J, as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The cam-shaft K isjthen turned, and the cams k k act against the uprights A A, and force the lower ends of the frame J hard against the outside of the tub, and clamp the machine to y the tnb rigidly. The wet articles are now taken upone at a time, if they be large, and

passed between the rollers D D', these rollers being turned in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. As the articles are passed, one or more at a time, between the rollers, the pressure upon theupper roller, D', is regulated ,according to the varying bulk of the articles,

lby working the cams h h on shaft H.

During the operation of wringing, the op.

erator has one hand on the crank C and the other on the handle H' of the cam-shaft H, and while she turns the rollers D D' with one hand she can regulate the pressure with the other.

It will be seen that during the operation ot' the rubber rollers D D' upon the articles passed between them there will be a pressure upon every part of the article between the rollers, in consequenee'of the peculiar shape given to them, while with cylindrical or straight rubber rollers the articles will be acted upon only where their greatest bulk oecurs-viz., in the middle of the rollers, and the ends of such I would further observe that the shaft L and its/,eccentrics l l, when combined and arranged with the frame A A and the clasping-frarne J and its cam-shaft K, cooperate with the said frame J and its clamping devices in more -e'ectually fastening the wringing-machine to a vtub for when, with the screws M out lso far as to let the machine sliploosely down astride of the edge of the tub, the frame J is forced against the tub by the rotation of K, only the lower ends of such frame will be moved in contact with the tub, but by 'means of the cams yl Zthev upper parts and the whole proper surface'of the jaws ofthe frame J may be brought 1 up to -bearf firmly against the tub, the cams vl `acting against the inner surface of thetub,

at a point somewhat above the level of the lower ends of J, so .as to enable it to have this effect.

I do not claim an elastic roller made with a cylindrical surface and arranged on two concs.

applied to a shaft, and in such manner that their lesser bases may be next to each other, the elastic covering being thicker at the middle than at either of its ends; but

I claim- 1. As an improvement in a clothes-wringingl machine provided with elastic rollers the construction of either or both of such rollers,`

or, in other words, the arrangement of their operating-surfaces sok that they may be at a greater distance asunder at their middle than at their ends, thc whole being substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein described` 2. The arrangement and combination of the connection and bearing bar G with the rubbersprings g g, the shaftH, and its lcams 71l h,

-the Whole being applied to the frame A and its rollers D D', substantially as described.

3. The arrangement of the shaft L and its cams l with reference to the rollers D D, the frameA, and the two bars J J, or their equivalents, aiixed to the said frame.

k`In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses. y

N. A. RI-IOADS. Witnesses:

F. P. HALE, Jr., WM`- O. HASKELL.

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