Retractable ironing board construction

The known built-in ironing boards are disposed on a pull-out which is movably mounted in ways so it can be swung via parallelogram guide arm pairs from a lower position at rest into an upper working position. When ironing on such an ironing board, the pull-out must be pulled out first, whereupon the ironing board must be brought into the working position and locked therein. To facilitate handling, there is now provided a naturally flexible member in the form of a flexible connector such as a wire rope which is effective only when the pull-out is extended, in which position it connects the ways, or a part fixed thereto, to the ironing board. Shortly before the end of the pull-out motion of the pull-out, the ironing board is retained by the wire rope so that the parallelogram guide arm pair pivots upwardly, bringing the ironing board into its working position without requiring additional manipulations to accomplish this.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates in general to ironing boards and in particular to a 
new and useful retractable ironing board construction for use with a work 
table or countertop. 
The known built-in ironing boards are disposed in a closet or else under 
the table top of a work table. The ironing board itself is pivoted on a 
pull-out or draw through one or more pairs of parallelogram guide arms, 
the pull-out, in turn being movably mounted. The ironing board can thus be 
swung from a lower position at rest into an upper working position, it 
then usually being in one plane with the work table of the closet or of 
the table top. The movement from the one into the other position is 
accomplished either by springs or by hand. In both cases, a special 
locking arrangement is needed, at least in the upper working position, and 
the fittings used heretofore are relatively expensive. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a construction of an ironing board in which 
there is an automatic pivoting of the ironing board using simple fittings 
for pulling out a draw or pull-out assembly without the necessity to 
provide additional locking means. According to the invention, in its upper 
working position, the ironing board is fastened to the support of the draw 
or to a part fixed thereto by means of a naturally flexible member, in 
particular wire rope, effective when the draw is extended. If such an 
ironing board is pulled out of its position under the work table or table 
top by means of the draw, the flexible member retains the ironing board 
shortly before the end of the motion of the draw so that, upon continued 
pull-out motion, the guide arms swing upwardly, raising the ironing board 
into the upper working position. When retracting the draw, the process is 
reversed, and the ironing board lowers itself into its position at rest in 
accordance with the retraction motion of the draw. Special manipulations 
to raise or lower the ironing board are obviated by this design, and the 
additionally required mechanism comprises merely a simple wire rope. 
To obtain the effectiveness of the naturally flexible member when the draw 
is extended, one may either use a wire rope corresponding at least to the 
extension length of the draw, or else fasten the member to a drag anchor. 
The latter is movably mounted in a rail with an end stop, the rail running 
along the direction of motion for the draw. The naturally flexible member 
becomes effective only after the drag anchor strikes the stop. 
It is expedient for the guide arms to be arranged so as to pivot beyond 
their dead center position in the upper working position of the ironing 
board, supporting themselves indirectly or directly against a stop. If in 
such a position of the guide arms pressure is exerted upon the ironing 
board when ironing, a force component acting outwardly upon the draw 
results so that no unintentional retraction of the ironing board need be 
feared due to the ironing motions. The work table or table top may serve 
as the stop the rear edge of the ironing board abutting against this 
structure. It is also possible, of course, to provide stops acting 
directly upon the guide arms. 
Most of the known ironing boards are foldable, the front portion being 
folded upon the rear portion in the position at rest. According to a 
further characteristic of the present invention, the front portion has a 
pivoting yoke or the like which, in the working position, hangs down 
freely and engages a detent on the draw. This fixes the position of the 
draw relative to the ironing board so that it is impossible to retract the 
draw inadvertently when the front portion is swung out. The detent 
consists preferably of a bevel and a retaining slot adjacent thereto, 
closed off by a front shield of the draw. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved 
retractable ironing board construction which easily is erectable and 
includes a flexible element connected between the end of the extended 
ironing board and a drag anchor contained in a guide panel or way of a 
telescopic draw or which carries the ironing board such that the ironing 
board is held in an erected position until the board is to be collapsed. 
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ironing board 
which is extendible and retractable and which is simple in design, rugged 
in construction and economical to manufacture. 
The various features of novelty which characterizes the invention are 
pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part 
of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its 
operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference 
is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a 
preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawing in particular the invention embodied therein 
comprises a retractable ironing board construction for use with a work 
table countertop 2. Mounted so as to be movable lengthwise in guides or 
tracks 4 underneath the table top 2 of a closet 1 is a telescope pull-out 
or draw member 3. Pivoted at the end portion 5 of the telescope pull-out 
or draw 3 by means of parallel pairs of guide arms 8 is the rear portion 6 
of the ironing board 7. 
In the closed position shown in FIG. 2, the front portion 9 of the ironing 
board 7 is folded onto the rear portion 6, and both portions are in a 
lower position at rest. There is fastened above and parallel to the guides 
4 a rail 11 in which a drag anchor 12 is movably mounted and whose end 
position is defined by an end stop 13 provided on the rail. By means of a 
flexible connecting member such as wire rope 14 the drag anchor 12 is 
fastened to a bracket 15 disposed at the rear portion 6 of the ironing 
board 7. The free end of the pull-out or draw member 3 is closed off by a 
shield or cover 16 with handle 17. 
If the pull-out 3 is pulled out of the rest position shown in FIG. 2 by 
means of the handle 17, the wire rope 14 pulls the drag anchor along 
toward the front in the rail 11 until it strikes the end stop 13. The 
ironing board 7 is then retained in its position and cannot move any 
further with the pull-out 3. Consequently the guide arms 8 pivot upwardly 
beyond dead center which is the vertical position for arms 8, in a 
direction opposite to the arrow direction 18, until their lower parts 19 
contact the stops 20, at which time the working position is reached. At 
the same time, the rear edge 25 of the rear portion 6 of the ironing board 
7 rests against the table top 2, thus forming a second stop. If pressure 
is exerted upon the ironing board 7 in this position, there emanates from 
the guide arm pairs 8 a force component in the pull-out direction so that 
there is no danger that the pull-out 3 is inadvertently retracted through 
the ironing motions. Wire rope 14 has a length being such that the wire 
extends taut between the rear end of the ironing board and the counter top 
when the ironing board is in its extended position. FIG. 3 shows the 
embodiment of the invention wherein one end of the wire rope is fixed near 
the middle of the rail 11. 
Mounted to the front end 9 of the ironing board 7 is a pivoting yoke 21 
which, in the position at rest according to FIG. 2, is located above the 
front portion 9. When the rear portion 6 of the ironing board 7 is in its 
working position following the pull-out motion, the front portion 9 is 
folded over to the front, the pivoting yoke 21 hanging down freely. It 
then slides across a bevel guide 22 of a detaining device 23 into a 
locking slot 24 which is closed off in front by the shield 16. The 
pivoting yoke 21 serves both to support the front portion 9 to prevent the 
pull-out from being pushed in inadvertently by the handle 17, for then the 
shield 16 would strike the pivoting yoke 21. The detent is released only 
by raising the front portion 9, making it possible to push the pull-out 3 
back in again. 
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described 
in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the 
invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied 
otherwise without departing from such principles.