Abstract:
A machine for pressing a shirt cuff and the pleated portion of a shirt sleeve adjacent the shirt cuff during the same pressing operation,. The machine includes a main upper head and a main lower buck which are closed to press the cuff. An auxiliary buck is mounted adjacent to and forwardly of the main buck to receive the pleated portion of the shirt. An auxiliary head is movable, after the main head and buck are closed, from a retracted non-pressing position to an extended position, pressing the pleated portion against the auxiliary buck.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to apparatus and method for pressing the collar and cuffs of a long sleeve shirt and more particularly to a machine capable of pressing the cuffs of a sleeve and the pleated area of the sleeve just above the cuff during the same pressing operation. 
     The sleeve of a standard long sleeve shirt is manufactured with a pleat just above the cuff on the outside edge of the shirt while wearing it. This pleat is present due to the fact that the sleeve diameter is larger than the cuff diameter causing the gathering of the material, hence the pleat. Traditionally, the collar and cuffs of the shirt are pressed in a single operation by a machine including a lower buck assembly constituting an essentially arched collar buck and an arched cuff buck at each end of the collar buck and an upper head assembly having collar and cuff pressing surfaces configured to mate with the lower buck surfaces to press a collar and cuffs of a shirt resting thereon. Typical of such machines is the ALC8 machine manufactured and sold by Hoffman/New Yorker, Inc., the assignee of this invention. 
     In traditional machines such as the ALC8 machine the collar and two cuffs of a shirt are pressed at the same time. The shirt is loaded on the machine, first by placing the collar on the central buck with the inside of the shirt facing up. Next the cuffs of the shirt are placed on the cuff bucks with the outside of the cuff facing up. The upper pressing head is then closed to press the shirt to the desired look. The pleat formed on the sleeve just above the cuff on the outside edge of the shirt is not pressed during this initial operation. When the shirt is removed from the press, the pleat is pressed by a secondary operation separate from the machine and is normally performed on an ironing board with a hand iron. 
     It certainly is desirable to be able to press the pleats on the sleeve during the same collar/cuff pressing operation, and thereby eliminate the separate manual pleat pressing operation. One proposal for accomplishing this is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,918. The upper and lower cuff pressing chests illustrated in that patent are of special configuration and include integral forward protruding portions for pressing the pleats simultaneously with pressing the cuffs themselves. The upper and lower chests also include a cut out portion for providing clearance for the unpleated portion of the sleeve. While the configuration illustrated in the &#39;918 patent provides some benefits, it also suffers some disadvantages. For example, the special configuration of the upper and lower chests in deviating from the standard design used in the past, adds to the cost of the machine. Furthermore, during the pressing operation the cuff of the shirt has to be manually held on the lower cuff buck or chest while the pleated portion of the shirt is aligned on the protruding section of the chest and while the unpleated portion of the shirt is gathered at the cutout portion of the chest. This is necessary because as the upper chest is closed upon the lower chest, the cuff and pleats of the shirt are simultaneously pressed and there is no opportunity to realign the pleats if necessary. Thus, the step of placing the cuff and pleats on the lower chest can be awkward and can result in improper alignment in pressing the pleats. 
     Accordingly, the need for an efficient, reliable, economical machine for pressing the cuffs and pleated portion of a shirt sleeve during the same pressing operation remains, and the invention as described hereinafter has been developed to satisfy that need and to serve as an improvement over systems such as that illustrated in the &#39;918 patent. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a novel shirt collar/cuff pressing machine which includes means for pressing the pleat on the shirt sleeve just above the cuff during the same collar/cuff pressing operation. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide the above novel machine wherein the main collar and cuff pressing heads and pressing bucks are essentially the same as those used in prior standard machines such as the ALC8 machine and wherein separate pleat pressing heads and bucks are provided to press the pleats of the sleeves during the same pressing operation. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide the above novel machine wherein the pleat pressing heads are operated independently of the main pressing heads of the machine. 
     The above objectives are accomplished by providing each cuff pressing head and buck with a separate auxiliary pleat pressing head and buck, respectively, which are independently actuatable to press the pleat area of a shirt sleeve located just above the cuff of the sleeve. The pleat pressing buck is mounted adjacent to and extends forwardly from each main cuff pressing buck and a pleat pressing head is connected to and extends forwardly from each main cuff pressing head so as to be positioned above and below the pleat pressing area of the shirt sleeve when the main head is closed upon the cuff positioned upon the main buck. Each pleat pressing head is extended through a pressing stroke by a pneumatic non-rotating air cylinder which the press operator energizes separately from the main pressing heads. 
     Operation of the novel machine of this invention is as follows. A shirt is loaded on the machine first by placing the collar of the shirt on the collar pressing buck with the inside of the shirt facing up. Next, each cuff of the shirt is placed on its respective cuff pressing buck with the outside of the cuff facing up. In this position the pleats on the shirt sleeves will be positioned inwardly of the cuff bucks adjacent the main collar buck. With the collar and cuffs properly loaded on the collar and cuff bucks, the operator hits start buttons to close the main head down upon the main buck to lock the collar and cuffs of the shirt in place for pressing between the main heads and the main bucks. At this time the separate pleat pressing heads remain spaced from the pleats of the shirt so that the shirt can be dressed, that is, arranged to properly align the pleats, simply by pulling on the shirt sleeves. The cuffs themselves are being held in place by the main head and main buck and will not pull away from the machine. Thus, the operator has both hands available to quickly and properly align the pleats. When the desired dressed look of the pleats is obtained the operator energizes a foot operated air pedal to close the auxiliary pleat pressing heads towards the pleat pressing bucks and thus press the pleat area of the shirt sleeves positioned between the pleat heads and pleat bucks. Steam is then supplied to the main and auxiliary heads and bucks and the novel machine will then press the shirt to the desired look and when completed the pleat heads will retract and the main head will open. 
     It is apparent that applicant&#39;s novel method of operation eliminates the need to press the pleats by way of a secondary operation such as by using an iron and traditional ironing board. Furthermore, the provision of the separate pleat pressing heads and bucks which are not operated until the cuffs themselves are being held by the main head and bucks enables the operator to more quickly and more reliably dress the shirt, that is, align the pleats prior to the pleat pressing operation. In addition, if the operator does not want to press the pleats, the pleat pressing heads and bucks may be deactivated and the machine can be used in a conventional manner. 
     Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description of the invention wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of the buck and head assemblies of the novel pressing machine of the invention with the head assembly in an open position; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating the pleat pressing head mounted on and forwardly of a main cuff pressing head with the head in an open position as in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged front perspective view illustrating the main pressing head and an auxiliary pleat pressing head in closed positions so as to press the cuff and pleat of a sleeve of a shirt positioned between the heads and the bucks; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation schematic of a cuff pressing head and buck assembly incorporating the auxiliary pleat pressing head and buck assembly, with the padding which is normally provided on the cuff buck and the pleat buck being removed, 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view taken generally along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 4 illustrating the manner in which the auxiliary pleat pressing head and buck extends forwardly from the main cuff pressing head and buck so as to be able to press the pleat portion of the shirt sleeve located just above the cuff. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, the novel collar cuff pressing machine  10  of the invention includes a lower buck assembly  12  mounted on a horizontal table  14  of the frame of the machine. Buck assembly  12  includes a center elongated arched collar pressing buck member  16  and cuff pressing arched buck members  18  and  20  at opposite ends of the collar pressing buck  16 . Bucks  16 ,  18  and  20  are provided with suitable padding just as in conventional machines. 
     A pressing head assembly  22  is supported on an arm  24  which is pivotally mounted at  26  to frame  14  for movement between an open position shown in FIG. 1 and a closed pressing position in which it engages against the collar and cuffs of a shirt laying on bucks  16 ,  18  and  20 . Pressing head assembly  22  includes contoured pressing surfaces  30 ,  32  and  34  which conform to the shape of bucks  16 ,  18  and  20 , respectively so as to perform the pressing operation as described. Buck assembly  12  and head assembly  22  are steam heated in the usual fashion and the machine as described to this point is essentially the same as the assignee&#39;s prior commercial ALC8 machine and thus no further detailed description of those elements is necessary. 
     Buck assembly  12  also includes smaller auxiliary pleat pressing bucks  40  and  42  which are rigidly mounted on a support frame and extend forwardly from and are in alignment with the inner pressing surfaces  44  and  46  of bucks  18  and  20 , respectively. Bucks  40  and  42  are padded in the same manner as bucks  18  and  20 . 
     Pressing head assembly  22  includes a pair of pneumatically operated auxiliary pleat pressing heads  50  and  52  mounted on the front face of head assembly  22  and extending forwardly from and in general alignment with the inner portions  54  and  56  of pressing surfaces  32  and  34 , respectively, so as to be in operative pleat pressing relationship with auxiliary bucks  40  and  42 , respectively, when head assembly  22  is closed on buck assembly  12 . Heads  50  and  52  are reciprocated from a normally retracted non-pressing position to an extended pressing position by non-rotating double-acting air cylinders  60  and  62  independently of the operating system for the main head assembly  22 . The auxiliary pleat pressing bucks  40  and  42  and heads  50  and  52  are steam heated in the same manner as the main bucks  16 ,  18  and  20  and main head pressing surfaces  30 ,  32  and  34 . 
     The novel pressing machine  10  of the invention operates as follows. With the pressing head assembly  22  in the open position as shown in FIG. 1, a long sleeve shirt is loaded on the machine, first by placing the collar of the shirt on buck  16  with the inside of the shirt facing up. Next the cuff of the right sleeve of the shirt is placed on buck  18  with the outside of the cuff facing up. The cuff of the left sleeve of the shirt is similarly placed on buck  20  with the outside of the cuff facing up with the cuffs positioned so that the pleats on the shirt sleeves just above the cuffs will be lying on auxiliary bucks  40  and  42 . The operator then presses the main start buttons of the machine to move head assembly  22  down towards buck assembly  12  so that the pressing head surfaces  30 ,  32  and  34  press the collar and cuffs against bucks  16 ,  18  and  20 , respectively. The head  22  is then locked into this pressing position. The auxiliary heads  50  and  52  will be facing the pleated portions of the shirt sleeves supported on bucks  40  and  42 , but the heads are still held in a retracted position by air cylinders  60  and  62  as illustrated in FIGS. 1,  2  and  4 , spaced approximately ¼ inch or so from the pleated portion. Thus, an operator has the opportunity to dress the sleeves, that, is align the pleats as desired simply by pulling on the shirt sleeves. Since the cuffs themselves are already being held in place by closure of the main heads on the main bucks, the sleeves will not pull away from the machine and the operator has both hands available for dressing those sleeves. When the operator is satisfied with the dressed look of the sleeve on buck  40 , a common foot-operated air pedal is actuated to energize air cylinders  60  and  62  to extend the pleat pressing heads  50  and  52  into pressing engagement with the pleats on bucks  40  and  42 . Steam is then supplied to main bucks  16 ,  18  and  20 , main head surfaces  30 ,  32  and  34 , auxiliary bucks  40 ,  42 , and auxiliary heads  50 ,  52 . When the pressing operation is completed, air cylinders  60  and  62  are actuated in a reverse direction to retract auxiliary heads  50  and  52  and the main head assembly  22  is opened. The shirt is then removed form the machine with the collar, cuffs and pleated area of the sleeves having been pressed in the same pressing operation. This saves substantial time in that the hand ironing operation of the pleats, normally required by conventional machines, has been eliminated. In addition, if the operator does not want to press the pleats, the pneumatic system for operating the air cylinders  60  and  62  can be disabled and the machine and be used in the more traditional fashion. 
     From the description hereinabove, it is apparent that the invention accomplishes the objectives noted initially and provides advantages over prior conventional machines such as the ALC8 machine and over systems such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,918. First of all the main head and buck assemblies of the machine are essentially the same as those used in prior conventional machines such as the ALC8 machine and require little modification therefrom. The provision of the separate pleat pressing head and buck assemblies and their separate operations, enable the operator to properly dress the shirt sleeves, that is, align the pleats, while the cuffs themselves are being held in place between the main heads and bucks. The operator may use one or both hands to dress the shirt sleeves by pulling on the sleeves without being concerned about pulling the cuffs away from the machine. Further, if for some reason the operator does not want to press the pleats, the auxiliary pleat pressing heads need not be activated and the machine can be used in its conventional fashion. 
     If desired, machine  10  may be modified in several respects. For example, air cylinders  60  and  62  may be of the single acting type and spring loaded to hold heads  50  and  52  in a normally retracted position. Also, each of the cylinders  60  and  62  may be actuated by its own separate foot pedal. 
     The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.