Patent GB-433155-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to garment and like presses
IPC: D06F71/06
Filed: 1934-02-14
Abstract: 433,155. Ironing-presses. ARMSTRONG & CO., Ltd., J., 151, Queen Victoria Street, London.-(Henry, F. G. ; 2727, North 13th Street, Philadelphia, U.S.A.) Feb. 14, 1934, Nos. 4894 and 13757. [Class 138 (ii)] The press-operating cylinder 7, Fig. 4, is provided with two independently movable pistons 5, 6 of which the piston 5 is made smaller in area by being provided with a larger piston rod 8 than that of the other piston. Pressure fluid is supplied above the piston 5 from a supply 37 by depressing the manuals 29, 30 and the pistons move downwardly in the cylinder together. The piston rod 9 is pivoted at 16 to one of the toggle links 17 that operate the press, and the piston rod 8 is pivoted to a lever arm 13 fulcrummed on the press frame at 14 and connected by a link 25 to a bell-crank 22 fulerummed on the press frame at 23 and pivoted at 21 to the toggle link 17. The cylinder 7 is pivoted to the frame at the point 11. An arm 41 moves with the lever 13 and during the descent of the pistons moves contra-clockwise to contact with the stem 56 of a valve 42 to open the latter and to supply fluid pressure from a supply 43 through a passage 61 to a piston 46 moving the latter to the right to rock an arm 47 clockwise and to rotate a valve plug 45 from the position shown to one in which pipes 27 and 39 and the space in cylinder 7 above the piston 5 are put to exhaust through passage 50 and port 51, and a pipe 28 is put into communication with the supply 43 by way of pipe 54 and passage 53. The pipe 28 passes through the piston rod 9 and discharges between the two pistons so that piston 5 now moves upwardly and piston 6 continues its descent. These motions resulting in further straightening of the toggle. The arm 47 is latched in position by an arm 48. During the ascent of the piston 5 the arm 41 frees the valve stem 56 permitting the valve 42 to be closed by its spring and the valve chamber and cylinder within which the piston 46 works to exhaust through an axial passage 57 in the valve stem 56. The press is opened by raising a lever 55 ; this frees the arm 48 from the arm 47 to permit the spring 49 to rotate the latter contra-clockwise back to the position shown so that the space in the cylinder 7 between the pistons exhausts through pipe 28, passage 53 and port 52 and the press opens under its restoring springs 4. Operation of lever 55 and manual 30 simultaneously is prevented by a stem 64, depressed by the manual into the path of the arm 55. A fluid pressure operated latch such as shown in Fig. 10 may be substituted for the mechanical latch. In this Figure the closing movement of the press linkage results in a plunger 106 being depressed by the engagement of the lever arm 41 with the head 107 thereof. This rocks a lever 105 contra - clockwise to raise a valve stem 92 thereby shutting a valve 91 communicating with an exhaust pipe 97 and silencer 98 and opening a valve 90 so that fluid pressure flows from a pipe 94, through a pipe 100 to the space between the pistons 5, 6, and also through a pipe 101 to a diaphragm chamber 102. Movement of the diaphragm depresses an abutment 111 and rocks a lever 112 clockwise about its pivot 116 and against a spring 113 to move a latching arm 118. Fig. 10a, into engagement with a flange 119 on the plunger head 107 which has now been depressed into the path of the arm 118 by the arm 41. A manually operable lever is provided for exhauting the diaphragm chamber 102 and the space between the pistons 5, 6, for opening the press. The latch may be replaced by means operated entirely by fluid pressure. To ensure that both manuals must be fully operated, and to guard against misuse as by tying down one manual, the manuals may be interconnected by pipes and one way valves that render it necessary for both to be returned to normal before the press can be opened. As described in Specification 433,035 the press head 2 is rockingly mounted on the head lever 3 by means of a knife-edge member 77, Fig. 7, which is rotatable on a pivot 78 secured to the head lever and the knife edge engages depressions in bearing strips 80 on the back of the head. Bolts 82, 86 secured to the head and knife edge member respectively pass through apertures in lugs 84, 87 secured to the knife edge member and head lever and are provided with springs 85, 88 to form a yielding connection between the members. To compensate for variations in the thickness of the press padding and for variations in pressure due to slackness in the pivot pins, the length of the toggle is arranged to be automatically adjusted by the movement of the press. One link is made in two parts of which one, 65, Fig. 1, screws into or out of the other, 74, either by operation of the hand wheel 66 or by the automatic control which comprises a ratchet wheel 67 fast on the part 65 and a pawl 69 pivoted to a plate 68 rotatable about the part 65 and carrying two arms 70, 71, Fig. 3, the arm 70 may engage a fixed cam surface 72 and the arm 71 engages a cam surface 73, which is moved about its pivot 76, Fig. 1, by movement of the arm 41 and link 75, when the cam projects into the path of the arm 71. When this occurs the arm 71 rotates the plate 68 and so moves the pawl idly over the teeth of the ratchet wheel and the arm 70 into such a position that on the next downward movement of the toggle the arm 70 engages the fixed cam and drives the ratchet wheel through the pawl and so lengthens the toggle. The valve control and the reversible valve mechanism may be adapted for working two presses in tandem. In the form shown in Fig. 14 the left hand press is closed by depressing the manuals 29L, 30L, to admit fluid pressure above the piston 5 and operate the reversing valve. The reversing valve latch 48 of each press in addition to being releasable by a lever on the press on which it is mounted may be actuated by a lever on the adjacent press and positioned near one of the manuals thereof. The lever 144R adjacent one of the manuals of the right-hand press, when raised, admits fluid pressure to the piston mechanism 147 of the left-hand press to release the latch 48 thereof. The levers 144 may be arranged to be operated by the depression of one of the manuals and in one such form they may be mounted so as to be movable independently thereof when desired. In the form shown in Fig. 20 depression of the manuals 29L, 30L admits fluid-pressure from the pipe 95 to the cylinder 7 of the left-hand press and, through a pipe 163, to a diaphragm chamber 155<a> on the right-hand press. This puts a pipe 162R open to exhaust and exhausts the cylinder 7 of the right-hand press and the diaphragm chamber 102R of the reversing valve 901 thereof, thereby restoring the latter to its initial position ready for closing the righthand press on depression of the manuals 29R, 30R. Instead of the pipe 162R being opened to exhaust immediately following the depression of the manuals 292, 30L this may be effected by the automatic subsequent operation of the reversing valve of the left hand press.