Improvements in Ironing and similar Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Applicati, n, 30th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing and similar Machines.
I, JOSEPH NUTTING of the Balham Sanitary Laundry situate in Balhain
Grove in the County of Surrey, Laundry Proprietor, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
In ironing machines, and similar machinery using an endless sheet or band, great
difficulty is experienced in keeping the sheet in its proper position owing to its
tendency to work to one end or the other of the ironing rollers, which results in
the sheet becoming torn, and otherwise damaged, and necessitates new sheets being
continually supplied. To prevent this, a guide roller controlled by hand power is
provided to bring the sheet back to its required position, but this is often inoperative
owing to the failure of the attendant to reverse it at the proper moment.
My invention consists in the attachment of a sliding reversing bar, having
suitable rollers which revolve against each edge of the sheet. This bar is connected
by levers to the guide roller in such a manner that when the endless sheet moves
towards either end of the ironing rollers, the guide-roller is reversed and imme-
diately brings back the sheet to its normal position. In this manner, the endless
sheet is kept continually in the required position and is not therefore liable to be
torn or otherwise damaged as at present, and the length of time for which the
sheet will last is very considerably increased.
In connection with this same endless sheet are three pressure rollers to give the
necessary pressure against the ironing rollers. The pressure is obtained by
adjusting screws which impinge on stout discs of india rubber for the purpose of
allowing the pressure rollers a certain elasticity of movement when any thicker
substances are introduced into the machine. Owing to the pressure of the screws,
the india rubber squeezes up, and becomes hard, and does not allow the necessary
freedom of movement to the pressure rollers, thus causing the machine to stop, and
the sheet or substances being operated upon to be damaged.
To avoid this, 1 do away with the adjusting screws, and the india rubber, and
in place thereof, I put counterbalance levers, having a sufficient quantity of weights
attached thereto. These levers and weights are so adjusted as to give the necessary
pressure to the pressure rollers, and at the same time to allow them to rise and fall
freely so as to adjust themselves exactly to the work passing through the machine,
thus preventing injury or damage either to the work or to the endless sheet.
Dated this 29th day of March 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing and similar Machines.
I, JOSEPH NUTTING, of the Balham Sanitary Laundry, Balham Grove, in the
County of Surrey, Laundry Proprietor, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its object the automatic control of the endless felt sheet
or band used in ironing and similar machines.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an outline of an ironing machine as usually made, the details which
are not material to my invention being omitted for the sake of clearness.
Figure 2 is a view showing the way the endless sheet works round the rollers,
Figure 3 is an end view of the machine, and
Figure 4 is a plan of the sliding bracket and crank.
In Figure 1, which gives a side elevation of the machine, A, A' are the main
standards, carrying in suitable bearings, the rollers, B, B1, B2, round which works
the endless felt sheet or band, C. This is more clearly shown in Figure 2, in
which the endless sheet C is shown in dotted lines passing over the rollers B, B', B²,
and round the bed, or ironing face of the machine, M. The projections, or
brackets F, F, carry boards or suitable shelves to receive the articles operated
upon.
The lowest roller B2, is a guide roller, and is carried at one end by the sliding
bracket d, which moves backwards or forwards laterally on the sliding plate e,
which is fixed to the main standard A, and is actuated by the rack y, and the
pinion H, worked by the hand wheel J. The other end of the roller B2, is carried
in a suitable swivelling bearing to allow of lateral motion. The object of this
guide roller is as follows:-
When
When the machine is in operation, the endless sheet C may move towards one
end or other of the rollers B, B1, say in the direction of the standard A.
this occurs, the attendant should move the guide roller B2 by means of the hand
wheel J, operating on the rack g, and the pinion H, and by this means, the endless
sheet C, is brought back to its normal position. If the sheet moves in the contrary
direction, the same operation is repeated, the movement of the handwheel J, and
the sliding bracket d, being reversed.
It frequently happens that the attendant omits to perform this operation, the
result being that the endless sheet C gets twisted and torn, and consequently
injured or altogether destroyed.
The object of my invention is to control this endless sheet automatically.
To accomplish this, I place a rod or bar K, of any suitable form or material,
preferably of round iron or gas pipe, which I
carry in
any convenient way,
preferably in bosses, 1, 1, on the standards A, A'. This bar, or rod is free to slide
easily backwards, and forwards. At one end of the rod K, I preferably form a
joint or lever N, having a long slot N2. On the spindle P of the hand wheel J.
preferably fix a crank R, or other suitable lever, connected to the lever N, by
the bolt or pin, N1, in any suitable manner. To the bar or rod K, I affix by any
suitable means, preferably by bent rods or levers K', suitable rollers, S. S¹, pre-
ferably of wood, and grooved, so that the bottom of the grooves impinges on the
edges of the sheet C. These rollers revolve freely on the bent rods or levers K'
when the sheet C is in motion, so as not to cause any friction or damage to the
sheet.
When the machine is at work, and the sheet C has a tendency to move to one
end of the rollers, say in the direction of the standard A, it will press on the
roller, S, and will, by this means push the sliding bar K in the same direction,
thereby also moving the lever N, attached to the end of the bar K, and also the
crank R. This, in its turn will operate upon the vertical spindle, P, and will cause
the guide roller, B2 to move by means of the rack, and pinion, exactly as though
the roller had been moved by the hand wheel J by the attendant in the usual way
thus bringing the sheet back to its required position.
If the sheet moves to the opposite end of the machine, the operation is exactly
similar, but of course in the opposite direction.
The foregoing description is of the apparatus as I have personally used it, but it
is obvious that the details may be modified, or somewhat altered without interfering
with the principle of my invention.
In connection with this same endless sheet are three pressure rollers, which are
used for giving the necessary pressure against the ironing rollers. Two of the

page_text: spindles on which these pressure rollers are fixed are shown in Figure 3, in which
the spindles Z are shown working in the boss of the levers W, which are pivotted
on the centres Y. Y. The pressure is usually obtained by adjusting screws which
impinge on stout discs of india rubber for the purpose of allowing the pressure
rollers a certain elasticity of movement when any stouter substances are introduced
into the machine. Owing to the heat of the machine, and the pressure of the
screws, the india rubber perishes, or becomes hard, and does not allow the necessary
freedom of movement to the pressure rollers, thus causing the machine to stop, and
the sheet or the substances being operated upon to be damaged.
To avoid this, I sometimes do away with the india rubber discs, and adjusting
screws as usually employed to give pressure to the rollers, and I substitute for
them, levers T, T, preferably of wrot iron, pivotted on the centres T', on pins fixed
to the frame or standard A, and having the inner ends, T2, formed in any
convenient way to carry the weight of the movable levers W, which form the
bearings for the spindles Z of the pressure rollers.
At the outer ends of the levers T, I suspend by rods or chain, or other convenient
method suitable cast iron or other weights X, X, to counterbalance the weight of
the rollers, and give the necessary pressure. By this means, I can adjust the
weights to give the exact counterbalance that I require, so that when articles of
various thicknesses are put through the machine the levers W, W can move freely
up, and down on the pivots Y, Y, and while giving the necessary pressure, will
allow the articles to pass through without damage or injury.
By the use of this apparatus, I find that an endless felt sheet will last at least
double the usual length of time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In ironing and similar machines, the automatic regulation of the endless felt
sheet by means of an apparatus substantially as herein described.
2. In conjunction with the above mentioned apparatus, the substitution of a
counterbalance motion by levers and weights for giving pressure to the rollers, in
place of adjusting screws, and india rubber springs, substantially as herein
described.
Dated this 11th day of December 1893.
JOSEPH NUTTING.