Improvements in Ironing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing Machines.
I, SARKIS HARONTIOUN SEKIAN of 177 Denmark Road, Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Laundry Proprietor do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :—
My invention relates to that kind of ironing machines in which a table is moved
forward and backward under a revolving heated roller and consists in improved
arrangements of parts of said machines, the object of my invention being to render
narrow machines available for ironing wide articles without having to fold them
into narrow widths.
In the machines hitherto made for ironing collars, shirt fronts and similar articles
the side-frames carrying the guides for the table are prolonged above the table for
the bearings of the revolving roller or have pedestals for it mounted on them,
whereby the width of articles that can be passed through the machine is limited to
the distance between the frame sides or the width of the table, and wide articles
such as table cloths have either to be folded, which causes great wear and cutting
at the folded edges, or else wide and costly machines have to be used for them. In
order to remedy this defect and make narrow machines available for wide articles,
I arrange these side frames hereinafter called inner frames, so that the top of
the same is below the top of the reciprocating table and place two other side frames
or their equivalents hereinafter called outer frames, at a distance of 6 to 8 inches
from the inner frames, which outer frames support the bearings for the ironing
roller. I arrange the gearing all on one side of the machine outside of the outer
frame and without any cross-shaft passing through the space between the outer and
inner frame except one for driving the drum for reciprocating the table. The
space between the inner and outer frame on the opposite side of the machine is left
quite clear nearly down to the floor. I attach troughs to the sides of the table hanging
down into the space between the outer and inner frames as low as the cross-shaft
permits on one side and nearly to the floor on the other side. The machine may be
arranged for hand or power driving.
This arrangement of ironing machines permits articles considerably wider than
the table to be ironed in the following manner: The article to be ironed, for
instance a table cloth, is folded or rolled up and placed into the shallower one of
the two troughs and one side drawn across the table to its other edge. The part
on the table is then ironed, after which the cloth is drawn across the table, the
previously ironed part hanging down into the deeper trough. The further part
now on the table is then ironed by the roller, and the cloth moved for a further
distance across the table, and so on until the entire width is ironed. In this way a
narrow and cheap machine can be made to iron wide articles without passing them
folded through the machine, for which hitherto wide and costly machines were
required.
Dated thin 9th dow of December 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing Machines.
I SARKIS HARONTIOUN SEKIAN of 117 Denmark Road, Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, 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 relates to that kind of ironing machines in which a table is moved
forward and backward under a revolving heated roller and consists in improved
arrangements of parts of said machines, the object of my invention being to render
parrow machines available for ironing wide articles without having to fold them
into narrow widths.
In the machines hitherto made for ironing collars shirt fronts and similar articles
the side frames usually carry both the pedestals for the revolving top roller and
the guides for the table or the swing frame or cradle for the friction drum which
traverses the table and are arranged close to the sides of the table, in consequence
of which the width of articles that can be passed through the machine is limited to
the width of the table, and wide articles such as table cloths, have either to be
folded, which causes great wear and cutting at the folded edges, or else wide and
costly machines have to be used for them. In order to obviate this defect and
make narrow and cheap machines available for ironing wide articles without their
having to be folded, I arrange the frame and machine in such a manner that there
is a space left at each side of the table in which space the articles to be ironed can
hang partly down into troughs or equivalent receptacles, so that by being pulled
across the table the whole can be ironed successively.
On the sheet of drawings appended hereunto
Figure 1 represents a side view,
Figure 2 an end view,
Figure 3 a top view and
Figure 4 a longitudinal section of the machine.
On the different figures A denotes the table, B the friction drum for reciprocating
the same, C the ironing roller. The latter is hollow and heated by steam or gas
supplied through pipes ss. The drum B is mounted on a shaft resting in
pedestals which are fixed upon the swing frame or cradle consisting of the
rails d d d connected by stays d³ at one end and a bar or shaft at the other end,
which shaft is supported in brackets d' d' attached to the frames D and E'. The
table A has scantlings a a fixed on the underside which rest on and are guided by
rollers e e mounted on shafts el el which are carried in brackets e e fixed upon the
swing frame. Or instead thereof the frames D DI may be made higher and the
rollers e e mounted on shafts or studs carried by the said frames or the table may
be guided by angle iron guides fixed to them. In the machines as hitherto made
these frames D D¹ carry the pedestals for the top roller C, so that the width
of the articles that can be ironed on the machine without being folded is limited to
the width of the table A, and the swing frame is carried by brackets attached to
these side frames. My improvement consists in so arranging the framing and
gearing of the machine that there is a clear space left between the edges of the
table and the frame sides which carry the pedestals for the top roller, so that the
article to be ironed can hang down on either side of the table into troughs or
equivalent receptacles or be otherwise contained in said space. For this purpose
the machine frame and gearing may be arranged as shewn on the drawing, with
inner frames D D¹ and outer frames E E' stayed together near to the floor by
stays f, the inner frames D D¹ being stayed by stays ff at the bottom and cop.
The shaft 6 of the drum B is prolonged to the outside of the frame E' and carries
a spur wheel g gearing with the pinion g' on the driving pulley and pinion gª on the

page_text: top roller. The driving pulleys consisting of a pulley / carrying the pinion g' and
two loose pulleys are mounted on a stud i fixed to the frame side E. The
machine is driven as usual by an open and crossed strap which is shifted by the
forks on the strap bar operated by means of the counter weighted treadle
lever m in the usual manner. The drum B is pressed against the table A by a
spring n placed between a cross stay f* of the inner frames D D' and the cross
stay d of the cradle, or by equivalent ordinarily used means.
In consequence of the arrangements of the frames and gearing before described
there is a space left on each side of the table A between the same and the outer
frames E E. Preferably I attach to each side of the table a trough F F¹ by
means of angle brackets o o, the trough F reaching nearly to the floor and the
other trough F1 as far as the shaft 6 permits. Obviously the troughs may be
replaced by wire cages, baskets, or equivalent receptacles, or for ironing some kinds
of articles the table may be extended beyond the width of the enlarged boss of the
roller C, the diameter of which is in that case preferably increased, so that part of
the articles to be ironed can find room in the space on each side of the said boss on
the table or in recesses of the same. Or the troughs or their equivalents may be
omitted and the spaces on each side of the table inside the machine fenced off to
prevent the articles to be ironed and hanging down into said spaces from coming
into contact with the parts of the machine.
The arrangements of ironing machines hereinbefore described permit articles
considerably wider than the table A or the part thereof in contact with the ironing
roller C to be ironed in the following manner:
The article to be ironed, for instance a table cloth, is folded or rolled up and
placed into the trough F¹ or its equivalent and one side of the tablecloth is drawn
across the table to the edge near trough F. The part on the table is then ironed,
after which the cloth is drawn across the table, the previously ironed part hanging
down into the trough F. The further part now on the table is then ironed by the
roller and the cloth moved for a further distance across the table and so on until
the entire width is ironed. In this way a narrow and cheap machine can be
arranged and used to iron wide articles without passing them folded through the
machine, for which purpose hitherto wide and costly machines were required.
I do not confine myself to the special arrangement of the frames and gearing
shown on the drawings and described, but these may be varied. For instance if it
were desired to make the trough F¹ of greater depth, this can be obtained by
arranging the gearing as follows: The pulleys h h h are mounted on a cross shaft
outside the frame E', the said shaft being carried in pedestals fixed to frames E¹
and D' and placed as near to the floor as the size of the pulleys and strap shifting
arrangement permits. A pinion on the shaft gears with a wheel fixed on the drum.
shaft outside the swing carrier d', the shaft b being cut short outside of the wheel,
and the swing carrier d' and stay between it and carrier d' being omitted. The
roller wheel is driven from a pinion on said cross shaft outside the frame E¹
through two intermediate stud wheels. This would leave the space between
frames D' and E' clear for the trough F¹ to be made deeper, as the strap rod
would also be arranged nearer to the floor in consequence of the lower position of
the driving pulleys.
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 machines with reciprocating table the arrangement of the frames
and gearing in such a manner that on each side of the table or the part thereof in
contact with the ironing roller a space for the reception of part of the article to be
ironed is obtained, substantially as described.
2. In ironing machines with reciprocating table the arrangement of troughs or
their equivalents attached to each side of the table substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by the drawings.

page_text: 3. The general arrangement of ironing machines substantially as herein before
described and for the purpose set forth.
Dated the 8th day of September 1892.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.