Improvements in Reversing Gears, Adapted More Especially for use upon Ironing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Reversing Gears, Adapted More Especially for
use upon Ironing Machines.
I GEORGE CRAY ROBERTS of 395-97 Fifth Avenue Chicago in the State of
Illinois United States of America Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
loscribed and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawings:-
This invention has relation to improvements in reversing gears adapte.l more
especially for use upon ironing machines of that class which embrace a reciprocating
ironing board or table and a rotating heated ironing roller acting upon the article
placed upon the board or table as the latter is reciprocated but which may be
employed in other cases where it is desire to obtain a regular reciprocating motion
from the revolving driving shaft. The invention consists in the matters hereinafter
described and pointed out in the appended claims:-
In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention,
Fig. 1 is a front end view of a machino embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a view in side clevation of a portion of the same.
Fig. 3 is a central vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the driving shaft of the machine
illustrating the actuating clutch thereof.
Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail horizontal section taken axially through the clutch
actuating device upon lines 6-6 of Figs. 4 and 7.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail section taken upon lines 7-7 of Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of the clutch mechanism for stopping the movement of
a reciprocating part of the machine.
Fig. 9 is a section of the same taken upon lines 9-9 of Fig. 8.
Fig. 10 is a side view of a modified form of the clutch mechanism.
Fig. 11 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same.
Fig. 12 is a cross section of the same taken upon lines 12-12 of Fig. 10.
As illustrated in the said drawings the main frame of the machine consists of two
parallel side frame plates A A which are connected with each other at the ends of the
machine by means of cross girts a a.
B is the main or driving shaft of the machine which shaft is mounted in the frame
plates A A. Said shaft B is provided at one end with loose belt pulleys B' constantly
driven in opposite directions by suitably arranged belts, the said belts when both
pulleys are driven from a single counter-shaft usually being arranged with one belt
crossed to the other belt straight, in a familiar way. At its end opposite the
pulleys B B the driving shaft B is provided with gear pinion B3 which intermeshes
with suitable gear wheels and through the intermedium of which the ironing board or
table in an ironing machine or their reciprocating part in other machines is given
reciprocatory motion and the roller rotated. The said shaft B is hollow or tubular
and within the same is located a longitudinal sliding rod C which is desirably made
of less diameter than the interior of the shaft and fitted to slide at its ends within
bearing appertures in separate plugs e e inserted in the ends of the said shaft B. ("is
a friction pulley located between the hubs of the loose pulleys B¹ B³ upon the shaft B
the said pulley C being immediately supported upon the sleeve C which fits upon
the shaft B. The said pulley C is connected with the rod C by means of a transversly
arranged pin (inserted through the hub of said pulley C and through the said rod
and passing through longitudinal slots and e' in the shaft B and sleeve C as clearly
shown in Fig. 4. The periphery of the said pulley C is oppositely beveled or formed
in the shape of a double cone, and the pulleys B' B³ are provided with conical

page_text: bearing rings B B adapted to fit against the conical bearing surface of the said
pulley C. The said friction pulley and the bearing rings Bª 13º are so disposed
that the pulley will be in bearing with only one of the said rings at the same time
und may be brought into contact with either of the rings by a movement of the said
pulley endwise with reference to the shaft B and sleeve (. By moving longitudinally
the said rod (to which said friction pulley is connected by means of the rod said
friction pulley may be engaged with either of the pulleys B and B a rotary motion
thereby given to the shaft B in either direction as desired. The meaas employed for
moving the said rod C will be heroinatter described.
The said sleev ( is provided at its opposite ends with rings or rollers secured
by scrow threads or otherwise upon the ends of the sleeves and forming shoulders
against which the final en is of the hubs hear. The said sleeve C holds the pulleys B' 13ª
from movement toward each other upon the shaft or in other words keeps tho said
pulleys at a desired distance apart, and the collars are adjustable upon the said
sleeve by means of their screw ti readed connection therewith so that the said collars
may be moved inwardly or outwardly to increase or decrease the distanco apart of
the said pulleys B' B as may be necessary for accurately adjusting the said pulleys B¹ B²
with reference to the friction pulley el.
Suitable set screws will usually be provided in the collars to hold the latter
from turning upon the sleave (after the said collurs have been properly adjusted.
are thimbles secure by screw threaded connections upon the outer ends of the
said habs and provided with inwardly extending flanges forming the bearing for
the ends of the hubs. The said thimbles form a part of the hubs and may be
adjusted inwardly or outwardly to iike up any wear in the wearing surfaces thereof
and to hold the hubs closely in contret with the ends of the sleeve it being obvious
that there is considerable wear upon the said thimbles thus forming the outer ends of
the said pulley hubs owing to the endwise pressure pro luced by the lateral pressure
of the friction pulley against the belt pulleys. The said screws in the thimbles² 1,
serve to hold the latter from turning when adjusted. An important advantage arising
from the use of the separate sleeve is that the said sleeve serves to retain the
pulleys at a proper distance apart without the necessity of using the collars or
shoulders upon the shaft itself for this purpose. The said pulleys are held in contact
with the ends of the said sleeve by means of the shaft bearing at the inner side
thereof, and at the outer end of the shaft thereof by means of a cap B³ secured to
the end of the said shaft B by means of a screw plug upon the cap entering the plug e
of the shaft as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.
The device for automatically actuating the rode is made as follows:-D is a sloove
mounted to slide longitudinally upon the shaft B at a point inside of the frame and
connected with the rod by means of a pin D which passes through opposite longi-
tudinal slots (Fig. 6) in suid shaft. The said sleeve D is provided at one end
with an integral lange d and at its opposite end with a collar which collar is
secured to the sleeve by the pin D' which passes through both the sleeve and the
ring. Within the annular space or groove formed by and between the flange d
and a collar is placed a ring E which is adapted to turn frooly within tho said
groove.
Secured in opposite sides of the said ring E are two radially arranged pins e e the
outer ends of which carry rollers eel (Figs. 1, 3, 6 and 7) which rollurs rest in
contact with two Hat horizontal stationary bearing pins Eherein shown as
sustained removably by means of a forked arm Eª which is rigidly attached at its
lower end to the cross girt a of the frame. The rollors ele servo merely to lessen the
frictional resistance to the movements of the parts and are not essential to the
operation of the device. Mounted upon the suid shaft B and encircling the sleeve D
is a cylindric shell or casting F which is provided with flat onds FF having smooth
centrally arranged bearing apertures which immediately engage the said shaft and by
which the cylindric shell is sustained concentrically upon the shaft. The said shell is
provided in its opposite sides with two cam slots through which pass the pins e e of
the ring E. The said shell F while adapted to turn freely on the shaft is held from

page_text: endwise movement thereon by means of two coliars FF secured to the shaft at the
ends of the shell and bearing against the latter, the said collars F Fs being herein
shown as adjustably secured to the shaft by screw threaded connections and held from
turning by set screws.
The said cam slots in the shell F are obliquely or spirally disposed and are so
arranged that as the shell F is thrown or rotated upon the shaft the said cam slots
will remove the pins e e toward one end or the other of the shaft according to the
direction in which the shell is thrown. Such motion of the pins e e will obviously be
transmitted to the rod C through the medium of the sleeve D, ring E, and pin D¹ so
that by turning or oscillating the said shell upon the shaft endwise movement is given
to the said rod. The purpose of the bearing faces E' E' which engage the rollers e¹el
of the pins e e in the manner described is to hold the said pins from moving or
swinging with the shell when the latter is turned about the shaft and thereby insuring
movement of the said pins and connected parts by the action of the cam slots in
the manner above described.
From the construction above set forth it is entirely obvious that contact of the
friction pulley (with either of the driving pulleys may be effected by partially
rotating the said shell F upon the shaft B so that by turning the said shell either by
hand or automatically the direction of rotation of the shaft may be reversed as desired.
I have illustrated automatic means so arranged that the direction of motion of the
shaft will be reversed by a reciprocating part of the machine in connection with which
it is used when the said part reaches the limit of its movement in either direction.
Upon the frame plate A a swinging lever G is suitably located which is arranged to
swing in either direction from a vertical position and the upper end of which is
arranged for contact with two stops or projections G' G¹ (one of which is shown
in Fig. 3) upon the reciprocating part G. To the lower end of the said lever G
beneath its pivot 9 is attached a horizontal connecting bar G³ the opposite end of
which extends to and is pivotally connected with the top of the shell F. In the
upper construction illustrated (Fig. 4) the end of the said connecting bar G³ adjacent
to the said shell F is bent downwardly and inserted in a recess in the shell and
pivotally secured therein by means of a pivoted screw g¹. In the operation of this
device the upper end of the lever G is encountered and moved by the projections G
on the reciprocating bar G2 of the machine and the shell F is moved or turned
about the shaft B (by reason of its connection with the said lever G) so as to
remove the rod end wise and shift the friction pulley from one to the other of the
driving pulleys in a manner readily understood thereby accomplishing the automatically
reversal of the direction of movement of the driving gear.
To enable the shell F to be turned for actuating the reversing gear by the
operator in a convenient manner a foot lever H is provided near the base of the
machine which foot lever is connected with a projecting lug or arm F* upon
the said shell F by means of a rigid connecting bar H'. The lever G being free
to move at all times excepting when in actual contact with the said reciprocating
part of the machine the shell F may be rotated to actuate the reversing gear at
any point in the movement of the carriage. The operator having his foot upon the
lever H therefore has the driving mechanism under perfect control and may stop start
or reverse the same at any moment.
To stop the machine it is obviously necessary to place the friction pulley C' at its
position free from both driving pulleys and this is accomplished by giving partial
rotation to the shell F and stopping the same at any point in its throw. This may be
accomplished by the use of the foot lever H but inasmuch as a slight shifting of
the foot lever would subsequently operate the machine and as such shifting of the
foot lever might occur by accident I have provided a separate locking device
adapted to engage the shell F and hold it in its intermediate position. The said
locking device is more clearly shown in Figs. 4, 8, and 9 and consists of a longi-
tudinal sliding detent J mounted in guides ;; upon an adjacent part of the machine
frame and actuated by a hand lever J which is pivoted to the machine frame and
engages the said detent in the manner illustrated. The said detent J is arranged

page_text: parallel with the shaft B and slides endwise toward and from the shell F. Upon the
shell F is formed a projecting lug F³ having a notch ƒ"adapted to receive the end of
the detent J the said notel being so arranged that the det'nt may engage therewith
when the shell F is in its intermediate position. By grasping the hand lever J' and
pressing the detent against the face of the Ing during the backward or forward
movement of the said reciprocating part the detent will enter the notch as soon as
the shell reaches its intermediate position and the reciprocating part will be stopped
at either the forward or rearward limit of its movement. In order however to enable
the detent to act without the same being constantly pres-el against the end of the
shell 1 preferably ent away the lug F³ toward one side of the notch partly through
the thickness of the lug as clearly shown and as indicated by the letter 1, Figs. 8
and 9. When the Ing is thus torined the detent may be advanced against the rut
away part ƒ² of the lng during the time the far is moving in one direction and
the detent will arrest the shell in its intermediat position as soon as the said shell is
moved at the termination of the backward or forward movement of the said bar.
practice I desirably cut away that portion of the lug which is moved forwardly or
Toward the aperture and the attendant therefore will not usually attempt to stup the
machine by the use of the detent when the part is moving backwardly. At any time
during the forward movement of the part however the detent may be thrown against
the Ing F and when the part reaches the forward limit of its movement the rotation
of the shell F will be recessed at a point suitable for stopping the machine.
In
The stopping device will usually be arrangest in this unner for the reason that it
is desired to stop the bar when the same is at the forward limit of its movement.
After the movement of the shell has been arrested by the use of the detent in the
manner last described the detent is of course only partially advance and is not fully
engaged with the nut so that it may be possible to start the reciprocating part in one
direction by the n-e of the foot lever. If however the hun lever is moved so as
to throw the detent fully into the notch after the machine has been stopped the shell
will be securely locked from movement and the machine cannot be started without
first withdrawing the detent from the notch.
The actuating device for the clutch mechanism embodying the same features of
construction and operation as the particular one shown may be constructed in a number
of mechanical forms and I do not therefore desire to las restricted to the particular
features herein illustrated except as the latter may be maile the subject of specific
claims herein. A for instance in connection with a sleeve D and ring E mounted
thereon and provided with a radial recess a metal part or shell having cam slots to
engago pins may be attached movably to the frame and tho said ring and the pins
thereon may be thrown or rotated to accomplish the endwise movement of the rod
which is attached to the said sleeve 1). A construction of this kind is shown in the
drawings Figs. 10 to 13. As shown in the said figs. the shalt B rod sleave D
ring and rod pins e e are made in the same manner before described. In place
of the shell F two cylindric segments 17 F are attached to the shaft bearing
concentric with the shaft and in the said segments are placed the oblique slots if
which engage the pins e e. If in this construction the ring E is turned by power
applied to one of the pins e e or otherwise the rod (will be moved endwise and the
friction pulley thereby shifted. In the said Figs. 10, 11 and 12 the connecting
rod of the foot lever H is shown as pivoted to the outer end of one of the radial
pins e while the connecting bar G³ is pivoted to an upwardly extending arm E³ of
the said ring E. In this construction of course the said ring is moved end wise of
the shaft when the said ring is turned so that it becomes necessary to so make tho
joints of the said connecting rod H and connecting bar as to allow such movement
of the ring without binding the said joints.
The main feature of this part of the invention is obviously embraced in a construc-
tion comprising a revolving sleeve and ring corresponding with the sleeve D and
ring E hereinbefore described connected with the longitudinal rod by which the
clutch is actuated, radial pins in the ring and a concentrically arranged cylindric shell
or equivalent cylindric segments provided with cam slots engaged by the pins so that

page_text: by turning either the ring or the shell the rod may be moved end wise and the first of
the appended claims is intended to cover broadly a construction embracing these
general features. It will of course be seen that an operative device may be made
without the use of automatic actuating devices or a foot lover for turning the shifting
part of the clutch (namely the ring E or shell F) a simple hand lever attached to the
shell as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7 or to one of the pins e as indicated in
Fig. 12 obviously affording means by which the said shifting part may be moved at
any desired time.
Flaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to he performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a driving shaft of a reversing mechanism comprising two
belt pulleys loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with annular friction
surfaces, a friction pulley adapted to engage either of the said pulleys a rod connected
with the said friction pulley and extending through the said shaft a grooved sleeve
mounted to slide upon the said shaft and connected with the said rod, a ring encircling
the said sleeve radial pins secured in the said ring a cylindric shell arranged
concentric with the shaft and provided with cam slots engaging the said pins nor all
two of the parts named to wit tho said ring or shell being capable of oscillatory
movement whereby the said ring may be moved endwise of the shaft by the action of
the pins in the cam slots substantially as described.
2. The combination with a driving shaft of a reversing mechanism comprising two
belt pulleys loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with annular friction
surfaces, a friction pulley adapted to engage either of the said belt pulleys a rod
connected with the said friction pulley and extending through the said shaft a grooved
sleeve mounted to slide upon the said shaft and connected with the said rol a ring
oncircling the said sleeve radial pins secured in the said ring stationary bearing
surfaces parallel with the shaft engaging the said pins and sliding concentric shell
mounted concentric with the shaft and provided with cam slots engaging the said pins
and a reciprocating part having stops adapted to act upon the said shell to give
oscillatory motion to the same substantially as described.
3. The combination with a driving shaft of a reversing mechanism comprising two
belt pulleys loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with annular friction
surfaces a friction pulley adapted to engage three of the said belt pulleys a rod
extending through the shaft connected with the said friction pulley a clutch actuating
device consisting of a grooved sleeve mounted to slide longitudinally upon the shaft
and connected with the said rod a ring encircling the said sleeve radial pins in the
said ring and an oscillating cylindric shell mounted concentric with the shaft and
provided with slots for engaging the said pins a swinging lever upon the machine
frame connected with the rotatable part of the said clutch actuating device and a
reciprocating part having stops adapted to engage said lever at each limit of the
movement of the said reciprocating part substantially as described.
4. The combination with a driving shaft of a reversing mechanism comprising two
belt pulleys loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with annular friction surfaces
a friction pulley adapted to engage the said belt pulleys a rod extending through the
shaft connected with the said friction wheel a grooved sleeva mounted to slide upon
the shaft and adapted to be connected with the said rod a ring encircling the said
sleeve radial pins in the said ring stationary bearing pieces parallel with the shaft
engaging the said pins an oscillating cylindric shell mounted concentric with the shaft
and provided with slots engaging the said pins a swinging lever upon the machine
frame connected with the said shell a reciprocating part having stops adapted to
engage the said lever and a foot lever connected with the said shell substantially as
described.
5. The combination with a driving shaft of a reversing mechanism comprising two
belt pulleys loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with annular friction surfaces
a friction pulley adapted to engage either of the said belt pulleys a rod extending

page_text: through the shaft connected with the said friction wheel a grooved sleeve mounted
to slide upon the shaft and connected with the said rod a ring encircling the
said sleeve radial pins in the said ring stationary bearing pieces parallel with the shaft
engaging the said pins an oscillating eslindric shell mounted concentric with the
shaft and provided with slots engaging the said pins a swinging lever upon the machine
frune connected with the said shell a reciprocating part having stops adapted to
engage the said lever and a detent for locking the said shell from movement the said
shell being provided with a notch to engage the said detent substantially as described.
6. The combination with a driving sluit of a reversing mechanism comprising two
belt pulleys loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with annular friction
surfaces a friction pulley adapted to engage either of the said bolt pulleys a rod
extending through the shatt connected with the said friction wheel groovel sleeve
mounted to slide upon the shaft and connected with the sard rod a ring encircling the
said sleeve, radial pins in the said ring stationary learing pieces parallel with the
shaft engaging the said pins, an oscillating cylindri shell mounted concentric with
the shatt and provided with slots engaging the said pins a swinging lever upon the
machine frame connected with the said shell a reciprocating part having stops adapted
to engage the said lever and a detont for locking the said shell from movement the
said shell being provided with a notch to receive the detent and a reses at our side of
and adjacent to the notch wherely the detent may be advanced to stop the machine
when the shell is not in motion substantially as described.
7. The combination with a driving shaft in a reversing mechanism comprising
two belt pulleys loosely mounted upon the shift and provide with annular friction
surfaces, a friction pulley adapted to engage either of the said belt pulleys, a rod
extending through the shaft connected with the said frict on wheel, a grooved
sleeve mounted to slide upon the shaft and connected to the d rol, a ring
encircling the said sleeve, radial pins in the said rings, stationary bearing pieces
parallel with the shaft engaging the said pins an oscillating cylindric sheh mounted
concentric with the shaft and provided with slots engaging the said pins, a swinging
lever upon the machine frame connected with the sail shell, a reciprocating part
having stops adapted to engage the said lever, a sliding detent arranged parallel
with the shaft and a pivoted and lover connected with the said detent, the said
shell being provided upon its end wall with a notch adapted to engage the end of the
said detent substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of September 1890.
-
DITION & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.