AN IMPROVED IRONING MACHINE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Wirth, of the Firm of Wirth and Company,
Patent Solicitors, at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, in the Empire of Germany, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED IRONING MACHINE" A communication from
Wilhelm Henrici. of Heidelberg, in the Empire of Germany.
Sealed the 14th May 1878, and dated the 14th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frank Wirth at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th November 1877.
FRANK WIRTH, of the Firm of Wirth and Company, Patent Solicitors, at Frank-
"AN IMPROVED IRONING MACHINE."
fort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany.
A communication from Wilhelm Henrici, of Heidelberg, in the Empire of
Germany.
This Invention relates to an improved ironing machine for ironing collars and
cuffs better and quicker than they can be done by hand.
The said machine is double acting, and is thus capable of ironing two articles at
each turn of the driving axle.
The machine being double acting as aforesaid, it will suffice to describe the
working and construction of one side to make the Invention thoroughly clear.
The article to be ironed is held on a small ironing table, provided for the purpose,
over which the iron or ironing implement moves; this latter is held in jaws, which
in their turn are attached to a rod pivoted at its upper end and guided. The said
rod receives its movement from an excentric on a driving axle and a connecting rod.
The said driving axle being provided with a pulley at one end, and a fly wheel at
the other, is driven by any suitable motor.
The pivot to which the said rod is attached is placed at one end of a balancing
bar, having its centre point connected by a hinge with a spring, which latter lifts
the said rod upward.
Near the said centre point of the balancing bar, the same is provided with a pivot
to which connecting rods are attached. These rods connect the said balancing bar

page_text: with a one-arm lever, which turns on a bolt, and is guided in a guide piece on a
part of the frame of the machine; from the said one-arm lever rods descend below
the table of the machine to levers which are pivotted at one end, and attached by
their other end to a screw spindle, which by means of a cross bar can be raised or
lowered. If the said spindle be screwed down, the lever attached thereto, the rod,
and the one-arm lever are also lowered. The said one-arm lever draws the con-
necting rod and balancing bar downward, thus causing the rod, pivotted to the
balancing bar, to descend, and placing the said iron nearer to the aforesaid ironing
table.
If the said spindle be released the aforesaid spring draws up the iron and allows
the article under it to be removed. In this manner the distance between the iron
and table can be regulated at will.
The small ironing table is not fixed to the larger table of the machine, but is
moved up and down by the machinery when at work, and in such a manner that
when the aforesaid excentric is drawn inward the said ironing table rises, and thus
presses the articles against the iron; when the stroke is finished, however, this
table sinks, allowing the article to be removed.
The movement of this ironing table is effected as follows, that is to say :-It is
attached by its lower edge to one end of a double fever, pivotted under the table of
the machine, and having its one arm pressed against an excentric by the weight of
the ironing table. This excentric attached to an axle, is driven by two friction
wheels, the said excentric and the other excentric herein-before mentioned are
attached to their axles in such a manner that the excentric against which the arm
of the double lever is pressed pushes the lever arm downwards, thus raising the
ironing table on the other end of the lever at the same time as the other excentric
draws the rod attached to the balancing bar inwards.
The whole of the mechanism is fixed to a suitable frame with a table, each part
having its journals placed in proper positions in the said frame. The ironing table
has a plate covered with linen.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frank Wirth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th May
.1878.
FRANK WIRTH, of the Firm of Wirth and Company, Patent Solicitors, at Frank-
fort-on-the-Maine, in the Empire of Germany. "AN IMPROVED IRONING MACHINE."
A communication from Wilhelm Henrici, of Heidelberg, in the Empire of
Germany.
This Invention relates to an improved ironing machine, chiefly designed for
ironing collars and cuffs, and which will perform this work more efficiently and
quickly than is practicable by hand.
In the accompanying Drawings,-
:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine, constructed according to this
Invention:
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the same, on the line C, D, Figure 4.
Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line A, B, Figure 4.
Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line E, F, Figure 2.
Similar letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
The said machine is double acting, and is thus capable of ironing two articles at
each turn of the driving axle. It will therefore suffice to describe the construction
and working of one side of the said machine to make the Invention thoroughly
clear.
The article to be ironed is held on the small ironing table a, over which the iron
or ironing implement b moves. The latter is held in jaws c, which in their turn
are attached to the rod f, pivoted at its upper end, and guided at e. The rod f
receives its movement from the excentrich on the driving axle g and the connecting
rod . The axle g is provided with a pulley kat on end, and a fly wheel at the
other, and is driven by any suitable motor.
The pivot d, on which the rod f is attached, is placed at one end of a balancing
bar m, having its centre point at n, connected by a hinge with the spring o which
lifts the rods f
Near the centre point n of the bar m, the same is provided with a pivot, to which
the connecting rods p are attached. These rods connect the bar m with the one-
armed lever q, which turns on the bolt r, and is guided in the piece s; from the lever
bar g the rods t descend below the table to the levers u, turning at v, and attached
by their other end to the screw spindle w, which, by means of the cross bar x, can
be raised or lowered. If the spindle w be screwed down, the lever u, bar t, and
lever q are also lowered. The lever q draws the connecting rod p and rod m down-
ward, thus causing the rod f to descend, and placing the iron or ironing implement
nearer to the ironing table a.
If the spindle w be released, the spring o draws up the iron b, and allows the
article to be removed. In this manner the distance between the iron and table can
be regulated at will.
The small ironing table a is not fixed to the table y, but is moved up and down
by the machine when at work, and in such a manner that when the aforesaid excen-
tric is drawn inwards, the ironing table rises, and thus presses the article against
the iron; when the stroke is finished, however, the table descends, allowing the
article to be removed.
The movement of this ironing table a is effected as follows, that is to say :-
The said table is attached by its lower edge to one end of the double lever Z,
pivotted at a¹, and having its one arm pressed against the excentric 6' by the weight
of the table a. This excentric 61 attached to the axle e¹ is driven by the two
friction wheels and e¹; the two excentrics and b¹ are attached to their axles in
such a manner that the excentric b¹ pushes the lever arm downwards, thus raising
the table a on the other end of the lever at the same time as the other excentric h
draws the rod f inward.

page_text: The whole of this mechanism is fixed to a suitable frame f¹, each part having
journals placed in the proper positions in the frame g¹. The table a
has a plate
covered with linen.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim for the purposes specified,—
First. The rod f, carrying at its free end the iron b, and connected by its other
end to the cross piece and moved by the excentric, as above described.
Second. The means for regulating the distance between the table a and iron, as
above described.
Third. The means whereby the table is raised and lowered, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Wirth, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
FRANK WIRTH. (L.S.)