Improvements in the Ironing of Clothes and in Apparatus or Machinery therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 31st Aug., 1885
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Ironing of Clothes and in Apparatus or
Machinery therefor.
1, THOMAS MCGILLIVRAY, of 74 Great Hamilton Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Laundry Proprietor, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention to be as
follows:-
My Invention comprises a new or improved mode of, and means or apparatus or
machinery for the ironing of clothes for laundry purposes, essentially by the use of a
heated hollow polished surface roller rotating by pressure over the shirts or clothes
to be ironed, secured on a traversing table or platform; and in machinery or
mechanism for actuating such table or platform to and fro either by hand labour or
by a helt from a rotating shaft, and arrangement and combination of gearing, all
carried on a suitable, preferably cast iron frame at a height convenient for the laundry
women or men placing the clothes to be ironed on the said traversing table, and
removing them therefrom; which improvements will save much time and labour in
general laundry ironing work over the appliances heretofore employed for that
purpose.
According to one arrangement of my new laundry ironing machine or apparatus,
the whole is carried on an open cast iron framed machine, consisting of two open side
frames about four feet or so in length, bolted together by rigid open end frames and
preferably with flanges or stool feet below projecting down from the frames at the
corners. The upper and inner edges of these side frames, would be planed with
checked grooves, and might have projecting wings at the ends, all for the purpose
of carrying a reciprocating horizontal table, having its edges and under surface planed
also to be guided in its motion to and fro within the said checked grooves. The
under side of this traversing plate or table would have a toothed rack formed or
secured on it throughout its whole length, preferably in the centre, or it might be
two, one at each side, and this rack or racks would have a large spur wheel or
wheels working up into it, secured on a transverse spindle mounted to rotate in
bearing snugs or brackets formed or secured on the under side of the side frames

page_text: and this spindle would also preferably have two smooth faced pulleys or rollers
mounted on it, working upon planed strips or bands formed on the under side of the
plate towards opposite sides, to sustain the pressure, and steady rolling and working
of the traversing plate above it, which is worked to and fro by the rack wheel on this
shaft, as will hereinafter be explained. This central rack and plate actuating shaft
has a spur pinion secured on one end preferably outside the frame, made to gear
into and be actuated by a large quadrant, or segmental wheel mounted with deep eye
on a strong stud secured on one side of the frame. This segmental wheel has a long
segmental slot in its web, carrying a shifting crank pin screwed in it, capable of being
shifted to give any ordinary length of throw to this large quadrant wheel, during its
reciprocation from a quarter or a third of its oscillation, so that it may turn the
central shaft through its pinion to and fro to any desired extent, as say from two to
three feet, as a maximum throw or traverse according to the proportion of the said
wheels. The crank pin on this segmental wheel is connected by a connecting rod
jointed at its other end to a corresponding shifting crank pin set and fixed in an
adjusting radial slotted groove in a second disc wheel, preferably mounted on a strong
stud on the other end of the same side frame of the machine. This wheel is preferably
formed to rotate with teeth all round gearing into another corresponding wheel or
pinion keyed on the outer end of the first motion driving shaft, carried in bush
bearing brackets projecting down from the two side frames, preferably placed between
the centre driving shaft and the said rotating crank pin wheel, so as to rotate this at
any desired speed, according to the speed at which the first motion shaft is driven,
and the proportion between it, and the crank pin or disc wheel which it actuates.
This first motion shaft for small machines might be actuated by hand by a crank
handle secured on a flywheel on the other side of the machine or where motive
power was available, fast and loose pulleys might be mounted on the shaft in place
of the fly wheel, or in addition to it, for rotating this first motion shaft. The rotation
of the crank pin wheel by its crank and connecting rod, would oscillate the table to
and fro as before explained, through the segmental toothed wheel, and its pinion and
central rack wheel all to the desired extent according to the proportionate length to
which the crank pins were set radially in their respective rotating and oscillating
transmitting toothed wheel and segmental wheel.
The heated hollow roller, which irons and dresses or glazes the clothes, is mounted
transversely over and across the centre of the main frame and traversing table with
its hollow spindle, in bored or adjusting bearings in two oscillating longitudinal side
levers or frames mounted on fulcrum studs, or a transverse spindle secured in snugs
projecting up from the two side frames, having an oscillating transverse spindle or
bar passed through the ends of the two side levers, opposite to their fulcrum, preferably
with nuts and washers on their outer ends. A transverse malleable iron or other
metal bow would be secured to the side frames below, and project up vertically over
the said transverse spindle, or bar of the lever frame carrying the hot ironing roller,
with a screw spindle working through a screw boss in the vertical centre of the bow,
having its point projecting down into and rotating within an eye in the centre of the
said transverse spindle, which would have a washer or nut secured on the lower end
of the spindle. All so that when the vertical screw was turned by a hand wheel on
its upper end above the bow, to the right or left, it would press down the ironing
roller or raise it off the traversing table and give any desired degree of pressure to the
roller down on to the table or the clothes laid on it to be ironed. The traversing metal
table oscillated to and fro below the polished ironing roller as before described would
preferably have a level hard wood board secured over its upper surface, preferably
made in different layers or thicknesses secured together with the reed of the wood of
each layer secured across each other, so as to maintain an uniform even surface on the
top which would have one, two, three, or more layers of ironing blanket or other
equivalent soft material secured over it, either with or without india-rubber below the
wood or the blanket to give an elastic action. The clothes to be ironed would be laid
or fixed on the upper surface of the blanket with the side outwards that had to be
ironed by the heated roiler, which would be brought down to act on the articles to

page_text: be ironed by the hand screw as described to the desired pressure. This ironing
roller would be driven by a spur toothed wheel on the outer end of one of its hollow
spindles, from a corresponding wheel on the outer end of the central spindle which
drives the rack and table, and rather larger in diameter than the wheel which drives
the rack, so proportioned to the pinion on the ironing roller, as to drive it in the same
direction and a little faster than the table and clothes moved under it by the rack and
wheels before described. And the ironing roller would be heated under one arrange-
ment by the insertion of a Bunsen gas tube through one end of the hollow spindle and
roller, having a series of small holes in the tube within the roller, from which the
flame jets would project and heat the roller, and the waste gases of combustion would
pass out by the other hollow end or spindle of the roller; and the heat or strength of
the flame jets would be regulated by a tap on the gas pipe leading into the Bunsen
gas and air jet tube.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Ironing of Clothes and in Apparatus or
Machinery therefor.
I, THOMAS MCGILLIVRAY, of 74 Great Hamilton Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire,
Laundry Proprietor, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My Invention comprises a new or improved mode of, a means or apparatus_or
machinery for the ironing of clothes for laundry purposes, essentially by the use of a
heated hollow polished surface roller rotating by pressure over the shirts or clothes to
be ironed, secured on a traversing table or platform; and in machinery or mechanism
for actuating such table or platform to-and-fro either by hand labour or by a belt
from a rotating shaft, and arrangement and combination of gearing, all carried on a
suitable, preferably cast iron frame at a height convenient for the laundry women or
men placing the clothes to be ironed on the said traversing table, and removing them
therefrom which improvements will save much time and labour in general laundry
ironing work over the appliances heretofore employed for that purpose.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown. Figure 1 is a front end
elevation of one arrangement of my new or improved clothes ironing machine, and
Figure 2 a plan, while Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation as taken on the
lines 11 of and corresponding to Figures 1 and 2.
Referring to these Drawings according to one arrangement of my new laundry
ironing machine or apparatus shown in these Drawings:-The whole is carried on an
open cast iron framed machine, consisting of two open side frames A A, about four
feet or so in length bolted together by rigid open end frames A¹, A¹, and preferably
with flanges on stool feet below projecting down from the frames at the corners to
screw it to the floor z. The upper and inner edges A² of these side frames A A, are
planed to form slide or checked grooves, and might bave projecting wings A", at the
ends to lengthen this upper slide part of the frame, all for the purpose of carrying a
sliding reciprocating horizontal table B, having its edges and under surface B₁ planed
also to be guided in its motion to and fro within the said plane slide grooves A². The
underside of this traversing plate or table B, has a toothed rack B¹ formed or secured
on it throughout its length, preferably in the centre, but it might be two, one at each
side, and this rack B¹ or racks has a spur wheel C or wheels working up into it, secured
on a transverse spindle C¹ mounted to rotate in bearings formed or secured on the
underside of the side frames A, and this spindle C¹ has preferably two smooth faced
pulleys or rollers 0 mounted on it, working up on planed strips or bands C¹¹ formed
on the underside of the plate B towards opposite sides, to sustain the pressure, and
steady rolling and working of the traversing plate B above it, which is worked to-and-
fro by the rack wheel C on this shaft C' as will hereinafter be explained. This central

page_text: rack and plate actuating shaft C has a spur wheel C³ secured on one end preferably
inside the frame, and shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, made to gear into and be
actuated by a larger spur wheel C, mounted with deep eye on a strong stud (5 secured
on the bar A³, on one side of the frame A, but it might be a segmental wheel,
as the teeth are not required on the underside. This spur wheel C, has a long
segmental slot in its arm or web, carrying a shifting crank pin secured in it,
capable of being shifted to give any ordinary length of throw to this large spur
wheel C, during its reciprocation from rather less than a half to a quarter of its
circumference, so that it may turn the central shaft C' through its pinion C³ to-and-
fro to any desired extent, as say from two to three feet, as a maximum throw or
traverse and any degree less according to the proportion of the said wheels. The
crank pin c on this spur wheel C is connected by a connecting rod c¹ jointed at its
other end, to a corresponding shifting crank pin c² set and fixed in an adjusting
radial slotted groove in a second disc spur wheel, preferably mounted on a strong
stud C, on the other end of the same side frame A3, of the machine corresponding to
the wheel on the opposite side. This wheel is preferably formed to rotate with
teeth all round gearing into another corresponding spur pinion keyed on the
inner end of the first motion driving shaft D, carried in a strong bush bearing at
D',, formed on the side frame A or frames A A, when the shaft is made long to
cross the machine preferably below the table B placed so as to rotate this crank
pin wheel e, at any desired speed according to the speed at which the first motion
shaft D, is driven, and the proportion between it, and the crank pin wheel c, which
it actuates, the radial position of the crank pin c in the wheel et however being always
less than that c in the wheel C, so that the former always rotates while the latter (*
only oscillates to-and-fro on its stud 03. This first motion shaft D when driven by
motive power has a driving belt pulley D₁ mounted loose on it fitted with an internal
shifting friction clutch D on its inner side and shifting hand lever D³ mounted on
one side of the frame A convenient for the attendant to put the machine and gearing
in and out of action with the driving belt pulley D"; but fast and loose pulleys
might be employed instead of this cluteli arrangement. Or for small machines the
first motion shaft D might be actuated by hand by a crank handle secured on a fly
wheel on the other side of the machine. The rotation of the crank pin wheel c¹, by its
duplex crank pin connecting rod c', and crank wheel C through its pinion C³, would
oscillate the table B to and fro as before explained, through a toothed pinion C, and
central rack B, all to the desired extent according to the proportionate length to
which the crank pins c, c², were set radially in their respective rotating and
oscillating transmitting toothed wheel C, c¹.
The heated hollow roller E which irons and dresses or glazes the clothes, is mounted
transversely over and across the centre of the main frame A and traversing table B,
with its hollow spindle E', in bored or adjusting bearings E, in two oscillating
longitudinal side levers or frames E mounted on fulcrum studs E³, or it might be a
transverse spindle secured in snug brackets E, secured on and projecting up from
the two side frames A, having an oscillating transverse spindle or bar F passed through
the free oscillating ends of the two side levers E2 opposite to their fulcrum 15³,
preferably with nuts and washers on their outer ends. A transverse malleable iron or
other metal spring bow F¹, is secured by standards F, to the side frames A, A,
below, and project up vertically over the said transverse spindle or bar F, of the lever
frame carrying the hot ironing roller E, and has a hand screw spindle f working
through a boss f¹ in the vertical centre of the bow F¹, having its screwed end
projecting down into and rotating within a screwed eye at fii in the centre of
the said transverse spindle F. All so that when the vertical screw f was turned
by a hand wheel on its upper end f₁ above the bow F1, to the right or left, it
would press down the ironing roller E or raise it off the traversing table B, and
give any desired degree of pressure to the roller down on to the table B, or the
clothes to be ironed laid on the ironing pad B3 secured on the upper face of the table B.
The traversing metal table B oscillated to-and-fro below the polished ironing roller E,
as before described, would preferably have a level hard wood board B³ secured over

page_text: its upper surface, preferably made in different layers or thicknesses secured together
with the reed of the wood of each layer secured across each other, so as to maintain
n uniform even surface on the top, which would have one, two, three or more
layers of ironing blanket or other equivalent soft material secured over it, either
with or without vulcanized india-rubber below the wood board B³ or the blanket b
to give an elastic action. The clothes to be ironed would be laid or fixed on the
upper surface of the blanket with the side outwards that has to be ironed by the
heated roller E, which would be brought down to act on the articles to be ironed by
the hand screw as described to the desired pressure. This ironing roller E would
be driven by a spur toothed wheel e on the outer end of one of its hollow spindle,
from a corresponding wheel e¹, on the outer end of the central spindle C¹ which drives
the rack B and table B, and rather larger in diameter than the wheel which drives
the rack, so proportioned to the pinion on the ironing roller E, as to drive it in the
same direction and preferably a little faster than the table B and clothes moved under
it by the rack B' and wheels before described. And the ironing roller E is heated
under one arrangement by the insertion of a Bunsen gas tube g through one end of
the hollow spindle and roller E, having a series of small holes in the tube within the
roller, from which the flame jets would project and heat the roller E, and the waste
gases of combustion would pass out by a funnel or flue tube from the other hollow
end or spindle of the roller E; and the heat or strength of the flame jets would be
regulated by a tap not shown in the Drawings mounted on the gas pipe leading into
the Bunsen gas and air jet tube.
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
First. The mode of, and means or arrangement and combination of appliances or
machinery, for the ironing of clothes, substantially as herein described, in reference to
and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The ironing of shirts, collars, and other clothes, on a traversing table or
platform by means of a heated hollow polished surface pressure roller, rotated in
opposite directions from a continuous rotating shaft and oscillatory gearing, substan-
tially as and in the manner herein described, in reference to and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
Third. In a clothes ironing machine, the construction and use of a to-and-fro
reciprocating or traversing horizontal plate or table having a surface of soft woollen or
other cloth with india-rubber insertion or other elastic material below it, substantially
as herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
•
Fourth. In a clothes ironing machine the constructing of a to-and-fro reciprocating
or traversing horizontal plate or table with a rack or racks and operated by an
oscillating or reciprocating crank spur wheel from a continuous rotating wheel,
substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
Fifth. In a clothes ironing machine the regulating of the pressure of the heated
roller on the traversing table and clothes by means of a transverse bow and hand
screw spindle, substantially as and in the manner herein described, in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Datad this 25th day of July 1000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Per Jensen & Son,
77, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Patent Agents.