IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR FINISHING GARMENTS OR PARTS OF GARMENTS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Osbourn, of Aldersgate Street, in the
City of London, Tailor, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
PRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR FINISHING GARMENTS OR PARTS OF GARMENTS."
Sealed the 2nd May 1856, and dated the 26th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Osbourn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th November 1855.
I, FREDERICK OSBOURN, of Aldersgate Street, in the City of London, Tailor,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR PRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR FINISHING GARMENTS OR PARTS OF GARMENTS, to
be as follows:-
The object of my Invention of improved machinery for pressing or finishing
garments or parts of garments is to enable tailors and others (the manufacturers
of garments) to press out or smooth with greater facility than heretofore the
seams produced by sewing together the pieces of cloth of which a garment is
made. Hitherto this operation has been done by hand with a heavy. iron,
called a "goose," heated by means of a lump of heated metal placed inside
the iron or tailor's "goose."
In carrying out the object of my Invention, I construct a machine consisting
principally of a long framework, to which a moveable board is adapted for
the purpose of receiving the articles to be pressed, and above this table is
mounted a cylindrical, hexagonal, or other conveniently shaped metal pressing
surface, which is made hollow, for the purpose of being heated internally by
jets of gas, or in any other convenient manner. This surface may be made to

page_text: rotate, so as to bring from time to time a fresh surface to act on the articles
below, as that portion of the surface which had formerly been in contact
becomes cooled.
The articles to be operated upon must be fitted on a flat board, or other
surface of suitable shape, before being placed in the machine. For instance,
supposing the seams of the sleevo of a coat require flattening, pressing, or
smoothening, the coat sleeve is first fitted on a sleeve board, and when placed
on the moveable table is passed under the heated metal pressing surface,
whereby the seam will become flattened, in the same way that a tailor flattens
and presses the. seams of a garment with. his "goose." In order to keep. the
seam extended, so that it should enter beneath the flattening iron in a proper
manner, I adapt a metal pressing finger, which guides the seam under the iron,
and prevents the ironing operation from creasing the article: Motion may be
communicated by means of a rack and pinion, or other equivalent mechanical
contrivance, to the table on which the articles are placed. This table may also
bave a vertical adjustment, by means of vertical adjusting screws adapted to it,
for the purpose of raising or lowering it to a nicety, according to the thickness
of the material to be operated upon and the amount of pressure required. If
thought desirable, two or more pressing surfaces may be adapted in the same
machine in such a manner that the articles may be made to pass under them
in succession; and in order that an extended pressing surface may be obtained,
ns will be required for some purposes, I propose to connect. several flät: bars
or irons in the form of an endless chain, and pass the same over two horizontal
metal frames, which being made to rotate will cause the endless chain of
pressing surfaces to travel slowly forward. These pressing surfaces may be
heated by gas, or by any other artificial heat, in the same way as the cylinders.
Another modification may be made by having a stationary metal box heated
in any convenient manner; and suspended in guides over the travelling table
in such a manner, that when the articles are passed under it the weight thereof
will press out and flatten the seams, in the same manner as is now done by
passing a heavy tailor's goose over the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Osbourn in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, Ì, FREDERICK 3
OSBOURN, of Aldersgate Street, in the City of London, Tailor, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the. Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said. Frederick Osbourn, Her special license that I, the said Frederick
Osbourn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Frederick Osbourn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time.agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and, lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
POR PRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR FINISHING GARMENTS OR PARTS OF GARMENTS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Osbourn, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to, be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Osbourn, do hereby declaro
the nature of my. said Invention, and, in what manner the same is to bo
performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement; reference..being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say):
The object of my.Invention of "improved machinery for pressing or finishing
garments or parts of garments" is to enable tailors and others (the manufac-
turers of garments) to press out or smooth.with greater facility than heretofore
the seams produced by sewing together the pieces of cloth of which a garment
is made. Hitherto this operation has been done by hand with a heavy iron,
called a "goose," heated by means of. a lump of heated metal placed inside
the iron or tailor's ".
"goose:"
In carrying out the object of my Invention, I construct a machine consisting
principally of a long framework, to which a moveable board is adapted for
the purpose of receiving the articles to be pressed, and above this table is
mounted a cylindrical, hexagonal, rectangular, or other conveniently shaped
metal pressing surface, which is made hollow, for the purpose of being heated
internally by jets of gas, or in any other convenient manner. This surface
may be made to rotate, so as to bring from time to time a fresh surface to and
on the articles below, as that portion of the surface which had formerly been
in contact becomes cooled. Causing the ironing surface to rotate is not,

page_text: however, indispensable, and as it will necessarily somewhat complicate the
machinery I do not propose to employ it generally, as I find by experience
that I can obtain very satisfactory results without causing the ironing surface
to rotate.
The articles to be operated upon must be fixed on a flat board, or other
surface of suitable shape, before being placed in the machine. For instance,
supposing the seams of the sleeve of a coat require. flattening, pressing, or
smoothening, the coat sleeve is first fitted on a sleeve board, and when placed
on the moveable table is passed under the heated metal pressing surface, or
the heated metal surface may be passed over it, whereby the seam will
become flattened, in the same way that a tailor flattens and presses the seams
of a garment with his "goose." In order to keep the seam extended, so that
it should enter beneath the flattening iron in a proper manner, a metal
pressing finger may be adopted in front of the ironing surface, for the purpose
of guiding the seam under the iron, and preventing the ironing operation from
creasing the article. This pressing finger is not, however, required for all
kinds of articles, and may frequently be dispensed with.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a plan view, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3, a cross
section, of one arrangement of my improved machinery for pressing, smoothing,
or finishing garments or parts of garments. a, a, is the framework or table of
the machine; b, b, is a metal framework secured on the framework a, a, for.
the purpose of supporting and carrying the hollow ironing box or surface. c, c,
which is bolted to the two grooved pieces d, d, and runs on guides e, e, as seen
best in Fig. 3. The guides e, e, form part of a moveable horizontal frame that
is capable of being moved in grooves or guides made in the fixed framing b, b,
so that the ironing box or surface may be moved both longitudinally and
laterally, and by the combination of the two motions any description of curved
line in a horizontal direction may be traced or followed. To a moveable board
or table f, f, is hinged an arm f*, that turns horizontally upon a vertical stud
fixed to the horizontal frame or table a, so that the board f may be raised or
lowered, or turned horizontally, at the will of the attendant. The moveable
board or table f, f, is supported from below by a vertical spindle g, which is
jointed to one end of the lever h; this lever turns upon a centre in the
upright standard j, and is connected by means of a vertical rod i to a treadle
lever below. These parts are so arranged, that when the attendant with
his foot depresses the treadle k, he will raise up the moveable table or board f,
and press it against the under side of the ironing box or surface c, which in
the Drawing is shewn as made in the form of a long rectangular box, but
may be made of any other shape if preferred.

page_text: This ironing box c is provided with a handle c*, whereby it may be moved
along the guides; and is also provided inside with a perforated metal pipe !,
which communicates by means of a branch pipe and piece of flexible tube /*
with a gas pipe, so that the perforated metal pipe / may be supplied with gas,
which when ignited will heat the box or ironing surface c, a few holes being
made in the sides and ends of the box for the purpose of admitting air to sup-
port the combustion of the gas inside the box. The supply of gas is regulated by
means of a stop-cock, adapted to any convenient part of the branch pipe, so as
to regulate the heat of the ironing surface. The machine is used in the
following manner :-The garment or a portion of a garment to be operated
upon having been placed upon the moveable table or board f, the latter is, by
means of the treadles k and k*, pressed upward against the under side of the
ironing surface or box c, which is then moved along the seams by means of the
handle c, in the same way that the ordinary "goose" is moved by the hand
of the workman. The ironing, box c being capable of moving both longitudi-
nally and laterally, as before mentioned, it will be clearly understood that the
box may be made to follow any curves or sinuosities in the seam of the
garment to be operated upon.
Fig. 4, Sheet II.; is a sectional plan view, Fig. 5 a side elevation, and
Fig. 6 a cross section, of a modification of the above-described machine; tho
framework and the standards are shown at a, a: 6 is an iron standard, secured:
to the fixed framing a by bolts or otherwise; c, c, is tho ironing box or surface,'
suspended from a central stud or pivot d, which moves in a slot made in the
arm c. This arm is supported in a horizontal position by means of the vertical
centre pin e, which is mounted in a step, so as to admit of the horizontal arm
e being moved over the surface of the ironing table. The ironing box c, being;
mounted on a centre pin, may be turned thereon by means of its handle c*,
and it is heated by means of gas, in precisely the same manner as in the
former instance. The garments or parts of garments to be operated upon
are placed upon the horizontal tablo f, f, which is capable of being moved
vertically by means of the arrangemets of levers g, h, i, and treadle k below.
It will now be understood that by depressing the treadle k the moveable
table f, f, will be raised, and any articles that may be placed thereon will be
brought against the heated under surface of the ironing box C, which may be
moved over the face of the article by means of the handle c, the motion of
the ironing box on its centre pin d, and the horizontal motion of the swing
frame e on its vertical supporting pin e, enabling the workman to follow with
facility all the sinuosities of the seams.
In order to stretch out and flatten the seam ready to receive the ironing

page_text: surface, I have adapted to the front end of the box ca metal finger n, which
the operator will guide along the seams.
Having now described my "Improved Machinery for Pressing, Smoothing,
or Finishing Garments or Parts of Garments," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would observe, that although I have described
'the best arrangement of machinery with which I am acquainted for effecting
the purpose of my Invention, I do not mean or intend to confine myself rigidly
thereto, as the same may doubtless be varied without departing from the
nature and object of my Invention; and I would observe that I do not mean
or intend to claim the heating of surfaces for smoothing, ironing, or finishing
fabrics by means of jets of ignited gas, except when the same is effected in
'the manner and for the purpose herein shewn and described; nor do I intend
to confine myself to heating the ironing surfaces by means of jets of ignited
gas, as it is evident that this mode of heating can only be employed in
situations where gas is obtainable. I therefore propose, when gas cannot be
obtained with facility, to heat the surface either by means of steam, or by
means of a lump or piece of red-hot iron, as is now adopted by most tailors;
I, however, much prefer to use gas in the manner shewn and described.
In conclusion, I claim, as the Invention secured to mo by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, the mounting of the heated ironing surface in a moveable frame or
arm in such a manner above the article to be operated upon that it may with
facility be moved in any direction over the face of the said article, as above
described; I also claim the use of a moveable table or board on which the
articles to be operated upon are placed, such board or table being capable
of motion, so as to bring the surface of the articles against the heated face of
the ironing box suspended above.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Osbourn, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. CLARKE,
66, Chancery Lane.
F. OSBOURN. (L.S.)