Improvements in Ironing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in 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
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawings:
:-
My invention relates to an Improvement in Ironing Machines of that class which
einbrace 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.
The invention consists in tho means hereinafter described and pointed out in the
appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machino embodying the invention.
Fig. 2 is a front or ond view thereof.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken upon line 3. 3 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a detail section taken upon line 5. 5 of Fig. 2 showing the toggle arms
which support the carriage guide-bars.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the pulley by which the reciprocating table is moved.
Fig. 6 is an edge view theroof.
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side view of one of said pulleys with parts in section,
showing the device for attaching the ropes to said pulley.
Fig. 8 is a detail section taken upon line 9. 9 of Fig. 5.
Fig. 9 is a detail section taken upon line 10. 10 of Fig. 5.
Fig. 10 is a detail plan view of the devices for holding, raising or lowering the
ironing board by hand.
As illustrated in said drawings, the case 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 A¹ A. B designates the ironing board, and
D is an
C designates as a whole a reciprocating carriage which supports the same.
ironing roller located above and acting upon the ironing table B. E is a transverse
shaft, arranged transversely of the machine frame at the middle of the latter, and
operating to drive the said ironing roller and the reciprocating carriage. The said
shaft Eis turned alternately in opposite directions by the reversing gear herein before
described and communicates a similar motion to the roller D, the direction of the
motion of which is reversed at each reversal of the movement of the ironing table.
The said ironing roller is driven from the shaft E by means of a spur wheel E' upon
one end of the said shaft, which spur wheel intermeshes with a pinion D' upon the
end of the ironing roller D. The carriage (is given motion by means of a curved
pulley F upon the shaft E to which pulley are fit two wires ropes or chains F¹ F¹
which engage two parallel grooves in the pulley, said ropes or chains being
attached at the ends remote from the pulley to the opposite ends of said carriage C.
The carriage C is supported and travels upon two parallel guide bars G G, located
at the sides of the frame, sail guide bars being located inside of and adjacent to the
side frame-plates A A. Means are provided for supporting said guide bars, adapted
to afford vertical adjustment of the ironing board toward and from the ironing roller
and adapted also to enable the said ironing board to be dropped away frɔm and
brought against said ironing roller at the will of the operator as follows.
H H are two horizontal bars located beneath and parallel with the said guide
bars G G and supported at their ends upon cross pieces or yokes 1 I which are
adjustably sustained from the cross girts A' A¹ of the machine frame by means of
vertical screw threads I' 1', which pass through screw threaded apertures in said girts
and are engaged with the central parts of the said yokes I I. The said yokes I l are

page_text: provided with central cylinders ] I which contain springs, engaging the said yokes
to the upper ends of the screw threads 1' 11, in such manner as to afford a yielding as
well as an adjustable support to said yokes and the parts sustained thereby, in a
mannor fully described and shown in a prior Application for Letters Patent of the
United States, Serial No. 217,524, made by George H. Downs, Aug. 22, 1887
and shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the present application. At the rear end of
the machine the parts II are connected with the frame plates A A by means of
bolts which pass through vertical slots in the said plates. Said bolts allow
vertical movement of the said bars H while holding the same from shifting
forwardly or backwardly in the frame under the action of the revolving ironing roller
upon the ironing board, said bolts serving to take any strain or pressure (which in
their alisonce would come upon the yokes and screw shafts which, as will be readily
seen, are not well adapted to withstand backward or forward pressure.
At the rear end of the machine the bars 1 II are provided with upwardly extending
arms HF, to the upper ends of which the guide bars G G are pivotally connected
in such manner as to allow the opposite or forward ends of said guide bars to swing
in vertical planes.
At the opposite or forward end of the machino the guide bars are supported
from the lars H H by means of toggle arms H H H which are pivoted to the
said bars GC and H II and are pivotally connected to each other at their meeting
ends. His a rock shaft arranged in allignment with the lower pivots of the toggle
arms H³ II and rigidly attached to said arms, the particular attaching device shown
consisting of transverse lugs at the ends of the rock shaft engaging transverse
slots in the arms (Fig. 2) and pivot bolts inserted through the said arms H H
and lugs upon the bars H II, into the ends of the rock shaft. His a metal block
affixed to the shutt II by means of set screws, as shown, or otherwise, and H is a
hand lever which is pivoted to said block H by means of a pivot holt arranged
transversely with reference to the said shaft H', so that the said hand lever may be
swung in a plane parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The said hand lever
is provided, adjacent to its pivot, with a short arm (Figs. 2 and 10), which is
desirably arranged at an angle with reference to the main part of the lever, and is so
disposed as to engage a black or lug upon the yoke piece I when the hand lever is
in one position and to pass free from said lug when the hand lever is swung upon
its pivot into another position. In Fig. 2 the said hand lever is shown as in
position with its short arm engaged with the said lug and in Fig. 1) as engaged
with said lug in fall lines and free from the same in dotted lines. When the arm
is engaged with the lug the rock shaft is thereby hold from turning, and the
parts are so disposed that the said parts are in position for engagement with each
other when the toggle arms are straightened out, so that by engaging said arms
with the lug the toggle arans may be locked to hold the said guide bars & Gin
their elevated position. The lug is herein shown as cast integral with the yoke
piece I, but it may be otherwise made, as found convenient or desirable.
To prevent the rock shaft from turning backward when the hand lever is in its
norinal position and the guide bars GG are elevated, and thereby allowing the toggle
arms to become flexed in the direction the reverso of that in which they are intended
to bend, a stop or projection (herein shown as made integral with the lug h*) is
located upon the yoke piece I in position to engage the head upon the pivot bolt
connecting the lover with the block 1, in the manner shown. The said stop may
be arranged to engage any part of the said lever or the said block, with the same
result. By swinging the lever He so as to disengage the arm from the said lug 4
the lever may be swung by land in a vertical plane so as to rotate the rock shaft and
flex the toggle arms, thus allowing the descent of the said guide bars and table
supported thereby. The rock shaft is actuated by hand in a manner described, when
it is desired to drop the ironing board away from the ironing roller turning it when
the machine is in operation.
Devices are herein shown for giving rotary movement alternately in opposite
directions to the shaft E and driving pulley F, and the carriage C is reciprocated as

page_text: follows: Jis a horizontal shaft arranged parallel with the shaft E and provided with
two loose belt pulleys K K' which are constantly driven in opposite directions by
suitably arranged belts, said belts, when both pulleys are driven from a single counter-
shaft, usually being arranged with one helt crossed and the other straight, in a familiar
manner. At its end opposite the pulleys K K¹, the driving shaft J is provided with
a gear pinion J¹ which intermeshes with a gear wheel J to which is secured a pinion J'
which intermeshes with the spur wheel E upon the shaft E. Said gear wheel Jand
pinion J are mounted upon a short shaft or stul affixed to the frame plate A, as
clearly shown in the drawing. The gearing described is used in order that the shaft J
may be driven at a relatively high speed without any increase in the speed of the
ironing table and roller, and I have shown in Fig. 2 a clutch device which I prefer to
use constructed both for automatic operation and to be actuated positively by the
operator whereby the two loose pulleys K, and K', may be connected with the driving
shaft J. Any desirable form of clutch, however, may be substituted which will
accomplish the purpose mentioned and the particular one illustrated is not herein
specifically described or claimed as it forms the subject matter of another application
filed by me in the United States Patent Office on the First day of Aug. 1889,
No. 319,448.
As a further improvement in ironing machines embracing a reciprocating carriage
which is actuated by means of a pulley connected by ropes or chains with the carriage,
I provide an improved means for attaching the said ropes and chains to the pulley by
which the length of the said cords or chains may be adjusted, and any slack therein
taken up when necessary or desirable. As herein shown, wire ropes F¹ F' are
employed for connecting the carriage with the pulley; but the sanie features of
construction may be employed when a chain is used. The said improved adjustable
attaching device for each rope F1, is made as follows. A lug or projection F³ is cast
upon the side of the pulley in the same vertical plane with the rope F', and through
said lug or projection is formed a cylindric aperture which intersects the groove f
of the pulley at an angle therewith. A slot or opening is cut through the side of
said lug F into the opening as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 9. S is a support
tube or thimble inserted within the passage or opening and provided with a lateral
extension or flanges which extends outwardly through the slot f³. At its end remote
from the groove of the wheel, the thimble S is exteriorly screw threaded, and
extends beyond or protrudes from the end of the lug F, and upon the projecting
screw threaded end of the said thimble is placed the nut St, which bears against the
end of the said projection F2. Within the thimble, and opposite the flange or
projections is placed a gib s' and in said flanges are inserted two set screws
which bear against the outer face of the gib. The said gibs and set scrows act as a
clamp device for securing the end of the rope F within the sleeve S, said rope being
permanently secured within said sleeve at the time the machine is put together.
The nut S upon the end of the sleeve affords means for drawing the sleeve bodily
inwardly and thereby tightening the rope which is secured thereto. The engagement
of the flanges of the sleeve within the slot prevents any turning of the sleeve
within the aperture of the pulley when the nut S is being turned upon the sleeve.
To enable the said sleeve with the flange s to be inserted in the passage f, the slot ƒ'³
is continued outwardly through the solid metal of the pulley, flange, and the rope
groove, as indicated at f (Fig. 7) and the space thus formed, is filled by a block S
which is secured in place by a screws. The outer surface of said block S³ against
which the rope F¹ rests, is desirably convexly rounded or curved as shown in the
drawing, so as to give a smooth bend to the rope passing thereon. The rope F¹ is
attached to the carriage C, by means of a gib and set screws (Fig. 3), in the
same manner that the fast end of the rope is secured in the sleeve S. T is a hori-
zontally arranged shield formed by a plate, secured to the guide bars G G beneath
the carriage C, and acting to prevent the sleeves or other parts of garments which
may overhang from the said carriage C, from dragging open or over the parts beneath
the carriage, when the latter is near the limit of its movement at either end of the
machine.

page_text: Said shield may be obviously sustained otherwise than from the guido bars, the
ironing board and carriage together constitute a support for the articles to be ironed,
which support may obviously he made of either form than the particular one herein
illustrated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what I
claim is :-
1.) The combination with an ironing roller and a reciprocating support for the
articles to be ironed, of means for actuating the support comprising a revolving
shaft, a pulley mounted upon the said shafts, ropes connected with the support and
engaging the pulley, and means for adjustably connecting the ropes with the pulley
comprising sliding and longitudinally adjustable sleeves inserted in gnide recesses
in the pulley, and clamps for securing the ropes within the sleaves, substantially as
described.
2.) The combination with a pulley F provided with an integral recessed lug or
projection having a slot 1³, of a sleeve S inserted in said lng or projection and
provided at one end with a flange s engaging said groove and at its opposite end
with an external screw threaded, a rope secured in said sleeve and a nut a plazed
upon the said screw threaded end of the sleeve and bearing against said lug F
substantially as described.
3.) The combination with the pulley F, of a sleeve S adjustably secured therein, a
rope, the end of which is inserted in said sleeve and means for clamping the end of
the rope within the sleeve comprising a movable gib, and set screws inserted through
the sleeve and bearing on the gib, substantially as described.
4.) The combination with the pulley F and rope F of a sleeve S inserted in the
pulley and adjustably secured therein, of a heating block S' inserted in said pulley
adjacent to the outer end of the sleeve, substantially as described,
3.) The combination with the pulley F provided with an internal recessed lug F
having a longitudinal slot f, of a sleeve S insertel in the lug and provided with a
flange & fitting in the slot a gib, clamp screws inserted through the flanges and
bearing against the gib for securing the end of the rope within the sleeve, a nut S
placed upon the screw threaded end of said sleeve and a bearing block S secured
in a recess of the pulley to the outer end of the said sleeve, substantially as
described.
6.) The combination with an ironing roller, a reciprocating support for the articles
to be used and guide bars sustaining said support, said guide bars being pivotally
connected with one end of the frame, of toggle armis supporting the free ends of said
gunde bars, a rock shaft rigidly attached to said toggle arms, a hand lever mounted
upon the said rock shaft, and adapted to throw the pivot arranged transversely to the
shaft, and a lug or projection upon the machine frame adapted to engage said hand
luver in one position of the lattor, to hold the toggle arms from becoming flexed,
substantially as described.
7.) The combination with an ironing roller, and a reciprocating support for the
articles to be ironed, of guide bars sustaining said support and pivoted at one end to
the machine frame, togglo arms supporting the free ends of said guide bars, a rock
shaft rigidly attached to said toggle arms, a hard lover pivoted to said rock shaft
upon a pivot arranged transversely to the shaft, a lug or projection located in position
to engage said hand lever in one position of the same, and a stop upon the frame
located in position to engage the hand lover to hold the rock shaft from turning
backwardly, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of Santember 1800
DUTTON & FULTON,
1. St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.