Improvements in Ironing or Finishing Apparatus.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec.. 1888
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing or Finishing Apparatus.
We JOHN HAWTHORN and JOHN PEMBERTON LIDDELL of the firm of John
Hawthorn and Company of Newtown New Mills in the County of Chester, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the apparatus employed in the ironing or smoothing of
woven fabrics or of articles made therefrom. Previously to our invention the articles
to be operated upon have been entered between a revolving roller and a heated concave
bed and have been carried forward by the action of the roller the articles passing
through in sliding contact with the said bed. In order to obtain sufficient. effect the
said roller has been made of large diametor and the bed has been made of corre-
sponding proportions. A consequence of this formation has been that the evolved
vapour has not been able to escape with sufficient freedom so that the operation of the
machine was slow and not so effective as was desirable. We use a smaller roller and
we combine together two or more sets of rollers and beds so that the fabric or article
operated upon passes from one set to another parting with moisture during such
interval of passage so that the fabric or article leaves the machine in a drier and better
finished condition and there is less tendency for the retention of moisture by the roller
or its covering or within the space between the roller and its bed. Another advantage
arises from, the fact that the bed is of smaller proportions and is therefore better
adapted to withstand a high degree of internal steam pressure. As the bulk of the
moisture is evolved during the earlier part of the progress of an article through the
machine the later sots of rollers and beds in the series are comparatively free from
moisture and are therefore better adapted to complete the drying and finishing of the
article. Our invention is well adapted to be used in the treatment of piece goods as
such goods can be passed continuously through the machine being operated upon
successively by the sets of ironing apparatus until any degree of finish is obtained
according to the number of such successively operating sets. If it is desirable to
iron both sides of the fabric the alternate ironing beds may be inverted or reversed
with relation to the other beds so that both sides of the fabric are alternately brought
into contact with the beds. This arrangement may also be adopted in cases wherein
detached articles are to be operated upon. In order to prevent detached articles from
wrapping upon the rollers we may employ doctors or detaching blades or revolving.
brushes or detachers. In some cases we cause the articles to slide over an inclined
surface when passing from one set to another the inclination being calculated to
facilitate the passage of the articles at the same time that too much inclination which
would cause creasing is avoided. By heating this surface the drying of the articles is
promoted. The rollers may be of metal covered with flannel or be of any suitable
nature or construction. The first set may be provided with a hinged lip operated by a
treadle to press the entering article into contact with the roller. In some or in all
cases we arrange for the rollers to be simultaneously raised out of contact with the
beds when their revolutions are to be arrested for a time or when the machine is not
In one arrangement for this purpose the rollers are raised by means of sido
incline bars which are operated in unison by means of levers which are actuated by
means of a worm and quadrant or of racks and pinions or other suitable means.
in use.
Dated this 28th day of December 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing or Finishing Apparatus.
We JOHN HAWTHORN and JOHN PEMBERTON LIDDELL of the firm of John
Hawthorn and Company of Newtown, New Mills, in the County of Chester, Engineers,
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:-
-
Our Invention relates to the apparatus employed in the ironing or smoothing of
woven fabrics or of articles made therefrom. Previously to our invention the articles
to be operated upon have been entered between a revolving roller and a heated concave
bed and have been carried forward by the action of the roller the articles passing
through in sliding contact with the said bed. In order to obtain sufficient effect the
said roller has been made of large diameter and the bed has been made of correspond-
ing proportions. A consequence of this formation has been that the evolved vapour
has not been able to escape with sufficient freedom so that the operation of the machine
was slow and not so effective as was desirable. We use a smaller roller and we
combine together two or more sets of rollers and beds so that the fabric or article
operated upon passes from one set to another parting with moisture during such
interval of passage so that the fabric or article leaves the machine in a drier and better
finished condition and there is less tendency for the retention of moisture by the
roller or its covering or within the space between the roller and its bed. Another
advantage arises from the fact that the bed is of smaller proportions and is therefore
better adapted to withstand a high degree of internal steam pressure.
our
In order that our Invention may be fully understood we will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings of which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation
and Fig. 2 a plan of an Ironing Machine constructed in accordance with
Invention. In the example selected for illustration the machine is provided with
four ironing rollers a a and four beds b. b. The said rollers may be of metal
covered with flannel or be of any suitable nature or construction. The journals
of the rollers are mounted in brackets c. c which are formed with inclined jaws
which keep the rollers in position horizontally whilst leaving them free to rise and
fall. Each of the beds b is formed with a curved bed surface to suit the roller
such surface being lower at the inlet end than at the outlet and from the higher
outlet side of each bed a declining surface extends downward toward the inlet
side of the next adjacent bed. In the case of the last bed in the series the said
declining surface is directed toward a receiving table d The inclination of the
surfaces is calculated to facilitate the passage of articles from one bed to another
at the same time that too much inclination, which would cause creasing, is. avoided.
The drying of the cloth or articles is also promoted by the passage of the same
over these surfaces. Upon the shaft of each roller a chain wheel e. is fixed and
engages with an endless pitch chain which is mounted upon a driver wheel g
and carrier wheels h. The wheel g is upon the same shaft as a spur wheel i
which gears with a pinion upon the first motion shaft k. Upon the last named
shaft are belt pullies whereby the machine receives motion. The rollers are thus
caused to revolve in the same direction and at an uniform speed. The cloth to be
ironed is entered at m between the first roller of the serios and its bed and is
carried forward and ironed between the roller and the bed. On the end of the
cloth passing out at n it passes over the side of the bed and slides down the
decline to the point of entry between the second roller and its bed and is carried
forward by the second roller and delivered to the third and so on until it is
delivered on to the table d. The end of the cloth may be directed down the
declines by hand so as to ensure the proper entry of the cloth between the successive
rollers and their beds but we prefer in most cases to provide means for effecting
this object.
For the purpose we may employ doctors or detaching blades to
prevent the end of the cloth from wrapping around the rollers or to serve the
same purpose when the machine is used in the treatment of household linen or of

page_text: etached articles. In the example blasts of air delivered by pipes o. o are used
low the end of the cloth or of the article over the top of the decline and to direct
uch end down the decline. At the entry end of the machine a hinged lip p is
nonnted to turn upon a fulcrum and is connected by means of. a roil pl with a
treadle lever which is provided with a load which tends to raise the said rod
The lip is withdrawn by pressing
whereby the lip is pressed toward the roller.
When so withdrawn the end of a piece of cloth or
upon the treadle with the foot.
When the treadle is released
of an article is inserted between the lip and the roller.
the prossure of the lip ensures the cloth or article being carried forward. It is an
advantage to be able to raise all the rollers from their beds simultaneously. For this
The arm s¹
purpose we employ sliding bars r. r. one on each side of the machine. Each bar is
pivoted to a lever arms and the two arms are fixed upon a rock shaft t.
By acting upon
which appears in Fig. 1 is formed in one piece with a hand lever s.
this hand lever the two bars p can be simultaneously slid endwise to the same extent
in either direction. Upon each bar are formed four inclines corresponding in number
and distance apart with the four rollers. It will be seen that when the hand lever s
would be depressed the bars in Fig. 1 would be moved toward the left hand whereby
all the rollers would be raised by the action of the inclines upon the roller shafts.
We prefer to so raise the roilers at the times when the machine is not required to be
used for an interval of time in order principally that the rollers and their beds may
It will be understood that the beds b are heated in the usual or in
dry more readily.
a suitable manner. In the example the beds are supposed to be hollow and to be
heated by admitting high pressure steam into the internal spaces in the beds but it has
not been considered necessary to represent the steam pipes which would be required.
As the bulk of the moisture is evolved during the earlier part of the progress of an
article through the machine the later sets of rollers and beds in the series are
comparatively free from moisture and are therefore better adapted to complete the
drying and finishing of the article. Our invention is well adapted to be used in
the treatment of piece goods as such goods can be passed continuously through the
inachine being operated upon successively by the sets of ironing apparatus until any
degree of finish is obtained according to the number of such successively operating
sets. If it is desirable to iron both sides of the fabric the alternate ironing beds may
be inverted or reversed with relation to the other beds so that both sides of the fabric
This arrangement may also
may be alternately brought into contact with the beds.
5 be adopted in cases wherein detached articles are to be operated upon. We do not
confine ourselves to the formation of the beds nor to the number of beds or rollers in
the series so long as there are two or more, nor do we confine ourselves to the method
of actuating the rollers. If not considered to be necessary the bars for raising the
rollers may be dispensed with or other means may be adopted for effecting the same
10 object. In the cases of machines specially intended to be used in the ironing of piece
goods the tables d and u or one of them may be dispensed with and if required rollers
or carriers for delivering and receiving the cloth or for receiving it may be substituted
for the said tables or for one of them. As herein before mentioned the alternate beds
may be inverted so as to be above the rollers in order that the goods may pass
45 alternately above and below the rollers so as to iron both sides. In such a case it is
obvious that the rollers. which would be below the beds must be pressed upward
toward the beds or the beds must be mounted to be movable toward and from the
rollers or if preferred the rollers might be arranged vertically one above another and
all be pressed toward their respective beds or otherwise the beds be pressed toward
50 the rollers. It is obvious that if preferred two or more of the beds might be cast or
formed in one piece.
55
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
(1) The combination of parts constituting the complete machine substantially as
………] Co- the nurnoses set forth and indicated.

page_text: (2) An ironing machine having two or more rollers in combination with two or
more heated curved bed surfaces and with means for actuating the rollers so as to
pass cloth or articles to be ironed from one roller and bed to another substantially
as set forth.
(3) An ironing machine having two or more heated ironing beds formed separately
or two or more in one piece each bed having a decline leading downward toward
the point of entry between the next roller and bed substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated this 27th day of Sontanho- 1889
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.