Improvements in Ironing Tables.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1892-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing Tables.
I, GEORGE N. SIMMONS, of Santa Cruz, in the County of Santa Cruz, and
State of California, 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 :-
This invention relates to ironing tables, and the object of the same is to produce
certain improvements in such devices. To this end the invention consists in the
details of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as illus-
trated on the sheet of drawings, wherein,
Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of the device in its operative position.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the device in the act of being folded and
showing in dotted lines the board slightly elevated.
Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the device folded.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective detail of the catch.
Referring to the said drawings, the letter B designates the board, whose upper face
it is to be understood is covered with cloth and suitably padded, and this board is
pivoted at P near its larger end to the wide support D. The latter comprises two
legs having suitable transverse and inclined braces C and I connecting them as
best seen in Fig. 3, or there may be corner brackets I to brace the legs as also
seen in this figure. T is what I designate the notched bar, which at its upper end
has a malleable casting, pivoted on a casting P¹ secured to the large end of the
board, and the body of this bar is provided with a notch N adapted to detachably
engage one of the transverse braces C. When the board is slightly raised and
this notch thus engages the brace C the board is held in this position as seen in
dotted lines in Fig. 2 and when it is desired to again lower the board, the notched
bar is moved so as to disengage the notch from the brace.
The letter L designates a narrow support which is connected by a pair of bars H
with the upper cross-bar U of the wide support D, the bars H having malleable
castings, at one end which loosely embrace said upper cross-bar, and similar
castings at the other end loosely embracing a staple X which connects the two
members or legs comprising the narrow support.
The body of the narrow support is open, as best seen in Fig. 1, and it preferably
has two feet F which set squarely on the floor, a plate f, connecting the parts above
the feet and preferably bearing the manufacturer's name and address. The letter A
designates a bracing arm which is bifurcated as at Q at one end where its two
arms are loosely connected by malleable castings with the central cross-bar C
of the wide support D on each side of the notched bar T.
The other end of the arm A moves within the longitudinally-slotted body of the
narrow support Land has a transverse pin Z which moves in transverse vertical
grooves one in the inner face of each leg of this support.
To fold the table shown in Fig. 1, the arm A. is raised so that its pin Z will move
to the upper ends of the grooves V as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and then the
feet of the supports may be moved towards each other as seen, the arm A moving
between the two bars H as will be understood. When the device has been com-
pletely folded, as seen in Fig. 3, a hook J engages a staple M in the bottom of the
board B, and the whole device may be stored away for future use..
To open it, the operation is reversed.
In order to prevent the device from collapsing when open, the arm A is provided
with a notch O which engages a staple R that connects the two bars H and in
order to hold the pin % of the arm A at the lower ends of the grooves VI make use

page_text: of the device best seen in Fig. 4 and which I will call a spring-catch K. This
catch is of metal having a flat galvanized iron base 1, which is secured by screws 2
to the support L and having riveted thereto an upwardly-extending spring-metal
arm 3. 7 is a knob whose shank passes through the free upper end of the arm 3,
and 5 is a catch-face secured on the other end of said shank.
In operative position when the free end of the arm A is brought down it moves
over the beveled face 5 of the catch which springs over said end as will be clear.
This prevents this end of the arm from rising and holds the notch O in engagement
with the staple R.
The device can be cheaply constructed of light wood or other material and is
ornamental rather than otherwise. When it is desired to slip a shirt or dress over
the board for the purpose of ironing it the small end of the board is slightly raised
and the notched bar holds it so. After the garment has been slipped on, the
notched bar is moved as above described, and the board falls so as to be sustained
by the upper end of the narrow support L. The notch O and the staple R prevent
all longitudinal movement or swaying of the supports of the table.
I do not confine myself to the exact construction and relative sizes and shapes of
parts here illustrated and described, as considerable change may be made therein
without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
1. The combination, in an ironing table, with a wide support having cross-bars, a
pair of bars hinged to the upper cross-bar, an arm hinged to the lower cross-bar,
and a board pivoted to the upper end of said support, of a narrow support to which
the other ends of said bar are hinged, this support having transverse grooves, a pin
in said arm moving in the grooves, the body of the arm passing between the said
bars and having a notch, and a staple in said bars adapted to be engaged by the notch
when the pin in the arm is at the lower ends of said grooves, as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. The combination, in an ironing table, with a wide support having cross-bars,
a pair of bars hinged to the upper cross-bar, an arm hinged to the lower cross-bar,
and a board pivoted to the upper end of said support, of a narrow support to which
the other ends of said bars are hinged, a pin through the arm moving in transverse
grooves in this support, the body of the arm passing between the said bars and
having a notch, a staple on said bars adapted to be engaged by the notch when said
pin is at the lower end of the grooves, and a spring-catch carried by said narrow
support and removably engaging the end of this arm at such time, as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. The combination, in an ironing table, with the board, a wide support beneath
one end thereof, a narrow support beneath the other end thereof and provided with
a longitudinal slot and transverse grooves bars connecting the supports and an arm
connected to the wide support and having a pin moving in said grooves as this end
of the arm moves in said slots, of a catch comprising a base secured to the narrow
support, a spring-arm riveted at one end to said base; a knob having a shank passing
through said arm near its free end, and a catch-face on the shank at the opposite
side of the arm from the knob, said face engaging the arm which connects the
supports when said arm stands at the lower end of the longitudinal slot, as and for
the purpose set forth.
4. The combination, in an ironing table, with a wide support having cross-bars, a
pair of bars hinged to the upper cross-bar, an arm hinged to the lower cross-bar,
and a board hinged to the upper end of said support, of a narrow support to which
the other ends of said bars are hinged, said support having a longitudinal slot and
transverse grooves, in the former of which the other end of said arm moves, a pin
through this arm moving in the grooves, the body of the arm passing between said

page_text: bars and having a notch, and a staple in said bars adapted to be engaged by the
notch when the pin in the arm is at the lower ends of said grooves, as and for the
purpose set forth.
5. The combination, in an ironing table, with a wide support having cross-bars, a
pair of bars hinged to the upper cross-bar, an arm hinged to the lower cross-bar,
and a board pivoted to the upper end of said support, of a narrow support to which
the other ends of said bars are hinged, said support having a longitudinal slot in
which the other end of said arm moves, a pin through this arm moving in transverse
grooves in the support, the body of the arm passing between said bars and having
a notch, a staple on said bars adapted to be engaged by the notch when said pin is
at the lower end of said grooves, and a spring-catch carried by said narrow support
and removably engaging the end of this arm at such time, as and for the purpose
set forth.
6. The combination, in an ironing table, with the board, a wide support beneath
one end thereof, a narrow support beneath the other end thereof and provided
with a longitudinal slot and transverse grooves, bars connecting the supports,
an arm connected at one end to the wide support having a notch in its body
and having its other end moving in said longitudinal slot, a staple which said
notch engages when the supports are in use, and a pin through said arms
loosely engaging the transverse grooves in the narrow support, of a catch comprising
a sheet metal base secured to the outer face of the narrow support, an upwardly-
extending spring-arm carried by said base, a knob having a shank passing through
said arm, and a catch-face on said shank engaging the free end of the arm which
connects the supports when said arm is at the lower end of the longitudinal slot, as
and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 21st day of January 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.