AN IMPROVED IRONING MACHINE
Year: 1883

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Rudolph Mindt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1883.
RUDOLPH MINDT of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia "AN IMPROVED IRONING
MACHINE
"
My invention relates to improvements in ironing machines. In ironing machines
as horetofore constructed, the table or carriage on which the clothes to be ironed
are placed, is caused to move along under a stationary drum, roller or cylinder.
The said invention consists partly in making the table stationary, while the cylinder
or drum is caused to roll over the same, the action being directly opposite to that
of the previous machines. Instead of a single cylinder or drum as heretoforo
employed two such cylinders are used in the improved machine, the said cylinders
being provided with devices for causing them to traverse a larger or smaller
distance in being reciprocated by either rolling or simply dragging or sliding along;
the movement may also be interrupted or changed at any desired moment.
The invention also partly consists in constructing the table which receives the
clothes, so as to allow of its being turned on a vertical axis, this being of great
importance in ironing, and it further partly consists in providing improved pillow
plates and devices for stretching cloth over the same and in an improved apparatus
of peculiar construction for heating the said cylinders or drums.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to this
invention.

page_text: Figures 8 and 9 are a front and side elevation respectively of the friction discs.
Figures 10 to 14 are views illustrating the pillow blocks
Figures 15 to 19 illustrate apparatus for heating the pillow blocks.
The standards A, A', supported on a bed plate are provided with guides B, B¹
for the sliding frames C, C. Two ironing cylinders, rollers or drums D D¹ with
hollow axles E E¹, are journalled in the said sliding frames and each provided with
two friction-rollers F F', supporting the friction rollers G G'. The latter are
actuated by means of the pulley H, shaft I level-gear wheels J, shaft K and
bevel gear-wheels L, the shaft K being. journalled in one of the said sliding
frames in such a manner as to follow the movement of the said sliding frame or
slide and being provided with an elongated guiding slot for the reception of the wedge-
of the pinion J so as to turn freely in its journals while being continually carried
along by the said pinion. The friction-rollers G G' are arranged on the shaft M
journalled in the supporting levers N N', the latter being fulcrummed on the sliding
frames by means of bolts O. Firmly journalled in the said sliding frames is a
shaft P carrying two cams QQ which are fitted in a frame-like portion of the
supporting levers N N¹. On rotating this said shaft by means of a hand-levor R
the supporting levers N N¹ are raised by means of the cams, thus bringing the
friction-rollers G G¹ out of contact with the friction-rollers F F¹ the rotary motion
of the latter being thus interrupted in a very simple manner. The reciprocal
movement of the slido is produced by means of an eccentric and a system of levers
to be more fully described hereinafter, both ironing cylinders always rotating in
the same direction, that is to say during their forward movement in the direction
as indicated by the arrows shown in Figure 4, during their backward motion,
however, both cylinders may be caused to drag over the table thereby producing a
gloss on the clothes being ironed. For this purpose the shaft E on one side of the
ironing cylinders carries the ratchet wheels S, S' having pawls T T' arranged above
the same and pivotted to the supporting lever N and sliding frame C, respectively.
The friction rollers being in contact the pawls do not engage, the shaft P being
rotated, however, and the supporting lever N and roller G thereby being raised, one
end of the pawls T and T' is raised likewise, the latter swinging around their fixed
pivots in the said sliding-frames and the points of the said pawls going downward
and engaging with the ratchet of the wheels S, S¹ thus preventing the cylinders
from rolling on the table and causing them to drag, thereby imparting the desired
gloss to the clothes being ironed. The reciprocating motion of the slide is
produced by the eccentrics U U¹ rotated indirectly by means of the pulley H, and
also by means of the levers V V'. The latter are provided for part of their length
with a guiding slot each for the reception of the guide-blocks W pivotted to
connecting rods attached to the said eccentrics. The levers V V' are fulcrummed
on stationary bolts Y Y' and their upper ends are attached to the slide C, C' by
means of the connecting links Z Z in such a manner as to reciprocate the said
slide in accordance with the movement imparted to the levers V V₁ by the
eccentrics U U¹ through the said connecting-rods between the said lovers and
eccentrics. By raising or lowering the guide blocks in their guiding slots the
length of stroke of the lever is reduced or increased thereby also reducing or
increasing the extent of the movement of the slide accordingly. This shifting of
the guide-blocks is effected by means of the levers b and c rigidly connected with
the shaft a; the said levers c are connected with the guide blocks by means of the
rods d d so that on raising or lowering the lever b on the segment the guide-
blocks are raised or lowered likewise, the extent of the movement of the slide thus
depending on the position of the lever b.
A quicker or slower movement, as also a temporary interruption or a change of
movement, is produced by the device described as follows.
Two friction-discs 9 g₁ connected with each other are arranged on the shaft /
carrying the eccentrics U U¹, in such a manner as to allow of a slight sliding
movement of the said discs. Between the latter is applied a small friction-roller h
being somewhat removed from the inner faces of the said discs. Rotary motion is

page_text: imparted to this roller from the pulley H by means of a belt running over tho
pulleys i and, furthermore by means of the shaft & bevel gear wheels m and
shaft ; the latter is provided with an elongated slot for the reception of the
wedge of the bovel-gear wheel mounted on the said shaft n and allowing the latter
to be moved in a longitudinal direction without impairing its rotary movement.
The longitudinal movement is produced by the hand-lever o fulcrummed near its
lower end and connected with a collar-ring p countersunk in and surrounding the
shaft n so that, on turning the lever o, the friction-roller h is caused either to
approach or to recede from the centre of the friction discs g g¹. The rotary
movement transmitted from the roller h to the discs g may thus be made quicker
or slower accordingly and it will readily be seen that the speed of movement of
the slide may be regulated by turning the lover o. The lateral movement of the
friction discs g g' by which the same are brought into contact with the rollor his
produced by means of the bar q provided at one end with a cam-like lug q¹ which
tits into a corresponding recess in the collar-ring r surrounding the hub of the
discs y g', while the other or outer end of said bar q is provided with a hand-
lever a. By turning this said lever the discs g g' are shifted laterally in accordanco
with the extent of movement of the said cam-like lug, whereby either the disc g
or the disc g' is brought into contact with the roller h thus causing the shaft to
revolve either to the right or to the left. It will be seen that the reciprocating
movement of the slido may thus bo readily produced and also reversed in a moment
by simply turning the said lover s.
In order to cause the slide always to remain stationary under normal conditions
and to impart motion to the same only when necessary, the lever 8 is made to move
on the segment t having a central recess t' for the reception of the catch-lover a¹
applied to the lovers as shown in Figure 9 of the drawings, the said lover 8'
catching in the said recess t¹ when the said discs g g' are equidistant from the said
roller. Two coiled springs uu' are fastened to pegs applied to the outer faces
of the segment t and lever 8, the said springs serving for the retraction of tho
levers into its central position after the same has been raised to the left or to
the right.
-
The table 1 on which the clothes to be ironed are placed, is mounted upon the
vertical cylinder 2 the latter being so arranged as to allow of being moved vertically
in tho hollow standard 3. The said table is provided with rails 4 on which is
placed a frame 5 serving for holding the said pillow-plates applied to carry the
clothes to be ironed. The vertical upward movement of tho said cylinder 2 is
produced by depressing the treadle 6 suitably fulcrummed as shown in Figure 1
and connected with the said cylinder through a slot in the hollow standard 3, for
the purpose of raising or pressing the table 1, with the clothes thereon, against the
said ironing-rollers or cylinders D D'. Furthermore, the said table 1 is so
constructed as to allow of being turned freely on a vertical axis, if desired, suitable
mechanism being provided for holding it stationary in any of its various positions
and preventing its further horizontal movement. For this said purposo the cylinder
is provided with a number of vertical grooves as shown in Figures 6 and 7 of tho
drawings any of which said grooves on turning the table may be made to coincido
with a corresponding groove in the inner surface of tho standard 3, a spring 7 being
arranged within the said latter groove. This spring 7 is screwed to the upper
surface of the standard 3 and has its lower end connected with the weighted bent
or elbow lever 8 by means of the link 9, the tendency of the said lever 8 being to
make the spring 7 bear against the cylinder 2 so that the said spring will enter
such groove in the said cylinder as happens to coincide with the said groove in the
standard when the table is turned and the lifted weighted lever 8 released. This
will shew that in order to turn the table 1 horizontally the weighted lever 8 must
be raised and that after releasing the latter again the spring 7 will enter one of the
said grooves in the cylinder 2 and hold the latter with its table stationary.
The frame 5 allows of being moved or shifted to and fro on the rails 4 of the
table 1 by means of the lovers 10 and 11 shewn in Figure 1, the lover 11 being

page_text: pivotted to the frame 5 and lover 10, and the lever 10 to the table. It will readily
be seen that on turning the lever 10 to the left or right the frame 5, through the
lever 11 is bound to follow the respective movements of the said lever 10.
The said pillow plates 12 are intended for use in ironing shirt or similar collars
and therefore, are shaped accordingly. As compared with pillow-plates as
heretofore constructed, they present considerable advantages and improvements.
In order to prevent the said plates from tilting over when the ironing rollers D
are bearing against the outer convexly-shaped sides of the said plates, the latter
are constructed with projecting lugs 13 having a broad bearing surface on the
frame 5. The said frame at is fore ond is locked by means of the bar 15 having
-two-side-pieces-16,-the-latter-being-connected-by-means-of-the-cam-shaft-17
journalled in the side bars of the frame 5. Each of the side pieces 16 is provided
with a hole for the reception of the cams 18 on the said shaft 17 so that on turning
the latter by means of a suitable handle the said cams acting on the inner surfaces
of the said holes will either draw in or push off the bar 15 as will be readily
understood. When the said bar is drawn in tightly it will bear against the said
pillow plates by means of the slide 20, while when the said cams 18 are rotated
for 180 degrees, the bar 15 will be pushed off and the pillow plates become loose
so as to allow of inserting collars or taking them out from between them. As the
collars placed on and between the said plates are not always of equal thickness, the
case may happen that the bar 15 will not press the said pillow-plates tightly
enough together, and in order to provide for this inconvenience, the said slide 20
is made with a slot for the reception of the cam 21 mounted upon the vertical
bolt 22. The latter is journalled in the bar 15 and has a handle 23 by means of
which it may be turned on its vertical axis thereby allowing of an exact
adjustment of the slide 20 in order to press the pillow-plates tightly together.
In withdrawing the bar 15 from the frame by means of the cam 18 the side-
picces 16 are guided on rigid guide-pins 25 entering the guide slots 24, the latter
being so arranged that the bar 15 during the first part of its forward movement is
carried in an approximately horizontal direction while later on it assumes a
decidedly downward movement. Thus when the bar 15 is farthest removed it
lies sufficiently low to allow of pushing the pillow plates over it in inserting them
into or removing the same from the frame.
These said pillow plates are smooth on top and supplied with guiding or sup-
porting ribs below the collars, as shown at 26 in the drawings being inserted
between the several pillow plates. The latter must be covered with cloth which
must be tightly stretched on all sides. For this purpose the lower supporting
flanges are provided with small hooks 27 so arranged as to catch the cloth and not
to turn in the flanges. Of each of two hooks arranged opposite each other one has
a right thread and the other a left one at their respective ends, the said threaded
ends of every two such hooks ontering a corresponding frame 28 provided with
corresponding right and left threads for the reception of the said threaded ends of
the hooks. By turning this said frame 28 both hooks entering the same are drawn
together, thereby stretching the cloth tight. Any requisite number of such small
hooks may be arranged along the heads of the plates.
In order to prevent the collars from sliding out of position between the plates a
number of small screws are inserted in the latter the said screws carrying small
plates 31 which enter the button-holes of the collars to be ironed and may be
adjusted higher or lower by means of a set screw passing through a slot in the
said plates 31 according to the width of the border of the collars or the location of
their button-holes.
Referring to Figures 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 which illustrate an improved
apparatus for heating the pillow-plates. The slide C has a support 32 with journals
situated opposite the openings of the hollow axles of the cylinders. The heating
apparatus is fastened in the said journals by means of a socket 33 and threaded
nuts 34 and extends into the hollow ironing cylinders.
It consists of two pieces of pipe 35 and 36 one within the other and closed at

page_text: their rear ends by means of the screw plug 37. A head piece 38 with two bore-
holes is fastened on their other ends, said holes communicating with the innor
piéco of pipe 36, but not with the outer one. Gas is introduced through a small
tube 39 while the tube 40 serves for the admission of compressed air, so that a
mixture of both fluids prevails in the inner pipe. Another tube 41 enters tho
outer pipe admitting compressed air only into the same. The discharge openings
of the small tubes 39 and 40 are adjusted by means of screw valves 42 and 43 and
the opening of the small tube 41 has a ring 44 closely fitting in the outer pipe 35
and having an opening corresponding in size with the inner diameter of the said
tube 41 and provided with a screw 45 which enters through a slot in the pipe 35.
This screw being turned the opening in the ring 44 located in front of the tube 41
will be shifted, thus regulating the size of the opening for admitting the com-
pressed air. The outer pipe is provided with an elongated slot into which is
inserted a bar 46 which is then firmly connected to the inner pipe 36. At intervals
small holes 47 are bored through the said bar and the adjacent side of the pipe 36
and the bar at these points has two small incisions 48 one on each side. A mixture
of gas and air escapes through the said small holes 47 from the inner pipe while
compressed air is discharged from the outer pipo through the said small incisions 48.
Thus on igniting the gas a strong and pointed flame having great heating power
will issue at such points. In order to regulate the heating of the ironing cylinders
at will, a number of elastic steel rings 49 disconnected at their ends are pushed
over the pipe 35 by means of which any number of the said openings may be
covered and shut off.
Having thus fully described my said invention and the manner of performing the
same I wish it understood that I claim, in an ironing machine :—
First. Two or more ironing cylinders D D having, besides a rotary movement
around their axes, a reciprocating movement on the table, the latter, at the same
time, remaining stationary, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Second. The combination, with the slide C C¹, of the ironing cylinders D D'
actuated by means of friction-rollers G G¹, F F¹, substantially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
Third. The friction-rollers G G suitably journalled and capable of being raised
by means of cams QQ', in combination with pawls T T¹ engaging with the ratchet-
wheels S S' on the said ironing-cylinders, thereby causing the said cylinders to
drag during the return movement of the slide C'C', substantially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
Fourth. The combination, with the excentrics U U¹ of the levers V V¹ for
transmitting reciprocating movement to the slide C C¹, the extent of such
movement being regulated by means of the levers b, c, d, substantially as, and for
the purpose, specified
Fifth. The combination of the friction-discs g g¹ with an intervening friction
roller h which may either be made to approach the contre of the said discs or be
further removed therefrom by means of the hand lover o, whereby the speed of
movement of the eccentrics and the said slide may be varied, substantially as, and
for the purpose, specified.
Sixth. The bar or short shaft q having the cam-like lug g' and hand-lever a for
bringing either the disc g or the disc g' into contact with the friction-roller h,
whereby the movement of the said slide is reversed, substanially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
Seventh. The segment & having coiled springs u u' for permanently drawing
the catch-lever s¹, arranged on the band lever 8, into the central notch t cut in the
periphery of the said segment as soon as the said hand lever is released, the friction
roller & thus resuming its norinal position and thereby stopping the movement of
the slide C C, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Eighth. The table herein described for the reception of the clothes, the said
table being constructed so as to allow of its being turned on its vertical axis and of

page_text: being held stationary-in different positions by suitable means, substantially as, and
for the purpose, specified.
Ninth. The combination, with the frame 5 allowing of its being moved on the
table in a longitudinal direction, of levers suitably arranged for imparting the
necessary motion, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Tenth. The combination, with the frame 5, of the bar 15, connected, as described,
and the cam 21 for pressing the slide 20 against the pillow-plates 12, substantially
as, and for the purpose, specified.
Eleventh. The pillow-plates having projecting lugs 13 for preventing the said
plates from tilting over, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Twelfth. The combination, with the pillow plates 12, of-the-adjustable-plates-31-
catching in the button holes of the collars to be ironed, substantially as, and for
the purpose, specified..
Thirteenth. The combination, with the pillow plates covered with cloth as
described, of the stretching hooks 27 actuated by means of the frame 28,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fourteenth. The combination, with the ironing cylinders, of a heating
apparatus consisting of pipes arranged one within the other, the inner one of tho
said pipes permitting the admission of a mixture of gas and air, while the space
between the said pipes permits the admission of compressed air, the whole being
connected and combined so as to allow of producing a flame of great heating power,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fifteenth. The combination, with the pipe 35, of the ring 44 and screw-plug 45
for regulating the flow of compressed air into the said pipe, and of the rings 49
adapted to cover the discharge-openings 47 and 48 in the said pipe, substantially
as, and for the purpose, specified.
In witness whereof I the said Rudolph Mindt have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Twelfth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty three.
DUDAL DU MINTYT