Improvements in Starching Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Starching Machines.
I, JAMES RICKEY, Manufacturer, of No. 16-21st Street, North, East Orange,
in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey, one of the United States of
America, 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:-
My invention relates to machines for starching collars, cuffs and like articles,
and has for its object the providing of means for driving the rollers and aprons,
means for guiding the aprons in their movements, and means for regulating their
tension. The improvements are designed to apply particularly to the class of
machine illustrated in British Patent No. 25585, November 13, 1896, to Daniel H.
Newton, for improvements in starching machines. The features of my improve-
ments will be hereinafter specifically described and particularly pointed out in the
claims. The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, the casing or vat being shown in
section.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the machine viewed from the right of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the same.
Figure 4 shows a cross section of one of the aprons, and
Figure 5 one of the guide rollers for the apron and means for vertically adjust-
ing it.
In the drawings the frame is indicated by the reference number 1, and the
casing or vat by 2. These parts may be of any usual or suitable form or material
for providing a receptacle for starch in liquid condition. The starch, during the
operation of starching articles, is preferably kept hot by means of steam pipes, or
otherwise in any usual or convenient way (such means being common are not
shown in the drawings). Within or in connection with the vat are employed the
usual co-operating upper and lower aprons 3 and 4, portions of whose surfaces are
face to face in the vat, the receiving or feed-rollers 5 and 6; the saturating-
rollers 7, 8 and 9 (preferably of angular shape); the delivery roller 10, and suit-
able guide rollers 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. All of these rollers, except the delivery
roller 10 and the guide rollers 12 and 13 are mounted on a frame 17 that sits within
the vat and is capable of being lifted out.
In machines of the kind contemplated by the Newton Patent above referred to
the aprons and starching rollers were driven by means of the frictional contact of
the aprons between a pair of wringing rollers mounted on the main frame near the
discharge roller; the operation of the machine being thus made dependent upon
the friction of the two rollers upon the aprons to move them. It is one of the objects
of the present improvement to provide means for driving the operative devices
positively in place of depending on friction for their operation. To this end the
driving shaft 18, which is mounted on the top of the rear side of the main frame 1,
carries a sprocket-wheel 19 over which runs an endless chain 20 that engages a
sprocket-wheel 21 on the shaft of the feed roll 6. On the opposite end of the latter
shaft is a sprocket-wheel 22 over which runs a chain 23 for driving the saturating-

page_text: roller 8 and the guide-roller 16; which latter two rollers are thereby made driving
rollers in addition to the performance of their respective functions as saturating
and guide rollers. By these means the two aprons 3 and 4 are respectively driven
in the directions indicated by arrows.
In order to prevent the lateral shifting or displacement of the aprons on their
rollers, the edges of the aprons are sewed to endless cords 24; and the rollers, or
as many of them as may be desirable, have circumferential grooves 25 for receiving
the corded edges of the aprons; whereby the aprons are prevented from working
laterally towards either side, or towards the middle.
As a further means of preventing the lateral shifting of the aprons on the rollers,
and as a means also of regulating the tension of the apron 3, the guide-rollers 14
and 15 have their bearings in boxes 26 that are carried by screws 27, which are sup-
ported in fixed portions 28 of the frame 17. By turning the screws, by means of the
Hattened ends 29, the ends of the rollers may be raised or lowered as desired to
increase or diminish the tension of the apron, and to control its tendency to run
from side to side.
The devices being in place, as indicated in the drawings, the entire interior
operative apparatus (including the frame 17, the aprons, the rollers, and driving
chains) may be lifted out and turned over upon the discharge end of the machine,
the flexibility of the apron and driving chain permitting this movement without
displacement.
The operation of the devices will probably be readily understood by persons
familiar with this class of machines. The vat being supplied with hot liquid
starch and the aprons and rollers being driven by power, articles may be fed into
the machine between the rollers 5 and 6 to be carried by the aprons 3 and 4 around
the saturating rollers (which may be of any suitable form and number) and carried
thence upward and out of the vat and onward to be discharged by the delivery
roller 10.
I do not desire to limit my protection to the exact forms and arrangements of the
devices shown and described.
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. In a machine for starching collars, cuffs and other articles, the combination
with a vat, of a pair of endless aprons, suitable feeding, delivering, guiding and
saturating rollers carrying them, sprocket-wheels on one of the feed-rollers, the
saturating rollers and guide rollers respectively, and chains for driving them,
adjustable boxes for one or more of the guide rollers of the upper apron, and a
removable frame within the vat for supporting all of said devices, except the
delivery and the two adjacent guide rollers, in operative positions, substantially
as set forth.
2. In a machine for starching collars, cuffs and other articles, the combination
with a vat, of upper and lower endless aprons, portions of which are face to face
in the vat and serve as carriers for the articles, feeding, guiding and delivering
rollers therefor and one or more polygonal saturating rollers co-operating with the
aprons in the vat, sprocket-wheels and endless chains for driving one of the saturat-
ing rollers, one of the feeding and one of the guiding rollers, and a removable frame
in the vat upon which said devices, except the delivery and the two adjacent guid-
ing rollers, are operatively mounted, substantially as set forth.
Dal
441
SV1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.