IMPROVEMENTS IN IRONING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Arthur Allison, of the firm of Allison Brothers,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN IRONING MACHINES" communicated to him from abroad.
by Gideon Wesley Cottingham, of Louisville, Kentucky, United States of
America
'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Arthur Allison at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th August 1883.
"
CHARLES ARTHUR ALLISON, of the firm of Allison Brothers, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN IRONING MACHINES com-
municated to me from abroad by Gideon Wesley. Cottingham, of Louisville,
Kentucky, United States of America.
This invention relates to improvements in ironing machines; and it consists
First, in a vertically movable iron combined with a reciprocating table and
mechanism for moving the table; Second, in a smoothing iron which is allowed to
receive a lateral and a longitudinal motion and also a vertical motion so that it
can be made to accommodate itself to the articles on the reciprocating table during
the process of ironing; Third, in a hollow smoothing iron, having a drawer which
is provided with a hollow perforated grate and a perforated back wall for freely
admitting air to the fuel; Fourth, in an open network cage for supporting the
ironing board, mounted upon a carriage which receives rectilinear reciprocating
motion; Fifth, in a smoothing iron which is suspended from a frame above an
ironing board and held up by means of a spring, in combination with a treadle for
allowing an attendant to depress the said smoothing iron and regulate the pressure
thereof upon the article being ironed. Other features of my invention together
with those above referred to will be fully understood from the following
description and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation
of the machine.
Figure 2 is a rear view.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken in the plane indicated by dotted*

page_text: Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section through Figure 1 in the plane indicated
by dotted line y, y.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the machine complete.
Figure 6 is a horizontal section of the iron.
A designates the frame of the machine which is suitably braced and constructed
with two horizontal bars a, a, and two horizontal rails b, b, upon which latter is
mounted a rectilinear reciprocating carriage B, consisting of two longitudinal
side pieces which overlap the rails b, b, and which are provided with end
rollers c, c.
Upon the rollers c, o, of the carriage B, is supported a table C, consisting of two
longitudinal sill bars d, d, and a cage formed of end frames connected together by
longitudinal pieces and provided with wire cloth sides and bottom. The object of
the reticulated sides and bottom is to prevent the articles being ironed from
contact with the rollers beneath the cage, and at the same time to afford
lightness.
On top of the table or cage C, is supported a removable ironing board D, which
is suitably padded and prevented from casual displacement by means of studs 6, c,
which are formed on the cross bars of the end pieces of the table.
E, designates a flanged drum which is keyed on a horizontal transverse shaft E',
which is journalled in the main frame and on which is also keyed a large spur
wheel F, located at the back of the machine.
Around the drum E, is passed two cords g, g, which are secured to the cross piece
of the sill bars d, d, and also to a windlass g', at the opposite ends of these
bars. The windlass is for the purpose of keeping the cords under proper
tension and for this purpose it is provided with a ratchet and a pawl shown in
Figure 5.
The spur wheel F, engages with an intermediate spur wheel F', which has its
bearing on the back part of the main frame, and which engages with a spur
wheel F keyed on a horizontal transverse shaft h. This shaft h, is sustained by a
long sleeve or journal bearing G, and it has a hand crank h', on its front end. By
turning the crank h' back and forth a reciprocating motion will be given to the
table C, and the ironing board. supported thereon. H designates a spider which is
pivoted to ears formed on the ends of the journal bearing Q. One limb of this
spider is connected to the main frame by means of a spiral spring S, another
limb of the spider is connected by a rod k to,a treadle K, which is held up by the
spring S. Another limb of the spider H has pivoted to it by a transverse. pin the
bail J. of a smoothing iron L. This bail is pivotally connected to the top of the
iron L, by means of longitudinal pins so that the smoothing iron is free to
accommodate itself to articles upon the ironing board.
The smoothing iron is hollow and it is provided with a chimney, and also
with a drawer or pan N, having a perforated back and containing a grate M
which is thickly perforated for the purpose of supplying air freely to the fuel
in the pan.
In operating the machine a person stands at the crank h, which through the
medium of the gearing, the flanged drum and the cords above described moves the
table back and forth as desired. The operator while working the table can with
his foot on the treadle depress the iron and regulate the amount of pressure on the
article being ironed as he may desire.
I have represented and described gearing as means for transmitting a
reciprocating movement to the ironing table, or cage on which the ironing board
is supported, but this gearing may be dispensed with and the rope pulley or
flanged drum applied directly on the said crank shaft. In this case I attach the
ends of the rope or ropes to brackets secured to the ends of the table at the back,
of the machine.
Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to
secure by letters patent is
1. The vertically movable smoothing iron in combination with a horizontally

page_text: reciprocating ironing board, and mechanism adapted to operate both the smoothing
iron and the ironing board, substantially as described.
2. In an ironing machine the combination of a vertically movable smoothing
iron, a horizontally reciprocating ironing board, a crank and a treadle arranged at
the front of the machine and mechanism connected to said crank and treadle, for
operating the ironing board and smoothing iron substantially as described.
3. The combination of the table for supporting the ironing board, the carriage.
on which the table is supported, the flanged drum and its cords and mechanism for
turning said drum, substantially as described.
4. The table C, having reticulated sides and bottom mounted on a carriage and
provided with a removable ironing board substantially as described.
5. The combination of a smoothing iron which is suspended over a recipocating
ironing board with means for depressing the said iron at the will of the operator,
substantially as described.
6. In combination with the smoothing iron, the pivoted spider, the spring and
the treadle, substantially as described.
7. A vertically movable smoothing iron which is suspended to vibrate laterally
and longitudinally, in combination with a reciprocating ironing board substantially
as described.
8. The combination of the channeled and perforated grate with the perforated
pan and hollow smoothing iron substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Arthur Allison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty-seventh day of August in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.
ATT LG
A. ALLISON.
(OUT)