Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 17th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 18th Mar., 1887.
We, JAMES BINGHAM ALLIOTT, Engineer, and EMILE LEON CARON, Commercial
Traveller, both of Bloomsgrove Works, Nottingham in the County of Notts, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our improvements in ironing machines are more especially applicable to that class
of ironing machines in which the ironing is effected by drawing the material, to, be
ironed over the polished surface of a trough heated by steam or in any other suitable
way, the material to be ironed being pressed against the trough by a cylinder or roller
suitably covered with flannel or other similar material (or the material to be ironed
may be pressed against the cylinder or roller by the trough), such roller or cylinder
being itself sometimes heated and being suitably driven so that it can draw the
material to be ironed between itself and the heated trough.
In the ordinary operations of a laundry it is very advantageous to be able to pass
articles through the ironing machine and finish them without having to put them first
into a drying stove, and where this is done the articles to be ironed often contain a
very considerable amount of moisture, and the ironing machine must be able to drive
off this moisture as well as to iron the goods.
In ironing machines of the class above described, especially where the cylinder or
roller, as well as the trough, is heated, much moisture is driven off, but as the cylinder
or roller with its flannel or other covering nearly fills the trough, only leaving space
for the passage of the articles to be ironed, the steam which is generated by the heat
of the trough or by that of the trough and of the roller, cannot freely escape but is
retained in the material and in that part of the covering of the roller in contact with
it until these issue from the trough on the delivery side of the machine.
One part of our improvements consists in making provision for the escape of the
steam or vapour which is generated as above described, before the material undergoing
treatment has passed completely through the machine.
This improvement. be effected in several ways.
may
In some cases we make one or more grooves or channels from end to end of the
heated trough, of such dimensions as to allow of the free escape of steam or vapour
and so arranged that the material being ironed is partly ironed before reaching this

page_text: groove or channel or these grooves or channels and that it is further ironed after
passing the groove or grooves.
We prefer to cover the groove or grooves with a grid or network preferably of
metal and so arranged that while it permits the steam or vapour to pass freely through
it, it retains the article being ironed in close contact with the roller or cylinder or
with its covering.
In some cases the escape of the vapour from the grooves or channels may be aided
by arranging them in connection with a fan or other equivalent apparatus.
In some cases, instead of making a groove or grooves in the heated trough and
especially where the trough is heated by a steam jacket, we make an opening or
openings quite through the trough permitting the free escape of steam from the
material while passing over such openings. In these cases, the parts of the trough on
each side of the openings are connected by crossbars which we prefer to arrange at an
angle to the direction in which the articles pass through the machine.
Where a single heated trough is used the interior of this cannot readily be made
larger than a half cylinder, because it is necessary that the roller or cylinder should be
easily removable for the renewal or re-arrangement of its flannel or other covering.
In some cases however we make the trough in two separate parts and in these cases
the two troughs or two parts of the trough are so arranged as to cover more than half
the circumference of the roller. The removal of the cylinder may be rendered feasible
in such cases by arranging trunnions at each end of one or both of the parts of the
trough in such a way that when the roller is to be moved from its working position,
one or both portions of the trough can revolve on the trunnions and so open to permit
it to be removed from the trough. When so arranged the two troughs or two portions
of the trough may be separated by a space sufficient to permit the free escape of steam
or vapour, and suitable guides or carriers may be placed between them to enable the
articles to pass readily and without disarrangement from one part to the other.
Where with the arrangement herein last described one or both troughs or portions
of the trough are heated by steam, this may be introduced through the trunnion or
trunnions at one end and condensed water removed through the trunnion or trunnions
at the other end, or from the same trunnion.
In some cases where there is a fixed trough without trunnions in which the cylinder
or roller works, we arrange a second steam heated trough immediately above the
cylinder. This trough we make movable so that it can be raised to permit the free
raising of the cylinder or roller, and we so arrange the connections for steam or
condensed water and other connections that the trough can be raised without inter-
fering with these.
Similar results may be obtained by arranging heated troughs on each side of the
roller and withdrawing one or both of these horizontally or at an angle, and when
heated by steam providing suitable flexible or sliding connections for steam and
condensed water.
In these arrangements the requisite pressure between the trough or troughs and the
roller may be obtained by applying to the upper trough or to the side troughs
arrangements of weights similar to those usually applied to the roller for regulating
the pressure between it and the fixed bed or trough.
In some cases instead of arranging weights so as to produce the requisite pressure,
this may be applied and removed by means of pistons moving in suitable cylinders
and actuated by air, water, or steam pressure, and when desired the troughs them-
selves may be moved as required by means of these or similar pistons and cylinders
and such pistons and cylinders may be used for regulating the pressure of the roller
upon a fixed bed and for raising and lowering it when necessary.
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: We, JAMES BINGHAM ALLIOTT, Engineer and EMILE LEON CARON, Commercial
Traveller both of Bloomsgrove Works, Nottingham in the County of Notts 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:-
--
Our improvements in Ironing Machines are more especially applicable to that class
of machines in which the ironing is effected by drawing the material to be ironed over
the polished surface of a trough heated by steam or in any other suitable way, the
material to be ironed being pressed by a cylinder or roller suitably covered with
flannel or other suitable material, or the material to be ironed may be pressed against
the cylinder or roller by the trough, such roller or cylinder being itself sometimes
heated and being suitably driven so that it can draw the material to be ironed between
itself and the heated trough.
In the ordinary operations of a laundry it is very advantageous to be able to pass
articles through the ironing machine and finish them without having to put them first
into a drying stove and where this is done the articles to be ironed often contain a
very considerable amount of moisture, and the ironing machine must be able to drive
off this moisture as well as to iron the goods.
In ironing machines of the class above described, especially where the cylinder or
roller as well as the trough is heated, much moisture is driven off, but as the cylinder
or roller with its flannel or other covering nearly fills the trough, leaving only space
for the passage of the articles to be ironed, the steam which is generated by the heat of
the trough or by that of the trough and of the roller, cannot freely escape but is
retained in the material and in that part of the covering of the roller in contact with
it until these issue from the machine on the delivery side of the machine.
Our improvements consist in so arranging the troughs as to permit and facilitate
the escape of the steam or vapor which is generated as above described, before the
material undergoing treatment has passed completely through the machine.
In order that our invention may be more readily ascertained and carried into effect,
we have hereunto appended a sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference.
Figures 1 and 2 show one of our improved arrangements and figures 3 and 4
another.
Figure I shows a section through the cylinder or roller a covered with flannel b and
the trough c shewn as arranged for being heated by steam. In the surface of the
trough e bearing against the cylinder or roller we make one or more grooves or
channels de from end to end of the trough, of such dimensions as to allow the free
escape of the steam or vapour at the ends of the groove, and so arranged that the
material being ironed, which passes through the machine as indicated by the arrows, is
partly ironed before reaching the groove or channel d or the grooves and channels de
and that it is further ironed after passing the groove or grooves
and e. We prefer
to cover each groove with a gridding or net work, or a perforated plate f g as shewn,

page_text: preferably of metal and so arranged that while it permits the steam or vapour to pass
freely through it, it retains the article in close contact with the roller or cylinder a or
with its covering b.
In some cases instead of making a groove or grooves in the heated trough, especially
where the trough is heated by a steam jacket we make an opening or openings quite
through the trough permitting the free escape of steam from the material while
passing over such openings. An arrangement of that kind is shewn by figure 3 in
section and figure 4 in plan. The trough is divided by the opening into two parts i
and heated by steam. The said two parts may be connected by cross bars which
we prefer to arrange, as shewn, at an angle to the direction in which the articles to be
ironed pass through the machine. Instead of the cross bars, grids or perforated plates
as described with reference to figures 1 and 2 may be used to conduct the material
over the opening or openings. Instead of the opening or openings arranged as shewn
on the drawings, circular or other tubes passing through the trough arranged in one
or more rows may be used. In some cases the escape of the steam or vapour may be
aided by connecting the grooves or channels or the openings in the trough to a fan or
equivalent exhausting apparatus. Figure 3 shows in dotted lines how this improve-
ment may be carried out with a trough arranged as described with reference to
figure 3. A pipe m open at the top side is formed or cast at the bottom of the
opening so that the steam flows into the said pipe, which passes out at the side of
the machine and is connected by pipes to a fan or exhauster.
Our improvements may also be applied to the troughs of machines in which two or
more troughs are used, one or more of which are fixed while the others are moveable,
and our improvements may be applied either to the fixed or to the movable troughs or
to both.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is
Firstly, in ironing machines arranged with cylinders and troughs the arrangement
of grooves or channels in the surface of the trough or troughs substantially as
described and for the purpose set forth.
Secondly, in ironing machines arranged with cylinders and troughs the arrange-
ment of an opening or openings through the trough or troughs substantially as
described and for the purpose set forth.
EMMOTT & CO.,
Agents for the Applicants.