Improvements in or relating to the Heating of Laundry Irons and other Appliances.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb.. 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Heating of Laundry Irons and
other Appliances.
I, CHARLES STEPHENS, of 53 Milbrook Road, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer and Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the heating of laundry-irons or smoothing-irons,
calendering rolls and other appliances, which require heating, and can be dealt.
with in a similar manner, and may be carried out in the following manner. Hitherto
where laundry-irons and the like have been beated by gas, the products of com-
bustion have been allowed to escape into the room, greatly to the detriment of the
persons therein, or where the products have been removed, they have been removed
through flexible tubing permanently connected with the iron, a highly inconvenient.
and unsatisfactory arrangement.
In carrying out my invention, which I will describe as applied to ordinary
laundry irons, I form the iron with two openings in its base, these being continued
through the iron so as to form a connected channel, so that products of combustion
entering by one of the holes may leave it by the other.
The heating apparatus consists of any suitable device preferably a casting
having two holes or passages substantially corresponding with those in the iron,.
one of these contains the burner and supplies the heat, and the other one serves as
the exhaust, by which the products of combustion pass away. The burner may be
of any suitable construction, but I prefer to admit atmospheric air so as to burn
with a heating and not a lighting flame, as in an ordinary Bunsen or atmospheric
burner, and to have a bye pass so arranged that when the chief flame is cut off.
there will still be an ignition flame left burning. The simple conical tube by which
the atmospheric air enters while the gas is supplied around it, the two mingling
and being burnt in the ordinary manner, serves sufficiently for my purpose, some
perforations being preferably made about the base of the cone for the passage of
air to mingle with the gas before it joins the main body of air at the mouth of the
burner.
The top of the burner fitting I prefer to form flat, so as to allow of the base of
the iron being placed upon it, and forming a sufficiently tight joint for practical
purposes, so that the flame from the burner will enter by one opening into the iron,
traverse the passage and escape by the other opening, back to the exhaust portion
of the burner device, in which may be inserted a tale or other inspection arrange-
ment, so that the extent of the flame can be ascertained.
Through the plane surface of the burner casing extends a valve spindle, normally
maintained by a suitable spring in a raised position, projecting from the face of the
casting. When in this position the valve is closed and the ignition flame only
through the bye pass is burning. When the iron is applied its weight pushes in
the valve spindle, opening the valve, and the fuli flame is immediately available
for use.
The exhaust tube may be connected with any convenient means of
escape, or suction for the products of combustion; the gas may be admitted at
any convenient point and guides to ensure the proper placing of the iron may
be used.

page_text: The details of construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of
the invention.
Dated this 4th day of May 1896
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Heating of Laundry Irons and
other Appliances.
1. CHARLES STEPHENS, of 53 Milbrook Road, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer and Millwright, 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 the heating of laundry-irons or smoothing-irons,
calendering rolls and other appliances, which require heating, and can be dealt
with in a similar fashion. Hitherto where laundry-irons and the like have been
heated by gas, the products of combustion have been allowed to escape into the
room, greatly to the detriment of the persons therein, or where the products have
been removed, they have been removed through flexible tubing permanently
connected with the iron, a highly inconvenient and unsatisfactory arrangement
In carrying out my invention which will describe as applied to ordinary
laundry-irons, I form the iron with two openings in its base, these being continued
through the iron so as to form a connected channel, so that products of combustion
entering by one of the holes may leave it by the other.
The heating-apparatus consists of any suitable device preferably a casting
having two holes or passages substantially corresponding with those in the iron;
one of these contains the burner and supplies the heat, and the other one serves as
the exhaust by which the products of combustion pass away. The burner may be
of any suitable construction but I prefer to admit atmospheric air so as to burn
with a heating and not a lighting flame, as in an ordinary Bunsen or atmospheric
burner, and to have a bye-pass so arranged that when the chief Hame is cut off,
there will still be an ignition flame kept burning.
The top of the burner fitting I prefer to be fint so as to allow of the base of the
iron being placed upon it, and so that it may form a sufficiently tight joint for
practical purposes, so that the flame from the burner will enter by one opening into
the iron, traverse the passage and escape by the other opening, back to the exhaust
portion of the burner device, in which may be inserted a tale or other inspection
arrangement so that the extent of the flame can be ascertained.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one construction of heating-
apparatus according to this invention and a laundry iron adapted for employment
therewith.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the whole with the iron just above the heater and about
to descend upon it,
Fig. 2 being a vertical section thereof with the iron in place and being
heated.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the heater and B the iron to be heated. A' is a flange by which the heater
can be secured on a suital-le support. A is a transverse channel formed in the
upper part of the heater, into one end of which channel the gas supply is delivered
by a pipe C, the other end being closed. A are air holes affording a communication
between the atmosphere and the interior of a vertical channel A', below a perforated

page_text: diaphragm A provided with passage ways A, and situated just below the upper-
end of the channel A; C¹ is a small channel leading from the transverse passage A
into the vertical channel A just below the diaphragm A. Gas entering the
channel A by the passage ways A and C mingles below the diaphragm in the-
vertical channel A with air entering the latter by the air holes A, as indicated by-
the arrows, and burns in the space above it. B₁ is a return flue in the body of the
iron; it is so disposed as to afford, when the iron is in the position in readiness for
heating in which it is shown in Fig. 2, a communication between the channel A
and a channel A' formed in another part of the heater A as shown, and communi-
cating by an exhaust pipe D with a distant discharge orifice, preferably situated
outside the apartment in which the heater is being used. From the foregoing it.
will be seen that the channels A' and A' in the heater and B' in the iron constitute
when the iron is in place on the heater a continuous flue.
Both the channels A A' open upon the top face of the heater which is flanged:
as at A to support the base of the iron.
Conveniently the mouth of one of the channels in the heater, where it opens.
upon the face of the flanged portion A8 is provided with a nozzle A which enters
one of the openings in the base of the iron so as to ensure the proper
coincidence of the ends of the flue in the iron with the ends of those in the
heater.
Through the plane surface of the flanged portion A8 of the heater extends a
valve spindle C2 arranged to slide endwise in holes in the casting; a
spring E is in
compression between the shoulder C on the rod C, and the base A¹ of the heater A
maintains it normally in a raised position, projecting from the face of the casting
as indicated in Fig. 1; this spindle is provided with a circumferential channel C
which when the spindle projects as described is in the position indicated in the
same figure, that is to say almost clear of the channel C' so that only a very small
quantity of gas can pass from the channel A by way of the groove C³ and through.
the channel C into the space below the diaphragm As, the quantity thus passing
being merely sufficient to maintain a small pilot flame above the diaphragm.
When the iron is placed on the heater as in Fig. 2 it pushes down the valve
spindle C against the resistance of the spring E so as to bring the channel C³ more
or less opposite the channel C¹ and thus allow a much larger quantity of gas to.
pass into the channel A' and burn in the heater, and in the return flue in the iron
itself.
The lower end of the valve spindle C extends through the base of the casting
as shown and is screw threaded and provided with a nut C; by suitably adjusting
this nut the height to which the spindle ascends under the influence of the spring E.
can be controlled so as to regulate to any desired extent the amount of gas passing
the valve to the pilot flame aforesaid.
The exhaust pipe D may be in connection with a blower or ejector to exhaust
the products of combustion therefrom if desired.
The details of construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of
the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a heater and article to be heated of a flue partly in the
heater and partly in the article to be heated, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
2. The combination with apparatus such as described in the above claiming
clause of a blower or ejector.
3. The combination with heating-apparatus of the kind described of automatic
mechanism for the control of the fuel supply, arranged and operating substantially
as described.

page_text: 4. A heater such as A substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. A laundry iron having a flue and adapted for employment with heating
apparatus of the kind described.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1947
CHARLES STEPHENS.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.