Improvements in Ironing Machines
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1899-Accepted, 20th May, 1899
[Communicated from abroad by ADAMS LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, a Corpora
tion organized under the laws of the State of New York, and having its place
of business at Troy, in said State, United States of America, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Ironing Machines,
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 that class of ironing machines in which the dampened
goods are partially dried and ironed on one side by being pressed between two
rollers and subjected to heat from the under roller, and to comparatively light
pressure from the rollers; and are then carried to another set of rollers having
the polishing roller uppermost, where the goods are subjected to heat from the
polishing roll and comparatively great roller-pressure.
The object of the invention is to produce a more compact and efficient machine.
Fig. 1 of the drawings is a view in elevation of one end of the improved ironing
machine. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite end. Fig. 3 is a front elevation
of the main trame, showing some of the rollers and gear connections. Fig. 4 is
a vertical cross-sectional view showing the movable roller-shafts and actuating
levers, not fully shown in the other figures. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken
on the broken line 5-5, in Fig. 3, showing the rollers and feed-tables. Fig. 6 is
a detail view showing intermeshing pinions on the small feed-rolls. Fig. 7 is a
sectional view of the change-gear for the clothed rolls.
A is the main frame of the machine which supports in suitable bearings the
upper set of ironing rollers A1, A2, and the lower set of rollers A³, A+, and A.
The rollers A and A³ are relatively large and clothed, while the rollers A2, A³,
and A are relatively small and unclothed and may be termed polishing rollers
and which are provided with the usual means for heating, not shown.
The rollers are caused to rotate by gear connections with the driving shaft B.
The gear connections for the polishing rollers are shown in Fig. 2, wherein the
reducing gears B1, B2, B3, B, and B connect the driving shaft with the large
gear-wheel B, these gears, except B', all being rotary upon studs projecting from
the frame of the machine as shown.
The gear B is fixed upon the drive-shaft which is provided with the drive-
pulley P.
The stud-supported intermediate gear B connects the large gear B6 with a
gear B fixed on the roller A².
The gears B and B are fixed on the rollers A4 and A5 respectively and mesh
with the large gear B6.
It should be observed that the toothed face of the large gear 136 is made wider
than that of the other gears so that the gears B8 and B, both meshing therewith,
can lap each other, as shown in Fig. 2.

page_text: Such a construction permits the polishing rolls A4 and A to be brought near
enough together to cause the goods, such as detachable collars and cuffs to feed
steady past both rollers and the large roller A³.
A collar or cuff being fed from a table A' in between the rollers A and A2 passes
down the inclined way C (Fig. ǝ) to the rollers A and A*, and thence to the
roller A, being stripped from the roller A2 by the knife-edge on the upper end
of the inclined way, and from the roller A' by a stationary stripper C.
After passing the last roller A, it is delivered upon the receiving table C².
As constructed heretofore, the contact surfaces of the large clothed rollers were
practically. on the same horizontal plane with each other, a position necessitated
by the arrangement of the pressure-regulating levers, as will be hereinafter more
fully explained.
by placing the clothed rollers in practically the same vertical plane, as shown,
it is possible to make the machine nairower and more compact and to dispense with
a traveling carrier to carry the goods from one set of rollers to another set, gravity
being sufncient in most cases to carry the goods down the inclined way C.
When desired, a set of small feed-rolls may be employed to insure a positive
delivery, as for example the rolls C2 and C respectively provided on one end with
intermeshing pinions C and C(Fig. 6).
The friction-roll C is actuated by the roller A³ with which it engages, and itself
engages and actuates the roll C2, thereby positively imparting to the small feed-
rolls a surface speed identical with that of the clothed rollers.
When only one polishing roller, as A', was employed in the second set, which
set polishes the right side of the goods, it frequently happened that the polish was
insufficient and imperfect, necessitating the presence of an attendant at the receiv-
ing table to constantly inspect the work and pass the imperfectly polished goods
through the last set of rollers a second time, while the goods yet retained a degree
of dampness.
The improved construction above described, which permits the use of two
polishing rolls A and A³ in the last or finishing set, not only obviates the necessity
of watching the product and passing some of it through the finishing rollers a
second time, but improves the whole product.
The polishing rolls being maintained in a heated condition, would injure the
clothed rollers, if left in contact therewith while the machine was at rest, and the
journals of the clothed rollers are provided with movable bearings and means for
moving them so that the rollers are separated when the machine is stopped, and
with means for varying the pressure for different kinds of goods when the machine
is at work.
The means for so moving the bearings consist of a system of weighted levers
which do not differ materially from those heretofore used for the same purpose,
except that their normal position in use is inclined, which inclination is permitted
by the inclination of the slideways which contain the movable bearings of the
journals of the clothed rolls.
The inclined slideway S for the upper clothed roller A¹ is shown in the main
frame in Fig. 2, a like slideway being formed in the other end of the main frame
for the journal on the other end of the roller.
The inclined slideway S for the journal $3 on one end of the lower clothed
roller A is shown in Fig. 1, also the means for rotating the clothed rollers without
interference with the slide-movements of their journals.
The driving shaft B is provided with a gear 1 connected by the reducing
gears D, D2, D3, and D4, with the large gear DS which is secured to and drives
the lower roller A³.
This gear D is connected by the intermediate gears D and D7, D8 and D³ with
the gear Do on the upper clothed roller A¹ whereby the same surface speed is
positively imparted to the two clothed rollers.
It will be observed that the engagement of the gears 13 and D10 are at points
intersected by radial lines drawn at right angles to the line of slide-movement

page_text: required to separate the roller-journals, so that the small slide-movement required
to separate the rollers does not interfere with the gear connections.
The levers and lever-connections are shown in Fig. 4, in their relative positions
when the machine is in operation.
The slideways are indicated by dotted lines, as are the several rollers, and the
journals of the clothed rollers, as well as the cross-rods forming fulcrums for the
levers, are shown in section."
The weight W is applied to the long arm of lever H fulcrumed upon cross-rod H¹
and connected by turnbuckle link H2 with the long arm of lever H³ secured
intermediately of its ends to the journal $3 and fulcrumed at the end of its
short arm upon the crank-arm H of the crank-shaft H through the link H.
It is evident that the weight will act to force the journal 83 upwardly in its
slideway, which forces the roller A3 upwardly against the polishing rollers A+, A.
The weight W is applied to the long arm of lever fulcrumed upon cross-rod J
and connected by turnbuckle link and link J with the long arm of lever J
secured intermediately of its ends to the journal S and fulcrumed at the end of
its shorter arm upon the crank-arm J of crank-shaft H5 through the link J.
The weight W will act to force the journal $ downwardly in its inclined slide-
way toward the polishing roll A
The arrangement of weights and levers is the same at each end of the machine,
the weights acting upon both journals of each clothed roller.
To separate the clothed from the polishing rollers, it is only necessary to give
the crank-shaft H5 a quarter-turn which causes the fulcrums of both sets of journal-
levers to yield until the weights fall to the floor or other fixed support.
If the respective sheets of the drawings are inclined until the journal slideways
Occupy vertical positions, it will be observed that the upper set of rollers is a
considerable distance to one side of the other set, and that the plane of movement
of the goods in passing between the respective sets of rollers is horizontal, whereas,
by inclining such bearings, the work passes through both sets of rollers, and from
one set to the other, on one and the same descending plane, which plane cuts at
tight angles the radial plane connecting the axes of the upper set of rollers, and
a radial plane passed from the axis of the lower clothed roller up midway between
the axes of the two polishing rollers A4 and A5, whereby the most favorable relative
positions of the working parts is secured, which not only facilitates the operation
of the machine, but enables the machine to be built in a more compact and
symmetrical form.
The polishing rollers travel with a greater surface speed than the clothed rollers
to give a polish to the goods.
The upper set of rollers serves principally to heat and partially dry the goods,
the polishing roller engaging the wrong side of the goods, consequently the roller
pressure is comparatively light.
The ironing is finished in the lower set of rollers, the polishing rollers engaging
the right side of the goods with a relatively great roller-pressure.
The speed of the goods in passing through both sets of rollers is determined by
and corresponds with the surface speed of the clothed rollers.
As a convenient means for giving the crank-shaft H a quarter-turn to operate
the various levers to move the roller-journals in the inclined slideways, a hand-
lever K may be provided having slots K adapted to receive the pins K2 projecting
laterally from the crank-arm K³ fixed upon such crank-shaft."
The dotted lines show the hand-lever in position for use and the solid lines
show the lever thrown up out of the way in an idle position.
The journals of the clothed rollers have their bearings in the sleeves H and H²
which sleeves are integral with the respective levers H³ and J.
J8 is a guide-arm pivoted at J and at the joint J10 of the links J2 and J.
The rolls herein described as hot rolls, ironing rolls or polishing rolls have a
polished metal surface which may be heated in any known manner.
In laundering collars, cuffs, &c., it is frequently found necessary to be able to

page_text: produce upon such goods by ironing different degrees of polish, and also a dead
or domestic finish, to meet varying demands of public taste.
Any desired finish can be imparted with my improved machine by varying the
relative peripheral speeds of the clothed and hot rolls; and I have shown in detail
in Fig. 7, a change-gear used in this machine, which is omitted from the other
figures of the drawings for convenience of illustration.
The mechanism shown in Fig. 7, permits three different degrees of peripheral
speed to be imparted to the clothed rolls, which will be readily understood by
reference to Fig. 1, in connection with Fig. 7.
In addition to the driving-gear 1), I provide two other driving-gears d, and d³,
of different diameters, all three gears being integral with the sleeve d*, on the
drive-shaft B, and the smallest of said gears D being located between the two
larger gears; and in addition to the first intermediate gear D' on the stud 6 (Fig. 1),
I provide two other gears and of different diameters, said three gears being
integral with the sleeve d' on said stud, and the largest gear D' being located
between the two smaller gears, said gears corresponding in size with the three
gears on the drive-shaft respectively.
The pinion D2 which engages the gear D may also be fixed on the sleeve d.
It will thus be seen that by moving one or both of the sleeves along the shaft or
stud, either of the three gears on one sleeve can be brought into mesh with its
respective gears on the other sleeve, whereby three different degrees of speed can
be secured.
The sleeve is feathered upon the drive-shaft and may be secured in adjusted
positions on said shaft by means of the set-screw d³.
A similar change-gear is employed to connect the opposite end of the drive-
shaft with the hot rolls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:
In an ironing machine, the combination with an upper and an under set
of pressure rollers, of a supporting frame having inclined slideways for the journals
of one roller in each set, and means for moving the journals along the slideways,
substantially as described.
2.In an ironing machine, the combination with a supporting frame having
upper and under inclined slide-ways, of an upper set of pressure rollers having the
journals of the upper roller movable in the upper slideways; an under set of
pressure rollers having the journals of the under roller movable in the under
slideway, and means for moving the journals along the respective slideways,
substantially as described.
3. In an ironing machine, the combination with an upper and an under set of
pressure rollers; of an inclined way having a knife-edge on its upper end and
leading from the under roller of the upper set to the under roller of the under set,
substantially as described.
4. In an ironing machine, the combination with the inclined way connecting
an upper with an under set of pressure rollers; of a pair of small feed rolls pro-
vided with intermeshing pinions, and an intermediate friction roll engagable with
one of such feed-rolls and with the more slowly moving roller of the under set of
pressure rollers, substantially as described.
5. In an ironing machine, the combination with an upper set of pressure rollers
having the plane connecting the axes of the individual rollers in the set inclined;
of an under set of pressure rollers comprising a clothed roller and two polishing
rollers having the radial plane which passes from the axis of the clothed roller
midway between the axes of the polishing rollers inclined and approximately
parallel with the radial plane connecting the axes of the upper set of rollers; an
nelined way connecting the two sets of rollers; and strippers for the polishing
tolls, substantially as described.

page_text: 6. In an ironing machine, having an upper and an under set of pressure rollers,
the under set consisting of a slowly rotating clothed roller and a pair of rapidly
rotating polishing rollers, the combination with the polishing rollers and pinions
fixed upon and larger in diameter than the rollers and lapping each other; of a
driving gear having its perimeter lapping and actuating both lapping pinions,
substantially as described.
7. In an ironing machine, or the like, a change-gear comprising in combination,
a pair of parallel shafts: three gears of different diameters on one of said shafts
fixed to rotate together; and three gears of different diameters fixed upon a sleeve
common to each on the other shaft, said gears being adapted to intermesh in pairs
one on one shaft with one on the other shaft, and said sleeve being adjustable upon
its shaft to bring the gears into mesh with each other in pairs successively,
substantially as described.
8. In an ironing machine, the combination with an upper set and an under set
of pressure rollers, each set having a clothed roll of a stationary inclined way
connecting said upper and under sets of rolls; a pair of cooperative feed rolls on
opposite sides of the plane of said inclined way, provided with intermeshing
pinions; and means for imparting to each of said clothed rolls and feed rolls a
uniform rate of peripheral speed, substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of April 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.