Improvements in Ironing Machinery.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 1st June, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ironing Machinery.
I WILLIAM AUGUST EDWIN HENRICI of 762 Broadway, Chelsea, County
f Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer do
ereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
e performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
tatement:-
The rapid increase in the use of power mechanism in laundries has made it
possible to iron all portions of a shirt by machinery, and the starched bosom is first
roned by mounting the shirt on a suitable bosom-board or support, and passing it
beneath a heated rotary iron.
After ironing the bosom the body portion of the shirt is ironed, and the
production of a machine for accomplishing such a result forms the subject of this
invention.
Fig. is a front elevation of a bosom-ironing machine embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a left-hand end elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a top view, partially broken off, of the left-hand end of the machine
shown in Fig. 1; and
Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on a larger scale of the air and gas mixing chamber
and the controlling valves therefor.
The end frames A, A', of suitable shape to provide bearings for the operating
parts, are connected by cross girts 2, 3, 4 and 5, and have upon their inner sides
vertical guideways A, A, for a reciprocating cross-head B.
A hollow sleeve A is adapted to move with a supporting rock-shaft A' mounted
in vertically adjustable bearing blocks A in the slotted portions A' of the end
frames, the sleeve being held in position on the rock-shaft by set screws 6, Fig. 1,
and arms A forming a part of the sleeve A' are pivotally connected by links A to
the cross-head, forming toggle joints by which said cross-head may be raised or
lowered in its guideways.
Levers B are pivoted to cars B' depending from the cross-girt 4, Figs. 1 and 2,
and connected by short pivoted links B to the cross-head at each side thereof,
counterbalancing weights W on the free ends of the levers B serving to assist the
operator in raising the cross-head B by depressing the treadle T secured to
the sleeve A2, a strong spring S pre erably secured to each rocker arm AⓇ and
to the cross-girt 5 normally tending to break the toggle joints to lower the
cross-head.
The end frames A, A', have at their tops suitable journal boxes a, a', to receive
the journals C of a hollow ironing roll C, of polished steel or other suitable
metal, held from longitudinal movement by collars c*, one of the journals of the
said roll having secured thereto outside of the journal box a gear d in mesh with
another gear on a stud d* secured to and projecting outwardly from the end
frame A¹.
The gear d' in turn meshes with a gear of about the same diameter, loosely
mounted on the main driving shaft D of the machine, rotatable in bearings D* on
the end frames, the hub of the gear d' having a hole therein, to at times receive a
pin 20, see Fig. 3, which enters another hole in the main shaft D, to thus
cause the di
gear to rotate with the shaft, and so, by the gears d' and d, rotate the
ironing roll C at a certain speed.

page_text: A small gear d is also loosely mounted on the main shaft D, in mesh with a
large gear d fast to or to rotate with the gear d' on the stud d*, it being intended
that when the pin 20 is removed from the hub of gear d' it will be inserted in a
hole 25 in the hub of gear to cause it to rotate with the main shaft, and it will be
evident that the ironing roll C will be rotated at slower speed when rotated through
the gear than when rotated by the gear 2, thereby forming speed-changing
mechanism for the said ironing roll.
Power is transmitted by a suitable belt to a loose pulley D' on the ironing shaft D,
a suitable clutch device D' moveable longitudinally on the shaft and rotatable
therewith connecting the pulley and shaft when desired.
Bearings B on the cross-head, and best shown in Fig. 1, support a shaft E
extended at one end through a slot A20 in the end frame A, the outer end of the shaft
having fast thereon a large gear E' in mesh with and to be driven by a small gear
on the main shaft D, see dotted lines Figs. 1 and 2 whereby the shaft E is driven at
a fixed rate of speed.
Beneath the ironing roll C a cylindrical work-support E is secured to the
shaft E, said support being surrounded by a loose sleeve E³ of stout leather or
other suitable material, which will slip around the work-support when positively
moved thereon.
At the lower part of the cross-head bearing blocks are supported, downwardly
adjustable by means of adjusting screws b', said blocks receiving the journals b³ of
a roll extending across the cross-head, and equal in length substantially to the
ironing roll C.
To struts B' at the rear side of the cross-head B I have bolted upturned arms B6,
upon which are mounted horizontally adjustable standards b*, carrying journal
boxes and provided each with an upturned lug 6, see Fig. 2, to rotatably hold
an adjusting screw, threaded into an ear 8 on the standard, rotation of the said
screw moving the standards and their journal boxes horizontally towards or from
the centre of the machine, bolts 6 and 10 holding the standards securely when
adjusted.
Horizontal extensions on the bearings B' on the cross-head B have secured
thereto arms f¹ which extend towards the front of the machine, connected by a
cross-plate which is slotted to receive the shanks of bolts ³ secured to the
under sides of standards f*, suitably shaped at their ends to receive journal boxes f³,
a lug on the base of each standard having a rotatably mounted adjusting
screw therein, which engages a threaded opening in a lug on the cross-plate,
so that the journal boxes may be adjusted towards and away from the work-
support E, the nuts on the bolts maintaining the standards rigidly in place
when adjusted.
A shaft is rotatably mounted in said journal boxes, and as shown therein, it
has secured thereto a sectional roll consisting of a central part h and end sections h
separated sufficiently to permit between thein the standards and journal boxes, and
preferably the end sections h' have therein annular flanges h³.
A similar sectional roll is secured to a shaft 61 rotatable in the journal boxes b³,
the end sections * of said roll having annular flanges thereon, see Fig. 2, and
about the two sectional rolls at back and front of the machine respectively, and the
roll a heavy endless traveller or flexible bed H is passed, formed of heavy felt
.or cloth, or of several pieces of such material, the part of the traveller between the
upper rolls passing between the ironing roll and the work support E'.
When a shirt is to be ironed it is placed on the travelling bed H, the machine
being in operation, and carried beneath the ironing roll until the lower end of the
bosom reaches it, the rotation of the work support moving the bed H, and the
operator, with his foot on the treadle T, then raises the cross head B until there is
sufficient pressure between the ironing roll and the bed, the shirt being drawn
through and ironed, from the bosom down.
If the operator wishes to pass the shirt again beneath the ironing roll, he
slightly lowers the cross-head, and by grasping the bed H with his hands, he can

page_text: draw it and the shirt towards him, the loose sleeve E³ then slipping upon the
work-support E, which continuously revolves.
The material of the bed or traveller H affords a good backing for the shirt as it
passes beneath the ironing roll, and maintains it flat, and if desired the shirt when
ironed is taken from the rear end of the bed by an assistant.
Trough-like guards G are mounted on the cross-head between the end frames of
the machine and the travelling bed, to receive the shirt sleeves and keep them
from contact with any of the moving parts of the mechanism, said guards extending
nearly the length of the horizontal portion of the bed H and having open ends
preferably flaring.
It is, of course, necessary to heat the roll C, and I do this by introducing into
one of the hollow journals Cx thereof a pipe m, having at its inner end burners m',
within the roll, the outer end of the pipe opening into an air chamber m², see Fig. 4,
into which air is admitted by a suitable valve connected with a suitable source of
air supply, and controlled by a hand wheel n.
A gas pipe o passes into the air chamber m2 and into the pipe m, as shown, being
connected with a gas supply, and controlled by a valve having an actuating
wheel n¹.
The pipe o has one or more openings o' therein in the air chamber, thus
forming a well known "Bunsen burner, the mixture of air and gas being
ignited, however, at the burners m¹.
A valve controlled by an actuator n admits a supply of fresh air into a
chamber m³, whence it is conveyed by a pipe m³, concentric to the pipe m,
into the roll, to abundantly supply oxygen to maintain combustion within the
roll C, said pipe m³ having openings m' therein through which the burners m¹
project.
The pipe m, it will be understood, conveys the mixed air and gas to the
burners m¹.
The casing or shell m* has a foot m', which is telescopically connected to a
housing m, and held in adjusted position therein by a set screw 50, the housing
being pivotully mounted on the reduced end of the stud d*, and held thereon by a
set screw 60, so that the burners m¹ may be moved towards or away from the inner
surface of the ironing roll C.
The invention is not restricted to just the construction and arrangement shown,
as suitable modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the
invention.
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. The use, in a body ironing machine, of a heated ironing roll, a rotatable
work-support, and an endless travelling bed movable between said roll and work-
support, substantially as described.
2. The use, in a body ironing machine, of a heated ironing roll, a rotatable
work-support, an endless travelling bed movable between the ironing roll and the
work-support, and means to move the support and ironing roll towards and from
each other, substantially as described.
3. The use, in a body-ironing machine, of a rotatable hollow ironing roll, a
rotatable work-support, a burner within and to heat the roll, a loose sleeve on the
work-support, and a travelling bed between the roll and the work-support,
substantially as described.
4. A reciprocating cross head, a rotating work-support and a travelling bed
carried by the cross-head, a rotating ironing roll mounted in fixed bearings above
the work-support and travelling bed, and means to vary the pressure between the
ironing roll and work-support, substantially as described.
5. The use, in a body ironing machine, of a hollow metallic ironing roll heated
internally by an adjustable burner, à work-support having a loose sleeve thereon,

page_text: and a flexible endless travelling bed movable beneath the ironing roll and above
the work-support and sleeve, substantially as described.
6. The use, in a body ironing machine, of a heated rotating ironing roll, variable
speed mechanism to rotate it, a cylindrical work-support rotated at constant speed,
and an endless travelling bed for the work, moved by the rotation of the work-
support, substantially as described.
7. The use, in a body ironing machine, of a rotating ironing roll and a rotating
work-support, a travelling endless bed movable between them, and sleeve guards
at the sides of the said travelling bed, substantially as described.
Deted the 11th day of April 1895
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.