Improvements in the Curtain Drying Rooms of Steam Laundries, Dye Works, and Curtain Cleaning and Finishing Establishments, and in the Manipulation of Curtain Frames to be used therein.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
Improvements in the Curtain Drying Rooms of Steam Laundries,
Dye Works, and Curtain Cleaning and Finishing Establishments,
and in the Manipulation of Curtain Frames to be used therein.
I, JOHN STEWARDSON, of Warwick Road, Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland'
Steam Laundry Secretary, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to steam laundries, dye works, and curtain cleaning and
finishing establishments and has special reference to the means employed for the
manipulation of curtain frames.
The object in view is to provide means of a simple and easily worked kind to
enable the curtain frames to be withdrawn from or placed in the curtain room
without disturbing the temperature or proper working of the laundry or other
establishment.
In carrying out my invention I provide within the curtain room a series of curtain
frames placed in tiers on the shelves or longitudinal rails of a curtain frame cage, so
that by means of a tensile appliance such as a rope or the like passed over a pulley,
the cage together with the curtain frames can be raised and lowered by hand or
mechanical power as may be found convenient. At a suitable level in front of the
structure longitudinal rails are provided, upon which the frames can be drawn out as
required for putting on and taking off the curtains, and as each frame is filled or
emptied as the case may be, it is run back into its place in the cage before the cage
is lifted or lowered for the purpose of drawing out any other frame. For the purpose
of easily drawing out and pushing in the frames, they are provided with small flanged
wheels which run upon and are guided by the longitudinal rails of the cage within
the curtain room, and the similar rails or tracks upon which they are drawn outside.
By this arrangement the curtain frames being all drawn out at one level space is
economised and more frames can be placed in the curtain room than is possible if the
said frames are drawn out at the different levels they permanently occupy, and at
angles of more or less inconvenience as is the case with curtain frame rooms of
ordinary construction.
To prevent the escape of heat from the curtain room as the cage is lifted or
lowered I attach to the bottom frame of the cage and to the floor or near the floor
level of the curtain room telescopic slides which draw out or fold together as the cage
is lifted or lowered. This prevents the escape of heat below the cage. A light wood
or sheet iron apron fixed over the front of the top of the cage, closes the aperture of
the top when the cage is down.
Dated thin ath dow of Novemba 1000
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent, Stockton-on-Tees,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Curtain Drying Rooms of Steam Laundries,
Dye Works, and Curtain Cleaning and Finishing Establishments,
and in the Manipulation of Curtain Frames to be used therein.
I, JOHN STEWARDSON, of Warwick Road, Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland,
Steam Laundry Secretary, 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 :-
.
My Invention relates to steam laundries, dye works and curtain cleaning and
finishing establishments and has special reference to the means employed for the
manipulation of curtain frames including accessory parts thereto as hereinafter
described.
The object in view is to provide means of a simple and easily worked kind to enable
the curtain frames to be withdrawn from or placed in the curtain room at one
convenient level without disturbing the temperature or proper working of the laundry
or other establishment.
And in order that my invention may be clearly and fully understood, I will now
proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a curtain room which in several respects is of the
ordinary construction but is also arranged and fitted up in accordance with my
invention and Fig. 2 is a corresponding sectional plan view of same showing the
curtain frame in position.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view and Fig. 4 a transverse sectional view
taken on lines x x and y y respectively of Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 the curtain frame cage
is shown suspended in its mid-position and one of the curtain frames withdrawn.
Fig. 5 is a details view showing the arrangement for raising and lowering the
curtain frames.
Figs. 6 and 7 are details views drawn to an enlarged scale showing the front part
and mounting of the curtain frames, Fig. 7 being a sectional view taken on line zz of
Fig. 6 which is a front elevation.
As shown in the drawings I provide within the curtain room a series of curtain
frames a placed in tiers on the shelves or longitudinal rails b of a curtain frame cage c
which for the purposes of my invention is capable of a vertical movement so that by
means of a tensile appliance such as a rope d or the like passed over a pulley e, the
cage c together with the curtain frames a can be bodily raised and lowered by hand
or mechanical power as may be found convenient to any required level. In conjunction
with this vertical movement of the cage and frames and at a suitable level in front of
the structure longitudinal rails f are provided upon which the frames a can be drawn
out as required for putting on and taking off the curtains, and as each frame is filled
or emptied as the case may be, it is run back into its place in the cage before the
cage is lifted or lowered for the purpose of drawing out any other frames. For the
purpose of easily drawing out and pushing in the frames, they are provided with
small flanged wheels g which run upon and are guided by the longitudinal rails b
of the cage within the curtain room and the similar rails or tracks f upon which they
are run outside. The front board a¹ is connected to the frame and completely closes
up the front when the frame is run in. All the frames are the same and each fills
its own space similar to a chest of drawers as will be observed in Fig. 1.
By this arrangement the curtain frames being all drawn out at one level, space is
economised and more frames can be placed in the curtain room than is possible if the
said frames are drawn out at the different levels they permanently occupy and at

page_text: angles of more or less inconvenience as is the case with curtain frame rooms of
ordinary construction.
In order to prevent the escape of heat from the curtain room as the cage is lifted
or lowered I attach to the bottom frame of the cage and to the floor or near the floor
level of the curtain room telescopic slides h which draw out or fold together as the
cage is lifted or lowered, as shown in Fig. 3. This prevents the escape of heat below
the cage. A light wood or sheet iron apron i fixed over the front of the top of the
cage closes the aperture of the top when the cage is down.
The particular construction or design of the curtain frames is not essential to my
invention and the curtain frame in Fig. 2 is of the ordinary or usual construction.
except that each frame is mounted on wheels as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.
The operating mechanism for raising and lowering the curtain frame cage can be
variously arranged as for instance with vertical screws at each of the four corners
operating simultaneously and that represented in Figs. 4 and 5 as an example is
intended to illustrate what is suitable for my invention, and consists of the rope d
connected to the cage and passed over pulleys e to weights w, so as to balance the
cage. A shaft j mounted in suitable bearings extends across the structure on which
is mounted a pinion k which gears into the rack l connected to and extending from
the top of the cage; the whole being operated by the hand wheel m through chain
wheels n, and chain gear o as illustrated.
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. In curtain drying rooms of steam laundries, dye works, and curtain cleaning
and finishing establishments the construction and use of a lifting and lowering cage
which enables the several curtain frames to be withdrawn from or placed in the
curtain room at one level substantially as and for the purpose as hereinbefore described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In conjunction with a lifting and lowering cage as described the use of telescopic
slides which prevent the hot air from escaping at the bottom of the curtain room
when the cage is up with or without the use of an apron over the top of the cage
which prevents the escape of the hot air from the curtain room when the cage is
down, all arranged and operating together substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 10th day of Mo 1907