Improvements in Machines for Ironing or Smoothing Linen or the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 24th July, 1899-Accepted, 26th Aug.. 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Ironing or Smoothing Linen
or the like.
I, JAMES WILLIAM CULL, of Hainworth Wood Road, Woodhouse, Keighley,
in the County of York, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows, that is to say;-
It relates to improvements in machines for ironing
linen or the like of the class wherein a table is reciprocated beneath one
or smoothing
or more rotary smoothing rollers, and my said invention consists in constructing
and arranging the parts forming these machines in such a manner that more
substantial support is afforded the reciprocating table, while the movements of
same are brought better under the control of the operator than they have been
heretofore.
In carrying my invention into effect I make use of appropriate framework
upon which I mount the heated roller or rollers, said framework being also con-
structed so as to afford suitable bearings for the table to slide upon.
To the under surface of the reciprocatory table is or are secured a rack or
racks, which mesh with a toothed quadrant or quadrants fixed upon a shaft extend-
ing across the machine. Or in place of these toothed quadrants I may employ
complete wheels as these are better balanced upon their shaft than it is possible
to balance said quadrants.
Oscillatory motion is transmitted to the shaft upon which the quadrants are
mounted by means of cranks and connecting rods arranged in connection there-
with and with the main driving shaft of the machine, suid cranks being of such
dimensions as to transmit motion to the oscillatory shaft to carry same through
any space that may be required.
Rotary motion is transmitted to the ironing roller or rollers by suitable gear-
ing wheels meshing with another quadrant or wheel fixed upon the oscillatory
shaft above referred to.
Upon the main shaft of the machine I mount four pulleys one fixed and three
running loosely thereon while I arrange these pulleys to be driven by two driving
belts one transmitting motion thereto in one direction while the other moves
them in the opposite direction so that while one driving belt is in position for
working the machine in the ordinary manner, the other belt is transmitting
motion to its loose pulley. By arranging belt guide mechanism to be operated
by pedal devices it will be seen that I am enabled to immediately reverse the
direction of motion of the table by shifting the ordinary driving belt onto its
loose pulley and bringing the other driving belt onto the fast pulley as and
whenever, such reversal is desired.
In addition to the pedal devices, hand wheel, screw or other means may be
employed for operating the belt guide.
I arrange locking devices on the parts for manually operating the belt guides
so that when the belts are in position for operating the mechanism in the usual

page_text: way, it is impossible for the operative to stop the machine until the table has been
brought into its forward position to the front thereof, on which however the
locking devices are liberated and the desired operation may be performed, how-
ever notwithstanding these locking devices, the belt guides' may be operated by
the pedal mechanism to effect a reversal in the direction of motion of the table
as and whenever desired.
JAMES W. CULL.
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.
Improvements in Machines for Ironing or Smoothing Linen
or the like.,
I, JAMES WILLIAM CULL, of Hainworth Wood Road, Woodhouse, Keighley,.
in the County of York, Mechanic, 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, that is to say:-
It relates to improvements in machines for ironing or smoothing
linen or the like of the class wherein a table is reciprocated beneath one
or more rotary smoothing rollers, and my said invention consists in constructing
and arranging the parts forming these machines in such a manner that more
substantial support is afforded the reciprocating table, while the movements of
same are brought better under the control of the operator than they have been
heretofore.
In order that my said invention may be readily understood, I have hereunto
appended sheets of drawings illustrative thereof, to which by figures and letters,
reference is made in the following description..
Fig. 1 is a front view of an ironing machine constructed in accordance. with
my said invention,
Fig. 2 is an end view of parts illustrated by Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of same.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, taken on line X-Y of parts shown by Fig. 1.
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the
several views.
In carrying my invention into effect, I mount the table a to reciprocate on
antifriction rollers 6 mounted in bearings b fixed to the framework A of the
machine. To the under surface of the reciprocatory table a is secured a rack a¹
which meshes with the toothed quadrant c fixed upon the shaft d and counter-
balanced by the weight c¹. I may if desired use more than one of such. quad-
rants c and racks a¹ or, instead of said quadrants, I may employ complete wheels,
however these latter are somewhat heavy and cumbersome.
Oscillatory motion is transmitted to the shaft d by means of the cranks e and f
and connecting rod g, and the gear wheels h and: k mounted on the shafts h¹
and, this latter being the main driving shaft of the machine. The said
cranks e and may be of any requisite length so as to transmit motion to the
shaft d as may be desired.
Rotary motion is transmitted from the shaft d to the heated roller m (which
revolves in bearings m¹ mounted in the framework A) through the gear wheel
or quadrant n, pinion n' and wheels o, o¹, 03, 0³, and o
Upon the main shaft k of the machine I mount four pulleys 1, 2, 3 and 4 the
one marked 3 being a fast pulley while those marked 1, 2 and 4 are loose ones.

page_text: I arrange these pulleys to be driven by two driving belts one transmitting
motion thereto in one direction while the other moves them in the opposite
direction, so that while one driving belt is in position for working the machine
in the ordinary manner, the other belt is transmitting motion to its loose pulley.
The belt forks p are mounted on the bar p' which slides in bearings 2 and
always tends to move the forks p so as to cause the two belts to rest on the loose
pulleys 1 and 2, by means of the weight q carried by the chain q', which passes
over the pulley 93 and is secured to said bar p¹. (Or a spring arrangement may
be made use of for this purpose instead of said weight). When the machine is
being operated in the ordinary manner, the belts are kept on the pulleys 2 and 3
through the finger or projection r fixed to the shaft r being moved by the hand
wheel into the position shown in dotted lines at Fig. 1, while should the
machine be desired to be stopped said finger is moved into its vertical position
as shown in the same figure, however the weight q is prevented from moving the
belts on to the loose pulleys 1 and 2 until the table a has reached the extent of
its forward motion, by means of the bowl p³ fixed to the bar p¹ being in contact
with the projection a formed on the table a until said table a has reached such
forward position.
Whenever it is desired to reverse the motion of the table a, say in the middle
of its stroke, this may be readily and quickly effected by operating the foot
lever s fixed to the shaft s¹, the arm 2 also fixed thereto reaching into contact
with the bar p¹, in this manner the "crossed or reversing belt will be moved
on to the fast pulley 3 and the straight belt on to the loose pulley 4, (these being
the positions illustrated in the drawings).
33
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:
Means or mechanism for ironing or smoothing linen or the like, the same being
constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein specified.
Dated this 22nd day of July 1800
JAMES W. CULL.
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.