Improvements in Machines for Ironing, Smoothing, or Glossing Linen or other Textile Materials.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 26th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 26th Oct., 1888
Improvements in Machines for Ironing, Smoothing, or Glossing
Linen or other Textile Materials.
I, HENRY CROFTS LONGSDON of the firm of William Summerscales and Sons, of
Keighley in the County of York, Machine Maker do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
It relates to that class of machines for ironing, smoothing or glossing linen or other
textile materials, wherein (one or more) heated hollow-irons, having longitudinally
reciprocatory motion imparted to them, are used in connection with a rotary drum or
cylinder, and this said invention consists of the formation and arrangement of the
parts in connection with the jointings or couplings of the pipes to the hollow-irons
thereof, whereby the heating medium, such as steam, heated air or other heated gases,
may be supplied to, and conveyed from said hollow-irons in a more efficient manner
than heretofore.
This is attained by fixing to each of the outer ends of each of the hollow-irons a
suitably shaped hollow-rod or pipe. This hollow-rod or pipe is made to operate
within (moving into and out of) an appropriately shaped cylinder, as the hollow-iron,
to which it is attached, reciprocates. Said cylinder is mounted in a suitable manner
to the frame-work of the machine so that though it is rigid in the direction in which
the hollow-iron moves, yet when said hollow-iron is to be raised as is well under-
stood, said cylinder is loose to allow this movement.
On the end of the cylinder that is in connection with the hollow-rod (which is the
one nearest the hollow-iron) is formed a suitably shaped "stuffing box," so that the
To the other end
escape of any of the heating medium is almost entirely prevented.
of said cylinder is attached (as by being screwed into an opening made therein) the
feed or the exhaust pipe as the case may be, the supply or feed pipe being attached to
said end of the cylinder that is placed at one end of the hollow-iron, while the exhaust
pipe (or the one for conveying said heating medium away) is attached in a similar
position to the cylinder on the opposite end of the hollow-iron.
Dated this 29th day of December 1887.

page_text: Linen or other Textile Materials.
I, HENRY CROFTS LONGSDON of the firm of William Summerscales and Sons, of
Keighley in the County of York, Machine Maker 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 that class of machines for ironing, smoothing or glossing linen or other
textile materials, wherein (one or more) heated-hollow irons, having longitudinally
reciprocatory motion imparted to them, are used in connection with a rotary drum or
cylinder, and this said invention consists of the formation and arrangement of the
parts in connection with the jointings or couplings of the pipes to the hollow iron
thereof, whereby the heating medium, such as steam, heated air or other heated gases,
may be supplied to and conveyed from said hollow irons in a more efficient manner
than heretofore.
In order that this may be more 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 front view of a sufficient portion of an ironing
machine to illustrate the application thereto of my improvements. Fig. 2 is top view
of fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are front and top views respectively, of an ironing machine
to which is attached another arrangement of parts forming my said invention.
The object of this invention is attained by fixing to each of the outer ends of each
of the hollow irons a suitably shaped hollow rod or pipe a.
This hollow rod or pipe a is made to operate within, as by moving into and out of
an appropriately shaped cylinder e when the hollow iron to which it is attached,
reciprocates. The. cylinder c is mounted by being loosely placed upon, or hinged to
the stud d, which is carried by being attached to the framework A of the machine,
so that though the jointing of said cylinder c to the stud d is rigid when acted
upon by any force in the direction of the arrow e yet it may be moved or slided
perpendicularly upon said stud d to allow the hollow iron to be raised as and
whenever desired for purposes well known.
On that end of the cylinder c that is in connection with the rod or pipe a is
formed, in any of the common and well known ways, a stuffing box or stuffed
jointing, such as by the part c¹ of the cylinder c being enlarged to admit the stuffing
or packing and a plate attached by bolts or screws to said part e in order to
retain said packing; so that the escape of any of the heating medium as steam etc.,
is almost entirely prevented. To the other end of said cylinder c is attached (as by
being screwed into an opening made therein) the feed or the exhaust pipe as the
case may be, the pipe fif used as the feed or supply pipe is in connection with the
cylinder c at one end of the heated iron, while it is in similar connection with
the cylinder on the end of the heated iron when used as the exhaust pipe as will
readily be understood.

page_text: In order to dispense with the cylinder c as also its stuffing boxes, we make the pipo a
to extend sufficiently from the outer end of the heated-iron b, to permit the jointing
thereto of the coiled pipe g, the elasticity of the coiled part of which allows same to
yield sufficiently for the distance travelled or moved by the heated iron, by which
means all the jointings of said pipe g may be made rigid and secure against
leakage.
When both the hollow irons are moved in one direction for the same distance and
at one and the same time, the henting medium may be conveyed from one iron to
the other by means of a pipe as the pipe h, so that only two of the coiled pipes g need
be employed, the one to supply said medium and the other to act as the exhaust
pipe, however when said irons are simultaneously operated in contrary directions four
of such coiled pipes g would be required as will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The reciprocating hollow irons 6 the tubes a the cylinders c mounted upon the
studs d, and the supply or exhaust pipe fin combination the same being constructed
and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes specified.
2. The reciprocating hollow irons &, the tubes a the coiled tubes y and the pipe h
in combination, the same being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as
and for the purposes specified.