Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Dampening Shirts and other Articles in Laundry and like Work.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr.,
1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Dampening Shirts and
other Articles in Laundry and like Work.
I WILLIAM AUGUST EDWIN HENRICI, of 762 Broadway, Chelsea, County
of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer
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 has for its object the production of a simple, compact and
efficient machine for dampening shirts and other articles in laundry work, whereby
the article is uniformly and rapidly dampened as it is passed through the apparatus,
means being provided for regulating the amount of moisture to be imparted to the
articles to be dampened, and the invention consists in various details of construction
and arrangement hereinafter fully set forth in the Specification and more particularly
pointed out in the claims.
Fig. 1, in front elevation, and partially broken out, represents a dampening
machine embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a left-hand elevation thereof, the base being broken off to save space in
the drawing.
Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail view taken through the axes of the rolls.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section thereof, taken on the line - Fig. 3, and
Fig. 5, is an enlarged transverse sectional detail of one of the dampening rolls.
I have herein shewn the machine as comprising a preferably hollow base or
support A, the upper part branching laterally, as shewn in Fig. 1, and standards a
are secured thereto at the sides of the machine, as by suitable bolts a', the said
standards forming guides for journal boxes b, c, through which extend the journals
of the dampening rolls B and C.
The roll B is made hollow, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4, and each end is reduced
in diameter to leave an annular shoulder b, and at one end a hollow journal 6³,
shewn in Fig. 3, the reduced portion at the other end being left solid and having
secured thereto a gear 6, see Figs. 1 and 2, beyond the adjacent journal box, the
journal 6 having fast thereon between the journal box and the gear 6* a smaller
gear 6 in engagement with an intermediate gear 6, which is engaged by another
intermediate gear 7, the latter meshing with a gear e fast on the solid journal e³ of
the hollow roll C.
The intermediate gears 6 and 7 are mounted on suitable studs secured in one of
the standards a, positive rotation being transmitted from the gear 6³ through the
intermediates to the gear o³.
The opposite end of the roll C is reduced to leave a shoulder c', and a hollow
journal extended through the journal box c, as clearly shewn in Fig. 3, it being
evident from the foregoing description that the roll B is rotatably mounted in the
boxes which rest in the bottom of the guide-way formed by the standards a,
while the roll C is rotatably mounted in the vertically adjustable boxes c.
The boxes care provided with suitably threaded bosses c* which are entered and
engaged by threaded portions of short shafts rotatable in, but held from
longitudinal movement by the cross-pieces a secured to the top of the standards,
said cross-pieces forming bearings a for a shaft a having bevelled gears a* thereon
ir engagement with similar gears of fast on the threaded shaft c.

page_text: Rotation of the shaft by means of a suitable hand wheel a', in one or the other
direction, will raise or lower the boxes c, and consequently the roll C, so that the
space between the rolls B and C is readily adjusted.
Limiting stops, shewn as nuts c', regulate the movement of the boxes e in the
direction of the bottom of the standards.
The rolls B and C are made of metal, preferably brass on account of its non-
rusting properties, and they are exteriorily grooved longitudinally and circum-
ferentially at 10 and 12 respectively, and preferably perforated at the intersections
of said sets of grooves, as at 13, so that water being admitted to the interior of the
rolls, as will be described, will pass through the periorations 13, and, by means of
the exterior grooves, will be quickly and evenly distributed to all parts of the
circumference.
The rolls are covered with a essing of wire gauze g, and over the gauze a textile
fabric t is tightly wrapped and secured in any manuer the number of thicknesses
or layers of the textile covering, depending upon the size of the rolls and the
general character of the work to be dampened.
.
The gauze or similar foraminous covering g breaks up and still more thoroughly
distributes the moisture upon the surface of the roll, and the textile covering t,
becomes in a short time thoroughly and evenly dampened in such manner as to
impart to the articles passed between the rolls the sufficient degree of dampness
desired.
As clearly shewn in Fig. 3, distributor pipes B¹ and C' are passed through the
hollow journals &³, o of the rolla, the said pipes being perforated, as at 15, within
the rolls and extending from one to the other end thereof, the outer ends of the
pipes being connected by suitable unions to an equalizer d the exits d' and d
thereof being equally curved to form over-flows, as it were, intermediate the
equalizer d and the distributor pipes B¹ and C¹ respectively, so that water admitted
into the equalizer by means of a suitable valve d", preferably a needle-valve, will
pass in equal quantities therefrom to the distributor pipes, the amount of water
distributed being controlled by the valve 6*.
The ends of the hollow journals of the rolls are shewn as projecting beyond
their respective journal boxes, and threaded to receive thereon the stuffing-
boxes b, c, to prevent any leakage at such points, and the shoulders b¹, c¹, on the
rolls bear upon the journal boxes and prevent longitudinal movement of the rolls.
A belt pulley E is loosely mounted on a shaft e at the rear of the machine and
secured to a bracket e*, Figs. 1 and 2, the pulley having thereon one member,
as e', of a clutch, the movable co-operating member & being also rotatable and
longitudinally movable on the shaft e, and having secured thereto & gear **, see
dotted lines Fig. 2, in engagement with the large gear b*.
A clutch-shifter & moves the member e³ of the clutch into or out of engagement
with the member e¹, so that the machine may be stopped or started at the will of
the operator, power being transmitted to the apparatus from any suitable source by
means of a belt, not shown, applied to the pulley E.
A squeeze roll is mounted in brackets at the sides of the machine, and is
adapted to bear upon the poriphery of the roll B to squeeze the surplus moisture
therefrom, the pressure between the two rolls being regulated by adjusting screws ƒª
adapted to bear upon the journals of the squeeze roll.
The surplus moisture is preferably collected in a trough beneath the lower
roll and running the length of the machine, from which it is conveyed by a
suitable outlet pipe to any desired point of discharge.
The articles to be dampened are fed in between the dampening rolls B and C
over a feed table F, preferably provided with a finger guard F to prevent the
operator's fingers from being drawn into the bight of the rolls, and the dampened
article is carried into a suitable receptacle F*, see Fig. 2, by means of a travelling
apron h, shown only in Fig. 4.
I preferably mount a roll ' at the rear of the machine and beyond the roll B,
supporting it in suitable brackets h", the travelling apron h. consisting preferably

page_text: of a series of endless tapes passing around the periphery of the roll B and the
roll h¹.
The movement of the apron in the direction of the arrow Fig. 4 assists in
delivering the article beyond the operating parts of the apparatus.
In order to ensure thoroughly pure and clean water for the dampening, I prefer
to insert a suitable filter, as HI, Fig. 1, between the equaliser valve d* and the
source of water supply.
By the construction herein shown and described various articles may be rapidly
and evenly dampened, the structure of the rolls and the co-operating parts of the
apparatus being such that the moisture is distributed evenly and thoroughly
throughout the article as it passes through the machine, with the result that all
parts are dampened alike, greatly facilitating and improving future operations in
the laundry.
The teeth of the gear o and 7 are sufficiently long to remain in engagement
while permitting vertical movement of the former gear in adjusting the roll C,
and, as a matter of fact, very slight vertical movement of the roll is sufficient to
adjust it.
The angular movement of a plane passed through the axes of the roll C and
the gear 7, about the axis of the latter as a centre, is never great enough to throw
the teeth of the two gears out of proper engagement, the length of the teeth in
consequence being increased but little over the ordinary.
The equalising device is rigidly connected to one of the distributer pipes, herein
shown as the pipe C¹, and to the other pipe, as B', by a telescopic joint 25,
whereby the movement of the roll C in adjusting it is permitted, though
obviously the arrangement could be reversed without departing from the invention.
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 I
claim is :
1. The use, in a dampening machine for laundry or like use, of perforated
dampening rolls, water distributer pipes extended axially into and to supply water
to the interior of the rolls, and means to rotate the rolls, substantially as
described.
2. The use in a dampening machine for laundry or like
use, of perforated
rotatable dampening rolls, distributer pipes extended into and to supply water to
the interior of the rolls, and an equalising device to distribute an equal quantity
of water to each roll, substantially as described.
3. The use, in a dampening machine for laundry or like use, of perforated rolls
adjustable towards and from each other and having a textile outer covering, and
distributer pipes connected with a source of water supply to deliver water into the
interior of said rolls, substantially as described.
4. The use, in a dampening machine for laundry or like use, of perforated
dampening rolls, one of which is mounted in vertically adjustable bearings,
distributer pipes extended axially into and to deliver water into the interior of
the rolls, and an equalising device rigidly connected to one and telescopically to the
other of said pipes, substantially as described.
5. The use, in a dampening machine for laundry or like use, of perforated
dampening rolls, means to positively rotate them, water distributing pipes for the
rolls, and an adjustable squeeze roll to remove the surplus moisture from one of
the rolls, substantially as described.
6. The use, in a dampening machine for laundry or like use, of positively
rotated dampening rolls, distributer pipes to discharge water into the interior of
said rolls, and a flexible delivery apron to convey the dampened article from the
rolls, substantially as described.
7. In a dampening machine for laundry or like use, a dampening roll comprising
an exteriorly grooved metallic shell having perforations therein, a foraminous
casing for the shell, and an enclosing textile cover, substantially as described.

page_text: 8. The use, in a dampening machine for laundry or like use, of dampening rolls,
a gear on each, means to drive one of said rolls directly, and intermediate gears
engaging each of them and the gears on the rolls, substantially as described.
9. The construction and arrangement of parts of laundry or like dampening
machinery so that they may co-operate to dampen the articles uniformly and 5
rapidly with a regulated amount of moisture, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated the 2nd day of March 1895.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.