Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 17th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 22nd June, 1888
I, EMILE LÉON THEOPHILE CARON of Saint Peters Street, Old Radford, Nottingham,
Engineers representative and laundry proprietor, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to ironing machines having a concave bed and roller rotating
in contact or in close proximity with the bed.
The articles to be ironed in such machines are passed between the roller and the
bed.
As at present constructed the bed consists of a hollow casting or series of castings
into which steam is introduced to heat it. This mode of construction has several
disadvantages, the castings especially if of large size are difficult and costly to make
without flaws or honey combing, water also is apt to collect in the hollow and is then
difficult to remove and the castings sometimes burst.
Another disadvantage being that insufficient heat is obtained by ordinary steam for
the efficient and expeditious ironing of certain fabrics unless very high pressure of
steam is used in which case more risk of explosions and bursting occurs.
In order to remove these objections I make the bed of a concave plate of metal
preferably of wrought steel or it may be of cast metal and in order to heat the bed
I place in contact with it on its under side a series of pipes such as are known as
Perkins pipes; the pipes contain water and they form a closed system a part of which
is a coil heated by a fire. Preferably I arrange the heating coil within a stove which
serves also as an ironing stove to heat flat or sad irons.
Sometimes in place of placing the bed simply in contact with the heating pipes.
I form it by casting metal on to the pipes and I afterwards finish the bed accurately
to the concave form required.
I also heat the roller by a stationary coil of Perkins pipes within it; the axes of
the roller are hollow and the pipes forming the connections for the coil pass through
the hollow axes.
Sometimes in place of employing Perkins pipes I employ pipes containing steam.
which may be superheated or 1 may employ hot air.
To prevent loss of heat 1 employ asbestos or other imperfect conductor of heat to
jacket the bed and other parts of the apparatus.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Ironing Machines.
I EMILE LÉON THEOPHILE CARON of Saint Peters Street, Old Radford, Nottingham,
Engineers representative and Laundry proprietor, 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 relates to ironing machines having a roller rotating upon or in
close proximity to a concave hed, the articles to be ironed passing between said roller
and bed, and has for its object to provide a means for maintaining a constant
temperature, as also to overcome the risk of bursting or fracture and other objections
to which existing ironing machines are subject.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I have appended the
accompanying two sheets of drawings in which Figure 1 represents a front elevational
view of an ironing machine. Figure 2 is a sectional elevational view of the roller
and bed showing a coiled tube arranged according to my invention. Figure 3 is a
sectional elevation of the roller in which is shown the employment therein of a smaller
tubular coil, and Figure is an end elevational view of same. Figure 5 shows a
cross section of one method, and Figure 6 an alternative method of arranging the
pipes or tubes in contact with the bed of the machine.
Hitherto in ironing machines as constructed and at present in use, the bed consists
of a hollow casting or forging or series of castings or forgings, which is or are heated
by the admission therein of steam. This mode of construction has several dis-
advantages inasmuch as the castings or forgings,-if of large size, are costly and
difficult to make without flaws, as for instance honeycombing and defective rivetting,
causing leakage. Water also, due to the condensation of steam is liable to accumulate
in the lower part of the concave castings or forgings, which is not only difficult to
remove, but the presence of which tends to keep the heat lower than would be
practically useful.
further disadvantage in these machines is, that heat obtained
from steam at the ordinary pressure is insufficient for the efficient and expeditious
ironing of certain fabrics, unless used at a very high pressure, in which caso
there would be considerable risk of explosion and bursting of the castings or
forgings.
Now, in accordance with my invention I form the bed A of the machine of wrought
or cast metal, preferably of wrought steel,-to which heat is imparted by means of
a coil of pipe or tube B-generally known as Perkins' pipes-placed in contact with
the under surface of the concave plate forming the bed A. Said pipes B form a closed
system, part of which is an external coil heated by any suitable means, but preferably
by being arranged within the stove employed for heating flat or sad irons.
Instead of the pipes B aforesaid being suspended within the casing forming the
bed A of the machine, I may arrange the pipes to the desired configuration, and cast
the metal upon said pipes, afterwards finishing the ironing surface of the bed plate by
any suitable means to obtain an even and polished surface.

page_text: At Figure 2 is shown a roller C provided with a stationary coil of pipe D arranged
in close proximity to the inner surface of said roller C, the axes c of which latter are
hollow so as to allow of the ends d of the coil D passing therethrough, said ends &
being connected to a telescopic tube E Figure 1, or to any ordinary slide valve or
equivalent device, to allow of the ingress or egress of the heating medium, which may
be hot water, waste gases, superheated steam, hot air and the like; the object of
employing a telescopic tube E or slide valve being to allow of the raising of the
roller C for the purpose of cleaning the surface of the bed A.
A modification of the above arrangement of a tubular coil within the roller C is
illustrated at Figure 3, in which it will be seen that a smaller coil is employed than
that described in the previous arrangement. Under this modification the axes are
split or slotted as shown at e Figures 3 and 4 to allow of the roller C being raised, a
radial slot f being formed in the heads thereof provided with covers or plates to prevent
the ingress of cold air into the interior of said roller C.
At Figure 6 is illustrated an alternative method of constructing the bed A of an
ironing machine wherein according to my invention a sheet of steel, iron or cast
metal g is provided, bent or cast into the desired curvilinear form and having a single
layer of pipes B arranged in contact with the under side thereof, which latter is backed
or jacketed with asbestos or other suitable non-conducting preparation or material;
I may however in any case jacket the pipes in the bed A and other parts of the
machine with a non-conducting material, so as to prevent loss of heat by radiation.
By the employment and arrangement of pipes in an ironing machine, in the manner
above described, I am enabled with great economy of fuel to heat the bed and roller
by means of superheated steam or by waste gases, hot water, hot air and the liko at
high pressure, thus obtaining and maintaining greater and more constant heat than is
possible with fluids at low pressure, whilst at the same time the risks of explosions
and consequent fracture of the roller and bed plate are entirely obviated.
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 :-
First In ironing machines the employment therein and adaptation thereto of a .
coil of piping or tubing forming a closed system to be charged with a suitable heating
medium, one part of which system of coiled piping or tubing is subjected to the
direct action of fire substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Second :-In the ironing machine herein described the employment of superheated
steam or waste gases, hot water, hot air and the like under pressure in combination
with a tubular coil for imparting heat to the roller and bed of the machine substantially
as herein set forth.
Dated this Seventeenth day of May 1888.