US1757821A - Hat-cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Description

May 6, 1930.

w. wlLsoN HAT CLEANING APPARATUSV Filed April 13, 1927 A TTORNEY6,

Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES WILLIAM WILSON, OF SELMA, ALABAMA,

ASSIGNOR V'.IJO WILSON HAT STEAMING &

IBLOCKING MACHINE COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION F ALABAMA HAT-CLEANING APPARATUS v Application mea April 13,

My invention relates to devices for the steaming and blocking the crowns and brims of hats of the kind shown in my former Patents No. 1,441,258 of January 9, 1923, and No. 1,540,974 of June 9, 1925, and it has special relation to improvements in the steaming bell construction.

In apparatus of the kind under consideration, great difiiculty has been experienced in the past by the condensation of the steam and the leaking of the water of condensation on the hat being treated, and the gathering of the drip in pools upon the work table upon which the apparatus is mounted.

It is the object of my invention to lprovide a construction in which this continual dripping of the apparatus is entirely obviated by that certain novel construction and arrange ment of apparatus to be hereinafter more particularly pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a central vert-ical section of the steaming bell for the crowns of the hats.

Figure 2 is a similar section of the apparatus used for hat brims.

I have not thought it necessary to illustrate the work table or the method of mounting the apparatus for convenient use as this will be obvious from the detailed description.

I-Ieretofore it has been usual to mount the steaming bell for the crowns in upright position, but in order to take care of any possible drip, I have reversed thev position of the steaming bell.

As illustrated in the drawings, I provide a solid, imperforate metal shell comprising an outer casing 1 and an inner casing 2, forming a closed compartment 3. The outer casing is provided with lugs 4, 4 for the support of the bell in a suitablev cylindrical Yopening in the table top, indicated by dotted line.

lNithin the inner casing 2, I secure a perforated shell 5 of the same shape as the casing, which shell forms a steam compartment 6 through which the steam is delivered through perforations 7 against the hat which is mounted on the usual form block indicated by dotted line 8, the hatbeing inserted with the crown downwards, and the brim as indi- Vcated at 28 extending over the edge of the 1927. serial No. 183,489.

bell'. The perforated shell is provided with an annular flange 9 which is suitably mounted over the top of the casing, forming the steam compartment. .The shell can be clamped in position, but is intended to be removable for cleaning purposes.

The ,steam is introduced'into the compartment 3 in any suitable way, 'as illustrated through a nozzle 10, with openings l1. As a preferable construction, this steam nozzle 10 is .threaded through the inner casing 2 to dischargeinto the perforated shell compartment 6, and controlled by a valve 12 operated by a hand lever 13, or a suitable foot lever.

At the lower end of the steam chest, I provide a discharge pipe 14 for the discharge of any water of condensation, and as will be obvious, the steam may be introduced into the steam compartment through this same pipe 14. Y

The steam compartment is intended to be in continuous open communication with the steam supply, and therefore the casing will be continuously hot, sufficient to evaporate any condensation which may occur in the discharge compartment 6.

For steaming and blocking the brims of the hats I provide a similar construction to that of the steaming bell as illustrated in Figure 2. An imperforate steam casing is provided of outer and inner casing members 15, 16, forming a closed compartment 19, while secured to the inner casing 16 by a iolt 17 is the perforated shell 18, forming a chamber 25. The casing and shell are curved at the outer portion to conform to the natural curve of the hat brim, and the perforations 19a in theshell 18 are only provided for the brim portion of the hat.

rlhe shell 18 has an annular flange 20 by which it is suitably secured to the casing. Steam is introduced through a nozzle 21 into the chamber controlled by a hand or foot operated valve 26, and the condensed steam, if any, escapes through a pipe 22, through which pipe 22 the steam is furnished to the imperforate chamber 19.

This apparatus for the brims of hats is to to be mounted on a bracket 24 secured to the Atable top a sufficient height above the table, to

permit of the insertion of a hat from underneath. The hat is supplied With the usual brim block and band block, and then brought up against the perforated shell 18, and steam introduced by opening With hand lever 27 the Valve 26.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a hat steaming apparatus, thecombination with a suitable support of an inverted steaming bell for the reception of a hat With crown downward, said steaming bell comprising an imperforate bell-like chamber for the reception of steam from a source of supply, and a metal shell loosely mounted Within said bell-like chamber and forming therewith an inner steaming chamber, with perforations for the metal shell, and means for delivering dry steam therein above the bottom thereof and a valve for controlling the supply oit steam thereto, and a pipe connection at the bot-tom of said imperforate chamber to carry oit any Water of condensation therefrom.

WILLIAM WILSON.

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