US2280719A - Ironer - Google Patents

Description

April 21, 1942. H. M. RUMBA'UGH IRONER Filed July 18, 1940 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 2l, 1942 UNITED STATESk PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

The present invention relates to ironing machines and more particularly to machines of the rotary roll, power operated type, which are especially suitable `for domestic use. More especially, the present invention is directed to a novel form of ironing machine of the character indicated, which facilitates and expedites ironing operations and which permits proper ironing of various articles in a manner not heretofore possible on previous types of machines of this gen-l eral class.,

It is Well known that in order to properly iron a mans shirt on ironing machines of 'the form heretofore manufactured, requires substantial skill, which may be acquired only as the result of considerable effort and practice. It is also known that the sales of ironing machines in past years have been greatly retarded by reason of the fact that prospective purchasers of such machines could not be easily and conveniently taught a simple series of operations for performing a Another object is to provide `an improved ironing machine Aof the character indicated, having a padded roll, the external diameter of which does not exceed 4% inches. 1

A further object is to provide an improved form of ironing machine of the character indicated 1 wherein the diameter of the roll and the size of the housing, which provides support for the roll 'at onel end, are of such size and shape as to permit -telescoping thereover of a sleeve of a mans shirt in order to permit disposition of the other proper ironing operation on a shirt and other articles of apparel. Some organizations merchandising machines of this general type have employed especially skilledpersons for making demonstrations of the various essential steps for performing a satisfactory ironing operation on a shirt and onother articles. However, it has'been found that prospective purchasers, after having observed skilled demonstrators perform, had considerable clifculty in following the proposed procedure of the demonstrator, without great effort and necessitating a great amount of practice before becoming sufficiently skilled to produce a satisfactory ironing operation.` As a result of these difficulties, ironing machines for home use have up to the present time acquired a status as being an instrumentality adapted primarily for ironing flat work. This condition is the result of the fact that all machines as heretofore constructed employed large diameter rolls, and the support for the rolls were of such designs that the machines did not lend themselves for use in a convenient and entirely practical manner for performing ironing operations on various garments and miscellaneous pieces of material to be ironed.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a novel form of ironing machine which, dueto its form and construction, permits proper ironing of various articles of apparel and other articles and which also permits ironing of a mans shirt in a relatively simple manner, requiring practically no previous experience or practice on the part of the operator.

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sleeve of the shirt in telescopic relation around the roll in position to be ironed.

A still further object is to provide an improved ironing machine which permits performing satisfactory ironingoperations on garments and other articles more expeditiously than heretofore possible.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved ironing machine of the character indicated, which is relatively simple in construction, durable in operation, and economical to manufacture.

Further characteristics. and important features of my invention are: a single thickness of a garment sleeve may be ironed, the entire width of the roll and shoe may be utilized, thereby eliminating overheating of some portions of the shoe, lessening the chances of scorching and Waste of heat during ironing operations, and the ease and quickness of shifting sleeved garments on the machine. I

My novel form of machine also produces a number of other advantageous results, mainly in that in the employment of a relatively small diameter roll, there is effected a saving in metal of the inner cylinder as Well as the padding material, which makes it possible, if desirable, to use smaller Watt heating elements for obtaining the same amount of heat per unit area as is available in machines of this general type now manufactured; and it will be apparent that when using an equivalent size heating element as used in present machines, it is possible, if desired, to materially speed up the roll for increasing the speed of performing ironing operations. By reason of the small size roll, which is positioned for convenience above a platform or table, it is possible to obtain greater clearance between the bottom of the roll and the platform or table,

upon which the ironer is mounted, and which clearance facilitates folding and gathering of the ironed material without restriction.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the

pended claims.

parallel spaced relation to the table 2.

bination, and arrangementl of parts herein specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but it is to be understood that the latter is merely illustrative of an embodiment of the invantiomand that the actual needs of practice and manufacture may require certain mechanical variations from the embodiment means andV ironer-shoe actuating means;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing motor,

l ironer, electrical connections and a switch device;,and

Fig. is a fragmentary elevational view of the ironingmachine showing a-mans shirt disposed thereon for performing an ironing operation on the shirt.

This `application is a continuation in part yof my co-pending application, Serial No. 317,363-, led February 5, 1940, entitled Ironers vAs maybe seen in the drawing, the ironing machine embodying the presentv invention is, in general of a conventional form including a table I having a top 2, upon which the ironer proper is mounted'and supported. The ironer proper includes an electrically operated motor 3, preferably mounted beneath the table top and having drive connections, portions of which extend into and are enclosed 'by a housing 4 secured on the4 top of the table 2`. l l A padded, cylindrical ironing roll 5 extends in a generally horizontal direction in substantially is supported from one end only by a suitable connection With the housing 4 in a manner similar to that employed in most forms of ironing machines now being manufactured, Due to this construction, the other-end of the roll is free and a unsupported, and facilitates the performance of various ironing operations on articles of wearing apparel and' the like, in a manner well understood in the art. vIt is to be understood that-the roll is rotatably supported-by the housing 4 and includes suitable connections with the power operated driving mechanism enclosed within the housing.

lMounted rearwardly of the roll'is a conventional form of shoe 6, having its working :face

, shaped to conform to the curvature or contour of the periphery of the roll 5. Said shoe is ad- .iustably and movably supported on a bracket 1, and isadapted for movement into and out of cooperative position with the roll. understood that; said shoe' may be either electrically energized, gas or steam heated, and may be mounted in association with controlling devices for either manuaLindependent actuation,

or in association withthe power operated driving mechanism,'driven by thermotor, for automatically moving the shoe into and out of cooperative engagement with the roll.

The driving connections between the motor 3 and the roll 5. are particularly shown by Fig. 3,

Said roll -1 Itis to be' Cil shown. It is, therefore, not intended to limit the -invention resides in the novel construction, comand, as illustrated, include a reduction gear case 8, adapted for receiving any suitable gear reduction mechanism operable in connection with the motor shaft, a shaft 9 having a bevel gear IU thereon cooperating with the reduction gear and disposed within the housing 4. Gear IIJ cooperates with a gear I2 mounted on an end of a horizontally disposed shaft I3, the latter extending through the roll 5 and within a hollow non-rotatable 'tubular member I4 extending from an apertured closure I5 in housing 4, to a supporting collar I1 located near the opposite end ofthe roll. Mounted adjacent to the end of shaft I3 and rigidly attached to the shaft and to the wall of the roll 5 is a flanged driving element I8. Ele

ment I8 is disposed between the support I'I and a collar I9 secured to shaft I3 `by a screw 20.

The means, as shown, for moving the bracket 'I and the shoe 6 towards and away from the roll includes a horizontally extending rotatable Aor partially rotatable shaft 2| having attached to an end thereof an operating arm 22 having a handle` 23. Arm 22 is secured to the shaft and a movement thereof rotates the shaft, which latter extends through bearings 24. The opposite end of the shaft is connected with a bifurcated end25 of the bracket 1. 26 designates a screw for tightening the end of the bracket on the actuating shaft. As particularly shown by Fig. 4, 21 designates a contact plate or switch mounted on and movable with the shaft 2I designed to make and break the circuit from the motor, thus conveniently effecting the driving and stopping of the of ironing operations upon the machine in a' manner not possible on all other prior types of roll. Y

This invention more specifically resides in the provided diameter of the ironing roll `5 and also in the size and arrangement of the associated housing 4, which encloses the power drive connection to and provides support for the roll 5 at one end.

It has been found from substantial experiment that the external diameter of the padded roll 5 should not exceed 4% inches, and preferably 'of a lesser diameter, in order to facilitate and increase the potential' range of use of the ironing machine in performing ironing operations on various articles, as will hereinafter be more particularly pointed out. However, for most satisfactory results and to adapt the machine to a relatively wide range of use, I have found that the external diameter of the padded roll preferably should be within the range of 3 inches to 4 inches.

After the desired external diameter of the roll is ascertained, the housingA is preferably designed and dimensioned so that the peripheral dimension of the housing at any point throughout-.fthe major portion of its length is equal to or less than the peripheral external .dimension of the roll.

'I'he purpose of a relatively small diameter of roll and correspondingly small peripheral dimension of the housing is to enable the performance ironing machines. The comparatively small diameter of the roll now permits ironing of shirts, puffed sleeves, pleated areas of garments, ruilled curtains, childrens garments, and other articles as pajamas and slacks, in a highly satisfactory manner; and in the performance of the necessary ironing operations on certain of these articles as, for example, shirts, it is possible, in addition to performing an improved ironing operation. to eliminate several of the steps or operations which were heretofore foundabsolutely necessary in connection with the proper ironing of shirts on machines now available. By virtue of the size and relationship of the roll and the housing, it is possible to iron. in a few minutes time, an average size mans shirt on my improved machine in a novel, relatively simple manner. which practically eliminatesy the necessity of practice or instructions to learn how to perform a satisfactory ironing operation.

For convenience in understanding` the iinportance of my invention, one form of my novel method of ironing a shirt will be briefly described as follows: First, place the lefthand sleeve, cuff rst, telescopically over the roll and draw it down around and over the housing 4, and then gather or bunch the sleeve around the housing, together with the body of the shirt, so as todraw onto the roll in telescopic fashion the righthand sleeve of the shirt to a position where'the cuff just overhangsthe free, unsupported end of the roll 5, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The roll with the righthand sleeve thereon is then positioned so that the buttonhole edge of the placket, as indicated'at Ain Fig. 5, is in positionto be engaged by the shoe when the latter is moved into cooperative'. relation with the roll so as to iron substantially one-half of the peripheral extent of the sleeve, or substantially to the underarm seam.- As illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing this portion of the sleeve is in process of being ironed. Then the roll .with the sleeve thereon is turned back toward the operator, removing bulges of excess material produced in the unironed portion of the sleeve as a result of the performance of the above mentioned ironing operation, and the remaining peripheral portion of the sleeve is then ironed, commencing with the underarm seam and continuing up to the button edge of the placket, as indicated at B in Fig. 5. The next step is to shift the ironed portion of the sleeve a short distance off the end of the roll so as to dispose the shoulder portion adjacent said sleeve on the roll in position to be ironed. In ironing the shoulder portion, portions of the front and back of the shirt are also ironed. Then the righthandsleeve and the body of the shirt is slipped along the roll so that the entirel yoke, shoulder to shoulder, is positioned to be contacted by the shoe for performing an ironing f operation thereon. The 4next step is to readjust the shirt to dispose theflefthand shoulder porapproximates the range of 1200 watts. The shoes usually are so constructed as to distribute heat overa relatively Wide area of shoe surface.` By virtue of my novel form of machine, it will be obvious that by utilizing the same maximum wattage and substantially the same pressure applying means as heretofore employed, I obtain a relatively high degree of heat per unit of surface of shoe face as well as'an increased amount of pressure per unit of surface of shoe face. Also faster recovery or recuperation of the ironing shoe heat. In view of the potential increase of both pressure and heat per unit area of the shoe face, it is possible to materially increase the peripheral speed of the roll, thereby greatly expediting ironing operations on the machine, as compared to machines now available.

Due to the fact that I employ a relatively small diameter roll, I am able to utilize a correspondingly small (cross sectional) size shoe, which, together with the roll, by reason of their small peripheral surface contact, permits rapid liberation of the steam which is generated in the ironing operation. This condition, together with the possibility of increased speed of the roll, permits obtaining a rapid drying of the ironed material, and thereby dispenses with the necessity of pas`s. ing the material through the machine more than once, such as is often necessary with many present day machines, in ironing certain types of articles.

Although I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, manition of the shirt upon the roll and perform an ironing operation thereon, as above described; and then the body of the shirt is shifted off the roll to dispose the lefthand sleeve in telescopic relation on the roll for performing an ironing operation thereon in 'the same manner as described in connection with the righthand sleeve. After these ironing operations are performed, the shirt is removed from the machine and the various parts of the back; sides, and front, together with the cuffs and collar, are ironed in a conventional manner in any desired sequence as flat work. Of course, if desired, the ironing of the cuffs and collar may be performed intermediate certain other stepsof the process of ironing a shirt.

It is well known that in order to perform a satisfactory ironing `operation on machines of this general class, the two controlling factors are pressure and heat. In most forms of machines of this general type as heretofore made within recent years, the shoe of machines electrically operated are wir'ed for maximum wattage, which festly it is capable of modification and rearrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. I do not, therefore, wish to be understood as limiting this invention to the precise form herein shown and described, except'as it may be so limited in the appended claims.

1. In a shirt ironer of the character described' a cylindrical rotatable ironing roll having an external diameter not exceeding 4% inches, a support at one end thereof approximately of a girth throughout a majorl portion of its length not exceeding the diameter of said roll, said roll and support being externallyv unobstructed so as 'to enable drawing thereover a sleeve of a mans shirt of normal range of sizes, whereby a sleeve and the body portion of said shirt may be telescoped over and gathered or bunched along said support while the other sleeve of said shirt surrounds the roll in position to be ironed, the construction thereby enabling successive changes in the positioning of the shirt relative to the roll so that single-thickness ironing of the sleeves and a. complete ironing of al1 other portions of the shirt is attained.

2. In a shirt ironer of the character described,I

a cylindrical rotatable ironing roll having an eX- ternal diameter not exceeding 4% inches,a support at one end thereof approximately of a girth vthroughout a major portion of its length not exceeding l5 inches, said roll and support being externally unobstructed so as to enable drawing thereover a sleeve of a mans shirt-of normal range of sizes, whereby a sleeve and body portion of said shirt may be telescoped over and gathered or hunched along said support while the other sleeve of said shirt surrounds the roll in a position to be ironed, the construction thereby enabling successive changes in the positioning of the shirt relative to the roll so that singlethickness ironing of the sleeves and a complete ironing of au other portions of the shirt is attained. V

3. In an ironer of the character described, a rotary cylindrical ironing roll and coacting shoe, said roll having an external diameter not exceeding 4% inches, and means for supporting therroll from at least one end, said parts being constructed and arranged to permit telescoping a sleeve ofa mans shirt of normal range of sizes, over the roll and said means.

4. Inan ironer of the character described, a rotary cylindrical ironing roll and coacting shoe, said roll having an external diameter not exceeding 4% inches, and means providing support for said roll at one end, the other end of the roll being free and unsupported, the portion of the meansl disposed immediately adjacent the said one end of the roll having a peripheral dimension of not more than 15 inches, said roll and the portion of said means lying immediately adjacent the said one end of the roll being externally unobstructed so as to permit telescoping a sleeve of a mans shirt of normal range of sizes,v over said roll and said portion of the support means.

5. In an ironer of the character described,` a rotary cylindrical ironing roll member, means for supporting said roll member at one end, the other end of the roll member being free and unsupported, and a shoe member, one of said members being movable into and out of cooperative engagement with the other, the peripheral di- ,mension of one of said members not exceeding fifteen inches, at any point throughout its entire length, whereby a sleeve of a mans shirt of normal range of sizes may be telescoped over said last mentioned member for performing an ironing operation thereon.

HUGH M. RUMBAUGH.

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