US240312A - Photo-uthographer - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. EIGKEMEYER.

Hat Ironing Machine.

No. 240,312. Patented April 19,188I.

' MPETERS PQIOTO-LIYMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

(No Model.) 7 2 She'ets-Sheet 2.

R. EIOKEMEYER. Hat Ironing Machine.

Patented April 19,1881.

Witnase '5.

N. PETERS; PHOTO-UTHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON, D.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

RUDOLF EIOKEMEYER, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

HAT-IRONING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,312, dated April 19, 1881. I

Application filed January 28, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, RUDoLF EICKEMEYER, of Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Ironing Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete description of my invention.

In finishing hats, their originally flat brims are curved downward to the front and rear from a point at each side of the hat, but at the sides of the hat the brim occupies usually a plane practically at right angles to the vertical axis of the hat.

' to iron the lower side of such curved brims automatically, and with a machine embodying my improvements that operation can be rapidly, effectually, and economically 'performed.

Heretofore machines have been devised for ironing flat-brimmed hats all over, and such will be found described in Letters Patent No. 145,934, issued to me December 30, 1873 but, so far as my knowledge extends, no mechanism has heretofore been devised for automatically ironing the under side of curved brims, whether that operation be performed practically cotemporaneously with the ironing of the upper side of the brim and other portions of the hat, or performed as a wholly separate operation.

For attaining the end sought I have devised a revolving brim-iron, which is novel in that it has an annular ironing-surface occupying numerous planes instead of a single plane, as in prior machines. This revolving brim-iron, because of its variable ironing-surface, is adapted to properly engage in ironing contact, and in consecutive order, with each portion of the varied surface of the under side of the brim. In other words, a brim-iron embodying my invention has one portion of its surface specially adapted to iron the downwardlycurved under side of a curved brim at the front and rear of the hat. Another portion thereof is adapted to iron the under side of a brim at each side of the hat, whether the same be exactly horizontal or otherwise, and intermediate portions of said ironing-surface are adapted to iron the correspondingly intermediate portions of the under side of the brim. With such a brim-iron there should be employed suitable hat supporting and revolving mechanism, and a suitable com pressing device for maintaining the brim in proper ironing contact with the annular brim-iron, and said compressing device will preferably be a suitable iron for cotemporaneously ironing the upper side of the brim.

As has already been indicated, the main feature of my improvement may be embodied in a machine specially organized for solely ironing the under side of curved brims; but I have preferred to illustrate the same as embodied in a machine devised by me and adapted to iron hats all over. The several features of my invention are herein fully deseribed,and specified in detail at the close hereof.

Referring to the drawings, of which there are two sheets, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a view, partially side elevation and partially vertical section, of a machine embodying the several features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with the hat-block and hat-crown removed. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a similar view of a portion of Fig. 3, with the parts in a different rotative position. Fig. 5 is a diametrical sectional view of the brim-iron detached.

As shown in the drawings, the machine has a strong frame, A, which supports the movable parts and affords firm bearings for the horizontal driving-shaft B and the vertical countershaft 0.

The block-spindle D has a block-holder, a, which is oval in outline, is convex in the line of its longest diameter, and has two vertical pins, to, for occupying correspondingly-located holes in an oval hat-block, b, which is concave on its bottom and has a firm support upon the convex surface of the block-holder. The spindle D has a vertical tubular bearing, E, which is maintained in a firm vertical position by suitable attachments securing it to the frame. A portion of this tubular hearing will hereinafter he referred to and further described in another connection.

Power is imparted to the. block-spindle by a I oo,

bevel-gear on the main shaft meshing with a larger gear on the lower end of the vertical shaft, 0, carrying a gear, 0, which meshes with a larger gear,- 0, on the block-spindle.

It is to be understood that the irons employed for ironing the upper portion of the brim and for ironing various portions of the crown of the hat need. not necessarily differ from such as have heretofore been employed, and in connection with my upper brim-iron, F, I employ, as in prior machines, a universaljoint arrangement, so as to admit of its floating motion, corresponding to the variable surface of the brim to be ironed when supported by a brim-bed as heretofore, or by the variable ironing-surface of the lower iron as now devised by me.

With a flat circular lower brim-iron and a block suited thereto, whether said iron be concentric with the hat-block spindle or mounted on a separate spindle to the one side thereof, the machine as thus far described is similar to that shown and described in my aforesaid Letters Patent No. 145,934.

My novel brim-iron G is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 as applied to the machine. It will be seen that it is a frustum of an irregular cone, and that its upper or ironing surface on one of its diametrical lines (when mounted as shown, and in a certain position) corresponds generallywith the curved surface of the under side of the brim d of the hat shown to be in position on the block b. At the right hand side in Figs. 1 and 8, the brim rests upon said lower iron, and proper ironing contact is maintained by the upper iron, F. At the left hand in said figures, the upper surface of the lower iron is slightly below the brim at that end of the hat. In these views the hat is shown in longitudinal central section.

In Fig. 4 the hat is shown in lateral vertical central section, at which point on each side of the hat the brim is practically horizontal.

The section of thelower brim-iron, G, (shown in Fig. 4,) is on precisely the same diametrical line as in Fig. 3, but as if rotated half around, which causes it (by reason of its peculiar axial arrangement) to present at one side a horizontal ironing-surface suited for ironing the under side of the horizontalportion of the brim, while its opposite side is thrown far below the brim on the opposite side of the hat. However this lower brim-iron may be constructed, mounted, and driven, it should be so arranged as to present for ironing only that portion of its surface which is specially adapted to properly engage in ironing contact with a corresponding portion of the under surface of the hat-brim, and also so that such portions of its surface as for the time being are not engaged in ironing shall not be in undue contact with any portion of the hat-brim which is notinterposed between the upper and lower irons.

With these conditions stated, lower brim-irons may be obviously constructed in various ways and forms, and suited to varying conditions and styles of curved brims, and I have therefore deemed it necessary to particularly illustrate but one form thereof, with certain dotted lines, as in Fig. 5, which, in connection with the fact that my drawings are in scale, will enable persons skilled in the art to readily lay out an iron precisely as indicated, or, with the knowledge thus obtained by them, to depart therefrom in various ways, as circumstances may warrant in each case. V

Taking the sectional View, Fig. 5, it will be understood that the central recess is circular, and that the operative surface of the iron on each side of the diametrical line indicated has acontour resultingfrom the merging with each other of the surface-lines specially indicated at c and e at the ends of the figure, the surface 6 being the front and rear brim-ironin g surface, and the surface 0 the side brim-ironin g surface.

As shown in my prior patent, the under brimiron is mounted upon a spindle to the one side of and parallel with the hat-block spindle; but provision is also inadein said patent for mounting it concentrically with said spindle, and I have chosen to illustrate my present invention as embodied in a machine involving not only thisconcentric arrangement, broadly considered, but also (because of this particular under brim-iron) a special eccentric arrangement of the supporting bearing of said iron with relation to the block-spindle. This last-named arrangement I deem of value, even if the lower' brim-iron be a frustum of a true cone for ironing fiat brims only, as hereinafter referred to.

In a machine having the concentric arrangement of lower brim-iron, the nap of the brim on the under side is laid in continuously oval lines; but in a machine as shown in my prior patent the nap is laid in lines nearly radial from the axis of the hat, and if this latter feature be specially desired a lower brim-iron having an ironing-surface occupying numerous planes in accordance with mypresentinvention may be applied to the machine shown in my prior patent; but it is obvious that said ironin g-surface should then be modified, as will be obvious, with reference to the surface 6, which, instead of inclining downward and outwardly, would be inclined upwardly from its inner annular edge when that portion of the surface was located beneath the upper iron.

The particular lower brim-iron shown in the drawings is mounted upon a flanged sleeve, H, and is secured thereto by bolts f, but insulated therefrom by an annular space near the top of said sleeve, and by a plate, 9, composed of wood or other good non-conductor of heat, so interposed as to prevent undue direct or contact transmission of heat from the lower iron to said sleeve and its bearings. This brim-iron is exposed to gas-jets, or provided with other suitable heating apparatus, as heretofore. The sleeve H is the journal-box for the lower iron, and it is fitted to the outside of the tubular bearing E, which is turned ofi to afford an inclined bearing for the sleeve-journal H. The axis of this inclined bearing crosses the axis of the block-spindle, as at h, at a point substantially equidistant from the upper and lower ends of said bearing.

To the lower end of the sleeve H a rim-gear, i, is secured, which is engaged and driven by a larger gear, 1', on the counter-shaft C.

The upper brim-iron, F, being stationary with relation to the rotary movement of the hat, it is desirable that the lower iron should co-operate with the hat-block spindle in such a way that the hat-brim will be properly fed to the upper iron, and prevent the latter from wrinkling or straining the hat-brim, and therefore I, as in my prior machine, revolve the lower iron and the hat-block in the same direction and in order that the lower iron may properly operate on the lower surface of the brim, said iron is revolved at a greater speed than the block; and in order that said lower iron shall always present that particular portion of its surface which corresponds with the lower surface of that portion of the hat-brim which is from time to time interposed between the lower and upper irons, the lower iron is rotated exactly twice as fast as the hat'block, the pairs of gears c c and 'i i being properly proportioned in accordance with that requirement.

As before herein indicated, the upper iron, when considered with reference to the lower iron, operates as acompressing device; and if my lower iron be used in a machine adapted to iron only the under sides of brims, a pressure-plate above the brim, or other suitable compressing device, may be relied upon for maintaining proper contact of the brim with the lower iron.

The machine, constructed as shown and provided with the usual crown-irons, may obviously be used, as heretofore, for ironing the crowns of hats, without reference to their brims; but in the matter of brims it is limited to the ironing on one or both sides of brims which are curved, and incapable of ironing flat brims. I enlarge its capacity in that respect and enable it to work on flat as well as curved brims in various ways-as, for instance, I provide a fiat annular lower iron for connection with the sleeve H, and dispense with that portion of the tubular bearing E which is embraced by said sleeve. I then substitute an upper and a lower bearin g, or one long bearing within and connected with the sleeve and encircling the block-spindle, and provide for said bearing or bearings means for adjusting it or them axially with relation to the sleeve, so that the latter may interchangeably be made to revolve as on an inclined axis, as now, or as on a vertical axis coincident with the axis of the block-spindle when carrying a flat lower iron for working on flat brims; or, on the other hand, instead of thus rendering the sleevebearings adjustable, said bearing may be retained, as shown, and a lower brim-iron in the form of a frustum of a true cone employed, (instead of an irregular cone, as shown,) for enabling the machine to interchangeably operate in ironing flat brims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A lower brim-iron having an ironing-surface which occupies various planes, substantially as described.

2. The combination, substantiall y as hereinbefore described, of a revolving lower brimiron having an ironing-surface which occupies various planes, mechanism for supporting and revolving a hat, and a compressing device for maintaining the brim of a hat in ironing contact with the ironing-surface of the lower brimiron, as set forth.

3. The combination, substantially as herein before described, of hat supporting and revolving mechanism, a more rapidly revolved lower brim-iron adapted to engage in ironing contact with the variable under surface of a curved brim, and an upper brim-iron for ironing the upper surface of a brim and maintaining the lower surface thereof in contact with the variable ironing-surface of the lower iron, as set forth. l

4. The combination of the hat-block spindle and mechanism for revolving the same, the upper brim-iron, the lower brim-iron having a varied ironing-surface, and mechanism for revolving said lower iron twice as rapidly as the hat-block spindle is revolved, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a revolving hatblock spindle and an upperbrim-iron, ofa lower brim-iron revolving around said spindle and mounted in bearings inclined to the axis of the block-spindle, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the flanged sleeve,

the brim-iron mounted thereon, and the wooden disk interposed between the bearingsurface of the flanged sleeve and the brim-iron, substantially as described.

RUDOLF EIOKEMEYER. Witnesses:

BUD. EICKEMEYER, J r., TH. OSTERHELD.

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