Cloth-pressing machine.

Application filed June 8, 1908. Serial No. 437,389.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it loaown that T, Theodore D. Palmer, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new 5 and useful Improvements in Cloth-Pressing Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

'This invention relates to certain improve10 ments in cloth pressing machines commonly known as mangles for pressing, steaming and shaping long or short lengths of cloth, cuffs, collars and other garments requiring a dull finish.

One object is to diffuse steam evenly over the entire upper surface of the cloth or garment while under· pressure of the rollers and to allow the escape of the steam from the upper surface of the garment im20 mediately upon its exit from the contact Surfaces of the rollers.

A further object is to confine the exit of the steam as nearly at the point of contact between the rollers as possible.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

• Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view partly in elevation of a portion of a laundrying machine showing · the 30 various features of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views taken respectively on lines 2—2 and 3—3, Fig. 1.

This machine comprises essentially two hollow rollers —1— and —2— journaled 35 one above the other in suitable bearings —3— and —4— and having their meeting faces in close contact, the bearings —3— for the upper roller being movable vertically but are spring pressed toward the 40 bearings —4— by springs —5— to keep the meeting faces of the rollers in close contact and still allow them to separate more or less when operating upon garments of varying thickness, said . springs . being 45 properly tensioned by suitable adjusting screws —6— as best seen in Fig. 1. These rollers —1— and —2— are preferably of the same length sufficient to receive between them any garment or fabric which it 50 may be desired to steam and press, each roller consisting of- a cylindrical shell and suitable end heads upon which the journals entering the bearings —3— and —4— are formed although in some instances these 55. heads may be dispensed with and the cylindrical shell otherwise supported.

'Hie lower roller or shell is preferably imperforate but is provided with an interior heating chamber for the reception of steam or other heating fluid through a coaxial in- _c0let pipe —8—: as best seen in Fig. 1, the object of this heating chamber being to heat the shell —7— reasonably hot but at sufficiently low temperature to prevent burning the garment and at the same time facilitat- _(iing and expediting the drying of the garment. The upper cylindrical shell is provided with an interior chamber concentric with its axis and is also provided with radial apertures —9— which are distributed ₇₀throughout the area of the shell.

A non-rotatable steam pipe —10— is passed through an aperture —11— in one of the end heads coaxial with' said roller and is provided with a pendant steam dis- ₇₅dributing chamber —12— coextensive with the interior length of the chamber and. has its lower side provided with perforations —13— lying close to the inner faces of the shell —1— at the meeting sides of the roll- ₈₀ers, said distributing chamber —12^ being comparatively narrow transversely so as t^ confine the steam within a comparatively narrow space circumferentially of said roller at the meeting side thereof thereby ₈5 projecting a comparatively thin or narrow elongated jet of steam against the upper surface of the garment at its point of engagement by the rollers and preventing the escape of such steam through the perfora- go tions in the remaining portion of the upper roller except those which may be in registration with the perforations —13— of the distributing chamber —12—.

In order that the escaping steam from the 95 distributing chamber —12— through the perforations in the roller —1— may be more closely confined to the meeting faces of said rollers and prevented from passage to the interior of said roller, I provide the longi- iog tudinal sides of the distributing chamber —12— with suitable packing strips —14— which ride against the inner face of the cylinder or roller at opposite sides of the meeting face thereof and just at the outside of m., the perforations —13—. The upper perforated roller —1— is surrounded by a cloth fabric cover —15— coextensive with its length and serving as a means for evenly distributing the steam which passes through 1 η the perforations at the meeting side of said roller thereby preventing imprints of said β 1,007,137 perforations in the garment while being steamed and pressed. _L

In some instances it may be desirable to introduce steam against the upper surface 5 of the garment just prior to its entrance between the rollers —1— and —2— and at the same time providing means for diffusing or distributing the steam evenly over the garment and for this purpose the fabric 10 cover —15— of the roller —1— is elongated transversely in the form of a belt, a portion of which passes around an idler —16— having its lower face in substantially the same horizontal plane as the lower face 15 of the roller —1— but some distance in front of said roller so that the lower portion of the fabric belt —15— between the roller —1— and idler —16— is disposed in substantially a horizontal position leaving a 20 space between the idler —16— and adjacent face of the roller —1—. In this space is placed a steam pipe —17— just above the lower horizontal· portion of the belt —15— and directly in front of the roller —1—, 25 said steam pipe being provided with a series of apertures —18— in its lower rear side: which discharge' directly against and through the lower horizontal portion of the belt —15— upon the upper surface of 30 the garment just before passing between the ' rollers —1—· and —2— In either case whether the steam is projected through the apertures of the roller —1— or through the steam pipe —17—, it passes through the belt 35 —15— and then comes in direct contact with the upper surface of the garment and while it . softens the nap of such garment, the mechanical pressure of the upper roller upon the upper surface of the garment tends to 40 mat the nap down thereby temporarily pressing the steam in a dense cloud in the nap but as soon as the mechanical pressure upon the upper surface of the garment is relieved by the garment passing out from 45 between the rollers, the natural tendency of the steam to escape upward, uniformly raises and restores the nap thereby renewing and sterilizing the garment. The rapidity of escape of the steam naturally produces a 50 drying effect upon the garment which is materially aided by heating the under side of the garment by the heated roller —2— so that immediately after the garment emerges from the rollers it is practically dry.

By this machine I am enabled to effectively press, renew and sterilize garments on short notice.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a portion of a supporting table —A— having its upper 60 face disposed in a horizontal plane substantially coincident with the meeting faces of the rollers —1— and —2— and upon which the garments are-placed and fed either by hand or by the fabric belt —15—between 65 said rollers^ steam being projected against the upper surface of the garment through the apertures in the pipe —15— or through those in the roller but in either case the steam is forced through the fabric press cloth or belt —15—· upon the upper surface 70 of the portion of the garment at about the same point where it is pressed by the rollers —1— and —2—, the steam being forced into the nap where it is temporarily retained in a thin dense cloud and pressed 75 into such nap so that immediately after the emergence of the pressed portion of the garment from between the rollers, the natural tendency of the steam to escape restores the nap and at the same time the rapidity of go evaporation of such steam, operates to expedite die drying of such garment aided by the leat from the lower roller —2—. The r ^; :ers —1— and —2— are rotated simultaneously in, the direction indicated by 35 arrows —X— and —Y—, Fig. 2 by the intermeshing gears —20— as best seen in Fig: 1, one of the rollers being provided with a pulley —21—which may be connected by a, belt to any available source of power, not 90 shown. Each of the pipes —8— and —10— extend through suitable stuffing boxes in one end of their corresponding rollers —1— and —2— and are provided with valves —23— and —24—, the valve 95 —24— controlling the supply of steam while the valve —23— controls the supply of the heating, agent or fuel for the roller —7—.