Cleaning and laundry system and method

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to cleaning and laundry establishments, and more particularly to the provision of a system for such establishments and a method for operating such systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In this description and in the claims appended hereto, the terms “clean” and “cleaning” are intended to mean any function or type of function, such as washing, dry celan₅ ing, freshening, pressing, restoring, and the like normally carried on or performed in a dry cleaning or laundry establishment. Further, in this description and in the claims appended hereto, an item is “finished” when it has been renovated, in some manner, i.e., cleaned, washed, pressed, 10 steamed, restored, freshened, or the like. Thus, the present invention comprises a cleaning system as well as a method for operating a cleaning system.

The cleaning system of the present invention comprises a first conveyor track on which a plurality of assembly hooks can be removably mounted and moved therealong. A clip is carried by each of the hooks and arranged releasably to hold a charge ticket. The track moves past and in close adjacency to an accumulator track on which finished items, i.e., renovated items, are mounted for movement therealong. Preferably, items will be placed on conventional hangers, commonly called coat hangers, and then placed on the accumulator track. A hopper is provided for receiving tagged items to be cleaned and for which a charge ticket has been made out with the tag on each item or group of items bearing coded indicia corresponding to coded indicia on a particular charge ticket. After items placed in the hopper are cleaned and then placed on the accumulator track, an item or a group of items corresponding to a particular charge ticket can be removed from the accumulator track and mounted on the same assembly hook with the ticket and moved toward the exit end of the first track. Preferably, a bagging apparatus is disposed adjacent the exit end of this track.

Further, the system preferably includes a conventional, motor-driven, manually-controlled, continuous conveyor having, at spaced-apart points therealong, a plurality of hooks or supports with coded indicia means identifying each of the supports and corresponding to the coded indicia on a particular charge ticket and the tag or tags associated with such a ticket, at least one point on the continuous conveyor being in close adjacency with the exit end of the first track. Thus, finished and correspondingly tagged items assembled together on one of the assembly hooks with the charge ticket associated with the items can be placed on the support of the continuous conveyor which is identified by the coded indicia on the ticket. Of course, the items can be bagged before or after being placed on the conveyor.

Preferably, the entry end of the first conveyor track on which the assembly hooks are mounted for movement is disposed overhead and the system includes a motordriven conveyor means disposed adjacent the hopper and arranged to transport assembly hooks with such charge tickets clipped thereto upwardly to the entry end. Thus, the clerk can receive a plurality of items from a customer, tag the items and place them in the hopper and, at the same time, place the charge ticket associated with the items on an assembly hook and then place the assembly hook on the conveyor means so that it will be elevated to the entry “° end of the first track.

The accumulator track is preferably generally circular and lying in a generally horizontal plane and the first track on which the assembly hooks are movably mounted preferably includes a part circular portion disposed generally concentrically about a portion of the accumulator track. Preferably, the part circular portion of the first track is disposed about a portion of the accumulator track which is generally remote from the hopper.

γθ Preferably, the system includes a steam cabinet disposed between the hopper and the accumulator track, the

3,550.169 cabinet having an entrance at one side and an exit at the opposite side, and a second conveyor track extending through the cabinet, this second conveyor track having an entry end adjacent the entrance of the cabinet and an exit end adjacent the exit of the cabinet, the exit end of this second track terminating at a point in close proximity to the portion of the accumulator track generally facing the hopper. Also, preferably, the system includes apparatus for finishing trousers, coats and dresses disposed generally betwen the steam cabinet and the accumulator track.

The method of the present invention comprises the steps of providing a charge ticket for a particular item or group of items to be cleaned, the ticket bearing coded indicia identifying each item with a tag placed thereon and bearing coded indicia corresponding to the coded indicia on a particular ticket, placing each of the tickets on an assembly hook which is mounted on an assembly track for movement therealong, cleaning each item, placing each finished cleaned item on an accumulator track which is positioned adjacent a portion of the assembly track, and removing items from the accumulator track and placing them on the assembly hooks. The items carrying tags bearing a particular coded indicia are placed on the assembly hook carrying a charge ticket bearing the same coded indicia.

With the system and method of the present invention, a cleaning establishment can be operated by three personnel, including the personnel required for operating the processing apparatus, i.e., the apparatus for cleaning garments, taking items from customers and returning items to customers. Thus, the system and method of the present invention are arranged to use a minimum amount of personnel in sorting, handling and reassembling cleaning orders. Further, the system and method of the present invention will permit customer participiation in tagging items, filling out charge tickets and operating the continuous, motor-driver conveyors on which finished items are stored for customer pick-up.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a cleaning system which is arranged to facilitate the sorting, cleaning and assembling of items in a cleaning operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, for a cleaning establishment, an arrangement of processing apparatus and conveyor tracks, which arrangement will permit a systematic and smooth flow of items to be cleaned.

A still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for cleaning items, which method includes the steps of tagging and separating items and then, after cleaning, reassembling the items tagged to correspond to a particular charge ticket on an assembly hook carrying the charge ticket.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the preferred layout for a cleaning establishment;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, somewhat diagrammatical view of a lifting conveyor;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 except showing the relationship of the lifting conveyor to the customer counter and the hamper or hopper into which items to be cleaned are placed; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken from FIG. 1 generally along the line 4—4 and showing the structure of the motor-driven, manually-controlled conveyor for storing finished items,

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG.

1, it will be seen that there is illustrated a customer 5 counter 10 providing a plurality of bays 12-24. It is intended that bays 12, 14 and 16 be used by the customers in tagging their own items to be cleaned. That is, it is contemplated that a customer will bring items to be cleaned into the cleaning establishment and, in order to 10 save on the cleaning bill, personally tag the items. Each of these bays 12,14 and 16 will be provided with a supply of charge tickets and a plurality of tags associated with each charge ticket. If a customer has, for instance, six _ items to be cleaned, the customer will place a tag bearing ^lo a particular number on each item and then fill out a charge ticket and place, on the charge ticket, a call number corresponding to the number of each of the tags placed on the items. Thus, the charge ticket will carry coded indicia corresponding to the coded indicia printed on the tag connected to each item. Conventionally, paper clips, staples, safety pins and the like will be provided at each bay 12, 14 and 16 to facilitate the tagging process. Preferably, the customer will take one copy of the charge _9r ticket so as to have, for pick-up reasons, a charge ticket bearing coded indicia corresponding to the coded indicia printed on the tags connected to the items belonging to the customer.

Appropriate instructions for the customer will be provided. These instructions, which may be placed at any convenient location, will advise the customer as to the proper position for a tag on an item, as well as the information required on the charge ticket. Further, instructions will be provided so that the customer will be able to identify spots to be removed.

The bay 18 is provided for supporting a conventional cash register. The bay 20 is provided as a space on which customers calling to pick up garments can place their copies of the charge tickets. The cashier will operate the 40 cash register to register the sale of service represented by a particular ticket.

The bays 22, 24 are provided for supporting items to be picked up by customers. There is a space 26 between the bays 22, 24 with a conventional elevated hook 28 at one side thereof for supporting items on conventional ⁴⁵ hangers. Preferably, there is a wall 30 behind the counter 10 defining a space 32 in which clerks can stand. This wall 30 is provided with an opening 34 which may be a small window as will be discussed later and passageways 36, 38, 40 through which the clerks can move from the space 32 into the actual plant of the cleaning establishment. The customer instructions may be disposed on the upper surface of the wall 30 facing the counter 10.

Items which have been tagged either by the customer ₅- or by a clerk are removed from the bays 12, 14, 16 and inserted through the opening 34 into a hopper or hamper 42 for receiving tagged items to be cleaned.

In FIG. 1, there is illustrated, just inside the wall 30 and adjacent the opening 34 a line representing a lifting θθ conveyor 44. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 as well as to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the lifting conveyor 44 comprises a lower pulley 46, an upper pulley 48 and an endless means 50, such as a chain or a cable, trained about the pulleys. Drive means 52, such as an electric motor, is _cg drivingly connected to one of the pulleys 46, 48 as indicated at 54. Preferably, these pulleys 46, 48 are journalled for rotation about a generally horizontally axis and are driven in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 so that the upper run of the endless means 50 moves as indi7Q cated by the arrow 56. At least one abutment, such as indicated at 58, is attached to the endles means as a pusher.

The purpose of the lifting conveyor 44 is to lift assembly hooks, such as indicated at 60, from the height of the window 34 to an overhead conveyor track which will be

8,550,169 discussed hereinafter. Each assembly hook carries a conventional paper clip 62 as illustrated. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the charge ticket associated with an item or a group of items is clipped to an assembly hook 60 after the items are placed into the hopper 42 and the assembly hook is placed on the conveyor 44 for movement upwardly and to the right. In other words, the clerk behind the counter 10 will take a group of items which have been tagged and for which a charge ticket has been made out and place the items in the hopper 42 and place the charge ticket on an assembly hook 60 which is, thereafter, mounted on the conveyor 44 for movement upwardly and to the right as viewed in FIG. 3.

Each assembly hook 60 comprises a ring portion 64 and a hook portion 66. The ring portion 64 is provided so that several conventional hangers, such as coat hangers, can be hooked onto or supported by a particular assembly hook 60. The hook portion 66 is proportioned and designed to hook over the endless means 50 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 and, further, to hook over a rail or a conveyor track 68 for sliding movement therealong, a portion of the entry end 70 of the track 68 being shown in FIG. 2. This track 68 is the aforementioned first conveyor track and will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. Since the upper pulley 48 is journalled for rotation about a generally horizontal axis and since the hook 60 moves upwardly on the upper run of the endless means 50, the hook will fall off the conveyor 44 as it moves about the pulley 48. The entry end 70 is disposed below and adjacent to the upper pulley 48 so that hooks 60 falling therefrom will fall onto and be movably supported on the track 68. A guide rod or track 72 is provided for guiding hooks 60 which fall from the conveyor 44 toward the entry end 70 of the track 68. In other words, a hook 60 merely slides down the guide or track 72 to fall on the track 68. The entry end 70 of the track 68 is disposed overhead primarily to provide clear working space under the track.

The track 68, which may be a simple metallic rod, pipe or rail on which a hook assembly 60 can be mounted by means of its hook portion 66 for movement therealong, may slope downwardly or incline downwardly from its uppermost entry end 70 to its circular portion, indicated at 74, which is disposed at a height which can be comfortably reached by a person standing on the floor under the track. Thus, because of this slope or incline of the track 68, hook assemblies 60 will tend to slide from the entry end 70 toward the curved portion 74. This sloping feature, however, is not vital because it is a simple matter manually to push hook assemblies from the entry end 70 toward the portion 74. Disposed adjacent the circular portion 74 and generally concentric therewith is an accumulator track 76 which, preferably, is circular as illustrated and which lies in a generally horizontally extending plane at a height which is a comfortable reach for a person standing on the floor under the track. The purpose of this accumulator track, which is disposed generally between the circular portion 74 and the hopper 42, will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a steam cabinet 78, pants legger 80, pants topper 82, and a coat or coat-like garment finisher 84 are disposed generally between the hopper 42, i.e., the position of the hopper 42 next to the opening 34, and the accumulator track 76. A utility press 86 and a dress form 88 may be disposed to the left of the accumulator track 76 and adjacent exit end 98 of storage track 96, as viewed in FIG. 1. A storatage track 90 on which items which do not need processing in the steam cabinet 78, and which are awaiting processing on the topper 82 and legger 80, is disposed adjacent the dry cleaning machine 100, as illustrated. The steam cabinet is preferably and conventionally provided with an entrance opening.in its front side 92 and an exit opening in the opposite side 94. Another storage track 96 extends through the steam cabinet, the track 96 having an entry ⁶ end 97 adjacent the entrance of the steam cabinet and an exit end portion 98 disposed between coat finisher 84 and utility press 86. It will be seen that, in the illustrative embodiment, that exit end portion 98 of the track 96 is curved toward the portion of he accumulator track 76 which generally faces the hopper 42.

To the right of the portion of the track 68 disposed between the entry end 70 and the curved portion 74, as viewed in FIG. 1, are located a dry cleaning machine 100, a spotting station 102, a washer 104, an extractor 106, a shirt press 108, a device 110 for finishing collars and cuffs on shirts, and a sleever 112.

The steam cabinet 78, legger 80, topper 82, finisher 84, press 86, form 88, machine 100, spotting station 102, washer 104, extractor 106, shirt press 108, device 110, and sleever 112 are all presently known apparatus for use in cleaning establishments. Thus, a detailed description of each of these apparatus is not required at this time.

Generally, with the exception of those items which need spot removal treatment at the spotting station 102, tagged items placed in the hopper 42 are either routed to the dry cleaning machine 100 or to the washer 104. For instance, suits, coats, and the like fabricated from woolen or partially woolen materials are cleaned in the dry cleaning machine 100 while clothes, such as cotton and synthetic shirts, are washed in the washer 104. Thus, after the hopper 42 is filled to a predetermined level, i.e., to provide an acceptable load of, for instance, sixty pounds for the machine 100 and washer 104, dry cleanable items are placed in the machine 100 and washable items are placed in the washer 104. It will be remembered that each of the items is tagged and that there is no need to try to keep correspondingly tagged items together. In fact, for a particular group of items brought in by a customer and for which a single charge ticket has been made out, some of the items may be dry cleaned and some may be washed.

Items which are washed in the washer 104 are placed in the extractor 106 which is effective to remove substantially all of the water from the items. Many of the items being washed will be shirts which can be finished on the shirt press 108, device 110, and sleever 112 after the shirt is removed from the extarctor 106. Items which are not shirts but which need finishing or pressing may be finished, for instance, on the utility press 86. Finished items which have been washed in the washer 104 and finished on units 108, 110 and 112, or any of the other finishing units, are placed on the accumulator track 76. Preferably, the items will be placed on conventional hangers and then suspended from the overhead accumulator track 76.

Items which are dry cleaned in the machine 100 and which, thereafter, must be finished are routed over to the devices 78-90. For instance, some items, such as a woman’s wool dress, may simply be placed on a hanger on the track 96 and routed through the steam cabinet 78. In fact, it has been discovered that some items, such as wool dresses, coats, overcoats, and the like may be adequately finished in a steam cabinet without further finishing. A group of items which can be so finished in the steam cabinet 78 are placed on hangers on the entry end 97 of the track 96. Then the entrance to the steam· cabinet 78 is opened and the garments are pushed into the steam cabinet. The garments are steamed and then dryed in the cabinet 78. After the garments have been so finished in the cabinet 78, they are moved through the exit end of the cabinet and pushed around the curved portion 98 toward the adjacent portion of the accumulator track 76. A coat or a coat-like garment which will not finish acceptably in the cabinet 78 may be finished on the coat finisher 84.

Items such as trousers, which do not require steaming are initially hung on storage track 90, finished on the devices 80, 82 and then placed on the accumulator track 76.

Any irregularly shaped or styled item which cannot be

3,550,169 adequately finished with the devices 80, '82, 84 may be finished using the utility press 86 and then placed on a hanger on the accumulator track 76. Certain items, such as dresses, will be finished on the dress form 88 and then hung on accumulator track 76. ।

From the description thus far, it will be appreciated that items are removed from the hopper 42, washed or cleaned, then finished on the appropriate device or devices, and finally are hung on the accumulator track 76 on conventional coat hangers. Each such finished item, of course, still bears a tag carrying a particular coded indicia which corresponds to the coded indicia printed on a charge ticket carried by an assembly hook 60.

At a point in time, all of the items in a particular batch placed in hopper 42 have been cleaned and finished, and thus all of the items tagged to correspond to a particular charge ticket are on the accumulator track 76. These items can now be “married” with the particular hook 60 on portion 74 of track 68 which carries the corersponding ticket by pushing the items around track 76 and sequentially transferring therefrom to hook 60 each item tagged with a corresponding number. That is, assuming a somewhat even flow of assembly hooks 60 with charge tickets from the entry end 70 of the track 68 toward the curved portion 74 and a somewhat even flow of items from the hopper 42 through the cleaning, washing and finishing devices discussed above, by the time an assembly hook carrying a particular charge ticket reaches the curved portion 74, the items tagged to correspond to the charge ticket should be hanging on the accumulator track 76. The assembly hooks, each carrying a charge ticket, are dropped, one at a time, on the entry end of the track 68 for movement toward the curved portion 74. After so many assembly hooks have been so placed on the track 68, it safely can be assumed that the items tagged to correspond to the charge tickets carried by the hooks will begin movement through the cleaning and finishing devices toward the accumulator track 76.

Preferably, as newly finished items are placed on the portion of the accumulator track 76 generally facing devices 82-86, previously finished items are pushed around the track to the portion which coincides generally with the curved portion 74. Then, according to the method of the present invention, items are removed from the track 76 and placed on assembly hooks 60 on the curved portion 74. An item is always placed on the assembly hook 60 carrying a charge ticket bearing a coded indicia corresponding to the coded indicia on the tag on the item.

Since each charge ticket will represent an item or a group of items brought in by a particular customer, once all of the items specified on a charge ticket are placed on an assembly hook 60 carrying the charge ticket, it can be considered that the order represented by the ticket has been filled. Then, after an order has been filled, i.e., after all of the items in a group corresponding to a particular charge ticket have been placed on the assembly hook 60 carrying the corresponding charge ticket, the hook can be moved along the track 68 and away from the curved portion 74 in the direction of the arrows 116 toward the exit end 118 of the track 68 adjacent which a conventional bagging apparatus 120 is located. It will be appreciated that the portion of the track 68 between the curved portion 74 and the exit end 118 will provide a substantial amount of storage space for filled orders on assembly hooks 60. Thus, after this space is filled or when one of the clerks has time, items can be bagged as required. It will be appreciated that not all items will be bagged. In fact, some customers will prefer to pay less for the cleaning service and to give up the bagging service.

The portion 124 of the track 68 adjacent its exit end 118 is straight as illustrated in FIG. 1. On each side of this straight portion 124 is a motor-driven, manually-controlled, continuous conveyor 126, 128 of the type conventionally found in cleaning establishments. A foot pedaloperated switch 130, 132 is provided for selectively and sequentially operating each of the conveyors 126,128. The motor 1.34 for each conveyor 126, 128 and the connection 136 between each motor and its conveyor is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. Switches 130, 132 are located behind wall 30 for operation by personnel of the establishment. Selector switches 131, 133 may be located at bays 22, 24, for operation by the customer to actuate the respective conveyor to move the numbered position thereon to the respective passageway 38, 40.

Conventionally, such conveyors 126, 128 comprise a continuous support rail 138 (FIG. 4) on which a plurality of spaced-apart carriages 140 are movably supported by rollers such as indicated at 142. Adjacent carriages 140 are connected together by bars 144 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Specifically, each carriage 140 provides a vertically downwardly extending trunnion 146 and adjacent carriages 140 are connected together by means of a bar 144 having one of its ends pivotally connected to the trunnion 146 on one carriage and its other end pivotally connected to the trunnion 146 on the adjacent carriage. These bars 144, provide a continuous, chain-like conveyor which moves about the continuous support rail 138.

A downwardly extending strap 148 formed at its lower end to provide a hook 150 is connected to each end of each bar 144 as indicated at 152. Between each pair of straps 148 extending downwardly from a bar 144 extends a bar 154 which is connected to the straps as indicated at 156. Finished items may be supported on the conveyors 126, 128 by hooking the hangers on which the items are placed over the bars 154. Also, items may be supported by the hooks provided at the lower ends of the straps 148.

Each bar 144 carries a code number such as the numbers 17 and 18 shown in FIG. 4. According to the method of the present invention, items are tagged with a number corresponding to a number on a particular bar 144. Thus, since the charge ticket corresponding to the items bears the same number or coded indicia as the tag or tags on the items, finished items are placed on the conveyors 126, 128 on a support bar 144 which bears coded indicia corresponding to the coded indicia on the charge ticket. Since a customer will have a copy of the charge ticket with the coded indicia thereon as a claim ticket, a customer can operate the conveyors 126, 128 by means of one of the respective selector switches 131, 133 to advance the articles to be picked up to a point in close proximity either to the passageway 38 or to the passageway 40. This is merely a matter of customer education or instruction. The customer can be told, by the use of a sign, that if his claim ticket or charge ticket carries a particular series of numbers, the switch 131 is to be operated and if the ticket carries another series of numbers, the switch 133 is to be operated.

According to the method of the present invention, the clerk responsible for bagging finished items can stand by the bagging apparatus 120 and operate the switches 130, 132 to bring any particular point on each conveyor 126, 128 to a position closely adjacent to the exit end 118 and the bagging apparatus.