US2074658A - Inflatable chest for pressing machines - Google Patents

Description

4 March 23, .1937. C! .S- MALOTT. JR INFVLATABLE CHEST FOR PRESSING MACHINES Filed March 28, 1935 am. n su INVENTOR CLIFTON s. MALOTTJR.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 23, .1937

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE amsn TNFLA'rAnLE cnEs'r Fon. mesmo momes Clifton S. Malott, Jr., Norwood, Ohio, assignor to The American Imm dry Machinery Company,

Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 28, 1935, Serial No. 13,505

. 4 Claims.

This invention relates lto a pressing machine and more particularly to a novel arrangement of .l5 members are ilrst moved into juxtaposition and Other features Iof my invention include a novel 25 arrangement and construction oiA the head member together with suitable control means therefor including mechanism by which the head member is automatically expanded as the press closes. P

30 I have illustrated one embodiment oi' my invention in the drawing, irl-which Fig. 1 is an end elevation partly in section of a pressing machine of a well known type showing my improvements embodied therein, the control mechanism being 35 shown diagrammatically; Fig. 2l is a sectional View through the coacting pressingA members of Fig. 1 showing them in their closed position during a pressing operation. e e In the embodiment illustrated upon a frame I 40 is provided a stationary pressing b ed II which may be suitably provided with padding, such as the spring padding I2. Pivotally mounted on rthe frame is la head lever I3 upon which is mounted a head I4 adapted to coact with the pressing 445 bed. For moving the head from the open position of Fig.- l to the closed position of Fig. 2 I provide a pairof toggles I5 and I6 pivotail/y connected together at their knuckle l1 and pivotally connected at the upperend to the rear portion of 50 the head lever and at the lower end to the frame I0. .A suitable motor I8 is provided formoving the togglesfto straightened position to-close the press. This motor has a piston I9 and a.` piston rod 20 which is suitably connected to the toggles. 55 The supply of motive fluid to motor I3 may be conveniently arranged with two manuals requiring the use of both hands of the operator for safety. This control mechanism is shown as comprising valve casings 2| and 22 connected in series by conduit 23; Motive fluid is supplied through conduit 24 and is conducted to motor I8 through conduit 25. Casings 2l and 22 house normally closed inlet valves 2Ia and 22m 4and normally open outlet valves 2 Ib and 22h which are mounted on stems .2Ic and 22e for actuation by manuals 2id and 22d. A spring 26 biases the toggles to broken position, which corresponds to the open position of the pressing head.

The pressing head comprises a frame or base member 2'I to which is secured in spaced relation .a non-corrodible ilexible lmetallic sheet 28.l This sheet is preferably preformed to substantially a rcomplementary contour with respect to the bed I I. The sheet 28 is secured in any suitable manner at itsl free edges to the frame 21 to form a 4iluid tight connection therewith. The sheet 23 preferably extends beyond the engaged pressing surfaces (best seen in Fig. 2) so as to provide an excess material at the points 29 to allow for expension. It is possible with this construction ol? the pressing head to provide a head member pressing surface of considerable concavity which is adapted to coact with the convex surface of the pressing bed to provide a pressing operation not only on the substantially flat central portions of the pressing members but extending downward at an angle on either side thereof and on depending side portions so that side ironing may be accomplished in ironing` articles, for instance, suchas mens shirts.

Motive iluid isv supplied to the chamber 30 which is formed between the sheet 28 and the frame 21, so as to press the sheet 28 into engagement with work lying upon the bed. 'Ihis uid may be heated or not as desired, but ordinarily heat is desirable in the head pressing-member and may be supplied by introducing ra heated pressing fluid to the chamber 30 which may. be heated air, steam or other suitable medium. I have illustrated a. preferred arrangement which contemplates the use of steam. To this end a steam supply conduit 3 I communicates by way of valve casing 32 with a conduit 33 which leads to the chamber 33 in the head.- Casing 32 houses a normally closed inlet valve 32a biased toward closed position by spring 32h and the valve stemV 32e is arranged in thelne of movement of a lug I5a on toggle I5 so that upon movement of the pressing'members -to safe closed position which corresponds to the substantially straightenedl I5w will engage stem 32e and open valve 32a. It will be understood that pressure fluid might be supplied to the head member by an additional manual operation but I prefer the automatic arrangement shown.

When steam is used in chamber itis necessary to take care of exhaust steam and condensate and tothis end I pro'vide an outlet and drainage conduit 34 which preferably connects with the 'lower rear portion of the chamber 30 so that when the head is in the open position of Fig. l lthere is a natural drainage by gravity to conduit 34. This conduit commimicates by way of casing 35 with an exhaust conduit 3G. In

casing 35 is a normally open outlet valve 35a biased toward normal position by a spring 35h and having` a stern 35e which is positioned to be engaged by lug Isa on toggle I6 when the toggles reach substantially straightened position in all respects like that described in connection with lug |5a and the stem 32e.

Suitable means is provided for holding the pressing head locked in position adjacent the bed while sheet 28 is being expanded into engagement with the work lying on the bed. For this purpose I have illustrated a mechanical latch which comprises a latch member 31 pivotally mounted on the frame and adapted to engage a pin 38 on one of the toggles when the toggles reach the substantially straightened position indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1. Connected with latch 31 is a suitable linkage leading to the l front of the machine which comprises a link 39, bellcrank 40 and link 4i which is connected to treadle 42. A spring 43 biases the latch to its position adapted to engage pin 3B.

The operation of the mechanism with the parts in the position of Fig. 1 is as follows: The operator arranges the work upon the bed Il and actuates manuals 2id and 22d. This supplies motive fluid to motor Il which makes a stroke rearwardly straightening the toggles and bringing the headr into position close to the bed. As

:' soon as latch 31 engages pin 3B the operator may release the manuals. When the toggles reach the broken line position of Fig. 1 valve 35a is closed and simultaneously valve 32a is opened. This is effective to supply pressure fluid tochamber 30 which thus expands the chamber so as to cause pressure contact between the sheet 28 and work lying upon the bed. At the same time if the pressure fluid is heated the sheet 28 transmits this heat to the article being processed. Upon completion of the pressing operation the opertoggles indicated in broken lines in Fig. l, luging surfaces, one of said pressingmembers comprising a chamber having a wall forming a pressing surface of said member, said wall being a flexible metallic sheet, means for relatively moving said pressing members to place their pressing surfaces in' juxtaposition and to hold them there, and means for thereafter supplying a heated pressure fluid to said chamber whereby simultaneously to heat said sheet and to press the same into engagement with the coacting pressing surface.

2. In a pressing machine, a pair of relatively movable pressing members having coacting concave and convex pressing surfaces respectively. said concave member comprising a chamber having a walll forming the pressing surface of said member, said wall being a exible metallic sheet concavely formed to substantially the contour of the coacting convex pressing surface. means for relatively moving said pressing members to place their pressing surfaces in juxtaposition and to hold them there, and means for thereafter supplying a heated pressure fluid to said chamber whereby simultaneously to heat said sheet and to press the same into engagement with the coacting pressing surface.

3. In a pressing machine, head and bed pressing -rnembers having coacting central pressing portions and coacting side pressing portions, said head member comprising a base member and a flexible metallic sheet spaced therefrom and secured at its free edges thereto to form a fluidtight chamber, said sheet being preformed vto provide central and side pressing portions substantially conforming to the said coacting bed portions, there being portions of' said sheet extending beyond the` engaged pressing surfaces and providing more than sufficient sheet material for attachment to said base member whereby to accommodate expansion, means for relatively moving said members to place and to hold said pressing members in juxtaposition, and means for thereafter supplying pressure uid to said chamber to move said sheet into pressure contact with the coacting pressing portions of said bed'member.

4. In a pressing machine, a frame, a pressing bed on said frame,'a head lever pivotally mounted on said frame, a pressing head carried by said lever for movement into and out of position adjacent said bed, said head comprising a chamber, one wall of which forms the pressing surface of said head, said wall being a flexible metallic sheet, mechanism for moving said head from open position to a position adjacent said bed and for holding it there, steam supply means for said chamber when said head is adjacent said bed, steam and condensate exhaust means for said chamber including a conduit communicating with the lower rear portion of' said chamber when said head is in open position, a normally open outlet valve in said conduit, and operative connections between said mechanism and said valve for closing said valve assaidmechanism moves said head to position adjacent said bed. l

CLIFTON B. MALOT'LJI.

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