US2680314A - Ironing board - Google Patents

Description

June 8, 1954 W- A. SNYDER IRONING BOARD Filed Sept. 2, 1952 JNVENTOR. 70 5 N yp E g flTTORNEy,

Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATE TENT" OF F This invention relates to a foldable combination ironing board and table, which is of a space economizing character, being adapted for being housed in a cabinet housed in a recess in a wall, when not in use.

Among the objects of the invention are: to provide in a device of the kind to which the invention pertains an improved foldable structure for economizing space in a room wherein the device is installed or used; to provide improved mean securely to maintain the ironing board proper in a plurality of adjusted positions; to provide a more durable, sturdy structure for an ironing board and table combination; and to provide an ironing board structure with an accessory table top extending leaf which, at the option of the user, may be adjusted so as to be used either as a part of the ironing board proper or as an extension of a table top.

Additional objects are: to provide an ironing board structure wherein the ironing board proper may conveniently be installed for the use of either a right handed or left handed person, this being accomplished by providing an ironing board proper which can be squarely reversed, so that, when in its operative position alongside the wall of a room, its point portion will be directed to-- ward either the right or the left of the user; and

toprovide a double (mat times triple), thickness'of ironing board or table top forming structure, which insures additional durability and strength.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inven tion, which has been reduced to practice,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device shown in an extended, ironing board forming position, a fragment of a cavitated part of a wall with which the device is associated being included in the view.

Fig. 2-is a reproduction of Fig. 1 except that the ironing board proper is shown in full lines adjusted to another position, a third position thereof being indicated in broken lines.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the ironing board swung up into the alcove provided therefor.

Fig. 4 i a longitudinal section on line 4-4 of Fi 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional detail on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 56 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line 'i-'! of Fig. 6.

Fig; 8is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional 2 detail, the planeofsection beingv indicated. by line 88 .on Figs. 2 and 9.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top planof thestructure shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, horizontal section on line Ill-I0 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 11 is a perspective, reduced scale..view showing a table topwidening board hinged-to the ironing board proper.

Referring in detail to thedrawing, the ironing board proper I0 is carriedby a baseboard H which is swingable in a vertical planeto and from a position whereinit is containedrin; an alcove [2 in an upstandingscabinet l3 shown fitted into a recess provided for itin a room wall 14 fragmentarily shown. From theviewpointsof operation, and as expressed inthe claims, the alcove i2 is to be regarded as apart of..the. .wall of the room in which the device isinstalled, for, if desired, the cabinet may be omitted andzthe alcove I2 be formed directly in the. wall: Said base member II is desirablymade ofa thick board to one end portion of which is transversely secured a metal mounting strip IS-havingrightangular-1y directed end portions It. That end of the base board H which carries said strip,-at-al-l times is located within the aforesaidalcove l2, and is swingably connected to the. side portions of the cabinet by means of pivot formingscrews '20 which hinge said base board to theccabinet to swin between two positions in onev of which it extends horizontally out from the cabinet and in the other of which it extends .vertically and is contained in the cabinet alcove 12;

A combined braceand stop means is provided for the base member II to arrest the downswing of said member whenit reaches a horizontal position, andtosupport it in that position. This mean comprises a rectangularly U-shaped rod 25 having apertured end portions which, ateach side of the lower end portion of the alcove l2 :are. swingably attached to-the cabinet by screws .26 which are shown extending through metal spacing strips 21 interiorly attached to thehcabinet. A keeper loop 28 carried by the'memberl I interlocks looselywith the mid-length part of saidr-od to keep the rod in its operative position, anda stop forming cleat 29--is carried by said-member II in a position to engage therod and arrest the downswing of said member I! when itreaches the horizontal, operative position.

The means will now be described whereby the ironing board proper It is attached to the base 'member II in such a Way as to be held-securely in either of the three adjusted positions thereof shown in Figs. 1 and 2. For this purpose said base board has cut, through it a multiple armed slot 35 shown as T-shaped, the stem part of its T shape extending along the midwidth of said base board and being directed toward its attached end, whereas the crosshead of the T extends transversely of said base board. To the under side of the base board (viewed when horizontal), is secured a T-shaped plate 36 which is also furnished with a T-shaped slot, this slot registering with the slot in the board. In a spaced relation to its inner end the ironin board proper, considering in its operative position, carries a downwardly extending countersunk bolt 40 the shank of which extends with a loose fit through said registering slots and the end of which closely underlies said plate 36, a winged clamping nut ll screwing onto the projecting part.

of said bolt. Owing to the ends of said cross head of the T-shaped slot extending close to the edge portions of said base member II the bolt 40 may be shifted close to either side of said base member where it is widely spaced away from the opposite edge thereof, thus increasing the mechanical moment so that the ironing board in its adjusted clamped position extending either way across said base member affords a more stable support for the work being done upon it.

At its inner end the ironing board proper carries a projection 42 designed to at times underlie a Wire keeper 43 that upstands from one of the side edges of the base board. Said keeper is shaped as a broad, short armed, rectangular U except that it has rightangularly deflected end portions M which underlie and are attached to the lower surface of the base board. A transverse metal reinforcing strip 46 is preferably attached, as shown, to the inner end portion of the ironing board proper.

Also a transverse cleat or reinforcing strip 58 is shown underlying the outer end portion of the base board H and a notch is shown at the midwidth of said base board, this notch being also cut across said cleat. At its midwidth the extended ironing board proper is shown having attached to its under side a clip 53 carrying a pin 54 that at times engages said notch 5i to prevent lateral shifting of the ironing board proper.

A sleeve holder 55 is shown swingably attached at 56 to the rear part, of the alcove I2, and provided with a supporting U-shaped leg 5! which can be outswung so as to rest upon the top of the extended ironing board, thus to support said sleeve holder in its operative position.

In Fig. 11 the ironing board proper ill is shown equipped with a table top widening adjunct which comprises a similarly contoured and similarly dimensioned board 60 attached to the member by a pair of hinges BI. This additional part, when swung over to the full line position shown will be used to provide the ironing surface, and when swung out to the broken line position will double the width of the table top into which the device may be converted. It is to be understood that this table top widening member will be used only when the ironing board proper is adjusted so as to extend parallel to the wall of the room, either for right handed persons, as shown in Figs. 9 and 11, or for left handed persons as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2; in the latter case the positions of its ends being reversed and the hinges 6| mounted on the opposite side of the two-part ironing board proper shown in Fig. 11.

Although the drawing shows the device swingably attached to a cabinet so as to swing into and out of the alcove afforded by said cabinet, and the cabinet contained in a wall recess therefor, yet as already stated, it is to be understood that the device may be operatively related to an alcove formed directly in the wall of the room. In either case a door will be provided which, when closed will completely house in the device.

Preparatory to turning the ironing board proper from the outwardly directed position shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 2 wherein it extends parallel to the wall, the winged nut 4| (see Fig. 5), will be loosened and then said ironing board proper will be pulled farther out from the wall till the screw bolt 40 occupies the crosshead portion of the T- shaped slot 36 and this part of the slot will aiford a clearance for the bolt so that the ironing board proper can be shifted laterally far enough away from the keeper 43 to allow it to be pointed in the direction shown in Fig. 2. Then it will be pushed into a position wherein its end projection 42 will underlie said keeper, whereupon the winged nut 41 will be tightened clamping the ironing board proper in place. A reverse series of operations will be performed to change the position of the ironing board proper back to the position thereof shown in Fig. 1. These operations are possible by reason of the fact that the downwardly projecting bolt 40 is slidable from one to the other parts of the multiple slot, and vice versa.

The slot 36 could be L-shaped instead of T- shaped so far as concerns adjusting the ironing board proper in the manner which has just been described, but said slot is shown T-shaped so as to qualify it for use in adjusting the ironing board proper not only in the manner which has been described but also to and from the left hand position thereof indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2, in which case the wire keeper 43 will be removed from the base board H and then reattached to the opposite side portion thereof.

I claim:

1. In a structure of the kind described, the combination, with a base board which is supportable in a horizontal position; of an ironing board proper superimposed upon said base board, the latter having through it a multiple armed slot, one arm of which extends lengthwise of the board and a second arm crosswise thereof, a bolt depending from said ironing board proper and adjustable along and from one to the other and vice versa of the arms of said slot, and clamping means carried by said bolt to clamp said ironing board proper in various adjusted relations to said base board with the bolt extending through either a lengthwise orcrosswise arm of said bolt, said second arm of said slot having each of its end portions so positioned as to approach closely to the sides of said base board to provide a relatively large mechanical counter moment to the weight of the work imposed upon said ironing board when the latter is adjusted to extend transversely in relation to the length of said base board, and said bolt is positioned in one or the other of the end portions of the transverse portion of said T- shaped slot.

2. In a structure of the kind described, a base board supported in a horizontal position, an ironing board proper superimposed upon said base board in a fiatwire manner, said base board having through it a slot a part of which extends transversely of said base board, a downward projection carried by said ironing board proper and extending slidably through said slot part, a

clamping member carried by said projection and clampable against the lower face of said base board, a keeper carried by a side portion of said base board, said ironing board proper being adjustable by sliding said downward projection along said transverse slot part to and from a position wherein a portion thereof engages said keeper so that the latter co-operates with said clamping member to prevent the ironing board proper from becoming malpositioned in relation to said base board, said slot having another part which extends lengthwise of said base board and alon which said downward projection of said ironing board proper is also adjustable, said projection being slidable from one into the other of said slot parts and vice versa, an end portion of said base board being notched, and a second downward projection carried by said ironing board proper and movable into and out of engagement with said notched part of said base board by the adjustment of said first recited projection along the part of said slot which extends lengthwise of said base board.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Behm Sept. 1'7, 1935

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