GB1484358A - Device for feeding pieces of washing to a washing treatment machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1484358 Laundry feeding apparatus E & E PETERS INH LUDWIG MOHR 5 Sept 1974 [26 April 1974] 38889/74 Heading D1A Apparatus for feeding laundry pieces to a mangle comprises a continuously-driven belt feed conveyor 4, a suction device 6 below and at the front of the conveyor and a non-driven pressure roller 17 above the conveyor and movable from a forward entry position (Fig. 2) in which little or no pressure is exerted and a laundry piece with its front edge on the entry to the conveyor 4 is held in engagement with a laying-on plate 13 towards a rearward position (Fig. 1) with increasing pressure sufficient to transport the laundry piece. The varying pressure is provided by. one or more cantilever leaf or other springs (Fig. 2) mounted on a bar 22 (Fig. 3) interconnecting two links 20 and acting on a second bar 19 interconnecting links 18 each pivoted to a link 20 at one end and the roller 17 at the other. In use the fan 8 of the suction device 6 and a roller 11 are started and a laundry piece is placed over a roller 14 on an entry plate 13 and the inlet end of the conveyor 4. This breaks the light beam from a source 27 to a reflector on the roller 14 stopping the suction and after a delay extending a ram 25 to move the roller 17 to the left to first engage the article thereby press it against the feed conveyor so that it is fed to the right and to then actuate a microswitch 20a to contract the ram and hence move roller 17 to the right and to cause suction again, by opening a flap 9 at the fan outlet, causing the article to be pulled across a curved and preferably perforated spreading plate 15. In modifications the roller 17 may be guided by curved tracks at its ends to engage the articles from above a switch may be provided to stop the roll 11 if the end of an article reaches a filter 6a, and the roller 14 may be mounted at the upper end of a pivoted flap (30) (Fig. 4 not shown) when the pressure roller (32) may be merely lifted to and from the conveyor. For multiple working or dealing with articles of various sizes a number of separately controllable tracks may be provided, the spreading plate 15 may be replaced by other smaller ones and a plurality of suction channels may be provided as by providing removable walls which fit in longitudinal slots of the channel 6.