GB2318591A

GB2318591A - Garment Press

Info

Publication number: GB2318591A
Application number: GB9622286A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Barry James Freeman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-10-25
Filing date: 1996-10-25
Publication date: 1998-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2016-10-25
Also published as: GB9622286D0; GB2318591B

Abstract

A garment press has a press table 18 for supporting a garment to be pressed and a press head 58 which is brought into contact with the press table 60 for pressing the garment by a pneumatic drive 54, 50. The press head 58 has manually operated means 50, 60 for pivoting its head relative to the pressing surface of the table 18, manually operated means 34, 64 for moving the head 58 along the table 60 and manually operated means 40, 64 or 40, 60 for moving the head 58 across the table 60. There are steam means and the table may have vacuum means for holding a garment in position.

Description

PRESS This invention relates to a garment press and more particularly a shirt press.

Garment presses are, of course, well known. They rely upon the application of heat and pressure to the garment being pressed usually together with the application of steam to the garment to aid the pressing operation. In the pressing of laundered, dried shirts, there are problems not encountered with other garments. For example it is important that the seams and edges are sharp and crisp. The same goes for the collar and cuffs. Moreover, because of the complicated construction of a shirt, care has to be taken when pressing one part of the shirt that creases are not introduced into another. Furthermore, creases introduced during the drying process have to be removed effectively.

One method of finishing laundered shirts involves placing the wet shirt onto a blow former so that the shirt takes up the shape it will have when it is worn. Hot air is then blown through the shin. The collar and cuffs have then to be pressed separately before the shirt is folded as required. Newly made shirts can be similarly pressed using steam and hot air Neither of these methods are generally effective in pressing laundered, dried shirts as they cannot remove creases which have been introduced during the drying process or impart the crisp finish that is required.

Another method of finishing garments is by means of a flat press. This consists of a lower padded table with an upper heated press. The press is fixed by hinges to the rear of the lower table. The garment is placed on the lower table and the upper heated press is brought down towards the lower table, trapping and pressing the garment between the two surfaces. Its construction and method of operation makes it difficult to press complicated items such as shirts without placing creases in unwanted position.

These Imown systems are generally only designed for dealing with either newly made shirts or shirts which have been laundered but not dried. The only effective method of pressing laundered, dried shirts at this time is by use of a hand held steam/iron. This method causes considerable operator fatigue, and results in poor efficiency and economic performance.

The present invention has been made with these problems in mind.

According to the invention there is provided a garment press comprising a press table, a press head, means for moving the pressing head towards and away from the press table for pressing a garment on the press table and means for moving the press head relative to the press table in order to change the orientation of the press head relative to the table and to change the location of the press head relative to the press table.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the press table is flat, but is shaped around its edges so as to provide support only for a predetermined part or parts of the garment to be pressed. In this way a part of the back of a shirt can be pressed without there being any possibility of the adjacent sleeve being unintentionally pressed incorrectly at the same time. By changing the orientation and/or location of the press head relative to the press table, the minimum number of pressing operations can be effected in order to press the part of the garment on the press table.

The means for moving the press head towards and away from the press table is preferably pneumatically operated, but it may be operated by any suitable mechanical, hydraulic, electric or like non-manual means. In order to avoid operator fatigue it is preferred that the means for moving the press head towards and away from the press table should not be manually operated. On the other hand the means for moving the press head relative to the press table to change the orientation and/or location of the press head relative to the press table is preferably manually operable rather than by mechanical, hydraulic, electric, pneumatic or like non-manual means. However, standard movements of the press head relating to the pressing of simple garments may be automated utilising robotic and nonmanual means.

The press head is heated, preferably electrically and means is provided for supplying steam from the press head to the garment being pressed. A vacuum box is preferably provided below the press table, there being apertures in the table itself whereby the garment to be pressed can be held on the table in the desired position during the pressing operation.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view slightly from above of a shirt press; Fig.2 shows the press table and press head of Fig. 1 in an enlarged scale, Fig.3 is a scrap sectional view of the arrangement in Fig. 1 for moving the press head laterally and transversely relative to the press table.

Figs.4A4H illustrate the successive operations in pressing a shirt using the press of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings the press comprises a support structure 10 having an open front to accommodate the legs of an operator seated at the press. Controls and circuitry for the press are contained in the closed-off part 12 of the structure 10. The top of the structure 10 supports a surface 14 slightly inclined upwardly towards the rear of the structure. A vacuum box 16 is mounted on the surface 14 and a press table 18 mounted on the vacuum box.

As can be seen in the drawings the press table has a particular shape. The sides 20 and 22 are parallel. At one end 24 the junction between the sides and the end are formed as concave cut-outs 26. The other end 28 is slightly tapered outwardly but with an arcuate cut-out 30 at the centre. The cut-outs 26 are intended to make the general shape of seams by which a shirt sleeve is joined to the rest of the garment. The shape of the other end 28 approximates to the shape of the shoulders and neck of a shirt.

Supports 32 are fixed to either side of the support structure 10 and extend upwardly at the rear of the press table. Spaced apart, horizontal, parallel, tubes 34 extend between the supports 32 adjacent the upper ends thereof. A traverse frame 36 is mounted on the tubes 34 by means of traverse bearings 38. By this arrangement the traverse frame can be moved from side to side along the tubes 34, A push rod 40 extends slidably through the traverse frame 36 at right angles to the tubes 34 The rear end of rod 40 is fixed to a tie block 42 and the front end is fixed to a yoke frame 44. Torque bars 46 extend between the tie block 42 and the yoke frame 44, each bar being engaged on its upper and lower sides by torque pulleys 48 on either side of the traverse frame 36.

Press head shaft 50 extends vertically through bearings in the yoke frame 44 so as to be capable of both rotational and linear movement. The upper end of shaft 50 is fixed to the middle of a yoke 52 in such a way that shaft 50 can rotate relative to the yoke when there is no load on the shaft. Pneumatic cylinders 54 are provided on either side of the yoke frame 44, the rods 56 from the cylinders 54 being connected to the yoke adjacent each end thereof.

The lower end ofthe shaft 50 is connected to press head 58. The press head has parallel sides and convex, rounded ends. It is to be noted that the shaft 50 is fixed assymetrically towards one end of the press head. This facilitates the pressing of different shapes. The press head is provided with a heater and means for delivering steam to a garment being pressed. A handle 60 is fixed to the shaft 50 between the press head and the yoke frame by means of a sleeve 62 locked onto the shaft 50 by a screw. The position of the handle can be altered as the operator desires. A second handle 64 is fixed to the lower of the traverse bearings 38 and is shaped so as to be located at a convenient position above the press table 18.

Movement of the press head across the press table is effected by manually moving the traverse frame 36 relative to the tubes 34 with the aid of handle 62 and/or manually sliding push rod 40 relative to traverse frame 36 using handle 60. Handle 60 is also used to rotate manually the shaft 50 and thereby change the orientation of the press head 58 relative to the press table 18. Movement of the press head towards and away from the press table is effected by actuation of the pneumatic cylinders 54 which imposes linear motion on shaft 50 through the yoke 52.

The use of the press just described to press a shirt will now be explained with reference to Fig.4.

Initially the press head is moved rearwardly into a parked position 70 leaving the surface of the press table clear for positioning of a garment thereon. Normally the press head will be moved to the parked position whenever the garment is removed from or placed on the press table or when the position of the garment on the press table is altered.

As shown in Fig.4A the shirt collar 72 is laid on the press table. Two operations of the press head are sufficient to press the collar.

In Fig.4B the shoulder 74 at the back of the shirt is placed over the shaped end 28 of the press table. Two pressing operations are all that is required to press this part of the shirt.

Figs.4C and 4D show how the sleeves 76, 78 are pressed. The sleeves are successively placed on the press table with the seam joining the sleeve to the rest of the shirt at a cut-out 26 in end 24 of the press table and the sleeve extending across the press table towards end 28. Only three pressing operations are needed for each sleeve with a slight change in orientation of the press head between each pressing operation.

In Figs.4E and 4F the two parts 80, 82 of the shirt front are pressed. In each case the seam where the sleeve joins the front part is aligned with a cut-out 26 and the rest of the shirt front part spread across the press table. Six pressing operations are sufficient to press each shirt front part. It is to be observed that the orientation of the press head during pressing as illustrated is not the same for each shirt front part which indicates that to some extent the operator can choose how to orient the press head.

Figs.4G and 4H illustrate the pressing of the shirt back 84. In the described embodiment the press table 18 is not as wide as the shirt back. This means that most of the shirt back is pressed, as in Fig.4G by aligning one sleeve seam with cut-out 26 on the press table and spreading out as much of the shirt back that will fit on the press table. Eight pressing operations will press that part of the back. The remaining part of the shirt back is then positioned on the press table and four pressing operations complete the pressing of the shirt.

As will be evident from the foregoing a shirt can be pressed using the press of the invention in only eight lays. It is not necessary for the operator to have any experience of pressing to produce a high quality job using the press of the invention.

The invention is not restricted to the above described embodiment and many variations and modifications can be made.

Claims

1. A garment press comprising, a press table having a pressing surface, a press head, first means for moving the press head towards and away from the pressing surface for pressing a garment on the pressing surface, and second means for moving the press head relative to the press table in order to change the orientation of the press head and/or location of the press head relative to the pressing surface.

2. A garment press according to claim 1, wherein the pressing surface is substantially flat.

3. A garment press according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one or more portions of the pressing table are adapted to provide support for a predetermined part or parts of the garment to be pressed.

4. A garment press according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more portions of the pressing surface are adapted to provide support for a predetermined part or parts of the garment to be pressed.

5. A garment press according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first means for moving is power driven.

6. A garment press according to claim 5, wherein said power drive is pneumatically and/or hydraulically and/or electrically operated.

7. A garment press according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second means for moving is manually operable.

8. A garment press according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or second means for moving is automated.

9. A garment press according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising means for heating between the press head and pressing surface.

10. A garment press according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising means for supplying steam between the press head and pressing surface.

11. A garment press according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising means for holding a garment to be pressed in a desired position on the pressing surface.

12. A garment press according to claim 11, wherein said means for holding is a vacuum box located beneath the press table and apertures are provided in the press table.

13. A garment press comprising, a press table, a press head, and means for moving and changing the orientation of the press head relative to the press table.

14. A garment press as claimed in claim 13, in combination with the garment press as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A garment press constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.