US2242513A - Press buck - Google Patents

Description

May 20, 1941. .1. M. DEWEY PRESS BUCK Filed April 1:5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-2 ATTORN Y y 1941- J. M. DEWEY 2,242,513

' rmzzss BUCK Filed April 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.-- 3

' INVENTOR JAMES M. DEWEY ATTOR Patented May 20, 1941 PRESS BUCK James M. Dewey, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 13, 1938, Serial No. 201,664

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for pressing or ironing mens shirts. More particularly it relates to a special pressing element or buck for pressing the front body portions of open front shirts. The invention also provides novel pressing mechanism for completely ironing with a high grade finish all of the body portions of mens open front shirts in a manner which requires handling of the shirts but twice.

Heretofore in the production of a high grade pressing or ironing finish upon mens open front shirts there has been required either considerable use of a hand finishing iron after use of certain machine finishing apparatus or there has been required a large number of lays of the shirt for complete machine finishing on comparatively simplified apparatus or greatly complicated apparatus has been provided so as to reduce the number of times which the shirt had to be handled. It has been found unsatisfactory to machine finish the front body portions of mens open front shirts by subjecting them to a pressing operation with the shirt front closed, that is to say, with the button and buttonhole edges overlapping one another. This method sometimes has required a buttoning and unbuttoning of the shirt front during the pressing operation or it has forced the buttons into the buttonhole strip making unsightly marks, or it has required the use of a metal plate between the button and buttonhole strips during a pressing operation which was not entirely satisfactory and which added time to the pressing operation. Special bucks or bosom boards have been provided for this operation but such equipment has been a compromise either in that it did not support the shirt in the best position for high grade finishing or that the equipment was ill adapted for handling shirts of different sizes.

It has been found that these open front shirts are best finished when. draped in what is known in the trade as the keystone position, that is to say, with the button and buttonhole edges of the shirt front more widely separated at the tail end than at the neckband end. When the neckband is clamped in the usual neckband holder this permits .the most satisfactory draping of, the front body portionsupon a flat or slightly conpressing buck adapted to support the shirt front body portions in keystone position and the buck is made adjustable so as to accommodate shirts of different sizes but each size is supported for a pressing or ironing operation in the most eificient position on the buck. When shirts of different sizes are to be ironed, each half of the buck is preferably wide enough to support the largest shirt as far as the side seam.

Another feature of the present invention is a combination of the buck above described for the complete machine finishing simultaneously of the two halves of an open front shirt with another buck on the same machine for the complete machine finishing of the back of the shirt, and the combination with a heated chest and mechanism by which one or the other of the bucks may be alternately moved into pressing engagement with the heated chest whereby the entire body portion of the shirt may be ironed in two lays.

The above described buck for completely machine finishing the front body portions of an open front shirt in one lay is combined with a structure whereby the front shoulder portions of the shirt are at the same time held in pressing position upon substantially the same plane with the rest of the shirt front and machine finishe in the same operation.

The buck for complete machine finishing of the back of the shirt is also formed to hold the back yoke portion in pressing position in substantially the same plane as the rest of the back so that it is machine finished at the same time with the back body portion.

My invention thus provides equipment for machine finishing not only the shirt body portions but also the complete machine finishing of the yoke of an open front shirt in two lays, that is to say, one shirt is handled only twice to produce the highest grade finish and this with substantially no finishing with a hand iron afterwards.

My invention also includes the various struc- I tural forms shown in the drawings and described in the specification for carrying out the above described operations and the essential features of my invention will be set forth in the'claims.

In the drawings, Fig.1 'is'a front elevation of a turret type press provided'with my improved Ila to follow the armhole seam of a shirt if desired. The neckband end edges of the buck portions may be provided with a special form for the more eflicient finishing of the front yoke portions as will be later described.

The buck portions are arranged for separating and approach movement laterally in a manner to cause their meeting edges to diverge from the neckband end toward the tail end of the shirt. The means illustrated for this purpose comprises the pivotal mounting of each half of the buck on pivot pins I2, one for each buck portion and located adjacent the neckband ends and adjacent the meeting edges of the buck portions. These pivot pins are mounted in a pedestal I3 which provides a solid support for both buck portions in any of their adjusted positions. Each half of the buck comprises a plate member provided with downwardly extending ribs I4 on the lower faces thereof, these ribs resting upon suitable upper surfaces of the pedestal I3 so that as each buck portion is oscillated about its pivot pin I2 the buck is firmly supported on the pedestal I3 for a pressing operation. The neckband ends of the meeting edges of the buck portions are cut away as at IBb and I ID to permit the oscillation of the buck portions about their pivots and. also to permit a proper draping of the shirt as will be presently described. ,The neckband end edges are inclined from the center outwardly toward the opposite end of the buck as shown at Inc and He in a' manner to accommodate the front yoke portions as will be presently described. The neckband block I5 is supported on the pedestal I3 in any suitable manner and in the embodiment shown the pivot pins I2 are used for this purpose. Preferably the neckband block is set inwardly from the neckband end of the buck suificiently so that when a neckband is clamped on the block the shirt front body portions are pulled far enough over the end edges I00 and I I0 to hold the front yoke portions in advance of the shoulder line on the buck portions I0 and II for a pressing operation as best seen in Fig. 2. Here the 'front yoke portions are indicated at I6 and I (la. The cut-away portions Iflb and Ill: aid in the proper draping of the shirt at this point, that is to say, any excess of the neckband or yoke of the shirt may be draped inwardly at that point so that both the neckband and the front yoke portions may be properly held in position.

The neckband clamp is of usual construction and comprises a clamping strap I! supported by a frame I8 which is rotatable into and out of coacting clamping position about the block I5 by means of a handle I9. This entire clamping band structure is supported on a bracket and is fully shown and described in Patent No. 1,743,256, granted January 14, 1930, to Charles E. Waream.

A clamp may be provided for holding the tails of 'the shirt in pressing position on the buck portions if desired. In the form shown a strip of spring metal 2| is supported transversely of the buck portions by a rod 22 passing downwardly through thepedestal I3 and provided at its lower end with a collar 23. A spring 24 biases the tail clamp toward clamping position.

The means provided for causing approach and separating movement of the buck portions I0 and II comprises a handle lever 25 pivotally mounted on the pedestal at 26 intermediate its ends. This handle is connected by link 21 with a T-shape bellcrank 28 which is pivotally mounted on the pedestal at 29. One arm of the bellcrank is connected by link 29 with buck portion I0 and another arm of the bellcrank is connected by link 30 with the buck portion II. It will be obvious from an inspection of the drawings that oscillation of handle 25 in one direction causes opening movement of the buck portions from the position of Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 2 while movement of the handle in the other direction closes the buck portions.

The width of the buck portions I0 and II is such that with the button and buttonhole edges draped along the inner or meeting edges of the buck portions as shown in Fig. 2, the side seams of the shirt will be substantially parallel to the outer side edges of the buck portions.

The buck 3| comprises two half members 3Ia and 3Ib movable laterally while remaining parallel to each other, the space between them being bridged by a plate member 32. This plate member 32 may be attached to the portion 3Ia or 3Ib while overlapping the member to which it is not attached but preferably the plate 32 is rigidly secured to the supporting pedestal 33 so that it floats in position between the movable buck portions. The lower faces of members 3| a and 3Ib are provided with guiding flanges 34 which engage fixed guides 35 carried by the pedestal 33. A handle 36 is connected by cranks and linkage with the members 3Ia and 3Ib to provide relative approach and separating movement thereof in a manner analogous to that described for handle 25 of the front lay buck.

Preferably the neckband end of the back lay buck 3i is arranged in a manner to support the back yoke portion of the shirt in the same plane with the shirt back during a pressing operation. To this end the neckband end edge of the back lay buck has a central portion 31 corresponding to the width of the neckband and inclined side portions 310. and 31b. These side portions are arranged at an angle A of approximately to with the longitudinal axis of the buck. It has been found that with the neckband end of the buck of this form, the back yoke portion may be draped as indicated at 38 in Fig. 2 so that the yoke portion 38 and the portions 16 and -I6a include substantially the entire yoke portion of the shirt with the possible exception of a slight unfinished line between the back and front yoke portions which is not objectionable as it provides the operator with a folding line.

Any suitable equipment may be provided for causing a suitable pressing operation between one or both of the bucks described and a heated ironing member. The present embodiment shows the usual turret type press having a heated chest 39 and a rotatable frame 48 upon which are mounted the pedestals l3 and 33 so that upon frame rotation either buck 3| or the buck portions I8 and -I I are brought into registration with and then into pressing engagement with the heated turret 39.

The mechanism for rotating the frame 48 and causing a pressing operation is more fully described and claimed in my copending application, Ser. No. 101,641, filed September 19, 1936, and will be but briefly described here. In the base of the machine is a cylinder 4| provided with a piston 42 whose piston rod 43 is adapted to register with and engage a downwardly extending stem 33a or I30, connected with the pedestals 33 and I3 respectively, so that as pressure fluid is supplied below piston 42 either of the bucks is raised into pressure engagement with the chest 39. Control valves 44 are operable by means of a lever '35 pivoted intermediate its ends and connected by a link 36 with a lever 41 which is pivotally mounted on the base at 48. One end of lever i! is connected at 49 with a piston rod 50 of a vertically acting servo-motor 5| and also with a locking bar 52 guided for vertical movement. When either of the bucks is in pressing position the locking bar 52 engages in notch 53a. or 53b of a collar 58 which is rotatable with the frame 40 so as to hold the turret indexed. Motive fluid is supplied to servo-motor 5| by either of valves 54 to raise locking bar 52- and register notch 52a. thereof with the collar 53. At the same time lever 3! is moved against the bias of spring 55 causing oscillation of lever 45 and movement of valves M to exhaust the fluid below piston d2. The piston then drops lowering the buck after a pressing operation and mechanism indicated generally at 56 is tripped as the piston lowers and kicks the frame 40 to rotate it 180 at which time another buck will register with the chest 39 and the locking bar 52 will hold the turret in indexed position at which time spring 55 will oscillate lever 85 as the locking bar 52 moves downwardly into one of the notches of collar 53.. This will actuate the valves 44 in direction to raise piston 32 and cause the succeeding pressing operation.

Assuming that at the beginning of a days operation, the front lay buck is in the position of Figs. 1 and 2 out of registration with the chest 39, the operation is as follows: By manipulation of handle 25 the operator preliminarily adjusts the buck portions I and H to the proper keystone position to accommodate the particular size of shirt she is about to dress on the front lay buck. She then dresses shirt No. 1 over the buck portions It! and H in the usual manner, adjusting the neckband or collar around the block I and clamping the same in position by the clamping band ll. The operator then draws the shirt front on the bucks and if the button and buttonhole edges do not properly aline for a suitable lay with the inner edges of the buck portions I!) and H she further adjusts such buck portions so that the entire shirt front from side seam to side seam is in position for a pressing operation. One of the control members 54 is then actuated which causes the buck 3| to move out of pressing position, causes turret 48 to rotate, registering the front lay buck with the chest 39 and moving the same into pressure engagement. The back lay buck 3! is now in dressing position. Another shirt No. 2 is dressed on buck 3| to iron the back, properly adjusting the movable portions of buck 3| if necessary so as to accommodate the entire back portion of shirt No. 2 on the buck to and beyond the side seams sufiiciently to overlap slightly the portions ironed on the front lay buck. The press is again operated to rotate the turret 180 Which moves the back lay buck into pressing position and brings shirt No. 1, the front of which has just been pressed, to the dressing position whereupon the operator removes this shirt and hangs it up preparatory to finishing the back. She then takes another shirt No. 3 and dresses it on the front lay buck and again rotates the turret, whereupon shirt No. 2, the back of which was just pressed, is brought around, removed and hung up preparatory to pressing the front. The back of the previously pressed shirt No. 1 is now dressed on the back lay buck 3| for the pressing operation and when it is moved to pressing position the shirt No. 3 is brought around and removed from the front lay buck and the front of shirt No. 2 dressed thereon. The operation of the machine to press the front of shirt No. 2 brings the finished back of shirt No. 1 to the dressing position whereupon it is removed with the body portion completely finished. Another shirt No. 4 is now dressed on the back lay buck and moved to pressing position which brings the finished shirt No. 2 to dressing position and the process is continued. This system is exemplary only and others may be followed.

What I claim is:

1. A pressing element for pressing mens shirts comprising two buck portions each adapted to accommodate half a shirt front, said portions having mutually facing substantially straight edges along which the edges of an open shirt front are adapted to lie, the end edges of said portions at the neckband end sloping outwardly and toward the opposite end of the element, said portions being positioned so that together they support the entire shirt front for pressing in one operation, and means for causing relative movement laterally between said portions, said means being arranged to provide greater movement adjacent the tail end of a shirt than adjacent the neckband end thereof.

2. A pressing element for pressing mens shirts comprising two buck portions each adapted to accommodate half a shirt front, said portions having mutually facing substantially straight edges along which the edges of an open front shirt are adapted to lie, a neckband holder adjacent one end of said mutually facing edges, a pivot support for each buck portion near the neckband end of its facing edge, and means for simultaneously swinging said buck portions about their pivots to accommodate shirts of different sizes without wrinkling.

3. A pressing element for pressing mens shirts comprising two buck portions each adapted to accommodate half a shirt front, said portions having mutually facing substantially straight edges along which the edges of an open front shirt are adapted to lie, said facing edges lying close together toward the neckband end of said element, a pivot support for each buck portion adjacent said facing edges and at the neckband end thereof, the end portions of said facing edges being cut away to permit swinging of said portions about their pivots and to permit proper draping of a shirt, the end edges of said buck portions at the neckband end sloping outwardly and toward the opposite end of the element, and a neckband holder spaced inwardly from said end edges in a manner to hold shirt yoke portions forward of the shoulder line in pressing position on said buck portions.

JAMES M. DEWEY.

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