Textiles: ironing or smoothing – Smoothing machines – Elements
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-07
2004-07-13
Izaguirre, Ismael (Department: 3765)
Textiles: ironing or smoothing
Smoothing machines
Elements
Reexamination Certificate
active
06760984
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a roll finisher for press-finishing already-washed cloth articles (such as sheets, covers, and pillow cases and the like).
BACKGROUND ART
Cloth articles that have been washed in a washing machine are finished by being press-treated by a roll finisher.
A side view of a conventional example of a roll finisher is given in FIG.
4
.
Cylindrical main rolls
1
,
2
, and
3
are deployed horizontally and in parallel, and each rolls turns in the direction indicated by the arrows L.
These main rolls
1
,
2
, and
3
are configured so as to be hollow, and in some cases are provided with vacuum exhaust means. (By “exhaust,” in this invention, is meant to implement vacuum suction and exhaust the inside air, which is a different meaning from that of the exhaust of automobile engines and the like.)
The outer circumferential surfaces of the main rolls
1
,
2
, and
3
are covered with a felt-form upper wrapping.
These main rolls
1
,
2
, and
3
are provided with heating beds
1
a
,
2
a
, and
3
a
, respectively, which function as press-finishing irons.
The heating beds
1
a
,
2
a
, and
3
a
noted above are heated by heating steam or heating oil.
Ribbon tape
6
forms endless a loop that is wound about the main rolls
1
,
2
, and
3
and also about ribbon guides
5
. This ribbon tape
6
is made to turn in the direction indicated by the arrow L′ at the same speed as the main rolls
1
,
2
, and
3
, while guiding the article being treated
7
.
The article being treated
7
is conveyed in by an entrance conveyor
4
and fed between the heating bed
1
a
and the ribbon tape
6
. The article being treated
7
is pulled along by the friction between the surface
7
a
on one side thereof and the ribbon tape
6
. The surface
7
b
on the other side is pressed against the heating bed
1
a
and made to slide.
The article being treated that has passed between the main roll
1
and the heating bed
1
a
as indicated by the curved arrow L advances between the main roll
2
and the heating bed
2
a
, and then passes between the main roll
3
and the heating bed
3
a
. The press-finished article
7
′ that has finished passing through is conveyed out from the roll finisher.
FIG. 5
is a front view of the conventional example of roll finisher diagrammed in
FIG. 4
as noted above, as seen from the direction of the arrow A. As diagrammed in this figure, a multiplicity of the ribbon tapes
6
and ribbon guides
5
are aligned in the axial direction of the main roll
1
. Item
8
is a frame.
In the conventional example of roll finisher described in the foregoing (FIGS.
4
and
5
), the ribbon tapes
6
are worn severely, and the durable life thereof is short, which constitutes a difficulty. In addition, the ribbon tapes
6
get sandwiched between the article being treated
7
and the main rolls
1
,
2
, and
3
, and the ribbon tapes
6
leave marks on the surface
7
a
on the one side of the article being treated
7
which adversely affects the finishing quality.
In order to eliminate such difficulties, delivery mechanisms for passing the article being treated along have been devised for taking the article being treated that has passed an upstream main roll and heating bed and supplying it to a downstream main roll and heating bed.
Publicly known delivery mechanisms are now described with reference to the drawings. The basic principle underlying these delivery mechanisms consists of vacuum-adsorbing the article being treated, receiving it on a conveyor belt, and carrying it along.
FIG. 6
is an overall view of a roll finisher equipped with a delivery mechanism that is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-107995/1996. The details of the main parts thereof will be described subsequently with reference to FIG.
7
.
The article being treated
7
that is fed out from between the upstream main roll
1
and heating bed
1
a
is vacuum-adsorbed and received by a delivery mechanism G.T, and fed in between the downstream main roll
2
and heating bed
2
a
. The finished article
7
′ fed out from the final main roll
2
and heating bed
2
a
are conveyed out by an exit conveyor
9
.
The delivery mechanism G.T noted above comprises a box
11
constituted by porous plates, a ventilating loop-form belt
12
wound about that box, a drive pulley
13
for causing that belt to turn, and an exhaust pipe
10
for vacuum-sucking the air from inside the box
11
. The structure of this delivery mechanism G.T is as described below.
FIG. 7
is an enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of the delivery mechanism G.T described above.
The upper half of the box
11
is constituted by a semi-cylindrical porous plate.
The ventilating endless loop belt
12
covers the semi-cylindrical portion noted above, and is wound about four guide pulleys and a drive pulley
13
. This drive pulley turns in the direction indicated by the arrow r, and causes the endless loop belt
12
to move orbitally as indicated by the arrows d, d′, and d″.
The air inside the box
11
is vacuum-sucked by the exhaust pipe
10
as indicated by the arrow c, and the article being treated
7
is sucked onto the ventilating loop belt
12
.
Based on the publicly known invention of
FIG. 7 and 8
described above, the advantage is gained of marks from the ribbon tapes
6
(
FIGS. 4 and 5
) not being left on the article being treated. However, the loop belt
12
continually rubs against the box
11
, wherefore the durable life of this belt is short.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-314499/1998 discloses an improved invention wherein wear to the loop belt is prevented and the durable life thereof is extended.
FIG. 8
is a cross-sectional view of the delivery mechanism
15
of that improved invention, that corresponds to
FIG. 7
in the publicly known invention described earlier.
Item
15
a
is a suction roll constituted by a porous plate, the air inside of which is vacuum-sucked by an exhaust pipe
15
f
as indicated by the arrow c′. A ventilating guide belt
15
d
is wound about that suction roll
15
a
, a guide roll
15
c
, and a drive pulley
15
h
. Item
15
e
is a tensioning pulley,
15
b
is a guide table, and
15
g
is a guide plate.
The drive pulley
15
h
is made to turn in the direction indicated by the arrow r, causing the loop belt
15
d
to turn as indicated by the arrow e. The suction roll
15
a
also is made to turn in the direction indicated by the arrow r, wherefore there is no danger of early friction between it and the loop belt
15
d.
FIG. 9
is a schematic cross-sectional view of a roll finisher equipped with the delivery mechanism of the improved invention diagrammed in
FIG. 8
as noted in the foregoing. Because the scale is small, the guide plate
15
g
and tensioning pulley
15
e
described in conjunction with
FIG. 8
are omitted from the drawing. It is also possible to eliminate the drive pulley
15
h
and drive the rotation of the suction roll
15
a.
In the improved roll finisher diagrammed in
FIG. 9
, the article being treated that has passed between the main roll
1
and heating bed
1
a
on the upstream side (the left side in the drawing) is sucked to the suction roll
15
a
by a suction air flow as indicated by the arrow s, placed on the guide belt
15
d
, and carried out as indicated by the arrow e. However, there are cases where that article being treated will keep on going around, together with that main roll
1
, as indicated at
7
″ drawn as a hypothetical line, still sticking to the main roll, without being sucked onto the suction roll
15
a.
Whether or not this sticking phenomenon happens depends on various parameters, but the main factor in the sticking force here is believed to be the intertwining of the nap of the felt (described earlier) wrapped on the main roll
1
and the nap of the cloth article that is the article being treated.
An object of the present invention, which was devised in view of the circumstances described above, is to provide both a roll finishing method improved so that the article being
Arita Takuji
Mishina Kenjiro
Nishiwaki Kazuhiro
Sugimoto Junichi
Costellia Jeffrey L.
Izaguirre Ismael
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Tokyo Sensen Kikai Seinsaskusho, Co., Ltd.
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