Flatwork feeding and smoothing attachment for ironer

Claim 1

A SMOOTHING ATTACHMENT FOR USE WITH A FLATWORK IRONER PROVIDED WITH IRONING ROLLS AND ARRANGED TO IRON INDIVIDUAL PIECES FED THERETO AND HAVING AN ENTRANCE END AND A FEED APRON ADJACENT SAID ENTRANCE TO RECEIVE FLATWORK PIECES TO BE IRONED AND FEED THEM TO THE IRONING ROLLS OF THE IRONER, SAID SMOOTHING ATTACHMENT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION SUPPORTING MEANS POSITIONABLE FORWARDLY OF AND ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO THE ENTRANCE END OF SAID FEED APRON OF SAID IRONER, ELONGATED SPREADING ROLL MEANS EXTENDING ALONG SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND ROTATABLY SUPPORTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREBY FORWARDLY OF AND IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO THE OUTERMOST EDGE OF SAID FEED APRON, A PLURALITY OF PROJECTING MEANS EXTENDING SPIRALLY AROUND SAID SPREADING ROLL MEANS AND RESPECTIVELY SPIRALLING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM AN INTERMEDIATE LOCATION ON SAID ROLL MEANS TOWARD THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID ROLL MEANS, THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID SPIRAL PROJECTING MEANS BEING EXPOSED TO HAVE SEPARATE PIECES OF FLATWORK DRAPED THEREOVER WITH THE TRAILING ENDS THEREOF DEPENDING FREELY INCIDENT TO FEEDING THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FLATWORK PIECES TO SAID FEED APRON OF SAID IRONER, DRIVE MEANS TO ROTATE SAID SPREADING ROLL MEANS IN A DIRECTION TO PERMIT SAID SPIRAL PROJECTING MEANS TO SPREAD FLATWORK PIECES OUTWARDLY FROM THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID SPREADING ROLL MEANS TOWARD THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF AS SAID ROLL MEANS ROTATES AND THE FLATWORK PIECES ARE DRAPED THEREOVER BY GRAVITY, AND MEANS SUPPORTED STATIONARILY RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND POSITIONED OUTWARDLY OF SAID SPREADING ROLL MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID ENTRANCE END OF SAID IRONER AND HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE POSITIONED AT A LOWER LEVEL THAN THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID ROLL MEANS OVER WHICH THE DRAPED FLATWORK PIECES EXTEND INCIDENT TO BEING DRAPED OVER SAID ROLL MEANS AND OPERABLE TO IMPOSE A DRAG IN ADDITION TO NORMAL FRICTION UPON SAID FLATWORK PIECES IN OPPOSITION TO THE FEEDING MOVEMENT THEREOF BY THE FEED APRON OF SAID IRONER, WHEREBY SPREADING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FLATWORK PIECES BY SAID SPREADING ROLL MEANS TO SPREAD SAID PIECES LATERALLY IS FACILITATED AND THE DRAG EFFECT IMPOSED UPON SAID PIECES STRETCHES AND SMOOTHS THE SAME LONGITUDINALLY.