US3696523A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Steam air garment finisher
Assignee: McGraw Edison Co
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Filing: 1971-05-03
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Granted: 1972-10-10
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Expires: 1991-05-03
Abstract
Abstract A batch box steam air finisher having the operating advantages of typical batch box finishers while yet further having the operating advantages of typically high cost tunnel-type finishers. This disclosed finisher has an enclosure with an internal completely confined conveyor for carrying garments in single file individually past specific conditioning discharge means and specific air whip drying means, and also has additional conveyor means for automatically loading and/or unloading a batch or group of garments into or from the enclosure and specifically into the control of or from the control of the confined conveyor automatically, whereby a common finishing cycle can finish more than one garment.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael G Beeley
- 👤 Richard D Thompson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 02:35
CPC Classifications
D; D06; D06F; D06F73/00; D06F73/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
319 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, a door for closing the opening, a first conveyor located entirely in the enclosure and having means for holding the hangers and garments thereon, means for operating the first conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are carried throughout the enclosure, means operable for conditioning the garments and means operable for drying the garments, said conditioning means and said drying means each being disposed in the enclosure and each being on both sides of the first conveyor, a second conveyor carried on the door and having means for holding a corresponding plurality of hangers and garments thereon as there might be held on said first conveyor, the second conveyor being disposed outside the enclosure when the door is in one operative position whereby an operator can readily load the hangers and then unfinished garments thereon onto the second conveyor and the second conveyor being disposed inside the enclosure and proximate the first conveyor when the door is in another operative position and closing the access opening, means for operating the second conveyor when the door is in the other operative position whereby the hangers and garments thereon are transferred from the second conveyor to the first conveyor, means carried on the door and being proximate the first conveyor when the door is in its said other operative position for receiving the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor, means for releasing the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor for transfer to the receiving means, and the receiving means being disposed outside the enclosure when the door is in the said one operative position whereby an operator can readily unload the hangers and now finished garments thereon from the receiving means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
319 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, a door for closing the opening, a first conveyor located entirely in the enclosure and having means for holding the hangers and garments thereon, means for operating the first conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are carried throughout the enclosure, means operable for conditioning the garments and means operable for drying the garments, said conditioning means and said drying means each being disposed in the enclosure and each being on both sides of the first conveyor, a second conveyor carried on the door and having means for holding a corresponding plurality of hangers and garments thereon as there might be held on said first conveyor, the second conveyor being disposed outside the enclosure when the door is in one operative position whereby an operator can readily load the hangers and then unfinished garments thereon onto the second conveyor and the second conveyor being disposed inside the enclosure and proximate the first conveyor when the door is in another operative position and closing the access opening, means for operating the second conveyor when the door is in the other operative position whereby the hangers and garments thereon are transferred from the second conveyor to the first conveyor, means carried on the door and being proximate the first conveyor when the door is in its said other operative position for receiving the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor, means for releasing the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor for transfer to the receiving means, and the receiving means being disposed outside the enclosure when the door is in the said one operative position whereby an operator can readily unload the hangers and now finished garments thereon from the receiving means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
A garment finisher according to claim 1, wherein the cycle for finishing the garments includes a conditioning phasE and a drying phase where the respective conditioning means and drying means are separately operated and each operation being of such duration that every hanger and garment thereon on the first conveyor individually passes the respective conditioning means and drying means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A steam air finisher according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for moving the door under power between the two operative positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
A steam air finisher according to claim 1, wherein said door has thereon two complete sets of respective second conveyors and receiving means, thereby being operable when the door is in its one and other operative positions of presenting one each of the second conveyors and receiving means in said indicated relation with the first conveyor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
A steam air finisher according to claim 4, wherein the door is pivoted about a central pivot whereby movement between the operative positions is rotational and whereby the door closes the access opening in each operative position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
A steam air finisher according to claim 1, wherein the releasing means is located inside the enclosure and is movable between a non-interferring position and an operative releasing position relative to the hangers as carried on the first conveyor, and means for actuating the releasing means between said positions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
241 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, means for closing the opening, a first conveyor located entirely in the enclosure and having means for holding the hangers and garments thereon, the loading and unloading of hangers and garments thereon onto and from the first conveyor being through the access opening, means for operating the first conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are carried throughout the enclosure, means operable for conditioning the garments and means operable for drying the garments, said conditioning means and said drying means each being disposed in the enclosure and each being on both sides of the first conveyor, said conditioning means including means for discharging steam from opposite sides of and toward a path of movement of the first conveyor and directly against the garments as they individually pass therebetween on the first conveyor, said drying means including closely spaced walls extended generally parallel to and facing from opposite sides thereof a path of movement of the first conveyor, and said drying means also including means to draw in air, means to heat the air, and means to discharge the air to between the spaced walls at a relatively high velocity for flow over and past the garments as they individually pass therebetween on the first conveyor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
241 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, means for closing the opening, a first conveyor located entirely in the enclosure and having means for holding the hangers and garments thereon, the loading and unloading of hangers and garments thereon onto and from the first conveyor being through the access opening, means for operating the first conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are carried throughout the enclosure, means operable for conditioning the garments and means operable for drying the garments, said conditioning means and said drying means each being disposed in the enclosure and each being on both sides of the first conveyor, said conditioning means including means for discharging steam from opposite sides of and toward a path of movement of the first conveyor and directly against the garments as they individually pass therebetween on the first conveyor, said drying means including closely spaced walls extended generally parallel to and facing from opposite sides thereof a path of movement of the first conveyor, and said drying means also including means to draw in air, means to heat the air, and means to discharge the air to between the spaced walls at a relatively high velocity for flow over and past the garments as they individually pass therebetween on the first conveyor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
A garment finisher according to claim 7, wherein the cycle for finishing the garments includes a conditioning phase and a drying phase where the respective conditioning means and drying means are separately operated and each operation is of such duration that every hanger and garment thereon on the first conveyor individually passes the respective conditioning means and drying means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
85 words
A garment finisher according to claim 7, further including a second conveyor located outside the enclosure and operable to pass through the access opening to inside the enclosure whereby an operator can readily load the hangers and then unfinished garments thereon onto said second conveyor to be carried thereon through said access opening to inside the enclosure and proximate the first conveyor, and means for operating the second conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are transferred from the second conveyor to the first conveyor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
61 words
A garment finisher according to claim 7, further including means located inside the enclosure and operable to pass through the access opening to outside the enclosure, whereby said last named means can receive hangers and garments thereon insiDe the enclosure from the first conveyor and carry them through the access opening to outside the enclosure to be unloaded by an operator.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A garment finisher according to claim 10, further including means for releasing the hangers and garments thereon from control of the first conveyor for transfer to the control of the receiving means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
151 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, a door for closing the opening, means mounting the door for rotation about its centrally located vertical axis whereby the door closes the access opening in each of two operative positions approximately 180* rotatably apart where one door side faces inside the enclosure and the opposite door side faces outside the enclosure, and vice-versa respectively, means carried on the door and projected from both the one and opposite door sides thereof for holding the hangers and garments thereon whereby in each operative position a hanger holding means is inside the enclosure and a hanger holding means is outside the enclosure, and means in the enclosure operable for conditioning the garments and for drying the garments.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
151 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, a door for closing the opening, means mounting the door for rotation about its centrally located vertical axis whereby the door closes the access opening in each of two operative positions approximately 180* rotatably apart where one door side faces inside the enclosure and the opposite door side faces outside the enclosure, and vice-versa respectively, means carried on the door and projected from both the one and opposite door sides thereof for holding the hangers and garments thereon whereby in each operative position a hanger holding means is inside the enclosure and a hanger holding means is outside the enclosure, and means in the enclosure operable for conditioning the garments and for drying the garments.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
59 words
A steam air finisher according to claim 12, wherein means located inside the enclosure is operable to accept control of the hangers and garments thereon from the hanger holding means and to convey the hangers and garment thereon to an orientation relative to one another within the enclosure different from the corresponding orientation while on the hanger holding means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
67 words
A steam air finisher according to claim 13, wherein said hanger holding means is disposed to hold the hangers and garments thereon in the orientation where they are in adjacent packed front to rear full width relation, and wherein said conveying means is disposed to hold the hangers and garments thereon in the orientation where they are in adjacent extended or edge to edge generally aligned relation.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
251 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, a first conveyor located entirely in the enclosure and having means for holding the hangers and garments thereon, means operable for conditioning the garments and means operable for drying the garments, said conditioning means and said drying means each being disposed in the enclosure and each being on both sides of the first conveyor, means for operating the first conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are carried throughout the enclosure and individually and sequentially past the conditioning means and the drying means, a second conveyor having means for holding hangers and garments thereon, the second conveyor in one position being disposed outside the enclosure whereby an operator can readily load the hangers and the then unfinished garments thereon and adapted to pass through the access opening to another position and disposed inside the enclosure proximate the first conveyor, means for operating the second conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are transferred from the second conveyor to the first conveyor, means for releasing the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor, and means operable for receiving the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor and carrying same through the access opening to outside the enclosure whereby an operator can readily unload the hangers and now finished garments thereon from the receiving means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
251 words
A steam air finisher operable during a single finishing cycle for finishing a plurality of garments each individually held on a hanger or generally like form, comprising a cabinet defining an enclosure having an access opening, a first conveyor located entirely in the enclosure and having means for holding the hangers and garments thereon, means operable for conditioning the garments and means operable for drying the garments, said conditioning means and said drying means each being disposed in the enclosure and each being on both sides of the first conveyor, means for operating the first conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are carried throughout the enclosure and individually and sequentially past the conditioning means and the drying means, a second conveyor having means for holding hangers and garments thereon, the second conveyor in one position being disposed outside the enclosure whereby an operator can readily load the hangers and the then unfinished garments thereon and adapted to pass through the access opening to another position and disposed inside the enclosure proximate the first conveyor, means for operating the second conveyor whereby the hangers and garments thereon are transferred from the second conveyor to the first conveyor, means for releasing the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor, and means operable for receiving the hangers and garments thereon from the first conveyor and carrying same through the access opening to outside the enclosure whereby an operator can readily unload the hangers and now finished garments thereon from the receiving means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
59 words
A garment finisher according to claim 15, wherein the cycle for finishing the garments includes a conditioning phase and a drying phase where the respective conditioning means and drying means are separately operated and each operation is of such duration that every hanger and garment thereon on the first conveyor individually passes the respective conditioning means and drying means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-10-10 | 1976-04-10 | 1976-10-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-10-10 | 1980-04-10 | 1980-10-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-10-10 | 1984-04-10 | 1984-10-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |