US 7,578,082 B2
Roller ironing machine for articles of clothing
Ramon Sans Rovira, Vic (Spain); Carles Riba Romeva, Sant Joan Despi (Spain); and Pere Girbau Pous, Vic (Spain)
Assigned to Girbau S.A., Vic (Barcelona) (Spain)
Appl. No. 10/586,411
PCT Filed Jan. 19, 2004, PCT No. PCT/ES2004/000019
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Apr. 02, 2007,
PCT Pub. No. WO2005/068705, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 28, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2007/0277406 A1, Dec. 06, 2007
Int. Cl. D06F 67/10 (2006.01); D06F 63/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 38—44  [38/45] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A roller ironing machine for clothing articles, characterised in that it comprises at least one ironing unit comprising, in combination:
at least one ironing roller supported and guided to rotate about a fixed geometric axis on a frame and fitted with heating means to heat its surface;
at least one floating pressure roller arranged in a rotating fashion on said frame, said pressure roller being parallel to said ironing roller and in contact therewith providing an ironing pressure on the clothing articles that pass between the ironing roller and the floating pressure roller rotating in opposite directions;
at least one endless belt mounted on a plurality of satellite rollers placed around the ironing roller and gripping an angular portion of the ironing roller in order to accompany the clothing articles maintaining them in contact with the ironing roller;
drive means to rotate the ironing roller and/or circulate said endless belt; and
a pair of first inclined planes mounted in a static manner on the frame and against which axial journals extending from opposite ends of the floating pressure roller or rolling elements installed on said axial journals are movably supported when the floating pressure roller, is in contact with the ironing roller;
wherein said first inclined planes form an angle with respect to an imaginary plane tangential to the ironing roller and the floating pressure roller along a line of mutual contact, said angle having a value and said inclined plains being located in a position with regard to said ironing roller axis so that the floating pressure roller is wedged by gravity between said first inclined planes and the ironing roller, and an ironing force component exerted by the floating pressure roller against the ironing roller derived from a weight of the floating pressure roller is greater than said weight of the floating pressure roller.