Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus (100) for receiving and spreading out/extending cloth (3), such as pieces of laundry, comprising a set of spreader clamps (120) for releasably receiving a pair of corners of said cloth (3) and for spreading out of said cloth (3), a suction box system (S) including: a suction chute (170) connected with a front portion of a suction chamber (200) and having a mouth for receiving said cloth (3), and a suction fan (119) communicating with a rear portion of said suction chamber (200) via a number of air flow passages (185), the suction fan (119) establishing suction in said suction chamber (200) and said suction chute (170), whereby said suction box system (S) additionally includes a discharge conveyor (C) for the discharge of cloth (3) collected in said suction chamber (200), a discharge gate (320) selectively openable for said discharge, and an air access gate (430) operable for temporarily reducing suction applied by said fan (119) through said air flow passages (185).

Abstract: A drying-ironing combined machine. The machine includes a supporting body (1), a pillar (4) located on the supporting body (1), a drying unit (2) and an ironing unit (3). The drying unit (2) comprises a drying rack member (21), a hood (22) supporting body on the drying rack member (21), and a heating member (23). A venting port (232) of the heating member (23) is in a sealed communication with an air inlet (225) of the hood (22). The drying unit (2) has a clothes drying region formed on one side of the pillar (4). The ironing unit (3) comprises an ironing device and a clothes hanger (331). The ironing unit (3) has an ironing region formed on the other side of the pillar (4).

Abstract: A fabric refreshing apparatus is provided. The refreshing apparatus may include a case, and a receiving compartment, provided in the case to receive fabric articles. The apparatus may also include a steam generator, a fluid supply tank, and a drain tank. The steam generator supplies steam to receiving compartment to steam the fabric articles. The fluid supply tank supplies fluid the steam generator. The drain tank collects residual fluid from the steam generator.

Abstract: A cloth piece treating apparatus includes a spreading device for spreading a large area cloth piece, a press device, a folding device for folding the cloth piece into a predetermined small size and a cloth piece length measuring device having a cloth piece detector. The spread cloth piece is folded in the folding device on the basis of the length of the spread cloth piece. The cloth piece detector is disposed in the press device so that the horizontal length of a receiving conveyor of the folding device is minimized, whereby the total length of the cloth piece treating apparatus is shortened.

Abstract: A device for feeding, ironing, folding and stacking of linen, having a maximum depth of 2.500 mm, and when viewed in the depth direction thereof, being successively provided with a feeding unit for feeding a piece of linen to be ironed into the device, the feeding unit having detection and measuring means to measure the piece of linen, an ironing unit, having at least one ironing roll and, for each ironing roll, a heated chest for ironing the piece of linen, a folding unit for folding the ironed item of linen, the folding unit being provided with a longitudinal folding portion located after the ironing mangle for longitudinally folding the ironed item of linen, and a cross folding portion located below the ironing mangle for cross folding the ironed piece of linen, and a stacking unit located to the right or left of the device for stacking the folded.

Abstract: An ironing appliance (1) comprises an ironing device such as a steam iron and an ironing board (11) for supporting articles (2) to be ironed. In the ironing board (11), Radio Frequency Identification readers (41) are arranged, which serve for identifying the fabric type of the articles (2) to be ironed, which are provided with a tag (45) containing this information. The ironing board (11) has a heater (16) for heating the articles to be ironed, and is also adapted to supplying steam to these articles. In an ironing process of a given article, the characteristics of the supply of steam and the temperature of the heater (16) are determined on the basis of the information obtained from the tag (45) of the article by the readers (41). Due to the fact that the readers (41) are arranged in the ironing board (11), the identification process and the process of determining appropriate ironing settings take place in a fast and accurate manner.

Abstract: A fabric refreshing apparatus is provided. The refreshing apparatus may include a case, and a receiving compartment, provided in the case to receive fabric articles. The apparatus may also include a steam generator, a fluid supply tank, and a drain tank. The steam generator supplies steam to receiving compartment to steam the fabric articles. The fluid supply tank supplies fluid the steam generator. The drain tank collects residual fluid from the steam generator.

Abstract: An improved finishing treatment for pile carpets is described. The improvement lies in providing a method and apparatus for producing a controlled manner, uniform and unidirection pile lean, and to stabilize the pile lean with that orientation to restrict reversal of the pile lean during actual use of the carpet on the floor. One method of the invention is to transport the pile carpet past a pre-orientation brush or roller, through a pair of compression rollers that cause the pile to lean in the trailing direction whilst subjecting the pile to a compression cycle. The improved treatment may be applied to both cut and loop pile carpets and may find application in carpet manufacture, making the carpet resistant to pile reversal in use and reducing the propensity of the carpet to shade in an objectionable manner.

Abstract: A tool and method for bonding two carpet pieces by use of a vacuum which forces air to move upwardly through the carpet and to cool the hot glue adhesive. The invention goes beyond providing a uniquely strong bond by leveling the carpets on both sides of the bond seam. Thus it also has the ability to bond a thin side of carpet with a thicker side of carpet because of leveling of the carpet on both sides of the bond seam thus hiding the seam more perfectly (many times when a carpet manufacturer shears a carpet one side will be thicker than the other side). Alternately, thin carpets may be bonded without risk of having a weak bond. When several carpets are bonded together with multiple seams, the carpet may be stretched more than conventionally bonded carpets due to the great strength of bonds made in accordance with this invention. All species of the invention enjoy a substantial savings in time needed for seaming.

Abstract: To control the moisture content of linen leaving a drying ironer, this content is measured by means of a sensor (18). The measurement signal is then transmitted to a variable gain amplifier (30). A circuit (32) automatically adjusts this gain so that the signal leaving the amplifier (30) is non-saturated. This gives instant control of linen moisture content irrespective of the moisture content of the items of linen entering the machine.

Abstract: On leaving a dry pressing or ironing machine, each piece of linen or washing is folded on a folding arm performing a reciprocating movement. The folding arm then bears on an entrance end of a conveyor (28), which is then driven (F2), so as to move the folded piece of linen towards a recovery tank. A freewheel mechanism (52) is simultaneously brought into a disengaged state, which has the effect of lowering a pressing roller (40) and rotating the latter by means of a belt (62). Driving the conveyor (28) in the reverse direction (F3) then brings the pressing roller (40) into the raised position, by means of the freewheel (52), a crank (54) and a rod (56).

Abstract: A continuous ironing and automatic cutting apparatus, is provided. The apparatus mainly makes use of a cloth roll stand, a marking device, a few sets of buffering devices, and an automatic cutting device, in cooperation a conventional pressing device and a corking device, to accomplish a continuous ironing and automatic cutting operation.

Abstract: An ironer folder is provided in which an ironed flatwork item such as a sheet is folded into quarter panels along its length by a pivoting arm. The folded sheet is placed on a sequence of conveyors which carry the folded flatwork into engagement with a series of three cross-folding stations whereby the flatwork may be cross-folded three times and discharged from the apparatus. The longitudinal and lateral free edges of the folded flatwork are interiorly disposed in the discharged folded item so as to present an attractive folded appearance having a periphery defined by continuous bight portions.

Abstract: A garment portion loader utilizes a plurality of photo-electric sensors to determine the positions of garment portions at selected stations including a delivery assembly which supplies garment portions for loading, a pick-up assembly which removes garment portions from the delivery assembly and places them on an alignment conveyor, a smoothing device which removes wrinkles from the garment portions when positioned on the conveyor, and an alignment assembly which aligns the garment portions with a pre-established standard relative to the alignment conveyor. A rejection assembly is provided to remove garments which are not properly aligned. The loader may be controlled by a microprocessor receiving input from the sensors and controlling the various assemblies.

Abstract: In the case of common trough mangles (1) used for the smoothing and drying of wet laundry pieces (11) wherein the hollow rollers (2) provided with roller wrappings (3) are only partially surrounded by heated pressing troughs (4, 5), a considerable amount of energy is wasted due to the absorption of cooler room air. In order to eliminate the cause of this deficiency, the invention proposes to cover the free area of the hollow roller (2) with a hood (6), whose rims (9) are sealed against the roller wrapping (3). The exhaust (8) of the steam is removed directly from the hood (6). This way, inside the hood (6) clean saturated steam is obtained and superheated, when the absorption from the hood (6) takes place in counterflow with regard to the travel of the laundry pieces (11). This superheated saturated steam is especially suitable as operating means for washing machines or the like.

Abstract: A drying and ironing device for a textile element includes in addition to a conventional drying and ironing system, an integral folding device. The folding device comprises a folding blade which is mounted to pivot in a reciprocating manner on a support moved by an electrical jack, below and flush with either side of the textile element hanging down under the effect of gravity on discharge from the drying and ironing system. An infrared transmitter-receiver cell detects the beginning and the end of this textile element and an electronic device generates and counts "pips" triggered by this cell. The folding device also includes an arrangement for gripping and removing the folded textile element.

Abstract: Automatic towel dispenser has a box-shaped housing provided with a washing chamber and a drying chamber for an endless towel to be guided therethrough, the towel having a cleaned partial length thereof available for respective use and being guidable over a locking device for limiting the clean partial length of the towel to be withdrawn and guided outside the housing between an outlet opening and an inlet opening formed in the housing, a first storage chamber located in the housing between the inlet opening and the washing chamber for variably piling up therein a plurality of used partial lengths of the towel, and a second storage chamber located in the housing between the drying chamber and the outlet opening for variably piling therein a plurality of cleaned partial lengths of the towel, and means being activatable, upon the emptying to a given extent of the cleaned partial lengths of the towel in the second storage chamber, for passing used partial lengths of the towel through the washing and drying chambe

Abstract: Method and apparatus for reversing and flattening a driver's restraint cushion composed of a pair of overlapping sheets. The apparatus includes a loading platform having an aperture therein of a size generally corresponding to the size of a circular opening centrally formed in one of the sheets of the restraint cushion. A retainer ring surrounds the aperture and extends into the circular opening of the restraint cushion when the latter is positioned on the loading platform. Subsequently, a vertically movable ram engages and forces the other of the sheets of the restraint cushion through the aperture so as to cause the inside and outside surfaces of the two sheets to reverse after which pressurized air flows through the ram to inflate the cushion and a flat plate presses the inflated cushion into a pancake form.

Abstract: A clean towel presenting machine, which includes a casing having a delivery slot and an intake slot, an endless web of liquid absorbent material contained in the casing, part of which depends from the delivery slot at the front of the casing and the intake slot, the web being adapted, when it is manually pulled out of the delivery slot, to discontinuously present a clean portion and simultaneously retract an essentially equal used portion through the intake slot, cleaning liquid tank and a heater to dry and sterilize the web.