Patent Application
20130025151
Not applicable
Not applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for pressing fluid (e.g., rinse water) from fabric articles (e.g., laundry). More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for pressing fluid from laundry articles wherein the press frame has a specially configured tie rod arrangement with improved fatigue performance.
2. General Background of the Invention
Laundry presses remove water from washed linen by hydraulically applying pressure. This force is developed by pressurizing a hydraulic ram pressing down on linen held in a pressure vessel. The water is pushed out of the linen into a slotted or apertured plate under the linen. The following patents (each incorporated herein by reference) relate generally to laundry presses and like devices.
The primary structure of a laundry press frame provides a bottom and top plate held together with four posts or rods.
The prior art solid posts or rods are machined to create a top and bottom shoulder and then threaded on both ends. A fastening nut is then applied on the top and bottom.
The life of these posts are known to be compromised because the posts endure a significant amount of bending along with normal loss of preload tension due to wear.
The present invention increases the fatigue life for a laundry press by a factor of 200% to 300%. The design of the present invention includes a spool and specially configured full length tie rod.
In one embodiment, a fastening nut has been designed to have an outer slot in its body. This slot distributes the loading in the nut threads evenly across all threads wherein previous designs the loading is only on the first 1 to 3 threads.
The full length tie rod increases the fatigue by applying a reduced shank profile. The reduced shank allows the tie rod under tension and bending loading to stretch freely in the center instead of stretching where the fastening nut holds the threads of the post.
The present invention provides a press for pressing batches of fabric articles to remove excess fluid therefrom. The apparatus includes a frame having upper and lower plates.
The frame supports a vessel having an interior that is configured to receive a batch of fabric articles therein.
The frame supports a press having a ram and a disk. The disk is supported at the lower end portion of the ram.
The disk is positioned to engage an upper surface portion of the batch of fabric articles that are contained within the vessel interior.
The ram and disk are movable between upper and lower positions, the lower position being a pressing position that engages the disk with the fabric articles.
The frame includes a plurality of rods that connect to the upper and lower plates, spacing the upper and lower plates apart. The rods each have upper and lower end portions, each with a diameter that is larger than the diameter of a central portion of the rod that is positioned in between the upper and lower plates. The central portion is spaced away from each of the plates.
In one embodiment, each rod is attached to the upper and lower plates with a connection that includes a threaded portion of the rod and a nut that connects to the threaded portion.
In one embodiment, the nut has an annular slot.
In one embodiment, the connection includes a preload ring placed in between the nut and a plate.
In one embodiment, each preload ring has a concavity. The nut has a convex portion that registers in the concavity.
In one embodiment, the nut has a load bearing face, a non-load bearing face and a length in between the load bearing face and non-load bearing face. The annular slot is closer to the load bearing face than it is to the non-load bearing face. In one embodiment, the annular slot is spaced from the load bearing face a distance of about ¼ of the length.
In one embodiment, the plates have plate openings that are receptive of rod end portions.
The present invention includes a laundry press apparatus, comprising a frame having upper and lower plates and a plurality of spacer tubes that hold the plates apart, each tube having a tube bore; the frame supporting a vessel, the vessel having an interior that is configured to receive a batch of wetted fabric articles; the frame supporting a press, the press including a ram and a disk supported at the lower end portion of the ram; wherein the disk is positioned to engage an upper surface portion of the batch of articles that is contained within the vessel interior; the ram and the disk being movable between upper and lower positions, the lower position being a pressing position that engages the disk with the fabric articles; the frame including a plurality of rods that extend to the upper and lower plates, the rods each occupying a tube bore, each rod having upper and lower rod end portions; and fasteners that apply tension to each rod and compression to each tube.
Preferably, each rod includes a threaded portion and the fastener includes a nut that connects to the threaded portion.
Preferably, the nut has an annular slot.
Preferably, the fastener includes a preload ring that is placed in between the nut and a plate.
Preferably, each preload ring has a concavity and the nut has a convex portion that registers in a concavity.
Preferably, the nut has a load bearing face, a non-load bearing face and a length in between the load bearing face and the non-load bearing face, wherein the annular slot is closer to the load bearing face than the non-load bearing face.
Preferably, the annular slot is spaced from the load bearing face a distance of about ¼ of the length.
Preferably, the plates have plate openings that are receptive of the rod end portions.
Preferably, each rod has threads that do not connect to a plate.
The present invention includes a laundry press for pressing a batch of fabric articles to remove excess fluid from the articles, comprising a frame having upper and lower plates, each plate having a plurality of plate openings; the frame supporting a vessel having a vessel bottom and side portion and an interior that is configured to contain a batch of fabric articles; a press supporting a ram having upper and lower ram end portions, the ram including a disk supported at the ram lower end portion; wherein the disk is positioned to engage the batch of articles contained within the vessel interior, wherein the disk fits inside of the vessel side portion; the ram and the disk being movable between upper and lower positions, the lower position being a pressing position that engages the disk with the fabric articles; the frame including a plurality of rods that connect to the upper and lower plates at the plate openings, spacing the upper and lower plates apart, the rods each having upper and lower end portions that are at least partially externally threaded, each with a diameter that is larger than the diameter of a central portion of the rod that is positioned in between the upper and lower plates; wherein the central portion is spaced away from each of the plates; and a plurality of nuts that each attach to an externally threaded portion of a rod end portion.
Preferably, each nut has an annular slot.
Preferably, the connection includes a preload ring placed in between the nut and a plate.
The present invention includes a laundry press apparatus, comprising a frame having upper and lower plates; a plurality of spacer tubes that hold the plates apart, each tube having a tube bore; the frame supporting a vessel having an interior that is configured to receive a batch of wetted fabric articles therein that have been laundered; a press having an elongated ram and a disk supported at the lower end portion of the ram; wherein the disk is positioned to engage an upper surface portion of the batch of fabric articles that are contained within the vessel interior; the ram and the disk being movable between upper and lower positions, the lower position being a pressing position that engages the disk with the fabric articles; the frame including a plurality of rods that extend to the upper and lower plates, each of the rods occupying a tube bore, each rod having upper and lower rod end portions; and fasteners that apply tension to each rod and wherein each tube is in compression when each rod is tensioned.
Preferably, each rod includes a threaded end portion and each fastener includes a nut that connects to a threaded end portion.
Preferably, the fastener includes a preload ring that is positioned in between a nut and a plate.
The present invention includes a press for pressing batches of fabric articles to remove excess fluid therefrom, comprising: a frame having upper and lower plates, each plate having a plurality of plate openings; the frame supporting a vessel having an interior that is configured to receive a batch of fabric articles therein; a press having a ram and a disk supported at the lower end portion of the ram; wherein the disk is positioned to engage an upper surface portion of the batch of articles that are contained within the vessel interior; the ram and the disk being movable between upper and lower positions, the lower position being a pressing position that engages the disk with the fabric articles, compressing the fabric articles in between the disk and the vessel; the frame including a plurality of rods that connect to the upper and lower plates at the plate openings, spacing the upper and lower plates apart, the rods each having upper and lower end portions that are at least partially externally threaded, each with a diameter that is larger than the diameter of a central portion of the rod that is positioned in between the upper and lower plates; wherein the central portion is spaced away from each of the plates; and a plurality of nuts that each attach to an externally threaded portion of a rod end portion.
Preferably, each nut has an annular groove.
Preferably, the connection includes a ring that is placed in between the nut and a plate.
Preferably, each ring has a concavity and the nut has a convex portion that registers in a concavity.
Preferably, the nut has a load bearing face, a non-load bearing face and a length in between the load bearing face and the non-load bearing face, wherein the annular groove is closer to the load bearing face than the non-load bearing face.
Preferably, the annular groove is spaced from the load bearing face a distance of about ¼ of the length.
For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein:
An example of a prior art apparatus that employs a pressure cylinder, frame, ram, shell and batch of fabric articles can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,911 (911 patent) entitled “RAM Press for Expressing Liquid from Materials Being Pressed”. It should be understood that prior art ram presses for extracting fluid from fabric articles (such as seen in the '911 patent) are commercially available.
The present invention provides an improvement to the frame 11 that supports the pressure cylinder 36, pushrod 37, ram 38, and the batch of articles 46 to be pressed with water. The apparatus 10 and the improved frame 11 can be seen in
The assembly shown in
The laundry press apparatus 10 thus employs a frame 11 having a top plate or head 12 and a bottom plate 13. The bottom plate 13 can be provided with openings, slots or bores through which water can escape.
A vessel, shell or other container 39 for holding a batch of fabric articles rests upon the bottom plate 13. Vessel or shell 39 has interior 45 that holds or contains fabric articles 46 to be pressed of excess fluid. The top plate 12 supports a pressure cylinder such as a hydraulic cylinder 36 having a push rod 37 and a ram 38 that engages the fabric articles which care contained within shell or vessel 39. The pressure cylinder 36 could typically extend above the top plate 12. The top plate 12 provides an opening 16 through which the pushrod or piston rod 37 of the pressure cylinder 36 extends. The ram 38 would be positioned in between the plates 12, 13 (see
Each rod 15 has a rod upper end 24 and a rod lower end 25. The rod upper end 24 provides a larger diameter threaded section 26. The rod lower end 25 provides a larger diameter threaded section 27.
Each rod 15 has a reduced diameter section 30. A tapered or transition section 28, 29 is provided in between the rod reduced diameter section 30 and a larger diameter threaded section 26 or 27. In
An upper nut 22 forms a threaded connection with the larger diameter threaded section 26. Similarly, nut 23 forms a threaded connection with larger diameter threaded section 27. Washer 19 is placed in between top plate 12 and nut 22. Similarly, a washer 19 is placed in between nut 23 and bottom plate 13. Spacer or spool 14 surrounds rod 15 as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 10-11 show retainer 40 which can be used to retain parts of any rod 15 that has failed (e.g., broken into pieces) during use. The retainer 40 includes a fitting 42 having internal threads that mate with the external threads 26 of a rod 15. Fitting 42 is placed above nut 22 and threadably attached to threaded section 26. A pair of flanges 41 are attached to fitting 42 using bolted connections 43. The flanges 41 have horizontally extending portions 44 that extend under top plate 12 as seen in
The following is a list of parts and materials suitable for use in the present invention.
All measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure, at sea level on Earth, unless indicated otherwise. All materials used or intended to be used in a human being are biocompatible, unless indicated otherwise.
The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
In the US, this is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/511,791 filed 26 Jul. 2011. Priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/511,791, filed 26 Jul. 2011, incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61511791 | Jul 2011 | US |
