# US 2009/0260950 A1 · Apparatus for feeding items of laundry to a laundry-treatment arrangement, in particular a mangle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2009/0260950 A1 - Document ID: US20090260950A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/141,987 - Filed: 2008-06-19 - Published: 2009-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2007-07-20 - Assignees: Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH - Inventors: Engelbert Heinz; Friedhelm Mehrhoff; Jurgen Sielermann - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090260950A1 ## CPC - D06F 67/04: Arrangements for feeding or spreading the linen - D06F 95/00: Laundry systems or arrangements of apparatus or machines; Mobile laundries (D06F31/00 takes precedence) - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES ## Abstract In order to do away with the need for large items of laundry which are spread out by a spreading arrangement (12) such that they hang down freely upstream of the feed conveyor (11) to be raised manually, as they are fitted manually into loading clamps (27), until they hang down freely, it is known for the loading clamps (27) to be displaced to the spreading arrangement (12) on obliquely upwardly directed conveyors (20). The large items of laundry are thus raised mechanically. For this purpose, the loading clamps (27) are arranged on carriages which can be displaced on upwardly directed rails. The disadvantage here is that the empty loading clamps have to be moved downwards on the rail again by the carriage before the next item of laundry can be fitted into the loading clamps (27). The invention makes provision for the loading clamps (27) to be arranged on conveyors (20) having endless toothed belts (21). The loading clamps (27) can thus be driven in circulation. In particular if the respective toothed belt (21) is assigned a plurality of loading clamps (27), the cycle times can be reduced. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Apparatus for feeding items of laundry to a laundry-treatment arrangement having a feed conveyor (11), having a spreading arrangement (12) which is arranged upstream of the feed conveyor and has at least two spreading clamps (14) which can be displaced transversely upstream of the feed conveyor (11), and having at least one loading station (17) upstream of the spreading arrangement (12), the at least one loading station (17) having a loading location (19), which is arranged at a lower level than the spreading clamps (14) and at least one conveying arrangement (18), which slopes up obliquely to the higher-level spreading clamps (14) and has at least one loading clamp (27), wherein the respective conveying arrangement (18) has at least one circulating conveyor (20). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each circulating conveyor (20) is assigned at least one loading clamp (27). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each conveyor (20) is assigned a plurality of loading clamps (27) which follow one after the other at intervals. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the loading clamp (27) is arranged in a pivotable manner on the respective conveyor (20). ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the loading clamp (27) is arranged in a freely pivotable manner on the respective conveyor (20). ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein for transferring an item of laundry to the spreading clamps (14), the loading clamp (27) can be pivoted into a relative position which differs from a loading position at the loading location (19). ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the loading clamp (27) is arranged in a specifically pivotable manner on the conveyor (20). ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor (20) has an endless conveying strand which is guided around at least one deflecting drum (22), which has a horizontal axis of rotation, and a driving drum (23) which likewise has a horizontal axis of rotation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least one loading clamp (27) is fastened on the conveying strand of the conveyor (20). ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of loading clamps (27) are fastened on the conveying strand of the conveyor (20). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying arrangement (18) at each loading station (17) has two parallel circulating conveyors (20). ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the two conveyors (20) of each conveying arrangement (18) can be driven synchronously in circulation. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the two conveyors (20) of each conveying arrangement (18) are assigned the spreading clamps (14) such that a corner region of an item of laundry can be transferred to a spreading clamp (14) from a loading clamp (27) of each conveyor (20). ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the conveyors (20) of each conveying arrangement (18) are assigned to the spreading clamps (14) such that the loading clamps (27) can be moved past the spreading clamps (14) in order for the item of laundry to be transferred to the spreading clamps (14). ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the conveyors (20) can be driven at variable speed, and the loading clamps (27) can be driven momentarily at a lower speed in order to transfer an item of laundry to the spreading clamps (14). ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the loading clamps (27) can be moved past the spreading clamps (14) as the conveying strands are deflected over a drum. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the respective loading clamps (27) are assigned to a free surface of the respective circulating conveying strand. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in the loading position, the loading clamps (27) are pivoted such that the corner regions of the items of laundry have clamp mouths (28) running perpendicularly to the top section (25) of the conveying strand and, in the position of transfer to the spreading clamps (14), the loading clamps (27) are pivoted in relation to the loading position such that the corner regions of the items of laundry can be pulled out of the mouths (28) of the loading clamps (27) parallel to the bottom section (26) of the conveying strand. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each conveying arrangement (18) is assigned a measuring arrangement for determining the length of an edge of the item of laundry. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the measuring arrangement is arranged between the conveyors (20) of the respective conveying arrangement (18), the conveyors being spaced apart one beside the other. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the respective measuring arrangement has a measuring stick (39) which can be pivoted about a horizontal axis of rotation (41) running transversely to its longitudinal axis. ### Claim 22 (depends on 9) Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the conveying strands of the conveyor (20) are in the form of belts, toothed belts (21), cables or chains which are endless or have been made endless. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the height of the loading locations (19) can be altered at which a respective corner region of an item of laundry can be fitted into a loading clamp (27).