(Xo Model.) 2 Sheets—Sheet 1. BR. N. DYER & H. W. SEELY. ELECTRIC FLAT IRON. No. 287,758. Patented Oot. 30, 1883, WITNESSES; INVENTORS: Stara do Ppatl hk bayer and ©. & Bt Guar 6 Galant, Weng (0 Baty(No Model.) 2 Sheets—Sheet 2, R. N. DYER & H. W. SEELY. ELECTRIC FLAT IRON, No, 287,758. Patented Oot. 30, 1883. ‘WITNESSES: INVENTORS! G6 Meche Reo Ar Sper © ia Weg uw Sate10 RICHARD N, DYER AND HENRY W. SEELY/OF MENLO PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO SAMUEL INSULL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. ELECTRIC FLAT-IRON. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,758, dated October 80, 1883, Apalication fied September To all whom ib may concern: ‘Be it known that we, Rrowarp N, Dyar and Hzxny W. SrExy, both of Menlo Park, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Flat-Irons, of whieh the following is a specification. Onr invention relates to certain im ments on that set forth in Patent No. 208, granted to the said Seely June 6, 1882, om ject being to providea more durable fiat-iron, ‘and one which ean be more readily repaire than the old form, and also to provide means for heating-such’ irons without connecting ‘them permanently with the eirenif, which may be inconvenient in some cases, 20 30 40. 45 ‘In earrying out our invention we use, asthe eating-resistance contained in the base of the iron, instead of the carbon sticks of the pat- ent referred to, a layer of some pulverized or finely-divided substance which is a high-re- sistance conductor of electricity, ‘This may be lamp-black or powdered carbon of other character, or finely-divided metals or metal- loids, or other element or compound capable of conducting electricity; or one of the metal- lic salts—for instance, the peroxide of lead. might be used. This powdered material is pressed between sheets of asnitable insulating substance, and metal plates are placed in eon: tact with it, to which the cireuit-wires are at- tached, so that circuit is completed through the resistance. ‘The material may be placed in one contintious sheet or layer, with the eon- tact-plates at opposite ends thereof; or it may belaid in zigzag, spiral, or other form, By the use of this powdered material instead of the sticks of carbon, the iron is made more du- rable, for the former is adapted to withstand the heavy shocks to which such utensils are often subjected in use, and which would per- haps cause the breakage of the latter. ‘The flat-iron is made in two parts, as in the patent mentioned; and another part of our in- Yention consists inso uniting such parts that they may. be teadily separated, when neces- sary, in order to repair or replace the, resist- ance, should this become worn or broken, or to make repairs on any portion of the struct 28%, Fe model) ure. This is done preferably by using serews. 50 to unite the parts, which may be readily with- drawn and replaced when necessary. ‘he third part of our invention relates to what we term a “heating-table.” ‘This con- sists, essentially, of a table on which one or 55 more flat-irons may be placed, said table be- ing provided with suitable contacts, and said irons having also contaets connected to the inclosed resistance, while the table-eontacts, are connected in the eireuit which supplies 60 the current, the whole being so arranged that when a fiat‘iron is set on the table eirenit is, immediately completed through the resistanea and the iron is heated to the desired degree, when it may be removed, and the eireuit thus broken, ‘The table itself, however, may also be provided with a heating -resistaner, which its surface may be heated to assist in the heating of the iron, Except at its heating- surfiee, stich a table should be entirely in- closed by a non-conductor of heat, Tt is evi. dent that this, as well as the next preceding part of our invention, may be used as well 70. | with a flat-iron having a resistance similar to that shown in the patent of Seely as with that 75 herein deseribed, the ouly change necessary to adapt the former to use with the heating table being to remove the bindiug-posts and substitute therefor suitable metal contact- plates, ‘This part of the invention is also ap- Plicabie to other utensils heated electrically— Such as soldering-irous. ‘The above may be more readily understood by reference to’ the annexed drawings, in which— 85 Figuée 1 is a perspective view of a flat- iron adapted for use with aheating-table, and, containing the resistance of pulverized mate- rial arranged in a continuous sheet or layer; Big. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of thé 90 ‘same;’ Fig. 3, a, transverse vertical section; Fig. 4, a plan view of the lower half of the iron; Fig, 5, a similar plan view of an iron in which the resistance is placed in igang form; Fig. 6, a transverse section of the same; Fig. 7, a longitudinal vertical section of the heating-table; and Fig. 8, a perspective view of the same, showing’a flat-iron in position, 80 95sel a dame in asic 2 287,758 with 9 diagram of the conriections to a multi- pleare system of ineandeseenteectse Tight 2g, this belng the preferred source ofelevie for on purposes. 5° Raleeriag to Wigs 1 tod, inclusive, A ond B are reapeahively Ene upper and lover pan ol aflat-iron. ‘The base B ishollowed ont, and in the bottom of the hollow, as close as possi- Die to thesmoothing suviud,isaida plate, a, 10 of suitable non-combustible insulating mate- Tial, which lines the bottom and_sides of the hollow. ‘The hollow is then filled with the pulverized material , which is covered with another insalating-plate, «’, Mica is a suit- 15 ableinsulating material for this purpose. The ‘upper part, A, of the iron is set directly up- on this upper plate, and the resistance there- ‘ore is pressed between the plates and held firmly against displacement, 20 At each end of the hollow in the base, and in contact with the resistance, is placed a metal pplate, 2, and from each plate an insulated wire, 1 rans to a metal plate, ¢, the plates o ¢ being secured toa slab of insisting material, d, at~ 25 tached to the top of the iron, Such plates ¢ ¢ might, however, be affixed to the handle or placed in any other convenient position. ‘The iron is provided with openings, through which ‘the wires pass. Tn the form shown in Figs. 5 30 and 6 the pulverized material C is placed in a Ziguag groove formed in the hase of the iron, such groove being lined with the mica or other insulating material used, and the sheet « laid over the whole as belore, The parts A Bare 435 attached together removably by means of ® gerows o ¢, £0 that the iron may be separated should repairs or the renewal of the resistance become nei Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8 D is a 4go frame of a non-heat conducting and clectri- cally isolating material, in whieh is set and seenred a plate, B, of metal or other material suitable to form a’ heating-surfuce. Beneath such heating surface is placed a resistance, f, 45 preferably one’ of a pulverized material, as above deseribed, but which may be similar to ‘that shown in the patent referred to, or of any desired suitable form and material.’ This re- sistance is placed between layers g of asuit- 50 able insulating material, and is provided with contact-plates f 1'—one at each end—from ‘which wiresrun to binding. postsé. "Fromsaid ‘inding pst wires run also eontct-springs yatta to the upwardly-projesting por 55 tion F of the table, - Such contactsprings are 0. placed as to bear on the plates ¢.0 of the ron AE when the latter is place on the te e. 8 4 represent floor or house mains of an in- 60 candescent electri lighting system, @ 2 being lamps placed in utp are. ‘The wires 5 6 run to a lamp-socket, (, from whieh the lamp has been removed, and’ the plug H, having the proper contacts for completing cirenit, in- serted instead. Such plug contains binding- ‘posts tk, from which wires 77 ran to the bind- ing-posts. Tt will thus be seen that when the conneetions are made and the iron placed in position, as in Fig. 8, both the heating-table resistance and that contained in the flat-iron are included in eirenit. A resistance, T, with. a pivoted arm, J, for adjusting thesame, may be placed in eivenit, asshown, in orderto regn- late the heat applied to the iron. Tt is evident thatthe resistance contained in the heating-table could be dispensed with and thieiron placed ineontaet with the springs, and thus heated before using. Tf desired, a table could be made adapted to hold two or several irons simultaneonsly. Tt is evident, that our invention is as well adapted for fluting-irons or other utensils of a similar character as to flat-irons. ‘What we claim is— 1. The combination, with a flat-iron or simni- lar utensil, of an electrical heating resistance located within the same, and surrounded by the metal of the iron, said resistance being formed of pulverized or divided material and the iron being heated by radiation therefrom, substantially as set forth, 2. In an electric flat-iron or similar utensil, a heating-resistance located therein, and sur- rounded by the metal of the iron, consisting of aquantity of adivided material insulated from the surrounding iron,and provided with con- nections to an external cizeuit, the iron being ‘heated by radiation from said resistanee, sub stantially as set forth. 3. ‘The combination, with an cleetrie flat iron or similar utensil containing a heating- resistance connected #0 contacts attached to the exterior of the iron, of a support for said. iron, provided with corresponding contacts, whieh are eonneeted with a source of electric energy, substantially as set forth, 4. The combination, with an electrie flat- ivon or similar’ utensil having exterior con- ‘acts connected with an inclosed resistance, of a heating-table having eontaets corresponding with those of the flat-iron, and provided also ‘with a heating-surfaee and a resistance in- closed beneath said surface, said contacts aid said resistence being connected with a source. of electric energy, substantially as set forth. RICHARD N. DYER. HENRY W. SEELY. Witnesses: ‘EDWARD H. Pyarr, Epwanp C. Rowrann. 65 70 8 85 95. 100 105 110