US1529922A - Electric flatiron - Google Patents

Description

' March 17. 1925. 1,529,922 I T. C. RUSSELL ELECTRIC FLATIRON 2 Filed Aug. 8. 1923 I 4/ 34 wri INVENTQR.

TORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES THOMAS C. RUSSELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC FLATIRbN.

Application filed August 8, 1923. Serial No. 656,338.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. RUssnLn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric F lat irons, of which the following is a speclfication.

My invention relates to electric flat irons and among the important objects of the mvention are; to provide improved construction and arrangement for causing the heat generated by the electric heating element to be confined to and concentrated on a steel ironing plate or face, so that the iron will be quick heating and will maintain the neccssary heat during ironing operation with minimum current consumption; to provide improved terminal support rigidly secured to the iron body, but air insulated therefrom so that the terminal blades will be protected against excessive heat; to provide improved construction and arrangement for keepin the enclosing shell well insulated from the iron body so that the handle mounted on top of the shell will be cool for comfortable operating of the iron, an important feature being the separation of the lower edge of the shell from the ironing face by sufficient air gap to preven'theat conduction to the shell; to provide improved construction and arrangement for permitting removal of the handle and enclosing shell without disturbing inan wise the terminal blades and the heating e ement connections therewith; and in general to produce an economical quickheating iron which will maintain proper ironing temperature under the heaviest service and which can be readily and easily .manipulated without discomforting or tiring the operator.

The above and other features of my invention are incorporated in the iron disclosed von the accompanying drawing, in which I Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view, and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the iron body with the enclosing shell and part supported thereby removed.

The iron body comprises the weight 5 and the steel face or base 6, with the heating ele-- ment 7 secured between them. The heatin element is preferably of the type disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 550,335, filed April 7, 1922, the electric heata which secures ing wire being separated and insulated from the steel face only by a thin sheet of mica 8, but insulated from the weight 5 by a comparatively heavy pad 9 of asbestos. By means of the screws 10 and 11 the is powerfully drawn toward the steel face so that the heating element is compressed and its wires brought as close to the steel face as possible without actual contact therewith. The heat generated by the heating element is therefore concentrated on the steel face which becomes quickly heated to proper ironing temperature and is always kept hot. The heavy asbestos pad or blanket 9 between the heating element and the wei ht retards the transit of heat to the weig t so that during an ironin operation practically all of the heat is ta en up by the face 6 and utilized for ironing purposes.

The terminal blades 12 and 13 for the heating element are supported on the sheet metal frame 14. To accommodate this frame g the weight 5 has the notch or pocket 15 at its rear end and the depression 16 in front of the notch. At its front end the frame has the seating flange 17 which rests in the depression 16 and receives the screw 11 the weight to the steel face. At its rear end the frame extends downwardly and is provided with feet 18 which rest on the steel face, the frame arching over the spaces 15 and 16. The intermediate section 19 of the frame is inclined and the blades 12 and 13 are secured thereto.- As shown-each blade has a seating flange 20 and a threaded stud 21, the stud passing through a washer 22 and through openings in the frame, insulation 23 being provided to insulate the blades from the frame, the blades being secured by means of nuts 24 engaging the threaded studs 21. From each blade depends a terminal strip 25 secured on the stud between the correspondingnut 24 and a nut 26, the ends 27 of the heating element being secured to the strip by means of terminal screws 27'. The frame 14 with the terminal thereon is separated from the weight and the steel faceby considerable air space so that the blades are ke t oomparatively cool. As the frame touclibs only at its front and rear end against hot surfaces there will be very little conduction through the frame to the terminal blades.

Surrounding the weight and terminal supporting frame is the enclosing shell 28 which is preferably stamped integral from thin weight 5 of heat sheet metal. On the shell top rests the handle H. The handle is of heat insulating material such as wood and has the legs 29 and 30 whose ends fit intoferrules 31 and 32 formed of sheet metal and having contact with the shell only with their points or with a sufficient air gap 43 intervening to 1 prevent direct heat conduction to the shell from the base 6. The front, sidesand rear of the shell are also separated from the weight by adequate air space, as shown. The

top of the weight is beveled sufiiciently at its rear end to leave the increased insulating air space 43' which shields the top against heat particularly below that part of the handle which is engaged most of the time by the operators hand. The shell is thus separated throughout its extent by adequate insulating air space and from direct contact with any of the hot metallic part of the iron and this air jacket serves to retain the heat within the iron where it can be utilized for ironing purposes. Thehandle is then kept very cool and the-iron can be manipulated wit comfort.

At its rear end the closure shell has the inclined wall 44 parallel with the wall 19 of the terminal supporting frame and the wall 44 has the opening 45 through which the terminal blades 12 and 13 extend to be engaged by a suitable terminal plug (not shown). To guide the plug in its application to the terminal blades and to protect -'it after it is in place a guard frame 46 of sheet metal is provided. This frame has a tongue 47 at its lower end engaging through the opening 45 and against the inner side of the shell, and at its upper end it has a flange 48 which extends between the shell 28 and the ferrule 32, and has the opening 49 for receiving the screw 35. The tongue 47 and flange 48 thus serve'to support the guard frame securely in position when th iandle is secured in place. By removing the screws 34 and 35 the handle structure, the enclosing shell and the guard frame can be readily removed from the iron body without in anywise disturbing the electrical connections, the terminal supporting frame being secured entirely to the weight, and the terminal blades being rigidly secured to the frame. If it is desired to replace a burnt out heating element the screws 10 and 11 are withdrawn and then the weight can be. removed from the heating element which can then be disconnected from the terminal frame by loosening of the terminal screws 27'.

I thus produce a simple and efficient iron in which the heat of the heating element is used to maximum advantage for heatiiig the steel face with which ironing is accomplished, there being very little dissipation or loss of heat. The continuous'insulating air space between the enclosure shell and the iron body keeps the top of-the iron cool so that it can be manipulated with the greatest efiiciency and comfort. concentrating the heat on the steel face the iron will rapidly come to operating temperature and will maintain such temperature with minimum current consumption.

I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction and arrangement shown and described, as modifications are possible which will still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim as follows:

1. In an electric" flat iron,-the combination of a body part, an electric heating element in said body part, terminal blades extending from said body part and connected with said heating element, an enclosing shell for said body part having an opening through which said blades extend, a handle on sa1d shell, a guard frame for said terminal blades, a flange on said guard frame extending through said opening and engaging against the inner side of said shell, a flange at the upper end of said guard frame extending below one end of said handle, and screws extendingthrough said handle, said top flange and said shell for securing said parts with reference to the body part.

2. In an electric flat iron, the combination of an ironing base, a weight, an electric heating element clamped between said base and weight, a supporting frame arching, over the rear end of said weight and secured,

thereto at one end and resting at its other end on said base, plug receiving terminal blades supported on said frame and elec- By thus trically connected with said heating element,

an enclosing shell surrounding said weight and having an opening through which the terminal blades project, a handle resting on said shell, and a clamping screw extending through said handle and through said shell and frame and threading into said Wei ht,

said screw clamping said handle in p ace 4 and clam ing said shell in place around said weig t.

3. In an electric flat iron, thecombination of an ironing'plate, a weight, an electric heating element clamped between said Weight and p ate, a supporting framearching over the rear end of saidwei ht, said frame being secured at its'front en to said weight and separated from said weight by a heat insulating; air space, plugreceiv n terminals extending from said frame and of a body part, an electric heating element in said body part, a supporting frame arching over the rear end of said body partand secured at one end thereto, plug receiving terminals extending from said frame and connected with said heating element, an enclosing shell for said body part resting at I its front end on said body part and at its rear end on said frame, insulating material between said shell and said body part and frame for keeping said shell se arated throughout its extent from said bo y part by a heat insulating air space, a handle on said shell, and clamping screws extending through said handle and through said shell and frame, and threading into said body part, said screws rigidly supporting said handle and shell with reference to sai body art. p 5. In an electric flat iron, the combination of a body part, an electric heating element in said body part, a supporting frame arch- .ing over the rear end of said body part and secured at one end thereto, plug receivin terminals extendin from said frame an connected with sai heating element, an enclosing shell resting at its front end on said body part and at its rear end on said frame, a handle mounted on said shell, a clampin screw extending through said handle an said shell and frame and threading into said body part, a guard frame for said terminals, and a flange on said guard frame extendin between said handle and shell to be clam d in place to support the guard frame w en said handle is secured.

6. In an electric flat iron, the combination of an ironing face, a weight, an electric heating element clamped between said weight and face, said weight havin a notch in its rear end, a supporting frame arching over said notch and secured at its front end to said weight, plug receiving terminals extendin from said frame and connected with said e ectric heating element, an enclosing shell for said weight having an opening for receiving said terminals, a handle on said shell, a clamping screw extending through said handle and said shell and frame and threading into said weight, said shell resting at its front end on said weight and at its rear end on said frame, and insulating material between said shell and said weight and frame for keeping said shell separated at all points from said weight and from said frame.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 11 day of July, A. D., 1923.

THOMAS C. RUSSELL.

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