US2450092A - Ironing board having steam generating means - Google Patents

Description

P 1943- L. REICHOLD 2,450,092 7 IRONING BOARD HAVING STEAM GENERATING MEANS FiledAug. 16, 1944 LUDWIG REICI-DLD INVENTOR.

. BY M, w, hwug+am ATTORNEYS the drawing I have of metal, plastic or other suitable-material Patented Sept. 28, 1948 mourns noano navmo sraAM GENERATING MEANS" Ludwig lbeichold,

Silex Company, of Connecticut Application August 16,

Winsted. Conn,

Hartford, Conn., a corporation assignor to The 1944, Serial No. 549,688

Claims. (Cl. 38-104) This invention relates to ironing boards and more particularly to an ironing board provided with a steam generator mounted thereon for delivering steam to suitable channels arranged in the pressing plate of the iron.

It has been proposed to provide a steam generator remote from the iron used in pressing fabrics and connect such generator to channels in the pressing plate of the iron by a suitable conduit, such as a rubber hose. In the present invention I propose to mount the generator on the ironing board to permit it to be moved from place to place with the board and always be available when wanted.

The principal objection to such construction is that the generator; if large enough to contain a suitable quantity of water, is too cumbersome to be moved about with the ironing board and be -left on the board when the board is folded for storing. If the generator is made of smaller size, its capacity is limited, thereby requiring frequent refilling. Lovercome these. objections by providing a reservoir-of substantial capacity, which is of relatively large surface area but of shallow depth, to permit it to be built into the board, and connect this reservoir to the generatorto supply water thereto. By this means I provide a generator which may be mounted on the board and also provide means for furnishing a suitable supply of water for generating steam without producing a cumbersome construction and permit the entire apparatus to be folded and stored in the way that ironing boards are usually stored.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown one embodiment ofthe invention. In this showing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an ironing board equipped with a steam generator and water reservoir;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view on'line of Fig.- 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detailed view showing the connection between the reservoir and the generator.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral i designates the ironing surface of the board. It may be formed of any suitable material and, if formed of wood. the reservoir may be arranged on the under surface of the board. In

illustrated a board formed which may be stamped or otherwise shaped, and which is of less thickness than the conventional wooden ironing board. The board may be provided with a suitable flange 2 extending entirely around it and a steam generator 3 may be arranged in a recess in one end of the board and retained there- .connected to a conventional in in any suitable manner. On the under surface of the board, and preferably within the flanges, I provide a reservoir 4. As shown. the

reservoir is shallow in depth and thereby does not produce a cumbersome construction but is of relatively large surface area to permit it to contain a suitable quantity of water. The reservoir may be providedwith asuitable fllling opening in alignment with an opening in the board and closed by a plug 5 (see Fig. 3).

The board may be provided with the conventional folding legs 8 and A suitable control switch (not shown) may be mounted on, the generator and pr vided with a lead wire 9 having a plug ill on its outer end adapted to be convenience outlet. to the iron l2. adapted to be connected to the body of the iron by a flexible connection. such as a rubber hose H. The lead wire ii and the hose Il may be secured to each other by suitable clips I. v

The detailed construction of one form of the invention. is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. As

= shown, the reservoir and generator are preferably arranged so that the bottom beneath the bottom of the reservoir. Thus when the reservoir contains water, it will always flow into the generator. The reservoir may be provided with a suitable outlet i6 adapted to be connected to inlet ll of the generator by a union [8 or othersuitable connection capable of being disassembled to permit removal of the generator from the ironing board. The generator may be provided with a drain I! in the bottom to permit removal of any water remaining inthe generator or the reservoir when the board-is to be folded and stored.

The reservoir is preferably spaced from the under surface of the board, as shown in Fig. 3, and is secured in such position by anysuitable means. such as clips 20. This permits moisture collecting in the ironing pad (not shown) during the use of the iron to have an opportunity to dry out. Otherwise moisture accumulating between the pad and the board, the condensation of which would be aggravated by the cooling effect of the water stored in the tank. would require longer periods of time to evaporate. By perforating the board to permit air to pass through from the space between the board and the top of the reservoir, the evaporation of this moisture can be accelerated.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. The reservoir 4 of the generator is the generator as ano es:

.1 3, may be filled. or partially filled, with water by removing plug and, because the bottom of the generator is at a lower level, water will flow into long as the reservoir contains any water. The generator may be or any suitable type and may be of the type shown in my copending application. Serial No. 549,887, filed August 16, 1944, now Patent No. 2,435,325, issued February 3,. 1948, provided with means for automatically cutting oil the current when the level of water in the generator falls to a certain point. Assuming that the generator contains suflicient water, with the plug in inserted in the convenience outlet steam is generated and passes through the connection I. to the iron. By using a generator which generates steam substantially instantaneously and which ceases. to generate steam substantially instantaneously when the current is cut oil, the iron may be used as a steam iron'and the delivery of steam to the iron discontinued when desired for the last few ironing strokes of certain fabrics which require dry pressing in the last few strokes. When the ironing board is to be folded and stored, the generator and reservoir may be drained through the outlet l9.

An important safety feature of the device is that generation of the steam may be controlled by the same switch which controls the heating element of the iron whereby flow of steam is stopped when the switch is turned off. This eliminates the necessity of a valve in the steam line as the steam line is always open to the atmosphere through the rubber hose and the steam channels of the iron. It is therefore impossible to build up steam pressure in the generator to a dangerous point.

I claim:

1. In an ironing board having means for supplying steam for use with a steam iron, a reservoir of substantial area and of shallow depth mounted on and extending over a major portion 01 the underside of said ironing board, and a steam generator for supplying steam to said iron and connected to the reservoir; the bottom of said steam generator being lower than the bottom of the reservoir to permit drainage of liquid from the reservoir to the'generator.

2. In an ironing board having a peripheral flange depending therefrom, means for supplying steam for use with a steam iron comprising a steam generator mounted on said ironing board, and a reservoir of substantial area and of shallow depth mounted on the underside of said ironing board within said flange and connected to the said steam generator for supplying liquid thereto.

3. An ironing board having means for supplying steam for use with a steam iron, said means comprising a reservoir of a depth not substantially greater than the thicknes or the board but being or a substantial area and extending over the major portion 01' the under surface of the board and secured to the under surface thereof, and a steam generator connected to the reservoir and mounted on the ironing board to supply steam to an iron.

4. An ironing board having means for supplying steam for use with a steam iron, the board being provided with a flange depending from its peripheral edges, the steam supplying means comprising a reservoir of a depth not substantially greater than that 01' the flange but being of a substantial area and extending over the major portion 01' the under surface of the board with the greater portion of the reservoir within the flange. and a steam generator connected to the reservoir and mounted on the board for supplying steam to an iro 5. In an ironing board of the characterdescribed including means for supplying steam to a steam iron for use on said board, a steam generator connected to said iron, and a reservoir mounted up on the bottom of said ironing board and connected to said generator for supiying liquid thereto; the said reservoir comprising a container of shallow depth and substantial area extending over a major portion of the area of the underside of said ironing board; voir being relatively shallow to permit storing of said ironing board with the reservoir thereon in a space of a size substantially the same as required for the ironing board independently or the reservoir. 7 LUDWIG REICHOLD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Dyer Mar. 5, 1946 the depth of said reser--

Images