WO2006008576A1

WO2006008576A1 - Iron with steam chamber for excess steam

Info

Publication number: WO2006008576A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/002664
Authority: WO
Inventors: Augustine Fung Kai Tung
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-07-09
Filing date: 2004-07-09
Publication date: 2006-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2007-01-09

Abstract

A steam iron including a soleplate (10) made up of a heating surface, at least one heating element, a main steam chamber (16) into which water is continually introduced from a main water tank (28) so as to continuously provide steam through a first group of openings (12, 14) and an excess steam chamber (20), the steam generated in the excess steam camber being provided through a second group of openings (18). The iron includes a secondary water tank (34) into which water is pressure injected from the main water tank using a control means (24) actuated by the operator and means for generating pressure (22, 26, 42 or 54) inside the secondary water tank which are activated when the operator actuates the control means. The water contained in the secondary water tank: is sent continuously into the excess steam chamber.

Description

Iron with steam chamber for excess steam

Technical Field

The present invention relates to steam irons and in particular to an iron having a steam chamber for excess steam.

State of the Art

Conventional steam irons generally include a water tank, a steam chamber heated by heating elements located in the iron soleplate to rapidly evaporate the water which arrives therein in drops from the tank. The heated soleplate comprises the ironing surface having openings, generally on its periphery, through which the steam produced in the steam chamber escapes.

Conventional irons have been improved such that excess steam can be sent for a brief moment when the creases in the clothing to be ironed cannot be smoothed out with the steam produced in the main steam chamber alone, the exit of the excess steam being concentrated in a smaller area of the soleplate. These improved irons generally include a second chamber proximate the tip of the soleplate where heating is most intense in order to provide excess steam. Irons having an excess steam chamber are generally equipped with a manual water pump which injects, upon each push, a small volume of water into the chamber. The user must push the pump again to obtain further excess steam. It is therefore a tedious and unergonomic constraint for the user, both for horizontal ironing and for when the iron is used in the vertical position to smooth out creases.

To overcome the above-mentioned disadvantage, consideration has been given to continuously obtaining excess steam using a steam generator which can be located inside or outside the iron. In both cases, the user presses a button on the iron handle either to open a valve when the steam generator is inside the iron, or to control a solenoid valve to provide steam in the iron. Unfortunately, the use of such a steam generator either makes the iron bulky and heavy in the first case or requires the use of a cumbersome system if the generator is external to the iron. In both cases, the addition of the steam generator results in considerable added expense.

Disclosure of the Invention

Hence, the aim of the invention is to provide an iron having a steam chamber for excess steam enabling excess steam to be obtained continuously without the use of a generator.

The object of the invention is therefore a steam iron including a soleplate made up of a heating surface, at least one heating element, a main steam chamber into which water is continually introduced from a main water tank so as to provide steam continuously through a first group of openings and an excess steam chamber into which water is injected, the steam generated in the excess steam chamber being provided through a second group of openings. The iron includes a secondary water tank into which water is injected from the main water tank using a control means actuated by the operator and means for generating pressure inside the secondary water tank to send water from the latter into the excess steam chamber, the means for generating pressure being activated upon actuation of the control means by the operator.

Brief Description of the Drawings The aims, objects and characteristics of the invention will become more clearly apparent on reading the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the iron soleplate according to the invention with the two groups of steam exit openings thereof,

• Figure 2 is a sectional view of the iron according to the invention, showing the mechanism for feeding water to the excess steam chamber,

• Figure 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the secondary water tank delivering the water into the excess steam chamber,

• Figure 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the secondary water tank delivering the water into the excess steam chamber,

• Figure 5 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the secondary water tank delivering the water into the excess steam chamber.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Referring to Figure 1, the bottom of soleplate 10 of the iron according to the invention comprises a first group of openings arranged in two lateral rows of openings 12 and 14 through which the steam coming from main steam chamber 16 exits after having circulated according to the arrows illustrated in the figure, enabling complete vaporisation and a sufficient temperature increase using one or more heating elements (not shown). It should be noted that the steam of the main steam chamber results from the vaporisation of the water provided by a main water tank 28 by means of a nozzle 29 as illustrated in Figure 2. A second group of openings arranged at the front of the soleplate enables excess steam to be provided from a steam chamber for excess steam 20.

The mechanism enabling excess steam to be provided, illustrated in

Figure 2, includes a manual water pump 22 actuated by the user by means of a piston 24. When piston 24 rises again due to the upward action exerted by a spring 26, the water is sucked from main water tank 28 into pump 22 by means of a conduit, the shape of which enables the pump to function just as effectively when the iron is in the horizontal position as when in the vertical position. A non-return valve 32 prevents the water from going back down into tank 28 when the piston has completed its upward movement.

The water sucked by manual pump 22 is then injected, by means of the depression of piston 24, into a secondary water tank 34 via a conduit 36 provided with a non-return valve 38 preventing the water from rising again into the pump when piston 24 rises.

In a first embodiment, secondary water tank 34 is formed by a vessel or rigid cavity and a cover 40 in the form of a flexible membrane pushed naturally to the bottom of the vessel under the action of a spring 42.

When the user requires excess steam, he or she actuates piston 24 one or more times to inject water into secondary water tank 34. Under the effect of the pressure-injected water, membrane 40 lifts and compresses spring 42 which maintains the pressure in the tank so long as it contains water. The pressurised water is injected into steam chamber for excess steam 20 through a nozzle 44 calibrated to only allow a flow rate corresponding to the desired flow rate of excess steam and adapted for non-sudden cooling. The water injected as the result of the pump piston being successively pushed produces excess steam for a few seconds without the user having to reuse the pump.

The mechanism enabling pressurised water to be injected from the main water tank into the secondary water tank can be obtained by any other means than those which have just been described. Thus, according to a second embodiment shown in Figure 3, secondary water tank 34 is equipped with a piston 46 in place of a membrane, whereby the piston is surrounded circumferentially by a seal 48 such that it can be pushed back to the bottom of the rigid vessel by spring 42 without the contained water being able to escape. The water injected by the pump and arriving via conduit 36 lifts piston 46 and compresses the spring such that the water is delivered into the excess steam chamber through nozzle 44 under the pressure exerted by the spring as in the first embodiment.

According to a third embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, secondary water tank 34 is completely sealed. The water injected by the manual pump and arriving via conduit 36 compresses the air cushion located above the water, enabling the injection of the pressurised water into the excess steam chamber as in the first two embodiments.

According to a fourth embodiment, illustrated in Figure 5, secondary water tank 34 is sealed and equipped with a vent to the outside as the result of a valve 48 when it is not under pressure. Tank 34 is fed with water by levelling from main water tank 28 through a conduit 50 equipped with a non-return valve 52. In this embodiment, the water pump is replaced with a manual air pump actuated by piston 24 which injects air into tank 34 via a conduit such that the tank is pressurised. As in the other embodiments, the pressurised water is injected into the excess steam chamber through nozzle 44.

Claims

1. A steam iron including a soleplate (10) made up of a heating surface, at least one heating element, a main steam chamber (16) into which water is continually introduced from a main water tank

(28) so as to continuously deliver steam through a first group of openings (12, 14) and an excess steam chamber (20) into which water is injected, the steam generated in the excess steam chamber being provided through a second group of openings (18);

said iron being characterised in that it includes a secondary water tank (34) into which water is injected from said main water tank using a control means (24) actuated by the operator and means for generating pressure (22, 26, 42 or 54) inside said secondary water tank to send water from the latter into said excess steam chamber, said means for generating pressure being activated when the operator actuates said control means.

2. The iron according to Claim 1, wherein said means for generating pressure include a manual water pump (22) equipped with a spring

(26), said control means being a piston (24) for compressing the spring to inject pressurised water into said secondary water tank (34) by means of a conduit (36) having a non-return valve (38).

3. The iron according to Claim 2, wherein said secondary water tank (34) is formed by a rigid vessel and a cover in the form of a water¬ tight membrane (40), said membrane being pushed towards the bottom of said vessel by a spring (42) such that the pressurised water is injected into said excess steam chamber (20) via a nozzle 44.

4. The iron according to Claim 2, wherein said secondary water tank (34) is formed by a rigid vessel and a piston (46) surrounded circumferentially by a seal (48), said piston being pushed towards the bottom of the vessel by a spring (42) such that the pressurised water is injected into said excess steam chamber (20) via a nozzle

(44).

5. The iron according to Claim 2, wherein said secondary water tank (34) is a completely water-tight tank, the water coming from said manual water pump (22) provided under pressure by means of said conduit (36) allowing the air cushion located above the water to be pressurised such that the water can be pressure injected from said secondary water tank into said excess steam tank (20) via a nozzle (44).

6. The iron according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein said manual water pump is connected to said main water tank (28) via a conduit (30) comprising a non-return valve (32) to prevent the pressurised water contained in said secondary water tank (34) from being able to rise again into said manual water pump when said piston (24) is not actuated.

7. The iron according to Claim 1, wherein said secondary water tank (34) is connected via a conduit (50) equipped with a non-return valve (52) to main water tank (28) such that the water introduced into said secondary water tank is level with the water of said main water tank, and said means for generating pressure comprise a manual air pump actuated by said control means (24) to inject pressurised air into said secondary water tank via a conduit (54) such that the water can be pressure injected from said secondary water tank into said excess steam chamber (20) via a nozzle (44).

8. The iron according to Claim 7, wherein said secondary water tank (34) is vented to the outside by a non-return valve (48) such that said secondary water tank is at the external pressure when the water is no longer injected into said excess steam chamber (20).