CN112955600B

CN112955600B - Supporting base

Info

Publication number: CN112955600B
Application number: CN201980058851.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 西蒙尼·巴尔迪辛; 丹尼尔·维森丁; 亚历山德罗·安托纳尔
Original assignee: De Longhi Appliances SRL
Current assignee: De Longhi Appliances SRL
Priority date: 2018-09-10
Filing date: 2019-09-09
Publication date: 2023-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-09
Also published as: WO2020053907A1; EP3850148A1; CN112955600A; EP3850148B1

Abstract

A support base for an iron (11) is disclosed, the support base comprising a base body (13), the base body (13) having an upper surface (18) adapted to support an iron (11), and the base body (13) comprising a tank (14), the tank (14) being configured to contain water.

Description

Supporting base

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a support base for an iron, in particular of the type comprising a tank made inside said support base, and an ironing device comprising an iron and said support base.

Background

A number of known ironing devices include: a support base in which a groove is formed or inserted into the interior of the support base; and an iron connected to the tank by a conduit.

Ironing apparatuses are generally classified into so-called "hot" apparatuses, in which the tank acts as a boiler forming and delivering steam to be supplied to the iron, and so-called "cold" apparatuses, in which the iron comprises a steam chamber and a pump adapted to supply the water from the tank to the steam chamber, the water being converted into steam in the heated plate of the iron as a result of contact with the heated plate.

The plurality of ironing devices are generally chosen by a plurality of users who need to iron a high number of garments and linen, due to their greater autonomy of ironing.

It is known that many users do not particularly like many ironing operations, in particular for a long time, and therefore many manufacturers are looking for solutions that can reduce the tedious ironing.

WO-A-2017/202706 describes an ironing apparatus comprising A support base and an iron, in which support base means are provided for generating an alarm signal, said means being capable of generating an audio signal when A determined position of the iron is detected. The solution, as well as the solution not providing audio reproduction means, does not require attention to the geometry of any sound diffusing areas, as the plurality of alert signals do not require high fidelity reproduction.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a support base in an ironing device, which is adapted to provide a transfer for the user while performing the plurality of ironing operations, in an attempt to make it pleasant to perform these operations, or at least to reduce the tedious.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a support base adapted to provide a plurality of high fidelity reproductions of a plurality of sounds or music.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a support base that has a pleasing aesthetic appearance and that remains "visible" even between one ironing operation and another.

The applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is set forth and characterized in the various independent claims, which describe various other features or variants to the main inventive concept of the invention.

Embodiments described herein relate to a support base for an iron, the support base including an audio reproduction device integrated therein, the audio reproduction device configured to transmit a plurality of sounds, music or other.

According to some embodiments, the support base comprises a base body provided with an upper surface adapted to support an iron.

The base is at least partially hollow and a tank adapted to contain a determined amount of water and audio reproduction means are provided within the base.

The audio reproduction apparatus includes an antenna or other receiving device configured to receive a plurality of radio waves and/or a plurality of radio transmissions.

The audio reproduction apparatus may be a radio device adapted to receive a plurality of signals AM/FM modulated in amplitude and/or frequency.

According to some embodiments, the substrate may have a cylindrical shape and thus a substantially circular cross-section.

The cylindrical shape of the base allows to obtain an optimized sound and amplification box for the audio reproduction device positioned in the base, obtaining a high fidelity sound reproduction and an optimized diffusion of the audio reproduction device.

However, other cross-sectional shapes are also possible, such as: oval, polygonal, or other shape.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction device includes a sound diffusing member.

According to some embodiments, the sound diffusing member has a cylindrical shape and extends substantially 360 ° around its longitudinal axis over the entire periphery of the base, which may enable excellent sound diffusion in all directions.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction device comprises a control unit connected to a user interface, by means of which the user can activate/deactivate the audio reproduction device, or possibly select the type, volume or others of the plurality of sounds and/or music to be listened to.

According to some embodiments, the user interface may be integrated into the support base.

According to a further embodiment, the user interface may be external to the support base and communicate with the control unit in a wireless mode.

According to some embodiments, the control unit comprises or is connected to a data communication module configured to communicate in wireless mode with an electronic device as a user interface for receiving information related to a plurality of sounds to be reproduced, for example: a plurality of audio files, a plurality of radio transmissions, or others.

For example, the electronic device may be selected from a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a smart television or other electronic device equipped with a suitable wireless data communication interface.

According to some embodiments, the communication module may be of the bluetooth type.

According to further embodiments, a user may select an audio file, a radio transmission or otherwise, via his/her own electronic device, and send the information to the control unit via the communication module, which will command the function of the diffuser means to reproduce the selected audio file and/or radio transmission.

According to various further embodiments, the audio reproduction device may include a microphone through which a user may make multiple hands-free calls.

Thus, the support base and performing the plurality of functions of supporting the iron and water accumulation also provides a pleasant transition for the user when performing the plurality of ironing operations, thereby reducing the tedious operations of the plurality of ironing operations.

Drawings

These and other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a schematic view of an ironing device according to embodiments described in the present specification.

For ease of understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is to be appreciated that elements and features of one embodiment may be readily incorporated into other embodiments without further description.

Detailed Description

The embodiments described herein relate to an ironing device 10, said ironing device 10 comprising an iron 11 and a support base 12, said support base 12 being adapted to provide a support for said iron 11 during a plurality of ironing operations and/or when said iron 11 has to be stored.

According to some embodiments, the support base 12 comprises a base body 13, the base body 13 comprising a lower surface 17 and an upper surface 18 adapted to rest on a support surface or support plane, the upper surface 18 being opposite to the lower surface 17, the upper surface 18 being adapted to support the iron 11.

The support base 12 further comprises a tank 14 configured to contain water at room temperature, the tank 14 being manufactured or inserted into the base 13, the tank 14 being removable from the base 13 for filling or possibly emptying, handling the tank 14.

The tank 14 and the iron 11 are connected to each other by a feed pipe 15.

An electric pump 16 may also be present in the base body 13, the electric pump 16 being configured to remove the water from the tank 14 and to supply the water along the water inlet pipe 15.

The base 13 further comprises a plurality of electrical components and a plurality of electrical circuits for at least the functioning of the electric pump 16 and the iron 11, which may be connected to an energy source by means of a suitable power cable 19, for example: the power grid.

According to some embodiments, the electric pump 16 and the iron 11 may be optimized to reduce noise generation to a minimum.

According to some embodiments, the base 13 may have a cylindrical shape that is substantially symmetrical with respect to a central axis X.

According to one aspect of the invention, the support base 12 includes an audio reproduction device 20.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction apparatus 20 includes an antenna 27 or other receiving device, the antenna 27 being configured to receive a plurality of radio waves and/or a plurality of radio transmissions.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction device 20 is integrated in the base 13.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction device 20 may be disposed below the tank 14.

The arrangement is advantageous in that the tank 14 and the manner without a plurality of heating elements act as an insulating layer between the upper surface 18 in contact with the iron 11 and the audio reproduction device 20.

According to some embodiments, the upper surface 18 of the base 13 may be configured to support the iron 11 in an upright position to minimize heat transfer between the iron 11 and the support base 12.

According to some embodiments, a housing base (not shown) adapted to house a rear portion of the iron 11 and possibly a plurality of clamping members adapted to clamp the iron 11 in the vertical position in a removable manner may be manufactured on the upper surface 18.

According to some embodiments, the base 13 has an upper portion 13a and a lower portion 13b, the upper portion 13a receiving the channel 14 and the lower portion 13b receiving the audio reproduction device 20.

According to some embodiments, the upper portion 13a and the lower portion 13b have a substantially circular shape, each having a plurality of diameters that are substantially equal, according to a plan view.

According to a number of possible solutions, the base 13 comprises an intermediate portion 13c, the intermediate portion 13c being arranged between the upper portion 13a and the lower portion 13b, the intermediate portion having a diameter smaller than the diameters of the upper portion 13a and the lower portion 13, the intermediate portion 13c being able to house, for example, the electrical components and the electrical circuits.

The audio reproduction means 20 may for example be connected to the power line 19 and powered by the power line 19.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction device 20 comprises a sound diffusing member 21, such as: one or more speakers adapted to convert a plurality of electrical signals into a plurality of acoustic signals.

According to some embodiments, the diffusing member 21 may have a circular shape and extend over the entire outer side of the base, extending substantially 360 ° around the central axis X.

The circular shape of the diffusing member 21 advantageously allows a single speaker to be installed without interference, thereby achieving an optimized diffusion of the plurality of sounds or music in all directions.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction device 20 comprises a control unit 22, the control unit 22 being configured to control the functions of the audio reproduction device 20.

The control unit 22 is connected to a user interface 23 through which the user can command the functions of the audio reproduction device 20.

According to some embodiments, the user interface 23 may be integrated in the support base 12, for example on an outer surface of the base 13 accessible to a user.

According to other embodiments, the user interface 23 may be external to the support base 12 and communicate with the control unit 22 in a wireless mode.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction apparatus 20 comprises a communication module 24, the communication module 24 being connected to or integrated in the control unit 22, and the communication module 24 being configured to communicate with the user interface 23 in a wireless mode for receiving information related to the plurality of sounds or the plurality of audio signals to be reproduced.

According to some embodiments, the user interface 23 may be provided on an electronic device 25 associated with a user to remotely communicate with the control unit 22 to generally send/receive a plurality of instructions and/or information.

For example, the electronic device 25 may be selected from a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a smart television, or other electronic device provided with a communication module 26 compatible with the audio reproduction device 20.

According to the various embodiments, the user interface 23 may be defined by the same screen of the smartphone or tablet, through which user interface 23 the user may select an audio file to be reproduced, and select the audio file from an internal memory of the electronic device 25, or possibly from a website.

According to some embodiments, the communication module 24 may communicate with the user interface 23 by means of the bluetooth data transfer protocol.

According to a number of possible variants, the communication module 24 can communicate with the user interface 23 by means of other data transmission protocols, including for example: wi-Fi for LAN (local area network), zig-Bee, NFC (near field communication), radio waves, or others.

According to some embodiments, through the user interface 23, the user may turn the audio reproduction device 20 on and/or off and set one or more parameters for performing the selected plurality of audio files or transmissions, such as: volume, degree of low or high pitch, etc.

According to some embodiments, the audio reproduction device 20 may further comprise a microphone 26, the microphone 26 being adapted to receive a plurality of sounds and a plurality of voices from the surrounding environment and to convert the plurality of sounds and voices into a plurality of electrical signals.

The microphone 26 may be connected to the control unit 22 and the communication module 24 and thus communicate with the electronic device 25 of the user, so that the user may use the support base 12 to place multiple hands-free telephone calls.

According to various further embodiments, the antenna 27 or other receiving device is connected to a user interface 28 provided on the base 13, through which a user can select the desired radio station.

Obviously, as previously mentioned, various components may be modified and/or added to the support base 10 and the ironing device 12 without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of support base 10 and ironing device 12, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

1. Support base for an iron (11), characterized in that: the support base includes: a base body (13), the base body (13) having an upper surface (18), the upper surface (18) being adapted to support an iron (11), and the base body (13) comprising a tank (14), the tank (14) being configured to contain water, characterized in that: the support base comprises an audio reproduction device (20) integrated in the base body (13), wherein the audio reproduction device (20) comprises an antenna (27) or other receiving means, the antenna being configured to receive a plurality of radio waves and/or a plurality of radio transmissions, and the base body (13) has a cylindrical shape with respect to a central axis (X), wherein the base body (13) comprises an upper portion (13 a) and a lower portion (13 b), the groove (14) being accommodated in the upper portion (13 a), the audio reproduction device (20) being accommodated in the lower portion (13 b), the groove (14) being located between the audio reproduction device (20) and the upper surface (18), and the groove (14) acting as an insulating layer between the upper surface (18) in contact with the iron (11) and the audio reproduction device (20).

2. The support base of claim 1, wherein: the audio reproduction device (20) comprises a member (21), which member (21) is intended to diffuse sound, which member has a circular shape and extends over the entire outer side of the base body (13) and rotates substantially 360 ° around the central axis (X).

3. The support base of claim 1, wherein: the audio reproduction apparatus (20) comprises a control unit (22), the control unit (22) being connected to a user interface (23; 28) by means of which a user can command functions of the audio reproduction apparatus (20).

4. A support base according to claim 3, wherein: the control unit (22) comprises or is connected to a communication module (24), the communication module (24) being configured to communicate wirelessly with the user interface (23), wherein the user interface (23) is provided in an electronic device (25) having a communication module (24), the communication module (24) being adapted to remotely send to the user interface (23) and to remotely receive information related to a plurality of sounds or a plurality of audio signals to be reproduced from the user interface (23).

5. The support base of claim 4, wherein: the communication modules (24) and the user interface (23) communicate with each other via a bluetooth data transmission protocol.

6. The support base of claim 1, wherein: the audio reproduction device (20) comprises a microphone (26), the microphone (26) being adapted to receive a plurality of sound signals and to convert the plurality of sound signals into a plurality of electrical signals.

7. The support base of claim 1, wherein: the antenna (27) or other receiving means is connected to a user interface (28), the user interface (28) being arranged on the base body (13).

8. An ironing apparatus, characterized in that: the ironing device comprises a support base (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and an iron (11).