EP2047174B1 - Domestic appliance comprising a vat for boiling water and scale removing means - Google Patents

Abstract

Domestic appliance comprising a vat (1) for boiling water and means for removing scale formed in said vat (1), wherein the scale removing means includes a scale collecting vessel (4) provided in the vicinity of the bottom of the vat (1), characterised in that said vessel (4) can be removed through an opening formed on a side wall of the vat (1) or at the top of the vat, said opening being closed by a plug (3) while the vessel (4) having a elongated shape can be extracted from he vat (1) through said opening.

Description

The present invention relates to an appliance having a vessel in which water is boiled and more particularly relates to an appliance with means for removing the scale formed in the tank.

The documents US-B1-6427637 and WO 00/17575 A disclose similar home appliances.

In these devices where water boils en masse, scale, or calcium carbonate, is deposited in the tank in the form of sludge and thin platelets. When the amount of sludge and fine platelets becomes large, foam is formed under the action of steam bubbles and can then be drawn out of the tank. In the case of an ironing apparatus for example, the driven scale may close a control solenoid valve or be deposited on the laundry leaving unpleasant traces.

Tartar accumulated in the tank must be removed periodically to avoid these disadvantages. For example, it is recommended to intervene every ten uses to carry out this cleaning on an ironing apparatus used normally.

It is known from the document EP 1 331 438 filed by the plaintiff, to perform this cleaning by means of a drain kit that can be connected to a tap to rinse the tank and remove scale. However, such an operation is sometimes considered too restrictive by the user. In addition, the user does not visualize the amount of scale removed when he rinses the tank so that he can conclude that such an operation is not useful.

Also, an object of the present invention is to provide an appliance having a vessel in which water is boiled and comprising a device for easily removing the scale formed by the boiling of the water in the tank . Another object of the invention is to propose a means to evacuate calculus allowing the user to better visualize the quantity of tartar removed.

To this end, the subject of the invention is an appliance comprising a vessel in which water is boiled and means for evacuating the scale formed in the tank, characterized in that the means for evacuating the scale comprise a scale collection container disposed near the bottom of the tank, the container being removable by an opening of the tank.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the container is secured to a stopper closing the opening of the vessel through which the container can be extracted.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the opening is disposed at the top or at the bottom of the tank.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the opening is disposed on a side wall of the tank, the container having an elongated shape that can be extracted from the tank through the orifice.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the opening is disposed near the bottom of the tank and constitutes a drain orifice.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the container is made of a flexible material.

Such a feature has the advantage of allowing easy cleaning of the container.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the container is made of a rigid material.

According to another characteristic of the invention, spring means apply the container against the bottom of the tank.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the tank has deflecting walls which are arranged at the edge of the container when the latter is placed in the tank.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to generate a zone of calm above the tartar recovery container, during the boiling of the water in the tank, so that that tartar particles stirred by boiling are deposited by gravity in the container;

According to another characteristic of the invention, said deflecting walls are inclined and converge towards the container.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to bring the scale particles collected by the deflecting walls towards the container.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the deflecting walls cover between 20% and 50% of the bottom surface of the tank.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to have a good surface for the collection of scale.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the deflecting walls are attached to the bottom of the tank.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the deflecting walls are stamped in the bottom of the tank.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the apparatus is an ironing apparatus, the vat for the production of steam being connected to an iron or a steam brush.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une cuve génératrice de vapeur sous pression d'un appareil de repassage selon un mode particulier de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 2 représente la cuve de la figure 1 démunie de sa partie supérieure pour laisser apparaître les éléments contenus dans la cuve ;
• la figure 3 est une vue similaire à la figure 2 lorsque le récipient récupérateur de tartre est extrait de la cuve ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective du récipient récupérateur de tartre selon un mode particulier de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe de la cuve munie du récipient récupérateur, selon l'axe longitudinal du récipient récupérateur ;
• la figure 6 est une section selon la ligne VI-VI de la figure 5 ;
• la figure 7 est une vue en perspective du récipient récupérateur de tartre selon une variante de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 8 est une vue de côté du récipient récupérateur de tartre de la figure 7 ;
• La figure 9 est une vue en perspective du récupérateur de tartre des figures 7 et 8 introduit dans une cuve génératrice de vapeur sous pression démunie de sa partie supérieure pour laisser apparaître les éléments contenus dans la cuve.

The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention presented by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

• the figure 1 is a perspective view of a steam generating vessel under pressure of an ironing apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention,
• the figure 2 represents the tank of the figure 1 poor from its upper part to reveal the elements contained in the tank;
• the figure 3 is a view similar to the figure 2 when the tartar recovery vessel is removed from the tank;
• the figure 4 is a perspective view of the tartar recovery container according to a particular embodiment of the invention;
• the figure 5 is a sectional view of the vessel provided with the recovery vessel, along the longitudinal axis of the recovery vessel;
• the figure 6 is a section along line VI-VI of the figure 5 ;
• the figure 7 is a perspective view of the scale recovery container according to an alternative embodiment of the invention;
• the figure 8 is a side view of the tartar recovery container of the figure 7 ;
• The figure 9 is a perspective view of the tartar recuperator Figures 7 and 8 introduced into a steam generator vat under pressure without its upper part to reveal the elements contained in the tank.

Only the elements necessary for the understanding of the invention have been represented. To facilitate the reading of the drawings, the same elements bear the same references from one figure to another.

The figure 1 represents a steam generator under pressure for an ironing apparatus comprising a tank 1 conventionally comprising heating means for the production of steam under a maximum pressure of the order of 4 or 5 bars. This tank consists of a lower shell 1A and an upper shell 1B, preferably stainless steel, joined to one another by welding.

In a manner known per se, the upper shell 1 B of the tank has a lateral outlet port 10 of steam on which is fixed a solenoid valve, not shown in the figure, intended to be connected to an iron by a cord, the iron having a control button for controlling the opening of the solenoid valve to control the sending of steam to the iron.

The lower shell 1 A of the tank has a tubular connection 2, screwed into a lateral orifice of the tank 1, having a drain orifice 2A, visible on the figure 3 , closed by a plug 3. The connection 2 comprises a water supply 2B connected by a pipe to a pump fed by a reservoir, not shown in the figures, and for maintaining a water level in the tank 1 regulated between a minimum level and a maximum level.

More particularly according to the invention, the vessel 1 contains a device for collecting scale comprising a collecting container 4, visible on the figure 2 . The recovery vessel 2 is preferably associated with a deflector 5 deflecting the bubbles created by the boiling of the water and away from the area above the tarsal recovery vessel 4 to create a zone of calm above the recovery vessel 4 favoring scale deposition by gravity.

As can be seen better on the figure 3 , the deflector 5 advantageously comprises two flat deflecting walls 5B disposed on either side of a central channel 5A converging towards the latter, the central channel 5A being disposed in the axis of the drain orifice 2A to form a longitudinal housing for the recovery container 4. For example, the deflector consists of a stamped stainless steel sheet, welded to the bottom of the vessel 1.

Preferably, the deflecting walls 5B cover on the order of 25% of the bottom surface of the tank 1 and the upper end of the deflecting walls is at least 5 mm below the water level in the tank 1 under normal operating conditions of the steam generator.

Advantageously, the deflecting walls 5B support a spring piece 9 having a blade 9A provided with a curved end touching the top of the channel 5A and for exerting pressure on the collecting container 4 to bring it to the bottom of the the gutter 5A when introduced into the tank 1 through the drain port 2A.

As can be seen better on the figure 4 , the recovery container 4 has the shape of a cylindrical rod that can be inserted into the drain hole 2A of the tank. This rod is preferably made of a flexible material, such as an EPDM material (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) or a silicone, and has a truncated upper face defining a flattened area where a number of cavities 4A for receiving scale, with a capacity of order of 1 cm ³ , separated from each other by partitions.

The container 4, made of flexible material, is connected to a rigid element 6 which is inserted into the connector 2 when the container 4 is introduced into the tank 1, the rigid element 6 comprising a groove 6A cooperating with a polarizing element 7 by the connector 2 to orient the rod 4 so that the cavities 4A are necessarily facing upwards when the collecting container 4 is introduced through the drain port 2A.

The rigid element 6 is preferably integral with the plug 3 closing the drain port 2A, the plug 3 being in this case rotatably mounted relative to the rigid element 6 so as to be screwed or unscrewed on a thread surrounding the drain hole 2A without rotating the collecting container 4 to harvest the tartar.

The operation of the device for recovering the scale present in the tank will now be described in relation to the Figures 5 and 6 .

In accordance with the figure 5 when the collecting container 4 is introduced into the tank 1 through the drain orifice 2A, the leaf spring 9A produces a vertical force on the upper face of the flexible container 4 so that the latter is applied against the bottom of the tank 1 inside the gutter 5A over most of its length.

It is then in a position to harvest most of the scale particles present in the tank. Indeed, during the operation of the steam generator, the start of the heating means of the tank, here constituted by a heating resistor 8 disposed under the tank 1, causes the heating of the water until boiling. . This boiling materializes by the formation of vapor bubbles at the bottom of the tank 1 which rise towards the surface of the water, the bubbles generated in the area under the deflector 5 being deflected by the deflecting walls 5B and that this is illustrated by the arrows on the figure 6 . These bubbles, as well as the turbulent current generated by these bubbles, lift the scale particles which are then brought back to the surface of the water and transported over the deflector 5 in a sector where the deflecting walls 5B generate a zone of calm at which tartar particles stirred by boiling can be deposited by gravity, the inclination of the deflecting walls 5B tending to bring the platelets and scale particles to the cavities 4A of the recovery container 4.

Thus, when the user extracts, cold, the collecting container 4 through the drain hole 2A, most of the scale is collected in the cavities 4A of the recovery container 4, the spring blade 9A then having the advantage of compacting scale in the cavities 4A delimited by the partition walls.

The user can then perfectly visualize the amount of tartar he has extracted from the tank of the device and measure the interest of such an operation for the proper operation of the device. It can also deduce, from the quantity of tartar extracted from the tank, whether it is preferable to increase or reduce the frequency of such a scale removal operation.

The Figures 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the tartar recovery container equipping a household appliance according to the invention.

In accordance with these figures, the device for collecting the scale comprises a tartar recovery vessel 40 having the shape of an elongated bowl obtained for example by stamping a sheet of stainless steel. For example, the recovery container 40 has a length of the order of 12 cm, a width of about 1 cm and a height of about 8 mm to harvest a volume of tartar of the order of 5 cm ³ .

This collecting container 40 is welded to the end of a bent spring rod 90, the other end of the rod 90 being connected to a plug 30 which is screwed onto the connector 2, the plug 30 being able to rotate freely relative to the rod 90 to allow screwing or unscrewing of the plug 30 without rotating the rod 90 and thus the recovery container 40.

In accordance with the figure 9 such a recovery vessel 40 may be introduced into a vessel 1 for steam generation similar to that described above in connection with the Figures 1 to 6 , but not having a spring piece 9.

In this embodiment, the return force applying the recovery container 40 against the bottom of the tank 1 is provided by the spring rod 90 bent interposed between the plug 30 and the recovery container 40.

Such an alternative embodiment therefore has the advantage of allowing a simpler assembly that does not require a spring piece 9 on the deflector blades 5B.

In an alternative embodiment not shown, the emptying hole of the tank may be disposed at the wall defining the bottom of the tank and be closed by a plug having a diameter and a sufficient depth to form a tartar recovery container . The bottom of the tank will then advantageously receive, around this drain orifice, deflector means constituted for example by a frustoconical wall converging towards the orifice.

In another variant embodiment not shown, the vessel for collecting scale can be introduced and extracted into the tank through an orifice located on the upper face of the tank, such as a filling orifice of the tank. In this case, the container will then be advantageously formed by a cup connected to the closure cap of the filling orifice by a rod whose length is substantially equal to the height of the tank so that the cup is close to the bottom of the tank when the cap closes the filling port.

In another variant embodiment, the deflecting walls may be stamped directly into the wall forming the bottom of the tank instead of being reported by welding.

Claims (12)

1. A domestic appliance comprising a vat (1) for boiling water and means for removing scale formed in the vat (1), wherein said scale removing means includes a scale collecting vessel (4; 40) provided in the vicinity of the bottom of the vat (1), characterised in that said vessel (4; 40) can be removed through an opening formed on a side wall of the vat (1) or at the top of the vat, said opening being closed by a plug (3) while the vessel (4; 40) having an elongated shape can be extracted from the vat (1) through said opening.
2. A domestic appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the vessel (4 ; 40) is integral with the plug (3) that closes said opening of the vat (1) through which the vessel (4; 40) can be extracted.
3. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterised in that said opening is arranged in the vicinity of the bottom of the vat (1) and forms a drain hole (2A).
4. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the vessel (4) is made of a flexible material.
5. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the vessel (40) is made of a rigid material.
6. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterised in that a spring means (9; 90) presses the vessel (4; 40) against the bottom of the vat (1).
7. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the vat includes deflecting walls (5B) which are arranged on the edge of the vessel (4; 40) when the latter is placed inside the vat (1).
8. A domestic appliance according to claim 7, characterised in that said deflecting walls (5B) are inclined and converge in a direction towards the vessel (4; 40).
9. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 7 to 8, characterised in that the deflecting walls (5B) cover between 20% and 50% of the surface of the bottom of the vat (1).
10. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that the deflecting walls (5B) are attached to the bottom of the vat (4; 40).
11. A domestic appliance according to claims 7 to 9, characterised in that the deflecting walls (5B) are swaged into the bottom of the vat (1).
12. A domestic appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the appliance is an ironing appliance, the vat (1) for producing steam being connected to an iron or a crease removing brush.

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