EP2450486B1 - Charging station for a cordless iron - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a charging base for a cordless iron with an ironing sole and relates more particularly to a base comprising a lower surface intended to rest on a support surface, such as an ironing board, and comprising a base on which the sole of the iron comes to rest during the inactive ironing phases to allow an exchange of energy between the charging base and the iron.

It is known, US Patents 3,745,676 and US 2,112,336 , an ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron and a charging base comprising a base on which the cordless iron must be arranged to allow heating of the soleplate by an exchange of energy between the connected charging base to the electrical network and the wireless iron. These charging bases comprise an access ramp for bringing the iron on the base by sliding it in the longitudinal direction of the base so as to engage a plug carried by the heel of the iron in an electrical connector of the charging base. .

Such charging bases, however, have the disadvantage of compelling the user to move the iron in a rectilinear motion, in the longitudinal axis of the ramp, when he wishes to have the iron on the base. Such a constraint does not allow an ergonomic use of the iron and makes the ironing sessions tiring.

The document US 1,972,218 discloses a base for an iron, having a lower surface for resting on a support and a base on which the sole of the iron comes to rest during inactive ironing phases, the base has a ramp for access to each of its longitudinal ends and a pair of guide side walls bordering the base. However, this document does not relate to a charging base for a cordless iron and the base therefore does not allow the energy reloading of the iron.

The documents FR 1 357 716 and JP 1,207,100 disclose a charging base for a cordless iron with an ironing sole, the charging base comprising a base on which the sole of the iron comes to rest during the inactive ironing phases to allow an exchange of energy between the charging base and the iron.

However, such charging bases force the user to lift the iron when he wants to rest on the base, which causes significant fatigue during long ironing sessions.

Also, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging base for a cordless iron that overcomes these disadvantages by providing in particular a good ergonomics of use during the introduction and removal of the iron on the base.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a charging base for a cordless iron comprising an ironing sole, the charging base comprising a lower surface intended to rest on a support surface, such as an ironing board, a base on which the sole of the iron must rest during the inactive ironing phases to allow an exchange of energy between the charging base and the iron, and a stopper at one end of the base, the stopper comprising an electrical connector, characterized in that the base is edged on at least two sides by an access ramp descending towards the lower surface and allowing the transfer of the iron from the support surface to the base by sliding it along the access ramp.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the access ramp comprises a lower edge flush with the lower surface.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the access ramp has an inclination of between 10 degrees and 40 degrees, and preferably of the order of 25 degrees, with respect to the lower surface.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the base comprises a convex upper surface.

Such a feature has the advantage of limiting the contact surface and therefore the friction between the base and the sole of the iron.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the base comprises at least one lateral access ramp on one side of the longitudinal axis of the charging base and a front access ramp at the longitudinal end opposite the stopper.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the access ramps extend over the entire periphery of the base that is not occupied by the bumper.

Such a characteristic has the advantage of providing a great freedom of movement in setting up or extracting iron from the base.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the base is inclined towards the stop.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to obtain an iron that exerts pressure on the bumper, under the effect of its weight, when it is arranged on the base of the charging base.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the stopper comprises arms intended to cooperate with the rear shape of the iron to guide the latter when docking with the connector.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the base comprises a boss protruding on the base.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to limit the surface of contact between the base and the sole of the iron and thus to promote the sliding of the iron.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the boss is movable between a rest position, to which it is returned by return means, wherein the boss projects through an opening of the base, and a position embedded in which the boss is at least partially retracted inside the base.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the boss is disposed at the top of the ramps.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the return means are dimensioned so that the boss retracts in the depressed position when at least 70% of the weight of the iron is applied to the boss.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the boss has a hemispherical shape.

The invention also relates to an ironing apparatus comprising a cordless iron and a charging base as previously described.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the iron comprises a vaporization chamber in thermal contact with an aluminum mass of at least 500 g.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to guarantee a good autonomy of the iron with an average flow rate of steam of the order of 30 gr / min.

• la figure 1 est une vue de côté d'un appareil de repassage selon un mode particulier de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective de la base de recharge de l'appareil de repassage de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue de côté de l'appareil de repassage de la figure 1 avec le fer à repasser s'engageant sur la base de recharge par la rampe d'accès frontale ;
• la figure 4 est une vue de face de l'appareil de repassage de la figure 1 représentant le fer à repasser s'engageant sur la base de recharge par une rampe d'accès latérale ;
• La figure 5 est une vue en coupe partielle de la base de recharge de l'appareil de la figure 1 avec le fer à repasser en position de rechargement ;
• La figure 6 est une vue similaire à la figure 4 avec le fer à repasser représenté dans une position intermédiaire d'engagement lors de la mise en place ou du retrait du fer de la base de recharge.

The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, presented by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawings. wherein :

• the figure 1 is a side view of an ironing apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention;
• the figure 2 is a perspective view of the charging base of the ironing apparatus of the figure 1 ;
• the figure 3 is a side view of the ironing apparatus of the figure 1 with the iron engaging on the charging base by the frontal access ramp;
• the figure 4 is a front view of the ironing apparatus of the figure 1 representing the iron engaging on the charging base by a lateral access ramp;
• The figure 5 is a partial sectional view of the charging base of the device of the figure 1 with the iron in the reloading position;
• The figure 6 is a view similar to the figure 4 with the iron represented in an intermediate engagement position when placing or removing the iron from the charging base.

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 an ironing apparatus comprising a steam iron 1, wireless, arranged on a charging base 2. The iron 1 conventionally comprises a flat soleplate 10 provided with holes for the steam outlet and surmounted by a housing 11 of plastic material, the housing 11 enclosing a water reservoir and comprising a handle 12 for gripping the iron.

The soleplate 10 of the iron is in thermal contact with a heating body, not shown in the figures, constituted by an aluminum foundry which is contiguous to the soleplate 10, the heating body being integrated in the housing 11 and comprising, in a manner known in the art. itself, a vaporization chamber for the production of steam and an electrical resistance of a power of at least 1400 W and preferably of the order of 2000 W.

In order to offer autonomy of the iron 1 without iron for a minute during ironing sessions with a steam flow of the order of 30 gr / min, the heating body of the iron comprises a mass of aluminum greater than 500 g, and preferably of the order of 550 g, for a total weight of the iron of the order of 1500 g.

The charging base 2 comprises a lower surface 20 intended to rest on a support surface 3, such as an ironing board, and comprises a base 21 of elongated shape on which the sole 10 of the iron 1 comes to rest during the inactive phases of ironing, the charging base 2 comprising a buffer 22, disposed at a rear longitudinal end of the base 21, against which a heel 11A of the housing 11 of the iron comes to rest.

The charging base 2 is preferably fixed on the support surface 3 by means of a fixing clamp 4, of the clamp type, comprising a fixing pad 40 at the end of a threaded rod 41 actuable by a wheel 42 .

In accordance with the figure 2 , the stopper 22 comprises two guide arms 22A cooperating with side faces of the heel 11A of the iron to guide the latter towards an electrical connector 23 carried by the stopper 22, when the iron 1 is arranged on the base 2, so that the iron 1 comes to occupy a recharging position, illustrated in FIGS. figures 1 and 5 , in which the electrical connector 23 carried by the stopper 22 mates with an electrical plug of complementary shape, not visible in the figures, carried by the heel 11A of the iron to electrically power the electrical resistance of the iron and allow heating the sole 10.

Advantageously, the two guide arms 22A define a U-shaped arch extending horizontally above the base 21, about a third of the length of the charging base 2, and the stopper 22 comprises a magnet, no shown in the figures, cooperating with a metal element carried by the iron to generate a magnetic attraction helping the landing of the heel 11A of the iron against the stopper 22.

The connector 23 is, in a manner known per se, electrically connected to the home network by means of a power cord, not shown in the figures, and advantageously comprises a switch 23A actuated by the heel 11A when the electric plug of the iron to iron 1 is correctly engaged in the connector 23, the switch 23A controlling the power supply of the connector 23 so that the latter is effective only when the plugs of the iron 1 are fully engaged in the connector 23.

More particularly according to a particular embodiment of the invention, the base 21 is bordered by access ramps 21A, 21B extending, without discontinuity, over the entire periphery of the base 21 not occupied by the stopper 22, the ramps 21A access, 21B down to the support surface 20 and defining a lateral access ramp 21A on each side of the longitudinal axis of the charging base 2 and a front access ramp 21B on the side of the longitudinal end opposite the stopper 22.

In accordance with Figures 3 and 4 the access ramps 21A, 21B comprise a lower edge coming close to the lower surface 20 of the refill base 2 to allow the engagement of the soleplate 10 of the iron on the base 21 by a traction movement essentially parallel to the support surface 3, the soleplate 10 of the iron may advantageously have rounded edges with a large radius of curvature to facilitate the engagement of the sole 10 of the iron on the access ramp 21A, 21B without having to raise significantly the iron 1.

By way of example, the lower edge of the access ramp 21A, 21B will be raised less than 1 cm with respect to the lower surface 20 of the charging base 2, and preferably less than 5 mm, and the ramps 21A, 21B will be inclined of the order of 25 ° relative to the lower surface 20 of the refill base 2 being preferably covered with anti-friction strips promoting sliding, not shown in the figures, such as smooth strips PTFE or silicone.

Preferably, the access ramps 21A, 21B join at their summit at a curved upper surface extending less than 5 cm from the bottom surface 20, the base 21 comprising a boss 25, hemispherical dome shape, on which the sole 10 of the iron 1 comes to rest when the iron 1 is brought to the base 21 for reloading.

The boss 25 is preferably disposed near the front end of the base 21 and advantageously projects through an opening 24 of the curved upper surface of the base 21, the vertex of the boss 25 constituting the highest point of the base 21 on which comes to rest the sole 10 of the iron 1.

As can be seen on the figures 2 and 3 , the curved upper surface of the base 21 comprises a longitudinal upper edge which is inclined towards the stopper 22 and the base 21 has two rollers 26 projecting from the curved top surface of the base at a height less than that of the boss 25 so as to that the soleplate 10 of the iron 1 is inclined towards the stopper 22 when it rests on the rollers 26 and the boss 25. For this purpose, the rollers 26 are arranged near the stopper 22, substantially at a height of front end of the guide arms 22A and are mounted free to rotate along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base 21 so that the sole 10 of the iron rolls on the rollers 26 towards the stopper 22 when the iron is placed on the base 21,

In accordance with Figures 5 and 6 , the boss 25 is secured to one end of a lever 27 disposed under the upper surface of the base 21, the other end of the lever 27 being pivotally mounted along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the charging base 2, so that the boss 25 is movable between a rest position, illustrated on the figure 5 , to which it is returned by a return spring 28 and a depressed position, illustrated on the figure 6 to which it is moved when the entire weight of the iron 1 rests on the boss 25.

The return spring 28 is disposed directly under the boss 25 and is dimensioned such that the boss 25 moves to the depressed position when the center of gravity of the iron 1 reaches near the boss 25, to facilitate hoisting iron on the base 21 while minimizing the height of the latter, and returns to the rest position when the rear end of the sole 10 of the iron 1 rests on the rollers 26 so as to lift the front end of the soleplate 10 and promote the engagement of the heel 11A against the stopper 22 for the establishment of the electrical connection of the iron 1.

For example, the boss 25 will be adapted so that the inclination of the iron 1 towards the stopper 22, with respect to the lower surface 20, is of the order of 10 ° when the sole 10 of the iron is based on the rollers 26 and the boss 25 in the rest position, and the return spring 28 will be dimensioned so that the boss 25 moves to the position resting when less than 70% of the weight of the iron 1 is supported by the boss 25.

The base 21 and the boss 25 are advantageously made of a plastic material resistant to temperature, such as phenylene polysulfide.

The ironing apparatus thus produced has the advantage of having a cordless steam iron having a good autonomy of use for a high steam flow rate thanks to the large amount of aluminum embedded in the iron which makes it possible to store a large amount of energy during the inactive ironing phases during which the iron is placed on the base of the charging base. In particular, the ironing apparatus thus produced has the advantage of providing good ergonomics of use which limits fatigue during ironing sessions, despite the heavy weight of the iron, thanks to the possibility of engaging and leaving the iron on the base without having to lift the iron but simply by sliding it from the ironing board to any of the access ramps by a simple pulling force on the handle, the presence of ramps access following different directions to offer great freedom of movement when docking the iron on the charging base and offering a wide choice in the orientation of the charging base on the ironing board.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and illustrated which has been given by way of example. Modifications are possible, particularly from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Thus, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the charging base may include a stopper and a connector with shapes adapted to facilitate easy docking of the heel of the iron when the user slides the iron along the upper surface the base, but also allowing a direct docking of the heel of the iron on the bumper by an approach movement vertical iron on the base, that is to say by lifting the iron.

Claims (15)

1. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) comprising an iron soleplate (10), said charging base (2) including a lower surface (20) intended to rest on a support surface (3), such as an ironing board, a base (21) whereon the soleplate (10) of the iron (1) must rest during inactive ironing phases to enable an energy exchange between the charging base (2) and the iron (1), and a stopper (22) at an end of the base (21), the stopper comprising an electrical connector (23), characterised in that the base (21) is bordered on at least two sides by an access ramp (21A, 21B) descending in the direction of the lower surface (20) and enabling the transfer from the iron (1), from the support surface (3) to the base (21) by making it slide along the access ramp (21A, 21B).
2. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the access ramp (21A, 21B) comprises a lower edge flush with the lower surface (20).
3. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterised in that the access ramp (21A, 21B) exhibits a tilt between 10 degrees and 40 degrees, and preferably around 25 degrees, in relation to the lower surface (20).
4. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the base (21) includes a curved upper surface.
5. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to claim 4, characterised in that the base (21) includes at least one lateral access ramp (21A) on one side of the longitudinal axis of the charging base (2) and a front access ramp (21B) at the opposite longitudinal end to the stopper (22).
6. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 5, characterised in that the access ramps (21A, 21B) extend over the whole of the periphery of the base (21) not occupied by the stopper (22).
7. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the base (21) is tilted in the direction of the stopper (22).
8. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterised in that the stopper (22) includes arms (22A) intended to cooperate with the rear shape of the iron (1) to guide the latter during the docking thereof with the connector (23).
9. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the base (21) includes a boss (25) protruding over the base (21).
10. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to claim 9, characterised in that the boss (25) is mobile between a rest position, towards which it is brought back by the recall means (28), wherein the boss protrudes through an opening (24) of the base (21) and a sunken position wherein the boss (25) is at least partially retracted inside the base (21).
11. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 10, characterised in that said boss (25) is arranged at the top of the access ramps (21A, 21B).
12. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterised in that said recall means (28) are sized such that the boss (25) is retracted into a sunken position when at least 70% of the weight of the iron (1) is applied on the boss (25).
13. Charging base (2) for wireless iron (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterised in that the boss (25) exhibits a hemispherical form.
14. Ironing appliance including a wireless iron (1), characterised in that it includes a charging base (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
15. Ironing appliance according to claim 14, characterised in that the iron (1) comprising a steam chamber in thermal contact with an aluminium mass of at least 500g.

Images