RU2602762C2 - Iron with vaporisation chamber connected with scale recovery chamber, equipped with channel for removal of scales - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: personal use and household items.

SUBSTANCE: iron (1) has iron sole (2) surmounted by heater (6) and case (3) that includes posterior surface (33) inscribed in support (4) on which iron (1) rests at time of inactive ironing phases, wherein heater (6) comprises a vapour distribution system including vaporisation (64) chamber connected to scale recovery cavity (80) placed in back of iron (1), by means of which scale particles falling down by gravity are collected, when iron is vertically fitted on said support, wherein scale recovery chamber (80) has channel (84) for removal of scale, closed by detachable plug (9), access to which is performed on outer side of iron, characterised by that vaporisation chamber (64) is connected to scale recovery chamber (80) by hole (68) made in peripheral wall (63) in area of back end of vaporisation chamber (64), wherein said plug (9) is located on rear surface (33) of housing (3).

EFFECT: disclosed iron with vaporisation chamber connected with scale recovery chamber, equipped with a channel for scale removal.

12 cl, 8 dwg

Description

The invention relates to an iron having an ironing sole, over which a heater and a housing are located, at the rear end of which there is support for installing the iron during breaks that occur during ironing. The heater includes a steam distribution circuit containing an evaporation chamber connected to a scale collection chamber provided at the rear of the iron. In particular, the invention relates to an iron, the evaporation chamber of which is provided with a descaling channel, which is closed by a removable plug, which is accessed from the outside of the iron.

FR 2688807 discloses an iron having an ironing sole over which a heater is located, and a housing having a support with a removable plug providing access to the channel through which the descaling agent is introduced into the steam distribution chamber. However, when working with such an iron, it is only possible to flush the steam distribution chamber with a descaling agent, without the possibility of collecting and storing scale particles falling under the action of gravity from the evaporation chamber when the iron is vertically mounted on a support.

EP 0 569 822, filed by the applicant of the present application, describes an iron having an ironing sole, over which there is a housing with a rear end provided with a support on which the iron can be substantially vertically installed during breaks during ironing. In the described iron, a steam distribution circuit is provided having an evaporation chamber for generating steam, which is connected to a scale collecting chamber provided at the rear of the iron. The specified descaling chamber is equipped with a descaling channel that is closed by a removable plug, which is accessed from the outside of the iron.

However, in accordance with this decision, the cork is located under the iron support and therefore, when the iron is installed on the sole, most of the cork is closed by the specified support. A related drawback of this design is that in order to remove the plug from the descaling channel, it is necessary to raise the iron, which is inconvenient from an ergonomic point of view.

In addition, in the iron under consideration, the cork is located in the immediate vicinity of the sole, which significantly increases the risk of burns to the user's hands from touching the heated sole of the iron when handling the cork. Finally, due to the fact that the cork and the sole are in close proximity to each other, the cork experiences significant thermal stresses, so it must be made of heat-resistant material to obtain reliable thermal insulation to prevent burns to the user in contact with this cork.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an iron devoid of the above drawbacks and comprising an evaporation chamber connected to a descaling chamber provided with a descaling channel, and such an iron should be more economical to manufacture and the descaling operation should be more comfortable from an ergonomic point of view.

To solve this problem, an iron is proposed having an ironing sole, over which a heater and a housing having a rear surface inscribed in a support for installing the iron at non-working stages during ironing are located, the heater comprising a steam distribution circuit having an evaporation chamber connected to that provided in the rear parts of the iron with a scale collection chamber, with which the collection of scale particles falling under the action of gravity is ensured when the iron is vertically mounted on the indicated support, at The descaling chamber has a descaling channel, which is closed by a removable stopper, accessed from the outside of the iron, the evaporation chamber being connected to the descaling chamber by a hole made in the peripheral wall in the region of the rear end of the evaporation chamber, said stopper being located on the back of the case.

The invention allows unhindered access to the cork when the iron is mounted on the sole.

According to one embodiment of the invention, when the iron is mounted on the sole, the rear surface is inclined forward.

Thanks to this measure, it is possible to further facilitate access to the cork, using the inclination of the rear surface forward.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the support has two branches extending substantially symmetrically with respect to the middle plane of the iron from the gripping handle, and between these two branches there is a chamber space in which the descaling channel enters.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the scale collecting chamber is located in that part of the body that cantilever hangs, protruding beyond the sole when the iron is mounted on the sole.

Due to this, the advantage is achieved that the scale collection chamber is removed from the thermal radiation zone of the sole and from the heater, which allows to reduce the contact temperature at the location of the removable plug.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, the removable plug is provided with a descaling blade located in the descaling channel when said channel is closed by a plug.

Thanks to this, it is possible to remove scale from the iron using a cork without having to lift the iron and move it over the bin.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the descaling chamber is inclined relative to the plane of the sole.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the blade is located in a hollow body having an open front end and a closed rear end.

The advantage of this design is that it is possible to keep scale in the hollow body of the cork when the cork is turned over so that the blade is oriented vertically with the open end up. Thanks to this position, the cork can move freely without the risk of scaling.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a sealing gasket is placed on said housing in contact with the descaling chamber.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the cork is provided with fastening means that are rotatably mounted relative to the blade.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the fastening means provide a bayonet connection between the removable plug and the descaling channel.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a sealing gasket is placed on the plug adjacent to the edges of the descaling channel.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the descaling channel is located in a recess formed on the rear surface, and a lid covering said recess is fixed to the removable plug.

Finally, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the removable plug is provided with a gripping lever configured to rotate relative to the plug.

Other objects, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of one specific embodiment of the invention, given by way of non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- figure 1 is a perspective view of an iron made in accordance with one of the specific embodiments, the plug of the channel for descaling is in the closed position;

- figure 2 shows in perspective view shows part of the iron heater of figure 1;

- figure 3 shows a partial section of the iron of figure 1 in side view;

- figure 4 is a perspective view of the iron of figure 1, in which the tube plug for descaling is removed;

- figure 5 shows a sectional view of a single cork;

- figure 6 in a perspective view shows a view of the plug in figure 5 with a spatial separation of the elements;

- Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views showing views of a channel plug for descaling in a situation where its blocking element occupies, respectively, the blocking position and the unlocking position.

The drawings show only those components, the consideration of which is necessary for understanding the essence of the invention. To facilitate reading the description for the same components in different figures of the drawings used the same alphanumeric designations.

1 shows a steam iron 1 having a flat ironing sole 2 in which a plurality of steam outlet openings (not shown) are formed. Above said sole is a body 3 made of plastic, for example, an IUD composite (volume laminated compound), in which a tank 30 of water is placed. This housing is equipped with a gripping handle 31, which is traditionally connected to the front of the iron through the base 32, which is a continuation of the front end of this handle.

In accordance with one of the preferred options, the specified base 32, located in front of the handle 31, is hollow to allow the installation of various components of the iron. The rear surface 33 of the housing 3 is inscribed in the support 4, on which the iron can be installed almost vertically during breaks during ironing. The specified support includes two branches 40, which depart from the handle 31 and diverge relative to each other, and then converge below, connecting with the rear surface 33 of the housing, resulting in a substantially triangular design.

In the space between these branches 40 in the rear surface 33 of the housing there is a passage for a power cord 5 enclosed in a flexible tube 50. This tube is mounted to rotate on the housing 3 and can occupy the position shown in FIG. 1 in which it enters the groove 41 made between two branches 40 in the area of the rear end of the handle 31.

In accordance with one of the preferred solutions, when the iron 1 is horizontally mounted on its sole 2, the rear surface 33 of the body is inclined forward, as a result of which in this position provides unhindered access to the space between the branches 40 of the support.

As shown in FIG. 2, thermal and mechanical connection of the soleplate 2 of the iron is provided with a heater 6 integrated in the lower part of the housing 3 under the reservoir 30. This heater is made in the form of an aluminum cast element in which there is a horseshoe-shaped resistive element 61 and a protrusion 62 outsole temperature control thermal relay 2.

The heater 6 has a peripheral wall 63 extending onto the upper surface of the cast element and defining laterally a space that includes a main evaporation chamber 64, an excess steam chamber 65, and a steam distribution circuit. The main evaporation chamber 64 is located in the middle of the upper surface of the heater 6, and the steam distribution circuit contains side channels 67 extending on both sides of the main evaporation chamber 64. In these channels, as in all similar known systems, openings passing through the heater 6 and ending on its lower surface, in the zone of the steam distribution cavities (not shown), located opposite the steam outlet openings made in the sole.

The heater 6 is also equipped with a shutter plate 7, which is placed on the upper edge of the peripheral wall 63 of the cast element, and the main evaporation chamber 64 is laterally bounded by a partition that extends up to the shutter plate 7, being hermetically connected to it, so that it is created in the main evaporator the chamber 64 pairs can only exit through the steam outlet 70 (shown in dotted line in figure 2), made in the specified locking plate. The steam outlet 70 passes into the steam distribution channel located above the shutter plate 7, which is limited in its upper part by a casing 73, and in the lateral direction by a side rib 72. Two side openings 74 are also made in the said shutter plate (dashed in FIG. 2) by means of which the communication of the two ends of the steam distribution channel with the side channels 67 of the steam distribution circuit is provided.

In accordance with one of the preferred options, as the main evaporation chamber 64 used instantaneous evaporation chamber, which has a bottom with many pyramidal plates, allowing to increase the surface area of heat transfer. Water from the reservoir 30 is supplied dropwise to the main evaporation chamber 64 through an opening 75 in the shutter plate 7, above which, as in all traditional designs, a drip tube is located with the help of which a continuous flow rate of steam in the order of 40 g / min is provided.

In particular, in accordance with the invention, the evaporation chamber 64 is connected to the descaling chamber 80, and this communication is preferably carried out through an opening 68 made in the peripheral wall 63, at the rear end of the evaporation chamber.

As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 68 passes into an almost rectangular cross-section channel 69 made in a molded element of the heater 6. This channel 69 passes with an inclination relative to the plane of the sole 2 on a length of about 4 cm, forming an angle of about 20 °, and has a continuation in the form of a plastic collector 8, for example of PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), which is built into the iron body 3 and delimits a descaling chamber 80.

The collector 8 has a rectangular end 81 inserted into the channel 69 and extends axially along the extension line of the channel 69 over a length of about 5 cm. This collector is equipped with a flange closed by a sealing gasket 82, which abuts against the edge of the hole 34 made in the lower part recesses 33A, available on the rear surface 33 of the iron (it is shown in more detail in figure 4).

The rear end of the collector 8 passes through the hole 34 and forms a mounting bracket 83, which extends into the lower part of the recess 33A, and the specified mounting bracket covers the channel 84 for descaling, which goes into the chamber 80 for collecting scale and into which is inserted a removable plug 9, fixed on mounting bracket 83 using a bayonet connection. To this end, the plug 9 is provided with a ring 90 having hooks 90A, which cooperate during rotation with the locking inclined elements 83A available on the outer surface of the mounting bracket 83.

In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the removable plug 9 is fully integrated into the volume of the recess 33A and is rigidly connected to the lid 91 covering this recess. The specified cover is mounted with the possibility of rotation relative to the plug 9, which ensures the rotation of this plug without causing the rotation of the cover 91.

The cover 91 is preferably mounted in such a way that it extends the line of the wall forming the rear surface 33 of the housing along the edges of the recess 33A, and is preferably made of any plastic such as polycarbonate.

The descaling chamber 80 made in the collector 8 is preferably of an elongated cross-section, the size of which decreases near its front end with the formation of steps 80A in the lower part of the chamber, resulting in scum falling into the chamber 80 under the action of gravity at a time when the iron was installed on the support 4, remains in the chamber 80 for collecting scale, when the iron 1 takes a horizontal position and is installed on the sole 2.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4-8, the removable plug 9 has an elongated body 92 included in the descaling channel 84 when the plug is mounted on the mounting bracket 83, said plug body 92 having a shape that is responsive to the shape of the collection chamber 80 scale, and its front end is open.

The casing body 92 is preferably made of plastic, such as polyamide PA 6-6, reinforced with 30% fiberglass. It does not fix the first silicone gasket 93A, which comes into contact with the inner wall of the descaling chamber 80 when the elongated body 92 enters this chamber. There is also a second silicone gasket 93B clamped between the edge of the descaling channel 84 and the plug 9 when this plug is secured to the mounting bracket 83.

The lower part of the casing body 92 is provided with a scoop-keeping vane 94, which is preferably made of the same material as the specified casing 92. The said vane has a hollow section in which scum is contained, and a front end provided with a collar 94A, which prevents occurrence situations when the scum collected in the blade 94 when the iron is placed vertically on the support 4 could fall back into the evaporation chamber under the action of gravity when the iron returns to the position in which it um on the sole 2.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the removable plug 9 is provided with a locking element 95. This element has a lever 96 that is mounted to rotate around the axis 97 from the idle position (shown in FIGS. 1 and 5), in which it enters the corresponding recess 91A in the cover 91, to the operating position (shown in FIGS. 4 and 6), in which this lever protrudes at an angle of 90 ° relative to the cover. In this case, the lever is delayed in the indicated working position by means of an elastic plate 98 having a bulge 98A, which is included in the reciprocal recess in the lever 96.

The locking element 95 is mounted rotatably on the cap 91 of the plug. For this, it is equipped with three pins 95A, which pass through the grooves 91B made in the lid and enter the corresponding holes 90B in the ring, as a result of which the ring 90 is rigidly connected during rotation with the locking element 95. These grooves 91B allow the locking element 95 to rotate through an angle 30 ° relative to cover 91 in a counterclockwise direction. In accordance with one of the preferred solutions, the casing body 92 is mounted on the cover 91 with a screw 99 (as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5), thereby blocking its rotation relative to the cover, while the blade 94 is preferably formed by a part placed inside the casing body 92 and fixed by the aforementioned screw 99.

Thus, there is provided a plug 9 having a pivot ring 90, which can occupy a locked position (shown in FIG. 7), in which the first ring stop 90C abuts the rib 91C extending from the rear side of the cover 91, and the hooks 90A of this ring are arranged such so that they are fixed behind the locking inclined elements 83A of the mounting bracket when the plug is installed in the channel 84 for descaling, while ensuring that the plug is fixedly fixed to the mounting bracket 83.

The movable ring 90 may also occupy an unlocking position (shown in FIG. 8), in which a second stop (not shown) abuts against a second rib 91D extending from the rear side of the cover 91, and the hooks 90A of this ring are positioned so that they come out of interaction with locking inclined elements 83A of the mounting bracket, when the plug is installed in the channel 84 to remove scale, while ensuring the exit of the plug from the specified channel 84.

The advantages of the iron made in this way are that it has a long service life and good ergonomic qualities during operation.

More specifically, it is possible to achieve high ironing efficiency due to the presence of an evaporation chamber, which creates a large flow of steam; in addition, the user is able to freely remove scale particles formed during evaporation.

So, in particular, when after several steam ironing procedures it is necessary to clean the evaporation chamber, the user can remove most of the scale accumulated in the evaporation chamber by placing the iron vertically on a support, so that the scale particles fall under the action of gravity, passing through the channel into the collection chamber scale, or rather a scoop for collecting scale. Then the iron can be placed horizontally on the sole to get unhindered access to the cork located on the back of the case. After that, you just need to unscrew the plug, holding the lower edge of its lever, which is flush with the edge of the case, in order to set the lever in working position, and then turn this lever in a counterclockwise direction, thereby bringing the locking element to the unlock position which hooks go out of interaction with the blocking inclined elements. After that, it is already possible to remove the cork from the channel to remove scale, moving the blade in the axial direction to withdraw it from the channel.

During the above operation of extracting the blade, the scum collected in it is held in it due to the concave shape of this blade and the presence of a special side at its front end that prevents the scale from falling under the influence of gravity back into the channel when the blade is tilted down at an angle of 20 °.

The advantage of this method of descaling is that there is no risk of scalding the user’s hands on the sole during the descaling operation, since this operation takes place while the iron is on the sole and, therefore, the sole is covered by the iron.

In addition, due to the fact that the camera for collecting scale is located in that part of the body that cantilever hangs above the sole, it is possible to isolate this camera from the radiation of the heater and, therefore, reduce the temperature of the body near the cork and its gripping lever.

The advantage of using a lid that is rigidly connected to the cork is also that it serves as a protection for the user's fingers from touching parts such as a scoop, which was previously in the descaling chamber and has a high temperature. In addition, this cover has a flat lower edge on which the plug can be stably mounted after it is removed from the descaling channel, thereby reducing the likelihood of involuntary loss of the contents of the blade.

Finally, the proposed iron has another advantage, which consists in using an aesthetically attractive solution for connecting the cork to the body.

Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings, while a wide variety of changes are envisaged, in particular, the composition of the components or their replacement with various technical equivalents, provided that the stated scope of legal protection is maintained.

So, for example, in accordance with one of the options, the iron can be equipped with a special indicator of scale deposition, with which the user will be notified about the need to remove the plug from the channel to remove scale for cleaning. The inclusion of such an indicator can be carried out depending on the time during which the iron was operated, or the number of operations performed filling the tank, and the speed of its inclusion can be adjusted in accordance with the position of the water hardness indicator.

Claims (12)

1. An iron (1) having an ironing sole (2), over which a heater (6) and a housing (3) are located, having a rear surface (33) inscribed in a support (4) for installing the iron (1) at non-working stages in the course of ironing, the heater (6) comprising a steam distribution circuit having an evaporation chamber (64) connected to a scale collecting chamber (80) provided at the rear of the iron (1), for collecting scale particles falling by gravity when the iron vertically mounted on the indicated support, while the chamber (80) for collecting scale has t channel (84) for descaling, closed by a removable plug (9), accessed from the outside of the iron, characterized in that the evaporation chamber (64) is connected to the chamber (80) for collecting scale with an opening (68) made in peripheral wall (63) in the area of the rear end of the evaporation chamber (64), and the specified plug (9) is located on the rear surface (33) of the housing (3). 2. Iron (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said rear surface (33) is tilted forward when the iron (1) is mounted on the sole (2). 3. Iron (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the support (4) contains two branches (40) extending essentially symmetrically with respect to the middle plane of the iron from the gripping handle (3), and between these two branches (40) there is a space for the chamber (80) into which the channel (84) for descaling enters. 4. Iron (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the scum chamber (80) is located on that section of the body (3), which cantilever hangs over the sole (2) when the iron (1) is installed on the specified sole (2). 5. Iron (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the removable plug (9) contains a blade (94) for descaling, located in the channel (84) for descaling, when the plug (9) closes the channel (84) ) to remove scale, and the specified blade (94) has a recess for storing scale and a side (94a) located at the front end of the blade. 6. Iron (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that said blade (94) is located in a hollow body (92) having an open front end and a closed rear end. 7. Iron (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that a sealing gasket (93A) is placed on the housing (92), which comes into contact with the chamber (80) for collecting scale. 8. Iron (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the plug (9) is provided with fixing means (90A), which are mounted to rotate relative to the blade (94). 9. Iron (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the said fastening means (90A) provide a bayonet connection between the removable plug (9) and the channel (84) for descaling. 10. Iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, 6-9, characterized in that a sealing gasket (93B) is placed on the plug (9) adjacent to the edges of the channel (84) for descaling. 11. Iron (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, 6-9, characterized in that said channel (84) for descaling is located in a recess (33A) formed on the rear surface (33), moreover, on said removable plug (9) a cap is fixed (91) covering said recess (33A). 12. Iron (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the removable plug (9) is equipped with a gripping lever (96), made with the possibility of rotation on the plug (9).

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