CN112955601A

CN112955601A - Support base for an iron

Info

Publication number: CN112955601A
Application number: CN201980059625.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 亚历山德罗·安托纳尔
Original assignee: De Longhi Appliances SRL
Current assignee: De Longhi Appliances SRL
Priority date: 2018-09-14
Filing date: 2019-09-10
Publication date: 2021-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-10
Also published as: WO2020053909A1; CN112955601B; EP3850149A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a support base for an iron (11), comprising a base body (20) and a multifunctional support element (21), said base body (20) being suitable for resting on a surface or a work plane, said multifunctional support element (21) being removably associated with said base body (20), wherein said support element (21) has a first use configuration, in which said support element (21) is associated with said base body (20), and a second use configuration, in which said support element (21) is removed from said base body (20).

Description

Support base for an iron

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a support base for an iron for domestic or professional use, which provides both a support for the iron during its various phases of non-use and a support for the iron during cleaning and descaling operations.

The invention also relates to an ironing apparatus provided with said support base, and to a method for cleaning and removing said scale from an iron in which said support base is partially used.

Background

A number of known ironing apparatuses are provided with an iron and a supporting base adapted to act as a support for the iron when the iron is not in use. Known support bases usually integrate, in their interior, a tank for water or a boiler for the production of steam, and an upper surface on which the soleplate of the iron is placed in various phases of non-use of the iron.

It is known that, in use, steam irons, in particular corresponding to the steam generating means, tend to form a plurality of scales, or generally on the soleplate, which impair the functional efficiency of the ironing apparatus.

Many steam irons provide a cleaning cycle or function in which the soleplate is heated to an elevated temperature and a large amount of water is then supplied to the soleplate.

The water is converted to steam in a short time, and the steam is discharged through the plurality of holes in the plate. The generation of a large amount of steam in a short time greatly increases the pressure in the steam chamber inside the iron, so that the steam jets generated from the steam chamber tend to attract scale particles deposited in the steam chamber and/or around the holes in the plate, leaving them away from the heating plate, removing possible obstacles.

A drawback of the known ironing apparatuses is that, in order to perform the cleaning cycle as described above, the user must manually support the iron in a sturdy and secure manner, to prevent the plurality of steam jets discharged at high pressure from dirtying or damaging a plurality of nearby objects, and at the same time avoid a plurality of possible burns.

Therefore, the plurality of cleaning operations are inconvenient and not easy for the user, and thus the plurality of cleaning operations are generally delayed, with the result that the scale becomes more and more difficult to remove, and the iron reduces the operating efficiency of the iron.

Another disadvantage is that at the end of the cleaning and steam delivery cycle, it is often necessary to clean the surrounding area soiled by the plurality of scale particles and steam carrying the plurality of scale particles.

Another disadvantage is that the iron is at least partially surrounded by steam at high temperatures during a number of cleaning operations, which may be uncomfortable for the user, who may be ironed while holding the iron. Furthermore, the steam causes the formation of condensed water on the iron, which must in turn be dried, increasing the time required to perform a plurality of cleaning and maintenance operations.

In an attempt to at least partially solve these problems, an accessory for an ironing apparatus is known from WO-A-2016/030299, said accessory comprising A tray adapted to support the sole plate of an iron during A cleaning cycle, so that the steam, the water and possible scale are directed to and contained in the tank.

The known tray comprises a base and a raised surface suitable for receiving and supporting the ironing device above the base, the raised surface thus being arranged in full contact with the entire circumference of a peripheral edge of the soleplate, forming an airtight body preventing the steam from flowing out of the sides and into the rear portion. In the front portion, where the top end of the iron is positioned substantially at the front portion, the tray has an opening allowing the steam to escape through a forced passage.

This known solution is not very practical for a user, since the tray is a separate accessory from the ironing device and requires storage space of the tray itself when the tray is not in use. Therefore, the user may not use the tray every time a cleaning operation is performed, and depending on where the tray is stored, the user may forget the tray, may not find the tray, or even accidentally throw the tray, or the tray may be broken or damaged, thus possibly resulting in a delay of the cleaning cycle.

Document EP- ｃA-2.705.191 describes ｃA support base for an iron, comprising ｃA base body and ｃA support element removable from the base body, said support element being suitable for supporting the iron on the base body or on ｃA surface separate from the base body, said support element having ｃA single use configuration and being unsuitable for ｃA plurality of cleaning operations.

US-A-1738.845 describes A support element for an iron which can be inverted to store the iron.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a supporting base for an iron which overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art.

In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional support base for an iron that can be used to support the iron during normal phases of non-use and during cleaning and maintenance operations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a support base that does not require any separate and distinct accessories to perform the multiple cleaning and maintenance operations, thus making the multiple components required to perform the multiple operations immediately available and usable.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ironing apparatus that is not effective in removing the scale from the iron.

Another object of the present invention is to perfect a method for cleaning and removing scale of an ironing apparatus which allows easy and effective removal of a plurality of possible scale deposits, thus prolonging the service life of the apparatus.

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 independent claims, the dependent claims describing other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

The embodiments described in the present description relate to a support base for an iron, comprising a base body suitable for resting on a surface or a work plane, and a multifunctional support element removably coupled to said base body.

The support element has a first use configuration in which it is coupled to the base and is arranged to face upwardly with a first support surface and is configured to provide a support for the iron in a plurality of stages of non-use, and a second use configuration in which it is removed from the base and arranged to be inverted with a second support surface, opposite the first support surface, the support element facing downwardly and being configured to provide a support for the iron during cleaning and scale removal operations.

The support element is therefore generally integral with and forms part of the support base itself and serves as a support element for the iron during all phases of use or non-use of the iron.

When it is desired to remove the scale, the support element is removed from the base, inverted, and used as a support for the iron and to accommodate a base for the iron.

Thus, in addition to not requiring a separate accessory to perform the plurality of cleaning operations, there is the additional advantage that the user can always use the support element each time the iron is used.

The term "coupled" means that the support element can be partially or completely connected, positioned or inserted inside the base body.

According to some embodiments, the support element is completely inserted in the base body and is arranged substantially flush with the base body.

According to a number of variant embodiments, the support element is at least partially inserted in the base body and projects above the base body by at least a section.

According to some embodiments, the support element comprises a bottom wall and a side edge connected to the bottom wall, the side edge extending along the entire perimeter of the bottom wall.

According to some embodiments, the base body comprises a housing chamber having a shape matching the shape of the second support surface and configured to house the multifunctional support element in the first configuration of use, the multifunctional support element being substantially recessed in the housing chamber.

According to some embodiments, the bottom wall includes a first outer flat portion connected to the side edge, a second inner flat portion, and a plurality of intermediate connecting portions between the first flat portion and the second flat portion, the bottom wall defining a concave portion on a first side and a convex portion of a mating shape on a second side.

According to some embodiments, the recessed portion defines a first housing base adapted to receive the iron in the first configuration of use, wherein a plurality of first support elements are present projecting from a bottom surface and extending substantially orthogonal to the inner bottom surface to define a first support surface. In this way, the soleplate of the iron is kept at a distance from the bottom wall, allowing the steam and/or condensed water to drain during a plurality of ironing operations.

According to some embodiments, the second support surface comprises a plurality of second support elements extending substantially perpendicular to an outer top surface of the protruding portion, and the plurality of second support elements define the second support surface.

According to some embodiments, the plurality of second support elements are disposed laterally with respect to a longitudinal midline of the support elements, spaced apart from one another. According to some embodiments, the plurality of second support elements have a plurality of heights different from the outer top surface, and in particular have a height that gradually increases from the front portion to the rear portion of the support element.

In this way, when the support element in the second configuration of use is arranged on a plane, the rear portion of the iron is raised with respect to the front portion.

According to various variant embodiments, the support element can also be positioned in the housing chamber of the base body in the second configuration of use. In this case, the base body and the second support element have a plurality of inclinations relative to each other, so that, in use, the iron is in a substantially horizontal position.

Embodiments described in this specification also relate to a method for cleaning and removing scale from the iron, the method comprising:

-providing a support base according to the invention;

-removing the support element from the position in which it is coupled with the base body;

-erecting the support element from a position in which the first support surface of the support element faces upwards to a position in which the second support surface of the support element faces upwards;

-placing the iron on the second support surface and starting operation to clean and remove scale from the iron.

Drawings

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

fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a support base coupled to an iron in a first use configuration, according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1;

figure 3 is an exploded view of the components of the support base in a first use configuration according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3a is a perspective view of a component of the support base of FIG. 3 in a second use configuration;

figure 4 is a schematic side view of a part of the support base associated with an iron in the second configuration of use;

fig. 5 is a partial sectional view of fig. 4.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is to be understood that elements and features of one embodiment may be readily combined with other embodiments without further recitation.

Detailed Description

The embodiments described in this specification with reference to the several figures relate to a support base 10 for an iron 11.

According to some embodiments, the supporting base 10 and the iron 11 together define an ironing apparatus 12.

The iron 11 comprises, in a known manner, a containing body 14 and a plate 13 associated with a plurality of heating means, said plate 13 defining the lower surface of the iron 11.

The plate body 13 is arranged in the lower part and may also be provided with a plurality of through holes 15 in the lateral direction for discharging the steam.

According to some embodiments, the iron 11 comprises a control member 19 to generate steam that can be selectively activated by a user to command the delivery of steam during a plurality of ironing operations.

According to some embodiments, the ironing device 12 comprises a control and command unit (not shown) configured to control and command the functions of the ironing device 12. The control and command unit may be connected to a user interface by means of which a user can set the functional parameters of the ironing apparatus 12, such as: the temperature of the plate body 13 and/or the type of steam delivery, etc.

According to some embodiments, the support base 10 comprises a base 20 and a multifunctional support element 21, the multifunctional support element 21 being removably coupled with the base.

According to some embodiments, the support element 21 may be at least partially inserted into the base body 20 and removed therefrom.

According to some embodiments, the multifunctional support element 21 has a first use configuration, in which the multifunctional support element 21 is coupled to the support body 20 and the multifunctional support element 21 is adapted to support the iron 11 during a plurality of phases of non-use (fig. 1 to 3), and a second use configuration, inverted with respect to the first use configuration, in which the multifunctional support element 21 is adapted to support the iron 11 during the plurality of cleaning and scale removal operations (fig. 3a to 5).

According to some embodiments, the support element 21 in the first configuration of use is at least partially inserted in the supporting body 20, and in the second configuration of use, the support element 21 is removed from the supporting body 20.

By the expression "at least partially inserted" it is meant that said support element 21 may be recessed in said support body 20 and therefore flush with said support body, or that said support element 21 may have at least a portion protruding with respect to the support body 20.

According to some embodiments, the support base 10 also serves as a steam generating boiler, and the base 20 comprises a tank 16 and a steam generating device 17, the tank 16 being adapted to contain water, the steam generating device 17 being connected to the iron 11 by a conduit 18.

According to other embodiments, the channel 16 may be integrated into the iron 11 itself.

According to variant embodiments, the support base 10 may be provided with a tank 16, the tank 16 being suitable for containing water, and a pump (not shown) configured to remove water from the tank 16 and send it through the duct 18 to a steam generating device 19 inside the iron 11. According to said embodiments, said steam can be instantaneously generated by the contact of said water with said heated plate body 13 and delivered through said plurality of through holes 15.

According to some embodiments, the substrate 20 comprises a lower surface 22 and an upper surface 23, the lower surface 22 being adapted to rest on a support plane or a support surface, the upper surface 23 being opposite the lower surface 22.

According to some embodiments, the upper surface 23 may be slightly inclined with respect to the lower surface 22 to allow an inclined positioning of the iron 11 during a plurality of phases of non-use.

According to some embodiments, said upper surface 23 defines said bottom wall of a housing chamber 24, said housing chamber 24 being configured to house said multifunctional support element 21 in a first configuration of use.

The housing chamber 24 is laterally delimited by a lateral peripheral wall 25, said lateral peripheral wall 25 extending substantially continuously with the plurality of side walls of the support element 21.

According to some embodiments, the accommodation chamber 24 is configured to substantially recess the support element 21 into the accommodation chamber 24 in a first configuration of use, such that the support element 21 does not protrude beyond the edge of the peripheral wall 25.

According to a number of possible variants, the housing chamber 24 can be configured to house the support element 21 in the first use configuration, so that the support element 21 protrudes beyond the edge of the peripheral wall 25.

According to some embodiments, the support element 21 comprises a bottom wall 26 and a side edge 27, the side edge 27 being connected to the bottom wall 26, the side edge extending over the entire periphery of the bottom wall 26.

In a plan view, the bottom wall 26 may have a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the base 20.

According to some embodiments, the support element 21 may have a symmetrical shape with respect to a longitudinal median line M extending from a front portion, during use, the front portion, i.e. the tip, of the iron 11 extending towards a rear portion.

According to some embodiments, the side edges 27 extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall 26.

According to some embodiments, the side edge 27 has two substantially rectilinear sections 27a, connected to each other by a plurality of respective

curved sections

27b, 27c, wherein, during use, the front portion of the iron 11 faces a front curved section 27b, while a rear curved section 27c is opposite to the front curved section 27 b.

The straight sections 27a may converge relative to each other from the rear curved section 27c towards the front curved section 27 b.

According to some embodiments, in the first configuration of use of the support element 21, the lateral edges 27 are configured to cooperate by interference with the peripheral wall 25 of the housing chamber 24 to ensure a stable positioning of the lateral edges 27.

According to some embodiments, the bottom wall 26 comprises a first side 28 and a second side 29, the first side 28 and the second side 29 defining the use sides in the first configuration and in the second configuration, respectively, of the support element 21.

According to some embodiments, the bottom wall 26 may have a substantially constant thickness along its entire expanse.

According to some embodiments, the bottom wall 26 comprises a first peripheral flat portion 26a, a second internal flat portion 26b and intermediate portions 26c, the first peripheral flat portion 26a being connected to the side edges 27, the second internal flat portion 26b lying on a plane parallel and offset with respect to the first flat portion 26a, and a plurality of intermediate portions 26c connecting the first flat portion 26a and the second flat portion 26b so as to obtain, on the first side 28, a concave portion 30 and a convex portion 36, the convex portion 36 being shaped to fit the second side 29.

The intermediate portions 26c may have a slightly converging shape from the first flat portion 26a towards the second flat portion 26b, so as to obtain respective slightly flared concave portions 30 and convex portions 36.

According to some embodiments, a height of the intermediate wall 26c may be substantially equal to a height of the side edge 27, such that in the first use configuration, the support element 21 is positioned substantially flush with the top of the peripheral wall 25 of the support body 20.

According to some embodiments, the first side 28 defines a first support surface 28a, the first support surface 28a being adapted to provide a support for the iron 11 when the iron 11 is in a non-use condition, for example during interruptions of ironing operations or between an ironing operation and another ironing operation.

According to some embodiments, said first side 28 comprises said recessed portion 30 delimited by said bottom surfaces 31 and internal lateral surfaces 32 of said internal flat portion 26b and of said intermediate portion 26c, respectively, said recessed portion 30 defining a first containing base 33 adapted to contain said iron 11 in a first configuration of use.

The first housing base 33 has a size suitable for accommodating the entire heated plate 13 of an iron 11.

According to some embodiments, a plurality of first support elements 35 are provided in the housing base 33, the first support elements 35 protruding from the bottom surface 31 and being substantially orthogonal to the bottom surface 31.

The plurality of tops of the plurality of first support elements 35 define the first support surface 28 a.

According to some embodiments, the first support element 35 may be made in the form of a plurality of ridges configured to define a first support surface 28a, the first support surface 28a being adapted to keep the heating plate body 13 raised with respect to the inner bottom surface 31 to allow the possible steam or condensation water to escape through the plurality of through holes 15.

According to some embodiments, there may be at least two first support elements 35, said at least two first support elements 35 being arranged parallel to each other, spaced apart along a midline of said support element 21, and extending transversely to said support element 21.

According to some embodiments, the first support elements 35 all have the same height, preferably less than the height of the side surfaces 32, so that the first support surface 28a lies on a first support plane P1 substantially parallel to the inner bottom surface 31.

According to some embodiments, the first plurality of support elements 35 may have a height less than half the height of the inner side surfaces 32, for example: less than one third or one quarter of said height, so that said first support surface 28a is located at a height lower than said side edge 27. In this way, in the first configuration in which the support body 21 is used, the plate body 13 can be positioned completely inside the first housing base 33.

At the end of the plurality of ironing operations, or in any case when it is necessary to perform cleaning and maintenance operations, it is sufficient to remove the supporting element 21 from the base 20 and lift the supporting element 21, for example: rotating the support element 21 by 180 °, positioning the support element 21 in the second configuration of use, with the second side 29 facing upwards (fig. 3a), and the first side 28 resting on a support plane or surface.

According to some embodiments, said second side 29 defines a second support surface 29a, said second support surface 29a being adapted to provide a support for said iron 11 during said cleaning and descaling operations.

According to some embodiments, the second support surface 29a is provided on the convex portion 36, shaped to match the concave portion 30 located on the first side 28.

The convex portion 36 is defined by an outer top surface 37 opposite the inner bottom surface 31 and an outer side surface 38 opposite the inner side surface 32.

The second side 29 further comprises a collecting base 42, said collecting base 42 being arranged around said protruding portion 36 and being configured to collect said possible steam, condensed water or scale drained from said plurality of through holes 15 of the iron 11 during a plurality of cleaning operations.

The collection base 42 is defined by the plurality of outer sides 38 and the side edges 27 of the intermediate wall 26 c.

According to some embodiments, a second housing base 39 is provided above said protruding portion 36, suitable to house at least a portion of said heating plate body 13 of said iron 11 in said second configuration of use.

The second housing base 39 is externally defined by a receiving edge 40 extending substantially orthogonal to the outer top surface 37. In a top view, the receiving edge 40 may have a shape that substantially matches the front contour of an iron 11. I.e. tapering from the rear portion towards the front portion.

According to some embodiments, the containment edge 40 has a front section 40a with a possibly rounded tip, a substantially rectilinear rear section 40b and a plurality of side sections 40c connecting the front and

rear edges

40a, 40b together.

According to some embodiments, the plurality of side sections 40c have a height that is lower than the front and

rear sections

40a, 40 b.

According to some embodiments, the second housing base 39 has a smaller size than the first housing base 33 and is configured to accommodate only a front portion of the heating plate body 13.

According to some embodiments, said second side 29 comprises a plurality of second support elements 41, said second support elements 41 extending substantially orthogonal to said outer top surface 37, said plurality of tops of said outer top surface defining a second support plane P2, said second support surface 29a lying on said second support plane P2.

According to some embodiments, said second support element 41 is located inside said containment edge 40.

According to some embodiments, there are at least two second support elements 41, arranged parallel to each other, spaced along the median line M of the tray 21 and transverse to the second support elements.

According to some embodiments, the second support element 41 may extend continuously in a direction substantially opposite to the plurality of first support elements 35 provided on the first side 28.

According to some embodiments, said plurality of second support elements 41 have a plurality of different heights with respect to said external top surface 37, so as to define a second support plane P2 inclined with respect to said external top surface 37.

According to some embodiments, the second supporting element 41 has a plurality of heights that gradually increase from a front portion to a rear portion of the supporting body 21. For example: a first support element 41a located near the front section 40a has a lower height than a second support element 41b located near the rear section 40b, so as to position the iron 11 during use, with the rear portion of the iron 11 raised relative to the front portion.

According to some embodiments, said plurality of tops of said plurality of support elements 41 and a plurality of tops of said rear section 40b lie on the same second support plane P2 and together define said second support surface 29 a.

Thus, in the second configuration of use of the tray 21, the iron 11 is positioned so that the heating plate 13 of the iron 11 is placed on the plurality of

support elements

41a, 41b and the rear edge 40b, a rear portion of the iron 11 remaining outside the second housing base 39.

According to some embodiments, with the tray on a support plane, the rear portion of the heating plate body 13 remains raised with respect to a front portion located near and inside the front edge 40 a.

According to a possible variant, it can be provided to position the support body 21 also in the second configuration of use in the housing chamber 24, with the side edges 27 in contact with the lateral peripheral wall 25 and the peripheral flat portion 26a in contact with the upper surface 23. In this case, it can be provided that said inclination of said second support plane P2 substantially corresponds to said inclination of said support body 23, so that said second support surface 29a is substantially horizontal during use.

When water is supplied to the heated plate body 13 to generate a large amount of steam and to allow removal of scale residues, the steam delivered can pass through the spaces between the side sections 40c of the receiving edge 40 and the heating plate body 13 to exit the second housing base 39 rapidly, in particular in the front and lateral directions. The heated plate body 13 is in contact with only a central portion of the second support surface 29 a.

The possible scale and water discharged from the plurality of through holes 15 may be collected in the second housing base 39, or may be collected in the collection base 42.

At the end of the ironing operation, the support body 21 can be rotated again by 180 ° with respect to the median line M and positioned in the housing chamber 24 of the base body 20 in the first configuration of use.

According to some embodiments, the receiving chamber 24 has a shape that is complementary to a shape of the second side 29.

According to some embodiments, the housing 24 comprises a concave portion 43 and a flat surface 44, the concave portion 43 having a shape substantially matching a shape of the convex portion 36, and the flat surface 44 matching the peripheral flat portion 26a of the bottom wall 26 of the support body 21.

According to some embodiments, a plurality of

grooves

45, 46 are provided in the flat surface 44 of the recessed portion 43, suitable for housing the second supporting element 41 and the housing edge 40 respectively inside the plurality of

grooves

45, 46 in the first configuration of use of the supporting body 21, thus inserted in the base body 20.

The said complementary shape of the housing 24 and of the second side 29 of the tray 21 allow to obtain a same-shaped coupling between the two parts and therefore a stable supporting base 10 for the iron 11.

Obviously, modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the support base 10 and to the ironing apparatus 12 as described heretofore, 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 supporting 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. A support base for an iron (11), said support base comprising a base body (20), said base body (20) being suitable for resting on a surface or a work plane, characterized in that: the support base comprises a multifunctional support element (21), the multifunctional support element (21) being detachably coupled to the base body (20), wherein the support element (21) has a first use configuration in which the support element (21) is coupled to the base body (20) and the support element (21) is arranged facing upwards with a first support surface (28a) and is configured to provide a support for the iron (11) in a plurality of phases of non-use, and a second use configuration in which the support element (21) is removed from the base body (20) and the support element (21) is arranged inverted with a second support surface (29a), opposite to the first support surface (28a), the support element (21) facing downwards and is configured to provide a support for the iron (11) during cleaning and descaling operations.

2. The support pedestal of claim 1, wherein: the support element (21) in the first configuration of use is at least partially inserted in the base body (20).

3. The support foot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: said support element (21) comprising a bottom wall (26) and a side edge (27), said side edge (27) being connected to said bottom wall (26), said side edge (27) extending along the entire perimeter of said bottom wall (26), wherein said bottom wall (26) comprises a first outer flat portion (26a), a second inner flat portion (26b) and a connecting portion (26c), said first outer flat portion (26a) being connected to said side edge (27), said second inner flat portion (26b) being located on a plane parallel and offset with respect to said first flat portion (26a), said connecting portion (26c) being located midway between said first flat portion (26a) and said second flat portion (26b), said bottom wall (26) defining a recessed portion (30) on a first side (28), and defines a protruding portion (36) of a mating shape on a second side (29).

4. The support pedestal of claim 3, wherein: the recess (30) defines a first housing base (33), the first housing base (33) being adapted to accommodate the iron (11) in the first configuration of use, wherein a plurality of first support elements (35) are provided protruding from an inner bottom surface (31) of the recess (30) and extending substantially orthogonal to the inner bottom surface (31), wherein the first support surface (28a) is defined by the tops of the plurality of first support elements (35).

5. The support foot according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: the second side (29) comprises a plurality of second support elements (41), the plurality of second support elements (41) extending substantially perpendicular to an outer top surface (37) of the protruding portion (36), wherein the second support surface (29a) is defined by the tops of the plurality of second support elements (41).

6. The support pedestal of claim 5, wherein: the second side (29) comprises a containment edge (40), the containment edge (40) extending substantially orthogonal to the outer top surface (37), the containment edge (40) defining a second housing base (39), and the second support elements (41) being located within the containment edge (40), transversely arranged with respect to a median line (M) of the support body (21).

7. The support pedestal of claim 6, wherein: the containment edge (40) has a front section (40a), a substantially rectilinear rear section (40b) and a plurality of side sections (40c), the plurality of side sections (40c) interconnecting the front edge (40a) and the rear edge (40b), wherein the top of the rear edge (40b) defines part of the second support surface (29a), and the plurality of lateral sections (40c) have a height lower than the height of the front section (40a) and the rear section (40b), allowing steam to be expelled from the second housing base (39) in a lateral direction in a second use configuration.

8. The support foot according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein: the plurality of support elements (41) have a plurality of mutually different heights, which progressively increase from a front portion of the support element (21) towards a rear portion of the iron (11).

9. The support base of claim 4 and any of claims 5 to 8, wherein: the plurality of second support elements (41) extends substantially continuously in a direction opposite to the first support elements (35).

10. A support foot according to any preceding claim, wherein: the base body (20) comprises a housing chamber (24), the housing chamber (24) having a shape fitting the second lateral face (29), the housing chamber being delimited by a lateral peripheral wall (25), the housing chamber (24) being configured such that, in a first configuration of use, the multifunctional support element (21) is substantially recessed in the housing chamber (24) to house the multifunctional support element (21), the lateral edges (27) being in contact with and flush with the lateral peripheral wall (25).

11. A support foot according to claims 5 and 10, characterised in that: the housing chamber (24) comprises a recess (43) and a flat surface (44), a shape of the recess (43) substantially matches a shape of the protruding portion (36), and the flat surface (44) matches the surrounding flat portion (26a) of the bottom wall (26), wherein a plurality of hollowed-out portions (45, 46) are provided in the flat surface (44), the hollowed-out portions (45, 46) are adapted to house the housing edge (40) and the second support element (41) in the hollowed-out portions (45, 46), respectively.

12. An ironing apparatus, characterized in that: the ironing apparatus comprises: an iron (11) and a support base (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A method for performing a plurality of operations of cleaning and removing scale from an iron (11), characterized by: the method comprises the following steps:

-providing a support base (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11;

-removing the support element (21) from the position in which the support element (21) is coupled with the base body (20);

-erecting the support element (21) from a position in which a first support surface (28a) of the support element (21) faces upwards to a position in which a second support surface (29a) of the support element (21) faces upwards;

-placing the iron (11) on the second support surface (29a) and starting operation to clean and remove scale from the iron (11).