DE102020122039A1 - Functional element for a handheld steam generator - Google Patents

Abstract

Functional element (3) for a hand-held steam generator (1) for treating items of clothing, the functional element (3) having the following:- a carrier element (12), provided with at least one active substance, made of dimensionally stable cardboard material and having a plurality of passage openings (13) for steam and - A holder (4) for the carrier element (12) which can be fastened to the steam generator (1), wherein the functional element (3) can be positioned on the steam generator (1) in such a way that a steam flow generated by the steam generator (1) flows through the passage openings ( 13) of the carrier element (12) is conducted to the outside and enriched with active substance.

Description

The present invention relates to a functional element for a hand-held steam generator for treating items of clothing. It further relates to a hand held steam generator for treating garments.

From the WO 2015/028359 A1 a hand-held steam generator is known which can be used for refreshing and smoothing fabrics. It is suitable, for example, for smoothing creases in textiles with the help of steam. Similarly, steam brushes or steam irons can be used to unwrinkle worn but lightly soiled fabrics.

It is also known to use ironing water to freshen up textiles and to remove bad odors. These are aqueous active ingredient preparations with small amounts of perfume oil, which are filled directly into the refill tank unit of ironing systems and used to generate steam. It is also known to use sprayable textile fresheners to remove bad odors.

The disadvantage of the known solutions is that either several steps have to be carried out in succession in order to eliminate both creases and bad odors, for example first smoothing with a steam brush and then spraying with a textile freshener, or that fragrances in the steam generation by the immediate contact with heating elements are subject to very high thermal loads, which can cause them to decompose and lose their effectiveness.

Another problem with the use of ironing water is that perfume oils have a different evaporation behavior than the water added and can therefore accumulate in the tank of the ironing system over the course of use.

As has been found, the attachment of carrier elements mixed with fragrances, for example granules, directly in front of the steam outlet openings is also problematic because condensation forms on the carrier elements and the steam does not flow well through them.

It is an object of the present invention to specify a system for smoothing and refreshing textiles which does not have the disadvantages described.

This object is achieved with the subject matter of patent claim 1. Further embodiments and advantageous refinements are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

According to one aspect of the invention, a functional element is specified for a hand-held steam generator for treating items of clothing, the functional element having a carrier element, provided with at least one active substance, made of dimensionally stable cardboard material and having a plurality of passage openings for steam, as well as a holder for the carrier element that can be fastened to the steam generator, wherein the functional element can be positioned on the steam generator in such a way that a flow of steam generated by the steam generator is directed outwards through the passage openings of the carrier element and is enriched with active substance.

A cardboard material is understood here and in the following to mean a material based on cellulose and optionally wood pulp and waste paper, with any forms of paper and cardboard being included in particular.

By dimensionally stable board material is meant board material that is rigid enough to hold its shape at the point of use, i.e. in particular kraft paper or cardboard. The carrier element can therefore be flexible, for example in order to be inserted into the holder, but it is designed to be self-supporting and retains its shape in the holder. In particular, the cardboard material is stable enough to withstand mechanical loads, such as can occur when treating items of clothing.

The functional element has the advantage that the dimensionally stable cardboard material can be loaded with an active substance, in particular a fragrance, in a particularly simple manner. As has been found, it also reliably releases this active substance into the steam flow without condensate forming on the carrier element. In addition, it is advantageous that the carrier element is made of a particularly inexpensive and also recyclable material and can therefore be designed as a disposable item that is easy to use and at the same time environmentally friendly. The carrier element is in particular punched out of the cardboard material, with both its outer contours and the passage openings and possibly folds being formed in the punching process. This represents a mass production method for the carrier element.

According to one embodiment, the holder is a snap-on frame with a slotted designed moderate recording, in which the carrier element can be inserted.

In this embodiment, the slot-shaped receptacle has an opening on at least one side, for example at the top, into which the carrier element can be inserted. The carrier element can thus be exchanged in a simple manner, but at the same time is securely positioned on the steam generator.

According to an alternative embodiment, the holder is designed as an attachable frame to which the carrier element can be clamped.

Such frames already exist in part, for example as brush attachments for steam generators. They have a frame that can be fastened to an edge area of the steam generator, but leave the central area and thus the steam outlet openings free. Such a frame can be used to attach the support element by clamping the support element to the frame.

For this purpose, the carrier element can have, for example, a central section with passage openings and side sections that can be bent to clamp the carrier element to the frame.

According to this embodiment, it is provided that the bendable side sections are supported laterally on an inner wall of the frame and the carrier element is thus clamped in the frame without further aids.

In particular, the frame can have a peripheral edge on a rear side, which surrounds an edge area of the steam generator when the frame is placed on the steam generator.

For this purpose, the peripheral edge of the frame protrudes from the frame in the direction of the steam generator and its diameter is so large that the edge can grip an edge area of the steam generator and clamp there.

According to one embodiment, it is provided that the frame has a bristle trimming on a front side in order to enable a mechanical treatment of items of clothing.

According to one embodiment, the passage openings of the carrier element can be positioned at least partially in front of the outlet openings of the steam generator. This embodiment has the advantage that the risk of condensation forming between the steam generator and the carrier element is reduced. As has been found, if the vaporizer flows past the carrier element, this is sufficient for loading the vapor with the active substance, and a longer interaction between the stream of vapor and the carrier element is in many cases rather disadvantageous. It is therefore advantageous if at least not all of the outlet openings of the steam generator are covered by the carrier element, but are partially aligned with the through-openings of the carrier element.

In order to further reduce the risk of condensation forming, it can be provided that the passage openings occupy more than 20% of a cross-sectional area of the carrier element, in particular even more than 40% of a cross-sectional area of the carrier element. For this purpose, the carrier element can be designed, for example, in the form of a lattice.

The carrier element can in particular be made of an absorbent, open-pored material that can be loaded particularly well with an active substance. An example of such a material is the material used to make beer mats or air freshener products, for example. Such materials have, for example, a weight per unit area of approximately 600 to 650 g/cm ² and a thickness of a few millimeters.

It can be provided that edge areas of the carrier element are kept free of an active substance, for example with the aid of a coating or impregnation, which prevents the active substance from penetrating into the edge areas. Since the carrier element does not have steam flowing through it in the edge areas, loading with an active substance in these edge areas is unnecessary.

• 1 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht eines handhaltbaren Dampferzeugers mit einem Funktionselement gemäß einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung;
• 2 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Halterung des Funktionselements gemäß einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung;
• 3 zeigt eine senkrechte Schnittansicht der Halterung gemäß 2;
• 4 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht des handhaltbaren Dampferzeugers gemäß 1 mit eingesetzten Trägerelement,
• 5 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht des Trägerelement gemäß 4,
• 6 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht eines handhaltbaren Dampferzeugers mit einem Funktionselement gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform der Erfindung;
• 7 zeigt ein Trägerelement für das Funktionselement gemäß 6;
• 8 zeigt das Funktionselement gemäß 6 mit dem darin eingesetzten Funktionselement gemäß 7 und
• 9 zeigt einen waagerechten Schnitt durch das Funktionselement gemäß 8.

Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to schematic figures.

• 1 shows a perspective view of a handheld steam generator with a functional element according to an embodiment of the invention;
• 2 shows a perspective view of a holder of the functional element according to an embodiment of the invention;
• 3 shows a vertical sectional view of the bracket according to FIG 2 ;
• 4 FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the hand-held steam generator according to FIG 1 with inserted carrier element,
• 5 shows a perspective view of the carrier element according to FIG 4 ,
• 6 shows a perspective view of a handheld steam generator with a functional element according to a further embodiment of the invention;
• 7 shows a carrier element for the functional element according to FIG 6 ;
• 8th shows the functional element according to 6 with the functional element used in accordance with 7 and
• 9 shows a horizontal section through the functional element according to FIG 8th .

1 Figure 1 shows a steam generator 1 for treating garments with an applicator 2 held in the hand of a user to treat the garment. The steam generator 1 has a row of steam outlet openings 10 on a front side 21 of the applicator 2, through which steam exits during operation for treating the item of clothing.

In order to enrich the escaping steam with an active substance, in particular a fragrance, a functional element 3 is placed on the applicator 2 . This has a holder 4 which, in the embodiment shown, has a frame 5 which can be plugged onto the applicator 2 and has a slot-shaped receptacle 8 for an active substance provided in the 1 until 3 not shown carrier element includes. The slot-shaped receptacle 8 is formed between a rear frame element 7 and a front frame element 9 . In the embodiment shown, it is open at the top in order to be able to insert the carrier element.

The functional element 3 is also in the 2 and 3 shown. The holder 4 is placed on the applicator 2 in such a way that its rear side 11 faces the front side 21 of the applicator 2 . How special in 3 As can be seen, the frame 5 has a peripheral edge 6 on its rear side 11 which, when fitted, encompasses an edge area of the steam generator 1 and holds the functional element 3 on the applicator 2 .

The frame 5 leaves the steam outlet openings 10 of the steam generator 1 free in order not to impede the steam outlet and to avoid the formation of condensate.

4 shows the steam generator 1 with the carrier element 12 inserted into the holder 4. The carrier element 12 is made of dimensionally stable cardboard material and is provided with an active substance, for example impregnated with a fragrance. The carrier element 12 has a plurality of passage openings 13 for steam. The passage openings 13 are at least partially arranged in front of the steam outlet openings 10 of the steam generator 1, so that the steam flow can escape unhindered through the steam outlet openings 10 and the passage openings 13 while sweeping past the carrier element 12 provided with the active substance.

In the embodiment shown, the front frame element 9 has an interruption 14 in the upper region, which makes it easier to insert the carrier element 12 into the slot-shaped receptacle 8 and later remove it therefrom.

The carrier element 12 is disk-shaped with contours that are essentially adapted to those of the applicator 2 . Its thickness can be in the range of a few millimeters in particular. In the embodiment shown, the area of the passage openings 13 accounts for about 40% of the total area of the carrier element 12. Such a configuration facilitates the escape of steam while avoiding the formation of condensate, but at the same time enables the steam flow to be sufficiently charged with the active substance.

Edge regions 23 of the carrier element 12, in particular those edge regions which are covered by the frame 5 when the carrier element 12 is in the inserted state, can be kept free of the active substance.

6 shows a further embodiment of a functional element 3. This differs from that in FIGS 1 until 5 shown in that the holder 4 has a bristle trimming 16 on its front side 15, but no slot-shaped receptacle for the carrier element. The bristle facing 16 enables mechanical processing of the item of clothing to be treated.

The carrier element 12 is in the 6 until 9 shown embodiment to the frame 5 clamped. For this purpose, it has a central section 17 with the passage openings 13 and side sections 18 that can be bent for clamping the carrier element 12 on the frame 5. The side sections 18 can be bent out of the plane of the central section 17 for this purpose and the carrier element 12 can be inserted into the frame 5 in this way that the side sections 18 are supported laterally in the frame 5 and hold the carrier element 12 in the frame 5.

As in particular in the 8th and 9 can be seen, the side sections are angled in the embodiment shown on each side by means of three folds 19 such that äuss support first sections 22 of the side sections 18 on the inside 20 of the frame 5 and thereby clamp the carrier element 12 in the frame 5 . while showing 9 a horizontal section approximately through the middle of the functional element 3 according to 8th . Passage openings 13 have been omitted in this view for the sake of simplicity.

reference list

1

steam generator

2

applicator

3

functional element

4

bracket

5

frame

6

edge

7

rear frame member

8th

slotted mount

9

front frame member

10

steam outlet openings

11

back

12

carrier element

13

passage openings

14

interruption

15

front

16

bristles

17

central section

18

side section

19

fold

20

inside

21

front

22

outermost section

23

edge area

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• WO 2015/028359 A1 [0002]

Claims (11)

Functional element (3) for a hand-held steam generator (1) for treating items of clothing, the functional element (3) having the following: - A carrier element (12) provided with at least one active substance and made of dimensionally stable cardboard material with a plurality of passage openings (13) for steam and - A holder (4) for the carrier element (12) which can be fastened to the steam generator (1), wherein the functional element (3) can be positioned on the steam generator (1) in such a way that a steam flow generated by the steam generator (1) flows through the passage openings ( 13) of the carrier element (12) is conducted to the outside and enriched with active substance. Functional element (3) after claim 1 , wherein the holder (4) is designed as an attachable frame (5) with a slot-shaped receptacle (8) into which the carrier element (12) can be inserted. Functional element (3) after claim 1 , wherein the holder (4) is designed as an attachable frame (5) to which the carrier element (12) can be clamped. Functional element (3) after claim 3 , wherein the carrier element (12) has a central section (17) with passage openings (13) and bendable side sections (18) for clamping the carrier element (12) on the frame (5). Functional element (3) according to one of claims 2 until 4 , wherein the frame (5) has a peripheral edge (6) on a rear side (11), which surrounds an edge region of the steam generator (1) when the frame (5) is placed on the steam generator (1). Functional element (3) according to one of claims 2 until 4 , wherein the frame (5) has a bristle facing (16) on a front side (15). Functional element (3) according to one of Claims 1 until 6 , wherein the passage openings (13) of the carrier element (12) can be positioned at least partially in front of outlet openings (10) of the steam generator (1). Functional element (3) according to one of Claims 1 until 7 , wherein the passage openings (13) occupy more than 20% of a cross-sectional area of the carrier element (12). Functional element (3) according to one of Claims 1 until 8th , wherein the passage openings (13) occupy more than 40% of a cross-sectional area of the carrier element (12). Functional element (3) according to one of Claims 1 until 9 , wherein the carrier element (12) is formed from an absorbent, open-pored material. Functional element (3) according to one of Claims 1 until 10 , wherein edge regions (23) of the carrier element (12) are kept free of an active substance.

Images