EP0361946A2 - Fer à repasser électrique - Google Patents

Fer à repasser électrique Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0361946A2
EP0361946A2 EP89309949A EP89309949A EP0361946A2 EP 0361946 A2 EP0361946 A2 EP 0361946A2 EP 89309949 A EP89309949 A EP 89309949A EP 89309949 A EP89309949 A EP 89309949A EP 0361946 A2 EP0361946 A2 EP 0361946A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
rear end
end portion
connector
main body
iron
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP89309949A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0361946A3 (fr
Inventor
Malcolm James Wootton
James Edward Self
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Strix Ltd
Original Assignee
Strix Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Strix Ltd filed Critical Strix Ltd
Publication of EP0361946A2 publication Critical patent/EP0361946A2/fr
Publication of EP0361946A3 publication Critical patent/EP0361946A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F75/00—Hand irons
    • D06F75/08—Hand irons internally heated by electricity
    • D06F75/28—Arrangements for attaching, protecting or supporting the electric supply cable
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F79/00—Accessories for hand irons
    • D06F79/02—Stands or supports neither attached to, nor forming part of, the iron or ironing board
    • D06F79/023—Stands or supports neither attached to, nor forming part of, the iron or ironing board with means for supplying current to the iron
    • D06F79/026—Stands or supports neither attached to, nor forming part of, the iron or ironing board with means for supplying current to the iron for cordless irons

Definitions

  • This invention relates to electric irons which facilitate ironing in either a "corded” or a “cordless” mode, that is with an electric cable attached to the iron or detached from the iron as desired.
  • cordless irons When not in use, for example when clothing is being arranged on an ironing board, cordless irons are generally placed on end on a stand to which an electric cable is attached, and through which an electric current is supplied to heat the iron. Stands for cordless irons are either relatively large and heavy or are fixed to a surface such as an ironing board, and are thus inherently unsuited to attachment to the iron for ironing in a corded mode.
  • a drawback with cordless irons is that the iron cools down rapidly when it is removed from its stand, which is particularly disadvantageous when ironing larger items.
  • proposals to provide irons which may be operated either in a corded or a cordless mode as desired depending on the size and nature of the item to be ironed.
  • an iron is provided with a connector which is attached to the rear end of the iron for ironing in a corded mode, and is detached from the iron and attached to a base unit when the iron is not in use or when it is being used in a cordless mode.
  • the iron is placed on its rear end on the connector with the connector itself being supported by a larger base unit.
  • the iron and connector alone in combination are not adapted to form a free-standing assembly in an end-on configuration, and a separate base unit is provided for engagement with the connector.
  • an electric iron including a main body portion and a rear end portion detachably connectable thereto by means of releasable positive interlocking means, said rear end portion serving as a base upon which the iron may be stood to form a free standing assembly both with said interlocking means engaged and released, said main body portion and rear end portion respectively incorporating the parts of a two part electrical connector so that electrical connection is automatically made between said parts when said rear end portion is interlocked with said main body portion and when said main body portion is stood on said rear end portion, an electric cable connection being provided to said rear end portion, the relationship between said two portions and the parts of said two part electrical connector being such that substantially no restraint is offered to said main body portion being lifted from said rear end portion when serving as a detachable base with said interlocking means released.
  • the rear end portion of the iron may be relatively lightweight whilst still being detachable from the main body portion under its own weight. Releasable positive interlocking means are required to connect the two portions of the iron together in the absence of substantial friction between the two portions and respective parts of the electrical connector.
  • actuating means are provided for engaging or releasing said positive interlocking means, which actuating means are exposed for operation when the iron is standing on its rear end portion.
  • This arrangement is particularly convenient and requires little effort from the user to lock the main body portion and the rear end portion in connection or to disconnect these two portions.
  • any suitable releasable positive interlocking means may be used.
  • said means comprises a spring loaded pin associated with either one of said main body portion or said rear end portion, and a complementary recess associated with the other of said portions.
  • manually operable actuating means such as a sliding switch may be effective to insert the pin into a complementary recess against the bias of a spring.
  • one of said respective parts of the two-part electrical connector may comprise a male terminal pin connector and the other may comprise a female socket connector. It may be inappropriate for the electrical contacts of the connectors to be matingly engaged as such may not facilitate a substantially frictionless connection between the iron and the base adaptor.
  • the part of the electrical connector incorporated in said main body portion of the iron comprises a male terminal pin connector and the other part associated with said rear end portion comprises a female socket connector, said parts being adapted for engagement by insertion of each pin into a socket chamber via respective apertures formed in the forward end of the socket connector, there being a leaf spring contact provided in each socket aperture for contact with a respective terminal pin.
  • a connection may provide substantially no restraint to the main body portion of the iron being lifted from the rear end portion and is also advantageous in that the leaf spring may act to assist disconnection of the rear end portion of the iron from the main body portion.
  • the natural line of movement when lifting an iron from a horizontal surface such as a surface of the rear end portion when such is intended to serve as a detached base is to tilt the iron onto one edge and lift it along an arc or a diagonal inclined to the horizontal surface at an angle considerably less than 90°. It is also natural when placing an iron on such a surface to approach the surface at such an angle inclined to the horizontal surface, and possibly also to rotate the iron to a varying degree about a vertical axis with respect to the rear end portion so that respective parts of the electrical connector on the main body portion of iron and the rear end portion may not be aligned.
  • the parts of the connector are configured to accommodate an angled i.e.
  • an electrical connector suitable for use in such an iron and which accommodates pivotal movement of the iron with respect to a base adaptor is described in our co-pending United Kingdom patent application number 8811380.
  • An electrical connector is described in this application wherein the relative dimensions of the pins and socket chamber(s) allow the free end of each pin some freedom of movement within the socket chamber, the terminal pin connector including a guide means which co-operates with the socket connector to provide alignment between the pins and respective socket openings at least in the lateral direction with respect to the pins wherein the walls of the socket connector are a close fit within the guide means only in the region of their forward edges so as to permit limited pivotal movement of the pins with respect to the socket connector whilst maintaining said lateral alignment between the pins and apertures at the forward end of the connector.
  • alignment and guidance of the pins is provided at least in the lateral direction, thereby avoiding distortion or bending of the pins, whilst allowing limited pivotal movement of the pins with respect to the socket connec­tor.
  • the user may therefore use a more natural line of movement to remove the iron from the base, or to place it on said base.
  • the guide means is a shroud forming part of the male connector and at least partly surrounding the terminal pins, the shroud defining a recess within which the female connector may be engaged.
  • the longitudinal side walls of the socket connector may be recessed in the lateral direction with respect to the forward end part thereof so that the shroud closely embraces the forward end part to maintain lateral alignment of the pins within the socket apertures whilst a clearance is defined between the shroud and side walls below the forward end part to permit limited relative pivotal movement in the lateral plane.
  • the guide means In a longitudinal plane it is often less critical for the guide means to align the terminal pins with the sockets since the pins may be less vulnerable to bending in this plane.
  • the forward edge of the socket connector need not be a close fit with the forward edge of the shroud in a longitudinal plane.
  • Preferably limited pivotal movement in a longitudinal direction is accommodated by socket openings being substantially longer in a longitudinal direction than the breadth of the terminal pins and by at least part of the lateral walls of the socket connector and shroud being tapered and/or loose fitting.
  • socket openings being substantially longer in a longitudinal direction than the breadth of the terminal pins and by at least part of the lateral walls of the socket connector and shroud being tapered and/or loose fitting.
  • socket openings may be lengthened substan­tially in a longitudinal direction whereas less of an increase in the width in a lateral direction is allowable.
  • Provision of tapers on the lateral walls of the shroud and the socket connector also assists in aligning the respective parts of the connector when the main body portion approaches the rear end portion rotated at some angle about a vertical axis.
  • the lateral and longitudinal inwardly facing walls of the shroud and outwardly facing walls of the socket connector are tapered to accommodate approach of the main body portion of the iron to the rear end portion rotated at a limited angle with respect to the rear end portion about a vertical axis.
  • the user need not precisely locate the iron at any particular angle on the base.
  • Further locating means may also be provided in the form of tabs and/or ribs protruding from the rear end portion and adapted to engage with complementary recesses provided on a rear face of the main body portion of the iron.
  • tabs and/or ribs may be provided on the rear face of the iron to engage with recesses on the base.
  • the iron 1 appearing in Figs. 1 and 2 has a main body portion 2 and a rear end portion 3 which is connectable to the main body portion by means of releasable positive interlocking means 4.
  • the main body portion 2 includes a hotplate 5 and an electrical heater (not shown), and the rear end portion 3 is provided with an electrical cable (not shown) which enters this portion from above, i.e. from the left in Fig. 1.
  • the main body portion 2 and the rear end portion 3 incorporate respective parts 6, 7 of a two-part electrical connector such that electrical connection is automatically made between these respective parts 6, 7 when the rear end portion 3 is engaged with the main body portion 2.
  • an electric current is auto­matically supplied to the main body portion 2 to heat the hotplate 5.
  • the respective parts of the electrical connector are shown in more detail in Figs. 3 to 5.
  • the rear end portion 3 forms a base on which the main body portion 2 may be stood to form a free standing assembly which may be placed on an ironing board or other surface.
  • a free standing assembly which may be placed on an ironing board or other surface.
  • the rear end portion 3 remains connected to the main body portion 2, and for ironing in a cordless mode the rear end portion 3 is disconnected from the iron and remains on a surface such as an ironing board.
  • the part 6 of the electrical connector incor­porated in the main body portion 2 of the iron comprises a male terminal pin connector
  • the other part 7 incorporated in the rear end portion 3 comprises a female socket connector.
  • Each pin 8 is received in a respective aperture 9 of the female socket con­nector 7 and is arranged to contact a leaf spring contact 10 located within the aperture 9.
  • the pins 8 are a relatively loose fit within the socket apertures 9 since the electrical connection relies on contact of the pins 8 with leaf spring contacts 10 rather than on mating contact between the pins 8 and the apertures 9.
  • the leaf spring contacts 10 act to urge the rear end portion 3 of the iron to remain on a surface when the main body 2 of the iron is lifted for ironing in a cordless mode.
  • the main body portion 2 of the iron includes a shroud 11 which defines a recess within which the female socket connector 7 may be engaged.
  • the surfaces of the shroud 11 and the socket connector 7 are smooth and in general are relatively loose fitting so that a minimal frictional force is exerted between these surfaces when the main body portion 2 is lifted from the rear end portion 3.
  • the rear end portion 3 may therefore be relatively lightweight whilst still remaining on the ironing board under its own weight when the iron is lifted therefrom for use in a cordless mode.
  • a positive interlocking means 4 is provided to selectively securely connect the two portions 2,3 in an engaged position for ironing in a corded mode.
  • the positive interlocking means 4 (shown from above in Fig. 6) comprise a pair of spring loaded pins 12 joined by a linking member 13 which are adapted to be received by undercuts 14 provided in the longitudinal walls of the socket connector 7.
  • the pins 12 extend through apertures in the shroud 11 and a compression spring 15 bearing on shroud 11 and linking member 13 is adapted to urge the pins 12 out of undercuts 14.
  • FIG. 1 shows an iron 1 resting on its rear end on a surface in which pins 12 are received in undercuts 14 so that the rear end portion 3 will remain connected to the main body portion 2 if the iron is lifted from the surface for ironing in a corded mode.
  • Sliding switch 16 has been moved upwardly in Fig. 4 so that pins 12 are withdrawn from undercuts 14 and the rear end portion 3 will remain under its own weight on the surface if the main body portion 2 is lifted for ironing in a cordless mode, as shown in Fig. 3.
  • a function of the shroud 11 is to guide the terminal pins 8 into the respective apertures 9.
  • the pins 8 of this embodiment have a rectangular cross-section and are thus more vulnerable to bending or distortion if they are not effectively guided into the apertures 9 in a lateral plane.
  • at least a part of the lateral walls of shroud 11 and socket connector 7 must be a close fit, and in this embodiment the forward edges 17 of the socket connector 7 are a close fit with the shroud 11 to align the parts 6,7 of the electrical connector and guide the pins 8 into the apertures 9.
  • the socket connector 7 it is not necessary for the socket connector 7 to be a close fit with the shroud 11 in a longitudinal direction, since the openings of the socket connector for receiving the pins can be increased in length with respect to the breadth of the pins to accommodate a degree of misalignment, provided that the openings are sufficiently narrow to preclude easy access to the internal live parts.
  • the relative dimensions of the pins 8 and the socket chambers 9 are such to allow each pin some freedom of movement within a chamber.
  • pivoting is accommodated in part by provision of the undercuts 14 in the lateral walls of the socket connector 7 which allow the lower part of the shroud to pivot whilst accurate alignment of the pins and openings at the top of the socket connector is maintained.
  • the socket connector 7 and shroud 11 are tapered and relatively loose fitting to allow pivoting, and the length of the socket open­ings 9 are substantially longer than the breadth of the pins 8 in this direction so that pivoting does not cause the pins to foul at the top of the socket connector.
  • the socket connector 6 includes raised ribs 20 in the region to one side of the contact openings arranged for location in complementary recesses 21 in the shroud to assist correct relative alignment of the parts.
  • the approximate limits of the front and rear withdrawal and approach locii of the iron 2 with respect to the base 3 are shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, and similarly the limits of sideways with­drawal and approach locii are shown in Fig. 2.
  • shroud 11 The forward edges of shroud 11 are rounded to assist in location of the main body portion of the iron 2 on the rear end portion 3.
  • a combination of rounded edges to the shroud 11 and tapered longi­tudinal walls of the socket connector 6 also allow an approach where the main body portion 2 is rotated to a limited degree about a vertical axis so that the pins and apertures are initially not aligned.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
EP89309949A 1988-09-30 1989-09-29 Fer à repasser électrique Withdrawn EP0361946A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB888823074A GB8823074D0 (en) 1988-09-30 1988-09-30 Electric iron
GB8823074 1988-09-30

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0361946A2 true EP0361946A2 (fr) 1990-04-04
EP0361946A3 EP0361946A3 (fr) 1990-07-18

Family

ID=10644575

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89309949A Withdrawn EP0361946A3 (fr) 1988-09-30 1989-09-29 Fer à repasser électrique

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0361946A3 (fr)
GB (1) GB8823074D0 (fr)

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3413742A (en) * 1967-09-28 1968-12-03 Scovill Manufacturing Co Combination clothes-pressing iron and rest mount therefor with automatic homing means
US3428780A (en) * 1966-01-11 1969-02-18 Proctor Silex Inc Electric iron
US4528429A (en) * 1984-03-02 1985-07-09 Dart Industries Inc. Electrical switch-plug assembly with baffle
GB2166458A (en) * 1984-11-02 1986-05-08 John Talbot Stone Electric flat iron
FR2583792A1 (fr) * 1985-06-19 1986-12-26 Seb Sa Fer a repasser electrique comprenant un socle pour supporter le fer.
FR2600681A1 (fr) * 1986-06-25 1987-12-31 Agrupada Invest Off Dispositif de liaison d'interrupteur aux bases d'appui de fers a repasser
EP0268722A1 (fr) * 1986-11-21 1988-06-01 ELETTRODOMUS S.p.A. Fer à repasser muni d'une résistance électrique et du type sans cordon

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3428780A (en) * 1966-01-11 1969-02-18 Proctor Silex Inc Electric iron
US3413742A (en) * 1967-09-28 1968-12-03 Scovill Manufacturing Co Combination clothes-pressing iron and rest mount therefor with automatic homing means
US4528429A (en) * 1984-03-02 1985-07-09 Dart Industries Inc. Electrical switch-plug assembly with baffle
GB2166458A (en) * 1984-11-02 1986-05-08 John Talbot Stone Electric flat iron
FR2583792A1 (fr) * 1985-06-19 1986-12-26 Seb Sa Fer a repasser electrique comprenant un socle pour supporter le fer.
FR2600681A1 (fr) * 1986-06-25 1987-12-31 Agrupada Invest Off Dispositif de liaison d'interrupteur aux bases d'appui de fers a repasser
EP0268722A1 (fr) * 1986-11-21 1988-06-01 ELETTRODOMUS S.p.A. Fer à repasser muni d'une résistance électrique et du type sans cordon

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0361946A3 (fr) 1990-07-18
GB8823074D0 (en) 1988-11-09

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4934955A (en) Electrical connectors
JP4405164B2 (ja) 電気コネクタ組立体及び電気コネクタ半体組立体
US5838541A (en) Computer expansion system including expansion base and monitor support structure
US6080004A (en) Electrical plug lock
JP2860464B2 (ja) 電気コネクタの位置決め保証装置
US5507666A (en) Lock securing mechanism for connectors
EP0848456B1 (fr) Connecteur électrique avec un élément de verrouillage et de vérification de la position du connecteur
DK2321879T3 (en) Locking POWER CONNECTION DEVICE
US6217365B1 (en) Connector
EP0658288B1 (fr) Systeme de connexion pour un appareil electrique menager sans fil destine a chauffer de l'eau
US4707042A (en) Electrical socket apparatus
US20030119349A1 (en) Electrical connector assembly
CN108461985B (zh) 插头连接器
EP0889557A3 (fr) Connecteur encliquetable
US4948945A (en) Electric ironing device with power supply connector arrangement permitting either corded or cordless operation
JP2005183315A (ja) コネクタ
EP0361946A2 (fr) Fer à repasser électrique
JP4588206B2 (ja) 電気機器と接続コードとの接続構造
EP1071167B1 (fr) Connecteur à fiche avec dispositif de serre câble
US20060174442A1 (en) Vacuum cleaner wand adapters and handle assemblies including the same
JPH03134982A (ja) Ｉｃホルダ
GB2234121A (en) A female connector for receiving plug contacts in two orientations
EP0666619A2 (fr) Connecteur électrique
JPH09306589A (ja) コネクタ装置
CN215582069U (zh) 带电控开关的设备拉手条及电子设备

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A2

Designated state(s): DE GB IT

PUAL Search report despatched

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A3

Designated state(s): DE GB IT

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19901221

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 19920527

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 19921208