EP0763619A1 - Steam surge system for an iron - Google Patents
Steam surge system for an iron Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0763619A1 EP0763619A1 EP96306431A EP96306431A EP0763619A1 EP 0763619 A1 EP0763619 A1 EP 0763619A1 EP 96306431 A EP96306431 A EP 96306431A EP 96306431 A EP96306431 A EP 96306431A EP 0763619 A1 EP0763619 A1 EP 0763619A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- pump
- seal
- entrance
- steam
- 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- Withdrawn
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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
- D06F75/10—Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed
- D06F75/14—Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed the steam being produced from water in a reservoir carried by the iron
- D06F75/18—Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed the steam being produced from water in a reservoir carried by the iron the water being fed slowly, e.g. drop by drop, from the reservoir to a steam generator
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a steam surge system for an iron.
- US Patent No. 4,115,935 describes an iron having a button for a spray feature or an extra surge capacity.
- US Patent No. 5,105,525 describes an iron with a button for delivering an extra surge of steam from its steam vents.
- Other US patents that relate to irons and/or steam production include US Patent No. 5,279,055; US Patent No. 5,376,799; US Patent No. 5,380,983 and US Patent No. 5,094,021.
- Known steam surge systems for irons are provided with a check valve assembly and it is a disadvantage of such known systems that the valve assembly adds cost to the iron and its manufacture.
- the check valve assembly can also create quality problems during manufacture, because it contains small sized components.
- the present invention provides an iron steam surge system which comprises a pump connected to a reservoir; and a seal connected between an outlet of the pump and an entrance to a steam chamber of the iron, the seal having slit therein, characterised in that the seal substantially prevents steam from existing the entrance and substantially prevents water from the pump from entering the entrance unless the pump is being actuated.
- the present invention further provides an iron steam surge system having a pump connected to a reservoir, a conduit connected to an outlet of the pump, and a seal connecting the conduit to an entrance to a steam chamber of the iron, characterised in that the seal has a slit therethrough, wherein the slit allows passage of water from the conduit to the steam chamber entrance when the pump is actuated, the seal substantially preventing water in the conduit from passing through the seal except when the pump is being actuated and substantially preventing steam from exiting through the seal.
- FIG. 1 there is shown a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a steam surge system 10 used in a prior art steam iron.
- the system 10 includes a water reservoir 12, a pump 14, two conduits 16, 18, an aperture 20 through a skirt 22, and a seal 24 located at the entrance 26 to the steam chamber 28 at the steam chamber cover 27.
- the first conduit 16 connects the reservoir 12 to the inlet of the pump 14.
- the second conduit 18 connects the outlet 30 of the pump 14 to the skirt 22, and a seal 24 located at the entrance 26 to the steam chamber 28 at the steam chamber cover 27.
- the first conduit 16 connects the reservoir 12 to the inlet of the pump 14.
- the second conduit 18 connects the outlet 30 of the pump 14 to the skirt 22 at a mounting post 32 that has the aperture 20 therein.
- a check valve assembly 31 comprising a ball 34, a spring 36 and a cap 38 attached to a frame 40 of the pump 14.
- the cap 38 is typically ultrasonically welded or press-fit to the pump frame 40.
- the check valve assembly 31 adds cost to the iron and its manufacture.
- the check valve assembly 31 can encounter quality problems during manufacture, such as inadvertently omitting the ball 34 or inadvertently inserting two springs 36 that become tangled.
- the ball 34 and spring 36 are small, as can be seen in comparing their size in Figure 1 to the size of the pump button 42 intended to be actuated by a user's thumb. Thus, because of their small size, these problems can occur during manufacture.
- the present invention is intended to overcome these problems by eliminating the check valve assembly 31.
- a steam surge system 50 is shown that incorporates features of the present invention where the same numbers are used to represent similar parts shown in Figure 1.
- the pump 42 is very similar to the pump 14 with the exceptions that the frame 54 has an outlet 56 without a seat for a check valve ball and, there is no check valve assembly at the outlet 56.
- the frame 40 could be used, but merely without the check valve assembly 31.
- the system 50 has its pump 52 connected between the reservoir 12 and skirt 22 by the two conduits 16, 18.
- the seal 58 is different from the seal 24.
- the seal 58 has a centre channel 60 with a web or blocking portion 62 thereacross.
- the blocking portion 62 is located in a path of the water from the pump 52 to the entrance 26.
- the blocking portion 62 has a slit 64 therethrough.
- the blocking portion 62 is suitably configured to keep the slit 64 closed except during actuation of the pump 52. Because the blocking portion 62 usually keeps the slit 64 closed and the seal 58 surrounds the entrance 26 to the steam chamber 28, the seal 58 substantially prevents steam from exiting through the entrance 26.
- the blocking portion 62 is stiff enough to keep the slit 64 closed unless the pump 52 is being actuated. This includes the situation where there is a volume of water located in the conduit 18, skirt aperture 20 and centre channel 60 above the blocking portion 62.
- the pump 52 When the pump 52 is actuated by a user pressing down on the pump button 42, the pressure against the top of the blocking portion 62 increases. This increase in pressure causes the blocking portion 62 to deform thereby opening an aperture at the slit 64. Water is thus pushed through the slit 64 and into the steam chamber entrance 26.
- the blocking portion At the end of the downward stroke of the pump button 42 or when the user stops pressing the button down, the blocking portion resiliently deflects back to its usual position with the slit 64 closed.
- the slit 64 is kept closed while the pump 62 sucks water through its inlet 70 from the first conduit 16 and reservoir 12.
- the seal 58 is preferably made of a moulded polymer or silicon material, it is relatively simple to manufacture and the slit 64 can merely be cut into the seal.
- the present invention eliminates the costs and problems associated with the prior art check valve assembly 31 by using a part already in the iron and merely moulding it slightly differently and cutting a slit. This both reduces manufacturing and assembly costs as well as increasing overall manufacturing quality control.
- any suitable type of shape of slit or slits could be used in the seal and any suitable method for forming the slit could be used.
- a seal having multiple blocking portions in series could also be used.
- Any suitable pump or conduiting system could also be used.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Check Valves (AREA)
- Details Of Reciprocating Pumps (AREA)
- Irons (AREA)
- Jet Pumps And Other Pumps (AREA)
- Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
Abstract
An iron steam surge system (50) comprises a pump (52) connected to a reservoir (12) and a seal (58) connected between an outlet (56) of the pump (52) and an entrance (26) to a steam chamber (28) of the iron. The seal (58) has a slit (64) therein, and substantially prevents steam from exiting the entrance (26) and substantially prevents water from the pump (52) from entering the entrance (26) unless the pump (52) is being actuated.
Description
- The present invention relates to a steam surge system for an iron.
- US Patent No. 4,115,935 describes an iron having a button for a spray feature or an extra surge capacity. US Patent No. 5,105,525 describes an iron with a button for delivering an extra surge of steam from its steam vents. Other US patents that relate to irons and/or steam production include US Patent No. 5,279,055; US Patent No. 5,376,799; US Patent No. 5,380,983 and US Patent No. 5,094,021.
- Known steam surge systems for irons are provided with a check valve assembly and it is a disadvantage of such known systems that the valve assembly adds cost to the iron and its manufacture. The check valve assembly can also create quality problems during manufacture, because it contains small sized components.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a steam surge system for an iron, in which the above disadvantages are reduced or substantially obviated.
- The present invention provides an iron steam surge system which comprises a pump connected to a reservoir; and a seal connected between an outlet of the pump and an entrance to a steam chamber of the iron, the seal having slit therein, characterised in that the seal substantially prevents steam from existing the entrance and substantially prevents water from the pump from entering the entrance unless the pump is being actuated.
- The present invention further provides an iron steam surge system having a pump connected to a reservoir, a conduit connected to an outlet of the pump, and a seal connecting the conduit to an entrance to a steam chamber of the iron, characterised in that the seal has a slit therethrough, wherein the slit allows passage of water from the conduit to the steam chamber entrance when the pump is actuated, the seal substantially preventing water in the conduit from passing through the seal except when the pump is being actuated and substantially preventing steam from exiting through the seal.
- The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a prior art steam surge system used in an iron; and
- Figure 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a steam surge system incorporating features of the present invention.
- Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a
steam surge system 10 used in a prior art steam iron. Thesystem 10 includes awater reservoir 12, apump 14, twoconduits aperture 20 through askirt 22, and aseal 24 located at theentrance 26 to thesteam chamber 28 at thesteam chamber cover 27. Thefirst conduit 16 connects thereservoir 12 to the inlet of thepump 14. Thesecond conduit 18 connects the outlet 30 of thepump 14 to theskirt 22, and aseal 24 located at theentrance 26 to thesteam chamber 28 at thesteam chamber cover 27. Thefirst conduit 16 connects thereservoir 12 to the inlet of thepump 14. Thesecond conduit 18 connects the outlet 30 of thepump 14 to theskirt 22 at amounting post 32 that has theaperture 20 therein. Located at the pump outlet 30 is a check valve assembly 31 comprising aball 34, aspring 36 and acap 38 attached to aframe 40 of thepump 14. Thecap 38 is typically ultrasonically welded or press-fit to thepump frame 40. When thepump button 42 is pressed down, as indicated by arrow A, water in thepump 14 is pressed against theball 34. The water pressure causes thespring 36 to compress and theball 34 to back off of its seat on theframe 40. This allows the water from thepump 14 to enter the second conduit and travel to theaperture 20. The water passes through theaperture 20, through theopen hole 44 in theseal 24, through theentrance 26 and into thesteam chamber 28 where it is turned into steam. When thepump button 42 reaches the end of its downward actuation or the user stops pressing thebutton 42 down, pressure on both sides of theball 34 equalises and thespring 36 biases the ball back to its sealing position on theframe 40. When the charge of water is delivered via the pump to the steam chamber, thesystem 10 produces a blast or surge of steam from the iron. - Although the prior art design shown in Figure 1 works well, it has two problems. First, the check valve assembly 31 adds cost to the iron and its manufacture. Second, the check valve assembly 31 can encounter quality problems during manufacture, such as inadvertently omitting the
ball 34 or inadvertently inserting twosprings 36 that become tangled. Theball 34 andspring 36 are small, as can be seen in comparing their size in Figure 1 to the size of thepump button 42 intended to be actuated by a user's thumb. Thus, because of their small size, these problems can occur during manufacture. The present invention is intended to overcome these problems by eliminating the check valve assembly 31. - Referring now to Figure 2, a
steam surge system 50 is shown that incorporates features of the present invention where the same numbers are used to represent similar parts shown in Figure 1. In the embodiment shown, thepump 42 is very similar to thepump 14 with the exceptions that theframe 54 has anoutlet 56 without a seat for a check valve ball and, there is no check valve assembly at theoutlet 56. In an alternate embodiment, theframe 40 could be used, but merely without the check valve assembly 31. Similar to thesystem 10, thesystem 50 has itspump 52 connected between thereservoir 12 andskirt 22 by the twoconduits seal 58 is different from theseal 24. In particular, theseal 58 has acentre channel 60 with a web or blockingportion 62 thereacross. The blockingportion 62 is located in a path of the water from thepump 52 to theentrance 26. The blockingportion 62 has aslit 64 therethrough. The blockingportion 62 is suitably configured to keep theslit 64 closed except during actuation of thepump 52. Because the blockingportion 62 usually keeps theslit 64 closed and theseal 58 surrounds theentrance 26 to thesteam chamber 28, theseal 58 substantially prevents steam from exiting through theentrance 26. As noted above, theblocking portion 62 is stiff enough to keep theslit 64 closed unless thepump 52 is being actuated. This includes the situation where there is a volume of water located in theconduit 18,skirt aperture 20 andcentre channel 60 above theblocking portion 62. During pump inactivity, theblocking portion 62 is thus adapted to hold back the head height of water above the seal. The blockingportion 62 is also preferably stiff enough to keep theslit 64 closed during priming of the pump; the intake stroke of thepump button 42 when thesteel ball 72 at theinlet 70 lifts off of its seat. In the embodiment shown, the blockingportion 62 is surrounded by a downwardly extendingraised ridge 63. This raisedridge 63 acts as a barrier to prevent undesired propagation of theslit 64. In other words, theraised ridge 63 prevents tearing of theseal 58 as the blocking portion is moved during opening of the slit 65. - When the
pump 52 is actuated by a user pressing down on thepump button 42, the pressure against the top of the blockingportion 62 increases. This increase in pressure causes the blockingportion 62 to deform thereby opening an aperture at theslit 64. Water is thus pushed through theslit 64 and into thesteam chamber entrance 26. At the end of the downward stroke of thepump button 42 or when the user stops pressing the button down, the blocking portion resiliently deflects back to its usual position with theslit 64 closed. During the upward stroke of thepump button 42, caused by thespring 68, theslit 64 is kept closed while thepump 62 sucks water through itsinlet 70 from thefirst conduit 16 andreservoir 12. Because theseal 58 is preferably made of a moulded polymer or silicon material, it is relatively simple to manufacture and theslit 64 can merely be cut into the seal. Thus, the present invention eliminates the costs and problems associated with the prior art check valve assembly 31 by using a part already in the iron and merely moulding it slightly differently and cutting a slit. This both reduces manufacturing and assembly costs as well as increasing overall manufacturing quality control. Of course, any suitable type of shape of slit or slits could be used in the seal and any suitable method for forming the slit could be used. A seal having multiple blocking portions in series could also be used. Any suitable pump or conduiting system could also be used.
Claims (7)
- An iron steam surge system (50) which comprisesa pump (52) connected to a reservoir (12); anda seal (58) connected between an outlet (56) of the pump (52) and an entrance (26) to a steam chamber (28) of the iron, the seal (58) having a slit (64) therein, characterised in that the seal substantially prevents steam from exiting the entrance (26) and substantially prevents water from the pump (52) from entering the entrance (26) unless the pump (52) is being actuated.
- A system according to Claim 1 characterised in that conduit (18) is located between an outlet (56) of the pump (52) and the seal (58).
- A system according to Claim 2 characterised in that the conduit (18) is being connected to a skirt (22) with an aperture (20) therethrough, the seal (58) being located directly between the skirt (22) at the aperture (20) and a steam chamber cover (27) at the entrance (26).
- A system according to any of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that the sole means of preventing water from the pump (52) from entering the entrance (26) unless the pump (52) is actuated.
- An iron steam surge system having a pump (52) connected to a reservoir (12), a conduit (18) connected to an outlet (56) of the pump (52), and a seal (58) connecting the conduit (18) to an entrance (26) to a steam chamber (28) of the iron, characterised in that the seal (58) has a slit (64) therethrough, wherein the slit (64) allows passage of water from the conduit (18) to the steam chamber entrance (26) when the pump (52) is actuated, the seal (58) substantially preventing water in the conduit (18) from passing through the seal (58) except when the pump (52) is being actuated and substantially preventing steam from exiting through the seal (58).
- A system as claimed in Claim 5 characterised in that the conduit (18) is connected to a skirt (22) with an aperture (20) therethrough, the seal (58) being located directly between the skirt (22) at the aperture (20) and a steam chamber cover (27) at the entrance (26).
- A system as claimed in Claim 6 characterised in that the seal (58) is the sole means of preventing water from the pump (52) from entering the entrance (26) unless the pump (52) is being actuated.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US52993995A | 1995-09-18 | 1995-09-18 | |
US529939 | 1995-09-18 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0763619A1 true EP0763619A1 (en) | 1997-03-19 |
Family
ID=24111815
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP96306431A Withdrawn EP0763619A1 (en) | 1995-09-18 | 1996-09-05 | Steam surge system for an iron |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0763619A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1152051A (en) |
AU (1) | AU702984B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR9604256A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2184555A1 (en) |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2205595A1 (en) * | 1972-11-07 | 1974-05-31 | Sunbeam Corp | |
US4107860A (en) * | 1977-12-01 | 1978-08-22 | General Electric Company | Steam iron |
DE8814503U1 (en) * | 1987-12-03 | 1989-01-12 | N.V. Philips' Gloeilampenfabrieken, Eindhoven | steam iron |
-
1996
- 1996-08-30 CA CA 2184555 patent/CA2184555A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1996-09-05 EP EP96306431A patent/EP0763619A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1996-09-06 AU AU64485/96A patent/AU702984B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1996-09-17 BR BR9604256A patent/BR9604256A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1996-09-18 CN CN 96113116 patent/CN1152051A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2205595A1 (en) * | 1972-11-07 | 1974-05-31 | Sunbeam Corp | |
US4107860A (en) * | 1977-12-01 | 1978-08-22 | General Electric Company | Steam iron |
DE8814503U1 (en) * | 1987-12-03 | 1989-01-12 | N.V. Philips' Gloeilampenfabrieken, Eindhoven | steam iron |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU702984B2 (en) | 1999-03-11 |
AU6448596A (en) | 1997-03-20 |
CA2184555A1 (en) | 1997-03-19 |
CN1152051A (en) | 1997-06-18 |
BR9604256A (en) | 1998-05-26 |
MX9604052A (en) | 1998-05-31 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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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 |
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AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): BE DE DK ES FR GB GR IT NL PT SE |
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17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19970912 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19990706 |
|
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 |
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18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20000118 |