EP0954629B1 - Iron with textile adjuvant dispensing - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention relates to an iron with distribution of a textile additive.

PRIOR TECHNIQUE

Irons have undergone improvements such as the addition of humidification devices to the laundry, by spraying water with an integrated spray, or / and with means of steam production.

We know products that facilitate ironing, for example to improve the sliding of the iron, and products improving the behavior of tissues, for example to soften them or to improve hold. The means of distribution of these products on the fabric are essentially vials filled with products treating in liquid form: soluble oils, suspensions or latex. These bottles are either under gas pressure or fitted with a manual pump to allow distribution by spraying on an ironing cloth. However, the use of vials requires the user to put down her iron each time to impregnate the cloth, she must grab the bottle.

This drawback is solved by systems integrated into the iron and comprising a pump, described for example in patent FR-2,705,975, which require a separate tank from the water tank spray, reserved for the textile finishing product.

One drawback of such systems is that the additional tank assigned to the active product takes up a lot of space, at the expense of the water tank vaporization, which decreases the autonomy of the iron. Furthermore, the presence of two tanks inevitably leads to filling errors, and the filling the spray water tank with active product, even very diluted, can lead to a very bad functioning of the iron with the ejection of impurities through the steam holes.

We also know devices described for example in the patent FR-2,686,629 where the active product is distributed at the same time as the steam. These distribution devices with steam unfortunately have the disadvantage of not allow the use of a varied range of active products, these among other things, do not distill and do not destroy itself on spraying.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The subject of the invention is an iron for dispensing a textile adjuvant without having the previous drawbacks of known devices, and thus making it possible to use a varied range of active products, allowing a satisfactory autonomy of the iron and practical to use with minimal risk of handling errors.

The invention applies to an iron comprising a soleplate heater, a tank intended to contain a textile additive and a device for distribution of the adjuvant.

According to the invention, the iron comprises a heated sole, a water supply system consisting of a water tank or a integrated water supply, serving as a vaporization water reserve when the iron is likely to produce steam, a tank intended to contain an adjuvant textile, and an adjuvant distribution device, said iron comprising adjuvant dilution means connected on the one hand to the adjuvant reservoir and on the other hand to the water supply system without adjuvant and being intended to produce a dilute solution of the adjuvant before said distribution, remarkable in that said dilution means comprise a mixture where the water from the water supply system gets mixing with the adjuvant from the adjuvant tank.

Thus, the adjuvant reservoir can contain the adjuvant in a form concentrated, the dilution means making it possible to obtain during operation the desired concentration of product dispensed. An advantage of such an iron is the adjuvant tank may be of low capacity. So, in the case of an iron ironing including a spray water tank, it is not worn prejudice to the autonomy of iron, unlike existing devices.

The integration of an adjuvant tank in the iron allows make it easy for a user to distribute the adjuvant. In addition, in the case where the iron includes a spray water tank, the risk of filling confusion are considerably reduced due to the fact that the capacities of the water tank and the adjuvant tank are very different. Any risk error is eliminated if the adjuvant tank is used with pre-filled cassettes.

Inside the adjuvant tank, the concentrated active product is in a first embodiment in liquid form, and in a second embodiment of realization in solid form. The water supply system without adjuvant comprises meanwhile in a first embodiment a reservoir of water and in a second embodiment an integrated water supply.

The adjuvant distribution device is advantageously a device spray. In other embodiments, it consists of a system sending pressurized jets or liquid flow by gravity.

Preferably, the iron comprises a vaporization device supplied by the water supply system.
Thus, the same system is used both to dilute the adjuvant and to provide the steam. This characteristic increases the simplicity of use of the iron with vaporization and allows an economic realization and implementation.

The adjuvant being liquid, the mixing chamber connected to the distribution of the adjuvant comprises separate means of supply, on the one hand by the adjuvant coming from the adjuvant tank, and on the other hand by the water coming of the supply system.

The presence of such a chamber improves the dilution control.

In this embodiment with dilution chamber, the supply means of the mixing chamber advantageously comprise a first and a second pumping systems sucking the water and the adjuvant respectively in the mixing chamber, these pumping systems having an average relative flow rate in a desired dilution ratio.

Thus, the dilution means are activated reliably and the ratio dilution is perfectly controlled.

The two pumping systems for the supply means consist of two pumps, or in two bodies of the same pump.

It is then interesting that the adjuvant tank includes a vent opening onto the outside of the iron, intended to prevent depression excessive in the adjuvant tank.

In another embodiment of the iron with chamber mixing, mixing is carried out by delivery and not by suction.

In another embodiment, the adjuvant being liquid, the means of dilution include a pump having an intake chamber which sucks simultaneously, in said intake chamber serving as a mixing, on the one hand the water of the supply system and on the other hand the adjuvant from the adjuvant tank and in which a mixture of water occurs and the adjuvant, and a tap which allows the intake of the adjuvant to be dosed, and thus obtaining an average relative flow rate for pumping the water and the adjuvant into a desired dilution ratio

This latter embodiment is particularly economical.

Advantageously, the adjuvant tank consists of a cassette removable.

Such a cassette is preferably of small volume and disposable after use. It further facilitates the use of the iron according to the invention and avoids any possible confusion if the iron has a water tank of vaporization.

In a first embodiment of the supply system in water, that includes a water tank without adjuvant.

In a second embodiment of the supply system in water, that includes a water inlet.

The water supply system, with water tank or inlet of water, is advantageously that provided for vaporization in the case where the iron is steam.

Preferably, the adjuvant is in a form chosen from among solution, emulsion, suspension, latex and a soluble solid.

In the case where the adjuvant is in solid form, a current of water flows through the adjuvant tank during each operation of adjuvant distribution and loads at maximum concentration permitted by the laws of solubility. Preferably, the means dilution solution then dilute the solution obtained as with a liquid, at the desired rate.

According to the invention, the adjuvant is previously available concentrated in an adjuvant tank and during ironing mixes the adjuvant in the adjuvant tank with water obtained by a water supply system without adjuvant, so as to produce a dilute solution of the adjuvant, and we distribute this solution on the ironing surface.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

La Figure 1 représente en coupe longitudinale un premier mode de réalisation du fer à repasser selon l'invention.

La Figure 2 représente en coupe longitudinale un second mode de réalisation du fer à repasser selon l'invention.

The invention will be illustrated without being in any way limited by the detailed description of embodiments given by way of examples and represented in the appended figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows in longitudinal section a first embodiment of the iron according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows in longitudinal section a second embodiment of the iron according to the invention.

In the two figures, the same elements are designated by the same references.

BEST WAY TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION

An iron according to the invention, shown in Figure 1, is a steam iron comprising a body 1. This body 1 making handle, supports sole 2 electrically heated by a shielded heating element, one end of which 3 is represented. Sole 2 is provided with a vaporization 4 and a vapor distribution chamber 5 to the steam ports such as 6. A built-in tank 7 has a filling orifice 8 and is in communication with the chamber vaporization 4 by a flow control valve 9 whose command 10 is accessible to the user, in the usual way.

The iron has a prominence at the front, this shape allowing the correct orientation of a spray nozzle 11 in direction of the clothes to be ironed. This nozzle 11 is located advantageously high enough, at least at the level of the grip to keep sufficient distance from the fabric and with an average incidence which does not exceed 60 ° compared to the vertical. Preferably, it is of the flat jet type, the plane of the jet being perpendicular to the longitudinal median plane of the iron. The sprinkler 11 is supplied with active product diluted by an electric pump 12 via a line 13. The pump 12 preferably provides a pressure close to or greater than 1.5 bars. A second pump 14 sucks the concentrated active product contained in a reservoir 15. This tank is preferably a removable cassette housed in a compartment 16. A vent 17 opening to the outside of the iron allows suction without too much vacuum in the cassette. A annular chamber 18 of small volume, has an admission tangential of the concentrated product from the pump 14 and a tangential water intake from the reservoir 7. The axial outlet is connected to the intake of the pump 12 supplying the nozzle 11.

The two pumps 12 and 14 are miniature pumps which can be the same. During spraying, the pump 12 runs continuously while pump 14 operates with a duty factor of less than one. Chamber 18 must then have sufficient volume to homogenize the mixture during a period of operation of the pump 14. A command 19 authorizes spraying and electronics not represented creates the operating cycle of the pump 14. Optionally, another command allows not to use product and spray water alone by stopping the pump 14.

As an example, the flow rate of the nozzle 11 is 80 g / min and that of the pump 14 is 4 g / min on average and is obtained by a flow rate of 100 g / min for 4/100 of a period of operation. The running time of the pump 14 is 10 ms and the period 250 ms. The capacity of the chamber 18 is of the order of the main flow rate for a few periods, ie approximately 0.6 to 2 cm ³ . In this way, the flow rate of the nozzle 11 consists of a mixture of approximately 1/20 of concentrated product with water, but the duty cycle of the pump 14 can be adjusted for any desired dilution. For example, the tank 15 has a volume of 15 cm ³ while the tank 7 has a capacity of the order of 200 cm ³ .

In a second embodiment, shown in Figure 2, the nozzle 11 is supplied with active product diluted by a single pump 22 with two inlet valves. Pump 22 draws water from the reservoir 7 via a first capillary tube 20, and possibly a water treatment cartridge (not shown). Simultaneously, it sucks the treatment product from reservoir 15 via a second capillary tube 21 and a tap 23.

The tap 23 makes it possible to dose and control the flow suction of the concentrated active product contained in the tank 15. Advantageously, it makes possible a complete interruption of the suction of the treatment product, which allows the iron to iron to distribute the product of your choice 11 treatment or simply water, as with an ordinary spray. The flow rate of concentrated product being much lower than the flow rate of water, the closing valve 23 does not significantly affect the flow of spray.

The two capillary tubes 20 and 21 and the tap 23 allow to control the respective flows of water and product concentrated. The capillary tube 20 creates a depression on admission of the pump 22 and the capillary tube 21 is adapted to supply the flow of product depending on its viscosity and the vacuum at admission.

In operation, the water and the additive are sucked simultaneously in the pump 22 and are mixed there. Preferably, the product concentrated at a continuous rate and simultaneous with that of water, so that mixing takes place without difficulty in pump 22. This gives easily dilutions in a ratio of 1/20.

POSSIBILITY OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The invention finds its application in the technical field ironing apparatus and methods.

Claims (8)

1. A smoothing iron comprising a heating soleplate (2), a water supply system constituted by a water tank (7) or by an integrated water inlet serving as a supply of water for steaming when the iron is a steam iron, a tank (15) designed to contain a textile additive, and a dispenser device (11) for dispensing the additive, said iron including diluting means (7, 12, 14, 18, 20-23) for diluting the additive, said diluting means being connected firstly to the additive tank (15) and secondly to the additive-free water supply system (7) and being designed to produce a diluted additive solution prior to said dispensing, said smoothing iron being characterized in that said diluting means comprise a mixing chamber (18, 22) in which the water from the water supply system (7) is mixed with the additive from the additive tank (15).
2. A smoothing iron according to claim 1, characterized in that when the additive is in solid form, a current of water passes through the additive tank and becomes completely concentrated with additive.
3. A smoothing iron according to claim 1, characterized in that the additive is in a form selected from: a solution, an emulsion, a suspension, or a latex.
4. A smoothing iron according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the diluting means comprise a first pump system (12) for drawing the water and the additive into the mixing chamber (18), and a second pump system (14) for drawing the additive into the additive tank (15), said pump systems having average relative flow rates in a predetermined dilution ratio.
5. A smoothing iron according to claim 4, characterized in that the additive tank (15) includes a vent (17) opening outside the smoothing iron.
6. A smoothing iron according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said diluting means (7, 20-23) comprise a pump (22) having an inlet chamber that constitutes the mixing chamber, which pump draws in water from the supply system (7) via a first capillary tube (20), and additive from the additive tank (15) via a second capillary tube (21).
7. A smoothing iron according to claim 6, characterized in that the diluting means include a tap (23) which enables the additive inlet to be closed.
8. A smoothing iron according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the casing of the iron includes a projection at the front of the iron, and in that the dispenser device for dispensing the additive includes a nozzle (11) disposed on said projection substantially at the level of the handle of the iron.

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