EP2851132B1 - Manual pump for an electrical appliance, in particular for an ironing appliance - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a manual pump for a household appliance, especially an ironing appliance, and relates more particularly to a manual pump comprising an actuating button movable between a rest position, to which it is brought back by return means. , and a depressed position to which it is brought by pressing the button.

It is known from the patent application GB 1,430,359 , an iron comprising a device for spraying a water spray comprising a manual pump comprising an actuating button movable between a rest position, to which it is returned by a return spring, and a depressed position to which it is brought by pressing the button. The iron also comprises a device for the emission of a surplus of steam comprising a pump of similar construction operated by a second button.

Such hand pumps have the advantage of being simple and economical to achieve which allows to offer an iron equipped with a spraying device and a device for the emission of a surplus of steam at reduced cost . To provide good ergonomics of use, the actuating buttons of these pumps are generally arranged in the environment of the handle, either at the upper front end of the handle to be operated easily with the thumb, or under the handle to be operated with the index finger as a trigger.

However, such actuating buttons have the disadvantage of being very exposed so that they can be struck unintentionally when the iron is handled during an ironing session. However, actuation, even partial of these buttons, causes the sending of liquid by the pump. When the pump is associated with a spray nozzle, this causes the emission of a drop of water through the nozzle of the spray device that can come stain the linen.

It is also known, from the patent FR 1 446 967 , an iron comprising a device for spraying a water spray comprising a manual pump comprising an actuating button movable between a rest position, to which it is returned by a return spring, and a depressed position to which it is brought by pressing the button. In this document, the actuation button can be moved from the rest position to a locking position in which actuation of the pump is made impossible. However, such a device has the disadvantage of requiring additional manipulation of the user for locking and unlocking the button, which makes its use somewhat ergonomic.

A hand pump according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from the document EP2851132 .

The following invention aims to overcome the disadvantages mentioned above. For this purpose, the invention relates to a manual pump according to claim 1. There is thus obtained braking means acting essentially when the piston is in the rest position and for creating a hard point in the actuation of the button to avoid unintentional operation of the pump.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the locking element is constituted by an elastic ring, the ring being immobilized along the longitudinal axis of the piston by holding means.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the pumping chamber comprises an orifice for the passage of the piston rod and the holding means are constituted by holding claws disposed at the edge of the orifice.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the return means of the piston are constituted by a spring and the locking element is constituted by a part of the spring which has a shape adapted to engage in the groove when the piston is in the rest position.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the spring is a helical coil spring which has a folded end engaging in the groove when the piston is in the rest position.

The invention also relates to an ironing apparatus comprising a spray nozzle for the emission of a water spray fed by a hand pump according to the invention.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the apparatus comprises an iron comprising an ironing sole surmounted by a housing provided with a gripping handle, the spray nozzle being disposed on the front face of the iron.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the actuating button of the pump is disposed near the front end of the handle of the iron, on the top of the handle to be operated with the thumb or under the handle to be operated with the index finger as a trigger.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une partie de la face avant d'un fer à repasser selon un mode particulier de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective du dispositif de pompage équipant le fer à repasser de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective du corps du dispositif de pompage de la figure 2 ;
• Les figures 4A et 4B sont des vues en coupe du dispositif de pompage selon la ligne IV-IV de la figure 2 lorsque le piston est respectivement en position de repos et en position enfoncée.
• les figures 5A et 5B sont des vues en perspectives du piston équipant la pompe associée à la buse de pulvérisation lorsque le piston est respectivement en position de repos et en position enfoncée ;
• La figure 6 est une vue en perspective d'un piston équipé d'un ressort de rappel selon un second mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• La figure 7 est une vue en perspective du ressort équipant le piston de la figure 6 ;
• La figure 8 est une vue en coupe de la pompe équipée du piston de la figure 6.

The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the description given below of several particular embodiments of the invention presented by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the appended drawings in which :

• the figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the front face of an iron according to a particular embodiment of the invention;
• the figure 2 is a perspective view of the pumping device equipping the iron of the figure 1 ;
• the figure 3 is a perspective view of the body of the pumping device of the figure 2 ;
• The Figures 4A and 4B are sectional views of the pumping device along line IV-IV of the figure 2 when the piston is respectively in the rest position and in the depressed position.
• the Figures 5A and 5B are perspective views of the piston equipping the pump associated with the spray nozzle when the piston is respectively in the rest position and in the depressed position;
• The figure 6 is a perspective view of a piston equipped with a return spring according to a second embodiment of the invention;
• The figure 7 is a perspective view of the spring equipping the piston of the figure 6 ;
• The figure 8 is a sectional view of the pump equipped with the piston of the figure 6 .

Only the elements necessary for the understanding of the invention have been represented. To facilitate the reading of the drawings, the same elements bear the same references from one figure to another.

The figure 1 represents a portion of the front face of a steam iron conventionally comprising an ironing sole surmounted by a heating body comprising a vaporization chamber, and a housing provided with a handle, not shown on the FIGS.

According to this figure, the front face comprises a spray nozzle 1 connected to a pumping device comprising two manual pumps 2, 3 respectively actuated by a knob 20, 30 disposed at a front upper end of the handle of the iron, the front face also comprising a hatch 4 for filling a tank integrated into the housing of the iron, not shown in the figures.

As can be seen on the figure 2 , the pumps 2, 3 each comprise a cylindrical pumping chamber 21, 31 receiving a piston 23, 33, shown in dotted lines in this figure, the two pumping chambers 21, 31 being formed in the same body 10, being disposed rib adjacent, and comprising an open upper end closed by a cover 11.

The lid 11 comprises, in the extension of each pumping chamber 21, 31, an orifice 12, 13 allowing the passage of a rod 22, 32 having a lower end integral with the piston 23, 33 and an upper end integral with a 22A head, 32A on which the button 20, 30 comes to bear, the head 22A, 32A having a lower face subjected to the thrust of a return spring 24, 34 interposed between the head 22A, 32A and the cover 11.

The pistons 23, 33 thus produced are movable in translation between a rest position, illustrated on the figure 2 , to which they are returned by the return spring 24, 34 and a depressed position, to which they are brought when the user respectively presses the button 20 and the button 30.

In a manner known per se, the buttons 20, 30 accompany the pistons 23, 33 in their displacement and are, for this purpose, advantageously mounted movable in translation in the axis of the pistons or carried by control levers pivotally mounted around an eccentric axis, the buttons 20, 30 being movable between a rest position to which they are returned by the return spring 24, 34 and a depressed position corresponding to the depressed position of the pistons 23, 33.

Each pumping chamber 21, 31 comprises a bottom provided with an intake duct 25, 35 plunging into the reservoir of the iron to draw water from it, one of the pumping chambers 21 comprising an exhaust duct 26 connected by a pipe to the spray nozzle 1 to allow the diffusion of a spray of water when the button 20 is actuated, the other pumping chamber 31 comprising an exhaust duct 36 opening into a steam chamber, not shown in the figures, to produce a surplus of steam when the button 30 is actuated.

In the particular embodiment illustrated in the figures, the pump 2 connected to the spray nozzle 1 differs from the pump 1 connected to the steam chamber in that it comprises braking means ensuring the maintenance of the piston 23 in the rest position, these braking means being advantageously constituted by a ring 27 which engages elastically in an annular groove 28 formed on the rod 22.

In accordance with the figure 3 , the ring 27 has the shape of a resilient ring which is disposed at the outlet of the orifice 12 and which is secured to the body 10 while being maintained, along the longitudinal axis of displacement of the rod 22, by retaining claws 29 disposed on the lid 11 at the edge of the orifice, the retaining claws 29 defining an annular housing in which the ring 27 can deform radially to the rod 22 while being immobilized in the longitudinal direction of the rod 22.

The operation of the pump 2 thus produced will now be described.

In accordance with the Figure 4A when the button 20 and the piston 23 are returned by the return spring 24 in the rest position, the piston 23 moves towards the top of the pumping chamber so that the water of the reservoir is sucked by the conduit of the pump. 25 in the pumping chamber 21. In this rest position, the groove 28 on the rod 22 is opposite the ring 27 so that the ring 27 is engaged in the groove 28, as well as this is also represented on the Figure 5A .

It follows immobilization of the rod 22 in the rest position by the ring 27 and the need for the user to exert additional force on the button 20 to achieve the displacement of the piston 23, this additional effort being defined by the force necessary to elastically deform the ring 27 so that it opens sufficiently to leave the groove 28 and slide along the rod 22.

When the pressure exerted on the button 20 is sufficient to achieve the deformation of the ring 27, the piston 23 can slide downwards, as is shown in FIG. Figure 4B , and the ring 27 slides along the rod 22, as is shown on the Figure 5B , generating only a very low blocking force corresponding to the friction forces of the ring 27 on the rod 22.

During this displacement of the piston 23 downwards, the water of the pumping chamber 21 is pushed through the exhaust duct 26 by an outlet orifice 26A formed near the bottom of the pumping chamber 21, and is then sprayed through the nozzle 1, the inlet duct 25 having a ball valve 25A preventing the return of water to the tank.

When the user releases the button 20, the button 20 and the piston 23 are returned to their rest position by the return spring 24, then are again immobilized in this position by the engagement of the ring 27 in the throat 28.

This gives a pump in which the displacement of the piston 23 has a hard point when the piston 23 occupies the rest position so that the button 20 of the pump 2 is more difficult to operate when it occupies the rest position than when he left his position of rest.

Such a feature has the advantage of avoiding unintentional actuation of the pump, especially when a low pressure is exerted on the pump during the handling of the iron, and thus to prevent drops of water 'flow through the spray nozzle and do not stain the laundry.

The Figures 6 to 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment in which the piston 23 is equipped with a return spring 124 which provides both the return function of the piston 23 to the rest position and the braking of the piston 23 in the rest position, such a variant embodiment having the advantage of allowing to obtain an equivalent result without using an independent elastic ring.

According to these figures, in this variant of embodiment the return spring 124 has the shape of a helical spring having a lower end 127 bent inwards so that this lower end 127 engages inside the groove 28 of the rod 22 when the piston 23 is in the rest position, as illustrated in FIG. figure 6 , the upper end of the spring 124 being attached to a cup 122A integral with the rod 22.

The operation of a pump 102 thus produced, represented on the figure 8 , is similar to the operation described for the first embodiment, the lower end 127 bent of the return spring 124 acting as the elastic ring coming into engage the groove 28 when the piston 23 occupies the rest position and leaving the groove 28 to slide along the rod 22 when a sufficiently high pressure is exerted on the button 20. The lower end 127 curved thus generates a braking force when the piston 23 is in the rest position, which creates a hard point in the actuation of the pump 102, thus avoiding any involuntary actuation of the pump 102.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the described and illustrated embodiments which have been given only as examples. Modifications are possible, particularly from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention defined by the scope of the claims below. Thus, in an alternative embodiment not shown, the braking means may also equip the pump for generating a surplus of steam to prevent untimely emission of steam.

Thus in an alternative embodiment, the control element of the pump may be placed under the handle of the iron to be operated by means of the index finger of the hand, such as a trigger.

Claims (8)

1. Manual pump (2; 102) for an electrical appliance, in particular an ironing appliance, comprising a mobile operation button (20) between a rest position, towards which it is returned by recall means (24; 124), and a sunken position, towards which it is returned by pressing the button (20) to produce the pumping effect, said pump (2; 102) comprising stopping means (27, 28; 127) generating a force opposing the movement of the button (20) towards the sunken position when said button (20) occupies the rest position, said stopping means (27, 28; 127) being adapted so that the force necessary to move the button (20) towards the sunken position is more significant when the button (20) is located in a rest position than when it has left said rest position, the pump comprising a body (10) comprising a pumping chamber (21) holding a piston (23) connected to a rod (22), characterised in that the stopping means (27, 28; 127) act on the rod (22) of the piston (23) and are constituted by a blocking element (27; 127) which is inserted elastically into a throat (28) made on the rod (22) when the piston (23) occupies the rest position.
2. Manual pump (2) according to claim 1, characterised in that said blocking element is constituted by an elastic ring (27), said ring (27) being immobilised according to the longitudinal axis of the piston (23) by the holding means (29).
3. Manual pump (2) according to claim 2, characterised in that the pumping chamber (21) comprises an orifice (12) for the passage of the rod (22) from the piston, and in that the holding means are constituted by holding claws (29) arranged at the edge of the orifice (22).
4. Manual pump (102) according to claim 1, characterised in that the piston recall means are constituted by a spring (124) and in that the blocking element (127) is constituted by a section (127) of the spring (124) which has an adapted shape to be inserted into the throat (28) when the piston (23) occupies the rest position.
5. Manual pump (102) according to claim 4, characterised in that the spring (124) is a helical coil spring and in that the spring (124) comprises a folded end (127) being inserted into the throat (28) when the piston (23) occupies the rest position.
6. Ironing appliance comprising a spray nozzle (1) to release water spray supplied by a manual pump (2; 102) according to any one of the claims 1 to 5.
7. Ironing appliance according to claim 6, characterised in that it comprises an iron comprising an ironing soleplate mounted on a case fitted with a gripping handle and in that said spray nozzle (1) is arranged on the front face of the iron.
8. Ironing appliance according to claim 7, characterised in that said button (20) is arranged close to the front end of the iron's handle, on the top of the handle to be operated with the thumb, or under the handle to be operated with the index finger, such as a trigger.

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