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
  • D06F75/12—Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed the steam being produced from water supplied to the iron from an external source
• • 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
  • D06F75/40—Stands or supports attached to the iron

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an ironing appliance, in particular for household use, according to the preamble of claim 1.
• the present invention also relates to an iron, in particular for household use.
• the invention applies to traditional ironing, in particular of textile items, within a household environment.
• ironing appliances in particular for household use, comprise a supporting structure and an iron, said supporting structure comprising a base adapted to provide a bearing surface for said iron.
• Said supporting structure is usually so realized as to comprise a boiler adapted to contain a liquid, typically water, said boiler being provided with heating means for steam generation.
• the supporting structure is connected to the iron through connecting means comprising a duct for steam transportation and a cable for supplying electric power to the iron, both of which are enclosed in an external protection sheath.
• a first type of solution known in the art provides a base realized for compactness and for reducing the volumes, which however requires an accurate, and hence more difficult, positioning of the iron, in particular during traditional ironing operations carried out on textile ' items.
• an iron of a known type typically comprises:
• a main body extending from a front portion to a rear portion
• a known iron preferably comprises first heating means adapted to heat the sole plate and/or allow the generation of steam.
• Said known iron may then be associated with a supporting structure comprising a base adapted to provide a bearing surface for said iron.
• said supporting structure is so realized as to comprise a boiler adapted to contain a liquid, typically water, said boiler being provided with second heating means for steam generation.
• the supporting structure is connected to the iron through connecting means comprising a duct for steam transportation and a cable for supplying electric power to the iron, both of which are enclosed in an external protection sheath.
• irons are known in the art which are equipped with a sole plate which is very thick along substantially its whole extension, thus having high thermal mass and weight, which are suitable for ironing heavy and particularly creased textiles.
• Irons are also known in the art which are equipped with a sole plate which is thin along substantially its whole extension, the edges of such a sole plate being separate from the main body of the iron; as a result, said sole plate is particularly suited to reaching said parts of a fabric item which are hardly accessible and/or rigid and/or which have been added thereto.
• an ironing appliance in particular for household use, which comprises a supporting structure fitted with a base so sized as to constitute a good bearing surface for an iron, particularly during traditional ironing operations on textile items. It is another object of the present invention to realize said supporting structure in such a way as to prevent any unbalance in the assembly consisting of the supporting structure itself and the iron, thereby minimizing the risk of said supporting structure and/or the iron overturning.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ironing appliance, in particular for household use, according to the present invention
• FIG. 2a and 2b are perspective views of a supporting structure of the ironing appliance according to the present invention, said supporting structure being shown in a first (Fig. 2a) and a second (Fig. 2b) operating conditions, respectively;
• FIG. 3a is a perspective side view of the supporting structure shown in Figs. 2a and 2b;
• FIG. 3b is a perspective view of an iron of the ironing appliance according to the present invention.
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a particular embodiment of an iron, in particular for household use, according to the present invention.
• FIG. 5 is a side view of the iron of Fig. 4;
• FIG. 6 is a top view of the iron shown in Figs. 4 and 5.
• reference numeral 1 designates as a whole an ironing appliance, in particular for household use, according to the present invention.
• Said ironing appliance 1 comprises a supporting structure 10 and an iron 20, said supporting structure 10 comprising a base 1 1 adapted to provide a bearing surface for said iron 20.
• the base 1 1 comprises at least one protrusion 1 1 A made of heat-resistant material, in particular a plastic material; alternatively, the whole base 1 1 may be made of heat- resistant material, in particular a plastic material.
• the supporting structure 20 is so realized as to comprise a boiler adapted to contain a liquid, typically water, said boiler being provided with heating means for steam generation.
• a boiler adapted to contain a liquid, typically water, said boiler being provided with heating means for steam generation.
• the boiler, the liquid and the heating means for steam generation are not shown in the annexed drawings.
• the supporting structure 10 is connected to the iron 20 through connecting means 2, in particular comprising a duct for steam transportation, a cable for supplying electric power to the iron 20, and an external protection sheath adapted to contain said duct and said cable.
• said ironing appliance 1 comprises an appendix 30 movably associated with the supporting structure 10, said appendix 30 being associated with said supporting structure 10 in such a way that it can switch:
• a supporting surface 31 of said appendix 30 lies substantially on a same plane as the base 1 1, thus acting as an extension of said base 11 adapted to expand the bearing surface for the iron 20;
• Figures 2a and 2b show, by means of arrows and dashed outlines, the movement of the appendix 30 for switching from the first operating condition to the second operating condition, and vice versa.
• the appendix 30 lies in a position substantially perpendicular to said base 1 1. More precisely, as can be seen in Figs. 1 and 2b, it is the supporting surface 31 of said appendix 30 that lies in a position substantially perpendicular to said base 11 when the appendix 30 is in said second operating condition.
• the appendix 30 lies in a position substantially parallel to a raised portion 12 of the supporting structure 10, the appendix 30 being associated with the supporting structure 10 on a side opposite to said raised portion 12 with respect to the base 1 1.
• the appendix 30 cooperates with said raised portion 12 of the supporting structure 10 for the purpose of containing the iron 20 (as shown in Fig. 1).
• the particular provision of the appendix 30 according to the present invention allows to size the base 11 in such a way that it constitutes a good bearing surface for the iron 20, in particular during traditional ironing operations on textile items.
• the appendix 30 is in the first operating condition shown in Figs.
• the bearing surface for the iron 20 is formed by the base 11 and the supporting surface 31 of the appendix 30.
• the provision of the appendix 30 also allows to realize said supporting structure 10 in such a way that it comprises a base 1 1 adapted to prevent the iron 20 from getting out of balance, thereby minimizing the risk of said iron 20 overturning; in fact, the extension of the surface of said base 1 1 , determined by the position taken by the appendix 30 in the first operation condition shown in Figs. 2a and 3a, necessarily leads to increased stability of the iron 20, in particular when said iron 20 is laid on the bearing surface formed by the base 1 1 of the supporting structure 10 and the supporting surface 31 of the appendix 30.
• the appendix 30 when the appendix 30 is in the second operating condition shown in Figs. 1 and 2b, it delimits the base 11 and constitutes a sort of protection element for the iron 20, which will thus be in a position protected, for example, against accidental shocks that might cause the iron 20 and/or the supporting structure 10 to overturn and fall.
• the provision of the appendix 30 allows to realize said base 1 1 in such a way as to keep the supporting structure 10 and the iron 20 in safe conditions, especially when the iron 20 is on the base 1 1, so as to avoid any danger for a user and any risk of damage to the whole ironing appliance 1, which might arise should said supporting structure 10 and/or the iron 20 overturn.
• the provision of the appendix 30 also allows to realize said supporting structure 10 in such a way that it provides a large bearing surface for the iron 20 (particularly during ironing operations), without however being bulky or causing problems in regard to the positioning of the whole ironing appliance 1 (particularly when said ironing appliance 1 is not in use and must be stored in an suitable place).
• the switching of the appendix 30 from said first operating condition to said second operating condition, and vice versa is brought about by rotating said appendix 30 around a substantially horizontal axis of rotation A (indicated by a dashed-dotted line in said Figs. 2a and 3a), in particular said axis of rotation A being positioned substantially at the level of said base 1 1.
• the ironing appliance 1 according to the present invention comprises a locking system (not shown in the drawings), which allows holding the appendix 30 in said first operating condition and/or in said second operating condition.
• the locking system is associated with an actuating element 40 (visible in Figs. 2a and 2b), in particular of the manual type, which allows activating and/or deactivating said locking system.
• the supporting surface 31 preferably comprises a protrusion 1 1A made of heat-resistant material, in particular a plastic material.
• the ironing appliance 1 comprises first coupling means 22, 32 adapted to hold the iron 20 on the base 1 1 when the appendix 30 is in said second operating condition and a plate 21 of the iron 20 is resting on said base 11.
• said first coupling means comprise a tooth 32 associated with the supporting surface 31 of the appendix 30 and a cavity 22 (shown in Fig. 3b) present on a first portion 20A of the iron 20, said tooth 32 being adapted to fit into said cavity 22.
• the first coupling means may comprise a cavity associated with the supporting surface 31 of the appendix 30 and a tooth present on the first portion 20 A of the iron 20.
• said first portion 20A is the rear portion of the iron 20; said first portion 20A comprises a substantially flat face 22A that allows the iron 20 to lie on said first portion 20 A, in particular said face 22 A surrounding the cavity 22.
• the provision of the appendix 30 and of the first coupling means 22, 32 turns out to be particularly advantageous in that it allows the ironing appliance 1 to be so realized as to prevent the iron 20 from freeing itself from the supporting structure 10 and fall, e.g. when the ironing appliance 1 is not in use and/or upon accidental contact with the user, as a consequence of which it might suffer great damage.
• the ironing appliance 1 comprises second coupling means 13, 23 adapted to hold the iron 20 on the base 1 1 when the appendix 30 is in said second operating condition and a plate 21 of the iron 20 is resting on said base 11.
• said second coupling means comprise a slit 13 present on the raised portion 12 of the supporting structure 10 and a protrusion 23 (shown in Fig. 3b) present on a second portion 20B of the iron 20, said protrusion 23 being adapted to fit into said slit 13.
• the second coupling means may comprise a protrusion on the raised portion 12 of the supporting surface 10 and a slit on the second portion 20B of the iron 20.
• said second portion 20B is the front portion of the iron 20; in particular, said second portion 20B has a substantially tapered or pointed shape when said iron 20 is viewed from above.
• the provision of the second coupling means 13, 21 allows the ironing appliance 1 to be so realized as to prevent the iron 20 from freeing itself from the supporting structure 10 and fall, e.g. when the ironing appliance 1 is not in use and/or upon accidental contact with the user, as a consequence of which it might suffer great damage.
• the supporting structure 10 and/or the iron 20 further comprise selector means 50 adapted to select and/or set and/or display an ironing program and/or some operating parameters (e.g. relating to the temperature of the sole plate 21 of the iron 20) of the ironing appliance 1.
• selector means 50 adapted to select and/or set and/or display an ironing program and/or some operating parameters (e.g. relating to the temperature of the sole plate 21 of the iron 20) of the ironing appliance 1.
• reference numeral 100 designates as a whole an iron, in particular for household use, according to the present invention.
• the iron 100 comprises a main body 1 10 extending from a front portion 1 11 to a rear portion 1 12.
• said front portion 1 11 has a substantially tapered or pointed shape when said iron 100 is viewed from above (like the one shown in Fig. 6); also, said main body 110 is mostly made of plastic material.
• the iron 100 further comprises a sole plate 120 associated with the bottom of said main body 1 10.
• bottom refers to an operating condition of the iron 100, i.e. a condition in which a bottom surface 121 of the sole plate 120 is facing towards a fabric to be ironed.
• said bottom surface 121 of the sole plate 120 is subjected to a treatment for promoting the sliding of the iron 100 on the fabric to be ironed.
• the iron 100 comprises first heating means (not shown in the drawings) adapted to heat the sole plate 120 and/or allow the generation of steam, in particular said bottom surface 121 of the sole plate 120 comprising holes (also not shown in
• the iron 100 can then be associated with a supporting structure (also not shown in
• Figs. 4 to 6 comprising a base adapted to provide a bearing surface for said iron 100.
• said supporting structure is so realized as to comprise a boiler adapted to contain a liquid, generally water, said boiler being associated with second heating means for steam generation.
• the iron 100 comprises a duct 102 for supplying electric power to said iron 100 and/or for transporting the steam from the supporting structure to the iron
• the front portion 1 1 1 of the main body 1 10 of said iron 100 comprises a step 113.
• said step 1 13 comprises a tread 113A substantially parallel to the extension of the sole plate 120, i.e. substantially horizontal; in particular, said tread 113 A is so realized as to have a depth P (shown in Fig. 5 by means of dashed-dotted lines) of at least 1 cm.
• said depth P of the tread 113A is in the range of 1 to 3 cm.
• said depth P of the tread 1 13A is preferably measured from one end 1 1 1 A of the front portion 1 11 of the main body 1 10, along an axis A (shown in Fig. 6 by means of a dashed-dotted line) of the iron 100.
• said tread 113A of the step 113 is located at a height H of 3 to 4 cm from the bottom surface 121 of the sole plate 120; preferably, said height H is substantially equal to 3 cm.
• the particular provision of the step 113 according to the present invention allows to realize the iron 100 in such a way as to allow the sole plate 120 to effectively reach any hardly accessible areas of the textile item; in fact, the peculiar shape of the first portion 111 of the main body 110 according to the present invention allows the fabric and any parts added thereto to climb over the step 113, so that the sole plate 120 can easily reach and iron any hardly accessible parts of said textile item.
• the provision of the step 1 13 on the front portion 1 1 1 of the main body 1 10 of the iron 100 allows to attain optimal ironing results on heavy and particularly creased textiles, in that the main body 110 on top of the sole plate 120 will have adequate thermal mass and weight, thanks to the shape of said main body 110 determined by the presence of the step 1 13.
• the iron 100 according to the present invention turns out to be comfortable and easy to use, since the sole plate 120 does not have excessive dimensions and thickness, which would make the iron 100 too heavy and uncomfortable to handle.
• the step 113 comprises a riser 113B which is so realized as to form an acute angle a (shown in Fig. 5) with the sole plate
• the special shape of the riser 1 13B turns out to be particular advantageous because it allows joining the sole plate 120 with the tread 1 13 A, hence becoming a sort of draft for a textile portion (e.g. a pocket) and/or for rigid parts and/or for parts added to the fabric, which can thus climb over the step 1 13 to further facilitate the penetration of the end 11 1 A of the front portion 111 of the main body 110 into hardly accessible parts of the textile item for the purpose of ironing them.
• a textile portion e.g. a pocket
• rigid parts and/or for parts added to the fabric which can thus climb over the step 1 13 to further facilitate the penetration of the end 11 1 A of the front portion 111 of the main body 110 into hardly accessible parts of the textile item for the purpose of ironing them.
• the rear portion 112 of the iron 100 comprises a substantially flat face, which allows the iron 100 to lie on said rear portion 1 12 when said iron 100 is idle (i.e. when the sole plate 120 is not positioned on the fabric to be ironed).
• the main body 110 comprises an aperture 1 14 for filling a tank (not shown in Figs. 4 to 6) with a liquid, said tank being associated with heating means (also not shown in Figs. 4 to 6) for steam generation.
• the main body 1 10 further comprises a handle 1 15 that allows handling the iron 100; in addition, the main body 110 comprises actuating means 116 for spraying steam from the iron 100, said actuating means 1 16 being preferably associated with said handle 115.
• the iron 100 also comprises selector means 130 adapted to select and/or set and/or display an ironing program and/or some operating parameters (e.g. relating to the temperature of the sole plate 120) of the iron 100.
• selector means 130 adapted to select and/or set and/or display an ironing program and/or some operating parameters (e.g. relating to the temperature of the sole plate 120) of the iron 100.
• the iron 100 further comprises a recess 140 that allows the duct 102 to be easily wound, in particular around the main body 1 10.
• said recess 140 is located in the proximity of the rear portion 1 12 of the main body 1 10.
• the provision of the appendix 30 also allows to realize said supporting structure 10 in such a way that it comprises a base 11 adapted to prevent the assembly consisting of the supporting structure 10 and the iron 20 from getting out of balance, thereby minimizing the risk of said supporting structure 10 and/or the iron 20 overturning; in fact, the extension of the supporting surface of said base 1 1, determined by the position taken by the appendix 30 in the first operating condition shown in Figs. 2a and 3a, necessarily leads to increased stability of the assembly formed by the supporting structure 10 and the iron 20.
• the appendix 30 when the appendix 30 is in the second operating condition shown in Figs. 1 and 2b, it delimits the base 1 1 and constitutes a sort of protection element for the iron 20, which will thus be in a position protected, for example, against accidental shocks that might cause the iron 20 and/or the supporting structure 10 to overturn and fall.
• the provision of the appendix 30 allows to design said base 11 in such a way as to keep the supporting structure 10 and the iron 20 in safe conditions, especially when the iron is on the base, so as to avoid any danger for a user and any risk of damage to the whole ironing appliance 1 , which might arise should said supporting structure 10 and/or the iron 20 overturn.
• the peculiar realization of the appendix 30 then provides said supporting structure 10 with a large bearing surface (formed by the base 1 1 and the supporting surface 31) for the iron 20, without however being bulky or causing problems in regard to the positioning of the whole ironing appliance 1.
• Another advantage of the ironing appliance 1 in particular for household use, according to the present invention lies in the provision of the first coupling means 22, 32 and/or the second coupling means 13, 23, which allow to realize the ironing appliance in such a way as to prevent the iron 20 from freeing itself from the supporting structure 10 and fall, e.g. when the ironing appliance 1 is not in use and/or upon accidental contact with the user, as a consequence of which it might suffer great damage.
• step 113 allows to realize the iron 100 in such a way as to allow the sole plate 120 to effectively reach any hardly accessible areas of the textile item; in fact, the peculiar shape of the first portion 1 1 1 of the main body 1 10 according to the present invention allows the fabric and any parts added thereto to climb over the step 113, so that the sole plate 120 can easily reach and iron any hardly accessible parts of said textile item.
• the provision of the step 113 on the front portion 1 1 1 of the main body 110 of the iron 100 allows to attain optimal ironing results on heavy and particularly creased textiles, in that the main body 1 10 on top of the sole plate 120 will have adequate thermal mass and weight, thanks to the shape of said main body 1 10 determined by the presence of the step 1 13.
• the iron 100 according to the present invention turns out to be comfortable and easy to use, since the sole plate 120 does not have excessive dimensions and thickness, which would make the iron 100 too heavy and uncomfortable to handle.
• the particular shape of the riser 1 13B according to the present invention further facilitates the penetration of the end 1 1 1 A of the front portion 1 1 1 of the main body 110 into hardly accessible parts of the textile item for the purpose of ironing them.
• the ironing appliance and the iron, in particular for household use, described herein by way of example may be subject to many possible variations without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea; it is also clear that in the practical implementation of the invention the illustrated details may have different shapes or be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Irons (AREA)

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• 2013
  • 2013-12-04 EP EP16168870.0A patent/EP3085829A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-12-04 EP EP13820974.7A patent/EP2929080A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-12-04 WO PCT/IB2013/060622 patent/WO2014087342A2/en active Application Filing

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