EP2943609B1 - Hand-held appliance - Google Patents
Hand-held appliance Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2943609B1 EP2943609B1 EP13820991.1A EP13820991A EP2943609B1 EP 2943609 B1 EP2943609 B1 EP 2943609B1 EP 13820991 A EP13820991 A EP 13820991A EP 2943609 B1 EP2943609 B1 EP 2943609B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- tube portion
- inlet
- reservoir
- hand
- tube
- 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.)
- Active
Links
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 46
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 15
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 15
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000010409 ironing Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000010025 steaming Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000007257 malfunction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
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
- D06F75/10—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
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L11/00—Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
- A47L11/34—Machines for treating carpets in position by liquid, foam, or vapour, e.g. by steam
-
- 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
- D06F87/00—Apparatus for moistening or otherwise conditioning the article to be ironed or pressed
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a hand-held appliance in which a water reservoir is mounted within a housing that is held in the hand and which has an outlet or nozzle to discharge fluid or steam onto a surface, such as a garment, a fabric article such as a curtain or fabric covered items of furniture.
- the hand-held appliance of the invention may also be used to clean solid surfaces such as floors or counter tops by the application of steam and/or fluid to the surface.
- a conventional hand-held garment steamer 1 is illustrated in Figure 1 , and comprises a housing 2 containing a water tank or reservoir 3 and a heating chamber 4. Water is delivered from the reservoir 3 to the heating chamber 4 via a delivery system comprising a pump 5 and a tube 6 that has a portion 7 which extends into the reservoir 3 and which has an inlet 8 at its free end for the flow of water into the portion 7 of the tube 6 and along the tube 6 into the heating chamber 4. Water delivered to the heating chamber 4 is converted into steam for delivery to the surface being steamed through an outlet 9.
- the housing 2 is orientated in its intended position of use so that steam is ejected through the outlet 9 in a substantially horizontal direction, as indicated by arrow A.
- the portion 7 of the tube 6 extends into the reservoir 3 such that the inlet 8 is positioned at the lowest point in the reservoir 3 when the hand-held steamer is held in its intended orientation during use so that substantially all the water in the reservoir 3 will be drawn into the heating chamber 4, i.e. in the vertical orientation shown in Figure 1 , in which steam exits the outlet 9 substantially horizontally.
- it is also desirable to be able to use the hand-held steamer 1 in other orientations such as when steaming garments or fabric articles placed on an ironing board or when steaming fabric covered items of furniture. In these circumstances, the hand-held steamer 1 will be held in a non-vertical orientation and may even be held horizontally so that steam is exits the housing through the outlet 9 in a substantially vertical direction.
- the present invention seeks to provide a hand-held appliance that overcomes or substantially alleviates the problems with a conventional hand-held appliance, such as those identified above, and which maintains adequate delivery of fluid or steam to a surface irrespective of the orientation of the appliance.
- the appliance of the invention may be used for a variety of different purposes and may, for example, be used for cleaning solid surfaces such as floors or windows as well as steam ironing of fabric articles or garments.
- the appliance need not be capable of generating steam, in which case the fluid, such as water contained in the reservoir can be delivered directly onto a surface to be cleaned.
- the appliance is provided with a heating chamber so that water contained in the reservoir is delivered to the heating chamber to be turned into steam prior to delivery to a surface.
- the appliance may be provided with a switch that provides a user with the option to deliver liquid or steam to a surface. For example, it may be possible to use the appliance with the heating chamber switched off.
- a hand-held appliance is characterised in that the tube comprises multiple inlets spaced from each other within the reservoir so that, when the reservoir contains water, an inlet is submerged irrespective of the orientation of the housing, the tube portion also comprising a separate valve assembly associated with each tube inlet so that a valve assembly associated with a submerged tube inlet opens to allow flow of water through that inlet and a valve assembly associated with a non-submerged tube inlet closes to prevent the flow of air through said non-submerged tube inlet.
- the tube portion contains multiple inlets, at least one tube inlet will always be in a submerged position irrespective of the orientation of the appliance.
- the hand-held appliance will therefore continue to emit fluid or steam consistently in whatever position or orientation it is held in.
- the tube inlets which are located above the water line are closed by the valve which is associated with the non-submerged tube inlet, no air will be drawn into the heating chamber through that, or those, tube inlet(s).
- each valve assembly comprises a housing and a single valve member movable within the housing between a first position in which the inlet is open to allow water to flow past the valve into the inlet and a second position in which the inlet is closed to prevent the passage of air into the inlet.
- the valve member may drop under its own weight into its first position and in a direction away from its associated inlet.
- each valve assembly is removably mounted to an end of the tube over the inlet.
- the aforementioned features provide a hand-held appliance in which an independent, but identical valve design is used for each tube inlet.
- a separate valve assembly is removably attached to each end of the tube over an inlet, the assembly becomes more flexible and easier to manufacture and assemble. It also means that more than two inlets can be used without having to re-design the valve assembly, as a separate but identical valve assembly is simply provided for each inlet.
- the length of the tube portion within the reservoir is also irrelevant, as the valve assembly can be attached to the end of a tube of any length. It is therefore applicable to hand-held appliances having reservoirs of various different sizes and shapes. As each valve assembly may be removable, they can be replaced easily due to wear or malfunction without replacing the other valve assembly or assemblies.
- the tube portion comprises a primary tube portion extending into the reservoir and a secondary tube portion attached to a free end of the primary tube portion at a junction, a separate valve assembly being mounted to each end of the secondary tube portion remote from said junction.
- the primary tube portion may extend into the reservoir so that its free end is positioned roughly at a central point within the reservoir.
- the secondary tube portion can then extend to opposite ends of the reservoir so that at least one inlet will always be submerged in any water in the reservoir irrespective of the orientation of the appliance.
- the secondary tube portion may comprise two inlets and may be integrally formed with a connector for attachment to said free end of the primary tube portion to effect fluid communication between the secondary tube portion and the primary tube portion.
- the connector may comprise a connection piece integrally formed with the secondary tube portion for fluidly connecting the secondary tube portion to the free end of the primary tube portion.
- the secondary tube portion may be a linear or straight section of tubing, and the connection piece can extend at right angles from the secondary tube portion at a point midway between each end of the secondary tube portion so that each tube inlet is positioned at approximately the same distance away from the free end of the primary tube portion.
- the connection piece may simply be a short, hollow length of tube that is a push fit into the free end of the primary tube portion so as to effect fluid communication between the primary tube portion and the secondary tube portion.
- the secondary tube portion maybe formed of a plurality of independent sections.
- each independent section may be attached to the free end of the primary tube portion via a connecting element to effect fluid communication between each independent section and the primary tube portion.
- the secondary tube portion may comprise two independent sections and so the connecting element may, for example, be T-shaped so that each end of the 'T' forms a connector that is a push fit within the end of each tube to be connected. If the connecting element is substantially T-shaped, each independent section may extend away from each other in opposite directions and the primary tube portion may extend substantially at right-angles to each independent section.
- a hand-held appliance is characterised in that the tube comprises two inlets spaced from each other within the reservoir so that, when the reservoir contains water, at least one of said inlets is submerged irrespective of the orientation of the housing, the tube portion comprising a valve assembly having an outlet, first and second openings and a single valve member within said valve assembly that allows water to flow through the valve assembly via the first opening, whilst also preventing the flow of air through the valve assembly through the second opening, the valve member being configured such that it drops under its own weight into an alternate position in response to a change in the orientation of the appliance to allow water to flow through said second opening via one of said inlets whilst preventing the flow of air through said first opening via the other of said inlets.
- the appliance according to this aspect of the invention has a simple valve construction, as only one valve member is required to control flow through each of the first and second openings.
- the tube comprises a primary tube portion that extends into the reservoir so that a free end of said primary tube portion is in fluid communication with the outlet of the valve assembly, and a secondary tube portion extends from each of the first and second openings of the valve assembly, said tube portions being configured such that the valve member drops in a direction toward the opening from which a tube portion having the uppermost inlet extends, depending upon the orientation of the hand-held appliance, to prevent the flow of air through said opening from said secondary tube portion.
- a hand-held appliance is characterised in that the secondary tube portion comprising an inlet at each end spaced from each other within the reservoir, and a valve element received within the secondary tube portion, said valve element being slideable under its own weight in response to a change in orientation of the valve element so that, depending upon the orientation of the steamer, an uppermost inlet is closed to prevent the flow of air into the secondary tube portion and the lowermost inlet is open to allow the flow of water into the secondary tube portion.
- the hand-held appliance includes a heating chamber and the tube is configured to convey water from the reservoir to the heating chamber to generate steam prior to delivery to a surface.
- FIG. 2a and 2b a partial view of a first embodiment of a hand-held appliance 10 that is capable of generating steam and which comprises a housing 2 and a reservoir 3, similar to the conventional hand-held steamer 1 described with reference to Figure 1 above.
- the portion 7 of the tube 6 (see Figure 1 ) that extends into the reservoir 3 now has two tube inlets 11, 12 which are positioned at opposite ends of the reservoir 3.
- a valve assembly 13, 14 is positioned at each inlet 11, 12.
- valve assembly 13 associated with the inlet 11 will then be in an open position to allow water to flow from the reservoir 3 into the portion 7 of the tube 6, whereas the valve assembly 14 associated with the other inlet 12, which is positioned above inlet 11, will be closed to prevent air from entering the portion 7 of the tube 6.
- Each valve assembly 13, 14 is attached to the portion 7 of the tube 6 over each inlet 11,12.
- Each valve assembly 13,14 is preferably releasably attached to the portion 7 to enable independent removal and replacement of each valve assembly 13,14, although it is envisaged that one or both valve assemblies 13,14 can be permanently attached to the portion 7 or otherwise formed integrally with it.
- Each valve assembly 13,14 contains a valve member in the form of a weighted body or ball 15 that drops due to gravity and does not float. As shown in Figure 2a , both bodies 15 have dropped under gravity so that the body 15 of the valve assembly 14 associated with the upper inlet 12 is in contact with a valve seat 16 at the end of the portion 7, thereby closing the upper inlet 12 and preventing the passage of air into the portion 7.
- the body 15 of the valve assembly 13 associated with the lower inlet 11 is in a position in which it is distanced from its corresponding valve seat 16, thereby allowing water to flow into the portion 7 past the body 15.
- the body 15 is held in a cage 17 to constrain its movement and prevent it from falling out.
- the cage 17 has openings or passages therein to allow water to flow around the body 15 and into the inlet 11 when the body 15 is spaced from its valve seat 16.
- FIG 2b illustrates the same hand-held steamer 10 as shown in Figure 2a , but in an orientation in which steam is directed out of the outlet 9 (see Figure 1 ) in the housing 2 onto the garment being steamed in a vertically downward direction.
- the housing 2 may be held in this orientation when, for example, a fabric article that has been placed on an ironing board or on a table or such like is being steamed or, when steaming an item of furniture.
- inlet 12 is now positioned below inlet 11 and will be submerged in any water contained in the reservoir 3 whereas, depending on the amount of water in the reservoir 3, inlet 11 will be above the water line. Therefore, valve assembly 13 associated with inlet 11 is closed to prevent the ingress of air whilst valve assembly 14 associated with inlet 12 is open to maintain a flow of water to the heating chamber 4 (see Figure 1 ).
- the portion 7 of the tube 6 within the reservoir 3 may comprise a primary tube portion 18 that extends from a flow control valve 19 in the wall of the reservoir 3, which is connected to a secondary tube portion 20.
- the inlet 11 is at one end of the secondary tube portion 20 and the other inlet 12 is at the opposite end of the secondary tube portion 20.
- the secondary tube portion 20 has an integral connector 21 positioned midway between the inlets 11, 12 to fluidly connect it to a free end of the primary tube portion 18.
- the secondary tube portion 20 may extend diagonally across the inside of the reservoir 3 so that, when the housing 2 is in the position shown in Figure 2b , inlet 12 will be below inlet 11.
- the primary tube portion 18 and/or the secondary tube portion 20 may be formed from rigid or flexible parts or a combination of both.
- FIG. 3 A modified version of the steamer 10 shown in Figure 2a and 2b is shown in Figure 3 .
- the secondary tube portion 20 is formed in two parts 20a, 20b fluidly connected together by a separate T-shaped connector 22, which also fluidly connects the two parts 20a, 20b to the free end of the primary tube portion 18.
- Each secondary tube portion 20a, 20b may be formed from flexible or rigid tubing.
- Figures 2a, 2b and Figure 3 each have a secondary tube portion 20, 20a, 20b that has two inlets
- the secondary tube portion 20a, 20b could also be provided with more than two inlets, each inlet being positioned in a different location within the reservoir 3. Further inlets may be required depending upon the shape of the reservoir 3 and so as to ensure that at least one inlet will be submerged in any water remaining in the reservoir 3 irrespective of the orientation of the steamer.
- the primary tube portion 18 is connected directly a single fluid flow control valve 23 which is located roughly centrally within the reservoir 3.
- Secondary tube portions 24a, 24b are fluidly attached to, and extend in opposite directions from, the fluid flow control valve 23.
- An inlet 25, 26 is provided at the end of each secondary tube section 24a, 24b.
- the fluid flow control valve 23 comprises a valve housing 27 containing a weighted body 30 which toggles between a first position at one end of the valve housing 27, as shown in Figure 4a , in which it sits against a first valve seat 28 to close the secondary tube portion 24a and stop ingress of air into inlet 25; and a second position, as shown in Figure 4b , in which it sits against a second valve seat 29 at the opposite end of the valve housing 27 to close the secondary tube portion 24b and stop ingress of air into inlet 26.
- the weighted body 30 moves between its first and second positions under gravity and in response to a change in the orientation of the housing 2.
- the body 30 sits against valve seat 28 to close the secondary tube portion 24a and, when the housing 2 is in an orientation in which steam is emitted from the outlet 9 in a substantially vertical direction as shown in Figure 4b , the body 30 sits against valve seat 29 to close the secondary tube portion 24b.
- the secondary tube portion 24a is positioned so that the inlet 25 is lower than the inlet 26 at the end of the other secondary tube portion 24b when the housing 2 is in the orientation shown in Figure 4b so that the inlet 25 will always be submerged in any water contained in the reservoir 3 when the housing 2 is in this position.
- FIG. 5a and 5b A further embodiment is shown in Figures 5a and 5b .
- the portion 7 of the tube 6 has a secondary tube portion 31 connected to the free end of the primary tube portion 18, as in the embodiment of Figure 2a and 2b .
- the valve assembly is formed by a rod 32 slideably received in the secondary tube portion 31 so that it protrudes from the inlets 33, 34 at each end of the secondary tube portion 31.
- An enlarged head 35a, 35b is provided at each end of the rod 32 and carries a sealing disc 36a, 36b that faces its corresponding inlet end 33, 34 of the secondary tube portion 31.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Cookers (AREA)
- Domestic Plumbing Installations (AREA)
- Devices For Dispensing Beverages (AREA)
- Multiple-Way Valves (AREA)
- Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
- Devices For Medical Bathing And Washing (AREA)
- Irons (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to a hand-held appliance in which a water reservoir is mounted within a housing that is held in the hand and which has an outlet or nozzle to discharge fluid or steam onto a surface, such as a garment, a fabric article such as a curtain or fabric covered items of furniture. The hand-held appliance of the invention may also be used to clean solid surfaces such as floors or counter tops by the application of steam and/or fluid to the surface.
- A conventional hand-held
garment steamer 1 is illustrated inFigure 1 , and comprises ahousing 2 containing a water tank orreservoir 3 and aheating chamber 4. Water is delivered from thereservoir 3 to theheating chamber 4 via a delivery system comprising apump 5 and atube 6 that has aportion 7 which extends into thereservoir 3 and which has aninlet 8 at its free end for the flow of water into theportion 7 of thetube 6 and along thetube 6 into theheating chamber 4. Water delivered to theheating chamber 4 is converted into steam for delivery to the surface being steamed through anoutlet 9. InFigure 1 , thehousing 2 is orientated in its intended position of use so that steam is ejected through theoutlet 9 in a substantially horizontal direction, as indicated by arrow A. - The
portion 7 of thetube 6 extends into thereservoir 3 such that theinlet 8 is positioned at the lowest point in thereservoir 3 when the hand-held steamer is held in its intended orientation during use so that substantially all the water in thereservoir 3 will be drawn into theheating chamber 4, i.e. in the vertical orientation shown inFigure 1 , in which steam exits theoutlet 9 substantially horizontally. However, it is also desirable to be able to use the hand-heldsteamer 1 in other orientations such as when steaming garments or fabric articles placed on an ironing board or when steaming fabric covered items of furniture. In these circumstances, the hand-heldsteamer 1 will be held in a non-vertical orientation and may even be held horizontally so that steam is exits the housing through theoutlet 9 in a substantially vertical direction. However, when a conventional hand-held steamer is held in this way, theinlet 8 will not always be submerged in water in thereservoir 3, especially when thereservoir 3 is only partially full. This results in air being drawn into theheating chamber 4 rather than water, preventing efficient steam generation. - It is known from
US5121464 A to provide a steamer for ironing clothes having the features recited in the pre-characterising portions ofindependent claims - The present invention seeks to provide a hand-held appliance that overcomes or substantially alleviates the problems with a conventional hand-held appliance, such as those identified above, and which maintains adequate delivery of fluid or steam to a surface irrespective of the orientation of the appliance.
- Although reference is primarily made to a hand-held steamer for steaming garments or fabric articles, it will be appreciated that the appliance of the invention may be used for a variety of different purposes and may, for example, be used for cleaning solid surfaces such as floors or windows as well as steam ironing of fabric articles or garments. Furthermore, the appliance need not be capable of generating steam, in which case the fluid, such as water contained in the reservoir can be delivered directly onto a surface to be cleaned. However, it is preferable that the appliance is provided with a heating chamber so that water contained in the reservoir is delivered to the heating chamber to be turned into steam prior to delivery to a surface. It is also envisaged that the appliance may be provided with a switch that provides a user with the option to deliver liquid or steam to a surface. For example, it may be possible to use the appliance with the heating chamber switched off.
- A hand-held appliance according to a first aspect of the present invention is characterised in that the tube comprises multiple inlets spaced from each other within the reservoir so that, when the reservoir contains water, an inlet is submerged irrespective of the orientation of the housing, the tube portion also comprising a separate valve assembly associated with each tube inlet so that a valve assembly associated with a submerged tube inlet opens to allow flow of water through that inlet and a valve assembly associated with a non-submerged tube inlet closes to prevent the flow of air through said non-submerged tube inlet.
- As the tube portion contains multiple inlets, at least one tube inlet will always be in a submerged position irrespective of the orientation of the appliance. The hand-held appliance will therefore continue to emit fluid or steam consistently in whatever position or orientation it is held in. As the tube inlets which are located above the water line are closed by the valve which is associated with the non-submerged tube inlet, no air will be drawn into the heating chamber through that, or those, tube inlet(s).
- Preferably, each valve assembly comprises a housing and a single valve member movable within the housing between a first position in which the inlet is open to allow water to flow past the valve into the inlet and a second position in which the inlet is closed to prevent the passage of air into the inlet.
- The valve member may drop under its own weight into its first position and in a direction away from its associated inlet.
- In a preferred embodiment, each valve assembly is removably mounted to an end of the tube over the inlet.
- The aforementioned features provide a hand-held appliance in which an independent, but identical valve design is used for each tube inlet. As a separate valve assembly is removably attached to each end of the tube over an inlet, the assembly becomes more flexible and easier to manufacture and assemble. It also means that more than two inlets can be used without having to re-design the valve assembly, as a separate but identical valve assembly is simply provided for each inlet. The length of the tube portion within the reservoir is also irrelevant, as the valve assembly can be attached to the end of a tube of any length. It is therefore applicable to hand-held appliances having reservoirs of various different sizes and shapes. As each valve assembly may be removable, they can be replaced easily due to wear or malfunction without replacing the other valve assembly or assemblies.
- In a preferred embodiment, the tube portion comprises a primary tube portion extending into the reservoir and a secondary tube portion attached to a free end of the primary tube portion at a junction, a separate valve assembly being mounted to each end of the secondary tube portion remote from said junction. The primary tube portion may extend into the reservoir so that its free end is positioned roughly at a central point within the reservoir. The secondary tube portion can then extend to opposite ends of the reservoir so that at least one inlet will always be submerged in any water in the reservoir irrespective of the orientation of the appliance.
- The secondary tube portion may comprise two inlets and may be integrally formed with a connector for attachment to said free end of the primary tube portion to effect fluid communication between the secondary tube portion and the primary tube portion. The connector may comprise a connection piece integrally formed with the secondary tube portion for fluidly connecting the secondary tube portion to the free end of the primary tube portion. Ideally, the secondary tube portion may be a linear or straight section of tubing, and the connection piece can extend at right angles from the secondary tube portion at a point midway between each end of the secondary tube portion so that each tube inlet is positioned at approximately the same distance away from the free end of the primary tube portion. The connection piece may simply be a short, hollow length of tube that is a push fit into the free end of the primary tube portion so as to effect fluid communication between the primary tube portion and the secondary tube portion.
- In an alternate embodiment, the secondary tube portion maybe formed of a plurality of independent sections. In this case, each independent section may be attached to the free end of the primary tube portion via a connecting element to effect fluid communication between each independent section and the primary tube portion. The secondary tube portion may comprise two independent sections and so the connecting element may, for example, be T-shaped so that each end of the 'T' forms a connector that is a push fit within the end of each tube to be connected. If the connecting element is substantially T-shaped, each independent section may extend away from each other in opposite directions and the primary tube portion may extend substantially at right-angles to each independent section.
- A hand-held appliance according to a second aspect of the invention is characterised in that the tube comprises two inlets spaced from each other within the reservoir so that, when the reservoir contains water, at least one of said inlets is submerged irrespective of the orientation of the housing, the tube portion comprising a valve assembly having an outlet, first and second openings and a single valve member within said valve assembly that allows water to flow through the valve assembly via the first opening, whilst also preventing the flow of air through the valve assembly through the second opening, the valve member being configured such that it drops under its own weight into an alternate position in response to a change in the orientation of the appliance to allow water to flow through said second opening via one of said inlets whilst preventing the flow of air through said first opening via the other of said inlets.
- The appliance according to this aspect of the invention has a simple valve construction, as only one valve member is required to control flow through each of the first and second openings.
- Preferably, the tube comprises a primary tube portion that extends into the reservoir so that a free end of said primary tube portion is in fluid communication with the outlet of the valve assembly, and a secondary tube portion extends from each of the first and second openings of the valve assembly, said tube portions being configured such that the valve member drops in a direction toward the opening from which a tube portion having the uppermost inlet extends, depending upon the orientation of the hand-held appliance, to prevent the flow of air through said opening from said secondary tube portion.
- A hand-held appliance according to a third aspect of the invention is characterised in that the secondary tube portion comprising an inlet at each end spaced from each other within the reservoir, and a valve element received within the secondary tube portion, said valve element being slideable under its own weight in response to a change in orientation of the valve element so that, depending upon the orientation of the steamer, an uppermost inlet is closed to prevent the flow of air into the secondary tube portion and the lowermost inlet is open to allow the flow of water into the secondary tube portion.
- Preferably, the hand-held appliance according to any aspect of the invention includes a heating chamber and the tube is configured to convey water from the reservoir to the heating chamber to generate steam prior to delivery to a surface.
-
-
Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of a conventional hand-held appliance in the form of a steamer; -
Figure 2a shows a cross-sectional side view of part of a hand-held appliance in the form of a steamer according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a first orientation; -
Figure 2b shows the hand-held steamer ofFigure 2a but in a second orientation; -
Figure 3 shows a slightly modified version of the hand-held steamer shown inFigures 2a and 2b ; -
Figure 4a shows a cross-sectional side view of part of a hand-held steamer according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a first orientation; -
Figure 4b shows the hand-held steamer ofFigure 4a but in a second orientation; -
Figure 5a shows a cross-sectional side view of part of a hand-held steamer according to a third embodiment of the present invention in a first orientation; -
Figure 5b shows the hand-held steamer ofFigure 5a but in a second orientation. - Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to
Figures 2 to 5 of the accompanying drawings. - There is shown in
Figure 2a and 2b a partial view of a first embodiment of a hand-heldappliance 10 that is capable of generating steam and which comprises ahousing 2 and areservoir 3, similar to the conventional hand-heldsteamer 1 described with reference toFigure 1 above. However, theportion 7 of the tube 6 (seeFigure 1 ) that extends into thereservoir 3 now has twotube inlets reservoir 3. Avalve assembly inlet steamer 10 is positioned in the orientation shown inFigure 2a , i.e. in the same orientation as the hand-heldsteamer 1 shown inFigure 1 ,inlet 11 is lowest and will be submerged in any water contained in thereservoir 3. Thevalve assembly 13 associated with theinlet 11 will then be in an open position to allow water to flow from thereservoir 3 into theportion 7 of thetube 6, whereas thevalve assembly 14 associated with theother inlet 12, which is positioned aboveinlet 11, will be closed to prevent air from entering theportion 7 of thetube 6. - Each
valve assembly portion 7 of thetube 6 over eachinlet valve assembly portion 7 to enable independent removal and replacement of eachvalve assembly valve assemblies portion 7 or otherwise formed integrally with it. Eachvalve assembly ball 15 that drops due to gravity and does not float. As shown inFigure 2a , bothbodies 15 have dropped under gravity so that thebody 15 of thevalve assembly 14 associated with theupper inlet 12 is in contact with avalve seat 16 at the end of theportion 7, thereby closing theupper inlet 12 and preventing the passage of air into theportion 7. However, thebody 15 of thevalve assembly 13 associated with thelower inlet 11 is in a position in which it is distanced from itscorresponding valve seat 16, thereby allowing water to flow into theportion 7 past thebody 15. Thebody 15 is held in acage 17 to constrain its movement and prevent it from falling out. Thecage 17 has openings or passages therein to allow water to flow around thebody 15 and into theinlet 11 when thebody 15 is spaced from itsvalve seat 16. -
Figure 2b illustrates the same hand-heldsteamer 10 as shown inFigure 2a , but in an orientation in which steam is directed out of the outlet 9 (seeFigure 1 ) in thehousing 2 onto the garment being steamed in a vertically downward direction. Thehousing 2 may be held in this orientation when, for example, a fabric article that has been placed on an ironing board or on a table or such like is being steamed or, when steaming an item of furniture. As can be appreciated fromFigure 2b , in this orientation,inlet 12 is now positioned belowinlet 11 and will be submerged in any water contained in thereservoir 3 whereas, depending on the amount of water in thereservoir 3,inlet 11 will be above the water line. Therefore,valve assembly 13 associated withinlet 11 is closed to prevent the ingress of air whilstvalve assembly 14 associated withinlet 12 is open to maintain a flow of water to the heating chamber 4 (seeFigure 1 ). - As shown in
Figures 2a and 2b , theportion 7 of thetube 6 within thereservoir 3 may comprise aprimary tube portion 18 that extends from aflow control valve 19 in the wall of thereservoir 3, which is connected to asecondary tube portion 20. Theinlet 11 is at one end of thesecondary tube portion 20 and theother inlet 12 is at the opposite end of thesecondary tube portion 20. Thesecondary tube portion 20 has anintegral connector 21 positioned midway between theinlets primary tube portion 18. Thesecondary tube portion 20 may extend diagonally across the inside of thereservoir 3 so that, when thehousing 2 is in the position shown inFigure 2b ,inlet 12 will be belowinlet 11. Theprimary tube portion 18 and/or thesecondary tube portion 20 may be formed from rigid or flexible parts or a combination of both. - A modified version of the
steamer 10 shown inFigure 2a and 2b is shown inFigure 3 . In the embodiment ofFigure 3 , thesecondary tube portion 20 is formed in twoparts connector 22, which also fluidly connects the twoparts primary tube portion 18. Eachsecondary tube portion - Although the embodiments of
Figures 2a, 2b andFigure 3 each have asecondary tube portion secondary tube portion reservoir 3. Further inlets may be required depending upon the shape of thereservoir 3 and so as to ensure that at least one inlet will be submerged in any water remaining in thereservoir 3 irrespective of the orientation of the steamer. - Another embodiment will now be described, with reference to
Figure 4a and 4b . In this embodiment, theprimary tube portion 18 is connected directly a single fluidflow control valve 23 which is located roughly centrally within thereservoir 3.Secondary tube portions flow control valve 23. Aninlet secondary tube section flow control valve 23 comprises avalve housing 27 containing aweighted body 30 which toggles between a first position at one end of thevalve housing 27, as shown inFigure 4a , in which it sits against afirst valve seat 28 to close thesecondary tube portion 24a and stop ingress of air intoinlet 25; and a second position, as shown inFigure 4b , in which it sits against asecond valve seat 29 at the opposite end of thevalve housing 27 to close thesecondary tube portion 24b and stop ingress of air intoinlet 26. Theweighted body 30 moves between its first and second positions under gravity and in response to a change in the orientation of thehousing 2. When thehousing 2 is in an orientation in which steam is emitted from the outlet 9 (seeFigure 1 ) in a substantially horizontal direction as shown inFigure 4a , thebody 30 sits againstvalve seat 28 to close thesecondary tube portion 24a and, when thehousing 2 is in an orientation in which steam is emitted from theoutlet 9 in a substantially vertical direction as shown inFigure 4b , thebody 30 sits againstvalve seat 29 to close thesecondary tube portion 24b. As shown inFigure 4b , thesecondary tube portion 24a is positioned so that theinlet 25 is lower than theinlet 26 at the end of the othersecondary tube portion 24b when thehousing 2 is in the orientation shown inFigure 4b so that theinlet 25 will always be submerged in any water contained in thereservoir 3 when thehousing 2 is in this position. - A further embodiment is shown in
Figures 5a and 5b . In this embodiment, theportion 7 of thetube 6 has asecondary tube portion 31 connected to the free end of theprimary tube portion 18, as in the embodiment ofFigure 2a and 2b . However, in this embodiment the valve assembly is formed by arod 32 slideably received in thesecondary tube portion 31 so that it protrudes from theinlets secondary tube portion 31. Anenlarged head rod 32 and carries asealing disc inlet end secondary tube portion 31. - When the
housing 2 is in a position shown inFigure 5a , in which the outlet 9 (seeFigure 1 ) is positioned to eject steam in a substantially horizontal direction, therod 32 slides downwardly under its own weight within thesecondary tube portion 31 so that thesealing disc 36a on theuppermost head 35a contacts and seals against theinlet 33 preventing the flow of air into thesecondary tube portion 31. At the same time, thesealing disc 36b on thelowermost head 35b is spaced from its correspondinginlet 34, thereby allowing any water in thereservoir 3 to pass into and along thesecondary tube portion 31 via the annular passage defined by therod 32 and the inner surface of thesecondary tube portion 31 when thelowermost inlet 34 is submerged. When thehousing 2 is orientated in the position shown inFigure 5b , in which theoutlet 9 is positioned so that steam is ejected in a substantially vertical direction, therod 32 slides within thesecondary tube portion 31 so that the sealingmember 36a is now spaced from thelowermost inlet 33 and theuppermost inlet 34 is closed by the other sealingmember 36b, thereby allowing any water in thereservoir 3 to flow into thesecondary tube portion 31 via the annular passage defined by therod 32 and the inner surface of the secondary tube portion 31when thelowermost inlet 33 is submerged. - It will be appreciated that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps and that the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to an advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
- Although claims have been formulated in this application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel features or any novel combinations of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the parent invention. The applicants hereby give notice that new claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom.
Claims (12)
- A hand-held appliance comprising a housing including a reservoir to contain water and a tube to convey water from the reservoir for delivery to a surface, wherein the tube has a portion that extends into the reservoir and comprises multiple tube inlets spaced from each other within the reservoir so that, when the reservoir contains water, a tube inlet is submerged irrespective of the orientation of the housing, the tube inlet also comprising a separate valve assembly associated with each tube inlet so that a valve assembly associated with a submerged tube inlet opens to allow flow of water through that tube inlet and a valve assembly associated with a non-submerged tube inlet closes to prevent the flow of air through said non-submerged tube inlet.
- A hand-held appliance according to claim 1, wherein each valve assembly comprises a housing and a single valve member movable within the housing between a first position in which the tube inlet is open to allow water to flow past the valve into the inlet and a second position in which the inlet is closed to prevent the passage of air into the inlet.
- A hand-held appliance according to claim 2, wherein the valve member drops under its own weight into its first position and in a direction away from its associated inlet.
- A hand-held appliance according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein each valve assembly is removably mounted to an end of the tube over the inlet.
- A hand-held appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein the tube portion comprises a primary tube portion extending into the reservoir and a secondary tube portion attached to a free end of the primary tube portion at a junction, a separate valve assembly being mounted to each end of the secondary tube portion remote from said junction.
- A hand-held appliance according to claim 5, wherein the secondary tube portion comprises two inlets and is integrally formed with a connector for attachment to said free end of the primary tube portion to effect fluid communication between the secondary tube portion and the primary tube portion.
- A hand-held appliance according to claim 5, wherein the secondary tube portion is formed of a plurality of independent sections, each section being attached to said free end of the primary tube portion via a connecting element to effect fluid communication between each independent section and the primary tube portion.
- A hand-held appliance according to claim 7, wherein the secondary tube portion comprises two independent sections and the connecting element is substantially T-shaped so that each independent section extends away from each other in opposite directions and the primary tube portion extends substantially at right-angles to each independent section.
- A hand-held appliance comprising a housing including a reservoir to contain water and a tube to convey water from the reservoir for delivery to a surface, wherein the tube has a portion that extends into the reservoir and comprises two inlets spaced from each other within the reservoir so that, when the reservoir contains water, at least one of said inlets is submerged irrespective of the orientation of the housing, the tube portion comprising a valve assembly having and outlet, first and second openings and a single valve member within said assembly that allows water to flow through the valve assembly via the first opening, whilst also preventing the flow of air through the valve assembly through the second opening, the valve member being configured such that it drops under its own weight into an alternate position in response to a change in the orientation of the hand-held appliance to allow water to flow through said second opening whilst preventing the flow of air through said first opening.
- A hand-held appliance according to claim 9, wherein the tube portion comprises a primary tube portion, a free end of said primary tube portion being in fluid communication with the outlet of the valve assembly, and a secondary tube portion extending from each of the first and second openings of the valve assembly, said secondary tube portions being configured such that the valve member drops in a direction toward the opening from which a secondary tube portion having the uppermost inlet extends, depending upon the orientation of the hand-held appliance, to prevent the flow of air through said opening from said secondary tube portion.
- A hand-held appliance comprising a housing including a reservoir to contain water and a tube to convey water from the reservoir for delivery to a surface, wherein the tube has a tube portion that extends into the reservoir and comprises a primary tube portion and a secondary tube portion connected to a free end of the primary tube portion, said secondary tube portion comprising an inlet at each end spaced from each other within the reservoir, and a valve element received within the secondary tube portion, said valve element being slideable under its own weight in response to a change in orientation of the valve so that, depending upon the orientation of the hand-held appliance, an uppermost inlet is closed to prevent the flow of air into the secondary tube portion and the lowermost inlet is open to allow the flow of water into the secondary tube portion.
- A hand-held appliance according to any preceding claim, comprising a heating chamber, wherein the tube is configured to convey water from the reservoir to the heating chamber to generate steam prior to delivery to a surface.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP13820991.1A EP2943609B1 (en) | 2013-01-14 | 2013-12-31 | Hand-held appliance |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP13151100 | 2013-01-14 | ||
EP13820991.1A EP2943609B1 (en) | 2013-01-14 | 2013-12-31 | Hand-held appliance |
PCT/IB2013/061448 WO2014108787A1 (en) | 2013-01-14 | 2013-12-31 | Hand-held appliance |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2943609A1 EP2943609A1 (en) | 2015-11-18 |
EP2943609B1 true EP2943609B1 (en) | 2017-05-17 |
Family
ID=47563207
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP13820991.1A Active EP2943609B1 (en) | 2013-01-14 | 2013-12-31 | Hand-held appliance |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20150354128A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2943609B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5933136B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN104919110B (en) |
BR (1) | BR112015016594A2 (en) |
RU (1) | RU2651499C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014108787A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (20)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP6474692B2 (en) * | 2015-06-17 | 2019-02-27 | 東芝ホームテクノ株式会社 | Steamer |
USD789634S1 (en) * | 2015-07-09 | 2017-06-13 | Oneida Air Systems, Inc. | Vacuum assist scraper tool |
USD793638S1 (en) * | 2015-08-28 | 2017-08-01 | Mytee Products, Inc. | Cleaning device |
FR3060027B1 (en) * | 2016-12-13 | 2018-11-23 | Seb S.A. | STEAM DEFROSTING APPARATUS |
CN106676866B (en) * | 2017-02-16 | 2019-05-07 | 东保集团有限公司 | A kind of handheld device |
CA191618S (en) * | 2019-06-04 | 2022-01-18 | Freudenberg Carl Kg | Floorwasher - nozzle |
USD920606S1 (en) * | 2019-08-19 | 2021-05-25 | Yun Huang | Handheld garment steamer |
IT201900015521A1 (en) * | 2019-09-03 | 2021-03-03 | De Longhi Appliances Srl | PLATE FOR STEAM IRONING EQUIPMENT AND RELATED MANUFACTURING METHOD |
USD911645S1 (en) * | 2019-09-16 | 2021-02-23 | Techtronic Cordless Gp | Cleaning tool |
USD921305S1 (en) * | 2019-09-30 | 2021-06-01 | Ningbo Elmar Electric Manufacture Co., Ltd. | Travel steam brush |
USD922007S1 (en) * | 2019-10-28 | 2021-06-08 | Yun Huang | Handheld garment steamer |
US11236463B2 (en) | 2019-11-21 | 2022-02-01 | Conair Llc | Fabric steamer |
USD922702S1 (en) * | 2019-11-21 | 2021-06-15 | Jianquan Hu | Hand-held garment steamer |
USD935117S1 (en) * | 2019-11-21 | 2021-11-02 | Conair Llc | Handheld garment steamer |
USD942098S1 (en) * | 2020-02-10 | 2022-01-25 | Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. | Ironing machine |
FR3107535B1 (en) * | 2020-02-21 | 2022-01-14 | Seb Sa | Portable steamer |
USD939162S1 (en) * | 2020-04-20 | 2021-12-21 | Conair Llc | Fabric steamer apparatus |
US11427956B2 (en) | 2020-04-20 | 2022-08-30 | Conair Llc | Fabric steamer apparatus |
USD977210S1 (en) * | 2022-06-19 | 2023-01-31 | Eversonic Products Inc. | Garment steamer |
CN115388553A (en) | 2022-09-15 | 2022-11-25 | 佛山奥尚隆电器科技有限公司 | Dumping pressure relief structure for liquid heating device and humidifier using dumping pressure relief structure |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS50119794U (en) * | 1974-03-06 | 1975-09-30 | ||
JPS5620052Y2 (en) * | 1975-07-21 | 1981-05-13 | ||
DE3417254C1 (en) * | 1984-05-10 | 1985-11-07 | Rowenta-Werke Gmbh, 6050 Offenbach | Electric hand steam brush |
JPS63317199A (en) * | 1987-06-19 | 1988-12-26 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Steam generator |
US5121464A (en) * | 1989-04-24 | 1992-06-09 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Steamer with controlled pressure |
JPH0712399B2 (en) * | 1989-04-24 | 1995-02-15 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Steam spout |
CN1070558C (en) * | 1996-01-08 | 2001-09-05 | 松下电器产业株式会社 | Steam ironing means |
AU2001291064A1 (en) * | 2000-09-16 | 2002-04-02 | Gaetan Chevalier | Portable pressurized steamer to dewrinkle fabric |
JP2003172465A (en) * | 2001-12-05 | 2003-06-20 | Sekisui House Ltd | Two-way check valve |
-
2013
- 2013-12-31 CN CN201380070156.0A patent/CN104919110B/en active Active
- 2013-12-31 EP EP13820991.1A patent/EP2943609B1/en active Active
- 2013-12-31 JP JP2015550198A patent/JP5933136B2/en active Active
- 2013-12-31 US US14/760,595 patent/US20150354128A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2013-12-31 BR BR112015016594A patent/BR112015016594A2/en active Search and Examination
- 2013-12-31 RU RU2015134180A patent/RU2651499C2/en active
- 2013-12-31 WO PCT/IB2013/061448 patent/WO2014108787A1/en active Application Filing
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
RU2651499C2 (en) | 2018-04-19 |
US20150354128A1 (en) | 2015-12-10 |
CN104919110A (en) | 2015-09-16 |
BR112015016594A2 (en) | 2017-07-11 |
JP2016501665A (en) | 2016-01-21 |
CN104919110B (en) | 2018-03-13 |
JP5933136B2 (en) | 2016-06-08 |
WO2014108787A1 (en) | 2014-07-17 |
EP2943609A1 (en) | 2015-11-18 |
RU2015134180A (en) | 2017-02-16 |
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