GB2166458A

GB2166458A - Electric flat iron

Info

Publication number: GB2166458A
Application number: GB08427772A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Talbot Stone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-11-02
Filing date: 1984-11-02
Publication date: 1986-05-08
Also published as: GB8427772D0

Abstract

An electric flat iron is provided which comprises a hotplate (2) and an electric heater element (13), the iron having an electrical connector (4) integral therewith adapted to be received by a complementary connector (7) to provide an electric current to the heater element (13), the arrangement being such that received by a complementary when required, the iron is releasable from the complementary connector (7) to iron clothing etc. and is replaceable on the complementary connector (7) to provide an electric current to the heater element (13). The invention therefore provides an electric iron with a breakable connection to an electrical connector (7) such that when the iron is being used no cable interferes with the user and when the iron is replaced upon the complementary connector (7) the electric current is supplied to the heater element as required. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electric flat iron This invention relates to electric flat irons of the type used to iron clothing.

Known electric flat irons generally comprise a hotplate heated by a thermostatically controlled electric heater element disposed adjacent the hotplate and supplied with an electric current through a cable, itself connected to an ordinary household plug for insertion as required into a socket. Most modern irons of this type can usually heat the hotplate up very quickly and in order to prevent overheating the thermostat cuts off the flow of electricity to the heater element when a required temperature is reached and it is not restored until the temperature falls below this required level. For this reason, when such an iron is in use, even though the cable is always connected, for much of the time the iron is being used without an electrical current flowing.It is known that the presence of an electrical cable is a hindrance to the user of the iron and various configurations have been tried to minimise such interference, but without any significant success so far.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an iron in which the aforementioned disadvantages are obviated.

According to the invention there is provided an electric flat iron comprising a hotplate and an electric heater element, the iron having an electrical connector integral therewith adapted to be received by a complementary connector to provide an electric current to the heater, the arrangement being such that when required, the iron is releasable from the complementary connector to iron clothing etc. and is replacable on the complementary connector to provide an electric current to the heating element.

The invention therefore provides an electric iron with a breakable connection to an electrical connector such that when the iron is being used no cable interferes with the user and when the iron is replaced upon the complementary connector the electric current is supplied to the heating element as required.

The iron may be provided with a thermostat but in order to ensure that sufficient heat is retained within the iron when released from the complementary connector, the hotplate may be of sufficient mass to act as a heat sink. Alternatively, the hotplate may be of a relatively light-weight material such as an aluminium or aluminium alloy connected by metal conduits to a separate heat sink within the iron itself, the arrangement being such that the heat sink is heated by a heater element and is therefore able to provide heat to the hotplate even when the iron is removed from the complementary connector.

The complementary connector may be adapted so that it can be adjusted to fit most conventional ironing boards or, alternatively, the connector may be built into the ironing board itself, in which case the board may have a retractable cable such that when the iron is required to be used, the board itself is connected to an electrical socket.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an iron and complementary connector according to the invention and Figure 2 is a schematic view of a modified form of iron in which a separate heat sink is provided.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1 of the drawings an iron comprises a body portion 1 to which affixed on one side a hotplate 2 and on the other side a handle 3. At the base of the handle 3 is an electrical connector 4 having a pair of electrically conductive pins 5, 6 extending therefrom. A complementary electrical connector 7 is adapted to be secured to an ironing board by screws 8, 9 and is provided with a pair of sockets 10, 11 within which can be releasably received the pins 5, 6 of the connector 4. The complementary connector 7 is provided with a cable 12 by which it can be supplied with an electric current.

In use, the iron is placed on the connector 7 which is itself supplied with an electrical current. The heater element 13 (shown in dotted outline) in the iron provides heat to the hotplate 2 and when the required temperature is reached the iron is removed from the connector 7 and can be used on clothing etc.

Whenever the iron is replaced upon the connector during ironing the heater element is able to provide further heat to the hotplate 2.

The mass of the hotplate 2 is sufficient to retain in normal use enough usable heat when the iron is disconnected from the connector 7.

Referring now to Fig. 2 of the drawings, there is shown an alternative arrangement in which a separate heat sink 14 is provided within the body of the iron 1a and is comprised of a relatively large mass of metal within the inside of which a heater element 13a is disposed. The hotplate 2a in this embodiment is a relatively lightweight metal such as aluminium and between the heat sink 14 and hotplate 2a are conduits 15, 16 which are made of copper and can thus conduct heat rapidly from the heat sink 14 to the hotplate 2a. Because the heat sink 14 is able to absorb a relatively large quantity of heat, from the heater element 13a, the hotplate 2a can be provided with a continuing supply of heat even when the iron is disconnected from a connector 7.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited strictly to the embodiments of the invention described as above and, for example, the arrangement of the electrical connector can be varied to suit different design parameters. The iron may be provided with a steam making facility but in order to overcome the disadvantage in such an arrangement due to the loss of heat incurred through the vaporisation of water, the ironing board may itself be provided with a heater element along its length operable to provide a supply of steam through the board when required. Such an arrangement has the additional advantage in that the heat retained in the iron can be maintained at a higher temperature and the heat loss is kept to a minimum while the iron is disconnected.

Claims

1. An electric flat iron comprising a hotplate and an electric heater element, the iron having an electrical connector integral therewith adapted to be received by a complementary connector to provide an electric current to the heater element, the arrangement being such that when required, the iron is releasable from the complementary connector to iron clothing etc. and is replacable on the complementary connector to provide an electric current to the heating element.

2. An iron according to claim 1 in which the integral connnector is provided at the base of the handle of the iron and comprises a pair of pins which extend outwardly therefrom and are engagable with complementary sockets on a correspondingly shaped complementary connector.

3. An iron according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the hotplate is of sufficient mass to act as a heat sink such that sufficient heat is retained within the iron when released from the complementary connector.

4. An iron according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the hotplate is of a relatively lightweight material such as an aluminium or alumimium alloy connected by metal conduits to a separate heat sink within the iron itself, the arrangment being such that the heat sink is heated by a heater element and is therefore able to provide heat to the hotplate even when the iron is removed from the complementary connector.

5. An iron according to claim 4 in which the heater element is disposed within the heat sink.

6. A complementary connector for an iron according to any preceding claim adapted so that it can be adjusted to fit most conventional ironing boards.

7. A complementary connector for an iron according to any one of claims 1 to 5 built into an ironing board as an integral part thereof.

8. A complementary connector according to claim 7 in which the board is provided with a retractable cable so that when an iron according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is required to be used, the board itself is connected to an electrical socket.

9. An ironing board for use with a complementary connector according to any preceding claim provided with a heater element along its length operable to provide a supply of steam through the board when required.

10. An iron substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

11. An iron substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.