GB2455083A - Safety shield for electric iron - Google Patents

Abstract

The shield is a guard 5 to fit an existing domestic smoothing iron 1 and is made of a heat resistant, insulative material such as a member of the fluorosilicone family of polymers. The guard is attached in proximity to the outer lateral face 6 of the heated plate 3 of the iron to prevent contact between the skin of a user and the heated plate. The guard may be formed of a single piece to conform elastically to the shape of the heated plate. Alternatively, a number of parts may be used. The guard may remain attached either as a result of its inherent elasticity or by other means such as adhesive applied between the lateral face and the interior surface of the guard, or other detent means. As a result it does not impinge upon or interfere with the heated plate of the iron and therefore does not prevent effective ironing. The guard prevents direct contact between the skin and the heated edge of the iron either when the iron is in the upright position at rest or in the operative position when laid flat.

Description

SAFETY SHIELD FOR ELECTRIC IRONS.

This invention relates to a safety shield for an electric iron to prevent or reduce burns resulting from accidental contact with the heated element of a hand-held iron while ironing laundry.

Background to the invention.

Domestic electric irons for pressing clothes are well known throughout the world. They are typified by being hand-held and may feature steam generation and distribution in order to further improve the efficiency of the pressing action. They also typically feature a flat base that is electrically heated and which extends further than the body of the iron and which is made from suitable material and shaped to slide smoothly over the cloth to be smoothed. The hot flat base presents a considerable hazard, both in terms of injury to the user if parts of the body are accidentally in contact with the said base and in terms of fire risk if left unattended in contact with an inflammable material, e.g. if left face down on the clothing while distracted by a domestic occurrence. Many house fires have been started in this way.

Many users of domestic electric irons have suffered quite severe bums as a result of contact between parts of the body; usually the inner forearm, and the edge of the iron. By the edge it is intended to convey the furthest extremity of the flat base where the flat base rises towards the body of the iron. It is here that there is exposed an area of hot metal which is easily contacted with the arms while adjusting the clothes on the ironing board. During this process the iron is generally at rest at one end of the ironing board in a vertical position, and therefore easily contacted.

Whereas numerous inventions applied to the risk of fire have been discovered in searches, none have been found which apply to the safety of electric irons applied to personal injury through accidental contact in this way. GB470510 VAN GELDE of 1937 first provided a means of preventing the overheating of an iron while resting face down, as opposed to upright. Since that time US3424894 SCHWARTZ, US4692589 BORSARI, CA1273385 STEERS, ES2036934 ERRASTI, RU2074272 ABEZGAUZ, FR2726727 BAUER, HU9602944 GERA, and several others have arrived at different ways of improving the safety of domestic irons, usually by electrical or electronic means. However, of these only W00019002 SERF'A and 1JS5535534 LI also approach the aspect of direct personal injury according to our researches.

W0001 9002 SERPA discloses a safety pressing iron with burn prevention shield wherein a burn guard in the shape of the plate of the iron overlays the heated plate in such a way that it is only when the iron is pressed downwardly onto a flat surface that the heated plate is exposed. It also provides for a mercury switch to co-operate with the burn guard so that unless the iron is in an upright position the power is cut off from the heated plate.

US5535534 LI discloses a burn prevention device comprising a shielding element to either cover the heated edge or restore it to its original position. The heated plate of the iron is surrounded by a heat resistant and insulating material which is retracted in use so that the edge of the heated plate is exposed only when the said plate is horizontal. This is effected by means of a weighted cam which raises and lowers the burn shield by means of pins slidably mounted in slots provided on the sides of the burn preventing shield. As such the invention is only applicable to a purpose built iron. The present invention is clearly distinguished from the cited documents as it attaches to an existing electric iron to prevent contact between the heated edge of the iron and the skin of the user or other bystander.

According to the present invention there is provided a peripheral guard made of a heat resistant, insulative and elastic material such as a member of the fluorosilicone family of polymers that conforms to the outer lateral walls of the heated plate of the iron and remains there either as a result of its inherent elasticity or else by other means of attachment such as adhesive applied between said lateral walls and the interior surface of said peripheral guard or other means of physical detention. As a result it does not impinge upon or interfere with the heated plate of the iron and therefore does not prevent effective ironing. The guard is effective in preventing direct contact between the skin and the heated edge of the iron either when the iron is in the upright position at rest or in the operative position when laid flat While it is still possible accidentally to contact the heated plate of the iron; however, this is a far less common occurrence than injury from contact with the edge thereof.

The guard will be shaped to conform to the outer perimeter of the heated plate, having an upper surface, a lower surface and an inner and outer surface and will reduce in depth on its inner surface so that it can locate in the gap between the heated plate and the body of the iron. While it may be thought of as an obvious improvement, the background prior art does not suggest a combination of prior art to arrive at the solution presented, and it is only in recent times that the materials enabling such an invention have been available. Further, the invention solves an everyday problem in an effective way simply by attaching to the user's existing iron.

The silicone polymer utilised in the preferred embodiment is stable at temperatures of up to 260 degrees Centigrade and is sufficiently elastic to adapt in a given size to a variety of irons, while larger or smaller versions of the invention will be required if the entire range of domestic irons is to be protected. Said silicone polymer transfers heat at a far slower rate than the metal of the heated plate, thereby insulating the user against the effects of contact with the heated portion of the iron.

While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the specific embodiments thereof, as described and illustrated herein, is not to be considered in a limited sense, as there may be other forms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claims.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the essential features of the invention.

Figure 2 shows the invention in use around an electric iron Figure 3 shows the invention in perspective view Figure 4 shows a section through an electric iron demonstrating the typical sectional form of the invention.

Figure 5 shows a preferred form of the invention in plan view while: Figure 6 shows a section thereof.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the essential features of the invention, wherein the iron I is shown resting upright on a flat surface such as an ironing board 2. The heated plate 3 of the iron is visible, typically featuring steam outlets 4 on its flat outer surface. Surrounding the heated plate 3 is the burn guard 5, conforming elastically to the lateral surfaces 6 of the heated plate 3.

Figure 2 shows the iron I in operation against an ironing board 2 where the flat outer surface of the heated plate 3 is resting upon the ironing board 2. In this position the burn guard 5 conceals the lateral surface 6 of the heated plate 3 while the rest of the heated plate 3 is concealed against the ironing board 2; thus no injury is likely to the user.

Figure 3 shows the invention separate from the iron 1, featuring guard 5, outer edge 7, inner edge 8 and upper edge 9, a substantially vertical inner face 10 and an outwardly sloping outer face 11. The burn guard 5 is held in contact with the iron I (not shown) by means of its inherent elasticity along its inner face 10 which is shaped to conform to the lateral wall 6 of the heated plate 3 (not shown). It may be necessary to include additional known means such as high temperature adhesive, clips, straps or circumferential band in order to secure the burn guard 5 to the iron 1.

From the upper edge 9 the outer face 11 slopes at an acute angle to the outer edge 7 of the burn guard 5. Formed upon the inner face of the guard 5 is a flange 14 that engages between the heated plate 3 and the body of the iron 1 in order to locate the guard 5 vertically upon the iron 1. Said flange 14 fits in the gap between the heated plate 3 and the body of the iron 1, which gap is typically in the region of 4 mm.

Between outer edge 7 and inner edge 8 there may be a lower surface 12 or there may be a gap therebetween, forming a cavity 13 in order to maxim ise the cooling effect of the invention, although the insulating properties of the material are adequate to function effectively without additional measures. Such an arrangement would give the burn guard 5 an essentially triangular section; however, said burn guard 5 may equally well be formed with a section that is substantially square, circular or polygonal. Said cavity 13 may extend throughout the entire length of the bum guard 5 or portions thereof. It may be necessary in manufacture to terminate the cavity 13 at the corners of the guard, i.e. at the front, left rear and right rear of the shape, while retaining said cavity 13 throughout the rest of the length of the form. Likewise, it may be necessary or desirable to provide voids 15 in the guard 5 to allow ventilation to and from the recess formed between the heated plate 3 and the body of the iron 1.

Figure 4 shows a section through an electric iron I demonstrating the typical sectional form of the burn guard 5. The iron I is shown in section face down on the ironing board 2, the section being taken through the middle revealing the handle 20 and midsection 16, heated plate 3 together with mountings 17 and iron mounting points 18 and electrical supply 19. The burn guard 5 is likewise shown in section attached to the iron I revealing inner face 10, outer face II, cavity 13 and flange 14.

In this example there is no lower surface 12 featured on said guard 5 due to the inclusion of cavity 13. As will be apparent the flange 14 formed on the inner face 10 of the guard 5 is of sufficient depth to locate the guard 5 securely to the body of the iron I when the guard 5 is stretched over the heated plate 3. The cavity 13 is formed on the underside of the guard 5 to reduce thermal transference from the heated plate 310 the outer face 11 of the guard 5. As the gap between the heated plate 3 and the body of the iron 1 varies from one model of iron to another it may be practical to provide the flange 14 with a profile tapering towards the centre of the shape. It may also be desirable to provide voids 15 lineally upon the upper surface of the guard 5 to allow airflow from the space between the heated plate 3 and the body of the iron I to the environment.

The expert in the field will quickly perceive that the sectional form of the guard may vary considerably but still remain within the scope of this description provided always that it sufficiently masks the heated plate and thus prevents injury to the user or others. He will also realise that the flange 14 may be disposed of if other means are provided for location, and that the guard 5 may be manufactured in different sizes to suit the range of existing irons 1.

Figure 5 shows a preferred form of the invention in plan view. The burn guard has been reduced to a simple form comprising an inner face 10 in the form of a vee or double bevelled edge and an outer face 11 slightly rounded together with an upper and lower face of substantially the same size. At the back or flattened end 21 of the form there is a provided a section of circular, square or polygonal form in order to obtain maximal elasticity from the material thereby enabling the form to adapt to a wider variety of sizes of iron. It may also be desired to form said flattened end 21 into a loop 22 to further extend its scope. Typical dimensions for the burn guard 5 are overall length 212.5 millimetres while width between inner faces 10 is 92 millimetres and the section of flattened end 211s 3 millimetres across.

Figure 6 shows a section thereof, featuring bum guard 5, inner face 10 and outer face 11. It will be apparent that such a form would attach around the gap between the body of the iron I and the heated plate 3 thus protecting the user although being made in a simpler form than previous examples. It will also be possible to fit the guard 5 to a wider range of irons due to the improved shape at the back or flattened end of the form where there is little likelihood of injury to the user due to the overhang of the iron body. Likewise, when stood upright on its rear face the iron does not reveal the rear face of its heated plate 3. Typical dimensions would be 5 millimetres thick from upper to lower face and 19 millimetres from inner face 10 to outer face 11 including a transition to the inner face of 4 millimetres. g

Claims (3)

1. Claim 1. A guard to fit an existing domestic smoothing iron that is made of a heat resistant, highly insulative material such as a member or plurality of members of the fluorosilicone family of polymers which attaches in proximity to the outer lateral face of the heated plate of the iron thereby preventing contact between the skin of the user and said heated plate element.
2. Claim 2. A guard as claimed in Claim 1 formed in a single piece in the shape of the heated plate of an iron to conform elastically to the outer face of the heated plate of the iron.
3. Claim 3. A guard as claimed in Claim I formed in a single length to conform elastically to the outer face of the heated plate of the iron.

   Claim 4 A guard as claimed in Claim. 1 formed of a plurality of parts to conform to the outside of the heated plate or of the iron.

   Claim 5 A guard as claimed in Claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 featuring a cavity throughout its entire length or part thereof.

   Claim 6 A guard as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 substantially as herein described with reference to the description and Figures 1 to 6.