US1572441A

US1572441A - Automatically-operated electric iron

Info

Publication number: US1572441A
Application number: US12939A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Macy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-03-03
Filing date: 1925-03-03
Publication date: 1926-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 1943-02-09

Description

Feb. 9,1926. 1,572,441

C. E. MACY AUTOMATICALLY dPERATED ELECTRIC IRON Filed March 5, 1925 E,# V I grwwtoz (T El /a (y Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

UNITIED s rArE's CHARLES E. MACY, @F IOWA HILL, GAILIFORNIA.

AUTQM ATICALLY -UPERATED ELECTRIC IRON.

Application filed March 3, 1925. Seria1 No.-12,939.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MACY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Iowa Hill, in the county of Placer and State c of California, have invented certain new and, useful Improvements in Automatically- Up erated Electric Irons, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

, and

This invention relates to electric irons, articularly to means for controlling the circuit through the heating element of the electric iron. I a

In the ordinary electric iron there is great danger of leaving the circuit, on after the iron is set aside and the operator forgetting that the circuit is on. Telltale lamps have been disposed in the circuit of the heating element so that when the lamp is on the operator, seeing it, may know that the current is still on and turn the switch to cut d the current. Thermostatic devices have also been provided to automatically out 0d the circuit when the iron has reached a certain degree of heat.

The object of the invention is to provide an electric iron so constructed that the circuit through the heating element is closed either when the handle is gripped or when the iron is disposed upon a stand but that this circuit is broken when the grasp on the handle is released, unless the iron be placed upon the stand, thus eliminating all danger of fire caused by leaving the iron resting upon a conrbiistible surface, and also eliminating damage due to overheating the iron.

. A further object is to provide a device of this character in which there is a switch in the circuit including the heating element, this switch being connected to one of the sections of a sectional handle and being so arranged that when the handleis grasped the movable section will be drawn toward the fixed section, thus closing the circuit through the switch, and to provide a stand upon which the iron may rest, this stand having a member which engages the switch and forces the switch closed when the iron is laced in proper position upon the stand. ther'objects will appear in. the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, wherein I,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an iron constructed in accordance with my invention,

the handle being partly broken away and the rear ,end of the iron being partly broken r; 1'

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the stand upon which the iron rests;

contact member when the iron is not upon the stand and not being grasped;

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the wiring for the parts.

Referring to the drawing, designates an electric iron of any suitable or usual construction and having therein a heating element 1]. This iron is provided with a handle section '12 carried ",by

supports

13 and 13. One of these supp'orts isshown as connected to a socket 14 within which an electric light cord 15 is disposed, the wires of

thiselectric light cord

15 and 15" extending down into the casing of the iron, and one or these wires is connectedto the heating element in the usual manner.

Disposed within the rear end of the iron is a longitudinally shiftable switch member 16 which also carries a conductor 16 and is provided with a shoulder 17. This switch member 16 projects out through a longitudinally extending passage in the rear end of the iron and projects into a recess 18 formed in the rear end of the iron so that while the rear end of the contact member 16 projects beyond the bottom of the recess, it does not project beyond the general plane of the rear face 19 of the iron. end of the switch member 16 is opposed to a contact point 20 and when the switch memher is forced inward it will have electrical engagementwith this contact point. Normally, however,.the switch member is urged away from the contact point 20, by means of the coiled spring 21 which bears against the shoulder 17.

The handle section 12 is crescent-shaped in cross section, and disposed within the longitudinal recess definedby the crescentshaped handle section 12 is a handle section 22. This is mounted upon a slightly curved arm 23 whose lower extremity is forced, as

at 24, to embrace the switch member 16 and bear against the shoulder 17. Opposite the rear end of the section 22 there is provided a fulcrum. ln other words, the upper end *ofthe arm-'23 is hinged at this point to ears 25 projecting from the support 13 so that no 60 Figure is a fragmentary rear endelevation showing the normal position of the The opposite 90 when the handle section 22 is grasped and drawn upward against the fixed section 12 the handle section rocks upon the fulcrum formed by the ears 25 and the lower end of the arm 23 is shifted against the shoulder 17 and forces the switch 16 against the contact member 20, thus completing the circuit through the heating element.

llhus it will beseen that whenever the iron is grasped for operation the circuit is completed and the heating element energized, but that as soon as the grasp upon the handle of the iron is released the spring 21 will urge the switch away from the contact will be cutothit is, of course, necessary to provide means upon which the iron may rest, and to this end I provide a stand 26. This stand has for one of its essential elements the downwardly and rearwardly extending supporting element 27, preferably "carrying rollers 28 upon which the under surface of the iron directly rests so that the iron will by gravity tend to shift rearward. At the rear end of the support 26 there is provided an upwardly extending flange 29 which is forwardly bowed, as shown in Figure 2, so as to provide a contact portion 30 adapted to engage with the switch 16 and force this switch inward to the depth of the recess in the rear face of the iron, thus forcing the switch 16 against the contact point 20 and closing the circuit through the heating element. Thus so long as the iron is F disposed upon the support 26 the heating element will be energized, and when the iron is picked up the grasp of the hand upon the handle will also hold the switch closed and the switch will remain closed while the iron is being used, hut when the iron is set down, unless it is disposed upon the stand 26, the current will be'cut otif of the heating element and the iron will shortly grow cool.

I claim v 1. In an electric iron, a heating element,

a switch controlling the passage of current ]to the heating element, a handle formed in two similar sections, one of said sections be- 59 ing rigidly connected to the iron, the lower of said sections being pivotally mounted at one end at a point adjacent to the like end of the other section and said pivoted section of the handle having an arm extending downward into the body of the iron and operatively engaging sald switch, and re-' silient means urging the switch to an open position and the movable section of the bandie away from the fixed section thereof.

2. An electric iron including an electricall energized heating element, a switch contro ling the passage of current thereto, means resiliently urging it to a position to break the circuit through the heating elewent, a handle for the iron; handle-operated point and the current to the heating element means for shifting the switch into position to close the circuit through the heating element, the switch having a portion extending out through the side wall of the iron and projecting beyond the face of the same, a 7" stand for the iron, and means on the stand engaging said projecting portion of the switch and shifting the switch inward whereby when the iron is disposed upon the stand the switch will be shifted into its circuit-closing position against the action of said spring.

3. In an electric iron, a heating element, a switch controlling the passage of current thereto, said switch being longitudinally movable within the iron and projecting at. the rear end of the iron, a spring urging the switch to its projected position and out of electrical engagement with the heating element, and a stand having means thereon to engage the rear end of the switch and shift it into electrical engagement with the heating element when the iron is disposed upon the stand.

4:. In an electric iron, a heating element, a. switch controlling the passage of current thereto, said switch being longitudinally movable within the iron and, projecting at the. rear end of the iron, a spring urging the switch to its projected position and out of electrical engagement with the heating element, a stand having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined supporting face, and means at the rear end of the stand adapted to engage said switch when the iron rests upon the stand and bears against said means to thereby force the switch into position to close the circuit through the heating element.

5. The combination with an electric iron, the rear end of the iron having a recess, a switch disposed within the iron and controlling the passage of current through the heating element of the iron, said switch projecting at its rear end into said recess, of a support for the iron, said support being downwardly and rearwardly inclined and having rollers to support the iron, the rear end of the support having an upwardly and inwardly extending member adapted to engage with said switch and force the switch forward and into contact with the heating element when the iron moves rearward on the support under the action of gravity.

6. llhe combination with an electric iron having an electric heating element, handleoperated means for closing a circuit through the heating element when the handle is grasped and in combination with a support. for the iron having a member toward which the iron moves under the action of gravity, said member being adapted, when the iron is in place, to close the circuit through the heating element.

7 ."An electric iron including a heating end of the iron, a sectional handle, one of element, a longitudinally movable switchmounted in the rear end of the iron and adapted, when 'moved forward, to close a circuit through the heating element and when moved rearward to break the circuit, a spring urging said switch rearward, the end of the switch projecting beyond the rear said sections being fixed and the other movable, the movable section having an arm operatively engaging the switch whereby end of theswitch beyond the rear end of the viron, said switch when moved forward against the action of the spring closing the circuit through the heating element, an arm carried by the movable section of the handle and engaging said switch, a fulcrum supporting the movable section and the arm whereby when'the movable section is forced toward the fixed section of the-handle the arm will shift the switch to its circuit-closing position, and a support for the iron having rollers disposed in a downwardly and rearwardly extending plane, the rear end of the support having an upwardly extending member adapted to engage the rear end of .the switch and force it forward into elec- "trical engagement with the heating element when the lIOIl moves rearward under the action of gravity on said support.

In testimonywhereof I.hereunto afiix my signature.

CHARLES E. MACY.