US20080209773A1 - Clothes Iron With Means For Inducing Orbital Oscillatory Motion Into the Sole Plate - Google Patents

Clothes Iron With Means For Inducing Orbital Oscillatory Motion Into the Sole Plate Download PDF

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Publication number
US20080209773A1
US20080209773A1 US11/917,854 US91785406A US2008209773A1 US 20080209773 A1 US20080209773 A1 US 20080209773A1 US 91785406 A US91785406 A US 91785406A US 2008209773 A1 US2008209773 A1 US 2008209773A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
sole plate
iron according
clothes iron
clothes
eccentric
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.)
Abandoned
Application number
US11/917,854
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English (en)
Inventor
Pervez Akhter
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority claimed from PCT/GB2006/002098 external-priority patent/WO2006134323A1/en
Publication of US20080209773A1 publication Critical patent/US20080209773A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • 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
    • D06F75/38—Sole plates
    • 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
    • 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
    • D06F75/36—Casings

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an improved clothes iron and, in the preferred embodiment, provides a clothes iron which produces an enhanced ironing effect with a reduction in user effort, as compared with conventional clothes irons.
  • clothes iron the iron in the present invention will be herein referred to as the “clothes iron” it is to be understood that the iron may be used for purposes other than ironing clothes, for example, it may be used for ironing sheets, towels, tablecloths and similar items or may be used for pressing seams, etc during manufacture of cloth items.
  • Dry irons consist of a smooth plate (the sole plate) which is connected to a handle.
  • the sole plate is heated by suitable means (for example electric heating elements) to an appropriate temperature and ironing is effected by pressing and/or repeatedly moving back and forth of the sole plate against the clothes or other items to be ironed. Whilst such irons can accomplish the work they require repeated passes and are generally ineffective against cloth items which have dried in a creased state or against fabrics the inherent properties of which make them difficult to iron back into a flat state. Also, all irons require a considerable amount of manual effort, in terms of both downward pressure and horizontal force to work repeatedly over the surface being ironed to get the desired finish.
  • steam irons With a view to improving the performance of irons, so called “steam irons” have been devised. These consist of essentially the same elements as a traditional dry iron, but with the addition of a mechanism for creating steam which flows out through holes provided in the sole plate to assist in the ironing process. Whilst steam irons provide advantages over dry irons, they nonetheless still require significant effort and work to remove persistent creases despite the aid of steam.
  • a further oscillating iron is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,682.
  • the sole plate is mounted for rotary movement relative to the body and a motor driven crank is used to rotate the sole plate back and forth relative to the body so that the sole plate makes alternate clockwise and anti-clockwise rotational movements about its rotational axis.
  • an improved iron which may be embodied as a dry iron or a steam iron, which provides significantly improved ironing performance and/or a significant reduction in the manual effort required to effect the ironing of a garment or other cloth item.
  • a clothes iron comprises: a body; a manually graspable handle secured to the body; a sole plate connected to the body, the sole plate having a substantially planar face for engaging items to be ironed; and means for inducing orbital oscillatory motion into the sole plate in the plane of the face thereof to enhance the performance of the iron.
  • orbital means that when the clothes iron hereof is operating, at least some points on the face of the sole plate move in a closed path from a start position to a displaced position and then from the displaced position back to the start position without re-tracing the route taken during the initial movement from the start position to the displaced position.
  • the orbital path may be a circular orbital path, a figure of 8 orbital path or indeed any other orbital path.
  • the use of an orbital path in contrast to the simple back and forth movement used in U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,682, produces an enhanced ironing performance.
  • the sole plate is connected to the body by flexible coupling means so that the sole plate may orbitally oscillate in the plane of the face thereof relative to the body.
  • the flexible connecting means are elastomeric mouldings, for example mouldings of a silicone compound. Such mouldings have the required properties as springs and are also effective to provide a degree of thermal isolation between the sole plate and the body.
  • the flexible connecting means may be laterally resilient but longitudinally stiff metal or plastic strip springs.
  • the orbital oscillation generating mechanism is preferably powered by an electric motor mounted on the body or the handle.
  • the motor is positioned remote from the sole plate to reduce the exposure of the motor to the heat of the sole plate.
  • airflow ways are provided to allow a flow of cooling air over and/or through the motor.
  • the orbital oscillation generating mechanism comprises a motor mounted above the sole plate and attached to the body.
  • the motor shaft is perpendicular to the plane of the lower surface of the sole plate and carries an eccentric extension which engages an appropriate aperture provided in the sole plate. Accordingly, as the motor shaft is rotated the sole plate executes orbital oscillatory motion in the plane of the face thereof.
  • the motor shaft carries an eccentric weight to dynamically balance the eccentricity of the eccentric. Accordingly, the orbital oscillation motion is dynamically balanced to reduce vibration of the body and handle and only produce orbital oscillatory motion in the sole plate generated by the eccentric.
  • the aperture in the sole plate which receives the eccentric is preferably in the form of the inner race of a parallel-roller bearing, the outer race which is secured to the sole plate. If the eccentric is snugly received in the race the motion of the sole plate will be circular orbital oscillatory motion.
  • the eccentric of the shaft is received in a slot or other profile provided in the sole plate (either directly or by means of an adaptor located within the inner race of a bearing).
  • a slot or other profile provided in the sole plate (either directly or by means of an adaptor located within the inner race of a bearing).
  • an adaptor located within the inner race of a bearing.
  • the form of orbital oscillatory movement applied to the sole plate can be tailored.
  • a figure of 8 orbital oscillatory pattern may be provided by a suitable drive mechanism.
  • an attitude and/or motion sensitive switch is incorporated for automatically initiating oscillation of the sole plate when the iron is tipped from a generally upright rest position to a generally horizontal use position, and for interrupting oscillatory movement when the iron is again turned to its rest position.
  • Means may be provided for manually or automatically controlling the speed of oscillation.
  • a manual switch may be provided allowing appropriate selection of the motor speed and accordingly appropriate selection of the oscillatory frequency.
  • automatic feedback means may be provided for, for example, increasing the frequency of oscillation in response to increased downward pressure on the iron handle, or on a manual pressure switch which when pressed turns on and/or boosts the oscillation to a maximum.
  • all downward load applied to the iron will be reacted onto the surface being ironed via the sole plate.
  • means are provided for reacting part of the downward imposed load via the sole plate and part of the downwardly imposed load through one or more support members.
  • the or each support member may project through the sole plate to engage the surface being ironed or may be positions laterally outside of the sole plate.
  • a combination of support members projecting through and located laterally outside of the sole plate may be provided. Provision of support members provides the advantage that the load which can be imposed on the sole plate is limited by the flexible couplings that connect the sole plate to the body.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an iron in accordance with the present invention with the handle and cover removed;
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic and perspective bottom view of the iron of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 is a longitudinally cross-sectioned perspective view of the iron of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a portion of the iron of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view from the base of a second embodiment of the invention.
  • FIGS. 1 to 4 a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
  • the handle, electrical wiring to the sole plate elements and motor, the temperature control mechanism and other conventional parts have been omitted from the drawing.
  • the invention is embodied as a dry iron. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied as a steam iron by incorporating appropriate steam producing mechanisms within the body.
  • the illustrated iron 1 comprises a body 2 and a sole plate 3 .
  • the body 2 is supported on the sole plate 3 by means of laterally resilient springs 4 .
  • springs 4 typically, in a conventional boat-shaped sole plate three springs 4 may be provided, one at the nose 5 of the sole plate and two at the rear 6 of the sole plate 3 .
  • the springs 4 locate the sole plate 3 relative to the body 2 but can be resiliently deformed sideways to permit sideways movement of the sole plate 3 relative to the body in the plane of the lower face 7 of the sole plate.
  • the springs are able to transfer load between the body 2 and the sole plate 3 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the face 7 of the sole plate to allow a user to press on the sole plate by pressing on a handle which is secured to the body.
  • a motor 8 is mounted on the body 2 or, optionally within the handle.
  • a switch may be provided for activating/deactivating the motor.
  • an attitude sensitive switch may be provided for automatically deactivating the motor when the iron is rotated to place the iron in a rest position.
  • the motor 8 has a shaft 9 that extends perpendicular to the face 7 . It is to be understood, however, that various alternative arrangements are possible within the scope of the present invention.
  • the shaft 9 carries an eccentric portion 10 that projects into an aperture provided in the sole plate.
  • the aperture is provided by the inner race 11 of a parallel-roller bearing 12 , the outer race 13 of which is received within a recess of the sole plate. If the eccentric portion is a snug fit in the aperture, as the shaft rotates, the sole plate performs circular orbital oscillatory motion in the plane of the face 7 , relative to the body.
  • an eccentric weight is provided and positioned to dynamically balance the shaft assembly in order to reduce so far as possible lateral loading on the shaft bearings accordingly reduce to a minimum the vibrations created or transmitted to the body 2 .
  • the eccentric portion 10 is snugly received within the inner race 12 of a bearing the outer race 13 of which is mounted in the upper surface of the sole plate 3 .
  • the eccentric portion may be located to work in a slot provided in a bush.
  • the bush is secured to the sole plate by any suitable means.
  • the slot is shorter than the throw of the eccentric portion and as a result the sole plate will perform a figure of 8 orbital oscillations movement.
  • the nature of the orbital oscillatory movement performed by the sole plate may be varied.
  • shifting the connection nearer to the nose 5 of the sole plate an arrangement may be produced in which there is more orbital oscillation at the nose than at the rear, and by shifting the point of connection towards the rear 6 the alternative arrangement in which there is more orbital oscillation at the rear than at the front can be produced.
  • the sole plate may be split into two or more parts with, for example, one side of the base plate oscillating in a clockwise rotary orbital movement whilst the other side rotates in an anti-clockwise orbital movement, the movement of the two sides being synchronised.
  • the sole plate is filled with a fluid and constructed from flexible material.
  • a rigid sole plate base may be fitted with a thin Kevlar/polymer sandwich filled with a suitable fluid, for example colloidal copper or silver in an oil.
  • a suitable fluid for example colloidal copper or silver in an oil.
  • the exposed surface of the sandwich may be coated with a low friction material, for example PTFE.
  • PTFE low friction material
  • the whole of the applied load resulting from downward pressure on the body from the handle may be reacted onto the surface being ironed via the sole plate.
  • support members are used to react part of the imposed load onto the surface being ironed thereby limiting the downward force which can be applied to the sole plate.
  • the support members are in the form of three mushroom-shaped studs 15 , 16 , 17 located respectively one at the nose 5 of the sole plate and two at the rear 6 of the sole plate.
  • the studs 15 , 16 , 17 may be preformed of a relatively rigid material onto which an elastomeric material, for example a silicon material, is moulded to produce the springs 4 .
  • FIG. 5 an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown.
  • the body 2 A has been fitted with a cover and handle 18 of substantially conventional form.
  • the sole plate 3 A includes longitudinal curved slots 19 , 20 through which arcuate support members 21 , 22 project.
  • the support members 21 , 22 are connected to the body 2 A to react part of any imposed load directly from the body onto the surface being ironed in a similar manner to the studs 15 , 16 , 17 of FIGS. 1-4 .
  • the iron is embodied as a steam iron with apertures 23 provided to direct steam outwardly through the sole plate onto material being ironed in conventional manner.
  • the assembly of FIG. 5 is functionally the same as that of FIGS. 1-4 .
  • ancillary means may be provided for enhancing the effectiveness of the iron.
  • Such ancillary means may, for example, comprise means for emitting steam through apertures in the base plate, means for emitting a spray of water either through apertures in the base plate or ahead of the nose, and ancillary means for producing high frequency vibrations of the base plate, for example by means of an ultrasonic oscillator.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Percussion Or Vibration Massage (AREA)
  • Irons (AREA)
  • Road Paving Machines (AREA)
US11/917,854 2005-06-17 2006-06-08 Clothes Iron With Means For Inducing Orbital Oscillatory Motion Into the Sole Plate Abandoned US20080209773A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB0512380.7A GB0512380D0 (en) 2005-06-17 2005-06-17 Oscillating base clothes iron
GB0512380.7 2005-06-17
GBGB0517857.9A GB0517857D0 (en) 2005-06-17 2005-09-01 Improved clothes iron
GB0517857.9 2005-09-01
PCT/GB2006/002098 WO2006134323A1 (en) 2005-06-17 2006-06-08 Clothes iron with means for inducing orbital oscillatory motion into the sole plate

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20080209773A1 true US20080209773A1 (en) 2008-09-04

Family

ID=34855727

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US11/917,854 Abandoned US20080209773A1 (en) 2005-06-17 2006-06-08 Clothes Iron With Means For Inducing Orbital Oscillatory Motion Into the Sole Plate

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US20080209773A1 (enExample)
JP (1) JP5261821B2 (enExample)
CN (1) CN101198741B (enExample)
BR (1) BRPI0613334A2 (enExample)
EA (1) EA200702545A1 (enExample)
GB (2) GB0512380D0 (enExample)
IL (1) IL187920A0 (enExample)
NZ (1) NZ564250A (enExample)
ZA (1) ZA200710577B (enExample)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7997018B1 (en) * 2007-10-05 2011-08-16 Lenford, Inc. Devices and methods of facilitating cooking and ironing using vibration pulses
US20130014410A1 (en) * 2010-07-06 2013-01-17 Chansong Wang Oil-storage type electric iron
US8776409B2 (en) 2011-04-20 2014-07-15 Notable Creations, Inc. Apparatus for removing wrinkles from fabric

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP2166147A1 (fr) * 2008-09-18 2010-03-24 Laurastar S.A. Système de repassage
JP6371256B2 (ja) * 2015-06-19 2018-08-08 東芝ホームテクノ株式会社 アイロン
CN108691186A (zh) * 2017-04-12 2018-10-23 余珍珍 具有震动功能的熨烫底板结构
CN108411598B (zh) * 2018-03-05 2024-03-29 月立集团有限公司 一种电熨斗的震动底板

Citations (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1960424A (en) * 1931-09-24 1934-05-29 Walter K Voss Electric iron
US2080682A (en) * 1935-09-18 1937-05-18 Harry Schlesinger Electric oscillating laundry iron
US2155779A (en) * 1936-07-14 1939-04-25 Harry Schlesinger Rotary iron structure
US2218893A (en) * 1938-07-05 1940-10-22 Schlesinger Harry Gearing for rotary irons
US2476663A (en) * 1945-07-06 1949-07-19 Holden John Allan Electric iron having revolving disks in pressing surface
US4183112A (en) * 1977-08-02 1980-01-15 Milliken Research Corporation Device for scrubbing carpet
US5094021A (en) * 1990-12-05 1992-03-10 Chen Su Min Ultrasonic iron
US6454640B1 (en) * 1999-09-01 2002-09-24 Robert Bosch Gmbh Portable grinder with double seal bearing
US20050095967A1 (en) * 2003-11-04 2005-05-05 Pan Jim L. Sole assembly for an orbital sander
US20060003680A1 (en) * 2004-07-02 2006-01-05 Nigel Robson Power tool
US20070180711A1 (en) * 2003-09-19 2007-08-09 Keith Park Jigsaw actuation mechanism for imparting scrolling, orbital and reciprocating movement
US20070270088A1 (en) * 2006-05-18 2007-11-22 Acs Industries Grill and griddle cleaning device

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SU1437446A1 (ru) * 1986-06-23 1988-11-15 В.И.Купович Электроутюг
JPH01127598U (enExample) * 1988-02-19 1989-08-31
DE8812607U1 (de) * 1988-10-07 1988-12-08 Roller, Hanno, 6744 Kandel Elektrisches Bügeleisen
FR2695144B1 (fr) * 1992-09-02 1994-11-25 Alain Combe Fer à repasser assisté.
JP2003169999A (ja) * 2001-12-06 2003-06-17 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd アイロン

Patent Citations (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1960424A (en) * 1931-09-24 1934-05-29 Walter K Voss Electric iron
US2080682A (en) * 1935-09-18 1937-05-18 Harry Schlesinger Electric oscillating laundry iron
US2155779A (en) * 1936-07-14 1939-04-25 Harry Schlesinger Rotary iron structure
US2218893A (en) * 1938-07-05 1940-10-22 Schlesinger Harry Gearing for rotary irons
US2476663A (en) * 1945-07-06 1949-07-19 Holden John Allan Electric iron having revolving disks in pressing surface
US4183112A (en) * 1977-08-02 1980-01-15 Milliken Research Corporation Device for scrubbing carpet
US5094021A (en) * 1990-12-05 1992-03-10 Chen Su Min Ultrasonic iron
US6454640B1 (en) * 1999-09-01 2002-09-24 Robert Bosch Gmbh Portable grinder with double seal bearing
US20070180711A1 (en) * 2003-09-19 2007-08-09 Keith Park Jigsaw actuation mechanism for imparting scrolling, orbital and reciprocating movement
US20050095967A1 (en) * 2003-11-04 2005-05-05 Pan Jim L. Sole assembly for an orbital sander
US20060003680A1 (en) * 2004-07-02 2006-01-05 Nigel Robson Power tool
US20070270088A1 (en) * 2006-05-18 2007-11-22 Acs Industries Grill and griddle cleaning device

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7997018B1 (en) * 2007-10-05 2011-08-16 Lenford, Inc. Devices and methods of facilitating cooking and ironing using vibration pulses
US20130014410A1 (en) * 2010-07-06 2013-01-17 Chansong Wang Oil-storage type electric iron
US8713824B2 (en) * 2010-07-06 2014-05-06 Chansong Wang Oil-storage type electric iron
US8776409B2 (en) 2011-04-20 2014-07-15 Notable Creations, Inc. Apparatus for removing wrinkles from fabric

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0512380D0 (en) 2005-07-27
NZ564250A (en) 2011-03-31
JP5261821B2 (ja) 2013-08-14
BRPI0613334A2 (pt) 2011-01-04
ZA200710577B (en) 2008-11-26
EA011364B1 (ru) 2009-02-27
IL187920A0 (en) 2008-03-20
JP2009508535A (ja) 2009-03-05
GB0517857D0 (en) 2005-10-12
CN101198741A (zh) 2008-06-11
EA200702545A1 (ru) 2009-02-27
CN101198741B (zh) 2012-03-21

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