US2561189A - Block soleplate and cover for electric flatirons - Google Patents

Description

July 17, 1951v F. E. FlNLAYsoN 2,561,189

BLOCK SOLPLATE AND COVER FOR ELECTRIC FLATIRONS Filed June 2e, 194e z Jagaux IYVGIDOVW' a f frank E. pirwlayso @MM/mm H is Attorrw ey.

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Patented July 17, 1951 BLOCK SOLEPLATE AND COVER FOR ELECTRIC FLATIRON S Frank E. Finlayson, Ontario, Calif., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application June 26, 1948, Serial No. 35,400

1 Claim. (Cl. 38-90) parts which are diilcult to fabricate, complicated to assemble in manufacture or for repair, and Among the objects of my invention are to provide a lightweight inexpensive iron having but a few parts which are easy to make and require only simple assembly operations. Such an iron should be capable of withstanding rough usage without damage.

Most electric flatirons prior to my invention have had a sole plate on which the heating ele- My invention relates to improvements in elecment is mounted, and a deep drawn or cast shell which constitutes the outer side and top faces of the completed iron and encloses the heating element and controls which are above the sole plate.l According to one aspect of my invention,

the usual sole plate is supplanted by a block' having side walls which constitute the outer iinished side walls of the iron. Thev cover then becomes a flat plate which can be made easily from thin sheet material. This construction largely eliminates expensive finishing operationsI and simplifies the design of the parts themselves. Other parts of the iron, according to my invention, are combined where possible, simpliiiedin structure, and rearranged so that their forming and their assembly are easy and inexpensive.

These and other objects. and the details of that which I believe to be novel and my invention, will be clear from the following description and claim taken with the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an example of flatiron embodying the present invention and incorporating the sole block with the flat cover plate mentioned above.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a sectional side view of an iron, with some of the parts shown in elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the iron of Fig. 1 with some of the top parts of the iron partly broken away for clarity; Fig. 3 is a section substantially on the line and in the direction indicated at 3 3 in Fig. l, showing parts of the sole block and electrical connections; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the back or heel portion of the sole block, showing the terminals of the heater and a thermally-responsive cutout.v

The principal part of the iron is the sole block I, preferably cast from metal in a single solid piece. For lightness in weight, as well as for ease in finishing the outer surfaces, I prefer that the material for the block be aluminum or an equivalent lightweight metal or alloy. This block has a bottom flat ironing face 2 having the usual isosceles triangular shape. and inwardly from the ironing face are two side faces 3 which converge toward each other at the nose or toe 4 of the block. These side faces will constitute the finished outer side surfaces of the iron.

Also extending upwardly from the ironing face, and joining the rear ends of the side faces, is a back face 5. A flat top face 6 completes the outer surfaces of the sole block.

In order to reduce the weight of the iron, to give it proper balance and to provide a space for housing necessary mechanical and electrical parts, a cavity 1 is provided in the top `face of the block. This cavity may extend to and open into the back face of the block for purposes which will later appear. However, the cavity leaves the side faces of the block unbroken, and because of the shape of the sides, this cavity is of materially less areathan the area of the bottom ironing face. .d

For supplying heat to the iron, a heating element 8 is provided. This element is embedded in the block around the cavity as shown by being cast therein, and should be of the substantially rigid, self-insulated type. I have found that a 'heating element of the character patented by C. C. Abbott, No. 1,367,341, on February 1, 1921 is satisfactory. This element has a helical resistance conductor 9 housed within a metallic sheath'IU with a highlycompacted heat conducting and electrical insulating material II. such as powdered magnesium oxide, to support the conductor in spaced relation within the sheath. The terminal sections of this heater are provided with the usual rigid and self-.supporting wire leads I2 which are connected to the internal resistance conductor in the usual fashion and are insulated from the ends of the metallic sheath by the compacted insulating materialy II and by washers I3 which may be of mica.

It will be noted that the terminals I2 of the heating element extend freelyinto the cavity of Extending upwardly the block opposite the opening in the back face. Because the heater is substantially rigid and is embedded in the block when it is cast. these terminals do not require any outside support at their free ends.

In order to enclose the cavity in the sole block and the mechanisms housed therein, I provide a substantially fiat cover plate I4. For increase in strength as well as ease in manufacture, the front handle post or support I is made integral with the top cover plate. By making this plate of a comparatively high grade sheet metal stock, and because no deep drawing operations are required to shape this plate, expensive bufiing, polishing or other finishing operations are eliminated.' This plate may have an extension at the back of the iron with a rolled broad edge IB which can form part of a heel stand for the iron when it is not in use.

Thecover plate is held in place on the sole block by a screw I1 which is threaded directly into the block itself and by a screw I8 which is threaded into a support I9. This support I9 is in turn secured to the sole: block by screws 20. and as shown best in Fig. 3, lit bridges the cavity in the top face of the iron. Besides acting as a part of the support for the cover plate. the member I3' also supports plug terminals 2I and 22.

lConventional means for securing the plug terminals to the support but insulating them therefrom and from each other are provided. Obvio'usly', these plug terminals are adapted to be connected to a source of electrical power through the usual appliance cord and plug which are not shown. Preferably. this support member is integral with and carries a cover 23 for the back face opening, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The support I9 may also be provided with upturned side ears 24 which serve to aid in positioning the cover plate on the sole block and in holding it in slightly spaced relation therefrom for heat insulating purposes.

In order to protect the electrical plug connections, I provide a plug guard 25 which is made of one piece of sheet -metal wrapped in generally cylindrical form, with its edges overlapping. The overlapping edges are extended upwardly to form a rear handle post or support 28 and are extended downwardly and bent to' fcm a securing ledge 21. The ledge 21 extends' through the edge of a hole 28 in the cover plate and is held in place under the cover plate by the screw I8 on the support I9. The back of this plug guard may be used as the other portion of the heel stand together with the broad edge of the back of the cover plate in the usual fashion.

If'the iron were made with no controls for the heating element, it is likely that it would be hazardous to use orthat the aluminum sole block would become damaged from overheating. To prevent this, I provide a thermally responsive cutout or thermostat generally indicated at 29. In the form shown as an example, the cutout has a current-carrying frame 30, one end -of which is attached directly to one of the -heater terminals, as by brazing. A contact 3l is attached to the other end of the frame member. Cooperating with this first contact is another contact 32 carried by a spring arm 33 which in turn is carried by, but insulated from, the frame member by insulation piece 34. This piece, which may be of mica, also insulates the` small bi-metallic piece 35,v from the frame, and is held in place together with thespring arm by rivet 36. Naturally, the spring arm resiliently urges the contacts 3l and trically connected directly to the other heaterterminal by wire 39. A circuit through the device will be completed from the plug terminal2I through the wire 31, the rivet 36, the spring arm 33, the contacts 32 and 3I, the frame 30, the heater terminal I2, the resistance wire 9 of the heater, the other heater terminal I2. the wire 39. and the plug terminal 22.

Inoperation. the bimetallic strip 35, when heated, will flex in a direction toward the spring arm. Any satisfactory adjusting means, such as setscrew 40, mounted in the spring arm, may be used to adjust the setting of the thermostat. The bimetal will bear against the end of the screw and flex the spring arm to open the contacts when a desired heat has been reached.

Obviously, other cutouts. or other mountings of the cutout here described could be `used within the body cavity of the iron without departing from my invention. Details of the specific cutout and its mounting per se are not my invention, but are shown, described and claimed in the copending application of A. G. Swenson. entitled Thermal Cutout for Flatirons or the Like," S. N. 35,335, led June 26, 1948, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, now Patent 2,528,254,v patented October 31, 1950.

Completing the iron is a hand grip 4I made of wood or other suitable thermal-insulating material. This handle is fastened in any suitable fashion between the handle posts or supports, as by a long bolt 42 and nut 43.

When finishing the metal parts of the iron, lt is necessary only thatthe bottom and side faces of the sole block be polished with a rather flne polishing cloth. No bufiing is needed. Because of the nature of the other parts as described above, expensive nishing operations onv these parts are also eliminated. Due to the number and character of the parts, there is a minimum number of sub-assembly and assembly operations required to produce the iron. All of this contributes to low cost as well as ease in manufacturing.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of my invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and I contemplate that various and other modifications and applications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore my intention that the appended claim shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to `secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An electric flatiron comprising a unitary solid metal sole block. formed with a triangular bottom fiat ironing face, converging side faces and a back face extending upwardly from the ironing face, and a flat top face, said block having a cavity in its top face of materially less area than the area of the bottom face, said cavity having an open,- ing in the back face of the block, a heaterembedded in the block around the cavity, terminals extending from the heater into the cavity opposite the back face opening. a single plate fabricover, a rear handle support with an integral l plug guard surrounding the plug connections, said guard forming additionally a second heel rest portion. a handle secured between the handle supports. and means securing the second handle support to the support member and to the cover plate.

FRANK E. FINLAYSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 Number Name Date '149,520 Bennitt Jan. 12, 1904 839,343 Vogel Dec. 25, 1906 1,863,284 Rollman June 14, 1932 2.367.985 Weeks Jan. 23, 1945

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