US2587608A - Steam iron reservoir water supply and water discharge means - Google Patents

Description

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Patented Mar. 4, 1952 omiso STEAM IRON RESERVOIR WATER SUPPLY AND WATER DISCHARGE S Frank E. Finlayson, Ontario, Calif., assigner to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application January 7, 1949, Serial No. 69,756

7 Claims. ((31. 38-77) This invention relates to a pressing device and it has for its object the provision of an improved pressing iron arranged so that it may be used as a conventional dry iron, and also to generate steam so that it may be used as a steam iron.

More particularly, this invention relates to a steam iron which is provided with a water reservoir and an improved means for filling the reservoir, venting it, and emptying the liquid therefrom. A further object of this invention is to provide a simplied and improved means for controlling the low of water from the water reservoir to the steam generating chamber when the iron is used as a steam iron. Improved means are also provided in accordance with this invention to prevent the flow of water to steam generating chamber whenever the iron is tilted back and placed on a heel rest provided'on the iron. It is also an object of this invention to provide an iron which is reliable in operation due to the simplicity of the operating parts; which is eflicient in operation; and which may be pro duced at a relatively low cost in order to make available for the market an inexpensive iron having the above advantages.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing in whichFig. 1 is a side elevation view of an iron embodyingI` the features of my invention, the forward portion of the iron being shown in vertical section taken along the longitudinal axis of the iron; Fig, 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the iron in its up-ended position supported on a heel rest; and Fig. 3V is a vertical sectional view of the front portion of an iron showing an alternative embodiment of my invention, said section being taken along the longitudinal axis of the iron.

Referring to the drawing, this invention has been shown as applied to an electrically heated iron comprising a sole plate l@ a top cover l l for the iron, and a handle t2, attached to this cover; A water reservoir I3 is provided within the space defined by the top Vcover and the sole plate. The handle Y I2, which preferably is molded from a suitable; phenolic condensation product or other heat insulating material, has av hand` grip portion. i4, a front' handle support portion l5, and' a' rear' handle support i The rear handle support is provided with a protuberance Mia and thisl protuberance in conjunction with the body-of the iron forms a heel rest upon which the iron be up-ended' when not in use, astshown. by Fig; 2.

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- Thel pressing surfaceof the iron comprises the sole plate lil which preferably is cast of a heatconducting material such as aluminum. Imbedded in the sole plate it! is a suitable electrical heating element l? which preferably will be of the sheathed type. While the design of this heating element does not form a part of this invention, briefly the heating element comprises a helical resistance conductor E8 mounted Within an outer metallic sheath I9 and supported in spaced relation with reference to the outer sheath by an electrically insulating heat conducting mass 20, such as highly compressed granulated magnesium oxide. The heating element l1 is roughly in the shape of a hairpin with the extremities of its legs extending towards the rear of the iron and its nexus at the forward `or pointed end of the iron. Any suitable method may be used for connection of the electrical resistance element I8 to a source of power. A rotatable knob 2|, located in a convenient position, is provided for adjustment of a thermostatic switch, not shown, to control the temperature of the iron.

A steam generating chamber 22 is provided adjacent the soleplate so that water from the reservoir I3 dripping into chamber 22 will be vaporized and discharged through the pressing surface of the iron. Chamber 22 includes a cavity 23 in the upper surface of the soleplate I0 intorwhich the water from the reserv-oir flows. A trough 24 is employed to conduct the water to this cavity 23 so that the water will be spread out over a wider area of the cavity to insure rapid vaporization. Cavity 2S is heated by the s-oleplate so that during operation of the iron the cavity is heated and, therefore, the water fed into it will be instantly ashed into steam. The steam so generated is confined within chamber 22 by a cover plate 25 and hood 21 cooperating with the soleplate lil to define the upper Wall of chamber 22. Cover plate 25 and hood 2l are 'fastened to the soleplate by screws 26 or other suitable fastening means. A circuitous passage (not shown) is preferably provided between the cover plate 25 and the soleplate it for conducting the steam from cavity 23 to the steam discharge ports 23. The aforedescribed soleplate chute is described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 790,525, filed December 9, 1947, now Patent No. 2,582,773 dated January l5, 1942, led as a division of my copending application Serial No. 596,298, liled September 11, 1946, now Patent 2,557,732, patented June 19, 1951, and both of which are assigned to the assignee of the instant application. Reference is also made to my copending application Serial No. 696,291, filed September 11, 1946, now Patent 2,499,184, patented February 28, 1950, also assigned to the assignee of the instant application, and which describes and claims a chute extending rearwardly for conveying water from a reservoir dischage port to a steam generator.

The water reservoir I3 comprises a tank fabricated from a suitable non-rusting material such as brass. This tank I3 may be shaped to t closely adjacent the underside of the top cover I I of the iron in order to have sufficient volume of water Within the reservoir for continuos use during the ironing period. The reservoir I3 preferably should be spaced IJfrom the soleplate so that Water within the reservoir will not be heated to steaming temperature. To provide communication between reservoir I3 and chamber 22 and to support the reservoir with respect to the soleplate I0, the valve assembly 29 is securely fastened to reservoir I3 and hood 21 of the steam generating chamber.

Valve assembly 29 includes a bushing 30 internally threaded to receive the oriiiced member 3I. The bushing 30 is xed to hood 21 by any suitable method and denes an aperture through the top oi the hood. Reservoir I3 is provided with an aperture in alignment with the aperture dened by bushing 30, so that when orificed member 3I is inserted through the aperture in the reservoir it may be threaded into bushing 30 to clamp the reservoir and hood together. A suitable gasket 33 may be interposed between the bushing 30 and the underside of the reservoir to provide a sealed connection between the reservoir I3 and the hood 21. The orifice 34 passing through the member 3| permits flow of water from the reservoir into the steam generating chamber. The diameter of this orice should be such as will allow the water to drip into the steam generating chamber at a rate which will provide the desired amount of steam during a normal pressing operation. Other means will, of course, be apparent to one skilled in the art for supporting the reservoir and furnishing communication between the reservoir and the steam generating chamber.

A fill tube or riser 35 furnishes communication to the reservoir for addition of liquid. An opening is provided into the water tank I3 at its upper forward portion for reception of this ll tube and a similar aligned opening is also provided in the top cover II of the iron. Fill tube 35 extends through these aligned openings and is connected to both the top cover and the reservoir by any suitable method well known to the art. As shown in Fig. 1, an annular groove 36 is provided on the lower end of ll tube 35 and this groove receives the edge portions of the aperture in the reservoir. Fig. 3 illustrates an alternative method in which the lower end of ll tube 35 is flared outwardly and edge portions of the aligned openings in reservoir I3 and cover II over-lie this outwardly flared portion. An insulating gasket 31 and a washer 38 around the outside of the tube 35 may be employed between the top cover II of the iron and the front handle support I5. Such a construction will aid in preventing the handle from becoming uncomfortably hot during operation.

The front handle support I has an internal bore of an appropriate shape to receive snugly the fill tube 35. The strength oi this portion of the handle may be `increased by employing va liner 39, and this liner is shown in Fig. 1 as a cylindrical tube closed at its upper end. The /liner 39, fill tube 35 and the handle I2 are connected together by a threaded fastening device 40, which also serves to attach the front handle support I5 to the body of the iron.

A filling, venting, and emptying aperture 4I is provided for the reservoir I3. 'I'his aperture is defined by the aligned openings provided through the front handle support I5, liner 39, and ll tube 35. It will be noted that this lling opening 4I faces the front or pointed end of the iron so that when the iron is on its heel rest, as sho-wn on Fig. 2, the aperture faces upwardly to permit water to be poured from a small pitcher, or the like, into the fill tube for adding water to the reservoir. This construction has the distinct advantage over the conventional arrangement where water is added to the reservoir while the iron is in its normal ironing position, in that with this construction any overiiow while lling the water tank will merely flow over the handle portion of the iron, and will not strike the hot surfaces of the iron. This arrangement also facilitates the lling of the reservoir in that the iron is on its heel rest during this time and there is no danger of burning or scorching the material being ironed or the surface of the ironing board. It is contemplated in this construction to employ no means whatsoever for closing the lling aperture 4I and, therefore, no special means need be provided for venting the water reservoir. Aperture 4I also provides a means by which the water from the reservoir may be poured out upon completion of ironing. Y

Provision is made to automatically cut off the iiow of water to the steam generator when the iron is on its heel rest. This feature is best illustrated by Fig. 2. The top cover II extends beyond the rear end 42 of the sole plate. This projecting portion of cover II and the protuberance Ia on the handle form the heel rest for the iron. In this position of rest, the iron is tilted back from a vertical position a sufficient amount to provide a position of stabilitv. When the iron is in this position, the orice 34 may be so located in the reservoir that it is above a horizontal line passing through the filling aperture 4I The res-ult of this arrangement is that when water is poured into the reservoir through lling aperture 4I the level of liquid can never rise to the point where Water will ow into the steam generator, since in the heel rest position, orifice 34 is always above the liquid level. However, when the iron is returned to operating position, water may readily drip through the orifice onto the trough 24 and thence to the cavity 23 in the sole plate in order to generate steam.

It is contemplated as within the scope of this invention that this flat iron may be used without any valve operating member or device to seal off orifice 34. Without such a member for controlling the ow of water to the steam generating chamber, this iron would still be suitable as a steam iron since Water flows to the cavity 23 in the sole plate only when the iron is in normal operating position; and if it is desired to be used as a dry iron, liquid contained in the reservoir is merely poured out through the aperture 4 I. Nevertheless, the specific construction shown by the drawing has been illustrated as including a valve operating member with a plug portion adapted to block off orifice 34.

One form of such a flow control member is illustrated .by Figs. 1 and 2, which showa ow control' member 431formed'from a` resilient piece of wire of approximately the same diameter as thediameter of theoriii'ce 34. Member 43mcludes a lower' straight portion 44 which projects through the orice for blocking 01T the flow of water'to the steam generating chamber. An intermediate bowed portion is formed on member 4'3 to frictionally engage the inside wall of ll tube 35. The flow control member 43 also'has7 a nger operating portion t5 extending outside the closed end of liner 39 of the front handle support. By such a construction, this valve operating member 43 is slidable vertically by the operator to control thefilow of water from the reservoir to the steam generating cavity; and the valve is i held in any given position by the frictional engagement of the intermediate bowed portion within the-inside wall of the ll tube. Member 43 is of suhcient length to allow the lower plug portion to extend through the orifice so that when the flow control member closes oi the orice 34, any scale or dirt within the orifice will be forced out. This flow control means constitutes the subject matter of copending application to AlfredY G. Swenson, Serial No. 69,774 led concurrently herewith, and assigned to the assignee of this application.

Fig. 3 illustrates a preferred embodiment of this invention with a modified construction of the'll'ing arrangement and flow control means. In accordance with this construction, the internal bore in the front handle support l5 includes a portion 45 of adequate diameter to receive the ll tube 35 and a portion of reduced diameter il to receive the' valve operating button 48. A cup-shaped member isis employed in this arrangement extending through the aligned openings in the front handle support and the ll tube to conduct water poured into the filling aperture to the iill' tube 35 and thence into the reservoir. A sere-en 59 maybe placed over the opening from member i9 into the fill tube in order to prevent entrance of foreign matter and dirt into the reservoir. An inverted cap 5I closes the upper end of lill tube 35 and a screw et) is employed to fasten together the cup-shapedfilh ing member 49, the cap 5i for the fill tube, the ll tube 35, andthe handle.

The valve operating member 52, illustrated by Fig. 3, comprises a substantially straight wire withits lower end capable of projecting through andblocking oi the orifice which furnishes communication between the reservoir and the steam generator. Member 52 passes upwardly through the reservoir and the ll tube with its upper end Button 48 is projecting through the cap 5i. connected to the valve operating member 52 by screw 53 so that a person using the iron may control the position of the valve. A coiled spring 54 is positioned within a cavity 55 which extends up into the button 48 to resiliently bias the valve operating member 52 upwardly to a valve open position in which water-dow to the steam generator is permitted. This valve button is slidable within the bore i? provided in the front handle support. A shoulder 56 on the button is engageu able with a cooperating projection El provided within the bore d?. Therefore, to hold the valve in a closed position, button 43 is depressed against the action of spring 5d and shoulder 55 is engaged under projection 51 to hold the button down. Thus, a simplified valve operating member is provided in which the flow of water to 6 by'permitting the control of steam to the ironing surface without anyY interruption of theironing operation.

It will be observed that in the form of my invention shown in Fig. 3, iill tube 35 inclines forwardly rather than rearwardly as in Figs. 1 and 2, and, therefore, when the reservoir isA filled in the Fig. 3 embodiment, the entire volume of the reservoir'and ill tubev may be iilled to overflowing.

.Vhile I have shown particular-embodiments of' my invention, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited solely thereto, since modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

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

l. A steam iron comprising a liquid reservoir, a steam generating chamber, an oriflced member between said reservoir and said chamber to permit liquid from the reservoir to ow into said chamber while ironing, means for heating said chamber for generating steam from the water fed into it, a hollow riser fixed to and extending away from said reservoir, said riser having a xed length and a closed outer end and also a filling opening adjacent said outer end and facing the forward end of said iron, a handle support on iron, said handle support having an internal bore and said riser being located within said bore, means defining a lling aperture in saidhandle support in the forward face thereof adjacent said filling opening for filling said reservoir,- a heel rest upon which the iron may be up-ended, said filling aperture facing upwardly when the iron is lip-ended so that liquid may be poured into said riser for filling said reservoir, and control means extending through said riser and terminating in a manual control for adjusting the rate of flow of liquid through said orificed member from the reservoir to the steam generating chamber.

2. A steam iron comprising a liquid reservoir, a steam generating chamber, metering means for controlling the now of liquid from said reservoir to said chamber, a tubular riser xed to said reservoir,. said riser extending up from said reservoir when the steam iron is in its normal ironing position, a handle support on said iron, said handle support having a bore located therein and said riser being' received in said bore, means defining a transverse opening through said handle support into said riser forming a filling aperture for the reservoir, a heel rest upon which the iron may be tilted back from its normal ironing position, and metering control means extending through said riser and terminating in a finger control for adjusting the rate of flow of liquid through said metering means to said generating chamber.

3. A steam iron comprising a water reservoir,

a steam generating chamber, a valve furnishing communication between said reservoir and chamber, means for heating said chamber to generate the steam generating chamber is controlled by a single simple movement of the button 48, theresteam from the water fed into it from said reservoir, a il tube connected to and extending away from said reservoir, said fill tube being closed at its outer end and having a filling opening in its front wall adjacent its outer end, a handle for said iron provided with a hollow bore in which said ll tube is positioned, said handle having a port aligned with the filling opening of said ll tube to permit lling and emptying of said reservoir, means constituting a heel rest upon which said iron may be up-ended and in which position said port faces upwardly, said valve being located with respect to said port so that the valve is always above the liquid level in said reservoir when the iron is on its heel rest, and a Valve controlling member siidably movable longitudinally within said fill tube, said valve controlling member projecting outside of said handle and terminating in a control member. for manual adjustment of the rate of flow of water.

4. In a steam iron, a liquid reservoir, a steam generator, a valve providing liquid flow control from said reservoir to said generator, a fill tube connected to and extending away from said reservoir, said ll tube being closed at its outer end and having a filling opening in its front wall adjacent its outer end, a handle provided with a hollow bore to receive said fill tube and having an aperture aligned with said filling opening for addition of liquid to said reservoir, a heel rest for said iron when it is tilted back from normal ironing position said aperture and filling opening face upward whereby and in which tilted-back position liquid may be poured into said aperture, and a longitudinally slidable valve controlling member extending through said ll tube, said valve controlling member projecting outside of said handle and terminating in a member for manual adjustment of the rate of iiow of liquid.

5. A steam iron comprising a water reservoir, a iiash steam generator, a passage permitting water ow from said reservoir to said generator, a member for controlling water flow through said passage, a handle member on said iron, said iiow control member having a portion located in said handle member and said flow control member being movable between a position in which water flow is cut off and a position in which water ow is permitted, means normally urging said flow control member to water flow position, Walls dening a shoulder on said handle, and a projection on said flow control member engageable with said shoulder by a sidewise movement of such member to lock said flow control member in ilow cut-olf position.

6. A steam iron comprising a water reservoir, a steam generator, a valve seat including a waterflow orifice extending from said reservoir to said generator, a handle for said iron having a handle support portion with an internal bore, a tubular conduit connected to the reservoir and located within said bore, said conduit and handle support portion being provided with aligned apertures for lling said reservoir, a valve operator having a portion cooperating with said -vvalve seat for controlling the flow of water to said generator, said valve operator extending from said valve seat through said conduit and having on its outer end a finger operating means mounted Within the bore in said handle support for slidable movement with respect to said handle, resilient means biasing said operator to a rst position with respect to said valve seat, and cooperating projections on the handle and the finger operating means for locking said valve operator in a second position.

7. In a steam iron, a water tank, a steam generator, a passage permitting water flow from said tank to said generator, a fill tube fixed to and extending away from said tank, said fill tube having a nlling opening adjacent its outer end, a handle on said iron having a handle support portion with an internal bore to receive said fill tube, means defining a filling aperture in said handle support portion adjacent said lling opening for adding water to said reservoir, a member having a plug portion for controlling water flow through said passage, said member having a pushbutton thereon slidable within the bore in said handle between a position in which water flow is cut off and a position in which water flow is permitted, means normally urging said flow control member to a water-flow position, Walls defining a shoulder on a side of said internal bore, and a projection on said button adapted to be moved into engagement with said shoulder by a sidewise movement of the button to lock said flow control member in a flow cut-off position.

FRANK E. FINLAYSON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,279,215 Theilgaard Apr. 7, 1942 2,384,839 Kistner Sept. 18, 1945 2,419,705 Busch et al. Apr. 29, 1947 2,432,205 Morton Dec. 9, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 724,139 France Jan. 25, 1932 474,204 Great Britain Oct. 27, 1937

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