US2609625A

US2609625A - Thermostatically controlled electric iron for dry and steam ironing

Info

Publication number: US2609625A
Application number: US8861A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bate Alan
Original assignee: WINSTED HARDWARE Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: WINSTED HARDWARE Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1948-02-17
Filing date: 1948-02-17
Publication date: 1952-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1969-09-09

Description

p 1952 A. BATE 2,609,625

'THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED ELECTRIC IRON FOR DRY AND STEAM IRONING Filed Feb. 17, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 flgi: gmmin 4 4 INVENTOR.

ALAN BATE BY AT TORNEY Sept. 9, 1952 BATE 2,609,625

THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED ELECTRIC IRON FOR- DRY AND STEAM IRONING Filed Feb. 17, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. ALAN BA TE Patented Sept. 9, 1952 'THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED fEL-EC rare IRON FOR DRY AND STEAM IRO'NING a Ba e .R m 1111. assi ne t lh W sted Hardware Manufacturing Cpmpany, Wine sted,.Conn., a corporation l flonnecticut Application February 17, 1948; Serial ire-8,85 1

3 Claims. (01. 38-47) 1 This inventionrelates tonew and useful improvements in sadirons andrhas particular re.- lation to an electric steam iron and is concerned in part with the applicationoi the principle dis:- closed in my application Serial Number -'Z81,442 filed "October 22, 1947, now Patent No. 2,573,114, dated October 30, 1951,. toia household .or' more conventional type of electric iron.

vAn 'obiect .of the invention'is to :provide an electric steam iron including a sole plate and a flash boiler on one side of saidsoleplate .and including a casting having a circuitous passage therethrough and adapted-to receive water .and discharge steam.

Another object of the invention is to provide electric steam iron including a fixed handle .and a perforated sole plate connected to a flash ,boiler in which. .steam is made under external water pressure supplied to la v'alveion-the iron at the boiler intake. 1.

Another .object :is :to provide an electric steam iron -having the characteristics above set forth and further including certain improved features of construction whereby the iron is of neat and attractive appearance andadapted for'long use- .ful life. Y

;Other objects and advantages of the -inven-:- .tion will become apparent from a consideration of the-following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a-satisfactory embodiment of theiinvention -:is shown. *However,. it is to be understood that the-invention is not .limited to the details disclosed .but includes all such variations and modifications :as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

:In ;the drawings:

@Fig. :lis asideelevational .viewshowing an electriczsteam iron constructed inaccordance with the invention and hooked up ready for use;

' 2 is 1a.;central longitudinal-sectional view through thetiron-of Fig.1;

iiEI'ig.:-3 isa transverse sectional view taken as along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;. 1

-lifig. {his atop-plan view of the sole plate thatmostatic zcqntrol rand boiler assembly;

Flg.:,5 is a bottom plan-view of theflash boiler; and

Fig; 6 is :a .top plan view:of -1the sole plate and thermostatic :co'ntrol assembly; the boiler being omitted. I

Referring in detail to the drawings, :my improved electric steam iron, generally designated [0, comprises a sole plate H of steel against "the luppersidecf whichis secured a flash boiler 12 I 2 and ion h upp r side of such flash boiler is a suitable electrical heating element or unit l3 against the upper side of which is located a pair pi heat insulating sheets 14, of asbestos or the like. The heatingelement or unit I3. is held in oo the ma co a t with the uppe si of h flash boiler .izby theasbestos pads 14 which serve to distribute the pressure of a metal pressure plate 45 pressing against the uppergside ofthe pppermost of saidinsulating pads. 1

Over the assembly describedthere is disposed a clpsureshell or casing it of sheet metal the same being held in place as by hollow screws l1 and 18 passing through the shelland threaded to studs I9 and =21! having their lower ends secured to the sole plate. The iron is to be manipulated by a handle 2! of any suitable material butpreferably of an insulating material and such handle has its ;f o rwa r d end secured to the forward portion of the shell or casing it throu h a heat bailiing arrangement 22 and the rear'portion of said -handle is secured to the rear portion ofthe l l Q ca in w'l ugh a suita le heat ba i arrangement Q3. The rear portion of the handle "21 ishollowed outas at 24and such hollow portion includes

side walls

25 and 26. The purpose of this constructioniwill later appear. The circuit to the heating element i3 is controlled by a thermostatic or thermally operated switching means-generally designatedl'32 and such ;means maybe any of those disclosed in my application fierialNumber 715,561 filed December 11, l94,no w Batent No. 2,537,808, dated January 9, 1951. As hereyshown, the switching means comprises a

pair ofqarms

21 and 28 mounted on the respective studs or posts H! and 'zflandcarrving contact buttons as shown. The contact arms ,are,-,of course, insulated from the posts and connected with the :element l3. Below the lower contact arm il there is a bowed element 29 held in bowed position 'byhaving its extrenies'an} choredor secured toor in engagementwith lower portions ofthe-posts or studs I 9 and 20.

Mowed element 29 has a small coefficient of expansion as-compared 'with that-of the sole plate whereby; asthe sole plate becomes heated and the studs l9z'and iii-move apart, the bowed element 'tends to fiattenand this permits" opening {crane switch comprising the 1 arms 21 and -28. thereafter as the sole plate cools and contracts, the

studs

19 and 20 aremoved-toward-one another causingi'an increase inthe curvature or bowing ot the. element 29 so-that the-switch arm zl is forced upwardly to engage its contact button with that of the switch arm 28 to again close the circuit to the element [3.

Any or the usual adjustment for controlling the opening and closing of the switch by the thermal means may be employed, such an adjustment being shown in my application above referredto and in the present instance being designed for manipulation by means of a hand piece 30 located at the upper side of the shell IE and preferably under the hollow of the handle 2|. It is noted that on the studs l9 and 20, below the hollow screws I! and I8, are nuts 31 and these nuts are tightened to clamp the pressure plate l against the insulating pads [4 to secure the as- Y sembly prior to the disposition of the shell or closure thereover. On said studs at the under side of the pressure plate l5 are other nuts 31a for securing the switching

arms

21 and 28 in position.

The thermal or thermostatic switch assembly generally designated 32 is shown as assembled or mountedon the sole plate without the addition of any other parts in Fig. 6. The sole plate has a series of ports 33 extending from its upper side through its lower side and as best illustrated in Fig. 6, a'number of these ports lead into elongated depressions or channels 34 formed in the underside of the sole plate As will later more clearly appear, the ports 33 serve as conduits to conduct steam to the underside of the sole plate. The flash boiler l2 comprises a body 35 in the form of an aluminum casting and of substantially the contour of the upper side of the sole plate! I. The aluminum casting 35 has a circuitous passage cast therein. As shown, this passage is formed by a substantially flat coil of tubing 36, the inlet end portion 37 of which extends above the casting and rearwardly thereof and preferably has its free end flanged as at 38. The passage formed by the tubing 36 also includes a discharge end portion 39 located in a pocket or cavity 46 formed in the underside of the casting 35 towards the forward or toe end portion thereof. Boiler l2 and the cast body portion 35 has an opening 4| formed entirely therethrough and,- as shown, such opening is somewhat in the shape of a cross and is located within the passageway formed by the flat coiled tube 36; i 7

When making the assembly, after the thermostatic or thermal switch means 32 is mounted on the'upper side of the sole plate, a suitable sealing gasket 42 (Fig. 2) is disposed on the recessed fiat surfaces 43 surrounding the pocket of the casting 35 and then the casting is reversed from the position of Fig. 5 to that of Fig. 4and is disposed against the upper side of the sole plate. The boiler and the sole plate are then ecured together in the desired manner, preferably as by'means of three screws 44 (Fig. 4) which passthrough openings 45 in the boiler or casting l2 (Fig.5) and are threaded into tapped openings 46 (Fig. 6} in the upper side portion of the sole plate H. Thereafter, the heating element is located and the parts I4 and pressure plate l5 are positioned and secured in place.

Through the side wall 25 of the hollow handle portion, an electrical cord 41 is carriedas through a ru bber or other flexible protecting device 48 and; at the inner side of the wall 25 such cord may pass through a Washer or the like 49 and have a strain reliever 58 applied thereto. Within-the recess or hollow portion 0f the handle; the Wires of the cord 47 are separated and are connected with bindingposts 5| and 52 on

conductor strips

53 and 54 suitably connected with the element l3, such connection being as through the thermal or thermostatic switch means 32.

Also mounted on the wall 25 is a valve, generally designated 55, comprising essentially a casing 55 having a valve seat 5'! and a needle valve 58 carried by or including a relatively long stem 59 which passes through the 'wall' portion 26 of the handle and'at the outer side of the latter is equipped with a handle or finger piece 60 for manipulation of the valve. A flexible conduit 6!, as in the form of a length of rubber hose or the like, is connected with the inlet 32 of the valve 55 and this connection may be made through a flexible protecting piece or housing 63. The out, let from the valve 55 is shown at 64 and comprises a length of tubing which, through a union or similar coupling 65, is connected with the inlet portion 31 of the boiler tube or passageway 35.

As best shown in Fig.3, the flared end portion 38 of the inlet 31 is used in making the connection through the union 65. The tubing 61 isipreferably of a convenient length and at its outer end is connected with or provided with a coupling, generally designated 66; which may be of the general type disclosed in'the nowv abandoned application of Harry M. Voglesonger, Serial Number 8,937 filed February 1'7, 1948'. 1

Conductor cord 41 will also be of convenient length and at its outer end is provided with a suitable or desired plug cap 61. .For convenience in handling the cord 4! and the tube 6|, small clips may be used to hold them together for the greater portion of their length, one of such clips being shown at 5B.

When the iron of the invention is to be used, the plug cap 611s plugged into a suitable electrical outlet and the coupling 65 is connected to a tap or faucet, a portion of one of which is shown at 69 in Fig. 1. From this tap or faucet, water will be supplied under city pressure. The thermostatic or thermal switch is adjusted or dialed to the desiredsetting by operation of the finger or hand piece3ll and the iron [0 is thenready for use. a The faucet L59 will have its valve (not shown) open to provide a constant or steady dribble and any excess pressure will berelieved through a regulator feature of the coupling'fifi, all as disclosed in the'above mentioned application of Harry M. Voglesonger. If steam is desired, the needle valve 58 is opened by manipulation of the knob or finger piece6ll and water under pressure offthe city mains isforced into the passageway provided by the metal tubing '36 castinto the aluminum casting 35, said casting and tube comprising the present'flash boiler. j

Heat from the heating unit or element l3 on the upper side of the flash boiler converts thewater into steam which, passing through the entire length of the tube, enters the chamber orv pocket 40 and from the latter-.passesout through. the ports 33 to the underside of the sole plate. Whenever steam is not desired, it is merely necessary toelosethevalve55r' :1" .i r

An iron constructed-as described hasmany advantagesov'er the'tank' type-of steam iron. In'the present iron therefis notv the bulk. to"v be found in the tank type of steam iron and further, with the present construction, theisupply. of steam is practically inexhaustible as therev is no occasion for refilling a tank or the like..' :Addivtionally, the presentiron has the abilitywto supply copious quantities of steamlwhetherjdry or wet. Practically instantly the valve 55mayb'e closed, adapting the iron for dry ironing; .Just

is controlledby the valve 55 and thus the iron may deliver variabl quantities oi steam. Since either the steamsyste'm opento an inexhaustible supply. of water or theironsisbeing useddry, it includes a safety feature in. that, there is ,no occasion for steam explosion.- I

The ironofthe invention is adapted for producing' jsteam when the iron is hot even'lthough the iron-is dialed to the higher-ranges sin'ceconto the previous structures th steam infthe present instance is not produced beforethewater has a chance to move away from the valv'e 55 so steam in large quantities may be produced; Depending on the-volume oi water-supplied, the steam passing out through the ports 33 may be very wet steam or it may be superheated and therefore dry or invisible steam.

With the described construction, when the iron is dialed for its highest heat, the needle valve 58 may be opened wide to allow the heating element l3 to evaporate as much water as is within its continuous-on power to do so. That is, all the electrical energy can be diverted into evaporated water Whereas in other constructions the maximum ability to convert steam into water is limited by the design and not by the available power. This makes a substantial difierence since the iron herein disclosed will evaporate about one ounce of water per minute whereas in constructions previously provided the capacity is about one-third of that of the present iron. Thus, the iron of the invention is capable of producing large quantities of steam obviating the necessity for the use of a pressing cloth.

With the present construction, it will be seen that steam is produced under water pressure and not steam pressure and that the present construction has the ability to translate all of the available electric energy into heat of evaporation. The described iron is easily assembled since the flash boiler 12, for the purpose of assembly, comprises but a single element; namely, the casting having the circuitous passageway provided therein by the casting therein of the flat coiled tubing 35. Additionally, it will be understood that steam is made in the boiler under external water pressure, such as city pressure, supplied to the valve 58 located on the iron and controlling the intake to the boiler.

Having thus set for the the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an electric steam iron, a sole plate having ports extending through it from its upper side to its under side, a boiler on the upper side of said sole plate and conforming generally to the contours of said upper side, an electrical heating element on top of said boiler, thermostatically controlled switch means supported on said sole plate above the mid portion thereof and directly responsive to the temperature of said sole plate, said boiler and said heating element having aligned opening through their mid portions accommodating said switch means, said switch means connected in and controlling the circuit of said heating element, said boiler having a passage therethrough including an end for receiving water under pressure and a discharge end communicating with said ports to supply steam thereto.

2. In an electric steam iron, a sole plate hav- 6 ing ports extending: through it from its upper side to its under side, a boiler. on the upper side of said sole-pla'te and having ta passage therethrough including an" inlet and an outlet comrnunicating with said: ports, fan electric element on :'the upper side ofgsaid boiler" for heating said boileraan'd the contents of said passage, a closure shell oversaidibofler andfheating elementand connected to said sole plate, ialhandle fixed-:to

saidshell, a conductor cord entering said handle and having itswires connected with said electric element; Z a valve amounted? in said handle and 'connectedwith the-inlet 'of saidpassage, azfiex ibl tube: coupled at one endtosaid ya'lvelfor supplying water thereto. and adapted: to have its other 'endrcoupledsto asource: ofnwater. under pressure, said *valve including ac-asing having :a valve'se'at,=a.needlewalve in said casing and hav: ing threaded engagement with a portion thereof for. adjustment toward and. from said seat and whereby the? valve will remain in adjusted. position, and a hand piece connected with said needle valve for manual adjustment of the same.

3. In an electric steam iron, a steel sole plate having ports extending through it from its upper side to its under side, a boiler on the upper side of said sole plate and comprising a flat aluminum casting having a hat circuitous passage therein, said casting being of the general contour of said sole plate, means securing said casting against the upper side of said sole plate, an electric heating element against the upper side of saidcasting, means whereby water may be supplied to said passage, and said passage having a discharge communicating with said ports.

4. In an electric steam iron, a steel sole plate having ports extending through it from its upper side to its under side, a boiler on the upper side of said sole plate and comprising a flat aluminum casting having a flat circuitous passage therein, said casting being of the general contour of said sole plate, means securing said casting against the upper side of said sole plate, an electric heating element against the upper side of said casting, an insulating pad against the upper side of said electric heating element, a pressure plate against the upper side of said pad whereby pressure is distributed over said pad and element and the latter is secured in good thermal contact with said boiler, means whereby Water may be supplied to said passage, and said passage having a discharge communicating with said ports.

5. In an electric steam iron, a sole plate having ports extending through it from its upper side to its under side, a pair of studs secured to said sole plate and extending upwardly therefrom, a thermostatically controlled switch means mounted by said studs and directly responsive to sole plate temperature, a substantially flat boiler on the upper side of said sole plate and'generally conforming to its contours, a heating element on the upper side of said boiler, said boiler and heating element having registering openings accommodating said studs and switch means, said switch means connected in circuit with and controlling said heating element, said boiler having a passage therethrough including receiving and discharge ends, means to connect said receiving end to a source of water under pressure, said discharge end being located to supply steam to said ports, a shell over said sole plate, boiler and heating element, a handle attached to said shell, and means passing through said shell and threaded to said studs to secure said shell to said sole plate.

6. In an electric steam iron, a sole plate having ports extending through it from its upper side to its under side, a pair of studs secured to said sole plate and extending upwardly therefrom, a thermostatically controlled switch means mounted on said studs and directly responsive to sole plate temperature, a substantially fiat boiler on the upper side of said sole plate andgenerally conforming to its contours, a heating element on the upper side of said boiler, said boiler and heating element having registering openings accommodating said studs and switch means, said switch means connected in circuit with and controlling said heating element, said boiler having a sinuous passage therethrough including receiving and discharge ends, means to connectsaid receiving end to asource of water under pressure, said discharge end being located to supply steam to said ports; a shell over said sole plate, boiler and heat ing element, and a handle attached to said shell. 7; The device of claim 6 wherein the boiler is in '8 the form of a casting and the sinuous passage therethrough is defined by flat coiled tubing cast therein. V 1

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the sole-plate is of ,steel and the boiler casting oi aluminum.

ALAN BATE,-

} REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: v

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number; Name Date 1,666,599 Hofiman Apr. 17, 1928 1,958,876 -Wright May 15, 1934 1,973,052 Emery Sept; 11, 1934 2,026,422 Fielding e Dec, 31, 1935 2,084,270 Campbell June 15, 1937 2,123,002 Dowinsky July 5,1938 2,387,281

Morton Oct. 23, 1945