US2757464A - Steam iron - Google Patents

Description

.JQYOUHOUSE Aug. W 11 956 STEAM IRON Filed Aug. 17, 1955 INVENTOR 3 0 710mm Mime fin States Patent cc 2,757,464 Patented Aug. 7, 1956 STEAM IRON Joseph Youhouse, Fairfield, Conn., assignor to Casco Products Corporation, Bridgeport, Conn, a corpora= tion of Connecticut Application August 17, 195-3, Serial No. 374,787 3 Claims. (Cl. 38-77) This invention relates to steam-electric flatirons of the type having heated sole plates and steam chambers associatcd with the sole plate.

The invention is illustrated herein in connection with a flash-boiler type of steam electric iron, that is to say, an iron wherein an adjustable metering valve causes water to drip into a heated chamber and be flashed into steam which is discharged against the work through outlets in the sole plate.

My invention disclosed herein is a species of that disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 125,791, filed November 5, 1949, now Patent No. 2,652,645.

in general, a flash-boiler type steam iron comprises a Water tank disposed above a heated sole plate and having an adjustable metering valve by which water drops may be supplied to a heated flash chamber in the sole plate, said chamber being connected through suitable channels to steam outlets or ports in the bottom of the sole plate. Such irons are designed for use alternately as steam irons and dry irons. The thermostatic control of such an iron is arranged to permit temperatures as high as 500 P. which is a desirable heat to iron linen articles.

However, if an attempt is made to use the iron as a steam iron at temperatures over approximately 350 F. it is known that the drops of water falling on the flash plate will ball-up, i. e. become spherical, bounce around on the plate and pass out of the chamber into the mate rial being ironed as discrete unvaporized water particles. This is known as sputtering and may result in spotting the article being ironed or even cause skin burns should the iron be suddenly upended While sputtering.

To meet this diiiiculty, manufacturers of flash-boiler type steam irons indicate, within the range of settings of the thermostat, a certain restricted range for which the iron is to be used as a steam iron; such a range, for example, might be from 235 F. to 350 F., and users are admonished that if higher or lower sole plate temperatures are required, then the iron should be used as a dry iron and the water valve should be closed. These irons are admittedly unsuitable for steam ironing at temperatures above 350 B, because of the excessive spitting or sputtering from the sole plate. It is well understood that to satisfactorily press articles of certain fabrics, such as woolen or linen articles, heat above 350 F. and moisture are required. Hence the flashboiler irons as heretofore produced had to be used as dry irons with the moisture being supplied by dampening the fabric or by the use of a damp pressing cloth, steps which the use of a steam iron is intended to obviate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flash-boiler type iron which may be operated and made to steam at temperatures above the present indicated steaming range without sputtering or discharge of water droplets from the steam openings in the sole plate, thereby enabling the iron to steam press fabrics requiring high temperatures without the use of a damp pressing cloth, or without first dampening the fabric itself.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved steam electric iron as above set forth, which has relatively few parts and is of simple construction, and is economical to manufacture and reliable in its operation.

The above objects are attained by the provision of a novel and unique flash plate in the steam chamber of the iron, on which the water drops fall, said plate being characterized by a rough and irregular or broken-up top surface as effected by the presence of many, small, closely-spaced sharp projections or ridges disposed in the path of the water drops. When the water drops strike such a rough surface, it has been discovered, they are quickly dispersed, the formation of balls or spheroids being prevented and the water becoming completely converted or flashed into steam. By my novel flash plate construction as set forth herein there is completely eliminated the discharge of water droplets from the steam ports of the sole plate for even the higher temperature settings of the thermostat. i have found that sole plate temperatures as high as 475 F. to 500 R, which is the desirable heat for ironing linen, may be employed without causing the objectionable sputtering or discharge of water from the sole plate, which is encountered in flash-boiler type irons heretofore produced.

In one embodiment of the invention shown and described herein, the fiash plate is constituted by the floor of the steam chamber, which latter is formed by a depression or cavity in the upper surface of the sole plate. The floor of the cavity which is contacted by the water drops from the tank, is provided with a multiplicity of relatively sharp, closely-spaced ridges and/or pyramidal nibs or points closely spaced from each other, the latter being formed for example by the intersection of grooves with other grooves extending transversely thereof.

In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a separate piece of sheet metal, having the ridges, nibs, projections and the like on its upper surface and this is mounted on the sole plate inside the steam chamber, to constitute the floor thereof on which the water drops fall.

By the provision of the improved flash plate of this invention with roughened surface as above set forth, the steaming time, i. e. the time which is required to convert water into steam, is greatly reduced, and this is an advantageous feature of the invention.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of a steam electric iron embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the electrically heated sole plate of the iron of Fig. 1, shown with the cover of the flash chamber secured in place.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a section of the floor of the flash chamber, showing the roughened surface thereof by which the drops of water are quickly dispersed and flashed into steam.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line i-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification of the invention, being a fragmentary plan view of a section of the bottom wall or floor of the flash boiler, provided with a separate member having a roughened surface.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the steam electric iron shown therein comprises an electrically heated sole plate ill having a sheathed heating element 11 cast into it, the sole plate mounting a casing 12 to which a handle structure 13 is secured.

Within the casing 12 there is carried a water tank 14 connected to a filling pasage 15 which is disposed in a bore 16 of the front post 17 of the handle structure. The passage 15 has secured to its forward wall a thimble or ferrule 18 disposed in a transverse filling opening 18a in the front wall of the hollow post 17 of the handle structure.

Adjustment of the temperature of the heating elen ent 11 is effected by a manually-operable thermostat control knob 19 which effects the regulation through a shaft 20 and cam plate 21, the latter actuating an arm 22 which may be connected to any suitable, heat-responsive control switch as is well understood in the art. Such control. switch forms no part of the present invention and accordingly a showing thereof is not provided herein.

The electrically-heated sole plate 10 is provided with a cavity 23 below the forward portion of the water tank 14, said cavity constituting a steam or flash chamber by which drops of water supplied from the tank are flashed into steam and the steam ejected from the sole plate. The sole plate 10 has steam discharge openings 24 communicating with a steam distribution chamber 25, the latter being separated from the flash chamber 23 by a wall or partition 26 extending generally in a V-shape, Fig. 2. In this figure the partition 26 is shown as having a pair of openings 27 providing for communication between the flash chamber 23 and the steam distribution chamber 25. The top walls of the chambers 23 and are constituted of a cover plate 28 which has a portion 29 engaging the partition or wall 26 to prevent passage of steam between the chambers except through the openings 27 intended for such passage.

Referring to Fig. l the cover plate 28 has an upstanding portion 30 on which a metering valve structure 31 is mounted, said structure having a valve seat 32 and a needle valve 33 cooperable with the seat and mounted for movement in the hollow front post 17 of the handle structure 13. The stem of the needle valve 33 passes through an apertured top wall 34 of the filling passage 15 of the tank 14 and at its upper end is provided with an operating knob 35' shown in valve-opening position and which may be depressed to, and latched in, a valve closing position as indicated by the dotted outline 36.

When the iron is to be used as a dry iron the knob 35 is placed in its depressed position closing the valve, and when the iron is to be used for steam ironing the knob 35 is released to its raised position, shown in Fig. 1, wherein the needle valve 33 is free of the valve seat 32. For such condition, Water from the tank 14 will flow drop by drop into the flash chamber 23 to be converted into steam and thereafter discharged from the ports 24 of the sole plate 10.

Heretofore flash-boiler type irons have been limited, as to their steaming range, and a restricted zone has been indicated in conjunction with the manually-operable thermostat knob 19, wherein the iron may be used for steam ironing. If the thermostat knob 19 is set either below such range or above such range the iron will sputter and discharge water through the said ports 24 of the sole plate, for the reason that the water will not be converted into steam. At the lower temperature there is insuflicient heat in the flash chamber 23 of the sole plate to convert the water into steam, and at the higher temperatures the water which is dropped into the flash chamber balls up and bounces around, and is discharged through the communicating openings 27 and through the sole plate ports 24. Such discharge of water is undesirable because, as previously pointed out, it results in spotting of the fabrics being ironed and in a generally unsatisfactory pressing operation, as well as being a potential safety hazard.

According to the present invention I provide a novel and advantageous flash plate or surface in the steam chamber 23, disposed in the path of the water dripping from the metering valve 31, which is characterized by a large number of sharp, pointed projections by which the drops of water are prevented from balling up and being discharged from the steam openings of the sole plate but instead are quickly dispersed and completely converted into steam even though the sole plate and steam chamber temperatures are higher than the present indicated steaming range. Whereas heretofore the maximum indicated steaming setting of the thermostat knob 19 has corresponded to a sole plate temperature in the neighborhood of 350 F., by the provision of my improved steam chamber surface, sole plate temperatures as high as 475 F. to 500 F. may be employed without adversely affecting the complete conversion of the drops of water from the tank 1 into steam.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein, see Fig. 3, this is accomplished by providing the floor surface of the flash chamber 23 with sharp, parallel V-shaped ribs 37, Figs. 3 and 4, said ribs forming between them V-shaped grooves 13%. The ribs 37 are preferably on the order of high and are spaced apart although these dimensions may be departed from within limits without materially affecting the quick conversion of the water droplets into steam.

I also provide a plurality of transverse or cross ribs 39, and these may conveniently be formed as concentric, intersecting the ribs 37 and resulting in a large number of minute, pyramidal projections 40 rising from the floor of the flash chamber 23. The concentric ribs 39 are preferably also high and approximately apart, resulting in the pyramidal projections 50 being of corresponding height and correspondingly closely spaced.

When the floor surface of the flash chamber is so roughened or provided with projections as above set forth, it results in water drops received from the metering valve 31 being quickly dispersed and flashed into steam at elevated sole plate temperatures, and prevents such drops from balling up and bouncing around in the flash chamber and being discharged from the steam ports 24 to soil a fabric or otherwise impair the steam ironing operation. Preferably the roughening of the floor surface is such that a large number of closely-spaced, sharp or pointed projections is presented where the drops of water fall, and I have found that projections as thus characterized are most efficient in quickly and completely flashing the water into steam.

Moreover, the provision of the rough flash surface as above set forth greatly lessens the time required to produce steam. As an example, for a sole plate temperature of 500 F. the steaming time is reduced from approximately one minute to approximately 15 seconds by converting the smooth flash surface to a rough surface in accordance with the invention.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the sole plate 10:: is provided with a separate piece or member 41 of metal more corrosionresistant and harder than the sole plate, having a roughened upper surface 42 produced by the formation of the large number of closely-spaced, sharp, pointed projections described above, the projections remaining sharp and effective to flash water into steam throughout the life of the iron. The separate piece 41 may be fastened to the sole plate 10a by any suitable means such as the screw 43 shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This form of the invention may be advantageously employed where it is inconvenient to mill or otherwise provide the roughened surface on the sole plate itself. By the provision of the separate piece 41, the projections may be formed in the most convenient and desirable manner without regard to limitations which would otherwise be imposed by the shape, size or material of the sole plate.

While I have shown the floor of the flash chamber 23 immediately below the metering valve 31 as being provided with the roughened surface for quickly flashing water droplets into steam it is understood that any heated surfaces within the flash chamber or steam distribution chamber of the iron may be similarly equipped, Where there is a likelihood of globules of water coming in contact with said Walls and not being quickly converted into steam.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used Without others.

I claim:

1. In a steam iron having a Water tank, a sole plate under the tank, an electric heating element arranged to heat the sole plate and a flash chamber formed in the sole plate, said tank being spaced out of direct heatreceiving relation over the sole plate and over the flash chamber, a Water passage having a metering valve unit therein, for discharging Water from the tank in drops to the flash chamber, and steam escape passages through the sole plate communicating With the flash chamber and spaced from the outlet of said Water passage; the improvement which comprises the provision of a rough surface forming the floor of the flash chamber under the outlet of the Water passage for enabling the Water drops to be flashed into steam, said rough surface com prising a plurality of peaks extending upwardly from the floor of the flash chamber under the outlet of the Water passage, the distance between peaks being not substantially greater than the height of the peaks, said peaks breaking up Water drops entering the flash chamber and preventing the same from balling up and passing as discrete water particles through the said steam escape openings of the sole plate.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 in Which there is a separate member carried by the sole plate in the flash chamber, said member having the said rough surface.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 in Which the peaks are formed by parallel ribs in the order of high and spaced in the order of A apart.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,213,602 Durand Jan. 23, 1917 2,317,706 Woodman Apr. 27, 1943 2,350,452 Envall June 6, 1944 2,371,569 Wolcott et a1. Mar. 13, 1945 2,652,645 Youhouse Sept. 22, 1953

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