US2770896A - Spray flatiron - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 20, 1956 s. w. HOLMBERG SPRAY FLATIRON INVENTOR. STA/WON w Ham/B529 cu v 10 m Filed July 19, 1954 United States Patent '0 SPRAY FLATIRON Stanton W. Holmberg, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application July 19, 1%4, Serial No. 444,154

8 Claims. (Cl. 3878) The present invention relates to improvements in fiatirons and more particularly to a combination flatiron and pressing iron which is provided with a spraying device which may be used to add moisture to the material pressed.

In ironing equipment, combination steam and dry irons have become well known to the art. These combination irons avail the housewife of an iron which may be used as a conventional flatiron for ironing dry or sprinkled materials or which may be alternately used as a "steam iron for pressing. When the combination iron is to be used as a steam iron means are provided whereby steam is directed at the material. This steam is usually generated within the flatiron by water furnished from a reservoir carried on the iron with the water usually being heated by the heating element which heats the sole .plate or in some instances by a separate heating element.

Steam is used for ironing because damping or wetting the material .makes pressing much easier and causes the material to retain its pressed condition for a longer period of time. Thus in a steam iron it is the condensation of the steam against the cool material which causes it to be dampened and the steam is merely used as a vehicle 'to carry the moisture to the materia'land to dis tribute the moisture thoroughly in the material.

When considering that converting water into steam requires :a large amount of heat often requiring the provision of larger heating elements than usually would be necessary, it will be realized that if the intermediate step of generating steam could be avoided a saving would be realized. The waste of this step becomes apparent when quired to merely dampen the material, these devices frequently get the material too wet or deposit the water in large droplets which may stain the material and which are hard to evaporate. Detergents or other agents are sometimes used to cause droplets of moisture to penetrate the material but this also has disadvantages. Since the users attention andefforts are fully required by the ironing procedure, these devices are diflicult to use and their drawbacks areapparent.

It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide a ,flatiron which may be optionally used as either a dry iron .Ol'PIBSSll'lglI'Ol'l and which when used as a pressing iron .dampens the material uniformly and evenly without an excess. of moisture and which does not require heat to turn the moistened water into steam for carrying the moisture into the material.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a pressing iron which is capable of evenly dampening material for pressing and which does not deposit water in droplets or require the addition of agents or the passage of time for the water to evenly penetrate the material.

' Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic spray iron which has a built in spray nozzle on the front of the iron to'tdire'ct a fine mist at the material and in which the amount of moisture can be controlled to .cause the proper amount of dampening and which is simple, efficient, and easy to use.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent inthe following specification taken in connectio with the appended drawings .in which:

Figure l is :a-sideview of the iron through which a vertical section has been taken; and,

Fig. 2 :is a plan view'illustrating the details of the frontrend of the handle and'the adjustment knob.

With'reference ;to'-Fig. 1,"the iron embodying the teaturles of the present invention is shown as having certain conventional elements including a sole plate 10 provided with-an embedded electric heating element 12 which need not be shown in detail. Surmounting this sole plate is an upper shell 14. Secured to the top of the shell is the handle 16 and this contains an opening at its rear face to realizing that the steam has to again condense to be useful I y for moistening the material. Other disadvantages accompany the production of steam such as the difficulty of maintaining a uniform sole platetemperature, mineral deposits left by evaporating water, etc.

For some purposes it is a practice to sprinkle the material to be ironed either manually or by the useof a spray head or a similar device. Such sprinkling suffers the disadvantage that it is often non-uniform and the large droplets of water produced by sprinkling concentrate the moisture on small areas of the material which are diflicult to dry by the heat of the iron passing over them. A method of avoiding these concentrations of moisture is by rolling up the material so that the moisture will distribute itself. This, of course, is accompanied with admit the electrical supply cord '18.

Running from the supply cord are electrical leads 20 and 21. Lead 20 connects to a terminal 22 for the sole plate electrical heating element and lead 21 connects to the control thermostat 24. A lead 26 betweenthis thermostat and another heating element terminal 28 completes the electrical circuit to the heating element.

The thermostat 24 is mounted on the sole plate 10 and is adjusted by a shaft 30 extending upwardly through the shell 14. A knob 32 is'mounted at the top end of the shaft for manual control of the thermostat. A sleeve '34 surrounds the adjustment shaft to seal it from the Water ofthe reservoir 38 which is enclosed by part of the shell 14.

The reservoir carries the supply ofwater or other fluid which is to be distributed overthe material being ironed in 'a fine spray. The shell '14 has a rounded top formed of sheet metal or the like and has a bottom plate 40 sealing the top shell to form the reservoir 38. For filling the reservoir a filling opening 39 is provided and a filling cap 41 threads into the opening to close it during operation. A vent '43 is provided'in the cap to admit air as water is sprayed from the tank.

The shell is supplied with small projections or spacer feet 42 which extend downwardly from the shell and space it from the sole plate 10 which prevents the shell and the water in the reservoir from being directly heated by cont-act with'the sole plate. The shell is secured to the sole plate by bolts '44 and '46 whichextend through holes in'the forward and rear end respectively of the bottom 3 plate 40 and are threaded into the sole plate. A seal is provided at the hole through which the front bolt 44 extends to prevent water from leaking from the reservoir.

It will be seen that the Water tank is spaced from the sole plate so that the water of the reservoir tank does not have an excessive cooling effect on the sole plate to make it diflicult to heat and to regulate. The heat which radiates upwardly from the sole plate, however, is received by the reservoir and is utilized to warm the water therein.

A nozzle 48 is mounted on the front end of the shell 14 and is pointed downwardly for purposes of supplying the fine spray which is directed against the material being ironed. The nozzle consists of a housing 50 which is mounted on the shell 14 in an opening in the front of the reservoir 38 against which is placed the nozzle plate 52 having a small fine nozzle opening 54. To hold the plate against the housing, a cap 56 is threaded to the nozzle housing.

A pump supplies water under pressure to the spray nozzle to cause it to create a fine intense spray and is shown generally at 58 submerged in the reservoir. A supply pipe 60 leads from the pump to the nozzle and is threaded into the housing 50 of the nozzle.

The pump has a main body portion 62 into which is threaded the connecting pipe 60 and as water is delivered from the pump it passes through the passageway 64 in the pipe 60 past a check valve 66 to the nozzle.

The check valve 66 is supplied so that the pump will not on its suction stroke draw in air through the nozzle. The check valve is of the conventional type having a ball 68 urged against a seat 70 by a spring 72. When water is forced outwardly through the passageway 64 it opens the valve against the action of the spring 72 but the valve closes when the pump is making its suction stroke.

An intake opening 74 is provided in the pump body 62 for intake of water from the reservoir on the intake stroke. This opening 74 is open on the intake stroke of the pump and closed on the delivery stroke by a check valve which consists of a ball 76 gravitationally resting over the opening 74. A perforated plate 78 prevents the ball from being drawn into the main body of the pump on intake.

Centrally located in the body is a chamber 80 in which reciprocates the pump plunger 82. As the plunger moves up it draws water into the chamber 80 through the opening 74 and as it moves down it forces water outwardly through the passageway 64 to cause it to be sprayed through the opening 54 in the spray nozzle. The pump plunger is reciprocated rapidly to effectively force water against the nozzle in a steady pressure and cause an even continuous spray.

For driving the pump a vibratory pump motor is provided shown generally at 84. This m'otor consists of a coil 86 having a hollow center in which moves a reciprocating metal armature or core 88, the core being connected to the pump plunger 82. A pair of leads 90 lead from the coil 86 to connect to the common electrical supply as represented by the cord 18. The leads pass through a push button switch and these details will be presented later in this description. When electricity flows in the coil 86 in the form of a rapidly alternating current, the core 88 vibrates to move the pump plunger 82 to operate the pump.

Since fiatirons are normally operated on house current, a 60 cycle current will be impressed on the coil causing the core 88 to vibrate at 120 cycles per second. The length of vertical reciprocation of the core 88 is controlled by a control shaft 94, the lower end of which is engaged by an extension pin 96 on the core. As the control shaft 94 is moved downwardly toward the extension pin 96, the distance which the core 88 can vibrate is reduced and thus the vertical stroke of the pump plunger 82 will be reduced. To suspend the metal core 88 in the center of the coil 86 and aid its vibratory movement, a coil compression spring 98 is situated beneath core 88. Another coil compression spring 100 is positioned above the core between the core and the lower end of the control shaft 94. The lower end 95 of the control shaft has a cylindrical bore which receives and holds the second spring 100.

The electrical coil 86 which surrounds the core 88 is supported in a shell 102 which has a flange 104 resting on the shell 14 of the iron. A gasket 112 may be provided beneath the flange to prevent water from leaking out of the reservoir.

This shell 102 projects downwardly into the reservoir space to be submerged in water when the reservoir is filled. The shell also supports a housing 114 around the coil and the lower end of the housing has a round boss 115 which projects downwardly and has a threaded end for purposes of supporting the body 62 of the pump.

It will thus be seen from the arrangement in the drawings that since the pump is secured directly to the housing of the coil that there is excellent heat transmission therebetween. 'There is a considerable amount of heat generated by the coil during operation. This heat is produced by electrical losses, such as the PR loss due to wire resistance and the eddy current losses in the particular coil construction. In the present case, the casing surrounding the coil is held withina unit partially submerged in the water. Since this coil and casing are mounted in a housing which is connected to a metal part submerged in the water a good part of the time, the arrangement will tend to keep the coil cool. Thus a more economical coil construction can be used without danger of damage to the coil insulation by excessive heat.

For adjusting the control shaft 94 its upper end is provided with threads 116 which are threaded to the upper portion of the handle. An adjustment knob 118, Figs. 1 and 2, is secured to the end of the control shaft and has a raised index 120 and the knob can be rotated to correspond to the index marks 122 arranged around the knob.

To operate the iron alternately as a dry iron or as a spray iron or to control the amount of spray produced, means are provided for completing the circuit to the coil 86 at will. For this purpose it will be noted that one of the leads 90 between the supply coil 18 and the vibratory motor coil 86 passes through a push button switch having a pair of switch arms 124 and 126. The upper switch arm is flexible and carries a push button 128. It will be apparent that when the push button 128 is depressed the contacts carried by the arms 124 and 126 will be closed completing the circuit to the coil 86 to thereby cause operation of the pump. Whenever the spray is to be discontinued the pressure may be released from the push button 128 causing the contacts to part and the pump to cease operation.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a combination spray and dry iron which is capable of saturating the material with a fine mist to obtain superior ironing and pressing action. The present iron avoids the necessity of transforming the water into steam and the heat of the sole plate can therefore be more accurately regulated and adequate heat can be obtained with smaller heating elements. The embodiment showing the principles of the present invention presents a compact, simple, easy to operate iron which meets the objectives previously set forth and which may be readily and accurately handled and controlled.

I have, in the drawings and specification, presented a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood that the invention is susceptible of modifications, structural changes and various applications of use within the spirt and scope of the invention and I do not intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed but intend to cover all modifications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling within the scope of the principles taught by my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate, an electrical heating element associated therewith for heating the sole plate, electrical leads connected to common supply leads for supplying electricity to said heating element, a reservoir connected to the iron to supply fluid for a spray, a spray apparatus having an electrical power driving means, electrical leads for the driving means connected to said common supply leads, a pump connected to the driving means and adapted to pump water from the reservoir, and a spray nozzle mounted on the iron and connected to the pump to spray water on the material being ironed.

2. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate and an electrical heating element associated therewith for heating the sole plate, a water reservoir mounted on the iron to supply fluid for the spray, a magnetic spray apparatus having a magnetic coil and a reciprocating armature associated therewith, at least a portion of the magnetic coil being located within said reservoir so that the water of the reservoir will cool the coil, a pump connected to said armature and adapted to pump water from the reservoir, a spray nozzle mounted on the iron and connected to the pump to spray water on the material being ironed.

3. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate and an electrical heating element associated therewith for heating the sole plate, a reservoir carried by the iron to supply a fluid for the spray, a magnetic spray apparatus having a magnetic coil and a reciprocating core associated therewith, a pump connected to the core and located in the reservoir :and adapted to pump water from the reservoir, the magnetic coil mounted directly adjacent and connected to the immersed pump so that heat from the coil may be transmitted to the pump for cooling the coil, and a spray nozzle mounted on the iron and connected to the pump to direct a fine spray of water on the material being ironed.

4. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate, a heating element associated therewith for heating the sole plate, a water reservoir surmounting the sole plate and connected thereto for containing a supply of fluid to be sprayed on the material to be ironed, a magnetic pump having a magnetic coil and a reciprocating.

armature, a pump connected to the armature and submerged in the reservoir, a spray nozzle mounted on the reservoir and directed downwardly toward the material being ironed, and a connecting line leading through the reservoir wall to connect the submerged pump to the spray nozzle so that the liquid will be pumped from the reservoir through the nozzle to dampen the material being ironed.

5. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate, a heating element associated therewith for heating the sole plate, a water reservoir surmounting the sole plate for supplying water for spraying the material being ironed, a handle secured to the water reservoir for manipulating the iron, a pump submerged in the reservoir for pumping the water, a spray nozzle associated with the pump for directing a fine spray onto the material, a magnetic spray device for operating the pump including a magnetic coil and a core reciprocated by alternations in the electricity supplied to the coil, an adjustment member projecting upwardly to the top of the handle and positioned to be engaged by the core at one end of its reciprocating stroke, said adjustment member adjustably mounted in the handle so that its position may be changed to control the length of stroke of the core and an adjustment knob connected to the adjustment member for manually adjusting the stroke of the core and controlling the spray of moisture.

6. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate and an electrical heating element associated therewith for heating the sole plate, electrical leads connected to a common electrical supply for impressing an electrical voltage on the heating element, a water reservoir surmounting the sole plate to supply fluid for the spray, a handle mounted on the reservoir for manually handling the iron, a pump immersed in the water of the reservoir, a nozzle associated therewith for directing afine spray of water against the material being ironed, a magnetic motor connected to the pump including a driving armature and a coil, electrical leads running from the coil to said common supply, and :a normally open contact switch mounted on the handle and interrupting the supply of current to the coil and movable to closed position by the operator to selectively operate the pump to form a spray of water so that the iron may be used as a spray iron.

7. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate, an electrical heating element associated with the sole plate, a water reservoir surmounting the sole plate for furnishing fluid for the spray, a nozzle mounted on the iron and directed toward the sole plate to furnish a fine spray of water to the material, a pump supplying water to the nozzle and including a pump plunger reciprocating in a pump chamber, an inlet passageway into said chamber, an outlet passageway connecting the chamber to the said nozzle, a one way valve permitting passage of the water from the pump to the nozzle and preventing intake into the chamber through said outlet passageway, a second valve means in the inlet passageway adapted to permit water to flow from the reservoir to the pump chamber but not in the reverse direction, a magnetic spray motor comprising a magnetic coil and a reciprocating core vibrating in response to alternations in the electrical supply to the coil, adjusting means positioned in the path of the core and adjustable to control the length of the stroke of the core to thereby control the operation of the pump and the amount of liquid sprayed from the nozzle.

8. A combination spray and dry iron comprising a sole plate, an electrical heating element associated therewith for heating the sole plate, a water supply reservoir surmounting the sole plate in a position to receive radiant heat therefrom, a handle for the iron positioned on the water supply reservoir, a magnetic pump having a portion immersed in the reservoir to pump water therefrom, a spray nozzle positioned at the front of the iron to direct a fine spray at the material being ironed, and a connecting passageway conducting the water from the pump to the nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,180,523 'Horton Nov. 21, 1939 2,293,386 Fitzgerald Aug. 18, 1942 2,410,692 Strobell Nov. 5, 1946 2,648,017 Ziherl Aug. 4, 1953

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