US2838859A - Steam iron safety filler cap - Google Patents

Description

Ju'ev 17, 1958 z. A. M. BuRREsoN 2,838,859

STEAM IRON SAFETY FILLER CAP Filed April 16, 1954 man uw n l nred States atet dce STEAM rnoN sAFErY FILLER CAP Zina A. M. Burreson, Sheboygan, Wis., assignor to Dominion Electric Corporation Application April 16, 1954, Serial No. 423,597

3 Claims. (Cl. 38-77) This invention relates generally to electric steam irons adapted to contain water from which steam is generated in a steam chamber from whence it is distributed to an ironing surface.

An important object is the provision of a closure for the steam dome in the form of a stopper to normally close the same and which is readily removable as an ordinary stopper for the replenishment of water, and is also movable relative to the steam dome to serve as a safety steam relief valve.

Another important object is the provision of steam operated valve means enclosed entirely within the steam dome or the contines of the iron handle.

Another object is the provision of an indicator device which will apprise the operator when excessive lsteam is generated.

A still further object is the provision of sealing means for a piston-type valve arrangement which frictionally engages the walls of the steam dome to prevent accidental displacement'of the valve under ordinary working conditions and to form a degree of resistance to the movement of the valve until an excess of steam pressure is generated within the dome as requires relief.

A further object is the provision of a closure cap of simple and inexpensive construction which will most effectively perform the foregoing functions.

. Other objects and a fuller understanding of this invention may be had by referring to the following descrip- ,tion and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the forward end of a steam iron, withparts thereof shown in Vertical section to illustrate the inner construction;V

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the forward end of the iron handle;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the underside of the improved closure or iiller cap;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical section through the forward end of the iron handle illustrating a modified form of ller cap and valve means; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the underside of this modified form of cap or closure.

This invention is an improvement upon steam irons such as disclosed in my copending application, Serial No.- 395,410, tiled December l, 1953, and parts illustrated herein which correspond with parts of the copending application are designated with corresponding reference numerals. While the present invention can he used in connection with any type of steam iron, it is illustrated in connection with the construction of my prior iron. Only that much of the construction of the copending application that is employed for illustration of the present invention will be briefly described herein; and for a further detailed description of these parts, reference is made to the copending application. For the purposes of the present invention, it is sufficient to state that the body of an iron canl include generally a casing enclosing or forming a water reservoir 13 heated by an electrical heating element 12 incorporated in a sole plate 10 having an ironing surface 11. This surface is provided with steam ejection ports 6,0 and 63 which are fed with steam through fittings 42 and 55 from a steam tube 38 extending through the reservoir 13 and concentrically into a water filler tube 19. This tube 19 eX- tends vertically through a forward pedestal or column 33 of insulating material which is integrally connected by a portion 22 of an insulating handle or hand-gripping portion 21 of the iron.

A sleeve nut 25 is threaded upon the upper end of the tube 19 to form the steam dome 20 and to fasten the pedestal 33 of the iron handle 21 to the body of the iron. This nut near its upper end is provided with a series of radial equi-distantly spaced steam escape ports or avenues 25'; there being four illustrated in the present embodiment. It will be noted that the sides of the nut 25 have clearances with the side walls of a recess 7G in which it seats to cooperate in forming relief avenues. The top end of this sleeve nut is chamfered and diametrically slit as shown and is arrangedabove the top of this recess 70. The sides of the forward end of the handle 21 and its Connecting portion 22 have a horizontal cross-sectional shape corresponding with a top plan of a filter and closure cap 71 of insulating material. The forward end of the handle and its connecting portion are provided with a recess 72 having a slanting rear wall 73 to abut a correspondingly slanted rear wall 74 of the cap 71, when the latter is closed. When this cap is positioned on the sleeve 25 in a closed position, the top and side surfaces of this cap are flush with the exterior surfaces of the top and sides of the handle 21 and connecting portion 22.

This filler and closure cap 71 is provided with a piston like arrangement to frictionally and slidably engage the inner surface of the sleeve nut 25 and to cooperate with thessteam relief ports 25' in providing a safety vent valve, a sensual indicator, as well as a stopper which can be readily removed for the pouring of water through the filler tube 19 to replenish water in the reservoir 13. The preferred embodiment of the piston is illustrated in Figures l to 3, wherein the underside of the cap 71 has a depending circular boss 75 to be fastened in a circular depression in the upper closed end of a rubberlike piston plug or cup 76 by means of a metal washer 77 bearing against the closed top of the cup and a screw 7S extending through a central opening in the top of the cup and threaded into the boss 75. By tightening this screw, the body of the cup 76 can be radially expanded for a tighter lit in the sleeve nut 25, and by loosening the screw, pressure. on the washer and cup can be relieved, allowing the diameter of the cup to contract for easier sliding movement in the sleeve nut. The rub.- ber-like cup 76 is provided with an integral depending flexible skirt 79 of frusto-conical external form. The lower end of this skirt is chamfered as at 80 to slide upon the chamfered end of the sleeve nut 25 as the cap is being placed upon the iron and to llex the skirt 79 inwardly to enter it within the sleeve. The piston cup 76 will be forced into the sleeve 25 like an ordinary vstopper to cause the skirt to frictionally engage the sleeve walls below the ports 25 to close them, at which time the rear wall '74 of the cap will snugly engage the inclined wall 73 of the handle and the bottom surface of the cap 71 will rest upon the bottom of the recess '72 in the handle as shown in Figure 1. The inherent resiliency of the skirt 79 will cause it to firmly and frictionally engage the walls of the sleeve nut below the ports 25. The converging tapers on the skirt can be varied to form either a line contact or an extended surface contact with the walls of the sleeve nut to establish the desired degree of frictional contact therewith.

25 to the pressure to relieve it. Progressive opening of the'ports 215 will occur as the closure is moved upwardly by steam pressure, as will be understood, and the closure will remain in its steam adjusted-position in the sleeve until it is repositioned by the operator. As the closure cap or ller plug 71 is raised by the steam pressure, it will move upwardly out of the general contour of the gripping portion of the handle 21, so that an operators thumb resting upon the cap will-give a sensual indication that an excess steam pressure point is being reached or that the reservoir 13 requires water replenishment.

To replenish the reservoir 13 with water, the closure cap is removed, as a stopper would be, from the sleeve nut and filler tube 19, to permit water to enter from a faucet and pass through the tube into the reservoir, after which the cap 71 is replaced, in true stopper fashion, until the cap 71 is flush with the handle at which time the Wall engaging portion of the skirt 79 will be disposed below the relief ports 25 to close them and cut off communication of the steam dome 2G with the atmosphere, ready for subsequent safety steam pressure relief. Steam pressure in the dome 24) will exert radially outward pressure upon the skirt 79 to force it into sealing engagement with `the walls of the steam dome.

A modified form of piston construction for the closure or filler cap 71 is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 and is the same as disclosed in my copending application. As disclosed therein, the filler cap is provided with a circular depending stud 28 which has an end reduced in arcuate fashion to provide a shoulder 29 against which is seated an elastic rubber-like O-ring 3i). A metal washer 31 larger in diameter than this reduced end is mounted on the end of the stud by means of a screw 32 and forms therewith a ring groove and an outer adjustable retaining wall to prevent accidental displacement of the O-ring. By tightening the screw 32, the washer 31 will be forced against the O-ring to compress it to the desired degree against the shoulder 29 and cause it to radially expand variable distances beyond the periphery of the stud 2S to fit within the sleeve nut 25 and form a -steam seal therewith. In the present illustration, this sleeve nut 25 is like the corresponding nut of the preceding embodiment, provided with four equi-distantly 'l spaced steam relief ports 25. When the closure cap is in a closed position upon the iron, the O-ring fits snugly against the walls of the sleeve nut 25 below the steam relief ports 25 to seal the steam dome 20, and the outer surfaces of the cap 71 are flush with the outer adjacent l surfaces of the handle to afford sensual rise of the cap caused by excessive steam pressure and automatic venting thereof in the preceding form of the invention.`

In both forms of the invention illustrated, it will be observed that an extremely simplified form of a combined filler or closure cap 71, automatic safety valve, and indicator have been provided all in the form of a single unit which is very simply and easily removable from and replaceable upon the iron in the fashion of an ordinary stopper. It will also be observed that the piston valve provided by this filler cap 71, when in closed position, is. enclosed entirely within the iron or steam dome to present an extremely neat and streamlined appearance. At the same time, this piston formation on the closure cap '71 willeffectively cooperate with the steam relief ports or avenues 25 in safely relieving the iron of excess steam pressure; and at the same time, will operate the cap, which actually forms a part or extension of the gripping portion of the handle, so that an operator in the act of using the iron will be apprised of the degree 4` of steam pressure within the dome and/or the necessity for water replenishment to the reservoir.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by Way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A steam iron having a body with a water reservoir, a handle including a pedestal with a bore terminating in an upper enlarged shouldered end, said pedestal having a cap receiving recess at said enlarged shouldered end, a tube secured to said reservoir and extending through said hollow pedestal to communicate with said reservoir and forming a steam chamber and filling passage for water to said reservoir, a sleeve secured to said tube within said pedestal and seated against said shouldered end of said bore to secure'said handle to said body and to form a steam dome, said sleeve having a lateral steam escape port located between its ends in said recess, a closure for said sleeve frictionally and slidably engaged with the walls thereof below said escape port to normally close said sleeve and escape port and which closure is adjrsted longitudinally of said sleeve by steam pressure to open said escape port for the controlled release of excess steam pressure, said closure remaining in said adjusted steam relief position relative to said sleeve to open said port until re-positioned by an operator to close said escape port, and said closure having a cap portion received in said'recess and arranged flush with said handle when said closure is positioned to close said escape port andV being adjustable with said closure under the influenceof excessive steam pressure to-move said cap portion out of said flush position with said handle where it remains until re-positioned flush with said handle by an operator to thereby close said escape port.

2. A steam iron having an ironing surface and a water reservoirwith'a steam chamber to collect steam from'the heating of' water contained in said reservoir, means for directingV steam produced from said steam chamber to said-ironingsurface, a handle including wall means defining a conduit having first and second end portions, said conduit communicating with said steam chamber and extending to said water reservoir to supply water from exteriorly of said iron to said reservoir, a steam escape port located between said first and second end portions of said conduit, a closure in said first end portion of said conduit and movable between first and second positions, said closure having deformable wall means frictionally engaging said wall means of said conduit in said first and second positions and in said first position located between said steam escape port and said second end portion of said conduit thereby preventing passage of steam through said steam escape port, said closure being exposed to steam pressure in said steamchamber and being movable to said second position upon build up of steam pressure to a predetermined level, saidv frictional engagement of said deformable closure wall means with said conduit wall means maintaining said closure in said second position thereby permitting passage of steam through said steam escape port until moved to said first position by an operator, and said closure having a cap portion substantially flush with said handle in said rst closure position and movable out of said substantially `flush position upon build up of steam pressure to said predetermined level until returned to said flush position by said operator.

3. A steam iron having an ironing surface and a water reservoir with a steam chamber to collect steam from the heating of water contained in said reservoir, means for directing steam produced from said steam chamber to said ironing surface, a handle including wall means dening a conduit having rst and second end portions, said conduit communicating with said steam chamber and extending to said water reservoir to supply water from exteriorly of said iron to said reservoir, a steam escape port located between said rst and second end portions of said conduit, a closure in said first end p0rtion of said conduit and movable between tirst and second positions, said closure having deformable wall means frictionally engaging said wall means of said conduit in said rst and second positions and in said rst position located between said steam escape port and said second end portion of said conduit thereby preventing passage of rsteam through said steam escape port, said closure being exposed to steam pressure in said steam chamber and being movable to said second position upon build up of steam pressure to a predetermined level, said frictionalvengagement of said deformable closure wall means with said conduit wall means maintaining said closure in said second position thereby permitting passage of steam through said steam escape port until moved to said first position by an operator.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS 1,830,875 Izumiya Nov. 10, 1931 2,189,709 Deems s Feb. 6, 1940 2,279,215 Theilgaard Apr. 7, 1942 2,432,205 Morton Dec. 9, 1947 2,596,608 Scott May 13, 1952 2,662,316 Johnson Dec. 15, 1953

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