US2853815A - Steam iron - Google Patents

Description

' Sept. 30, 1958 B; F. FARR 2,853,815

STEAM IRON Filed Feb. 8, 1957 INVENTOR BERNARD F.PARR

' AT ORNEY United Sta es Fmp f v This invention rel-ates tosteam' irons andha's for an object 'to provide improvedi'apparatus'of this kind.

A further object of the'invention is to provide an improved iron .of' kind particularly v adaptable for "ironing tubular Iandv other relatively. complicated .gar-

ments, which not in use," Y A till f herobject .of'the invention is to provide ajcompact steaming'ironofthe so-called' travellers type.

In accordance with thefinvention, an'iron is provided having 'a generally conventional sole'plate provided (with iron is compact f and. readily stored when covers the soleplate and ahandle of the so called open end type is fixed to the shell. The handle ishollow and preferably functions as 'aiwater "reservoir. The front end Westinghouse Electric Corporation, EastPittsburgh Pa a va vaporization chamber andtheusual passages for delivering steam to ithe material being ironed." .A shell of the handle visopen to the reservoir for filling the latter 5 when the iron is upended. A manually operated member jisjproyided for openingand closing "th'efopenend of the handll A valve for controlling flow of water from the reservoir'to thevvaporizing chamber is interlocked with .said member. and is closed when the member.is ,.adjusted to open the reservoir for filling. Converselyfthe i'alve is opened as the member is adjusted to close the reservoir.

The means interlocking the member and the valve is housed within the space defined by the handle. means is provided for retaining the manually operated member in its open position.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal side view, partially in elevation and partially in section, of-a steam iron constructed in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a front view of the iron, taken along the line IIII of Fig. 1.

Reference will now be had to the drawing disclosing the I invention applied to a steam iron having a soleplate or ironing base 10,, a shell 11 suitably secured thereon and a handle 12 of the so-called open end type. The latter includes an upaight post portion 13 and a cantilevered grip portion 14 extending forwardly therefrom and terminating at its front end in spaced relation above the shell 11. An open end handle of the type disclosed facilitates the ironing of relatively complicated and tubular garments, as portions of the garment may be gathered or passed between the handle and the shell during the ironing of a second portion of the garment, all of which is well understood.

The ironing base 10 may be of any suitable construction including a vaporization chamber 15, a steam outlet passage 16 and a plurality of steam discharge ports, some of which are shown at 17 and receiving steam from the passage 16. It will be understood that the base 10 has several steam ports 17 strategically spaced therein for the efiicient delivery of steam to the garment being Suitable 2,853,815 Patented Sept. 30, .1958

ice

. 2 I pressed. As shown, the steam passage 16 leading to the various ports 17 is formed in the top of the soleplat'e '10 and is covered by a plate 18 suitably secured to the base 10.v The base 10 may be heated electrically in any "suitable fmanner and, in the interest of brevity and clearness of illustration, the heating means has not been disclosed nor has the attachment cord usually u'sedIfor energizing-the heater; these elements per se forming no f part of the present invention.

A reservoir forwater is provided above the steam generating chamber 15 land is preferably enclosed within the handle 12, as indicated at 19. The bottom of the reservoir is closed'by a plate 21 which, as shown, supports a valve structure, generally indicated at 22, and havinga'discharge passage 23 communicating with the vaporization chamber 15. Preferably,a dome or cover 24 is provided as a cover for the vaporization chamber 15 and 'is; brazed or otherwise secured to the plate 18, which ave: 2 4 is'also secured to the valve structure 22. The valve' s'tructure 22 includes a needle valve member 25 which, inits lower position,'closes the passage 23 and, in, itsupper position, as shown, permits the metering vof water from the reservoir 19 to the chamber 15. Pref- 'erably, the needle valve member 25 is biased toward its open'position by a compression spring 26 carried by the 'valve structure 22 and bearing against a shoulder 27 formed on the needle valve 25.

In accordance with the invention, opening and closing of, the valve 22 is effected by a finger piece or knob 28' arranged'at. the front end of the handle. The knob 28 isclonriected to the valve 22 by a resilient tie, generally iridicatedat 29, and passing throughthe space 19 within ,"the handle. Theknob 28 plugs the front open end Qfth'espace 19 during operation of the iron and prevents .discharge-of 'water,therefrom.' The knob 28 closely fits within the handle but is provided 'with a recess or groove 31 defining 'a'vent for the reservoir or space 19. The

tie 29 connecting the knob 28 and the valve 22 includes a link 32 having a tension spring 33 therein, and a bell crank 34 suitably pivoted within the handle, as shown at 35. The link 32 is connected at one end to the knob 28 and at its other end to one arm of the bell crank 34 through the spring 33. The other arm of the bell crank 34 engages the shoulder 27 on needle valve 25 so that, when the plug 28 is withdrawn from the handle, the tie 29 moves the bell crank 34 clockwise for compressing spring 26 and closing valve 22. It will be understood that the scale of spring33 is greater than that of spring 26 so that there will be substantially no extens-ion of spring 33 until the valve 22 is closed.

The valve may be retained closed by a coupler or hook 36 preferably formed on the link 32 and engageable with the front lip 37 of the handle. At this time, the book 36 is maintained engaged with the lip 37 by the tensioned spring 33 and the knob 28 hangs at one side of the handle. The iron at this time may be upended for the admission of water to the space 19 through the open front end of the handle 12. Upon uncoupling the hook 36 from the lip 37, the knob 28 is drawn within the lip 37 by springs 33 and 26, closing the space 19 and opening valve 25 for the delivery of.

, 3 vaporization chamber may within the handle utilized to house the control ri1ec'hanism for the actuation of the valve. The space within the handle is, however, preferably used as a water 're'servoir in the interest of compactness. 7 :1 While the invention has been shownin but one form, itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of 'various other changes and modifications without departing from the [spirit ith ereof. What is claimed is:

' 1. In a steam iron, the combination of an ironingbase having a vaporizing chamber and steam discharge ports communicating therewith, a's'hell carried by'the base, a handle for manipulating the iron and including a supbe provided and the space of the reservoir during ironing operations and manually "disengaged from the handle for the filling of the reservoir,

porting post fixed to the rear of the shell and a cantilevered grip extending forwardly from the post, said post and grip having a space formed therein and open at the front end of the grip for the adr'nisison of water to the space, means conveying water admitted to the space to the vaporization chamber and including a valve, a spring biasing the valve to its open position, means for closing the valve in opposition to the bias of the spring and including a resilient tie extending through said space a from adjacent the open end thereof to adjacent said valve, means connecting the tie and valve, a plug closing said open end of the grip and attached to said tie, said plug being manual-ly'disengaged from the end of the grip for opening the space and closing the valve and means associated with the end of said grip and said tie for retaining the plug in its position disengaged from'the grip.

' 2. In a steam iron, the combination of an ironing base having a vaporization chamber and steam discharge ports communicating therewith, a shell carried by the base, a handle having an upright portion secured to the shell and a cantilever grip portion extending forwardly therefrom, said handle enclosing a water reservoir open at the front end of the grip portion for receiving water during a filling operation, a plug closing the open end a valve controlling flow of water from the reservoir to the vaporization chamber, means biasing the valve to open position, a resilient tie extending through a portion of the water reservoir and connecting the plug and valve for closing the valve in opposition to the biasing means when the plug is disengaged from the handle and means coupling the tie to said handle for retaining the valve closed-when. the plug iszdisengaged fromthe handle.

3. In'a steam iron, the combination of an ironing-base having a vaporization chamber and steam discharge ports communicating therewith, a shell carried by the base, a

handle having an upright portion secured to the shell and I a cantilever grip portion extending forwardly therefrom, said handle enclosing a water reservoir open at the front end of the grip portion for receiving water during a filling operation,- a plug closing the open end of the reservoir during QjifOhing" operations and manually disengagedfroni the'h'andle for the fillingbf the reservoir, a .valve controlling flow of water from the reservoir to the vaporization chamber, a spring biasing the valve to its 'ope'n'position, a tie extending through a portion of the'w'ater reservoir and connectingthe plug and valve for closing the latter in opposition to said spring when the plug .is disengaged'from the handle, said tie having a second spring connected therein" having a scale" greater than the first named spring, means coupling the tie to' the :front .end of said grip portion for retaining the valve closed when the plug is disengaged ifrom the handle and means defining a vent for the reservoir and formed in the 'P11 r References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,719,371 Brace j' non. 4,195 2,750,695 Swenson a June 19,1956

FOREIGN PATENTS 487,902 Italy Dec. 11, 1953

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