WO1990012915A1

WO1990012915A1 - Improvements in ironing equipment

Info

Publication number: WO1990012915A1
Application number: PCT/GB1990/000603
Authority: WO
Inventors: Annette Austen-Meek; Steven John Day
Original assignee: Austen Meek Annette; Steven John Day
Priority date: 1989-04-20
Filing date: 1990-04-20
Publication date: 1990-11-01
Also published as: GB2233351B; GB9008860D0; GB2233351A

Abstract

Ironing equipment includes an iron holder (23) for holding an iron which has been placed on end in an upright position and for storing the iron when not in use for example attached to a fixing on a wall or door. The holder (23) comprises a base (73) which is fitted over and attached to the board and a cage (76) for holding an iron to increase the stability of the iron on the board. The cage (76) comprises a front portion (76a) for preventing forward tipping of the iron, and two side portions (76b) which hold the iron against falling over backwards and sidewards; the arrangement being such that the iron can be freely placed in the cage (76) from above with the handle outside, but on being knocked or pulled in any other direction is held in place by the cage. The cage (76) is fitted to the base so as to be foldable from a first position in which the cage (76) can hold an iron substantially upright to the base to a second position in which the iron is retained with the sole plate substantially parallel to the base.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN IRONING EQUIPMENT

The present invention relates to improvements in ironing equipment and in particular to an iron holder for location on top of an ironing board.

At present while arranging garments for ironing on an ironing board most users set their iron loosely on top of the board. In the presence of small children this can be dangerous as the iron is unstable and would fall to the floor if the electric cable is pulled. To counteract this many proposals have been made to provide holders for supporting an iron on the board. Without exception these are either complicated or do not provide sufficient safety or both. Moreover they are all designed to be a permanent attachment for the board. According to the present invention there is provided ironing equipment including a holder for' holding an iron which has been placed on end in an upright position, the holder comprising a frame which is fitted over the board and a cage either integral with the frame or attached to the frame for holding an iron to increase the stability of the iron on the board wherein the cage comprises a front portion for preventing forward tipping of the iron, and two side portions which are, at their ends remote from the front portion, spaced by a distance which is smaller than the width of the sole plate of the iron that it is intended to support; the arrangement being such that the iron can be freely placed in the cage from above but on being knocked or pulled in any other direction is held in place by the cage, the iron being removable by lifting it upwardly, wherein the iron cage is fitted to the base so as to be foldable from a first position in which the cage can hold an iron substantially upright to the base to a second position in which the iron can be retained by the cage with the sole plate substantially parallel to the base.

The cage is preferably open between the side portions only sufficient for the handle of the iron to protrude from the cage and open above as the sole access for the iron to the cage when the cage is in the first position.

Optionally the front portion and the side portions of the cage may fold flat separately or be removeable from the base. Advantageously the base includes legs and feet adapted to receive an iron flex for storage.

Advantageously the frame is additionally moveable along the length of the board. The board and frame may have cooperating portions which enable the frame to slide along the board. The frame may be provided with means whereby the frame can be hung on a fixture on the wall and optionally also with means for releasably receiving an electrical plug for storage. The holder may also have an electric socket connection to receive the electric plug of an iron. With the iron plugged into a socket at board height there is a lower risk of a child being able to reach the iron cable.

Alternatively it may be possible to provide a flexless iron in which case the iron holder would incorporate a battery charger which operates automatically when the iron is placed in the holder.

The equipment may include a flexible strip attachable to a flange on the board for use as a guide runner for the holder. Preferably the strip is also resilient tσ enable it to grip the flange or an ironing board cover on the ironing board.

The expression "sole plate" of an iron is used to mean the hot working surface which engages the clothes to be ironed. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings which are not to scale, and in which:-

Figure 1 is a sketch in plan view of an ironing board and holder being equipment according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an iron holder according to an embodiment of the invention in a second position, Figure 3 is a side view of the holder of Figure 2 in a first position,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the holder of Figure

2,

Figure 5 is a side view of a second embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 6 is an underneath view of the embodiment of

Figure 5.

The ironing board illustrated in Figures 1 is a specially shaped board, which is preferred. However the iron holder described hereafter can be used with traditional ironing boards as well.

The board.of Figure 1 has a top 11 which forms the surface on which the articles are laid for ironing. The top is supported on legs 12 which can be folded in any suitable way. If preferred the legs can be dispensed with.

The top of the board is double-ended, i.e. both ends are shaped to assist in the job of ironing. The two ends should be of different shapes, the different shapes being selected to give the maximum assistance to the job of ironing. In the illustrated embodiment one end of the top has a traditional shape such as converging or tapering sides 15 joined at the narrower end by a curve 16. The other end has converging or tapering sides 17 between the central part of the top 18 and a proboscis 19. The proboscis will usually be no more than one third the width of the central section 18. It should however be of sufficient length and width to enable the sleeves of* garments to be ironed. The shoulders of garments can easily be ironed at the said one end.

Although the board is illustrated with a particular iron holder, a board of the same shaped top may be used with any other holder according to the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates how the iron holder fits over the board. However this holder 23 is shown in sketch only. Figure 1 also shows the holder provided with an electric socket 21 to which the iron plug can be connected and an electrical flex 22.

With this arrangement different ironing tasks can be facilitated by using the different ends of the top.

The iron holder is moveable along the board so as not to interfere with the ironing being done. Moreover if the operator uses the two ends by standing on opposite sides of the board, for each position the iron holder 23 is positioned in the traditional place, i.e. for a right handed person at the right hand side of the board.

The board can be used either to ease muscle strain by" using both ends from the same position, or by standing on one side of the board to use one end and the other side of the board to use the other end.

The holder of Figures 2 to 4 is either formed in metal or moulded in heat resistant plastics and represents a holder in which the iron can be held upright . (usually slightly at an angle to the vertical ) supported by its end standing as it would be if it were set down on^' the ironing board. The holder is constructed in at least two parts. A first part forms the base or frame 73, end 74 and legs 75; and the second part forms the iron support or cage 76. The iron cage 76 comprises a ±ront portion 76a (Figure 4) which constrains tipping Φf- the iron forwards and two side portions 76b which converge from the front portion. The height of the side portions also reduces as they converge. The free ends of the sides portions terminate with a space therebetween of a size which enables the handle of the iron to be fitted through the space while the remainder of the iron is constrained in the triangular-section area defined by the front and side portions of the support. The support

76 is hinged to the base 73 in this case by two hinges

77 the axis of which lie longitudinally of the board when the holder is in position on the board. However optionally the hinges many be replaced by a slot and tab arrangement (not shown) which enables the support to pivot between a vertical position as shown in Figure 4 and a horizontal position as shown in Figure 2. The pivotal action need not be particularly precise and any arrangement which allows the support to be held upright and folded flat against the base is adequate. Optionally the support may be removeable for packaging.

The base 73, which is substantially rectangular, is formed with several slots or apertures. Firstly four slots 78 arranged one near each corner are provided to receive therethrough strapping 81,82 by means of which the holder can.be attached to an ironing board. Each of the two straps passes underneath the board and means is provided, such as "velcro" fastening 80 or slip buckles to tighten the straps on the board and hold fast the position once tightened.

A further slot 83 disposed in an extension of the base, substantially centrally of the front of the base, enables the holder to be hung on a cooperating wall mounting hook (not shown) when the iron is not in use. Two apertures 84 arranged in the centre part of the base 73 cooperate and mate with two hooked protrusions 85 on the base of the support 76 to hold the support 76 upright for use. A further set of three slots 86 is arranged to receive the pins of a thirteen amp plug attached to the iron when the iron is stored when not in use.

The back of the base is bent upwardly to form the end 74 which supports the iron for storage with the back of the iron leaning against the end 74 and the sides of the iron supported by the inwardly directed sides of the support 76 in the orientation shown in Figure 2. In this orientation the front portion of the cage 76 rests on the base 73 via a spacer 87 fixed to the cage and is thus held substantially parallel to the base. The end 74 is not perpendicular to the base, but is angled towards the cage. This angle assists the end 74 in holding the iron in the holder when the holder is mounted on a wall. In this position the space between the side portions lies parallel to the base 73 and the end of the front portion which is not pivoted lies adjacent the end 74. There is no necessity for the top end of the front portion to be fixed to the base because the cage is held by the hinge and gravity. The sole plate faces the front portion but facing the opposite way round to the way it is held in the first position.

Four legs 75 are provided underneath the base 73. These legs act.to support the holder on the ironing board when the iron is in use and lean against the wall when the holder is wall mounted. The legs also substantially increase the spacing of the base from the ironing board surface or well provided by the ironing board. The legs 75 are each shaped with feet 91 which in each case point away from the centre of the base. This enables the flex of the iron to be wrapped around the four feet so that it can be stored tidily. The plug is then fitted into the slots 86. When the holder is in the orientation of Figure 3 the flex and plug are stored in this way and the holder, with the iron installed, can be hung on a hook or other mounting fixture on a wall or door. In the-Orientation of Figure 3 to 5 the iron many be stored upright during use, for example while garments are being arranged on the board, or to answer the telephone, with the hot sole plate towards the front portion of the support and in this position it is constrained by the inwardly directed sides of the cage 76, so that it cannot be overturned by a pull on the flex.

In an alternative arrangement the end piece 74 is dispensed with, the iron being supported by an additional face (not shown) of the cage, which face is perpendicular to the front and side portions and in the first position of the cage parallel to the base. Optionally to assist packaging the two side pieces 76 may be formed separately from the front end and fitted for use. For example the sides many be hinged to the front end so that when the front end is folded flat to the stand base the sides also fold flat, for example one over the other.

The essential components for the cage 76 are a front barrier sufficient to prevent the iron from being knocked forwards and side barriers which act both to prevent the iron from falling sidewards and converge towards the rear of the iron so that they prevent the iron from falling or being pulled backwards. The fact that the iron stands on its end means that there can be a space between the front portion and the hot surface of the iron so assisting heat dissipation. Ribs may additionally be provided on at least the front portion to improve this further. The front portion and optionally side portions may also be slotted to help heat dissipation.

There are many modifications possible without departing from the principle of the invention.

If it is not required that the frame should slide along the board the frame many be fixed to the board by other means. _'Some possible examples are by cooperating studs on the frame and one or more locations on the board; a velcro (RTM) fastening on the frame engagable at any location along a strip of equivalent fastening material applied to the board. With either of these arrangements it is possible for the frame to be fitted to different parts of the board surface without being able to slide along the top of the board.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodiment in which the open side of the cage need not always face towards the side of the board. In this embodiment the cage 76 is mounted on a turn table 51 fitted into the base pivoted on a rivet 52. The base is shaped to seat the turn table so that the turnable surface is in line with the surrounding portion of the base. The turn table turns on the pivot in the base so that the cage can be turned to the most convenient angle for the user. The pivotal mounting comprises a rivet 52, a nylon (RTM) washer 53 between the turn table 51 and the base, and a wave washer 54 under the base held on by a rivet cap 55. This embodiment also shows an alternative method of fixing the holder to the board in the form of a clamp. The clamp comprises three hooked ends 57, two 57a on the side of the end 74 and one 57b on the other side. The hooked ends 57 are each formed on a respective bar 58a_., 58b which fits through a respective slot 59 in the base and a respective slot 61 in a transverse spring retaining bar 62 attached to the under side of the base. Each bar 58 is provided with a respective spring stop 63a_., 63b at the end remote from the hooked end 57 and each bar 58 carries a respective compression spring 65a_., 65b round the bar disposed between and abutting against the stop 63 and the bar 62.

The compression springs act to urge the hooks inwardly towards the base so that the hooks clamp the holder onto the board. It will be appreciated that the springs could be replaced by any other equivalent resilient device. For the holder to be balanced the resilient force on the central bar 58b is equal to the sum of the resilient force on the other two bars 58a_. so that the resilient force in each direction is the same. The base is provided with feet 64 which are optionally in the form of suction cups, and which seat the holder on the ironing board. In the illustrated embodiment the feet are set on inwardly turned flanges of the base. The folding of the cage between upright and flat positions is the same as that described in the previous embodiment.

Claims

1. Ironing equipment including a holder for holding an iron which has been placed on end in an upright position, the holder comprising a base which is fitted over the board and a cage either integral with the base or attached to the base for holding an iron to increase the stability of the iron on the board wherein the cage comprises a front portion for preventing forward tipping of the iron, and two side portions which are, at their ends remote from the front portion, spaced by a distance which is smaller than the width of the sole plate of the iron that it is intended to support; the arrangement being such that the iron can be freely placed in the cage from above but on being knocked or pulled in any other direction is held in place by the iron cage, the iron being removable by lifting it upwardly, wherein the iron cage is fitted to the base so as to be foldable from a first position in which the cage can hold an iron substantially upright to the base to a second position in which the iron is retained with the sole plate substantially parallel to the base.

2. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the cage is open between the side portions only sufficient for the handle of the iron to protrude from the cage and open above as the sole access for an iron to the cage.

3. Equipment according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the base is provided with fitting means which allow the base to be positioned at a selected position on an ironing board.

4. Equipment according to claim 3 including an ironing board wherein the board comprises an elongate top with a substantially parallel sided central section and included a portion at each end of the top shaped to facilitate ironing, the iron holder being adapted to be fitted at any selected position of the board.

5. Equipment according to claim 4 wherein the board and base have cooperating portions which enable the base to slide along the board.

6. Equipment according to claim 1 wherein the base includes an end portion which together with the cage acts to retain an iron in the second position.

7. Equipment according to claim 6 wherein the base includes feet shaped to receive an iron flex wound thereon and a socket for storing the electrical plug of the iron.

8. Equipment according to claim 1 or 6 wherein at least the front portion of the cage is provided with ribs allowing the dissipation of heat from the iron.

9. Equipment according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the side portions of the cage are pivotally mounted to the front portion and the front portion is pivotally mounted to the base so that the components of holder can be folded flat.

10. Equipment according to claim 6 wherein the holder is provided with wall mounting means to enable the holder to be stored on a fixture on the wall.

11. Equipment according to claim 1 or 10 wherein the angle of the cage with respect to the base is adjustable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the base.

12. Equipment according to claim 11 wherein the holder comprises a set of resiliently biased clamps for clamping the holder to an ironing board.

13. Equipment according to claim 12 including three said clamps, two on one side of the base and one on the other side, the strength of the resilient bias being balanced so that the clamping strength is the same for each side of the base.