WO1995018257A1

WO1995018257A1 - Improved ironing board

Info

Publication number: WO1995018257A1
Application number: PCT/GB1994/002807
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lesley Ann Winch
Original assignee: Lesley Ann Winch
Priority date: 1993-12-24
Filing date: 1994-12-22
Publication date: 1995-07-06
Also published as: AU1321295A; GB2285457A; GB9326423D0; GB9425988D0

Abstract

An ironing board (10) which is generally elongate in shape and which tapers towards one end and is configured such that the shape of the board generally corresponds to that of the body of a garment such as shirt, blouse, dress, or the like and wherein the board is pivotally mounted about its longitudinal axis such that in use the board can be rotated in order that both sides of the garment can be ironed without removing the said garment from the board.

Description

IMPROVED IRONING BOARD

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an improved ironing board. In particular the invention relates to an improved shape and support for an ironing board.

Background to the Invention

A large proportion of commercial and domestic ironing time is taken up in the ironing of shirts, blouses, dresses and the like. The well-known existing shape of domestic ironing boards is generally deficient in allowing easy ironing of shirts due to the overall shape of those ironing boards not complimenting the shape of the shirt. For example, conventional ironing boards have two sections, one being the pointed section having inwardly tapering sides and the other being the broader section having substantially parallel sides. This shape usually dictates that only small portions of a shirt can be placed on the available ironing surface at any one time. Thus, the shirt must be moved frequently in order to iron all parts of the garment. In particular, it is difficult to iron large portions of the body of the shirt adjacent to the collar and shoulders due to the shapes of the ironing board and the garment not matching. Only a small area of the shirt may be exposed for ironing if creasing is to be avoided.

Attempts have been made to overcome this disadvantage by making the shape of the ironing board more closely correspond to the shape of a shirt or similar garment. One such attempt is described in Australian patent application No AU-A-81178/91. This describes an ironing board of the general shape shown in figure 1. It enables, in one action, substantially an entire half of the front or rear of a shirt to be ironed. The shirt may then be manoeuvred about the ironing board to place the other side of the shirt towards the ironer. Not only does the garment have to be put onto this type of board twice, the shape of the board makes it unsuitable for anything other than shirts or blouses.

It is the objective of the present invention to provide an ironing board on which the whole of a garment such as a shirt can be ironed in one operation without the need to substantially rearrange the garment on the board.

Summary of the Invention

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in its broadest sense, there is provided an ironing board which is generally elongate in shape and which tapers towards one end such that the shape of the board generally corresponds to that of the body of a garment such as a shirt, blouse, dress or the like and wherein the board is pivotally mounted about its longitudinal axis such that in use the board can rotate in order that both sides of the garment can be ironed without removing the said garment from the board.

Preferably the board is rotatable between two fixed positions substantially

180° opposed to each other, corresponding to the front and back of the garment to be ironed.

Preferably the facility to rotate the board is controlled by a foot-operated brake mechanism.

Preferably the board is perforated such that steam from a steam iron can pass from one face of the board to the other, effectively allowing the garment to be steamed on both sides at the same time. In a particularly preferred embodiment the board is of a honeycomb construction, affording honeycomb-shaped perforations within the interior of the board.

Preferably the ironing board is supported on a frame suitable for mounting on to a wall or similar structure in such a manner that the board is held in a substantially vertical orientation.

According to a second aspect of the invention the said frame is incorporated into a trolley such that in use the ironing board can be easily transported to the desired operating position.

Preferably the trolley incorporates a shelf adapted to accommodate an industrial steam iron.

According to a third aspect of the invention the ironing board is pivotally mounted about one point on its longitudinal axis, said point being on the lower most-in-use edge of the board such that the board is in effect free- standing and garments may be freely placed over the non-pivoted end of the board.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention the board and/or pivot are further adapted such that a- vacuum source can be applied to the interior of the board, said vacuum source in use being adapted to draw steam from a steam iron through perforations in the board and thus through the garment being ironed.

Preferably the vacuum source is applied to only one side of the board at any one time, that one side being the side facing towards the ironer, such that optimum use is made of the available vacuum.

Preferably the vacuum source is cut off from the body of the board whilst the board is being rotated between one fixed position and another. Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows the shape of an ironing board described in the prior art;

Figure 2 shows the front elevation of an ironing board according to the first aspect of this invention;

Figure 3 shows a side elevation of an ironing board according to a first aspect of the present invention;

Figure 4 shows a plan view of an ironing board according to the first aspect of the present invention indicating the space taken up by the swivelling board;

Figure 5 shows a front elevation of an ironing board according to the second aspect of the present invention;

Figure 6 shows a side elevation of an ironing board according to the second aspect of the present invention with the board element shown in the process of rotation from one fixed position to another;

Figure 7 shows a plan view of an ironing board according to a second aspect of the present invention;

Figure 8 shows front and side elevations of an ironing board according to a third embodiment;

Figure 9 shows front and side elevations of an ironing board according to a third embodiment mounted on a trolley; Figure 10 shows side, front and plan elevations of a trolley;

Figure 11 shows front and side elevations of a further version of an ironing board according to the third embodiment;

Figure 12 shows details of a form of vacuum seal at the bottom of an ironing board;

Figure 13 shows one form of internal divider separating the two faces of an ironing board according to the invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The embodiments shown represent currently the best ways known to the applicant of putting the invention into practice. But they are not the only ways in which this could be achieved. They are illustrated, and will now be described, by way of example only.

In this description, a shirt will be used for illustrative purposes as the garment to be ironed but it will be appreciated that the term shirt is intended to cover a shirt, blouse, jumper, dress or any other similar garment of outer clothing and also encompasses T-shirts and the like.

Figures 2-4 show the first embodiment of the invention which consists of a board element 10 which is generally elongate in shape and which tapers towards one end and is generally configured such that the shape of the board generally corresponds to that of the body of a garment such as a shirt. The sides 11 and 12 of the board 10 are generally parallel to each other for most of their length other than at the end 13 at which the board tapers.

The board element in this example thus has straight, parallel sides and sharp corners. It will be appreciated that the body of the board could also just as well be tapered, as are many shirts these days, and have rounded-off corners. The board element is supported at each end along its longitudinal axis such that the board element can pivot about that axis. The uppermost in use support 15 is mounted onto a wall or other solid support by stays 17. The lowermost in use support 16 is anchored to the floor such that the board element is substantially vertical and rigid and pivots longitudinally about a vertical axis.

The floor and wall mounting may be achieved by a variety of conventional means such as screws, bolts, suction pads or the like, such techniques being well known in this field of engineering and not requiring detailed description here.

It will be appreciated that in use a shirt is placed over the uppermost in use portion of the board element, optionally fastening one or more buttons to keep the shirt in place. The shoulders of the shirt fit smoothly over the tapered region of the board element, which are adapted to approximate to the size and shape of the shoulders of the garment wearer. The garment is then ironed on one side and in figure 2 this is shown to be achieved with a conventional industrial mobile vertical steam iron 18. The board element is then rotated through 180° and the other side of the shirt is then ironed in a similar way. The ironed garment can then be hung on a hanger.

To facilitate rotating the board a foot operated brake 19 can be provided.

The brake comprises a swivel joint 20, a spring 21 and lever 22. The swivel joint is adapted such that the support element 16 and thus the board element 10 can engage in one of two preset positions which are set at 180° to each other. Downward pressure on the lever 22 operates against a spring 21 to separate the elements of the swivel joint 20 so that the board can be rotated manually. Once engaged in either of the two positions, the board cannot be rotated again until the lever is depressed. The swivel joint operates using techniques well-known to the skilled addressee of this specification and need not be detailed further here. The board element can be made from a variety of materials provided that the material can withstand the heat, steam and pressure of ironing. In a preferred embodiment the board is perforated such that during the ironing process steam can pass from one side of the board to the other. By this arrangement, not only does the steam have an escape route but it is also possible to steam both sides of the garment in one operation.

Advantageously the board element 10 can be constructed from a composite material or a metal (eg. aluminium) having a honeycomb structure such that steam can pass through the honeycomb from one side of the board to another.

In a second embodiment shown in figures 5-7 the ironing board is incorporated onto a trolley 23. A support frame 24 provides for the necessary anchorage for the support elements 15 and 16 and as such performs the same function as the wall in the static version.

It will be appreciated that the trolley design must be adapted to provide the necessary rigidity to allow ironing to take place on the board without the tendency to topple. The trolley base can incorporate a weight and the castors can have brakes or other locking mechanisms (not shown). Stability can be further increased by providing space on the trolley base for the iron 18.

In either embodiment the ironing board element can be provided in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending upon the shape and size of the garment to be ironed. The one shape shown here is for illustrative purposes only. The boards can be designed to be interchangeable or, as an alternative, more than one size of board can be mounted on the frame at any one time, as shown in figure 6.

The boards can be covered with a variety of finishes, from commercial sources or elsewhere, that provide the necessary texture and durability needed for efficient ironing.. In both these embodiments, the board is shown in a vertical position. However it should be appreciated that the board could be supported in which ever configuration best suits the operator or the type of garment to be ironed. Furthermore, although specifically exemplified for the ironing of shirts etc, by caref l choice of the shape of the board, or by using the board as a conventional ironing surface, any garment can be ironed by means of this invention.

These ironing boards can also incorporate a height adjustment mechanism (figure 2) whereby the height of the board element can be varied such that the board can be configured to suit the height of the ironer who may also be able to iron from a seated position. One such mechanism provides for the lowermost in use support element 16 to be in two parts, an upper and lower part, which move one inside another (not shown). The two parts are held in juxtaposition by pegs or catches at the desired height. In this embodiment the uppermost in use support element 15 should be longer than shown in figure 2 to allow the board to be lowered for use by a short person or someone sitting down.

A third embodiment is illustrated in Figures 8-13. In this embodiment an ironing board body 30 incorporates a single pivot 31 in the form of cooperating hollow cylindrical columns. One column is firmly attached to the base of the body 30, the width at the base 32 being greater than the width of the ironing face of the board to accommodate this. In this example the board body 30 is shown mounted on a trolley 33 in Figure 9. The trolley is fitted with casters 34 so that it can be moved around the workplace or wheeled into store when not in use. The casters may be optionally fitted with brakes to avoid unwanted movement when ironing is in progress. Alternatively, the casters can be mounted in line with the face of the board when in its natural ironing configuration as shown in Figure 9. This also tends to resist unwanted movement of the casters when ironing is in progress.

A pedal-operated foot brake mechanism 35 is provided. When the brake pedal 36 is pressed the board is free to rotate and, as with earlier embodiments, it can engage in one of two pre-set positions at 180° to each other.

The strength and rigidity of the pivot 31 and its counterpart in the trolley are fundamental to the effective operation of the embodiment. The hollow cylinder shown as 31 fits over or within a correspondingly shaped cylindrical element 37 on the base of the trolley. These two components 31 and 37 are a sliding fit one within another with the result that the board may rotate, when the brake is released, but there is no tendency for the board to wobble or topple. A lubricant can be provided between the two surfaces if necessary.

There are a number of ways in which this pivotal arrangement can be achieved, for example using carefully sized pivot rings 39 or other cooperating surfaces. In this example the pivotal bearing surfaces extend both into the base of the board and into the trolley base. It will be appreciated that this is just one form of pivot that provides the necessary rotation between base and board and this specification is intended to cover all mechanical equivalents thereof.

In a fourth embodiment a vacuum source is applied to the interior of the board to positively draw steam from a steam iron through the garment. This provides a better finish and also makes ironing easier since the head of the iron is positively drawn towards the garment fabric. In the absence of a vacuum the head of a steam iron must always hover a little away from the garment to allow room for the steam to escape. This vacuum facility, known per se in the ironing trade, is particularly easy to arrange with this type of board.

Firstly, provision can be made for a vacuum pump 38 in the trolley or in the base. Secondly, the ironing surface of the ironing board body 30 can easily be perforated with a series of fine holes as shown in Figures 8, 9 and 11, to draw vacuum through the ironing board cover (not shown) and then through the garment. A seal is necessary between the board frame and the pivot. One simple way to achieve this is by means of felt strips arranged around the edge of the pivot, the edges of the felt being feathered. Although this does not provide a perfect vacuum-tight seal it is perfectly adequate for the purpose. A gland-type seal could be used as an alternative.

In any event, vacuum generated external to the board is ducted to the body of the board through the pivot. This has the advantage that vacuum is always present, no matter which way the board is facing.

In a further preferred embodiment the board contains an interior divider, shown schematically as 40 in Figure 13. This divider runs the full length and the full width of the board internally, forming a substantially vacuum-tight seal at the edges. By this means it is possible to apply vacuum to just one face of the board, namely that which faces the ironer. The divider 40 is shown corrugated in Figure 13 and indeed this is the preferred form. But it could be a straight divider or any other cross-section provided it has the necessary strength not to deform when under vacuum pressure.

From the above it will be appreciated that the board in this embodiment is of a sandwich construction comprising two outer substantially flat perforated layers with an inner corrugated divider between them. These are conveniently mounted on a frame for ease of construction and for increased rigidity.

Vacuum can be directed to just one side of the board in a variety of ways, one of which is illustrated in Figure 10. In this example the cylindrical column mounted on the trolley has an aperture 41 positioned such that the vacuum can only escape on the face of the column at the front of the machine i.e the face facing the ironer. The aperture 41 matches up with a corresponding aperture 42 (not shown) within the board itself such that the vacuum can only escape onto one side of the divider and thus into one face of the board. As the board is rotated the aperture 41 is no longer opposite any aperture and so the vacuumed source is cut off. Once the board is rotated back to one of the two fixed positions then the two apertures are again in line. If ironing is suspended for a period and the operator does not want to turn off the vacuum pump he/she only needs to rotate the board through 90° to stop vacuum being supplied to either face of the board.

Other features provided are water bottles 43 for charging the steamer and provision to duct the vacuum extract to the outside to avoid build up of condensation in the workplace. A heat recovery unit (not shown) can be provided in the vacuum exhaust arrangement since most of the energy used to generate steam will be lost by that route.

These boards may be constructed using conventional techniques eg welding or rivets 39 and conventional materials eg aluminium or stainless steel. A wide variety of finishes such as enamelling, powder coating or anodizing are also possible and will be selected by a materials specialist as dictated by the operational requirements of the board itself.

These examples have been based on just one size and shape of board. However these embodiments, especially the latter ones involving a single pivot, mean that it is a very simple operation to replace the ironing board body 30 with one of an alternate size or shape. This specification is intended to cover any shape of board over which a garment can be placed and ironed in situ by simply rotating the board on its mounting(s). Application of vacuum to the interior of the board provides an improved standard of finish not possible with conventional equipment whilst operating at the ironing speeds achievable with this type of board. This invention is therefore directed towards reducing the time taken to iron a garment and thus to increasing the hourly output of the ironer far in excess of that which has hitherto been possible.

The ironing boards as described above may also incorporate a cantilevered platform to accommodate an iron. The platform can be pivotally mounted on the support element 16 thus enabling the iron to be pushed out of the way behind the plane of the board when not in use. Alternatively the iron can be incorporated into the base of the unit.

While there has herein been disclosed and described presently preferred embodiments of the invention, it will nevertheless be understood that this specification is intended to be by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and the scope of the invention is to be measured only by the proper interpretation to be afforded the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ironing board which is generally elongate in shape and which tapers towards one end and is configured such that the shape of the board generally corresponds to that of the body of a garment such as a shirt, blouse, dress or the like and wherein the board is pivotally mounted about its longitudinal axis such that in use the board can be rotated in order that both sides of the garment can be ironed without removing the said garment from the board.

2. An ironing board as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the board is rotatable between two fixed positions substantially 180° opposed to each other, corresponding to the front and back of the garment to be ironed.

3. An ironing board as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the facility to rotate the board is controlled by a foot-operated brake mechanism.

4. An ironing board as claimed in any of Claims 1-3 wherein the board is perforated such that steam from a steam iron can pass from one face of the board to another, effectively allowing the garment to be steamed on both sides at the same time.

5. An ironing board as claimed in any of Claims 1-4 wherein the board element is of honeycomb construction, affording honeycomb-shaped perforations within the interior of the board.

6. An ironing board as claimed in any of Claims 1-5 wherein the ironing board is supported on a frame suitable for mounting onto a wall or similar structure in such a manner that the board is held in a substantially vertical orientation.

7. An ironing board as claimed in any of Claims 1-5 wherein the frame is incorporated into a trolley such that in use the ironing board can be easily transported to the desired operating position.

8. An ironing board as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the trolley incorporates a shelf adapted to accommodate an industrial steam iron.

9. An ironing board according to any preceding claim wherein the board is pivotally mounted about one point on its longitudinal axis, said point being on the lower most-in-use edge of the board such that the board is in effect free-standing and garments may be freely placed over the non-pivoted end of the board.

10. An ironing board according to any preceding claim wherein the board and/or pivot are further adapted such that a vacuum source can be applied to the interior of the board, said vacuum source in use being adapted to draw steam from a steam iron through perforations in the board and thus through the garment being ironed.

11. An ironing board according to Claim 10 wherein the vacuum source is applied to only one side of the board at any one time, that one side being the side facing towards the ironer.

12. An ironing board according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 wherein the vacuum source is cut off from the body of the board whilst the board is being rotated between one fixed position and another.

13. An ironing board substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in any appropriate combination of the accompanying Figures 2 to 13 inclusive.