WO2006056844A1

WO2006056844A1 - Iron comprising a thermal screen with an integrated conduit

Info

Publication number: WO2006056844A1
Application number: PCT/IB2005/003448
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Giersiepen
Original assignee: Rowenta Werke Gmbh
Priority date: 2004-11-23
Filing date: 2005-11-10
Publication date: 2006-06-01
Also published as: EP1815057A1; CN101061271A; US20080000115A1; FR2878263B1; FR2878263A1; WO2006056844B1

Abstract

The invention relates to an iron comprising a housing, a heating body, and a thermal screen (7) placed between the heating body and the housing. According to the invention, said thermal screen (7) includes at least one integrated conduit (73) with an inlet and an outlet for the circulation of a fluid.

Description

IRON WITH INTEGRATION THERMAL SCREEN

A CONDUIT

The present invention relates to irons comprising a housing, an ironing sole provided with a heating element and a heat shield interposed between the sole and the housing.

It is known from the document FR 2,770,856 filed by the applicant, a steam iron comprising a housing, an ironing sole comprising a heating resistor, and a plastic heat shield interposed between the housing and the sole to limit the heat transfer from the sole to the housing.

It is common to equip such an iron with a manual pump disposed on the front part of the iron body, this pump for injecting water into a steam chamber to produce steam jets when the iron is held vertically. In such a case, the supply port of the pump is usually connected to a tube which opens at the rear part of the tank so that the pump remains supplied with water when the iron is held vertically. However, the establishment and connection of this feed tube between the pump and the rear part of the tank has the disadvantage of being difficult to automate, which complicates the assembly of the iron and generates a high cost of production.

The following invention aims to overcome these disadvantages.

The object of the invention is achieved by an iron comprising a housing, a heating body and a heat shield interposed between the heating body and the housing, characterized in that the heat shield incorporates at least one duct having an orifice inlet and an outlet for the circulation of a fluid.

Such a feature makes it possible to use the heat shield to conduct a fluid, for example from a reservoir to a remote element such as a pump or a device drop by drop, which greatly simplifies the process of mounting the iron .

According to another characteristic of the invention, the heat shield is obtained by molding.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the heat shield is made of thermosetting plastic material.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the plastic material is loaded with fibers.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the conduit is obtained by a method of injecting gas or water during molding.

Such a characteristic makes it possible to produce complex shaped ducts at a lower cost. According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the iron comprises a reservoir and the inlet orifice of the conduit is supplied with fluid from the reservoir.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the iron comprises a pump and the outlet orifice of the duct is connected to the inlet of the pump.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the heat shield constitutes the bottom of the tank.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the pump is used to inject water into a vaporization chamber for the production of steam even when the iron is held vertically.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the inlet and outlet ports are oriented perpendicularly to the plane of the heat shield.

The aims, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention presented by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an iron with a heat shield according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the heat shield of the iron of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view from above of the heat shield of the iron of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the heat shield along line IV-IV of FIG. Figure 3.

Only the elements necessary for the understanding of the invention have been represented. To facilitate the reading of the drawings, the same elements bear the same references from one figure to another. The iron, represented schematically in FIG. 1, comprises a plastic casing 1 incorporating the shape of a handle and a sole 2 in thermal connection with a heating body 3. The heating body 3 comprises a main vaporization chamber 4 closed by a plate 5 and is provided with a heating element 6 regulated by a thermostat, not shown in the figure. A heat shield 7 is interposed between the upper face of the heating body 3 and the housing 1, the heat shield being held on the heating body 3 by fixing means. The housing 1 is thus isolated from the heating body and is attached to the heat shield 7 by screws.

The housing 1 encloses a water tank 8 consisting of an upper part 9 and a lower part which are assembled one on the other, the heat shield 7 defining the lower part of the water tank 8 The heat shield 7 comprises for this purpose a first channel 71 and a second annular channel 72 receiving, with the interposition of a sealing bead, the walls of the upper part 9. The tank 8 is provided with an orifice 10 filler opening on the front face of the iron.

Usually, the iron comprises a drip device 11 which provides a passage of water from the tank 8 to the vaporization chamber 4, this device typically having an orifice whose section can be reduced by a needle. The iron also comprises a manual piston pump 12 for injecting water into a secondary vaporization chamber 13 of reduced size relative to the main vaporization chamber 4. This secondary vaporization chamber 13, shown in dotted line on the Figure 1 is particularly intended to produce steam when the iron is held vertically to allow vertical steaming steam jet.

More particularly according to the invention, the heat shield 7, represented more detail in FIGS. 2 to 4, integrates a duct 73 extending from the rear end of the tank 8 to a flange 74 disposed directly above the pump 12 and on which the lower end of the pump 12 is hydraulically connected. The end of the duct 73 disposed at the rear of the tank 8 has an inlet orifice 73a allowing the water of the reservoir to enter the duct 73, the other end of the duct 73 having an outlet opening opening into the duct 73. flange 74 so that the water in the conduit 73 can be used to feed the pump 12, especially when the iron is held vertically. The inlet orifices 73a and outlet of the duct 73 are advantageously oriented perpendicular to the main plane of the heat shield 7 so as to simplify the molding of the latter.

Preferably, the heat shield 7 is made of thermosetting plastic material filled with fibers and the conduit 73 is obtained by the gas injection technique. This technique, known per se, and described for example in the patent application WO 03/011557, consists of drawing the duct and the mold so that the outer wall of the duct solidifies more rapidly than the volume at the heart of the duct and injecting gas through one end of the duct, prior to solidification of the plastic material in the core of the duct, so as to evacuate the molten material through the other end of the duct, thus releasing a passage in the center of the duct.

Such an iron, in which the supply pipe of the pump is integrated in the heat shield has the advantage, to allow a simplified and reliable iron manufacturing process.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and illustrated which has been given by way of example. Modifications are possible, particularly from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

Thus, in an alternative embodiment of the invention not shown, other conduits may be integrated in the heat shield such as for example a conduit for connecting the reservoir to the device drip feeding the main vaporization chamber.

Claims

1) Iron comprising a housing (1), a heating body (3), and a heat shield (7) interposed between the heating body (3) and the housing (1), characterized in that said heat shield (7) ) integrates at least one conduit (73) having an inlet and an outlet for the circulation of a fluid.

2) Iron according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat shield (7) is obtained by molding.

3) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that said heat shield (7) is made of thermosetting plastic material.

4) Iron according to claim 3, characterized in that said plastic material is loaded with fibers. 5) Iron according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said conduit (73) is obtained by a method of injecting gas or water during molding.

6) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the iron comprises a reservoir (8) and in that the inlet port of the conduit (73) is supplied with fluid from the reservoir (8). ).

7) An iron according to claim 6, characterized in that the iron comprises a pump (12) and in that the outlet port of the conduit (73) is connected to the inlet of the pump (12).

8) iron according to claims 6 or 7, characterized in that said heat shield (7) constitutes the bottom of said tank (8).

9) Iron according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that said pump (12) is used to inject water into a vaporization chamber (13) for the production of steam, even when the iron is held vertically. 10) Iron according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the inlet and outlet ports are oriented perpendicularly to the plane of the heat shield.