Patent ID: 6615515
Filing Date: 2003-09-09
Classification: D06F,F22B

Abstract:
A steam iron comprising:an iron unit including a soleplate and a plurality of steam outlets in said soleplate; an evaporating unit including a thermally conductive housing having a pair of upper and lower halves interconnected fixedly to confine a steam generating chamber therebetween, said lower half being formed with a water inlet, said upper half being formed with a steam port that is in fluid communication with said steam generating chamber, a horizontal partition mounted movably in said steam generating chamber so as to divide said steam generating chamber into an upper chamber portion that is disposed over said partition and that is in fluid communication with said steam port in said upper half, and a lower chamber portion that is disposed under said partition, said partition being disposed at a sealing position, where said water inlet is prevented from fluid communication with said upper chamber portion, and being movable upwardly to a release position, where said water inlet is in fluid communication with said lower chamber portion, and a heating unit for heating said lower half; a water reservoir in fluid communication with said water inlet in said lower half for supply of water into said lower chamber portion of said steam generating chamber via said water inlet, supplied water being confined within said lower chamber portion when said partition is disposed at said sealing position, and being evaporated to form steam within said lower chamber portion when said heating unit is energized so as to raise said partition to said release position, thereby permitting flow of the steam from said lower chamber portion into said steam port in said upper chamber portion; and a connecting tube interconnecting said evaporating unit and said iron unit so that said steam outlets in said iron unit are in fluid communication with said steam port in said upper half of said evaporating unit, thereby permitting discharge of the steam from said steam outlets in said iron unit.