Patent GB-839454-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in steam irons
IPC: D06F75/18
Filed: 1956-05-11
Abstract: 839,454. Steam irons. GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. May 11, 1956 [May 24, 1955], No. 14729/56. Class 138 (2). A steam iron comprises a valve body 17 defining a passage from the bottom of a reservoir 8 (Fig. 1) to a steam chamber 13, means (33) providing communication between the steam chamber and the reservoir for balancing the pressures therein, a reservoir filling passage, a valve for controlling the flow of water from the reservoir to the steam chamber through the first named passage, a closure member 49 for the filling passage, and a movable valve stem 19 extending through the reservoir and having a first portion co-operable with the closure member 49 and a valve portion co-operable with the valve body 17 whereby the filling passage is closed when the valve body passage is open. The supply of water from the reservoir 8 to the chamber 13 is cut off by depressing the valve stem 19 against the action of a spring 20 by means of a button 21 connected to the stem 19 by a yoke member 22. The button 21 may be held in its lowered position by the engagement of shoulders 52, 53 on the button and handle 3 respectively. The reservoir filling passage is provided by a riser 27 having an extension 43 provided with a filling funnel 29. The closure member 49 comprises a disc mounted on the valve stem 19 between projections 50, 51 which are spaced apart to provide lost motion between the valve stem and disc. An anti-splash baffle 34 (Figs. 2, 3, not shown) in the reservoir 8 is provided with forwardly and laterally extending baffle plates. A spring 7b acting between the cover 2 and reservoir 8 assists in holding the reservoir in sealing engagement with a silicone or like washer 12 mounted on a steam dome 11 mounted in an opening in a cover 14. In a modification (Fig. 4, not shown) the reservoir may be brazed to the steam dome 11, and the steam dome is held in sealed engagement with the cover 14 by a compression spring mounted between the reservoir 8 and cover 2. In the example shown in Fig. 6 the valve stem 91 has a first position with the valve body passage opened and the filling passage closed for steaming, a second position with the valve body passage closed and the filling passage closed for dry ironing, and a filling position with the valve body passage closed and the filling passage open. The handle 3 is provided with two shoulders 85, 86 allowing the valve operating button 74 to occupy three positions corresponding to the three positions of the stem 91. The closure member 80 is brazed or welded at 81 to the inner surface of the reservoir 71, and is made of a material having natural resilience which normally biases the member to a position closing the filling passage at the end of the filling funnel 78. A projection or ring 84 on the valve stem 91 is adapted to engage a rearwardly extending tab 83 provided on the closure member 80. When the button 74 is depressed to a position engaging the shoulder 85 for dry ironing the ring 84 is in the position indicated by the dotted line 89 and is still clear of the tab 83. In order to fill the reservoir the button 74 is depressed further to bring it into engagement with the shoulder 86, thereby moving the ring 84 to the position indicated by the dotted line 90 to engage the tab 83 and move the member 80 against its natural bias to the dotted position shown. The closure member 80 may be provided with a floating type sealing portion 80a. The additional movement of the valve stem 91 from the closed position of the valve is accommodated by a telescopic member 92 biased downwardly by a spring 94. The embodiment in Fig. 5 (not shown) is similar to that in Fig. 6 except that the valve stem is provided with two positions only.