Patent GB-812828-A (GB)
Title: Pressing iron
IPC: D06F75/18
Filed: 1955-10-26
Abstract: 812,828. Steam irons. SUNBEAM CORPORATION. Oct. 26, 1955 [April 29, 1955], No. 30663/55. Class 138 (2). [Also in Group XXXVII] A steam iron comprises a steam generating chamber 18 in a sole plate 10, a 'water reservoir 40 having an opening 46 therein and positioned above and secured to the sole plate, a cover shell 100 positioned over the reservoir with an opening aligned with the opening 46, a handle 105 provided with a chamber aligned with the openings, sealing means between the handle and reservoir, and bifurcated draw means 130 extending through the handle chamber and the openings, the draw means being secured to the handle and having a lower portion engaging the interior of the reservoir adjacent the opening 46 to secure the handle to the reservoir, the handle also serving to engage the cover shell 100 and press it against the reservoir to secure the cover shell to the reservoir. As shown, the iron also comprises electric heating means 11, adjustable thermal control means 70 responsive to the temperature of the sole plate and disposed between the sole plate and reservoir 40, and valve means 22 for controlling the flow of water from the reservoir to the chamber 18. The chamber 18 has a three layer cover 20 as described in Specification 701,938, and a reduced portion 21a of a valve body member 21 extends through the cover 20 to hold the three layers together by spinning over its lower end to bear on a stainless steel washer 21b. The cover 20 is secured by five screws to the sole plate 10. The valve body member 21 supports the reservoir 40 at its front end and is secured thereto by means of a hollow screw 55 threaded into the member 21 and provided with a slot for engagement by a screw-driver At its rear end the reservoir 40 is supported by a pair of tabs 57f extending from the legs 57e Fig. 3), of a U-shaped bracket 57 mounted on the sole plate 10. The bracket 57 is spaced from a wall 36 of the sole plate 10 by means of a plurality of pin-like projections 58 extending downwardly from the bracket 57 and surrounding openings for screws 59, thereby minimizing heat transfer from the sole plate to the bracket 57. The rear end of the handle is secured by screws 104 to projections 57g on the legs 57e of the bracket 57. The bifurcated draw means 130 is threadedly engaged by a hollow fastening member 132 having a head 132a. The draw means 130 has resilient legs 130b, each terminating in a hooked portion 130c adapted to engage an annular indentation 47a surrounding the opening 46 in the top of the reservoir 40. An annular ridge 105h on the handle 105 is received within a part-circular mounting ring 125 secured to the cover shell 100 by spaced deformable lugs 125a. An annular gasket 131 preferably of silicone rubber is interposed between the adjacent surfaces of the reservoir 40, cover shell 100 and handle 105. Extending through the fastening member 132 is a valve element 50 carrying at its lower end a pin 154 adapted to extend into an orifice 51 in the valve body member 21. The lower end of the element 50 is tapered so as to engage with a conical valve seat 54. In the example, the valve element 50 is biased downwardly by a spring 160, though in a modification (not shown) the valve element may be spring biased to the open position. The upper end of the element 50 is pivotally connected at 156 to an actuating lever 155 which is movable from the dotted line position to the full line position in Fig. 2 to open the valve. The lever 155 extends through an elongated slot 149f in a temperature dial 149 and is provided with a manual control knob 157 adapted to engage in a depression 149d to hold the valve in the open position. The thermal control means 70 can be adjusted by means of a control knob 143 mounted on an extension of a cam 138 pivoted about the fastening member 132 and provided with a cam surface engaged by a cam follower 122. The lower end of the cam follower 122 is of rectangular crosssection and passes through a rectangular opening defined by a flange 44b which prevents rotation of the cam follower. The upper end of the cam follower is cylindrical and carries a threaded adjusting nut 142. In order to calibrate the thermal control means the adjusting nut 142 includes a hexagonal opening 142b adapted to receive a suitable wrench inserted through openings 147, 148 in the handle 105. The cam 138 is provided with a pair of openings 144, 145 (Fig. 6), at the ends of the cam surface, which openings can be moved into alignment with the opening 142b in the adjusting nut 142 to enable the wrench to be inserted therein. The lower end of the cam follower 122 bears on one end of an extension 90c of a lever 90 pivoted at 91 and provided with a second extension 90b by means of which the position of a support 88 for a contact 76 can be adjusted. The other contact 77 of the thermal switch is carried by a flexible switch arm 82 which also carries a compensating bi-metallic element 89. The element 89 is engaged by a ceramic member 74 secured to the free end of a main bi-metallic element 73 which is secured to an upwardlyextending wall 35 of the sole plate. The forward tip of the sole plate includes a raised portion 37 (Fig. 5), constituting the only portion thereof in engagement with the lower edge of the cover shell 100. To facilitate assembly of the cover shell on the sole plate the latter is provided with guide lugs 39. Baffles 29 provided in steam passages 26 (Fig. 5), serve as water traps to collect excess moisture in steam passing to the outlet ports 31. Specification 655,509 also is referred to.