Patent GB-669946-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to electric irons
IPC: D06F75/40
Filed: 1949-09-21
Abstract: 669,946. Hand-irons. HOOVER, Ltd. Sept. 21, 1949 [Sept. 22, 1948], No. 24291/49. Class 138 (ii). In an electric iron having a retractable rest for holding the sole plate out of contact with a supporting surface, the rest comprises a strut arranged to swing by gravity into an extended position from a retracted position in which it is normally held by a latch arranged to be released by tilting the iron rearwardly on its heel. In Fig. 1 the rest or strut 18 is pivoted at 19 and can be retracted into a slot 21 in the sole plate of the iron. The latch comprises a lever 15 pivoted at 16 to an upturned portion of a closure member 14 which is shaped to act as a wrinkle eliminator during rearward movement of the iron. In operation the strut 18 is held in its retracted position by a torsion spring 20 which urges a tab 17 at the forward end of the lever 15 against the shorter end of the strut. The lever 15 is provided with a release button 23 which projects through an opening in the bottom of the member 14, and in order to extend the rest, the iron is tilted rearwardly so that the button 23 comes into contact with the supporting surface, thereby raising the latch lever away from the strut and allowing the latter to fall by gravity into its extended position. The forward end of the slot 21 is formed as at 27 so as to limit the pivotal movement of the strut in both the extended and retracted positions. The strut 18 has a serrated or roughened end 22 to grip the supporting surface. By pushing the iron forward slightly the strut may be pivoted towards its retracted position and as the sole plate comes down on to the supporting surface the button 23 is raised from it, thereby allowing the lever 15 to be pivoted downwardly so as to engage the short end of the strut and complete the retracting movement. In Fig. 2, the rest comprises a strut or sector 31, serrated at 43, and pivoted at 40 within a slot 41. The latch comprises a lever 30 pivoted at 32 and urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 33. The rear end 36 of the lever 30 projects through an opening 34 in a wrinkle eliminator 35 and its forward end has an upturned nose 37 offset from the main body of the lever and comprising a forward locking surface 38 and a rearward cam surface 39. The rearmost corner of the sector 31 has a tab 42 bent out so as to lie in the path of the nose 37 on the latch lever. In order to extend the rest, the iron is tilted backwards so that the button 36 engages the supporting surface and rotates the latch lever to move the nose 37 out of the path of the tab 42 whereupon the sector 31 is swung downwardly by gravity. To retract the rest the iron is moved forwardly to swing the sector in a counterclockwise direction. As seen in Fig. 3 (not shown) the tab 42 will engage cam surface 39 so as to cause the lever 30 to swing in a counterclockwise direction until the tab has passed it. Thereafter the lever is swung back again by. the spring 33 so that the tab 42 rests on the surface 38, whereby the sector is held in its retracted position (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2).