Patent Publication Number: US-11655585-B2

Title: Iron-steamer appliance

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to an iron, and more particularly to a combined iron and steamer appliance. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Domestic irons are known for pressing and removing wrinkles from fabric. Domestic steam irons employ a heated sole plate that contacts a garment to remove wrinkles, wherein apertures in the soleplate are provided to permit the transmission of steam to the garment. However, certain delicate garments cannot be ironed because of the likelihood of damage. To remove wrinkles from delicate garments or to generally avoid using a soleplate and/or ironing board, a steamer is typically employed. A steamer is a device that emits steam toward the garment, but does not typically directly contact the garment. 
     More recently, irons and steamers have been combined into a single device for convenience of the user. Such combined iron/steamer devices typically employ a motor and pump to transfer water from a water reservoir in the device to a steam chamber, where the water comes into contact with a heater to generate the steam. With the motor and pump, a high flow rate is achieved to provide a constant steam flow toward the garment. 
     Alternatively, a combined iron-steamer may rely on gravity to feed steam to the iron and steamer. Such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,200,403, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in full. The device discussed in the &#39;403 patent, supra, includes a nozzle attached to the sloping front portion of the iron (sometimes referred to as the “nose”) to provide the steaming function. The device includes two separate chambers that provide water exclusively to either the steaming nozzle or the soleplate. From a rest position in which no steam is emitted, the steamer nozzle slides downwardly and forwardly along the profile of the nose of the iron for steaming. 
     It may be desirable to provide additional iron-steamer configurations that are simpler, more elegant, more effective, and/or more aesthetically pleasing to the consumer. 
     SUMMARY 
     As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to an iron-steamer appliance. The iron-steamer appliance comprises: a housing including an internal water reservoir; a sole plate attached under the housing, the sole plate including first vents; first and second steam chambers in fluid communication with the water reservoir, wherein the first steam chamber is in fluid communication with the first vents; and a steamer nozzle in fluid communication with the second steam chamber, the steamer nozzle including second vents. The steamer nozzle is movable between retracted and extended positions, wherein in the retracted position, the nozzle is located directly above a peripheral footprint defined by the sole plate, and in the extended position, the nozzle is located at least partially forwardly of the sole plate peripheral footprint, and wherein in moving from the retracted position to the extended position, the steamer nozzle moves substantially parallel to the sole plate. 
     As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to an iron-steamer appliance comprising: a housing including an internal water reservoir; a sole plate attached under the housing, the sole plate including first vents; first and second steam chambers in fluid communication with the water reservoir, wherein the first steam chamber is in fluid communication with the first vents; and a steamer nozzle in fluid communication with the second steam chamber, the steamer nozzle including second vents. The steamer nozzle is movable between retracted and extended positions, wherein the retracted position, the second vents directly overlie the sole plate, and in the extended position, the second vents do not overlie the sole plate. 
     As a third aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to an iron-steamer appliance comprising: a housing including an internal water reservoir; a sole plate attached under the housing, the sole plate including first vents; first and second steam chambers in fluid communication with the water reservoir, wherein the first steam chamber is in fluid communication with the first vents; and a steamer nozzle in fluid communication with the second steam chamber, the steamer nozzle including a housing and second vents. The steamer nozzle is movable between retracted and extended positions, and wherein in the retracted position the steamer nozzle housing follows a contour defined by the appliance housing, and in the extended position, the steamer nozzle housing is forward of the contour defined by the appliance housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an iron-steamer appliance according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of water and steam through the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is a cutaway top view of the sole plate of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    is a bottom view of the sole plate of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  5    is a cutaway top view of the cover plate of the sole plate of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  6    is a side section view of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1    without the sole plate and cover plate of  FIGS.  3 - 5   . 
         FIG.  7    is a top perspective view of the routing plate of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  8    is a bottom perspective view of the routing plate of  FIG.  7   . 
         FIG.  9    is a top view of the water reservoir floor of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  10    is a top view of the water reservoir ceiling of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  11    is a top view of the selection lever of the selector mechanism of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  12    is a perspective view of the follower of the selector mechanism of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  13    is a perspective view of the housing of the selector mechanism of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  14    is a top perspective view of the selector mechanism of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   , with the selection lever in the dry iron position. 
         FIG.  15    a partial top perspective view of the selector mechanism of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   , with the selection lever in the dry iron position. 
         FIG.  16    is a partial top perspective view of the selector mechanism of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1   , with the selection lever in the steam iron position. 
         FIG.  17    is a side perspective section view of the selector mechanism of  FIG.  16    showing the steam lever raising the steam shaft to allow water flow. 
         FIG.  18    is a partial top perspective view of the selector mechanism of  FIG.  15    with the selection lever in the dry iron position. 
         FIG.  19    is a partial top perspective view of the selector mechanism of  FIG.  18    with the selection lever in the steamer position. 
         FIG.  20    is a top perspective view of the selector mechanism of  FIG.  19    with the selection lever in the steamer position showing the member connecting the mechanism and the steamer nozzle. 
         FIG.  21    is a partial side perspective view of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1    with the steamer nozzle in the retracted position. 
         FIG.  22    is a partial side perspective view of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1    with the steamer nozzle in the extended position. 
         FIG.  23    is a bottom view of the iron-steamer of  FIG.  1    with the steamer nozzle in the extended position. 
         FIG.  24    is a side section view of the steamer nozzle of  FIG.  23   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     In the figures, certain layers, components or features may be exaggerated for clarity, and broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicated otherwise. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
     As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.” 
     Referring now to the drawings, a combination iron-steamer, designated broadly at  10 , is shown in  FIGS.  1 - 24   . Referring first to  FIG.  1   , the iron-steamer  10  includes a soleplate  12 , a body  14  with a handle  16 , and a steamer nozzle  18 . A steam release button  15  is attached to the handle  16 , as is a power cord  17 . The body  14  may be formed from multiple components, some of which, as described below, may provide additional functions. The soleplate  12 , which includes vents  12   a  and a cover plate  12   b  (see  FIG.  5   ), is of conventional construction with the exceptions discussed below. A heating element (not shown) heats the soleplate  12  such that its lower surface is warmed to enable it to remove wrinkles from garments and other fabric items. A water port  19  is located on the front of the body  14  to receive water that is converted to steam. A dial  21  is mounted to the upper surface of the body  14  below the handle  16  to regulate the temperature of the soleplate  12 . 
     Internally, and as shown schematically in  FIG.  2   , within the body  14  the iron-steamer  10  includes a water reservoir  20  (fed by the water port  19 ) that is fluidly connected to two separate pathways: a steamer pathway S and an iron pathway I. The steamer pathway S includes a pump  22  that is connected to a steamer steam chamber  24  that is in turn fluidly connected to the steamer nozzle  18 . The iron pathway I includes a valve  26  that is fluidly connected to an iron steam chamber  28 , which is in turn fluidly connected with the vents  12   a  in the soleplate  12 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  6   , the body  14  of the iron-steamer  10  includes a routing plate  30 , a water reservoir floor  32 , a water reservoir ceiling  34 , and a cover  36  (on which the dial  21  is mounted). The water reservoir floor  32  and ceiling  34  combine to form the water reservoir  20 . Specific details of these components are discussed below. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  3  and  4   , the sole plate  12  includes an outer wall  140  that defines the outer periphery of the iron steam chamber  28 . The vents  12   a  are fed via multiple ports  142  within the iron steam chamber  28 . An inner wall  144  is located within the periphery of the iron steam chamber  28  and serves to separate the steamer and iron steam chambers  24 ,  28 . The inner wall  144  is routed to define a separated horseshoe-shaped space within the iron steam chamber  28 . An entry port  145  is located at “apex” of the “horseshoe”, and an exit port  147  is located at the end of one of the “legs” of the “horseshoe.” A divider  146  is present that divides the other of the “legs” of the “horseshoe” longitudinally to increase the flow length from the entry port  145  to the exit port  147 . The cover plate  12   b  meets the upper edges of the outer wall  140  and the inner wall  144  to seal the steam chambers  24 ,  28 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  7  and  8   , the routing plate  30  overlies the cover plate  12   b  of the sole plate  12 . The routing plate  30  has a main floor  40  surrounded on its front and sides by a wall  41  that forms much of the lower portion of the body  14 . Within the main floor  40  are a central pedestal  42  with a large wiring hole  45 , a steamer steam chamber entry port  44 , a steamer steam chamber exit port  46  located beside the pedestal  42 , an iron steam chamber entry port  52  located between the pedestal  42  and the steamer steam chamber entry port  44 , and a nozzle steam entry port  48  located in front of the steamer steam chamber entry port  44 . Guides  43  are arranged on one side of the pedestal to secure a line from the pump  22  (located at the rear of the unit) to the steamer steam chamber entry port  44 , and guide  50  are arranged between the steamer steam chamber exit port  46  and the nozzle steam entry port  48  to secure a line therebetween. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  9   , the water reservoir floor  32  overlies the routing plate  30  and is not visible from the exterior of the iron-steamer  10 . The water reservoir floor  32  has a main panel  58 . A tower  59  with a central wiring hole  60  extends from the main panel  58  and is aligned with the wiring hole  43  of the routing plate  30 . An iron water exit port  62  is located near the front of the water reservoir floor  32  (aligned with the iron steam chamber entry port  52 ) and is encircled by a split boss  63 . An elongate, open projection  64  extends upwardly from the main panel  58 . A pump port  68  is located near the rear of the main panel  58  and leads to the pump  22 , which is located in the rear of the device. Guides  65 ,  66  are also present in the main panel  58  to overlie the guides  43 ,  52  of the routing panel  30 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  10   , the water reservoir ceiling  34  overlies the water reservoir floor  32 . The water reservoir ceiling  34  has a central wiring hole  70  that aligns with the wiring holes  43 ,  60 . A steam shaft hole  74  is located forward of the wiring hole  70  and is aligned with the iron water exit port  62  and the iron steam chamber entry port  52 . A water entry port  75  extends upwardly forwardly of the steam shaft hole  74  and is positioned to be in fluid communication with the water port  19 . An elongate selector mechanism slot  76  is positioned laterally of the steam shaft hole  74  and receives the open projection  64  of the water reservoir floor  32 . Side walls  77  of the water reservoir ceiling  34  meet side walls  67  of the water reservoir floor  32 ; the side walls  77 ,  67  are sealed, such that the floor  32  and ceiling  34  form the water reservoir  20  as a watertight cavity. The side walls  77  also form a visible portion of the body  14  of the iron-steamer  10 ; in some embodiments, the water reservoir ceiling  34  is formed of a transparent material, such that a user can visually discern the water level in the water reservoir  20 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  11 - 20   , a selector mechanism  80  is shown therein. Beginning with  FIG.  11   , the selector mechanism  80  includes a lever  82  that is pivotally attached to the water reservoir ceiling  34  at a pivot  90 . The lever has a grip  83  on its free end. A pin  84  extends upwardly near the pivot  90 , and a post  85  extends upwardly radially outwardly of the pin  84 . The lever  82  also includes a longitudinal slot  86  and a recess  88  in its rear edge between the slot  86  and the post  85 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  12   , the selector mechanism  80  also includes a teardrop-shaped follower  92 , which includes a main arm  93  that is disposed below the lever  82 . The follower  92  includes a post  94  that extends both above and below the main arm  93  of the follower  92 . The lower end of the post  94  is received in the open projection  64  of the water reservoir floor  32 , which is within the slot  76  of the ceiling  34 . At its lowest end, the post  94  is fixed to the rear end of a member  95  that is attached at its forward end to the steam nozzle  18 . The follower  92  also includes an elongate cam  96  on the end opposite the post  94 . A detent spring  97  (see  FIG.  20   ) is mounted on the routing plate  30  to engage the post  94  and maintain it in one of three positions (described in detail below). 
     The selector mechanism  80  further includes a mechanism housing  98  mounted to the water reservoir ceiling  34  that generally overlies the lever  82  (see  FIG.  13   ). The mechanism housing  98  has a main surface  100  with a cam aperture  102  having a narrower forward end  102   a  and a wider rear end  102   b ; the upper end of the post  94  of the follower  92  is received in the cam aperture  102 . An arcuate slot  104  is also present in the main surface  100  and receives the pin  84  of the lever  82  from underneath. An arcuate pocket  106  extends upwardly from the main surface  100  and receives the post  85  of the lever  82 . A steam shaft hole  108  is located adjacent the front end of the pocket  106 . 
     Seen best in  FIG.  14   , an electric pump switch  112  is mounted on the main surface  100  adjacent the slot  104  and rearward of the steam shaft hole  108 . A contact finger  110  is mounted to the side of the switch  112  slightly overhanging the slot  104 . The switch  112  is electrically connected with the pump  22 . 
     Best seen in  FIG.  17   , the selector mechanism  80  also includes a steam lever  116  that is pivotally attached at a pivot  118  to the water reservoir ceiling  34  below the lever  82 . At its forward end, the steam lever  116  includes fingers  120  that engage a spring-loaded steam shaft  122  that fits within the steam shaft hole  108  of the housing  98 . The steam shaft  122  seals against the hole  108  and serves as a valve to release water from the water reservoir  20 . At its opposite end, the steam lever  116  includes an upwardly-extending finger  124  that engages the underside of the lever  82 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  21 - 24   , the steamer nozzle  18  includes an outer shell  130  and a lower surface  132  with vents  134 . The vents  134  are configured so that steam being expelled therefrom exits at approximately a 45 degree angle relative to the lower surface  132 , as this angle is generally considered desirable for operating a steamer. The outer shell  130  is wider at the rear and narrows to a rounded nose in front, and also tapers from bottom to top. As can be seen in  FIGS.  21 - 23   , the steamer nozzle  18  can be moved (via the selector mechanism  80 , as described in greater detail below) from a retracted position ( FIG.  21   ), in which the steam nozzle  18  is positioned directly above the forward edge of the sole plate  12  and within the footprint of the sole plate  12  (and so that the nose of the outer shell  130  generally follows the contour of the housing  14 —see  FIG.  1   ), to an extended position, in which the forward portion of the steamer nozzle  18  is located forwardly of the footprint of the soleplate  12 . In the extended position, the vents  134  are positioned forwardly of the soleplate  12  and therefore are able to expel steam onto a garment or the like. In some embodiments, in moving from the retracted to the extended position, the steamer nozzle  18  moves substantially parallel to the sole plate  12  and/or forwardly between about ______ and ______ inches. 
     As can be seen in  FIG.  5   , the steamer nozzle  18  is fed by a steamer tube  150  that is routed between the exit port  147  of the steamer steam chamber  24  and a port  152  at the rear of the steamer nozzle  18 . The steamer tube  150  follows at path defined by the guides  50  of the router plate  30 . In some embodiments, the steamer tube  152  is of an accordion type that can stretch and retract in response to extension and retraction of the steamer nozzle  18 . Alternatively, a telescoping tube may be employed. 
     The manner of operation of the iron-steamer  10  is dependent on the selection mechanism  80 . If the selection lever  82  is in a middle position (see  FIGS.  14 ,  15  and  19   ), the iron-steamer  10  operates as a dry iron. If the selection lever  82  is in a rear position (see  FIGS.  16  and  17   ), the iron-steamer operates as a steam iron, with steam emitted from the vents  12   a  in the sole plate. If the selection lever  82  is in a forward position (see  FIGS.  19  and  20   ), the iron-steamer  10  operates as a steamer, with steam emitted from the vents  134  in the steamer nozzle  18 . The specific operation of the selection mechanism  80  is described below. 
       FIGS.  14 ,  15  and  18    illustrate the selection mechanism  80  in the dry iron position. As can be seen in  FIG.  14   , in this position, the pin  84  of the selection lever  82  is located near the center of the slot  104  in the mechanism housing  98 . The post  85  is located near the center of the recess  106 . The follower  92  is oriented with the narrow end forward, the post  94  at the rear inner corner of the cam aperture  102 , and the projection  96  at the inner end of the slot  86 . With the selection lever  82  in this position, the post  85  does not engage the pump switch lever  114 , so the pump  22  does not operate, and the steam lever  116  is pivoted such that its forward end is lowered, such that the steam shaft  122  is lowered and does not permit water to pass into the iron steam chamber  28 . Thus, with no steam emitting from either the vents  12   a  or the vents  134 , the iron-steamer operates as a dry iron. 
       FIGS.  16  and  17    illustrate the selection mechanism  80  in the steam iron position. As shown in  FIG.  16   , pivoting of the selection lever  82  about the pivot  90  to the rearward position draws the projection  96  of the follower  92  rearwardly along the outer edge of the cam aperture  102 ; this action also rotates the follower  92  about the post  94 , which is eventually captured by the recess  88  in the lever  82 . As it moves to this position, the underside of the lever  82  engages the finger  124  of the steam lever  116 . This action pivots the steam lever  116  about the pivot  118 , with the rear end of the steam lever  116  being forced downwardly and the forward end of the steam lever  116  rising (see  FIG.  17   ). The upward movement of the forward end of the steam lever  116  drives the steam shaft  122  upwardly. As the steam shaft  122  rises, water is free to flow downwardly from the water reservoir  20  through the iron water exit port  62  and into the iron steam chamber  28 . The water is converted therein to steam and directed to the vents  12   a , where the steam can be emitted onto a garment during ironing (controlled by the steam release button  15 ). Thus, with the lever  82  in the rear position, the iron-steamer  10  operates as a steam iron. 
       FIGS.  19  and  20    show the selection mechanism in the steamer position. As shown in  FIG.  19   , pushing the knob  83  forward pivots the selection lever  82  about the pivot  90  to the forward position, which draws the follower  92  forward in the cam aperture  102 . This movement also draws the post  94  forwardly (along the path defined by the selector mechanism slot  76 ), which in turn drives the member  95  and the steam nozzle  18  forwardly relative to the housing  14 . This movement causes the vents  134  in the steam nozzle to “clear” the periphery of the sole plate  12  and therefore to position the vents  134  for unimpeded steaming. Also, forward movement of the lever  82  moves the pin  84  to the forward end of the slot  104 . In moving to this position, the pin  84  engages and deflects the contact finger  110  of the pump switch  112 , thereby activating the pump switch  112 . Activation of the pump switch  112  causes the pump  22  to begin to pump water from the water reservoir  20  through the pump port  68 , through a pump line  71  ( FIG.  5   ), and into the steamer steam chamber  24 . Once therein, the water is converted to steam and exits the steamer steam chamber  24  into the steamer tube  150 , wherein it is routed to the steamer nozzle  18  and ultimately to the vents  134 . Steam is emitted from the vents  134  onto to garment. Thus, movement of the lever  82  to the forward position causes the iron-steamer  10  to operate as a continuous steamer. 
     In a configuration such as that shown herein, the iron-steamer  10  provides dry iron, steam iron and steamer functions, and does so with a device that has the aesthetically pleasing appearance of a typical steam iron. Also, retraction of the steamer nozzle  18  such that its shell  130  follows the general contour of the remainder of the housing  14  keeps the steamer nozzle  18  out of the way when not in use. 
     Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the iron-steamer  10  may take other forms. For example, the selection mechanism  80  may be configured differently. As one example, the selection lever may be one member of a two-member “scissors” configuration. Rearward movement of the selection lever opens of the “scissors” and slides one end of the selection lever under a projection that causes the steam shaft to rise and allow water to drip into the steam chamber for steam iron operation. Closure of the scissors via forward movement of the selection lever returns the mechanism to the dry iron position. Further forward movement of the selection lever moves the “closed” scissors members forward as they pivot relative to the water reservoir ceiling, which forces a follower forward; the follower is attached to a drive member that is also attached to the steamer nozzle, which forces it forward. The pivoting movement of the closed scissors also causes a pin to engage the finger on the pump switch, thereby activating the pump to produce steam for the steamer. 
     As another alternative embodiment of the selection mechanism, the pump switch  112  may be inverted, such that rearward movement of the lever  82  deflects the contact finger  110  to activate the pump (with an accompanying modification of the member  95  to a scissors or other linkage that forces the steamer nozzle  18  forward), and forward movement of the lever  82  lifts the steam shaft  116 . As a further example, the follower  92  may be configured differently, with a cam opening  102  that is reshaped accordingly. The post  85  may be omitted. A valve other than the steam shaft  122  may be employed. Other variations may be contemplated. 
     In addition, in some embodiments the pump  22  may be omitted, such that water is provided to the steamer team chamber via gravimetric flow. In other embodiments, a pump may be employed to convey from the water reservoir to the iron steam chamber. 
     As a further example, in some embodiments the steamer nozzle  18  may move from its retracted position to the extended position in a direction that is not substantially parallel to the sole plate  12 . For example, the steamer nozzle  18  may move forward, but may move upwardly also and separate somewhat from the sole plate. Other possible variations may also be recognized by those skilled in this art. 
     The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.