Patent Publication Number: US-11390985-B2

Title: Steam iron

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Chinese Invention Patent Application No. 202010058858.9, filed on Jan. 19, 2020. 
     FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to an iron, and more particularly to a steam iron. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A conventional steam iron mainly includes a main body defining a heating space, a water inlet tube connected to the heating space, and a plurality of steam holes being in fluid communication with the heating space. When water is introduced from the water inlet tube into the heating space, the water is heated and steam is generated and released through the steam holes. 
     However, when the object to be ironed is a thick or heavy garment, or has substantial wrinkles, it is difficult to iron such objects with the conventional steam iron. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a steam iron that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art. 
     According to the disclosure, the steam iron includes an ironing unit and a water inlet unit. 
     The ironing unit includes an ironing plate and a heating member that is disposed for heating the ironing plate. The ironing plate of the ironing unit has a first heating space, a second heating space isolated from the first heating space, a first steam hole being in fluid communication with the first heating space, and a plurality of second steam holes that are in fluid communication with the second heating space. 
     The water inlet unit is in fluid communication with the first and second heating spaces. 
     The steam iron is operable to convert between a power mode, where water is only introduced from the water inlet unit into the first heating space, and a regular mode, where water is introduced from the water inlet unit into the first and the second heating spaces. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the steam iron according to the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is another exploded perspective view from another angle of view; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary sectional view; and 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 , an embodiment of a steam iron according to the disclosure includes an ironing unit  1 , a water inlet unit  2  that introduces water into the ironing plate  11 , and a controller  3  that is connected to the water inlet unit  2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the ironing unit  1  includes the ironing plate  11  and a heating member  12  that is disposed for heating the ironing plate  11 . 
     The ironing plate  11  is elongated in a longitudinal direction (L), and has a substantially-rectangular main segment  115 , a cover segment  116  that is connected to the main segment  115  and that cooperates with the main segment  115  to define a first heating space  111  therebetween, and a plate segment  117  that is connected to the main segment  115  and that cooperates with the main segment  115  to define a second heating space  112  therebetween. The main segment  115  of the ironing plate  11  has a main body  118  that defines a first channel  1181 , and a connecting tube  119  that extends from the main body  118  to the plate segment  117  of the ironing plate  11  and defines a second channel  1191 . The first and second channels  1181 ,  1191  are connected to each other. 
     The first heating space  111  and the second heating space  112  overlap each other and are isolated from each other. In this embodiment, the first heating space  111  is disposed over the second heating space  112 . 
     The plate segment  117  is formed with a first steam hole  113  that is in fluid communication with the first heating space  111 , and three second steam holes  114  that are in fluid communication with the second heating space  112 . The first steam holes  113  and the second steam holes  114  are arranged in the longitudinal direction (L). Specifically, the connecting tube  119  of the main segment  115  extends through the first steam hole  113 , and the first channel  1181  and the second channel  1191  interconnect the first heating space  111  and the first steam hole  113  and are isolated from the second heating space  112  and the second steam holes  114 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 , to  5 , the heating member  12  is a heating tube that is disposed in the main segment  115  of the ironing plate  11 . A projection of the heating member  12  on the plate segment  117  of the ironing plate  11  surrounds the first and the second steam holes  113 ,  114 . 
     The water inlet unit  2  is in fluid communication with the first and second heating spaces  111 ,  112 . Specifically, the water inlet unit  2  includes a first water tube  21  that extends through the cover segment  116  of the ironing plate  11  for passage of water therethrough into the first heating space  111 , and a second water tube  22  that extends through the cover segment  116  and the main segment  115  of the ironing plate  11  for passage of water therethrough into the second heating space  112 . 
     A distance between the first steam hole  113  and a projection of the first water tube  21  on the plate segment  117  of the ironing plate  11  is longer than a distance between each of the second steam holes  114  and a projection of the second water tube  22  on the same plate segment  117  of the ironing plate  11 . 
     Through the configuration of controller  3 , the steam iron is operable to convert between a power mode, where water is only introduced from the first water tube  21  of the water inlet unit into the first heating space  111 , and a regular mode, where water is introduced from both the first water tube  21  and the second water tube  22  of the water inlet unit  2  into both the first heating space  111  and the second heating space  112 . 
     When the steam iron is converted to the power mode, the steam is released through the first steam hole  113  in a concentrated manner, so that objects such as heavy or thick garments, or cloth with substantial wrinkles can be ironed. When the steam is converted to the regular mode, the steam is evenly released through the first steam holes  113  and the second steam holes  114 , so that a wider area of relatively lighter or thinner objects with shallower wrinkles can be ironed. 
     It should be noted that, the number of the second steam hole  114  is not limited to three. In other embodiments, the number of the second steam hole  114  may vary depending on the usage. 
     In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure. 
     While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.