Patent Publication Number: US-8112916-B2

Title: Electric iron capable of quickly cooling

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an electric iron and, more particularly, to an electric iron capable of quickly cooling just after using. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional electric iron is to mount a ship-shaped ironing base on the bottom of a housing which can be hold, and electric heating coil is provided inside the housing to provide heat to the iron base, thus achieve the object of ironing the cloth, and some electric irons are provided with steam generating device to improve the evenness of the cloth. 
     No matter the electric irons have steam generating device or not, generally, their iron bases do not have rapid-cooling function. To iron the cloth, the iron bases is generally provided with a temperature between 180˜200° C., when the iron stopped use, the user only can cut off the power, then put the iron to a suitable place for cooling, till the temperature of the iron base decreased to a safety range about 50° C., then the iron can be stored. 
     Because the conventional irons do not has forced-cooling function, according to experiment, the time of the temperature of the iron decreased from 200° C. to 50° C. needs about 30 minutes. While the iron with high temperature placed in rooms is easily caused unnecessary injury if the person running about the iron contacted to the iron carelessly, therefore, for the sake of safety, it is important to rapidly cool the iron after using. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to obviate the drawbacks of the conventional irons that they are not safe enough due to the lower heat dissipation speed after using. 
     this and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing: an electric iron, based on the electric irons of the prior art, comprising an ironing base, a soleplate is disposed on the bottom of said ironing base; a housing, comprising a shell covered on the upside of said soleplate of said ironing base. 
     The present invention is characterized in that: a variety of cooling fins are protruded upwardly from the top surface of said soleplate; said shell has at least one first vent. Because the cooling fins are formed on the soleplate, therefore, when the iron is stopped, by the assistant heat dissipation of the cooling fins, the soleplate with high temperature can be cooled rapidly so as to improve the safety of the iron. 
     The present invention is also characterized in that: the iron further comprises a fan disposed in the chamber of said housing, at least one first vent is arranged in said housing and is communicated with the chamber, and at least one second vent spaced from the first vent, by the rotation of the fan, the air of the outside can be take into the chamber via the second vent and discharged out via the first vent, thereby the soleplate with high temperature also can be cooled rapidly so as to improve the safety of the iron. 
     It can be seen from the abovementioned description of the present invention that the present invention is to add heat devices to the conventional electric irons, and is to configure at least one vent on the proper position of the housing of the iron, cooperated with cooling fins or fan. Thus the present invention has the following advantages: after using, by the vents in the housing of the iron and the corresponding cooling fins or fan, the ironing base can be cooled rapidly, thus the safety is improved. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the ironing base of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the assembly relationship between the housing and the fan of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side sectional view of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be best understood by the following detailed description when read in conjunction with  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , the electric iron comprises an ironing base  1 , a housing  2  fixed on the ironing base  1 , and a fan  3  installed inside the housing  2 . 
     The ironing base  1  comprises a ship-shaped soleplate  11  made of metal, a periphery wall  12  configured along the periphery of the soleplate  11  and protruded upwardly from the top surface  111  of the soleplate  11 , a partition wall  13  protruded vertically from the top surface  111  and crossly connected between the two side sections  121  of the periphery wall  12 , a steam generating area  14  arranged before the partition wall  13 , a cooling-fin forming area  15  arranged back the partition wall  13 , a steam cover  16  covered over the steam generating area  14 , a plurality of cooling fins  17  protrude upwardly from the cooling-fin forming area  15 , and a heating member mounted in the steam generating area  14  to heat the soleplate  11 . This heating member is well known in the art, so it is not shown in the figures. 
     Herein the partition wall  13  has two side extending sections  131  which are near the two side sections  121  of the periphery wall  12  respectively and are extended to the central direction, and two middle extending sections  132  which are extended to the central direction also and connected with each other, thereby a front extending zone  151  is formed on the cooling-fin forming area  15 . The rear ends of the plurality of cooling fins are aligned to each other, while the height of the fins are increasingly from the front end to the rear end. The front portions of the fins are near the partition wall  13 . Because the partition wall  13  is extended forwardly and centrally, the arrangement of the plurality of cooling fins are extended along the length direction of the soleplate  11  and spaced from left to right, and the fin  17  which is nearest to the side section  121  of the periphery wall  12  has the shortest length, while along the partition wall  13 , the more near the center, the longer the length of the fin  17 . 
     The heating member of the present invention not only can heat the soleplate  11 , but also can heat the water dropping into the steam generating area  14  to be transformed into steam which then can be sprayed out from the bottom of the soleplate  11 . This structure is well known in the art and thus is not described herein. 
     The housing  2  of the electric iron is mounted on the upside of the ironing base  1  by several bolts and can be held for moving the iron. The housing  2  comprises a shell  21  covered on the outer side and the top of the periphery wall  12  of the ironing base  1 , a chamber  22  enclosed by the shell  21  and opened downwardly, a fan installing wall  23  which is extended downwardly from the shell  21  and by which the chamber  22  is divided into two parts, a handle  25  which is mounted on the shell  21  and defined a through hole  24  therein, and a fan shell  26  covered on the rear of the shell  21 . Herein the shell  21  opened several first vents  211  in the lower portion near the front end, the front zone  221  in the front of the fan installing wall  23  of the chamber  22  is corresponding to the steam generating area  14  and the cooling-fin forming area  15  of the ironing base  1 , and the chamber  22  has a rear zone  222  which is in the back of the fan installing wall  23  and protruded out the soleplate  11 , an air vent  231  is disposed in the fan installing wall  23  for communicating the front zone  221  and rear zone  222 . The fan shell  26  fixedly covered on the rear portion of the shell  21  and closed the rear zone  222 , a plurality of second vents  261  are arranged crossly on the fan shell  26  and they are parallel vertically. In manufacture, the fan shell  26  also can be formed integrally with the shell  21 . 
     In practice, the inside of the front zone  221  is provided with devices which are needed for the electric iron such as water reservoir, control circuit etc. These devices are not the essence to the present invention, and thus they are not shown in the figures and not described herein. 
     The fan  3  is fixed on the fan installing wall  23  by several bolts  30 , and rotated to generate an air flow. The air is inhaled into the rear zone  222  via the second vents  261  of the fan shell  26 , and is transported through the front zone  221 , at last is discharged out via the first vent  211  of the shell  21 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , in use, the heating member of the electric iron is electrified so as to heat the soleplate to be with a high temperature, and the water dropping into the steam generating area  14  will be heated by the soleplate  11  also to generate steam, then the steam sprayed out from the bottom of the soleplate. This is the general function of the conventional irons and thus is not described in detail for the sake of brevity. The present invention is characterized in that: after the heating member of the electric iron is cut-off, the fan  3  mounted in the chamber  22  will be controlled to move, and the air of the rear of the electric iron is inhaled into the rear zone  222  via the second vents  261 , and then enter into the front zone  221  so that the air can be pass through the cooling fins  17  and discharged from the first vents  211  of the housing  2 . 
     According to the experiment proceeded by the inventor, when a temperature of the soleplate  11  is higher to 180˜200° C., the fan  3  of the present invention only is needed to work 6 minutes to let the temperature of the soleplate  11  to be decreased to a safety temperature of 50° C. This shortens the time of the conventional irons to be cooled to a safety range greatly, and can effectively improve the storing safety of the electric iron. In the use state in practice, the control way of the fan  3  can be automatic, or manual, i.e., set a control switch on the housing  2  so that after the electric iron is used, the fan  3  can be controlled manually, and when the temperature is decreased to 50° C., the fan  3  will be stopped automatically by a circuit. 
     In addition, according to the object of the present invention, it is not necessary to have both the fan  3  and the cooling fins  17  to achieve the rapid cooling. In other words, if the ironing base  1  is provided with cooling fins  17  and the housing  2  is provided with at least one vent, or by a design of the heat fan  3  cooperated with vents, these also can achieve the rapidly cooling effect. According to the requirements of the shape, structure or size etc. of the iron, the structure can be selected from the combination of the cooling fins  17 , the fan  3  and the vents  211 ,  261 , or the combination of the cooling fins  17  and the vents  261 , or the combination of the fan  3  and the vents  211 ,  261 . 
     It can be seen from the abovementioned description, the structure of the iron provided with cooling fins  17 , a fan  3  and vents  211 ,  261  is a novel structure to the prior art, and after the electric iron is used, the soleplate  11  with high temperature can be cooled rapidly by the heat dissipation devices of the afore structure, thereby avoiding injury by carelessly contacting of the iron, thus the safety of the present invention has been improved really. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The electric iron capable of quickly cooling of the present invention is based on the conventional iron and is provided with heat dissipation combination such as combination of the cooling fins and the vents, combination of the cooling fins, the vent and the fan, combination of the vents and the fan, the present invention is skillfully constructed, novel designed, and can be conveniently manufactured.