Patent Abstract:
A steam appliance having a water pump controlled by an actuator or motion switch response to movement of the appliance is provided. In one embodiment, a micro-switch is turned ON and OFF by movement of a micro-switch actuator in operative engagement with the towel frame at the base if the appliance. In another embodiment, the actuator is operatively connected to a mechanical pump to activate the pump. The motor switch or actuator will be displaced whenever the unit is moved by a user, thus causing the pump to pump water to the boiler. Steam is then fed to a steam pad that may have a replaceable fabric pad fit snugly on the frame to distribute clean steam to a surface to be steamed.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional applications No. 61/088,766 filed on Aug. 14, 2008 and No. 61/111,938 filed on Nov. 6, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to a steam appliance, and more particularly to a steam appliance including a water pump that is user actuated by movement of the appliance to pump water from a water reservoir to a boiler for generating steam. 
     Steaming devices used to apply steam to household objects are well known. The uses of the devices vary widely, and may include the application of steam to drapes or other fabrics to ease wrinkles, and the application of steam to objects to assist in cleaning the various objects and surfaces. 
     In general, nozzles used with the steam appliances do not have large surface areas and a cloth or fabric pad is placed over a steam frame to provide a steaming or cleaning surface. The fabric pad may have Velcro strips to secure to cleats on the nozzle. Alternatively, a fabric steam pocket may be placed around a flat frame with baffles in order to increase the cleaning surface area. 
     Recently steam appliances have been developed where water is pumped from a reservoir to a boiler by the push-pull movement of the appliance handle. This actuates a bellows pump or piston pump operatively connected directly to the handle. These features are shown and described in parent applications Ser. No. 11/496,143 and Ser. No. 11/769,525, the contents of which are incorporated here by reference in their entirety. 
     Notwithstanding the wide variety of steam appliances available remains desirable to provide additional steam products having improved ease of use and ways to pump water from the reservoir to the steam boiler. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a steam appliance having a water pump for selectively injecting water from a water reservoir to a steam generator in response to a user action is provided. The user actuates the pump by movement of the appliance to activate a switch or a pump, in response to either a forward movement, a downward pressure or a backward movement. The steam appliance includes a housing with a user handle and a towel frame or cleaning pad where the generated steam is distributed for steaming. Water is pumped to the steam generator by an electric pump, a mechanical or systolic pump, or by mechanical movement of a pump piston or wheel. A steam frame for distributing steam generated in the steam generator may be connected the steam outlet of the appliance by an actuator or frame connector having a post extending into the housing that is displaced when the appliance is used to actuate the pump. Alternatively, the pump may be actuated in response to a user action that displaces the actuator or engages a trigger. A fabric steam pad may be mounted on the steam frame to distribute steam to the fabric to provide an improved steaming surface. 
     In one embodiment, the steam appliance has a bottom with a pump actuator forming at least a portion of a stream frame. In another embodiment, a steam frame is hinged and at another region is operatively connected to an actuator post. Movement of the appliance in contact with a surface displaces the steam frame and pump actuator to engage at least one micro-switch connected to an electric pump, or to operate a mechanical pump to pump water to the steam generator. In yet another embodiment, the pump is actuated in response to movement of the appliance that activates a motion switch. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved steam appliance with respect to the following: 
     To provide an improved steam appliance having a steam generator wherein movement of the appliance causes water to be pumped to the steam generator for generating steam. 
     To provide a steam appliance with an actuator operatively coupled to a steam frame and at least one micro-switch to actuate a pump when the appliance is moved. 
     To provide a steam appliance that includes an actuator coupled to the steam frame that pumps water to a steam generator in response to movement of the actuator. 
     To provide a steam appliance with motor switch that is activated in response to movement the appliance causing water to be pumped to a steam generator. 
     Advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification. 
     The invention accordingly comprises a product possessing the features, properties, and the relation of components which will be exemplified in the product hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing(s), in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a steam appliance in section constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention with a handle and steam cleaning pad having an actuator section connected to a micro-switch for turning on a motor to operate a pump; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a steam appliance as in  FIG. 1  with a trigger to actuate the pump; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a steam appliance constructed and arranged in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an actuator section and micro-switches for turning on a motor to operate a pump in the steam appliance of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the electrical connection of the steam appliance of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a steam appliance with a steam frame hinged to the base with an actuator positioned behind the steam frame; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a steam appliance with an electrical pump micro-switch actuator positioned behind a handle lever in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of a steam appliance with a mechanical pump in section with a handle and steam cleaning pad attached to two steam frame supports with one support operatively connected to a micro-switch in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of a steam brush with a mechanical pump and actuator in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a steam appliance  11  constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention. Appliance  11  includes a housing  12  having a base  13  and an upper handle  14 . Base  13  includes a steam outlet opening  13   a , an actuator opening  13   b . A steam frame  16  is connected to base  13  and will accommodate a towel or fabric steam pocket for cleaning as is known in the art. Steam frame  16  is formed with an actuator depression  16   a.    
     Appliance  11  includes internal elements similar to those in a steam mop and includes a water reservoir or tank  17  and a steam generator  18  with a steam hose  19  connected to steam frame  16 . Appliance  11  is powered by household current by a power cord  21 . 
     In this embodiment, water in reservoir  17  is fed to boiler  18  through an outlet hose  23  by a pump  22 , which could be an electrical pump, a one-way tubular pump, or any conventional type of rotary electrical pump. Pump  22  in this embodiment is controlled by a micro-switch  24  which is actuated from ON to OFF and vice versa by a switch actuator  26 . Micro-switch actuator  26  includes a disc portion  26   a  and a post  26   b  cooperating with steam frame  16  and actuator depression  16   a  to complete the surface area of steam frame  16 . Actuator disc portion  26   a  forms a part of steam frame  16  and has a spring  27  that forces disc portion  26   a  to extend below the surface of steam frame  16 . The force of spring  27  is adjusted so that it is sufficient to maintain actuator post  26   b  out of contact with micro-switch  24  when appliance  11  is not in use. This maintains micro-switch  24  in the OFF position at any time when appliance  11  is left unattended. 
     Once appliance  11  is taken by a user to start the cleaning steaming process, the weight of the user&#39;s hand and the force of pressure that user applies to appliance  11  is high enough to overcome the force of spring  27  and to force micro-switch actuator  26  inward and at the same time turn micro-switch  24  to the ON position. Turning micro-switch  24  to the ON position starts the water delivery to steam generator  18  by activating pump  22  causing water to be pumped to boiler  18  and the steam generation process to start. Steam generator  18  is maintained hot from the moment when power cord  21  of appliance  11  is plugged into a wall outlet to reduce delay time between uses. 
     Once the cleaning process is stopped and appliance  11  is left without any excessive weight, spring  27  disengages micro-switch actuator  26  causing switch  24  to be turned OFF. This interrupts water delivery to steam generator  18  and the steam generation process is stopped. 
       FIG. 2  shows another steam appliance  111  constructed and arranged in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. All elements in  FIG. 1  appearing in  FIG. 2  are identical except for the addition of  100  to element numbers. Appliance  111  is identical to appliance  11 , except it includes a trigger handle  114  with a trigger  141  to activate pump  122 . In addition, steam appliance  111  may include a touch/contact switch or a pair of touch contacts  146  and  147  on handle  114 . 
     In both configurations, water pump  122  will be activated (1) when pressure is applied downward on appliance  111  and micro-switch actuator  126  is displaced to activate micro-switch  124 ; (2) when a user activates trigger  141  with his hand; or (3) when a user touches handle  114  with his hand and activates touch contacts  146  and  147  to activate touch/contact switch Y. 
     Water in reservoir  117  is fed through an outlet hose  123  to boiler  118  by electrical pump  122  that can be a one-way tubular pump or any conventional type of rotary electrical pump. Pump  122  is controlled by micro-switch  124  which is actuated from ON to OFF and vice versa by a switch actuator  126 . Disc portion  126   a  micro-switch actuator  126  forms part of steam frame  116  and is connected to a spring  127  that forces it to extend below the surface of steam frame  116 . The force of spring  127  is adjusted so that it is sufficient to extend actuator  126  and at the same time turn micro-switch  124  to the OFF position at any time when appliance  111  is left unattended. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a steam appliance  211  constructed and arranged in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. All elements in  FIG. 1  appearing in  FIG. 3  are identical and identified by numerals with the addition of  200  to element numbers. Here, steam appliance  211  includes housing  212  having an upper handle  214  with a water inlet  215  on one side of the handle and a recess  220  on the other side of the handle for attaching a pole to use brush  211  to hard to reach areas and a base  213 . A towel frame  216  is connected to base  213  and will accommodate a towel  225  for cleaning as is known in the art. Steam appliance  211  also may include an upholstery glider  250  for securing towel  225  when cleaning upholstery. 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  are sectional views of micro-switch  224  and actuator  226  assembly of steam appliance  211 , respectively. Here, the activation of electrical water pump  222  corresponds to forward movement shown by arrow A, backward movement, and up or down pressure. Base  213  has a steam outlet opening, an actuator opening, and an actuator depression as in appliance  11  and  111  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Micro-switch actuator  226  has a planar or disc portion  226   a  and a post  226   b  that extends into appliance housing adjacent to micro-switches  224   a ,  224   b  and  224   c . During forward movement, post  226   b  contacts micro-switch  224   c . Disc section  213  is biased away from opening  213   b  by a spring  227  and a washer  228 . In view of this, when brush  211  is at rest, pump  222  is maintained in the OFF condition. 
     Electric water pump  222  will be activated (1) when pressure is applied downward and micro-switch actuator  226  is displaced to activate micro-switch  224   a ; (2) when a user moves steam hand brush forward and micro-switch actuator  226  is displaced to activate micro-switch  224   c ; and/or (3) when a user moves steam hand brush backward and micro-switch actuator  226  is displaced to activate micro-switch  224   b . Each or all of micro-switches  224   a ,  224   b , and  224   c  will activate the water pump which will instantaneously pump water into a boiler  218  to create steam to clean surfaces. In another embodiment, water pump  222  may be a standard piston pump or systolic pump. An electrical connector  230  connected to power cord  221  is shown to provide power to water pump  222 . 
       FIG. 5  shows the electrical connection of steam appliance  211  of  FIG. 3 . Here, brush  211  includes a water reservoir or tank  217  and boiler  218  with a steam hose  219  connected to towel frame  216  through steam opening  216   a . Steam appliance  211  is powered by household current by two power supplies  221  and  221   a . When power supply  221  or  221   a  is plugged in and when one or all of micro-switches  224   a ,  224   b , and  224   c  are activated water pump  222  will pump water to boiler  218  to be discharged to steam inlet  219  and into towel  225  for cleaning surfaces. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6  a steam appliance  611  having an actuator  626  functions in the same manner as actuator  26  in steam appliance  11  of  FIG. 1 . Here, steam appliance  611  includes a housing  612  with a displaceable towel frame  616  hinged to the base of housing  612  by a hinge  616   a . Towel frame  616  is contacted by actuator disc portion  626   a  of actuator  626  that is biased away from the base of housing  612  by a spring  633  as in steam appliance  611 . The principal difference here is that actuator  626  rests on the rear side of steam frame  616  and does not protrude through base  616  as in steam appliance  11 . This provides a smooth steaming surface when a steam towel or pad  625  is placed on steam frame  616 . 
     As in connection with steam appliance  11 , when a user moves steam appliance  611  in a forward direction shown by an arrow A, the downward force exerted on housing  612  causes steam frame  616  to pivot about hinge  616   a  and compress actuator spring  633  and actuator post  626   b  contacts micro-switch  624  causing pump  622  to pump water from reservoir  617  to generator  618 . This generates steam fed to steam frame  616  through steam outlet  619 . 
     Pump  622  is shown as an electrical pump actuated by micro-switch  624 , but the pump can be a mechanical or systolic pump actuated when actuator post  626   b  is displaced by steam frame  616  being pivoted towards housing  612 . Spring  633  is sufficiently strong to keep actuator shaft  626   b  from contacting micro-switch  624  wherein steam appliance  611  is placed in a resting position on steam frame  616 . In this instance, steam will not be generated when steam appliance  611  is at rest. 
     A steam appliance  711  in  FIG. 7  constructed in the same manner as the earlier embodiments has an actuator  726  positioned at the top of a housing  712  with an actuator post  726   a  operatively engaged with a pivoting handle extension  714   a  mounted on housing  712  by a hinge  714   b . Steam appliance  711  includes a steam frame  716  for mounting a steam towel or pad  725 . Here, when a user moves steam appliance  711  in forward direction A, handle extension  714   a  pivots about hinge  714   b  and presses on actuator  726  overcoming the force of spring  733  and post  726   b  contacts micro-switch  724 . This causes pump  722  to be actuated and water to be pumped from water tank  717  to steam generator  718  for feeding steam to steam frame  716 . 
       FIG. 8  is a schematic view of the elements of a steam appliance  311  that include an electrical pump  322  with a steam frame  316 . All elements in  FIG. 1  appearing in  FIG. 8  are identical and identified by element numbers with the addition of  300  to the element numbers. Towel frame  316  is attached to housing  312  by a pair of frame supports  331  and  332  with springs  333  that keep micro-switch pump  324  in an OFF position when at rest. 
     Here, frame support  332  has micro-switch actuator post  326 . Once steam appliance  311  is moved in any direction by a user to start the cleaning process, the weight of the user&#39;s hand and the force of pressure that user applies to steam appliance  311  is high enough to overcome the force of spring  333  and to force steam frame  316  inward. This in turn forces frame support  332  inward with post  326  contacting micro-switch  324  and placing it in the ON position. Turning micro-switch  324  ON starts the water delivery to steam generator  318  by activating pump  322  causing water to be pumped to boiler  318  and the steam generation process starts. Steam generator  318  is maintained hot from the moment when steam appliance  311  is plugged into a wall outlet to reduce delay time between uses. 
     Once the cleaning process is stopped and steam appliance  311  is left without any excessive weight, spring  333  extracts frame support  326  causing it to be turned OFF. This interrupts water delivery into steam generator  318  and the steam generation process is stopped. 
     Steam appliance  311  also includes handle  314  with a trigger  341  to activate pump  322  by a second micro-switch  324 ′. Thus, electrical pump  322  is activated (1) when pressure is applied downward and a frame support  332  is displaced to activate micro-switch  324 ′ or (2) when a user activates trigger  341  by moving steam appliance  311  to activate micro-switch  324 . Micro-switches  324  and  324 ′ will activate mechanical water pump  322  which will pump water into a boiler  318  to create steam to clean surfaces. 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic view of a steam appliance  411  that includes a mechanical pump  422  and an actuator  426 . All elements in  FIG. 9  are identical to steam appliance  311  in  FIG. 8  except for the addition of  100  to the reference numerals. Towel frame  416  is attached to housing  412  by a pair of frame supports  431  and  432  with springs  433  as in steam appliance  311  of  FIG. 8 . 
     Once steam appliance  411  is taken by a user to start the cleaning process, the weight of the user&#39;s hand and the force of pressure that user applies to steam appliance  411  is high enough to overcome the force of spring  433  and to force towel frame  416  inward which in turn forces slider  431  inward to activate an actuator  426  of a mechanical pump  422  causing water to be pumped to boiler  418  and the steam generation process starts. Steam generator  418  is maintained hot from the moment when steam appliance  411  is plugged into a wall outlet to reduce delay time between uses. 
     When the cleaning process is stopped and steam appliance  411  is left without any excessive weight, spring  433  extracts frame support  431  to stop pumping mechanical pump  422  to boiler  418 . This interrupts water delivery into steam generator  418  and the steam generation process is stopped. Mechanical pumps of the type shown in U.S. applications Ser. No. 11/496,143 and Ser. No. 11/769,521 are suitable to use in steam appliances  11 ,  311 ,  411  and  711 . Tubular pumps of the type shown in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/421,261 are also suitable for use. The contents of these applications are incorporated wherein by reference in their entirety. 
     Steam appliances  11 ,  111 ,  211 ,  311 ,  411 ,  611  and  711  provide many advantages for ease of use because they utilize either an electrical or mechanical water pump with an automatic on/off switch to activate the water pump. In all the appliances, displacement of actuator  26 ,  126 ,  226 ,  326 ,  426 ,  626  or  726  allows the user control over when water is to be discharged into the boiler. Since the amount of water routed to the boiler is controlled, the boiler can create steam in a short amount of time. In each case, a fabric steam pad frame is typically placed over steam frame  16 ,  116 ,  216 ,  316 ,  416   616 , or  716  for effective steam cleaning. 
     It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above product without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 
     It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3