Patent Abstract:
A steaming system ( 100 ) comprises a steam generator ( 120 ), a removable water tank ( 130 ) for holding and supplying water to the steam generator ( 120 ); and a dosing device ( 140 ) for supplying an amount of a water treatment agent to the water tank ( 130 ). The dosing device is configured to be triggered by a movement of the water tank ( 130 ) relative to the steam generator ( 120 ).

Full Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a steaming system, more particularly to a steaming system used for ironing devices. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    A steam generator of a steaming system is typically filled with tap water which normally contains various gases as well as salts. Salts which are customarily found in tap water include sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulfate and magnesium bicarbonate. The percentage of sodium and magnesium salts determines the hardness of water. The heating entails decomposition of water into its constituents, and such constituents, especially carbonates, deposit on the adjacent surfaces in the form of scale. The scale is an insulator of heat so that the energy requirements of the steam generator increase as the thickness of the scale increases. The scale can be carried over with the steam to the outlet of the steam generator, causing the clogging of steam vents and staining users&#39; articles. The steam rate can also be reduced due to the clogging of the steam vents. The common practice is to rinse the steam generator on a regular basis, for example, for every 1 to 2 months, to bring down the scale level and thus to prevent the carry-over. 
         [0003]    Another way of improving the situation is to improve the quality of inlet water by pre-treating. The pre-treatment is carried out by using an ion exchange or other anti-scaling agents to remove the calcium and magnesium ions in the inlet water. The treatment agents have to be replaced or re-generated after a certain amount of water treatment. 
         [0004]    FR 2632331 discloses a household electrical steam appliance comprising a water reservoir which has a filling orifice. This reservoir communicates with a vaporization chamber. It additionally comprises means for introducing a predetermined quantity of a chemical compound into the water reservoir. This application is especially for preventing the formation of scale in a household electrical steam appliance such as a smoothing iron. However, it is necessary to periodically examine if the corresponding cartridge contains the chemical compound or it must be replaced. In addition, the mechanical dosing device is complex and thus costly. 
         [0005]    Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a steaming system which does not have the disadvantages of the known steaming system described before, in particular to provide such a steaming system which endows a user with ease of generating quality steam. 
         [0006]    This object is achieved by features of the independent claim. Further developments and preferred embodiments of the invention are outlined in the dependent claims. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    According to the invention, a steaming system comprises a steam generator, a removable water tank for holding and supplying water to the steam generator and a dosing device for supplying an amount of a water treatment agent to the water tank. The dosing device is configured to be triggered by a movement of the water tank relative to the steam generator. Each time the removable water tank is disengaged from or engaged to the steam generator, the dosing device is triggered and an amount of the water treatment agent is dosed into water tank. Disengaging the water tank usually means that a user wants to (completely) refill the (empty) water tank. Thus dosing of a predetermined amount of the water treatment agent is correlated to the re-filling of the water tank. This means that the concentration of the water treatment agent in the water tank remains constant. Such an automatic dosing ensures that the water is subjected at all times to an effective treatment without involving any additional action from the user. The water treatment agent provided in the dosing device minimizes the scale formation thereby improving the efficiency of the steam generator. It greatly reduces the frequency of rinsing of the steam generator, thus making the steaming system user-friendly. 
         [0008]    According to an embodiment of the invention, the dosing device comprises a cartridge for holding the water treatment agent; a pump for pumping the water treatment agent from the cartridge to the water tank and a valve for balancing air pressure inside the cartridge while the water treatment agent is being pumped. The cartridge contains the water treatment agent intended to reduce the scale formation. The pump delivers the water treatment agent into the removable water tank upon being triggered by the movement of the water tank relative to the steam generator. This operation no longer requires any attention or special handling by a user to add the water treatment agent to the water. The valve provided in the dosing device balances the air pressure inside and outside the cartridge to ensure smooth functioning of the pump. 
         [0009]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the dosing device further comprises a movable housing for housing the pump, wherein the housing is configured to be moved up and down by the movement of the water tank relative to the steam generator and wherein the pump is configured to be activated by the movement of the housing. 
         [0010]    According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the dosing device further comprises a switch for activating the pump, wherein said switch is arranged to be activated as a result of said movement of the water tank relative to the steam generator. 
         [0011]    According to a further embodiment, the dosing device further comprises a sensor for sensing the movement of the water tank and for generating a signal. The dosing device also includes a control member for activating the pump based on the generated signal. These embodiments automate the process of adding a water treatment agent to the water used for steam generation. 
         [0012]    According to another embodiment, the water treatment agent is an anti-foaming agent, an anti-scaling agent or a combination of both. The anti-scaling agent reacts with the alkalinity of the water in the steam generator and neutralizes the hardness of water. The anti-foaming agent is a mixture of surface active agents those modify the surface tension of water, removes foam and prevents the carry over of fine water particles in the steam. The terms “anti-scaling or anti-foaming” are intended to embrace all types of substances which are used to soften water by removing scale-forming calcium and/or magnesium ions from hard water or replacing them by the more soluble ions, such as sodium ions and which are used to modify the surface tension of water. 
         [0013]    According to yet another embodiment, an iron device comprises the steaming system as describe above. The steaming system ensures that there are no scale particles present in the steam generated and thus avoids the clogging of steam outlet openings made in the soleplate of the iron. The configuration of the steaming system described above also prevents the tanning of a garment to be ironed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1   a  shows a steaming system according to a first embodiment of the invention where a water tank is disengaged; 
           [0015]      FIG. 1   b  shows the steaming system of  FIG. 1   a  where the water tank is engaged; 
           [0016]      FIG. 1   c  shows an exploded view of a dosing device of  FIG. 1   a;    
           [0017]      FIG. 2   a  shows a steaming system according to a second embodiment of the invention where a water tank is disengaged; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2   b  shows the steaming system of  FIG. 2   a  where the water tank is engaged; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2   c  shows an exploded view of the dosing device of  FIG. 2   a;    
           [0020]      FIG. 3  shows a steaming system according to a third embodiment of the invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  shows a steam system according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  shows a steaming system according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is the electronic dosing operation flow chart. 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  shows an iron device using the steaming system according to any of the above mentioned embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. Where the term “comprising” is used in the present description and claims, it does not exclude other elements or steps. Where an indefinite or definite article is used when referring to a singular noun e.g. “a” or “an”, “the”, this includes a plural of that noun unless something else is specifically stated. 
         [0026]    Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. 
         [0027]    Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other orientations than described or illustrated herein. 
         [0028]    In  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b,  a steaming system  100  includes a steam generator  120 , a water tank  130  and a dosing device  140 . The dosing device  140  further includes a pump  141 , an outlet  142 , a one way valve  143 , a cartridge  144  and a housing  145  as shown in  FIG. 1   c.    
         [0029]    According to a first embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIG. 1   a  to  1   c,  the water tank  130  is filled with water and is engaged to the steam generator  120 . The housing  145  is pushed down when the water tank  130  is engaged to the steam generator  120 . As a result the pump  141  gets activated to dose an amount of the water treatment agent into the water tank  130 . The amount of water treatment agent needed is in the range of 1 to 500 ppm. Therefore, the amount of water treatment agent, sufficient for lifetime use of steaming system can be housed in the cartridge  144 . The water treatment agent is preferably in the form of a solution containing a solute and water. The water treatment agent drips or flows into the water tank  130  through the outlet  142  and mixes with water therein. The one way valve  143  acts as a means to de-air in order to balance the air pressure inside and outside the dosing device  140  to ensure smooth functioning of the pump  141 . The one way valve  143  lets the air into dosing device  140 . This is to compensate for the vacuum that is generated in the dosing device due to pumping of the water treatment agent. This ensures accurate dosing. The one way valve  143  also prevents evaporation of water from the water treatment agent and thus avoids the increase of concentration of the water treatment agent over time. The dosing device  140  is replaceable or is integrated into the water tank  130 . If it is a replaceable one, the one way valve can simply be a small de-air hole. 
         [0030]    In  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , a steaming system  200  includes a steam generator  220 , a water tank  230  and a dosing device  240 . The dosing device  240  further consists of a pump  241  with a switch  242 , an inlet  243  and an outlet  244 . The dosing device  240  also includes a one way valve  245  and a cartridge  246  as shown in  FIG. 2   c.    
         [0031]    According to a second embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIG. 2 , the pump  241  is activated as the switch  242  gets pushed when the water tank  230  gets engaged to the steam generator  220 . The one way valve  245  is provided to balance the air pressure inside and outside the dosing device  240  to ensure smooth functioning of the pump  241 . If the pump  241  has a self-venting system, the one way valve  245  is not necessary. When the pump  241  gets activated, the water treatment agent from the cartridge  246  is sucked through the inlet  243  and is delivered through the outlet  244  into the water tank  230 . The dosing device  240  can be built into water tank or molded as a separate container. The location and orientation of the pump  241  are not limited to this illustration. The pump  241  can dose when the switch  242  is pressed down or dose when the switch  242  is lifted up, depending on the design of the pump  241 . In the later case the pump  241  gets activated as the switch  242  is lifted up when the water tank  230  gets disengaged from the steam generator  220 . 
         [0032]    In  FIG. 3 , a steaming system  300  includes a steam generator  320 , a water tank  330  and a dosing device  340 . The dosing device  340  further consists of a pump  341  with a switch  342  and with an outlet  343 . The dosing device  340  also includes a one way valve  344  and a cartridge  345 . 
         [0033]    The pump gets activated as the switch  342  gets pressed when the water tank  330  is engaged to the steam generator  320 . The one way valve  344  acts as a means to de-air in order to balance the air pressure inside and outside the dosing device  340  to ensure smooth functioning of the pump  341 . Depending on the activation mode of the pump  341 , the pump can also be activated to dose when the water tank  330  is disengaged from the steam generator  320 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  is similar to  FIG. 3  with an exception that a pump  441  is placed at the vertical side of the dosing device  440 . 
         [0035]    The pump gets activated as the switch  442  gets pressed when the water tank  430  is engaged to the steam generator  420 . The one way valve  444  acts as a means to de-air in order to balance the air pressure inside and outside the dosing device  440  to ensure smooth functioning of the pump  441 . Depending on the activation mode of the pump  441 , the pump can also be activated to dose when the water tank  430  is disengaged from the steam generator  440 . 
         [0036]    In  FIG. 5 , a steaming system  500  includes a steam generator  520 , a water tank  530  and a dosing device  540 . The dosing device  540  consists of a pump  541 , a cartridge  542 , a sensor  543  and a control member  544 . The pump  541  is provided with an inlet  545  and an outlet  546   
         [0037]    In the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 5 , an electrical signal is generated by detecting disengaging or engaging movement of water tank  530  through the sensor  543 . The sensor signal is processed by the control member  544  and it activates the pump  541 , to dose an amount of the agent into water tank. 
         [0038]      FIG. 6  shows the flow chart for dosing operation. The sensor  543  checks whether the water tank  530  is engaged or disengaged. If it is disengaged, the water tank  530  has to be refilled by the user. After refilling, the user engages the water tank  530 . The sensor senses the water tank  530  and activates the pump  541  to dose an amount of the water treatment agent into the water tank  530  from the cartridge  542 . The location of the cartridge  542  is to facilitate the direct communication of the agent in the cartridge  542  to the pump  541  and to the water tank  530 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 7  shows an iron device  710  with a steaming system  700 . The steam generated in the steaming system is sent to the iron  710  through a hose  720 . 
         [0040]    It is to be understood that although preferred embodiments, specific constructions and configurations have been discussed herein according to the present invention, various changes or modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3