Patent Abstract:
Steam wrinkle-removing appliance including a steam-producing base in which the steam can freely flow out through a hose to a wrinkle-removing tool such as a steam brush, characterized in that the hose is connected to the base by a swivel connector fitted into an adapted housing of the base and in that the steam tightness of the swivel connector is ensured by at least one circular rib ( 122 A,  124 ) borne by the housing or by the connector, the circular rib ( 122 A,  124 ) being fitted into a corresponding circular groove ( 80, 81 ), respectively provided in the connector or the housing, the width of the groove ( 80, 81 ) being slightly greater than the width of the rib so as to result in a gap allowing the connector to rotate freely in the housing.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a steam wrinkle-removing appliance comprising a base enclosing a steam-producing boiling chamber and connected by a hose to a wrinkle-removing tool, and more particularly relates to the device for connecting the hose to the base. 
     There is a steam wrinkle-removing appliance, known from the document U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,529, comprising a tank comprising a heating element for bringing the water in the tank to a boil, the tank comprising, in its upper part, a steam outlet in communication with a hose connected to a steam brush. In that document, the end of the hose is connected to the base by means of a connector that is latched into an adapted housing, or housing, of the base by a bayonet connector so that the hose is no longer rotatable once the bayonet is locked. 
     Such an appliance has the disadvantage of not allowing the hose to rotate freely on the base, so the handling of the steam brush is hampered by the torsional moment generated by the hose. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Thus, one object of the present invention is to propose a wrinkle-removing appliance wherein the steam-transporting hose is connected to the base by means of a connector that allows the hose to rotate freely, and that is simple and economical to produce. 
     To this end, an object of the invention is a steam wrinkle-removing appliance comprising a steam-producing base in which the steam can freely flow out through a hose to a wrinkle-removing tool such as a steam brush, characterized in that the hose is connected to the base by means of a swivel connector fitted into an adapted housing of the base and in that the steam tightness of the swivel connector is ensured by means of at least one circular rib borne by the housing or by the connector, the circular rib being fitted into a corresponding circular groove, respectively provided in the connector or the housing, the width of the groove being slightly greater than the width of the rib so as to result in a gap allowing the connector to rotate freely in the housing. 
     Thus, surprisingly, the steam tightness of the connection is ensured by the steam condensates that gradually appear in the vicinity of the grooves and that gradually fill in the gap separating them from the ribs. A feature of this type allows the connector to rotate easily due to the absence of friction at the level of the sealing means. 
     What is meant by the free flow of steam to the wrinkle-removing tool is the outflow of steam without the interposition of a valve, so that the pressure in the boiling chamber stays low. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the connector can rotate 360° in its housing. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the connector comprises a central bore into which fits a connecting tube projecting into the housing. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the end of the connecting tube forms a rib which is fitted into a groove provided in a shoulder projecting into the central bore of the connector. 
     According to yet another feature of the invention, the steam tightness of the connection is reinforced by additional ribs provided in the base of the housing and fitted into grooves provided in the bottom face of the connector. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the connector is removably mounted in the housing of the base. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the connector is axially immobilized in the housing by a latch which is fitted into a groove provided in the connector. 
     According to yet another feature of the invention, the latch is brought into the latched position by return means. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the return means are constituted by an elastically deforming wall. 
     According to yet another feature of the invention, the base encloses a tank in direct communication with a steam-producing boiling chamber, the boiling chamber comprising a steam outlet allowing the steam to be expelled in the direction of the wrinkle-removing tool, the boiling chamber comprising a heating unit and having a volume that is limited relative to the volume of the tank. 
     According to yet another feature of the invention, the steam outlet of the boiling chamber is in direct communication with the hose so that the steam produced by the boiling chamber is not diffused into the tank. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the hose is made of EPDM material. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention presented as a non-limiting example, in reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wrinkle-removing appliance according to a particular embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the appliance of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a longitudinal sectional view of the appliance of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the part defining the supply lines of the boiling chamber of the appliance of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view along line V-V of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the connector, shown by itself. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Only the elements required to understand the invention have been illustrated. To facilitate the reading of the drawings, the same elements have the same references from one figure to another. 
       FIG. 1  represents a steam wrinkle-removing appliance comprising a steam-generating main unit  1 , connected by a hose  2  to a steam brush  3 . 
     In accordance with  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the main unit  1  is constituted by the assembly of a base  10 , a body  11  and a cover  12 , these three elements  10 ,  11 ,  12  being firmly joined to each other, for example by gluing or by means of screws, the cover  12  comprising a handle  120  for transporting the appliance. 
     The base  10  has an oblong outer shape and supports a heating unit  4 , advantageously made of aluminum, disposed near a longitudinal end of the base  10 , the heating unit  4  enclosing a U-shaped resistor  40 , conventionally powered by a circuit equipped with a thermostat, not shown in the figures. The base  10  also supports a switch  5 , actuated by a button  50 , which makes it possible to cut off the electric power supply to the resistor  40 . 
     The body  11 , which is mounted on the base  10 , defines the lateral and bottom walls of a water tank  110  and includes an external clip  113  for securing the steam brush  3  when the appliance is stored. 
     The body  11  also includes a bell-shaped compartment  6  incorporated into the wall defining the bottom of the tank  110 , the compartment  6  having a shape which is adapted so that its lower end comes to rest against a gasket  43  running around the heating unit  4 . The compartment  6  thus defines a substantially closed boiling chamber  60  of limited volume, extending above the heating unit  4  and projecting into the middle of the water tank  110 , the resistor  40  preferably extending horizontally at the bottom of the boiling chamber  60 . 
     The boiling chamber  60  communicates with the water tank  110  via several supply lines  70  which, in parallel, supply the water for the boiling chamber  60 . These channels  70  have a first end  70 B opening into the tank  110  and a second end  70 A opening into the boiling chamber  60 , thus establishing a direct connection between the tank  110  and the boiling chamber  60 , this connection allowing the gradual transfer, by gravity, of the water from the tank  110  to the boiling chamber  60 . 
     These supply lines  70  are advantageously defined by an insert  7 , shown by itself in  FIG. 4 , comprising a series of ribs  71 , parallel to each other, the insert  7  being fitted into an adapted seat in the bottom of the tank  110 , placed upstream from an opening  61  formed at the base of the compartment  6 . 
     The supply lines  70  advantageously extend along a length of more than 30 mm, and preferably along a length on the order of 50 mm. 
     For example, the insert  7  defines fourteen supply lines  70  with an average length on the order of 50 mm, each supply line  70  having a square cross-section of 2.5 mm per side, the small flow cross-section of the supply lines  70 , on the order of 6 mm 2 , having the advantage of limiting the entry of steam bubbles into the supply lines  70 . 
     The length of the supply lines  70 , along with their small cross-section, makes it possible to adjust the head losses of the supply lines  70  so as to limit the phenomenon of hot water returning to the tank  110  when the heating unit  4  is in operation as a result of, among other things, the slight excess pressure generated by the heating process inside the boiling chamber  60 . 
     Conversely, increasing the number of supply lines  70  makes it possible to maintain a sufficient flow cross-section to obtain the desired flow of water between the tank  110  and the boiling chamber  60 , in order to compensate for the gradual evaporation of the water in the boiling chamber  60 . 
     This prevents the appearance of gaps in the steam, which can appear when the boiling chamber  60  is not sufficiently supplied with water due to the counterflow circulation of the hot water to the tank  110  or to the presence of steam bubbles in the supply circuit. 
     Preferably, the insert  7  comprises a bent part  7 A such that the end  70 B of the channels opens into a recess  111  of the tank  110  and is lower than the end  70 A opening into the boiling chamber  60 , the difference in height between the two ends  70 A,  70 B of the channels advantageously being greater than 5 mm and preferably on the order of 8 mm. 
     Such a feature, via a convection phenomenon linked to the existing thermal gradient between the cold water present in the tank  110  and the hot water in the boiling chamber  60 , contributes to limiting the return of the hot water to the tank  110 , the hot water having a tendency to remain in the upper part of the supply lines  70 . 
     Advantageously, the heating unit  4  comprises a crown  41  extending vertically above the resistor  40 , to a height on the order of 8 mm, so as to increase the surface area allowing a heat exchange with the water present in the boiling chamber  60 . 
     The crown  41  has an open end that allows the free circulation of water between the inside and the outside of the crown  41 , and the heating unit includes a wall  42  extending vertically in front of this open end, at a distance on the order of 5 mm from the end of the supply line  70  of the boiling chamber  60 , the wall  42  forming a barrier which limits the emission of steam bubbles toward the supply lines  70 . 
     The top of the compartment  6  has a steam outlet  62  which is advantageously connected, by means of a connector  8 , to the supply hose  2  of the steam brush  3  so that the steam produced by the boiling chamber  60  is sent to the hose  2  without being diffused into the tank  110 . 
     The cover  12  that closes the tank  110  comprises, at the opposite end from the outlet for the hose  2 , a cavity  121  equipped with a filling inlet  121 A that opens directly into the tank  110 , the tank  110  advantageously including a float, not shown in the figures, which slides inside a column  112  disposed underneath the filling inlet  121 A so as to seal it when the level in the tank  110  is at its maximum. 
     Such a tank  110  can thus be filled at any time, even while the appliance is in operation, by pouring water through the filling inlet  121 A; the latter does not need to be closed with a cap given the absence of steam inside the tank  110 . 
     Moreover, the fact that the steam is not diffused through the tank  110  makes it possible to prevent the steam produced in the boiling chamber  60  from cooling in contact with the water prior to being diffused into the hose  2 . This makes it possible to limit the risk of condensates forming inside the hose  2 , these condensates having the disadvantage of forming droplets that can be projected by the flow of steam through the steam brush  3 , which has the disadvantage of wetting the fabric and runs the risk of burning the user. 
     In order to further reduce the risk of condensates forming inside the hose  2 , the latter is preferably made from EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) material in order to obtain good thermal insulation, thus limiting the cooling of the steam during its passage through the hose  2 , the latter preferably having a length of more than 1.50 m in order to make it more ergonomical to use. The good thermal insulation provided by the EPDM material also has the advantage of reducing the surface temperature of the hose  2  when the appliance is in operation, and hence the risk of burns through contact with the hose  2 . 
     In accordance with to  FIG. 6 , the cover  12  includes a connecting tube  122  which surrounds the steam outlet  62 , the connecting tube  122  projecting outside the cover  12  in the middle of a circular housing  123  adapted for receiving the connector  8  disposed at the end of the hose  2 , the connector  8  comprising a barrel of circular cross-section that allows it to rotate 360° inside the housing  123 . 
     More particularly according to the invention, in order to facilitate the rotation of the connector  8  in its housing, the latter is preferably sealed, not using a gasket but a series of baffles. 
     To this end, the connector  8  comprises a central bore into which the connecting tube  122  borne by the cover  12  fits, the end of the connecting tube  122  forming a rib  122 A which is inserted into a groove  80  provided in a shoulder inside the central bore of the connector  8 , this groove  80  cooperating with the end of the connecting tube  122  to form a first sealing barrier. 
     The seal of the connector  8  is also reinforced by the presence of two circular ribs  124  formed in the bottom of the housing  123 , which are fitted into two circular grooves  81  provided in the bottom surface of the connector  8 , the grooves  81  having a width, on the order of 0.5 mm, greater than the width of the ribs  124 . 
     This produces a series of baffles, which surprisingly provides a very good seal for the steam connection, particularly owing to the formation of condensates, which fill in the space between the ribs  124  and the grooves  81 . 
     The connector  8  is preferably removably mounted in the housing  123 , the barrel of the connector  8  comprising a groove  82  on its outer surface, into which is fitted the end of a latch  9  pivotably mounted on the rim of the housing  123 . The latch  9  is brought into a latched position by an elastic wall  90  borne by the latch  9  that comes to rest against an oblique wall  125  borne by the cover  12  so as to form return means. 
     Such a latch  9  can be brought into an unlatched position simply by pressing on the upper surface  91  of the latch  9  so as to disengage the end of the latch  9  from the groove  82  of the connector, after which the latter can be decoupled from the tube  122  by being lifted out of the housing  123 . 
     An appliance equipped with a hose having such a swivel connector has the advantage of being very convenient to use, allowing the hose to rotate freely relative to the base during the handling of the steam brush, the connector being able to rotate easily in its housing thanks to the absence of a gasket and any friction. 
     A steam wrinkle-removing appliance of this type also has the advantage of making it possible to obtain steam very quickly once the appliance is turned on, thanks to the presence of the boiling chamber that makes it possible to heat only a volume of water that is reduced relative to the volume of the tank. Moreover, such an appliance has the advantage of allowing a continuous production of steam, the risk of gaps in the steam being considerably reduced due to the fact that the boiling chamber is supplied by numerous supply lines. 
     Lastly, such a wrinkle-removing appliance, in which the steam leaving the boiling chamber is sent directly into the supply hose of the steam brush without being diffused into the tank, has the advantage of making it possible to introduce high-temperature steam into the hose, thus limiting the risk of condensate formation, and makes it possible to obtain a steam-free tank enclosure that can be filled by the user at any time. 
     It is understood that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only as an example. Modifications are possible, particularly with regard to the structure of the various elements or the substitution of technical equivalents, without going outside the scope of protection of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3