Patent Abstract:
An iron guard for holding, cooling, and storing an electric iron after use thereof. The iron guard includes a base member and upwardly extending side members. A plurality of flanges extend inwardly from the side members and are capable of slidable engagement with the electric iron to support the soleplate in spaced relation to the base member, thereby providing a gap between the soleplate and the base member to minimize heat transfer from the soleplate to the iron guard.

Full Description:
BURN GUARD FOR ELECTRIC IRON SOLEPLATE 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to electric irons, and more particularly to guards for electric iron soleplates. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Iron guards are commonly used for covering hot iron soleplates during cooling to promote safe handling and storage. Iron guards not only protect other objects from damage caused by the cooling soleplate, they also protect the soleplate from damage caused by other objects, such as scratching, chipping, or denting. Iron guards also protect users or others from coming into contact with the cooling soleplate. 
     Typically, iron guards are wall mounted or horizontally oriented members which receive an iron having a hot soleplate. Many of these iron guards can withstand such high temperatures and promote cooling of the soleplate by using ribs or buttons to support the soleplate above the iron guard surface thereby creating an air insulating barrier between the cooling soleplate and the iron guard. See U.S. Pat. No. 2,529,132 issued to Burnish, III and U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,945 issued to Freeman et al. However, these ribs or buttons directly contact the bottom surface of the soleplate during storage, insertion, and removal of the iron from the iron guard. This type of abrasive contact, especially when the soleplate is hot, can easily scratch or damage the surface of the soleplate. 
     Recently, heat resistant plastics have been used to make iron guards. Heat resistant plastics have the benefit of being easy to use, inexpensive to manufacture, and are less likely to damage the soleplate. Plastics are also insulators and do not transfer heat as easily as other materials. But even with the use of heat resistant plastics, most contemporary iron guards are still capable of scratching or damaging the soleplate due to direct contact between the iron guard and the soleplate. Also, many soleplates in use today now include a TEFLON coating on the soleplate to protect clothes from scorching and to protect the soleplate from dirt and damage. The TEFLON coating can be easily scratched or worn by repeated direct contact between the soleplate and the iron guard. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a storage base or guard for an iron that can store the iron after use in such a position that the surface of the soleplate does not rest on any portion of the iron guard thereby preventing a possible hazardous condition or possible damage to the soleplate or iron guard. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an iron guard that promotes quick and efficient cooling of the iron soleplate during storage. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a durable iron guard which can be easily and cost effectively manufactured. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of overall contact between the surface of the soleplate and the iron guard to reduce the risk of scratching or damaging the soleplate. 
     Yet another object of this invention is to prevent the scratching and wearing of the soleplate and its TEFLON coated surface by minimizing the contact between soleplate and the iron guard during insertion and removal. 
     In accordance with the foregoing objects, the present invention comprises an iron guard made from heat resistant plastic. The iron guard includes a base member and upwardly extending side members. A plurality of flanges extend inwardly from the side members and are capable of slidable engagement with the electric iron. Upwardly sloping ramp members on the iron guard guide the iron into a position in which the flanges enter the groove formed between the bottom surface of the base cover and the top surface of the soleplate. When the iron is supported by the iron guard, the flanges of the iron guard engage the bottom surface of the base cover to support the iron. As a result of supporting the iron, the soleplate is supported in spaced relation to the base member, thereby defining a gap between the soleplate and the base member, to minimize heat transfer from the soleplate to the iron guard. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the iron guard of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the iron guard supporting and in final engagement with the iron. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 1 showing the iron in phantom during the initial stage of engagement with the iron guard. 
     FIG. 4 is cross-sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2 showing the iron guard supporting and in final engagement with the iron. 
     FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 4 showing the spaced relation or gap created between the soleplate and the iron guard during finally engagement. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the iron standing in an upright position and finally engaged with the iron guard. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown in perspective an iron guard  10  of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, iron guard  10  is molded from a heat resistant plastic which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to handle. Although many types of heat resistant plastics are available, it is presently preferred to use VALOX-CS 860 manufactured by the General Electric Company. It is also presently preferred that the iron guard  10  be of one-piece molded plastic construction having a wall thickness of generally 0.100 of an inch. 
     The iron guard  10 , illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a base member  12  and side members  14 . Base member  12  includes ribs  16  used primarily for stiffening purposes and adding durability to base member  12 . Side members  14  extend upwardly from base member  12  with finger guard members  18  extending outwardly from side members  14 . Mutually confronting rear flanges  20  extend inwardly from side members  14  near the rearward end of base member  12 , while a front flange  22  extends inwardly from side members  14  at the forward end of base member  12 . Rear ramp members  24  extend upwardly from the rearward end of base member  12 , while front ramp members  26  extend upwardly from the forward end of base member  12 . A number of apertures  28 , best illustrated in FIG. 6, are also formed in base member  12  as a result of the molding process and will be discussed below. 
     Side members  14  are spaced apart from one another at the rearward end of base member  12  and converge at the forward end of base member  12  creating an iron guard  10  corresponding substantially to the shape of an iron soleplate. Side members  14  include a scalloped or undulating exterior surface  30  to allow the user to more easily grasp the sides of the iron guard  10  when inserting or removing the iron from the iron guard  10 . Stop guards  32  extend outwardly from the undulating exterior surface  30  of side members  14 . The stop guards  32  are used to keep the user&#39;s fingers from sliding over the undulating surfaces  30  thereby preventing the user&#39;s hand from sliding up or down the iron guard  10  and possibly into contact with the hot soleplate. Likewise, outwardly extending finger guard members  18  prevent users from extending their fingers completely over side members  14  and possibly into contact with the hot soleplate or any steam which may be escaping from the iron. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, irons  34  generally comprise an iron handle  36  attached to a base cover  38  which, in turn, is attached to the soleplate  40 . Groove  42 , as best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, is formed between the top surface of the soleplate  40  and the bottom surface of the base cover  38 . Groove  42  enables the user to readily iron garments having buttons and also functions to receive rear and front flanges  20 , 22  as described below. For purposes of this discussion, the iron handle  36  and the base cover  38  could be generally referred to as the iron housing  44 . Although it is preferred that the rear and front flanges  20 , 22  slidably enter groove  42  and engage the bottom surface of the base cover  38 , it is obvious that they could also engage the iron  34  anywhere along the iron housing  44  having a groove or opening similar to groove  42 . 
     Referring now to FIG.  3  and the operation of iron guard  10 , iron  34  is initially slid toward to forward end of the base member  12 , as indicated by the arrow, along rear ramp members  24 . Rear ramp members  24  properly guide iron  34  onto iron guard  10 . In order to minimize the abrasive contact between the soleplate  40  and the rear ramp members  24 , and to easily guide the soleplate  40  into position, the rear ramp members  24  gradually slope upwardly from the rearward end of base member  12  to forward end of base member  12 . As the surface of soleplate  40  momentarily makes contact with the rear ramp members  24 , and the iron  34  is slid toward the forward end of base member  12 , the rear ramp members  24  align rear flanges  20  with groove  42 . 
     As the iron  34  continues to be slid toward the forward end of base member  12 , rear flanges  20  sliding within groove  42  begin to engage the bottom surface of base cover  38  thereby supporting iron  34  above base member  12 . As the iron  34  is further inserted into iron guard  10 , the sloped front ramp members  26  properly guide the nose of soleplate  40  thereby aligning groove  42  with front flange  22 . To reduce the surface area momentarily in contact with the surface of soleplate  40 , the surfaces of rear and front ramp members  24 , 26  are preferably rounded. It is noted that the rear and front ramp members  24 , 26  are positioned to contact the soleplate  40 , and the rear and front flanges  20 , 22  are positioned to support the iron  34 , remote from the hottest portion of soleplate  40 . 
     When iron  34  is slid into final engagement with the iron guard  10 , as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear and front flanges  20 , 22 , which have slidably entered groove  42 , engage the bottom surface of base cover  38  to completely support the iron  34  with the soleplate  40  supported in spaced relation to the base member  12  thereby defining a gap  46  between the soleplate  40  and the base member  12 . When the iron  34  is completely supported by the iron guard  10 , the preferred embodiment provides for the gap  46  between the soleplate  40  and the surface of the rear ramp members  24  to be 0.030 inches. Therefore, the entire bottom surface of the soleplate  40  is free from contact with the iron guard  10 . 
     As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the base member  12  in the preferred embodiment is curved downwardly to maximize the gap  46  between the base member  12  and the soleplate  40 . The base member  12  is curved to separate the iron guard  10  from the hottest areas of the soleplate, thereby minimizing heat transfer from the soleplate  40  to the iron guard  10 . The air within gap  46  insulates base member  12  from the initially high temperature of cooling soleplate  40  and enables the surface of soleplate  40  to properly cool while not in contact with iron guard  10 . Apertures  28 , formed in base member  12 , also increase the cooling of soleplate  40  by allowing ambient air to enter gap  46 . Ambient air entering gap  46  from apertures  28  or the rearward end of base member  12  absorbs heat from the cooling soleplate  40 . The heated air then escapes to the atmosphere between the soleplate  40  and side members  14  thereby assisting in cooling soleplate  40 . 
     It is noted that the construction of this invention enables an iron  34  to slidably engage and be supported by an iron guard  10  as explained above. However, as would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, the iron guard  10  of this invention can conversely slidably engage and be supported by iron  34 , whereby the rear and front flanges  20 , 22  support the base member  12  in spaced relation to the soleplate  40 . 
     Due to the use of heat resistant plastic and the construction of the iron guard  10  for supporting a cooling iron  34 , the iron guard  10  does not reach its peak temperature, between 165 and 170 degrees F., for 5.5 minutes. This temperature is well below that which requires a hazardous warning during normal use. If the iron  34  is left on, an abnormal condition, the iron guard  10  reaches its maximum temperature, 220 degrees F., in ten minutes due to the iron  34  cycling on and off. Even with the iron soleplate  40  cycling between 380 and 400 degrees F., the heat resistant plastic and the construction of the iron guard  10  prevents the iron guard  10  from reaching temperatures above 220 degrees F. And because plastics do not transfer heat to someone touching the part as would metal, the plastic piece would feel much cooler to the touch than the metal piece. 
     Although an object of the present invention is to prevent contact between the bottom surface of the soleplate and the iron guard during final engagement, it is recognized that manufacturing tolerances, repeated use, and other factors are such that incidental contact between the bottom surface of the soleplate and the iron guard could occur in some instances. 
     Although the presently preferred embodiments of this invention have been described, it will be understood that within purview of this invention various changes may be made within the scope of the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3