Patent ID: 8091257

Claim:
A steam iron, comprising: a heatable base plate having a plurality of steam outlets therein; a reservoir for holding water and steam; a heating element for heating water in the reservoir and converting the water to steam, and heating the base plate; at least one steam pipe connecting the base plate steam outlets with the reservoir, wherein steam moves from the reservoir to the steam outlets and exits the iron therefrom; a first valve located along the steam pipe between the reservoir and the steam outlets for regulating the flow of steam through the steam pipe, wherein steam may move from the reservoir to the steam outlets when the first valve is in an open position; a first actuator for moving the first valve between the open position and a closed position; and a sensor, coupled to the actuator, for detecting and measuring a speed of movement of the steam iron, wherein the first valve is moved between the open and closed positions depending on the detected speed of movement, and wherein the sensor comprises a 3-axis accelerometer that measures both speed and tilt angle of the steam iron and wherein the first actuator moves the valve to the closed position when a tilt angle of the steam iron is greater than about 20°.