US 4,948,946 AGranted

Electric soldering iron with directed air flow for fume dissipation

OwnerAkio Fukunagainventor

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Abstract

A miniature light-weight electric soldering iron includes a hollow handle terminating in a conical air deflecting arrangement through which a cone-shaped curtain of relatively high velocity air is applied to the work area in a circular or elliptical region surrounding the point at which molten solder is being applied by the hot soldering iron tip thereby entraining and dissipating noxious fumes which may be generated from the soldering flux by the hot soldering iron tip. In one embodiment, the soldering iron handle is provided with a plurality of wall air inlet openings and a tiny motor and fan are incorporated to draw air into the handle through these openings and then direct it out through a truncated cone-shaped deflector to develop the air curtain. In another arrangement, the motor and fan are dispensed with and the cone-shaped deflector is coupled to a convenient pressure source, such as an air line. The flow of air further serves to maintain the handle at a comfortably cool temperature.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An electrical soldering iron comprising:

a handle having at least a portion which is hollow and an air inlet portion communicating with the hollow portion;
a soldering portion extending longitudinally from the handle and having a soldering tip with a resistive heating element coupled thereto for heating the tip;
air deflecting means extending from the handle and surrounding at least part of the soldering portion adjacent the handle, said deflecting means having an outlet for directing forced air in a thin air curtain surrounding and spaced from the tip to prevent fumes which may be formed in the vicinity of the tip from reaching the user of the iron, said air deflecting means having an inlet communicating with the hollow portion of the handle;
and
means in said handle and cooperating with said handle air inlet to produce a pressurized flow of ambient air from said inlet portion through the hollow portion of the handle into said air deflecting means to exit along the air deflecting means and form the air curtain;
wherein air deflecting means comprise a thin channel for directing said pressurized flow of ambient air to form said curtain;
and
wherein said means in said handle comprise a motor and fan mounted within the hollow portion of the handle, the fan being positioned adjacent said inlet of the air deflecting means and mounted on a shaft of the motor to force air into the deflecting means, the handle including a housing defining the hollow portion of said handle and having at least one opening situated between the motor and the fan for admitting air to be driven by the fan.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.