Steam iron with water valve
AssigneeMoulinex S.A.
InventorsGuy De Maneville, Jacky Fourny
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Steam iron comprising a water reservoir (17) communicating with a vaporization chamber (12) through an outlet (23) having a vertical communication passage (25), and a device (35) for adjusting the water admission flow rate into the vaporization chamber comprising a vertical throttle (39) whose lower end (44) has a bulge (46) and whose upper end (41) is secured to a manual control button (43). The bulge (46) of the throttle (39) is mounted gripped in the passage (25) of the outlet (23) and pointwise bridges a vertical groove (52) which is provided over a portion of the height of the passage (25) and which thus delimits with the bulge (46) of the throttle (39) a cross-section for passage of the water when the throttle (39) is in its steaming position.
Claims11
Steam iron comprising a water reservoir (17) communicating with a vaporization chamber (12) through an outlet (23) having a vertical communication passage (25), and a device (35) for adjusting the water admission flow rate into the vaporization chamber comprising a vertical throttle (39) whose lower end (44) has a bulge (46) and whose upper end (41) is secured to a manual control button (43), said throttle (39) being movable with an axial translation movement within the passage (25) of the outlet (23), under the action of the manual control button (43), between a so-called dry position in which the throttle (39) completely closes the passage (25), and at least one so-called steaming position in which the water can pass through the passage (25),
- characterized in that the bulge (46) of the throttle (39) is mounted gripped in the passage (25) of the outlet (23) and pointwise bridges a vertical groove (52) which is provided over a portion of the height of the passage (25) and which thus delimits with the bulge (46) of the throttle (39) a cross-section for passage of the water when the throttle (39) is in its steaming position.
Steam according to any one of the preceding claims,
- characterized in that on the bottom wall (19) of the reservoir (17) is provided a vertical chimney (21) through which extends the vertical throttle (39) and which rises to a height greater than the maximum water level in the reservoir (17).
Steam iron according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the outlet (23) is of a flexible plastic material, and the passage (25) of the outlet (23) has a cylindrical shape, whilst the bulge (46) of the throttle (39) has an annular shape whose external diameter is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the passage (25),
- characterized in that the movable throttle (39) is subject to means (48, 50) permitting imposing on it a helicoidal movement resulting from a rotative movement accompanied by its axial translatory movement, the bulge (46) of the throttle (39) causing a resilient deformation of the passage (25) of the outlet (23) by describing a helicoidal wave accompanying the movement of the throttle (39) in the passage (25).
Steam iron according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising moreover an anti-drip device (37),
- characterized in that the anti-drip device (37) comprises a resilient membrane (60) shaped as a tulip arranged laterally of the outlet (23) and connected to this latter by a water flow channel (62), this membrane (60) comprising a cup (64) integrally traversed in its central region by a vertical cylindrical sleeve forming a flap valve (66) whose lower end (66a) is supplied against a bimetallic element (68) fixed on the vaporization chamber (12), and whose upper end (66b) coacts with an opening (70) provided in the bottom wall (19) of the water reservoir (17) , said sleeve (66) being axially upwardly movable between a rest position in which the bimetallic element (68) is not activated and in which the upper end (66b) of the sleeve (66) completely closes said opening (70), preventing any passage of water from the reservoir (17) toward the vaporization chamber (12) and thus corresponding to a dry position of the throttle (39), and an active position in which the bi-metallic element (68) is activated and in which, under the action of the bi-metallic element, the upper end (66b) of the sleeve (66) uncovers the opening (70) so as to permit the passage of water from the reservoir (17) to the vaporization chamber (12) via the channel (62) and the passage (25) of the outlet (23) in which the throttle (39) is in its steaming position or in its self-cleaning position, said sleeve (66) returning to its rest position by the resilience of the membrane (60).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.