Steam iron with a horizontal partition movable vertically within a steam generating chamber
AssigneeEupa International Corporation
InventorTsan-Kuen Wu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A steam iron includes an iron unit and an evaporating unit. The evaporating unit includes a horizontal partition that divides a steam generating chamber into upper and lower chamber portions. Water is evaporated within the lower chamber portion so as to form steam that raises the partition, thereby permitting steam flow from the lower chamber portion into the upper chamber portion.
Claims12
A steam iron comprising:
- an iron unit including a soleplate and a plurality of steam outlets in said soleplate;
- an evaporating unit including
- a thermally conductive housing having a pair of upper and lower halves interconnected fixedly to confine a steam generating chamber therebetween, said lower half being formed with a water inlet, said upper half being formed with a steam port that is in fluid communication with said steam generating chamber,
- a horizontal partition mounted movably in said steam generating chamber so as to divide said steam generating chamber into an upper chamber portion that is disposed over said partition and that is in fluid communication with said steam port in said upper half, and a lower chamber portion that is disposed under said partition, said partition being disposed at a sealing position, where said water inlet is prevented from fluid communication with said upper chamber portion, and being movable upwardly to a release position, where said water inlet is in fluid communication with said lower chamber portion, and
- a heating unit for heating said lower half;
- a water reservoir in fluid communication with said water inlet in said lower half for supply of water into said lower chamber portion of said steam generating chamber via said water inlet, supplied water being confined within said lower chamber portion when said partition is disposed at said sealing position, and being evaporated to form steam within said lower chamber portion when said heating unit is energized so as to raise said partition to said release position, thereby permitting flow of the steam from said lower chamber portion into said steam port in said upper chamber portion;
- and
- a connecting tube interconnecting said evaporating unit and said iron unit so that said steam outlets in said iron unit are in fluid communication with said steam port in said upper half of said evaporating unit, thereby permitting discharge of the steam from said steam outlets in said iron unit.
The steam iron as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pump unit for drawing water from said water reservoir into said steam generating chamber via said water inlet.
- 9.The steam iron as claimed in claim 8, wherein said iron unit further includes a handle, on which a water-filling switch is provided, said water-filling switch being electrically connected to said pump unit so as to draw the water into said steam generating chamber via said water inlet when said water-filling switch is activated.
The steam iron as claimed in claim 9, wherein said base unit is provided with an ironing switch that is adapted to be electrically connected to a power supply so as to heat said iron unit, and an evaporating switch that is adapted to be electrically connected to the power supply so as to activate said heating unit of said evaporating unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.