Round iron

Abstract

 A clothes iron wherein the iron base 11 is generally circular in shape, the base 11 having a generally planar surface 13 circumscribed by a curved periphery 15, the base being surmounted by a handle 12 extending upwardly therefrom, and the handle 12 is generally bulbous in shape and coaxial with the base 11 so that an operator's hand can be applied to the handle over a wide range of angles and direction with only limited articulation of wrist and forearm.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a clothes iron suitable for the ironing of clothes.

[0002] Clothes irons are in common use and a clothes iron usually comprises a base, a handle attached to the base, heating means and temperature sensor means both within the iron, and both having a thermal conductivity relation with the base. With most irons, the heating means comprises an electrical heating element which is clamped to, or embedded in, the metal of the iron base, and a thermostat which is either also clamped to, or embedded in, the base or closely adjacent to it. Usually the elements are energised by voltage enough to be lethal (frequently above 100 volts), and provision is not made for the safety of low voltage. Further, the bases of heating irons most commonly used are of general boat shape, the pointed front end being considered desirable to provide means for negotiating the iron between buttons, beneath frills and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Ironing of clothes is regarded as a tedious task by some people, and a consideration of the operation of ironing will indicate that the iron must be directed in various directions, usually point first, in order for it to be positioned correctly around garment portions such as buttons, folds and pleats. This demands constant wrist and hand action, producing fatigue and extending the time required. It can also cause pain to arthritis sufferers. In order for the usual relatively large iron base to satisfactorily iron a garment, most materials require stretching tight across an ironing board surface in order to prevent the gathering (puckering) of loose material which might otherwise be ironed into a crease. When an iron passes across material, it tends to produce an excess of material in front of the iron in the direction of travel, and where the material is adjacent sections such as collars, sometimes the excess material may be ironed into creases.

[0004] Because of the above difficulties, ironing is regarded as a semiskilled operation requiring continuous dextrous manipulation in order to achieve a desired result. Hand and arm fatigue can be caused by the required articulation of the hand and limbs, and further by the relatively high weight of the conventional iron. Since the hand grip of a conventional iron is usually in or near a horizontal plane and extends in the direction of the iron central axis, an operator's hand must grip the handle in a tight clasping action in order to exert sufficient control over the manipulative actions required.

[0005] Therefore the main objects of this invention are to produce an iron for ironing clothes which:-

(a) reduces the requirements for dextrous manipulation of the iron, particularly in ironing around buttons, seams and pleats;

(b) reduces the problem of ironed-in creases due to gathering of a material caused by the stretching of the material as an iron passes over it;

(c) provides an iron capable of applying adequate downward pressure with less hand force than is now required with a conventional iron;

(d) provides a hand grip which does not require to be held in any particular orientation both with regard to direction of that iron travel and angular relationship between the forearm and the iron, to thereby reduce the degree of wrist articulation; and

(e) can be smaller and lighter in weight than a conventional iron.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The characterising features of this invention are that, firstly, the iron base is generally circular in shape, the base having a generally planar surface circumscribed by a curved periphery, the base being surmounted by a handle extending upwardly therefrom, and the handle is generally bulbous in shape and coaxial with the base so that an operator's hand can be applied to the handle over a wide range of angles and direction with only limited articulation of wrist and forearm.

[0007] More specifically, the invention may be said to comprise a clothes iron which has a base, a handle attached to the base, heating means and temperature sensing means both within the iron and both having a thermal conductive relation with the base, and being characterised in that, in plan, the base is generally circular in shape, the base having a generally planar undersurface circumscribed by a periphery which, in elevation, is curved, the curvature of the periphery being fair with the planar surface, and the handle extends upwardly from the base and is generally bulbous in shape and coaxial with the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder in some detail with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a clothes iron according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partly sectioned elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a combination of an iron illustrated in Figs 1 and 2 and an iron holder which contains electrical control means for the heating element of an iron;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 shows details of a temperature control circuit when the iron is to be heated by low voltage.

[0009] Referring first to Figs 1 and 2, a round iron 10 suitable for the ironing of clothes comprises a base 11, a handle 12 which extends upwardly from the base and is coaxial therewith, and as seen in Fig 1 the handle 12 and base 11 are both circular in plan, the base however having a generally planar undersurface 13 which is circumscribed by a peripheral flange 14 which, as shown in elevation in Fig 2, is curved at 15, the curvature being fair with the planar undersurface 13 (that is, merging into the planar undersurface without any abrupt change of shape), while as seen best in Fig 2, the handle 12 is bulbous in shape, being curved in elevation and has a maximum diameter portion "D" which is between its lower and upper ends. The handle 12 is made from a heat insulating and electrical insulating material and may have a textured surface to reduce possibility of inadvertent slippage from the fingers of an operator. In order to deflect some of the radiant and convected heat of the base 11, the handle 12 is provided with an outstanding flange 17 which overlaps a neck 18 upstanding from the base 11, and the handle also surrounds a central cylindrical core 19 of the base 11 to which is clamped a cylindrical assembly 20 comprising an electrical heating element. The core 19 and element assembly 20 are contained a hollow 21 of the handle 12.

[0010] The base 11 also contains a thermocouple 23, and this along with the element is coupled back by cables 24 and 25 to a control box 26 which has electronic control means therein for controlling temperature of the base 11.

[0011] While the element assembly 20 can be arranged to be energised from the "mains" voltage, because of its lethal potential in this embodiment provision is made for a low voltage energisation of the iron, and Fig 5 shows the electrical circuit required therefore. The supply voltage enters the electrical circuit at 28, and this can for example be 110 or 240 volts, and is rectified by a rectifier 29. The output of the rectifier 29 is fed into a high frequency inverter 30, and an output of the high frequency inverter energises a transformer 31 which provides a low voltage power supply through the cables 25.

[0012] A control knob 32 controls a potentiometer 33 which provides a signal to a comparator 34, while an amplifier 35 amplifies a signal from the thermocouple 23 and causes closure of a power switch 36 when more energy is required by the base 11 as it cools. The control box 26 is associated with a projecting cradle comprising a recess 37 which will contain the base 11 when the iron is not in use.

[0013] Although not illustrated, the iron may be provided with a water reservoir and means for producing a steam to facilitate ironing, but such an arrangement is in accordance with well known prior art.

[0014] In use the iron has been found to have a number of important advantages over conventional irons.

[0015] Due to the bulbous shape of handle 12, it can be guided by a hand without any unnecessary bending of the wrist, co­operating with the hand in the manner of a "ball joint".

[0016] The round base plate with its curved periphery exhibits a tendency to progressively move any excess material to one side of the leading point on the periphery as the iron moves across the material, but due to its light weight and small dimension the tendency for material to gather in front of the iron is largely reduced. These factors combine to greatly reduce the effort required to move the iron, and the ironing of pleats, seams and other interrupted parts of a garment is found to be simplified, and the curved edge of the peripheral flange 34 has the effect of displacing frills as the edge moves towards them, and they can be ironed flat without creasing the folds in the garment.

[0017] Since the iron is symmetrical, it functions as it progresses in any direction, producing a much simplified action and being able to move from one position on the garment to another without having to lift or orient the device.

[0018] It has been found that notwithstanding the smaller size of the iron, the action allows large areas to be ironed quickly and easily, preferably by using an overlapping circular ironing pattern which is easy and pleasing to accomplish.

[0019] Being smaller in size the iron is much lighter than is otherwise possible, and the same pressure is applied by less weight than with a conventional iron.

[0020] With a conventional iron, ironing around buttons on shirt fronts or other similar garments is usually a time consuming and difficult function, as a conventional iron requires manipulation of the iron front across, and down each side of each button often causing iron creases due to the multiplicity of actions. The iron described in the above embodiment exhibits a significantly simplified action, for as the circular base progresses for example a line of buttons, it can be moved in and out between the buttons. Since it is circular, it irons up to, across and down the other side of the buttons in one simple continuous sliding action producing a required result with no creasing in most instances.

[0021] Hand, wrist and arm fatigue are reduced by a considerable degree since the action is much more natural for an operator and excessive articulation of the wrist and forearm can be avoided. The iron is completely balanced under the circular grip and there is no reactive force required to maintain correct orientation when the iron is lifted from the material or garment.

[0022] It is believed that a perfectly circular shape is the best shape for an iron base in this invention. However, an iron base which is slightly elliptical, or which otherwise has some portions of the periphery with larger radius curves than others, or even straight portions, are included within the intended meaning of the words "generally circular". For the advantages of the invention to be achieved, it is most important however that the periphery be completely free of any sharp corners or other abrupt variations.

[0023] Further, in some embodiments of the invention the handle may include an opening for providing a hand grip.

Claims

1. A clothes iron suitable for the ironing of clothes and comprising a base, a handle attached to the base, heating means and temperature sensing means both within the iron and both having a thermal conductive relation with the base, characterised in that, in plan, the base is generally circular in shape, the base having a generally planar undersurface circumscribed by a periphery which, in elevation, is curved and the curvature thereof is fair with the planar surface, and the handle extends upwardly from the base and is generally bulbous in shape.

2. A clothes iron according to claim 1 wherein the base is circumscribed by a flange and said curved periphery is also the periphery of the flange.

3. A clothes iron according to claim 2 further comprising a neck between the flange and the handle.

4. A clothes iron according to claim 3 wherein said handle is generally circular in plan, coaxial with the base, and curved in elevation, and has a maximum diameter portion between the neck of said base and the top of said handle.

5. A clothes iron according to any preceding claim wherein said handle comprises a heat insulating material and has an outstanding flange adjacent the base.

6. A clothes iron according to claim 3 wherein the base comprises a central cylindrical core upstanding from the neck, and said heating means comprises a resistance element surrounding said core.

7. A clothes iron according to claim 1 wherein said temperature sensing means comprises a thermocouple embedded in the base.

8. In combination, an iron according to claim 7, and an iron holder, said iron holder having a recess which is capable of containing said iron base when not in use, a transformer, a heat adjustment device which is operable to control temperature of said iron base, said transformer having a low voltage output, and a flexible cord between said transformer and said heating element.

Drawing