Apparatus for steam treatment of laundry comprising an ironing and / or crease-removing tool

Abstract

Appliance for steaming laundry comprising an ironing and / or steaming tool (3), at least one mast (40) which supports a holding element (5) on which a garment can be hung and / or pressed to allow its treatment with the tool (3), and a support device (8) comprising a receiving housing in which the tool (3) can be placed stably during the inactive phases of ironing and / or steaming, said support device (8) comprising a fastening member allowing its attachment to the mast (40), characterized in that the support device (8) comprises a joint (9) allowing the orientation of the receiving housing to be changed relative to the fastening member.

Description

technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of steam laundry treatment apparatus comprising an ironing and / or steaming tool and at least one mast supporting a support element onto which a garment can be hung and / or pressed to allow its treatment with the tool. The invention relates more particularly to an apparatus comprising a support device including a fastening member for attaching it to the mast and including a receiving housing in which the tool can be stably placed during inactive phases of ironing and / or steaming. State of the art

[0002] A garment steamer is known from the Chinese utility model CN205603917U. This steamer comprises a steaming head and two telescopic poles supporting a hanger on which a garment can be hung. The steamer also includes a support device with a receptacle in which the steaming head can be placed, which is attached to one of the poles by a connecting arm. In this document, the receptacle of the support device forms a removable module of the connecting arm, which can be engaged in three different 90° orientations.

[0003] However, such a support device has the disadvantage of being not very ergonomic to use, since it requires the user to detach the module forming the receiving housing when they wish to change its orientation with the risk of dropping it and / or burning themselves with the steamer head.

[0004] US patent 4,433,497 A discloses a laundry treatment apparatus with the features of the preamble of claim 1.

[0005] Therefore, one aim of the present invention is to provide an ironing / steaming device that remedies these drawbacks.

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to an apparatus for steaming laundry comprising an ironing and / or steaming tool, at least one mast which supports a holding element on which a garment can be hung and / or pressed to allow its treatment with the tool, and a support device comprising a receiving housing in which the tool can be placed stably during the inactive phases of ironing and / or steaming, the support device comprising a fixing member allowing its attachment to the mast, characterized in that the support device comprises a joint allowing the orientation of the receiving housing to be changed relative to the fixing member.

[0007] Such an articulation allows the orientation of the receiving housing to be changed without having to dismantle a module of the support device, which limits the risk of the tool falling and greatly improves the ergonomics of using such a support device.

[0008] The device may also have one or more of the following characteristics, taken alone or in combination.

[0009] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the joint is a pivot joint allowing the receiving housing to pivot around a vertical axis.

[0010] This feature allows the orientation of the receiving housing to be changed to face the user.

[0011] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the joint is a ball joint.

[0012] This feature allows the receiving housing to be oriented both from left to right and from bottom to top.

[0013] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the support device comprises a connecting arm extending between the fixing member and the receiving housing, and the articulation is disposed on the connecting arm.

[0014] This feature allows part of the connecting arm to rotate at the same time as the receiving housing, which makes it possible to move the receiving housing to one side or the other of the device to bring it closer to the user.

[0015] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the connecting arm comprises a first part and a second part articulated to each other by means of the joint.

[0016] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the fastening member is disposed at one end of the first part and the receiving housing is disposed at one end of the second part, the second part of the arm having a length greater than or equal to 1 cm.

[0017] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the first part of the arm includes a hinge which fits into a hinge formed in the second part of the arm.

[0018] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the hinge and the pivot are made of plastic material and are obtained directly by molding with the first part and the second part of the arm.

[0019] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the device comprises a base, containing a water reservoir, connected by a conduit to the ironing tool. Brief description of the figures

[0020] The aims, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, presented by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: There figure 1 is a perspective view of an ironing appliance according to a particular embodiment of the invention, with a support device arranged in a first orientation; The figure 2 is a perspective view of the device of the figure 1 with the support device arranged in a second orientation, the iron not being shown in this figure; The figure 3 is a perspective view of the device of the figure 1 with the support device arranged in a third orientation; The figure 4 is a perspective view of the support device, equipping the device of the figure 1 ; There figure 5 is another perspective view of the support device of the figure 4 represented with the reception accommodation arranged in a different orientation; The figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the support device of the figure 4 .

[0021] Only the elements necessary for understanding the invention have been shown. To facilitate reading the drawings, the same elements bear the same reference numbers from one figure to another.

[0022] It should be noted that in this document, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "lower", "upper", "top", "bottom", "front", "back", "longitudinal", "transverse", used to describe the device, refer to the device when it is lying flat on its base as illustrated on the figure 1 .

[0023] There figure 1 and the figure 2 represent a steam ironing device comprising a portable base 1 connected by a flexible conduit 2 to a steam iron 3, the base 1 being electrically connected to a domestic network by a cable, not visible in the figures.

[0024] Base 1 includes, in a manner known per se, a removable reservoir and a pump which draws water from the reservoir to send it to the iron 3.

[0025] The iron 3 comprises a flat soleplate 30 surmounted by a housing including a handle 31 with a free rear end projecting laterally from the body. The housing contains, in a manner known per se, an aluminum casting in thermal contact with the soleplate and comprising an instant steam chamber, equipped with a heating element, into which water from the reservoir 10 is injected by the pump. The pump's operation is controlled by a trigger 32 located under the front end of the handle 31. The pump and the steam chamber are advantageously sized to allow the continuous production of a steam flow rate of approximately 25 g / min when the trigger 32 is activated. The soleplate 30 conventionally includes holes for steam emission.

[0026] The device includes a base 4 on which the base 1 rests in a removable manner, the latter being equipped with a handle 11 at its upper end to facilitate its transport.

[0027] Preferably, the base 4 comprises two telescopic masts 40 extending vertically and including an upper end supporting an ironing board 5 comprising a flat ironing surface 50, intended to be covered with a cover, on which clothes to be steamed can be placed.

[0028] In accordance with figures 2 And 4 à 6, one of the telescopic masts 40 supports a support device 8 on which the iron 3 can be placed during inactive phases of ironing / steaming, the support device 8 comprising a connecting arm 8A, 8B which extends transversely to the mast 40 and whose end is fixed to the latter by a fixing member 83. The fixing member 83 is advantageously constituted by a sleeve which is engaged around the mast 40 and which includes ribs 83A which fit into grooves formed vertically on the mast 40 and thus prevent its rotation around the mast 40.

[0029] The support device 8 advantageously comprises a plastic body having a receiving recess 81 into which the iron housing 3 is intended to be inserted. As can be seen on the figures 4 And 5, the receiving housing 81 includes a flat surface 80 supporting thermally insulating pads 82 against which the sole 30 is intended to rest when the iron 3 rests in the receiving housing 81, the lower end of the receiving housing 81 being bordered by a skirt 84 which has a shape adapted to stably retain the iron 3 in the receiving housing 81.

[0030] Preferably, the surface 80 forms an angle of approximately 15° with respect to the vertical plane and the skirt 84 has a notch 84A in its middle part for the passage of the handle 31 of the iron.

[0031] More particularly according to the invention, the support device 8 includes a joint 9 allowing the orientation of the iron receiving housing 3 to be changed relative to the sleeve 83.

[0032] This joint 9 consists of a pivot joint, integrated into the arm 8A, 8B, which allows the receiving housing 81 to pivot relative to a vertical axis, the pivot joint dividing the arm 7 into a first part 8A which is integral with the fixing member 83 and a second part 8B on which the receiving housing 81 is fixed.

[0033] In accordance with the figure 6 The pivot joint is advantageously formed by the combination of a pin 90, located at one end of the first part of the arm 8A, which engages in a hinge 91 located at the end of the second part 8B of the arm. Preferably, the second part 8B of the arm has a length between 1 and 10 cm, and advantageously around 5 cm. This length has the advantage of offsetting the receiving housing 81 towards the front or rear of the device when the second part of the arm is pivoted.

[0034] To reduce manufacturing costs, the 90 hinge and the hinge are preferably obtained directly from molding with the first 8A and the second part 8B of the arm, the latter being advantageously made of plastic.

[0035] Thus, as illustrated on the figure 1 , the support device 8 can be arranged with the first part 8A and second part 8B aligned with each other so that the surface 80 of the receiving housing 81 is oriented in a lateral position in which the receiving housing 81 is arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical plane passing through the masts 40.

[0036] In this lateral position, the ergonomics of using the device during the phases of placing or removing the iron 3 in the receiving housing 81 of the support device 8 remains substantially the same whether the user is positioned facing the board 5 or behind the board 5.

[0037] However, the user also has the option of orienting the 80 surface towards the front of the device, as illustrated on the figure 2 , by rotating the second part 8B of the arm relative to the first part 8A. The user then has a better view of the receiving housing 81 when positioned facing the board 5, which improves the ergonomics of using the device in this user position.

[0038] Conversely, when the user is positioned behind board 5 to perform steaming work, they also have the option of orienting surface 80 towards the back of the appliance, as illustrated on the figure 3By rotating the second part 8B of the arm relative to the first part 8A in the opposite direction, he has a perfect view of the receiving housing 81, which also allows him to use the support device 8 with great ergonomics.

[0039] The support device according to the invention therefore has the advantage of offering great ergonomics of use whether the user is positioned in front of the board or behind the board, by allowing the user to orient the iron receiving compartment in their direction.

[0040] Furthermore, the positioning of the pivot link at an intermediate part of the arm has the advantage of allowing the receiving housing to be moved forward or backward on the board when the second part of the arm is pivoted, which allows the receiving housing to be brought closer to the user.

[0041] Finally, such a support device has the advantage of being simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

[0042] Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and illustrated, which has been given only by way of example. Modifications remain possible, particularly with regard to the composition of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

[0043] Thus, in an alternative embodiment not shown, the pivot joint can be placed at the end of the arm, directly at the interface between the arm and the support surface.

[0044] Thus, in another embodiment not shown, the pivot joint can be replaced by a ball joint.

[0045] In yet another unrepresented embodiment, at least part of the arm of the support device may be telescopic.

[0046] In yet another embodiment not shown, the arm of the support device can be removably attached to the mast supporting the board, for example by a clamp fixing system.

Claims

1. Apparatus for steam treatment of laundry comprising an ironing and / or wrinkle-removing tool (3), at least one strut (40) that supports a holding element (5) whereon a garment can be hung and / or supported to allow for the treatment thereof using the tool (3), and a support device (8) comprising a fastening member (83) allowing for the fastening thereof onto the strut (40) and a hinge (9) making it possible to modify the orientation of the iron with respect to the fastening member (83), the support device (8) comprising a link arm (8A, 8B) extending between the fastening member (83) and the receiving housing (81), the hinge (9) being arranged on the link arm (8A, 8B) and being a pivot link that makes it possible to pivot the receiving housing (81) about a vertical axis, the pivot link dividing the arm (7) into a first part (8A) which is integral with the fastening member (83) and a second part (8B) whereon the receiving housing (81) is fastened, characterized in that the support device (8) comprises a receiving housing (81) wherein the tool (3) can be stably placed during the inactive ironing and / or wrinkle-removing phases, and in that the pivot link is integrated into the hinge arm (9), the first part (8A) of the arm comprising a pintle (90) that is introduced into a gudgeon (91) arranged in the second part (8B) of the arm.

2. Apparatus according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the fastening member is arranged at an end of the first part (8A) and the receiving housing is arranged at an end of the second part (8B) and in that the second part (8B) of the arm has a length greater than or equal to 1 cm.

3. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the pintle (90) and the gudgeon (91) are made of plastic and are obtained directly from molding with the first part (8A) and the second part (8B) of the arm.

4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a base (1) enclosing a water tank (10), connected by a conduit (2) to the ironing tool (3).

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