Garment steamer with a moving plate

Abstract

A garment steamer comprising a housing (1; 101) including a handle (2; 102) and a head (3; 103) having a soleplate (32; 132) disposed at a front end of the housing (1; 101) and having a treatment surface (33A; 133A) intended to come into contact with a garment to be steamed, the head (3; 103) comprising a plate (5; 105) fixed to the end of a movable arm (7; 107), the plate (5; 105) being able to occupy a retracted position in which the plate (5; 105) rests against the treatment surface (33A; 133A) and an extended position in which the plate (5; 105) is away from the treatment surface (33A; 133A) by extending parallel to the latter, a control element (74 ; 174) allowing the plate (5; 105) to be moved to the retracted or deployed position, the control member (74; 174) being connected to the arm (7;107) by a transmission mechanism, characterized in that the control member is carried by the housing (1; 101) and the transmission mechanism is at least partially integrated into the housing (1, 101). . Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 1;

Description

Title of the invention: Wrinkle-steaming device comprising a movable plate. Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of garment steamers comprising a housing including a handle and a head having a soleplate disposed at one front end of the housing and having a treatment surface intended to come into contact with a garment to be steamed. The head includes a plate fixed to the end of a movable arm that can be in a retracted position in which the plate rests against the treatment surface and in an extended position in which the plate is away from the treatment surface. The present invention relates more particularly to a device in which a control element allows the plate to be moved to the retracted or extended position, the control element being connected to the arm by a transmission mechanism. State of the art

[0002] A device comprising a housing with a handle and a head with a soleplate heated by heating means is known from patent US 7188442. The soleplate has a treatment surface designed to come into contact with a garment to be steamed. The device also includes an accessory removably mounted on the head of the device, comprising a movable plate that can be positioned between a retracted position, in which the plate rests against the treatment surface, and an extended position, in which the plate is positioned away from the treatment surface, extending parallel to it. The accessory includes a control mechanism for moving the plate to the retracted or extended position so that the plate can be used like a pair of tongs to steam the garment.

[0003] However, such an accessory has the disadvantage of being relatively bulky and having a plate transmission mechanism located in the immediate vicinity of the plate, which is likely to interfere with the garment being steamed. In particular, it is possible that part of the garment may become caught in the plate transmission mechanism when it is inserted between the plate and the soleplate.

[0004] Moreover, such a removable accessory has the disadvantage of complicating the device and risks falling to the ground during its handling for coupling / uncoupling from the device, with a significant risk of damage to the accessory. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to remedy all or part of these drawbacks.

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to a garment steamer comprising a casing comprising a handle and a head having a sole disposed at a front end of the casing and having a treatment surface intended to come into contact with a garment to be steamed, the head having a plate, fixed to the end of a movable arm, which can occupy a retracted position in which the plate rests against the treatment surface and a deployed position in which the plate is away from the treatment surface by extending parallel to the latter, a control member allowing the plate to be moved to the retracted or deployed position, the control member being connected to the arm by a transmission mechanism, characterized in that the control member is carried by the casing and the transmission mechanism is at least partially integrated into the casing.

[0007] Thus, the transmission mechanism is at least partially masked by the housing and is therefore less exposed to the risk of coming into contact with the garment to be steamed.

[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 transmission mechanism multiplies the arm travel stroke, relative to the control member travel stroke, over at least a part of the control member travel.

[0010] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the transmission mechanism includes at least one rack which cooperates with a toothed wheel to drive the arm in motion.

[0011] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the transmission mechanism includes at least one cam which cooperates with a support surface to drive the arm in movement.

[0012] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the control member is movable between a rest position in which the plate occupies the deployed position and an activated position in which the plate occupies the retracted position, the cam having a shape which accentuates the displacement of the arm relative to the displacement of the control member when the control member is in the vicinity of the rest position.

[0013] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the transmission mechanism is largely integrated into the housing, the transmission mechanism being advantageously arranged in a housing provided in a lower part of the head which adjoins the handle.

[0014] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the control element is integrated into the housing in the vicinity of the upper end of the handle.

[0015] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the plate is movably mounted on the housing by means of a guiding device allowing the plate to always maintain the same orientation when moving from the retracted position to the deployed position, and vice versa.

[0016] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the guide device allows movement of the arm only along a translational axis, preferably normal to the plate.

[0017] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the treatment surface includes at least one steam outlet orifice.

[0018] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the plate includes an opening opposite said at least one vapor outlet orifice when the plate is in the retracted position.

[0019] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the treatment surface is inserted into the opening when the plate is in the retracted position.

[0020] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the treatment surface is substantially flat.

[0021] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, in the retracted position, the plate has a front face which comes into line with the treatment surface to form a treatment surface complementary to the treatment surface intended to be applied against the garment.

[0022] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the front face of the plate is substantially flat.

[0023] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the treatment surface is heated by heating means.

[0024] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the sole is in thermal contact with a heating body advantageously containing an instant vaporization chamber.

[0025] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the device includes at least one return spring which automatically returns the plate to a rest position when no action is exerted by the user on the control member, the rest position corresponding to either the retracted position or the deployed position. Brief description of the figures

[0026] The objects, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention. presented as a non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0027] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to a particular embodiment of the invention with the plate in the retracted position;

[0028] Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the apparatus in Fig. 1;

[0029] Figure 3 is another perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1 with the plate in deployed position;

[0030] The [Fig.4] is a longitudinal sectional view along line IV-IV of the [Fig.3];

[0031] The [Fig.5] is a longitudinal sectional view along line VV of the [Fig.3];

[0032] The [Fig.6] is a longitudinal sectional view along line VLVI of the [Fig.5];

[0033] Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the drive device. plate translation;

[0034] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the translational drive device of the plate ;

[0035] Figure 9 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to a second mode particular implementation of the invention with the plate in the retracted position;

[0036] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Fig. 9 with the plate in deployed position;

[0037] Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the drive device. plate translation;

[0038] The [Fig. 12] is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus of the [Fig. 10].

[0039] Only the elements necessary for understanding the invention have been shown. To facilitate reading the drawings, the same elements bear the same reference numerals from one figure to another.

[0040] It should be noted that in this document, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "lower", "upper", "top", "bottom", "front", "rear", "longitudinal", "transverse", used to describe the device refer to this device when it is arranged vertically with the handle facing downwards and the sole arranged vertically.

[0041] Figures 1 to 6 represent a garment steamer comprising a body having a portable plastic casing 1 including a handle 2 surmounted by a steam emission head 3.

[0042] The lower end of the handle 2 has an outlet for a power cord 20 allowing its connection to a domestic electrical network, and the rear face of the handle 2 includes a switch 21 (visible on [Fig.2]) allowing the steamer to be switched on.

[0043] According to [Fig. 4], the steam emission head 3 contains an electric pump 4 whose operation is controlled by means of a button 30 located on the rear face of the steam emission head 3, the button 30 actuating, In a manner known per se, a switch is connected to an electronic control board for the pump 4, not shown in the figures. The pump 4 is supplied with liquid by a reservoir 22 located on the front part of the handle 2; this reservoir 22 is advantageously removable from the steamer to facilitate refilling.

[0044] The steam emission head 3 has a slender shape extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the handle 2 and includes a front face provided with a treatment face 31 intended to come vertically opposite a garment to be steamed.

[0045] The treatment face 31 comprises a fixed part carried by a base 32 disposed at a front end of the housing 1 and includes a movable part which is constituted by a plate 5 which can be moved between a retracted position illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 6, in which the rear face of the plate 5 is brought against the base 32, and a deployed position illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5, in which the rear face of the plate 5 is moved away from the base 32.

[0046] Preferably, the sole 32 is made of metallic material and has an elongated, advantageously oblong shape, which extends lengthwise in line with the handle 2.

[0047] In the particular embodiment shown in the figures, the sole 32 is in thermal contact with a heating body 6, visible in figures 4, 5 and 6, provided inside the head 3 and which heats the sole 32 by conduction.

[0048] The heating element 6 has a general rectangular parallelepiped shape and comprises, in a manner known per se, a casting, for example made of aluminum, and an electrical resistance 60 integrated into the casting. The supply to the electrical resistance 60 is regulated, in a manner known per se, around a setpoint temperature, advantageously between 110°C and 150°C, by means of a thermostat (not visible in the figures).

[0049] The sole 32 has a protrusion 33 inside which the heating body 6 extends at least partially, the protrusion 33 having a front face forming a projecting treatment surface 33A which is heated by the heating body 6.

[0050] As can be seen in [Fig. 3], the processing surface 33A is substantially flat and occupies a central position on the base 32, the processing surface 33A having a contour similar in shape to that of the base 32, but on a reduced scale. The processing surface 33A has a series of vapor outlet orifices 34 advantageously arranged in the bottom of a groove formed in the center of the protrusion 33, the groove extending longitudinally along the base 32.

[0051] The heating body 6 comprises, in a manner known per se, an instantaneous vaporization chamber 61, visible in [Fig. 5], which is supplied with water in water originates from reservoir 22 by means of pump 4, being injected into the instant vaporization chamber 61 through two injection ports 62 provided on a lateral face of the heating body 6.

[0052] The heating element 6 includes a steam distribution circuit 63 through which the steam flow from the instantaneous vaporization chamber 61 is intended to flow. The steam distribution circuit 63 is fluidly connected on one side to the instantaneous vaporization chamber 61 and on the other side to the steam outlet ports 34 via conduits provided in the front face of the heating element 6. The steam distribution circuit 63 is thus configured to supply steam to the steam outlet ports 34.

[0053] According to [Fig. 1], the plate 5 has an oblong opening 50 which is opposite the protruding treatment surface 33A, the opening 50 having a shape complementary to that of the contour of the treatment surface 33A. The plate 5 has a front face which has a peripheral external surface extending to the periphery of the opening 50 when the plate 5 is in the retracted position, the treatment surface 33A of the sole 32 and the peripheral external surface of the plate 5 then being substantially in the same plane.

[0054] As can be seen in [Fig.3], the protrusion 33 advantageously comprises a frustoconical peripheral wall which joins a peripheral heel 32A extending along the edge of the sole 32, parallel to the treatment surface 33A.

[0055] Preferably, the protrusion 33 protrudes from the peripheral heel 32A by a height between 1 and 5 mm, and advantageously by about 2.5 mm, and the plate 5 has a thickness that corresponds to the height of the protrusion 33.

[0056] In the particular embodiment illustrated in the figures, the plate 5 is fixed to the longitudinal end of an arm 7 which exits through an opening 36 provided in the lower part of the head 3, the arm 7 extending perpendicularly to the plate 5 and being fixed at the lower end of the latter.

[0057] The arm 7 has a non-circular cross-section, for example square, which is mounted movably in translation in a housing 35 having a passage section of complementary shape, the cooperation of shapes thus preventing any movement of the arm 7 in a direction other than that of its sliding along its longitudinal axis.

[0058] The arm 7 is driven in translation in the housing 35 by means of a drive device which is shown separately in figures 8 and 9.

[0059] According to these figures, the arm 7 has two racks 70 arranged at the end of the arm 7 which is opposite the plate 5, the two racks 70 extending parallel to each other, along the longitudinal direction of the arm 7.

[0060] The drive device comprises a set of gears 71, 72 which are mounted to rotate freely about a common axis 79 supported by the head 3. This set of gears comprises two large-diameter gears 71, arranged on either side of a smaller-diameter central pinion 72. Each gear 71 is positioned above one of the racks 70 and has a lower end which meshes with said rack 70. The central pinion 72 has an upper end with which a control rack 73 meshes. This rack is carried by a trigger 74 mounted to translate freely at the upper end of the handle 2. The control rack 73 is advantageously carried by an L-shaped arm which extends above the trigger 74 to fit inside the head 3.

[0061] The drive device thus formed constitutes a mechanism that allows the plate 5 to be moved away from the base 32 when pressure is applied to the trigger 74, the stroke of the plate 5 being a function of the degree to which the trigger 74 is depressed and the transmission ratio obtained using the gears 71 and the central pinion 72. By way of example, in the illustrated embodiment, the gears 71 have a diameter of approximately 2 cm and are provided with 34 teeth, the central pinion 72 having a diameter of approximately 1 cm and comprising 15 teeth. Thus, a movement of the trigger 74 over a stroke of 1 cm results in a movement of the plate 5 over a stroke of approximately 2.3 cm.

[0062] Preferably, the drive device includes return means 75, 76 which automatically return the plate 5 to the retracted position, in which the plate 5 is applied against the base 32. These return means include at least one first return spring 75, advantageously located at the trigger 74. The first return spring 75 has a front end bearing against the rear face of the trigger 74 and a rear end bearing against the housing 1. It therefore exerts a force which tends to return the trigger 74 to a rest position, illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 6, and consequently the plate 5 to the retracted position.

[0063] The return means advantageously comprise a second return spring 76, disposed in a cavity 77 formed on the underside of the arm 7 supporting the plate 5, which has a front end bearing against a wall carried by a cover 78, fixed on the housing 1, which covers the cavity 77 and a rear end bearing against a wall of the arm 7. The second return spring 76 exerts a force which tends to return the arm 7 inside its housing 35 and thus to apply the plate 5 against the base 32.

[0064] The first return spring 75 and the second return spring 76 therefore exert forces which add up and tend to bring the plate 5 back to the retracted position.

[0065] The device thus produced has the advantage of being able to be used in two modes of use with great ergonomics of use.

[0066] In a first mode of use, the device is used without pressing the trigger 74, i.e. with the front face of the plate 5 arranged in alignment with the treatment surface 33A, as illustrated in figures 1, 2 and 6. The device is then used in a traditional way for a portable steam iron.

[0067] In this configuration of the device, the peripheral surface of the front face of the plate 5 and the treatment surface 33A of the sole 32 form a large flat treatment surface which can be applied against the garment to be treated, the steam from the holes in the treatment surface 33A making it possible to moisten the garment when the user presses the button 30. The plate 5 being then in contact with the sole 32, it is heated by conduction by the hot sole 32 and helps to dry the garment when it is brought into contact with the garment.

[0068] The device also has the advantage of being able to be used in a second mode of use, in which the plate 5 is used like a clamp which pinches the garment to be steamed to apply it against the hot sole 32 of the device.

[0069] To use the device according to this second mode of use, the user only has to press the trigger 74 to bring the latter into an activated position, illustrated in figures 3, 4 and 5, in which the trigger 74 is pressed down until it is substantially flush with the rest of the handle 2. Pressing the trigger 74 then has the effect of separating the plate 5 from the sole 32 and bringing it into the open position.

[0070] The smoothing of the garment part, for example the sleeves, is then carried out by positioning this part of the garment between the plate 5 and the sole 32 and then releasing the trigger 74 so that the plate 5, heated beforehand by its contact with the sole 32, is applied against the garment with an optimized pressure which depends directly on the force exerted by the first return spring 75 and by the second return spring 76.

[0071] The user can then move the device along the area to be treated after preferably pressing button 30 so that steam is emitted at the holes in the treatment surface 33A. The device is then used like an ironing clip, which allows for optimized performance on thin and light areas of clothing, such as sleeves, which tend to move away from the treatment face 31 when using the device according to the first mode of use described above.

[0072] This results in a device which offers very high ergonomics of use by allowing two modes of use with very good efficiency without the user needing to mount or dismount an accessory on the device.

[0073] Furthermore, such a device offers a high degree of safety in use thanks to the integration of the transmission mechanism within the housing, and in particular the toothed wheel, pinion, and rack assembly, which prevents the latter from coming into contact with the garment being treated. This eliminates the risk of the transmission mechanism jamming due to interference with the garment being steamed.

[0074] Figures 9 to 12 illustrate an apparatus according to a second particular embodiment of the invention.

[0075] Only the main elements of the apparatus, as well as the elements which differentiate the apparatus according to the second embodiment of the apparatus previously described, will now be described, the undescribed elements being similar to those described in the first embodiment.

[0076] According to [Fig.9], the device according to the second embodiment comprises a body having a portable plastic housing 101 including a handle 102 surmounted by a steam emission head 103, the steam emission head 103 containing an electric pump 104 and a heating body 106 containing an instant vaporization chamber supplied with water from a reservoir 122 provided in the handle 102.

[0077] The operation of the pump 104 is controlled by means of a button 130 located on the rear face of the head 103, the actuation of the button 130 allowing water to be sent into the vaporization chamber for the production of steam.

[0078] The steam emission head 103 has a front face provided with a treatment face 131 intended to come vertically opposite a garment to be steamed, the treatment face 131 having a fixed part carried by a sole 132 disposed at a front end of a housing 103. The sole 132 has a protrusion 133 inside which the heating element 106 extends at least partially, the protrusion 133 having a treatment surface 133A forming a hot protruding surface which is heated by the heating element 106.

[0079] As can be seen in Figures 10 and 11, the treatment surface 133A is substantially flat and includes a series of vapor orifices 134 advantageously arranged in the bottom of a groove formed in the center of the protrusion 133, the groove extending longitudinally to the base 132.

[0080] The protrusion 133 occupies a central position on the sole 132 and has a frustoconical peripheral wall which joins a peripheral heel 132A extending along the edge of the sole 132, parallel to the treatment surface 133A.

[0081] The treatment face 131 of the device includes a movable plate 105, which can be moved between a retracted position, illustrated in [Fig.9], in which the rear face of the plate 105 is brought against the base 132 and a deployed position, illustrated in Figures 10 and 12, in which the rear face of the plate 105 is moved away from the base 132.

[0082] According to [Fig. 10], the plate 105 has an oblong opening 150 which is opposite the protruding treatment surface 133A, the opening 150 having a shape complementary to that of the contour of the treatment surface 133A so that the treatment surface 133A of the sole 132 and the front face of the plate 105 are substantially in the same plane when the plate is in the retracted position.

[0083] The plate 105 is disposed at the longitudinal end of an arm 107 mounted to slide in a slide formed in the lower part of the head 103, the arm 107 extending perpendicularly to the plate 105, the junction between the arm 107 and the plate 105 being made at the lower end of the latter.

[0084] The arm 107 has a rectangular section and the end of the arm 107 opposite the plate 105 slides in a housing 135 having a passage section of complementary shape so that only sliding along the longitudinal axis of the arm 107 is permitted.

[0085] According to [Fig. 12], the housing 135 includes a return spring 175 bearing against an inner face of the casing 103 and the end of the arm 107. The return spring 175 exerts a force that automatically returns the arm 107 to a rest position, illustrated in Figures 10 and 12, in which the plate 105 is in the deployed position. The arm 107 includes a slot 170 into which a cam 173, projecting from the upper end of a lever 174 located on the front face of the handle 102, engages.

[0086] As can be seen in [Fig. 11], the lever 174 has a lower end comprising an axis 174A which is pivotally mounted on a bearing 102A carried by the handle 102 so that pressure exerted on the lever 174 makes it possible to move the arm 107 against the return spring 175, the plate 105 occupying the retracted position when the lever 174 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle 102, as illustrated in [Fig. 9].

[0087] Preferably, the cam 173 has a curved shape which rests against a rounded bearing surface 171 provided at the edge of the opening 170. The curvature of the cam 173 is configured so that the displacement movement of the arm 107 is accentuated relative to the rotation movement of the lever 174 on at least one particular phase of the lever 174's descent, and in particular when the lever 174 is close to its rest position.

[0088] We therefore obtain a device which, in a manner similar to what has been described for the device according to the first embodiment, can be used in two modes of use with great ergonomics of use.

[0089] In the first mode of use, the device is operated by applying full hand pressure to the lever 174, i.e., with the front face of the plate 105 aligned with the treatment surface 133A, as illustrated in [Fig. 9]. The device is then used in a traditional manner for a portable garment steamer, with the plate 105 being heated by thermal contact with the peripheral heel 132A of the soleplate 132 and the steam being emitted through the opening 150 of the plate 105.

[0090] In the second mode of use, the user releases the pressure exerted on the lever 174, which has the effect of moving the plate 105 away from the sole 132, bringing it into the deployed position illustrated in figures 10 and 12.

[0091] The wrinkle removal is then carried out by positioning part of the garment between the plate 105 and the sole 135, then pressing on the lever 174 so that the plate 105 is applied against the garment with a pressure that depends directly on the force exerted on the lever 174.

[0092] The device is then used like an ironing clip by moving the device along the part to be treated.

[0093] This results in a device which offers very high ergonomics of use by allowing two modes of use with very good efficiency without the user needing to mount or dismount an accessory on the device.

[0094] Furthermore, such a device offers a high degree of safety in use thanks to the integration of the transmission mechanism within the housing, and in particular the cam which interacts with the arm's support surface, thus preventing these elements from coming into contact with the garment being treated. This eliminates the risk of the transmission mechanism jamming due to interference with the garment being steamed.

[0095] 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.

[0096] Thus, in an unrepresented embodiment, the plate can be mounted mobile by means of a parallelogram joint rather than being mobile only in translation.

[0097] In an alternative embodiment not shown, the sole and / or the plate may also have their own resistive element, independent of the heating resistance of the heating body containing the vaporization chamber.

[0098] In an alternative embodiment not shown, the plate may lack an opening for the passage of the protrusion. Thus, the protruding part of the base may have one or more grooves, depending on the shape of the plate, into which the plate will engage to be flush with the front face of the protrusion when the plate is in the retracted position.

Claims

Demands

1. A garment steamer comprising a housing (1; 101) including a handle (2; 102) and a head (3; 103) having a soleplate (32; 132) disposed at a front end of the housing (1; 101) and having a treatment surface (33A; 133A) intended to come into contact with a garment to be steamed, the head (3; 103) comprising a plate (5; 105) fixed to the end of a movable arm (7; 107), the plate (5; 105) being able to occupy a retracted position in which the plate (5; 105) rests against the treatment surface (33A; 133A) and an extended position in which the plate (5; 105) is away from the treatment surface (33A; 133A) by extending parallel to the latter, a control member (74; 174) allowing the plate (5; 105) to be moved to the retracted or deployed position, the control member (74; 174) being connected to the arm (7;107) by a transmission mechanism, characterized in that the control member is carried by the housing (1; 101) and the transmission mechanism is at least partially integrated into the housing (1, 101).;

2. Wrinkle-steaming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission mechanism multiplies the stroke of the arm (7; 107), relative to the stroke of the control member (74; 174), over at least part of the stroke of the control member (74; 174).

3. Wrinkle-sweeping device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the transmission mechanism comprises at least one rack (70, 73) which cooperates with a toothed wheel (71, 72) to drive the arm (7; 107) in movement.

4. Wrinkle-searing device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the transmission mechanism comprises at least one cam (173) which cooperates with a bearing surface (171) to drive the arm (7; 107) in movement.

5. A garment steamer according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the control member (174) is movable between a rest position in which the plate (105) is in the deployed position and an activated position in which the plate (105) is in the retracted position, and in that the cam has a shape that accentuates the movement of the arm (7; 107) relative to the movement of the member control (174) when the control member (174) is in the vicinity of the rest position.

6. Garment steamer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the transmission mechanism is largely integrated into the housing (1; 101), the transmission mechanism being advantageously arranged in a housing (35; 135) provided in a lower part of the head (3; 103) which adjoins the handle (2; 102).

7. Garment steamer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the control element (74) is integrated into the housing (1) in the vicinity of the upper end of the handle (2).

8. A garment steamer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the plate (5; 105) is movably mounted on the housing (1; 101) by means of a guiding device (7, 35; 107, 135) allowing the plate (5; 105) to always maintain the same orientation when moving from the retracted position to the deployed position, and vice versa.

9. Wrinkle-free device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the treatment surface (33A; 133A) has at least one steam outlet orifice (34; 134).

10. A garment steaming device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the plate (5; 105) includes an opening (50; 150) opposite said at least one steam outlet orifice (34; 134) when the plate (5; 105) is in the retracted position.

11. A garment steaming device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the treatment surface (33A; 133A) is inserted into said opening (50; 150) when the plate (5; 105) is in the retracted position.

12. A garment steaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the treatment surface (33A; 108A) is heated by heating means (60).

13. Wrinkle-steaming device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the soleplate (32; 132) is in thermal contact with a heating body (6; 106) advantageously containing an instant vaporization chamber (61; 161).

14. A garment steamer according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it comprises at least one return spring (75, 76; 175) automatically returning the plate (5; 105) into a rest position when no action is exerted by the user on the control element (74; 174), the rest position corresponding to either the retracted position or the deployed position.

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