Iron with Compact Base Using Concave-Convex Complementary Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing irons with integrated water tanks and steam generators have a large base size, making them difficult to transport and store, and there is a need for a more compact and stable design.
Innovation Solution
A laundry care appliance with an iron and base featuring a concave-convex complementary shape, where the iron's handle and head form a concave support portion that fits onto a convex plinth portion of the base, allowing the heating soleplate to extend beyond the base, and incorporating a compact water tank and pump system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the base is designed to support the entire iron including the heating soleplate, then the base size increases, but this makes transport and storage more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The iron is segmented into parts that rest on the base (head and handle) and parts that extend beyond it (heating soleplate). The base only needs to support the non-heating portions, reducing its required size while maintaining stability through the concave-convex interface between base and iron.
2Volume of moving object
If the base is made more compact, then transport and storage become easier, but the iron may become unstable and tip over
Solution Approach 1:
The base features an asymmetric concave support portion with a convex plinth that complements the iron's handle and head geometry. This asymmetric interlocking design provides stable positioning and prevents tipping while keeping the base compact, as the stability comes from the geometric fit rather than base size.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the heating soleplate is fully supported by the base, then the base provides maximum stability, but the base cannot be compact
Solution Approach 1:
The heating soleplate is extracted from the support function of the base. Instead of the base supporting the entire iron including the heating soleplate, only the head and handle are supported by the base, while the heating soleplate extends freely. This allows the base to be compact while the heating soleplate maintains its full ironing surface area.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present description relates to a household appliance for laundry care comprising an iron (10) and a base (20), in which the iron (10) comprises a head (12), a heating sole (13) attached and fixed to the head (12), and a gripping handle (11) extending from the head (12), the gripping handle (11) being offset from the heating sole (13), in which the head (12) and the gripping handle (11) form a concave support portion and the base (20) forms a convex plinth portion intended to receive the support portion of the iron (10), the plinth portion of the base (20) having a complementary shape with the support portion of the iron (10).