Steam Iron Cleaning Tray With Directed Steam Egress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steam iron cleaning cycles require users to manually hold the device, risking discomfort and potential damage from powerful steam jets, and lead to condensation and heat buildup on the housing due to the lack of a dedicated steam egress solution during cleaning.
Innovation Solution
An accessory comprising a tray with a base and supporting surface that allows the sole plate to be positioned for steam egress away from the device, preventing condensation and heat buildup, and enabling automatic initiation of the cleaning cycle through orientation detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the steam iron is held manually during the cleaning cycle, then the cleaning process can be performed, but the user experiences discomfort and potential damage from powerful steam jets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a holder as an intermediary device between the steam iron and the user. The holder receives the steam iron during the cleaning cycle and provides a designated path for steam egress, preventing steam from directly contacting the user. This mediator allows the cleaning process to proceed effectively while protecting the user from harmful steam jets.
2Reliability
If the steam iron is held manually during the cleaning cycle, then the cleaning process can be performed, but the user experiences discomfort from steam enveloping the iron
Solution Approach 1:
The holder serves as an intermediary that absorbs and redirects the steam envelope. By providing a structure that accommodates the steam iron and directs steam flow away from the user, the holder eliminates the discomfort of steam enveloping the device while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If the steam iron is placed in a holder without steam egress, then the iron is supported during non-use, but steam and water accumulate causing condensation and heat buildup on the housing
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is segmented into distinct functional zones: a support surface for receiving the steam iron, a steam egress passage for steam discharge, and a collection area for water and scale. This segmentation allows the holder to simultaneously provide support functionality while preventing condensation and heat buildup through dedicated steam and water management pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the steam egress function from the support function by providing a separate dedicated passage for steam discharge. This extraction ensures that steam generated during cleaning cycles can escape independently without interfering with the support functionality, preventing condensation and heat accumulation on the housing.
4Ease of operation
If a holder without steam egress opening is used, then the iron can be supported, but steam jets cannot be directed away from the device
Solution Approach 1:
The holder structure is segmented to include a dedicated steam egress passage that is spatially separated from the support surface. This segmentation enables the holder to simultaneously support the steam iron and direct steam jets away from the device housing through the designated passage, resolving the contradiction between support functionality and steam direction control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The accessory allows for hands-free steam iron cleaning, directing steam and scale deposits into the tray for easy disposal, reducing user discomfort and preventing condensation on the device's housing.
Implementation Method 1
a heated soleplate to remove creases from clothes. A steam iron also has a reservoir to contain water which is supplied to a steam generator to generate steam
Implementation Method 2
the heater is heated to a high predetermined temperature and a large quantity of water is rapidly fed to the steam generator at once. This results in a lot of steam being generated in a short space of time
Implementation Method 3
the jets of steam resulting from this rapid heating of a large amount of water can be quite powerful, they entrain particles of scale deposited within the steam generator and carry them out of the iron through the holes in the sole plate
Implementation Method 4
the tray having an opening so that when a sole plate of a steaming device is received on the tray, steam can egress of steam out of the tray in a direction away from said steaming device through said opening
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present application relates to an accessory (1) for a steaming device (2) comprising a tray to receive a sole plate (6) of a steaming device during a cleaning cycle so that steam and/or scale is directed into said tray, the tray having an opening (14) so that when a sole plate of a steaming device is received on the tray, steam can egress out of the tray in a direction away from said steaming device through said opening.