SYSTEM IRON

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

This invention relates to a system iron, more in particular to a safe fastening feature of the system iron.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

After an ironing operation, a system iron including an iron and a base is carried so that it can be kept in a cabinet or the like until next use. At the time of transport, if the iron is not fastened to the base properly, there is a possibility of the iron and the base getting apart and falling down. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to make sure of sufficient coupling before transporting the system iron. In conventional system irons care must be taken when placing the iron on the base and fastening the iron to the base, as there may be a chance of a user touching the hot iron.

WO2006027464 describes an ironing appliance comprising an iron and a portable base provided with a surface for setting down the iron. The iron comprises a soleplate on which a body with an integrated handle is mounted. The invention is characterised in that the base comprises means for immobilising the iron. The means engages with the body of the iron upstream and downstream of the handle in such a way that the entire ironing appliance can be transported with the help of the handle of the iron. This ironing appliance involves moving a rotating restraining means to engage a front portion of the iron. In the process of fastening the iron to the base, the user's hand might be too close to the soleplate and the user might touch the hot soleplate accidentally. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a system iron that does not have the disadvantages described above, more in particular to provide a safe fastening feature for the system iron.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

This object is achieved by features of the independent claim. Further developments and preferred embodiments of the invention are outlined in the dependent claims.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a system iron comprises an iron having a soleplate and a base for receiving the iron. The base comprises a fastening device for fastening the iron to the base and an actuating member is arranged discretely from the fastening device and is configured for actuating the fastening device. The actuating member, which is provided separately from the fastening device ensures that a user does not have to come in contact with a hot soleplate while fastening the iron to the base after an ironing operation. It can be done remotely by actuating the actuating member, which is away from the soleplate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the actuating member is situated at a distance of at least 15 mm from the soleplate when the soleplate rests on the base for ensuring a safe fastening by the user.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the actuating member is situated at a distance in the range of 20 mm - 30 mm from the soleplate when the soleplate rests on the base. This distance ensures that the user's hand is away from the hot soleplate while fastening the iron to the base.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the fastening device includes at least one engagement member for engaging front part of the iron and at least one engagement member for engaging rear part of the iron. This engagement not only allows free access to the handle of the iron for the transportation of the system iron but also uses the solidity of the iron with the integrated handle to support the entire weight of the system iron during transport.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the fastening device includes at least one engagement member for engaging front part of the soleplate and at least one engagement member for engaging rear part of the soleplate. This engagement firmly grips the iron to the base.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the actuating member has a knob, a switch, a push button, a cam and guide system and like for actuating the fastening device. The user to actuate the fastening device can easily operate any such system. The knob can be turned forward or backward to actuate the fastening device. The switch can be switched on or off to actuate the fastening device. The push button can be pushed forward or backward to actuate the fastening device and so on.

According to still another embodiment of the invention, the engagement member for engaging the front part is a fixed one and the engagement member for engaging the rear part is a movable one. The actuating member actuates the movable rear part. The iron

is secured to the base by engaging the front part of the iron and then pushing the rear part of the iron to the base. After the rear part of the iron is rested on the base, the actuating member is triggered to lock the rear part of the iron. This ensures a strong coupling between the iron and the base and further ensures a safe fastening as the actuating member locks the rear part. According to another embodiment of the invention, the base comprises a steam generator for generating steam required for an ironing operation. The steam generated in the steam generator is sent to the iron through a hose. The steam helps in removing creases from a garment to be ironed. As compared to a classical iron, the system iron is heavy as it has a steam generator. The above-mentioned fastening ensures the safe handling of the system iron.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the base is a portable base and the fastening device facilitates the system iron to be transportable as a single unit. This enables the system iron to be transported and stored safely after an ironing operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS: Figure 1 shows a system iron according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a front engagement member of the system iron of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a close up view of the front engagement member of Figure 2; Figure 4 shows a cross sectional view of the front engagement member of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows a rear engagement member for locking a soleplate of an iron to a base; Figure 6 shows the rear engagement member of Figure 5 when the iron is released from the base;

Figure 7 shows the rear engagement member of Figure 5 when the iron is engaged to the base;

Figure 8 shows a cross sectional view of the rear engagement member of Figure 5;

Figure 9 shows a back plate of an iron with a pocket; Figure 10 shows a base with a protruding tongue; Figure 11 shows an engagement of the iron with the base; Figure 12 shows a disengagement of the iron with the base; Figure 13 shows an exploded view of the rear engagement member; and

Figures 14a to 14c show the steps involved in fastening an iron to a base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. Where the term "comprising" is used in the present description and claims, it does not exclude other elements or steps. Where an indefinite or definite article is used when referring to a singular noun e.g. "a" or "an", "the", this includes a plural of that noun unless something else is specifically stated.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

As shown in Figure 1, the system iron 100 includes an iron 200, a base 300. The iron is provided with a handle 202, a housing 208, a soleplate 206 and a back plate 209. The base 300 includes a fastening device 250 which in turn comprises an engagement member 210 for engaging the front part of the iron 200 (hereinafter referred as front engagement member), an engagement member 220 for engaging the rear part of the iron 200 (hereinafter referred to as rear engagement member). An actuating member 225 is provided on the base 300 for actuating the rear engagement member 220. The base has a metal tray 305 on the top.

Figure 2 illustrates the front engagement member 210 and Figure 3 presents a close up view of the front engagement member 210. The front engagement member 210 inserts into a space between the soleplate 206 and the housing 208. Figure 4 shows a cross sectional view of the front engagement member. The soleplate 206 rests on resting pads 207 provided on the base 300.

Figure 5 shows a rear engagement member 220 (the metal tray 305 is removed from the base 300 for clarity of the figure). The rear engagement member 220 comprises a tongue 221, a cam 222. The actuating member 225 actuates the rear engagement member 220. Figure 6 shows a position of the tongue 221 when the iron 200 is disengaged from the base 300 whereas Figure 7 shows a position of the tongue 221 when the iron 200 is engaged to the base 300. Figure 8 shows a cross sectional view of the rear engagement member 220. The rear engagement member has a guide 223. The guide is to guide the movement of the tongue 221. The actuating member 225 protrudes from the base 300 and the guide 223 also guides the movement of the actuating member 225. The cam 222 is wedge shaped and the tongue 221 is coupled to the cam 222. This configuration of the rear engagement member 220 allows locking of the soleplate 206 of the iron 200 to the base 300.

Figure 9 shows a back plate 209 of the iron 200 with a pocket 211. Figure 10 shows a base 300 with a tongue 221. In Figure 11 the tongue 221 is protruded to engage with the pocket 211 of the back plate 209 whereas in Figure 12, the tongue 221 is retracted into the base 300 and disengages with the pocket 211 of the back plate 209. This configuration of the rear engagement member 220 allows locking of the housing 208 of the iron 200 to the base.

The exploded view of the rear engagement member 220 configured for locking the soleplate 206 is shown in Figure 13. Screws 226 and a compression spring 227 are used to fix the tongue 221.

Different stages involved in fastening the iron 200 safely to the base 300 are given in Figures 14a to 14c.

After the ironing operation, the iron 100 is fastened to the base 300 with the help of the fastening device 250. As a result, the user can lift, move or store the iron 200 along with the base 300 by just holding the handle 202 without getting in contact with the soleplate 206, which is generally very hot.

The iron 200 is engaged first by engaging the front part of the iron. The front engagement member 210 is preferably a fixed one as shown in Figures 1 to 4. The front engagement member 210 is a rigid protruding structure made of high temperature resistant plastic or silicone rubber with a reinforced metal structure. The thickness of the front engagement member 210 is such that it is suitable to be inserted into a space between the soleplate 206 and the housing 208. A plurality of resting pads 207 preferably made of silicone rubber is provided at the base 300. The soleplate will rest on these resting pads 207.

After the iron is rested on the resting pads 207, the rear part of the iron 200 is engaged to the base with the help of the rear engagement member 220. In one embodiment, the rear engagement member 220 engages the soleplate 206 as shown in Figures 5 to 8. The rear engagement member 220 is housed in the base 300. The rear engagement member 220 includes a cam 222, a guide 223 and a tongue 221. The cam 222 has a wedge shape. The actuating member 225, protruding from the base 300, actuates the rear engagement member

220. The actuating member 225 is coupled to the cam 222 or it is an integral part of the cam 222. The movement of the actuating member 225 thus moves the cam 222. The tongue 221 is also coupled to the cam 222. The tongue 221 is preferably made of high temperature resistant, high strength plastic. The guide 223 guides the protruding movement of the tongue 221 and also guides the cam's horizontal/lateral movement. The horizontal/lateral movement of the actuating member 225 creates a corresponding protruding movement of the tongue

221. This protruding tongue engages the iron 200 to the base 300 by occupying the place between the soleplate 206 and the housing 208. The thickness of the tongue 221 is such that it is suitable to be inserted into a space between the soleplate 206 and the housing 208.

While fastening the iron 200 to the base 300, a user positions the iron 200 to engage the front engagement member 210 and then rests the iron 200 on the resting pads 207. Next the user moves the actuating member 225 laterally to a position where the iron 200 gets engaged. The lateral movement of the actuating member 225 activates the protruding movement of the tongue 221 and the tongue 221 gets inserted into the space between the soleplate 206 and the housing 208. Thus the iron 200 gets locked to the base 300. This engaging allows the user to carry the iron 200 along with the base 300 by holding the handle 202 of the iron. When the actuating member is moved laterally to another backward position, the tongue retracts from the space between the soleplate 206 and the housing 208 and the iron 200 gets disengaged from the base 300.

In another embodiment, the rear engagement member 220 is configured to engage the housing 208 of the iron 200 as shown in Figures 9 to 12. A pocket 211 is provided in the back plate 209 of the iron 200. The tongue 221 is configured to be suitable to be inserted into the pocket 211, thus locking the back plate 209 to the base 300. The tongue 221 is preferably made of plastic of high strength and high wear resistance.

While fastening, a user positions the iron 200 to engage the front part of the iron 200 and then rests the iron 200 on the resting pads 207. Next the user laterally moves the actuating member 225 to a position where the iron 200 gets engaged. This lateral movement of the actuating member 225 activates the protruding movement of the tongue 221. The tongue 221 gets inserted into the pocket 211 of the back plate 209. Thus the iron 200 is locked to the base 300. This allows the user to carry the iron 200 along with the base 300 by holding the handle 202 of the iron 200. To disengage the iron 200 from the base 300, the user moves the actuating member 225 to a release position as shown in Figure 12. The tongue is retracted from the back plate, thus disengaging the iron 200 from the base 300.

Figures 14a to 14d demonstrate the method of fastening the iron 200 on to the base 300. As shown in Figure 14a, the iron is secured in front with the help of the engagement member 210. Then as shown in Figurer 14b, the rear part of the iron 200 is pushed down to the base. As the iron 200 rests on the base 300, the actuator 230 actuates the rear engagement member 220 as shown in Figure 14c. Now the iron 200 is ready to be safely stored.

It is to be understood that although preferred embodiments, specific constructions and configurations, as well as materials, have been discussed herein for devices according to the present invention, various changes or modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. For instance, the configuration of a fixed front engagement member and a moveable rear engagement member is only a preferred embodiment. It is possible to make the front moveable and the back fixed. It is also possible to lock front part of the housing.