FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a heating device in an iron, the latter provided with an ironing plate and used for ironing garments or fabrics in general. In particular, the heating device according to the present invention is of the irradiation type and has localized heating means to increase the heating temperature in correspondence with parts of the ironing plate that are not directly associated with the source that generates the heat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Irons are known, both of the electric type or steam, used for ironing fabrics and provided with an ironing plate, which is made and conformed so as to try to optimize the sliding of the iron on the fabric to be ironed.

Irons are also known in which the fabric to be ironed, and/or the ironing plate, are heated to a desired working temperature by means of an irradiation heating device.

Known irradiation heating devices normally comprise a plurality of infrared lamps disposed inside the iron.

Although these known solutions give good heating and heat yield, they have an irradiation action that is substantially localized on a determinate zone of the lower surface of the ironing plate, directly facing the lamps, causing dis-uniform temperatures in the zones corresponding to the end parts of the plate that cannot directly face the lamps.

This causes a reduced efficiency for ironing in difficult areas, such as for example the collars and cuffs of shirts, lapels or other, which are normally ironed with the tip of the plate.

Possible solutions with auxiliary, expanded or supplementary heating devices are not justified either with regard to the production costs, or to energy consumption.

One purpose of the present invention is to achieve a heating device for an iron which is simple and economical to make and which allows to ensure localized heating also in correspondence with parts of the plate not directly facing the lamps, so as to guarantee the possibility of ironing the fabrics efficiently even when using said parts.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purpose, a heating device according to the present invention is applied to an iron, in cooperation with the ironing plate of the iron.

The heating device comprises at least a plurality of irradiation lamps which are disposed in cooperation with a first portion of the ironing plate so as to irradiate a luminous radiation toward a corresponding heating zone of the ironing plate and therefore toward the fabric to be ironed.

According to a characteristic feature of the present invention, the heating device comprises localized heating means of the reflection type disposed in optical communication with the irradiation lamps through a radiation window, and oriented so as to direct at least part of the radiations emitted by the lamps toward another portion of the ironing plate, different from the first portion and not directly facing the lamp.

In this way, with the same irradiation lamps it is possible to irradiate at least one portion of the ironing plate not heated directly by the lamps, and even to uniformly cover, if necessary, substantially the whole lower surface of the plate. With the present invention, for example, it is possible to selectively convey the radiations irradiated by the lamps to the zone of the tip of the ironing plate, even if the tip does not have its own lamps directly associated.

Therefore, an iron provided with a heating device according to the present invention has all the advantages of irradiation heating, also using lamps, and at the same time allows to heat substantially the whole ironing plate, and is therefore efficient for ironing difficult zones.

The invention is applied advantageously to an iron which, in correspondence with certain portions of the ironing plate, at the tip, at the end or at the sides, has auxiliary devices that prevent and impede the positioning of specific heating elements. The auxiliary devices may be, for example, nozzles for spraying steam, water or additives, cooling elements, ventilators etc., some examples of which are described in parallel patent applications in the name of the present Applicant. According to a variant, the zone of the plate heated by reflection is inclined with respect to the zone subjected to direct heating so as to assume, during use, a position normally not in contact with the fabric to be ironed.

This inclined condition allows, on the one hand, a better lead-in to the fabric to be ironed, and on the other hand the possibility of inclining the iron, when necessary, to take only this zone into contact with the fabric so as to effect particular ironing operations.

In the particular condition in which the zone not directly heated corresponds to the tip of the ironing plate, the possibility of inclining the iron allows to promote the maneuverability of the iron in ironing difficult zones, such as the collars, lapels, parts near the buttons or others, guaranteeing in any case the correct heating temperature even at the tip, due to the effect of the reflection means.

Furthermore, by inclining the iron to allow the tip of the plate to be rested on the fabric, a different ironing pressure is applied which allows to obtain improved results.

According to a variant, the reflection means comprise at least a mirror surface disposed on at least one side with respect to the irradiation lamps and disposed inclined both with respect to the normal direction of irradiation and also with respect to the ironing plate, so as to direct part of the radiations emitted by the infrared lamps toward the desired position of the ironing plate, not directly facing the lamps.

This variant solution is particularly simplified and economical to make.

According to another variant, in which the radiations of the irradiation lamps are conveyed toward the tip of the ironing plate, the reflection means comprise two mirror surfaces disposed adjacent to each other, and each is disposed with an edge adjacent to a relative edge of the plate, in correspondence with the tip of the latter, so as to define a reflection compartment with a substantially pyramid conformation.

With this variant solution, a grid of reflected radiations is defined, guaranteeing a greater uniformity of reflection of the radiations on the tip of the ironing plate.

According to another variant, the irradiation lamps are disposed inside a relative housing compartment made inside the iron. In this variant solution the radiation window is made so as to put the housing compartment into optical communication with the reflection compartment, or with the mirror surface or surfaces of the reflection means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 shows schematically a lateral view, partly in section, of an iron in which a heating device according to the present invention is mounted;

- fig. 2 shows schematically a view from below of fig. 1 ;

- fig. 3 shows schematically a view of the iron in fig. 1, in a different operating condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL FORM OF

EMBODIMENT

With reference to the attached drawings, a heating device 10 according to the present invention is applied to an iron 1 1, which is provided with an ironing plate 12 for ironing a fabric 30.

In particular, the ironing plate 12 has a substantially pointed shape and is made of material with a vitreous base, such as for example glass-ceramic, which has transparent characteristics, that is, it is a material through which light radiations can pass through the whole of its thickness.

The heating device 10 comprises a plurality of irradiation lamps, advantageously infrared 16 of the halogen type, disposed in cooperation with a first central portion 12a of the ironing plate 12, to emit a desired quantity of heat through a lower surface 15 of the ironing plate 12.

In this case, the infrared lamps 16 are operatively disposed in a desired conformation inside a housing compartment 17, made inside the iron 1 1.

The lamps 16 thus occupy a limited part with respect to the surface of the ironing plate 12, while the remaining zones, the tip and the end, are not associated with heating sources, so that auxiliary devices such as nozzles, ventilators etc. may be disposed in correspondence with them.

The housing compartment 17 has a window 19, substantially triangular in shape, which defines an optical aperture of the housing compartment 17. In this case, the window 19 comprises a transparent glass and is open toward a zone 12b of the tip of the ironing plate 12.

The heating device 10 also comprises two mirror surfaces 20, disposed facing the window 19, outside the housing compartment 17, so as to capture a part of the infrared radiations emitted by the infrared lamps 16 and passing through the window 19.

The two mirror surfaces 20 are substantially triangular in shape and each comprise a first edge 21 adjacent to a corresponding first edge 21 of the adjacent mirror surface 20, a second edge 22 disposed adjacent to a relative edge of the ironing plate 12, in correspondence with the tip of the latter, and a third edge 23 disposed adjacent to a corresponding lateral edge of the window 19.

In this way a reflection compartment 25 is defined between the two mirror surfaces 20, the window 19 and the zone of the tip 12b of the ironing plate 12.

In this case, the reflection compartment 25 is substantially tetrahedral in shape.

In this conformation, each mirror surface 20 assumes a determinate inclination with respect to the zone of the tip 12b of the ironing plate 12, so that the radiations captured through the window 19 are reflected on the zone of the tip 12b, at different inclinations, so as to provide a uniform distribution of the radiations on the zone of the tip 12b of the ironing plate 12.

In this case, the zone of the tip 12b is inclined by a determinate angle a with respect to the central zone 12a.

This inclination allows to keep the zone of the tip 12b normally separate from the fabric 30, so as to define a lead-in for ironing the fabric.

Furthermore, the inclination of the zone of the tip 12b with respect to the central zone 12a allows a different ironing mode (fig. 3), in which the fabric 30 is contacted and ironed only by the zone of the tip 12b heated by the reflection actuated by the mirror surfaces 20.

In this operating condition it is possible to use effectively and exclusively only one specific zone 12b of the lower surface 15 of the ironing plate 12, improving the ironing conditions, in particular in difficult zones, such as collars, cuffs, lapels or others.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the heating device 10 and the iron 1 1 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

For example, it comes within the field of the present invention to provide that the mirror surfaces 20 and the window 19 are conformed and disposed to reflect the infrared radiations in the direction of another zone of the ironing plate 12, not directly irradiated by the infrared lamps 16 as happens for the central zone 12a. For example, the mirror surfaces 20 and the window 19 can be conformed to reflect the infrared radiations toward a rear zone, or toward one or more side zones, or different combinations of the zone of the tip 12b and other zones of the ironing plate 12.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of heating device in an iron, and relative iron, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.