1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ironing station.
2. Description of the Related Art
Laundry appliances, such as washing machines and clothes dryers, for cleaning fabric items are commonly housed in one area of a home, such as a dedicated laundry room. Basic laundry care and cleaning of fabric items requires washing and drying fabric items. Additional laundry care can require other steps, including ironing to remove or reduce wrinkles in fabric items.
Ironing is often done away from the laundry room, since many laundry rooms have space restrictions that prohibit the user from setting up an ironing board and ironing fabric items within the laundry room. Most irons must be plugged into an electrical outlet for power, thus further limiting the area in which ironing can be accomplished. Some cordless irons are available to consumers, but these irons require a recharging stand that must be set up and plugged into an electrical outlet.
Laundry aids and equipment used during ironing are stored when not in use, and it is advantageous to the user to store these items near the location where they are used. Some users use separate storage means, such as shelving systems, cabinets, or cupboards, that are added to a laundry room to the often limited area not already utilized by the washing machine or clothes dryer. These separate storage means can lend a haphazard appearance the laundry room, especially when compared to a matched-set washing machine and clothes dryer.
Ironing requires additional equipment, including an iron and ironing board and can require one or more laundry aids. A laundry aid is a substance or agent used to clean or care for fabric items, such as, but not limited to, a laundry detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, bleach, spray-dewrinkler, starch, or other substance used for cleaning or caring for fabric items.
According to one aspect of the invention, an ironing station comprises a cabinet having spaced side walls connected by a top wall to at least partially define an interior space accessible through an open face of the cabinet, a storage area defined within the interior space of the cabinet and accessible through the open face, an ironing board stowably mounted to the cabinet for selective movement between a stowed and a use position, and a docking station provided on the top wall of the cabinet for receiving an iron.
The docking station can comprise a power supply to provide power to the iron. The power supply can automatically supply power to the iron when the iron is received by the docking station. The iron can be a cordless iron. The docking station can support the iron on the top wall of the cabinet. The docking station can be formed in the top wall of the cabinet.
The ironing board can be received within the interior space of the cabinet in the stowed position. The ironing board can be slidably mounted to the cabinet. A support carrying the ironing board can be slidably mounted to the cabinet. The ironing board can be mounted to the support for movement in an least one of a linear and rotational movement. The ironing board can be mounted to the support for both linear and rotational movement. A front panel can be pivotally mounted to the support for movement between an up position for hiding the ironing board when the ironing board is in the stowed position and a down position for moving the ironing board relative to the support.
A portion of the ironing board can be pivotally mounted to the cabinet to enable movement between the stowed and use positions. The portion of the ironing board can form a generally continuous surface with the top wall of the cabinet when in the stowed position. The ironing board can be formed by a leaf pivotally mounted to the cabinet and a portion of the top wall of the cabinet. The leaf can overlie the portion of the top wall when the ironing board is in the stowed position. A support can be mounted to the cabinet for supporting the leaf when the ironing board is in the stowed position.
The storage area can comprise a drawer or multiple drawers slidably mounted to the cabinet for movement through the open face. The storage area can comprise a door that selectively closes a portion of the open face of the cabinet. The storage area can comprise both a drawer slidably mounted to the cabinet for movement through the open face and a door that selectively closes a portion of the open face of the cabinet.
According to another aspect of the invention, an ironing station comprises a cabinet having spaced side walls connected by a top wall to at least partially define an interior space accessible through an open face of the cabinet, a storage area defined within the interior space of the cabinet and accessible through the open face, an ironing board stowably mounted to the cabinet for selective movement between a stowed position where the ironing board is at least partially stored within the interior space and a use position, and a docking station mounted to the cabinet for receiving an iron.
The docking station can comprise a power supply to provide power to the iron. The power supply can automatically supply power to the iron when the iron is received by the docking station. The iron can be a cordless iron. The docking station can support the iron on the top wall of the cabinet. The docking station can be formed in the top wall of the cabinet.
The ironing board can be slidably mounted to the cabinet. A support carrying the ironing board can be slidably mounted to the cabinet. The ironing board can be mounted to the support for movement in an least one of a linear and rotational movement. The ironing board can be mounted to the support for both linear and rotational movement. A front panel can be pivotally mounted to the support for movement between an up position for hiding the ironing board when the ironing board is in the stowed position and a down position for moving the ironing board relative to the support.
The storage area can comprise a drawer or multiple drawers slidably mounted to the cabinet for movement through the open face. The storage area can comprise a door that selectively closes a portion of the open face of the cabinet. The storage area can comprise both a drawer slidably mounted to the cabinet for movement through the open face and a door that selectively closes a portion of the open face of the cabinet.
In the drawings:
Referring to the drawings,
Referring to
Referring to
The support 32 further comprises a front panel 52 that is pivotally mounted to the forward end of the platform 38 and is pivotable between an up position, where the front panel 52 is generally perpendicular to the platform 38, as shown in
An exemplary description of the operation of the ironing board 30 follows. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill that the operation procedure can proceed in any logical order and is not limited to the sequence presented below. The following description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the invention in any manner.
Referring to
Referring to
The ironing station 10 further comprises a storage area defined within the interior space of the cabinet 12 that is accessed through an open face of the cabinet 12, for example, an open face formed in the front wall 14. Referring to
The drawers 70, 72, 74, 76 will now be described with reference to the lowermost drawer 70, however, the description is applicable to the other drawers 72, 74, 76. The drawer 70 comprises a drawer body 78 defining a storage space 80 with an open top allowing the user to access the storage space 80 when the drawer 70 is extended from the cabinet 12. A front panel 82 is further joined to the front of the drawer body 78 using any suitable fastening means. The front panel 82 has a handle 84 integrally formed along the top edge of the front panel 82 to enable the user to pull the drawer 70 out from the cabinet 12 to access the storage space 80. The drawer 70 can be mounted to slidably open from the front wall 14 of the cabinet 12 using any suitable mounting means. For example, a pair of runners 86 can be attached to the outer surfaces of the drawer body 78 that interact with a corresponding pair of tracks (not shown) attached to the inside surface of the left and right side walls 18, 20 of the cabinet 12.
The width and depth of the drawers 70, 72, 74, 76 are such that the drawers 70, 72, 74, 76 can fit within the cabinet 12. The height of the drawers 70, 72, 74, 76 can vary, thus providing different amount of storage by varying the size of the storage space 80 in each drawer 70, 72, 74, 76 and allowing selective drawers to be easily accessed when the ironing board 30 is in the use position. The lowermost drawer 70 is preferably of a height where, for example, a laundry aid such as a bottle of detergent can stand upright in the drawer 70 without having to lie on a side, and the storage space 80 of the drawer 70 can be easily accessed when then ironing board 30 is in the use position. The preferred height for the lower drawer 70 is about 14.25″. The upper three drawers 72, 74, 76 can be of lesser heights than the lower drawer 70. The preferred height for the upper three drawers 72, 74, 76 is about 5.25″. While the drawers 72, 74 are easily accessible when the ironing board 30 is in the use position, the topmost drawer 76 is not.
The drawers 70, 72, 74, 76 can be used to provide needed storage for laundry aids and additional equipment. A laundry aid is a substance or agent used to clean or care for fabric items, such as, but not limited to, a laundry detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, bleach, spray-dewrinkler, or other substance used for cleaning fabric items. Additional equipment required for laundry care can include items such as hangers and hanging rods for hanging fabric items, and mesh-screens for flat-drying. The drawers 70, 72, 74, 76 can also be used to store the iron 60 when the iron 60 is not in use or received by the docking station 58.
According to a second embodiment of the invention shown in
The ironing station 10′ can further comprise a support 96 mounted to the cabinet 12′ for supporting the leaf 90 when the ironing board 30′ is in the use position. The support 96 can be mounted to slidably open from the front wall 14′ of the cabinet 12′ using any suitable mounting means. The support 96 can be positioned in the cabinet 12′ beneath the ironing board 30′ and can comprise a platform 98 on which the leaf 90 rests in the use position. A front panel 100 can be pivotally mounted to the forward end of the platform 98 and is pivotable between an up position, where the front panel 100 is generally perpendicular to the platform 98, as shown in
An exemplary description of the operation of the ironing board 30′ follows. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill that the operation procedure can proceed in any logical order and is not limited to the sequence presented below. The following description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the invention in any manner.
Referring to
Referring to
The height of the door 102 and the drawers 70′, 72′ can vary, thus providing different amount of storage by varying the size of the respective storage spaces 104, 80′. The door 102 is preferably of a height where, for example, a laundry aid such as a bottle of detergent can stand upright in the storage space 104 without having to lie on a side. The preferred height for the door 102 is about 14.25″. The drawers 70′, 72′ can be of a lesser height than the door 102. The preferred heights for the drawers 70′, 72′ are about 5.25.
The ironing station 10, 10′ of the present invention is particularly suitable as part of a laundry system, as disclosed in application Ser. No. 11/323,125, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Horizontal Modules,” application Ser. No. 11/322,715, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Horizontal Module Spanning Two Laundry Appliances,” application Ser. No. 11/323,221, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Horizontally Arranged Cabinet Module,” application Ser. No. 11/322,739, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Horizontal and Vertical Modules,” application Ser. No. 11/323,075, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Vertical Module,” application Ser. No.11/323,147, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Cabinet Module,” application Ser. No. 11/323,742, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Laundry Module for Modular Laundry System,” application Ser. No. 11/323,220, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Work Surface,” application Ser. No. 11/323,773, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Segmented Work Surface,” application Ser. No. 11/323,741, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Work Surface Having a Functional Insert,” application Ser. No. 11/323,740, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Work Surface Having a Functional Element,” and application Ser. No. 11/323,658, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Modular Laundry System with Shelf Module,” which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The laundry system can comprise at least one laundry appliance and examples of the laundry appliance include, but are not limited to, a washing machine, including top-loading, front-loading, vertical axis, and horizontal axis washing machines, a dryer, such as a tumble dryer, including top-loading dryers and front-loading dryers, a combination washing machine and dryer, a tumbling refreshing machine, an extractor, and a non-aqueous washing apparatus. An exemplary non-aqueous washing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0155393, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The laundry system can also comprise a vertical laundry module and examples of suitable vertical laundry modules are disclosed in application Ser. No. 11/323,867, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Vertical Laundry Module,” application Ser. No. 11/322,943, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Vertical Laundry Module with Backsplash,” and application Ser. No. 11/322,944, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Sink Station with Cover,” which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The laundry system can also comprise a horizontal laundry module and examples of suitable horizontal laundry modules are disclosed in application Ser. No. 11/322,502, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Non-Tumble Clothes Dryer,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The laundry appliance, vertical laundry module, and/or horizontal laundry module can further comprise a hanging element, such as is disclosed in application Ser. No. 11/322,503, filed concurrently herewith, and titled “Retractable Hanging Element,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Referring to
As shown in
While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.
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