Steam Pressing Iron With Automatic Condensate Removal

Abstract

An improvement in a steam powered pressing iron, in which steam is supplied by a boiler. The steam collects in a steam chamber inside a body 5, and heats the iron. A lever 8 is depressed by a thumbpad 9 to actuate a steam discharge valve 10. The steam discharge valve 10 discharges the steam to a garment being pressed. The improvement includes a steam trap valve 36. The steam trap valve discharges condensate to a discharge return connector 38, through the return hose to the boiler. The steam trap valve 36 is a thermodynamic steam trap, for preventing the flow of hot steam back to the boiler. But when in contact with cold condensate, the steam trap valve 36 automatically permits the flow of condensate back to the boiler. Cold condensate is automatically purged from the iron without operator intervention.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The Present invention relates to an improvement in a commercial steam powered pressing iron, as is typically used by dry cleaners, and commercial pressing operations.

2. Related Art

Prior art is shown in FIG. 1. In using a conventional steam iron, the Operator must manually open an exhaust valve to get rid of condensate, and close the exhaust valve to block steam, to prevent wasting steam. When the operator opens the valve, it emits, not only condensate, but also a huge amount of pressurized steam back to boiler.

If the operator doesn't open the valve often, condensates comes out through vents in the iron and may stain the fabrics being ironed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the present invention, the Operator doesn't have to manually open and close a return valve, because a thermodynamic automatic discharging valve detects steam and condensate. When the thermodynamic automatic discharging valve is in contact with condensate, the valve permits the flow of condensate back to the boiler's return tank.

But when the Thermodynamic automatic discharging valve is in contact with pressurized steam, the valve traps the steam inside the iron, to prevent steam from being wasted by discharging back to the boiler's return tank.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an oblique perspective view of a conventional steam iron of the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of an improved steam iron of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an upper side view of said steam iron of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a detail of an automatic steam trap valve of the present invention, with the button portion removed to show the underlying structure.

FIG. 5 is an oblique perspective view of the button valve and cap not shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an oblique perspective view of the opposite sides thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional Iron

FIG. 1 shows a conventional steam powered iron 2c.

Steam is supplied by a boiler through a steam hose, to a steam connection 4. Steam collects in a steam chamber inside body 5, and heats the iron 2c. Lever 8 is depressed by thumbpad 9 to actuate steam discharge valve 10. This discharges the steam, under its steam pressure through a plenum to a plurality of vents 12 (FIG. 2) in bottom 14 of the iron, applying steam to the garment being pressed. As long as the steam is liberally discharged, the iron 2c remains hot and full of steam. But if the iron 2c sits idle for a while, heat is lost to the atmosphere, and the steam, giving up its heat of vaporization, condenses.

It is not desirable to wet the garment with liquid water, when the steam is discharged. So the condensate should be purged. Manual turn valve 16 is therefore opened by the operator, to discharge the condensate through a condensate connector through a second hose, a condensate return hose, to the boiler for re-boiling. This involves some inefficiencies. The operator must manually open the exhaust valve 16 to get rid of condensate, and close the exhaust valve 16 to block steam return, to prevent wasting steam.

When operator opens the valve 16, it emits, not only condensate, but also a huge amount of pressurized steam back to boiler. This also wastes expensive steam. If the operator doesn't open the valve 16 often, condensates come out through vents 12 (FIG. 2). Condensates may carry dissolved materials from the steam system, such as rust or other metal oxides. Such vented condensates may make stains on the fabric being ironed.

Also, in the conventional iron 2c, the fact that: the steam hose attaches at the connector 4 on the side of the iron 2c, while the return line attaches at the back of the iron 2c near valve 16, makes for some awkwardness in maneuvering the iron 2c and the hoses, because the two hoses attach to different points on the iron 2c and apply different forces to different sides of the iron 2c, depending on the direction of the iron's 2c movement and on the way in which the different hoses have been differently deployed. The conventional iron 2c may tend to yaw from such forces.

But placement of the hot steam intake connector 4 away from the discharge valve 16, where the operator's hand must go frequently, helps avoid accidental hand contact with the hot steam intake.

THE PRESENT INVENTION

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose at least one embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

The bottom of the iron shown in FIG. 2 is the same for the prior art and for the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts an improved iron 2 of the present invention.

Steam connector 24 is preferably located on the back 26 of body 5.

Instead of the manual turn valve 16 of prior art conventional iron 2c (FIG. 1), the improved iron 2 (FIG. 3), of present invention, uses a steam trap valve 36, to automatically discharge condensate to discharge return connector 38, through the return line, and to the boiler.

The operator doesn't have to manually open and close a discharge valve because the thermodynamic automatic discharging valve 36 detects steam and condensate.

When valve 36 is in contact with condensate, valve 36 permits the flow of condensate back to boiler's return tank.

When valve 36 is in contact with pressurized steam, valve 36 traps the steam inside iron 2, to prevent steam from going back to the boiler's return tank. Valve 36 is a thermodynamic steam trap, sometimes called a disc or button type steam trap valve. As in FIG. 4, valve 36 comprises:

• • a valve body 40,
  • threaded return connector 38,
  • valve seat 42,
  • and cap threads 44 (FIG. 4);to which cap threads 44 is screwed cap 46, as seen in FIGS. 5 & 6.

Button or disc 48 is captive between seat 42 and cap 46 when cap 46 is screwed in place by its threads 50 to threads 44 of FIG. 4, and is thereby assembled to valve 36 as shown in FIG. 3.

Disc 48 is located between the cap 46 and the valve seat 42, in a chamber formed thereby.

Steam causes the disc 48 to seat against the valve seat 42, thus preventing a loss of the steam from the hot iron through the return hose.

But condensate pushes the disc 48 from the valve seat 42, thus permitting draining of the condensate from the iron 2 through the return hose.

So, this valve 36 automatically drains the condensate from the iron 2 through the return hose.

Button valve 36, also known as a disc valve, prevents the flow of steam back to the boiler. But when in contact with cold condensate, valve 36 automatically permits the flow of condensate through valve 36, out return connector 38, through the return hose, to the boiler.

Unlike the prior art valve 16 of FIG. 1, no manual valve turning is needed to open valve 36 (FIGS. 3-6). Condensate is automatically purged from the iron 2 without operator intervention.

Thus the iron 2 is always ready to use instantly, whenever there is a steam supply attached.

A further advantage of the present iron 2 is that steam connector 24 is located on the back 26 of body 5. This makes for a more maneuverable hose arrangement, with both hoses attaching to connectors 24 & 36 located near each other. This makes the two hoses apply more consistent forces to the iron 2 when the iron is being moved. Said intake hose and return hose thus both apply similar forces to the iron 2 as said iron is moved across the work surface, thereby minimizing horizontal twisting forces on said iron, and thereby minimizing a tendency of said iron to yaw from hose-dragging forces.

The advantages of, and claims to, the improved disc type steam trap valve do not require any specific location for the intake connector 24.

However, the trap valve 36 does obviate the need to turn a valve 16 by hand. So it makes the location of the hot steam intake 24, on the back 5 of the iron 2, more attractive than it would be if an operator's hand needed to be brought frequently near the hot steam intake 24, to discharge condensate by turning a manual valve such as valve 16.

Claims

1. A steam powered pressing iron, which receives steam from a boiler through a steam intake hose, to a steam intake connector; said boiler is capable of receiving condensate from the iron through a return hose;said steam collects in a steam chamber inside a body 5, and heats the iron;a lever 8 is depressed by a thumbpad 9 to actuate a steam discharge valve 10;said steam discharge valve 10 discharges the steam, under its steam pressure through a plenum to a plurality of vents 12 in a bottom 14 of the iron 2, applying steam to a garment being pressed;an improvement comprising:a steam trap valve, to discharge condensate from the iron to a discharge return connector 38, through the return hose to the boiler.

2. A steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 1 in which: the steam trap valve 36 is a thermodynamic steam trap, for preventing the flow of steam back to the boiler;but for, when in contact with cold condensate, automatically permitting the flow of condensate through the steam trap valve 36, out return connector 38, through the return hose, to the boiler.

3. A steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 1 in which: the steam trap valve 36 is a thermodynamic steam trap, sometimes called a disc type steam trap valve, which comprises: a valve body 40,a threaded return connector 38,a valve seat 42,and cap threads 44;to which the cap threads 44 are screwed a cap 46;a disc 48 is captive between the valve seat 42 and the cap 46 when the cap 46 is screwed in place by its threads 50 to threads 44, and is thereby assembled to valve 36;disc valve 36 prevents the flow of steam back to the boiler;but when in contact with cold condensate, valve 36 automatically permits the flow of condensate through valve 36, out return connector 38, through the return hose, to the boiler.

4. A steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 1 in which: no manual valve turning is needed to open valve 36; andthe cold condensate is automatically purged from the iron without operator intervention.

5. A steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 1 in which: the steam connector 24, is located on a back 26 of the body 5; with both the intake hose and the return hose attaching near each other on the back 26.

6. A steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 3 in which: no manual valve turning is needed to open valve 36; andthe cold condensate is automatically purged from the iron without operator intervention;the steam connector 24, is located on a back 26 of the body 5; with both the intake hose and the return hose attaching near each other.

7. A steam powered pressing iron, in which: steam is supplied by a boiler through a steam intake hose, to a steam connector;said steam collects in a steam chamber inside a body 5, and heats the iron;said boiler is capable of receiving condensate from the iron through a return hose;a lever 8 is depressed by a thumbpad 9 to actuate a steam discharge valve 10;said steam discharge valve 10 discharges the steam, under its steam pressure through a plenum to a plurality of vents 12 in a bottom 14 of the iron 2, applying steam to a garment being pressed;an improvement comprising:the steam connector 24, located on a back 26 of the body 5; with both the steam intake hose and the return hose attaching near each other, at the back 26 of the body 5, to facilitate smooth movement of the iron.

8. In a method of operating a steam powered pressing iron, comprising the following steps: steam is supplied by a boiler through a steam intake hose, to a steam connector 24;said steam collects in a steam chamber inside a body 5, and heats the iron;a lever 8 is depressed by a thumbpad 9 to actuate a steam discharge valve 10;said steam discharge valve 10 discharges the steam, under its steam pressure through a plenum to a plurality of vents 12 in a bottom 14 of the iron 2, applying steam to a garment being pressed;an improvement comprises the following step:a steam trap valve 36 discharges condensate to discharge return connector 38, through the return hose to the boiler.

9. A method of operating a steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 8, in which the steam trap valve 36 is a thermodynamic steam trap, sometimes called a disc type steam trap valve, which comprises: a valve body 40,a threaded return connector 38,a valve seat 42,and cap threads 44;

10. A method of operating a steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 8, including a step of moving said iron across a work surface; the improvement includes the steps of:locating the steam connector 24, at a back 26 of the body 5;locating the threaded return connector 38, near the steam connector 24 at the back 26 of the body 5;said intake hose and a return hose thus both apply similar forces to the iron as said iron is moved across the work surface, thereby minimizing horizontal twisting forces on said iron, and thereby minimizing a tendency of said iron to yaw from hose-dragging forces.

11. A method of operating a steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 9, including a step of moving said iron across a work surface; the improvement includes the steps of:locating the steam connector 24, at a back 26 of the body 5;locating the threaded return connector 38, near the steam connector 24 at the back 26 of the body 5;said intake hose and a return hose thus both apply similar forces to the iron as said iron is moved across the work surface, thereby minimizing horizontal twisting forces on said iron, and thereby minimizing a tendency of said iron to yaw from hose-dragging forces.

12. A method of operating a steam powered pressing iron, according to claim 11, comprising the steps of: locating a disc 48 between the cap 46 and the valve seat 42, in a chamber formed thereby,said steam causing the disc 48 to seat against the valve seat 42,thus preventing a loss of the steam from the hot iron through the return hose;butsaid condensate pushing the disc 48 from the valve seat 42, thus permitting draining of the condensate from the iron through the return hose;automatically draining the condensate from the iron through the return hose.