Patent Application
20220364297
Clothes steamers dewrinkle clothes by turning regular tap water into steam. The hot steam is blown onto the wrinkled clothes loosening the bonds between the polymer molecules in the fabric. Steaming significantly reduces the appearance of wrinkles in clothes.
A garment steamer comprises a water tank, a long metal rod, and a heating element. It also includes a rubber hose that can be attached to remove lint and hair.
In operation, a user adds water to a tank and waits till the water coverts to vapor. The user hangs the garment for easy access. This vapor is applied to the garment via a rubber hose using soft sweeping motions.
There are different types of steamers. There is a standing clothes steamer, a travel clothes steamer, and a handheld clothes steamer. The standing clothes steamer is often used by professional steamers and are more expensive that the others. The travel clothes steamer may include a nozzle that is directly attached to the water tank, while other directly effect steam from its base. Handheld steamers take up less space. The handheld steamer features a large water well and incorporate mechanisms that are more powerful in steaming garments.
The present disclosure is an exemplary steamer for use in a home or otherwise. Notably, the exemplary steamer may be used on any wall or on a door casing. The exemplary steamer comprises a frame that couples to the wall or hangs over a door frame casing. The frame comprises a top horizontal beam, a bottom horizontal beam, and a vertical beam that attaches at one end to the top horizontal beam and that attaches at an opposing end to the bottom horizontal beam.
To couple the steamer frame to the wall, the top horizontal beam may comprise a fastener or it may comprise a suction cup that attaches to the wall. Likewise, the bottom horizontal beam may comprise a fastener or it may comprise a suction sup that attaches to the wall.
The vertical beam is moveably coupled to a steaming device. In this regard, the vertical beam comprises a channel in a face of the vertical beam. The channel extends vertically from a top of the vertical beam to a bottom of the vertical beam. The steaming device couples to the channel.
Further, the steaming device comprises a motor and a steam head. When the steamer is receiving electric current, the motor activates, and the steaming device moves vertically within the channel to the top of the vertical member and to the bottom of the vertical member. As the steaming device traverses the channel, steam is released through the steam head.
The frame further has an extension pole. The extension pole is coupled to the top of the vertical member. The extension pole comprises a first vertical member that extends upward from the vertical beam, a horizontal member that extends away from the vertical beam, and a second horizontal member that extends downward. The end of second horizontal member is a loop for receiving a clothes hangar in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The clothes hangar, which may be constructed of metal wire, comprises a hook. Further, the clothes hangar comprises a base section and two angular sections, which connect the base section to the hook. Extending downward on each side of the hangar are vertical sections. Note that the angular sections and the vertical sections are retractable. That is, the angular sections and the vertical sections may be extended or retracted based upon the clothing that is to be steamed.
As described, the hook of the clothes hangar is hung on the loop. Clothes are put over the clothes hangar. The steaming device is activated via plugging in the steamer or switching of a button. The steaming device moves vertically up and down steaming the clothes that are hung on the clothes hangar.
The pole 101 comprises a horizontal beam 110 that couples to a top of the vertical beam 106. Further the pole 101 comprises a vertical beam 111 that couples the horizontal beam 110 to a horizontal beam 113. At the end of the horizontal beam is a loop 113. The loop 113 is configured for receiving a clothes hangar, which is described further herein. In one embodiment, the pole 101 is extendable and retractable along the horizontal beam 101 as indicated by reference arrow 120.
The frame 104 comprises a top horizontal beam 104 and a bottom horizontal beam 107. The top horizontal beam 104 and the bottom horizontal beam 107 are coupled together by a vertical beam 106.
Each of the top horizontal beam 104 and the bottom horizontal beam 107 comprise fasteners 108 and 109, respectively. The fasteners 108, 109 may include any type of fastener known in the art including screws or nails. In addition, the fasteners 108, 109 may be suction cups that retain the steamer 100 on a wall 116.
The vertical beam 106 is coupled to a steaming device 117. In this regard, the front face 118 of the vertical beam 106 comprises a channel (not shown). The steaming device 117 comprises a control box 102 and a steam delivery cone 115. Within the control box 102 is a motor (not shown) that drives the steaming device 117 up and down in the channel as indicated by reference arrow 119. As the steaming device 117 moves up and down in the channel, it produces steam 103 that is sprayed outwardly to contact clothes that are hanging on the clothes hangar.
In one embodiment, the steamer 100 receives power from a wall outlet 121. However, power may be provided to the steamer 100 in other ways in other embodiments.
In operation, the steam delivery cone 115 coupled to the control box 102 travels up and down in the channel 201, as indicated by reference numeral 200. As the steam delivery cone 115 moves up and down in the channel 201, clothes hanging on the clothes hangar 114 (
Note that the angular sections 303 and 302 are retractable at retraction devices 305 and 304. Further, the vertical sections 310 and 309 are retractable at retraction devices 312 and 311. That is, the angular sections 303 and 302 and the vertical sections 312 and 311 may be extended or retracted based upon the clothing that is to be steamed.
Further note that the clothes hangar 114 further comprises clips 307 and 308. The clips 307 and 308 are configured to grasp a garment, e.g., pants, that do not necessarily go over angular sections 303 and 302.
As described, the hook 300 of the clothes hangar 114 is hung on the loop 113. Clothes are put over the clothes hangar 114. The steaming device 117 is activated via plugging in the steamer or switching of a button. The steaming device 117 moves vertically up and down steaming the clothes that are hung on the clothes hangar 114.
