Claims
- 1. A steam emitting device comprising a fluid reservoir, a vaporization chamber, first means in said chamber for heating and vaporizing fluid in the chamber, second means for delivering fluid to be vaporized from the reservoir into the chamber, said second means comprising a fluid delivery conduit between the reservoir and chamber, a valve in the conduit, and means for selectively moving said valve between a first closed position preventing fluid flow through said conduit and a second open position allowing fluid flow therethrough and third means for regulating fluid delivery through the valve, the third means comprising first and second elements fixedly attached to one another, the first element being in heat exchange relationship to the vaporization chamber and having the property of changing its shape when heated to a particular temperature, the temperature being the same as or in correspondence to the minimum temperature required of the first means for vaporizing fluid in the chamber; the second element having a fluid delivery passage through which fluid may be delivered from the conduit and through the valve into the vaporization chamber and said second element being movable by the first element in and out of contact with the valve, upon change of shape of the first element due to its temperature in relation to said required minimum temperature; and said second element being moved into contact with the valve by the first element when the first element is below said minimum temperature thereby preventing movement of said valve from its first closed position to its second open position and being moved out of contact with the valve by the first element when the first element is at or above said minimum temperature, to allow said valve to be moved from its first closed position to its second open position so that fluid may flow from said reservoir through said conduit and the delivery passage of said second element into the vaporization chamber, so that the third means allows fluid to be delivered to the vaporization chamber only when the first means is at or above the required minimum temperature.
- 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the vaporization chamber is a heating chamber having, as the first means, a heating element therein.
- 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the second means further includes a pump for forcing fluid under pressure from said reservoir through said conduit.
- 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the first and second elements are, respectively, a bimetallic disc and a fluid delivery tube.
- 5. The device of claim 4 wherein the disc is made of two distinct layers of metal joined together, the metal of each layer having a different coefficient of expansion and upon being heated and cooled expanding and contracting to change the shape of the disc.
- 6. The device of claim 4 wherein the tube has a flange portion on which the disc is journaled.
- 7. The device of claim 4 wherein the vaporization chamber has apertures through which the vaporized fluid is emitted from the device.
- 8. A steam curling iron comprising a fluid reservoir, a vaporization chamber, a heating element for vaporizing fluid in the chamber, a pump associated with said reservoir for pumping fluid to be vaporized from the reservoir into the chamber, a fluid delivery conduit for delivering pumped fluid to the chamber, a valve in the conduit normally biased to a first closed position preventing delivery of fluid through the conduit to the chamber and being movable to a second open position by the pressure of the pumped fluid to allow delivery of the fluid to the chamber, a bimetallic disc in heat exchanging relationship to the chamber, the disc having the property of changing its shape when heated to a particular temperature, the temperature being the same as or in correspondence to the minimum temperature required of the heating element for vaporizing the fluid, a fluid delivery tube, the tube having a flange portion about which the disc is fixed and said tube being movable by the disc in and out of contact with the valve, upon change of shape of the disc wherein when the disc is below said minimum temperature said tube is moved into contact with said valve to prevent movement of the valve from its first closed position to its second open position, and when the disc is at or above said minimum temperature said tube is moved out of contact with said valve by the change in shape of said disc thereby allowing the valve to be moved by the pressure of its second open position so that the fluid may flow from the reservoir through the conduit and the fluid delivery tube into the chamber whereby the bimetallic disc allows fluid to be delivered to the vaporization chamber only when the vaporization chamber is at or above the required minimum temperature.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 768,670, filed Feb. 14, 1977 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
768670 |
Feb 1977 |
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