Ironing Appliance With Cordless Iron And Charging Base

This invention relates to an ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron comprising a heating soleplate with an ironing surface designed to come into contact with the clothing and a recharging base on which the iron is placed during the inactive ironing phases. The invention relates more specifically to an appliance comprising a hydraulic connector comprising a first part attached to the charging base and a second part attached to the iron.

Patent application EP3380767 describes an ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron and a charging base on which the iron is placed during the inactive ironing phases. In this document, the appliance comprises a hydraulic connector enabling water to be transferred from a reservoir on the base to a reservoir mounted on the iron, the hydraulic connector comprising a first part attached to the charging base and a second part attached to the iron.

Such a hydraulic connection enables the reservoir on the iron to be refilled with water from the base each time the iron is placed on the base, thus making it possible to use a low-capacity reservoir on the iron and hence to have a lightweight iron, while retaining a high level of operating autonomy.

However, in this document, the hydraulic connector is complex to manufacture and calls for relatively high coupling forces. There is thus a risk that the hydraulic connector may not be adequately coupled if the iron is gently placed on its base without the user exerting sufficient downward pressure. This results in an unreliable hydraulic connection and a relatively high risk of leakage.

Accordingly, one purpose of the present invention is to provide an ironing appliance that remedies these drawbacks, and in particular an ironing appliance that limits the risk of inadequate hydraulic connection when the iron is resting on its base.

To this end, the invention relates to an ironing appliance comprising a cordless iron having a soleplate with an ironing surface designed to come into contact with the clothing and a charging base on which the iron is placed during the inactive ironing phases, the appliance comprising a hydraulic connector having a first part attached to the charging base and a second part attached to the iron, characterized in that the appliance comprises a magnetic attraction device generating a force that helps connect the first part and the second part of the hydraulic connector.

The appliance thus created offers the advantage of featuring a magnetic attraction device that helps ensure that the hydraulic connector is effectively coupled when the iron is placed on the charging base.

This provides a highly ergonomic appliance with a more reliable connection.

According to another feature of the invention, the force generated by the magnetic attraction device ensures the stable equilibrium of the iron in a charging position in which the iron is hydraulically connected to the base by the connector and the soleplate is only in contact with the ambient air, the charging position corresponding to a position in which the iron would be unstable without the magnetic attraction device.

Such a feature helps keep the base from overheating due to contact with the soleplate.

According to another feature of the invention, the ironing surface is flat.

According to another feature of the invention, the charging base is designed to rest on a work surface, such as an ironing board, the ironing surface being, in the charging position, sloped at an angle a comprised between 0° and 45°, and preferentially comprised between 9° and 20°, relative to the work surface.

Such a feature provides optimized user ergonomics, as the slight angle of the iron in the charging position helps keep the user's wrist from twisting excessively when connecting and/or disconnecting the iron.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the magnetic attraction device is incorporated in the first part of the hydraulic connector and in the second part of the hydraulic connector.

Such a feature enables the magnetic forces to be generated directly between the first part and the second part of the connector, thus optimizing the coupling.

According to another feature of the invention, the first part of the hydraulic connector and the second part of the hydraulic connector comprise at least one ring-shaped permanent magnet.

Preferentially, each magnet has a rating of at least 0.6 T.

According to another feature of the invention, the first part of the hydraulic connector comprises a raised upper surface with a rotational shape that engages in a matching cavity on the underside of the second part of the hydraulic connector.

Such a feature has the advantage of mechanically centering the two parts of the hydraulic connector, while allowing the first part of the hydraulic connector to rotate freely on the second part of the hydraulic connector.

According to another feature of the invention, the iron comprises a housing on top of the soleplate that comprises a rear part that extends like a cantilever behind the soleplate, and in that the second part of the connector is mounted on the rear part of the iron.

Such a construction makes it possible to have a second part of the hydraulic connector that is arranged in a part that is relatively far from the soleplate, thereby keeping it from overheating.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the second part of the hydraulic connector is mounted on a lower surface of the cantilevered rear part.

Such a construction makes it possible to have a second part of the hydraulic connector that is concealed when the iron is resting on its soleplate, providing better protection against foreign objects and also improving the aesthetics of the iron.

According to another feature of the invention, the iron comprises a first water reservoir and the base comprises a second water reservoir, the base comprising a pump enabling water to be transferred from the second water reservoir to the first water reservoir through the hydraulic connector when the iron is resting on the base.

According to another feature of the invention, the appliance also comprises an electrical connector comprising a first part attached to the charging base and a second part attached to the iron.

According to another feature of the invention, the second part of the electrical connector is positioned above the second part of the hydraulic connector when the iron is resting on its soleplate.

Such a feature keeps water from leaking out of the second part of the hydraulic connector and gravitating onto the second part of the electrical connector when the iron is in the operating position, that is, resting on its base. This reduces the risk of causing a short-circuit when the iron is subsequently connected to its charging base.

According to another feature of the invention, the second part of the electrical connector is mounted on a rear surface of the cantilevered rear part of the iron.

According to another feature of the invention, the electrical connector comprises a presence sensor that detects the presence of the second part of the electrical connector against the first part of the electrical connector.

According to another feature of the invention, the presence sensor controls the power supply to the first part of the electrical connector only when the first part and the second part of the electrical connector are fitted together.

Such a feature makes it possible to avoid the risk of short-circuiting and/or of electrocution by contact with the first part of the connector when the iron is disconnected from the charging base.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base comprises a lower surface designed to rest on the work surface and the first part of the hydraulic connector is positioned at the top of an access ramp that descends towards the lower surface, the access ramp enabling the iron to be transferred from the work surface to the base by sliding it along the access ramp.

Such a feature makes it possible to optimize the user ergonomics when connecting and/or disconnecting the iron to the base.

According to another feature of the invention, the base comprises a fastening device enabling it to be immobilized on the work surface.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base comprises a power cable with a plug for electrical connection to a household power supply network.

According to another feature of the invention, the iron is a steam iron.

According to another feature of the invention, the iron comprises a steam chamber fed by a reservoir mounted on the iron.

According to another feature of the invention, the iron soleplate comprises steam outlet holes.

The purposes, aspects and advantages of the present invention, according to the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention, presented by way of non-limiting example, will be better understood by referring to the attached drawings in which:

Only those elements required in order to understand the invention have been depicted. In order to facilitate interpretation of the drawings, the same elements are labeled with the same references across all the figures.

It should be noted that in this document, the terms “horizontal,” “vertical,” “lower,” “upper,” “top,” and “bottom” used to describe the iron refer to this iron when in use with the ironing soleplate resting on a horizontal plane.

,andshow an ironing appliance comprising a cordless ironand a charging baseon which the ironis designed to rest during the inactive ironing phases to allow power transfer between the baseand the iron.

The ironcomprises a conventional soleplatewith a flat ironing surface, the soleplatebeing surmounted by a housing fitted with a gripping handle.

The soleplateis in contact with a heating elementmade of cast aluminum, shown only in, fitted with an electrical resistorwith a rating of at least 1,400 W, and preferentially of the order of 2,000 W, the heating elementcomprising a steam chamberclosed in its upper part by a metal covercomprising a water injection nozzlenear its front end.

The steam chamberis supplied with water by a first pumparranged in the iron housing, the pumpdrawing water from a first water reservoirarranged in the iron housingfor delivery to the steam chamber, the first water reservoircomprising, in its lower rear part, an outlet portA which is connected by a pipe, not shown in the figures, to the first pump.

The operation of the first pumpis controlled, in a manner known per se, by a triggerlocated under the handle, preferably near its front end, the first pumpbeing connected by a pipeto an inlet port of the water injection nozzle, the overall assembly being sized to allow for the production of a steam flow rate on the order of 35 gr/min when the first pumpis in operation.

The basecomprises a lower surfacedesigned to rest on a work surface, such as an ironing board, and includes an access rampcomprising a peripheral lower edgeflush with the work surface, the baseadvantageously comprising a weight and/or a fastening flange, not shown, ensuring its immobilization on the work surface.

Advantageously, the access rampis laterally enclosed by two side wallswhich between them delimit a receiving housing with a shape matching that of the rear part of the iron.

The basealso comprises a power cable, not shown in the figures, enabling it to be connected to a household power supply network, and includes a stopagainst which a rear partof the iron bears, extending as a cantilever behind the soleplateand fitting between the two side walls.

To enable electrical connection of the basewith the iron, the stopcomprises a first partof an electrical connector designed to be electrically connected to a second partof the electrical connector mounted on the iron.