IP Library Granted Patent US 7,490,423
Granted Patent B2
US 7,490,423 · App. 11/311,157 · Granted Feb 17, 2009

Electric iron

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,490,423
App. No.
11/311,157
Granted
Feb 17, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

This invention relates to a kind of electric iron for eliminating wrinkles from clothes and other materials. The electric iron has an ironing seat, which is composed of a soleplate, an ironing surface on the soleplate, and a heater that heats the soleplate. There are heater-shaped dented portions on the ironing surface where the heater is installed. This invention, with this structure, reduces a contacting area between the ironing surface close to the heater and clothes or other materials to be ironed, thus changing an uneven distribution of temperature on the ironing surface. Further, for a steam electric iron, steam sprayed out of steam outlets in a soleplate spreads to areas away from a heater through dented portions, thereby resulting in an effect of wrinkle elimination.

Claims (54)

1. An electric iron comprising:

an ironing seat including a soleplate defining an ironing surface, and a heater for heating said soleplate; and

steam outlets on said ironing surface,

wherein dented portions are on said ironing surface and arranged in a configuration such that said dented portions are positioned on at least one side of a line passing through a front end and a rear end of said ironing surface, with none of said dented portions having a steam outlet positioned therein, and

wherein said heater has a shape that corresponds to said configuration in which said dented portions are arranged.

2. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

each of said dented portions includes at least one of

(i) at least one pit, and

(ii) at least one groove.

3. The electric iron according to claim 2 , wherein

said at least one pit is one of circular and oval.

4. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

a central part of said ironing surface is free from any dented portion.

5. The electric iron according to claim 4 , wherein

said central part of said ironing surface is one of planar and curved.

6. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

a rear part of said ironing surface, extending for a full width of said ironing surface, is free from any dented portion.

7. The electric iron according to claim 6 , wherein

said rear part of said ironing surface is one of planar and curved.

8. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

said dented portions are arranged in said configuration such that said dented portions are positioned on both sides of the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface.

9. An electric iron comprising:

an ironing seat including a soleplate defining an ironing surface, and a heater for heating said soleplate;

wherein dented portions are on said ironing surface and arranged in a configuration such that said dented portions are positioned on at least one side of a line passing through a front end and a rear end of said ironing surface, with none of said dented portions having a steam outlet positioned therein,

wherein said heater has a shape that corresponds to said configuration in which said dented portions are arranged, and

wherein each of said dented portions extend in a direction away from the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface, with said each of said dented portions having a width and a depth, and with at least one of

(i) said width of said each of said dented portions changing in the direction away from the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface, and

(ii) said depth of said each of said dented portions changing in the direction away from the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface.

10. The electric iron according to claim 9 , further comprising:

steam outlets on said ironing surface.

11. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

each of said dented portions includes at least one of

(i) at least one pit, and

(ii) at least one groove.

12. The electric iron according to claim 11 , wherein

said at least one pit is one of circular and oval.

13. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

a central part of said ironing surface is free from any dented portion.

14. The electric iron according to claim 13 , wherein

said central part of said ironing surface is one of planar and curved.

15. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

a rear part of said ironing surface, extending for a full width of said ironing surface, is free from any dented portion.

16. The electric iron according to claim 15 , wherein

said rear part of said ironing surface is one of planar and curved.

17. The electric iron according to claim 1 , wherein

said dented portions are arranged in said configuration such that said dented portions are positioned on both sides of the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface.

18. An electric iron comprising:

an ironing seat including a soleplate defining an ironing surface, and a heater for heating said soleplate,

wherein dented portions are on said ironing surface and arranged in a configuration such that said dented portions are positioned on at least one side of a line passing through a front end and a rear end of said ironing surface with none of said dented portions having a steam outlet positioned therein, and

wherein each of said dented portions extend in a direction away from the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface, with said each of said dented portions having a width and a depth, and with at least one of

(i) said width of said each of said dented portions changing in the direction away from the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface, and

(ii) said depth of said each of said dented portions changing in the direction away from the line passing through the front end and the rear end of said ironing surface.

19. The electric iron according to claim 18 , further comprising:

steam outlets on said ironing surface.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 27, 2012
From: PANASONIC WANBAO HOME APPLIANCES ELECTRIC IRON (GUANGZHOU) CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC WANBAO APPLIANCES ELECTRIC IRON (GUANGZHOU) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 027769/0043 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 18, 2008
From: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021850/0254 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2006
From: ZHANG, TAO; YAGI, TOYOHIKO; YE, MINGKUN; XU, RUNLONG
To: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.; PANASONIC WANBAO HOME APPLIANCES ELECTRIC IRON (GUANGZHOU) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 017791/0777 →