CN114286878A

CN114286878A - Container for collecting washing water for iron

Info

Publication number: CN114286878A
Application number: CN202080052230.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 里卡尔·多吉罗托; 保罗·佛朗哥
Original assignee: De Longhi Appliances SRL
Current assignee: De Longhi Appliances SRL
Priority date: 2019-07-18
Filing date: 2020-07-16
Publication date: 2022-04-05
Also published as: EP3999681A1; EP3999681B1; ES2955809T3; WO2021009786A1; IT201900012222A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a container for collecting iron washing water and suitable for supporting a steam iron plate during a cleaning cycle, comprising an upper half-shell (11) provided with a surface (S) for supporting the plate, and a lower half-shell (12) comprising a supporting base (19) and lateral containment walls (20) defining a containment compartment (21) configured to collect water and steam emitted by the plate.

Description

Container for collecting washing water for iron

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container for collecting iron washing water, suitable for providing support for an iron during cleaning and scale removal operations. The container according to the invention can be used in a cleaning operation of a so-called "cold" ironing system, in which steam is generated directly inside the flat plate of the iron.

The invention also relates to a method of washing an iron.

Background

The iron of a "cold" ironing device generally comprises a heating plate associated with a heating element, through holes in the heating plate where steam is present, a water tank inside or outside the iron, and a steam generating chamber inside the iron. To generate steam, normal temperature water is injected into the steam generating chamber and becomes steam when contacting the heated flat plate.

It is known that, in use, scale is formed in the steam generating chamber of such irons or generally in the heating plate, which may impair the operating efficiency of the iron, or damage the ironed garment in the event that scale scum and deposits come out of the holes in the plate.

Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the steam generation chamber and/or the heating plate to remove any deposits of scale and/or foreign matter, thereby avoiding clogging of the steam outlet holes.

For these cleaning operations, a series of heating cycles is usually provided and a subsequent injection of cold water into the steam generating chamber is provided, generating a thermal shock which acts to break up the scale scum which may have formed inside the flat plate of the iron, and the scale scum may be discharged from the flat plate by itself.

During these operations, a large amount of hot water and steam is discharged through the holes provided in the heating plate of the iron.

Therefore, the user must perform a cleaning operation to collect the water and the condensed steam in the container, or must perform cleaning in a proper place to prevent the water and/or the steam from overflowing and damaging precision parts.

In addition, during the cleaning operation, it is necessary to keep all the nozzles or plate orifices clear in order to allow the steam to escape from all the tubes and prevent the tubes from clogging.

In order to facilitate the user not having to support the iron by hand during the cleaning operation, while taking into account the considerable waiting time required for the end of the cleaning cycle, the known container is suitable for acting as a support for the iron and consists of a tray made of thermoplastic material, and is therefore suitable for collecting in the container the hot water and possible condensed steam delivered by the flat plate of the iron during the cleaning operation. This known tray is provided with an edge configured to define a continuous support for the flat plate of the iron so as to seal the periphery of the flat plate. The tray is also provided with an aperture facing the front and beyond the supporting edge, through which the steam is delivered.

A drawback of the known accessories is that they are not practical to transport, in particular when there is hot water expelled from the plate and condensation water produced by the steam, which may leak or spill during transport, causing inconvenience or safety problems for the user.

Thus, to avoid burns, the user must also wait for a certain amount of time at the end of the cleaning cycle, waiting for the hot water to cool.

The need for a container having a structure that allows easy and safe handling also causes other problems in order to facilitate the transport operation.

The known solution of accessories provides side extensions on the container, by means of which the container can be easily taken up. However, the outer wall in contact with the steam and hot water may reach high temperatures, making it difficult to grip through the side extension.

Another drawback of the known solution is that it is impractical to clean the iron due to its construction, which greatly hinders the efficient and easy removal of residual solids and residual moisture for preventing the formation of moulds.

Patent documents US2655333A, WO2007/029910a and DE102011080147B describe some known accessories suitable for supporting an iron during normal ironing operations. These known accessories are only suitable for recovering condensed water, or a small steam leak that occurs when the iron is resting on the ironing plate.

These known accessories have proved to be particularly unsuitable for descaling and cleaning, for example of irons, since they neither allow the correct escape of steam nor the correct collection of the washing water used in these operations.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the applicant has proposed how to improve the container to collect water and/or steam during the cleaning operation of a "cold" ironing system, overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art as described above.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container suitable for use in the cleaning operation of an iron, allowing a safe and stable seating of the iron, preventing user fatigue, while avoiding possible damages due to water and steam reaching delicate surfaces.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for collecting iron washing water which allows to avoid that steam escaping from the plate holes reaches the outer surface of the iron, in particular the area of the iron handle and the electric contacts, thus preventing the steam from directly contacting parts of the body which could cause burns/scalds and damage to the electric parts of the iron.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container for collecting washing water, which is safe and free from any overflow of hot water, and which can be immediately transported by a user to empty the container after a cleaning cycle is completed, in case hot water and/or scale particles are contained in the container.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate the risk of scalding the user by any possible liquid that may leak during transport and/or by touching the container walls.

A further object of the present invention is that the container can be used for collecting the washing water, allowing an optimal easy cleaning and drying before storing the iron after use, eliminating the residual solids and residual moisture, avoiding possible water retention and/or mold formation.

The applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain the above-mentioned and other purposes and advantages.

The subject matter and features of the invention are disclosed in the independent claims. Further features of the invention or variants of the main inventive idea are referred to in the dependent claims.

In view of the above, embodiments described herein relate to a container suitable for supporting a steam iron flat plate and collecting and containing steam and hot water and/or scale during a cleaning cycle.

The container according to the invention advantageously allows to safely and stably position the iron, preventing the steam generated during the cleaning cycle by heating the water introduced into the plate from affecting the external surface of the iron itself, thus preventing the iron grip partitions and the electrical contacts from being affected by the steam.

The container according to the invention comprises two half-shells, an upper half-shell and a lower half-shell, which are separate from each other.

In use, the two half-shells may be connected to one another and held together by a plurality of removable connectors which are conveniently actuated by the user without tools.

According to some embodiments, the upper half-shell is configured to support the flat iron plate resting thereon, while the lower half-shell is configured to collect the water and/or steam emitted during the cleaning cycle through the holes provided in the flat plate, during which it is known that water and/or steam is generally emitted much more than during the ironing operation.

The lower half-shell comprises a base wall, possibly provided with supporting legs to rest the container on a work surface, and side walls defining a containment compartment for water, steam and possible residual solids.

The upper half-shell comprises a lower wall, at least laterally delimited by a support shoulder, configured to define, in the assembled condition of the container, an intermediate plane between the surface of the support plate and the containment compartment, the function of which is to at least partially cover the containment compartment. Such lower wall is provided with at least one aperture configured to allow water, steam and possible residual solids to enter the containment compartment. The support shoulders are disposed on opposite sides relative to a median plane of the container and are configured to support side peripheral portions of the flat panel. The support surface of the flat plate of the iron is defined by these support shoulders and is raised with respect to the median plane.

In this way, at the end of the cleaning operation, the median plane at least limits, if not prevents, the hot water leaks that could injure the user, so that the user can safely move and transport the container.

Furthermore, in this way, an effective descaling and cleaning operation of the iron is ensured in the assembled state of the container, allowing a correct discharge of steam and a correct collection of washing water.

According to some embodiments, the contour of the container matches the contour of the periphery of the flat iron plate, with a rear portion substantially rectilinear and a front portion tapered, see plan view. In this way, a preferred path is created for the steam generated during the cleaning cycle by heating the water introduced into the plate, which steam is thus collected in the containment compartment without affecting the outer surface of the iron, in particular the iron grip partitions and the electrical contacts.

According to some embodiments, the support surface slopes upward from the rear toward the front of the container.

For example, according to some embodiments, the support shoulder is shaped to slope upward from the rear toward the front of the container.

According to some embodiments, the plurality of support rubbers are configured to provide a stable and firm support for the flat plate of the iron, and may be provided on the support shoulder.

These support shoulders may in particular be configured as the only support surface constituting the flat iron plate itself, defining a virtual support surface for it.

The steam evacuation zone defined by the lateral shoulders is substantially inscribed in a planar projection of the periphery of the flat plate of the iron.

The supporting rubber may be placed in contact with the peripheral sectors of the flat plate of the iron, which are generally free from holes or nozzles for steam discharge and therefore do not hinder the cleaning operation.

According to some embodiments, the virtual lying plane of the support surface, i.e. above the middle plane, is inclined with respect to the horizontal and is elevated at the front.

According to some embodiments, the support surface may have an inclination angle of 2 ° to 10 °.

In this way, in use, the tip of the iron remains suspended and raised in correspondence with the front portion, facilitating the evacuation towards the front of the steam that does not flow towards the containment compartment through the apertures in the median plane.

According to some embodiments, the upper half shell includes an upper sidewall extending at a substantially constant height along the sides and rear of the upper half shell.

According to some embodiments, the upper side wall is discontinuous along the perimeter of the upper half-shell, so that the upper side wall is substantially open at the front, defining a passage gap for the steam.

According to a variant embodiment, the outer side wall of the upper half-shell may have a concave shape, i.e. the upper edge is inclined towards the inside of the upper half-shell, suitable to act as an abutment plane for the steam which tends to be discharged laterally from the interspace between the supporting rubbers, deflecting it downwards again.

The inclination of the virtual plane, the reduction of the height of the front portion and the shape towards the inside of the upper rim of the outer wall of the upper half-shell allow to convey substantially the entire steam flow coming out of the iron plate towards the front, thus minimizing the amount of steam that can be discharged in the lateral and rear directions of the iron.

According to some embodiments, the intermediate plane has a second aperture provided in correspondence of the rear portion, through which hot water generated during the cleaning operation of the iron and/or deriving from condensation of steam can flow into the containment compartment.

According to some embodiments, for the water to be conveyed towards the second orifice, the median plane has an inclination towards the rear of at least 1 °.

According to some embodiments, the lower half-shell comprises a gripping portion configured to allow a user to safely and stably grip to allow safe transport of the container.

The lower half-shell also comprises an insulating wall configured to separate the containment region, in a position corresponding to the gripping wing, from the rest of the containment compartment, thereby insulating the gripping wing.

According to other embodiments, the lower half-shell comprises ribs that rise vertically from the base, are spaced apart from each other and from the side walls of the lower half-shell, and are adapted to act as baffles, allowing a reduced amount of water to pass between the ribs, thereby limiting the movement of water during the transportation of the tray.

Drawings

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to embodiments described herein in an assembled state;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 taken along section line (I-I);

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the container of FIG. 1;

fig. 5 is a top view of the lower housing half.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is to be understood that elements and features of one embodiment may be readily combined with other embodiments without further recitation.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. The examples are merely illustrative of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield yet a further embodiment. It is to be understood that the invention is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations.

The embodiments described herein relate to a container 10 that can be used to support an iron during cleaning and washing operations of the iron and to collect water and steam generated during these operations.

The container 10 according to the present invention finds a main, but not exclusive, application in cleaning the plates of "cold" ironing systems, in which steam is generated directly inside the iron plates.

According to the invention, the container 10 comprises an upper half-shell 11 and a lower half-shell 12, the upper half-shell 11 being configured to provide a support surface S of the flat plate of the iron, the lower half-shell 12 being configured to collect the water and steam emitted from the flat plate and being separable from the upper half-shell 11.

According to some embodiments, the container 10 and the respective half-

shells

11, 12 have a profile matching the peripheral profile of the flat iron plate, with a rear portion 10a substantially rectilinear and a front portion 10b tapered, with reference to a top view.

The two half-

shells

11, 12 are formed as bodies distinct from one another and can be selectively and quickly connected to and/or disconnected from one another by means of removable connections 16.

The connection elements 16 may be configured as identically shaped, snap-in or bayonet-type couplings, or similar or comparable components to allow a user to easily and quickly activate/deactivate the connection elements.

According to some embodiments, the connector 16 comprises first coupling elements 17, these first coupling elements 17 being arranged in correspondence of the outer wall of either of the upper 11 and lower 12 half-shells and being suitable to cooperate with mating second coupling elements 18, these second coupling elements 18 being arranged in correspondence of the outer wall of the other of the upper 11 and lower 12 half-shells.

According to a possibility, the first coupling elements 17 may each comprise a seat 17a formed in the outer wall of the upper half-shell 11 and delimited at the lower part by an attachment tooth 17b, while the second coupling elements 18 may comprise a pick element 18a suitable for being inserted at least partially into the corresponding seat 17a and interfering with the tooth 17 b.

The first coupling element 17 and the second coupling element 18 can be actuated by the user simply by acting on the paddle element 18a to disengage it from the respective attachment tooth 17b, without the use of tools, to separate the upper half-shell 11 from the lower half-shell 12.

According to some embodiments, two pairs of first coupling elements 17 and second coupling elements 18 may be provided at opposite positions of the container 10, for example at opposite sections of the outer side wall.

According to a variant, three or more pairs of

coupling elements

17, 18 may be provided at intervals along the periphery of the container 10.

For example, another attachment tooth 17b and corresponding disengagement tab 18a may be positioned on the rear portion 10a of the container 10.

According to some embodiments, the lower half-shell 12 comprises a supporting base 19 and lateral containment walls 20, these lateral containment walls 20 defining a containment compartment 21 suitable for receiving and collecting water, steam and possible scale residues emanating from the holes of the iron plate.

The height of the side containment wall 20 defines, for example, a volume suitable for collecting water used in washing and descaling operations, for example, the height being 2cm to 4 cm.

According to some embodiments, support legs 22 connected to base 19 may be provided, suitable for allowing lower half-shell 12 to be positioned on a work plane.

As mentioned above, according to some embodiments, the upper half-shell 11 comprises a support surface S configured to support the flat plate of the iron in use.

According to some embodiments, the upper half-shell 11 comprises a lower wall 14, this lower wall 14 being configured to define, in the assembled condition of the container 10, a median plane P between the support surface S and the containment compartment 21.

According to some embodiments, the lower wall 14 defining the median plane P is provided with at least one aperture 25, this aperture 25 being configured to allow water, steam and possible scale residues emitted by the plate to enter the containment compartment 21.

According to some embodiments, the apertures 25 are preferably arranged in correspondence of the front portion 10b so as to be located, in use, below a partition of the flat plate of the iron, which normally has several holes or nozzles for the discharge of steam.

According to some embodiments, the front aperture 25 is shaped and sized to conform to the location of the hole corresponding to the tip. Thus, most of the water and steam and possible residual solids can pass directly through the aperture and reach the containment compartment 21.

According to some embodiments, the upper half-shell 11 comprises a support shoulder 15 configured to support the flat plate.

According to some embodiments, the support shoulder 15 laterally delimits the lower wall 14.

According to some embodiments, the support shoulders 15 can be arranged on opposite sides with respect to the median longitudinal plane M of the container 10, so as to come into contact with the side peripheral portions of the flat plate, without interfering with the discharge holes of the steam.

According to some embodiments, the support shoulder 15 extends up to at least a side portion defining the first aperture 25, for example up to about one-third to about three-quarters of the overall extension of the first aperture 25 along the median plane M.

The support shoulder 15, and in particular the upper surface of the support shoulder 15, defines as a whole a support surface S of the flat plate of the iron.

According to some possible variants, the upper half-shell 11 comprises supporting rubbers 30 arranged along the supporting shoulders 15, which are configured to allow a stable and firm support of the slab.

According to these variants, the upper surface of the support shoulder 30 may define as a whole the support surface S of the flat plate.

According to some embodiments, the rubber 30 defines the sole support surface S of the iron plane during the cleaning operation, so that the flat plate does not come into contact with other parts or components of the receptacle 10.

The supporting rubber 30 may preferably be made of silicone or other type of heat-resistant material.

According to a possible variant not shown in the figures, a support flange can be provided directly on the upper half-shell 11, for example extending inwards from the upper side wall 27, cooperating with each other to define the support surface S.

According to some embodiments, the rubber and/or the flange are spaced apart from each other such that steam may pass therebetween.

According to some variants, the rubber and/or the flange may be provided continuous on opposite sides.

According to some embodiments, the support surface S may have an inclination angle α with respect to the horizontal.

According to some embodiments, the inclination angle α may be, for example, 2 ° to 10 °.

According to some variants, the inclination angle α is at least 3 °, preferably at least 5 °.

According to this embodiment, the shape of the support shoulder 15 slopes upwards from the rear portion 10a to the front portion 10b, i.e. the portion which, in use, is faced by the tip of the flat plate.

According to these embodiments, in use, the flat plate of the iron is supported only in correspondence of a lateral portion thereof, or at most in correspondence of a rear portion thereof, while the front portion of the tip remains substantially free, at no point in contact with the container 10.

According to some embodiments, the support shoulders 15 are discontinuous along the contour of the upper half-shell 11, in particular in correspondence of the front portion 10b, defining between them a gap 29 for the passage of steam.

According to some embodiments, the upper half-shell 11 comprises a front peripheral band 23 extending along the periphery of the front portion 10b between the two support shoulders 15, at a height lower than the height of the adjacent ends of the support shoulders 15.

The reduction in height of the front peripheral strip 23 allows to obtain a steam passage gap 29 between the flat plane of the support surface S and the front peripheral strip 23, the height D of which is from about 5mm to about 15mm, preferably greater than 10 mm. For example, the height D may be measured along the median plane M corresponding to the front portion 10 b.

This channel 29, together with the inclination of the support surface S and the reduction in height of the front peripheral strip 23, favours the drainage of the water condensed in the front zone of the tray 10, allowing its emptying, while preventing a substantial drainage of steam from the peripheral zone and consequently affecting the outer surface of the iron, in particular the grip zone of the iron.

According to some embodiments, the upper half-shell 11 comprises a rear peripheral band 24 extending along the periphery of the rear portion 10a between the two support shoulders 15.

The

peripheral bands

23, 24 may have the same height, in particular substantially corresponding to the height of the shoulder 15 corresponding to the rear portion 10 a.

In this way, the

peripheral strips

23, 24 and the side shoulders 15 define a collection compartment for the water emitted by the iron plate.

According to some embodiments, the lower wall 14 may comprise second apertures 26, for example corresponding to the rear portion 10a, suitable for allowing the outflow of possible water, condensed vapours or residual solids emanating from the holes mainly provided in the plate or in the rear sector.

According to some embodiments, the lower wall 14 is at a negative inclination angle β with respect to the horizontal in the rearward direction, facilitating the outflow of liquid and/or solid towards the second aperture 26.

According to some possibilities, the negative inclination angle β may be about 0.5 ° to about 3 °, for example about 1 °.

According to some embodiments, the second aperture 26 may extend transversely with respect to the median plane M in correspondence with the rear peripheral band 24.

According to other embodiments, the rear peripheral band 24 can be provided with a delivery wall 29, which emerges below the lower wall 14, defines the rear side of the second aperture 26, and is configured to act as an abutment band and slide for the water, so as to deliver it to the containment compartment 21.

According to some embodiments, the upper half-shell 11 comprises an upper side wall 27 extending at a substantially constant height along the sides and rear 10b of the upper half-shell 11.

According to some embodiments, the upper side wall 27 is discontinuous along the perimeter of the upper half-shell 11, so that it is substantially open at the front 10b, defining a passage gap 28 for the steam.

In this way, a preferential passage is defined for the steam emitted during the cleaning cycle, which is delivered towards the front 10b of the container 10, i.e. towards the opposite side with respect to the user, thus limiting possible steam leaks in the side and rear sectors.

In a variant, the upper side wall 27 of the upper half-shell 11 may be slightly concave in shape, so as to convey again towards the collection compartment the possible residual steam exiting from the side partitions, in any case allowing the easy insertion of the iron into the container 10.

According to some embodiments, the rubber 30 may be L-shaped, having two

sections

31, 32 at an angle to each other, one of which is glued or otherwise fixed to one shoulder 15 and the other to the inner side 30 of the upper side wall 27.

In a variant, there may be supporting edges between the rubbers 30, preferably made of rubber or other heat-resistant type material. The support rim may be accommodated between one rubber 16 and another rubber located on the side shoulder 15 or on the rear peripheral strip 24, configured to support the iron plate together with the support rubber 16, helping to close the steam channel on the sides and rear of the iron.

According to some embodiments, container 10 includes one or more front and/or rear gripping portions 39 disposed on lower housing half 12 and configured to allow a user to safely grip and still allow the container to be transported even in the presence of hot and/or steam condensate in container 10.

According to some embodiments, grip portion 39 may be composed of a flange 40, which flange 40 extends outwardly from lower half-shell 12 in a direction perpendicular to side containment wall 20.

According to some embodiments, lower half-shell 12 comprises an insulating wall 41 configured to insulate

gripping portions

39, 40 with respect to containment compartment 21.

According to some embodiments, insulating walls 41 are provided inside containment compartment 21, rising from base 14 of lower half-shell 12 and connected to the respective ends of lateral containment walls 20.

According to some embodiments, the insulating walls 41 define respective insulating zones 42, which are separated from the containment compartment 21 inside which the water and residual solids originating from the cleaning operation accumulate.

In this way, the insulating region 42 does not come into contact with the hot water, ensuring the thermal insulation of the side wall 20 and of the grip portion 39, since the insulating region remains substantially empty.

By way of example only, three insulating walls 41 may be provided, defining three insulating zones 42, corresponding to the two corners of the tapered front 10b and rear 10a portions where the grip portion 39 is present.

Advantageously, by virtue of the conformation of the container 10, in particular of the lower wall 14 defining the median plane P, in combination with the grip portion 39, it is possible to transport the tray 10 in a manner safe for the user immediately after the end of the cleaning operation, even in the presence of hot water inside the tray 10.

In one embodiment, lower housing half 12 includes ribs 45 that extend perpendicularly from base 14, are spaced apart from each other and from sidewall 20, and are adapted to act as baffles.

For example, there may be two separate semicircular ribs 45 forming an S-shape, allowing a reduced amount of water to pass between the ribs, as well as between the ribs and the lower sidewall 20, as the ribs remain generally separate from each other and from the lower sidewall 20 of the lower housing half 12.

Ribs 45 may be positioned in the central zone 44 of the tray base 38, for example orthogonal to the axis a-a (see fig. 4), to limit sloshing of the water inside the containment compartment 21, facilitating the handling of the container 10 at the end of the cleaning operation.

According to other embodiments, the central zone 44, corresponding to the ribs 45, may be provided slightly hollow with respect to the rest of the seat 19, so as to favour the accumulation of more water inside.

According to other embodiments, the coupling elements 16 may be arranged so as to be defined also by a matching shape and configuration of the respective coupling edges of the upper 11 and lower 12 half-shells.

For example, according to some embodiments, the lower side wall 20 of the lower half-shell 12 may have a seat 46 at its upper portion, for example defined by an inner edge 47 and an outer edge 48, suitable for receiving a matching projection 49 provided on the lower portion of the upper side wall 27.

According to some embodiments, the upper side wall 27 of the upper half-shell 11 may have a recess 50 at its lower end, corresponding to the shape of the outer rim 48, so that when the upper half-shell 11 and the lower half-shell 12 are joined together, the lower end of the upper side wall 27 is inserted into the seat 46 between the outer rim 48 and the inner rim 47, while the outer rim 48 rests on the upper face of the recess 50, thus ensuring the stability of the container 10 in the assembled condition.

According to other embodiments, one or more abutment projections 51 may be provided, extending below the lower wall 14, the abutment projections 51 being configured to cooperate with the respective insulating wall 41 to increase the stability of the coupling between the upper 11 and lower 12 half-shells.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the container 10 for collecting water and steam generated during the cleaning operations of ironing system plates as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

Also, although the invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of container, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

1. A container for collecting iron washing water, adapted to support a flat plate of a steam iron during a cleaning cycle,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the container includes:

an upper half-shell (11) provided with a surface (S) supporting the plate; and

a lower half-shell (12) comprising a supporting base (19) and lateral containment walls (20) defining a containment compartment (21), said containment compartment (21) being configured to collect water and steam emitted by said plate,

wherein the upper half-shell (11) and the lower half-shell (12) are selectively connectable and separable by means of a removable connector (16),

wherein the upper half-shell (11) comprises a lower wall (14), the lower wall (14) being configured to define, in the assembled condition of the container, an intermediate plane (P) between the support surface (S) and the containment compartment (21), the lower wall (14) being provided with at least one orifice (25), the orifice (25) being configured to allow water, steam and possible residual solids to enter the containment compartment (21),

wherein the upper half-shell (11) further comprises support shoulders (15), the support shoulders (15) being arranged on opposite sides with respect to a median plane (M) of the container and configured to support lateral peripheral portions of the plate,

wherein the support surface (S) is defined by the support shoulder (15) and is raised with respect to the median plane (P).

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the aperture (25) is arranged to correspond to the front portion (10b) of the container, said front portion (10b) being positioned below the flat tip of the iron during use.

3. The container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said upper half-shell (11) comprises a supporting rubber (30) disposed along said supporting shoulder (15), said supporting rubber (30) being configured to allow stable and firm support of said slab, wherein said supporting rubber (30) defines said supporting surface (S).

4. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a front peripheral band (23) extending along the periphery of the front portion (10b) of the container between the support shoulders (15), the height of the front peripheral band (23) being lower than the height of the respective adjacent ends of the support shoulders (15), so as to define a gap (29) in the front portion (10b) for the passage of steam.

5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the height (D) measured between the support surface (S) and the front peripheral band (23) by the clearance (29) is from about 5mm to about 15 mm.

6. A container according to claim 2, wherein the support surface (S) has an inclination angle (a) with respect to the horizontal of 2 ° to 10 ° and is raised with respect to the opposite rear portion (10a) in correspondence of the front portion (10b) of the container.

7. The container according to claim 2, wherein the lower wall (14) comprises a second orifice (26), the second orifice (26) being provided in a rear portion (10a) opposite the front portion (10b) and having a negative inclination angle (β) with respect to the horizontal in the direction of the rear portion (10a), favouring the outflow of liquid and/or solid towards the second orifice (26).

8. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower half-shell (12) comprises a grip portion (39) configured to allow gripping by a user and an insulating wall (41) configured to insulate the grip portion (39) with respect to the containment compartment (21).

9. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower half-shell (12) comprises ribs (45) and is suitable for acting as a baffle, these ribs (45) extending perpendicularly from the base (14), being spaced apart from each other and from the side containment wall (20).

10. A method for washing an iron having a container (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising:

providing the container (10) in an assembled state, the upper half-shell (11) being connected to the lower half-shell (12);

resting the iron with its flat plate on the support surface (S) of the upper half-shell (11);

a washing cycle of the iron is carried out, water and possible residual solids being collected in the containment compartment (21) of the lower half-shell (12).