CN118251526A - Steam laundry treating appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

A laundry treatment appliance (1), comprising: a water reservoir (13) comprising a main reservoir (14) and a main water outlet orifice (16); a steam generator (6) comprising a vaporization chamber (7); a treatment surface (11) provided with steam outlet holes (12); -a steam distribution circuit (27) configured to supply steam to the steam outlet aperture (12); an auxiliary reservoir (18) configured to be supplied with water from the main reservoir (14) and comprising an auxiliary water outlet orifice (21); and a water supply device (22) configured to supply water from the main storage chamber (14) and the auxiliary storage chamber (18) to the vaporization chamber (7) by gravity.

Description

Steam laundry treating appliance

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of steam laundry treating appliances, such as steam irons or steam ironing appliances.

Background

Known laundry treatment appliances comprise:

A grab handle, a handle,

A water reservoir comprising a reservoir chamber and a water outlet opening in the reservoir chamber,

A steam generator comprising a vaporization chamber such as an instant vaporization chamber,

A treatment surface provided with at least one steam outlet opening,

A vapor distribution circuit connected to the vaporization chamber and configured to supply vapor to the at least one vapor outlet aperture,

A water supply fluidly connected to the water outlet orifice and configured to supply water from the storage chamber to the vaporization chamber by gravity.

By means of such an appliance, a continuous maximum steam flow can be produced, which is a function of the heating resistance power, the higher the heating resistance power, the greater the maximum steam flow that can be produced by the vaporization chamber. However, increasing the heating resistance power has the disadvantage of increasing the manufacturing cost of the appliance. Moreover, such laundry treatment appliances are typically designed for home use, so that the heating resistance power cannot exceed the maximum power that can be provided by the home grid outlet to which the appliance is connected.

From the prior art (in particular patent EP 1224349) a treatment appliance is known which comprises a pump for supplying water to a vaporization chamber according to a predetermined configuration comprising a first operating phase during which the pump flow is higher than the vaporization capacity of the vaporization chamber when it is continuously operated, and a second operating phase; during the second operating phase, the pump flow is lower than the vaporization capacity of the vaporization chamber when continuously operating.

The advantage of such an appliance is that, due to the use of the energy stored in the castings (fonderie) of the vaporization chamber during the non-working ironing phase, a higher steam flow can be instantaneously provided than when the vaporization chamber is continuously operated. In fact, during the non-operative ironing phase, the heat generated by the heating resistor is stored in the casting, which is then used to generate the remaining steam during the first operating phase.

However, this configuration significantly increases the manufacturing cost of such laundry treatment appliances, and also increases the mass of such laundry treatment appliances.

Furthermore, the presence of the supply pump and the electronics required to control the supply pump may adversely affect the reliability of the laundry treatment appliance.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to remedy this drawback.

The basic technical problem underlying the present invention is in particular to provide a laundry treatment appliance which is simple in construction, economical and reliable (in particular with a water supply device which is devoid of electrical components) and which has a high ironing and/or ironing efficiency.

To this end, the present invention is directed to a laundry treatment appliance comprising:

A grab handle, a handle,

A water reservoir comprising a main reservoir and a main water outlet opening in the main reservoir,

A steam generator comprising a vaporization chamber such as an instant vaporization chamber,

A water supply fluidly connected to the main water outlet orifice and configured to supply water from the main storage chamber to the vaporization chamber by gravity,

A treatment surface provided with at least one steam outlet opening, and

A vapor distribution circuit connected to the vaporization chamber and configured to supply vapor to the at least one vapor outlet aperture.

The laundry treating appliance further comprises an auxiliary storage chamber fluidly connected to the main storage chamber and configured to be supplied with water from the main storage chamber, the auxiliary storage chamber comprising an auxiliary water outlet aperture, and the water supply device is fluidly connected to the auxiliary water outlet aperture and configured to supply water from the auxiliary storage chamber to the vaporizing chamber by gravity. The laundry treating appliance is configured to treat laundry in a treatment cycle comprising at least a first laundry treating phase during which the vaporization chamber is supplied with water at a first supply flow rate by gravity and a second laundry treating phase during which the vaporization chamber is supplied with water at a second supply flow rate lower than the first supply flow rate by gravity.

In the first laundry treatment phase (usually initiated after the appliance has reached its nominal operating temperature), the water supply flow rate of the vaporization chamber is increased, for example higher than the water flow rate at which the vaporization chamber can continuously vaporize. In fact, the vaporization chamber is able to vaporize a greater quantity of water during the first treatment phase, thanks to the action of the thermal energy stored in the cast body of the steam generator.

During the second treatment phase, the supply flow rate of the water supplied by the vaporization chamber is lower than that of the first laundry treatment phase, for example lower than that at which the vaporization chamber can continuously vaporize. In this way, the thermal power generated by the joule effect of the resistance equipped with the steam generator is sufficient to ensure the vaporization of the quantity of water injected into the vaporization chamber during the second treatment phase.

Therefore, by means of the laundry treatment appliance according to the invention, it is possible to inject a maximum quantity of water into the vaporization chamber at the start of the laundry treatment, while limiting the risk of water splashing onto the laundry to be treated, and the water supply device is simple in construction, reliable and inexpensive.

The laundry treatment appliance may also have one or more of the following features, alone or in combination.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first supply flow is greater than the water flow that the vaporisation chamber is able to vaporise continuously, and the second supply flow is less than or equal to the water flow that the vaporisation chamber is able to vaporise continuously. This configuration of the laundry treatment appliance greatly limits the risk of saturation of the vaporisation chamber and therefore of splashing of water onto the laundry being treated.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first supply flow rate is less than or equal to the flow rate of water that the vaporisation chamber is capable of continuously vaporising. This configuration of the laundry treatment appliance further limits the risk of saturation of the vaporisation chamber and therefore of splashing of water onto the laundry being treated.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the laundry treatment appliance is configured such that the main water outlet opening allows a maximum main water outlet flow, and the auxiliary water outlet opening allows a maximum auxiliary water outlet flow, which is larger than the maximum main water outlet flow, under normal use conditions of the laundry treatment appliance.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the water supply device includes a first water supply pipe and a second water supply pipe, the first water supply pipe being fluidly connected to the main water outlet orifice and having a first through cross section; the second water supply tube is fluidly connected to the auxiliary water outlet orifice and has a second through cross-section that is larger than the first through cross-section. These arrangements facilitate the supply of the vaporization chamber at a higher supply flow rate in the first treatment stage.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first water supply pipe is configured to establish free fluid communication between the main reservoir and the auxiliary reservoir.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary storage chamber comprises a water inlet aperture, the first water supply pipe comprises a first end fluidly connected to the main water outlet aperture, and a second end fluidly connected to the water inlet aperture of the auxiliary storage chamber. These arrangements ensure that at the second treatment stage (i.e. after the majority of the water contained in the auxiliary reservoir which occurs at the first treatment stage has flowed to the vaporisation chamber), the vaporisation chamber is supplied with water flowing from the main reservoir and through the auxiliary reservoir and the water supply means, so that its supply flow is lower than during the first treatment stage.

According to such an embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary reservoir is fluidly located between the auxiliary reservoir and the vaporisation chamber.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the second water supply pipe comprises a first end fluidly connected to the auxiliary water outlet orifice of the auxiliary storage chamber, and a second end fluidly connected to the vaporisation chamber.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the primary water outlet aperture and the first water supply tube are configured such that the secondary storage chamber is capable of filling water from the primary storage chamber by gravity in less than 20 seconds (e.g. about 15 seconds) when water does not flow into the vaporisation chamber through the secondary water outlet aperture.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water reservoir comprises an auxiliary reservoir chamber, which is fluidly connected to the main reservoir chamber.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water supply device is configured to simultaneously supply water from the main reservoir and water from the auxiliary reservoir to the vaporisation chamber at the first treatment stage.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water supply device is configured to supply water from the main reservoir only to the vaporisation chamber at the second treatment stage. According to such an embodiment of the invention, the second treatment phase corresponds to a treatment phase when the auxiliary storage chamber is empty.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water reservoir comprises a through orifice configured for establishing free fluid communication between the auxiliary reservoir and the main reservoir.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water reservoir comprises a partition wall configured to separate the main reservoir and the auxiliary reservoir, the partition wall at least partially defining the through orifice.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the partition wall comprises an upper edge partially delimiting the through aperture.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the passage aperture is defined by an upper edge of the partition wall and an outer wall of the water reservoir.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary storage chamber is configured to be at least partially filled with water from the main storage chamber when the laundry treating appliance is tilted from a first position (e.g. a main use position, in which the treating surface extends substantially horizontally), e.g. backward, to a second position (e.g. a rest position, in which the treating surface extends substantially vertically). These arrangements ensure easy and quick filling of the auxiliary storage chamber by simple tilting of the laundry treatment appliance, for example, whenever the laundry treatment appliance is in a rest position (e.g. in which the laundry treatment appliance rests on its base or on a rear end mounted to the laundry treatment appliance).

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first water supply pipe comprises a first end fluidly connected to the main water outlet orifice of the main storage chamber, and a second end fluidly connected to the vaporisation chamber.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the main storage chamber has a first storage volume and the auxiliary storage chamber has a second storage volume smaller than the first storage volume. By means of these arrangements the risk of saturation of the vaporisation chamber in the first treatment stage can be further limited.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary reservoir, the auxiliary water outlet aperture and the water supply are configured such that the auxiliary reservoir can be completely emptied through the auxiliary water outlet aperture in less than 5 seconds.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary storage chamber is configured to be located below the main storage chamber when the laundry treating appliance is in the rest position.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water supply device further comprises a closing member movable between a closing position, in which the closing member prevents water flow through the water supply device to the vaporisation chamber; in the release position, the closure member allows water flow through the water supply to the vaporization chamber. By these arrangements water is prevented from accidentally flowing through the water supply.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the closure member is configured to prevent water flow through the second water supply pipe when the closure member is in the closed position; when the closure member is in the release position, water flow is permitted through the second water supply tube.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the laundry treating appliance comprises a steam control member, such as a steam control trigger, configured to be manually operated by a user, the steam control member being configured to displace the closing member towards the release position when the user manipulates the steam control member. Advantageously, the steam control means is provided on the grip. With these arrangements, the user is enabled to control steam generation easily and only when required.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the laundry treating appliance further comprises:

A steam discharge head mechanically connected to an upper end of the grip and including a treatment surface, and

A base mechanically connected to the lower end of the grip, said base housing the steam generator.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the treatment surface is designed to face vertically towards the laundry to be ironed when the laundry treating appliance is kept in a vertical ironing position in which the grip is located below the steam discharge head.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the steam distribution circuit comprises a steam pipe fluidly connecting the vaporisation chamber to the at least one steam outlet hole.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the steam pipe extends at least partially in the grip.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water reservoir is arranged in the steam discharge head.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the water reservoir comprises a main vent opening at an upper portion of the main reservoir.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary storage chamber comprises an auxiliary vent opening at an upper portion of the auxiliary storage chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a laundry treating appliance includes a housing including a first housing and a second housing assembled together. Advantageously, the handle is made by assembling the first and second housings.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the laundry treatment appliance is portable.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the treatment surface is an ironing and/or ironing surface.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the laundry treating appliance is a steam ironing appliance or a steam iron.

Drawings

The objects, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description of a specific embodiment thereof, presented as a non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a laundry treating appliance according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the laundry treating appliance of fig. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the laundry treating appliance of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a laundry treating appliance according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing the laundry treating appliance in a rest position;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the laundry treating appliance of fig. 4, showing the laundry treating appliance in a use position.

Detailed Description

Only the elements necessary for an understanding of the present invention are shown in the figures. To facilitate reading of the drawings, like reference numerals have been used to designate like elements in the different drawings.

Note that in this document, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "lower", "upper", "top", "bottom", "front", "rear", "longitudinal", "transverse" are used to describe the portable ironing appliance as it is laid down on its base.

Fig. 1 shows a laundry treating appliance 1, such as a steam ironing appliance, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The laundry treatment appliance 1 comprises a housing 2 which is portable and made of a plastic material. The housing 2 includes a grip 3, a base 4 mechanically coupled to a lower end of the grip 3, and a steam discharge head 5 mechanically coupled to an upper end of the grip 3.

Advantageously, the base 4 comprises a flat lower surface on which the laundry treatment appliance 1 can rest stably in a rest position, in which the longitudinal axis of the grip 3 is inclined slightly forward by about 15 °, as shown in fig. 1.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the housing 2 comprises a first shell 2A (e.g. a front shell) and a second shell 2B (e.g. a rear shell), both made of plastic material and assembled together. The first and second housings 2A, 2B form a hollow body in which various components of the laundry treating appliance 1 are disposed.

The laundry treatment appliance 1 further comprises a steam generator 6 housed in the base 4 and advantageously comprises a power cord (not shown in the figures) by means of which the laundry treatment appliance 1 can be connected to a household electrical network. More specifically, the steam generator 6 comprises a vaporization chamber 7 (e.g. an instant vaporization chamber) arranged in an aluminum casting in which a resistor 8 is typically enclosed, the power supply of the resistor 8 being regulated by a thermostat.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, the steam discharge head 5 is elongated and extends transversely to the grip 3, preferably forming an angle α of between 45 ° and 90 ° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the grip 3.

The steam discharge head 5 comprises a front end provided with an end plate 9, advantageously made of metal, having a treatment surface 11, more particularly an ironing and/or ironing surface designed to vertically face the garment to be ironed. Advantageously, the treatment surface 11 is flat. The treatment surface 11 comprises a plurality of steam outlet holes 12, advantageously distributed along the periphery of the treatment surface 11.

As shown more particularly in fig. 3, the laundry treating appliance 1 comprises a water reservoir 13, the water reservoir 13 being provided in the steam discharge head 5, preferably at the rear of the steam discharge head 5. Advantageously, at least a portion of the outer wall of the water reservoir 13 is transparent, allowing a user to view the water level in the water reservoir 13.

The water reservoir 13 comprises a main reservoir chamber 14, the main reservoir chamber 14 having a first reservoir volume and being configured to contain water. The reservoir 13 further comprises a filling orifice 15 which opens in the upper part of the main reservoir chamber 14 and allows filling of the main reservoir chamber 14, and a calibrated main water outlet orifice 16 which opens in the lower part of the main reservoir chamber 14 and allows draining of water from the main reservoir chamber 14 towards the vaporisation chamber 7. Advantageously, the water reservoir 13 is provided with a removable plug 17, said removable plug 17 being configured to removably close the filling aperture 15.

The water reservoir 13 further comprises a main vent opening (not visible in the figures) opening at the upper part of the main reservoir 14 to prevent negative pressure in the main reservoir 14 when water flows through the main water outlet opening 16.

The laundry treating appliance 1 further comprises an auxiliary storage chamber 18 having a second storage volume and being configured to contain water. As shown in fig. 2, the auxiliary storage chamber 18 is configured to be located below the main storage chamber 14 when the laundry treating appliance 1 is in the rest position.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1-3, the auxiliary storage chamber 18 comprises a calibrated water inlet orifice 19 configured to be fluidly connected to the main water outlet orifice 16 of the main storage chamber 14, and a calibrated auxiliary water outlet orifice 21 configured to be fluidly connected to the vaporization chamber 7. Accordingly, the auxiliary storage chamber 18 is more specifically configured to be supplied with water from the main storage chamber 14 and supply water to the vaporization chamber 7.

The auxiliary storage chamber 18 further includes an auxiliary vent hole (not visible in the drawing) opened at an upper portion of the auxiliary storage chamber 18 to prevent negative pressure from being generated in the auxiliary storage chamber 18 when water flows through the auxiliary water outlet hole 21.

Advantageously, the laundry treatment appliance 1 is configured such that, under normal use conditions of the laundry treatment appliance 1, the main water outlet opening 16 has a maximum main output flow and the auxiliary water outlet opening 21 has a maximum auxiliary output flow, which is greater than the maximum main output flow, preferably at least 25%. For example, if the maximum primary output flow is 40g/min, the secondary output flow is greater than 50g/min.

The laundry treating appliance 1 further comprises a water supply device 22, which water supply device 22 is configured to supply water from the main storage chamber 14 and the auxiliary storage chamber 18 to the vaporizing chamber 7 by gravity.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, the water supply device 22 includes:

A first water supply pipe 23 having a first through cross section and comprising a first end fluidly connected to the main water outlet aperture 16 of the main storage chamber 14 and a second end fluidly connected to the water inlet aperture 19 of the auxiliary storage chamber 18, and

A second water supply pipe 24 having a second through cross section larger than the first through cross section and comprising a first end fluidly connected to the auxiliary water outlet orifice 21 of the auxiliary storage chamber 18 and a second end fluidly connected to the vaporisation chamber 7.

As shown in fig. 2, both the first water supply pipe 23 and the second water supply pipe 24 extend at least partially within the grip 3. According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, the first water supply pipe 23 is configured to establish free fluid communication between the main storage chamber 14 and the auxiliary storage chamber 18.

The primary water outlet aperture 16 and the first water supply tube 23 are advantageously configured such that the auxiliary reservoir 18 can be filled with water from the primary reservoir 14 by gravity in less than 20 seconds (e.g., about 15 seconds). Advantageously, the auxiliary storage chamber 18, the auxiliary water outlet aperture 21 and the water supply means 22 are configured such that the auxiliary storage chamber 18 can be completely emptied via the auxiliary water outlet aperture 21 in less than 5 seconds.

The laundry treatment appliance 1 is more particularly configured to treat laundry according to a treatment cycle comprising at least a first laundry treatment phase during which the evaporation chamber 7 is supplied with water at a first supply flow rate, which is greater than the water flow rate at which the evaporation chamber 7 is able to continuously evaporate, and a second laundry treatment phase; during the second laundry treatment phase, the evaporation chamber 7 is supplied with water at a second supply flow rate, which is smaller than the water flow rate at which the evaporation chamber 7 can continuously evaporate. Advantageously, the first supply flow rate is greater than the second supply flow rate and is at most three times the second supply flow rate.

As more particularly shown in fig. 2, the water supply device 22 further comprises a closing member 25, such as a closing valve, movable between a closing position, in which the closing member 25 prevents the flow of water through the second water supply pipe 24, and a release position; in the release position, the closure member 25 allows water flow through the second water supply tube 24. Thus, the closing member 25 is configured to control the passage of water through the second water supply pipe 24.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, the laundry treating appliance 1 comprises a steam control member 26, such as a steam control trigger, which is provided on the grip 3 and is configured to be manually operable by a user. Advantageously, the steam control means 26 are provided on the front face of the grip 3.

The vapor control component 26 is more specifically configured to displace the closure component 25 toward the release position when the vapor control component 26 is manipulated by a user, i.e., when pressure is manually applied to the vapor control component 26. Advantageously, the laundry treating appliance 1 comprises a biasing member (not visible in the figures) configured to bias the steam control member 26 into the closed position.

The laundry treating appliance 1 further comprises a steam distribution circuit 27, the steam distribution circuit 27 being connected to the vaporisation chamber 7 and configured to supply steam to the plurality of steam outlet holes 12. Advantageously, the steam distribution circuit 27 comprises steam pipes 28, said steam pipes 28 connecting the vaporization chamber 7 to a steam diffusion chamber 29 arranged in a body, which is provided in thermal contact with the end plate 9, the steam diffusion chamber 29 being fluidly connected to the plurality of steam outlet holes 12.

Advantageously, the steam pipe 28 is connected to a steam outlet hole 31 arranged on the upper surface of the vaporisation chamber 7 and passes vertically through the grip 3 and then under the water reservoir 13 to connect to the inlet orifice of the steam diffusion chamber 29.

The operation of the laundry treating appliance 1 will now be described.

When the user wants to use the laundry treating appliance 1, he fills the water reservoir 13 with water and then connects the laundry treating appliance 1 to the electric grid. The resistor 8 of the steam generator 6 is then powered so that its temperature quickly reaches the set point temperature defined by the thermostat.

When the user wants to steam iron clothes or the like, he presses the steam control member 26, as a result of which the closing member 25 is displaced to the release position and the water contained in the auxiliary storage chamber 18 can be caused to rapidly flow through the second water supply pipe 24 (in particular due to the larger through cross-section of the auxiliary water outlet aperture 21 and the second water supply pipe 24) and to the vaporisation chamber 7. The steam generated by the vaporisation chamber 7 then escapes through a steam pipe 28 in the direction of a steam diffusion chamber 29 arranged in the steam discharge head 5 and is discharged through a plurality of steam outlet holes 12 arranged on the treatment surface 11.

This configuration of the laundry treating appliance 1 according to the present invention ensures a high steam flow through the steam distribution circuit 27 during the initial laundry treating phase.

If the time the user maintains pressure on the steam control means 26 exceeds the time required to completely empty the auxiliary storage chamber 18, the supply flow rate at which the vaporization chamber 7 will be supplied with water from the main storage chamber 14 (which flows through the first water supply pipe 23, the auxiliary storage chamber 18 and the second water supply pipe 24, respectively) is lower than during the initial treatment stage (in particular because the through cross-sections of the main water outlet orifice 16 and the first water supply pipe 13 are smaller than the through cross-sections of the auxiliary water outlet orifice 21 and the second water supply pipe 24, respectively). Thus, during this second laundry treatment phase, the steam flow through the steam distribution circuit 27 is lower than during the initial treatment phase, for example by a factor of 3. By means of these arrangements, it is possible in particular to prevent the vaporization chamber 7 from being flooded by exceeding its vaporization capacity and to avoid water droplets from splashing through the vapor outlet opening 12.

When the user releases the vapor control component 26, the closure component 25 is displaced to the closed position and the auxiliary reservoir 18 is slowly filled until the next actuation of the vapor control component 26.

Fig. 4 and 5 show a laundry treatment appliance 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the first embodiment mainly in that the laundry treatment appliance 1 is a steam iron, and that the water reservoir 13 comprises an auxiliary storage chamber 18 and a through-orifice 32, the through-orifice 32 being configured to establish free fluid communication between the auxiliary storage chamber 18 and the main storage chamber 14.

Advantageously, the water reservoir 13 comprises a dividing wall 33, the dividing wall 33 being configured to divide the main reservoir 14 and the auxiliary reservoir 18 and being provided with an upper edge at least partially delimited by the orifice 32. According to the embodiment shown in fig. 4 and 5, the passage opening 32 is delimited by the upper edge of the partition wall 33 and the outer wall of the water reservoir 13.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 4 and 5, the primary and secondary water outlet apertures 16, 21 are both provided on a bottom wall of the water reservoir 13, e.g. the bottom wall of the water reservoir 13 is configured to extend substantially horizontally when the laundry treating appliance 1 is resting on its treating surface 11.

According to such an embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary storage chamber 18 is configured to be filled with water from the main storage chamber 14 when the laundry treating appliance 1 is tilted (e.g. tilted backward) from a main use position, in which the treating surface 11 extends substantially horizontally, to a rest position, in which the treating surface 11 extends substantially vertically or is tilted slightly with respect to the vertical direction (i.e. a position in which the laundry treating device 1 rests on its rear end).

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 4 and 5, the first water supply pipe 23 comprises a first end fluidly connected to the main water outlet orifice 16 of the main storage chamber 14 and a second end fluidly connected to the vaporisation chamber 7. The first and second water supply pipes 23, 24 may for example each open directly into the vaporisation chamber 7, or into a collection chamber provided with a lower orifice opening in the vaporisation chamber 7 and for example in the upper surface of the vaporisation chamber 7.

The operation of the laundry treating appliance 1 according to the second embodiment will now be described.

When the user wants to use the laundry treatment appliance 1, he fills the water reservoir 13 with water, places the laundry treatment appliance 1 in a rest position in which the laundry treatment appliance 1 rests on its rear end (so that water from the main storage chamber 14 fills the auxiliary storage chamber 18), and then connects the laundry treatment appliance 1 to the electric grid. The resistor 8 of the steam generator 6 is then powered so that its temperature quickly reaches the set point temperature defined by the thermostat.

When the user wants to steam iron the laundry he displaces the laundry treating appliance 1 to the main use position, as a result of which the water contained in the auxiliary storage chamber 18 is able to flow quickly through the second water supply pipe 24 to the vaporisation chamber 7, so that the water flow contained in the main storage chamber 14 flows through the first water supply pipe 23 (the supply flow rate defined by the position occupied by the plug) to the vaporisation chamber 7.

The laundry treating appliance 1 according to the second embodiment can thus ensure a higher steam flow through the steam distribution circuit 27 in the first laundry treating stage.

When the auxiliary storage chamber 18 is empty, the vaporization chamber is continuously supplied with water only from the main storage chamber 14 and through the first supply pipe 23, so that the steam flow through the steam distribution circuit 27 is greatly reduced during the second laundry treatment phase.

When the user again places the laundry treating appliance 1 in the rest position, for example in order to get rid of the laundry, this will cause the auxiliary storage chamber 18 to be filled with water from the main storage chamber 14. Thus, when the user tilts the laundry treating appliance 1 to the main use position to continue the ironing operation, he again benefits from the higher steam flow through the steam distribution circuit 27 during the first laundry treating phase.

According to such an embodiment of the invention, the water supply device 22 may be provided without steam control means and the closing means 25 may be, for example, a valve, such as a drip valve, configured to enable a user to adjust the flow of water through the first water supply pipe 23 between a minimum flow value (for example zero) and a maximum flow value (corresponding to the maximum steam flow at which the vaporisation chamber is able to vaporise continuously).

According to an embodiment of the invention (not shown in the figures), the laundry treating appliance 1 may comprise an additional closing member movable between a closed position, in which it prevents the flow of water through the first water supply pipe 23, and an open position; in the open position, the additional closure member allows water flow through the first water supply pipe 23.

According to such an embodiment of the invention, the laundry treating appliance 1 may be configured to operate according to the following modes:

a first mode of operation, in which the closure member 25 and the additional closure member are in an open position and a closed position, respectively, in order to allow filling of the auxiliary storage chamber 18,

A second mode of operation in which the closure member 25 and the additional closure member are in the closed and release positions, respectively, allowing water to flow from the auxiliary reservoir 18 to the vaporisation chamber 7 while fluidly isolating the auxiliary reservoir 18 from the main reservoir 14, and

A third mode of operation in which the closure member 25 and the additional closure member are in an open position and a release position, respectively, allowing water to flow from the main storage chamber 14 to the vaporisation chamber 7.

Of course, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described and shown, which are given by way of example only. Modifications may be made, especially in matters of construction of the various elements or substitution by equivalent techniques, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (14)

1. A laundry treatment appliance (1), comprising:

A grab handle (3),

Comprising a main reservoir (14) and a water reservoir (13) of a main water outlet aperture (16) opening in said main reservoir (14),

A steam generator (6) comprising a vaporization chamber (7),

A water supply (22) fluidly connected to the main water outlet aperture (16) and configured to supply water from the main storage chamber (14) to the vaporisation chamber (7) by gravity,

A treatment surface (11) provided with at least one steam outlet opening (12), and

A steam distribution circuit (27) connected to the vaporisation chamber (7) and configured to supply steam to the at least one steam outlet hole (12),

The laundry treatment appliance (1) further comprises an auxiliary storage chamber (18) fluidly connected to the main storage chamber (14) and configured to be supplied with water from the main storage chamber (14), the auxiliary storage chamber (18) comprising an auxiliary water outlet orifice (21), the water supply device (22) being fluidly connected to the auxiliary water outlet orifice (21) and configured to supply water from the auxiliary storage chamber (18) to the vaporizing chamber (7) by gravity,

Characterized in that the laundry treatment appliance (1) is configured to treat laundry according to a treatment cycle comprising at least a first laundry treatment phase during which the vaporization chamber is supplied with water by gravity at a first supply flow rate greater than the water flow rate at which the vaporization chamber (7) is able to continuously vaporize; during the second laundry treatment phase, the vaporization chamber is supplied with water by gravity at a second supply flow rate which is less than or equal to the water flow rate at which the vaporization chamber (7) is able to continuously vaporize.

2. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said water supply device (22) comprises a first water supply pipe (23) and a second water supply pipe (24), said first water supply pipe being fluidly connected to said main water outlet aperture (16) and having a first through cross section; the second water supply pipe is fluidly connected to the auxiliary water outlet aperture (21) and has a second through cross section larger than the first through cross section.

3. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary storage chamber (18) comprises a water inlet aperture (19), and said first water supply pipe (23) comprises a first end fluidly connected to said main water outlet aperture (16), and a second end fluidly connected to said water inlet aperture (19).

4. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1-2, wherein the water reservoir (13) comprises the auxiliary storage chamber (18), the auxiliary storage chamber (18) being fluidly connected to the main storage chamber (14).

5. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to claim 4, wherein the water reservoir (13) comprises a through aperture (32) configured to establish free fluid communication between the auxiliary storage chamber (18) and the main storage chamber (14).

6. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of the claims 4-5, wherein said auxiliary storage chamber (18) is configured to be at least partly filled with water from said main storage chamber (14) when said laundry treatment appliance (1) is tilted from a first position to a second position.

7. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1-6, wherein the main storage chamber (14) has a first storage volume and the auxiliary storage chamber (18) has a second storage volume smaller than the first storage volume.

8. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1-7, wherein said auxiliary storage chamber (18), said auxiliary water outlet aperture (21) and said water supply means (22) are configured such that said auxiliary storage chamber (18) can be completely emptied via said auxiliary water outlet aperture (21) in less than 5 seconds.

9. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1-8, wherein said auxiliary storage chamber (18) is configured to be located below said main storage chamber (14) when said laundry treatment appliance (1) is in a rest position.

10. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1-9, wherein said water supply device (22) further comprises a closing member (25) movable between a closing position and a release position, in which closing member (25) prevents water flow through said water supply device (22); in the release position, the closure member (25) allows water flow through the water supply (22).

11. The laundry treatment appliance (1) according to claim 10, comprising a steam control member (26) configured to be manually operated by a user, the steam control member (26) being configured to displace the closing member (25) towards the release position when the user manipulates the steam control member (26).

12. The laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of claims 1 to 11, further comprising:

A steam discharge head (5) mechanically connected to the upper end of the grip (3) and comprising the treatment surface (11); and

A base (4) mechanically connected to the lower end of the grip (3), the base (4) housing the steam generator (6).

13. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 12, being portable.

14. Laundry treatment appliance (1) according to any of claims 1 to 13, being a steam ironing appliance or a steam iron.