US2276809A - Hat steamer - Google Patents

Description

March 17, 1942. R. c. UTLr-:Y ET Al.

HAT STEAMER 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed' Jan. 9, 1941 Patented Mar. 17, 1942 I UNITED HAT STEAMER Ray C. Utley and Arthur Feilchenfeld, Jr.,

Chicago, Ill.

Application January 9, 1941, Serial No. 373,738

(Cl. 21S-38) 4 Claims.

The present invention has for its object to produce a simple, novel and efficient portable apparatus for generating steam rapidly and delivering it for the purpose of steaming hats or other things.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in thel claims; but, for a full understanding of our invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is a side elevational View of an apparatus embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the apparatus; Fig. 3 is'a bottom plan View of the apparatus, on an enlarged scale, the central portion of a bottom cover plate being broken away; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through one of the electrical terminals, being a section on an enlarged scale, on line 4 4 of Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section, on the same scale as Fig. 3, taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 6 is a vertical section approximately on line 6 6 of Fig. 5, the upper part of the apparatus being broken away.

Referring to the drawings, I represents a suitable dat base I which may conveniently be a metal casting. Rising from and integral with the base, near one end of the latter, is a reservoir 2 open at the top and so shaped that a bottle, such as indicated at A., may be placed upon the same upside down and discharge water into the reservoir when and as needed.

The reservoir is symmetrically disposed with respect to the longitudinal center of the base as are also two short sleeve-like projections 3 rising from and formed integral with the top of the base between the reservoir and the far end of the base.`

There is a passage 4 extending through the metal of the top of the base along the longitudinal center of the latter from a point under the reservoir past the two sleeve-like projections. One end of this passage communicates with the interior of the reservoir through a port 5 leading up through the effective bottom of the reservoir; and it also communicates with the interiors of the sleevelike projections through ports or short passages l. Screwed into the members 3 are two vertical pipes 'I which are shown as being long enough to extend somewhat above the up-ended bottle. The upper ends of the pipes 'I are connected together by a hollow head 8 terminating in a wide iiat nozzle 9. The head may be provided with means adapted to be placed in telescoped relation with both of the pipes. In the arrangement shown, the head is provided with two short tubular downward extensions Il] adapted to iit into the upper ends of the pipes; the head being held against accidental displacement by means of screws II extending through the upper ends of the pipes and into the parts I0. Surrounding the lower end of each of the pipes is a heating coil I2.

Assuming that a full, open bottle is up-ended and set upon the reservoir, water will flow therefrom until it reaches a predetermined level in the reservoir, at the same time flowing through the port 5, passage 4 and ports 6 into the lower ends of the pipes 'I where it rises to the same level as in the reservoir. Then, when the heating coils are energized, those portions of the pipes surrounded thereby become so hot that steam is quickly generated, rising through the pipes and being discharged through the nozzle. As water is transformed into steam, the water level in the apparatus drops and additional water leaves the bottle to overcome the deficiency. lThus, a constant supply of water is delivered to the pipes as steam is being generated and discharged.

The heating coils may be composed of metal ribbons wound over a suitable insulating covering on the pipes. In the arrangement shown, those portions of thek pipes surrounded by the heating coils are provided with a coating I4 of enamel or the like baked thereon; this coating being overlaid with a layer I5 of mica or the like. The heating elements are protected from contact with outside objects by a suitable detachable cover or casing I6 having in the top openings through which the pipes I extend. After removing the head member with its nozzle from the upper ends of the pipe, this casing or housing can be slid up along the pipes until it is free from the same.

The bottle which we have illustrated is of a commercial type having a screw cap B. We have found that one need only punch a hole C of considerable size in the center of this cap to insure automatic feeding at the maximum rate at which steam can be generated, without danger of spilling the water upon initially placing a bottle in position. This makes it unnecessary to employ any special fittings for cooperation with the bottle neck.

We have found that when steam is generated very rapidly, it is apt to carry unvaporized water along with the same, thereby causing the steam to be too wet as it leaves the nozzle. This diihculty is overcome by simply placing in each of the pipes a long central rod II along which are distributed little disks I8 of wire mesh; these disks being large enough to be at least a loose lit within the corresponding pipes. With this arrangement, water carried along with the steam coalesces on the little wires constituting the disks and it is thus separated from the steam which emerges at the nozzle in a dry condition. As the water on the disk accumulates into drops, these drops fall back into the bottom of the pipes and into the body of Water that is being heated to make steam.

Current may be supplied to the heating elements in any suitable way. In the arrangement shown, there is iiXed in the hollow under part of the base, at one end, a terminal block le provided with suitable terminal pins 29 to which a cord may be attached. Conductors 2l extend from this block underneath the base to suitable terminals which are in turn connected to the heating coils. One of these terminals is illus trated in detail in Fig. e, Referring to this iig ure, 22 is a thick-walled tube or sleeve of insulating material resting on top of and rising from thetop wall of the base I and having at the lower end a short section of reduced diameter tting into a hole 2li.l in that wall. On the underside of said wall, in registration with the sleeve 22, is a similar, but shorter sleeve 25. A long screw' 2G extends up through the sleeves 25 and 22 and has on the upper end thereof an elongated sleeve nut 2l. An end of one of the conductors 2i is inserted under the head of the screw 2S and, when the nut 2l is` tightened on the screw, this wire is clamped into good electrically conductive relation therewith while, at the same time, the screw with the insulating sleeves 22 and 25 form a rigid post iixed. to the base. ThevnutZl is so long that the screw 2 8 extends only a short distance into the same. 1 large` hole or passage 2 8 extends diametrically through the nut 21 at such a point that the free end of the screw 25 is exposed therein when the nut is tightened. Cooperating with the upper end of the nut 2l is a second, shorter screw 29 which, when screwed down as far as it will go, engages with the upper or free end of the screw 26.; this meeting of the two screws taking place within the transverse opening or passage 28. The parts are so proportioned that when the screw 29 is backed off, corresponding ends of the two heating coils may be inserted in this opening or passage, from opposite sides, and overlap each other in the spacebetween the near ends of the two screws. Then, when the screw 29 is screwed farther down into the nut, it engages with the upper of the two overlapping heating coil ends and presses both of them down against the upper end of the screw 26. Thus, by simply inserting the corresponding ends of the two heating coils in the transverse passage in ther long sleeve nut, and tightening thescrew 23 both coil ends are brought into good electricallyy conductive relation to the screw 2S and, consequently, to the leading-in wire 2|.

The base member I is shown as taking the -form of a shallow inverted pan, the open side of which maybe closed, so as to conceal the wires and the terminal screws 25, by a stiff piece ofber board Bt that may be sprung into position beyond little ears 3l formed integral with the side walls of the pan.

It will thus be seen that we have produced a very simple and rugged apparatus, and one which cannot easily get out of order, for rapidly generating steam and discharging it in a dry state so as to be available for steaming hats or other goods without making them too wet. Because the apparatus is compact and light, it may be operated at any place that happens to be most convenient at any given time, all that is needed being a bottle full of water and a cord adapted to be plugged into the nearest socket or outlet from the local lighting system. By placing the heating coils on the outside of the steam generating pipes, a large heating surface is obtained; and what is perhaps even more important, no special provision need be made to avoid wetting the heating coils because no water can reach them. It will also be seen that the electric current is carried to the coils from underneath the base in such a manner that there is no danger of grounding.

Vhile we have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of our invention, we do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and dee scribed; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of our invention constituting the appended claims.

W e claim:

1. In an apparatus oi the character described, a base, a reservoir integral with the base rising from the latter, a pipe having an opening at the upper end also rising from the base, a heating means consisting entirely oi a coil surrounding the lower part of the pipe, means to maintain a constant water level in the lower part oi said pipe, and a casing surrounding the pipe above the base and slidable upwardlyr on tho pipo .for enough to expose said heating coil.

2. In an apparatus of the character described` a base, an open-topped bottle-supporting receptacle and two short sleeve-like projections integral with and arranged in a row on tcp of the base, said base having a passage connecting the bottom of the reservoir with the interiors of said projections, two pipes fixed at their lower ends in saidprojections, means to heat said pipes, and a hollow head terminating in a nozzle mounted on and connecting together the upper ends of said pipes.

3. In an apparatus oi the character' cescribed, a base, a stand pipe open to atmosphere at its upper end mounted on the bese, means to .maintain a constant water level in the pipe. means to heat the pipe to vaporize the water, and a baille device in the pipe comprising a supporting rod and a plurality of wire mesh disks distributed along the rod and forming open-work partitions across the interior of the pipe.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a base, a stand pipe open to atmosphere at its upper end mounted on the base, means to maintain a constant water level in the pipo, means to heat the pipe to vaporize the water, and a barile device arranged loosely in said pipe, said baille device comprising a rod and a plurality of openwork disks distributed along the same and Iorm ing partitions across the interior of the pipe.

RAY C. UTLEY. ARTHUR FEILCHENFELD, J

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