Treatment plate for a garment treatment appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9765476-B2
Application number	US-201414764015-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2014
Priority date	Feb 6, 2013
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a treatment plate ( 10 ) for a garment treatment appliance ( 100 ) for treating garments ( 30 ), which plate has a contact surface which is provided with a sol-gel coating ( 20 ) that comprises an oxide of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, scandium, yttrium, or a mixture or combination thereof. The layer preferably has a thickness of less than 1 μm. Such a layer shows excellent properties. A garment treatment appliance comprising such a treatment plate, as well as processes to produce the coating on the contact surface of the treatment plate are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A treatment plate for a garment treatment appliance, which treatment plate has a contact surface that in use slides on a garment being treated, wherein said contact surface is provided with a coating that comprises a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, yttrium oxide, hafnium oxide, scandium oxide, or a mixture or combination thereof, wherein said coating has a thickness of less than 400 nm.

2. A treatment plate according to claim 1 , wherein the coating is a sol-gel coating.

3. A treatment plate according to claim 1 , wherein said coating substantially consists of one of: titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, a mixture or combination of titanium oxide and zirconium oxide, a mixture or combination of titanium oxide and yttrium oxide.

4. A treatment plate according to claim 1 wherein the treatment plate comprises a metal substrate and wherein the treatment plate further comprises at least one layer arranged between said metal substrate and said coating, said layer being a metal composition, an enamel, organic polymer, organo-silicate or silicate layer.

5. A method to produce a coating on a contact surface of a treatment plate for a garment treatment appliance, wherein, in use, said contact surface slides on a garment being treated, the method comprising the steps of:
depositing on said contact surface a layer of a precursor material of a metal or compound, selected from titanium, zirconium, hafnium, scandium, yttrium, or a mixture or combination of these metals or compounds, wherein the precursor material comprises one or more of a hydrolysable precursor and a hydrolysable precursor solution;
treating said layer to obtain a layer comprising titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, or a mixture or combination thereof,
depositing on said contact surface a layer of a hydrolysable precursor, preferably an alkoxide precursor or an acetate precursor, of a metal, selected from titanium, zirconium, hafnium, scandium, yttrium, or a mixture or combination of these metals or compounds; and
curing said layer to obtain a layer comprising titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, or a mixture or combination thereof.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein said deposition is by means of a dry chemical process, preferably a vapour deposition process.

7. A method according to claim 5 , the method comprising the steps of:
preparing a hydrolysable precursor solution, preferably of an alkoxide precursor or an acetate precursor, of a metal, selected from titanium, zirconium, hafnium, scandium, yttrium, or a mixture or combination of these metals or metal compounds,
depositing on said contact surface a layer of said precursor solution,
followed by drying, if necessary, and curing, to obtain a layer comprising titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, scandium oxide, yttrium oxide, or a mixture or combination thereof.

8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein said deposition is by means of a wet chemical process, preferably a solution process, more preferably a sol-gel process.

9. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the solvent used for preparing the solution of an alkoxide or acetate precursor of said metal is a lower alcohol, preferably ethanol, isopropylalcohol, 2-butanol, or 2-butoxy-ethanol.

10. A method according to claim 7 , wherein said alkoxide or acetate precursor is a propanolate or acetylacetonate derivative, and wherein said drying and curing is effected at a temperature below 400° C.

11. A method according to claim 5 , wherein said contact surface of the treatment plate consists of a metal, enamel, organic polymer, organo-silicate, or silicate composition.

12. A method according to claim 5 , wherein said contact surface is precoated with at least one layer, preferably consisting of a metal composition, enamel, organic polymer, organo-silicate or silicate, more preferably a metal oxide layer prepared by sol-gel techniques.

13. A garment treatment appliance including a treatment plate according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Tang Jiecong
• Wielstra Ytsen
• Lee Ya Ling
• Khoo Sabrina May Fong
• Zhao Lihong

Classifications

• B05D3/007

  After-treatment · CPC title

• B05D1/02

  performed by spraying · CPC title

• D06F75/38 Primary

  Sole plates (D06F75/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05D3/00

  Pretreatment of surfaces to which liquids or other fluent materials are to be applied; After-treatment of applied coatings, e.g. intermediate treating of an applied coating preparatory to subsequent applications of liquids or other fluent materials (successively applying liquids or other fluent materials B05D1/36; drying ovens F26B) · CPC title