HAND DRYER

• US 20070079524A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toto Limited
• Original Assignee: Toto Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Shingo, Yonezawa, Yoshihiro, Kai, Hideyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,437,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/202
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/48 Drying by means of hot air hair-drying devices A45D20/00; curative hot-air baths A61H33/06; electric heating elements H05B

Abstract

A hand dryer is disclosed having little unpleasant blowback from the hand insertion opening portion of the hand drying chamber and little splattering of water droplets around the device, and offering superior drying performance. The hand dryer 1 of the present invention comprises a box-shaped main housing 2 constituted by a front side wall portion 11, a rear side wall portion 13, and a bottom surface portion 14 forming a hand drying chamber 10 having a rear member 6, side members 8, and a hand insertion opening portion 12 opening on the top surface thereof; an electric blower 16 contained within the main housing; a nozzle means 18 provided on the front side wall portion and the rear side wall portion of the main housing and blowing an air flow from the electric blower toward hands inserted into the hand drying chamber; a ventilation opening portion 22 formed on the side of the main housing and ventilating the air flow in the hand drying chamber to the outside, and a water droplet splatter prevention means 24 provided on the ventilation opening portion to prevent the splattering of water droplets in the hand drying chamber to the outside.

Claims

1. A hand dryer for drying a users hands by blowing air thereon, said hand dryer comprising:

a box-shaped main housing including a front member, a back member, side members, and a hand drying chamber with a hand insertion opening portion opening on the top surface thereof, said hand drying chamber being formed by a front side wall portion, a rear side wall portion, and a bottom portion;

an electric blower contained within the main housing;

a nozzle device disposed on the front side wall portion and the rear side wall portion of the hand drying chamber for blowing an air flow carried from the electric blower toward hands inserted into the hand drying chamber;

a ventilation opening portion, formed in the side of the main housing, for ventilating the air flow within the hand drying chamber; and

a water droplet splatter prevention device disposed on the ventilation opening portion for preventing the splattering to the outside of water droplets in the hand drying chamber.

2. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said ventilation opening portion and water droplet splatter prevention device are formed on the side member of said main housing.

3. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said ventilation opening portion and water droplet splatter prevention device are formed on a side cover which is removably attached to the side member of said main housing, and a ventilation internal opening portion is formed on the side member of said main housing at a position corresponding to the ventilation opening portion.

4. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said water droplet splatter prevention device is a plurality of plate-shaped members arrayed at predetermined intervals on said ventilation opening portion so as to form a rising slope from the inside toward the outside of the ventilation opening portion.

5. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said water droplet splatter prevention device is furnished with a rib formed on at least the top edge portion of said ventilation opening portion so as to protrude toward the interior of said hand drying chamber.

6. The hand dryer according to claim 4, wherein said plate-shaped members are arrayed so as to form a falling slope toward the front side or the rear side of said hand dryer.

7. The hand dryer according to claim 5, wherein said rib is arrayed so as to form a falling slope toward the front side or the rear side of said hand dryer.

8. The hand dryer according to claim 2, wherein said ventilation opening portion is formed in a part of said side member which is positioned close to and above the bottom portion of said hand drying chamber.

9. The hand dryer according to claim 3, wherein said ventilation opening portion is formed in a part of said side cover which is positioned close to and above the bottom portion of said hand drying chamber.

10. The hand dryer according to claim 8, wherein said ventilation opening portion is formed to have a shape essentially the same as the sectional shape of said hand drying chamber as seen from the side.

11. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein a downward curving arc-shaped portion is formed on the upper edge portion of the side member of said main housing.

12. The hand dryer according to claim 3, wherein a downward curving arc-shaped portion is formed on the upper edge portion of said side cover.

13. The hand dryer according to claim 2, wherein said hand dryer further comprises a drain path formed on the outer side of said main housing side member such that water droplets in said hand drying chamber drain downward from at least one edge of the bottom portion of said hand drying chamber.

14. The hand dryer according to claim 3, wherein said hand dryer further comprises a drain path formed by the outer side of the side member of said main housing and the inner side of said side cover so as to drain water droplets in said hand drying chamber downward from at least one edge of the bottom portion of said hand drying chamber.

15. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said hand dryer further comprises a front cover removably attached to the front member of said main housing, and a drain path formed by the outer side of the front member of said main housing and the inner side of said front cover so that water droplets in said hand drying chamber drain downward from the front edge of the bottom portion of said hand drying chamber.

16. The hand dryer according to claim 13, wherein the bottom portion of said hand drying chamber has an inclined surface formed as a falling slope from the center portion thereof toward both edges.

17. The hand dryer according to claim 13, wherein the bottom portion of said hand drying chamber has an inclined surface formed as a falling slope from one edge toward the other edge.

18. The hand dryer according to claim 13, wherein said hand dryer further comprises a water receiving portion, provided at the bottom end of said water drain path, for recovering water droplets flowing down said water drain path, and the bottom end of said water drain path is formed so as to protrude into said main housing at a gentle inclination with respect thereto.

19. A hand dryer for drying a user'"'"'s hands by blowing air thereon, said hand dryer comprising:

a main housing forming a hand drying chamber with a hand insertion opening portion which opens in a part thereof;

an electric blower contained within the main housing;

a nozzle device disposed on said main housing, blowing an air flow carried from the electric blower toward hands inserted into the hand drying chamber;

a ventilation opening portion, formed in a part other than that in which said hand insertion opening portion of the hand drying chamber of said main housing opens, for ventilating the air flow within the hand drying chamber to the outside; and

a water droplet splatter prevention device disposed on this ventilation opening portion for preventing the splattering to the outside of water droplets in the hand drying chamber.