Non-tumble clothes dryer

• US 20070151120A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Rhodes, Matthew, Sunshine, Richard, Meyer, Robert, Tomasi, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 7,913,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/601
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 29/00 Combinations of a washing machine with other separate apparatus in a common frame or the like, e.g. with rinsing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/26 Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/125 Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or legs
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/10 Drying cabinets or drying chambers having heating or ventilating means

Abstract

A non-tumble dryer comprises a cabinet and a drawer configured to support an article to be dried and slidably mounted to the cabinet. An air supply system provides air to a drying chamber formed at least partially by one of the cabinet and the drawer for drying the article supported by the drawer. The non-tumble dryer can function as a pedestal whereby the top of the cabinet can be configured to support a laundry appliance in an elevated position. Alternatively, the cabinet can overlie one or more laundry appliances.

Claims

1. A drying pedestal for supporting a laundry appliance in an elevated position, the drying pedestal comprising:

a cabinet having a top configured to support a laundry appliance and defining an open face providing access to an interior of the cabinet;

a drawer configured to support an article to be dried and movably mounted to the cabinet for movement relative to the interior through the open face;

a non-tumble drying chamber formed at least partially by one of the cabinet and the drawer; and

an air supply system mounted in the cabinet to provide air to the non-tumble drying chamber for drying the article supported by the drawer.

2. The drying pedestal according to claim 1, wherein the drawer comprises a drying rack for supporting the article to be dried in a generally horizontal position.

3. The drying pedestal according to claim 2, wherein the drying rack comprises an air-permeable panel that at least partially supports the article to be dried and permits air from the air supply system to flow through the drying rack.

4. The drying pedestal according to claim 2, wherein the cabinet forms the non-tumble drying chamber, and the drying rack is movable with the drawer relative to the non-tumble drying chamber.

5. The drying pedestal according to claim 2, wherein the drying chamber has an air inlet and an air outlet, where one of the air inlet and the air outlet is located above the drying rack, and the other of the air inlet and the air outlet is located below the drying rack.

6. The drying pedestal according to claim 5, and further comprising an air duct fluidly coupling the air outlet to the air inlet.

7. The drying pedestal according to claim 6, wherein the air duct extends laterally behind the drawer.

8. The drying pedestal according to claim 6, and further comprising a heating system fluidly coupled to the air duct to heat the air passing through the air duct.

9. The drying pedestal according to claim 1, wherein the air supply system directs air beneath the drawer when the drawer is received in the interior of the cabinet.

10. The drying pedestal according to claim 9, wherein the drawer comprises a bottom wall having a plurality of apertures, and the air blown beneath the drawer enters the drawer through the apertures.

11. The drying pedestal according to claim 10, wherein the drawer further comprises a peripheral wall extending upward from the bottom wall to define the non-tumble drying chamber.

12. The drying pedestal according to claim 10, and further comprising a heating system mounted in the cabinet to heat the air supplied by the air supply system.

13. The drying pedestal according to claim 12, wherein the heating system comprises a heating element mounted in the cabinet below the drawer to heat to the air as it flows beneath the drawer before entering the drawer through the apertures.

14. The drying pedestal according to claim 1, wherein the air supply system comprises a blower having an outlet that directs the air through the non-tumble drying chamber and an inlet that receives the air exhausted from the non-tumble drying chamber.

15. The drying pedestal according to claim 1, wherein the top of the cabinet has a width approximately equal to that of the laundry appliance.

16. A drying pedestal for supporting a laundry appliance in an elevated position, the drying pedestal comprising:

a cabinet having a top configured to support a laundry appliance and defining a drying chamber and an open face providing access to the drying chamber;

a drawer configured to support an article to be dried and movably mounted to the cabinet for movement relative to the drying chamber through the open face; and

an air supply system mounted in the cabinet to provide air to the drying chamber for drying the article supported by the drawer.

17. The drying pedestal according to claim 16, wherein the drawer comprises at least one drying rack for supporting the article to be dried in a generally horizontal position.

18. The drying pedestal according to claim 17, wherein the at least one drying rack comprises an air-permeable panel that at least partially supports the article to be dried and permits air from the air supply system to flow through the at least one drying rack.

19. The drying pedestal according to claim 17, wherein the drawer further comprises a drawer front mounted to the at least one drying rack to form the drawer.

20. The drying pedestal according to claim 17, wherein the drawer comprises at least two of the drying racks vertically spaced from one another, and an uppermost drying rack of the at least two drying racks is movably mounted to the drawer.

21. The drying pedestal according to claim 17, wherein the drying chamber has an air inlet and an air outlet, where one of the air inlet and the air outlet is located above the at least one drying rack, and the other of the air inlet and the air outlet is located below the at least one drying rack.

22. The drying pedestal according to claim 21, and further comprising an air duct fluidly coupling the air outlet to the air inlet.

23. The drying pedestal according to claim 22, wherein the air duct extends laterally behind the drawer.

24. The drying pedestal according to claim 22, and further comprising a heating system fluidly coupled to the air duct to heat the air passing through the air duct.

25. The drying pedestal according to claim 16, wherein the air supply system comprises a blower having an outlet that directs the air through the non-tumble drying chamber and an inlet that receives the air exhausted from the non-tumble drying chamber.

26. A non-tumble clothes dryer for use with a pair of laundry appliances in a side-by-side arrangement, the non-tumble clothes dryer comprising:

a cabinet having a width sized to overlie the pair of laundry appliances and defining an interior and an open face providing access to the interior of the cabinet;

a drawer configured to support an article to be dried and movably mounted to the cabinet for movement relative to the interior through the open face;

a non-tumble drying chamber formed at least partially by one of the cabinet and the drawer; and

an air supply system to provide air to the non-tumble drying chamber for drying the article supported by the drawer.

27. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 26, wherein the cabinet width is sized to completely overlie the pair of laundry appliances.

28. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 26, wherein the cabinet width is greater than a width required to completely overlie the pair of laundry appliances.

29. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 26, wherein the cabinet has a top configured to support the pair of laundry appliances in an elevated position.

30. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 26, wherein the cabinet forms the non-tumble drying chamber.

31. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 26, wherein the drawer comprises at least one drying rack for supporting the article to be dried in a generally horizontal position.

32. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 31, wherein the at least one drying rack comprises an air-permeable panel that at least partially supports the article to be dried and permits air from the air supply system to flow through the at least one drying rack.

33. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 31, wherein the drawer comprises at least two of the drying racks vertically spaced from one another, and an uppermost drying rack of the at least two drying racks is movably mounted to the drawer.

34. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 31, wherein the drying chamber has an air inlet and an air outlet, where one of the air inlet and the air outlet is located above the at least one drying rack, and the other of the air inlet and the air outlet is located below the at least one drying rack.

35. The drying pedestal according to claim 34 and further comprising an air duct fluidly coupling the air outlet to the air inlet.

36. The drying pedestal according to claim 35, wherein the air duct extends laterally behind the drawer.

37. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 26 and further comprising a heating system fluidly coupled to the air supply system for heating the air in the air supply system.

38. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 37, wherein the heating system is mounted in the cabinet.

39. The non-tumble clothes dryer according to claim 26, wherein the air supply system is mounted in the cabinet.

40. The drying pedestal according to claim 26, wherein the air supply system comprises a blower having an outlet that directs the air through the non-tumble drying chamber and an inlet that receives the air exhausted from the non-tumble drying chamber.