HAND DRYER

• US 20130042497A1
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: Gammack, Peter David, Courtney, Stephen Benjamin, RYAN, Leigh Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,743,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/218
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 25/06 Chambers, containers, or receptacles large containers having means for heating, cooling, aerating or other conditioning of contents B65D88/74

Abstract

A hand dryer having a left-hand nozzle section which, in normal use, is used to dry a user'"'"'s left hand and a right-hand nozzle section which, in normal use, is used separately to dry the user'"'"'s right hand, the left-hand nozzle section being arranged to emit drying air along a first direction—outwardly to the left of the dryer—and the right-hand nozzle section being arranged to emit drying air in a second direction—outwardly to the right of the dryer—said first and second directions having a downward and/or forward component.

Claims

1. A hand dryer for drying one side of a user'"'"'s hands at a time, the hand dryer having a left-hand nozzle section which, in normal use, is used to dry a user'"'"'s left hand and a right-hand nozzle section which, in normal use, is used separately to dry the user'"'"'s right hand, the left-hand nozzle section being arranged to emit drying air along a first direction—

outwardly to the left of the dryer—

and the right-hand nozzle section being arranged to emit drying air in a second direction—

outwardly to the right of the dryer—

said first and second directions having a downward and/or forward component.

2. The hand dryer of claim 1, in which the nozzle sections each extend to span the width of a user'"'"'s open hand.

3. The hand dryer of claim 1, wherein each nozzle section comprises an elongate air slot or row of nozzles.

4. The hand dryer of claim 3, in which each nozzle section is an elongate air slot—

less than 1 mm in width—

and the dryer comprises a motor-driven fan arranged in fluid communication with the air slots for forcing airflow through the slots at an exit-airspeed in excess of 100 m/s.

5. The hand dryer of claim 1 wherein the first and second direction each extends forwardly and downwardly at an angle of declination in excess of 50 degrees.

6. The hand dryer of claim 1 wherein the first and second directions diverge at an angle between 100 and 120 degrees.

7. The hand dryer of claim 1, in which the first and second direction both have a downward component and the dryer further comprises a downwardly pitched guide part positioned behind each nozzle section for guiding the pitch of the user'"'"'s hands underneath the nozzle sections.

8. The hand dryer of claim 7, wherein the guide part is set back behind the nozzles

9. The hand dryer of claim 8, wherein the guide part is set back a distance in excess of 5 mm.

10. The hand dryer of claim 7, wherein the guide part comprises a continuous ramp surface extending back to the wall in use.

11. The hand dryer of claim 2, wherein each nozzle section comprises an elongate air slot or row of nozzles.

12. The hand dryer of claim 8, wherein the guide part comprises a continuous ramp surface extending back to the wall in use.

13. The hand dryer of claim 9, wherein the guide part comprises a continuous ramp surface extending back to the wall in use.