HAND DRYER

• US 20130276328A1
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2012
• 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, STEELE, Stuart James
• Granted Patent: US 10,612,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/523
• 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 21/004 Nozzle assemblies; Air knives; Air distributors; Blow boxes F26B3/082, F26B13/104, F26B13/108, F26B21/006 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a wall-mountable hand dryer of the type which uses an air-knife to wipe the water from a user'"'"'s hand. In accordance with the invention, the hand dryer is configured to have a maximum depth, front-to-back, of less than 150 mm when it is surface-mounted on—rather than recessed within—the wall. The dryer has a projecting part which projects outwardly either from the wall or from a rear part of the dryer, and the air-knife is directed downwardly onto the user'"'"'s hand as it is passed lengthwise underneath the projecting part of the dryer. The air knife is discharged through one or more discharge apertures, and these discharge apertures are positioned towards the front of the projecting part so that they are spaced at least 75 mm from the wall or, as the case may be, the rear part of the dryer.

Claims

1. A wall-mountable hand dryer of the type which uses an air-knife to wipe the water from a user'"'"'s hand, the hand dryer being configured to have a maximum depth, front-to-back, of 150 mm or less when it is surface-mounted on—

rather than recessed within—

the wall, the dryer having a projecting part which projects outwardly either from the wall or from a rear part of the dryer, the air-knife being directed downwardly onto the user'"'"'s hand as it is passed lengthwise underneath the projecting part of the dryer, the air knife being discharged through one or more discharge apertures, the discharge apertures being positioned towards the front of the projecting part so that they are spaced at least 75 mm from the wall or the rear part of the dryer.

2. The hand dryer of claim 1, wherein said maximum depth of the hand dryer is 4 inches (101.6 mm) or less.

3. The hand dryer of claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge apertures are spaced said maximum depth from the wall.

4. The hand dryer of claim 1, wherein the discharge apertures are provided on the underside of the projecting part.

5. The hand dryer of claim 4, wherein the discharge apertures are provided along a front lower edge of the projecting part.

6. The hand dryer of claim 1, wherein the projecting part is an external casing of the hand dryer.

7. The hand dryer of claim 6, the discharge apertures being arranged in a V-configuration viewed from the front of the dryer.

8. The hand dryer of claim 1, wherein the discharge apertures face a lower part of the dryer, the discharge apertures being spaced at least 120 mm from said lower part of the dryer.

9. The hand dryer of claim 1, the dryer being configured such that the air-knife is discharged at a speed of at least 80 m/s.

10. The hand dryer of claim 1, wherein the air-knife is discharged through a single aperture in the form of an elongate slot.

11. The hand dryer of claim 1, wherein the air-knife is discharged through an elongate line of individual air holes.

12. The hand dryer of claim 10 or 11, wherein the width of the slot, or the width of each air hole, is less than 2 mm.

13. The hand dryer of claim 10 or 11, wherein the length of the slot, or the combined length of the line of air holes, is at least 80 mm.

14. The hand dryer of claim 10 or 11, wherein the dryer comprises two such slots or lines of air holes for discharging two respective, separate air knives:

one air knife for each hand.