Air flow apparatus for clothes dryer
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A clothes dryer comprising:
- a clothes drum having an air inlet and a perforated annulus;
a cabinet surrounding said drum and defining a region of space between said drum and said cabinet;
means for axially rotating said drum;
means communicating with said inlet for providing hot air;
stationary means surrounding an arcuate portion of said perforated annulus for drawing said hot air into said drum through said inlet and out perforations of said annulus instantaneously aligned with said stationary drawing means; and
means for preventing air flowing from said drum into said region of space through perforations of said annulus not instantaneously aligned with said stationary drawing means, said preventing means comprising a flexible wrap supported in sliding engagement by said drum.
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Abstract
Air flow apparatus for a clothes dryer wherein a flexible wrap having sealing runners is supported in sliding engagement on the rotating drum to cover that portion of the perforated annulus that is not istantaneously aligned with the suction duct. The end of the wrap opposite the direction of rotation of the drum is resiliently held such as by springs such that the tension on the wrap and the pressure on the drum is self-adjusting and maintained substantially constant. Therefore, the sealing runners are maintained in substantially uniform and continuous contact against the drum to limit the air flow path from the drum so that substantially all of the exiting air passes into the suction duct.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A clothes dryer comprising:
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a clothes drum having an air inlet and a perforated annulus; a cabinet surrounding said drum and defining a region of space between said drum and said cabinet; means for axially rotating said drum; means communicating with said inlet for providing hot air; stationary means surrounding an arcuate portion of said perforated annulus for drawing said hot air into said drum through said inlet and out perforations of said annulus instantaneously aligned with said stationary drawing means; and means for preventing air flowing from said drum into said region of space through perforations of said annulus not instantaneously aligned with said stationary drawing means, said preventing means comprising a flexible wrap supported in sliding engagement by said drum. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A clothes dryer comprising:
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a horizontally oriented clothes drum having a front annulus with a plurality circumferentially disposed perforations; a cabinet surrounding said drum and defining a region of space outside said drum within said cabinet; means for rotating said drum; a stationary back wall positioned adjacent said drum and having an air inlet to said drum; a burner box communicating with said air inlet on said stationary back wall; a stationary duct having an arcuate top mouth proximately spaced to an arcuate bottom portion of said annulus; an exhaust blower coupled to said duct for drawing air from said burner box through said drum and out instantaneous ones of said perforations aligned with said duct; and an elongated flexible wrap covering the portion of said annulus not instantaneously aligned with said duct to prevent air exiting said drum into said region of space within said cabinet through perforations not instantaneously aligned with said duct, said wrap passing over the top of said drum and being supported on said drum. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. In a clothes dryer having a drum with a perforated front annulus and a suction duct surrounding an arcuate portion thereof for drawing hot air from a burner communicating with an air inlet of said drum through said drum while said drum is being rotated, the method of attaching a wrap around the portion of said annulus which is not instantaneously aligned with said duct, comprising the steps of:
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positioning said wrap over said drum so that said wrap is supported on said drum; rigidly affixing the end of said wrap in the direction of rotation of said drum to said duct; and resiliently affixing the opposite end of said wrap to said duct.
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Specification