Hand drier having a plurality of transmitters and at least one receiver located in the vicinity of the outlet

• US 5,111,594 A
• Filed: 03/15/1991
• Issued: 05/12/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Airdri Limited
• Original Assignee: Airdri Limited
• Inventors: Allen, Peter W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennet, Henry A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ESQUIVEL, DENISE LYNNE
• Application Number:
  US07/669,423
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 34/1, 34/4, 34/202, 34/44, 34/48, 34/55, 34/54, 34/1 R, 34/1 W, 34/1 X, 392/381, 392/380
• US Class Current: 34/266
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/16 Fixed installed drying devices
• 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 drier has an air outlet at which an object for drying is presented about which are mounted a plurality of transmitters of electromagnetic radiation located in the vicinity of the outlet, the transmitters being spaced apart one from another and from at least one receiver sensitive to the radiation. The receiver is masked to prevent direct emissions from any and all of the transmitters reaching the receiver; the transmitters and the, or each, receiver are located relative to a working volume at the air outlet operate so that on an object being located in the working volume a drying cycle is initiated by the passage of emission from the transmitters being scattered by the object so as to cause at least indirect emission from the object to fall on the, or at least one, receiver. Preferably the transmitters and the or each receiver are operable with electromagnetic radiation which is at or near the infra red portion of the spectrum. The transmitters and the receiver or receivers are conveniently mounted on a common structural element such as a circuit board.

Claims

1. A hand drier having an air outlet at which an object for drying is presented to activate the hand drier, characterised by a plurality of transmitters of electromagnetic radiation and at least one receiver, sensitive to the radiation to be emitted by at least one of the plurality of transmitters, being located in the vicinity of the outlet, the plurality of transmitters being spaced apart one from another and from the at least one receiver, the at least one receiver being masked from receiving direct emissions from any of the plurality of transmitters;

and the plurality of transmitters and the at least one receiver being located relative to a working volume at the air outlet so that, upon an object being located in the working volume, a drying cycle is initiated by the passage of emission from the transmitters being scattered by the object so as to cause at least indirect emission from the object to be reflected to the at least one receiver.

2. A hand drier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmitters and the at least one receiver are operable with electromagnetic radiation which is at or near the infra red portion of the spectrum.

3. A hand drier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of transmitters and the at least one receiver are mounted on a common structural element.

4. A hand drier as claimed in claim 2 herein the plurality of transmitters and the at least one receiver are mounted on a common structural element.

5. A hand drier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of transmitters comprise three infra red transmitters mounted in a line approximately 1 cm apart from one another.