Method and apparatus for dry cleaning as well as method and device for recovery of solvent therein

• US 5,123,176 A
• Filed: 08/16/1991
• Issued: 06/23/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chiyoda-Ku
• Original Assignee: Chiyoda-Ku
• Inventors: Hattori, Toshio, Tsukamoto, Hideo, Tsubaki, Yasuhiro, Hagiwara, Haruo, Yamada, Kiyomi, Takagi, Nobuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): BENNETT, HENRY A
• Application Number:
  US07/746,479
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 68/18 R, 68/18 C, 68/18 D, 68/18 F, 34/74, 34/76, 34/77, 34/79, 34/32
• US Class Current: 34/467
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 43/086 Recovering the solvent from the drying air current

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a technique which comprises the steps of stopping the rotation of a treating drum in a deodorizing step, introducing the outside air into a treating tank through an upper opening provided in the upper portion of the treating tank or the upper portion of a recovery air duct, simultaneously exhausting a solvent gas from the treating tank through a lower opening provided in the lower portion of the treating tank or a button trap portion so slowly as not to agitate the solvent gas in the treating tank by an exhaust means connected to a solvent recovery device in the condition that the treating drum is stopped, in order to replace the solvent gas in the treating tank with the outside air, and reusing the solvent gas through the solvent recovery device once or several times. In addition, the present invention is further directed to an improvement of the above-mentioned technique. According to the above-mentioned technique of the present invention, a gas throughput which is required to recover a certain amount of the solvent in the treating tank can be noticeably miniaturized and hence it can be manufactured at a lower cost, as compared with conventional ones, and air pollution and the breakage of ozone layer can be prevented. Moreover, the solvent can be saved owing to its recovery and reuse, and occupation space for the solvent recovery device can be also saved.

Claims

1. A method for recovering a solvent in a dry cleaning apparatus which comprises the steps of stopping the rotation of a treating drum in a deordorizing step, introducing the outside air into a treating tank through an upper opening provided in the upper portion of said treating tank or the upper portion of a recovery air duct, simultaneously exhausting a solvent gas from said treating tank through a lower opening provided in the lower portion of said treating tank or a button trap portion so slowly as not to agitate said solvent gas in said treating tank by an exhaust means connected to a solvent recovery device in the condition that said treating drum is stopped, in order to replace said solvent gas in said treating tank with said outside air, and reusing said solvent gas through said solvent recovery device once or several times.

2. A method for recovering dry cleaning solvent from a dry cleaning apparatus, comprising the steps of:

stopping the rotation of a treating drum the drum including clothes contained therein which have been treated with a solvent gas in the treating drum;

providing a deodorizing step including introducing outside air into the treating drum through an upper opening provided in an upper portion of the treating drum, and simultaneously exhausting solvent gas from the treating drum through a lower opening provided in a lower portion of the treating drum, said solvent gas being exhausted at a slow rate, which rate does not agitate the solvent gas, in order to replace said solvent gas with outside air in said treating tank;

directing said solvent gas to a solvent gas tank; and

reusing said solvent gas for treating clothes once or several times.