Household drying center

• US 5,555,640 A
• Filed: 07/25/1995
• Issued: 09/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chan C. Ou
• Original Assignee: Chan C. Ou
• Inventors: Ou, Chan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sollecito, John M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/506,479
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 34/89, 34/90, 34/103, 34/603, 34/604, 34/607, 34/138, 34/170, 34/192, 34/194, 34/197, 34/204, 34/237, 34/240, 34/202, 34/218, 34/239, 211/88, 211/181, 211/204, 312/229, 312/249.9, 312/213
• US Class Current: 34/202
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 19/00 Drying devices for crockery or table-ware, e.g. tea-cloths
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 23/205 with heating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/26 Condition of the drying air, e.g. air humidity or temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/10 Drying cabinets or drying chambers having heating or ventilating means
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 25/066 Movable chambers, e.g. collapsible, demountable self-contained mobile devices, e.g. for agricultural produce F26B19/005
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 25/08 Parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 9/06 in stationary drums or chambers

Abstract

A multipurpose household drying center which can provide versatile drying functions for a wide variety of clothings, fabric articles and other household goods. A blower and a heating chamber are disposed on the top portion of a cabinet to generate forced and heated air downward into a drying chamber in the cabinet below the heating chamber. There are horizontally disposed heat diffusion plates under the heating chamber and vertically disposed air ducts on the side walls of the cabinet to enable heated air to be evenly distributed and filled in the drying chamber for uniform drying of the goods held therein. A support stand having a horizontal and rectangular frame secured on the top ends of a pair of spaced and vertical telescopically structured tubes is disposed within the drying chamber. The rectangular frame is spaced from the top, bottom and side walls of the drying chamber. The support stand can support a for hanging clothes, can allow large size or bulky goods be draped thereover, and can support a wire basket for holding delicate or odd shape goods for drying. There are side rods on the side walls for hanging articles. A base grid is provided above the bottom wall to hold heavy or odd shape goods for drying. The clothes and goods are dried without tumbling, thus avoiding fraying or wrinkles.

Claims

1. A household drying center for drying laundry, fabric articles and household goods, comprising:

a cabinet defined by a top wall, a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls, the top wall having an opening formed therein, the bottom wall having a plurality of casters disposed thereunder;

a heating chamber located at an upper portion of the cabinet and below the top wall, the heating chamber including heating means and a substantially horizontal heat diffusion plate located below the heating means;

the heat diffusion plate including a plurality of lateral edges in contact with the side walls of the cabinet, a plural number of apertures formed therein and a substantially rectangular side slot formed in each of a rear and lateral side edge;

a blower disposed above the opening of the top wall for generating forced air into the heating chamber, the blower being housed in a case which has a rear opening upon which an air filter means is mounted;

a control panel located above a front side wall of the cabinet and including a timer for setting the operation duration of the heating means and the blower, a temperature selection switch for setting the heating means to generate one of various predetermined heating power outputs and a signal light for indicating the operative state of the heating means and the blower;

a drying chamber located in the middle and lower portions of the cabinet below the heat diffusion plate, the drying chamber including a door mounted on the front side wall for accessing the interior of the drying chamber, a thermostat for setting the heating means to an inoperative state when the temperature of the interior of the drying chamber reaches a predetermined level, a plurality of hollow air ducts, and a side rod means;

each air duct being substantially rectangular in cross section and vertically disposed on each of a rear and lateral side wall and having an open top end engaged with the side slot of the heat diffusion plate for forming an air passage to the heating chamber, a closed bottom end and a plural number of apertures facing the interior of the drying chamber;

the side rod means including at least one substantially inverted `U` shape rod having two ends, a substantially horizontal middle portion and two pivot arms at the ends, each pivot arm being tiltably engaged with a pivot bracket disposed on an interior surface of a side wall of the drying chamber;

a support means including a support stand and a base grid disposed in the drying chamber, the support stand including a substantially rectangular frame formed by a pair of transverse bars and a pair of longitudinal bars, and a pair of transversely spaced uprights with the top ends thereof engaging with the rectangular frame and with the bottom ends thereof secured on a pair of spaced and longitudinal base bars which are secured on two opposite side walls of the cabinet;

the rectangular frame being spaced from the heat diffusion plate, the side walls and the bottom wall of the cabinet; and

the base grid resting on plural pairs of brackets located on two opposite side walls of the cabinet and disposed horizontally above the base bars;

a draining means located below the base bars and above the bottom wall, the draining means including a drain board which has a surface inclined downwardly from lateral sides thereof to a drain outlet formed in a center thereof, and a drip tray movably disposed below the drain outlet and under the bottom wall of the cabinet; and

an air discharge means including an air outlet formed adjacent the drain outlet, and a hollow air discharge duct located below the drain board, the discharge duct having a front end in fluid communication with the air outlet and a rear end in fluid communication with an air discharge port disposed on an outside surface of the rear side wall of the cabinet.

3. A household drying center according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the transverse bars of the rectangular frame is telescopically structured.

4. A household drying center according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rectangular frame has a grid disposed therein between the transverse and longitudinal bars.

5. A household drying center according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spaced upright has a plural number of spaced keyholes formed vertically in the lateral wall facing each other and allows a substantially inverted "U" shape rod be engaged at two ends thereof with a pair of opposite keyholes.

6. A household drying center according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spaced uprights are telescopically structured.

8. A household drying center according to claim 1,2 or 7, wherein the heating means including radiative heating element which has resistance core embedded therein and has heat dissipating fins disposed on the outside surface thereof.

9. A household drying center according to claim 1, 2 or 7, wherein the apertures in the heat diffusion plate are formed in such way that the apertures located between the center portion and the side slot thereof have greater space distance than the apertures located elsewhere thereof.

10. A household drying center according to claim 1,2or 7, wherein the apertures in the air duct are formed in such way that no aperture is formed in the upper portion thereof near the heat diffusion plate, the apertures located in the middle portion thereof have greater space distance than the apertures located in the lower portion thereof near the bottom wall of the cabinet.

2. A household drying center for drying laundry, fabric articles and household goods, comprising:

a cabinet defined by a top wall, a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls, the top wall having an opening formed therein, the bottom wall having a plurality of casters disposed thereunder;

a heating chamber located at an upper portion of the cabinet and below the top wall, the heating chamber including heating means and a substantially horizontal heat diffusion plate located below the heating means;

the heat diffusion plate including a plurality of lateral edges in contact with the side walls of the cabinet, a plural number of apertures formed therein and a substantially rectangular side slot formed in each of a rear and lateral side edge;

a blower disposed above the opening of the top wall for generating forced air into the heating chamber, the blower being housed in a case which has a rear opening upon which an air filter means is mounted;

a control panel located above a front side wall of the cabinet and including a timer for setting the operation duration of the heating means and the blower, a temperature selection switch for setting the heating means to generate one of various predetermined heating power outputs and a signal light for indicating the operative state of the heating means and the blower;

a drying chamber located in the middle and lower portions of the cabinet below the heat diffusion plate, the drying chamber including a door mounted on the front side wall for accessing the interior of the drying chamber, a thermostat for setting the heating means to an inoperative state when the temperature of the interior of the drying chamber reaches a predetermined level, a plurality of hollow air ducts, and a side rod means;

each air duct being substantially rectangular in cross section and vertically disposed on each of a rear and lateral side wall and having an open top end engaged with the side slot of the heat diffusion plate for forming an air passage to the heating chamber, a closed bottom end and a plural number of apertures facing the interior of the drying chamber;

the side rod means including at least one substantially inverted `U` shape rod having two ends, a substantially horizontal middle portion and two pivot arms at the ends, each pivot arm being tiltably engaged with a pivot bracket disposed on an interior surface of a side wall of the drying chamber;

a support means including a support stand and a base grid disposed in the drying chamber, the support stand including a substantially horizontal and rectangular frame formed by a pair of transverse bars and a pair of longitudinal bars, a pair of transversely spaced uprights with the top ends thereof engaging with the rectangular frame and a base means, wherein the base means includes a pair of spaced longitudinal base bars which have the bottom end of the spaced uprights secured thereupon and the casters disposed thereunder, a pair of spaced and longitudinal base frames upon which the base bars are removably secured by a pair of buckle fasteners disposed thereon, the base frames being secured on the two opposite side walls of the cabinet, and a pair of spaced bridge planks, each bridge plank having one end hinged and swivelbly centered on a front end of the base frame and another end for resting on the ground to form a slope and capable of swiveling to rest on the base frame;

the rectangular frame being spaced from the heat diffusion plate, the side walls and the bottom wall of the cabinet; and

the base grid resting on plural pairs of brackets located on two opposite side walls of the cabinet and disposed horizontally above the base bars;

a draining means located below the base bars and above the bottom wall, the draining means including a drain board which has a surface inclined downwardly from lateral sides thereof to a drain outlet formed in the center thereof, and a drip tray movably disposed below the drain outlet and under the bottom wall of the cabinet; and

an air discharge means including an air outlet formed adjacent the drain outlet and a hollow air discharge duct located below the drain board, the discharge duct having a front end in fluid communication with the air outlet and a rear end in fluid communication with an air discharge port disposed on an outside surface of the rear side wall of the cabinet.

7. A household drying center for drying laundry, fabric articles and like household goods, comprising:

a cabinet defined by a top wall, a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls, the top wall having an opening formed therein, the bottom wall having a plurality of casters disposed thereunder;

a heating chamber located at an upper portion of the cabinet and below the top wall, the heating chamber including heating means and a substantially horizontal heat diffusion plate located below the heating means;

the heat diffusion plate including a plurality of lateral edges in contact with the side walls of the cabinet, a plural number of apertures formed therein and a substantially rectangular side slot formed in each of a rear and lateral side edge;

a blower disposed above the opening of the top wall for generating forced air into the heating chamber, the blower being housed in a case which has a rear opening upon which an air filter means is mounted;

a control panel located above a front side wall of the cabinet and including a timer for setting the operation duration of the heating means and the blower, a temperature selection switch for setting the heating means to generate one of various predetermined heating power outputs and a signal light for indicating the operative state of the heating means and the blower;

a drying chamber located in the middle and lower portions of the cabinet below the heat diffusion plate, the drying chamber including a door mounted on the front side wall for accessing the interior of the drying chamber, a thermostat for setting the heating means to an inoperative state when the temperature of the interior of the drying chamber reaches a predetermined level, a plurality of hollow air ducts, and a side rod means;

each air duct being substantially rectangular in cross section and vertically disposed on each of a rear and lateral side wall and having an open top end engaged with the side slot of the heat diffusion plate for forming an air passage to the heating chamber, a closed bottom end and a plural number of apertures facing the interior of the drying chamber;

the side rod means including at least one substantially inverted `U` shape rod having two ends, a substantially horizontal middle portion and two pivot arms at the ends, each pivot arm being tiltably engaged with a pivot bracket disposed on an interior surface of a side wall of the drying chamber;

a support means including a support stand and a base grid disposed in the drying chamber, the support stand including a substantially horizontal and transverse bar secured on the top end of a telescopic upright, the upright having a bottom end secured on a base frame which is secured on two opposite walls of the cabinet;

wherein the transverse bar is telescopic and spaced from the heat diffusion plate, the side walls and the bottom wall of the cabinet; and

the base grid resting on plural pairs of brackets located on two opposite side walls of the drying chamber and disposed horizontally above the base frame;

a draining means located below the base bars and above the bottom wall, the draining means including a drain board which has a surface inclined downwardly from lateral sides thereof to a drain outlet formed in a center thereof, and a drip tray movably disposed below the drain outlet and under the bottom wall of the cabinet; and

an air discharge means including an air outlet formed adjacent the drain outlet, and a hollow air discharge duct located below the drain board, the discharge duct having a front end in fluid communication with the air outlet and a rear end in fluid communication with an air discharge port disposed on an outside surface of the rear side wall of the cabinet.