Portable clothes dryer

• US 5,870,836 A
• Filed: 07/09/1996
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bonnie J. Grimes
• Original Assignee: Bonnie J. Grimes
• Inventors: Grimes, Bonnie J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, PAMELA ANNE
• Application Number:
  US08/677,190
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 34/91, 34/202, 34/218, 34/219, 34/233, 34/225, 34/618, 34/619, 34/621, 34/622
• US Class Current: 34/202
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/14 Collapsible drying cabinets; Wall mounted collapsible hoods
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 9/003 Small self-contained devices, e.g. portable

Abstract

A portable clothes dryer has a rectangular cabinet for storing a blower fan at a rear portion of the cabinet and shelf inserts at a front portion of the cabinet. The cabinet has vertical slots located on the inside of the cabinet side panels for receiving and storing the shelf inserts. The cabinet further has a pair of front door panels having aligned horizontal slots that extend along the inside of the front door and side panels. The shelf inserts are fitted into the horizontal slots and clothing is placed on the shelf inserts. The blower fan then circulates air about the clothing placed on the shelf inserts. After the clothes are dry, the shelf inserts are removed from the horizontal slots and placed in the vertical slots. The front door panels may then be closed and the portable clothes dryer can be conveniently stored. Rollers are provided on the bottom of the cabinet to aid in movement of the dryer.

Claims

1. A portable clothes dryer cabinet for drying clothes supported thereon in a substantially horizontal position by use of a conventional stand up vertical fan, which comprises:

a rectangular compact housing having two side panels with a front portion and a rear portion and a pair of front door panels each connected to a front end of a respective side panel;

a plurality of rectangular shelf inserts;

a plurality of aligned vertical slots extending substantially the entire height of each side panel at said front portion of each side panel for removably engaging said shelf inserts;

a plurality of aligned horizontal slots extending substantially the entire length of each front door panel and front end of each respective side panel for removably supporting said shelf inserts when said front door panels are opened such that clothing can be placed on said shelf inserts when said shelf inserts are supported on said horizontal slots; and

said rear portion of said housing adapted to receive said fan such that when said fan is on, said fan communicates air directly onto said clothing.

2. The portable clothes dryer cabinet of claim 1, further comprising rollers attached to the bottom of said housing to make said cabinet mobile.

3. The portable clothes dryer cabinet of claim 1, wherein said housing also includes at least one elongated top brace member connected to a top end of each side panel and at least one elongated rear brace member connected to a rear edge of each side panel.

4. The portable clothes dryer cabinet of claim 1, wherein said shelf inserts have an open lattice design to facilitate air communication to said clothes.

5. The portable clothes dryer cabinet of claim 1, wherein said shelf inserts are stored in said vertical slots when the cabinet is not in use.

6. The portable clothes dryer cabinet of claim 1, wherein each front door panel is connected to the front end of each respective side panel by a hinge and opens outwardly.

7. A portable clothes dryer comprising a cabinet having two side panels with a front portion and a rear portion, at least one front door panel hingedly connected to a front end of one side panel, at least one narrow, elongated, rear brace member connected to a rear end of each said side panels, at least one shelf insert, at least one set of aligned vertical slots in the front portion of said side panels for receiving said at least one shelf insert for storage thereof with said door panel closed, at least one set of aligned horizontal slots in said side panels for removably engaging said at least one shelf insert with said front door panel open such that clothing can be placed on said at least one shelf insert, a fan located adjacent the rear portion of said side panels for circulating air to said clothing, and rollers attached to said cabinet to move the dryer.

8. The portable clothes dryer of claim 7, wherein a handle is attached to said elongated top panel to lift or move said dryer.

9. The portable clothes dryer of claim 7, wherein said shelf inserts include an open lattice design to facilitate air circulation around said clothing.

10. The portable clothes dryer of claim 7, wherein said front door panel is connected to the front end of a side panel by a hinge and opens outwardly.

11. The portable clothes dryer of claim 7, wherein said fan is a conventional standup vertical fan and the rear portion of said side panels and said cabinet are configured to receive said fan therein for circulating air to said clothing.

12. The portable clothes dryer of claim 7, wherein said fan is rigidly mounted into the rear portion of said cabinet.

13. The portable clothes dryer of claim 12 wherein said blower is a conventional standup vertical fan and the rear portion of said cabinet is configured to receive and support said fan therein in a position to communicate air to clothing supported on said at least one shelf insert.

14. The portable clothes dryer of claim 7, further comprising at least a second set of aligned horizontal slots on an inside of said at least one front door panel and aligning with said at least one set of aligned horizontal slots for removably engaging said at least one shelf insert with said front door panel open.

15. A portable clothes dryer comprising a cabinet having side panels, at least one front door connected to one of said side panels, a front portion and a rear portion, at least one shelf insert for supporting clothing, engaging means located in the front portion of said cabinet for removably supporting said at least one shelf insert with said front door open, a blower located in the rear portion of said cabinet for communicating air to clothing supported on said at least one shelf insert.

16. The portable clothes dryer of claim 15, wherein the front portion of said cabinet further comprises means for storing said at least one shelf insert.

17. The portable clothes dryer of claim 16, wherein said means of storing comprises at least one set of aligned vertical slots for removably supporting said at least one shelf insert in a substantially vertical position.

18. The portable clothes dryer of claim 15, wherein said engaging means comprises substantially aligned horizontal slots for removably supporting said at least one shelf insert.

19. The portable clothes dryer of claim 15, wherein said blower is rigidly mounted into the rear portion of said cabinet.

20. The portable clothes dryer of claim 15, further comprising at least a second set of aligned horizontal slots on an inside of said at least one front door panel and aligning with said at least one set of aligned horizontal slots for removably engaging said at least one shelf insert with said front door panel open.