Hand dryer
DCFirst Claim
1. A dryer comprising:
- a duct having an input opening and an output opening;
a blower unit disposed in fluid communication with said duct for generating an air flow from said output opening of said duct;
a heater disposed in fluid communication with said duct for heating said air flow;
a modulator for varying the flow rate of said air flow through said duct;
a control circuit for energizing said blower and heater in response to an actuation signal, anda turbulator disposed adjacent said output opening of said duct for mixing said air flow.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wall-mounted hand dryer provides a heated pulsating or modulating air stream to break down a boundary layer of moisture on a user'"'"'s hands to reduce the drying time. The hand dryer accomplishes this by quickly generating a heated air stream at a maximum temperature that is tolerable to the user, increasing the air stream velocity and turbulence to blow off loose water droplets and break down the boundary layer disposed on the user'"'"'s hands. The hand dryer includes a blower, heater, a modulator and/or a turbulator for blowing heated air through an air duct. The modulator and turbulator break up the laminar flow of the air stream to provide a modulating or pulsating turbulent flow of air to retard the formation of the boundary layer and dry the hands quickly. The hand dryer further includes an infrared heating source for heating the surface of a user'"'"'s hands to replace the heat lost as a result of the evaporation of the water from the user'"'"'s hands. The operation of the hand dryer is controlled by a controller which actuates the components of the hand dryer for a predetermined time period (i.e., 10 seconds) in response to an actuation signal provided by a push button switch or proximity sensors.
143 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A dryer comprising:
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a duct having an input opening and an output opening; a blower unit disposed in fluid communication with said duct for generating an air flow from said output opening of said duct; a heater disposed in fluid communication with said duct for heating said air flow; a modulator for varying the flow rate of said air flow through said duct; a control circuit for energizing said blower and heater in response to an actuation signal, and a turbulator disposed adjacent said output opening of said duct for mixing said air flow. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A dryer comprising:
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a duct having an input opening and an output opening; a blower unit disposed in fluid communication with said duct for generating an air flow from the output opening of said duct; a heater disposed in fluid communication with said duct for heating said air flow; a turbulator disposed adjacent said output opening of said duct for mixing said air flow; and a control circuit for energizing the blower and heater in response to an actuation signal. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A dryer comprising:
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a duct having an input opening and an output opening; a blower unit disposed in fluid communication with said duct for generating an air flow from the output opening of said duct; a heater disposed in fluid communication with said duct for heating said air flow; a plate having a plurality of through bores disposed therein, whereby air passing through said through bores to form air jets; a control circuit for energizing the blower and heater in response to an actuation signal; a movable plate disposed adjacent said plate, said movable plate having a plurality of through bores disposed therein; and an actuator for reciprocating the movable plate radially, whereby air variably communicates through said through bores of both said plate and said movable plate as the movable plate reciprocates which generates a plurality of pulsed air jets. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A dryer comprising:
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a pair of ducts, each of which having an input opening and an output opening, whereby said output openings opposing each other at a predetermined angle, said predetermined angle being less than 180 degrees; a blower unit disposed in fluid communication with said duct for generating an air flow from the output opening of said ducts, said air flow from each of said ducts colliding to create turbulence; a heater disposed in fluid communication with said duct for heating said air flow; and a control circuit for energizing the blower and heater in response to an actuation signal. - View Dependent Claims (49)
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Specification