Hand dryer

• US 6,769,197 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Ecology Systems Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Ecology Systems Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tai, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ragonese, Andrea M.
• Application Number:
  US10/381,431
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 34/87, 34/88, 34/89, 34/90, 341/95, 341/97, 342/02, 342/18, 342/19, 342/35
• US Class Current: 34/90
• 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 dryer has a body case with a blower with an air-blowing nozzle on its lower surface, and a water receiver disposed below the body case and forming a hand-inserting space with the body case. The water receiver is detachable from the body case. The water receiver has a receiving portion which covers a lower front surface, a back surface which is connected to the receiving portion and which covers a wall surface, and a pair of side surfaces, connected to the receiving portion, rising from opposite sides of the back surface. Water receiver-side retaining portions are on upper portions of the side surfaces, body case-side retaining portions are on opposite sides of the body case, and the water receiver is mounted to the body case by the water receiver-side retaining portions and the body case-side retaining portions. The water receiver-side retaining portions are hooked on the body case-side retaining portions, so that the water receiver can be fixed.

Claims

1. A hand dryer to be mounted on a wall surface, the hand dryer comprising

a body case mounted on the wall surface and comprising a blower with an air-blowing nozzle at a lower surface of the body case, and

a water receiver disposed below said body case and removably attached to the body case, wherein the body case and the water receiver form a hand-inserting space between said body case and said water receiver,

wherein said water receiver comprises a water-receiving portion between a lower front surface, and a back surface thereof, wherein the back surface is generally parallel to and covers the wall surface, and

wherein said water receiver comprises a pair of water receiver sides which are connected to said back surface to constitute rising portions extending, in a direction away from the wall surface, from opposite sides of said back surface,

wherein said body case comprises a pair of body case sides respectively disposed on opposite sides of said body case and extending, in a direction away from the wall surface, from opposite sides of said body case;

and

wherein the water receiver sides comprise respective water receiver-side retaining portions on upper portions of said water receiver sides, and

wherein the body case sides comprise respective body case-side retaining portions on opposite sides of said body case,

wherein said water receiver is mounted to said body case by said water receiver-side retaining portions and said body case-side retaining portions; and

wherein the body case sides and the water receiver sides are flush.

2. A hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein the water receiver-side retaining portions and the body case-side retaining portions further comprise latches coupling each body case side to the respective water receiver side.

3. The hand dryer according to claim 1, comprising a guider sliding said water receiver in a vertical direction with respect to said body case and comprising a water receiver-side connection portion and a body case-side connection portion.

4. The hand dryer according to claim 1, wherein said back surface comprises at its upper central portion a water receiver-fixing screw which connects said body case to said water receiver.

5. The hand dryer according to claim 1, a water-receiving cup detachably mounted to a lower portion of said water receiver.

6. A hand dryer to be mounted on a wall surface, the hand dryer comprising

a body case mounted on the wall surface and comprising a blower with an air-blowing nozzle at a lower surface of the body case, and

a water receiver disposed below said body case and removably attached to the body case, wherein the body case and the water receiver form a hand-inserting space between said body case and said water receiver,

wherein said water receiver includes, at a lower portion thereof, a water-receiving cup, said water receiver includes, on a substantially central portion of a bottom thereof, a reversed T-shaped rail extending in a longitudinal direction away from the wall surface, said water-receiving cup includes, on an upper surface thereof, a guide groove formed by notching the upper surface from a rear portion thereof, and the guide groove is slidable on the rail.

7. A hand dryer to be mounted on a wall surface, the hand dryer comprising

a body case mounted on the wall surface and comprising a blower with an air-blowing nozzle at a lower surface of the body case, and

a water receiver disposed below said body case and removably attached to the body case, wherein the body case and the water receiver form a hand-inserting space between said body case and said water receiver,

wherein the body case comprises, inside an outer wall of the body case, a box-like accommodating portion for accommodating a power cord which supplies electricity to said blower means, wherein said box-like accommodating portion opens at a back side of said body case, and wherein said body case back surface is spaced from the wall surface.

8. A hand dryer to be mounted on a wall surface, the hand dryer comprising

a body case mounted on the wall surface and comprising a blower with an air-blowing nozzle at a lower surface of the body case, and

a water receiver disposed below said body case and removably attached to the body case, wherein the body case and the water receiver form a hand-inserting space between said body case and said water receiver,

wherein said body case includes, at a lower surface thereof, an intake opening for drawing air in said hand-inserting space by suction force of said blower means, and a water hole located on a lower surface of said body case between said intake opening and said blower means, above said water receiver.