Clothes drying apparatus and method of drying clothes
First Claim
1. A clothes drying apparatus comprising:
- a cabinet defining an interior region for receiving an article of clothing;
at least one door operably connected to said cabinet, allowing access to said interior region of said cabinet;
a means for holding said article of clothing received within said interior region of said cabinet;
a first intake passage in operable communication with said cabinet linking said cabinet to an exterior environment of a building; and
a vacuum unit operably attached to said cabinet for drawing air from said exterior environment of a building through said passage and into said interior region of said cabinet.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A clothes drying apparatus is provided. This clothes drying apparatus comprises a cabinet with an interior region to receive clothes. At least one door is operably connected to the cabinet to allow access to the interior region thereof. Attached to the cabinet is a first intake passage for accessing and receiving air from the exterior environment of a building. A vacuum unit is also attached to the cabinet. This vacuum unit draws air from the exterior of the building, through the passage, and into the interior region of the cabinet. A second passage linked to the interior environment and a switching mechanism may also be provided to permit selective operation of the clothes drying apparatus to draw air from outdoors or indoors based on environmental conditions. Also provided is a method of drying clothes with the clothes drying apparatus.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A clothes drying apparatus comprising:
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a cabinet defining an interior region for receiving an article of clothing;
at least one door operably connected to said cabinet, allowing access to said interior region of said cabinet;
a means for holding said article of clothing received within said interior region of said cabinet;
a first intake passage in operable communication with said cabinet linking said cabinet to an exterior environment of a building; and
a vacuum unit operably attached to said cabinet for drawing air from said exterior environment of a building through said passage and into said interior region of said cabinet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of drying an article of clothing within a clothes drying apparatus, said method comprising:
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providing a cabinet defining an interior region for receiving an article of clothing;
providing at least one door in operable connection with said cabinet, said door allowing access to said interior region of said cabinet;
placing said article of clothing inside said interior region of said cabinet;
closing said door to enclose said article of clothing within said cabinet;
providing a first intake passage in operable communication with said cabinet;
connecting said interior region of said cabinet to an exterior environment of a building with said first intake passage;
providing a vacuum unit in operable communication with said cabinet for drawing air into said interior region of said cabinet;
drawing air from said exterior environment of a building into said interior region of said cabinet with said vacuum unit; and
circulating said air within said interior region of said cabinet to dry said article of clothing received within said interior region of said cabinet. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification