Clothes dryer with ultraviolet light

• US 6,877,248 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gregory N. Cross, Tamela S. Cross
• Original Assignee: Gregory N. Cross, Tamela S. Cross
• Inventors: Cross, Gregory N., Cross, Tamela S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Jiping
• Application Number:
  US10/792,751
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 342/75, 34/60, 34/76, 341/30, 341/32, 345/95, 345/96, 346/02, 342/18, 342/24, 342/32, 342/33
• US Class Current: 34/275
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/14 Arrangements for detecting or measuring specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/28 Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/203 Laundry conditioning arrangements

Abstract

A clothes dryer is provided which incorporates ultraviolet light sources to aid in the sterilization of the clothing as it is dried. A series of ultraviolet emitters, envisioned to be germicidal lamps, are located around the perimeter of the drying drum inside of the dryer. As the clothes dryer operates, these lamps are energized, and their light passed thru clear panels into the drying drum where they can aid in the killing of germs, bacteria and the like. Such a feature is envisioned as being particularly useful in hospitals, centers where biological studies are performed, or for those who are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases.

Claims

1. In a clothes dryer as found in a domestic residence equipped with an access door, a rotating drying drum accessed through said access door, said rotating drying drum rotatable about a center axis, the improvement comprising:

an ultraviolet light;

a plurality of conventional control circuitry provided on an upper panel face, said control circuitry including an ultraviolet light control switch which provides ON and OFF control functionality over the sterilization process associated with the clothes dryer with ultraviolet light;

wherein when said control switch is on the ON position, ultraviolet light rays are applied to fabric articles located inside of the clothes dryer with ultraviolet light;

a series of reflectors located around a perimeter of the rotating drying drum;

a series of sets of ultraviolet light sources, each positioned such that its central axis is parallel to the central axis of the rotating drying drum; and

an ultraviolet light detector designed to produce an electrical signal in the presence of ultraviolet radiation, said detector positioned between the ultraviolet light source and the reflector.

2. In the clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein the improvement further comprises:

clear window which will allow ultraviolet radiation to pass through, provided in the exterior perimeter of the rotating drying drum.

3. In the clothes dryer of claim 2, wherein the improvement further comprises:

a perforated opening formed by the exterior perimeter of the rotating drying drum, said perforated opening utilizing individual openings of a sufficient diameter to allow ultraviolet light to pass unrestricted, yet are small enough to contain the fabric-based articles inside of the rotating drying drum.

4. The clothes dryer of claim 1, wherein each said reflector is of a partial cylindrical shape whose axis is also parallel to the ultraviolet light source and rotating drying drum.

5. In the clothes dryer of claim 1, having a rotating drying drum accessed through said access door, said rotating drying drum rotatable about a center axis, wherein said improvement further comprises:

a series of reflectors located along the rear of the rotating drying drum;

a series of sets of ultraviolet light sources, each positioned such that its central axis is parallel to the face of the rear of the rotating drying drum.