Hand drying apparatus

• US 7,614,160 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2005
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Jun, Kobayashi, Takaki, Kameishi, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/585,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20080216342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 34/90, 341/00, 341/04, 342/01
• 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 drying apparatus includes a main body box case 1 that has a hand inserting portion 3 formed in a concave shape at an upper portion; a high-pressure airflow generator 2 that generates high-pressure airflows and is included in the main body box case; and a front side air nozzle 6a and a back side air nozzle 6b that eject the high-pressure airflows generated by the high-pressure airflow generator 2 into the hand inserting portion 3 and face each other. The front side air nozzle 6a and the back side air nozzle 6b are formed by a plurality of slit-shaped ejecting holes 7 arranged in a line, respectively, and both or any one of lengths and arranging intervals of the slit-shaped ejecting holes 7 is different between a front side and a back side. A hand drying apparatus that can prevent noise and realize high drying performance and excellent usability without employing a complicated construction is obtained.

Claims

1. A hand drying apparatus comprising:

a hand inserting portion having a concave shape including a front inner wall facing a back inner wall;

an airflow generator that generates high-pressure airflows; and

a first air nozzle and a second air nozzle that inject the high-pressure airflows generated by the airflow generator to the hand inserting portion, wherein the first air nozzle is provided on the front inner wall and the second air nozzle is provided on the back inner wall, wherein

the first air nozzle includes a plurality of slit-shaped first holes arranged in a first line, each having a first length along the first line, and a plurality of first intervals, each having a third length along the first line, between the first holes,

the second air nozzle includes a plurality of slit-shaped second holes arranged in a second line parallel to and opposite the first line, each having a second length along the second line, and a plurality of second intervals, each having a fourth length along the second line, between the second holes, and

the first length and the second length are different, or

the third length and the fourth length are different, and

the first and second air nozzles are configured such that

the high-pressure airflows injected from the first air nozzle and the high-pressure airflows injected from the second air nozzle collide at a plurality of first regions the high-pressure airflows injected from the first air nozzle and the high-pressure airflows injected from the second air nozzle do not collide at at least one second region

the first regions have different lengths, and the at least one second region is between the first regions.

2. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first length and the second length are different, and

the third length and the fourth length are different.

3. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of concave portions is formed on inner walls of the first holes and second holes.

4. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of convex portions is formed on inner walls of the first holes and second holes.

5. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first length is longer than the second length.

6. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third length is shorter than the fourth length.

7. A hand drying apparatus comprising:

a main body box case Including a hand inserting portion formed concave at a top portion of the main body box case;

a high-pressure airflow generating device that is installed in the main body box case and generates a high-pressure airflow; and

a front air nozzle portion and a back air nozzle portion disposed opposite to each other, through which the high-pressure airflow generated by the high-pressure airflow generating device is ejected into the hand inserting portion,

the front air nozzle portion formed of a plurality of first slit-shaped holes arranged in a first line,

the second air nozzle portion formed of a plurality of second slit-shaped holes arranged in a second line opposite to the first line,

an interval between two adjacent first slit-shaped holes of the plurality of first slit-shaped holes overlapping one of the plurality of second slit-shaped holes along the first and second lines,

a first overlap length between one of the two adjacent first slit-shaped holes and the one of the plurality of second slit-shaped holes being different from a second overlap length between an other one of the two adjacent first slit-shaped holes and the one of the plurality of second slit-shaped holes.

8. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

a first length of each of the plurality of first slit-shaped holes is different from a second length of each of the plurality of second slit-shaped holes, or

a first interval between each two adjacent first slit-shaped holes is different from a second interval between each two adjacent second slit-shaped holes.

9. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

a first length of each of the plurality of first slit-shaped holes is different from a second length of each of the plurality of second slit-shaped holes, and

a first interval between each two adjacent first slit-shaped holes is different from a second interval between each two adjacent second slit-shaped holes.

10. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a first length of each of the plurality of first slit-shaped holes is longer than a second length of each of the plurality of second slit-shaped holes.

11. The hand drying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a first interval between each two adjacent first slit-shaped holes is shorter than a second interval between each two adjacent second slit-shaped holes.