Washing household device, in particular a clothes dryer

• US 8,020,316 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Stahn, Hans-Werner, Ziemann, Andreas, Stolze, Andreas, Nawrot, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/920,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 346/03, 342/42, 34/72, 346/10, 345/95, 219/757, 705/14, 68/192, 68/18.C, 432/110, 432/117, 134/6
• US Class Current: 34/603
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/04 Details controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/20 General details of domestic laundry dryers D06F59/00 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a washing household device, in particular to a clothes dryer, that includes an air-supply device which is arranged on a rear side area thereof and is provided with a closed self-contained cross-section flow channel.

Claims

1. An appliance for handling laundry items, in particular a clothes dryer, the appliance comprising:

means forming a laundry item handling area in which laundry items to be handled are received;

a housing in which the means forming a laundry handling area is located, the housing including a back side wall forming at least a portion of a back side of the appliance;

an air conveying device mounted adjacent to an exterior surface of the back side wall, the air conveying device having a first open end area communicated with a heating device and a second open end area communicated with a housing of a fan assembly and the air conveying device having a flow channel that is cross-sectionally closed such that the flow channel is self-contained;

a cover that covers the housing of the fan assembly and the flow channel, wherein the flow channel is disposed between the exterior surface of the back side wall and the cover; and

a sealing element disposed between the housing of the fan assembly and the cover.

2. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow channel is formed by two parts with one of the parts being the back side wall that faces an exterior of the appliance and the other of the parts being an element having a U-shaped cross section and mounted on the back side wall.

3. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing element is mounted on one of a peripheral area of the housing and the cover.

4. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first open end area and the second open end area of the air conveying device are located opposite to each other and the flow channel is oriented essentially vertically.

24. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow channel is disposed entirely between the exterior surface of the back side wall and the cover.

5. An appliance for handling laundry items, in particular a clothes dryer, the appliance comprising:

means forming a laundry item handling area in which laundry items to be handled are received;

a housing in which the means forming a laundry handling area is located, the housing including a back side wall forming at least a portion of a back side of the appliance;

an air conveying device mounted adjacent the back side wall, the air conveying device having a first open end area communicated with a heating device and a second open end area communicated with a housing of a fan assembly and the air conveying device having a flow channel that is cross-sectionally closed such that the flow channel is self-contained;

a cover that covers the housing of the fan assembly and the flow channel; and

a sealing element disposed between the housing of the fan assembly and the cover,

wherein the sealing element is mounted on a peripheral area of the housing and facing the cover.

6. The appliance as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sealing element completely surrounds a peripheral area of the housing.

7. An appliance for handling laundry items, in particular a clothes dryer, the appliance comprising:

means forming a laundry item handling area in which laundry items to be handled are received;

a housing in which the means forming a laundry handling area is located, the housing including a back side wall forming at least a portion of a back side of the appliance;

an air conveying device mounted adjacent the back side wall, the air conveying device having a first open end area communicated with a heating device and a second open end area communicated with a housing of a fan assembly and the air conveying device having a flow channel that is cross-sectionally closed such that the flow channel is self-contained;

a cover that covers the housing of the fan assembly and the flow channel; and

a sealing element disposed between the housing of the fan assembly and the cover,

wherein the sealing element is mounted on a peripheral area of the cover and facing the housing.

8. The appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sealing element completely surrounds a peripheral area of the cover.

9. An appliance for handling laundry items, in particular a clothes dryer, the appliance comprising:

means forming a laundry item handling area in which laundry items to be handled are received;

a housing in which the means forming a laundry handling area is located, the housing including a back side wall forming at least a portion of a back side of the appliance;

an air conveying device mounted adjacent the back side wall, the air conveying device having a first open end area communicated with a heating device and a second open end area communicated with a housing of a fan assembly and the air conveying device having a flow channel that is cross-sectionally closed such that the flow channel is self-contained;

a cover that covers the housing of the fan assembly and the flow channel;

a sealing element disposed between the housing of the fan assembly and the cover; and

a second sealing element disposed between the cover and the back side wall.

10. The appliance of claim 9, wherein the second sealing element completely surrounds a peripheral area of the cover.

11. The appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second sealing element is mounted on the back side wall and facing the cover.

12. The appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sealing element is mounted on a peripheral area of the cover and facing the back side wall.

13. A clothes dryer for handling laundry items, the clothes dryer comprising:

a laundry item handling area in which laundry items to be handled are received;

a housing in which the laundry handling area is located, wherein the housing includes;

a heating device;

a housing of a fan assembly;

a back side wall forming at least a portion of a back side of the appliance;

an air conveying device mounted adjacent to an exterior surface of the back side wall,

the air conveying device including a flow channel that is completely cross-sectionally closed except for a first open end and a second open end such that the flow channel is self-contained,

wherein the first open end is coupled to the heating device and the second open end is coupled to the housing of the fan assembly,

a cover that covers the housing of the fan assembly and the flow channel, wherein the flow channel is disposed between the exterior surface of the back side wall and the cover; and

a first sealing element disposed between the housing of the fan assembly and the cover.

14. The clothes dryer of claim 13, wherein the flow channel is formed by two parts with one of the parts being the back side wall that faces an exterior of the domestic appliance and the other of the parts being an element having a U-shaped cross section and mounted on the back side wall.

15. The clothes dryer of claim 13, wherein the first sealing element is mounted on a peripheral area of the housing and facing the cover.

16. The clothes dryer of claim 15, wherein the first sealing element completely surrounds a peripheral area of the housing.

17. The clothes dryer of claim 13, wherein the first sealing element is mounted on a peripheral area of the cover and facing the housing.

18. The clothes dryer of claim 17, wherein the first sealing element completely surrounds a peripheral area of the cover.

19. The clothes dryer of claim 13, wherein the first open end area and the second open end area of the air conveying device are located opposite to each other and the flow channel is oriented vertically along the back side wall of the back side of the appliance.

20. The clothes dryer of claim 13, comprising:

a second sealing element disposed between the cover and the back side wall.

21. The clothes dryer of claim 20, wherein the second sealing element completely surrounds a peripheral area of the cover.

22. The clothes dryer of claim 20, wherein the second sealing element is mounted on the back side wall and facing the cover.

23. The clothes dryer of claim 20, wherein the sealing element is mounted on a peripheral area of the cover and facing the back side wall.

25. The clothes dryer of claim 13, wherein the flow channel is disposed entirely between the exterior surface of the back side wall and the cover.