Clothes dryer with a drum seal

• US 9,580,856 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Schurr, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US14/821,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20170044707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 342/42, 345/95, 346/01, 346/06, 346/10, 68/5.C, 68/5.R, 68/19, 68/20, 813/9, 814/9, 815/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/04 Details controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00

Abstract

An apparatus for sealing the drum of a clothes dryer comprising an attachment with a recess sized to receive the lip of a dryer drum to mount the seal about the lip and a seal element abutting the corresponding front or rear bulkhead wherein the length of the seal is such that when in place there remains an intervening gap in which a spacer capable of changing shape is located allowing the seal to expand and contract with thermal variations.

Claims

1. A clothes dryer comprising:

a front bulkhead having a door opening;

a rear bulkhead;

a drum comprising a cylindrical wall terminating in a front edge proximate the front bulkhead and a rear edge proximate the rear bulkhead, with a least one of the front and rear edges having a lip;

a seal having a body terminating in opposing ends, the body having an attachment defining a recess sized to receive the lip to mount the seal about the lip and a seal element abutting the corresponding front or rear bulkhead, wherein the body has a length such that, when the body is mounted to the lip, the opposing ends are in confronting relationship and define an intervening gap; and

a variable shape spacer located within the intervening gap;

wherein the body is made of thermally expanding material and the gap varies in shape depending on the thermal expansion of the body and the spacer varies in shape in response to the gap varying to occlude the intervening gap.

2. The clothes dryer of claim 1 further comprising a coupler connecting the opposing ends.

3. The clothes dryer of claim 2 wherein the opposing ends comprise corresponding apertures and the coupler comprises a pin received within the apertures.

4. The clothes dryer of claim 3 wherein the pin spans the gap.

5. The clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein the seal further comprises at least one wing extending from the body and abutting the corresponding front or rear bulkhead.

6. The clothes dryer of claim 5 wherein the at least one wing forms at least one of an axial seal or radial seal with the corresponding front or rear bulkhead.

7. The clothes dryer of claim 6 wherein the at least one wing comprises two wings, with one of the two wings forming the axial seal and the other of the two wings forming the radial seal.

8. The clothes dryer of claim 5 wherein the wing comprises a low friction surface abutting the bulkhead.

9. The clothes dryer of claim 8 wherein the wing is made of a first material and the low friction surface is a second material, which is different from the first material.

10. The clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein the spacer comprises a sheet of folded material.

11. The clothes dryer of claim 10 wherein the sheet of folded material is accordion folded.

12. The clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein the each of the front and rear edges comprises a lip to define a front lip and a rear lip, and the at least one seal comprises a first seal and a second seal, wherein the first seal is mounted to the first lip and the second seal is mounted to the second lip.

13. A clothes dryer comprising:

at least one bulkhead;

a drum comprising a peripheral wall terminating in an edge having a circumferential lip defining an open end and proximate the at least one bulkhead; and

a seal having confronting ends and a wing, wherein the seal is mounted about the circumferential lip to define a gap between the confronting ends and the wing abuts the bulkhead to seal the drum relative to the bulkhead; and

a variable shape spacer located within the gap;

wherein the seal is made of thermally expanding material and the gap varies in shape depending on the thermal expansion of the seal and the spacer varies in shape in response to the gap varying to occlude the intervening gap.

14. The clothes dryer of claim 13 further comprising a coupler connecting the opposing ends.

15. The clothes dryer of claim 14 wherein the opposing ends comprise corresponding apertures and the coupler comprises a pin received within the apertures.

16. The clothes dryer of claim 13 wherein the wing forms at least one of an axial seal or radial seal with the bulkhead.

17. The clothes dryer of claim 16 further comprising two wings, with one of the two wings forming the axial seal and the other of the two wings forming the radial seal.

18. The clothes dryer of claim 13 wherein the wing comprises a low friction surface abutting the bulkhead.

19. The clothes dryer of claim 18 wherein the low friction surface is a coating applied to the seal.

20. The clothes dryer of claim 18 wherein the low friction surface is a different material than the seal.