GB2078510A - Warm-air drying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Warm-air drying apparatus, suitable for drying parts of the body, for example, the hands, wrists and face, includes a blower and heater contained in a housing (10) and elongate outlet nozzles, for example (25) and (26), through which first and second laminar flows of heated air are discharged and directed toward one another such that they converge to define an elongate drying zone 32. The nozzles (25 and 26) are spaced apart across a rearwardly sloping front face of the housing, which may be dished inwardly, and arranged to direct their respective laminat flows generally transversely thereof. A third outlet nozzle extending transversely of the face (16) may be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Warm-air drying apparatus This invention relates to warm-air drying apparatus and especially warm-air drying apparatus for drying hands and other parts of the body.

The invention is particularly concerned with warm-air drying apparatus which is suitable for drying the hands, forearms and face.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided warm-air drying apparatus comprising a housing containing air blowing and heating means and having elongate outlet means through which heated air is discharged, wherein said elongate outlet means is arranged to discharge heated air in first and second laminar flows and direct said flows towards one another such that they converge to define an elongate drying zone.

The outlet means preferably comprises first and second elongate outlet nozzles through which said first and second laminar flows respectively are discharged. The first and second elongate outlet nozzles are preferably parallel to one another and extend upwardly.

The first and second elongate outlet nozzles may comprise respective openings in a front face of the housing which are spaced from one anothertransversely of the front face.

The front face of the housing may be dished inwardly between the first and second elongate outlet nozzles in which case the outlet nozzles may be provided in respective opposed sides of the dished portion of the front face. Furthermore, the outlet nozzles may be arranged to direct the first and second laminar flows of heated air such that they converge above the front face of the housing. The outlet nozzles may also be arranged to directthe first and second laminar flows slightly downwardly.

Preferably, the first and second outlet nozzles and the front face of the housing are inclined rearwardly and upwardly.

The first and second laminar flows of heated air may be substantially wedge-shape and substantially rectangular in cross-section.

The outlet means may include a third elongate outlet nozzle which is arranged to direct a third laminar flow of heated air substantially at right angles to the first and second laminar flows. The third elongate outlet nozzle may extend transversely of the front face of the housing and may be continuous with the first and second outlet nozzles.

The air blowing and heating means preferably comprises an electrically-driven blower and an electrical heating element.

A A warm-air drying apparatus in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the apparatus showing various components within the housing of the apparatus; and Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sectional and plan views respectively of a front face of the housing of the apparatus showing diagrammatically air-flows from outlets of the apparatus.

The warm-air drying apparatus generally comprises a blower which draws air into the apparatus and forces the air over a heater and thence through outlets of the apparatus which direct the heated air over, for example, the hands of a user in order to dry the hands.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the warm-air drying apparatus includes a housing 10 attached to a backplate 11 which is to be secured to a vertical surface, for example, a wall. The back-plate 11 has mounted thereon and within the housing 10 an electric-motor driven centrifugal blower 12 having a backwardbladed fan to reduce noise. Surrounding a major portion of the outlet from the blower 12 is an annular electrical resistance heating element 13 for heating air as it emerges from the blower outlet. The heating element 13 is supported by a plurality of ceramic supports 14 which are mounted on the back-plate 11.

Also contained within the housing 10 and carried by the back-plate 11 is an electrical switching circuit, generally indicated at 15, for controlling energisation of the blower 12 and heating element 13.

The housing 10, which conveniently is moulded of plastics material, for example a sandwich plastic foam construction, but which may alternatively be formed from metal, is substantially flat sided and shaped to define two mutually-inclined front faces 16 and 17. More particularly, the housing 10 is shaped such that when mounted on a vertical surface the plane of the front face 16 is inclined rearwardly towards the back-plate 11 from its edge adjacent the face 17 and upwardly at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees to the horizontal.

The front face 17 of the housing 10 includes a central portion 19 raised from the remainder of the face 17 that provides a peripheral gap 20 opening into the interior of the housing 10 through which air is drawn by the blower 12. Air drawn into the housing 10 through the gap 20 is channelled into the inlet of the blower 12 by a duct 21.A filter, shown at 22 in Figure 2, may optionally be secured to the inner surface of the housing 10 adjacent the gap 20 to filter air passing through the duct 21. The filter 22 may if desired be impregnated with an antiseptic andlor odourising ingredient.

As mentioned, the front face 16 of the housing 10 is inclined rearwardly and upwardly towards the supporting surface on which the apparatus is mounted whereby the lowermost edge of the front face 16 extends generally horizontally and is further away from the supporting surface than the uppermost edge, and therefore closer to the user of the apparatus.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the central portion 24, of the front face 16 is dished inwardly and of generally U-shaped cross-section and open at its lower end to define a substantially concave outer surface. Extending along respective parallel sides of the three-sided dished portion 24 and generally fac ing towards one another are two elongate air outlet nozzles 25 and 26. The outlet nozzles 25 and 26 extend parallel to one another and upwardly and rearwardly parallel to the plane of the face 16, and comprise openings in the front face 16. Vanes 27 extending across the openings are provided at inter vals along the length of the elongate outlet nozzles 25 and 26.Curved deflector plates 28 are disposed within the housing 10 adjacent respective outlet nozzles 25 and 26 which, together with the outlet nozzle walls and the vanes 27, serve to direct the flows of air from the outlet nozzles 25 and 26. The shape of the air flows is determined by the elongate outlet nozzles 25 and 26.

In operation, air drawn into the apparatus by operation of the centrifugal blower 12 through the gap 20 in the front face 17 is forced by the blower 12 over the heating element 13, where it is warmed, and thence under pressure through the housing 10 to the elongate outlet nozzles 25 and 26. The warmed air is discharged from the outlet nozzles 25 and 26 in the form of laminar wedge-shaped flows of substantially rectangular cross-section, represented by the arrows and at 30 and 31 in Figures 3 and 4, generally traversely of and outwardly from the front face 16 of the housing 10 towards one another such that they converge above the dished portion 24 of the front face 16 to define an elongate drying zone, indicated by the dotted lines at 32 in Figures 3 and 4.The drying zone 32 thus provided by the laminar airflows 30 and 31, comprises an elongate volume extending parallel to the outlet nozzles 25 and 26 and the front face 16. In this way both sides of a user's hands positioned above the dished portion 24 of the front face 16 and in the drying zone 32 are effectively dryed by the converging laminar air-flows 30 and 31, thereby ensuring that the drying process is both rapid and efficient Furthermore, the elongate nature of the drying zone 32 enables a user simultaneously to dry his hands, wrists and forearms.

The dimensions and separation of the outlet nozzles 25 and 26, and the divergence and direction of the rectangular laminar air-flows 30 and 31 are selected accordingly. By way of example, the outlet nozzles may be in the order of 25 cms by 5 cms and arranged so as to converge the laminar air flows emanating therefrom approximately 15 cms above the base of the dished portion 24. The dished portion 24 serves to re-circulate warm-air deflected by, for example, a user's hand into the drying zone.

A user may also require his face to be dried by the apparatus and, in this respect, the inclined front face 16 of the housing 10 conveniently enables the user to dry his face simply by leaning over the apparatus.

The outlet nozzles 25 and 26 are arranged to direct their respective laminar flows of warm air slightly downwards, as shown in Figure 4,so as substantially to avoid the possibility of warm air being blown into the user's eyes and nostrils during such use.

The inclined face 16 and dished portion 24 thereof ensures that water droplets are directed away from the outlet nozzles 25 and 26 towards the lowermost edge of the face 16 where they can be either allowed to run off the housing 10, the frbnt face 17 sloping inwardly for this purpose, or collected in a gutter (not shown).

A proximity sensor (not shown), which may be for example capacitive or photoelectric' in operation, is disposed within the housing 10 adjacent the outlet nozzles 25 and 26 and arranged to operate automatically the switching circuit 15, thereby to energise the blower 12 and heating element 13, in response to the presence of a body in the vicinity of the drying zone 32. The switching circuit 15 may include a timing circuit to energisethe blower 12 and heating element 13 continuously for a predetermined period and then de-energise them so as to prevent rapid switching on and off.

The front face 16 of the housing 10 may include a third elongate outlet nozzle (not shown) extending along the upper side of the dished portion 24 and at right angles to the outlet nozzles 25 and 26 which is arranged to provide a laminar flow of warm air generally downwardly of and outwardly from the front face 16 and substantially at right angles to the laminar air flow 30 and 31. This third elongate outlet nozzle may terminate closely adjacent the upper ends of the outlet nozzles 25 and 26 whereby a generally U-shaped array of outlets is provided around the periphery of the dished portion 24. The U-shaped array may, alternatively, be continuous if desired.

Claims (19)

1. Warm-air drying apparatus comprising a housing containing air blowing and heating means and having elongate outlet means through which heated air is discharged, wherein said elongate outlet means is arranged to discharge heated air in first and second laminar flows and to direct said flows toward one another such that they converge to define an elongate drying zone.

2. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said outlet means comprises first and second elongate outlet nozzles through which said first and second laminar flows respectively are discharged.

3. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein said first and second elongate outlet nozzles are spaced from one another transversely of a front face of the housing.

4. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein said first and second outlet nozzles are arranged to direct said first and second laminar flows of heated air respectively such that they converge to define said elongate drying zone above the front face of the housing.

5. Warm-airdrying apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein said first and second elongate outlet nozzles extend upwardly.

6. Warm-air drying apparatus according to ClaIm 4 or Claim 5, wherein said first and second elongate outlet nozzles extend substantially parallel to one another.

7. Warm-air drying apparatus according to any one of Claims 4 to 6, wherein said first and second outlet nozzles are arranged to direct the first and second laminarflows respectivelygenerallytrans- versely of the front face of the housing.

8. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein said first and second outlet nozzles are arranged to direct the first and second laminarflows slightly downwardly.

9. Warm-air drying apparatus according to any one of Claims 3 to 8, wherein said outlet means includes a third elongate nozzle which is arranged to direct a third laminar flow of heated air substantially at right angles to said first and second laminar flows.

10. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein said third elongate outlet nozzle extends transversely of the front face of the housing.

11. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 9 or 10, wherein said first, second and third elongate outlets nozzles are continuous.

12. Warm-air drying apparatus according to any one of Claim 3 to 11, wherein said front face of the housing is inclined rearwardly and upwardly.

13. Warm-airdrying apparatus according to any one of Claims 3 to 12, wherein said front face of the housing is dished inwardly between said first and second elongate outlet nozzles.

14. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 13, wherein said first and second elongate outlet nozzles are provided in respective opposed sides of the dished portion of the front face of the housing.

15. Warm-air drying apparatus according to any one of Claims 3 to 14, wherein said first and second elongate outlet nozzles comprise respective openings in said front face of the housing.

16. Warm-air drying apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first and second laminar flows of heated air are substantially wedge shape.

17. Warm-air drying apparatus according to Claim 16, wherein said first and second laminar flows of heated air are substantially rectangular in cross-section.

18. Warm-air drying apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said air blowing and heating means comprise an electricallydriven blower and an electrical heating element.

19. Warm-air drying apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.