GB2115277A - Electrically heatable free standing portable clothes dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrically heatable free standing portable clothes dryer 10 comprises a support post 12 and at least two wings 14 and 16 hingedly (18) attached thereto about a vertical axis. The wings 14 and 16 each comprise three horizontal sections 32, 34 and 38 for supporting articles of clothing and a ground-engaging leg 40. The wings 14 and 16 contain electrically heatable filaments. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An electrically heatable free standing clothes dryer This invention relates to an electrically heatable free standing clothes dryer suitable for domestic use.

Electrically heated towel rails which are per manentlyfixed to a kitchen or bathroom wall are commonly known but these do not provide a substantial drying area.

Various forms of non-heatable clothes dryers for domestic use are also known. These include devices permanently fixed to a wall or ceiling which may be moveable or extendable, devices which are removably supported on a household fixture, for example a window ledge, and portable free standing clothes dryers. Usually, to hasten the drying process, such free standing clothes dryers are placed near a domestic heater, often an electric or gas fire, which can be dangerous.

The present invention aims to overcome or at least mitigate these problems by providing an electrically heatable portable free standing clothes dryer comprising a vertical support post having at least two heatable wings hinged thereto for pivotal movement about a vertical axis, each wing comprising at least two generally horizontal bars and a leg adapted to engage the ground.

A heatable clothes dryer according to the present invention is convenient and easy to use in that it is portable and stable when free standing so that it can be replaced wherever is most convenient for the user to dry clothes. There is no need to place the dryer near another form of heater thereby obviating a safety hazard. A clothes dryer according to the present invention is foldable which facilitates storing of the dryer when it is not in use.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention each wing encloses an electrically heatable filament which is appropriately insulated. Preferably, the electrical connections to the filaments are carried through the support post. Optionally, the support post may incorporate an onloff warning light.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention each wing is formed from a single continuous length of tubular aluminium. This preferred feature provides a light, easily portable clothes horse which is simple and economic to manufacture.

A particular embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a side perspective view of a clothes dryer according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the clothes dryer of Figure 1 shown supporting articles of clothing; Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the hinge assemblies shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a base component of the clothes dryer; Figure 5 is another enlarged cross - sectional view of the base component taken along the lineV-Vin Figure 4 showing in addition electrical connections; Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of an arm of a wing of the clothes dryer.

Referring both to Figure 1 and Figure 2 a clothes dryer, indicated generally at 10, comprises a central upright post 12 of square section tubular aluminium and two wings 14 and 16 each formed from a single continuous length of square section tubular aluminium. The wings 14 and 16 are hinged to the post 12 by two hinge assemblies 18 and 20 which will be described more fully below. The support post 12 rests on and is supported by a base component 22 comprising a body portion 25 and a cap 26 to which is connected an external electrical conduit 28. The base component 22 will be described more fully below.

The two wings 14 and 16 are identical, each comprising an uppermost U-shaped portion 30, the two substantially parallel arms 32 and 34 of which are generally horizontal. The uppermost arm 34 on each of the wings 14, 16 is contiguous with a straight section 36a and 36b respectively, each of which extends downwardly over the mouth of the respective U-shaped portion alongside the post 12 and which is secured to the post 12 by the hinge assemblies 18 and 20. The section 36a is contiguous with a horizontal limb 38 of an L - shaped leg 40. The L - shaped leg 40 has a substantially vertical foot 42 which, in use, abuts the ground. Conventional plastics end stops 44,46 are inserted into the end of the arm 32 and the foot 42 respectively.

The wings 14 and 16 are provided with internal electrically heatable filaments (not shown) together with suitable insulation which will be described more fully below. Electrical connections are carried from the conduit 28 through the support post 12 to the filaments inside the wings 14 and 16 via two flexible tubes 48 and 50 each extending between the support post 12 and the lower region of the sections 36a and 36b of each of the wings 14 and 16.

The support post 12 is provided with a plastics cap 52 inserted into its uppermost end. The cap 52 has mounted therein an on1off warning light 54.

Referring now to Figure 3, the hinge assembly 18 hingedly connecting the sections 36a and 36b of the wings 14 and 16 respecively to the support post 12 comprises three square bands, 56, 58 and 60 of aluminium surrounding the sections 36a and 36b and the post 12 respectively. The band 58 surrounding the post 12 comprises two arcuate projections 62 and 64, each provided with a central hole. The bands 56 and 60 surrounding the sections 36a and 36b each comprise one arcuate projection 66 and 68 respectively provided with a central hole. The bands 56 and 58 are pivotally connected by a pin 70 located through the superposed aligned holes in the arcuate projections 62 and 66 respectively. Likewise the bands 58 and 60 are pivotally connected by a pin 72 located through the superposed aligned apertures in the arcuate projections 64 and 68.The pins 70 and 72 The drawing(s) originally filed wasiwere informal and the print here reproduced is taken from a later filed formal copy.

are a clearance fit in the respective apertures and the bands 56, 58 and 60 are a clearance fit about each of the sections 36 and 37 and the support post 12.

Referring to Figure 4, the base component 22 comprising the lower body portion 24 and the cap 26 is made of anodised aluminium-black. Both the body 24 and cap 26 are generally of circular cross section, the body 24 having a cylindrical wall 73. The body portion 24 is hollow and comprises a terminal block 74 mounted on an S-shaped support 76 with an insulation card 78 interposed therebetween. Also mounted on the support 76 is a cable clamp 77. The S - shaped support 76 is secured at its lowermost end to the bottom wall 80 of the body 24 by a fixing screw 82 and at its uppermost end to the cap 26 by a fixing screw 84. The lowermost face of the cap 26 has a circumferential rebate 86 configured to receive the uppermost part of the wall 73 of the body 24.The cap 26 has a neck 88 provided with a cylindrical channel 90 which extends downwardly to a frusto conical channel 92 to provide a pathway through the cap 26. As can be seen in Figure 4, the neck 88 of the cap 26 is inserted into the lowermost portion of the support post 12 which is secured thereto by fixing screws 94 and 96.

Referring now to Figure 5, the conduit 28 enters the base component 22 through an aperture 98 in the wall 73 of the housing 24 and is clamped underneath the cable clamp 77 by tightening two screws 100 and 102. The live and neutral wires 104 and 106 carried by the main conduit 28 are connected to the terminal block 74 and a connection to earth is made at terminal 108. The live and neutral connections are led from the terminal block 74 into a glass fibre reinforced silicon sleeve 110 which extends upwardliy through the channel 90,92 in the cap 26 into the support post 12. The sleeve 110 carries the electrical connections to the heatable filaments enclosed in the wings 14 and 16 via the flexible tubes 48 and 50 respectively.A smaller sleeve 112 carries connections from the terminal block 74 to the onioff warning light 54 located at the top of the support post 12.

In Figure 6 an electrically heatable filament indicated generally at 114 located within an arm of one of the wings 14 comprises a glass fibre reinforced silicon sleeve 116 which encloses two extruded silicon rubber sleeves 118 and 120. Each of the sleeves 118 and 120 encloses a ni-chrome resistance wire 122 and a glass fibre cord core 124.

In use, the resistance wire 122 in each of the sleeves 118 and 120 is heated by current carried by the sleeve 110 from the electricity mains supply. The filament 114 extends substantially around the U-shaped portion 30 (see Figure 1) of the wing 14.

The wing 16 also comprises a similar filament.

Optionally, the L-shaped leg 40 may also comprise such a filament.

In use, when it is desired to employ the clothes dryer 10 in drying articles of clothing it is carried to a convenient location and, by pivoting the wings 14 and 16 outwardly away from eacil other, maybe left in a stable free standing position. On connecting the conduit 28 to the electricity mains supply the filaments enclosed in the wings 14 and 16 are heated to a predetermined temperature thereby causing the exterior surface of each of the wings 14 and 16 to be heated. The warning light 54 indicates whether the clothers dryer 10 is switched on.

A clothes dryer according to the present invention may have more than two pivotable wings or may have fixed wings together with two or more pivotable wings. The wings themselves may vary in shape and size and need not all be identical. There may be two warning lights provided, one indicating whether the appliance is switched on or off and the other indicating whether the wings have reached a predetermined temperature.

Claims (6)

1. An electrically heatable portable free standing clothes dryer comprising a vertical support post having at least two heatable wings hinged thereto for pivotal movement about a vertical axis, each wing comprising at least two generally horizontal bars and a leg adapted to engage the ground.

2. A clothes dryer as claimed in claim 1 wherein each wing encloses an electrically heatable filament.

3. A clothes dryer as claimed in claim 2 wherein the electrical connections to the filaments are carried through the support post.

4. A clothes dryer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the support post incorporates an on/offwarning light.

5. A clothes dryer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each wing is formed from a single continuous length of tubular aluminium.

6. A clothes dryer substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.