GB2176103A - Defectors used in hand and face dryers - Google Patents

Abstract

Warm air is blown downwardly through a passageway 14. A deflector 12 is pivotally mounted on the housing by two axially aligned spigots 22. The defector is arranged to occupy the position shown in chain lines under the effect of gravity, and in that position the air is deflected rearwardly by surface 24 of the deflector in the direction of arrows 26 in order to dry the hands of a user. In order to move the deflector from the position shown in chain lines to the position shown in solid lines, the lower portion 30 of the deflector is flicked forwardly and the drying air catches on the curved surface 32 of the deflector to bias the defector into the position shown whereby a portion of the air blowing in the direction shown by arrow 24 may dry the face of a user, and the remainder of the air passes downwardly for drying the hands of a user. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Deflectors used in air dryers The present invention relates to deflectorswhich are used in airdryers and in particular, although notexclusively, to air dryers which can be used to direct a stream of air either to the hands of a user orto both the hands and face of a user.

In a known air dryer incorporating thefeature whereby either the hands or the face of a user can be dried, a deflector has been included to control the direction of the drying air. However, the deflector is held in each position by spring loaded balls on the machine which cooperate with recesses on the deflector. Accordingly, considerable force is required to move the deflector from one position to anotherwith the user being required to grip the deflectorfirmlyto cause that movement. The gripping of the deflector renders the dryer unhygienic, as successive users each grip the same portion, and the manufacture and assembly of the retention mechanism for the deflector is expensive and complicated. Furthermore, there is considerable friction between parts of the deflector and the machine which leads to those parts becoming worn, and eventually to their breakdown.An additional disadvantage is that most people use the dryer for heir hands only and accordingly, if the previous user has left the deflector in the position in which a face is dried, the next user may unwittingly be given a blast of hot air in theirface.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an air dryer includes a deflector movable between a first position and a second position in which the deflector is able to deflect at least part of a stream of air from the dryer, the deflector being able to be held in one ofthe positions by a force exerted by a stream of airfromthedryerand being arrangedtomovetothe other position once the stream of air is halted. With such an arrangement, the deflector may be arranged such that, when there is no stream of air from the dryer, it always returns to, or remains in the position in which the hands of a user may be dried thusensuring that a subsequent user ofthe machine is not subjected to an unexpected blast of air in theirface.

Furthermore, there need not necessarily be provided any mechanised components to hold the deflector in its position, and movement of the deflector may be achievable without any significant force if no mechanical locking forces have to be overcome.

The stream of airfrom the dryer may be arrangedto exert a force on the deflector in both of its positions to hold the deflector in those positions.

According to another aspect ofthe present invention, an air dryer includes a deflector movable between a first position and a second position in which the deflector is able to deflect at least part of a stream of air from the dryer, the deflector being able to held in both positions by a force exerted by a stream of air from the dryer. Such a dryer may obviate the need for any catches or retention devices to hold the deflector in its positions. The deflector may be arranged to return to, or remain in one of the positions once the stream of air is halted.

The deflector may be arranged to move to the other position from the one position once the stream of air is halted under a force exerted by the weight ofthe deflector.

The deflector may be pivotally mounted on the dryer.

Whenthe deflector is in the second position it may present a curved surface to at least part of a stream of air from the dryer.

The invention may be carried into practice in va rious ways, but one embodiment will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa side cross-section through a deflector attachment to be included an air dryer; Figure2 is a plan view of the deflector attachment, and Figure3is a front view of Figure 2.

As shown in the drawings, the deflector attachment includes a housing 10 with a deflector 12 pivotally mounted thereon.

The housing 10 includes a passageway 14for drying air defined by an upwardly extending wall 16.

An enlarged flange 18 extends around the bottom of the housing 10. The housing is attached to an air dryer by inserting the wall 16 intothe air outletofthe dryer.

Theflange 18abutsa plate (notshown) onthedryer surrounding the outlet, and four self tapping screws are passed through openings in the plate and driven into openings 20 in the flange to hold the housing firmly on the dryer.

The deflector 12 is pivotally mounted on the housing by two axially aligned spigots 22 on the housing extending through openings at either side of the de flector. The spigots22 may beformed integrally,for instance by moulding with the housing, or may be separate therefrom.

In Figure 1 the position of the deflector shown in chain lines permits the hands only of the user to be dried. The drying air passes through the passageway 14, and some of the airis deflected rearwardly by a surface 24 ofthe deflector in the direction of arrows 26. As the air leaves the attachment it passes into an enclosure (not shown) of the dryer, which enclosure is open at the front to allow the hands of a userto be inserted. Some ofthe air contacts the hands directly to drytheir upwardly facing surfaces, and some of the air is deflected off the bottom ofthe enclosure to dry the underneath ofthe hands.The air impinging on the surface 24 of the deflector provides a force on the deflector which helps prevent anticlockwise movement ofthe deflector about its pivotal mounting, clockwise movement being prevented by abutment of an edge 28 of the deflector with the wall 16 ofthe passageway.

In orderto move the deflector from the position shown in chain lines, in which the hands only of a user are dried, to the position shown in solid lines, in which both the hands and face of a user may be dried, the lower portion 30 of the deflector is flicked fowardlyto cause the pivotal movementaboutthe axis.

When drying air is being supplied through the p as- sageway, a portion of that air catches on the curved surface 32 of the deflector to bias the deflector into the position shown, and to guide a portion of the air from outofthefrontofthe dryer in the direction shown byarrow34. The face ofthe user can then be placed in the stream of the deflected airfordrying.

The deflector is arranged so that slightly more drying air passes to the hands ofthe userthen passes to the face.

When the drying air ceases, either own removal of the hands from the air stream, in the case of an auto maticsensing system or swithin a predetermined time thereafter, in the caste of a timed cycle drying system, the deflector moves backto the position shown in chain lines in Figure 1 as a resultofthe moment exerted by the weight of the deflector about its pivotal axis. Accordingly, the nextuserofthe dryerwill be supplied with drying airto the hands only (the normal drying requirement), ifthe deflector is not moved.

Although movement of the deflectorfromthe position shown in chain lines to that shown in solid lines has been described as being effected byaflicking movement ofthe deflector bythe user, some other means may be provided which permitthe movement without contact by the user of the deflector. For instance, the user may be able to blow on the deflectorto cause the necessary movement, possibly by providing an opening in the housing, or alternatively aface proximity sensor or sensing device could be arranged to initiate an anti-clockwise motion ofthe deflector automatically.

Claims (11)

1. An air dryer including a deflector movable be- tween a first position and a second position in which second position the deflector is able to deflect at least part of-a stream ofairfromthe dryer,the deflector being able to be held in one ofthe positions by a force exerted by a stream of airfrom the dryer and being arranged to moveto the other position oncethe stream of air is halted.

2. A dryer as claimed in Claim 1 inwhichthe deflectoris arranged to remain in, or return to the position in which the hands of a user may be dried when there is no stream of air, or when the stream of air is halted.

3. A dryer as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the stream ofairfrom the dryer is arranged to exert a force on the deflector in both the first and second positions in orderto hold the deflector in those positions.

4. A dryer as claimed in any preceding claim in which the deflector is pivotally mounted on the dryer.

5. A dryer as claimed in any preceding claim in which-the deflector is arranged to return from one of the positions to the other position, when the stream of air is halted, under a force exerted bygravity.

6. An air dryer including a deflector movable between a first position and a second position in which second positionthedeflectorisabletodeflectatleast part of the stream of air from the dryer, the deflector being able to be held in both positions by a force exerted by a stream ofairfromthe dryer.

7. A dryer as claimed in Claim 6 arranged to return to,or remain in one ofthepositions oncethestream of air is halted.

8. Adryerasclaimedin Claim7inwhidhthe deflector is arranged to move to the other position from the one position once the stream of air is halted under a force exerted by the weight ofthe deflector.

9. A dryer as claimed in any of Claims 6 to 8 in which the deflector is pivotally mounted on the dryer.

10. Adryerasclaimed inanyofClaims6to9in which the deflector is arranged to present a curved surface to at least part of a stream of air from the dryer.

11. An air dryer including a deflector substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.