GB2382125A

GB2382125A - Drying cabinet

Info

Publication number: GB2382125A
Application number: GB0222419A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Raymond John King
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-10-02
Filing date: 2002-09-27
Publication date: 2003-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 2022-09-27
Also published as: GB2382125B; NZ514584A; GB0222419D0

Abstract

A freestanding cabinet 2 for drying articles is made of five thermally insulated panels joined together to form a chamber which is closed by a door 3. The cabinet 2 houses a thermostatically controlled electrically powered oil filled heater 4 which is protected by a mesh guard 5. A drip shield 5a protects the heater 4 from drips. A ceiling mounted rack 6 and shelf 7 are provided for hanging or storing the articles to be dried. An electric fan 8 draws air into the cabinet 2 and the damp air leaves via a louvered vent 9. The drying operation is controlled by a humidity sensor 13, digital temperature display 10 indicating the internal temperature of the cabinet 2, and an over temperature cut out device 12 which cuts all power to the cabinet 2. The panels are preferably of impact resistant and waterproof material such as plastics. Guard 5 is also used as a shelf. Rack 6 is slidable inwards and outwards through the doorway. A light 11 indicates the fan 8 is switched on. Humidity sensor 13 controls the fan 8. A manually set time switch may be used to control the fan 8 and override humidity sensor 13. The time switch may be substituted for humidity sensor 13 to control the fan 8. Temperature display 10 may be replaced by a programmable temperature controller. Two or more fans may be used.

Description

TITLE : Drying Cabinet Technical Field The present invention relates to a drying cabinet for drying articles such as clothing, footwear and luggage.

Background Art Many artides which need to be dried regularly cannot be dried in a tumble dryer, and during the winter months it often is impossible to dry articles adequately on an outdoor clothesline. In particular, heavy outdoor jackets. waterproofs, shoes, boots, tramping packs and tents often need to be dried and cannot be dned in a tumble dryer.

Disclosure of Invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fully contained drying cabinet which can be operated at low cost, in which such articles can be dried relatively rapidly whilst containing any mud or dripping water.

The present invention provides a freestanding, dosable insulated cabinet, said cabinet being provided with a thermostatically controlled heating means, venting means for venting exhaust air from the cabinet, and air circulation means arranged to draw air into the cabinet and circulate air around the interior of the cabinet.

Preferably, said cabinet also is provided with a humidity sensor which is electrically connected to said air circulation means such that the sensor turns on said air circulation means when the sensor senses a humidity level greater than a predetermined humidity level, and the sensor turns off said air circulation means when the sensor senses a humidity level less than said predetermined humidity level.

Preferably, the heating means consists of an oil filled electrically powered finned. heater, the air circulation means consists of an electrically powered fan, and the venting means is a vent formed in the wall of the cabinet.

Brief Description of the Drawinq By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a diagrammatic view of the intenor of the cabinet of the present invention, with the door open.

Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention Referring to the drawing, a cabinet 2 is made of five panels of insulating material joined together to form a rectangular cross-section enclosure which can be dosed by a door 3. The door 3 is hinged to the side of the cabinet by hinges 3a and can be secured in the closed position by two spaced two-part catches 3b. The insulating material may be any suitable robust, impact resistant material, preferably with a waterproof or water resistant finish, e. g. plastics panels with an insulating foam core sandwiched between smooth, waterproof outer surfaces, so that the interior of the cabinet can be cleaned quickly and easily. Typical cabinet dimensions are 800 mm by 780 mm by 1~6 m high, but these dimensions may be varied as necessary for particular requirements.

An electrically powered oil filled heater 4 is mounted on the floor of the cabinet, adjacent one vertical wall. The heater 4 is thermostatically controlled and is of the well-known finned design which has no exposed electrical elements and which provides a gentle background heat rather than intense heat The side of the heater 4 open to the cabinet and the top of the heater are protected by a mesh guard 5, the top of which doubles as a shelf over the top of the heater. A drip shield 5a is mounted on, or incorporated in, the upper surface of the guard 5, to protect the heater controls from drips. The heater 4 and the guard 5 are secured in position by any suitable easy-to-release means (e. g. spring clips or wing nuts) so that they are easy to remove for cleaning the interior of the cabinet The interior of the cabinet is provided with several racks for supporting articles to be dried :typically, a ceiling mounted rack 6 from which jackets and similar articles can be hung and a shelf 7 supported from the ceiling Articles also can be placed on the top of the guard 5. The ceiling mounted rack 6 is supported so as to be slidable In a horizontal plane, to allow it to be pulled outwards through the doorway of the cabinet, for easier loading.

An electric fan 8 is mounted low down on the rear wall of the cabinet, adjacent to the end of the heater 4. The fan 8 is arranged to draw air into the cabinet. An indicator light 11 mounted on an exterior wall of the cabinet is electrically connected to the fan and lights up when the fan is

switched on. A louvered vent 9 is formed in the upper side wall of the cabinet ; the damp exhaust air leaves the cabinet through the vent.

The fan 8 is switched on and off by a humidity sensor 13 mounted inside the cabinet, adjacent the cabinet roof. The sensor 13 monitors the humidity in the cabinet and is arranged to control the fan 8 such that when the sensor senses a humidity level greater than a preset threshold level, the sensor automatically switches on the fan 8 ; the fan is switched off when the sensor senses that the humidity has fallen below the threshold level.

The heater 4 operates independently of the fan 8 and in normal usage would be left on all the time at a low setting, to provide a low background heat. It is believed that only a low heat will be required for adequate drying, since the effectiveness of the drying is due to the circulation of the air within the cabinet and to the fact that the damp air is removed from the cabinet continuously throughout the drying period, so that there is no condensation within the cabinet. The temperature inside the cabinet is indicated by a digital temperature display 10 mounted on an exterior wall of the cabinet.

To guard against overheating, the cabinet is fitted with a temperature cutout 12; this incorporates a fusible link and is arranged to cut all power to the cabinet if a predetermined safe temperature is exceeded.

In use, damp clothing or footwear or luggage is supported within the cabinet using the rack 6 and/or shelves 5, 7. and the cabinet door is closed The sensor 13 is set to the desired humidity level. Drying then proceeds automatically, controlled by the sensor 13. The dried articles may be left in the cabinet for storage if desired, because the sensor 13 will continue to monitor the humidity conditions inside the cabinet and switch the fan 8 on or off as necessary The above described cabinet may be varied in a number of ways :- 1. A time switch (not shown) may be mounted on the extenor wall of the cabinet, and arranged to control the fan 8, overriding the control of the sensor 13. This enables the drying time to be limited by manually setting the time switch to a predetermined pcnod.

2. The time switch described in paragraph 1 above may be substituted for the sensor 13, so that the fan 8 IS controlled only by the time switch and drying continues for the penod preset by the setting of the time switch

3 The digital temperature display 10 may be replaced by a programmable temperature controller incorporating a display, which is electrically connected to the fan and the heater, and can be programmed to control the temperature inside the cabinet to the selected temperature 4. For larger-size cabinets, two or more fans may be used.

The above-described cabinet provides an effective but economical method of drying articles :- the heater 4 operates at a low-heat setting, and the fan 8 is small and inexpensive to operate, so the overall power requirements of the cabinet are low compared to a tumble-drier.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A freestanding, closable insulated cabinet (2), said cabinet (2) being provided with a thermostatically controlled heating means (4), venting means (9) for venting exhaust air from the cabinet, and air circulation means (8) arranged to draw air into the cabinet (2) and circulate air around the interior of the cabinet.
2. The cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cabinet (2) also is provided with a humidity sensor (13) which is electrically connected to said air circulation means (8) such that the sensor (13) turns on said air circulation means (8) when the sensor (13) senses a humidity level greater than a predetermined humidity level, and the sensor (13) turns off said air circulation (8) means when the sensor (13) senses a humidity level less than said predetermined humidity level
3. The cabinet as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said cabinet is fitted with racks (6) and shelves (7) for accommodating articles to be dried.
4. The cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said thermostatically controlled heating (4) means consists of an oil filled electrically powered finned heater.
5. The cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said air circulation means (8) comprises an electrically powered fan.
6. The cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cabinet (2) also 1$ provided with a timer which is electrically connected to said air circulation means (8) such that the timer can be manually preset to turn on said air circulation means (8) for a predetermined time.
7. The cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said cabinet (2) is provided with a temperature cutout (12) incorporating a fusible link, said cutout (12) being arranged to cut all electrical power to the cabinet if a predetermined temperature is exceeded.

8 The cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said cabinet (2) IS provided on an external wall thereof with a temperature display (10) for indicating the temperature within the cabinet