JPH11319398A - Clothes handling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To condition clothes to be in a sufficiently satisfied condition, eliminate the necessity of using steam, reduce the cost, and improve the time efficiency. SOLUTION: A rod 18 is placed at a position where clothes under the upper wall c is hung below a nozzle 20 of the inner region. The conditioning component is sprayed into the open space 30 between this upper wall and the hung clothes as the arrow mark indicated by the mark S. The mist sprayed from the nozzle 20 into the deceleration region without obstacles is decelerated and uniformly distributed on the hung clothes while slowly circulating in the inner region. A recirculating fan assembly 32 to heat up and move the air in the cabinet is provided at the lower part of the inner region.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a garment handling apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for washing, deodorizing and wrinkling garments by receiving conditioning components in a substantially vapor-free controlled manner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Washing clothes that should not be washed using a conventional washing process that is completely immersed in water,
Efforts are underway to develop household garment handling systems for wrinkling and refreshing.
The problem is to develop a high-performance and cost-effective household garment handling system for washing and refreshing delicate or rugged garments that need to be wrinkled. Such clothing is typically sent to a laundry or dry cleaning shop for washing. Traditionally, such developments have focused on clothing handling cabinets that wash and refresh the garments by subjecting the garments to a stream of a mixture of steam and hot air.

For example, US Pat. No. 3,752,373 describes a cabinet that is formed from a flexible material and includes a housing that defines an interior area for hanging clothing. A steam generator for applying steam to the garment is mounted on a lower portion of the housing. The lower part of the housing is also provided with a fan and heating element for sending heated air to the inner area to dry and vent the garment. Another cabinet for steaming garments is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,305,484. The garment cabinet has steam delivery means and hot air delivery means,
Including a steam cycle and a drying cycle, hangers and bars for hanging clothes and weight bars for pulling clothes for wrinkling are provided.

[0004] In all of the above-mentioned conventional systems, moisture for wrinkling and refreshing clothes is mainly provided by using steam. Unfortunately, the use of steam consumes a relatively large amount of energy when heating the water and increases the drying time. More importantly, the steam is relatively unlikely to carry the finishing material or conditioning component desired to be dispensed to the garment for the purpose of washing, wrinkling and deodorizing.

US Pat. No. 4,761,305 describes a method of hanging clothing in a closed chamber and spraying steam over the clothing after or simultaneously with spraying refreshing and cleaning finishes. . Finally, hot air is sent through the closed chamber to dry the clothing. This system is beneficial for dispensing the dressing to the garment in that means for spraying the dressing are provided, but has the disadvantage that steam must be added to desirably wash and refresh the garment. . Thus, despite numerous prior art disclosures, there is a need for a household garment handling process that conditions garments to a satisfactory condition. There is also a need for such a process that does not require the use of steam and has improved cost and time efficiency.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a household garment handling process which conditions the garment in a satisfactory manner, without the need for steam and having an improved cost and time efficiency. To provide.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a garment handling apparatus which includes a cabinet defining an interior area, which satisfies the foregoing and other needs. A rod or hook extends from the inside wall of the cabinet for supporting at least one hanger for hanging garments in the inner area. A door for closing the inner area is movably connected to the cabinet. The cabinet supports a fluid spray nozzle, which is in fluid communication with a reservoir containing the conditioning component. An air compressor for sending air to the fluid spray nozzle is connected, and by activating the air compressor, the conditioning component is extracted from the reservoir, and is sprayed from the nozzle as a mist to the inside area of the cabinet. A fan for circulating air in the inner area evenly distributes the mist-like conditioning component to the clothing suspended in the inner area. Thus, the garment handling apparatus of the present invention provides a means for dispensing conditioning ingredients to garments, which does not include any means for delivering steam to the interior region of the cabinet.

[0008] The nozzle mixes the compressed air and the conditioning component and sprays the atomized conditioning component into the inner region. In particular, the nozzle has an air passage and a fluid passage, the reservoir is supported by the cabinet below the nozzle, and is fluidly connected to the fluid passage inside the nozzle. The air compressor is connected to the air passage of the nozzle so that the conditioning component is automatically withdrawn from the reservoir as the air flow directed to the nozzle flows past the fluid outlet. The withdrawn conditioning component mixes with the air stream to form a mist and is dispensed from the nozzle. Thus, there is no need to provide a valve between the reservoir and the nozzle. The invention may include an inflation bladder associated with the hanger. Garments can be placed along this inflatable bag. During or after dispensing the conditioning ingredients to the garment, the inflation bladder is inflated using a blower supported on the cabinet and the garment is pressed against each opposing interior surface of the interior region of the cabinet. Thereby, the garment is pressed and the wrinkles are removed.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, a clothes handling apparatus 1 for refreshing clothes according to the present invention.
0 is illustrated. Here, “refresh” means
It means washing, wrinkling and / or deodorizing clothing.
Apparatus 10 includes a housing or cabinet 12;
The cabinet 12 has opposite side walls 14a, 14
b, an inner region 14 having an upper wall 14c, a bottom wall 14d, and a rear wall 14e. A door 16 for closing the inner area 14 is hinged to the cabinet 12. When the door 16 is closed, the inner surface 16a of the door 16 and the rear wall 14e of the cabinet 12 define opposing inner surfaces of the inner area of the cabinet 12. Gasket 17 for sealing the interface between door 16 and cabinet 12
Are arranged along the periphery of the door 16.

The garment is suspended on a rod 18 extending from a rear wall 14e of the inner region 14. The mist-like conditioning component is sprayed through a fluid spray nozzle 20 (shown in FIG. 2) attached to the side wall 14b. As described below, the present invention is configured to uniformly dispense the conditioning component to the suspended garment. As used herein, "mist" refers to atomized droplets of a fluid, which may include solid particulates in solution along with the fluid.

In order to achieve the desired conditioning effect, it is important to effectively distribute the conditioning components, and such an effective distribution is facilitated by selecting a mist morphology consisting of the conditioning components with the optimum average particle size selected. Is done. For this purpose, the mist of the conditioning component has an average particle size of about 3 microns to about 50 microns, more preferably about 5 microns to about 30 microns, and most preferably about 10 microns to about 20 microns. Further, in order to distribute the conditioning component more effectively, it is preferable that the particle size distribution range of the specific particle size is narrow.

[0012] To facilitate the effective distribution of the conditioning component to the garment, the mist of the conditioning component can be converted to any suitable, such as, for example, a fluid nozzle, a sonic sprayer, a high pressure spray nozzle for delivering a target particle size, and the like. It can be carried out using a suitable spraying device. However, it is preferred to perform the mist using a relatively low volume air atomizing nozzle. For example, the spray nozzle is S
from Play Systems (Model No. 850,
1050, 1250, 1450, 1650) Commercially available ones are preferred. A compressor 22 is provided to mist the conditioning component in the inner region 14. Compressor 22 is preferably supported within upper housing 24 of cabinet 12. The compressor 22 is connected to an air supply pipe 25 that sends air to the nozzle 20 (FIG. 2). Alternatively, the compressor 22 can be stored in a pedestal with the supply pipe raised toward the nozzle 20.

The conditioning component is a reservoir 2
6 to the nozzle 20. The reservoir 26 is provided with a baffle section 27 on the side wall 14 b of the cabinet 12.
Is removably supported in the cavity 31 formed in the cavity. The reservoir container 26 is a generally cylindrical bottle-shaped container, and has a fluid supply pipe 28 extending upward toward the nozzle 20.
To be freely released. Therefore, the reservoir container 26
Is easily filled by removing it from the side wall of the cavity and adding the conditioning component. A release lever 33 is provided, and when the user presses in, the reservoir container 26 is detached from the fluid supply pipe 28 and partially discharged from the cavity 31. During misting, the air compressor is activated to draw the conditioning component into the nozzle and spray into the inner region 14. Reservoir container 26 may be provided with a release valve to prevent the creation of an unnecessary vacuum condition therein.

As shown in FIG. 2, the device 10
4 to facilitate effective dispensing of conditioning ingredients to the garment suspended within. For this purpose nozzle 2
0 is mounted above the baffle section of the inner region 14 on the side wall 14b. The rod 18 is positioned below the upper wall 14c at a position where the garment is suspended below the nozzle 20 in the inner area 14. The conditioning component is sprayed into the open space 30 between the upper wall 14c and the suspended garment as indicated by an arrow S. This open space 30 is also referred to as a deceleration region 30 here. Nozzle 20
The mist sprayed into the deceleration area without obstacles is decelerated, and is uniformly distributed to the suspended clothes while slowly circulating in the inner area 14. In this regard, the deceleration area 30 is 1,736 cubic feet (10 "x 10" x 3) for the sprayed mist to be sufficient for deceleration.
It preferably has a volume of 0 "(about 48.6 cubic meters) or more.

A recirculation fan assembly 32 for heating and moving the air in cabinet 12 is provided in a lower portion of inner region 14. The recirculation fan assembly 32 includes a fan 34 and a heater 36,
Are positioned so as to move the air in the inner region 14 in the clockwise direction represented by the arrow indicated by the symbol CW. As shown, the direction of movement of the air within the cabinet 12 is opposite to that of the conditioning component sprayed on the inner region 14, so that the recirculating air further decelerates the conditioning component. Inner area 14
By providing the rounded corners 38, 40, 42 on the
The uniform and smooth air flow in the cabinet 12 is increased. Furthermore, the baffle section 27 of the side wall 14b
It promotes the recirculation of air in the portion of the inner region 14 below the deceleration region 30.

As discussed above, the liquid conditioning component is distributed to the inner region 14 by mixing it with the air stream under pressure and then passing it through the spray nozzle 20. FIG. 3 shows the whole of the spray nozzle 20 in a cross section. As shown, the compressor 22
Is sent to an annular and frusto-conical air passage 50 of the spray nozzle. The pressure of the air sent from the compressor 22 is about 5 to about 30 psi (about 0.35 to 2.11 kg /
cm ² ). Optionally, the air sent from the compressor 22 can be heated to better dispense and adhere conditioning components to the suspended garment. The fluid supply pipe 28 of the reservoir 26 is connected to a fluid passage 52 disposed at the center of the air passage 50. The air that has passed through the air passage 50 is sent past the outer orifice 54 of the fluid passage 52 to create a low pressure area that draws liquid from the reservoir 26.
The conditioning component withdrawn through outer orifice 54 is mixed with air and sprayed from nozzle outlet 56.

While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the conditioning component exits the outer orifice 54 as a fine strand stream. This strand flow, the surface tension of the conditioning component,
Small droplets are formed by the action of the shearing force when colliding with the nozzle outlet 56. These droplets are transported away from the nozzle 20 by their initial momentum and the air flow exiting the nozzle outlet 56. A controller 57 and a control panel 59 (FIG. 2) are provided for operating the compressor 22 and the fan assembly 32 according to the cycle selected by the user of the clothing handling device 10. The control panel 59 may include a cycle selection knob 61 to enable selection of a cycle appropriate for the type of garment such as cotton, wool or delicate garments to be handled. The process for refreshing the garment suspended in the device 10 preferably includes a first time for dispensing the mist-like conditioning component on the garment. This time can be 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the cycle and load selected. During delivery of the conditioning component to the inner region 14, the fan 34 is activated to circulate air within the cabinet 12. Optionally, the heater 36 can be activated periodically to heat the dispensed conditioning component.

After dispensing the conditioning component,
By operating the heater 36 and the fan 34, the clothing suspended in the cabinet is recirculated while blowing warm air, and the conditioning component dispensed to the clothing is dried. The temperature of the air during this drying time can be from about 40 ° C to about 8 ° C.
Preferably, it ranges between 0 ° C and about 50 ° C to about 65 ° C.
More preferably it is between ° C. The drying time is between 10 and 180 minutes, depending on the selected cycle and load.
By providing the exhaust duct 58 shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to exhaust the inside area 14 during this drying time. A pipe can be connected to the exhaust duct 58 so that the exhaust is vented from the user's home as in conventional drying applications. The tubing can be provided with a lid means to keep the exhaust duct closed during the step of dispensing the conditioning component.

The conditioning ingredients selected for use in the present process will vary greatly depending on what finishing is desired. However, in the preferred mode of operation, the conditioning components include those that are effective for various clothing fibers. For example, conditioning ingredients require not only clothing that is limited to "dry cleaning" but also typically require a substantial wrinkle operation following a conventional laundry operation (i.e., a home washing and drying cycle). It is suitable for a pure cotton dress shirt. For example, one suitable ingredient for refreshing clothing includes about 0.00 percent by weight.
1% to about 10% diethylene glycol and about 0.0
1% to about 10% cyclodextrin and about 0.00%
It contains 1 to about 5% surfactant, about 0% to about 2% preservative, and the balance water.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, in which a system for dispensing conditioning components, as well as an apparatus 1
It includes press means for press-handling the garment suspended in 0 '. In order to avoid unnecessary duplication, the apparatus 10 'is described only with respect to the pressing means, but the embodiment of FIG. 4 includes the components illustrated in FIGS. They are represented by the same reference numbers.

The apparatus 10 'includes a cabinet 12' defining an interior area or enclosure 14 'and an upper housing 24'. Upper housing 24 '
Is a blower assembly 60 connected to an air supply duct 62.
I support. Alternatively, the blower can be stored at the bottom of the cabinet. An end 64 of the air supply duct 62 extends through the upper surface 14c 'of the cabinet enclosure 14'. When the blower 60 is activated, air is moved through the air supply duct 62 and the end 6
It is discharged from 4. An inflatable hanger assembly 66 including a rigid hanger body 68 and an inflatable bladder 70 is supported inside the enclosure 14 '. Hanger body 68
Includes a tubular inlet end 72 and a hanger-shaped hollow body 74 connected to the inflation bladder 70. Inlet end 72
Has a configuration that connects to end 64 such that blower 60 blows air into inflatable hanger assembly 66. The means for connecting the tubular inlet end 72 to the end 64 can be any type of quick connection system for sealingly connecting the two tubular members.

The inflation bag 70 is detachably attached to the hanger body 68. The fact that the inflation bag 70 is removable is beneficial for maintenance and performance of the clothes handling device. By being removable, the inflation bag 70
It is not only replaceable in case of damage, but also makes it easier to cover the garment. This is especially important for pullover garments that do not have fasteners such as zippers or buttons. Bags of different sizes and shapes may be required depending on the size and type of clothing to be handled.

After the inflation bag is attached to the hanger body 68 and sealed, air is sent to the hanger body 68 to inflate the inflation bag 70.
Inflate. When the inflation bag 70 is inflated, the door 16 ′
Is closed, and each side wall of the inflation bag 70 is connected to the rear wall 14e 'and the door 1
6 'against the inner surface 16a'. By doing so, clothing such as a shirt arranged along the inflated inflation bag 70 is pressed and wrinkled. The pressure on the garment can be set by appropriately sizing the blower 60 to optimize the wrinkling of the garment. In some cases, it is desirable to reduce the pressure for wrinkle removal (wrinkling delicate clothing). If less pressure for wrinkling is desired, the inflation bladder 70 can be replaced with a perforated bladder. With this perforated bag, the pressure applied to the clothes arranged along the inflatable bag is reduced due to the perforation. The blower 60 may be of a variable speed type so that a variable wrinkling pressure is obtained by changing its speed. Alternatively, a mechanically or electrically actuated flow restrictor may be used to vary the speed of the fixed speed blower.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the present invention, a garment handling cabinet that effectively refreshes a garment by dispensing conditioning ingredients to the garment without the need to use steam. Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications can be made within the present invention.

[0025]

The present invention provides a household process for conditioning garments to a satisfactory condition, eliminating the need for steam and providing such a process with improved cost and time efficiency.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes handling apparatus according to the present invention with a door opened.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating the flow of mist-like air and conditioning components inside the apparatus of FIG. 1;

3 is a cross-sectional side view of a nozzle used to spray conditioning components into the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a garment handling apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention with a door opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Clothes handling apparatus 12 Cabinet 14 Inside area 14a Side wall 14b Side wall 14c Top wall 14c 'Top surface 14d Bottom wall 14e Back wall 16 Door 16a Inside surface 17 Gasket 18 Rod 20 Fluid spray nozzle 22 Compressor 24 Upper housing 25 Air supply pipe 26 Reservoir Container 27 Baffle section 28 Fluid supply pipe 30 Open space 31 Cavity 32 Fan assembly 33 Release lever 34 Fan 36 Heater 52 Fluid passage 54 Outer orifice 56 Nozzle outlet 57 Controller 58 Exhaust duct 59 Control panel 60 Blower assembly 61 Cycle selection knob 62 Air supply Duct 66 Inflatable hanger assembly 68 Hanger body 70 Inflatable bag 72 Inlet end 74 Hollow body

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor David Christopher Blakeley Mount View, California, USA, San Marcos Circle 1477 (72) Inventor Bruce Grant McGregor, Roosevelt, Palo Alto, California, USA Circle 55 (72) Inventor Rudy Lucas Ambrose Samuels Montcalm, San Francisco, CA, United States 23

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A garment handling apparatus for handling garment, comprising: a cabinet defining an interior area for receiving garment; a door movably coupled to the cabinet; a hanger for supporting the garment in the interior area; A fan for circulating air in the area, a nozzle supported by the cabinet, a reservoir containing a conditioning component and fluidly connected to the nozzle, and an air compressor coupled to the nozzle for delivering air to the nozzle, An air compressor that mixes the delivered air with conditioning components from the reservoir and then sprays from a nozzle to form a mist that is supplied to the interior region. Clothing handling apparatus which does not include the means of the above. 2. An inflatable bladder, wherein the inner region has an opposing inner surface to form an inflatable bladder associated with the hanger, wherein a garment can be disposed along the inflatable bladder; 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a blower supported by a cabinet for pressing garments positioned along the inflatable bladder against said opposing inner surfaces of an inner region. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cabinet includes a side wall having a cavity in which the reservoir is supported. 4. A supply tube extending from the reservoir toward the nozzle, further comprising a supply tube removably coupled to the reservoir, wherein the reservoir can be easily removed from the cabinet and refilled with conditioning components. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is removably supported by a cabinet. 5. The nozzle includes an air passage having an outlet orifice and a fluid passage, a reservoir supported by the cabinet below the nozzle and fluidly coupled with the fluid passage in the nozzle, and an air compressor for supplying air to the nozzle. Connected to the air passage of the nozzle for delivery, thereby drawing a conditioning component from the reservoir by the flow of air flowing past the outlet orifice of the fluid passage;
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the withdrawn conditioning component mixes with the air stream to form a mist that is delivered to the interior region, the mist being dispensed from the nozzle without the need for a valve between the reservoir and the nozzle. 6. A deceleration area in the inner area, above the garment supported adjacent to the nozzle, for decelerating mist sprayed from the nozzle and recirculating through the inner area. The device of claim 1. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner region has a rounded corner on the inside to promote air recirculation within the inner region. 8. A device for conditioning clothing inside a cabinet, said reservoir comprising a conditioning component reservoir that, when applied to clothing, assists in wrinkling, deodorizing, and cleaning the clothing, and for suspending clothing in a cabinet. Means for circulating the air in the cabinet; and means for spraying an effective amount of the conditioning component into the air circulating in the cabinet, thereby effectively distributing the conditioning component to the garment. An apparatus for effectively removing wrinkles, deodorizing and washing clothes by dispensing conditioning ingredients and heat to the clothes without using steam. 9. An inflatable bladder, wherein the cabinet includes an opposing inner surface and is an inflatable bladder associated with a means for suspending garment within the cabinet, the garment being disposed along the inflatable bladder; Means for inflating the bag and wrinkling the clothing by pressing the garment against the inner surface.