US2815585A

US2815585A - Drying apparatus for towels and the like

Info

Publication number: US2815585A
Application number: US629321A
Authority: US
Inventors: Glenn S Thompson
Original assignee: MELAIR CORP
Current assignee: MELAIR Corp
Priority date: 1956-12-19
Filing date: 1956-12-19
Publication date: 1957-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 1974-12-10

Description

Dec. 10, 1957 G. s. THOMPSON 2,815,585

DRYING APPARATUS FOR TOWELS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 19, 1956 /8 i 5 I /2\ A J 2 W /5 /9 /7 w 22 30m 2 .22 25/1 2727 i. Mam 27m? United States Patent DRYING APPARATUS FOR TOWELS AND THE LIKE Glenn S. Thompson, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Melair Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsrn Application December 19, 1956, Serial No. 629,321

Claims. (Cl. 34-151) This invention relates to drying apparatus and has for its principal object the provision of a compact portable drying apparatus for home use which is especially well adapted for the drying of towels, or various small articles of wearing apparel.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a heated dryer for towels and the like which comprises a substantially flat upright housing and bracket means for adapting the dryer for either floor or wall mounting.

In this connection, it is a further object to provide a portable drying apparatus of the character described having handles on the opposite ends of its housing by which the apparatus may be lifted and transported from place to place and wherein said handles have alternate bracket attaching portions thereon spaced transversely of the housing end walls to which the bracket means may be secured to hold the housing spaced different distances from a vertical supporting surface, in the manner of a towel rack.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein-disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the drying apparatus of this invention having a portion broken away to show the interior of its housing;

Figure 2 is an end view of the apparatus seen in Figure 1, showing the same standing on a floor;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but illustrating the manner in which the apparatus may be wallmounted, towel rack fashion, with the housing of the apparatus spaced a minimum distance from the surface of the wall; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but illustrating the manner in which the apparatus may be Wall-mounted with its housing spaced a greater distance from the surface of the wall.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters identify like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 generally designates the elongated substantially narrow upright housing for the drying apparatus of this invention. The housing is constructed of light weight sheet metal for easy portability and comprises opposite flat upright side walls 6 and 7 of substantial length and height, a top wall 8 joined to the upper portions of the side walls and convexly curved to provide a rounded surface over which towels and the like to be dried may be draped to hang down along the exteriors of the side walls. Preferably, the horizontally extending top wall it is formed as an integral 2,815,585 Patented Dec. 10, 1957 part of the side walls so that the side and top walls may be conveniently formed from a single length of sheet metal bent flatwise to substantially inverted U-shape with its bight providing the convexly curved top wall and its legs 6 and 7 respectively providing the front and rear walls of the housing. The advantage of the one piece construction of the side and top walls just described, is just that it assures that the entire exterior surfaces of these walls will be smooth and uninterrupted.

The housing is relatively fiat or shallow in its front-torear dimension, having a depth only about one-quarter to one-fifth as great as its height, and it is closed at its opposite ends by substantially flat upright end wall panels 10, which are substantially narrow, and which may be permanently secured to the ends of the side and top walls in any desired manner. The housing is also preferably closed at its bottom by a flat bottom wall panel 11 detachably secured to the housing in any desired manner, as for instance, by sheet metal screws 12 passing upwardly through the bottom wall and threading into inturned flanges 13 on the lower ends of each of the side walls 6 and 7.

A pair of bracket members 15 is provided to support the housing in an upright position upon a floor or the like with the housing spaced a distance above the surface of the floor. These bracket members, therefore, constitute supporting legs for the housing. Each bracket member is formed from a single elongated sheet metal band bent flatwise to provide a substantially flat base 16 wider than the front to back dimension of the housing, and integral upwardly and inwardly converging leg portions 17. The outer ends of the leg portions are bent inwardly toward one another to provide uniplanar attaching tabs 18 which flatwise engage the under surface of the bottom wall 11, to which they may be detachably secured by screws 19 at positions near the opposite ends of the housing. The flat bases 16 of the brackets, of course, extend in directions crosswise of the planes of the front and rear walls 6 and 7 of the housing.

A rod type electric heating element 21 mounted in the lower portion of the housing and supplied with electric current through a service cord 22 extending to the exterior of the housing provides for heating the housing to facilitate the drying of towels or other articles draped over the top wall 8 of the housing. Preferably the heating element is received in clamps 23 mounted upon the bottom wall 11 near each end thereof so that the element may be removed from the housing for inspection or servicing merely by detachment of the bottom panel 11.

One of the features of the drying apparatus of this invention resides in its easy portability, and to facilitate lifting and transporting the apparatus from one room to another, a pair of handles generally designated 25, is provided therefor, one being secured to each of the end walls of the housing at the upper portion thereof and at locations where they will in no wise interfere with the draping of towels or other articles over the housing of the apparatus.

The handles are of special construction in that each is stamped and formed from sheet metal to provide a substantially U-shaped gripping portion having its bight 26 flatwise overlying and spaced from the adjacent end Wall 10 of the housing and having its opposite legs 27 projecting toward and secured to the adjacent end wall as by means of outwardly directed flange portions 28 on their extremities, spot welded to the adjacent end wall. The leg portions 27 of the handles, of course, lie in upright planes parallel to the front and rear walls 6 and 7 of the housing, but spaced slightly inwardly therefrom, and while the U-shaped gripping portion of the handle is open at its bottom to enable insertion of several fingers thereinto, it is preferably closed at the top by a flap 29 bent inwardly from the bight portion 26 of the handle.

Attention is directed to the fact that both of the upright legs 27 of each handle are provided with holes 30 which are vertically spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the holes in the attaching tabs 18 on the supporting brackets. This enables the brackets, when detached from the bottom of the housing, to be secured to either of the legs 27 of the handles, as indicated in Figures 3 and 4, with the brackets extending toward and beyond the plane of the rear wall 7 and with their fiat bases substantially parallel thereto. The apparatus may thus be mounted upon an upright supporting surface, such as a wall 32 of a room, in either of two positions at which the rear wall 7 of the housing is spaced different distances from the vertical surface of said wall.

When the tabs 18 of the brackets are secured to the supporting legs 27 remote from the wall 32, the housing of the apparatus is disposed a minimum distance from said wall, and this type of mounting is desirable in instances where space is at a premium. However, when adequate space is available, the tabs 18 on the supporting brackets may be attached to the alternate legs 27 of the handles, as illustrated in Figure 4, to space the housing a maximum distance from the wall 32 and permit a greater number of towels or other articles to be draped thereover for drying. It is to be understood, of course, that suitable screws 34 are provided to detachably secure the brackets to the alternate supporting legs 27 on the handles, and that the bases 16 of the brackets have suitable screw receiving holes 35 punched therein to enable them to be attached to the wall 32.

From the foregoing description taken together with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, that this invention provides an exceptionally convenient readily portable apparatus for drying towels or. other articles, and that the unique supporting brackets and handles provided for the apparatus readily adapt the same for floor or wall mounting as a towel rack.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Portable apparatus for drying towels and the like, comprising: a light weight sheet metal housing having spaced substantially fiat upright side and end walls, the side walls having substantial length and height and the end walls being substantially narrow, said housing having a substantially horizontal top wall which is convexly curved and over which towels and the like to be dried may be draped to hang down along the side walls of the housing; a heating device carried by the housing in its interior; a handle on the exterior of each end wall at the upper portion of the housing by which the apparatus may be lifted and transported from place to place; a pair of supporting members for the housing; means for detachably connecting said supporting members to the bottom portion of the housing near the ends thereof so that said members provide egs extending downwardly from the housing to support the apparatus in an upright position on a horizontal supporting surface; and means for detachably connecting said supporting members to said handles with the members extending in one direction therefrom toward and beyond the plane of one of said side walls and in which position said members provide brackets for attaching the apparatus to a vertical supporting surface with said one side wall flatwise spaced therefrom.

2. The portable drying apparatus set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the fact that said top wall is formed as an integral part of the side walls to provide a smooth exterior surface on the housing extending unintcrruptedly over each side wall and the top wall of the housing.

3. The portable drying apparatus set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the provision of a substantially flat horizontal'bottom wall on the housing; and wherein each handle comprises a substantially U-shaped gripping portion having its bight overlying the adjacent end wall in spaced relation thereto and having opposite spaced apart upright legs projecting toward and secured to the adjacent end wall; and wherein each of said supporting members is detachably securable to either the bottom wall of the housing or to one of the legs on the U- shaped gripping portion of each handle.

4. The portable drying apparatus set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said handles has provision for attaching the supporting means to either leg thereof so as to pro vide for adjustment of the spacing between the housing and a vertical supporting surface.

5. Apparatus for drying towels and the like, comprising: a sheet metal housing having flat substantially closely spaced upright side Walls, narrow upright substantially remote end walls, and a horizontal convcxly curved top wall; a heating device mounted inside the housing; and means for supporting the apparatus from a vertical supporting surface with one side wall of the housing fiatwise opposing said surface but with the housing in either of two positions at which said side wall thereof is spaced different distances from said supporting surface, said means comprising a pair of brackets, a handle on each end wall of the housing at the upper portion thereof, each of said handles having a pair of upright bracket attaching legs spaced from onev another transversely of the adjacent end wall and substantially perpendicular thereto, and means for attaching each bracket to one or the other of said legs on one of the handles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 619,407 Hargreaves Feb. 14, 1899 1,994,284 Martinek Mar. 12, 1935 2,771,690 Jauzac Nov. 27, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 390,293 Great Britain Apr. 6, 1933 1,060,080 France Nov. 18, 1953