US3088021A

US3088021A - Light for clothes drier

Info

Publication number: US3088021A
Application number: US36839A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Monahan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-06-17
Filing date: 1960-06-17
Publication date: 1963-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1980-04-30

Description

pri 30, 1953 .1. H. MONAHAN 3,088,021

LIGHT FOR CLOTHES DRIER Filed June 17, 1960 INVENTOR JD/V/V a w/m/m/y,

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofice 3,088,021 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 3,088,021 LIGHT FOR CLOTHES DRIER John H. Monahan, 100 N. Rio Vista Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Filed June 17, 1960, Ser. No. 36,839 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-2) This invention is a light for use in connection with clothes washing apparatus, particularly clothes driers.

Automatic clothes drying machines usually include a cabinet having the usual spinner or drying apparatus therein and having an opening in one wall thereof through which the clothes are admitted as well as removed from the drier. This opening is provided with a hinged door acting as a closure. It is highly desirable to provide means whereby the interior of the cabinet may be illuminated when the door is opened, for application as well as removal of clothes, and wherein illumination occurs only when the door is open. It has heretofore been proposed to mount illuminating lights either within or without the cabinet by a specially constructed lamp mounted on a horizontal axis, which devices have not met with any degree of success. This is due to the fact that the vibrations of the machine when in ope-ration impair the light, necessitating replacement of the special light sometimes diffi-cult to obtain. Moreover, the positioning of such lights has failed to as fully illuminate the interior of the drier as is desired.

The present invention is directed to the construction of a light attachment complete in a single unit which may be plugged into a convenient electric outlet, which attachrnent is mounted upon the exterior of the cabinet by simple means, and is so constructed that an ordinary illuminating electric bulb may be used therewith and mounted in Such manner as not to be subject to impairment by the vibrations set up in the machine during its drying operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character generally stated which is equipped with an automatic switch operable when the door of the drier is closed to break the circuit through the ignition bulb, and to automatically close the circuit through such bulb when the door is opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character generally stated which is of neat appearance, in no way interferes with the normal operations of the drying machine, and which involves a supporting shell of such construction that while the light bulb is positioned upon the exterior of the cabinet, the rays emanating from the bulb will be directed into the door opening so as to fully illuminate the interior of the machine when the door is moved to open position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character generally stated wherein the light bulb is supported on a vertical axis and is so cushioned as to preserve the filaments of the illuminating bulb against impairment due to vibrations or jarring of the machine during its drying operations.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an illuminating attachment of the character generally stated which is of simple construction, is composed of but few simple and readily assembled parts, which may be attached to the drying machine by simple methods and without the necessity of special knowledge or skill, which will prove thoroughly practical in use, and which may be manufactured and marketed at low cost.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawing, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a conventional and well known type of clothes drying machine showing the application of my improved attachment applied thereto,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of a portion of the drying machine with the attachment applied thereto,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through the casing and a portion of the door of the clothes drier and illustrating, in side elevation, the attachment involving my invention, and

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the clothes drier selected for the application of the device of my invention comprises a substantially rectangular cabinet 5 having a front face 6 provided with an access opening and a circular door 7 which swings upon a vertical axis to open or closed positions with respect to said opening on the hinge 8.

The attachment of my invention includes a shell, formed preferably of light steel or aluminum indicated generally at 9. This shell is comparatively small, is closed at its top as at 10 and has a curved vertical outer wall 11 terminating at its lower end at one side in a depending light reflecting skirt 12, the lower edge of which closely approaches the upper edge of the closure or door 7 of the drier. This shell is equipped at its sides with laterally extending lugs 13 having perforations therein for the reception of securing bolts or screws 14 in order that the shell may be rigidly attached in upright position to the exterior of the drier cabinet. It will be observed, particularly with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing, that the edge of the skirt on one side terminates at 15 well above the lower edge, whereby the depending portion of the skirt acts as a reflector to direct the light rays from a bulb within the shell to the interior of the drier cabinet when the door 7 is moved to open position. This peculiar shape of the lower edge of the shell also allows ample space for the circular door 7 to be opened without coming in contact with the shell skirt.

Arranged on a vertical axis within the shell 9 is a socket member indicated at 16 and constituting the support for the ordinary electric light bulb indicated at 17, one end of which is equipped with the usual threaded contact member 18. This socket member is formed of shockproof material such as rubber and is connected to the top 10 of the shell by means of the bolts 19.

Arranged upon the interior of the skirt 12 near the lower and inner edge thereof is a contact housing indicated generally at 20. This housing is secured to the shell in any desired manner and is provided with spaced contact members 21 and 22. These contact members extend laterally through the housing 20 and the inner end of a resilient spring conductor 23 is permanently connected to the contact member 21. The outer or free end of this spring member is flexible so as to be engageable with the spaced contact member 22. The spring conductor projects beyond the contact housing 20 as well as the lower end of skirt 12 so as to lie in the path of the rim of door 7 as the latter swings to closed position. When the door is open or removed from the closure opening of the housing, the spring conductor 23 will assume the position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 3 of the drawing, wherein it engages the end of contact member 22. However, when the door swings to closed position it will engage the projecting end of spring conductor 23 and move it away from contact 22 and into the position substantially as shown in full lines in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

Electric energy is supplied to the lamp as well as to the contact elements by means of the ordinary outlet plug 24, the wire 25 of which is permanently connected to contact 21, while the other terminal 26 is connected to one side of the light socket as at 27. A conductor 28 conmeets the other contact 29 of the light socket to the contact 22 of the switch.

With the attachment applied to the clothes drier in the manner stated and the plug 24 applied to an electrical outlet, it is obvious that with the door in closed position, as shown in FIG. 3, electric circuit through the lamp will be broken by reason of the spring conductor 23 being moved out of engagement with contact 22 by the rim of door 7. Upon opening the door, however, the spring conductor 23 will move to the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, whereupon the circuit will be closed from the plug through the lamp 17 thus illuminating the latter, and the rays emanating therefrom will be directed to the interior of the machine as has heretofore been explained.

By mounting the ordinary lamp bulb in the cushioning socket 16, it is apparent that longer life of the light bulb is assured mainly because vibrations set up in the drying machine as it operates will not be transmitted directly to the bulb. Moreover, and further to this end, by mounting the light bulb on a vertical axis the vibrations of the filaments are less likely to occur. The particular construction and arrangement of this attachment permits the use therewith of ordinary illuminating bulbs now on the market and no special type, size or kind of bulb is required in furthering the illumination of the interior of the drier.

I claim:

The combination with a drying machine having an opening in its front wall and a closure door therefor hinged for swinging movement on a vertical axis, a shell fixedly secured to the exterior of said machine adjacent to said opening and above the door hinge, said shell having a downwardly depending skirt formed of light-reflecting material terminating adjacent to the edge of said door opening and being so positioned as to be out of the path of said door when it is swung to either open or closed position, a lamp mounted in said shell and depending therefrom on a vertical axis and projecting light rays through the said opening and into the interior of the drying machine when the door is swung into open position, a cushioning member securing said lamp to the top of said shell, a contact housing mounted in said shell, said contact housing having a movable spring contact secured thereto and with its free end disposed in the path of movement of said door, a fixed contact mounted on said contact housing and spaced from said movable fixed spring contact, said door engaging said movable spring contact and moving it out of engagement with said fixed contact when said door is in closed position, an electrical outlet plug, one of the terminals of said lamp being connected to one of the terminals of said electrical outlet plug, said movable spring contact being connected to the other terminal of said electrical outlet plug, said fixed contact being connected to the other terminal of said lamp, said movable spring contact being biased into engagement with said fixed contact when said door is in its open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,504,952 Hieb Aug. 12, 1924 2,156,462 Schulte May 2, 1939 2,411,100 MacDonald Nov. 12, 1946 2,506,517 Moore May 2, 1950 2,671,162 Beline Mar. 2, 1954 2,686,252 Geraci Aug. 10, 1954 2,846,571 Rothen Aug. 5, 1958 2,930,885 Ehrenfreund Mar. 29, 1960