US3323224A

US3323224A - Lint accumulator means for a dryer

Info

Publication number: US3323224A
Application number: US373168A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard C Lough; Gordon J Krolzick
Original assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Current assignee: Whirlpool Corp
Priority date: 1964-06-08
Filing date: 1964-06-08
Publication date: 1967-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 1984-06-06

Description

June 6, 1967 R. c. LOUGH ETAL LINT ACCUMULATOR MEANS FOR A DRYER :2 sheets-sheet Filed June 8, 1964 WMM/gum www llllllo lll lllll lvl June 6, 1967 Filed June 8, 1964 R. C. LOUGH ETAL.

LINT ACCUMULATOR MEANS FOR A DRYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /2 INVENTORS zcza/Q/C' )Coag A TT( )RNE YS United States Patent O 3,323,224 LINT ACCUMULATOR MEANS FOR A DRYER Richard C. Lough, St. Joseph, and 'Gordon J. Krolzick,

Benton Harbor, Mich., assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 8, 1964, Ser. No. 373,168 Claims. (Cl. 34-82) Vair circulation or by creating a lire hazard. Some dryers `have 'been equipped with alarm systems to warn the operator that so much lint had been collected in the lint accumulator that a cleaning was necessary. The operator would then remove the lint accumulator, withdraw as much of the packed lint as possible, and then replace the filter or collection receptacle into the machine.

In accordance with the present invention an improved lint accumulator positioned in a filter cavity extending over the entire top portion of the machine provides substantially larger capacity than exists in raccumulators presently available, so that increased amounts of lint may be safely accumulated over long periods without adversely affecting the performance of the dryer. Furthermore, the lint accumulator is positioned where it is readily accessible from the top of the cabinet, instead of requiring the operator to reach into the treatment zone or the dryer drum for the purpose of cleaning the lint filter.

An object of the present invention is to provide an irnproved lint accumulator means for clothes dryers having substantially greater capacity than presently employed devices used for the same purpose.

Still .another object of the invention is to provide an improved lint accumulator in which the lint is collected in a reusable or disposable bag of substantial capacity.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a lint accumulator means which is readily accessible from the front of the dryer cabinet for ease of removal and replacement.

'I`he dryer assembly of the present invention includes a cabinet and a dryer drum supported for rotation Within the cabinet. An imperforate housing is situated in the cabinet in a position in which it provides an airtight lint accumulation cavity extending substantially across the entire top portion of the machine. An air-pervious lint separator bag is positioned in the cavity to separate lint from an air-stream directed through the cavity and cooperates with a cover hingedly seciired to the cabinet to provide 4an eicient seal between the housing and the cover when the cover is closed. An inlet duct is provided in the lint accumulation cavity to direct a lint laden air- -stream into the bag, the pores of the bag walls being sufficiently small to permit air passage therethrough but retaining even small particles of lint that are carried in the airstream. An exhaust means is also provided in the lint accumulator cavity for directing lint-free air which has been filtered by the lint separator and accumulator bag out of the cavity.

A further description of the present invention will be made in conjunction with the attached sheets of drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a back view in elevation, partly broken away to illustrate the interior structure;

3,323,224 Patented June 6, 1967 FIGURE 2 is a view in perspective and .somewhat diagrammatic illustrating the manner .in which the heated `air circulates through the dryer compartment and then through the lint accumulator cavity;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the cabinet with the access door to the lint accumulator cavity opened illustrating the manner in which the air circulates through the lint accumulator cavity; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken substantially along line IV-IV of FIGURE 3, with the cover closed.

As shown on the drawings:

In FIGURE l, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a cabinet for a household type dryer, the cabinet 10 including a clothes treatment drum 11 rotatably supported by hub means 20 on rear bulkhead 19 and driven by means of a belt 12 from a motor 13 located at the base of the cabinet 10. Reinforcement ribs 35 provide -stilfening means to rear bulkhead 19 in order to give a fiat sealing surface for the rear peripheral edge of the drum 11. Access to the interior of the clothes treatment drum 11 through opening 6 is provided by means of a horizontally hinged access door 16 (FIGURE 3).

An imperforate housing 17 having sidewalls 17a, front and rear Walls 17b and a crown portion 18 spaced from the periphery of the drum 11 is ysuspended from top flanges of the vertical front and sidewalls 1S by the lianges 25 of the housing 17 to provide an enclosed lint accumulator cavity 21.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 2, outside air is drawn into the dryer compartment through an inlet 22 of a heater duct 23 in which the heating elements (not shown) are located. The heated air exits through an exhaust port 24 through rear bulkhead 19 and then. circulates through the perforate back 9 into the drum 11 in which the clothes are being tumbled. The circulating air is then drawn through the back 9 through the back panel 19 into the inlet 26 of a blower 27 which is driven by the motor 13 through a belt 28. The drum 11 having an imperiorate cylindrical wall 8 and an imperforate front wall 7 provides an enclosed treatment chamber. The hinged access door 16 provides closure means for the opening 6 in the front wall 7 and the rear bulkhead 19 provides an enclosure for the perforated drum back 9.

The outlet -of the blower 27 is directed into a filter inlet duct 29 located in the lint accumulator cavity 21. The inlet duct 29 has a reduced diameter outlet 31 which provides the air being blown through the inlet duct with a relatively high velocity. This lint-laden air is then directed through an air permeable bag 33 composed of paper, fabric or other suitable material which oi`rers very little resistance to the air flow but constitutes a trap for the particles of lint which are carried in the airstream. The bag 33 as shown in dotted outline in FIGURE 3 is positioned with its throat communicating with the inlet duct 29.

A seal for the lint accumulator cavity 21 is provided by a hinged top 37 hinged by hinges 40 on whose face there is a layer of a foamed plastic insulating material 38 composed of foamed polyurethane, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or any of the foamed resins which provide thermal insulation and resilient sealing with the upward flange 30 of housing 17. The top flange of the front vertical wall 15 is provided with spring clips 45 to furnish means for selectively securing the top in the closed position. The insulating blanket provided by the foam layer 38 has spacers 39 positioned therealong which engage the bag 33 when the cover 37 is closed, as illustrated in FIGURE 4. These spacers 39 press down on the bag 33 and pro- 0 vide air `circulating spaces between the spacers 39, such After the ltered air has left the interior of the bag 33, it is exhausted through an exhaust manifold 4Z positioned to the rear of the lint accumulator cavity Zll. The air is then discharged from the cabinet through an exhaust conduit 43 located at the rear of the machine.

Since the bag 33 can be made almost as large as the Width of the cabinet, it has a substantial capacity for holding lint recovered from the exhaust stream of the dryer. Initially, the lint is forced to the extreme end of the bag and as more lint is accumulated, the high velocity of the lint in the air stream causes it to pack along the Walls of the bag. It is then a simple matter to remove the bag 33 after it has become substantially clogged simply by raising the cover 37 and replacing the bag 33.

From the foregoing, it Will be evident that the lint accumulator assembly of the present invention provides several advantages over other assemblies which have been used for the same purpose. For one, the capacity of the bag can be substantially larger than the capacity of ordinary lint traps which means that the dryer can be run for longer periods of time Without interruption due to excessive lint accumulation. Then, too, removal of the accumulated lint is rendered much more convenient than it is with present day lint accumulators.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are dcned as follows:

1. In a dryer,

compartment means forming a treatment zone,

a normally sealed lter chamber coextensively overlying said treatment Zone,

-a cabinet enclosing said compartment means and said chamber and including a top panel forming the top Wall of said sealed chamber,

an air system for said dryer including duct means cornmunicating with said treatment Zone and having an inlet opening into one side of said chamber to direct all air from the treatment zone through said charnber,

a filter bag connected to said inlet opening, said bag being sized for substantially illing said chamber and extending over the entire top of the treatment Zone and having Walls through which the air passes for yseparation of lint from the air and an exhaust outlet opening in another side of said chamber through which filtered air is discharged,

said top panel having a linear on the interior surface formed with spaced projections engaging the filter bag to enhance the air flow therethrough and minimizing temperature increase of said top panel.

2. In a dryer as defined in claim 1, said top panel having hinge means connecting said top panel to said cabinet,

and said liner being made of a material t0 form a seal with said cabinet when said top panel is in closed position.

3. In a dryer as defined in claim 1, hinge means connecting said top panel to said cabinet to afford access to said chamber.

4. A dryer assembly comprising a cabinet,

a cover hingedly secured to said cabinet,

a dryer drum supported for rotation within said cabinet,

housing means in said cabinet superadjacent said drum providing a lint accumulation cavity,

an air-pervious lint accumulator bag disposed in said cavity and extending over the entire top of the drum, an insulating blanket secured to said cover and providing a seal for said cavity when said cover is closed, said insulating blanket having spacers thereon positioned to abut said bag and provide air circulating spaces therebetween,

an inlet duct in said cavity arranged to direct a lint laden airstream into said accumulator bag,

and an outlet means in said cavity arranged to direct air passing through said bag out of said cabinet.

5. The dryer assembly of claim 4 in which said blanket is composed `of a roamed plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,486,058 10/1949 Patterson et al 34-82 2,651,113 9/1953 Milby et al 34-82 2,681,513 6/1954 Fowler 34-82 2,735,507 2/1956 Vogel 34-82 2,776,826 1/1957 Bennett et al. 34-82 2,827,276 3/1958 Racheter 34-82 FOREIGN PATENTS 208,330 6/ 1955 Australia.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examiner.

B. L. ADAMS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A DRYER, COMPARTMENT MEANS FORMING A TREATMENT ZONE, A NORMALLY SEALED FILTER CHAMBER COEXTENSIVELY OVERLYING SAID TREATMENT ZONE, A CABINET ENCLOSING SAID COMPARTMENT MEANS AND SAID CHAMBER AND INCLUDING A TOP PANEL FORMING THE TOP WALL OF SAID SEALED CHAMBER, AN AIR SYSTEM FOR SAID DRYER INCLUDING DUCT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID TREATMENT ZONE AND HAVING AN INLET OPENING INTO ONE SIDE OF SAID CHAMBER TO DIRECT ALL AIR ROM THE TREATMENT ZONE THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, A FILTER BAG CONNECTED TO SAID INLET OPENING, SAID BAG BEING SIZED FOR SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING SAID CHAMBER AND EXTENDING OVER THE ENTIRE TOP OF THE TREATMENT ZONE AND HAVING WALLS THROUGH WHICH THE AIR PASSES FOR SEPARATION OF LINT FROM THE AIR AND AN EXHAUST OUTLET OPENING IN ANOTHER SIDE OF SAID CHAMBER THROUGH WHICH FILTERED AIR IS DISCHARGED, SAID TOP PANEL HAVING A LINEAR ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE FORMED WITH SPACED PROJECTIONS ENGAGING THE FILTER BAG TO ENHANCE THE AIR FLOW THERETHROUGH AND MINIMIZING TEMPERATURE INCREASE OF SAID TOP PANEL.