US3358387A

US3358387A - Hosiery dryer

Info

Publication number: US3358387A
Application number: US498396A
Authority: US
Inventors: Garnet H Eckardt; Louis B Mulvey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-10-20
Filing date: 1965-10-20
Publication date: 1967-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-19

Description

1967 G. H. ECKARDT- ETAL ,3

HOS I ERY DRYER Filed Oct. 20, 1965 KARO?" 614R LOU/5 5. M

ATTQQ/VE) limited States Patent Ofiice 3,358,387 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 3,358,387 HOSIERY DRYER Garnet H. Eckardt, Palm Springs, Calif. (70880 Windsor Circle, Cathedral City, Calif. 92234), and Louis B.

Mulvey, Cathedral City, Calif. (44-071 Clinton St.,

Space o-s, Indio, Calif. 92207 Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,396 3 Claims. (Cl. 34-225) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a dryer of convenient size for placement upon a vanity table or pullman, is provided with an annular chamber that serves as a receptacle for washed and rinsed hose and other dainty items of feminine wear loosely disposed in the receptacle, and produces a flow of heated air that passes upwardly through said items to dry the same. The device employs a fan or blower for heating ambient air in a space below the men tioned receptacle, the force of said fan moving its outlet into heat exchange contact with electric heaters and then through bottom holes in the floor of the receptacle. The heaters preferably are electrical and thermostatically regulated to insure limiting the heat output thereof to a safe level.

This invention relates to a dryer -for hosiery and other diaphanous items of feminine wear.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dryer of the character referred to that is compact, easy to handle and store, and convenient to use in that the same may be placed in areas where hosiery, and the like, are ordinarily washed in the home.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a dryer in which the items being dried are static, therefore, being longer-wearing than such items that are tumbled and otherwise subjected to abrasion, twisting and damaging heat.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description and which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a partial plan and partial sectional view of the present hosiery dryer as taken on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of said dryer.

The hosiery dryer that is illustrated comprises, generally, an outer housing 5, open at the top and provided with a bottom 6; a hollow core 7 having a perforated bottom wall 8 spaced above the bottom 6 to define a space 9 that is enclosed by the sides of the housing 5; a top plate 10 carried by said core 7 and spaced from the sides of the housing 5 at the top thereof to define an annular opening 11 serving as an air outlet from an annular receptacle 12 that holds items to be dried by said air and which is enclosed by the sides of the housing 5 at the outside, the hollow core 7 on the inside, the perforated wall 8 at the bottom, and the plate 10 at the top; a cover 13 over the top of the hollow core 7 and defining an annular opening 14 between a fiange 15 on the plate 10 and a skirt 16 depending from the cover 13, and constituting an inlet for ambient air to the interior space 17 of the core 7; an electric motor 18 mounted in space 17 so as to be spaced from the core; a fan 19 driven by said motor to draw air into the space 17 through the annular opening 14 and discharge said air centrifugally into the space 9; and an electric heater 20 disposed in the path of said air discharge to heat the same, the heated air being forced from space 9, through the perforations 21 in wall 8, into the receptacle 12 to dry items therein, and then exiting to atmosphere through opening 11.

The housing 5, while shown as being cushion-shaped in plan, may be round, or have any other suitable shape. The side walls 25 preferably taper inwardly, as shown in FIG. 2, and are provided with vanes or ribs 26 that serve to minimize compacting of items in receptacle 12 against said walls, and to reinforce said walls. The bottom 6 may be removable to afford access to space 9, the same being preferably lined with a heat-reflecting sheet 27 for directing heat upwardly. Said housing 5 and bottom 6 are preferably formed of injection-molded plastic or comparable heat-insulating material.

The core 7, also of plastic, tapers toward the top, and is also provided with vanes or ribs 28 that have the same purpose as the vanes or ribs 26. The bottom -wall 8 is preferably formed as an integral part of the core 7, the peripheral edge 29 of said wall being aflixed in any suitable manner to the inner faces of the housing walls 25.

The top plate 10, also of plastic, is formed to have a collar portion 30 that fits over the open top of the core 7. The same is shown as resting on the ends of vanes 28 so as to be removable to provide access to the annular receptacle for placing items in the dryer and removing same.

The cover 13 is preferably provided with an air-cleaning screen 31 that is shown as fitting in the tapered top end of the core 7 and having support thereon. The skirt 16 of said cover is of a size to reside inward of and be spaced from the flange 15 on the plate 10 when the screen is thus engaged and supported. It is deemed to be clear that air drawn into the opening 19 will first have to pass through the screen for interception of particles in the air before said air moves downwardly in the interior space 17 of the core 7. Said cover 13, in the form shown, is removed, first, then the plate 10 is removed to give access to the receptacle 12. By modifying the skirt 16 of the core 13 to reside inwardly of the flange 15, the plate 10 can be removed without disturbing said cover.

The electric motor 18 may be of the single-phase induction or shaded pole type and is supported in any suitable manner from the wall of core 7. Said motor, being in the air stream in space 17, is cooled thereby. The output shaft 32 of said motor extends downwardly and mounts the fan 19. The latter has an inlet 33 for air from the space 17 and is provided with impeller vanes 34 which centrifugally propel the air received from said inlet laterally into the space 9.

The electric heater 20 is carried by a ring plate 34 applied to the bottom of the core 7 and comprises one or more heating coils 35 which encircle the fan and are mounted as on insulators 36 depending from said plate 34. Moisture-shedding means 37 may he placed to prevent excess moisture contained in items in receptacle 12 from dripping on the coils 35.

The heat may be controlled to a safe level for nylon hosiery or other dainty items. To this end and in ordinary ways, as by a bi-metallic thermostat 38a, located in space 9, the heat level may be limited by opening the circuit. Also, the circuit to the coils 35 may -be broken by a solid state or other timer means.

The air flow in the device is shown by arrows 38. The

bottom 6 may serve as a drip pan which readily evaporates moisture reaching it under the temperature generated by the heater 20. While the'foregoing has illustrated and described what -is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that m-ay fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 1, A hosiery dryer comprising:

(a) an outer housing, open at the top and provided with a closed bottom, I (b) a hollow core, open at the top and bottom, and

disposed centrally in said housing, a (c) a perforated wall spaced above said housing bottom, (d) a heater in the space between said bottom and wall, (e) a top plate mounted on the core with its peripheral edge spaced from the housing to define an air-pass ing opening,

(f) said housing, core, perforated wall and top plate defining an annular receptacle for hosiery items,

(g) vanes provided on the inside of the outer housing and on the outside of the core to space items in the receptacle, in part, from said housing and core, and

(h) means to draw ambient air into the hollow of the core from above, through the bottom of the core, past and into contact with the heater, to be heated thereby, through the perforated wall, into the receptacle to dry the items therein, and outwardly through the mentioned air-passing opening.

2. A hosiery dryer comprising:

(a) an outer housing, open at the top and provided with a closed bottom,

(b) a hollow core, open at the top and bottom, and

disposed centrally in said housing,

() a perforated w-all spaced above said housing bottom, 7

(d) a heater in the space between said bottom and wall,

(e) a top plate mounted on the core with its peripheral edge spaced from the housing to define an air-passing opening,

(f) said housing, core, perforated wall and top plate defining an annular receptacle for hosiery items, (g) means to draw ambient air into the hollow of the core from above, through the bottom of the core, past and into contact with the heater, to be heated thereby, through the perforated wall, into the receptacle to dry the items therein, and outwardly through the mentioned air-passing opening, and

(h) a cover over the open top end of the core and spaced therefrom to define an air-entering annulus into the hollow core. a

3. A hosiery dryer comprising:

(a) an outer housing, 'open at the top and provided with a closed bottom,

(b) a hollow core,:open at the top and bottom, and

disposed centrally in said housing,

(c) a perforated wall spaced above said housing bottom,

(d) a heater in the space between said bottom and wall,

(e) a top plate mounted on the core with its peripheral edge spaced from the housing to define an air-passing opening, a

(g) means to draw ambient air into the hollow of the core from above, through the bottom of the core, past and into contact with the heater, to be heated thereby, through the perforated wall, into the receptacle to dry the items therein, and outwardly through the mentioned air-passing opening,

(h) a cover over the open top end of the core and spaced therefrom to define an air-entering annulus into the hollow core, and

(i) a particle-intercepting screen between said core and cover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,178,787 4/1916 Farvo 34-225 X 2,414,642 1/1947 Gary a 34-225 X 2,881,534 4/1959 Carl'sson' et a1. 34187 X 2,966,573 12/1960 Hansen a 34-219 X FREDERICK L. MA'ITESON, ]R., Primary Examiner A. D. HERRMANN, Assisfnnt Examiner,

Claims

1. A HOISERY DRYER COMPRISING: WITH A CLOSED BOTTOM, WITH A CLOSED BOTTOM, (B) A HOLLOW CORE, OPEN AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM, AND DISPOSED CENTRALLY IN SAID HOUSING, (C) A PERFORATED WALL SPACED ABOVE SAID HOUSING BOTTOM, (D) A HEATER IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM AND WALL, (E) A TOP PLATE MOUNTED ON THE CORE WITH ITS PERIPHERAL EDGE SPACED FROM THE HOUSING TO DEFINE AN AIR-PASSING OPENING, (F) SAID HOUSING, CORE, PERFORATED WALL AND TOP PLATE DEFINING AN ANNULAR RECEPTACLE FOR HOSIERY ITEMS, (G) VANES PROVIDED ON THE INSIDE OF THE OUTER HOUSING AND ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CORE TO SPACE ITEMS IN THE RECEPTACLE, IN PART, FROM SAID HOUSING AND CORE, AND (H) MEANS TO DRAW AMBIENT AIR INTO THE HOLLOW OF THE CORE FROM ABOVE, THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE CORE, PAST AND INTO CONTACT WITH THE HEATER, TO BE HEATED THEREBY, THROUGH THE PERFORATED WALL, INTO THE RECEPTACLE TO DRY THE ITEMS THEREIN, AND OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE MENTIONED AIR-PASSING OPENING.