WO1995002984A1

WO1995002984A1 - Drying enclosure

Info

Publication number: WO1995002984A1
Application number: PCT/GB1994/001561
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark Andrew Janes
Original assignee: Mark Andrew Janes
Priority date: 1993-07-22
Filing date: 1994-07-19
Publication date: 1995-02-02
Also published as: AU7192594A; GB9315215D0

Abstract

There is disclosed a drying enclosure (11) having static side walling (12) and a drying medium input arrangement (13) being such that the drying medium swirls around and along the side walling (12).

Description

DRYING ENCLOSURE

This invention relates to drying enclosures particularly but by no means exclusively for drying the human body.

The use of bath towels is regarded as environ¬ mentally unfriendly, inasmuch as hotels are beginning to suggest that guests concerned about energy saving should elect to re-use towels rather than send them for laundering when they might simply be dried off. As with hand towels, increasingly nowadays being displaced in public washrooms by warm air driers, re-use of towels, especially if towels are shared, risks cross- infection.

It seems natural, therefore, to contemplate whole body driers, after the fashion of warm air hand driers. To date, no satisfactory such arrangement has been proposed, however, and there are clearly difficult problems to be overcome in scaling up hand dryers, not least a psychological reluctance to expose the whole body, rather than just relatively insensitive hands, to hot air streams.

The present invention provides drying enclosures that overcome these problems. The invention comprises a drying enclosure having static side walling and a drying medium input arrangement being such that the drying medium swirls around and along the side walling.

The drying medium may be air, and may be heated. It is noted at this juncture that air for drying need not be heated, merely dry, or at any rate not having a high relative humidity - heating air, of course, gives improved drying for a given water content. Nor need the drying medium be air - any other gaseous medium may be used, especially if drying articles other than the human (or animal) body. Indeed, even for drying the human body, a gaseous medium other than air may be preferred for the treatment of burns and other skin disorders, due provision being made, of course, for respiration.

In any event, for personal drying, the side walling may be vertically disposed and dimensioned to enclose a person for whole body drying. Means of personal access may be provided in the form, for example, of a closable lateral opening, which may comprise a hinged door or a circumferentially movable segment of circular or part circular section side walling. The side walling, however, may be flexible and apertured to admit of access by flexing the apertured walling, and may be tubular and apertured at the bottom and raisable for access.

The enclosure may be closed at the top.

The enclosure may be profiled in cross section to taper inwardly from the top.

The enclosure may have an upper air inlet (and, having regard to the above remarks, for "air" read "drying medium" where appropriate) directing air tangentially so as to swirl downwardly around said side walling. Said air inlet may admit heated air, and the enclosure may have a temperature and/or mass flow controlled blower for said inlet. The enclosure may provide for air outlet below, as by being spaced from the floor or simply by being leaky.

/ The enclosure may be so dimensioned and arranged as to accept a standing person, or, especially for clinical use, a sitting person.

The enclosure may be accommodated within or in place of a conventional shower enclosure, but instead of a conventional shower arrangement, special water inlet means for showering and/or body treatment that cooperate with the air arrangements may be used, in particular, water inlet means comprising atomised water misting means. Such will be found to give adequate wetting-out for showering purposes and will use less water and energy than a conventional shower spray. Treatment medium, detergents and cosmetics might all be introduced into the water mist and/or the air.

A drying enclosure and especially a showering/ drying enclosure according to the invention will be found at least as convenient and pleasurable to use as conventional towelling, with many advantages even beyond the savings on water and energy and on laundering noted above. In sports halls where shower cubicles are provided in changing room facilities, members will emerge dry from the cubicles, saving the wet floors - themselves vectors of infection such as athlete's foot - normally associated therewith.

The ability to dry without towelling will be appreciated by those suffering from psoriasis and other skin complaints, and drying is effected more thoroughly than is usually achieved by towelling (the towel itself becomes wet and less effective at drying even as it is being used) because the swirling action - which is not, or at least not necessarily, violent or even buffeting - carries the drying medium, which is constantly replenished, to all parts of the body. This will be particularly appreciated by the infirm or those suffering movement difficulty for example from arthritis which makes towelling difficult.

The requisite air utilisation is not very great - a unit having the air/heat utput of an ordinary domestic hairdryer will be effective for whole body drying within a timescale of two minutes or so, which is not substantially different from towelling. The air mass flow required is such that the movement of air can scarcely be sensed, especially with the heat off.

The invention, as has been suggested above, need not be restricted to personal body driers - use with animals, for example in poodle parlours, suggests itself, but also use for inanimate objects and materials when, of course, a generally horizontal rather than vertical movement of the swirling drying medium might be more appropriate.

Embodiments of personal shower/drying enclosures according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a first embodiment; Figure 2 is an elevation of the embodiment of Figure 1 in a regular shower enclosure showing access arrangement;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a second embodiment;

Figure 4 is a view like Figure 3 of a third embodiment;

and Figure 5 is a view like Figure 3 of a fourth embodiment.

The drawings illustrate drying enclosures 11 having static side walling 12 and a drying medium input arrangement 13 being such that the drying medium swirls around and along the side walling 12 - as suggested by the flow arrows in Figure 1.

The drying medium is air, but could be any other gaseous medium if respiration is not necessary or otherwise provided for, and is heated. The input arrangement 13 comprises a fan/heater enclosure 13a with an input duct 13b arranged near the top 14 of the enclosure 11, which is closed, feeding air tangentially along the inner face of the walling 12 whence it flows in swirling fashion vertically downwardly to the bottom of the side walling 12 to escape therebeneath. The bottom of the side walling 12 is shown residing in a shower base 15, the side walling 12 being vertically disposed and dimensioned to enclose a person for whole body drying.

Personal access to the embodiment of Figure 1, in which the side walling 12 is flexible, e.g. of plastics material sheet, is hoistable as shown in Figure 2 from a deployed position (broken line) to a stowed position, having therefor a bottom ring 12b attached by cords 12c to a hauling gear 16 as used for example for roof/window blind arrangements. The side walling can thus be hoisted for access and for regular showering, and lowered for drying.

Figure 3 shows a flap access arrangement again for flexible side walling 12, while Figures 4 and 5 illustrate access arrangements for rigid side walling, a hinged door 41 in Figure 4 and a segment door 51 in Figure 5 slidable e.g. on tracks around the circular section side walling 12.

The enclosures of Figures 1 to 5 are all profiled in cross section to taper inwardly from the top - this optimises the airflow around and about a person standing inside. Not illustrated, but generally similar in concept, are enclosures in which patients, for example can sit, which might be lower in height.

The input arrangement 13 can have an atomised water mister 17 delivering into the input duct 13b - Figure 1. There can also be provided, means, not specificallly illustrated, for delivering detergent and cosmetic substances thereinto, or perfumes and essential oils for example for aromatherapy or for drugs and medicaments for bathing or inhalation.

The input unit 13 can be controlled in any convenient manner as regards air mass flow, temperature, mist and other input, and may indeed by programmed to input mist for bathing followed by a drying period.

Many modification and addition possibilities will be apparent once the basic concept is disclosed.

Claims

1. A drying enclosure having static side walling and a drying medium input arrangement being such that the drying medium swirls around and along the side walling.

2. An enclosure according to claim 1, in which the drying medium is air.

3. An enclosure according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the drying medium is heated.

4. An enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the side walling being vertically disposed and dimensioned to enclose a person for whole body drying.

5. An enclosure according to claim 4, having means of personal access.

6. An enclosure according to claim 5, having a closable lateral opening.

7. An enclosure according to claim 6, said closable lateral opening comprising a hinged door.

8. An enclosure according to claim 6, said closable lateral opening comprising a circumferentially movable segment of circular or part-circular section side walling.

9. An enclosure according to claim 5, of which said side walling is flexible and apertured to admit of access by flexing the apertured walling.

10. An enclosure according to claim 9, of which said flexible side walling is tubular and apertured at the bottom and raisable for access.

11. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to

10, closed at the top.

12. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to

11, being profiled in cross section to taper inwardly from the top.

13. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to

12, having an upper air inlet directing air tangentially so as to swirl downwardly around said side walling.

14. An enclosure according to claim 13, said air inlet admitting -heated air.

15. An enclosure according to claim 14, having a temperature and/or mass flow controlled blower for said air inlet.

16. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to

15, providing for air outlet below.

17. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to

16, so dimensioned and arranged as to accept a standing person.

18. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to 16, so dimensioned and provisioned as to accept a sitting person.

19. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to 18, comprising water inlet means for showering and/or body treatment.

20. An enclosure according to claim 20, in which said water inlet means comprise atomised water misting means.

21. An enclosure according to any one of claims 4 to 20, comprising treatment medium inlet means.

22. An enclosure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a hand dryer, the side walling being dimensioned and apertured suitably for receiving a pair of hands.