Portable dryer

Abstract

 The invention relates to a portable dryer for drying pieces of clothing, which dryer (10) includes
- a box-like body (12),
- a fan (14) installed inside the body (12) for blowing drying air into the pieces of clothing (16) to be dried,
- heating means (18) installed inside the body (12) for heating the blown air,
- support means (20) for supporting a piece of clothing (16) on the dryer (10), which support means (20) include a divider plate (22) installed inside the body (12) for distributing the blown air to the support means (20) and drying pipes (26), open at an end (24), attached to the said divider plate (22) for leading the hot air to the piece of clothing (16).
The dryer is arranged to be carried by hand and the said dryer (10) has transport and operating positions, of which in the transport position the dryer (10) is arranged to become smaller than the operating position by altering the position of the support means (20).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable dryer for drying pieces of clothing, which dryer includes

• a box-like body,
• a fan installed inside the body for blowing drying air into the pieces of clothing to be dried,
• heating means installed inside the body for heating the blown air,
• support means for supporting a piece of clothing.

[0002] Various fixed dryers, for example for drying gloves and shoes, are known from the prior art. Publication EP 2578138 A2 discloses a dryer, which includes a body, in which frames are installed for the pieces of clothing to be dried. In the middle of the frames is a fan unit, which blows air towards the pieces of clothing being dried. Such a construction is not, however, particularly efficient, as the air flow is directed to the outer surface of the pieces of clothing. Many pieces of clothing, such as gloves and shoes, can become wet on the inside too during sports. In terms of the user's comfort, it is important that particularly the surface coming against the user can be dried effectively. In addition, due to its large size the dryer according to the publication is difficult to move from one place to another.

[0003] One dryer is disclosed in publication KR 20030032606 A. A problem with such dryers is their large fixed structure, which makes them difficult to carry from one place to another.

[0004] The invention is intended to create a portable dryer better than the portable dryers of the prior art, by means of which a higher drying efficiency is achieved and which is easy to carry from one place to another. The characteristic features of the present invention are stated in the accompanying Claim 1.

[0005] This intention can be achieved by means of a portable dryer for drying pieces of clothing, which dryer includes a box-like body, a fan installed inside the body for blowing drying air to the pieces of clothing to be dried, and heating means installed inside the body for heating the blown air. In addition, the dryer includes support means for supporting a piece of clothing on the dryer, which support means include a divider plate installed inside the body for distributing the air to be blown to the support means, and drying pipes, open at the end, attached to the divider plate, for leading the hot air to the piece of clothing. The dryer is arranged to be carried by hand and the dryer has transport and operating positions, in which transport position the dryer is arranged to become smaller than in the operating position by altering the position of the support means. The dryer according to the invention can be easily moved from one place to another and in the operating position can nevertheless dry several pieces of clothing at a time effectively and evenly. It is surprising that an efficient dryer can be fitted into a considerably small size in the transport position. By means of the dryer according to the invention, a warm air flow is effectively distributed inside each piece of clothing being dried. In this connection, reference to a piece of clothing means gloves, shoes, skates, and similar pieces of clothing to be put on the hands, feet, head of, or otherwise on a person.

[0006] The support means are preferably situated, in the direction of travel of the blown drying air, after the fan and heating means, so that the warm drying air travels to the pieces of clothing being dried.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the drying pipes can be detached, in order to change their position for the transport position of the dryer. Their construction can then be very simple. According to a second embodiment, the drying pipes are telescopic in order to change their position for the transport position of the dryer. With the aid of a telescopic construction, the position of the support means can be altered by shortening the drying pipes so that they fit into a smaller space in the transport position.

[0008] According to a third embodiment, the drying pipes are pivoted to the divider plate in order to change their position for the transport position of the dryer. With the aid of such a construction the size of the dryer can also be reduced for the transport position.

[0009] The drying pipes are preferably essentially parallel. The volume required by parallel drying pipes is extremely small, which for its part makes possible the dryer's small size.

[0010] In addition, the dryer preferably includes air-guiding means for distributing the air flow essentially evenly to the divider plate and to the drying pipes attached to it. With the aid of the air-guiding means, the drying air flow formed with the aid of the fan and heating means fitted inside the body of the dryer can be effectively distributed in a small space equally to all the drying pipes. This is particularly important in the dryer according to the invention, in which the pieces of clothing to be dried are not in a closed space, as they are, for example, in drying cabinets according to the prior art.

[0011] The air-guiding means are preferably an air baffle situated inside the body. The air baffle is simple to implement and effective in distributing the air flow of the drying air equally to the divider plate with a substantially larger surface area than the fan. When using air-guiding means, the fan can have a moderate output, because the amount of air going to each drying pipe is essentially the same. Each drying pipe then receives a sufficient air flow and, on the other hand, excess air, in terms of drying, is not blown to even one drying pipe.

[0012] The air baffle is preferably situated, in the direction of travel of the air flow, after the fan and electrical resistor of the dryer. At this point the air baffle guides the already heated air flow evenly.

[0013] The drying pipes can be arranged to support the pieces of clothing directly, or preferably indirectly. The term indirect support refers to support, for example, with the aid of various types of arm.

[0014] In the transport position, the drying pipes are preferably arranged inside the body. The external dimensions of the dryer will then be limited to the only the external dimensions of the body, except for possible feet.

[0015] In the operating position, the drying pipes can protrude above the body, to support the pieces of clothing being dried. This also permits pieces of clothing of a larger size to be dried, as the external dimensions of the body do not limit the size of a piece of clothing.

[0016] The divider plate is preferably arranged to guide the air being blown essentially vertically to the drying pipes. The drying pipes can then also be vertical, which will facilitate supporting pieces of clothing on them.

[0017] The body preferably includes a cover for closing the upper surface of the body in the transport position of the dryer. With the aid of the cover, the drying pipes are kept together during the transportation of the dryer.

[0018] In the divider plate, there is preferably an opening for each drying pipe, in order to distribute the air flow equally to all the drying pipes. Thus, each drying pipe receives sufficient drying air.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the drying pipes are of at least two different lengths, of which the longer drying pipes are arranged to be situated in the middle of the divider plate and the shorter drying pipes, for their part, around the longer drying pipes on the divider plate.

[0020] The body preferably includes carrying means for moving the dryer. The carrying means facilitate the carrying of the dryer. The body can also include wheels for moving the dryer.

[0021] The ends of the drying pipes preferably include an arm of adjustable length for supporting a piece of clothing at a distance from the end of the drying pipe. With the aid of the arm, the efficiency of the drying can be adjusted even more clothing-piece-specifically, so that the drying air flow is guided optimally to the piece of clothing being dried. For example, in the case of an ice-hockey glove, the air flow can be guided into each finger.

[0022] Between the divider plate and the fan, there can be a chamber for spreading the air flow. In the chamber, the air flow can equalize to the full width of the divider plate when it comes from the fan generally at a slant to the divider plate.

[0023] The height of the chamber can be at least one quarter of the height of the body. The height of the chamber will then be sufficient to equalize the air flow over the whole width of the divider plate.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the dryer includes a timer for continuing the blowing for a specific period of time after cutting off the heating means, in order to cool the dryer. Thus the dryer will always be sufficiently cool for transportation. The dryer preferably includes means for leading current to the fan and for regulating the fan. Thus, the fan can be easily connected to an ordinary electrical socket and the fan output can be regulated as required. (10A fuse)

[0025] In the transport position, the dryer has preferably essentially the same external dimensions as the body. The dryer is then easy to transport, the body being box-shaped.

[0026] In terms of its weight and dimensions, the body is suitable to be carried by a single person. More specifically, the weight of the dryer can be at most 40 kg, preferably at most 25 kg, so that a single person can carry it safely in terms of ergonomics.

[0027] The heating means are preferably an electrical resistor, particularly a finned resistor. An electrical resistor is cheap in investment costs and reliable in operation. A finned resistor, for its part, has a large heat-exchanging surface area relative to its size.

[0028] The dryer according to the invention can be easily carried due to its transport position being smaller than its operating position. It is easy to set up in operating condition and is extremely efficient in drying pieces of clothing. Drying an individual piece of clothing takes about 10 - 15 minutes, so that the dryer can easily be used, for example, during the intermission of games. A cover, for example a towel, can be placed on top of the dryer, which will accelerate drying, as the warm air flow will not escape straight into the environment.

[0029] In the following, the invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing some embodiments of the invention, in which

Figure 1

shows an axonometric view of one embodiment of the dryer according to the invention, in the transport position,

Figure 2a

shows an axonometric view of one embodiment of the dryer according to the invention, in the operating position,

Figure 2b

shows an axonometric view of one embodiment of the dryer according to the invention in the operating position, without pieces of clothing being dried, with one drying pipe attached to the divider plate,

Figure 3

shows an axonometric view of the fan of a first embodiment of the dryer according to the invention,

Figure 4

shows an axonometric view of a first embodiment of the dryer according to the invention, without the divider plate and drying pipes,

Figure 5

shows a projection from straight above of the air baffle of the first embodiment,

Figure 6

shows a projection from straight above of the divider plate of the first embodiment,

Figures 7a - 7b

show axonometric views of a second embodiment of the dryer according to the invention as partially exploded views,

Figure 8

shows an axonometric view of the second embodiment of the dryer according to the invention, when part of the dryer has been assembled,

Figure 9

shows a user carrying one embodiment of the dryer according to the invention,

Figure 10

shows a side cross-sectional view of the dryer according to the second embodiment of the invention.

[0030] The following describes, with the aid of Figures 1 - 10, implementations according to two preferred embodiments of the dryer 10 according to the invention. In all of the embodiments, the dryer 10 includes a box-like body 12 shown in Figure 1, a fan 14 installed inside the body 12, heating means 18 installed inside the body 12 for heating the blown air, and support means 20 for supporting a piece of clothing 16 on the dryer 10. The support means 12 include a divider plate 22 installed inside the body 12 for distributing the air blown to the support means 20 and drying pipes 26 open at the end 24 attached to the divider plate 22 for leading hot air to the piece of clothing 16. The dryer is arranged to be carried by hand and the dryer has transport and operating positions, of which in the transport position the dryer is arranged to become smaller than the operating position by altering the position of the support means. The dryer preferably also includes air-guiding means 25, with the aid of which drying air coming from the fan 14 and the heating means 18 can be guided evenly to the divider plate 22.

[0031] The dryer according to the invention is preferably constructed on the basis of a box-like body, which can be, for example, an aluminium box. In the first embodiment of the dryer according to the invention, a fan 14 is attached to the bottom 44 of the body 12 according to Figure 3, for blowing drying air to the pieces of clothing 16 to be dried. The blades of the fan 14 are shown with the reference number 47. Heating means 18 according to Figure 4, i.e. preferably an electrical resistor 19 for heating the blown air, are installed on top of the fan 14. The support means 20 of Figures 2a and 2b for supporting a piece of clothing 16 on the dryer 10 are installed above the electrical resistor 19. The support means 20 include a divider plate 22 for distributing the blown air to the pieces of clothing 16 and drying pipes 26 open at the end 24 attached to the divider plate 22 for leading the hot air to a piece of clothing 16.

[0032] In both the first embodiment of Figures 3 - 6 and in the second embodiment of Figures 7a - 8, the dryer 10 according to the invention is constructed in a box-like body 12, which in the transport position advantageously encloses inside it all the components of the dryer 10 according to the invention. The dryer according to the invention has an operating position shown in Figure 2a and a transport position shown in Figures 1 and 9, in which the transport position is smaller than the operating position. Carrying means 30, which can be, for example, handles, which are attached to the side of the body 12, can preferably be attached to the box-like body 12. This permits the dryer 10 according to the invention to be easily carried from one place to another. According to Figures 1 - 2b, the body 12 can have adjustable feet 50, with the aid of which the dryer 10 can be set evenly also on an uneven base, in such a way that sufficient space remains between the base and the body for the functioning of the air intake of the fan. Alternatively, the dryer can also be made without feet, if a radial fan is used as the fan and the air intake is arranged in the side of the body.

[0033] The box-like body can be of a light metal, for example, aluminium, but the body can also be made of plastic by moulding, or of a composite or fibre-reinforced material. According to Figure 1, the box-like body 12 preferably also has a hinged cover 46, which can be locked with the aid of closing means 52. The body can also include wheels, which facilitate the moving of the dryer.

[0034] According to Figure 3, in the first embodiment a suction opening 42 is formed in the bottom 44 of the body 12, for an air intake to the fan 14. The fan can be a fan with an rating of less than 2 kW, which is able to produce a flow of about 5 m/s for each piece of clothing being dried. According to Figure 3, the suction opening 42 of the fan 14 is protected by a grid-like structure 43, which prevents objects from coming in contact with the blades 47 of the fan 14. The fan 14 is preferably encased with the aid of a frame 40 from the space 45 surrounding the fan 14 remaining inside the body 12, in which means for feeding current to the fan 14 and electrical resistor can be located. According to Figure 4, at the level of the upper edge of the frame encasing the fan air-guiding means 25 can be installed, i.e. in this case an air baffle 28, which encases the space 45 outside the frame of Figure 3 in such a way that the blown air does not enter this part of the body 12. The air baffle 28 includes air-guiding blades 29, which lie above the fan 14 directly in the path of the blown air. In Figure 5, the air baffle 28 according to the first embodiment of the dryer according to the invention is shown in greater detail in a projection from directly above. The air-guiding blades 29 are intended to distribute the blown air evenly into the chamber 38, formed between the bottom plate 56 and the divider plate 22. The electrical resistor 19 can also be attached to the air baffle 28, in which case the electrical resistor lies on the path of the blown air, where it effectively releases heat to the air flowing past. The electrical resistor can preferably be rated in the order of 2 kW in a dryer in which there are drying pipes for 24 pieces of clothing.

[0035] More specifically, the chamber 38 is intended to distribute the air flow evenly under the divider plate 22 of Figure 10, so that essentially as much drying air at mainly the same temperature will come to each drying pipe 26. The height of the chamber 38 is preferably at least one quarter of the total height of the body 12. The volume of the chamber 38 and the distance of the divider plate 22 from the heating means 18 will then be sufficient to equalize the temperature differences in the drying air. More specifically, the divider plate 22 is a plate attached to the upper part of the body 12, for example, with the aid of rivets (not in the figures), in which there are openings 32 equipped with sleeves 33 for the drying pipes 26. In Figure 6, the divider plate is shown in a projection from directly above. At the openings 32, sleeves 33 are also attached, into which the drying pipes 26 can be pushed. The drying pipes 26 can be, for example, flexible tubes made of silicon, with open ends 24. Drying pipes made of silicon will not become hot during drying, are odorless, and do not release colour. The drying pipes are preferably of at least two different lengths, of which the longer drying pipes are arranged to be situated in the middle of the divider plate and the shorter drying pipes are, for their part, situated on the divider plate around the longer drying pipes. The open end 24 of a drying pipe 26 can include an arm 36 of adjustable length according to Figure 2b, with the aid of which the distance of the piece being dried from the end of the drying pipe 26 can be adjusted. With the aid of the arm 36, the piece of clothing being dried can be moved, for example, to a short distance of a few centimetres from the open end 24 of the drying pipe 26. Thus, the drying air can travel better into all the fingers of an ice-hockey glove, for example.

[0036] When the portable dryer is changed to the transport position, the drying pipes can be detached from the divider plate and placed horizontally between the sleeves on top of the divider plate. In this way, all the parts of the dryer will easily travel with it in all situations. At the same time the drying pipes are protected inside the box-like body, so they are not broken. Further, in the transport position, no sharp edges remain on the outer surface of the dryer, except for the feet, so that the dryer can be transported, for example, in an hockey bag or similar and can also be transported in air travel as ordinary baggage.

[0037] Alternatively, the drying pipes can, for example, be telescopic or pivoted to the divider plate, in which case they can be shortened or turned for the transport position. Such alternatives are, however, more difficult to implement than detachable drying pipes. In this connection, it should be understood that altering the position of the support means can mean detaching, turning, shortening, or other changes in the drying pipes, by which the drying pipes and the arms possibly belonging to them are put into a smaller space than in the operating position, preferably even entirely inside the body.

[0038] The dryer according to the invention can be easily scaled to different orders of size. The number of drying pipes in the divider plate can vary from one drying pipe to as many as nearly one hundred drying pipes. The diameter of a drying pipe can also vary and, for example, when drying a jacket the diameter of the drying pipe can be considerably larger than when drying gloves. If, for example, a dryer with 24 drying pipes is used to dry only 12 pieces of clothing 16, some of the drying pipes can be blocked to boost the flow to the pieces of clothing being dried. Preferably, the distance of the drying pipes from each other is, however, at least 5 cm, preferably at least 8 cm, and most preferably at least 10 cm, so that there is sufficient space for the pieces of clothing being dried.

[0039] According to Figure 1, the dryer 10 according to the invention can also include regulating means 34 for regulating the amount of current fed to the fan and the electrical resistor. The regulating means preferably include a timer, by means of which the dryer can be timed to operate for a predefined period of time like, for example, a sauna heater. The regulating means can also include temperature protection, which cuts the operation of the electrical resistor if the device overheats. In the timer there can also be a function, which, when the official drying time ends, continues the operation of only the fan for 5 minutes, to cool the dryer. When drying Gore-tex products, the temperature must not exceed 40 °C. In other products being dried the temperature can be slightly greater. The temperature is regulated using overheating protection of different magnitudes, for example, 50 °C, 100 °C, and 150 °C overheating protectors, which monitor the heating of the resistor. The fan rapidly cools the resistor.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the dryer can also include a flexible cover, with which the pieces of clothing and the dryer can be covered during drying, thus boosting the drying effect.

[0041] Figures 7a - 10 show a second embodiment of the dryer 10 according to the invention. The first and second embodiments do not differ externally from each other in the position visible to the user, as the differences are in the internal construction of the dryer 10. According to Figures 7a - 10, in this embodiment a radial fan, which sucks in air axially and blows it out radially through an exhaust opening 17, is used as the dryer's 10 fan 14. The advantage obtained with a radial fan compared to the axial fan of the first embodiment according to Figures 3 and 4, is its smaller size and greater suction power. The fan 14 is preferably attached to a frame 40, which in this embodiment is formed of two vertical plates, in which suction openings 42 are formed for the fan 14. The fan 14 is preferably narrower in the axial direction than the body 12 of the dryer, so that the fan 14 can suck air from the space 45 between the frame 40 and the body 12. The necessary openings, 42, through which air is sucked into the fan 14, are preferably formed in the wall parts of the body 12 or, according to Figures 7a - 8, in the bottom 44.

[0042] The base plate 56 of the chamber, in which an opening 58 is formed by cutting a lifting plane 54 bent downwards to the base plate 56, is attached on top of the frame 40. The exhaust opening 17 of the fan 14 is directed essentially parallel to the lifting plane 54, so that the lifting plane 54 and the frame 40 acting as its edges direct the air coming from the fan 14 to the air baffle 28, which is attached on top of the opening 58. The air baffle 28 preferably includes air-guiding blades 29 correspondingly to the first embodiment, which distribute the air evenly in the chamber, which is formed between the base plate 56 and the divider plate 22, the body 12 delimiting the sides of the chamber.

[0043] Immediately after the exhaust opening 17 of the fan 14 heating means 18 i.e. an electrical resistor 19, is fitted on top of the lifting plane 54 between the frame 40. In the second embodiment of the dryer according to the invention of Figures 7a - 10, the electrical resistor is preferably a finned resistor. The advantage of a finned resistor over a coil resistor according to Figures 3 - 4 is its greater heat-exchanging surface area, with the aid of which the finned resistor transfers heat more efficiently to the drying air flowing through it and coming from the fan. Further, a finned resistor is smaller in size than a coil resistor.

[0044] The dryer according to the invention is arranged in its dimensions and weight to be such that it can be carried, and preferably carried by a single person. This preferably means that the dryer is preferably less than one metre in the case of its width, length, and depth. The dimensions can, however, vary to some extent, being even greater than a metre. The weight of the dryer is a more important factor, as it must not exceed 40 kg and is preferably less than 25 kg. The dryer can then be carried safely without endangering ergonomics.

Claims

1. Portable dryer for drying pieces of clothing, which dryer (10) includes

- a box-like body (12),

- a fan (14) installed inside the body (12) for blowing drying air into the pieces of clothing (16) to be dried,

- heating means (18) installed inside the body (12) for heating the blown air,

- support means (20) for supporting a piece of clothing (16) on the dryer (10), characterized in that the said support means (20) include a divider plate (22) installed inside the body (12) for distributing the blown air to the support means (20) and drying pipes (26), open at an end (24), attached to the said divider plate (22) for leading the hot air to the piece of clothing (16), which said dryer is arranged to be carried by hand and the said dryer (10) has transport and operating positions, of which in the transport position the dryer (10) is arranged to become smaller than the operating position by altering the position of the support means (20).

2. Dryer according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said dryer (10) includes in addition air-guiding means (25) for distributing the air flow essentially equally to the divider plate (22) and the drying pipes (26) attached to it.

3. Dryer according to Claim 2, characterized in that the said air-guiding means (25) consist of an air baffle (28), which is situated inside the said body (12).

4. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 3, characterized in that, in the transport position, the said drying pipes (26) are arranged inside the said body (12).

5. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 4, characterized in that, in the operating position, the said drying pipes (26) extend above the body (12) to support the pieces of clothing (16) being dried.

6. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the said divider plate (22) is arranged to guide the blown air essentially vertically to the drying pipes (26).

7. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 6, characterized in that the said body (12) includes a cover (46), which is arranged to close the upper surface of the body (12) in the transport position of the dryer (10).

8. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 7, characterized in that there is an opening (32) in the divider plate (22) for each drying pipe (26) in order to distribute the air flow equally to all the drying pipes (26).

9. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 8, characterized in that the drying pipes (26) are of at least two lengths, of which the longer drying pipes (26) are arranged to be situated in the middle of the divider plate (22) and the shorter drying pipes (26) for their part around the longer drying pipes (26) on the divider plate (22).

10. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 9, characterized in that the said body (12) includes carrying means (30) for moving the dryer (10).

11. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 10, characterized in that the ends (24) of the drying pipes (26) include an arm (36) of adjustable length for supporting a piece of clothing (16) at a distance from the end (24) of the drying pipe (26).

12. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 11, characterized in that between the said divider plate (22) and fan (14) there is a chamber (38) for spreading the air flow.

13. Dryer according to Claim 12, characterized in that the said chamber (38) is in height at least one quarter of the height of the body (12).

14. Dryer according to any of Claims 1 - 13, characterized in that the dryer (10) includes a timer for continuing the blowing for a specific period of time after switching off the heating means (18), in order to cool the dryer.

Drawing