Equipment for carrying out multiple operations on laundry articles

Description

[0001] This invention relates to equipment for carrying out multiple operations on laundry articles, including at least washing, drying and ironing.

[0002] According to the known art, the operation of washing laundry articles is carried out in an appropriate washing machine having a separate structure, as is the operation of drying when the latter operation is not carried out immediately by hanging the articles on suitable washing lines. In particular, the ironing operation is only performed using suitable ironing boards, mainly of the folding type, which therefore require assembly before the ironing operation can begin.

[0003] It is also known from EP-A-1 524 356 a mono block structure which comprises a washing unit and a drying unit located side by side in the mono block structure. The units are connected to one another by means of ducts for exchanging hot and humid air between the units during the operation in order to improve the drying performance.

[0004] Another example of prior art is the washing unit shown in DE-A-2064793. The unit is provided with an ironing apparatus of the type in which a first heated plate like element is fixed to the washing machine cabinet and a second heated plate like element is hinged to the first one and is movable as a cover. The cloth items are pressed when places between the heated elements.

[0005] The washing and drying units of the above mentioned prior art do not provide any combined equipment which, as single unit, allows washing, drying, ironing and drying delicate article which do not require or even do not permit a heavy ironing.

[0006] The various separate machines and items of equipment in the known art have also the disadvantage that they require appropriate individual spaces, appropriate connections for electrical power and connections for the water supply and drainage required for their separate installation, which are not always available in dwelling houses or in the places used as launderies.

[0007] The purpose of this invention is therefore to overcome the abovementioned disadvantages in relation to the known art by providing combined equipment capable of carrying out at least the operations of washing, drying and ironing articles of laundry.

[0008] Another object of this invention is also that of providing the user with equipment in a single unit which is capable of providing separate drying for delicate or very delicate articles of laundry.

[0009] Yet another object of this invention is to provide the user with equipment in a single unit which is also provided with cupboard compartments for articles of laundry requiring washing or ironing, or to hold those already washed and ironed.

[0010] This and other objects which will be more apparent from the following description are accomplished through the equipment according to claim 1.

[0011] Features and advantages of this invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment illustrated by way of a non-restrictive example in the appended drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 shows in diagrammatical form a front view of the integrated item of equipment according to the invention,
• Figure 2 shows a view from above of the integrated item of equipment in Figure 1 with the separate drying compartment for delicate articles and the compartment for housing articles requiring washing and/or ironing and/or ironed articles, both in the open position,
• Figure 3 shows a view in partial cross-section of the integrated item of equipment according to the invention along the line III-III in Figure 2,
• Figure 4 shows a view in partial cross-section of the integrated item of equipment according to the invention along the line IV-IV in Figure 2.

With reference to the above figures, 1 indicates the integrated item of equipment according to the invention as a whole. This comprises a washing machine, indicated as a whole by 2, and at least one laundry drier, indicated as a whole by 3.

[0012] The equipment also comprises an additional drying compartment, indicated by 4, located alongside laundry drying machine 3. This additional compartment 4 is fed with warm air originating from the ventilation and cooling system of the condensation exchanger, indicated by 6, of laundry drying machine 3, via duct 5. The flow of warm air is taken from the environment surrounding the machine through opening 7 provided on the front wall of the laundry drying machine, and is again discharged to the environment through opening 8, the latter being provided in the front wall 9 which closes off and opens additional compartment 4.

[0013] Additional compartment 4 is therefore intended for drying delicate or very delicate articles of laundry which do not receive satisfactory treatment in main drying machine 3.

[0014] The flow of air directed to additional compartment 4 may be heated through an electric heater 5a located in duct 5 controlled by a control unit 10 which is designed to control all the other functions and programmes of drying machine 3 in a conventional way.

[0015] A corresponding control unit indicated by 11 is provided to control washing machine 2 in a conventional way.

[0016] Additional drying compartment 4 comprises a trolley structure 12, which can be removed from the space of compartment 4, provided with a base 13 to which front vertical wall 9 closing off and opening compartment 4 is attached. A vertical structure 14, at the summit of which is located a transverse bar 15, is attached to base 13.

[0017] Hangers 16 (Figure 3), on which the delicate articles of laundry requiring drying, particularly those for which no special ironing operations are required, are placed, are hung upon the latter.

[0018] Furthermore, a cupboard compartment 17 in which an extractable structure 18 of the trolley type comprising a base 19 and a vertical front wall 20 is housed is located alongside the drying machine, on the right hand side thereof in the example illustrated. A structure 21 comprising shelves or drawers intended to contain articles of laundry requiring washing or ironing, or already washed and ironed articles ready for use, is associated with base 19.

[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, integrated item of equipment 1 comprises a top 22 with a raised portion 23 which is located above washing machine 2, drying machine 3, additional drying compartment 4 and cupboard compartment 17, connecting them together in such a way as to form a single unit.

[0020] An ironing board 24, and a support 25 for an iron 26 are provided on top 22, which can therefore act as a worktop.

[0021] If iron 26 is of the steam iron type, the integrated item of equipment according to the invention comprises a space 27 beneath top 22 in which a boiler 28 for generating steam which is delivered to iron 26 through a conventional flexible tube 29 may be housed.

[0022] From what has been described and illustrated above it will be seen that the single unit item of equipment according to the invention comprises various items of equipment and devices for multiple operations on articles of laundry providing the user with a complete centre for washing, drying, which is also separate for delicate articles, and ironing which would otherwise require the use of several separate machines and items of equipment with a greater usage of space and with a need for separate electricity supplies and water supplies and drains which would have to be provided a different points.

[0023] It remains understood that embodiments other than those described and illustrated may be implemented by a person skilled in the art without thereby going beyond the scope of this invention as claimed below.

Claims

1. Equipment for carrying out multiple operations on items of laundry comprising in a monoblock structure (1), at least one laundry washing machine (2), one laundry drying machine (3), a connecting top (22) located above the said machines, said laundry drying machine (3) being provided with a condensation exchanger (6) and with an air ventilation system for cooling said same condensation exchanger (6), characterized in that said top (22) comprises at least one work top area (24) for the ironing of items of laundry and said means block structure (1) includes an additional compartment (4) for drying delicate articles of laundry located alongside the said laundry drying machine (3), the said compartment (4) being connected to the duct (5) conveying the flow of cooling air from the condensation exchanger (6) of the laundry drying machine (3).

2. Equipment according to claim 1, characterised in that the said additional compartment (4) comprises a removable trolley structure (12) with a vertical front wall (9) capable of opening and closing off the said additional compartment (4) and with a supporting structure (14, 15, 16) for articles of laundry requiring drying.

3. Equipment according to claim 1, characterised in that it includes a covered compartment (17) which comprises a removable trolley structure (18), the said trolley structure (18) being provided with a vertical front wall (20) intended to open and close off the said covered compartment (17) together with a plurality of shelves and/or drawers (21) to hold the articles of laundry.

4. Equipment according to claim 1, characterised in that the said connecting top (22) comprises a support (25) for an iron (26).

5. Equipment according to claim 4, characterised in that the said connecting top (22) includes a space (27) to house a boiler (28) generating steam for the steam iron (26).

Ansprüche

1. Ausrüstung zur Durchführung mehrerer Arbeitsgänge an Wäscheartikeln, umfassend in einer Monoblockstruktur (1) mindestens eine Waschmaschine (2), einen Wäschetrockner (3), einen Verbindungsdeckel (22), welcher über den beiden Maschinen angeordnet ist, wobei der Wäschetrockner (3) mit einem Kondensationsaustauscher (6) und mit einem Belüftungssystem zum Kühlen des Kondensationsaustauschers (6) ausgestattet ist, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Verbindungsdeckel (22) mindestens einen oberen Arbeitsflächenbereich (24) zum Bügeln von Wäscheartikeln umfaßt und die Monoblockstruktur (1) eine zusätzliche Kammer (4) zum Trocknen von empfindlichen Wäscheartikeln umfaßt, die neben dem Wäschetrockner (3) angeordnet ist, wobei die Kammer (4) mit der Leitung (5), welche den Strom von Kühlungsluft von dem Kondensationsaustauscher (6) des Wäschetrockners (3) leitet, verbunden ist.

2. Ausrüstung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die zusätzliche Kammer (4) eine entfernbare Wagenstruktur (12) mit einer vertikalen vorderen Wand (9), die in der Lage ist, die zusätzliche Kammer (4) zu öffnen und zu schließen, und mit einer Stützstruktur (14, 15, 16) der Trocknung bedürfende Wäscheartikel umfaßt.

3. Ausrüstung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß sie eine abgedeckte Kammer (17) umfaßt, die eine entfernbare Wagenstruktur (18) enthält, wobei die Wagenstruktur (18) mit einer vertikalen vorderen Wand (20) versehen ist, welche dazu vorgesehen ist, die abgedeckte Klammer (17) zusammen mit einer Mehrzahl von Auflageflächen und/oder Schubkästen (21) zum Aufnehmen von Wäscheartikeln zu öffnen und zu schließen.

4. Ausrüstung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Verbindungsdeckel (22) eine Auflage (25) für ein Bügeleisen (26) umfaßt.

5. Ausrüstung nach Anspruch 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Verbindungsdeckel (22) eine Aussparung (27) zur Aufnahme eines Boilers (28) umfaßt, der Dampf für das Dampfbügeleisen (26) erzeugt,.

Revendications

1. Equipement pour la mise en oeuvre de plusieurs opérations sur des articles de linge, comprenant - dans une structure monobloc (1) - au moins un lave-linge (2), un sèche-linge (3), une couverture de liaison (22) disposée au-dessus des deux machines, le sèche-linge (3) étant muni d'un échangeur de condensation (6) et d'un système de ventilation d'air pour refroidir ledit échangeur de condensation (6), caractérisé par le fait que ladite couverture de liaison (22) comprend au moins une zone supérieure de surface de travail (24) pour repasser des articles de linge et que ladite structure monobloc (1) comprend un compartiment supplémentaire (4) de séchage d'articles de linge délicats, qui est disposé à côté du sèche-linge (3), ledit compartiment (4) étant relié à la conduite (5) acheminant le courant d'air de refroidissement de l'échangeur de condensation (6) du sèche-linge (3).

2. Equipement selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait que ledit compartiment supplémentaire (4) comprend une structure-chariot retirable (12) avec une paroi verticale avant (9) apte à ouvrir et à fermer le compartiment supplémentaire (4) et avec une structure de support (14, 15, 16) pour des articles de linge nécessitant d'être séchés.

3. Equipement selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait qu'il comprend un compartiment couvert (17) qui contient une structure-chariot retirable (18), ladite structure-chariot (18) étant pourvue d'une paroi verticale avant (20) destinée à ouvrir et à fermer ledit compartiment couvert (17) conjointement avec une pluralité de surfaces de réception et/ou de tiroirs (21) pour recevoir des articles de linge.

4. Equipement selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait que ladite couverture de liaison (22) comprend un support (25) pour un fer à repasser (26).

5. Equipement selon la revendication 4, caractérisé par le fait que ladite couverture de liaison (22) comprend un évidement (27) pour loger un chauffe-eau (28) qui génère de la vapeur pour le fer à repasser à vapeur (26).

Drawing