US1577859A - Drier - Google Patents

Description

4www@ March 23 192,

J. H. WODARD DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 20, 1925 @www March 23 1926.

J. H. wooDARD DRIER Filed April 20, 1925 2 SheetsfSheet 2 Patented Mar. 23, 192.6.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE;

.JOHN H. wOonARn, or sPoKANE, WASHINGTON, AssIGNon- To SANITARY HAND DRYER COMPANY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION.

Damit.

Application :filed April 20, 1925. Serial No. 24,30i8. i

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN H. IVooDARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at -Spokane, in Spokane County and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in `Driers,=of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve l -ments in driers especially adapted for usein iranged in accordance with the toilet apartments, wash rooms and similar places, foridrying the hands'and face, and in tonsorial parlors, barber shops and other public places Where iapid and thorough `drying of the hair or face is desirable. i

Thel invention is embodied in a cabinet or stand and adapted for .use eitherY as a wall fixture or as an article of furniture to stand upon the floor.

My invention `consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will hereinafter be more fully set forth, whereby a supply of air is heated within the cabinet or enclosure and blown therefrom through an outlet nozzle or nozzles. Means are provided for simultaneously controlling the actuation of the fan blower or blast device and the discharge of the blast from the air chamber through the nozzle or nozzles. Other features of construction which add to the convenience and economy inthe use of the apparatus will be more specifically set forth hereinafter.

In the' accompanying drawings I have illustrated two adaptations of my invention,

one as a wall fixture and the other as an article of furniture to stand upon the floor, in which the parts are combined and arprinciples of my invention. f

Figure l is a; view in elevation partly broken away for convenience of illustration showing my invention embodied'in awall i fixture. .l

in longitudinal, vertical section showing the drier embodied in a floor cabinet or stand.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the drier of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is.- an enlarged detail sectional View showing a portion of the cabinet and a discharging valve and nozzle. l

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view showing valve and nozzle constructions.

In Figures 1 and 2 the invention is embodied in a wall fixture that` is elevated a suitable distance above the floor and secured` to `the wall or other support in approved manner. In carryin out my invention I utilize ya cabinetpreferably of rectangular shape and comprising insulated front and rear walls l and 2, a bottom 3, `top 4l and end walls t fashioned of suitable material terior air chamber 5.

For the purpose of heating the air inthe air Vchamber I provide a heating element, in

to prevent transmission 'of heat .from the inthis instance shown as steam coils 6 having.

an inlet pipe 7 and outletrpipe 8 that coininunicate with a suitable source of supply. The'coils are arranged in avertical plane within the chamber 5l and supported on brackets 9 in usual manner, to extend back `and forth longitudinally of the air chamber 5.

Within the chamber I provide a tortuouspassage for the air to be heated as the air currents are directed along this passage in contact with the heated steam coils. The passage is formed by the kuse of spaced, horizontal, fiat plates or partitions 10, which at one: end terminate in curved plates orv bends ll and at the other end terminate short of one of these bends to form a zig-zag passage from the top inlet duct l2. At the lower end of thistortuous passage an outlet duct l3opens into a hot air distributing cham,- ber 14 which is formed at the bottom of the cabinet below the lowermost partition l0.

For supplying the air to the heating chamber I employ a fan blower l5 prefer* ably located on top of thecabinet and provided with a discharge pipe 16 that opens into the inlet duct 12 at the top of the coils and tortuous passage.

An electric motor 17 is employed in connection with the fan blower to supply power at intervals and only when the control mechanism is operated for that purpose.

In the front ofthe cabinet arearranged a suitable number of hot air nozzles 18 communicating with the distributing chamber and separately and independently operated and supplied withV an air blast from the distributing chamber. In this form of the cabinet the nozzles are preferably located near the bottom of the cabinet and they are supported to have a swivel movement in order that they may be adjusted to direct the blast orV airin desired directions.

The nozzles and'their connections are substantially the samein both embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings', except that'in the wall Viiirture they are located at the bottom of the cabinet while in the floor cabinet they are located near the vtop portion thereof.

Each nozzle is provided with a supportingrcap 19 fastened tothe front wall of the cabinet and the cap has a circular' central opening and retaining liange 20. A circular gasket 21 surrounds the nozzle within the cap and a spring 22 around the inner end of the :nozzle and interposed between the gasket and front wall of the cabinet serves toinakeanvairtight joint and atth'e same time permits the nozzle `to be turned orv swiveled in Vits bearing or supporting cap. Within the front wall of the cabinet is tixedia flaring sleeve 23 with an attaching flange 23 and the nozzle is axially alined with this sleeve( for the passage of the air blast from the 'distributing chamber of the drier. The flanged sleeve formsa valve seat within the distributing chamber for the valve 24, which is in the form of a flat circular disk, hinged at 25 to the flanged sleeve and provided with a stop` lug to prevent eX- cessive movement on itshinge. A link 27 is pivoted at 28 to the valve and to ai bell crank'lever 29 which-'is pivoted at v3() `on a supporting bracket 31 within the distributing chamber. A liftV rod or other flexible connection 32 is connected to the bell crank lever, and the rod passes down through a tubular guidev or pipe 33, Aout through the bottom of the wall fixture 34 on the floor. y H

'Vithinthe housing 34 loca-ted on the floor as indicatedin Figures 1 and 2 is pivoted a foot. pedal 35 to which' the push or lift rod 32 vis connected, andit will be apparent and to a housing that as the; pedal is --depressed the -rody through the bell crank lever and link will openthe valve, to permit a blastfof air to pass through a nozzle. jl/Vithin the housing Levage@ is an electric switch or circuit maker 36 which is closed by depressing` the pedal to energize or operate the motor for the fan blower, the wires of the motor circuit being indicated by the numeral 37 in Figure 1.

Each of the nozzles is equipped with a valve, pedal mechanism and electric switch in order that the nozzles may be used selectively or simultaneously. The operation of the motor is controlled by any one of the levers or pedals, but the valvefor each nozzle is vcontrolled only by its own pedal.

' In the form of floorstand 'or cabinet 3S indicate-d in Figs. 3 and l the structure is supported from the floor on feet or corner :posts 38 and the steam coil Gis provided with inlet 7 and outlet 8 both passing out through the bottomof the cabinet.

Theheating chamber 39 of the cabinet is located below thev distributing chamber 39 which latter is located at the top of the cabinet and the horizontal partitions t() and bends 11 which form the .tortuous passage for air along the heating coils are. of con` struction and arrangement similar to that of Figs. 1 and2, but the inlet for air is located at v42 at the lower end 4of the passage while the outlet to the distributing chamber is located at 413 near the top of the cabinet.

The nozzles 18 are located near the top of the cabinet for communication with the distributing chamber for hotair, and the motor i4 and fan blower 415 arelocated in the bottomportion ofthe cabinet. The discharge pipe 4:6 from the motor-operated fan blower directs air currents `upwardly through the tortuous passage where they are heated by the coils. f j i v The va1ves24l of the nozzles are controlled by pedals 47 pivote/d in brackets 18 beneath the cabinet and the push rods or links 32 are operated from these pedals to open' the a It will'be understood that steam is con-ll stantlv passing through the coils for the purpose of heating them and Vmaintaining a,

long heat-radiating surface'within the cabinet. This heating element with its large or long radiating surface is designed to instantaneously heat the air currents as they pass through the tortuous passage, and of course th-e hot air contained m the passage is first ejected therefrom by the initial movement of the blower. Thus the blast.4 of hot or warm vair is ready for instant` use when eX pelled from the cabinet and the air currents following are heated as theyv pass through the tortuo'us air duct. One or more of the nozzles Amay be used at the same time, and

the 'nuinber of nozzl-es employed may be varied with the capacity of the distributing chamber.

When not being used the valves are all normally closed to prevent egress of warm or hot air and they are opened only when a. blast is desired.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireI to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a drier the combination with a supporting cap having a retaining flange, a. nozzle supported in said cap, and a iiXed sleeve 'forming an extension of the nozzle, of a valve hinged on said sleeve to normally close the inner end of `the sleeve, and means for opening the valve.

2. In a drier the combination with a fixed sleeve lia-ving a hinged valve at one end and means for opening said valve, of an axially `alined cap having a retaining flange and a nozzle swiveled in said cap, a support for the sleeve, a gasket on the nozzle enclosed within the cap and a spring located between said support and gasket.

3. In la drier the combination with la flaring sleeve lixed within its wall and a valve hinged at one end of said sleeve, of an axially alined cap fixed to the wall and having a retaining flange, a nozzle swiveled in the cap, a gasket on the nozzle enclosed within the cap, a spring surrounding the nozzle and interposed between said wall and gasket, a link pivoted on the valve, a bell crank lever pivoted to the link, and lneans for actuating said lever. y

In testimony whereof I aliiX my signature.

JOHN H. WOODARD.

Images