US2873539A - Clothes dryer with clothes odorizing means - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1959 E. D. MOREY 2,873,539

Q CLOTHES DRYER WITH CLDTHES ODORIZING MEANS Filed Feb. 27, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet l F'IG.I

INVEN TOR.

EVERETT D. MOREY HIS ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1959 E. D. MOREY CLOTHES DRYER WITH CLOTHES ODORIZING M EANS Filed Feb. 27, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'lCv.2.

DU DUDE-U UUUU DUB INVENTOR. EVERETT D. NOREY By 202 f H IS ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1959 E. D. MOREY CLOTHES DRYER WITH CLOTHES ODORIZING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 27, 1958 INVENTOR. EVERETT D. MOREY HIS ATTORNEY Uni CLOTHES DRYER WITH CLOTHES ODORlZING MEANS Everett -D. Morey, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application February27, 195s, Serial No. 718,053 r 3 Claims. 01.34-13.

application.

Thetreating fluid selected for such a purpose is, of course, one which has a pleasant fragrance. Fluids of this typenecessarily include volatile elements whichare important to the fragrant elfect. Such volatile elements, when exposed to the atmosphere, tend to fractionate out of the fluid so that the remaining fluid is, in effect, .lessfragrant than when it is fresh. While the effect .is slow, the result is that over a period of time the fluid becomes less and less suited for its intended purpose. .Not only does this make the use of the fluid much less elfective, but it also makes it difficult for the housewife to regulate the amount of fragrance carried into the clothes since, as the volatile elements are fractionated out, a given air flow will carry less fragrance to the .clothes. It is, therefore, highly desirable to provide an arrangement for imparting a pleasing fragrance to the clothes being dried where there will not be the previous effect of the deterioration with time.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide .anew and improved system for introducing treating fluids into the airstream passing throughthe clothes basket of a dryer so as to impart a pleasing odor to the clothes being dried.

It isa further object of the inventionto provide such a system wherein the fluid "which is not being used is maintained within an airtight container to prevent fractionation of the volatile elements.

I It is a further object of the invention to provide a clothes dryer wherein the air flow whichcarries the .treao ing fluid from the container is so proportioned to the -main air flow through the dryer and to the amountof fluid-released that release of a predetermined amount of :fluid at the beginning of a drying operation will ensure fluid in the main air flow substantially throughout the operation.

.In carrying out the invention in one form thereof, 1 i

provide a clothesdryer which has the usual elements: .a suitable clothes tumbling receptacle; inlet and outlet air conduits leading respectively to and from the receptacle;

a heaterin the inlet conduit; and an air circulating device -for'forcing air through the inlet conduit,over the heater, through the receptacle, and out through the outlet conduit. These parts are enclosed by a housing cabinet, and

a backsplasher housing is secured to the cabinet, usually (but not necessarily) aboveit. The cabinet has relatively .large openings which communicate respectively @with the inlet and outlet ducts; the backsplasher housing has an rates Patent "ice , opening'communicating with the atmosphere and asecond opening communicating :with the interior of the cabinet and the inlet conduit therein. At least one of the back- ..splasher housing openings is substantially smaller than either of thecabinet openings. An air tight pressurized container of fluid is mounted on the backsplasher, with a normally closed valved outlet within the backsplasher housing and with manually operable means outside the backsplasher for opening the outlet soas to spray atomized fluid into the .backsplasher housing.

The relatively small air flow from the backsplasher housinginto the cabinet, as determined by the relatively small opening mentioned above, carries the fluid sprayed .out of the container .into contact with the clothes at a proper rate so that the fluid will be carried into the main air stream of the dryer substantialy throughoutthe drying operation. At the end of the drying operation, the fluid sprayed out of the container has been substantially used up, while the remainder is still protected from deterioration within the container.

Thesubject matter which I regard as my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion ofthis specification. -My invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof,

may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction drawing.

with the accompanying 'the backsplasher of the dryer shown in Fig. l, the view being partially sectionalized;

Fig. 4 is a View along line 4-4 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective ofthe construction illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown therein a domestic clothes dryer 1 which includes arotatable open ended clothes tumbling basket 2 mounted withina suitable cabinet 3 which encloses it .onall'sides. The basket is mounted for rotation about a horizontal. axisand comprises a cylindrical drum-like member having an outer cylindrical wall 4 andfront and :rear walls Sand 6. The

.outer cylindrical wall 4 :of the basketis imperforate-over its entire length, and on its interiorsurface is preferably provided with a; plurality of clothes r-tumbling ribs such "as illustrated in 7.

Clothes basket 2 is rotatablysupported within the outer cabinet 3.by means of aplurality ofroller wheels "8, 9, It) and 11 (see Fig. 2). Wheels 8 and 9 are mounted on the idler sha'ftiZ and wheels It) and 11 are mounted on a drive shaft 13. Shaft 12 has no driving connection to it, but shaft13 is driven from the drivemotor 14 of the dryer "through a suitable belt and pulley drive 15. .As shown,

both the idler shaft 12 and the drive shaft 13 are supported adjacent the front and rear'of cabinet 3 bymeans of suitable bearings mounted in front andrear support plates 16 and 17. Beingfreely supported on the roller wheels, basket 2 will turn thereon whenever drive shaft 13 isturned by motor 14, the frictional cngagement'between the side wall of the basket and rollers 10 and 11 causing the .basketto .turn .as the shaftturns. Theratio aOfJIl'hB driving and driven pulleys in .the drive 15 'isrsuitably chosen so that the basket is rotated atan appropriate ings 18 and 19 respectively.

speed to provide a tumbling action for articles of clothing placed therein.

In order that a stream of drying air may be introduced and passed through the clothes basket, the basket is apertured at both front and rear ends. Specifically, a central aperture 18 is provided in wall and a similar aperture 19 is provided in wall 6'. Rear opening 19 is substantially covered or closed by means of a stationary bulkhead member 28 which is mounted within the dryer cabinet by means of a pair of cross braces 21 and 22. As shown, a suitable clearance is provided betweenthe edge of aperture 19 and the outer flange 23 of bulkhead 20 so thatthere is no contact between the basket and the bulkhead during rotation of the basket. The front opening 18 of the basket is likewise substantially closed by means of a stationary bulkhead generally indicated at 24. Bulkhead 24 is made up of a number of adjacent members including the inner surface 25 of an access door 26 mounted on cabinet 3, a stationary seat 27 for the dor, the inner surface 29 of an exhaust duct 36 leading from the basket, and an annular flange 31 mounted on seat 27 and the duct Wall.

All of these members cooperate to define a generally circular bulkhead covering opening 18, with flange 31 at its outer edge surrounding the opening. As with the rear bulkhead, a suitable clearance is provided so that there is no rubbing between the edge of opening 18 and the edge of bulkhead 24 during rotation of the clothes basket.

Door 26 includes an outer fiat portion 32 and an inwardly extending hollow section 33 mounted on the fiat section. Hollow section 33 extends into the door seat 27 when the door is closed, and the door surface 25 .which comprises part of bulkhead 24 is actually the inner wall of this hollow section.

In the illustrated dryer, the drying air flow is introduced into the basket by means of a screened air inlet 34 in the rear bulkhead 20, passes through the basket, and then out through a screened opening 35 formed in Wall 25 of the door section 33; this air movement is effected in the usual manner by suitable air moving means such as blower 36 driven directly by motor 14.

The air then flows through an opening 37 in door 26 a grille 3801 to prevent clothes from falling into duct 30 during loading and unloading of the dryer. The

.blower, then exhausts the air from the machine through an outlet duct 39 which extends from the blower to a "relatively large opening 40 provided in the rear of cabinet 3 in communication with duct 39. A suitable lint filter 40a may be positioned in any convenient location, such as in duct 30 as shown, to perform the usual function of removing lint picked up by the air in the clothes basket.

The air drawn through the aforementioned duct system by blower 36' is pulled into the basket 2 through opening 34 from an intake duct 41 which is mounted on the rear bulkhead 20 and which is open at its lower end 42 within cabinet 3. Thus, when blower 36 operates, air is drawn into the cabinet through any suitable relatively large opening provided therein for that purpose, as for instance opening 43, flows to theinlet 42 of the duct 41, through the duct 41, and over a suitable heater 43a through opening 34 into basket 2. The air flow then passes out through opening 35, the door section 33, duct 30, the blower itself and duct 39 opening to exhaust opening 40. To prevent any leakage into the basket during this operation, suitable air seals 43b and 430 are provided to prevent leakage through open- Seals 43b and 430 are preferably formed of felt'like material, and are biased forward against the action of a spring 62. When the container 59 and the valve head are forced together in this manner, the valve outlet 61 is opened and'the against the basket so that in addition to serving as seals they also serve as thrust bearings to maintain the basket in its proper position on rollers 8, 9, 1t) and 11. This construction is fully described and claimed in copending application Serial Number 650,598 filed April 4, 1957 by Eugene G. Olthuis and Robert L. Dunkelman (now Patent Number 2,835,048), and assigned to the General Electric Company, the assignee of the present invention.

As thus far described, the dryer provides in essence duct 41 which forms an inlet conduit to the basket, ducts 30 and 39 which cooperate to form an outlet conduit from the basket, heater 42 for heating the air going into the basket, and an air circulation device 36' for moving the air through the basket 2, all contained within cabinet 3.

The manual controls (not shown) for selecting appropriate types of cycles for the particular type of fabric being dried are normally provided on the front of a backsplasher 44 which is secured to the cabinet 3, preferably to, the back of the top surface of the cabinet as shown in Fig. 1. The backsplasher is formed with an appropriate housing 45 which has an opening 46 communicating with the atmosphere, and an opening 47 communicating with a similar opening 48 in cabinet; 3. It can be seen that the point of communication of the interior of the cabinet and the interior of the backsplasher is also in direct communication with the inlet 42 of the duct 41. It will also be seen that both openings 46 and 47 are substantially smaller than either of openings 40 and 43. While the dimensions of the backsplasher generally make this a preferable arrangement, the important point is as will be seen, to have at least one of openings 46 and 47 of relatively small area as compared to either of openings 40 and 43; opening 47 is preferred, since a restriction at that point permits other openings to be formed in the backsplasher to the extent desired without increasing the flow from the backsplasher into cabinet 3.

On the front panel 49 of the backsplasher, in a location readily accessible to the operator of machine 1, there is provided a manually depressible lever 50 which is pivotable on lugs 51 secured in a recess 52 of a bracket member 53. Bracket 53 is secured within an opening 54 provided in an upstanding mounting member 55 secured by its flange 56 to the base of the backsplasher. This engagement may be effected, as shown, by means of projections 56a formed on the bracket which engage the surface of the mounting member. The lever portion 50 has a rounded projection 57 formed thereon which engages the rounded base 58 of an airtight pressurized fluid container 59 capped by a valve device 60 having an outlet 61. Airtight containers of the type illustrated are readily available commercially, and the internal valving operation of the device is well known to those skilled in the art and will therefore not be explained. a

The treating fluid for providing the clothes with the desired fragranceis maintained under pressure within 'container '59, airtight valve 60 sealing container 59 when it is not in use. Depression of lever 50 force s projection 57 forward, thus moving the container 59 fluid, shown at 63 in Fig. 3, sprays out as shown. Some devices of the sealed container type spray out a metered amount for each opening of the valve while others continue to spray out fluid under pressure as long as the valve is maintained in its open position. It will be clear that it is substantially immaterial to the invention which of these arrangements is used. However, there I is a slight preference for the type which provides a form, some particles remain in the air within the backsplasher 44, while others cling to the back wall 64 of the backsplasher. With blower 36 in operation, there is a relatively constant air flow in through opening 46 and out through openings 47 and 48. The flow is relatively small as a result of the smallness of the openings and because an easier path for the air is provided through the larger openings 40 and 43 in cabinet 3.

The operation of the device Will be readily apparent from the following description. At the beginning of a drying operation, the operator depresses lever 50 to release a predetermined amount of the treating fluid into the interior of the backsplasher. This may be done either before or after the operation of the heater 43a and motor 14 is started. If it occurs before the remainder of the machine is put into operation, the fluid will remain within the backsplasher 44 since there will be no air currents to move it out of there. Once the blower starts into operation, a large flow of air will pass in through opening 43, through the duct 41 over heater 43a, into the basket 2 and then out through the outlet conduit means to outlet opening 40 in the cabinet. A much smaller flow will also pass in through opening 46 to entrain with it an amount of treating fluid which is dependent on the amount which has been metered out of the container 59, and then through openings 47 and 48 to the inlet 42 of duct 41. The air flow in through opening 46 is restricted enough so that the treating fluid takes substantially the entire drying cycle to be carried into the main air stream and onto the clothes. The relatively brief period of time that the fluid is outside the clothes container does not permit any deterioration of the fluid, so that an optimum effect is obtained providing the clothes with fragrance regardless of the rate of use of the fluid. All the unused fluid is within the airtight container 59 so that the volatile substances are retained within thefluid.

Replacement of the container 59 when the supply of fluid therein has been exhausted is a simple matter, involving only a pushing in of the lever against the action of spring 61 to'disengage lugs 51 from recesses 52 of bracket 53. The lever 50 may then be lifted out to release the old container 59 and permit the insertion of a new one.

It can be seen from the foregoing that this invention provides an arrangement for introducing a fragrance-producing fluid into the air flow and through the clothes to be dried, where a predetermined amount is sprayed out of closed container at the beginning of a cycle and is then slowly drawn over the clothes by the use of a restricted air flow. It will further be seen that the arrangement prevents the deterioration of the fluid, as used to result from long exposure of the fluid to air with consequence fractionation of the volatile substances.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is therefore aimed'in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A clothes drying machine comprising a clothes tumbling receptacle; inlet and outlet air conduits leading respectively to and from said. receptacle; a heater in said inlet conduit; an air circulating device for forcing air over saidheater through said conduits and said receptacle; a housing cabinet enclosing said receptacle, said conduits, said heater, and said air circulating device;

means on said cabinet forming openings therein communicating with each of said conduits respectively; a backsplasher housing secured to said cabinet; means on said backsplasher housing forming one opening communicating with atmosphere and a second opening communicating with the interior of said cabinet and said inlet conduit means, at least one of said backsplasher housing openings being substantially smaller than either of said cabinet openings; and an airtight pressurized container of clothes treating fluid mounted] on said backsplasher housing, said container having a normally closed valve outlet within said backsplasher housing and having manually operable means outside said backsplasher housing for opening said valve outlet to spray atomized fluid into said backsplasher housing, the air flow from said backsplasher housing into said cabinet being small relative to the flow through said receptacle because of the relative dimensions of said openings and being proportioned to carry the fluid sprayed out of said container into contact with the clothes substantially throughout the drying operation.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein both said backsplasher housing openings are substantially smaller than either of said cabinet openings.

3. A clothes drying machine comprising a clothes tumbling receptacle; inlet and outlet air conduit leading respectively to and from said receptacle; a heater in said inlet conduit; an air circulating device for forcing air over said heater through said conduits and said receptacle; a housing cabinet enclosing said conduits, said heater, said clothes receptacle, and said air circulating device; means on said cabinet forming openings therein communicating with each of said conduits respectively; a backsplasher housing secured to and'positioned above said cabinet; means on said backsplasher housing forming an opening communicating with atmosphere and a second opening communicating with the interior of said cabinet and with said inlet conduit, at least one of said backsplasher housing openings being substantially smaller than either of said cabinet openings; mounting means secured within said backsplasher; a mounting bracket secured on said mounting means; an airtight pressurized container of treating fluid having a container section and a valve member mounted in movable relation to said container section and biased away therefrom, said valve member opening said container to release a spray of atomized fluid within said backsplasher housing when said container section and said valve member are forced together and closing said container in its normal position, said valve member being secured to said bracket; and manually operable means mounted on said bracket and extending outside said backsplasher housing, said manually operable means engaging an end of said container References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,673,008 Ryan Mar. 23, 1954 2,807,893 Morey 0a. 1, 1957 2,843,945

Whyte July 22, 1958

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