US3584393A

US3584393A - Split drum dryer

Info

Publication number: US3584393A
Application number: US872822A
Authority: US
Inventors: Melvin A Menk
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1969-10-31
Filing date: 1969-10-31
Publication date: 1971-06-15
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-15

Abstract

A DOMESTIC CLOTHES DRYER HAS A CLOTHES DRYING ENCLOSURE WITHIN A CABINET. HE CLOTHES DRYING ENCLOSURE IS SUBSTANTIALLY FORMED BY A ROTATABLE HORIZONTAL CYLINDRICAL DRUM AND THE STATIONARY FRONT AND BACK WALLS OF THE CABINET WHEREBY TO PROVIDE INCREASED DRYING ENCLOSURE VOLUME TO CABINET VOLUME. A STATIONARY FRONT COLLAR COOPERATES WITH THE FRONT WALL OF THE CABINET TO FORM POCKETS FOR THE DRYER CONTROLS AND LINT FILTER AND AN AIR EXHAUST PASSAGEWAY.

Description

June 15, 1971 M.A. MENK SPLIT DRUM DRYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 31. 1969 June 15, 1971 M.A. MENK SPLIT DRUM DRYER 4 Sheets-Sheot 2 Filed Oct. 51. 1969 [NV/LN ()I\ Med/11 2 fl. Mmk

June 15, 1971 MENK 3,584,393

SPLIT DRUM DRYER Filed 001;. 31, 1969 4 Sheets-511eot 3 INVEN'IUR We/Wk A? Jm ATTORNLY June 15, 1971 M. A. MENK SPLIT DRUM DRYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Oct. 31. 1969 ATTORNEY States 3,584,393 SPLIT DRUM DRYER Melvin A. Menk, Englewood, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich. Filed Oct. 31, 1969, Ser. No. 872,822 Int. Cl. F26b 11/02 U.S. Cl. 34-133 18 Claims ABSTRACT ()F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a domestic clothes dryer having an exterior cabinet and an internal clothes treatment enclosure or tumbling drum which efficiently utilizes the volume of the exterior cabinet.

A major consideration in the domestic appliance industry is the efficient utilization of the internal volume of a domestic appliance cabinet whereby greater working capacities can be obtained without an increase in size of the external cabinet. The external cabinet of an independent clothes dryer must enclose a clothes treatment enclosure, prime mover means, and an air flow duct system. Many attempts have been made to arrange these parts so as to provide a clothes treatment enclosure of the highest volume possible without increasing the overall external cabinet size. This invention provides a compact prime mover unit with a unique clothes treatment enclosure, and an air passageway construction so as to provide an eificient utilization of the internal volume of the dryer cabinet.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a clothes dryer of the disclosed type with a compact prime mover and air system to rotate a tumbling drum and to pull air through the tumbling drum.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a clothes dryer having a clothes treatment enclosure substantially formed by a rotating cylinder closed at each end respectively by the front and rear walls of the dryer cabinet.

Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide a clothes dryer in which a fixed preformed portion of the clothes treatment enclosure cooperates with a wall of the dryer cabinet to form passageways necessary for an air flow system and pockets to house other components of the dryer.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a lighting arrangement in cooperation with the fixed preformed portion of the clothes treatment enclosure and a movable wall of the dryer cabinet to illuminate the front of the cabinet or the interior of the clothes treatment enclosure.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a clothes treatment enclosure within a dryer cabinet having a rotatable intermediate cylindrical portion, a stationary rear portion also forming the back wall of the dryer cabinet and a stationary front portion also forming the front wall of the dryer cabinet.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein the preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view with parts cut away of the clothes dryer of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view with parts cut away to show the clothes treatment enclosure of the clothes dryer of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view with parts cut away of the clothes dryer of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the front felt seal arrangement of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the back felt seal arrangement of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the clothes dryer with parts cut away and the lint filter exploded;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the clothes treatment enclosure;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the clothes dryer cabinet; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view with parts cut away to show a lighting arrangement suitable for use with this invention.

In accordance with this invention and with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, a domestic dryer 2 having an outer casing 4 is illustrated. The outer casing 4 has a front wall or panel 10, a rear wall or panel 12, and side walls or

panels

14 and 16. The front panel 10 has an upper vertical portion 20 and a lower slanted portion 22. Extending across the top of the dryer is a top wall 18. These surfaces define the outer casing for the clothes dryer.

THE CLOTHES DRYING CHAMBER Located within this outer casing 4 is the clothes treatment enclosure or drying chamber 6. The clothes treatment enclosure 6 is of four parts and it is generally defined by the front wall 10 of the casing, an interfitting threepart stationary front collar portion 24, an intermediate horizontally mounted rotatable cylinder or open-ended drum 26, and a stationary rear wall 12 of the outer casing. The cylinder 26 is metal and carries three plastic vanes 27 which may be of triangular shape and spaced approximately apart.

The cylinder 26 is rotatably mounted on and supported by four rollers 28. A pair of rollers located on each side of the cylinder 26 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 29 rigidly positioned by a support bracket 30 fastened to the dryer front wall 10 and back wall 12. The stationary front portion 24 of the clothes treatment enclosure 6 is formed of three molded plastic parts, control or component pocket parts 24a and 24b, and lint filter housing part 240 as shown exploded in FIG. 7. These three parts are made of phenolic and are joined together by mortise and tenon joints 33 so as to form one continuous annular collar member or stationary front portion 24 which attaches to the top and side edges of the front wall 10 of the dryer by means of ported bosses 23. The front wall 10 is provided with a recessed shoulder 31 to which the lint filter housing part 240 attaches as by ported bosses 25. A sealing member 35 rests on the shoulder concealing the at tachment points for the filter housing and defining with the front wall a dryer access opening 32. This dryer access opening 32 is provided with a dryer door 34 pivotally mounted at one side thereof. The door is formed with a front panel 34a having a molded hand grip portion and rear panel 341;, both of which panels may be acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The rear panel 34b is bulged inwardly to feed the clothes along with the lint filter housing part 240 toward the rotating cylinder 26'. This dryer door 34 forms a closure for the access opening 32 and when open permits access to the interior of the clothes treatment enclosure 6. The three part stationary front portion 24 generally encircles the access opening 32 and includes a cylindrical, rearwardly extending sealing edge 36 which conforms to the diameter of the tumbling drum cylinder 26 but is slightly spaced therefrom.

The front edge of the cylinder 26 mates with the rear sealing edge 36 to form a first gap 37 (FIG. 4). The gap H 37 is bridged and closed by a T-shaped seal member comprising a flat felt portion 38 and an inwardly directed rib portion 39. The felt seal portion 38 is also cylindrical and extends around and covers the front edge of the cylinder 26 and the rear edge .36 of the plastic collar portion 24. The rib portion 39 of the seal member extends inwardly between the cylinder 26 and the rear edge 36-. This rib member 39 is made of a synthetic polyethylene fiber, sold under the trade name Dacron, and is sewn to the inside of the felt portion 38. This rib effectively shields the clothes from contacting the felt seal and collecting felt lint or from touching the edges of the relatively rotating parts. The felt seal portion 38 is fastened to the rotating cylinder drum 2-6 by means of a metallic band which circumscribes the felt portion of the seal overlying the front edge of the cylinder 26. This metallic band and seal are fastened to the cylinder 26- by means of a plurality of screws which insert concealingly through the cylinder into the interior of the bafiies 27. Thus, the seal member rotates with the cylinder 26.

THE LINT FILTER HOUSING The lint filter housing part 240 of the stationary front collar 24 substantially encircles the lower portion of the front access opening 32 and includes a depending leg portion 40 (FIG. 1) which extends downwardly and rearwardly along the slanted front wall portion 22 forming therewith an exhaust duct 48. A plurality of perforations 42 are provided in the lint filter housing to place the clothes drying chamber 6 in air flow communication with the exhaust duct 48. A piece of insulation 43 configured to the periphery of the housing 240 may be positioned adjacent the slant wall portion 22 of the front wall where the hot exhaust gases tend to heat up the outer cabinet. The perforated portion of the housing 240 is slanted in line with the bulged inner door panel 34b to continuously deflect clothes toward the rotatable cylinder 26 during tumbling.

The upper edge of the housing 240 is fiat and has an elongated rectangular slot 44 behind the access opening 32. A substantially fiat lint filter 46 of polypropylene framed nylon or Dacron mesh is insertable through the elongated slot 44 to a position in front of the perforations 42. A band spring 41 urges the lint filter 46- into a snug full air flow intercepting relationship with the housing 24c. The exhaust passageway 48 is shallow in depth, 225 inches at its deepest point, but of wide cross-sectional width, approximately 18 inches at its widest point, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This 1:8 ratio provides for large air flow without occupying much of the volume thus made available to the clothes treatment enclosure 6. The shallow duct is suflicient to accommodate the fiat lint filter.

TH'E HEATER HOUSING Dryer structure at the rear of the tumbling cylinder 26 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 8. The upper portion of the rear panel 12 is provided with an indented portion 50 providing a semi-circular raised surface which forms the inner wall of a heater housing 51. The rear panel 12 is also indented or embossed to include an internal 11b 52 which is also semi-circular in shape. The external peripheral surfaces of the indented portion 50 and the rib 52 join to form a circular ledge 54 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) of substantially the same diam eter as the cylinder 26. The rear edge of the cylinder or drum 26 is spaced from the circular ledge 54 of the rear panel 12 to form a second gap 55. This second gap 55 is closed by a second seal member 56 identical to the first seal member 38-39. The seal member 56 rotates with the cylinder 26 to prevent overheating thereof by heaters 62 within the heater housing 51 as will later be explained.

THE CLOTHES TU-MBLING SYSTEM The rear panel 12 within the circular ledge 54, the cylinder '26, the stationary collar 24- and the inside surface of the front panel 10 within the collar form the clothes treatment enclosure 6'. Clothes are inserted into this enclosure 6 through the access opening 32 and are tumbled when the cylinder 26 with the triangular bafiles 27 is rotated. The slant of the door portion 34b and the lint collecting housing 240 together with the rear panel 12 to the cylinder 26 cooperate to keep the clothes within the confines of the tumbling drum 26 along the bottom thereof. As aforesaid, the seal members 38-39 and 56, within the

gaps

37 and 55 respectively, prevent clothes from being snagged by the cylinder 26 or linted by the felt. These seal members 3S39 and 56 also impede air leakage into the drum along the rotating seal. The triangular shape of the bafiies or vanes 27 prevents clothes from being wedged between the vane and the back wall 12. The vane shape also helps prevent balling of the clothes load during tumbling. For additional details on the triangular vane, reference may be had to a copending and commonly assigned application Ser. No. 872,903, by Frederick Gabek, filed Oct. 31, 1969.

THE AIR CIRCULATION SYSTEM The lower edge of the indented portion 50 is provided with a plurality of perforations 58. Attached to the rear panel 12 behind the indented portion 50 is a heater support panel 60 carrying a plurality of electric heaters 62 between the heater panel 60' and the indented portion 50. The heater panel 60 is also provided with 4 rows of openings 64 near its upper edge and behind the heater 62. Thus, the indented portion 50 of the rear panel 12 and the heater panel 60 form a heater cavity with inlet openings 64 and outlet perforations 58 so that air may be drawn across the heaters '62 and heated before entering the clothes treatment enclosure 6. An aluminum-clad steel heat shield 63 prevents hot spots on wall portion 50. On one side of the shield A embossments space the shield from the wall portion 50 while lanced-out tangs on the other side support the shield from the heater 62.

Located behind the heater support panel 60 is a heater inlet vent panel 66 which is also attached to the rear panel 12 sandwiching therebetween the heater panel 60. The heater vent panel 66- is provided with a multiplicity of inlet louvers 68 and two outwardly projecting bosses 70. The bosses 70 are adapted to space the dryer rear panel from any adjacent room wall. With this spacing, it is possible to draw air serially through the louvered openings 68, the openings 64 of the heater support panel 60, downwardly across the heater 60, and through the perforations 58 in the back panel 12 into the clothes treatment enclosure 6.

Located beneath and to one side of the clothes treatment enclosure 6 is a dryer prime mover 74-. The prime mover comprises an electric motor '76 and an impeller or blower 78 connected to the motor by a. power shaft 80. A drive pulley 82 is located between the motor 76 and the blower 78 on the power shaft 80. A drive belt 84 wrapped about the midsection of the drum 26 is driven by the pulley 82. The drum 26 has two roller grooves or tracks 88 which are used to position the drum 26 on the rollers 28 and to prevent axial movement of the drum. Moreover, the tracks are sufficiently deep to rigidify the cylindrical shape of the drum and insure the circular integrity of the open ends thereof at the seal. With the drum 26 supported on the rollers 28 and the drive belt 84 circumscribing the drum, a belt tensioner comprising an idler roller 86 and a spring biased bell-crank 87 provides the proper tension in the drive belt to frictionally engage and drive the rotating drum 26. Furthermore, the tension in the belt helps retain the drum on the rollers.

The prime mover 74 is a compact unit due to the axial arrangement of the drive motor 76, the drive shaft 80, and the blower 78 with its direct connection to the depending leg portion 40 of the collar portion 240. This compactness complements the efiicient utilization of the reduced internal volume of the outer casing 4 in the vicinity of the slant wall portion 22. Servicing of the prime moving system is made accessible through a removable access panel 79 which closes an access opening 81.

Air leaves the tumbling drum through the perforations 42 in the lint filter housing 240. The exhaust passageway 48 is formed by the lower slant wall portion 22 of the front panel 10 and the part 240 of the stationary front collar portion 24. The lower slant wall portion 22 forms the front of the passageway while the part 240 including the leg portion 40 extends downwardly to form the back and sides of the passageway 48. This completes the air flow path provided by the duct system. The air is drawn through the rear louvers or vent openings 68 and passes around the heater 62, then diagonally through the clothes treatment enclosure 6, through the lint filter 46 and into the exhaust passageway 48. The air is drawn through this air flow duct system by the impeller or blower 78 and is then exhausted from the outer casing by way of a flexible conduit 90 which is adapted for connection by means of a collar 91a and b to either a rear exhaust opening 92a or a side exhaust opening 92!). A plate 93 covers the unused opening.

THE CONTROL COMPARTMENT The dryer controls 94 are located in the upper front corner of the outer casing 4. To accommodate such controls, portions of the stationary front collar portions 24a and 24/) are molded inwardly as shown in FIG. 7 to form control pockets or compartments 96, 97 where the controls or other components project behind the front panel 10. A channel 89 may be molded in to the front edge of the stationary collar 24. In addition to strengthening the collar the channel may be filled with an O-ring seal or left unfilled as a labyrinth seal to prevent ingress of air where the collar meets the front wall 10.

In this regard and with reference to FIG. 9 the pocket 97 may be used in another embodiment of this invention to incorporate a lamp 98. The front panel 10 of the first embodiment is modified to provide a control panel 99 hinged along its upper edge to the dryer cabinet 4. The lamp is carried on the back side of the panel 99 and arranged in a circuit with a switch 100 so that the lamp will illuminate the front of the dryer when the panel is lifted to the phantom line position. This is of particular value to illuminate a clothes washer access opening when the dryer is used in a stack-on combination such as taught in 'my copending application Ser. N0. 798,289 filed Feb. 11, 1969. With the panel 99 in a closed position the interior of the drum or clothes treatment enclosure 6 is illuminated by the lamp 98 through a transparent panel 102 overlying a cutout 104 in the stationary collar portion 2412. In this latter instance the lamp may be in a conventional door switch circuit so that the light comes on when the door 34 is opened The clothes dryer 2, as above described, provides for maximum utilization of the internal volume of the outer casing 4. This is made possible by the improved construction of the clothes treatment enclosure 6 which defines a drying chamber extending from the front exterior Wall of the dryer cabinet to the back exterior wall thereof. By utilizing the total front-to-back depth of the outer casing or appliance cabinet for the tumbling area, it is possible to obtain a rotatable clothes treatment enclosure having a working volume of substantially 55% of the cabinet volume.

The efficient utilization of the internal volume of the outer casing for a clothes treatment enclosure is further aided by the location and design of the air flow duct system for the dryer. The air intake and heating portion of the air flow duct system is located at the upper rear of the dryer cabinet and utilizes a relatively small percentage of the internal volume of the outer casing. By the air intake design described above, it is thus possible to extend the clothes treatment enclosure 6 to the rear panel 12. This eliminates a massive intake duct system. Furthermore, the exhaust passageway 48, located near the extreme lower front of the dryer cabinet, is merely a pocket of a stationary collar 24. This permits the clothes treatment enclosure to extend substantially to the front panel 10 of the outer casing 4. By so positioning the exhaust passageway 48, relatively little internal drum volume is used for the exhaust passageway and for lint filtering. Furthermore, the arrangement of the air duct system with the inlet perforations 58 and the exhaust perforations 42, provides for diagonal cross-flow of heated drying air through the clothes treatment enclosure 6. Moreover clothing, by virtue of the sloped surfaces of the dryer door and the lint filter housing, is channeled through this cross-flow of the drying air.

In a domestic clothes dryer, the compact prime mover unit 74 and the stationary collar 24 may be combined with the rotatable cylinder 26 in accordance with the teachings of this invention to permit the use of a slanted lower front panel 22. This is particularly significant when the dryer is to be used in the stack-on combination washer-dryer of my aforesaid application Ser. No. 798,289. Furthermore, this slanted cutout provides either toe space or storage space Where the dryer is free-standing.

A preferred form of the subject invention for use in drying standard size loads in excess of six pounds is embodied in a dryer cabinet having an outer casing which is 31.74 inches high, 24 inches wideand 17 inches with out trim 106 in depth, front to back. This preferred embodiment has a lower slanted portion 22 extending at an angle of 60 from horizontal from a point 9.88 inches forward of the rear bottom corner of the dryer cabinet. This would provide a total volume of 6.87 cubic feet within the outer casing of the dryer cabinet. The rotating cylinder or tumbling drum 26 of this preferred embodiment has a diameter of 23.08 inches and with the stationary collar 24 forms a clothes treatment enclosure which extends from the front panel 10 to the rear panel 12, i.e. 17 inches. This provides an internal or gross tubling space of 4.11 cubic feet. The volumes occupied by the control compartments 96, 97, the heater housing 51, and the exhaust passageway 48 (.33 cubic foot), when subtracted from this gross tumbling space, give a resultant internal volume of 3.78 cubic feet (the drying space of the dryer). This results in a drying space to cabinet space ratio of approximately 55%. A preferred form of the invention in a dryer cabinet 35.50 inches high by 27.00 inches wide by 26.26 inches front to back and including a tumbling drum 26.24 inches inside diameter by 22.44 inches long will effect a drying space to cabinet space ratio of approximately 48%.

While the embodiments of the present invention, as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is:

1. A domestic clothes dryer comprising an enclosing outer cabinet including a stationary exterior front panel having a front access opening and a stationary exterior rear panel, a dryer door mounted on said front panel for closing said front access opening, and an air flow duct system within said cabinet, said air flow duct system including a clothes treatment enclosure extending from said front panel to the inside surface of said rear panel, said clothes treatment enclosure defined by a portion of the inside surface of said front panel, a stationary collar fixed with relation to said front panel, a horizontally rotatably mounted open-ended generally straight cylinder and a portion of the inside surface of said rear panel, prime mover means in front of said rear panel for rotating said cylinder and impelling air through said air flow duct system, said collar substantially encircling said front access opening and defining with said front panel a pocket, said collar having a sealing edge in close proximity to one end of said cylinder to form a first gap, said rear panel having a sealing edge in close proximity to the other end of said cylinder to form a second gap, first seal means closing said first gap between said collar and said cylinder, second seal means closing said second gap between said rear panel and said other end of said cylinder, said pocket of said collar connecting with said, prime mover means and forming with the inside surface of said front panel an exhaust passageway for said air flow duct system, said collar being perforated in the area of said pocket to provide air flow communication between said clothes treatment enclosure and said exhaust passageway, said rear panel having a portion thereof within the sealing edge perforated and adapted thereby to provide air fiow communication between said clothes treatment enclosure and an external source of heat.

2. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the internal volume of said clothes treatment enclosure to the volume of said enclosing cabinet is at least .5.

3. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein said first and second seal means comprise T-shaped members, each member including a sealing portion and a protective portion, said sealing portion being a circular felt strip, each strip being attached to said cylinder respectively at opposite ends thereof, said protective portion being attached to each strip on the inside thereof and adapted to be located Within said first and second gaps respectively.

4. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein said prime mover means comprises as a compact unit beneath said cylinder an electric motor, a drive spindle, and a blower in axial alignment, said blower and said drive spindle being driven by said electric motor, a belt driven by said drive spindle and encircling said cylinder in driving relationship, and said blower being connected directly to said pocket forming said exhaust passageway thereby to impel air through said air flow duct system.

5. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein said exhaust passageway formed by said collar and said front panel has a width to depth ratio of 8:1 in the area of the perforations of said collar.

6. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 4 including a substantially planar lint filter in said pocket located downstream of the perforations of said collar and immediately upstream of said blower.

7. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein said front panel has an upper portion including said access opening and door and a lower inwardly slanted portion for defining said pocket with said collar, said slanted portion on one side thereof and in cooperation with said collar in the area of said pocket feeding clothes toward said cylinder for tumbling the clothes.

8. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 7 wherein said slanted portion on the other side thereof provides a toe space on the outside of said cabinet.

9. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 7 wherein said door includes an inner panel having an inward bulge which extends the clothes feeding effect of said collar from the area of said pocket to the upper part of said door.

10. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein the perforated portion of the rear panel is ofiset inwardly to form the inside of a heater housing, and means outwardly of said perforated portion for heating air flow drawn by said blower from the atmosphere to said clothes treatment enclosure through the perforations of said perforated portion.

11. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein said collar forms with said front panel a second pocket includin g an electrical omponent of said dryer.

12. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 11 wherein said electrical component is a timer having manual adjustment means extending from said pocket through said front panel.

13. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 11 wherein said electrical component is a light source and said collar in the area forming said second pocket includes a window for transmitting light from said light source to said clothes treatment enclosure.

14. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 13 wherein said front panel includes a movable portion above the dryer door movable from a closed position coplanar with said dryer door when said front access opening is closed to an open position in front of said dryer door, said light source being mounted on said movable portion and adapted thereby to illuminate the front of said dryer when the movable portion is in its open position and the inside of said clothes treatment enclosure when the movable portion is in its closed position.

15. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 1 wherein said cabinet and said cylinder are preformed sheet metal and said collar is a thermosetting plastic.

16. The domestic clothes dryer of claim 11 wherein said collar is molded in a plurality of segments, each segment forming a portion of one of said pockets.

17. A clothes dryer comprising an exterior casing including a front panel having a front access opening and a rear panel, a dryer door mounted on said front panel for closing said front access opening, and an air flow duct system within said exterior casing, said air flow duct system including a clothes treatment enclosure extending substantially from said front panel to said rear panel, said clothes treatment enclosure having a horizontally mounted rotatable open-ended cylinder, prime mover means for rotating said cylinder and impelling air through said air flow duct system, said clothes treatment enclosure having a stationary front portion, said stationary front portion connected to said front panel of said exterior casing and encircling said front access opening, said stationary front portion having a circular edge in close proximity to one end of said horizontal cylinder to form a first gap, at least a portion of said rear panel of said exterior casing forming a stationary rear wall for said clothes treatment enclosure, said rear wall being indented to form an internal circular ledge portion thereon in close proximity to the other end of said horizontal cylinder and forming therewith a second gap, first seal means closing said first gap between said stationary front portion and said horizontal cylinder, second seal means losing said second gap between said rear wall and said other end of said horizontal cylinder, said rear wall being further indented to form a heater cavity portion including first perforations, a perforated heater support panel mounted on said rear wall rearwardly thereof and cooperating with the heater cavity portion of said rear wall to form a heater cavity, heater means supported by said heater support panel within said heater cavity, a heater vent panel mounted on said rear wall in spaced relation to said heater support panel and having inlet vent openings whereby air may be drawn into the clothes treatment enclosure through said inlet vent openings past said heater means and through said first perforations of the heater cavity portion of the rear wall whenever air is impelled through said air fiow duct system by said prime mover means, said stationary front portion of said clothes treatment enclosure and said front panel of said exterior casing forming an exhaust passageway of said air flow duct system diagonally opposite from said heater cavity, said stationary front portion being perforated so as to provide air flow communication between said clothes treatment enclosure and said exhaust passageway, and said exhaust passageway being in air flow communication with said prime mover means whereby said prime mover means may impel air through said air flow duct system.

18. The clothes dryer of claim 17 wherein said rear panel, said heater means, said heater support panel, and

said heater vent panel are joined together as a subassembly so as to be removable as a unit from said clothes dryer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,887,785 5/1959 Raley 34133X CARROLL B. DORITY, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 3488