RU2511855C2 - Device for shoe drying using house laundry dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: articles of personal use.

SUBSTANCE: device for shoe drying using house laundry dryer includes outer housing (105) with upper work surface (110) featuring at least one perforated drying surface (130), holes (135) in which have common fluid medium with utensils (210) supplying air through the holes. Device is made in the form of a rest with perforated upper part for input and fixation of at least one shoe so that air can enter the shoe. Device is made in one piece with drying surface (130) or can be put on or removed from it, so that air is fed inside a shoe supported.

EFFECT: improved parameters.

6 cl, 5 dwg

Description

The invention relates to household appliances, in particular to washing machines, dryers and washing machines with a drying function. More specifically, the invention relates to appliances used in combination with a household appliance having a laundry drying function for drying shoes using this household appliance.

When shoes become wet due to, for example, walking along the streets on rainy days, or along the grass of parks, or outside the city, it takes quite a long time to dry them by simple natural evaporation, especially during the rainy or winter seasons. This is an obvious problem, as long as the shoes are dry, they cannot be worn because wearing wet shoes is very uncomfortable and possibly unsafe for health.

It has been found that for drying wet shoes household appliances for drying laundry described in documents EP 1845185 and EP 1854916 can be used.

Such household appliances are designed to quickly and efficiently dry clothes made, for example, of thin textile materials such as cashmere, which are not suitable for regular drying in household clothes dryers, such as drum dryers, due to mechanical stresses, mainly in the form of shocks , which in this case are subjected to textile fibers, as a result of which clothing is damaged.

In particular, the household appliances described in EP 1845185 and EP 1854916 have a work surface forming a drying surface with a plurality of openings in fluid communication with air supply means, in particular warm, through said openings for drying clothes placed on top of this drying surface.

It has been found that for drying wet shoes, an air stream supplied through the drying surface of household appliances can be used.

To this end, a device has been created that is used in combination with household appliances having a work surface with at least one drying surface with a plurality of openings in fluid communication with air supply means through said openings. The device can be installed on a household device for converting the drying surface to form a stand for holding at least one shoe so that an air stream enters it.

In this way, using the air flow leaving the drying surface of the household appliance, the shoe held on a shoe stand is quickly and efficiently dried.

One object of the invention is a device used in combination with a household appliance having a work surface with at least one perforated drying surface, the openings of which are fluidly communicated with air supply means through said openings. The device forms a support stand for supporting at least one shoe, allowing it to get an air stream. The device can be made in one piece with the drying surface or have the possibility of a removable installation on it to ensure the flow of air into the supported shoe.

The device may have a hollow body containing a base for resting on a drying surface and at least one perforated upper part adapted to be inserted into the shoe.

The edge of the base can be bent to ensure the stability of the device when it is installed on a drying surface.

At least one protrusion may be arranged along the edge of the base, adapted to be inserted into one of the openings of the drying surface.

The drying surface may comprise a plate forming at least one perforated upper portion adapted to be inserted into the shoe.

Another object of the invention is a home appliance with a working surface forming at least one perforated drying surface with a plurality of openings in fluid communication with air supply means through said openings, wherein the household appliance comprises at least one device according to the invention.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a household device with a device for drying wet shoes according to one embodiment of the invention, a perspective view;

figure 2 is a part of the working surface of the household device shown in figure 1, with one device for drying shoes according to the same variant embodiment of the invention, a view in section in an enlarged scale;

figure 3 - means of fastening the device shown in figures 1 and 2 to the drying surface of a household device according to the same variant embodiment of the invention, an enlarged view;

figure 4 is the same as in figure 3, but according to another variant embodiment of the invention;

figure 5 - element of the drying surface of the household device, made in one piece with a support stand for shoes according to another variant embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a household appliance 100, in particular for washing and / or drying laundry and clothing, described in detail in document EP 1845145, fully incorporated into this description by reference. The home appliance 100 comprises an outer casing 105 with a work surface 110 and a front panel 115 having a control panel 120, allowing the user to enter settings. A tub in the form of a drum (not shown) loaded with items to be washed and / or dried is rotatably mounted inside the casing 105, while an opening made in the front wall of the casing 105 provides access to the drum for loading / unloading these items. The hole closes with door 125.

The working surface 110 comprises an upper plate 127 made, for example, of plastic and forming a drying surface 130 on which the clothes to be dried are located. The drying surface 130 has a plurality of openings 135, each of which is in fluid communication with means for supplying air through the openings 135. In this case, the air supplied through the openings 135 enters the clothes located on the drying surface 130, quickly and carefully drying them.

Air supply means may be located inside the casing 105 under the drying surface 130 of the working surface 110, as shown in FIG.

The air supply means may include at least one air channel 205 for supplying air up to the working surface 110, which is under the drying surface 130, so that the air can then flow through the holes 135 from the bottom up, as well as means 210 for pumping air into the air channel 205 .

The air channel 205 extends horizontally along the drying surface 130 and provides a simultaneous supply of air to each hole 135. The end portion 215 of the air channel 205 is blind, i.e. sealed, and the other end portion 220 is open and fluidly connected to air injection means 210. The air supply means may further comprise a connecting channel 225 located in the working surface and / or in the outer casing 105 and connecting the air injection means 210 to the air channel 205.

The air injection means 210 can be, for example, at least one fan located inside the device casing 105 and configured to take air outside or from the inside of the casing of the household device and to supply intake air to the air duct 205. The fan can be located anywhere inside a device casing suitable for drawing in ambient air from the interior of the device casing (which is usually not airtight and therefore is in fluid communication with eshnim surrounding space, in which air can flow into the housing). However, other arrangements are possible, as described in EP 1845185. In particular, and by way of example only, the air supply means can be located outside the casing 105, for example, the air injection means 210 and the connecting channel 225 can be mounted on the upper rear portion of the casing 105 next to the working surface 110 projecting from the casing 110 below it, or air injection means 210 and the connecting channel 225 may be located above the working surface 110 and in fluid communication with the air channel 205. Supplied to the dryer air surface may be air taken from the external or internal space of the casing of the device. According to the invention, the air supplied to the drying surface may be process air used to dry items inside the dryer drum or air used to cool a condenser designed to remove moisture from the process air used to dry items in the drum.

Preferably, the household appliance may comprise means 230 for heating the air entering the air duct 205. The heated air supplied to the clothes to be dried accelerates the drying process. The heating means 230 can be, for example, one or more electric heating elements located after the air injection means 210 in front of the air channel 205. In particular, the heating means 230 can be located inside the connecting channel 225 in front of the open end section 220 of the air channel 205.

The home appliance 100 contains controls that enable, if necessary, to turn on air injection means 210 and heating means 230 and to select different drying modes (you can choose different temperatures and different drying times for the proper processing of different types of clothes to be dried, and these parameters depend, inter alia, from the fibers of the fabric from which each individual garment is made). Such controls can be located on the front panel 115 of the home appliance 100, or on a special remote control located on the device, or they can be directly integrated into the work surface 110, as shown in FIG.

According to the invention, the drying surface 130 is located on the working surface 110 of the device 100 and is preferably intended for drying shoes. For this purpose, according to the invention, there is a device 140 mounted on the drying surface 130.

The device 140 has a shape that allows supporting at least one drying shoe 145. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the device 140 comprises an enlarged base 305, for example, of a circular shape, which can rest on the drying surface 130, while the base 305 is wide enough to allow fixture 140 to stand and not fall even when it holds the shoe to be dried. From the base 305, a tubular neck 310 protrudes substantially vertically, ending in an arcuate tubular upper part 315 adapted to be inserted into the shoe to hold it on the auxiliary means 140 in order to carry out the drying process.

The fixture 140 is hollow, and its base 305 is open on the side that rests on the drying surface 130. It can be made of plastic or metal in the form of a single part or can consist of separate parts. The tubular upper part 315 has a plurality of holes 320 through which air can pass.

As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, along the edge 325 of the base 305, for example, one or more projections 330 can be arranged uniformly, the size of which corresponds to the diameter of the holes 135 in the drying surface 130. When using the device 140, when it is located on the drying surface 130, the user can insert the protrusions 330 into the corresponding holes 135, which will ensure that the fixture 140 is held in position during drying of the shoes.

In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 4, the protrusions 330 are absent and the edge of the base 305 is properly bent to ensure stability of the fixture on the drying surface 130.

On the drying surface 130 of the working surface 110 for drying one or more shoes at the same time can be one or more devices 140.

In yet another embodiment of the invention depicted in FIG. 5, the fixture 140 is not a separate element, but is integrated into the work surface 110. Moreover, on the top plate 127 of the work surface in one or more selected areas, for example, along its side or back side located support stand 505 for dried shoes. The support stand 505 may have the same shape as the stand-alone fixture 140, i.e. have a neck 510 and a perforated arcuate upper part 515, however, in this case there is no need for an enlarged base. The upper plate 127 with support stands 505 can preferably be easily replaced by the user with a substantially flat upper plate when it is not necessary to dry the shoes. In this case, there may be no holes 135 formed in the upper plate 127 having the supporting stand 505, except for the holes formed in the upper part 515 of the supporting stand 505, which makes it possible to provide the most intensive blowing of the shoe to be dried by the air flow generated by the injection means 210.

For shoes of different sizes, different weights, different types (for example, men's, women's, children's shoes, boots, etc.), devices 140 of different sizes can be used, even if the device 140 is integrated in the upper plate 127 of the working surface 110 .

When the user wants to dry one or more wet shoes, he simply installs the appropriate number of accessories 140 on the working surface 110 of the device 100, puts the wet shoes to be dried on the appropriate support stands and includes means for pumping air 210 (and, if any, heating means 230) . In this case, the user can select the temperature and duration of processing. Air passing through the openings 135 of the drying surface 130 enters the internal cavity of the support stands, rises to the upper part 315 of the stand and exits through the openings 320, penetrating into the shoe to be dried and drying it.

The device according to the invention can also be used to dry the shoes before putting them on.

Several embodiments of the invention have been described above. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications to the described embodiments of the invention are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

For example, fixture 140 may have two or more supporting stands (i.e., two or more tops 315) for two or more shoes.

Also, the base 305 of the fixture 140 may be a perforated plate, the holes of which correspond to the holes 135 of the drying surface 130.

The device according to the invention can be used in combination with any household appliance (for example, a washing machine, a tumble dryer, a washing machine with a drying function, a stand-alone household appliance specifically designed for drying clothes made of thin fabrics) having a working surface with a drying surface, such as for example, in a home appliance described in EP 1854916, which is incorporated herein by reference. In particular, the device according to the invention can be used in combination with a household appliance having a work surface with a retractable drying surface.

Claims (6)

1. A device (140; 505) for drying shoes using a household appliance (100) for drying clothes containing an outer casing (105) with an upper working surface (110) having at least one perforated drying surface (130), openings ( 135) which is in fluid communication with means (210) for supplying air through these openings, characterized in that it is made in the form of a stand for holding at least one shoe with the possibility of getting a stream of air into it, while the device is made or for one thing integral with the drying surface, or has the possibility of a removable installation on it to supply air inside the supported shoe. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a hollow body containing a base (305) for supporting on a drying surface and at least one perforated upper part (315), made with the possibility of introducing into the shoe. 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the edge of the base is made curved. 4. A device according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that at least one protrusion (330) is located along the edge of the base, made with the possibility of its introduction into one of the holes of the drying surface. 5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the drying surface comprises a plate (127) forming at least one perforated upper part (515), adapted to be inserted into the shoe. 6. A household device (100) having an upper working surface (110) with at least one perforated drying surface (130), the openings (135) of which are in fluid communication with means (210) for supplying air through these openings, characterized in that it contains at least one device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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