US2752694A - Domestic appliance - Google Patents

Description

July 3, 1956 F. H. M CORMICK 2,752,694

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Original Filed March 26, 1951 4 Sheets-sheet 1 oooockqqz'o 6, IN VEN TOR.

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July 3, 1956 F. H. M CORMICK 2,

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Original Filed March 26, 1951 4 Sheets-sheet 2 I I A i I i l l l I l l INVEN TOR. )Zm Iva/s6. fi Comwcx. BY

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July 3, 1956 F. H. M CORMICK 2,752,694 DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Original Filed March 26, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 6 IN V EN TOR.

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DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Francis H. McCormick, Dayton, Qhlo,

eral Motors Corpora tion of Delaware assignor to Gen Detroit, Mich, a corpora- Continuation of application 11 June 15, 1953, Serial No.

1 Claim. (Cl. 34-6il) This invention relates to domestic a ticularly to apparatus for clothes and other articles.

This invention is a continu plication, Serial No.

ppliances and parmp fabrics such as y copending apfiled March 26, 1951, now

provide a clothes dryer electric lamp within the avoid interference with g of clothes through a door openadvantages will be cription taken with come apparent the accompanyof my improved tional view of the W taken on the line g the lower portion of the clothes Fig. 4 is a fragmenta on the line 4-4 ture trap arrang ry vertical sectional view taken of Fig. 3 showing a condenser and moisement located within the clothes dryer Fig. 5 is an enlar ing a drain pan par Figv 6 is an enlar to Fig. 5 with the d denser partially re Fig. 7 is an enl ing the circulatio tained in trays in the dryer cabin Referring to the drawin apparatus or clothes dryer, a cabinet comprising an o a front sheet metal wall 1 metal rear wall 14, a she raised back plate 17 and and 19. The front wall integral with one wherein the ends at the rear of th movably securin 3). The base 1 front wall 11 a ged fragmentary sectional view showtially removed from the dryer cabinet; ged fragmentary sectional view similar rain pan omitted and showing the conmoved from the dryer cabinet; and

arged fragmentary sectional view shown of drying air over bodie disposed below a heat eXc s of Water conhanger located gs, for illustrating the present I have shown in Fig. 1 thereof uter stationary casing including 1, a sheet metal base 12, a sheet et metal top wall 16 having the side walls (see Figs. 2 and 3) 18 11 and side walls 18 and 19 are another and are of the Wrap-around type of the sheet metal are flanged inwardly e cabinet to provide a mounting for reg back plate 14 to the cabinet (see Fig. 2 may be permanently attached to the nd side walls 18 and 19 in any suitable manner preferably by being Weld 16 of the cabinet may be removab and side walls 11, 18 and 19 resp or well-known manner to comp casing. The dryer cabinet also in casing composed of a sheet in l), a U-shaped sheet meta sheet metal wall 23 (see wall 24 placed over and edge of the walls 21, 22, be substantially surround ly secured to the front ectively, in any desired lete the outer box-like cludes a stationary inner etal back wall 21 (see Fig. 1 wall 22 (see Fig. 2), a front Fig. 1) and a top sheet metal suitably secured to the upper and 23. This inner casing may ed with any suitable or desirable 2 insulating material as is conventional in the art. Front wall 11 of the outer casing is provided with an opening normally closed by a door 26. This door 26 also nor- A damp clothes receiving container or drum is rotatably located within the walls of the stationary inner casing. The container or drum includes a cylindrical sheet metal wall 34 (see Fig. 2) having a plurality of holes or perforations 36 therethrough (see Fig. 1) and a front and back wall 37 and 38 respectively. Cylindrical wall 34 of the drum is provided with integrally formed and inwardly directed vanes or drag members 39. Front wall 37 of the container or drum is provided with a round opening bounded by a flange 41 (see Fig. l) which surrounds the flange of opening 27 in front panel 28. Three rollers 42, two of which are shown in Fig. l of the drawings, are equally spaced apart around the opening bounded by flange 41 and are secured to the front panel 28 in any suitable or desirable manner such as by the brackets 43. Rollers 42 bear against and roll along the surface of flange 41 to support the front portion of the clothes container or drum and permit the same to be rotated about a horizontal axis. The provision of the rollers 42 supporting the weight of the front portion of the clothes dryer drum forms no part of the present invention. The axis of rotation of the clothes drum is formed by a hub in the back thereof as is conventional in the art. This hub may include a hollow shaft 44 suitably attached to the back wall 38 of the drum and extending through a bearing suitably mounted upon wall 21 of the inner cabinet casing. An electric illuminating lamp bulb 46 and an electric ozone producing device or bulb 47 are located in the clothes drum and are mounted upon suitable brackets carried by the hollow shaft 44 or by the rear wall 38 of the drum. A protective guard cap 49 is disposed over bulbs 46 and 47 and is attached to the drum rear wall 38 by screws or other attaching means. Cap 49 may be a perforated metal member or it may, if desired, be formed of a transparent plastic or the like material.

The support for the lamp 47, which passes through the hollow shaft 44, includes the necessary electrical connections for energizing the lamp, which connections lead to the outside of the outer casing. The lamp 46 preferably is held stationary within the drum. The shaft 44 of the hub of the clothes drum has a large pulley wheel 51 keyed thereto, and a belt 52 surrounding this pulley extends around a smaller pulley 53 mounted on a short shaft which may be rotatably secured to a spring-pressed movable bracket (not shown) carried on the back wall 21 of the inner stationary casing. This short shaft also carries a large pulley 54 having a belt 55 thereon which belt extends over another small pulley 56. Pulley 56 is keyed to a drive shaft extension 57 which passes through the rear wall 21 of the inner casing and is connected to the shaft of an electric driving motor 58 located in the dryer cabinet in the space between the inner and outer stationary casings thereof. The motor 58, when energized, rotates shaft 57, small pulley 56, pulley 54, through the belt connection 55, small pulley 53 and pulley wheel 51 through the belt connection 52. Rotation of pulley wheel 51 through a conventional speed reducing means of the type described rotates the hollow shaft 44, at the hub of the clothes drum, and also the clothes drum itself within the inner stationary casing of the cabinet. This speed reducing drive for the clothes drum is conventional and 'tively resting on the "'66 and 67 are spaced from front wall 11 of the cabinet wall 21 of the inner casing (see Fig. 3).

posed a blower or fan may, if desired, be of the type shown and described in the patent to James R. Moore, No. 2,3 85,223 dated September 18, 1945.

'Electric heaters 61 and 62 (see Fig. 2) are mounted on arcuate shaped, in cross-ection, reflectors or the like 63 which are carried by a plate 64 removably attached at one side of the upper portion of back wall 21 of the inner casing. These heaters 61 and 62 extend inwardly of wall 21 over a substantial portion of the rotatable clothes drum and are connected to a source of electric supply through any suitable manually set time or chron- "ometric switch means (not shown).

A plurality of holes 60 may be provided in plate 64 or, if desired, in the upper portion of rear wall 21 of the inner casing (see Fig. 2). These holes 60 serve to perr'ni't air from exteriorly of the outer casing to enter the inner casing above the heaters 61 and '62. Air passing throu h the holes 60 may enter the space between the inner and outer casings by way of an opening 'or openings 65 (see Fig. 1) provided at the top of rear wall 14 "of the outer casing in the vicinity of the holes 60. In addition to the stationary inner and 'outer main casings of the dryer cabinet, I provide in the lower portion thereof sh et metal baffle members 66 and 6'7 (see Fig. 2), which aid in supporting the U-shaped metal wall 22 of the inner casing, having leg portions 68 and 69 respeccabinet base 12. The bafile members and extend rearwardly where they are secured to back Spaced apart "sheet metal ' cap members 71 and 72 are secured to the front edges of baffies 66 and 67 respectively. The cap member 72 has an opening 73 therein in which is dis- 74 mounted on the shaft of motor 58. The space between the cap members 71 and 72 is below the opening 31 in the bottom of U-shaped wall 220f the inner casing and is in horizontal alignment with an opening 75 (see Figs. 3, 5 and 6) in the lower "portion of the front wall 11 of the dryer cabinet located intermediate two louvered or the like openings 76 and 77 (see Fig. 3). Openings 75 in the central lower front portion of wall 11 of the dryer cabinet permits the removable insertion into the dryer of a condenser or heat exchanger structure. An opening 78 provided in the lower portion of cabinet rear wall 14 registers with an opening 79 provided i'n'the lower portion of the inner casing wall 21 (see Figs. 2 and 3). These openings 78 and 79 form'an air inlet passage leading from outside the clothes dryer into the lower portion of the cabinet intermediate the inner and outer casings thereof. Whilel have shown this air inlet passage in the back portion of the dryer cabin'et, it is to be understood that cap member 71 could, if desired, be omitted so asto cause outside air to be drawn by fan 74 into the space between the inner and outercabinet casings from the front side of the cabinet such, for'e'xample, as through the louvered opening 76. Thus air may enter the space between the inner and outer casings of the present clothes dryer cabinet through either or both the back and front sides of the cabinet without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The heat exchanger in the present disclosure is generally represented by-the reference character 31 and comprises a plurality of vertical metal tubes 82 interlocked together by a plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontally disposed metal fins 83 (see Fig. 6). The bottom plate 84 of heat exchanger 81 has its sides bent downto provide supporting legs 86 which rest on the cabinet base 12 (see Figs. 2, 6 and 7). The upper plate or fin 87 of heat exchanger 81' has its side edges bent or flanged upwardly and outwardly at an angle as at '88 (see Fig. 6) 'so as to fitsnugly ag'ainstthe side walls of opening 31 inthe u sh'ap'ed-inner casing wall 22 (see Fig. 2). The angled flanges 88 -fitting against or overlapping the side walls of opening 31,'trom the front-to the rear thereof,

tend to close the opening and in addition serve to hold or maintain the heat exchanger 81 in a centralized position within the dryer cabinet. The one or left-hand supporting leg 86 of heat exchanger 81 as viewed in Fig. 2 of the drawings is provided with a longitudinal row of holes 92 (see Fig. 6) adjacent the top of leg 86. A pair of angularly disposed ledges 96 and 37 (see Figs. 2, 6 and 7) are secured to the underside of the U-shaped bottom plate 84 of heat exchanger 81 and receive a tray 101 having a pair of brackets 102 welded or otherwise secured to its bottom wall. The one ledge 97 is provided with a longitudinal row of holes 98 (see Figs. 6 and 7) located above the top rim of tray 101. The purpose of holes 91 and 98 will become apparent hereinafter. Each of the brackets 102 have two leg portions, the feet of which are welded or otherwise suitably secured to a pan or re ceptable 103. Tray 101 permits water to accumulate therein and may have several small holes (not shown) provided in its bottom so that water will drip therefrom into the water collecting pan or receptable 103.

The heat exchanger 81 is provided with a front plate 106 (see Figs. 4, S and 6) which normally abuts against the front wall of opening 31 to prevent air from escaping through the opening 31 into the space between the cabinet-fr'ont wall 11 and the inner casing. A bracket 107 secured to plate 106 on heat exchanger 81 supports a 'front cover 108 which normally closes the upper portion of opening 75 in the cabinet front wall 11 located between the louvered members 76 and 77 (see Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6). T he pan or receptacle 103 is also provided with a front plate 109 (see Figs. 4 and 5) which abuts against the front portion of heat exchanger 81 to close the space between the front of heat exchanger 81 and the base 12. Bracket 111 secured to plate 109, on receptacle 103, supports a front cover 112 which normally lies in vertical alignment with cover 108 to close the lower portion of opening 75 in'the cabinet front wall. The front cover 112 is provided with a knob or finger grip 114 for a purpose to he hereinafter described.

In the present arrangement, both the heat exchanger 81 and the receptacle 103 together with the shallow tray 101 are slidable relative to the cabinet and are removable therefrom. Should it be desirable to remove receptacle 103 and tray 101 from the cabinet, finger grip or knob 114 is grasped by the hand and an outward force applied thereto causes receptacle 103, and consequently tray 101 secured thereto, to slide outwardly of opening 75 in the cabinet front wall 11 as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Any'accumulation of lint and water in receptacle 1 03 and tray 101 can be emptied therefrom and the receptacle and tray may then be moved back into'the cabinet. Should it be desirable to remove the heat exchanger or condenser 81 from the cabinet, which is usually carried out after the receptacle 103 and tray 101'has been removed, the lower portion of front cover 108 is grasped by the hand and an outward force applied thereto causes the legs 86 on the condenser or the heatexchanger 81 to slide along the cabinet base as is illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings to move the unit 81 outwardly of the cabinet through the opening 75. Lint, etc, can be removed from the condenser unit 81 after which it may be slid back into the cabinet.

In thepresent apparatus two separated air streams are induced into the dryer cabinet one of which is heated in circulating over the heaters 61 and 62 and over the clothes drum into contact with damp clothes to be dried and is then directedthrough' tubes 82 of the'heat exchanger or condenser '81 located in the cabinet. The other air stream, which is of considerably greater volume than the heated air stream, is directed over tubes 82 and fins 83 of the heat exchanger 81 for cooling and condensing moisture out of the heated moisture-laden drying air. Both of these streams of air aremixed together within the dryer cabinet prior tdbe'ingdischargedthereteriorly thereof to be =changer 81, the heated moist air can and quickly cooled. Simultaneously air of considerable greater volume changer 81. This stream of cooling from. For the sake of clearness the first mentioned air stream will hereinafter be referred to as drying air while the second mentioned air stream will be referred to as cooling air. While I have shown electric heaters for heating the incoming drying air stream flowing thereover or for heating the fabrics or fabric containing drum by radiant heat, it is to be understood that any suitable or desirable means may be employed for supplying or damp fabrics to cause moisture to be released therefrom. In either instance air flowing containing drum or over heated and absorbs moisture released moisture is to be removed from prior to its discharge from the from the fabrics which the heated moist air cabinet.

After damp clothes or other fabric articles are placed into the perforated container or drum, a suitable or conventional the electric heaters 61 and 62, the motor 58 and the ozone producing lamp 47. The illuminating lamp 46 is preferably in a separate electric circuit energized at will by a conventional manually operating snap switch (not shown). When motor 58 is rendered operative, its shaft upon which fan 74 is mounted rotates and consequently the shaft extension 57 is also rotated. Operation of blower or fan 74 draws drying air into the stationary inner casing of the dryer cabinet through inlet opening 65 and holes 60. The blower or fan 74 simultaneously draws cooling air into the space between the inner and the outer stationary casing through the inlet openings 78 and 79. Thus two separate air streams enter the dryer cabinet at widely spaced apart points. It being understood, of course, that fan 74 by discharging air from the dryer cabinet through the louvered opening 77 creates a suction within the cabinet to cause air exdrawn therein through the air inlet openings 78, 79 and 60, 65. The stream of air entering the inner casing of the dryer cabinet flows over and around the deflectors 63 of the electric heaters 61 and 62 and into contact with the hot clothes drum where it is heated. This heated stream of drying air, at approximately 190, circulates over and into contact with the damp clothes in the clothes container or drum, which is rotated, by the belt and pulley connections 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 and 56 with the motor shaft 57, during circulation of air into and out of the cabinet. Clothes within the rotating clothes drum are agitated and tumbled by the vanes or drag members 39 while the heated stream of drying air circulates thereover and out of the clothes drum through perforations 36 in its cylindrical wall 34. In circulating over the damp clothes, the heated drying air absorbs or picks up moisture released from the clothes or fabrics. The moisture-laden drying air flows out of the inner stationary casing of the dryer cabinet by way of the opening 31 in the bottom thereof and enters passageways of heat exchanger 81 afforded by the tubes 82 thereof. By momentarily breaking up the stream of heated drying air into a plurality of smaller streams as is the case when this air enters tubes 82 of the heat exbe more efliciently with the circulation stream of cooling enters the cabinet and flows over and in fins 83 of the heat exair, being at room temperature of approximately 70, cools the moistureof the heated drying air a separate by way of openings 78 and 79 contact with the tubes 82 and laden heated drying air passing through the passageways afforded by tubes 82 of heat exchanger 81 and causes 'moisture, absorbed from the heated damp clothes and carried therewith, to condense out of the heated moist air.

This condensate flows down along the inner surface of tubes 82 of the heat exchanger 81 and drips into the tray 101. Tray 101 is designed to hold a shallow body of condensate water and excess water may overflow the tray 101 or may pass through suitable openings therein as previously described into the drain pan or receptacle 103 where it is collected. The shallow body of condensate water in tray 101 and the body of collected water in pan 103 are indicated in Figs. 5 and 7 of the drawings by the reference numerals 117 and 118 respectively.

The heated drying air passing through the tubes 82 of heat exchanger 81 flows horizontally across the surface of the shallow body of water 117 in tray 101 in a direction toward and thence through holes 98 in the one ledge 97. Thereafter the heated air flows in an opposite horizontal direction across the surface of the body of condensate water 118 collected in receptacle 103 and thence through the outlet holes 92 (see Figs. 2 and 7). By cooling the heated moisture-laden air in the heat exchanger 81, changing its direction of flow and causing it to sweep in opposite directions across the surface of the body of condensate water 117 and'1l8, any lint picked up from the clothes and circulated with the drying air will be removed therefrom. The lint will be deposited on the inner surface of tubes 82 of heat exchanger 81 and in or on the body of condensate water in tray 101 and pan 103. A structure as shown and described provides an effective and improved lint removing and catching or trapping device for clothes dryers and reduces to a minimum the amount of lint discharged into the room or basement from a clothes dryer cabinet.

After the drying air passes out of or beyond the heat exchanger 81 and the elements therebelow, it is mixed with the cooling air, in the chamber formed by the baflle 67 and its leg 69, prior to being discharged as a single stream of air from the clothes dryer cabinet by fan 74. This mixing of the heated air stream with the cooling air stream within the dryer cabinet materially reduces the temperature of air egressing from the clothes dryer cabinet. Since moisture is efl'iciently condensed and removed from the heated air by the cooling effect of the greater volume of cooling air, the mixed air stream discharged from the clothes dryer cabinet will not materially increase the humidity within the room or basement in which the cabinet is located.

From the foregoing, it should be apparent that I have provided an improved method of and apparatus for drying damp fabrics, clothes, and other articles. By breaking the heated moisture-laden air stream into a plurality of smaller air streams and passing them through separate passageways of the heat exchanger and by circulating a cooling stream of air of greater volume than the heated air stream over the heat exchanger, moisture is effectively removed from the heated drying air within the cabinet to substantially reduce the moisture content of air discharged from the clothes drying apparatus. The present apparatus eliminates the necessity of extending water pipe lines or the like to the cabinet as would be required if a water-cooled condenser were employed. I obtain the simultaneous circulation of two separate air streams into the cabinet and the discharge of a single mixed air stream from the cabinet by utilizing a single blower or fan operated by a motor which also ordinarily rotates the clothes drum. The apparatus is simple in construction, can be manufactured at low cost and installed without special plumbing or the like pipe connections.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claim which follows.

What is claimed is as follows:

A dryer comprising: an outer rectangular casing provided with a front panel having a front door opening having an inward cylindrical flange and with a front door hingetltosaidpanel; a-cylindri'cal drum within said casing supported and driven by a hollow shaft Omthe-rear wallof said casing and having a forwardly directed cylindrical flanged opening=telesc0ping'outside said inward cylindrical fiang'ea'nd terminating rearwardlyof said door opening; roller supports at the frontal said drum within said casing and surrounding said inward and forwardly directed flanged op'ening; an electric heater outside said drum in an upper corner of said casing; electric illuminating and m ozone producing means within said drum; and a support for said-electricilluminatinand ,ozone ;pr.oducing means passing;along 531d hollow shaft.

References Cited in thefileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ,1,756;821 Groen V Apr. 29, 1930 2,137,376 Altorfer Nov. 22, 1938 2,398,880 Broglie A pr. 2 3, 1946 2,406,494 Ferris Aug. 27, 1946 2,608,769 ONeil Sept. 2, 1952

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