Patent Grant
7320182
U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,834 disclosed a centrifugally rotating type clothes drying hanger structure including a motor for rotating the hanger for drying the clothes due to the wind-drying effect caused by rotation-induced airflow.
However, such a prior art has the following drawbacks:
The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the prior art and invented the present dehumidifying hanger.
The object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifying hanger including a hanger frame having perforations formed therein, and a dehumidifying perforated crossbar formed as a hollow tube or pipe and transversely hung under the hanger frame, having desiccant or dehydrating agent filled in the perforated crossbar for absorbing moisture carried or existing in the clothes for drying the clothes in situ in the hanger, without requiring any costly electric drying apparatus or equipment.
As shown in
The hanger frame 1 includes: a pair of arm members 11 bifurcated from a central neck portion 10, a hook 12 formed on a top of the central neck portion 10 for hanging purpose, a plurality of perforations 13 formed in the arm members 11 for well ventilation through the perforations 13, and a pair of brackets 14 formed on opposite end portions 111 of the pair of arm members 11 for hanging, securing or embedding the perforated crossbar 2 on the pair of brackets 14.
Each bracket 14 includes a latch 141 engaged in the end portion 111 of each arm member 11, a clip 142 secured to the latch 141 for holding one end portion of the perforated crossbar 2, and a side opening 143 formed in a side portion of the bracket 14 adapted for viewing an interior in the crossbar 2.
The dehumidifying perforated crossbar 2 includes two plugs 21, 22 respectively inserted in opposite ends 2a, 2b of the crossbar 2 for sealing the desiccant sac 3 in an interior in the crossbar 2, and a plurality of ventilation holes 23 formed through the crossbar 2 for providing passages of moisture-laden airflow or air streamflow through the holes 23 for absorbing the moisture by the desiccant 30 as filled in the sac 3.
The perforated crossbar 2 may be formed with a pair of half shells 20, 20 which may be combined by any conventional methods.
One plug 22 of the two plugs 21, 22 may be formed as a maintenance indicator 22 which includes: a capsule 221 having desiccant 30 filled in the capsule 221 and fluidically communicated with an interior in the sac 3 in the perforated crossbar, and a color-change indicator (e.g., cobalt chloride) impregnated in the desiccant; and an inspection window 222 formed on an outer side wall of the capsule 221 adapted for checking any color change in the capsule, whereby upon visual observation of color change in the capsule 221 through the window 222, it will remind the user to regenerate or renew the desiccant 30 as filled in the sac 3 for ensuring a satisfactory dehumidification for the clothes as hung on the hanger of the present invention.
The clothes as hung by the hanger of the present invention will be always kept dry since the moisture existing in the clothes will be absorbed by the desiccant 30 as filed n the sac 3 in the perforated crossbar 2. Once the moisture absorption is saturated by checking the maintenance indicator 22 formed on the plug 22, the desiccant 30 may be replaced with new one; or the desiccant 30 is regenerated by heating the desiccant such as being heated by an electric heater or dryer in order for re-use of the desiccant 30.
The desiccant sac 3 may be made of air-permeable cover such as fabric, cotton cloth or net material having fine mesh and air penetration property for storing the desiccant 30 in the sac 3.
As shown in
In such a modification, the holes 23 should be made as small as possible to preclude the releasing or loss of desiccant 30 through the holes 23. Other means may be provided for preventing from loss of desiccant from the crossbar such as by encasing an air-permeable paper around the desiccant within the crossbar 2.
The prevent invention has the following advantages superior to the prior art:
The crossbar 2 as designated in this application is a common name, which however is formed as a hollow tube or pipe for filling the desiccant therein.
The present invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5907908 | Cunanan et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| 6716276 | Loop et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 20050274751 | Plumley et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
