Patent Application
20180016733
Not applicable.
The present invention relates generally to consumer and commercial appliances, and more particularly to consumer and commercial clothes dryers. This invention relates to clothes dryers having an improved output exhaust duct.
Clothes dryers are a leading cause of residential fires in the United States. In 2010, clothes dryers and washing machines accounted for 4.5% of all reported home structure fires, 1.9% of associated civilian deaths, 2.8% of associated civilian injuries, and 3.1% of associated direct property damage. Clothes dryers accounted for 92% of these fires; washing machines 4%, and washer and dryer combinations accounted for 4%. The risk of fire is roughly equal for gas and electric dryers.
From 2006-2010, the National Fire Protection Association NFPA reported a yearly average of over 15 thousand dryer fires in the United States per year, resulting in a yearly average of 29 deaths, 402 injuries, and approximately $192 million in direct property damage. The leading cause of home clothes dryer and washer fires was failure to clean 32%, followed by unclassified mechanical failure or malfunction 22%. Eight percent were caused by some type of electrical failure or malfunction. Out of these fires, the leading item first ignited in a clothes dryer fire was dust, fiber, or lint, causing 29% of the fires and 85% of the deaths.
Many fires are caused each year by ignition of the flexible exhaust ducting that carries lint and exhaust air from the clothes dryer exhaust outlet to a vent system that is part of the residence. A standard flexible exhaust ducting is comprised of thin, conductive material such as aluminum or a nonconductive material such as vinyl. In flexible exhaust ducting made of nonconductive material, the walls of the ducting typically contain a conductive steel helical spring, in order to retain the tubular shape of the ducting and prevent collapse. The present mode of clothes dryer construction, gas or electric, relies on ridged sheet metal for the output exhaust duct on the dryer. Typically, the exhaust duct (which is part of factory construction and constructed of rigid sheet metal) is conductive. Similarly, the external dryer vent built into residences is typically constructed of conductive metal.
The present invention is a high temperature polymer coupling member to the flexible exhaust ducting for connecting the flexible exhaust ducting to the dryer exhaust duct and/or the external exhaust vent. This dielectric coupling member prevents any potential electrical current from being conducted through the flexible exhaust ducting. Additionally, this dielectric coupling member can prevent arcing between the flexible exhaust ducting and the dryer chassis, dryer exhaust duct, or the external exhaust duct in the wall. Ridges and external shoulders encircling the coupling member create additional barriers to prevent arcing. For purposes of this patent, a high temperature polymer is defined as one that in the intended usage does not suffer from chemical or mechanical changes that would make it unsuitable for its intended use. The exact temperature characteristics and composition of the polymer may well vary among different designs of clothes dryers.
A more complete understanding of the apparatus of the present invention may be had by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment, the first sleeve 41 and second sleeve 45 are integrally constructed as one piece. In another embodiment, the second sleeve 45 may be attached to the first sleeve 41 by adhesive or frictional means. The coupling member 40 is constructed of a high temperature polymer. In another embodiment, the inner surfaces 42, 46 of the coupling member 40 are coated with a high temperature polymer. In both embodiments, the coupling member 40 is dielectric.
Referring to
Alternatively, or in addition to, a mechanical device, such as a clamp, may be used to secure a portion of the second sleeve 45 within ducting member 50. The ducting member 50 may be constructed of traditional ducting material such as a thin, conductive material such as aluminum or a nonconductive material such as vinyl, with a steel helical spring to maintain the tubular shape. In another embodiment, the coupling member 40 and the ducting member 50 are integral.
Referring to
The inner diameter of the dryer exhaust duct 14 generally corresponds to the inner diameter of the second sleeve 45 to prevent any restriction of exhaust flow.
The outer diameter of the dryer exhaust duct 14 generally corresponds to the outer diameter of the second sleeve 45. This permits a traditional ducting member 50 to be positioned around the second sleeve 45 of the coupling member 40.
Another embodiment is disclosed in
Although the invention hereof has been described by way of a preferred embodiment, it will be evident that other adaptations and modifications can be employed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The terms and expressions employed herein have been used as terms of description and not of limitation; and thus, there is no intent of excluding equivalents, but on the contrary it is intended to cover any and all equivalents that may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/208,317 filed Jul. 12, 2016 which claims the benefit of and priority to a U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/191,899 filed Jul. 13, 2015, the technical disclosures of which are incorporated by reference. This application claims the benefit of and priority to a U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/371,717 filed Aug. 6, 2017, the technical disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15208317 | Jul 2016 | US |
| Child | 15670838 | US |
