Patent Application
20060171660
The present invention relates to a hand dryer and particularly to a hand dryer equipped with video and audio playing functions.
Hand dryers are widely used in hotels, restaurants, shopping malls or the like to enable users to dry hands after washing without paper or towels in the event that the users do not bring paper tissues or a handkerchief with them.
Besides providing the basic function of hand drying, some hand dryers also provide additional functions. For instance, R.O.C. Patent Publication No. M247158 discloses a “Hand dryer equipped with a displaying device”. It mainly includes a displaying device which is connected to a control circuit inside the hand dryer. Through the control circuit the displaying device can display preset pictures or texts, such as logos of vendors, trademarks, merchandise advertisements, promotional messages, or the like.
However, the aforesaid hand dryer equipped with the displaying device can provide only “static” pictures or texts. It is plain and unexciting, and does not have much appeal to users these days when multimedia video and audio articles flourish almost everywhere. In short, the conventional hand dryer equipped with a displaying device cannot provide “dynamic” video and audio functions. This becomes a big disadvantage.
Therefore the object of the present invention is to provide a hand dryer equipped with video and audio playing functions so that besides providing the basic hand drying function, it also can broadcast dynamic video and audio data.
To achieve the foregoing object, the hand dryer equipped with video and audio playing functions according to the invention mainly includes a case, a blower, a control circuit board, a first sensor, a video and audio displaying device, and a second sensor. The case has an air outlet. The blower is located in the case corresponding to the air outlet. The control circuit board is located in the case and connected electrically to the blower. The first sensor is exposed outside the case through the air outlet and connected electrically to the control circuit board to provide a first signal to the control circuit board to actuate the blower. The video and audio displaying device is located in the case and has a display area exposed outside the case. The second sensor is exposed outside the case and connected electrically to the video and audio displaying device, and provides a second signal to the video and audio displaying device to broadcast dynamic video and audio data.
In short, the hand dryer equipped with video and audio playing functions according to the invention, in addition to providing the basic function of drying user's hands when the user moves close to the hand dryer, also can broadcast dynamic video and audio data while the user dries his/her hands or passes by the hand dryer. Thus it can meet varying video and audio requirements of the modern time.
The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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The case 110 includes a main case 110a and a base seat 110b that are coupled together. The blower 120, control circuit board 130, first sensor 140, and video and audio displaying device 150 are mounted onto the base seat 110b and housed in the case 110. The blower 120 and the first sensor 140 are corresponding to an air outlet 112 located on the main case 110a, and are exposed outside the case 110 through the air outlet 112. The control circuit board 130 is electrically connected to the blower 120 and the first sensor 140. The first sensor 140 may be an infrared sensor to detect user's hands when they move close to the air outlet 112 and send a first signal to the control circuit board 130. The control circuit board 130 actuates the blower 120 to dry user's hands. To those skilled in the art, the case 110 may include an electric heater 170 which is electrically connected to the control circuit board 130, and be controlled by the control circuit board 130 to enable the blower 120 to generate a more comfortable heated airflow.
The video and audio display device 150 is located on the base seat 110b and housed in the case 110. It has a display area 152 which is exposed outside the case 110 through a window 114 formed on the main case 110a. In this embodiment, the second sensor 160 such as an infrared sensor is electrically connected to the control circuit board (not shown in the drawings) of the video and audio display device 150. When a user is using the hand dryer 100 or passing by the hand dryer 100, the second sensor 160 provides a second signal to the video and audio displaying device 150 to broadcast dynamic video and audio data. As the video and audio displaying device 150 can provide dynamic video and audio data (such as MPEG images files or MP3 music files, or the like), it can further provide dynamic instant information (such as timetables, and the like) or other service contents (such as promotional films, product advertisements, and the like) that are more appealing and can motivate users to see.
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While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
