Claims
- 1. A drying device for blowing air into the interior of an item comprising:
- (a) a fan housing having a substantially cylindrical shape and a center axis oriented vertically, said fan housing having a top and a bottom end and having a hollow interior, and said fan housing having a top portion and a top opening and a bottom portion and a bottom opening, and an outside surface;
- (b) a motor housing, said motor housing mounted on the vertical axis over the top portion of said fan housing;
- (c) two or more struts, each strut having a first end and a second end, said struts adapted to engage the motor housing by their respective first ends and the top portion of the fan housing by their respective second ends, whereby said motor housing is fixedly mounted by said struts to said top portion of said fan housing;
- (d) spaces between said struts defining air inlet ports;
- (e) a motor mounted within said motor housing;
- (f) a fan disposed within said fan housing and oriented to rotate on said vertical axis, and sized to substantially span the distance across said hollow interior of said fan housing, thereby producing minimal clearances therebetween, wherein said motor is adapted to driveably engage said fan, whereby said motor drives said fan;
- (g) a bottom plate that covers the bottom opening of said fan housing;
- (h) one or more openings in said bottom plate;
- (i) discharge tubes having open ends, each tube associated with a bottom plate opening, wherein one end of each discharge tube is adapted to engage said bottom plate over its respective bottom plate opening, wherein said tube opening communicates with said bottom plate opening and the hollow interior of said fan housing; and
- (j) a power source electrically connected to said motor and integral with said drying device;
- whereby said fan draws air in through said spaces between said struts and directs the air into said discharge tubes and out the ends of said discharge tubes, wherein said combination together produces the required efficiencies to allow the user to carry the device along on excursions into the wilderness.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said motor has a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein said motor housing comprises a top plate and a motor housing bottom plate and two side plates, said side plates are spaced from said vertical axis facing inwardly towards the vertical axis, said side plates adapted to conform to the shape of said motor and engage said motor, and said top plate connects the top ends of said side plates and is adapted to engage the top surface of said motor, and said motor housing bottom plate connects the bottom ends of said side plates and is adapted to engage the bottom surface of said motor, and wherein said device has two struts, the first end of one strut is attached to the motor housing where the bottom ends of one said side plate meets the motor housing bottom plate, and the first end of the second strut is attached to the motor housing on the opposite side of said motor housing where the bottom end of the opposite side plate meets the motor housing bottom plate.
- 3. The device of claim 1, wherein said discharge robes comprise two opposing discharge tubes, each tube having a first part and a second part, wherein said first part of each opposing tube diverges outwardly from said bottom plate forming an angle between in the shape of a V, and wherein said second part of each discharge tube extends downwardly and is substantially parallel with its opposing tube.
- 4. The device of claim 1, wherein said power source is a boxed shaped receptacle containing one or more batteries.
- 5. The device of claim 3, wherein said power source further includes a switch electrically connected between said batteries and said motor for starting and stopping said motor.
- 6. The device of claim 1, wherein said motor housing, struts, bottom plate, and discharge tubes are formed from hard plastic in one monolithic molded piece.
- 7. The device of claim 3, wherein said discharge tubes have a second end, wherein said second end is formed by a diagonal cut through said tube, whereby air is biased in a specific direction of flow upon exiting the tube.
- 8. The device of claim 1, where said motor is a lightweight DC motor.
- 9. A drying device comprising:
- (a) a cylindrical fan housing having two opposed open ends and having a bottom plate over one open end;
- (b) a motor housing mounted over the opposite open end of said fan housing;
- (c) two struts extending from said fan housing to said motor housing, said struts, fan housing, and motor housing defining air inlet ports for entry of air into the fan housing;
- (d) a motor mounted in said motor housing;
- (e) a fan mounted in said fan housing, wherein said fan is sized to have minimal clearance between said fan housing, said motor rotatably connected to said fan for driving said fan;
- (f) said bottom plate having two bottom plate openings;
- (g) a discharge tube associated with each bottom plate opening, wherein said discharge tubes are adapted to engage said bottom plate over its respective opening, wherein said discharge tubes communicate with said bottom plate openings, said fan housing, and said air inlet ports; and
- (h) a power source in electrical cooperation with said motor comprising a receptacle containing one or more batteries therein and a switch, wherein said power source is integral with said drying device.
- 10. The device of claim 9, wherein said discharge tubes first extend outwardly and diverge, and then continue to extend parallel to each other.
- 11. The device of claim 9, wherein said fan housing, struts, motor housing, bottom plate, discharge tubes and receptacle together form a singular molded part.
- 12. A drying device comprising:
- a fan housing having open ends, a motor housing mounted over one open end of said fan housing, struts connecting said motor housing to said fan housing, said struts having air spaces therebetween, said air spaces communicating with said fan housing forming air inlet ports, a fan mounted in and having minimal clearances with said fan housing,
- a motor mounted in said motor housing and adapted to rotate said fan, and discharge tubes extending from the open end of the fan housing opposite the end where the motor is mounted, said discharge tubes communicating with said fan housing, and a DC power pack mounted on the side of said discharge tubes and electrically connected to said motor.
- 13. The drying device as in claim 12, wherein said DC power pack includes a switch.
- 14. The drying device of claim 12, wherein said DC power pack is a box shaped receptacle containing batteries.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/204,789, filed Mar. 2, 1994.
US Referenced Citations (23)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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204789 |
Mar 1994 |
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