Patent Application
20230374723
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The disclosure relates to separation devices and more particularly pertains to a new separation device for segregating a smaller laundry item while drying. The present invention discloses a separation device that encapsulates one or more small laundry items while drying to increase efficiency in handling a load of clothes in a dryer.
The prior art relates to separation devices. Prior art separation devices may comprise water permeable bags. Related prior art comprises balls for dispensing laundry products used in clothes dryers, mesh bags that are positionable over spindles of washing machines, clothes dryer balls for softening fabric while drying, and hinged hemispherical clamshell cases with bone shaped holes for holding balls. What is lacking in the prior art is a separation device comprising a shell, which in turn comprises a first piece that is hingedly attached to a second piece. A plurality of holes is positioned in the shell and allows for passage of air into and out of the interior space. The shell segregates a smaller laundry item from larger laundry items in a clothes dryer.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a shell, which defines an interior space and which comprises a first piece and a second piece. A hinge is attached to and extends between the first piece and the second piece of the shell. The shell thus is selectively positionable in an open configuration, wherein the shell is configured for positioning of a smaller laundry article, and a closed configuration. A plurality of holes is positioned in the shell and is configured for passage of air into and out of the interior space. A closure is attached to the shell and is opposingly positioned on the shell relative to the hinge. The closure is positioned to position the shell, selectively and fixedly, in the closed configuration. The shell is configured to retain the smaller laundry article within the interior space and to segregate the smaller laundry item from larger laundry items in a clothes dryer.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The shell 12 may be substantially spherical, as shown in
A hinge 22 is attached to and extends between the first piece 16 and the second piece 18 of the shell 12. As shown in
A closure 28 is attached to the shell 12 and is opposingly positioned on the shell 12 relative to the hinge 22. The closure 28 selectively and fixedly positions the shell 12 in the closed configuration. The closure 28 may comprise a hook 30 and a rod 32, or other closing means, such as, but not limited to, clasps, twist locks, and the like. The hook 30 is rotationally attached to one of the first piece 16 and the second piece 18, while the rod 32 is attached to the other of the first piece 16 and the second piece 18. The rod 32 is positioned to selectively engage the hook 30 to position the shell 12, selectively and fixedly, in the closed configuration. The shell 12 is configured to retain the smaller laundry article 26 within the interior space 14 and to segregate the smaller laundry item from larger laundry items in a clothes dryer 34.
In use, the smaller laundry articles 26 are positioned in the shell 12 and the hook 30 is rotated to engage the rod 32, thus fixing the shell 12 in the closed configuration. The shell 12 then is positioned in the clothes dryer 34, along with the larger laundry articles. After drying is complete, the shell 12 is removed from the clothes dryer 34, the hook 30 is disengaged from the rod 32, and the smaller laundry articles 26 are removed from the shell 12. An added benefit of having the shell 12 in the clothes dryer 34 while drying it softening of the larger laundry articles that are dried concurrently with the smaller laundry articles 26.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
