This invention relates generally to the field of portable drying and sanitizing for is multiple personal articles, such as boots, gloves, and helmets, using an airflow stream that is either ambient temperature or heated, and/or ozone infused.
In order to dry personal equipment and to prevent the problems associated with storing dampened gear, personnel have taken such mundane steps as spreading their damp items out on the floor or hanging them on racks after each use, and then returning them to the container. In more aggressive efforts, they have taken the steps of removing their damp items from their containers, and then use standard or specialized equipment to dry them, and then returning them to the container. There have been numerous blowing and drying devices invented for the purpose of drying shoes, boots, mittens and gloves. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,293 issued to Kaffka, U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,765 issued to Miyamae, U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,602 issued to Lee. U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,009 25 issued to Ketchum. U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,482 issued to Peet, U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,392 issued to Littman. U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,337 issued to Darbo, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,695 issued to Russell, all of which are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,108 issued to Rice. There have also been several specialized bags, devices, or containers developed to dry and sanitize athletic equipment or clothing. Some are small and portable, some are large and stationary, some are hard sided and some are made of flexible material. Of these, some are intended to dry the items while others only sanitize them. Most of these known prior art systems for treating damp or wet items have some common characteristics, but none incorporate all of the characteristics one would desire.
Tactical military activities as well as active athletic sports such as hockey, football, lacrosse, and the like, require specialized equipment and specific clothing for use in completing the mission or playing the game and for protecting the person. Such clothing and equipment items are usually not worn constantly but are transported in some sort of a portable container such as a sports bag or specially container. During vigorous use such clothing and equipment items tend to become damp or wet by either the player's perspiration, or, and also, by being exposed to wet weather or environmental conditions. After an event is completed, if such damp or wet gear is left in a closed container, the gear tends to be acted upon by bacteria and mold, and as a result, becomes foul smelling and rank, and subject to deterioration. Research has shown that such odors are a byproduct of bacteria and mold that grow readily in the moist, dark, generally stagnant, environment inside the closed container. Some of the resulting bacteria may also become a source for infections when they come into contact with an open cut or abrasion on the body of a user the next time the gear is worn. In addition, items left inside a closed container dry so slowly that they may still be wet or damp the next time they are removed from the closed container.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a highly portable, self-contained, multiple-item drying system that directs an anti-bacterial air flow stream through a series of separate flexible, expandable, conduits (hoses) to provide an efficient, inexpensive, uncomplicated drying, sanitizing, deodorizing, and heating apparatus.
A particular object of the invention is provide a drying system that is readily adaptable to a variety of articles.
A further object of the invention is to provide the combined effects of both ultraviolet light and ozone entrained air to ensure antibacterial drying of articles.
Another object of the present invention to provide a drying system that is capable of drawing operating power from a variety of sources.
Other objects and various implementations made possible by this design approach will become apparent in the detailed description of the invention to follow.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a system for drying and sanitizing a plurality of diverse articles, comprises a source of forced air; a plurality of conduits having a first end and a second end for channeling the forced air; a manifold for directing the forced air into the first end of each of the plurality of conduits; an ultraviolet light emitting source located at second end of at least one of the plurality of conduits; and an attachment means located at the second end of at least one of the plurality of conduits for attaching the conduits to the articles so as to direct forced air and ultraviolet light into the articles.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for drying and sanitizing a plurality of diverse articles, comprises the steps of generating a stream of forced air; directing the stream of forced air into each of the plurality of articles; warming the forced air prior to directing; and illuminating that portion of each of the plurality of articles onto which said forced air is directed, with ultraviolet light.
Briefly stated, the invention provides a highly portable, self-contained, multiple-item drying system that directs an antibacterial warmed air flow stream through a series of separate flexible, expandable, conduits (hoses) to provide an efficient, inexpensive, uncomplicated drying, sanitizing, deodorizing, and heating apparatus.
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Having described preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This patent application claims the priority benefit of the filing date of provisional application Ser. No. 62/318,789 having been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Apr. 4, 2016 and now incorporated by reference herein.
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62318789 | Apr 2016 | US |