| JP09215655 | DRYING UTENSIL |
| JP09308798 | CLOTHES-DRYING DEVICE |
| WO/2012/009360 | MODULATED AIR FLOW CLOTHES DRYER AND METHOD |
| Claims 1. A cover for a rotary clothes dryer comprising a cover sheet supported by a plurality of support ribs, each rib being pivotally connected to a central hub member whereby the ribs can be pivotally moved between a deployed position, wherein the ribs extend substantially radially outwardly from said hub member to support the cover over the clothes dyer, and a folded position, wherein the ribs extending substantially vertically upwardly from said hub member. 2. A cover as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hub member is mountable on or adjacent a central pole of the clothes dryer. 3. A cover as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ribs are arranged to rest upon, and be supported by, the outer ends of the arms of the clothes dryer when in their deployed position. 4. A cover as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said cover further comprises a tubular container attachable to, or forming at least part of the central pole of the clothes dryer, said hub member being slidably mounted within said container to be movable between a raised position, wherein said ribs can be moveable between their folded and deployed positions, and a retracted position, wherein said ribs, and the attached cover, are at least partially contained within the container in their vertical storage position and held in their folded position thereby. 5. A cover as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least an upper face of the hub member is positioned above the upper end of the container when in its raised position. 6. A cover as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said hub member comprises a body having at least one radially extending guide pin received within a corresponding axial guide slot within the container. 7. A cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein said guide pin extends through said guide slot to terminate in an actuating handle or lever to allow the hub member to be moved up and down the container between its raised and retracted positions. 8. A cover as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said hub member is adapted to be moved between it retracted and raised positions by means of a pulley arrangement. 9. A cover as claimed in claim 8, wherein said hum member is connected to an endless rope or cord passing around pulleys or guides respectively located adjacent upper and lower ends of the said container. 10. A cover as claimed in claim 9, wherein a handle is mounted on said cord adjacent an outer region of said container to allow the hum member to be raised and lowered within said container. 11. A cover as claimed in any of claims 4 to 10, wherein aid hub member is moveable between its raised and retracted positions by motorised means. 12. A cover as claimed in any of claims 4 to 11, wherein the uppermost end of the container tapers outwardly such that the upper edge of the container provides a fulcrum to guide the movement of the ribs from their deployed positions to their folded positions as the hub member moves from its raised towards its retracted position. 13. A cover as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cover is provided with a central aperture, substantially aligned with said central pole of the clothes dryer when the ribs are in their deployed position, for ventilation and/or to prevent any build up of rain water in the central region of the cover. 14. A cover as claimed in any of claims 13 when dependent upon claim 4, wherein the central aperture opens over an upper end of the container such that water can drain from the cover sheet into the container whereby the container acts as a drain for the cover sheet. |
This invention relates to a cover for a rotary clothes dryer and in particular to a rain cover for a rotary clothes dryer that can be readily deployed from a stored or folded position on the clothes dryer to a deployed position wherein the cover can protect washing on the dryer from rain showers.
Typically rotary clothes dryers comprise a central vertical pole or mast having three or four equally spaced upwardly inclined arms extending therefrom, suspended in cantilever fashion from the mast by respective stays attached to the central mast. A washing line is threaded through apertures in the arms to extend around the mast between the poles to provide a number of hanging locations for clothes. Typically the arms are pivotally mounted on the mast via a slider which is slidable along the mast to allow the arms to be moved between an extended operative position, wherein the washing line is held taught between the arms, and a folded position wherein the arms lie substantially parallel to the mast.
Unfortunately, changes in the weather can often happen faster than washing can be taken off the line, thus deterring the use of the clothes dryer when there is a risk that sudden rain showers.
Previous attempts have been made to provide rain covers for rotary clothes driers to protect clothes hung thereon from sudden rain showers. Some arrangements, such as that shown in GB 2 247 401 , require fitting to the clothes dryer before each use and thus cannot be quickly deployed and may not be available when required. Other arrangements are attached to the dryer to be deployable from a folded position to a deployed position when rain looks likely. GB 2 423 702 is an example of such arrangement, disclosing an umbrella mounted within the hollow mast of the dryer to be deployable when required. However, the shape of the umbrella does not lend itself for use with a typical rotary clothes dryer because the ribs of the umbrella are pivoted from an upper region of a central support to extend downwardly, effectively opposite to the arms of the dryer, thus the use of the umbrella can interfere with the washing line. Where the umbrella is stored in a hollow central mast of the dryer, as shown in GB 2 423 702, the ribs of the umbrella must be lifted up out of the mast before they can be deployed. This requires the umbrella to be raised to a considerable height above the central mast before it can be deployed, leading to stability problems requiring a complex deployment arrangement. A similar arrangement is disclosed in DE 101 62 098. However, despite such disadvantages, the umbrella shape is generally considered necessary to allow rain water to run off the cover.
The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the present invention there is provided a cover for a rotary clothes dryer comprising a cover sheet supported by a plurality of support ribs, each rib being pivotally connected to a central hub member whereby the ribs can be pivotally moved between a deployed position, wherein the ribs extend substantially radially outwardly from said hub member to support the cover over the clothes dyer, and a folded position, wherein the ribs extending substantially vertically upwardly from said hub member. Thus the ribs can be moved between their deployed and folded positions without interfering with the arms and washing line of the clothes dryer.
In one embodiment, the hub member is mountable on or adjacent the central pole of the clothes dryer whereby the ribs may be arranged to rest upon, and be supported by, the outer ends of the arms of the clothes dryer when in their deployed position.
Preferably the cover further comprises a tubular container attachable to, or forming at least part of, the central pole of the clothes dryer, said hub member being slidably mounted within said container to be movable between a raised position, wherein said ribs can be moveable between their folded and deployed positions, and a retracted position, wherein said ribs, and the attached cover, are at least partially contained within the container in their vertical storage position and held in their folded position thereby. Preferably at least an upper face of the hub member is positioned above the upper end of the container when in its raised position.
In one embodiment, said hub member comprises a body having at least one radially extending guide pin received within a corresponding axial guide slot within the container. Preferably said guide pin extends through said guide slot to terminate in an actuating handle or lever to allow the hub member to be moved up and down the container between its raised and retracted positions. Alternatively said hub member may be moved between it retracted and raised positions by means of a pulley arrangement. Said hub member may be moved between its raised and retracted positions by motorised means.
Preferably the uppermost end of the container tapers outwardly such that the upper edge of the container provides a fulcrum to guide the movement of the ribs from their deployed positions to their folded positions as the hub member moves from its raised towards its retracted position.
Preferably lifting means are provided for moving said hub member between its raised and retracted positions.
The cover may be provided with a central aperture, aligned with said central pole of the clothes dryer when the ribs are in their deployed position, for ventilation and/or to prevent any build up of rain water in the central region of the cover.
The cover sheet may be any suitable shape or size to overlie the clothes dryer with which it is intended to be used. For example, the cover sheet may be triangular, reactangular, square, circular, oval or any other shape. Any number of ribs may be provided to support the cover sheet. Preferably the nuber of ribs provided is equal to the number of arms of the dryer with which the cover is intended to be used.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cover for a rotary clothes dryer according to a first embodiment of the present invention in its folded position;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cover of Fig. 1 in a deployed or operative position;
Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of an upper part of the cover of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cover of Fig. 1 in its folded position;
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cover of Fig. 1 in its deployed position; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a cover for a rotary clothes dryer according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a side view of the cover of Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view through the cover of Fig. 6;
Fig. 9 is a detailed sectional view of the cover of Fig. 6 is a deployed position;
Fig. 10 is a detailed sectional view of the cover of Fig. 6 is a folded position;
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the cover of Fig. 6 with the cover sheet omitted for clarity;
Fig. 12 is a detailed perspective view of an upper part of the cover of Fig. 6;
Fig. 13 is a detailed perspective view of a lower part of the cover of Fig. 6;
Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the cover on line X-X of Fig. 13;
Fig. 15a comprises a number of views of an operating handle of the cover of Fig. 6 in a rest position;
Fig. 15b comprises a number of view of the operating handle of Fig 15a in use;
Figs. 16a and 16b comprise views of an alternative operating handle of the cover of Fig. 6; and
Fig 17 comprises view of a further simpler operating toggle.
As illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, a cover for a rotary clothes dryer according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a tubular housing 10 mounted on the mast or central pole of a rotary dryer 1. A central hub 12 is slidably mounted within the housing 10 to be movable between a lower retracted position and a raised position. Three radially extending elongate ribs or arms 14,16,18 are pivotally mounted on the central hub 12. Other numbers of ribs may be provided depending upon the number of arms of the dryer with which the cover is intended to be used. For example, four ribs may be provided for use with dryers having four arms.
A cover sheet 20 formed from a water resistant fabric is attached to the ribs 14,16,18 such that the ribs 14,16,18 support the cover sheet 20 over the top of the clothes dryer 1 when the ribs 14,16,18 are in their extended position, as shown in Fig. 2. The cover sheet may be any desired shape to enable the cover to suitably cover washing hanging on the clothes dryer.
The ribs 14,16,18 are pivotally attached to an upper surface of the central hub 12 such that the ribs 14,16,18 can pivot between a deployed position, wherein the ribs 14,16,18 extend substantially radially outwardly from said hub 12 to support the cover sheet 20 over the clothes dryer 1, and a folded position, wherein the ribs 14,16,18 extending substantially vertically upwardly from said hub 12. Thus the ribs 14,16,18 can be moved between their deployed and folded positions without interfering with the arms 2,4,6 and washing line 8 of the clothes dryer 1.
In the configuration shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the central hub 12 is in its retracted position at the bottom of the tubular housing 10 with the ribs 14,16,18 extending vertically from the central hub 12 to be located within the tubular housing 10 such that the ribs 14,16,18 and attached cover sheet 20 are stored within the housing 10.
When required, the cover sheet 20 can be deployed by raising the central hub 12 to its raised position, whereby the ribs 14, 16, 18 are moved out of the housing 10 and are able to pivot downwardly to their deployed position, under the action of gravity, to open the cover sheet 20 over the top of the clothes dryer 1. In such deployed position, the ribs 14,16,18 are arranged to rest upon the outer ends of the arms 2,4,6 of the clothes dryer 1 in a downwardly inclined radially extending orientation.
A radially extending guide pin 22 extends from a side of the central hub 12 to extend through a guide slot 24 formed in the side of the tubular housing 10. The guide pin 22 limits the movement of the central hub 12 within the housing 10 between its retracted and raised positions and acts as an operating lever whereby the central hub 12 can be moved between its raised and retracted positions.
An upper end of the tubular housing 10 comprises an outwardly tapered portion 30 such that the upper edge of the tapered portion can acts as a fulcrum to guide the pivotal movement of the ribs 14,16,18 towards their folded positions as the central hub 12 is moved downwardly from its raised position.
As shown in Figs 2 and 3, a central aperture 40 is provided in the cover sheet 20 for ventilation and to prevent any build up of rain water in the central region of the cover as the rain water can drain through the central aperture, away from any clothes located on the washing line 8.
A downwardly depending skirt may be provided around the peripheral edge of the cover sheet 20 to further protect the washing. The skirt may be integrally formed with or connected to the cover sheet 20 such that the skirt remains attached to the cover when in its folded configuration. Alternatively the skirt may be detachable from the cover, the skirt being attachable to the cover by releasably fastening means, such as hooks and loop fasteners, a zipper or press studs, and may be separately stored in a suitable holder attached to or forming part of the housing 10 when not in use.
In a second embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figures 6 to 17, the central tubular housing 110 of the cover defines a drain pipe for removing water from the cover sheet 120. The cover sheet 120 is provided with a central aperture 140 arranged to be positioned over the open top of the housing 110 when the cover is in its deployed position.
As can be seen from Figures 6 to 11, the support ribs 114,116,118 of the cover are arranged to extend from the central hub 1 12 to rest on the respective ends 2,4,6 of the dryer 1 such that the ribs 114,116,118 extend radially outwardly and upwardly when in their deployed position such that the upper surface of the cover sheet 120 is concave in shape, sloping downwardly towards the central aperture therein such that rain water will collect on the cover sheet 120 and drain towards the central aperture 140 and into the tubular housing 110. As shown in Figure 6, the cover sheet 120 is provided with a downwardly extending peripheral skirt 150 to provide greater protection for washing on the dryer 1.
As with the first embodiment, the cover sheet is supported on three equal spaced radially extending elongate ribs or arms 114, 116, 118 pi votally mounted on a central hub 112 mounted within the tubular housing 1 10, although more or less ribs may be provided depending upon the number of arms possessed by the clothes dryer with which the cover is intended to be used.
The cover sheet 120, formed from a water resistant fabric, is attached to the ribs
114,116,118 such that the ribs 114,116,118 support the cover sheet 120 over the top of the clothes dryer 1 when the ribs 114,116,118 are in their extended position, as shown in Figures 6,7,8,9 and 11.
The ribs 1 14, 116, 118 are pivotally attached to an upper surface of the central hub 112 such that the ribs 114,116,118 can pivot between a deployed position, wherein the ribs 14,16,18 extend substantially radially outwardly and slightly upwardly from said hub 112 to support the cover sheet 120 over the clothes dryer 1 , and a folded position, wherein the ribs 114,116,118 extend substantially vertically upwardly from the hub 112. Thus the ribs 1 14,116,118 can be moved between their deployed and folded positions without interfering with the arms 2,4,6 and washing line of the clothes dryer 1.
In the configuration shown in Figure 10, the central hub 112 is in its retracted position at the bottom of the tubular housing 110 with the ribs 114,116,118 extending vertically from the central hub 112 to be located within the tubular housing 110 such that the ribs 114,116,118 and attached cover sheet 120 are stored within the housing 110.
When required, the cover sheet 120 can be deployed by raising the central hub 112 to its raised position, whereby the ribs 114, 116, 118 are moved out of the tapered upper end 130 of the housing 110 and are able to pivot downwardly to their deployed position, under the action of gravity, to open the cover sheet 120 over the top of the clothes dryer 1.
In the second embodiment, an alternative arrangement is shown for raising and lowering the central hub 112 within the housing 110 to fold and deploy the cover. In such embodiment, the central hub 1 12 is connected to an endless cord 160 extending around pulleys 162,164 rotatably mounted at each end of the housing 110 such that the cord has an inner run extending within the housing 110, to which the central hub is connected, and an outer rub extending along the outside of the housing 110 to which is attached a lifting handle 166 whereby an operator can raise and lower the central hub 112 within the housing 110.
A can be seen from Figures 15a and 15b, the handle 166 comprises a U shaped member having apertures at each end through which the cord 160 passes such that the handle can slide along the cord 160. Thus, when the handle 166 is at rest it will naturally fall to the bottom of the cord 160 adjacent the lower end of the housing 110. When the handle is rotated, as shown in Figure 15, the cord 160 becomes jammed and will not slide through the apertures in the handle 166, allowing the handle 166 to be raised or lowered to move the central hub 112 within the housing 110 to respectively fold or deploy the cover sheet 120.
A modified handle arrangement is shown in Figures 16a and 16b, wherein the handle 166 comprises an elongate member having a weighted end and a number of aperture through which the cord 160 is wound. With no force is applied to the handle 166 it will naturally fall to a lower position adjacent the lower end of the housing 110. When the handle is inline with cord 160, the handle 166 can be moved up or down rope to achieve best position for operator. When handle 166 is rotated at an angle to the cord 160, the handle 166 nips/clamps on the cord 160 causing the cord 160 to be raised/lowered by force applied to the handle 166.
A yet further modification is shown in Figure 17, wherein the handle is replaced by a simple toggle 170 attached to the cord 160. The toggle 170 may be adapted to be releasably clamped onto the cord 160 such that the toggle 170 can be slid along the cord to a desired position and then used to move the cord 160 to raise or lower the central hub 112 within the housing 110.
As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the body 110 may be attached to the central pole of the dryer 1 by a lower clamp means 180 which clamps to the side of the central pole. A shown in Figure 12, at an upper end, the body 110 of the cover may be attached to the pole by a projecting portion 182 which is insertable into the end of the central pole of the dryer 1 to support the body 110 therefrom. However, the use of any other suitable fastening or attachment means is anticipated.
Any of the above described lifting means may be used in place of the guide pin and guide slot arrangement of the first embodiment and vice versa.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of being attached to the central pole of the clothes dryer, the tubular housing may form an integral part of the central pole such that the cover is integrally formed with the rotary clothes dryer.
The support sheet may be provided with additional supporting ribs, preferably intermediate the main ribs and extending radially outwardly from the central hub to provide additional support for the cover sheet and/or to assist folding of the cover sheet.
The cover may be used to protect washing from the sun as well as the rain or from any other airborne or falling contamination.
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