TECHNICAL FIELD

THIS INVENTION relates to hot air dryers and more particular ly to a hot air dryer of much--improved construction.

BACKGROUND ART

It is well known to provide hot air dryers for supplying -hot air or drying various parts of the body. For example hot ai dryers are often used for drying hair, or. in wash-rooms or rest rooms for drying hands. Essentially the hot air dryers known up until this time comprise a housing with an air inle and an air outlet, a fan or suction device being provided within the housing. Appropriate actuating means allow for the arrangement to be turned on so that air is drawn into the housing, heated by appropriate heating means and thereafter forced* out through the outlet, so that the hot air is able t be used to dry hands, hair or the like. In some known forms of hand dryer, infra-red actuating means are provided so tha the arrangement is actuated upon the hand or body passing through the beam of the infra-red actuating means.

The hot air dryers known up until this time have generally been manufactured from a metal material such as a coated metal material. This has meant that they are relatively expensive and time-consuming to manufacture.

Further, the dryers used up until this time have not been as efficient as might be desired, given that the fans within the housings draw dirt and extraneous matter such as hair and the like into the housing, this extraneous matter becoming coated on the blades of the fan. Apart from the fact that this is particularly unhygienic, the extraneous matter coated on the blades of the fan, cause the fan to operate at less than satisfactory levels of performance, as a result of which hot air that has been heated within the housing and is to be

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blown out of the housing by the fan is not distributed in a satisfactory manner. Further, in many known forms of dryer heating means are provided between the fan and the outlet, s that where extraneous matter is drawn into the housing by th fan, or coated on to the fan, there is always a risk that such extraneous matter will come into contact with the heat¬ ing means, thereby bringing about the risk of fire.

It is an object of this invention to go some way towards overcoming at least some of these disadvantages or to at least minimise such disadvantages.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a hot air dryer comprising a housing formed from a mouldable material and having an air inlet and an air outlet; means within said housing to draw ambient air into the said housin and thereafter direct said air towards said outlet; heating means within said housing to heat air as it passes to said outlet so that heated air issues from the said outlet; and means to actuate the said means for drawing air into and through said housing, wherein said mouldable material is a ceramic earthenware material.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a hot air dryer comprising a housing formed from a mouldable material and having an air inlet and an air outlet means within said housing to draw ambient air into the said housing and thereafter direct said air towards said outlet; heating means within said housing to heat air as it passes t said outlet so that heated air issues from the said outlet; means to actuate the said means for drawing air into and through said housing; and filter means disposed adjacent sai

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air inlet and inwardly thereof so as to filter ambient air passing into said housing.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a hot air dryer comprising promotional means, said promotional means including visual and available messages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

IN THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of an example of an air dryer according to one form of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of an air dryer according to one form of the present invention.

The present invention will be described by way of example only, with reference to a hot air dryer as may be used for example for drying hair or hands. It should be appreciated however that the invention has equal application to all othe forms of hot air dryers that may be used for other purposes.

As referred to hereinbefore, hot air dryers known and used u until this time have usually been formed of a metal or plas¬ tics material, the metal usually being coated with an appro¬ priate coating. It has been recognised that there are sub¬ stantial uses for hot air dryers in washrooms associated for example with restaurants, service stations, petrol stations and the like. It is therefore recognised that there is a substantial advantage and marketing development, in providing hot air dryers which are in the form of or shaped as logos, trade marks devices or the like associated for example with the restaurant or service station concerned. For example, i

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is believed that there is a substantial advantage in provid¬ ing hot air dryers in the rest room of a hamburger restau¬ rant, wherein the dryers are shaped in the form of, say, a hamburger. Alternatively, for example in the rest room of a service station or petrol station, the hot air dryer might b formed in the shape of a logo or trade mark of that particu¬ lar company. It is further considered that there are sub¬ stantial advantages to be gained from forming hot air dryers of novel and distinctive shapes and configurations, such as might be found in children's playgrounds, children's bath¬ rooms or the like. These are by way of example.

Other examples of promotional means, which may be incorporat ed into the design of a hot air dryer, include; transfers, monograms, printed labels, LED or crystal displays, a spoken message, or even cards such as menus and the like.

It is recognised in the invention that often the demand may be small for a particular shape or configuration of air dryer. One of the problems with meeting such a demand is that it is particularly time-consuming and expensive to form or mould housings for hot air dryers from the materials presently used insofar as hot air dryers are concerned. For example, although such housings could be formed of a mould- able plastics material, there would be substantial expense i preparing and using moulds and dies. Likewise, although possible, there would be substantial expense in fabricating housings of distinctive shapes from metal material.

Thus, following substantial investigation and experimenta¬ tion, it has been found that a particularly appropriate type of material for moulding housings of distinctive shapes and the like in short run low number production are vitreous earthenware materials such materials being able to be moulde and formed into a housing of a desired shape and appearance.

in a straightforward and efficient mould, in relatively shor periods of time and without substantial expenditure insofar as moulds are concerned. Thus, it has been found that by moulding housings for hot air dryers, from vitreous earthen¬ ware material, the problems associated with known materials are overcome or substantially minimised.

It has therefore been found that by using the vitreous earth enware material, or other materials suitable for low quantit moulding such as imitation marble (corian), housings can _be formed and moulded into particular or desired shapes, such a for example the shape of a hamburger for use in a hamburger restaurant, as shown in Figure.1 of the drawings. Such housings are moulded having inlet and outlet means and appro priate actuating means if desired. As indicated, certain ho air dryers can be provided with automatic or infra-red actu¬ ating means.

It is envisaged that vitreous earthenware materials could fo example be ceramic, porcelain, china, pottery or other earth enware materials. These are by way of example only. It is further envisaged that new mouldable materials will be de¬ veloped in the future, such as various fibre-glass reinforce plastics and composites combining earthenware and polymeric materials, that may be used to form the housing.

As indicated hereinbefore, it has been found that hot air dryers used up until this time have not always operated as efficiently as might be expected. It has been found that on of the main reasons for this is that the dryers which incor¬ porate fans to pull air into the housing to be there after heated and forced out of the housing, are often coated with dirt and extraneous matter which is drawn in through the air inlet. This extraneous matter, when coated on the blades of fans, detracts from the effective operation of the fan, and

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this means that the fan is not satisfactory or effective in causing hot air to issue out of the outlets. Further, as indicated hereinbefore, the accumulation of such dirt and extraneous matter raises a fire risk insofar as the heating means of hot air dryers are concerned. Usually, hot air dryers have a heating means between the inlet and the outlet the fan causing the air to be drawn into the housing and thereafter to pass over heating means and out through the outlet. Thus, the accumulation of such dirt and extraneous matter could well come into contact with the heating means, to be ignited, an thereby cause fire. This is particularly undesirable danger insofar as hot air dryers are concerned.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a straightforward and effi¬ cient answer to this problem, in providing filtering means s that air being drawn through the inlet is filtered and this avoids or at least minimises substantially the amount of dir or extraneous matter passing into the housing of the hot air dryer. Thus the disadvantages and dangers referred to above are overcome or substantially minimised. In one embodiment of the invention the filtering means would be provided over and inwardly of the inlet.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, this shows a hot air dryer in the form of a hamburger, such as might be used in a hamburger restaurant. The hot air dryer has an air inlet on the underside thereof and an air outlet

2. Actuating means are also provided, in this case a button

3. The hot air dryer 1 in the form of a hamburger is formed by moulding from a vitreous earthenware material.

Referring to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings a housing 4 is provided having an inlet 5 in the lower side thereof an an outlet 6. The inlet 5 leads into a fan chamber 7 in whic is mounted an appropriate fan 8 which is in turn connected

to, so as to be driven by, a prime mover 9. such as in the form of an electric motor. The housing 4 is connected to a source of power. Actuating means such as the button 3 of Figure 1 (not shown in Figure 2). are connected to the elec¬ tric motor 9 so that on actuation thereof, the fan 8 will be caused to rotate. This then draws air in through the inlet 5 and through duct 10 to the outlet 6, where the air issues, from the housing 4. Within the duct 10, or otherwise suit¬ ably positioned between the inlet 5 and outlet 6, air heating means such as heating elements connected to a supply of power are provided, these being indicated at 11 in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings. In use therefore, air is drawn through the inlet 5 by the fan 8 through the duct 10 and over or through 6 as heated air, for use in drying hands, hair, body or the like.

While the invention has been described with reference to a manually operable actuating means 3, automatic operating means can be provided if desired, for example, infra-red actuating means.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 2 of the draw¬ ings, appropriate mountings 12 are provided on each side of the inlet 5, immediately inwardly thereof, and are adapted to replaceably locate an appropriate filter 13, such as a filter pad or panel, so that filter 13 will extend across and over the inlet 5. In one form of the invention the mountings 12 are substantially "u" shaped in formation to allow for the filter 13 to be easily removed and replaced, such as for repair, cleaning and the like. The filter can be of any known formation or manufacture, but should extend across the inlet 5, inwardly thereof and within mouth of fan Chamber 7, so that air being drawn in through the inlet 5 will pass through the filter 13 and be filtered prior to coming into contact with the blades of the fan 8.

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It has been found that the positioning of the filter in this manner, and the filtering of air passing into the housing 4, overcomes or minimises the problems as outlined above. In the present invention a dryer can be free standing, or provided with or attached to appropriate brackets, mountings or the like, to allow it to be suitably mounted on a desired surface, such as a wall or the like. This is by way of example only.

It should be appreciated that modifications and improvements may be made to this invention without departing from the scope or spirit thereof.

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