Microwave fabric dryer method and apparatus

A microwave fabric dryer comprising:

• means defining a microwave internally reflective drying chamber for accommodating the fabrics to be dried,
• means defining a vacuum chamber which includes said drying chamber,
• microwave energy generating means including a solid state microwave device for production of microwave energy at a predetermined frequency,
• means for directing the microwave energy into the drying chamber to vaporize water contained in the fabrics to be dried,
• condensing means external to the drying chamber for condensing water vapor evolved from the drying fabric,
• air pumping means external to the vacuum chamber for reducing the pressure within the chamber to a pressure below the vapor pressure of the water during the drying process,
• control means for terminating microwave power from said generating means when fabrics have reached the predetermined state of dryness,
• heating means for warming a portion of the inner surface of said drying chamber to vaporize additional water and accelerate drying,
• means for turning the wet fabric inside said drying chamber to expose new wet fabric surface to said warmed drying chamber surface and for fluffing the fabric at the end of drying to shake out wrinkles, and
• means for cooling said drying chamber surface in contact with the fabric at the end of the drying cycle to help prevent wrinkles in permanent press cloth.