Dehumidifier

A portable dehumidifier comprising:

• a horizontal base member;
• a vertically extending one piece frame having a lower end fixed to and supported by the base member, and an upper end providing a horizontal air flow duct through which dehumidified air can pass;
• a fan module, including a motor-driven fan for inducing the flow of dehumidified air through the duct, the fan module being fixed to and solely supported by the upper end of the frame in spaced relation from one end of said air flow duct;
• a condenser/evaporator module fixed to and supported by the upper end of the frame, the condenser/evaporator module being located within the duct, the condenser/evaporator module including retaining means having mounting portions engageable with wall portions of the frame defining the duct, said retaining means positioning and supporting said module in position within said duct;
• and
• a hermetic refrigeration compressor fixed to and supported by the base member, the compresser providing refrigerant to the condenser/evaporator module.

A portable dehumidifer comprising:

• a horizontal base member;
• a vertically extending frame having a lower end fixed to and supported by the base member, and an upper end providing an air flow duct through which dehumidified air can pass;
• a fan module, including a motor-driven fan for inducing the flow of dehumified air through the duct, the fan module being fixed to and supported by the frame;
• a condenser/evaporator module fixed to and supported by the frame, the condenser/evaporator module being located within the duct, the condenser/evaporator module including retaining means having mounting portions engageable with wall portions of the frame defining the duct, said retaining means positioning and supporting said module in position within said duct;
• and
• a hermetic refrigeration compressor fixed to and supported by the base member, the compressor providing refrigerant to the condenser/evaporator module:
• said frame being a one-piece, molded plastic member, and said fan module including a bracket carrying said motor driven fan, the bracket being fixed to the frame by bayonet projection portions of the bracket lockably inserted into socket portions of the frame, the bracket holding the motor-driven fan in spaced relation from the frame at one end of the duct.

A refrigeration coil module for use in an appliance such as a dehumidifier comprising:

• a first continuous length of refrigeration tubing spirally wound inwardly and then outwardly about a common axis to provide a pair of adjacent first coil sections;
• a cage for containing said first length of spirally wound refrigeration tubing, said cage including a plurality of hooklike resilient projections;
• and
• a second continuous length of refrigeration tubing spirally wound inwardly and then outwardly about said common axis to provide a pair of adjacent second coil sections, the second length of spirally wound tubing being engaged and held by said hooklike resilient projections of the cage to hold the first and second lengths of spirally wound tubing in adjacent relationship to each other.

A portable dehumidifier having a removable plastic bucket for collecting liquid condensate generated by the dehumidifier, said bucket having a rim, the dehumidifier including an electrical switch located apart from the bucket at a position adjacent to said rim, the switch deactivating the dehumidifier to preclude overfilling said bucket, an improved float for sensing a rising level of condensate in the bucket and in response thereto, at a predetermined maximum condensate level, activating said switch to deactivate the dehumidifier, said float comprising:

• a float portion pivotally supported on a portion of the rim of the bucket, said rim portion acting as a fulcrum point, said rim portion being adjacent to said electrical switch;
• and
• a lever arm emanating from said fulcrum point, said lever arm extending toward and engaging an actuating element of said switch, wherein predetermined upward and downward movements of the float portion causes concurrent but opposite downward and upward movements of the distal end of the lever arm to in turn cause the electrical switch to be actuated so as to change from one conducting condition to another conducting condition, said float portion being gravity biased downwardly and being bouyant in liquid condensate collected in said bucket, said electrical switch being of the normally open type, said distal end of the lever arm holding the switch in a closed condition when the float portion is at or below a predetermined vertical position, said switch moving to its normally open position when said bouyant float portion is moved upwardly by the action of a rising level of condensate in said bucket wherein said switch in its normally open position precludes operation of the dehumidifer said switch being in an open position when said bucket with said float mounted thereon is removed from said dehumidifier.

A portable dehumidifier having a removable plastic bucket for collecting liquid condensate generated by the dehumidifier, said bucket having a rim, the dehumidifier including an electrical switch located apart from the bucket at a position adjacent to said rim, the switch deactivating the dehumidifier to preclude overfilling said bucket, an improved float for sensing a rising level of condensate in the bucket and in response thereto, at a predetermined maximum condensate level, activating said switch to deactivate the dehumidifier, said float comprising:

• a float portion pivotally supported on a portion of the rim of the bucket, said rim portion acting as a fulcrum point, said rim portion being adjacent to said electrical switch;
• and
• a lever arm amanating from said fulcrum point, said lever arm extending toward and engaging an actuating element of said switch, wherein predetermined upward and downward movements of the float portion causes concurrent but opposite downward and upward movement of the distal end of the lever arm to in turn cause the electrical switch to be actuated so as to change from one conducting condition to another conducting condition, said float portion being gravity biased downwardly and being bouyant in liquid condensate collected in said bucket, said electrical switch being of the normally open type, said distal end of the lever arm holding the switch in a closed condition when the float portion is at or below a predetermined vertical position, said switch moving to its normally open position when said bouyant float portion is moved upwardly by the action of a rising level of condensate in said bucket wherein said switch in its normally open position precludes operation of the dehumidifer said float portion and said lever arm being joined to a hinge pin integrally formed of plastic material with said float portion and said lever arm.