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US 5,127,169 AGranted
Clothes dryer
AssigneeMaytag Corporation
InventorDavid I. Ellingson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A domestic clothes dryer construction which increases dryer capacity by allowing the length of the drum to be increased while keeping the cabinet size the same. In the present invention, the single rear cabinet panel is used as a drum support, and in so doing, eliminates the separate rear bulkhead structure attached to the rear panel of the dryer in present day dryers.
Claims17
A clothes drying apparatus comprising:
- a cabinet having side, bottom, top, rear and front panels, said rear panel including a formed section with an inwardly facing first surface and an outwardly facing second surface;
- a bulkhead within said cabinet adjacent said front panel;
- a cylinder wall having open ends and a generally horizontal axis and front and rear annular seal surfaces juxtaposed to said bulkhead and said rear panel respectively;
- said first surface of said rear panel formed section having a circular portion facing said rear annular seal surface, said circular portion generally corresponding to and aligned with said rear annular seal surface;
- said bulkhead having a circular portion generally corresponding to and aligned with said rear annular seal surface;
- said bulkhead having a circular portion generally corresponding to and aligned with said front annular seal surface;
- said cylinder wall, said rear panel circular portion and said bulkhead circular portion defining a clothes drying chamber;
- first and second seal means engaging said circular portions of said rear panel and said bulkhead and the respective generally mating annular seal surfaces at the rear and front of said cylinder wall;
- means supporting said cylinder wall for rotation about said horizontal axis;
- means for rotating said cylinder wall;
- and
- means for introducing heated air into and removing moisture laden air from said drying chamber.
9 more elements
A clothes drying apparatus comprising:
- a cabinet having side, bottom, top, rear and front panels, said rear panel including a formed section with an inwardly facing first surface and an outwardly facing second surface;
- a bulkhead within said cabinet adjacent said front panel;
- a cylinder wall having open ends and a generally horizontal axis and front and rear annular seal surfaces juxtaposed to said bulkhead and said rear panel respectively;
- said first surface of said rear panel formed section having a circular portion facing said rear annular seal surface, said circular portion generally corresponding to and aligned with said rear annular seal surface;
- said bulkhead having a circular portion generally corresponding to and aligned with said front annular seal surface;
- said cylinder wall, said rear panel circular portion and said bulkhead circular portion defining a clothes drying chamber;
- first and second seal means engaging said circular portions of said rear panel and said bulkhead and the respective generally mating annular seal surfaces at the rear and front of said cylinder wall;
- means supporting said cylinder wall for rotation about said horizontal axis;
- means for rotating said cylinder wall;
- means for introducing heated air through said bulkhead into said drying chamber;
- and
- means for removing moisture laden air from said drying chamber through said bulkhead.
9 more elements
A clothes drying apparatus comprising:
- a cabinet having side, bottom, top, rear and front panels, said rear panel including a formed section with an inwardly facing first surface and an outwardly facing second surface;
- a bulkhead within said cabinet adjacent said front panel and having a passageway into said drying chamber;
- a cylinder wall having open ends and a generally horizontal axis and front and rear annular seal surfaces juxtaposed to said bulkhead and said rear panel respectively;
- said first surface of said rear panel formed section comprising a unitary metal stamping having a portion facing said rear annular seal surface, said portion corresponding generally to and aligned with said rear annular seal surface;
- said bulkhead having a portion corresponding generally to and aligned with said front annular seal surface;
- said cylinder wall, said rear panel portion and said bulkhead portion defining a clothes drying chamber;
- first and second seal means engaging said portions of said rear panel and bulkhead;
- means supporting said cylinder wall for rotation about said horizontal axis;
- means for rotating said cylinder wall;
- air inlet means including duct work with an outlet connected to said bulkhead adjacent said passageway for introducing heated air into said drying chamber;
- and
- air outlet means including duct work with an inlet connected to said passageway for removing moisture laden air from said drying chamber.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.