Garment tunnel finisher with atomized spray and hot air mix
AssigneeLeonard Automatics, Inc.
InventorJeffrey Neal Frushtick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laundry tunnel finisher including a tunnel providing a moisturizing zone therein having a non-linear conveyor pathway therethrough with curved portions adjacent the entrance and exit of the tunnel, at least one nozzle directed at the curved portions of the pathway, a hot water source supplying hot water to the at least one nozzle, a compressed air source supplying compressed air to the at least one nozzle, and a hot air source directing hot air into the tunnel, wherein hot water is atomized using compressed air and is sprayed through the at least one nozzle and mixed with hot air in the tunnel to raise the temperature in the moisturizing zone.
Claims19
A laundry tunnel finisher, comprising:
- a tunnel defining a moisturizing zone therein and having a garment conveyor therethrough defining a conveyor pathway having a first curve within the tunnel adjacent an entrance of the tunnel and a second curve within the tunnel adjacent an exit of the tunnel and characterized by the absence of an operable steam-generating boiler for projecting steam onto garments being processed in the tunnel finisher;
- at least one liquid hot water nozzle positioned within the tunnel adjacent an outer portion of at least one of the first and second curves;
- a hot liquid water source supplying hot liquid water to the at least one liquid hot water nozzle;
- a compressed air source supplying compressed air to the at least one liquid hot water nozzle;
- and
- a hot air source directing hot air into the tunnel;
- wherein hot liquid water from the hot liquid water source is atomized with compressed air from the compressed air source and sprayed into the tunnel through the at least one liquid hot water nozzle and is mixed with hot air from the hot air source to raise the temperature in the moisturizing zone.
A laundry tunnel finisher, comprising:
- a tunnel having an entrance and an exit positioned adjacent opposed ends thereof, defining a moisturizing zone within its interior, and characterized by the absence of an operable steam-generating boiler for projecting steam onto garments being processed in the tunnel finisher;
- a garment conveyor defining a conveyor pathway extending between the entrance and the exit of the tunnel;
- a plurality of liquid hot water nozzles disposed within the tunnel and directed at the conveyor pathway;
- a hot liquid water source supplying hot water to the liquid hot water nozzles;
- a compressed air source supplying compressed air to the liquid hot water nozzles;
- and
- a hot air source directing hot air into the tunnel;
- wherein hot liquid water from the hot liquid water source is atomized with compressed air from the compressed air source and sprayed into the tunnel through the liquid hot water nozzles and is mixed with hot air from the hot air source to raise the temperature in the moisturizing zone.
A laundry tunnel finisher comprising a tunnel providing a moisturizing zone therein having a non-linear conveyor pathway therethrough having curved portions adjacent an entrance and an exit of the tunnel, at least one liquid hot water nozzle directed at the curved portions of the pathway, a hot liquid water source supplying hot liquid water to the at least one liquid hot water nozzle, a compressed air source supplying compressed air to the at least one liquid hot water nozzle, and a hot air source directing hot air into the tunnel, wherein the hot liquid water is atomized using the compressed air and is sprayed through the at least one liquid hot water nozzle and mixed with the hot air in the tunnel to raise the temperature in the moisturizing zone, wherein the tunnel is characterized by the absence of an operable steam-generating boiler for projecting steam onto garments being processed in the tunnel finisher.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.