Abstract The present invention provides a heated air recycle arrangement for a clothes dryer which can be advantageously used in a clothes dryer having an air supply; a heater arrangement for heating the air supplied by the air supply; a drying zone including having an inlet communicating with the air supply and an outlet, and further including receptacle means to retain clothes to be dried in the dryer; a blower to circulate heated air from the air supply through the drying zone; and an exhaust duct having an inlet communicating with the outlet from the drying zone and an outlet. The present invention provides a second duct having an inlet and an outlet where the second duct has a mean diameter less than the mean diameter of the exhaust duct wherein the second duct inlet and a selected portion of the length of the second duct are disposed generally concentrically within a portion of the length of the exhaust duct to form an annular air flow conduit between the wall of the exhaust duct and the portion of the wall of the second duct disposed within the exhaust duct is received by the inlet to the second duct and the outer portion of the air stream flowing through the exhaust duct passes through the annular conduit to the exhaust duct outlet, and where the outlet from the second duct communicates with the air supply to recirculate a portion of the air carried by the exhaust duct to the air supply.
Inventors
👤 Robert H. Cloud
👤 Edward J. Hopton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number—
JurisdictionUS
Data Sourcegoogle_patents
Last Synchronized2026-10-30 16:23
CPC Classifications
D; D06; D06F; D06F58/00; D06F58/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
164 words
A heated air recycle arrangement for use in a heated air clothes dryer including a cabinet means with air supply inlet means, and an air exhaust outlet; heater means to selectively heat air supplied through said air supply inlet means; a drying zone defined within said clothes dryer cabinet means; receptacle means disposed within said drying zone to receive clothes to be dried; blower means to pass air received from said air supply means to dry clothes received by said receptacle means and to exhaust said air stream received from said air supply inlet means from said dryer cabinet through said air exhaust outlet in a generally helical flow pattern; and exhaust conduit means communicating with said exhaust outlet wherein said recycle arrangement provides: a recycle air conduit means disposed generally concentrically within said air exhaust outlet and having an inlet with a mean diameter less than the mean diameter of said exhaust conduit means and an outlet communicating with said air supply means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
164 words
A heated air recycle arrangement for use in a heated air clothes dryer including a cabinet means with air supply inlet means, and an air exhaust outlet; heater means to selectively heat air supplied through said air supply inlet means; a drying zone defined within said clothes dryer cabinet means; receptacle means disposed within said drying zone to receive clothes to be dried; blower means to pass air received from said air supply means to dry clothes received by said receptacle means and to exhaust said air stream received from said air supply inlet means from said dryer cabinet through said air exhaust outlet in a generally helical flow pattern; and exhaust conduit means communicating with said exhaust outlet wherein said recycle arrangement provides: a recycle air conduit means disposed generally concentrically within said air exhaust outlet and having an inlet with a mean diameter less than the mean diameter of said exhaust conduit means and an outlet communicating with said air supply means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The invention of claim 1 wherein said recycle air conduit inlet is disposed within said exhaust air conduit downstream of said dryer cabinet exhaust outlet.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The invention of claim 2 wherein the cross-sectional shape of said recycle air conduit means is similar to the cross sectional shape of said exhaust conduit means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The invention of claim 3 wherein a portion of the length of said recycle air conduit means is disposed concentrically within said exhaust air conduit to form an annular passageway between said exhaust air conduit means and said recycle air conduit means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The invention of claim 4 wherein said recycle air conduit means includes elbow means located downstream of said recycle conduit and wherein said exhaust conduit means includes aperature means to receive said elbow means and wherein said elbow means inlet extending through said aperature means provided in said exhaust conduit means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claim 5 wherein said exhaust conduit means and said recycle conduit means are of generally circular cross section.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claim 6 wherein the diameter of recycle conduit means is 75% the diameter of said exhaust conduit means.