Air dryer device

Claim 1

An air dryer device for drying compressed air which comprises: (a) a base member having an upper surface, an air inlet connectable to a source of compressed air, an air outlet connectable to an air tank, and a cavity communicating with said air inlet and having an upper end opening to said upper surface; (b) a housing mounted on said base member at a lower end thereof; (c) a drain passage provided in said base member and communicating to the ambient atmosphere; (d) a drain valve mounted on said base member for selectively communicating said cavity with said drain passage; (e) an air dryer disposed within said housing, said air dryer including an absorbent container of a synthetic resin holding an absorbent material and disposed in spaced relation to said housing to form a space therebetween which communicates with said air outlet of said base member, said container having a lower end wall seated on said upper surface of said base member to close said open upper end of said cavity, said container having a peripheral flange at a lower end thereof, said lower end wall and said flange defining a bottom of said container, said container having an air passage for communicating the interior of said container with said space, said container being provided with a check valve mounted in said air passage for allowing a flow of the air from the interior of said container to said space but preventing a flow of the air from said space to the interior of said container, and said container having a throttle passage for allowing the air to flow from said space to the interior of said container to regenerate the absorbent material therein; (f) a plate embedded in said bottom of said container, another air passage being formed through said bottom to communicate said cavity with the interior of said container, (g) fastening elements passing through said flange and said plate into said base member to fasten said container to said base member.