Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Apparatus – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-28
2004-08-03
Bennett, Henry (Department: 3743)
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Apparatus
Combined
C034S197000, C034S202000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769197
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a hand dryer for drying wet hands after hand washing at a lavatory, a bathroom and the like.
BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE
Conventionally, a hand dryer of this kind is known and described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-99235.
The described hand dryer will be explained with reference to FIG.
17
.
As shown in
FIG. 17
, a body case
101
fixed to a wall surface comprises a front case
102
and a water-receiving bowl
103
which projects from a lower portion of the body case
101
. A drying space
102
a
is formed between the front case
102
and the water-receiving bowl
103
. Blower means
104
, heating means
105
and control means
108
are provided in the front case
102
. The front case
102
is provided at its lower end with an air-blowing nozzle
106
which is oriented toward the drying space
102
a
. The water-receiving bowl
103
is provided at its back lower portion with an air-intake opening
117
for drawing air into the blower means
104
. The water-receiving bowl
103
has a communication tube
113
which is in communication with a water-receiving cup
114
. The water-receiving cup
114
is disposed below the water-receiving bowl
103
, and is detachably mounted to the water-receiving bowl
103
from its front surface side. The water-receiving cup
114
is provided at its upper surface with a water-receiving cup cover
121
. The air-intake opening
117
is provided with a filter frame
122
.
In the above structure, if a wet hand is inserted into the drying space
102
a
, air is drawn from the air-intake opening
117
by the blower means
104
, the air passes through the heating means
105
and becomes hot air, and the hot air is injected from the air-blowing nozzle
106
. Water attached to the hand is scattered by the air injected from the air-blowing nozzle
106
to dry the hand. At that time, drops of water scattered from the hand are gathered into the water-receiving bowl
103
, and are gathered from the communication tube
113
into the water-receiving cup
114
.
In such a conventional hand dryer, since drops of water scattered from the hand are received into the water receiver and accumulated in the water-receiving cup
114
, a wall or a floor is not made dirty. However, there is a case in which a water receiver is not required depending upon use or a place such as an upper portion of a sink in a bathroom. In a narrow place, the water receiver becomes an obstacle, or the water receiver can not be mounted in some cases. Further, when the water receiver is made dirty, since the water receiver can not be washed whole, there is a problem in terms of hygienics and appearance.
Therefore, it is required that a user can freely attach and detach the water receiver depending upon place or use, and when the water receiver is made dirty, only the water receiver can be detached and washed whole.
When a retained-state releasing operation of the water receiver is carried out from outside of the side surface of the water receiver or from side front surface of the water receiver, a side wall hinders the operation and fingers can not move strongly and thus operability is inferior, and design of outward appearance is deteriorated. Thus, it is required that the retained-state releasing operation of the water receiver can easily be carried out without being influenced by the wall surface, and the outward appearance is not deteriorated.
If the water receiver is designed such that it can be detached from the body case, a connection portion between the water receiver and the body case becomes weak, rattling of front and rear portions of the water receiver becomes great, and there is an adverse possibility that the water receiver comes off and falls out.
Therefore, when the water receiver is designed such that it can be detachable from the body case, it is especially required that the rattle of the front and rear portions of the water receiver is not generated.
When the hand dryer is used in a state in which the water receiver is only retained to the body case, if a child tampers and applies a load to the water receiver, there is an adverse possibility that the retained state is released and the water receiver falls out.
Therefore, it is required that even when a slight load is applied to the water receiver, there is no adverse possibility that the water receiver comes off and falls out.
When opposite sides of the water-receiving cup
114
are held, since left and right rails are excessively separated from each other, it is difficult to fit the water-receiving cup
114
to the left and right rails at the same time, and the operability is inferior.
Therefore, it is required to enhance the attaching and detaching performance of the water-receiving cup without increasing costs and the number of assembling steps.
When a mounting position of the hand dryer body case is close to a receptacle and an excessive length of a power cord remains, the power cord encumbers, and the appearance of the mounting place is deteriorated.
Therefore, it is required that the remaining power cord can be dispose of so that the power cord does not encumber or deteriorate the landscape.
When water which was scattered at the time of use is drawn from an intake opening or water enters into the body case by condensation, the water is accumulated, which causes leakage or corrosion and affects an electrical component.
Therefore, it is required that even if water enters into the body case, the water is not accumulated in the body case and is discharged out, the electrical component is not adversely affected, and the discharged water does not drop onto the floor.
When the front case
102
is designed such that it can freely be opened and closed in view of service and construction work, a LED display portion must be provided on the side of the body case not on the side of the front case because a leadwire encumbers. However, when the front case
102
is opened and closed, if the front case or hand hits against the LED and legs of the LED fall, positions of a display hole and the LED are misaligned from each other.
Therefore, it is required that even when the front case
102
is opened and closed, positions of the display hole and the LED can be aligned to each other with small number of parts and small number of assembling steps.
The present invention has been achieved to solve such conventional problems, and it is an object of the invention to provide a hand dryer in which the hand dryer can be used in a state in which a user can freely attach and detach the water receiver depending upon place or use, and when the water receiver is made dirty, only the water receiver can be detached and washed whole.
It is another object of the invention to provide a hand dryer in which excessive power cord can be disposed of such that the excessive power cord does not encumber for use and the landscape is not deteriorated.
It is another object of the invention to provide a hand dryer in which even if water enters into the body case, the water is not accumulated in the body case, the water can be discharged out, an electrical component is not adversely affected, and discharged water does not fall onto the floor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a hand dryer in which even if a front case is opened and closed, the positions of a display hole and a LED are not deviated from each other, and in which there are small costs and a small number of assembling steps.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A hand dryer according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a body case provided therein with a blower means and at its lower surface with an air-blowing nozzle, and a water receiver disposed below the body case and forming a hand-inserting space between the body case and the water receiver, the water receiver is detachable with respect to the body case in a state in which the body case is disposed, the water receiver comprises a receiving portion which covers a lower front surface, a back surface which is connected to the receiving portion and which covers a wall su
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Bennett Henry
Matsushita Ecology Systems Co., Ltd.
Ragonese Andrea M.
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