US20080235978A1 - Self-cleaning lint collector - Google Patents
Self-cleaning lint collector Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080235978A1 US20080235978A1 US12/006,881 US688108A US2008235978A1 US 20080235978 A1 US20080235978 A1 US 20080235978A1 US 688108 A US688108 A US 688108A US 2008235978 A1 US2008235978 A1 US 2008235978A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- lint
- screen
- frame
- collector according
- lint collector
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 title description 2
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007790 scraping Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F58/00—Domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/20—General details of domestic laundry dryers
- D06F58/22—Lint collecting arrangements
Abstract
A lint collector for a dryer in which clothes are dried by heated air supplied to a rotating drum. The lint collector is made of a frame, a tubular screen rotatably mounted in the frame, a device for rotating the screen in the frame and an element attached to the frame for removing lint from the screen as the screen
Description
- This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application 60/919,973 filed Mar. 26, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates to clothes dryers, and more particularly lint collectors utilized in such cloths dryers.
- Virtually all clothes dryers have a lint collector provided to trap lint from clothing so as to prevent the lint from accumulating in the exhaust duct of the dryer. The lint collectors are traditionally a screen or mesh material which allows air to pass through while trapping the lint on one side of the screen or mesh. The problem with these conventional prior art lint collectors is that they become blocked and clogged with lint fairly quickly. Furthermore, it is common for the dryer users to overlook cleaning the lint collector. This results in making the drying procedure very inefficient in that the airflow is reduced which necessitates that the dryer operate for a longer period of time in order to dry a load of clothing.
- Some examples of prior art lint filters and related components can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,720,925; 4,638,573; 5,675,908; 3,959,891; and 5,463,820. There are also a number of prior art systems for detecting when the lint screen is full of lint. One such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,186, which uses air flow sensors for triggering an alarm when the filter is clogged with lint.
- There are also prior art devices for removing lint from a lint screen, as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,464. This device is completely separate from the dryer and requires the lint screen to be removed from the dryer and then inserted into a slot which has components for scraping the lint off of the screen.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,409 discloses an automatic lint screen cleaner and storage system. It is provided between the exhaust air outlet and the discharge port in the back of the dryer.
- Another lint screen cleaner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,170.
- Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lint collector which addresses the problems of the prior art, particularly the clogging of the filter and subsequent loss of drying efficiency.
- Pursuant to this object, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one aspect of the present invention resides in a lint collector for a dryer, having a tubular screen mounted in a frame so as to rotate about an axis. The rotation can take place intermittently or continuously. Preferably the rotation is carried out mechanically by a spring-wound mechanism, similar to an egg timer, for example. However, the rotation can be provided by an electric motor.
- A comb like scoop or scraper is arranged adjacent to the screen's surface so that as the screen rotates the lint which has collected on the surface of the screen is scraped therefrom.
- This rotation of the tubular screen allows a clear screen to be present in the airflow through the dryer basket which results in a substantial reduction of drying time which in turns results in reduced cost and wear on the dryer itself.
- In another embodiment of the invention, the frame forms a chamber for holding lint removed from the screen. Furthermore, the frame is configured to be insertable into an air duct in the vicinity of the dryer door.
- In still another embodiment of an invention, the frame has two end plates connected together by an elongate base with two side walls that extend between the end plates. The side walls are spaced from one another so as to form an opening through which lint removed from the screen can pass.
- The lint removing element extends between the two end plates so that there is an opening between the element and one of the side walls, into which opening the lint can enter once scraped from the screen.
- Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inventive lint collector; -
FIG. 2 shows the lint collector being mounted in a cloths dryer; and -
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the lint collector. - As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 3 , the inventive lint collector has a frame 1 in which atubular screen 2 is rotatably mounted. At one end of the frame is aknob 3 connected to a spring mechanism 4. Rotating theknob 3 loads the spring mechanism 4, which in turn drives thetubular screen 2. Thetubular screen 2 rotates slowly during dyer operation so that at least a portion of clear screen is moved into the airflow of the dryer at least periodically during operation of the dryer. Thescreen 2 is rotatable about aspindle 11. - It is beneficial to have a comb or
scraper 5 arranged adjacent to the surface of the tubular screen 4 for removing lint from the outer surface of the screen as it passes by thescraper 5. Once the lint is removed from thescreen 2 the clean screen section is once again available for rotation into the airflow of the dryer. The lint scraped from the screen surface passes throughopenings 6 between the frame and thescraper 5 can be collected either in the frame or in a larger receptacle provided beneath the frame. -
FIG. 2 illustrates the mounting of the lint collector in aclothes dryer 7. Theclothes dryer 7 has adoor 8 which closes a door opening 9. In the edge of theopening 9 is anopening 10 for an air duct via which air passes out of the interior of theclothes dryer 7. The frame 1 of the inventive lint collector is configured to mount in theopening 10 so that air passing through the interior of the clothes dryer must pass through thetubular screen 2 as it exits into theopening 10 and the subsequent air passage out of the dryer. - To operate the illustrated embodiment, one needs to turn the
knob 3 to load the screen mechanism 4. This can be done by removing the lint collector from theopening 10 or, if appropriately designed, the knob can be turned while the lint collector is mounted in theopening 10. In either case, once the spring mechanism is loaded the screen begins to rotate. At this point, thedoor 8 to theclothes dryer 7 is closed and the dryer is turned on so that hot air circulates through the dryer, the tubular screen and the outlet duct. As previously mentioned, the spring loaded mechanism can be replaced with an electric motor tied to the electrical supply of the dryer itself. In this instance, it is preferable to have a switch connected in the electrical circuit of the motor. The switch would be arranged in the door opening 9 so that when thedoor 8 is closed, the circuit is also closed and the motor would turn thetubular screen 2. - Additionally, instead of a hard-wired motor, it is feasible to provide a battery operated motor so that the lint collector could be used to retrofit older dryers that are not wired for powering a motor in the lint collector.
- In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1 , the bottom of the frame forms a chamber which forms abox 12 for collecting lint removed from thescreen 2. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 3 , the bottom of the frame 1 can be open so that a separate lint collecting element can be attached to the frame to collect lint removed from the screen. - Furthermore, in the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 1 , the frame 1 hasend plates 13 that are connected together byside walls 14. - Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited but by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
Claims (14)
1. A lint collector for a dryer in which clothes are dried by heated air supplied to a rotating drum, the lint collector, comprising:
a frame;
a tubular screen rotatably mounted in the frame;
a device for rotating the screen in the frame; and
an element attached to the frame for removing lint from the screen as the screen rotates.
2. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the device for rotating the screen is a spring-wound mechanism arranged at one end of the screen and having a knob operative to load the spring of the mechanism.
3. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the frame forms a chamber for holding lint removed from the screen.
4. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the device for rotating the screen is an electric motor.
5. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the frame is configured to be removably insertable into a air duct of the dryer in a vicinity of a dryer door.
6. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the screen is rotatable about a horizontal axis.
7. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the frame has two end plates connected together by an elongate base.
8. The lint collector according to claim 7 , wherein the base has two side walls that extend between the end plates.
9. The lint collector according to claim 8 , wherein the side walls are spaced from one another so as to form an opening through which lint removed from the screen can pass.
10. The lint collector according to claim 8 , wherein the lint removing element extends between the two end plates so as to leave an opening between the element and one of the side walls.
11. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the lint removing element is a wiper arranged to separate lint from the screen.
12. The lint collector according to claim 1 , wherein the lint removing element is a comb.
13. The lint collector according to claim 4 , wherein the electric motor is battery operated.
14. A clothes dryer comprising a cabinet having a drum therein for tumbling a clothing load and a blower for circulating heated air through the clothes to an airflow passage arranged at an edge of a door opening in the cabinet, and a lint collector having a frame, a tubular screen rotatably mounted in the frame, a device for rotating the screen in the frame, and an element attached to the frame for removing lint from the screen as the screen rotates, the lint collector being removably mounted in the airflow passage in an edge region of the door opening.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/006,881 US20080235978A1 (en) | 2007-03-26 | 2008-01-07 | Self-cleaning lint collector |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US91997307P | 2007-03-26 | 2007-03-26 | |
US12/006,881 US20080235978A1 (en) | 2007-03-26 | 2008-01-07 | Self-cleaning lint collector |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20080235978A1 true US20080235978A1 (en) | 2008-10-02 |
Family
ID=39791876
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/006,881 Abandoned US20080235978A1 (en) | 2007-03-26 | 2008-01-07 | Self-cleaning lint collector |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20080235978A1 (en) |
Cited By (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060218817A1 (en) * | 2005-03-31 | 2006-10-05 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Laundry drier |
US20090071030A1 (en) * | 2005-03-31 | 2009-03-19 | Lg Electronics, Inc. | Laundry dryer |
EP2177661A1 (en) | 2010-01-26 | 2010-04-21 | V-Zug AG | Household appliance, in particular laundry dryer |
US20100146804A1 (en) * | 2008-12-17 | 2010-06-17 | Seung Phyo Ahn | Dryer and foreign material removing apparatus thereof |
DE102008062434A1 (en) * | 2008-12-17 | 2010-07-01 | Ip Ag | Lint filtering device for fitting into exhaust air flow of laundry dryer, has stripping device that is in contact with drum, so that surface of drum is freed from deposited lint by relative motion of drum and stripping device |
EP2226421A1 (en) | 2010-01-26 | 2010-09-08 | V-Zug AG | Household appliance, in particular laundry dryer |
US7886458B2 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2011-02-15 | G.A. Braun Inc. | Lint collection apparatus and system for fabric dryers |
US7958651B2 (en) * | 2006-05-19 | 2011-06-14 | Maniha Allan M | Clothes dryer rake |
US20110173834A1 (en) * | 2008-07-14 | 2011-07-21 | Electrolux Home Products Corporation, N.V. | Laundry Drying Machine with Vibrating Fluff Filter |
CN105780428A (en) * | 2015-10-21 | 2016-07-20 | 李宏江 | Blockage-free clothes dryer cloth fluff blocking device |
US20170037560A1 (en) * | 2014-04-17 | 2017-02-09 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Dryer for clothes |
US20180030645A1 (en) * | 2016-08-01 | 2018-02-01 | Haier Us Appliance Solutions, Inc. | Filter assembly for a dryer appliance |
WO2020077801A1 (en) * | 2018-10-15 | 2020-04-23 | 广东美的白色家电技术创新中心有限公司 | Filter screen component, base assembly, clothes dryer, and washing and drying integrated machine |
DE102022114458A1 (en) | 2022-06-09 | 2023-12-14 | Miele & Cie. Kg | Filter device, cleaning device, method for operating a filter device and control device for operating a filter device |
Citations (20)
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US2594456A (en) * | 1948-10-16 | 1952-04-29 | Hoover Co | Vacuum cleaner |
US2821583A (en) * | 1956-04-12 | 1958-01-28 | Leo L Kielman | Intervalometer |
US2886900A (en) * | 1955-04-15 | 1959-05-19 | Murray Corp | Drier lint collector |
US3959891A (en) * | 1974-12-30 | 1976-06-01 | Whirlpool Corporation | Removable lint screen assembly for a dryer |
US4314409A (en) * | 1980-02-06 | 1982-02-09 | Whirlpool Corporation | Automatic lint screen cleaner and storage system for dryer |
US4462170A (en) * | 1982-05-21 | 1984-07-31 | Whirlpool Corporation | Sump for lint screen cleaner and storage system for a dryer |
US4638573A (en) * | 1984-11-09 | 1987-01-27 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Lint and raveling collector for clothes dryer |
US4653200A (en) * | 1986-03-05 | 1987-03-31 | Whirlpool Corporation | Lint screen shield assembly for a dryer |
US4700492A (en) * | 1986-02-05 | 1987-10-20 | Whirlpool Corporation | Air actuated automatic lint screen cleaning system for dryer |
US4720925A (en) * | 1986-12-22 | 1988-01-26 | Whirlpool Corporation | Lint filter housing for a dryer |
US5463820A (en) * | 1992-09-14 | 1995-11-07 | La Rue; Len | Lint filter |
US5497563A (en) * | 1994-05-05 | 1996-03-12 | Charles D. Johnson | Dryer apparatus |
US5675908A (en) * | 1996-10-28 | 1997-10-14 | Barnes; Paul S. | Clothes dryer lint receptacle |
US5701684A (en) * | 1993-09-15 | 1997-12-30 | Fisher & Paykel Limited | Lint collector for clothes drier |
US5706588A (en) * | 1996-08-13 | 1998-01-13 | General Electric Company | Device and method for separating lint particles in a clothes dryer |
US6662464B2 (en) * | 2002-02-15 | 2003-12-16 | Daniel Mark Treu | Method and apparatus for cleaning dryer lint screens |
US20040143994A1 (en) * | 2002-04-22 | 2004-07-29 | The Proctor & Gamble Company | Fabric article treating apparatus with safety device and controller |
US6971186B1 (en) * | 2004-02-11 | 2005-12-06 | Chin Tj | Lint filter assembly for use in a dryer |
US20060201014A1 (en) * | 2005-03-14 | 2006-09-14 | Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. | Household clothes drying machine with improved lint filter |
US20070107251A1 (en) * | 2005-11-16 | 2007-05-17 | Bsh Bosch Und Siemens Hausgerate Gmbh | Device for drying laundry by means of a current of air |
-
2008
- 2008-01-07 US US12/006,881 patent/US20080235978A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (20)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2594456A (en) * | 1948-10-16 | 1952-04-29 | Hoover Co | Vacuum cleaner |
US2886900A (en) * | 1955-04-15 | 1959-05-19 | Murray Corp | Drier lint collector |
US2821583A (en) * | 1956-04-12 | 1958-01-28 | Leo L Kielman | Intervalometer |
US3959891A (en) * | 1974-12-30 | 1976-06-01 | Whirlpool Corporation | Removable lint screen assembly for a dryer |
US4314409A (en) * | 1980-02-06 | 1982-02-09 | Whirlpool Corporation | Automatic lint screen cleaner and storage system for dryer |
US4462170A (en) * | 1982-05-21 | 1984-07-31 | Whirlpool Corporation | Sump for lint screen cleaner and storage system for a dryer |
US4638573A (en) * | 1984-11-09 | 1987-01-27 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Lint and raveling collector for clothes dryer |
US4700492A (en) * | 1986-02-05 | 1987-10-20 | Whirlpool Corporation | Air actuated automatic lint screen cleaning system for dryer |
US4653200A (en) * | 1986-03-05 | 1987-03-31 | Whirlpool Corporation | Lint screen shield assembly for a dryer |
US4720925A (en) * | 1986-12-22 | 1988-01-26 | Whirlpool Corporation | Lint filter housing for a dryer |
US5463820A (en) * | 1992-09-14 | 1995-11-07 | La Rue; Len | Lint filter |
US5701684A (en) * | 1993-09-15 | 1997-12-30 | Fisher & Paykel Limited | Lint collector for clothes drier |
US5497563A (en) * | 1994-05-05 | 1996-03-12 | Charles D. Johnson | Dryer apparatus |
US5706588A (en) * | 1996-08-13 | 1998-01-13 | General Electric Company | Device and method for separating lint particles in a clothes dryer |
US5675908A (en) * | 1996-10-28 | 1997-10-14 | Barnes; Paul S. | Clothes dryer lint receptacle |
US6662464B2 (en) * | 2002-02-15 | 2003-12-16 | Daniel Mark Treu | Method and apparatus for cleaning dryer lint screens |
US20040143994A1 (en) * | 2002-04-22 | 2004-07-29 | The Proctor & Gamble Company | Fabric article treating apparatus with safety device and controller |
US6971186B1 (en) * | 2004-02-11 | 2005-12-06 | Chin Tj | Lint filter assembly for use in a dryer |
US20060201014A1 (en) * | 2005-03-14 | 2006-09-14 | Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. | Household clothes drying machine with improved lint filter |
US20070107251A1 (en) * | 2005-11-16 | 2007-05-17 | Bsh Bosch Und Siemens Hausgerate Gmbh | Device for drying laundry by means of a current of air |
Cited By (20)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20090071030A1 (en) * | 2005-03-31 | 2009-03-19 | Lg Electronics, Inc. | Laundry dryer |
US7694434B2 (en) * | 2005-03-31 | 2010-04-13 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Laundry drier |
US8104192B2 (en) * | 2005-03-31 | 2012-01-31 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Laundry dryer |
US20060218817A1 (en) * | 2005-03-31 | 2006-10-05 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Laundry drier |
US7958651B2 (en) * | 2006-05-19 | 2011-06-14 | Maniha Allan M | Clothes dryer rake |
US7886458B2 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2011-02-15 | G.A. Braun Inc. | Lint collection apparatus and system for fabric dryers |
US8919006B2 (en) * | 2008-07-14 | 2014-12-30 | Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. | Laundry drying machine with vibrating fluff filter |
US20110173834A1 (en) * | 2008-07-14 | 2011-07-21 | Electrolux Home Products Corporation, N.V. | Laundry Drying Machine with Vibrating Fluff Filter |
DE102008062434A1 (en) * | 2008-12-17 | 2010-07-01 | Ip Ag | Lint filtering device for fitting into exhaust air flow of laundry dryer, has stripping device that is in contact with drum, so that surface of drum is freed from deposited lint by relative motion of drum and stripping device |
US20100146804A1 (en) * | 2008-12-17 | 2010-06-17 | Seung Phyo Ahn | Dryer and foreign material removing apparatus thereof |
US9217220B2 (en) * | 2008-12-17 | 2015-12-22 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Dryer and foreign material removing apparatus thereof |
EP2226421A1 (en) | 2010-01-26 | 2010-09-08 | V-Zug AG | Household appliance, in particular laundry dryer |
EP2177661A1 (en) | 2010-01-26 | 2010-04-21 | V-Zug AG | Household appliance, in particular laundry dryer |
US20170037560A1 (en) * | 2014-04-17 | 2017-02-09 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Dryer for clothes |
US9896797B2 (en) * | 2014-04-17 | 2018-02-20 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Dryer for clothes |
CN105780428A (en) * | 2015-10-21 | 2016-07-20 | 李宏江 | Blockage-free clothes dryer cloth fluff blocking device |
US20180030645A1 (en) * | 2016-08-01 | 2018-02-01 | Haier Us Appliance Solutions, Inc. | Filter assembly for a dryer appliance |
US10280552B2 (en) * | 2016-08-01 | 2019-05-07 | Haier Us Appliance Solutions, Inc. | Filter assembly for a dryer appliance |
WO2020077801A1 (en) * | 2018-10-15 | 2020-04-23 | 广东美的白色家电技术创新中心有限公司 | Filter screen component, base assembly, clothes dryer, and washing and drying integrated machine |
DE102022114458A1 (en) | 2022-06-09 | 2023-12-14 | Miele & Cie. Kg | Filter device, cleaning device, method for operating a filter device and control device for operating a filter device |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |