Device for dryer applied textile conditioners

[57] ABSTRACT

A device for dryer applied textile conditioners and for a clothes dryer comprising a suction cup having associated therewith the fabric conditioning material. The conditioning material is physically attached to the suction cup and may be in the form of a rod, tube or sheet.

Claims, 4 Drawing Figures

<img file="US3736668A_D0001.tif" />

PATENTED JUN 51973

3.736,668

FIG. I

<img file="US3736668A_D0002.tif" />

<img file="US3736668A_D0003.tif" />

3,736,668

DEVICE FOR DRYER APPLIED TEXTILE CONDITIONERS

This invention relates to a device for facilitating the transfer of a fabric conditioning material to clothes while they are tumbling in an automatic dryer.

Various types of fabric conditioning material have been devised such as starches, fabric softeners, fresheners, brighteners, as well as other materials which beneficially affect the texture and condition of various types of fabrics. However, it has been discovered that most, if not all, of the fabric conditioning materials must be applied to the clothes while the fabric conditioning material is in a solid state since the application of fabric conditioning material in a liquid state often results in spotting. Devices such as fabric or paper dry coated with a fabric conditioning material have been utilized by insertion in a clothes dryer during operation. However, the inclusion of the material directly with the clothes has its limitations since the fabric or paper substrate may roll into a ball or may become permanently entangled with a particular garment so that only a small portion of the clothes receive any effects of the conditioning material.

The present invention provides means for mounting a fabric conditioner on the door or other flat inner surface of a clothes dryer in a manner so as to be readily engageable by any and all of the clothes by the tumbling action and which may be readily replaced as necessary.

The concept of this invention features the use of suction cup to hold a rigid substrate to the door of a clothes dryer which is usually a glass window or of flat smooth enamel finish thereby allowing the clothing being tumbled to wipe across its surface during rotation of the clothes dryer drum with a resulting transfer of the fabric conditioning material to the clothes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for a suction cup which has coated thereon a suitable fabric conditioner and which may be easily attached and detached from an inner metal surface of a clothes dryer.

Yet another object of the invention resides in the provision of a suction cup which is impregnated with the fabric conditioner.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of a device for attaching a rigid cylinder, rod or sheet of fabric conditioner to a suction cup for transference to clothes being dried in a clothes dryer.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of suction cup means for positioning fabric conditioner in a dryer which are simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture by mass production methods, and which can be easily used by a housewife in a conventional household clothes dryer.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the present invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by these devices for dryer applied textile conditioners, preferred embodiments of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view through a portion of a clothes dryer showing an embodiment of the invention attached to the door of the clothes dryer;

FIG. 2 is a sectional detail view, in an enlarged scale of the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail view showing another embodiment of the invention; and,

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of an additional form of the invention.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate a clothes dryer having a housing 12 provided with a door 14, shown as of glass. The device generally indicated by reference numeral 18 and comprising the present invention is adapted to be mounted. The device 18 includes a suction cup 20 of rubber or the like provided with a body 22 preferably cylindrical in cross section and having a circumferential rib 24 thereabouts wellspaced from the end 26. The body 22 of the suction cup 20 may be impregnated with the fabric conditioning material which may be any of the various starches, softeners, brighteners, fresheners, or the like, or the material, similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,692. An outer coating of fabric conditioning material may be coated on substantially all of the surface of the suction cup 20 and body 22.

A rigid tube 26, preferably of cardboard, is impregnated or coated with fabric conditioning material and is force-fitted over rib 24 to firmly secure the tube on the body 20. In use, with the device 18 mounted on door 14 of the dryer drum 16, the tumbling clothes will successively wipe against the fabric conditioning material impregnated or coated on the suction cup 20, body 22, or tube 26 and be beneficially affected thereby.

Referring now to the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, it will be seen that herein the suction cup 32 has a body 34 provided with a recess 36 therein. A solid rigid rod 38, preferably of fabric conditioning material or coated or impregnated with fabric conditioning material is force-fitted in the recess 36. The rod 38 extends inwardly of the drum and is readily engageable between tumbling clothes.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a suction cup 40 is detachably secured to the flat door surface 14 and has a bifurcated mounting body 42 integral therewith. The mounting body includes opposed jaws 44 and 46 designed to receive a rigid sheet 48 of fabric conditioning material or a sheet coated or impregnated with fabric conditioning material. The sheet is adapted to extend into the drum 16 and be wiped by the tumbling clothes. The sheet 48 is removably clampingly held between the jaws 46 and 48.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features.