Garment refreshing apparatus and method

Abstract

A garment refreshing system includes an enclosure having a top, a bottom, a sidewall, an air inlet and an air outlet, and a hook or other element on the top to facilitate hanging in a closet or other location. An electrical fan at the air inlet is operative to bring air into the enclosure and past the clothing to the air outlet, and a filter supported at the air outlet for collecting odors removed from the clothing: The preferred configuration further includes a support within the enclosure to receive clothing on hangers, and the sidewall includes a closable opening to place clothing into, and remove clothing from the enclosure. The use of a low-voltage D.C. fan, such as a 12-VDC fan, facilitates use in a vehicle. As a further option, a material associated with the air inlet to introduce a deodorizer or fragrance into the enclosure. For example, an absorbent material may be provided to receive a deodorizer or fragrance in liquid form.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates generally to garment cleaning and, in particular, to a system and method of removing odors from clothes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] There are times when a person's clothes may benefit from “cleaning” even though the garments are not technically “dirty.” For example, when clothes are exposed to cigarette smoke, fragrances, or the like, they may benefit from deodorizing while not justifying the high cost of dry cleaning. While garment refreshing sprays such as Fabrese™ do exist, they do not last that long, they should not be used on leather or delicate fabrics, the scent is not universally pleasing, and are tend to be expensive. [0003] Garment refreshing systems have been patented, but the apparatus tends to perform too many other functions, resulting in an expensive product. An example is the “clothes rejuvenator” described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,425. The system includes a blower-dryer and a vaporizer which are operable to ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] While a high-voltage A.C. fan may be used that plugs directly into a wall outlet, a low-voltage D.C. fan and power converter to transform A.C. line voltage to the low-voltage D.C. is preferred. The use of a low-voltage D.C. fan, such as a 12-VDC fan, for example, would also facilitate the use of a connector to operate the fan from an auxiliary power receptacle in a vehicle.

Problems solved by technology

There are times when a person's clothes may benefit from “cleaning” even though the garments are not technically “dirty.” For example, when clothes are exposed to cigarette smoke, fragrances, or the like, they may benefit from deodorizing while not justifying the high cost of dry cleaning.

While garment refreshing sprays such as Fabrese™ do exist, they do not last that long, they should not be used on leather or delicate fabrics, the scent is not universally pleasing, and are tend to be expensive.

Garment refreshing systems have been patented, but the apparatus tends to perform too many other functions, resulting in an expensive product.

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