Appliance with a support rack having a plurality of support elements

Abstract

A support rack for an appliance such as a laundry dryer includes a plurality of support elements that are designed to hold items at least partially above a main support surface of the rack. The support elements may be movably mounted on the rack so that they can be moved between stowed and deployed positions. The ends of the support elements may have configurations that are designed to securely hold items, such as delicate clothing items. Holders on either the rack or the support elements, or on both, could hold the support elements in stowed and deployed positions. In some instances, the support elements may also be removably mounted on holders on the rack.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Many laundry dryers are now equipped with a removable drying rack that can be installed in the interior of the dryer. Although the dryer may include a rotating drum that rotates as the dryer operates, the drying rack is mounted in the interior of the dryer so that it does not rotate with the drum. Instead, the rack remains stationary inside the rotating drum.[0002]The rack is designed to support delicate clothing items that might be damaged if they were allowed to tumble inside the dryer as the dryer operates. Once the laundry items have been placed on the stationary drying rack, the dryer operates normally, with the drum rotating and with a flow of heated dry air circulating through the interior of the dryer. The heated dry air passing over the items on the drying rack dries the items much more rapidly than if the items were simply allowed to air dry.[0003]The rack itself can be made from a wire mesh, or from synthetic materials that have been molde...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]The support elements may be coupled to the rack via detent mechanisms whic

Problems solved by technology

Some laundry items include metal or plastic clasps or hooks that can harm other items when they are all tumbled together in a rotating drum of a dryer.

However, many such items do not easily remain stationary when placed on a drying rack.

Although a drying rack as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is helpful in drying larger items, smaller items such as lingerie are in danger of falling through the apertures in the rack.

In addition, if the user wishes to dry multiple delicate items at the same time, and all of the multiple items are placed on the rack at the same time, they often end up piled on top of each other, which makes it more difficult for the flow of drying air to effectively dry the items.

In addition to those problems, some items, such as shoes, may be difficult to place on the drying rack so that the flow of air passing through the interior of the drum passes through the items to effectively and quickly dry the items.

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