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Clothes dryer with a drum seal

a technology of drum seals and clothes dryers, applied in the field of laundry treatment appliances, can solve the problems of resource waste and negative impact on drying tim

Inactive Publication Date: 2017-02-16
WHIRLPOOL CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a clothes dryer with a bulkhead and a drum with a lip around its edge. A seal is mounted around the lip to create a gap between its ends and the bulkhead. A variable shape spacer is inside the gap. The dryer is made of material that expands with heat, so the gap changes length and the spacer changes shape to fill the gap and prevent air from coming in. This helps to keep the dryer working efficiently.

Problems solved by technology

The loss of heated air through the interface can negatively impact the drying time and lead to resource waste.

Method used

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  • Clothes dryer with a drum seal
  • Clothes dryer with a drum seal
  • Clothes dryer with a drum seal

Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0011]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a household appliance in the form of a clothes dryer 10 according to a first embodiment. The clothes dryer 10 of the illustrated embodiment may include a cabinet 12 defined by a front wall 18, a rear wall 20, and a pair of side walls 22 and 28 supporting a top wall 24. A door 26 may be hingedly mounted to the front wall 18 and may be selectively moveable between opened and closed positions to close an opening in the front wall 18, which provides access to the interior of the cabinet. A control panel or user interface 16 may include one or more knobs, switches, displays, and the like for communicating with the user, such as to receive input and provide output.

[0012]The laundry treating appliance of FIG. 1 illustrated as a clothes dryer 10 is described and shown for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be limiting. The methods described herein may be used with any suitable laundry treating appliance and are not limited to use with clothes dr...

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PUM

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Abstract

An apparatus for sealing the drum of a clothes dryer comprising an attachment with a recess sized to receive the lip of a dryer drum to mount the seal about the lip and a seal element abutting the corresponding front or rear bulkhead wherein the length of the seal is such that when in place there remains an intervening gap in which a spacer capable of changing shape is located allowing the seal to expand and contract with thermal variations.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]Contemporary laundry treating appliances include clothes dryers that utilize a heating element, such as a gas or electric heater or a heat pump, to heat air forced through the clothes dryer to dry a load of washed clothes. Contemporary laundry treating appliances can also include condensing dryers. Traditionally, clothes dryers can include a cylindrical drum held between opposing bulkheads with a felt seal along the interface between the drum and to bulkheads to retain the heated air during the drying cycle. The loss of heated air through the interface can negatively impact the drying time and lead to resource waste.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION[0002]In one embodiment, the invention relates to a clothes dryer having at least one bulkhead, and a drum with a peripheral wall terminating in an edge having a circumferential lip defining an open end and proximate the at least one bulkhead. A seal having opposing ends and a wing, wherein the seal is mounted about the c...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): D06F58/04
CPCD06F58/04
Inventor SCHURR, DANIEL A.
Owner WHIRLPOOL CORP