Electric Towel Warmer With Integrated Wireless Speakers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric towel warmers lack a reliable and high-quality sound source for music playback in bathrooms, with limitations in sound power, speaker quality, and autonomy, and integrated AM/FM radios offer limited music selection and poor sound quality due to reception issues.

Innovation Solution

An electric towel warmer equipped with wireless speakers capable of communicating with smart devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, allowing users to select and stream audio content, with integrated speakers powered by the towel warmer's supply, enabling better sound quality and autonomy, and featuring a simplified control interface and optional USB charging.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a smart mobile phone or tablet is used as a sound source in the bathroom, then the user can access a wide range of music and audio content, but the sound power and speaker quality are very limited and the device is vulnerable to humidity and water splashing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemusic selectionVSAvoiddevice durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the speaker function from the smart device and integrates it into the electric towel warmer. The towel warmer includes a dedicated speaker system with audio input interface that can receive audio signals from external devices via auxiliary interface or Bluetooth, while the smart device itself remains outside the humid bathroom environment, thus protecting it from damage while still enabling music playback through the towel warmer's speaker.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If an AM/FM radio is integrated into the electric towel warmer, then there is no need to bring an additional device into the bathroom, but the user cannot choose their music, can only listen to radio stations, and the sound quality is average due to reception problems

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice integrationVSAvoidmusic selection
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the electric towel warmer multi-functional by integrating both heating/drying functions and audio playback functions. The speaker system can receive audio from multiple sources including auxiliary interface connections to smart devices and Bluetooth wireless connections, allowing users to play any audio content from their devices while keeping the radio functionality as just one possible input source rather than the only option.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If an AM/FM radio is integrated into the electric towel warmer, then there is no need to bring an additional device into the bathroom, but the sound quality is average due to reception problems

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice integrationVSAvoidsound quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the traditional AM/FM radio reception system with a modern digital audio transmission system. Instead of using antenna-based radio wave reception which suffers from signal quality issues, the system uses auxiliary audio interfaces or Bluetooth wireless technology to transmit digital audio signals directly from the user's smart device to the towel warmer's speaker, eliminating reception problems and significantly improving sound quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Reliability

If wireless speakers are integrated into the electric towel warmer and powered by its electrical supply, then the sound quality and autonomy are improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveautonomyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the speaker system with the existing electric towel warmer infrastructure. The speaker uses the towel warmer's existing electrical power supply instead of requiring a separate power source, and the audio input interface integrates with the towel warmer's control system. This combination approach adds audio functionality while minimizing the increase in overall system complexity by reusing existing components and infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Provides improved sound quality and user control over audio content, eliminating the need for external devices and enhancing bathroom comfort with integrated, aesthetically pleasing, and autonomously powered speakers.

Implementation Method 1

A heater of the electric towel dryer type is used both to heat a room of the bathroom type but also to dry the towels placed on it, thanks to the heat given off by the electric towel dryer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 2

the loudspeaker or loudspeakers being able to be controlled remotely by the intelligent electronic device in the case of wireless loudspeakers

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectroacoustic transduction:

Data Source

PatentEP3078314B1Electric towel drier comprising one or more loudspeakers
Publication Date: 2018.08.01 ATLANTIC IND
  • EP3078314B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3078314B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The subject of the present invention is an electric towel rail (1) characterized in that it carries one or more loudspeakers (4) capable of communicating with an intelligent electronic device of the smartphone or tablet type in order to broadcast audio content emitted by the intelligent electronic device, the loudspeaker or loudspeakers (4) being supplied with power by the electrical supply of the electric towel rail (1).