Patent ID: 7594343
Filing Date: 2009-09-29
Classification: D06F

Abstract:
1. A method of drying clothes in a clothes dryer comprising a clothes chamber for receiving clothes, an air supply system for directing air through the clothes chamber, and a heater for heating the air supplied by the air supply system, the method comprising: energizing the heater between a lower limit trip point temperature and an upper limit trip point temperature, which is higher than the lower limit trip point temperature, to define an ON state, with the lower limit trip point temperature defining a heater reset condition and the upper limit trip point temperature defining a heater trip condition; deenergizing the heater between the upper limit trip point temperature and the lower limit trip point temperature to define an OFF state; cycling the heater between the ON state and the OFF state to supply heat to the clothes chamber; determining a heater off time corresponding to the duration of the heater in the OFF state by determining the time between the heater trip condition and the heater reset condition; and calculating a drying time based on the heater off time.