Patent ID: 6715216
Filing Date: 2004-04-06
Classification: D06F

Abstract:
A clothes dryer comprising a chamber having an inlet and an outlet; a basket rotatable in the chamber, the basket including openings to allow air to flow through the basket; a heater which delivers heated air through the chamber inlet to the chamber; and a blower which forces air to pass through the inlet, the basket, and out the outlet; the improvement comprising a fire suppression system; the fire detection and suppression system comprising:a controller; at least one temperature detector adjacent said chamber, said temperature detector being operatively connected to said controller to send a temperature signal to said controller, said temperature signal being indicative of a temperature of said chamber; said controller detecting the presence of a fire condition based on the signals from said temperature detector; a source of a fire suppressing substance, a pathway to deliver said fire suppressing substance to said basket, and a valve in said pathway; said valve being moveable between a closed position in which said fire suppressing substance is prevented from entering the basket and an open position in which said fire suppression substance can be introduced into said basket; said valve being operatively connected to said controller; said controller opening said valve when a fire condition is detected for a time sufficient to introduce a predetermined volume of said fire suppressing substance into said basket.