Machine for the rapid drying of crockery, cutlery, glasses and similar objects

Abstract: The present invention concerns a machine for the rapid drying of crockery, cutlery, glasses, and similar objects using the passage of a drying material. Inside of a body or housing there is included a loading plate (11) for the objects to be dried; a tank (13) of drying material; and some ducting (14) for the conveying and blowing of the drying material from the tank to the objects on the said loading plate from different directions.

Description: The present invention concerns a machine for the drying of crockery, cutlery, glasses and similar objects after they have been washed in a washing machine. Machines for drying and polishing crockery, glasses and similar objects have already been proposed. Some machines use a flow of heat air as a drying vehicle. For example, the document EP-A-0 599 048 discloses an apparatus for treating and storing dishes including drying means consisting of at least an air heating element, a fan for circulating the heated-up air, and a conduit accommodating said heating element and conveying the air into a dish receptacle through an outflow injector. Other known machines employ a granular drying material. It is the case of the document JP-05 261 059 which discloses a method and device for drying and polishing tableware by means of elastic or granular material consisting of a soft synthetic resin. This material is placed in a vessel; the tableware is suspended or supported in that vessel; the granular material is moved by an air flow to form a fluidised bed of material which comes in collision with the surface of the objects for drying them. Also, a machine has already been proposed for the drying and polishing of cutlery wherein these objects are sent to or placed directly in a quantity of drying material and moved mechanically with respect to the material itself for a sufficient process time. The drying material then remains in contact with the cutlery until the end of the drying process and their removal, and are removed and substituted when exhausted. The objective problem underlying the present application is to provide a machine for the rapid drying of crockery, cutlery, glasses and similar objects, wherein the loading and unloading of the objects is carried out in a rapid manner. This aim is achieved with a machine for the drying of crockery, cutlery, glasses and similar items in accordance with claim 1. The blowing can be regulated in such a way that the impact of the drying material on the objects is both light and has no adverse effects on more delicate parts, while ensuring the efficiency of the drying treatment without leaving undesirable marks. The attached design illustrates schematically, in one figure, a purely indicative example of a system utilising this invention. In the said design, the body or housing of the machine is shown as (10), inside of which there is provided a loading plate (11) destined to receive the objects to be dried (12), and a tank (13) destined to contain a granular drying material of the above mentioned type, for example. The loading plate (11) is of a rotary type in order to receive the objects (12) from an entry aperture and transfer them to an outlet aperture - not illustrated-. The drying material tank (13) can be positioned at the bottom, under the loading plate (11). From the tank (13), there extends some ducting (14) to transport the drying material to the objects to be dried, directed onto them from above and below. The conveying of the drying material along the ducting is effected pneumatically, for example by means of fans (15) connected to this ducting. Between the tank (13) and the ducting (14) there can be inserted metering devices (16) to vary and regulate the flow of drying material onto the objects. In practice, the objects, the crockery, cutlery, glasses, etc., which are located on, or moved with, the loading plate, are impacted by the blown drying material, so being dried, while the material falls back to be reused continuously until it is exhausted.

Claims: A machine for the rapid drying of crockery, cutlery, glasses and similar objects using a granular drying material, such as fragments of corncobs or similar, comprising inside a body or housing (10): a loading plate (11) for the objects to be dried; a tank (13) for holding the granular drying material; and ducting means (14) for a pneumatic conveying of the granular drying material from said tank (13) onto the objects on said loading plate (11), and said body or housing (10) having an entry aperture to put the objects on the loading plate characterized in that said body or housing (10) further comprise an outlet aperture to remove said objects from said loading plate (11), and said loading plate (11) is rotatable in order to carry the objects from the entry aperture to the outlet aperture of said body or housing (10). The machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ducting means (14) are attached to at least one fan (15) and designed to convey and blow the granular drying material towards the objects to be dried from different directions and at different levels with respect to the rotating loading plate. The machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein metering devices are provided between the tank (13) and conveying ducting means (14) for regulating the delivery flow of the granular drying material towards the objects on said rotating loading plate.

Inventors: ROLFI EMILIO, ROLFI, EMILIO
Applicants: HYPPOCAMPUS SRL, HYPPOCAMPUS S.R.L.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A47L19
IPC codes: A47L19