Abstract:
A portable dryer for in situ drying multiple pairs of relatively small articles of apparel having a blower and heater for forcing air into a pair of attached oppositely directed manifolds, each with discharge ports and adjacent support members for the articles to be dried. One of the manifolds is attached by a quick-release slotted connection for assembly and removal without tools. In preparation for transport, the user removes, inverts and stacks the one manifold on the opposite manifold reducing the volume of bag or enclosure required for one person transport.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to forced air dryers of the type employed for drying skates, boots and gloves, or other relatively small articles of apparel where it is required to dry multiple pairs of such articles of apparel on site where the articles are being worn by the user. In particular, it has been desired to provide a portable dryer which can be readily carried by one person and utilized on site as, for example, hockey or ski teams travelling progressively to different locations on an overnight itinerary. 
         [0002]    Heretofore, portable dryers available for skates, boots and gloves and the like have been of the type designed for drying an individual pair of such items and, thus, a multiple number of dryers was required to dry a number of such items; or, if only a single dryer was available, for the items to be dried serially. 
         [0003]    Thus, it has been desired to provide a convenient, lightweight and readily transportable forced air dryer for drying a multiple number of pairs of articles such as skates, boots and gloves which can be readily transported by one person. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present disclosure describes a portable forced air dryer which is capable of drying multiple pairs of articles such as skates, boots or gloves and the like on a pair of oppositely directed air discharge manifolds, each with a plurality of spaced air discharge ports and having an article support member associated with each air discharge port. One of the manifolds is assembled to a blower discharge plenum with a quick-release connection that is operable to maintain the manifold inlet port in connection with discharge ports on the plenum. 
         [0005]    The disclosed and illustrated version shows the releasable manifold attached to the plenum by brackets having open slots permitting assembly without tools for engaging lugs on the plenum. Inclined or cam surfaces are provided in the slots for causing the weight of the manifolds to urge the manifold into contact with the plenum for communication of the manifold inlet with the plenum discharge ports. 
         [0006]    In preparation for transport, the one plenum may be quickly released by the user without any tools and may be inverted and assembled over the opposite manifold to minimize the volume of the dryer for bagging or placement in a transport enclosure to permit portability by one person to locations for drying multiple pairs of articles in situ by the users. The removal and inverted stacking of the one manifold onto the other manifold substantially reduces the volume of the blower to enable transport by a single person. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the dryer assembly of the present disclosure; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the dryer of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the dryer of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the dryer of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a left end elevation view of the dryer of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a right end elevation view of the dryer of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a rear elevation view of the dryer of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged portion of a perspective view of the dryer of  FIG. 1  illustrating the quick-release manifold in a removed position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a view similar to  FIG. 8  illustrating the quick-release manifold in the installed position connected to the plenum housing; 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the dryer of  FIG. 1  with the blower housing and quick-release manifold removed, with a portion of the plenum housing broken away to show the heater; 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is a view similar to  FIG. 10  from the opposite end illustrating the plenum housing discharge ports; and, 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the dryer of  FIG. 1  with the quick-release manifold removed, inverted and stacked on the opposite manifold in preparation for transport. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the assembled dryer of the present disclosure is indicated generally at  10  and has a blower housing  12  which contains a motorized blower  14  (see  FIGS. 10 and 11 ) which is mounted on a plenum housing  16  such that the blower  14  discharges air into the plenum chamber within housing  16 . The blower housing  12  includes a plurality of louvers  20  which provide for air intake to the blower  14 . 
         [0020]    If desired, the plenum housing  16  may contain a heating element  19  (see  FIG. 10 ) which, along with the blower  14 , is connectable to a source of electrical power by power lead  18  also shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 11 , the plenum housing  16  has on opposite sides thereof, a plurality of air discharge ports  22  located thereon so as to provide forced air to the manifolds as will hereinafter be described. It will be understood that although the discharge ports  22  are shown on one side of the plenum housing  16  in  FIG. 11  that a similar set of discharge ports is provided on the opposite side of the plenum housing  16 . 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-7 ,  10  and  11 , a pair of fixed discharge manifolds  24 ,  26  are disposed to extend outwardly from the distal side of the plenum housing  16  in  FIG. 1  and the left side of housing  16  in  FIGS. 2-4 ,  7  and  11  and the right side in  FIG. 10 . The pair of manifolds each having a plurality of forced air discharge ports  28 ,  30  provided respectively thereon in spaced arrangement. The proximal ends of the manifolds  24 ,  26  are attached to a generally U-shaped bracket  32  such as for, example, by weldment, with the bracket  32  having the opposite sides thereof secured to the plenum housing  16  by suitable fasteners such as screws  34 . 
         [0023]    The distal ends of the manifolds  24 ,  26  are closed and secured, such as by weldment, to a support bracket  36 . 
         [0024]    Adjacent each of the manifold discharge ports  28 ,  30  is a support member denoted respectfully  38 ,  40  for supporting articles to be dried such as shoes, boots or gloves, one of which is shown in dashed outline in  FIG. 1 . In the present practice, members  38 ,  40  comprise inverted U-shaped rods or bars having the open ends thereof secured to the manifolds  24 ,  26 , for example by weldment, such that one of the rods  38 ,  40  extends vertically upward adjacent each of the discharge ports  28 ,  30 . 
         [0025]    It will be understood that the proximal side of the plenum housing  16  in  FIG. 10  has a pair of spaced discharge air outlets (not shown) but which are similar in configuration and spacing to the plenum discharge outlets  22  shown in  FIG. 11  for the opposite side of the plenum housing. It will be further understood that each of the brackets  32  has apertures therein (not shown) located to receive the plenum discharge air through the outlet ports thereby permitting the discharge air to enter the interior of the manifolds  24 ,  26 . 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-9  and  11 , a second pair of spaced drying manifolds  42 ,  44  are disposed to receive forced air from the plenum housing discharge ports  22  and extend outwardly therefrom in generally spaced parallel arrangement; and, the manifolds  42 ,  44  are releasably connected or attached to the plenum housing  16  in a manner permitting quick-release by the user. The outer ends of manifolds  42 ,  44  are connected to, such as by weldment, closed by, and supported by a bracket  46  in a manner similar to bracket  36  on manifolds  24 ,  26 . Each of the manifolds  42 ,  44  has a plurality of air discharge ports denoted respectively  48 ,  50  disposed thereon in spaced arrangement. 
         [0027]    Each of the discharge ports  48 ,  50  has disposed therewith and adjacent thereto an upstanding support member  52 ,  54  respectively. In the present practice, the support members  52 ,  54  comprise a generally U-shaped rod or bar with the open ends thereof attached to the respective manifolds  42 ,  44  by any suitable expedient, as, for example, weldment. 
         [0028]    The ends of the manifolds  42 ,  44  disposed for connection to the plenum housing  16  are secured to a generally U-shaped bracket  56 . In the present practice, it has been found satisfactory to secure the manifolds to the bracket  56  by weldment. 
         [0029]    With reference to  FIG. 8 , the bracket  56  has apertures formed therein to permit plenum discharge air to enter into the ends of the manifolds  42 ,  44  and one of the such apertures is visible in  FIG. 8  and denoted by reference numeral  58  which permits plenum discharge air to enter the manifold  42 , it being understood that a similar aperture is formed in bracket  56  for permitting plenum discharge air to enter the manifold  44 . 
         [0030]    The opposite sides or legs of the bracket  56  each have, respectively, a slot  60 ,  62  formed therein which slots are configured to openly slide over an attachment lug  64 ,  66  provided respectively on opposite sides of the plenum housing  16 . 
         [0031]    Each of the slots  60 ,  62  in bracket  56  has a camming or inclined surface denoted respectively  68 ,  70  which camming surface, upon entry of the lug into the slot, is operative by virtue of the weight of the manifolds and bracket acting on the lugs  64 ,  66  to urge the apertures, such as aperture  58 , into contact with the surface of the plenum housing  16  and to thereby secure the apertures, such as aperture  58 , into contact with the plenum discharge ports  22 . Thus, the user may connect the manifolds  42 ,  44  to the plenum housings simply by sliding the open ends of the slots  60 ,  62  over the lugs  64 ,  66  and lowering the brackets until the camming surfaces  68 ,  70  engage the lugs  64 ,  66 . Upon releasing the manifold  42 ,  44 , the manifolds are secured in position against the plenum housing to receive plenum discharge air. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 12 , the dryer of the present disclosure is prepared for transport by the user lifting the inboard ends of the manifolds  42 ,  44  or the ends adjacent the plenum housing  16  and removing the manifolds from connection to the plenum housing  16  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The user then inverts the manifolds  42 ,  44  such that the support members  52 ,  54  extend downwardly, and places the inverted manifolds  42 ,  44  onto the manifolds  24 ,  26  such that the manifolds  42 ,  44  rest upon the tops of the support members  38 ,  40 , thus, significantly reducing the volume of the dryer. The manifolds are shown in this stacked configuration in  FIG. 12  in preparation for transport. The stacked manifolds of  FIG. 12  may then be placed in a carry bag or portable container for transport. In the present practice, the dryer of the present disclosure in the configuration shown in  FIG. 12  has a combined length of about  73  cm, a height of about  37  cm and a depth of about  26  centimeters and a weight of about eight ( 8 ) kilograms. The stacked dryer is therefore, of a size and configuration which may be readily transported by one person when placed in a carry bag or suitable portable enclosure. 
         [0033]    The present disclosure describes a portable dryer for multiple articles such as pairs of skates, boots or gloves and the like which is readily carried by one person. The dryer of the present disclosure has a lower end plenum have extending from opposite sides thereof in opposite directions pairs of manifolds with spaced discharge ports and vertical support members associated with each of the discharge ports for drying articles received on the support members. One pair of the manifolds is connected to the plenum in a quick-release manner which enables the user to remove the manifold without any tools, invert the manifold and place it upon the other manifold to significantly reduce the volume of the dryer to enable placement in a carry bag or closure for transport by one person. 
         [0034]    The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.