Abstract:
A drying cabinet is used to dry a person&#39;s body after bathing or showering. The drying cabinet includes a plurality of adjustable air-dispensing nozzles on two sides and on the rear wall of the cabinet. The nozzles are fluidically connected to each other and to a source of hot dry air by manifolds.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the general art of showers, and to the particular field of shower enclosures. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     After showering or bathing most people use some sort of towel to dry their body and/or their hair. These towels range from small highly water absorbent towels to large bath sheets. 
     While toweling is an effective method for drying one&#39;s body and/or hair after bathing, toweling has several drawbacks. For example, it may be difficult for some people to reach certain areas of their body using a towel. Furthermore, towels can be bulky and take up a great deal of space. This is an especially onerous drawback if the towel must be transported before and after use, such as may be the case if the towel is carried to or from a health club. The wet towel may be difficult to carry in a gym bag, especially if the towel is used early in the morning and will not be removed until late at night. 
     Still further, some towels may become mildewed, especially if they are kept in a closed gym bag for extended periods of time. 
     Furthermore, some towels may irritate a user&#39;s skin. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a means for drying a person after bathing which avoids the use of a towel. 
     Some bathing areas have high intensity lamps that are intended to dry a person. Such lamps often make a room unduly hot and are not entirely efficient. 
     Therefore, there is a need for an efficient means for drying a person after bathing. 
     PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a main object of the present invention to provide a means for drying a person after bathing which avoids the use of a towel. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an efficient means for drying a person after bathing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These, and other, objects are achieved by a drying cabinet which has a plurality of air nozzles that direct drying air onto a person standing inside the cabinet. The nozzles are adjustable so a person can control the direction of air flow and people of various heights and sizes can use the cabinet. 
     Using the drying cabinet embodying the present invention will permit a person to dry his or her body without the use of a towel so all areas of the body will be efficiently dried without irritating the person&#39;s skin. The apparatus will efficiently dry an individual without unduly heating areas of a room that may not be amenable to such heating. The drying cabinet embodying the present invention can be used in an individual residence or in a community area. Since air is the only thing that contacts the user, the dryer remains sanitary and clean. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drying cabinet embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an adjustable air nozzle that is located on the rear wall of the drying cabinet. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to the Figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a drying cabinet  10  which is used by a person after bathing or showering to dry off. The person steps into the drying cabinet  10  and is dried by warm dry air. 
     Cabinet  10  comprises a housing  12  which has a first end  14  which is a bottom end when the housing  12  is in a use orientation shown in FIG.  1 . First end  14  has an interior surface  16  and an exterior surface  18 . 
     Housing  12  further includes a second end  20  which is a top end when the housing  12  is in the use orientation. The second end  20  has an interior surface  22  and an exterior surface  24 . 
     A longitudinal axis  26  extends between the first end  14  of the housing  12  and the second end  30  of the housing  12 . 
     Housing  12  further includes a first side  30 . The first side  30  has an interior surface  32  and an exterior surface  34 . 
     Housing  12  further includes a second side  36 . The second side  36  has an interior surface  38  and an exterior surface  40 . 
     A transverse axis  42  extends between the first side  30  and the second side  36  of the housing  12 . 
     Housing  12  further includes a first face  50  which is a front face when the housing  12  is in the use orientation. The first face  50  has an interior surface  52  and an exterior surface  54 . 
     Housing  12  further includes a second face  60  which is a rear face when the housing  12  is in the use orientation. The second face  60  has an interior surface  62  and an exterior surface  64 . 
     A thickness axis  66  extends between the first face  50  of the housing  12  and the second face  60  of the housing  12 . 
     Housing  12  further includes an interior volume  70  defined by the interior surfaces of the first end  14 , the second end  20 , the first side  30 , the second side  36 , the first face  50  and the second face  60 . 
     A door  72  is hingeably mounted on the first face  50  of the housing  12  to move between an open condition shown in FIG. 1 and a closed condition. The door  72  includes a first surface  74  which is an outside surface, a second surface  76  which is an inside surface, and a handle  78  which is operable from either the inside surface  76  or the outside surface  74 . 
     A plurality of first air-dispensing nozzles, such as nozzle  80 , are adjustably mounted on the first side  30  of the housing  12 . The first air-dispensing nozzles  80  are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis  26  of the housing  12 . Each first air-dispensing nozzle  80  includes a pivot connection, such as pivot connection  82 , an air-dispensing end (not visible in FIG. 1) and an air deflector (not visible in FIG. 1) located adjacent to the air-dispensing end. 
     A first air manifold  86  fluidically connects each of the first air-dispensing nozzles  80  together. First air manifold  86  is located outside the housing  12  and adjacent to the exterior surface  32  of the first side  30  of the housing  12  and includes a connection conduit, such as connection conduit  88 , for each air-dispensing nozzle  80 . 
     A plurality of second air-dispensing nozzles, such as air-dispensing nozzle  90 , are adjustably mounted on the second side  36  of the housing  12 . All of the air-dispensing nozzles of cabinet  10  are identical, therefore, the nozzles not visible in FIG. 1 are identical to the nozzles that are visible in FIG.  1 . The second air-dispensing nozzles  90  are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis  26  of the housing  12 . Each second air-dispensing nozzle  90  includes a pivot connection  92 , an air-dispensing end  94 , and an air deflector  96  located adjacent to the air-dispensing end  94 . 
     A second air manifold  96  fluidically connects each of the second air-dispensing nozzles  90  together. The second air manifold  96  is located outside the housing  12  and adjacent to the exterior surface  40  of the second side  36  of the housing  12  and includes a connection conduit, such as connection conduit  98 , for each air-dispensing nozzle  90 . 
     A plurality of third air-dispensing nozzles, such as air-dispensing nozzle  100 , are adjustably mounted on the second face  60  of the housing  12 . The third air-dispensing nozzles  100  are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis  26  of the housing  12 . Each third air-dispensing nozzle  100  includes a pivot connection  102 , an air-dispensing end  104 , and an air deflector  105  located adjacent to the air dispensing end  104 . 
     A third air manifold  106  fluidically connects each of the third air-dispensing nozzles  100  together. The third air manifold  106  is located outside the housing  12  and adjacent to the exterior surface  64  of the second face  60  of the housing  12  and includes a connection conduit, such as connection conduit  108 , for each air-dispensing nozzle  100 . 
     A source of heated air, such as air pump  110 , is fluidically connected by an exhaust conduit  112  to the first air manifold  86  and to the second air manifold  96  and to the third air manifold  106  to direct air into the interior volume  70  of the housing  12  via the manifolds  86 ,  96 ,  106  and via the air-dispensing nozzles  80 ,  90 ,  100 . Air from a heated source  114  is fluidically connected to the pump  110  by a conduit  116 . 
     A drain  120  is located in the first end  14  of the housing  12  and is fluidically connected to a waste water collection system, such as a drain of a shower to conduct water that falls off of a person using the cabinet. 
     It is understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts described and shown.