Abstract:
A rugged, high-power system for quickly drying a garment, such as a wet suit, that can be easily collapsed for storage or transport. The garment drying system may include a base and a vertical support member for suspending a garment above the base. The base may include a blower and one or more vent pipes for directing air from the blower into an opening of the garment. The height of the vertical support member may be adjustable to accommodate garments of various sizes. The vertical support member may be detached from the base to facilitate storage and transport. The system accommodates a high-power blower for drying a garment quickly, yet avoids the use of long or complex arrangements of air ducts to direct air throughout the garment.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Wetsuit and other body suit dryers are known in the art. Some of these systems take the form of a small fan housed within a clothes hanger-like device that is inserted into the neck of the suit and can be hung as a typical clothes hanger. Others take the form of an arrangement of rigid air ducts that span the legs, torso, and/or arms of the suit and are connected to a blower that forces air throughout the suit via the ducts. There are a number of drawbacks associated with these systems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0002]    It would be desirable to provide a wet suit dryer with a high airflow blower that can dry a wetsuit quickly, but also avoids long or complex arrangements of air ducts that may not only be more susceptible to damage but also require more time to assemble or disassemble for storage. 
         [0003]    Accordingly, one aspect of the disclosure provides for a garment drying system comprising a base and a vertical support member coupled to the base and adapted to suspend a garment above the base. The base includes at least one vent that is adapted to direct air from the blower into the garment. 
         [0004]    Another aspect of the disclosure provides a method for drying a garment. The method comprises the steps of suspending a garment from a first end of a vertical support member having a second end coupled to a base; securing an opening of at least one leg portion of the garment about a first vent pipe of said base; inserting a second vent pipe of said base into an opening of at least one boot associated with the garment; and, forcing air through said vent pipes using a blower disposed in the base. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a view of an exemplary garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a view of an exemplary base for a garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a top view of an exemplary base for a garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the interior of an exemplary base for a garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the interior of an exemplary base for a garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a view of an exemplary garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure configured to dry two garments simultaneously. 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a view of exemplary anchoring mechanisms that may be used to secure a portion of the garment about a vent pipe of a garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers,  FIG. 1  shows an exemplary drying system  10  in accordance with the disclosure. The garment drying system  10  may include a base  11 . The base  11  may be coupled to a vertical support member  12 . The vertical support member  12  may be adapted to suspend a garment  13  above the base  11 . In one embodiment, the garment  13  may be suspended from the vertical support member  12  by a clothes hanger  14  inserted in a neck opening of the garment  13  and hung about the vertical support member  12 . Alternatively, the garment  13  could be suspended directly from the vertical support member  12 . In such an embodiment, in place of a clothes hanger  14 , the vertical support member  12  may include horizontal support members (not shown) adapted to be inserted into a neck opening of the garment  13 . 
         [0013]    The base  11  may include one or more vent pipes  16 . The garment  13  may include one or more leg portions  17 . An opening of the at least one leg portion  17  may be secured about one of one or more vent pipes  16 . The garment  13  may also include one or more boots  18 , each of which may also be placed on or secured about the one or more vent pipes  16 . The base  11  may house a blower (not shown) that draws air into the base  11  through an intake port  19 . The intake port  19  may include a screen to prevent dust, debris, or other objects from entering the blower. 
         [0014]    The vertical support member  12  may be constructed of any material rigid enough to support the weight of the garment, such as metal, plastic, rubber, ceramic, wood, or the like. The length of the vertical support member  12  may be adjustable to accommodate garments of varying size. In one embodiment, the vertical support member  12  may be constructed of two or more concentric sections joined by one or more compression rings  15  that can be loosened to allow the height of the vertical support member to be varied. The vertical support member  12  may be detached from the base  11  to facilitate storage and/or transport of the garment dryer system  10 . 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates a view of an exemplary base  11  of a garment dryer system in accordance with the disclosure. As discussed above, the base  11  may include a blower (not shown) that draws air into the base  11  through an intake port  19 . The blower may force air from the intake port  19  through a ported baffle  20  and out through the one or more vent pipes  16 . The one or more vent pipes  16  may extend upward from an upper surface  22  of base  11 . Alternatively, the one or more vent pipes  16  could extend outward from any side of the base. In one embodiment, the base  11  includes four vent pipes  16 . Two of the four vent pipes  16  may be inserted into the leg openings of each of a pair of leg portions of a garment. The other two of the four vent pipes  16  may include angled sections  21  that may be inserted into the openings of each of a pair of boots or shoes associated with a garment. The angled sections  21  may be sized and shaped to accommodate the internal shape and structure of a boot. Although the angled sections  21  are illustrated as being linear, they could alternatively be curved. 
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is an overhead view of the upper surface  22  of an exemplary base  11  of a garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. Although vertical support member  12  is shown as coupled to the base  11  within the perimeter of the upper surface  22 , the vertical support member  12  could alternatively be coupled to the base  11  elsewhere, such as an exterior side of the base  11 . As discussed above with respect to  FIG. 2 , the base may include one or more vent pipes  16  extending upward from the upper surface  22  of the base  11 . In one embodiment, the base  11  includes four vent pipes  16 , and two of the vent pipes  16  include angled sections  21 . The vent pipes  16  without angled sections may accommodate the leg openings of the garment, while one or more boots associated with the garment may be placed about the vent pipes  16  with angled sections  21 . 
         [0017]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate overhead and side views, respectively, of the interior of an exemplary base  11  with the top cover or upper surface removed. The base  11  may include a baffle  20  that divides the interior of the base  11  into a blower chamber  41  and a vent chamber  42 . The blower chamber  41  may house a blower  40 . The blower may include a motor  43  that drives one or more fans  44 . In one embodiment, the motor  43  drives a pair of fans  44  joined by an axle  45 . When spun by the motor  43 , the one or more fans  44  draw air into the blower  40  through one or more intake ports  50 , which may be cut away from the side or sides of the base  11 . The blower  40  forces the air into the vent chamber  42  through one or more ports  47  in the baffle  20 . 
         [0018]    In operation, the air forced into the vent chamber  42  then exits the base  11  through one or more vent pipes (not shown). The vent chamber  42  may be lined on at least a bottom surface with an absorbent material to absorb moisture that may enter the vent chamber  42  through the vent pipes or other channels. The base  11  may also include one or more heating elements  48  for heating the air directed out the vent pipes to accelerate the drying of the garment. The blower  44 , as well as the one or more heating elements  48 , may be controlled using a control panel  49 . The control panel  49  may take the form of a simple on/off switch. Alternatively, or additionally, the control panel  49  may provide for variable speed control of the blower  40  as well as a variable temperature control for the one or more heating elements  48 . In another embodiment, the base  11  may have no switch, and instead be activated by simply coupling the base  11  to a power source, such as an AC line or battery. Although the blower  40  is illustrated as a centrifugal fan, other fan or blower configurations could be used. 
         [0019]      FIG. 6  illustrates another exemplary use of a garment drying system  10  in accordance with the disclosure, in which the garment drying system  10  is used to dry two garments simultaneously. In this example, two wetsuits  61 ,  62  are suspended from the vertical support member  12  using two clothes hangers  63 ,  64 . An opening of each of the four leg portions of each wetsuit  61 ,  62  is secured about each of the vent pipes  16  extending upward from the top cover  66  of the base  11 . In this embodiment, the vent pipes  16  may not include angled sections as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . It is to be appreciated, however, that the garment drying system  10  could include additional vent pipes, with or without angled sections, for drying more than two garments and associated boots or shoes simultaneously. 
         [0020]      FIG. 7  illustrates exemplary anchoring mechanisms which may be used to secure the leg portion of a garment  77  about a vent pipe  16  of a garment drying system in accordance with the disclosure. In one embodiment, the anchor may take the form of a strap  72  that is attached at one end to an upper surface  22  of the base  11  with a fastener  74 . The other end of the strap  72  may have a clasp  73  that can be attached to the garment  77  to prevent the garment  77  from inadvertently becoming separated from the vent pipe  71 . In another embodiment, the anchor may take the form of a strap  75  that is wrapped around the garment  77  to secure it to the opening of the vent pipe  16 . The strap  75  may be continuous and elastic, like a rubber band. Alternatively, the strap  75  may employ VELCRO® or a buckle for tightening the strap  75  about the garment and securing it to the opening of the vent pipe  71 . It is to be appreciated that the anchoring mechanisms described above are optional and may be unnecessary if the weight and or structure of the garment is such that the garment or associated footwear remains in place about the vent pipes while the blower is running. 
         [0021]    While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.