Improvements in and connected with Hot Air Closets for Drying and Airing Clothes and other Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1897-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1897
Improvements in and connected with Hot Air Closets for Drying and
Airing Clothes and other Articles.
I, THOMAS KIRKLAND, of 17 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of
London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with hot air closets
for drying and airing clothes and other articles, as required in laundries, dye
works, and the like, and has for its chief object the construction of a drying closet
which will admit of being simply and easily worked without necessitating the
subjection of the operatives in charge of the apparatus to a temperature different
from that in which they ordinarily work and at the same time avoiding the escape
and loss of hot air during the opening and closing of the closet.
My improved drying closet is constructed in. compartments each of which is
provided with a sliding horse" or rack for supporting the clothes or other articles
to be dried and with a valve or valves automatically operated by the sliding "horse"
so as to close the inlet for hot air when the "horse" is drawn out and to open
such inlet when the "horse" is pushed in again.
An important feature of my invention is the construction whereby hot air is
delivered underneath the clothes or articles as well as on the top of them.
Each compartment of the drying closet communicates with a trunk passage
preferably at the top through which the hot air for drying purposes is supplied,
and also with a common exhaust or outlet passage at the bottom. Preferably the
outlet orifice is made variable to allow of giving a longer or shorter duration of
contact of the air with the clothes to be dried. The inlet opening is fitted with
a valve or valves which is or are controlled by the clothes horse" so as to be
open only when the "horse" is pushed in and the compartment thus closed.
The clothes "horse" is mounted on rollers so that it can be readily drawn out
and pushed in. The hot air for drying the clothes is supplied under slight pres-
sure being forced through the closet by a fan. It is heated by being passed
through or between a system of radiators which are heated by hot water or steam
circulating through them. This method admits of the very easy regulation of
the temperature and thus avoids the heating of the air to a temperature that would
be dangerous or injurious to the clothes to be dried.
The hot fluid for the radiators may be obtained directly from a steam generator
or from a Green's or other economiser used in connection with a steam generator.
In either case,I prefer that the flow and return pipes to and from the radiators
be connected directly to the steam generator or economiser as the case may be;
when this is impracticable a tap or trap is used to promote circulation.
Besides the air introduced into the closet above the clothes through the apertures
above described I provide for introducing hot air between and below each pair of
rails on which the clothes 'are hung either through separate perforated pipes or
through the rails themselves which in that case are hollow and perforated. The said

page_text: perforated pipes or rails communicate with a box placed behind the front plate of the
clothes "horse" or in some other convenient position and communicating when
the compartment is closed with the aforesaid trunk passage for hot air through
a valved opening, the valve of which is controlled by the clothes "horse" so as to
be open only when the "horse" is pushed in.
In order that the joint between the fixed part of the closet and the moving
"horse" around the valved opening above referred to may be practically air tight
when the "horse" is pushed in, iron wedges are fixed in the floor in such position
that when the "horse" is pushed in, it will slide up these wedges until good con-
tact is made around the aforesaid valved opening. By this movement the roller
at the outer end of the "horse" is lifted off its rail and the friction between the
"horse" and the wedges then prevents accidental opening of the compartment.
Besides possessing the advantages and features of novelty above indicated
my invention allows of clothes being aired in one compartment while other
compartments are used for drying wet clothes; it ensures easy regulation of the
temperature from that of the radiators down to atmospheric temperature, the
maximum temperature being less than that which would injure the clothes;
admits of delivering clean air by the use of screens in a well known manner, and
permits of using the air for ventilation purposes after it has passed through the
closet.
Dated this 19h l
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southamptom Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and connected with Hot Air Closets for Drying and
Airing Clothes and other Articles.
I, THOMAS KIRKLAND, of 17 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in and connected with hot air closets for
drying and airing textile fabrics and for drying chemical and other substances
as required in Laundries Dye Works Manufactories and the like, and has for its
chief objects the construction of a drying closet which will admit of being worked
without necessitating the subjection of the operatives to a temperature higher
than that in which they ordinarily work at the same time avoiding the escape and
loss of hot air during the opening and closing of the closet and possessing the
advantage of allowing clothes or other articles to be aired in one compartment
whilst other compartments are used for drying. My improved drying closet is
constructed in compartments the divisions being formed of wood metal or other
material and in each compartment is provided a sliding rack or horse with rails
or trays for supporting the material and mounted on rollers. The horse is made
so that it may be readily drawn completely out of the compartment if so desired.
In connection with each compartment is fitted certain other apparatus as herein-
after described.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front view in section partly shewing
one form of my invention. a a, are plates of metal and a al supports for the same
these together with the back wall of closet and front door of the sliding horse
forming the separate compartment, b. Similar compartments to any desired

page_text: c,
number form a complete closet, but three compartments only b, b, b, are indicated
on the drawing, c, is an air trunk running along the whole width of the closet
and may be either at the front or back and placed either above or beneath the
compartments b,, . The air trunk e, is supplied with hot air, preferably
under slight pressure, by means of a fan. One of the sides of the air trunk has
slots or holes of suitable size and shape, d, d, d, permitting the hot air when
required to enter air ducts, indicated by the dotted lines e, c, these ducts ex-
tending to the extreme ends of the compartments b, b1, 3, and having apertures f,f,
on the side facing the compartment for the admission of hot air. Figure 2 is
a side view in section of the same arrangement, e is the air trunk, d, d, d, the slots
or holes giving access to e, the air duct, f f f are the apertures in this air duct,
g is a sliding valve with slots or holes corresponding to those in the air trunk,
this valve being actuated by the lever h, from one end of which the pin i, extends
through the front side of the air trunk. The valve is fitted in such a manner that
the openings d, d, d, are closed when the sliding horse is drawn forward and
opened when it is pushed back into position, k represents one of the wedges or
inclined planes fixed in the floor, which by raising the wheels or rollers, secure
the sliding horse in position. m, is an air chamber formed by a metal or wood box
attached to the front door of the sliding horse, for the purpose of stopping loss of
heat by radiation and proventing articles being hung so that they may be caught
between the horse and the frame-work. n, n, n, are rails upon which the articles
are to be hung.
Figure 3 shews a side section of another form of the invention in which, besides
the admission of hot air as above mentioned, hot air is also caused to pass through
an opening o, in the air trunk, and into the air chamber m', attached to the front
door of the sliding horse. This opening is controlled by means of a valve p
actuated by the lever 4', the other end of which operates the valve g, leading to the
Both the valves & g, are automatically closed when the sliding horse
is drawn forward and opened when it is pushed into position. From the air
chamber m', hot air passes into the tubes ', being discharged through suitable
perforations. The wedges indicated by k, are so contrived that the valve open-
ing o, may be practically air tight when the horses are closed in position. The
rollers at the front end of horses are thus lifted off the rails and the friction
In addition to or alternative to the above mentioned forms of my invention I
sometimes arrange for the delivery of hot air into the compartaments from the
sides, below and between each rail, shelf or pair of rails on which materials are
placed. Figure 4 is a front view in section of this arrangement. Hot air is
caused, as previously described and illustrated in Figures 1 & 2, to enter the air
duct e, passing thence through the apertures y. y. into the spaces y', y', formed
by the plates ar, ar, and is delivered into the separate compartment b, through
the openings marked . In every case I provide suitable exhaust or outlet passage
as shewn at g. the orifices preferably being made variable so as to allow of giving
a longer or shorter duration of contact of the air with the articles or substances
to be dried or aired.
The air for drying purposes may be heated by any convenient means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The arrangement and combination for use in drying closets of separate
compartments used in conjunction with air trunks, air ducts and air valvos, 'under
automatic or other control substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
2. The arrangement and combination with the above of air chambers attached
to the fronts of sliding horses and used with or without apparatus for the admis-
sion or dispersion of hot air through such air chambers into the separate compart-
ments substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.

page_text: 3. The construction of sliding horses so that one or more may be removed
without loss of hot air or interrupting the work of those remaining substantially
as described.
4. The employment of wedges for keeping sliding horses closed in position and
for making air tight joints when the air chambers on the horses are used for
dispersing hot air substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this Eighth day of May 1897.
W. NOBLE TWELVETREES,
Agent for Applicant.