Patent ID: 7260900

Claim:
A power-supply-independent hot air dryer ( 3 ) for generating a hot air flow, said hot air dryer ( 3 ) comprising a fuel reservoir ( 10 ) for a liquid fuel ( 6 ); a fuel cell ( 8 ) that produces electrical energy ( 9 ) from said fuel ( 6 ) when said fuel ( 6 ) is supplied to the fuel cell, said fuel reservoir ( 10 ) being located outside of or not within said fuel cell ( 8 ); an electrically powered blower ( 7 ) that generates an air stream when said electrical energy ( 9 ) is supplied to the blower ( 7 ); a catalytic heating element ( 5 ) for heating said air stream to produce the hot air flow ( 2 ) when the catalytic heating element ( 5 ) is supplied with said fuel ( 6 ); and means ( 11 , 20 , 21 , 22 ) for jointly connecting said fuel reservoir ( 10 ) to said catalytic heating element ( 5 ) and to said fuel cell ( 8 ) to supply said fuel ( 6 ) to said fuel cell ( 8 ) in order to produce said electrical energy ( 9 ) and to simultaneously supply said fuel ( 6 ) to said catalytic heating element ( 5 ).