Patent ID: 6971186

Claim:
A lint filter for use in a clothing dryer, having an interior compartment that holds clothes to be dried, and having an exhaust, comprising: a micro-filter for collecting lint; an input air pathway for carrying air flow and lint from the dryer through the micro-filter, the exhaust located adjacent to the micro-filter, fully opposite from the input air pathway; a first air flow sensor located adjacent to the micro-filter and input air pathway, said first air flow sensor located within the input air pathway for determining the initial pattern of air flow through the input air pathway prior to entering the micro-filter; a second air flow sensor located adjacent to the micro-filter and adjacent to the exhaust, said second air flow sensor for determining air flow into the exhaust; and a control unit in communication with the first and second air flow sensors for detecting changes in the air flow pattern between the first air flow sensor and the second air flow sensor for determining that the lint filter is restricting air flow therethrough.