U.S. patent application number 15/518729 was filed with the patent office on 2017-08-17 for reservoir with handle.
This patent application is currently assigned to Electrolux (Hangzhou) Home Appliance Co., Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is ELECTROLUX (HANGZHOU) HOME APPLIANCES CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Jianjun CAO, Yalong DONG, Zhigang GU, Xudong ZHANG.
Application Number | 20170234599 15/518729 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55745941 |
Filed Date | 2017-08-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170234599 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DONG; Yalong ; et
al. |
August 17, 2017 |
RESERVOIR WITH HANDLE
Abstract
Provided is a reservoir (120) of a dehumidifier (100) comprising
an enclosure (121) defining an interior region and an exterior
region; a first guide surface operatively engaged with a first
counterpart surface of the dehumidifier (100) to define a guide
path (140);and a handle (130) engaged with the reservoir (120). The
handle (130) comprises a grasping surface adapted for being grasped
by a hand of a user. The handle (130) is rotatably movable relative
to the reservoir (120) between a first position and a second
position. In the first position the handle is positioned to provide
means for a user to ergonomically draw the reservoir along the
guide path by hand. In the second position, the handle is
positioned to provide means for a user to ergonomically carry the
reservoir by hand.
Inventors: |
DONG; Yalong; (Hangzhou,
CN) ; CAO; Jianjun; (Hangzhou, CN) ; ZHANG;
Xudong; (Hangzhou, CN) ; GU; Zhigang;
(Hangzhou, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ELECTROLUX (HANGZHOU) HOME APPLIANCES CO., LTD. |
Hangzhou, Zhejiang |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
Electrolux (Hangzhou) Home
Appliance Co., Ltd.
Hangzhou, Zhejiang
CN
|
Family ID: |
55745941 |
Appl. No.: |
15/518729 |
Filed: |
October 14, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
October 14, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2014/088528 |
371 Date: |
April 12, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/93 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 21/14 20130101;
F24F 2006/008 20130101; F24F 3/14 20130101; F24F 2003/144 20130101;
F24F 3/1405 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F25D 21/14 20060101
F25D021/14; F24F 3/14 20060101 F24F003/14 |
Claims
1. A reservoir of a dehumidifier comprising: an enclosure defining
an interior region and an exterior region; a first guide surface
operatively engaged with a first counterpart surface of the
dehumidifier to define a guide path; and a handle engaged with the
reservoir, the handle comprising a grasping surface adapted for
being grasped by a hand of a user, being movable relative to the
reservoir between a first position and a second position, wherein,
in the first position the handle is positioned to provide means for
a user to ergonomically draw the reservoir along the guide path by
hand, and in the second position, the handle is positioned to
provide means for a user to ergonomically carry the reservoir by
hand.
2. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 1, wherein the interior
region is in fluid communication with the exterior region through a
first aperture.
3. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 2, wherein the
reservoir may be removed from the dehumidifier by drawing the
reservoir along the guide path.
4. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 3, wherein the
reservoir may be replaced into the dehumidifier by drawing the
reservoir along the guide path.
5. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 4, wherein the first
guide surface is engaged with the exterior region.
6. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 5, wherein the handle
is movable between a first position and a second position by
rotation relative to the reservoir, at least when the reservoir is
not fully inserted into the dehumidifier.
7. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 6, wherein, in the
second position, the handle extends upwardly from the
reservoir.
8. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 6, wherein, in the
first position, the handle is adapted to function as a drawer-type
handle for drawing the reservoir into or out of the
dehumidifier.
9. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 8, wherein, in the
first position, when the reservoir is fully inserted into the
dehumidifier, the handle is at least partially shrouded so as to be
fixed from rotation relative to the reservoir.
10. The reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 9, wherein the guide
path is substantially linear.
11. A method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier comprising:
providing a dehumidifier; providing a reservoir adapted for
operational engagement with said dehumidifier, said reservoir
comprising an enclosure defining an interior region and an exterior
region; a first guide surface operatively engaged with a first
counterpart surface of the dehumidifier to define a guide path; and
a handle engaged with the reservoir, the handle comprising a
grasping surface adapted for being grasped by a hand of a user,
being movable relative to the reservoir between a first position
and a second position, wherein, in the first position the handle is
positioned to provide means for a user to ergonomically draw the
reservoir along the guide path by hand, and in the second position,
the handle is positioned to provide means for a user to
ergonomically carry the reservoir by hand; and either, a)
installing the reservoir into the dehumidifier by drawing the
reservoir along the guide path, and moving the handle from a
position intermediate to the first position and the second position
to the first position, or b) removing the reservoir from the
dehumidifier by drawing the reservoir along the guide path, and
moving the handle from the first position to a position
intermediate to the first position and the second position.
12. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 11,
wherein the interior region is in fluid communication with the
exterior region through a first aperture.
13. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 12,
wherein the first guide surface is engaged with the exterior
region.
14. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 13,
wherein the handle is movable between a first position and a second
position by rotation relative to the reservoir, at least when the
reservoir is not fully inserted into the dehumidifier.
15. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 14,
wherein, in the second position, the handle extends upwardly from
the reservoir.
16. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 14,
wherein, in the first position, the handle is adapted to function
as a drawer-type handle for drawing the reservoir into or out of
the dehumidifier.
17. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 16,
wherein, in the first position, when the reservoir is fully
inserted into the dehumidifier, the handle is at least partially
shrouded so as to be fixed from rotation relative to the
reservoir.
18. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 17,
wherein the guide path is substantially linear.
19. The method of using a reservoir of a dehumidifier of claim 17,
comprising removing the reservoir from the dehumidifier by drawing
the reservoir along the guide path; moving the handle from the
first position to the second position; carrying the reservoir by
the handle to a disposal site; and disposing of liquid water from
the reservoir.
20. A reservoir of a dehumidifier comprising: an enclosure defining
an interior region and an exterior region, wherein the interior
region is in fluid communication with the exterior region through a
first aperture; a first guide surface operatively engaged with a
first counterpart surface of the dehumidifier to define a
substantially linear guide path, and engaged with the exterior
region; a handle engaged with the reservoir, the handle comprising
a grasping surface adapted for being grasped by a hand of a user,
being rotatably movable relative to the reservoir between a first
position and a second position at least when the reservoir is not
fully inserted into the dehumidifier, wherein, in the first
position the handle, is positioned to provide means for a user to
ergonomically draw the reservoir along the guide path by hand, and
is adapted to function as a drawer-type handle for drawing the
reservoir into or out of the dehumidifier, and when the reservoir
is fully inserted into the dehumidifier, is at least partially
shrouded so as to be fixed from rotation relative to the reservoir,
in the second position the handle, is positioned to provide means
for a user to ergonomically carry the reservoir by hand, and
extends upwardly from the reservoir; and wherein the reservoir may
be removed from the dehumidifier by drawing the reservoir along the
guide path; and wherein the reservoir may be replaced into the
dehumidifier by drawing the reservoir along the guide path.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
[0001] The present subject matter relates to a small appliance.
More specifically the present subject matter relates to a reservoir
adapted for use with a dehumidifier.
[0002] A dehumidifier is an apparatus adapted to condition the air
by reducing the level of humidity in the air. A dehumidifier
reduces the level of humidity in the air by extracting water vapor
from the air. The extracted water vapor may be condensed into
liquid water and stored in a reservoir of the dehumidifier for
subsequent disposal or other removal.
[0003] The liquid water stored in the reservoir may be disposed of
by removing the reservoir from the dehumidifier and transporting
the water within the reservoir to a disposal site. It is sometimes
desirable to store a large quantity of water in the reservoir to
allow long duty cycles between the times when the reservoir is full
and must be emptied before further dehumidifier operation. It is
sometimes desirable to make the reservoir with the water stored
therein easy to transport from the dehumidifier to the disposal
site. It remains desirable to provide a way to transport larger
amounts of water without making transportation of the water and
reservoir difficult.
[0004] It remains desirable to provide a handle for a reservoir of
a dehumidifier adapted to position, remove, and replace the
reservoir in the dehumidifier and also adapted to provide ergonomic
means to carry the reservoir.
[0005] Provided is a reservoir of a dehumidifier comprising an
enclosure defining an interior region and an exterior region; a
first guide surface operatively engaged with a first counterpart
surface of the dehumidifier to define a guide path; and a handle
engaged with the reservoir. The handle comprises a grasping surface
adapted for being grasped by a hand of a user. The handle is
movable relative to the reservoir between a first position and a
second position. In the first position the handle is positioned to
provide means for a user to ergonomically draw the reservoir along
the guide path by hand. In the second position, the handle is
positioned to provide means for a user to ergonomically carry the
reservoir by hand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which
particular embodiments and further benefits of the subject matter
are illustrated as described in more detail in the description
below, in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a
dehumidifier and associated components. FIG. 1a and FIG 1b are
perspective views showing an embodiment of a dehumidifier and
associated components.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing the reservoir
partially withdrawn from the dehumidifier with the handle in a
position intermediate to the horizontal and vertical positions.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a top perspective view showing the reservoir
partially withdrawn from the dehumidifier with the handle in the
horizontal position.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view showing the reservoir
partially withdrawn from the dehumidifier with the handle in a
substantially vertical position.
[0011] FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b are perspective views showing the
reservoir of a dehumidifier with the handle. FIG. 5c is a rear
perspective view showing the reservoir of a dehumidifier without
the handle.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the handle for a
dehumidifier reservoir of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Disclosed is a reservoir 120 of a dehumidifier 100 that
comprises 1) an enclosure 121 defining an interior region 124 and
an exterior region 122; (2) a first guide surface (not shown)
operatively engaged with a first counterpart surface (not shown) of
the dehumidifier 100 to define a guide path 140; and (3) a handle
130 engaged with the reservoir 120. The handle 130 may comprise a
grasping surface 132 adapted for being grasped by a hand 82 of a
user 80; and may be movable relative to the reservoir 120 between a
first position and a second position. In the first position the
handle 130 may be positioned to provide means for a user 80 to
ergonomically draw the reservoir 120 along the guide path 140 by
hand 82. In the second position, the handle 130 may be positioned
to provide means for a user 80 to ergonomically carry the reservoir
120 by hand 82.
[0014] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, shown is a first non-limiting
embodiment of a dehumidifier 100. The dehumidifier 100 comprises a
reservoir 120. The reservoir 120 is adapted to accept and store
liquid water (not shown) produced by the dehumidifier 100 as it
operates to remove humidity from the air 90. The reservoir 120
stores the liquid water (not shown) in the enclosure 121. In the
non-limiting embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the reservoir 120
stores the water in the interior region 124 of the enclosure 121.
The interior region 124 is in fluid communication with the exterior
region 122 through a first aperture 126. Liquid water (not shown)
may be introduced into the interior region 124 from the exterior
region 122 through the first aperture 126. In some embodiments,
during operation, liquid water condensed or otherwise produced by
the dehumidifier 100 as it operates to remove humidity from the air
90 may drip or pour through the first aperture 126 and into the
interior region 124 of reservoir 120 where it may be stored.
[0015] In the non-limiting embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, some or
all of the stored liquid water (not shown) may be occasionally
disposed of by a user 80. The reservoir 120 is adapted for removal
from the dehumidifier 100. Because the reservoir 120 is adapted for
removal from the dehumidifier 100, water stored in the reservoir
120 may be transported, while still in the reservoir 120, from the
dehumidifier 100, and disposed of at a disposal site (not shown). A
disposal site may be a conventional drain (not shown) or other site
chosen with good engineering judgment. The provided subject matter
is adapted to provide an ergonomic means for removal and
transportation of the reservoir 120 by a hand 82 of a user 80.
[0016] The handle 130 is engaged with the reservoir 120 such that
it may be movable with respect to the reservoir 120. In the
non-limiting embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the handle 130 is free
to rotate with respect to the reservoir 120 when the reservoir 120
is not in the fully installed position within the dehumidifier
100.
[0017] In FIGS. 1 and 1a, the reservoir 120 is shown in the fully
installed position within the dehumidifier 100. In the embodiment
and position shown in FIGS. 1 and 1a, the reservoir 120 is fully
inserted into the dehumidifier 100 and the handle 130 is partially
shrouded or otherwise enclosed between the dehumidifier 100 and the
reservoir 120 in such a way that the handle 130 is not free to
rotate with respect to the reservoir 120. In the embodiment shown
in FIGS. 1-4, the reservoir 120 may be removed from the
dehumidifier 100 by drawing it out in a drawer-like manner along a
guide path 140 generally indicated by the bi-directional arrow
shown. The arrow indicating guide path 140 is bi-directional
because the reservoir may be removed or replaced by drawing it out
or pushing it in along the guide path 140 generally indicated by
the bi-directional arrow. As used herein, unless otherwise noted,
the mechanical action of drawing an object along a path, that is,
to draw an object along a path, comprises both pushing and pulling
actions. While the guide path shown in FIGS. 1b and 2 is linear, it
is contemplated that the guide path 140 need not be linear in other
embodiments; there are curvilinear paths that may also be
acceptable. The guide path 140 may be defined by a first guide
surface (not shown) of the reservoir 120 being operatively engaged
with a first counterpart surface (not shown) of the dehumidifier
100. In certain embodiments, the first guide surface (not shown)
may be engaged with the exterior region 122 of the reservoir 120.
In certain embodiments, the first guide surface (not shown) and
first counterpart surface may (not shown) be any conventional
components adapted to establish a guide path. In certain
embodiments, the first guide surface (not shown) and first
counterpart surface may be the components of a conventional drawer
slide, or a track and follower combination, or a set of surfaces
adapted to slide over one another. In certain embodiments, the
components adapted to establish guide path 140 may further comprise
one or more of a roller, a wheel, a bearing, or a lubricant.
[0018] In FIG. 1, the handle 130 is in a first position. In the
first position, handle 130 is positioned to provide means for a
user 80 grasp the handle 130 by a hand 82 and to ergonomically draw
the reservoir 120 along the guide path 140. That is, in FIG. 1, in
the first position, the handle 130 is adapted to function as a
drawer-type handle for drawing the reservoir 120 into or out of the
dehumidifier 100. The handle 130 comprises may comprise a set of
surfaces 132 adapted for ergonomic engagement with the hand 82 of,
and use by, a user 80. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, in some
embodiments the handle 130 may comprise one or more grasping
surfaces 132. A grasping surface 132 is adapted for being grasped
by the hand 82 of a user 80. A grasping surface 132 may comprise
grasping features 134 adapted to facilitate grasping, gripping, or
other purchase on the grasping surface by the hand 82 of a user 80.
In some embodiments, grasping features 134 adapted to facilitate
grasping, gripping, or other purchase on the grasping surface 132
by the hand 82 of a user 80 may comprise knurling, indentations,
grooves, roughly textured elastomer, padding, or other similarly
functional surface treatment. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, in some
embodiments the handle 130 may comprise one or more pushing
surfaces 136. A pushing surface 136 is adapted for being grasped or
pushed by the hand 82 of a user 80.
[0019] With continued reference to FIGS. 1-4, as the reservoir 120
is withdrawn from the dehumidifier 100 along the guide path 140,
the handle 130 is exposed and may be rotated relative to the
reservoir 120. As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 130 is positioned so
that the grasping surface 132 may be readily grasped or otherwise
engaged by the hand 82 of a user 80 and is oriented such that the
grasping surface 132 is substantially normal to the guide path 140
such that the work applied by the user 80 in removing the reservoir
120 is used efficiently in order to avoid undesirable stress and
provide desirable ergonomic utility. At or before the point at
which the reservoir 120 is fully withdrawn from the dehumidifier
100, the handle 130 may be rotated into a second position. It is
contemplated that, in other embodiments, the motion of the handle
130 from the first position to the second position may involve
translation or rotation or both. In FIG. 4, the handle 130 is shown
in the second position. As shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments,
the handle extends upwardly from the reservoir 120. Transport of
the reservoir 120 may be performed, at least in part, by a user
grasping part of the reservoir 120 and carrying the reservoir 120.
As shown in FIG. 4, the handle 130 is positioned so that the
grasping surface 132 may be readily grasped by a user 80 and is
oriented such that the grasping surface 132 is substantially normal
to the direction of gravity such that the work applied by the user
80 in lifting and carrying the reservoir in transporting it is used
efficiently in order to avoid undesirable stress and provide
desirable ergonomic utility. As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 130 is
positioned so that the pushing surface 136 may be readily pushed by
a user 80 and is oriented such that the pushing surface 136 is
substantially normal to the guide path 140 such that the work
applied by the user 80 in replacing the reservoir 120 is used
efficiently in order to avoid undesirable stress and provide
desirable ergonomic utility.
[0020] This bucket handle improves over the prior art as it allows
a single handle for conveniently removing the bucket from the
dehumidifier and carrying the bucket without a substantial number
of additional parts or steps.
[0021] Without limitation, when the non limiting embodiment of a
dehumidifier 100 shown in FIGS. 1-4 is in operation the reservoir
120 is fully installed into and is operationally engaged with the
dehumidifier 100. As the dehumidifier operates to remove humidity
from the air 90 liquid water (not shown) is produced and is stored
in the interior region 124 of the enclosure 121.
[0022] It will be appreciated that various modifications can be
made, and that many changes can be made to the present subject
matter without departing from the principles of the present subject
matter. These and other modifications in the nature of the present
subject matter or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to
those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is
to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter
is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the present subject
matter and not as a limitation.
* * * * *