U.S. patent number 3,633,538 [Application Number 05/082,463] was granted by the patent office on 1972-01-11 for spherical device for conditioning fabrics in dryer.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Colgate-Palmolive Company. Invention is credited to Melvin W. Hoeflin.
United States Patent |
3,633,538 |
Hoeflin |
January 11, 1972 |
SPHERICAL DEVICE FOR CONDITIONING FABRICS IN DRYER
Abstract
A device for conditioning fabrics in a dryer comprising a
spherical-shaped body having a plurality of openings therein which
are filled with a solid-type fabric conditioner. Since the
spherical body is of a resilient material, there will be little
noise or vibration caused thereby during the drying cycle.
Inventors: |
Hoeflin; Melvin W. (Metuchen,
NJ) |
Assignee: |
Colgate-Palmolive Company (New
York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
22171380 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/082,463 |
Filed: |
October 20, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
118/76; 427/242;
68/20; 68/212; 206/.5; 239/34; 422/266; 428/11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06M
23/02 (20130101); D06F 58/203 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
D06M
23/02 (20060101); D06M 23/00 (20060101); D06F
58/20 (20060101); B05c 011/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;118/76-78,417,418
;117/DIG.1,109 ;51/164.5 ;68/20,243R,233,212 ;34/60 ;184/1R
;239/34,53,54 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Kaplan; Morris
Claims
I claim:
1. A device for conditioning fabrics in a dryer comprising a sphere
having openings in the surface thereof, and solid fabric
conditioner material disposed in said openings.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said openings are
wedge-shaped segments.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said openings are
plurality of spaced bores.
4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said openings are
rectangular-shaped in cross section.
5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said sphere is of a
foamed synthetic plastic material.
6. A device for conditioning fabrics in a dryer comprising a body
of synthetic plastic foamed material having a hollow center and a
plurality of openings therein communicating with said hollow
center, a core of solid fabric conditioning material in said hollow
center and extending integrally into said openings.
7. A device according to claim 6, wherein said body and said core
are spherical in shape.
8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said openings include a
plurality of radially extending spaced bores.
9. A device for conditioning fabrics in a dryer comprising a
resilient spherical body of synthetic plastic-foamed material
having a plurality of openings therein, and solid fabric
conditioner material disposed and secured in said openings, said
openings extending at least one-half the radius of said spherical
body.
Description
This invention relates to the treatment of fabrics in a dryer and
more particularly to a device for holding a fabric conditioner and
for releasing the conditioning material when placed with clothes
during the normal drying cycle in a household dryer.
Various fabric conditioners have been devised which are designed to
be released during the normal drying cycle of a household dryer for
conditioning the clothes. In the past, the fabric conditioning
material has been coated on various types of fabric material,
plastic sheet material, and the like and has generally been
satisfactory for only a single use because the coating is
relatively thin.
The coated fabric or plastic material heretofore used has generally
been stiff and of such a size as to cause noise or vibration in the
dryer during at least the early stages of use thereof.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior
fabric conditioners by providing a resilient spherical body having
a hollow center and opening therein for reception of a solid-type
fabric conditioner. By use of the spherical shape, the fabric
conditioner will be evenly released from all portions of the
spherical-shaped body and because of the fact that the body is
spherical in shape, there will be less noise and vibration when
tumbling in the dryer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
spherical-shaped body of closed cell styrofoam, which is relatively
light in weight so as to reduce or eliminate vibration and noise in
the dryer when the fabric conditioner is being used.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for
conditioning fabrics in a dryer which is spherical in shape and has
a hollow cylinder and is provided with openings for controlled
dispensing of the fabric-conditioning material while permitting use
and reuse of the device over an extended period of time.
The openings which can be formed in the spherical body may be in
the form of wedge-shaped segments, bores, or openings of
substantially rectangular shape or of such other shape and size as
otherwise is found suitable. For a given drying period, the degree
of softening will be controlled by the amount of conditioning
material exposed and therefore the dimensions and number of
openings in the spherical-shaped body.
Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the
provision of a device for conditioning fabrics in a dryer that is
simple in construction, capable of being manufactured by mass
production methods, and which is especially pleasing in appearance
and easy for the housewife to use and reuse.
These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of
the present invention, which will become apparent as the following
description proceeds, are attained by this device for conditioning
fabrics in a dryer, preferred embodiments of which are illustrated
in the accompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a device constructed in accordance
with the concepts of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the plane of line
2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a modified form of the
invention;
FIG. 4 is a radial sectional view of the embodiment of the
invention as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a further embodiment of the
invention; and,
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of yet another modification of the
invention.
With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like
reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various
views, reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate a device
for conditioning fabrics in a dryer in accordance with the concepts
of the present invention. The device 10 includes a ball or
spherical-shaped body 12 of closed cell styrofoam or other similar
synthetic plastic foam material having a characteristic of
resiliency and light weight. If desired, the body 12 may have a
hollow center, but in the form of the invention as shown in FIGS. 1
and 2, a plurality of wedge-shaped segments forming openings 14 are
provided in the spherical body 12 and extend more than half the
distance from the surface 16 of the spherical-shaped body 12 to the
center of the body 12. A solid-type fabric conditioning material is
deposited in the openings 14 and bonds thereto. In the form of the
invention as shown in FIG. 3, the ball 22 has a plurality of bores
24 therein which are radially spaced and which are filled with the
fabric-conditioning material and preferably extend more than
one-half the radius of the sphere 22.
In the form of the invention as shown in FIG. 5, the spherical body
32 is provided with a plurality of openings 34 therein which are
generally rectangular in shape in cross section and are filled with
a suitable solid-type fabric conditioning material 36.
In FIG. 6 there is shown a form of the invention similar to that of
FIG. 4 wherein the spherical body 42 is provided with a hollow
center 48. The bores 44 communicate with the hollow center 48 and
are filled with the solid fabric-conditioning material 46 which is
integral with the solid fabric-conditioning material 50 in the
hollow center 48.
In use, the ball is disposed with the clothes to be dried in the
conventional household dryer and the fabric-conditioning material
will be released during the drying cycle. The temperature of the
drying cycle and the wiping action of the tumbling garments with
respect to the ball will control the release of fabric conditioning
material.
A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in
the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of
the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use
of other features.
* * * * *