WO2002060309A1 - Warming device for towels - Google Patents

Warming device for towels Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002060309A1
WO2002060309A1 PCT/IT2002/000009 IT0200009W WO02060309A1 WO 2002060309 A1 WO2002060309 A1 WO 2002060309A1 IT 0200009 W IT0200009 W IT 0200009W WO 02060309 A1 WO02060309 A1 WO 02060309A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
sheet
warming
warming device
towel
electric resistance
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IT2002/000009
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Valerio Bresolin
Daniele Ragazzon
Original Assignee
Alper Srl
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Alper Srl filed Critical Alper Srl
Publication of WO2002060309A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002060309A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47K—SANITARY EQUIPMENT NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TOILET ACCESSORIES
    • A47K10/00—Body-drying implements; Toilet paper; Holders therefor
    • A47K10/04—Towel racks; Towel rails; Towel rods; Towel rolls, e.g. rotatable
    • A47K10/06—Towel racks; Towel rails; Towel rods; Towel rolls, e.g. rotatable combined with means for drying towels

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a warming device for drying towels comprising support means on which the towel is laid on after use, and warming means so as to warm and dry the towel after use.
  • These devices consist of heating tubolar elements in which hot water flows and which are usually connected to a heating system within the building.
  • the device must be simple, easy to install and use, cheap and, above all, able to be installed also in existing buildings.
  • a warmthing device of the type initially indicated that is a warmthing device for towels comprising support means and warming means for said towel, characterized in that said warming means are resistive means and said support means include a container sheet inside which said resistive means are housed and said towel is laid on said container sheet after use, so that said resistive means dry said towel.
  • the device may be easily used by laying the container sheet over an arm or shelf of any towel support and electrically connecting the resistive means to any electric socket avaible. It is obvious that it is possible to use this device in any building wherein the installation of this type of device has not been previously considered. Moreover, this operation may be easly executed by any person and specialized workers are not required.
  • the resistive means are contained inside a closed watertight envelope, electrically insulated and contained inside the container sheet.
  • the resistive means are not in contact with dampness, which could possibly pass through the container sheet and, furthermore, they are electrically insulated, so absolutely avoiding any accidental electric contact with the user.
  • the resistive means consist of an electric resistance supplied by an electric energy source, preferably of low voltage, so further excluding any possibility of dangerous electrical contact with the user.
  • the insulating envelope extends over the whole surface of the container sheet and the resistive means contained in the insulating envelope are distribuited in a substantially uniform manner over the entire surface, so warming and drying the towel over its entire surface.
  • - figures 1 and 2 represent in a perspective view a warming device according the present invention, respectively applied to a standard towel support with a mobile arm and a fixed rail;
  • - figure 3 is a perspective view of the device of figures 1 and 2 wherein an edge of the container sheet has been raised;
  • - figure 4 is a perspective view of me insulating envelope housed in the container sheet of figure 3 wherein one of its edges is raised;
  • FIG. 5 is a tranverse view of the device
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the device according to a variant.
  • a warming device for towels is represented with number 10, the device is applied respectively to a towel support 12 of a column type 12a with a rotating arm 12b, and to a towel support with a fixed rail 13 mounted on a wall.
  • the device 10 as better illustrated in figure 3, comprises a container sheet 14 composed of a lower sheet 16 and an upper sheet 18 made for example of a tissue of polyethylene or cotton fibres. Both the sheets 16 and 18 are rectangular with edges respectively identified with 16a,16b,16c,16d and 18a,18b,18c,18d.
  • the lower sheet 16 and the upper sheet 18 are permanently joined, for example by sewing, along their three edges: the edges 16b, 16c e 16d of the lower sheet 16 respectively with the edges 18b, 18c e 18d of the upper sheet 18; otherwise, the edges 16a e 18a respectively of the lower sheet 16 and of the upper sheet 18 are joined in a detachable way by Velcro strips 20 and 22 applied respectively on the inner surface of the lower sheet 16 at the edge 16a and on the inner surface of the upper sheet 18 at the edge 18a. In such a way it is easy to open and close the container sheet 14 along the edges 16a,18a.
  • the insulating envelope 24 comprises a lower lamina 24a and an upper lamina 24b of the same dimension which are permanently joined to each other all along their peripheral edges, for example by radio-frequency welding.
  • an electric wire resistance 26 arranged like a serpentine all over the surface, as represented in figure 4 wherein, for exposition purposes, an edge of the upper lamina 28 is raised up.
  • the electric wire resistance 26 is connected to an electric wire 28 which comes out from the insulating envelope 24, at the free end of which there is an electric plug 30 to be connected to an electrical energy supply, preferably at a low voltage like 12V or 24V.
  • a pair of strips 32 are permanently fixed at the edge 18c of the upper sheet 18, at the free ends of which there are snap fasteners 34 which couple with conesponding snap fasteners 36 mounted on the edge 16c of the lower sheet 16.
  • FIG 5 a first variant of the device according to the present invention is represented, wherein the electric resistance 26 is directly inserted in the container sheet 14, so eliminating the insulating envelope 24.
  • the container sheet 14 must be constructed with electrically insulating material.
  • the assembly of the device 10 simply occurs by placing the edges 16c, 18c of the device 10 near the rotating arm 12a of the towel support 12 or the fixed rail 13, by passing the pair of Velcro strips 32 around the rail or arm, closing the snap fasteners 34,36 and, at last, connecting the electric plug 30 to a supply socket. From the above description, the semplicity is evident of both the construction and the installation of such a device which makes it cheap and versatile.
  • the serpentine-like electric resistance 26 covers the entire surface of the container sheet 14, the towel is warmed and dried all over its surface. Furthemore, there is no electrical risk because the electric resistance 26 is electrically insulated and the supply voltage is preferably of a low voltage.
  • the strip 32 used for mounting the device 10 may be fixed with the Velcro instead of the snap fasteners 34,36.
  • an alternative to the wire resitance 26 is a PTF-type resistance (polymer thick film) composed of a plastic lamina on which, by a paint- brush, printing or silk-screen process, a resistive ink layer is deposited in strips connected therebetween by conductive tracks made by the same depositing techniques too.
  • the resistance may have PTC characteristics (positive temperature coefficient), that is, as the temperature increases, the resistance value increases, so as to limit the electric current intensity, thus avoiding possible overheating.
  • the se ⁇ entine-like electric resistance 26 concentrating its coils in the central part of the envelope 24, so as to obtain warmthing exactly in the zone where the towel is damper or wetter.
  • the strips 32 may be attatched to the middle of the container sheet 14 so that the sheet is laid down on the rotating arm 12a or on the fixed rail 13 in the centre line.

Abstract

In a warming device for towels comprising support means (14) and warming means (26), the warming means consist of an electric resistance (26) and the support means (14) include a container sheet (14) inside which the electric resistance (26) is housed and above the sheet the towel is laid down after use so that the electric resistance (26) warms and dries the towel.

Description

Warming device for towels.
The present invention concerns a warming device for drying towels comprising support means on which the towel is laid on after use, and warming means so as to warm and dry the towel after use.
It is known that after use, a towel is damp or even wet thus limiting its function and making further use unpleasant.
It is possible to eliminate this problem by simply changing the towel, thus creating a new problem for those that have to supply perfectly dry towels again, above all if they are changed after each use. This problem notably increases when we consider public facilities, and otherwise, which service many people, for example schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants and others wherein towels are used in very large quantities. Therefore, devices have been created which allow the warming of towels in order to eliminate water or dampness contained within or, at least, to reduce it to an acceptably low degree, so making the re-use of the same towel more pleasant.
These devices consist of heating tubolar elements in which hot water flows and which are usually connected to a heating system within the building.
Although this tubolar method operates well, it has many drawbacks among which is the fact that installation is not at all easy, and it must be performed by specialized workers along with the installation of the heating system. Consequently the installation is a very long and expensive process and, furthermore in the buildings already in existence, its realization is very difficult and onerous. If we consider private houses, problems are even greater and the expense involved when compared to the benefits obtained is not justified. It is necessary to consider that during the summer, when the heating system is switched off, the boiler must be turned on, consequently remarkably increasing the operating costs. The aim of the present invention is to create a wamiing device wherein the drawbacks cited in reference to the prior art are eliminated. In particular, the device must be simple, easy to install and use, cheap and, above all, able to be installed also in existing buildings. This aim is achieved by a wanning device of the type initially indicated, that is a wanning device for towels comprising support means and warming means for said towel, characterized in that said warming means are resistive means and said support means include a container sheet inside which said resistive means are housed and said towel is laid on said container sheet after use, so that said resistive means dry said towel. In such a way the device may be easily used by laying the container sheet over an arm or shelf of any towel support and electrically connecting the resistive means to any electric socket avaible. It is obvious that it is possible to use this device in any building wherein the installation of this type of device has not been previously considered. Moreover, this operation may be easly executed by any person and specialized workers are not required.
In particular, the resistive means are contained inside a closed watertight envelope, electrically insulated and contained inside the container sheet. In so doing, the resistive means are not in contact with dampness, which could possibly pass through the container sheet and, furthermore, they are electrically insulated, so absolutely avoiding any accidental electric contact with the user. The resistive means consist of an electric resistance supplied by an electric energy source, preferably of low voltage, so further excluding any possibility of dangerous electrical contact with the user. Even better, the insulating envelope extends over the whole surface of the container sheet and the resistive means contained in the insulating envelope are distribuited in a substantially uniform manner over the entire surface, so warming and drying the towel over its entire surface. These and other advantages are made more evident by the following detailed description of an embodiment given for an illustrative and not limitative purpose, with reference to the subsequent drawings wherein: - figures 1 and 2 represent in a perspective view a warming device according the present invention, respectively applied to a standard towel support with a mobile arm and a fixed rail;
- figure 3 is a perspective view of the device of figures 1 and 2 wherein an edge of the container sheet has been raised; - figure 4 is a perspective view of me insulating envelope housed in the container sheet of figure 3 wherein one of its edges is raised;
- figure 5 is a tranverse view of the device;
- figure 6 is a perspective view of the device according to a variant.
In figures 1 and 2 a warming device for towels is represented with number 10, the device is applied respectively to a towel support 12 of a column type 12a with a rotating arm 12b, and to a towel support with a fixed rail 13 mounted on a wall.
The device 10, as better illustrated in figure 3, comprises a container sheet 14 composed of a lower sheet 16 and an upper sheet 18 made for example of a tissue of polyethylene or cotton fibres. Both the sheets 16 and 18 are rectangular with edges respectively identified with 16a,16b,16c,16d and 18a,18b,18c,18d. The lower sheet 16 and the upper sheet 18 are permanently joined, for example by sewing, along their three edges: the edges 16b, 16c e 16d of the lower sheet 16 respectively with the edges 18b, 18c e 18d of the upper sheet 18; otherwise, the edges 16a e 18a respectively of the lower sheet 16 and of the upper sheet 18 are joined in a detachable way by Velcro strips 20 and 22 applied respectively on the inner surface of the lower sheet 16 at the edge 16a and on the inner surface of the upper sheet 18 at the edge 18a. In such a way it is easy to open and close the container sheet 14 along the edges 16a,18a. Inside the container sheet 14 there is a rectangular envelope 24, the dimensions of which are slightly inferior to those of the container sheet 14 and made up of electrically insulated water-tight material, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride). As represented in figure 4, the insulating envelope 24 comprises a lower lamina 24a and an upper lamina 24b of the same dimension which are permanently joined to each other all along their peripheral edges, for example by radio-frequency welding.
Inside the insulating envelope 24 there is an electric wire resistance 26 arranged like a serpentine all over the surface, as represented in figure 4 wherein, for exposition purposes, an edge of the upper lamina 28 is raised up. The electric wire resistance 26 is connected to an electric wire 28 which comes out from the insulating envelope 24, at the free end of which there is an electric plug 30 to be connected to an electrical energy supply, preferably at a low voltage like 12V or 24V. As it can be seen in figures 3 and 5, a pair of strips 32 are permanently fixed at the edge 18c of the upper sheet 18, at the free ends of which there are snap fasteners 34 which couple with conesponding snap fasteners 36 mounted on the edge 16c of the lower sheet 16. In figure 5 a first variant of the device according to the present invention is represented, wherein the electric resistance 26 is directly inserted in the container sheet 14, so eliminating the insulating envelope 24. Obviously, in this case the container sheet 14 must be constructed with electrically insulating material. The assembly of the device 10 simply occurs by placing the edges 16c, 18c of the device 10 near the rotating arm 12a of the towel support 12 or the fixed rail 13, by passing the pair of Velcro strips 32 around the rail or arm, closing the snap fasteners 34,36 and, at last, connecting the electric plug 30 to a supply socket. From the above description, the semplicity is evident of both the construction and the installation of such a device which makes it cheap and versatile. Moreover, since the serpentine-like electric resistance 26 covers the entire surface of the container sheet 14, the towel is warmed and dried all over its surface. Furthemore, there is no electrical risk because the electric resistance 26 is electrically insulated and the supply voltage is preferably of a low voltage.
It is clear that any conceptually or functionally equivalent change or variation falls inside the protection of the present invention. For example, it is possible to substitute the Velcro closure 20,22 of the edges 16a, 18a of the lower sheet 16 and of the upper sheet 18 with a zip fastener or with snap fasteners.
Analogously, the strip 32 used for mounting the device 10 may be fixed with the Velcro instead of the snap fasteners 34,36. At last, an altenative to the wire resitance 26 is a PTF-type resistance (polymer thick film) composed of a plastic lamina on which, by a paint- brush, printing or silk-screen process, a resistive ink layer is deposited in strips connected therebetween by conductive tracks made by the same depositing techniques too. In particular, the resistance may have PTC characteristics (positive temperature coefficient), that is, as the temperature increases, the resistance value increases, so as to limit the electric current intensity, thus avoiding possible overheating. When considering that towels are used more frequently in their central part, it is possible to construct the seφentine-like electric resistance 26 concentrating its coils in the central part of the envelope 24, so as to obtain wanning exactly in the zone where the towel is damper or wetter. In the end, the strips 32 may be attatched to the middle of the container sheet 14 so that the sheet is laid down on the rotating arm 12a or on the fixed rail 13 in the centre line.

Claims

1. Warming device for towels comprising support means (14) and warming means (26) for said towel, characterized in that said warming means are resistive means (26) and said support means include a container sheet (14) inside which said resistive means (26) are housed and said towel is laid on above said container sheet after use, so that said resistive means (26) dry said towel.
2. Warming device according to claim 1, characterized in that said container sheet (14) which contains said resistive means (26) is made of an electrically insulating material.
3. Wanning device according to claim 1, characterized in that said resistive means (26) are contained inside at least one closed watertight envelope (24), electrically insulated and contained inside said container sheet (14).
4. Warming device according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said resistive means consist of an electric resistance (26) supplied by an electrical energy source with low voltage.
5. Warming device according to claim 4, characterized in that said electric resistance is a wire resistance (26).
6. Wanning device according to claim 4, characterized in that said electric resistance is a PTF resistance.
7. Wanning device according to claim 6, characterized in that said electric PTF resistance is an electric resistance of PTC type.
8. Warming device according to claim 3, characterized in that said insulating envelope (24) is singular and extends to the entire surface of the container sheet (14).
9. Warming device according to claim 8, characterized in that said resistive means (26), contained in said insulating envelope (24), are distributed in a substantially uniformed way all over the surface of said insulating envelope (24).
10. Warming device according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said container sheet (14) is a square or rectangular sheet comprising a lower sheet (16) and an upper sheet (18) joined therebetween in a permanent way along three edges (16b,16c,16d and 18b,18c,18d) and can be opened and closed along the fourth edge (16a, 18a) by closing means (20,22).
11. Wanning device according to claim 10, characterized in that said closing means are chosen among "Velcro" (20,22), snap fasteners and zip fasteners.
12. Warming device according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said container sheet (14) comprises at least two hooks (32,34,36) designed to hook to the rotating arm (12a) or the fixed rail (13) of a towel support.
13. Warming device according to claim 12, characterized in that said at least two hooks (32,34,36) are placed at the end of one edge (16c and 18c) of said container sheet (14).
14. Warming device according to claim 13, characterized in that said at least two hooks comprise a pair of strips (32), one end is fixed to the upper sheet (18) at one of its edge (18c) and the other end has snap fasteners (34) designed to engage with corresponding snap fasteners (36) attached to the lower sheet (16) at one of its edges (16c). Title
Warming device for towels. Abstract
In a warming device for towels comprising support means (14) and warming means (26), the warming means consist of an electric resistance (26) and the support means (14) include a container sheet (14) inside which the electric resistance (26) is housed and above the sheet the towel is laid down after use so that the electric resistance (26) warms and dries the towel.
PCT/IT2002/000009 2001-01-29 2002-01-11 Warming device for towels WO2002060309A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITVE2001A000005 2001-01-29
ITVE20010005 ITVE20010005A1 (en) 2001-01-29 2001-01-29 HEATING DEVICE FOR TOWELS

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2002060309A1 true WO2002060309A1 (en) 2002-08-08

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ID=11461038

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IT2002/000009 WO2002060309A1 (en) 2001-01-29 2002-01-11 Warming device for towels

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IT (1) ITVE20010005A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2002060309A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2404242A (en) * 2003-07-24 2005-01-26 Atlantic Industrie Sas Combined linen drying and room heating device

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1001655A2 (en) * 1998-11-09 2000-05-17 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Heater with PTC and fixed resistance elements
US6080974A (en) * 1996-10-01 2000-06-27 All 4 House S.P. Clothes- and linen-warming or dehumidification apparatus
EP1030130A1 (en) * 1999-02-19 2000-08-23 Seb S.A. Towel drier with glass panel
US6153862A (en) * 1999-02-26 2000-11-28 Job; Donald D. Fabric dryer/warmer

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6080974A (en) * 1996-10-01 2000-06-27 All 4 House S.P. Clothes- and linen-warming or dehumidification apparatus
EP1001655A2 (en) * 1998-11-09 2000-05-17 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Heater with PTC and fixed resistance elements
EP1030130A1 (en) * 1999-02-19 2000-08-23 Seb S.A. Towel drier with glass panel
US6153862A (en) * 1999-02-26 2000-11-28 Job; Donald D. Fabric dryer/warmer

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2404242A (en) * 2003-07-24 2005-01-26 Atlantic Industrie Sas Combined linen drying and room heating device
GB2404242B (en) * 2003-07-24 2007-05-02 Atlantic Industrie Sas Heating element and room-heating and linen-drying device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITVE20010005A1 (en) 2002-07-29

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