The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 04, 2001
Filed:
Mar. 11, 1999
Masami Fukumoto, Ikeda, JP;
Junichi Morinaka, Otsu, JP;
Yasushi Takagi, Osaka, JP;
Shinichi Matsuda, Suita, JP;
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A washer-dryer having an improved efficiency of drying up; namely, the drying time is shortened and the unevenness of drying is alleviated. Furthermore, vibration during operations, especially during spin-drying, is reduced. An inner tub of approximately cylindrical shape rotating around a substantially vertical axis and receives a washing is housed in an outer tub. The inner tub is provided with freely rotatable agitating means at the bottom part for agitating the washing. A motor rotates the inner tub or the agitating means. The air to be supplied through a hot air supply channel into the inner tub is heated by heating means, which air is advanced by a drying air blower into the inner tub. Control means controls each of the washing, rinsing, spin-drying and drying processes by controlling respective operations of the motor, the heating means, the drying air blower, etc. During the drying process, a washing is agitated by the agitating means, and exposed to the air heated by the heating means and blown by the drying air blower against the washing staying within the inner tub. The washing is thus deprived of humidity and dried.