US2176140A - Garment bag - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 17, 1939. G. E. LOFGREN GARMENT BAG Filed Feb. 26, 1938 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Oct. 17, 1939.

e. E. LOFGREN 2,176,140

GARMENT BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F iled Feb. 26, 1938 I INVENTOR 1.9 16 g M BY Mann 44 ATTO Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT BAG Gustaf Einar Lofgren, Riverside, Conn,

I to Electrolux Corporation, poration of Delaware assignor Dover, DeL, a cor- Application February 26, 1938, Serial No. 192,683

5 for circulating air through the bag containing an insecticide in the form of a vapor for treating clothes located in the bag. Such treatment of clothes is designed to kill moths or other insects or insect eggs which may be located in the o clothes. It has been a practice to blow air into the garment bag which has been passed over vaporizable crystals. In order to blow the vaporladen air into the garment bag, it is necessary to provide an outlet for the air in the bag. The

15 treatment of the clothes is accomplished in the passage of the vapor-laden air through the bag. The vapor which is carried out of the bag is lost so far as any further treatment of the clothes is concerned.

In accordance with my invention, a garment bag is provided with means for circulating vaporladen air within the bag without passing the vapor-laden air out of the bag.

My invention also contemplates the vaporiz- 25 ing of crystals within the bag and the circulating of the air around within the bag by means external to the bag.

What I consider to be novel and my invention may be better understood by reference to the 30 following specification and appended claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved garment Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bag on an enlarged scale; A

. Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the securing means for the turbine and blower;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the 49 turbine; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of'the blower.

Referring to the drawings, in indicates a garment bag having a side opening ll adapted to be 45 closed by a fastener l2. Opening I I is provided for the insertion of clothes to be treated within the bag it. Fastener I2 is an air-tight closure' member for opening ll. Other air-tight closure means may be substituted therefor. Located 50 within the bag I below the opening I l is a container I3. Container I3 includes a wall l4 formed with a plurality of layers of cardboard or other substantially rigidv material secured directly to the cloth l of bag III. A side wall l6, two end walls ll, and a bottom wall l8 are formed from a single sheet of cardboard, or the like. Extending outwardly from the bottom wall I8 and end walls I! is a flange I 9 which is secured to the wall l4.

The side wall I6 is spaced from the wall l4 to form a chamber therebetween communicating with a top opening 20. Opening 20 extends entirely across the top of-the container l3. Located between the Walls l4 and I6 of container --l3 are transverse partitions 2| and 22, shown in 10 dotted lines in Fig. 1, which extend inwardly from the opening at an angle to the end walls I! forming an orifice 23 and then outwardly again to the walls IT. A perforated plate 24 is secured to the walls I 4 and I6 between the partitions 2| and 22 at the orifice 23. The partitions 2| and 22 and plate 24 form a hopper 25 at the top of container l3 in which vaporizable crystals 26 may be located. The plate 24 and partitions 2| and 22 form a blower chamber 21 at the bottom of container 13 in which a centrifugal blower 28 is located. A circular opening 29 in wall I 6 forms an inlet opening for the centrifugal blower. A perforated plate 30 covers the opening 29 to prevent clothes or other foreign matter from being drawn into the blower chamber 21.

A turbine housing 3| having an outwardly extending flange 32 is secured to the bag In and the wall l4 of container l3 by means of a plurality of wood screws 33. A turbine wheel 34 is located within housing 3|. Turbine wheel 34 is connected to blower 28 bymeans of a bolt 35 which passes through a bushing 36 located in wall l4. A sleeve 31 having a flange 38 surrounds bushing 36 and is secured to wall l4 by means of a triangular plate 33 having a central aperture 40. Plate 39 has three pointed ends 4| extending at right angles to the body of the plate which serve to secure it to the wall I 4. The turbine wheel 34 is carried by bolt 35 between two washers 42. Blower 28 is carried by bolt .35 between two washers 43.

Housing 3| is provided with an inlet tube 44 connected with the periphery of the housing serving to direct air tangentially to the periphery of turbine wheel 34. Tube 44 is preferably made of a size to receive a tube connected by a flexible hose to a vacuum cleaner at the blower end of the cleaner. Other means of producing a flow of air for driving the turbine wheel 34 may be used. Air entering the tube 44 impinges against the outer periphery of blades 45 rotating the turbine wheel in a clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 4. A portion of the opening in tube is closed by a cut-oil 46 to direct the air at the outer peripheries of the blades 45, as best indicated in Fig. 4 (the arrows indicating the direction of flow of the air). The air after traveling over the blades 45 passes out through a central opening 41. As the turbine wheel 34 rotates it drives the blower 28. Air is drawn in through the central opening 29 by the rotation of blower 28 and thrown out by the centrifugal action 01 the blower blades 48. The air thrown out by the blower 28 passes upwardly through the orifice 23 to the top opening 20 of container l3. As the air passes through the hopper 25, in which crystals 26 are located, the crystals are vaporized and the vapor-laden air passes out through opening 20. The crystals 26 are vaporized by the passage of the air over them assisted by the temperature rise of the air in passing through the blower 28. The air in passing through the blower 28 is raised in temperature due to the friction produced between the air and the blades 48. The movement of the air through the blower and within the garment bag I0 is shown by arrows in Figs. 2 and 5. The air leaving the opening 20 in the top of container l3 passes up to the top of the bag l0, then to the left as shown in Fig. 2 and then down the opposite side of the bag. The air then returns to the opening 29. In this manner, the air is recirculated through the bag l0 and as it passes through the container l3, the vapor content of the air is increased.

The air driving the turbine wheel 34 does not enter the bag In. By this arrangement none of the crystals are wasted by passing the vapor out of the bag but instead the vapor is continuously recirculated within the bag l0 without the necessity of any outlet in the bag. Thus a maximum utilization of the crystals in the treatment of clothes located within the bag is obtained.

In the use of garment bag ill for the treatment of clothes, the fastener His first moved to the position indicated in Fig. 1, uncovering the opening l I. A supply of crystals is placed in the hopper 25. The hopper 25 is made sufiiciently large to contain a supply of crystals that will serve to repeatedly treat the clothes throughout a season. The clothes to be conditioned are inserted through the opening II. The opening II is then closed by fastener l2. The inlet tube 44 of the turbine housing 3i is connected to the blower side of a vacuum cleaner or other source of air pressure. The turbine wheel 34 is rotated by the flow of air through it and in turn rotates the blower 28. The operation of the turbine wheel 34 must be continued for a-sufiicient time to completely saturate the clothes within the garment bag Ill.

The time that the turbine will have to be oper.

ated will vary depending upon the amount of clothes located in the bag II]. If desired the clothes may be stored within the bag III for a season. In such a case, it is desirable to treat the clothes periodically to insure the protection of the clothes over a relatively long period of time. As pointed out above, the hopper 25 will contain a sufiiciently large supply of crystals so it is unnecessary to again open the bag for the addition of crystals for the periodic treatment of the clothes throughout the season which might result in the loss of vapor-laden air. For example, the clothes worn in the winter season may be placed in the garment bag at the end of the season and treated. At periodic intervals they may be treated again by simply connecting a source of air pressure to the turbine inlet tube 44 without the necessity of opening the garment bag. The bag need only be opened when it is desired to remove the clothes from the bag at the start of the next winter season. By the location of the means for vaporizing ,the crystals within the garment bag operated by means external to the bag the full quantity of crystals may be utilized in the treatment of the clothes.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a garment bag, a container secured within said garment bag, a hopper in the top of said container for receiving vaporizable crystals and having a top opening, a fan secured within said container below said hopper, an inlet opening in the side wall of said container for said fan, and means located without said bag for driving said fan, whereby air is circulated from said last-named opening through said hopper and within said bag.

2. In combination with a garment bag, a container secured within said garment bag, a hopper in the top of said container for receiving vaporizable crystals and having a top opening, a fan secured within said container below said hopper, an inlet opening in the side wall of said container for said fan, and a turbine secured to the outside of said bag for driving said fan, whereby air may be circulated over said crystals and within said bag without passing any of the vapor-laden air out of the bag.

3. In combination with a garment bag, a container secured within said bag having a top opening, partitions within said container forming a hopper adjacent said top opening with an orifice intermediate the top and bottom of said container, a perforated plate secured within said container across said orifice, a centrifugal fan located within said container below said orifice, a perforated plate secured over an inlet opening in a side wall of said container for said fan, a turbine housing secured to the outside of said bag, a turbine wheel mounted within said housing, a shaft connecting said turbine wheel to said fan, a tube secured to the periphery of said turbine housing forming an inlet opening for said turbine, and an outlet opening in said turbine housing, whereby air may be circulated through said container and within said bag upon the connection of said turbine inlet to a source of air pressure.

4. In the art of disinfecting, a garment bag, an insecticide container mounted within said bag, rotatable means cooperating with said container and mounted on and supported by said bag for effecting circulation of insecticide within the bag, said rotatable means including a blower element entirely within said bag, and an air motor driving element located without said bag, said driving element including a member adapted. to receive its energy from air movement from a vacuum cleaner.

Images