A WATERPROOF SHOE SUPPORT FOR A DRYER

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the technical field of dryers, and more particularly relates to a waterproof shoe support for a dryer.

A dryer for household use may output hot air continuously. When it is being used in combination with palm shaped supports or shoe supports, it may be used to dry clothing items like gloves or shoes which are wet or humid.

Said palm shaped supports or shoe supports are generally connected to output pipes of the dryer, so that clothing items like gloves or shoes can be hung on said supports, and hot air from the dryer may be output upwardly from the output pipes into the gloves/shoes, circulates inside the gloves/shoes, and then carries away the wetness inside the gloves/shoes when the hot air exits from the gloves/shoes, thereby achieving the purpose of drying. However, in some situations, users may not pay enough attention to the dos and don'ts of the dryer, where some users may directly hang a completely wetted shoe (usually wetted due to the users accidentally stepped into puddles) on a shoe support of the dryer. Since a currently available shoe support of a dryer according to the prior art is not waterproof, and an air outlet is positioned on a top side of the shoe support, water dripping off from the shoe may drip directly into an output pipe of the dryer causing safety hazards if the water comes into contact with a circuit board or other electrical elements inside the dryer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforesaid disadvantages now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a waterproof shoe support for a dryer capable of avoiding water dripping into the dryer when the shoe support is in use.

To attain the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

A waterproof shoe support for a dryer, comprising a support body; the support body comprises a support plate provided on a top side of the support body and a tubular connecting portion integrally connected to a bottom side of the support plate; a plurality of air outlets are provided on the connecting portion; the plurality of air outlets are positioned below the support plate, and are shadowed by the support plate within a periphery of the support plate.

Said plurality of air outlets comprises a top air outlet and at least one side air outlet.

Preferably, an upper portion of the connecting portion is a semi-spherical surface; each of said at least one side air outlet is a recessed opening recessed from a lateral side of the semi-spherical surface, and each of said at least one side air outlet opens towards a direction perpendicular to an axis of the support body; an inner lower side wall of each recessed opening forming each of said at least one side air outlet is a guiding wall that inclines downwardly; an outer edge of the guiding wall meets an outer side of the semi-spherical surface.

The support plate is positioned inclined with respect to the axis of the support body.

Preferably, a lower end portion of the support plate is provided with a curved surface curving downwardly.

Preferably, at least one flow diversion hole is provided on an upper portion of the support plate; a flow diversion plate is positioned below said at least one flow diversion hole; the flow diversion plate is inclined, and a lower end of the flow diversion plate extends towards a direction away from the connecting portion.

Preferably, the support body is provided with at least one guiding plate positioned at least below said flow diversion plate; a lower portion of the guiding plate is parallel to the connecting portion.

According to the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following technical effects:

When the present invention is used for drying a water dripping shoe, water may first drip onto a top side of the support plate, and then being guided by the support plate 11 to fall onto or around the connecting portion, and then the water will free fall on an outer surface of the connecting portion or around the connecting portion. Due to the specific positioning of the air outlets, water will not enter the air outlets, thereby preventing water from getting inside the dryer. Accordingly, the support body achieves a waterproof function to protect the dryer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the present invention according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the present invention according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 3, and arrows indicating flow directions of dripping water are shown.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 4, and arrows indicating flow directions of dripping water are shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to describe the present invention in further details, the present invention will be explained and illustrated by the following specific embodiment.

With reference to FIGS. 1-6 where a waterproof shoe support for a dryer is shown, comprising a support body 1;

• • the support body 1 comprises a support plate 11 provided on a top side of the support body 1 configured to support a shoe; the support plate 11 is inclined with respect to an axis of the support body 1, such that when the shoe is inverted and hung onto the support plate 11, the shoe is also inclined to facilitate evaporation of water when the shoe is being dried;
  • the support body 1 also comprises a tubular connecting portion 12 integrally connected to a bottom side of the support plate 11; the connecting portion 12 is configured to be connected to an output pipe of the dryer, or being connected to a connecting pipe 2 which is configured to be connected to the output pipe of the dryer; accordingly, hot air output from the dryer can enter the connecting portion 12;
  • a plurality of air outlets 121 are provided on the connecting portion 12; the plurality of air outlets 121 are positioned below the support plate 11, and are specifically shadowed by the support plate 11 within a periphery of the support plate 11.

According to the above technical solutions, when the present invention is used for drying a water dripping shoe, water may first drip onto a top side of the support plate 11, and then being guided by the support plate 11 to fall onto or around the connecting portion 12, and then the water will free fall on an outer surface of the connecting portion 12 or around the connecting portion 12. Due to the specific positioning of the air outlets 121, water will not enter the air outlets 121, thereby preventing water from getting inside the dryer. Accordingly, the support body 1 achieves a waterproof function to protect the dryer.

An embodiment is specifically described as follows:

Said plurality of air outlets 121 comprises a top air outlet 121a provided on a top side of the connecting portion 12, and at least one side air outlet 121b provided on at least one lateral side of the connecting portion 12. Air can be output towards different directions through said top air outlet 121a and said at least one side air outlet 121b, so that the hot air provided by the dryer can circulate within the shoe more evenly.

Further, an upper portion of the connecting portion 12 is a semi-spherical surface 120; each of said at least one side air outlet 121b is a recessed opening recessed from a corresponding lateral side of the semi-spherical surface, and each of said at least one side air outlet 121b opens towards a direction perpendicular to the axis of the support body 1; an inner lower side wall of each recessed opening forming each of said at least one side air outlet 121b is a guiding wall 122 that inclines downwardly; an outer edge of the guiding wall 122 meets an outer side of the semi-spherical surface 120. Due to the semi-spherical surface 120 and the guiding wall 122, even if there is water dripping onto the upper portion of the connecting portion 12, the semi-spherical surface 120 and the guiding wall 122 will guide the water to flow on the outer surface of the connecting portion 12 such that the water will not drip into said at least one side air outlet 121b; since the top air outlet 121a is positioned right below the support plate 11, water is basically unable to enter the top air outlet 121a since it is known that free falling of water will fall only along a vertical direction such that water will only fall onto the top side of the support plate on which water will be guided to fall onto or around the connecting portion 12 as described above and shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, said at least one side air outlet 121b comprises three side air outlets 121b on lateral sides which are front, left, and right sides of the connecting portion 12 respectively; with reference to FIG. 6, the side air outlet 121b on the front side of the connecting portion 12 is positioned corresponding to a lower end portion of the inclined support plate 11; said lower end portion of the inclined support plate 11 has a through hole 114 through which the side air outlet 121b on the front side of the connecting portion 12 is exposed; through the guiding wall 122 of the side air outlet 121b on the front side of the connecting portion 12, water dripping downwardly towards the front side of the connecting portion 12 can be prevented from entering into the side air outlet 121b of the front side of the connecting portion 12.

In said inclined positioned support plate, said lower end portion of the support plate 11 is provided with a curved surface 111 curving downwardly to correspond to an outer contour of the semi-spherical surface 120. Accordingly, water on the lower end portion of the support plate 11 can be guided to slowly flow onto the outer surface of the connecting portion 12.

In said inclined positioned support plate, at least one flow diversion hole 112 is provided on an upper portion of the support plate 11; a flow diversion plate 113 is positioned below said at least one flow diversion hole 112; the flow diversion plate 113 is inclined, and a lower end of the flow diversion plate 113 extends towards a direction away from the connecting portion 12. Due to said at least one flow diversion hole 112, when more water drips on the top side of the support plate 11, some of the water may flow through said at least one flow diversion hole 112, along said flow diversion plate 113, and then being guided away from the connecting portion 12.

Further, to prevent water flowing through the flow diversion hole 112 from contacting the shoe again, the support body 1 is provided with at least one guiding plate 13 positioned at least below said flow diversion plate 113. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a lower portion 131 of the guiding plate 13 is parallel to the connecting portion 12 so that water flowing through the flow diversion hole 112 will be guided towards an opening of the shoe and then exits the shoe.

When the support body 1 is used with the connecting pipe 2 and the connecting pipe 2 is connected to the output pipe of the dryer, a height of the connecting pipe 2 can be specifically designed such that the support body 1 can be spaced apart from the dryer by a specific distance. Accordingly, taller shoes such as long or short boots can also be dried. The connecting portion 12 and the connecting pipe 2 can be fixed to each other by fixation achievable through mutual rotation of the connecting portion 12 and the connecting pipe 2, accordingly, the connecting portion 12 is being limited to move axially with respect to the connecting pipe 2 so that the support body 1 is prevented from being removed from the connecting pipe 2 when user takes out the shoe after the shoe is dried.

The above embodiment and the accompany drawings are not intended to limit the form and style of the present invention. Any appropriate changes or modifications made by a person skilled in this field of art should also be considered fallen within the scope of the present invention.