Laundry Hair and Lint Trapper

The present invention relates to hair and lint trappers, and more specifically to hair and lint trappers used in washers and/or dryers.

Laundry machines, such as washers and dryers, are widespread household appliances used to clean and dry articles of clothing and fabrics in general. During normal everyday use, articles of clothing and fabrics tend to accumulate hair of either human or animal origin on their surfaces and fibers.

During washing of the articles of clothing or fabric, any accumulated hair does not break down in water and either remains on the clothing or fabric or can accumulate in the household appliances. Hair remaining on clothing (especially pet hair) after laundering is undesirable and time consuming to remove. Accumulated hair and lint can cause mechanical issues. For example, clumps of hair may enter the drain holes of a washer drum and possibly clog the drain pumps of the washer. As another example, during drying in a dryer, hair can accumulate on the dryer's filter and thus impede airflow, reducing performance and requiring frequent cleaning of the filter to maintain energy efficiency and prevent fire hazards.

Ideally, to prevent any issues from being caused by the accumulated hair in the household appliances during washing and drying, all hair should be removed from fabrics prior to washing them. However, removing all hair is a time-intensive task that is rarely performed before washing fabrics, meaning that some amount of hair is introduced in laundry machines during usual washing and drying cycles.

Furthermore, most if not all types of fabrics release lint when cleaned, and especially when dried, and accumulated lint can cause problems similar to those caused by accumulated hair.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a device capable of effectively trapping hair and lint within laundry machines during washing and drying cycles which can be easily cleaned afterwards is disclosed. The device thereby preventing or at least substantially reducing the risk of accumulated hair and lint causing laundry machine issues.

A reusable hair and lint trapper for use in laundry machines and/or dryers is disclosed. The reusable hair and lint trapper comprises: a body with a first exterior surface and a second exterior surface opposite the first exterior surface; and a plurality of bristles extending axially from the first exterior surface and/or the second exterior surface. The plurality of bristles extend axially from the first exterior surface and/or the second exterior surface in a pattern to define at least one space for capturing hair and lint.

The reusable hair and lint trapper rubs against the clothing or fabrics within the laundry machine and/or dryers to trap the hair and lint that is present on clothing and fabrics that may not be released during washing or drying.

In one embodiment, the body is made of silicone material and the bristles are cylindrical in shape.

Referring to, a hair and lint trapperhas a bodywith a first exterior surfaceand a second exterior surface, opposite the first exterior surface. Extending axially from at least the first exterior surfaceor the second exterior surfaceof the bodyare a plurality of bristles.

The bodycan be comprised of a first planar piecewith a first exterior surfaceof a plurality of bristlesand a first interior surfaceand a second planar piecewith a second exterior surfaceand a second interior surfaceas shown in. The first planar pieceis joined to the second planar pieceby directly adhering the first interior surfaceof the first planar pieceto the second interior surfaceof the second planar piece. The joining of the two planar pieces,can be achieved through heat or adhesive or a combination of both.

For example, if the first and second planar pieces,are silicone, the first planar pieceis joined to the second planar pieceby adhering the first interior surfaceof the first planar pieceto the second interior surfaceof the second planar pieceand heating the first and second planar pieces,to allow adhesion or fusion of the first and second interior surfaces,to each other. Pressure can be applied for an appropriate amount of time to successfully fuse the first and second planar pieces,together.

Alternatively, an adhesive can be directly applied to the first interior surfaceand/or the second interior surfaceof the first planar pieceand/or the second planar piece, respectively, and adjoined through applied pressure.

In another embodiment as shown in, an interposing layerof material with adhesive properties is placed between the first interior surfaceof the first planar pieceand the second interior surfaceof the second planar piece. The interposing layercan be a cotton fabric, woven fabric, non-woven fabric or any other material with a surface compatible for fusing to another material. Additionally, the interposing layercan be any material that provides stability and/or stiffness such that the material prevents tearing or folding of the hair and lint trapper. The adhesive properties of the interposing layerare activated through an application of heat.

Extending axially from at least the first exterior surfaceor the second exterior surfaceof the bodyare a plurality of bristles. The bristlescan be made of silicone or other material with similar properties that allow them to withstand heat, water, and cleaning chemicals exposure without undue degradation while maintaining a firm but flexible structure and adequate friction that can effectively trap hair and lint. The bristlescan be clear, opaque or a color. The bristleshave a bristle bodywith a lengthand a width or diameter w, but can otherwise be of any shape. The shape of the bristlesprovide multiple surfaces for strands of hair and lint to engage and wrap around and consequently become retained on the bristlesof the trapper. Longer strands of hair may come into contact with multiple bristles.

shows an alternate hair and lint trapperthat has a bodywith a first exterior surfaceand a second exterior surface, opposite the first exterior surface. Extending axially from both the first exterior surfaceand the second exterior surfaceof the bodyare a plurality of bristles. In this embodiment, the bodyis comprised of a single planar piecewith a first exterior surfaceof a plurality of bristlesand a second exterior surfacewith a plurality of bristles. The hair and lint trapperhas a single piece body that does not require the adherence of two separate pieces.

shows another alternate hair and lint trapperthat has a bodywith a first exterior surfaceand a second exterior surface, opposite the first exterior surface. Extending axially from at least the first exterior surfaceor the second exterior surfaceof the bodyare a plurality of bristles. In this embodiment, the bodyis comprised of a single planar piecewith a second exterior surfaceof a plurality of bristlesand a first exterior surface. While not shown, an additional layer or material can be adhered to the exterior surface of the trapperthat does not contain bristles, for example first exterior surface. The additional layercan be a cotton fabric, woven fabric, non-woven fabric or any other material with a surface compatible for fusing to another material. Additionally, the layercan be any material that provides stability and/or stiffness such that the material prevents tearing or folding of the lint and hair trapper. The layercan be adhered to the exterior surface of the hair and lint trapper without bristles through adhesive or fusing.

The body,of the trappers,,can be of any shape, such as but not limited to a parallelogram (), a circle (), oval, an open shape, or a closed shape. The body,is sized to fit within common household laundry and dryer machines. As such, the maximum dimension of the body,is preferably less than 0.3 m (1 ft) in length. Smaller maximum dimensions, such as approximately 20 cm, can improve ease of handling of the trapper,,for household use and reduce manufacturing and shipping costs. The body,preferably has a thickness of at least 0.2 mm. The body,can be made of a silicone material. The material used to form the body,is preferably planar.

In regards to the hair and lint trappers,,, in one embodiment, the bristlesare preferably cylindrical in shape with a length in a range of 2.5-3.5 mm and a diameter (width) of 0.50-0.65 mm. Through testing, bristleshaving a circular cross-section were more effective than bristleshaving a cross-section with edges, such as a square or triangular cross-section, because strands of hair and lint are more likely to contact a curved surface rather than a linear surface, thus increasing the amount of friction between the bristleand hair and lint and improving retention of hair and lint on the hair and lint trapper,,. Longer length bristlesmay increase the total space within the hair and lint trapper,,that is available for hair and lint to remain trapped between adjacent bristles, thereby allowing the hair and lint trapper,,to be reused more frequently without requiring cleaning or replacement. Shorter length bristlesmay be more robust, thereby increasing the amount of friction between the surface of the bristlesand strands of hair and lint and thus improving hair and lint retention.

Bristles shapes and/or additional elements attached to the bristle other than what is shown in the drawings may be used within the scope of the invention. For example, one or more bristles may have a cylindrical shape with radially extending quills or spines to aid in retention of the hair and lint onto the bristles of the trapper. It is noted that the additional elements and the shape of the bristles need to be designed so as to prevent the bristles from snagging or getting caught on the surface of fabrics in the laundry machine and the dryer. For example, providing a hook at an end of the bristle would likely catch and snag fabrics.

The bristlescan be arranged along one or both of the first and second exterior surfaces,of the body,in any pattern, which may be regular or irregular, with consistent or inconsistent spacing between each of the bristles, respectively. It is noted that patterns with too much space between each of the bristleswill not secure and keep the hair and lint trapped and too little spacing between each of the bristleswill not adequately remove enough of the hair and lint from the clothing due to limited space.

show an exemplary regular square grid pattern of the bristlesalong one or both of the first and second exterior surfaces,of the body. It is noted that the grid lines shown inare for explanation purposes only. Within the regular square grid pattern are a series of horizontal rows-and vertical columns-. In this pattern, bristlesare present in every other column across an x-axis and in every other row across a y-axis. For example bristlesare present in columns,,,of row,,. Bristlesare also present in columns,,,of rows,. The pattern of a bristlein every other column along a first row is repeated and staggered with a bristlein an adjacent, second row, with the first and second rows repeated along the exterior surface(s),of the body.

In one embodiment, the spacingbetween bristlesin every other column is equal to the spacingbetween bristlesin every other row. The spacing,is between 2.0-2.5 mm, preferably 2.5 mm. The spacingbetween bristles,in adjacent rows is equal to the spacingbetween the bristles,in adjacent columns. The spacing,is between 1.0-1.25 mm, preferably 1.25 mm. The diameter or width w of the bristlesin this embodiment is 0.55 mm, although a smaller or larger diameter may be used.

It is noted that inall spacing-is measured between the axial centers of each of the bristles, but spacing can also be measured between outer surface of the bristles.

shows a side view of the regular grid pattern of bristles. The lengthof the bristles is between 2.5-3 mm. The spacingbetween adjacent bristles,in adjacent columns and measured between the outer surface of the bristles,is between 0.5-0.75 mm, preferably 0.7 mm.

All of the spacing,,,,between the bristles allows for lint and hair to be deposited and retained and can be applied to any of the hair and lint trappers,,discussed herein.

An advantage of employing the regular square grid is the simple and less expensive manufacturing process and easy cleaning using comb-shaped tools which fit within the spacing-to capture and remove the deposited hair and lint. For example, a trapperhaving bristlesof a diameter of 0.6 mm and arranged in a square grid pattern having a spacing,of 2 mm between every other column and every other row, and spacing,between adjacent columns and rows of 1.2 mm can be easily cleaned through the use of a comb having teeth that are 1 mm wide and spaced 1 mm apart from each other, as the teeth of the comb easily fit in the spacing,between the bristleswith 0.1 mm of tolerance on each side, and thus all of the spacing,between each of the bristlesin one direction can be simultaneously cleaned simply by running the comb through the spacing,along the direction perpendicular to the spacing,, with the same procedure being repeated with the trapperbeing rotated 90 degrees in order to clean all existing spacing,of the trapper. The pattern can be designed to allow easy cleaning using widely available combs, or a special-use comb can be designed specifically to clean the desired pattern.

The first planar piece and/or the second planar piece,supporting the bristlescan have a thickness t in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.7 mm. Some flexibility of the planar pieces,is desirable as any curvature of the planar pieces,will result in the bristleschanging direction relative to each other as they remain perpendicular to the exterior surfaces,of the planar pieces,, thus potentially introducing tension in strands of hair and lint which increases friction and the likelihood of strands of hair and lint becoming entangled and more easily retained.

During washing and drying cycles, hair and lint become loose and freely move within the laundry machine. As the hair lint come into contact with the bristlesof the trapper, friction causes the hair and lint to become entangled with the bristlesand remain engaged with the bristlesof the hair and lint trapper,,. Some of the hair and lint will contact more than one bristle.

The hair and lint trappers,,can be used multiple times within laundry machines without being cleaned or removing the hair or lint. For example, the hair and lint trappers,,can be used more than three times, more than five times, more than seven times, more than ten times in between removal of the trapped hair or lint from the hair and lint trapper,,.

It is noted that more than one hair and lint trapper,,can be used simultaneously within the laundry machine and/or dryer. Additionally, multiple different size hair and lint trappers,,can also be used simultaneously in the same load being washed or dried within the laundry machine and/or dryer.

It is also noted that the hair and lint trapper,,can be used with machines that both wash and dry as well individual machines that only wash or only dry.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.