GB2167546A

GB2167546A - Portable blow heater

Info

Publication number: GB2167546A
Application number: GB08526174A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kozo Hayashi; Yoshinori Abura; Eiji Tsuji
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co Ltd
Priority date: 1984-11-22
Filing date: 1985-10-23
Publication date: 1986-05-29
Also published as: DE3538049C2; GB2167546B; GB8526174D0; DE3538049A1; JPS61125544A; FR2573518A1

Abstract

A portable blow heater comprises a blower for producing the flow of air to be discharged through an air outlet thereof, a catalytic combustion heater 40 for heating the airflow, and a fuel container 30 for containing a supply of liquefied fuel such as propane or butane. The fuel released from the container is in contact with the catalyst material at the catalytic combustion heater to effect the catalytic combustion process in the presence of the ambient air for generation of heat. An electric battery 70 is also incorporated for energizing the blower 50 as well as an ignitor 46 which initiates the catalytic combustion. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A portable blow heater The present invention is directed to a portable blow heater, and more particularly to a portable heated air blower incorporating a fuel container of liquefied fuel and a catalytic combustion heater which catalyzes combustible gaseous fuel released from the container in the presence of the ambient air for generation of heat.

Portable blow heaters have been utilized in many applications, such as for drying hairs after a hair wash or a bath, for drying clothing, or for drying hairs of pet animals. An electric battery is available for the portable purpose, but the portable blow heaters when relying solely upon the incorporated battery for generating the heat will provide a reduced amount of heat in relation to the size and weight of the heater and therefore are practically useless. For this reason, the prior blow heaters utilize a liquefied combustible petroleum gas for generation of heat together with an incorporated battery for initiating the combustion and operating the blower to produce the flow of the heated air, as shown for example, in Japanese publication (KOKOKU) No. 45-28331 of utility model application in which the liquefied petroleum gas is ignited by the battery to be burned with a flame.However, such combustion accompanied with the flame is susceptible to wind to be readily extinguished thereby, and is likely to induce incomplete combustion attendant with a larger amount of harmful burning gas. Further, it is difficult to control the amount of heat produced whereby the heater may be sometimes overheated which is dangerous and leaves the hair and other objects exposed to such overheated air. All of the above disadvantages must be eliminated for safety purposes.

The present invention has been accompiished in view of the above and provides a novel blow heater for portable use. The portable blow heater of the present invention comprises a fuel container of liquefied fuel and a catalytic combustion heater at which the fuel fed from the container is catalyzed in the presence of the ambient air to effect the catalytic combustion process for generation of heat. The catalytic heater is disposed downstream cf an electrically operated blower so as to heat a flow of air drawn thereby from an air inlet and to be discharged through an air outlet. Said blower and an ignitor for the catalytic combustion heater are energized by an incorporated battery.With the catalytic combustion heater incorporated in the blow heater, stable and efficient combustion substantially free from harmful combustion gas can be obtained for generating sufficient amount of heat without requiring a relatively large source of electric power, which makes the blow heater to be completely portable.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a blow heater which makes the best use of the catalytic combustion process so as to ensure stable and harmless combustion and to generate sufficient amount of heat at a reduced size and weight of the heater, contributing to the portability of the blow heater.

In a preferred embodiment, the blow heater includes a flexible hose extending from a housing within which are mounted said blower, fuel container, catalytic combustion heater, ignitor, and the battery. The hose has its one end in open communication with an air flow channel formed within the housing and is provided at the other end with a blowing nozzle having said air outlet. Said blowing nozzle is adapted in use to be grasped by the hand of the user in his or her intended drying operations and is provided with means for selectively supporting a detachable hair styling attachment, such as hair brushing, curling, or combing attachment.

Consequently, during the drying operations the user is not required to hold the housing accommodating the relatively heavy parts and is only required to hold the blowing nozzle of lightweight nature, allowing easy and comfortable handling of the blow heater. In addition, it is possible with the use of the particular hair styling attachment to associate heat with the hair brushing, curling or combing action, enabling rapid and easy hair styling operation.

It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a portable blow heater which is easily handled and manipulated and is convenient particularly for hair styling operation.

In an alternative embodiment, said blowing nozzle at the free end of the flexible hose extending from the housing is designed to include the catalytic combustion heater and the container of the liquefied fuel while the blower and the battery are left within the housing. With this construction, the hose serves only as passing the non-heated air from the housing to the blowing nozzle so that the heat is not applied to the air until the air reaches the blowing nozzle. This prevents undesirable heatloss in the hose and assures efficient utilization of heat generated at the catalytic combustion heater.

It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide a portable blow heater in which the heat-loss is kept at a minimum.

The blow heater in another preferred embodiment comprises a single housing within which are compacted all of the catalytic combustion heater, fuel container, blower, ignitor, and battery. The housing is adapted in use to be grasped by the hand of the user and is formed with the air outlet through which the heated air is discharged. This construction is most advantageous for increasing the portability and widening the utility, which is therefore a still further object of the present invention.

The ignitor for initiating the catalytic combustion process is desired to be energized before the blower starts to produce the air flow so that the catalytic combustion heater can be successfully initiated without being affected or interrupted by the air flow. To this end, the present invention adopts two different switching arrangement of energizing the ignitor and the blower in delayed time fashion.

In one version, there is included switching means which comprises a pair of first and second electric switches and a single switch handle for actuation thereof. The ignitor and the blower are electrically connected to the battery in parallel relation to each other with the ignitor being in series connection with the first electric switch and with the blower in series connection with the second electric switch.

Said switch handle is slidably mounted for movement between off-position and on-position, in the sliding path of which said first and second switches are aligned in such a manner as to be closed sequentially in response to the sliding movement of the switch handle from its off position to on-position, whereby the blower is energized only after the ignitor is energized to initiate the catalytic combustion.

In the other version, switching means comprises a switch handle and an electric switch driven thereby to connect the battery to either of the ignitor and the blower for selective energization thereof. The electric switch employed is a singlepole double-throw switch with a movable contact engageable to either of first and second contacts which are connected respectively to the ignitor and the blower. Said movable contact being in the form of a bimetallic member which is disposed adjacent the catalytic combustion heater such that it is kept in condition for contacting engagement with the first contact when not heat-affected by the catalytic combustion heater and it deflects into condition for contacting engagement with the second contact when being heat-affected thereby.In this manner, the movable contact can sense the commencement of the catalytic combustion and acts to automatically energize the blower in sequence.

It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide a portable blow heater in which the ignitor and the blower can be energized in time-delayed fashion with the simple manipulation of the switch handle.

These and still other advantageous features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical section, in rather schematic representation, of a portable blow heater in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a partial view of the above blow heater; Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of the above blow heater; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the above blow heater with its blowing nozzle being in packed condition; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the above blow heater with its blowing nozzle extended from the housing of the blower heater; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a blow heater in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;; Figure 7 is a vertical section showing the housing of the blow heater of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a sectional view showing a blowing nozzle connected through a flexible hose to the housing of the blow heater of Figure 6; Figures 9A and 9B are perspective views respectively showing different hair styling attachments adaptable to the blower heater of the present invention; Figure 10 is a vertical section showing a blow heater with its switch handle being in an off position in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 is a vertical section showing the above blow heater with its switch handle being moved into an on-position for energizing the ignitor; Figure 12 is a vertical section showing the above blow heater in condition for energizing the blower; Figure 13 is a circuit diagram of the above blow heater;; Figure 14 is a vertical section of a blower heater in accordance with a fourth embodiment of present invention; Figure 15 is a perspective view of a battery recharging stand for the blow heater of Figure 14; Figure 16 is a perspective view showing the blow heater in its condition of being held on the above stand; and Figure 17 is a vertical section of a modification of the above blow heater of Figure 14.

First embodiment < Figures 1 to 5 > Referring now to Figures 1 to 5, there is shown a portable blow heater in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing 1 and a blowing nozzle 20 connected thereto by means of a flexible hose 21.

The housing 1 is made of heat resistant molding material and is formed with a grilled air inlet 2 at the lower corner portion between the right-side wall and the rear wall thereof. Also formed in the housing 1 at the left-side end portion of a lower front wall 3 thereof is a connection port 4 from which said flexible hose 21 extends. Formed upwardly of the lower front wall 3 is an inclined front wall 5 with recessed portions 6 respectively for receiving the blowing nozzle 20 and various types of hair styling attachments 23, 24, 25 and 26 detachable thereto. A front shield 7 is hinged to the housing 1 for covering the inclined front wall 5. The blowing nozzle 20 if formed at its free end with a reduced-in-diameter section or sleeve 22 on which one of said hair styling attachments is selectively fitted. The housing 1 is divided by a partition 8 into upper and lower compartments 10 and 11. The lower compartment 11 defines itself a horizontally elongate air flow channel leading from the air inlet 2 to the connection port 4, said air flow channel 11 being cooperative with said hose 21 to form an air conduit leading from the air inlet 2 through the connection port 4 to an air outlet 9 formed in the blowing nozzle 20 connected to the free end of the hose 21.

Fixed within the upper compartment 10 is a container 30 for containing at an elevated pressure a supply of a liquefied fuel, preferably a hydrocarbon such as butane or propane which is in a gaseous state at atmospheric pressure condition. The con tainer 30 is connected to a catalytic combustion heater 40 mounted within the lower compartment or air flow channel 11 by way of a feed line 31 with a needle valve 32 which is manipulated by a switch handle 60 to be closed and opened. Additionally, the container 30 is provided with a replenishing port 34 into which the discharge valve of an external fuel cartridge 35 fits through an aperture 12 in the housing 1 so that the container 30 can be easily refilled with a further amount of fuel.

Disposed adjacent the air inlet 2 within the lower compartment 11 is a blower 50 for drawing air through the air inlet 2 and discharging it through the air outlet 9. The blower 50 is composed of an electric motor 51 and a rotor fan 52 to be driven thereby to rotate for producing the air flow. Said motor 51 is energized by a battery 70 mounted within the upper compartment 10 and is secured in the lower compartment 11 by means of a set of stator blades 53 surrounding the motor 51 and channeling the air flow from the rotor fan 52 toward the catalytic combustion heater 40.Said catalytic combustion heater 40 is disposed downstream of the blower 50 for heating the air passing through the air conduit and comprising an envelop 41 of foraminate material, such as a sheet fabric of silica fibers or the like heat-resistant fibers carrying a catalyst material such as platinum or palladium, said envelop 41 defining therein a chamber into which a diffuser pipe 42 with tiny perforations 45 extends. The diffuser pipe 42 is connected to the fuel container 30 by way of said feed line 31 so that the fuel released therefrom passes through the perforations 45 into that chamber in a gaseous state. Thus, the gaseous fuel is diffused within the chamber for contact with the catalyst on substantially the entire surface of the envelop 41 and is catalyzed in the presence of the ambient air to produce the heat over the entire surface of the envelop 41.The catalytic combustion heater 40 thus constructed is held in place by slotted supports 44.

The lower compartment 11 may be additionally provided on its inner surface facing the catalytic combustion heater 40 with a heat insulation layer 13 made of heat resistant material such as metal or ceramics. An ignitor 46 in the form of a resistive heating element is disposed in close proximity to the catalytic combustion heater 40 for initiating the catalytic combustion process thereat.

Said battery 70 is a rechargeable battery which is electrically coupled by conductors 71 with a battery recharging unit 72 of conventional construction also mounted within the upper compartment 10 of the housing 1. The battery recharging unit 72 includes a retractable plug 73 to be connected to the conventional AC power source, said plug 73 being pivoted to the housing 1 for movement between a projected position and a folded position.

As shown in Figure 3, the ignitor 46 and the motor 51 of the blower 50 are connected to the battery 70 in parallel relation with each other and are controlled by a switch assembly including a pair of first and second switches 61 and 62 which are in series connection respectively with the ignitor 46 and the motor 51 and which are actuated by said switch handle 60. The switch handle 60 is a 4-position selector slidably held on the top wall of the housing 1 for movement along a straight path between an off-position and an on-position of Figure 2 through a first intermediate position and a second intermediate position of Figure 1, although the off-position and the first intermediate position are not illustrated in the Figures.Formed integrally with the switch handle 60 is an actuator knob 64 which is movable therewith in a horizontal slot 65 within the housing 1 for actuation of said first and second switches 61 and 62, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Also integral with the switch handle 60 is a leg member 66 which is linked to a stem 33 of said needle valve 32 for opening and closing the valve 32 in synchronism with the sliding movement of the switch handle 60.That is, the needle valve 32 is opened for feeding the fuel from the container 30 to the catalytic combustion heater 40 when the switch handle 60 is moved from its off-position or left-hand-most position as viewed in the Figures to the first intermediate position (not shown) and is kept opened during further movement of the switch handle 60 from the first intermediate position to the second intermediate position of Figure 1 or to its on- or right-hand-most position of Figure 2.

Each of the first and second switches 61 and 62 is a normally open switch with a button operator which is to be pressed down to close the switch by engagement with a downward tip at the free end of the actuator knob 64. The first and second switches 61 and 62 are aligned in the sliding path of said actuator knob 64 such that the first switch 61 is closed for energizing the ignitor 46 upon movement of the switch handle 60 from the off-position to the second intermediate position of Figure 1 and then the second switch 62 is closed for energizing the blower 50 upon further movement of the switch handle 60 to the on-position of Figure 2, at which position the button operator of the first switch 61 is released from the actuator knob 64 so as to open the first switch 61 for deenergization of the ignitor 46.

In operation, the switch handle 60 is firstly moved from the off-position to the first intermediate position of feeding the fuel frobQ the container 30 to the catalytic combustion heater 40 and is retained at this position for about one second for allowing the catalytic combustion heater 40 to be filled up with the gaseous fuel. Then, the switch handle 60 is moved to the second intermediate position of Figure 1 so as to energize the ignitor 46 and is again retained at this position for a few seconds to cause the ignitor 46 to be red-heated sufficiently for initiating the catalytic combustion process at the catalytic combustion heater 40.

Thereafter, the switch handle 60 is finally moved to the on-position of Figure 2 where the blower 50 is energized to start producing the flow of air to which the heat is applied, thus discharging the heated air flow through the air outlet 9. Following the above stepped movement of the switch handle 60, the catalytic combustion process can be successfully initiated at the catalytic combustion heater 40 without suffering from the deficiency of the fuel and without being affected or interrupted by the air flow, which would be otherwise possible if the ignitor 46 be energized simultaneously with the energization of the blower 50 and with the opening of the needle valve 32. Stable combustion at the catalytic combustion heater 40 is normally expected one or two minutes after the initiation thereof.

With the blow heater of the present embodiment, the user is not required to hold the housing 1 accommodating the container 30, catalytic combustion heater 40, and battery 70 of rather heavy construction during his or her drying operation, and is only required to hold the blowing nozzle 30 of relatively lightweight construction so that the drying operation can be done in a comfortable manner. Further, the user can select a suitable hairy styling attachments from various types including curling, brushing and combing attachments 23, 24, 25, 26 depending upon the particular hair styling mode and attach it to the blowing noz zle 20, so that the user can enjoy an added effect of associating heat with the intended styling action.

Second embodiment < Figures 6 to 8 > These Figures illustrates a portable blow heater in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention which is similar in construction to the first embodiment except that the blowing nozzle 20 accommodates therein the fuel container 30 and the catalytic combustion heater 40 together with the ignitor 45 while the housing 1 accommodates therein the blower 50 and the battery 70. In this and the following embodiments, like numerals are used to designate like parts as in the first embodiment for an easy understanding purpose.

In this embodiment, the housing 1 is divided by a vertical partition 15, as shown in Figure 7, into left and right compartments 16 and 17, the former of which defines therein the air flow channel leading from the air inlet 2 formed in the bottom wall of the housing 1 to the connection port 4 in the top wall thereof, and the other of which accommodates the rechargeable battery 70 and the battery charging unit 72 with retractable plug 73. Said blowing nozzle 20 is formed at its free end with like sleeve 22 for detachably receiving the hair styling attachment and is connected to the free end of the flexible hose 21 which extends from the connection port 4. The blower 50 is held in place within the left compartment 16 with its motor 51 being supported by the like stator blades 53 and with its rotor fan 52 positioned adjacent and upwardly of the air inlet 2.

Referring to Figure 8, the fuel container 30 and the catalytic combustion heater 40 both of the same construction as in the first embodiment are coaxially held within the blowing nozzle 20 to leave therearound enough space for passing the flow of air toward the air outlet 9 therethrough. The catalytic combustion heater 40 and the ignitor 46 therefor are disposed adjacent to the air outlet 9 while the container 30 is disposed upstream of the catalytic combustion heater 40 and is connected thereto by way of the feed line 31 having like needle valve 32 operable by a switch handle 80.

The switch handle 80 is slidably supported to the blowing nozzle 20 for movement between its onand off-positions through an intermediate position.

An electric switch 81 is operatively connected to the switch handle 80 for connecting the battery 70 to either of the ignitor 46 or the blower 50. Also connected to the switch handle 80 is the stem 33 of said needle valve 32 which is opened for feeding the gaseous fuel from the container 30 to the catalytic combustion heater 40 when the switch handle 80 is moved from the off-position to the intermediate position at which position the ignitor 46 is energized to initiate the catalytic combustion process at the catalytic combustion heater 40.

When the switch handle 80 is moved further to its on-position, the blower 50 is then energized to start producing the air flow while the needle valve 32 is kept opened to sustain the catalytic combustion, whereby the flow of heated air is discharged from the air outlet 9. The ignitor 46 is electrically coupled to the elastic switch 81 which is in turn connected to the blower 50 and the battery 70 mounted within the housing 1 by means of a cable 82 extending through the flexible hose 21.The cable 82 is supported at its both end portions respectively to the blowing nozzle 20 and the housing 1 by means of swivel connectors 83 which allow the cable 82 inside of the hose 21 to freely rotate in relation to the cable outside of the hose 21 while keeping the electrical connection therebetween, thus preventing the cable 82 from twisting during the actual use of manipulating the blowing nozzle 20 into different positions with possible attendant twisting of the hose 21.

In this embodiment, the heat produced at the catalytic combustion heater 40 is added to the air flow just leaving the air outlet 9 and is therefore efficiently utilized for obtaining heated air flow without causing any critical heat-loss when passing through the air conduit, which is in contrast to the first embodiment in which a certain amount of heat can be dissipated as the heated air passes through the air conduit including the hose 21.

Third embodiment < Figures 10 to 13 > Referring to Figure 10, there is shown a portable blow heater in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention which is similar in construction to the first embodiment except for a switching arrangement controlling the ignitor 46 and the blower 50, although there is a still minor difference therebetween that the upper compartment 10 defines the air flow channel in which are received the catalytic combustion heater 40 and the blower 50 while the lower compartment 11 accommodates the fuel container 30 and the battery 70.

Said switching arrangement includes a switch handle 90 and a single electric switch 94 to be actuated thereby. Said switch handle 90 is slidably held on the housing 1 for movement between offand on-positions and is formed with the integral leg 96 which is linked to the stem 33 of the needle valve 32 for opening the valve 32 when the switch handle 90 is moved to the on-position. Also mova ble together with the switch handle 90 is the ignitor 46 which comes into close proximity to the catalytic combustion heater 40 when the switch handle 101 is moved to its on-position of Figure 11 and which is moved away therefrom when the switch handle 90 is in the off-position of Figure 10.

As shown in Figure 13, the electric switch 94 is for selectively connecting the ignitor 46 or the motor 51 of the blower 50 to the battery 70, and com prises a single-pole double-throw switch with a movable contact 93 engageable with either of first or second contacts 91 and 92 which are connected respectively to the ignitor 46 and the motor 51. The first and second contacts 91 and 92 are carried by the switch handle 90 to be movable therewith and are arranged to be out of contacting engagement with the movable contact 93 held on the housing 1 at a portion spaced horizontally from the switch handle 90 when the switch handle 90 is retained in the off-position of Figure 10.Said movable contact 93 is made of bimetallic member having at free end a pair of lower and upper tips 97 and 98, the lower one for contacting engagement with the first contact 91 and the upper one for contacting engagement with the second contact 92. The movable contact 93 is disposed in the vicinity of the catalytic combustion heater 40 so that it is heat-affected thereby to be biased from a normal position where the lower tip 97 is engageable with the first contact 91 and a deflected position where the upper tip 98 is engageable with the second contact 92.

When the switch handle 90 is moved from the off-position of Figure 10 to the on-position of Figure 11, the needle valve 32 is opened to feed the gaseous fuel from the container 30 to the catalytic combustion heater 40 and simultaneously the first contact 91 comes into contacting engagement with the lower tip 97 of the movable contact 93 to energize the ignitor 46 for initiating the catalytic combustion process. Once the catalytic combustion process takes place at the catalytic combustion heater 40 it can proceed without the help of the ignitor 46 to give off sufficient amount of heat.At this occurrence, said movable contact 93 of bimetallic member is heat-affected to move into the deflected position of Figure 12 for bringing its upper tip 98 into contacting engagement with the second contact 92 for energizing the blower 50 whereby the flow of air starts to blow past the catalytic combustion heater 40, thus generating the flow of heated air to be discharged through air outlet of the blowing nozzle (not shown) connected to the housing 1 by way of the flexible hose 21. Shutting off the heated air flow can be done simply by sliding the switch handle 90 back to the off-position where the second contact 92 is spaced from the movable contact 93 to deenergize the blower 50 and simultaneously the needle valve 32 is closed to stop feeding the fuel.In case it is required to again operate the blow heater while the catalytic combustion heater 40 remains heated sufficiently for resuming the catalytic combustion without being ignited, the opening of the needle valve 32 is enough for resuming the catalytic combustion and therefore the energization of the ignitor 46 is not necessary. In fact, with the above switching ar rangement the movement of the switch handle 90 from the off-position to the on-position under the above condition does not bring the first contact 91 into engagement with the movable contact 93 but does bring the second contact 92 into engagement with the movable contact 93 left in the deflected position to thereby restart blowing the air without wastefully energizing the ignitor 46.

In this embodiment, the user is only required to manipulate the switch handle 90 from its off-position to on-position for feeding the fuel to the cata lytic combustion heater 40 as well as for energizing the ignitor 46 after which the blower 50 is energized to produce the air flow automatically in response to the commencement of he catalytic combustion process.Although the above switching arrangement relies on the movable contact 93 of bimetallic member for sensing the commencement of the catalytic combustion to effect the sequential energization of the blower automatically in response thereto, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and may utilize any other heat sensitive switching element capable of operating under the influence of the heat generated at the catalytic combustion heater in place of the bimetallic member.

Fourth embodiment < Figures 14 to 16 > The present embodiment discloses a portable blow heater which comprises a housing 100 which defines itself a blowing nozzle 101 with an air outlet 109 and within which are mounted all of the fuel container 30, catalytic combustion heater 40, blower 50, and a rechargable battery 70. The housing 100 is shaped by a heat resistive molding material into a tubular member with a bulged portion 103 intermediate its ends and is formed with an grilled air inlet 102 in the stepped wall between the bulged portion 103 and the rear portion of the housing 100. Said blowing nozzle 101 is defined at the front portion of the housing 100 to have at its free end a sleeve 105 with said air outlet 109, on which sleeve 105 is fitted a selected one of the detachable hair styling attachments such as those described hereinbefore and as shown in Figures 9A and 9B. Thus, an air flow conduit leading from the air inlet 102 to the air outlet 109 is defined within the single housing 100, which is in contrast to the previous embodiment in which the flexible hose connects the housing and the blowing nozzle.

The fuel container 30, blower 50, and the catalytic combustion heater 40 all of the same construction as in the previous embodiments are coaxially disposed within the housing 100 to leave therearound enough spacing through which the air flow passes. The fuel container 30 is disposed adjacently and forwardly of the air inlet 102 and is connected to the catalytic combustion heater 40 near the air outlet 109 by way of a feed line 31 with like needle valve 32. The blower 50 composed of a combination motor 51 and rotor fan 52 are disposed between the fuel container 30 and the catalytic combustion heater 40 with the motor 50 being supported to the housing 100 by stator blades 53.A switch handle 110 is slidably mounted on the blowing nozzle 101 of the housing 100 and is operatively connected to an electric switch (not shown) and to the needle valve 32 for effecting the like switching operation as in the second embodiment. The ignitor 46 is carried by the switch handle 110 to be movable therewith and comes into close proximity to the catalytic combustion heater 40 when the switch handle 110 is moved to its onposition, as best shown in Figure 14. The replenishing port 34 of the fuel container 30 is accessible through an aperture 106 in the bulged portion 103 for the refilling purpose.

The housing 100 also includes at its rear end a rectangular post 115 with a pair of female sockets 116 electrically connected to the opposite poles of the rechargeable battery 70. When the blow heater is not in use, it is held on a battery recharging stand 120 with its rear post 115 inserting into a well 121 of the stand 120, as shown in Figure 16.

Projecting on the bottom of the well 121 are a pair of male terminals 122 which are insertable into said female sockets 116 for electrical connection therebetween. The stand 120 incorporates a battery recharging unit (not shown) of conventional construction which has its input connected through a power cord 123 to the usual AC power source and has its output connected to the male terminals 122.

Thus, the battery 70 is recharged whenever the blow heater is held on the stand 120.

Referring to Figure 17, there is shown a modification of the fourth embodiment which is identical in construction to the above embodiment except for the construction of a catalytic combustion heater 140. The catalytic combustion heater 140 comprises a tubular envelop 141 which is made of foam metal with finely divided continuous pores, for example, foam aluminum and which carries the catalyst material such as platinum or palladium formed by deposition from a solution of the catalyst material. Said envelop 141 has its one end closed by a solid plate 142 and has at its the other end connected to the feed line 31 through a joint 145 for receiving the fuel from the fuel container 30.By better utilization of the foam metal as the envelop 141 carrying the catalyst material, the fuel released from the container 30 can be successfully diffused within the wall of the envelop so as to be in effective contact with the catalyst over the entire surface of the envelop 141 without requiring the diffuser pipe 42 employed in the previous embodiments or the like devices. By elimination of such diffuser pipe, the catalytic combustion heater 140 or the envelop 141 thereof can be designed to have a reduced diameter relative to that in the previous embodiment so as to afford mor space therearound within a limited cross sectional area of the air flow conduit for allowing more amount of air to pass through the air flow conduit, which is advantageous for fabricating the blow heater into a more compact structure. Further with the above envelop 141 made of the foam metal, the catalytic combustion heater 140 can be readily fastened to the supporting member due to the rigidity inherent to the foam metal.

Claims

1. A portable blow heater comprising: an air conduit leading from an air inlet to an air outlet, an electrically operated blower disposed adjacent the air inlet for drawing air into the air conduit through the air inlet and discharging it through the air outlet, a catalytic combustion heater disposed downstream of the blower for heating the air passing through said air conduit, a fuel container for containing a supply of a liquefied fuel which is fed to the catalytic combustion heater where it is catalyzed in the presence of the air inside the air conduit to produce the heat, an electric ignitor for igniting the heater to initiate the catalytic combustion process, and an electric battery for energizing the blower and the ignitor.

2. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, wherein said catalytic combustion heater comprises an envelop of foraminate material carrying a catalyst, said envelop defining therein a chamber at which a gaseous fuel fed from the container is in contact with the catalyst in the presence of the air inside the air conduit so as to effect the catalytic combustion process for generation of heat.

3. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, wherein said catalytic combustion heater comprises an envelop of foraminate material carrying a catalyst, said envelop defining therein a chamber into which a diffuser pipe with perforations extends for supplying a gaseous fuel released from the container through the perforations in diffused fashion into the chamber where the fuel contacts the catalyst in the presence of the air inside the air conduit to effect the catalytic combustion process for generation of heat.

4. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, wherein said air conduit consists of an air flow channel defined within a housing and a flexible hose which extends therefrom with its one end in open communication with the air flow channel and which is formed at its other end with a blowing nozzle having said air outlet, said housing accommodating therein the blower, the catalytic combustion heater, the ignitor, and the battery, and the blowing nozzle being provided with means for selectively supporting a detachable hair styling attachment.

5. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, wherein said air conduit consists of an air flow channel defined within a housing and a flexible hose which extends therefrom with its one end in open communication with the air flow channel to have at the other end a blowing nozzle with said air outlet, said housing accommodating therein the blower and the battery, said blowing nozzle accommodating therein said catalytic combustion heater and the ignitor, and blowing nozzle being provided with means for selectively supporting a detachable hair styling attachment.

6. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, wherein said air conduit is defined within a single housing with said air inlet at one end and with said air outlet at the other end thereof, said housing incorporating therein said battery, blower, fuel container, catalytic combustion heater, and ignitor.

7. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, wherein said blower is arranged to be energized after the ignitor initiates the catalytic combustion process at the catalytic combustion heater.

8. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, wherein the ignitor and the blower are electrically connected to the battery in parallel relation with each other, and further including switching means which comprises a pair of first and second electric switches and a switch handle for actuation thereof, the first switch being in series connection with the ignitor and the second switch in series connection with the blower, and said switch handle being slidably mounted for movement between off-position and on-position, and the first and second switches being aligned in the sliding path of the switch handle in such a manner as to be closed in this order in response to the sliding movement of the switch handle from its off-position to on-position, whereby the blower is energized only after the ignitor is energized to initiate the catalytic combustion process.

9. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 1, including switching means which comprises a switch handle and an electric switch driven thereby to connect the battery to either of the ignitor and the blower for selective energization thereof, said electric switch being a single-pole double-throw switch with a movable contact engageable to either of first and second contacts which are connected respectively to the ignitor and the blower, said switch handle being operatively connected to the electric switches in such a way that the movable contact is out of contacting engagement with the first and second contacts when the switch handle is in its off-condition and it is engageable either of the first and second contacts when the switch handle is manipulated into its on-condition, and said movable contact being in the form of a bimetallic member which is disposed adjacent the catalytic combustion heater such that it is kept in condition for contacting engagement with the first contact when not heat-affected by the catalytic combustion heater and it deflects into condition for contacting engagement with the second contact when being heat-affected thereby.

10. A portable blow heater as set forth in claim 2, wherein said envelop is made of a foam metal on which the catalyst is deposited.

11. A portable blow heater substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A portable blow heater substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A portable blow heater substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 10 to 13 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A portable blow heater substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 14 to 16 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A portable blow heater substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 17 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A portable blow heater comprising a housing having an air conduit, a blower for causing air to move through said conduit to be expelled from said housing, and a catalytic combustion heater arranged for heating said air.