Clothes Drying Device and Method for Drying an Item of Clothing

Abstract

A clothes drying device includes a porous skeleton and an inflatable balloon placed over the porous skeleton. The balloon receives a wet item of clothing placed over the balloon and has an inlet for receiving air added into the balloon. The skeleton, the balloon and the wet item of clothing form an assembly having a size permitting it to be placed entirely into a clothes dryer drum and dried. A method for drying an item of clothing includes providing a porous skeleton and an inflatable balloon placed over the skeleton, placing a wet item of clothing over the balloon, adding air through an inlet of the balloon, and placing an assembly formed of the skeleton, the balloon and the wet item of clothing entirely into a clothes dryer drum. The wet item of clothing is dried over the balloon and the skeleton in the clothes dryer drum.

1 . A clothes drying device, comprising:
 a porous skeleton; and   an inflatable balloon placed over said porous skeleton, said inflatable balloon configured to receive a wet item of clothing placed over said inflatable balloon, and said inflatable balloon having an inlet configured to receive air added into said inflatable balloon;   said porous skeleton, said inflatable balloon and the wet item of clothing forming an assembly having a size permitting said assembly to be placed entirely into a clothes dryer drum and dried.   
     
     
         2 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said inflatable balloon is formed of latex or polyvinyl chloride. 
     
     
         3 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said porous skeleton is formed of rigid plastic or plastic-coated wire being resistant to heat produced in a clothes dryer drum and having a multiplicity of openings being permeable to air, and said inflatable balloon is fastened to a bottom of the item of clothing. 
     
     
         4 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said inflatable balloon has an inflation inlet configured to be filled by a pump and a one-way valve preventing an undesired escape of air from said inflatable balloon. 
     
     
         5 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said porous skeleton has a shape configured to receive a shirt. 
     
     
         6 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said porous skeleton has a shape configured to receive shorts. 
     
     
         7 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 6 , wherein said porous skeleton has legs and extensions to be snap-fitted onto said legs for drying long pants. 
     
     
         8 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said porous skeleton has a shape configured to receive pants. 
     
     
         9 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said porous skeleton has a shape configured to receive a dress. 
     
     
         10 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 9 , wherein said porous skeleton has sleeves for drying a short-sleeve dress and extensions to be snap-fitted onto said sleeves for drying a long-sleeve dress. 
     
     
         11 . The clothes drying device according to  claim 1 , wherein said porous skeleton has a shape configured to receive a skirt. 
     
     
         12 . A method for drying an item of clothing, the method comprising:
 providing a porous skeleton and an inflatable balloon placed over the porous skeleton;   placing a wet item of clothing over the inflatable balloon;   adding air through an inlet of the inflatable balloon; and   placing an assembly formed of the porous skeleton, the inflatable balloon and the wet item of clothing entirely into a clothes dryer drum; and   drying the wet item of clothing over the inflatable balloon and the porous skeleton in the clothes dryer drum.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises providing the porous skeleton with a shape configured to receive a shirt, shorts, pants, a dress or a skirt as the item of clothing. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises providing the porous skeleton with sleeves configured to receive a short-sleeve shirt, and attaching extensions on the sleeves for drying a long-sleeve shirt. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises providing the porous skeleton with legs configured to receive shorts as the item of clothing, and attaching extensions on the legs for drying long pants. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises providing the porous skeleton with sleeves configured to receive a short-sleeve dress as the item of clothing, and attaching extensions on the sleeves for drying a long-sleeve dress. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises circulating the air inside the inflatable balloon through openings in the porous skeleton. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises using a pump to fill the inflatable balloon with the air through an inlet of the inflatable balloon, and using a one-way valve to prevent an undesired escape of air from the inflatable balloon. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises fastening a bottom of the item of clothing to the balloon and using the air to press the inflatable balloon against an inner surface of the item of clothing. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 12 , which further comprises removing the dried item of clothing from the inflatable balloon, placing a further wet item of clothing over the inflatable balloon without deflating the inflatable balloon, and drying the further item of clothing in the dryer drum.