(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0115919 A1 Lebrun Et Al
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US 201401 15919A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0115919 A1 LeBrun et al. (43) Pub. Date: May 1, 2014 (54) WOOLDRYERBALL AND METHOD OF Publication Classification MANUFACTURING SAME (51) Int. Cl. F26B 25/00 (2006.01) (71) Applicant: TALU SPECIALTY IMPORTS B65B 63/04 (2006.01) COMPANY LIMITED, Vancouver (52) U.S. Cl. (CA) USPC ............................................... 34/523: 53/429 (72) Inventors: Jennifer Anne LeBrun, Vancouver (57) ABSTRACT (CA); Koichi Suzuki, Vancouver (CA) A dryer ball is provided for use in a clothes dryer to reduce clothes drying time. The dryer ball has a substantially spheri cal wool body and a substantially uniform distribution of (73) Assignee: TALU SPECIALTY IMPORTS wool fibers therethrough. The body has a volume in the range COMPANY LIMITED, Vancouver of about 600 cm to 930 cm. A method of manufacturing the (CA) dryer ball includes providing a piece of wool material weigh ing in the range of 54 g to 60 g, folding the piece of wool material into a Substantially spherical wool ball having a (21) Appl. No.: 13/665,555 circumference in the range of 43 cm to 53 cm, sealing the wool ball in a porous bag, washing the wool ball in the bag, removing the wool ball from the bag, and allowing the wool (22) Filed: Oct. 31, 2012 ball to air dry. 10 Patent Application Publication May 1, 2014 Sheet 1 of 6 US 2014/O115919 A1 AA u N s u A ---- S (I,A : \ 2. AA -C- Patent Application Publication May 1, 2014 Sheet 2 of 6 US 2014/O115919 A1 Patent Application Publication May 1, 2014 Sheet 3 of 6 US 2014/O115919 A1 Patent Application Publication May 1, 2014 Sheet 4 of 6 US 2014/O115919 A1 g Patent Application Publication May 1, 2014 Sheet 5 of 6 US 2014/O115919 A1 & S N CN Patent Application Publication May 1, 2014 Sheet 6 of 6 US 2014/O115919 A1 oo!” Z|| US 2014/01 15919 A1 May 1, 2014 WOOLDRYERBALL AND METHOD OF 0011. After the piece of wool material has been folded into MANUFACTURING SAME a ball, the ball is placed in a porous bag. The bag is sealed to contain the wool ball therein. The bag containing the wool TECHNICAL FIELD ball is washed. In some embodiments the wool ball is washed in hot soapy water, then rinsed. The wool ball is removed from 0001. This invention relates to dryer balls. Particular the bag and allowed to air dry. embodiments relate to a dryer ball made from wool and a 0012. According to some embodiments, a felting needle method of manufacturing the dryer ball. may be used to felt the wool ball after it has been formed and prior to washing. In some embodiments, a felting needle may BACKGROUND be used to felt the wool ball after washing. 0002. As an alternative to using chemical fabric softeners 0013 Another aspect of the invention provides a dryer ball or dryer sheets, dryer balls may be placed in a clothes dryer for use in a clothes dryer to increase the dryer’s efficiency. along with the articles of clothing to be dried. The dryer balls The dryer ball has a substantially spherical wool body and a are tossed around in the clothes dryer during the drying cycle substantially uniform distribution of wool fibers there and are purported to help fluff and soften clothing. through. The body has a volume in the range of about 600cm 0003. Some conventional dryer balls are made of heat to 900 cm and a weight in the range of 54 g to 60 g. In resistant plastic or rubber and are covered with outwardly particular embodiments, the body has a Volume of approxi extending knobs or spikes. Examples of Such dryer balls mately 760 cm and a weight of approximately 57 g. The include Nellie'sTM dryer balls, Dryer MagicTM dryer balls, density of the wool ball may be in the range of 0.06 g/cm to Dryer MaxTM dryer balls and The Original Dryer Ba11sTM. 0.09 g/cm. In particular embodiments, the density of the Typically, such dryer balls are about 7.6 cm or 3 inches in wool ball is about 0.075 g/cm. A plurality of air pockets is diameter, or are about the size of a tennis ball or smaller. substantially uniformly distributed throughout the wool ball. 0004. Other dryer balls are made from wool. For example, 0014. In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodi some dryer balls are made from wool yarn which has been ments described above, further aspects and embodiments will twisted or wound into a ball and felted by washing and drying become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the ball several times in succession. Typically, wool dryer the following detailed descriptions. balls are hard and dense, and are similarin size to plastic dryer balls (e.g. about the size of a tennis ball or smaller). They are BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS generally intended to emulate the function of plastic dryer 00.15 Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in refer balls. enced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodi 0005. A main objective of conventional plastic or wool ments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illus dryer balls is to soften and fluff clothing by beating the cloth trative rather than restrictive. ing as the balls are tumbled in the clothes dryer along with the 0016 FIG. 1A illustrates a wool dryer ball according to an clothing. The balls are typically quite heavy so that they can embodiment of the invention. accomplish this objective. 0017 FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the 0006. In some cases, conventional plastic and wool dryer wool dryer ball of FIG. 1A taken along line B-B. balls are purported to also help reduce drying time by sepa 0018 FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate various stages of forming rating the clothing as it dries. However, in general, conven a piece of wool material into a ball according to one method tional dryer balls have not been shown to reduce drying time of making a wool dryer ball. by any significant amount. 0019 FIG.3 illustrates a needle felting step of a method of 0007. There is a general desire for a dryer ball that making a wool dryer ball. addresses the aforementioned problems. 0020 FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate wet felting apparatus 0008. The foregoing examples of the related art and limi used in a method of making a wool dryer ball. tations related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not 0021 FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manu exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become facturing a wool dryerball according to an embodiment of the apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the invention. specification and a study of the drawings. DESCRIPTION SUMMARY 0022. Throughout the following description, specific 0009. One aspect of the invention provides a method of details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough making a wool dryer ball. The method includes providing a understanding to persons skilled in the art. However, well piece of wool material weighing in the range of 54 g to 60 g. known elements may not have been shown or described in In some embodiments, the piece of wool material weighs detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure. about 57 g. The piece of wool material is folded into a sub Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded stantially spherical wool ball having a circumference in the in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense. range of 43 cm to 53 cm. In some embodiments, the spherical 0023 FIG. 1A illustrates a dryer ball 10 according to one wool ball has a circumference of about 48 cm. particular embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, dryer 0010. Folding the piece of wool material may include ball 10 is substantially spherical in shape. In particular taking a pair of laterally opposed sections of the piece and embodiments, dryer ball 10 is made entirely of wool. Wool folding them over each other so that wool fibers of each fiber is naturally hydrophilic and can absorb up to about 30% section are oriented in Substantially perpendicular directions of its own weight in moisture. to each other. Sections of the piece may be pulled and 0024. The inventors have found that fine, lightweight, soft stretched and folded toward a middle portion of the piece. or fluffy wools are generally suitable for making dryer ball 10. US 2014/01 15919 A1 May 1, 2014 In particular embodiments, dryer ball 10 consists of 100% throughout the ball. As discussed above, airpockets 12 help to Merino sheep wool. Dryer ball 10 can be made from other trap heat in the dryer ball 10. Airpockets 12 also increase the types of sheep wool, such as for example Corriedale wool or absorbency of dryer ball 10. Cotswold wool, or from wool obtained from other animals, 0032 FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate various stages of forming Such as for example alpacas, or any combination of wool a piece 16 of wool material into a ball according to a method thereof. of manufacturing a dryer ball 10. In FIG. 2A, the piece of 0025. The tendency is for conventional wool or plastic wool material comprises wool batting. A larger sheet of wool dryer balls to be hard and dense so that they are effective in batting may be cut, separated or otherwise divided into indi beating and softening articles of clothing as they are tumbled vidual wool pieces 16.