DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives of the present invention, an improved lint trap device 10 is developed. Hereinafter, the detailed description is disclosed accompanying the drawing.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, a lint trap device 10 of the present invention is seen as employed with a clothes washer or other laundry washing machine 11. The lint trap device 10 is attached at the proximal end of a discharge hose 12. At the end of a washing cycle, the lint-laden water or effluent contained within the washer 11 is pumped out of the washer through the discharge hose 12. During the pumping cycle, the lint and hair are trapped by the lint trap device 10. The lint-free water discharges into a washbasin 13 through a drain 14 and drainpipe 15, and thereafter into the plumbing system.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the lint trap device 10 of the present invention comprises an attachment device 30, a main body of tubular shaped plastic net 20, and a sealing device 40. The attachment device for securing the lint trap to the discharge hose 12 further comprises a flexible plastic strap 31 and a receptacle 33. The plastic strap 31 is flexible but strong enough to bind the lint trap onto the discharge hose 12. The plastic strap 31 forms a plurality of teeth 32 at the proximal strap end. The receptacle 33 forms at least two teeth at the inner, upper surface for engaging with the strap end teeth.

[0032] Referring to FIGS. 3 through 5, a tubular plastic net 20 is employed as the base net of the main body for filtering lint and hair. At each thread of every perforation, the base plastic net 20 forms a plurality of paired mesh fins 21 for increasing the efficiency of filtering performance. At least one paired mesh fin 21, which is extended to both sides, is disposed on every individual thread 22 in a perforation of the base plastic net 20.

[0033] The root of paired mesh fins is stiff enough not to be bent or broken when abundant water is suddenly discharged from the washer. The length of the paired mesh fins is the same as or a little longer than that of the individual perforation of the base plastic net. The diameter of the paired mesh fins is approximately one-fourth that of the base plastic net 23. However, the tips of the paired mesh fins are relatively flexible and curly to easily catch lint and hair from discharged water.

[0034] The paired mesh fins 21 are disposed inwardly at a certain angle to form a secondary screen adjacent to the base plastic net 23. The range of inclining angle of the paired mesh fins 21 is between 15° to 60° against an imaginary tangential line of the base tubular plastic net 20. Due to the secondary screen formed inwardly adjacent to the base tubular plastic net 20, most lint and hair contained in the discharged water are trapped and suspended at the tips of the paired mesh fins 21. Since the collected lint and hair are suspended apart from the base plastic net 23, the collected lint and hair easily fall off during the cleaning process.

[0035] Because human hairs are relatively longer than clothes lint and have a smooth, oily surface, most human hairs easily escape through the conventional plastic net. Since most conventional filtering devices and lint traps do not effectively trap human hair, it causes a serious problem in the drainage system, especially washers or laundry machines used in barbershops or beauty salons for washing towels or clothes.

[0036] The secondary screen formed by the paired mesh fins of the present invention is excellent for trapping human hair. Thus, the improved lint trap device of the present invention enables effective trapping not only of clothes lint, but also of human hair.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 6, an enlarged view of a perforation of the base plastic net of the improved lint trap is presented for comparing with that of a conventional plastic net. A solid line represents the mesh of the improved base tubular plastic net and a dotted line represents the mesh of a conventional base tubular plastic net. Because of the formation of a secondary screen by the paired mesh fins, the improved lint trap enables the employment of a coarse mesh having relatively fewer meshes in the plastic net than does a conventional plastic net. If the number of meshes in the base plastic net could decrease by 10%, the perforation of the base plastic net would be increased by approximately 21%. The wider perforation of the base plastic net provides less flowing resistance when abundant water is suddenly discharged from the washer at the end of the washing cycle.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, an attachment device 30 is employed for securing the lint trap device 10 onto a discharge hose 12 of the washing machine 11. The attachment device 30 further comprises a plastic strap 31 having a plurality of teeth 32 at the proximal strap end and a plastic receptacle 33 having at least two teeth 34 on its inner, upper surface for engaging with the strap teeth 32. The attachment device 30 is easily fastened onto the discharge hose 12 by pulling the strap end 35 while holding the receptacle 33. When the lint trap device is replaced or cleaned, the attachment device is easily unfastened by pushing the strap end 35 backwards while squeezing both sides of the receptacle 33 to make a clearance between both sets of engaged teeth.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, an end-sealing device 40 is employed for easily disposing the collected lint and hair from the lint trap. The end-sealing device 40 attached at the proximal end of the plastic net comprises a pair of end rims 41 and a sealing slider 42. The pair of end rims 41 has detents 44 at the center. The sealing slider 42 is equipped with a latch 43 at the center for locking the latch 43 into the detents 44. The pair of end rims 41 is slidingly inserted into the sealing slider 42 until the latch 43 is snapped into the detents 44. When the collected lint and hair are removed from the lint trap, the latch 43 is pulled downward to unlock the sealing slider 42 from the detents 44. Then, the sealing slider 42 is pushed to either side to slide out from the pair of end rims 41. To remove the collected lint and hair, both ends of the pair of end rims 41 are squeezed to open it widely, as shown in FIG. 12. After cleaning the lint trap, the sealing slider 42 is slidingly inserted back into the pair of end rims 41 by reversing direction until the latch 43 snaps into the detents 44.

[0040] While the present invention has been described in detail with its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that further modifications are possible. The present application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the invention, following the general principles thereof, and includes such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains within the limits of the appended claims.