The present invention relates to a structure for the drying of laundry and the like.

It is well-known that in the winter months the drying of wet laundry is very difficult. For the drying of wet laundry, are used clothes-driers which are to be disposed indoor and are able to support the laundry. The time required for completely dry the laundry can be very long and it determines a long utilization of the clothes-drier, with drawbacks regarding to the encumbrance and regarding to the bad esthetical effect in the house.

Structures for the drying of laundry are known from FR-A-1 545 520 , DE-19 22 037 U , DE 201 06 754 U , FR-A-1 238 937 , EP-A-0 271 453 . These structures are suitable for drying the laundry, but they aren't able to remain in a firm positioning on the floor when they are disposed in a closing or rest position.

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned drawbacks. This aim is achieved via a structure according to the features of claim 1 and via a device according to the features of claim 4.

Among the advantages of the present invention there is that the laundry is dried in extremely short time, that the structure of the present invention can be associated to clothes-driers already existing, that the structure has a reduced configuration when is not used and it doesn't require a particular maintenance for keeping unchanged its features in the time.

These and other advantages and characteristics of the invention will be best understood by anyone skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the attached drawings given as a practical exemplification of the invention, but not to be considered in a limitative sense, wherein:

• fig. 1 shows schematically a perspective view of a possible embodiment of the present invention, in which the structure is in an open or use configuration;
• fig. 2 shows schematically the embodiment of fig. 1, in which the structure is in a closed or rest configuration.

Practically, the structure (1) of the present invention comprises a plurality of support elements (C), substantially "U"-shaped in the example, and connected each other by a covering web or sheet (D) which defines a substantially closed chamber for the drying of the laundry. The support elements (C) can be disposed in a open configuration (or use configuration) and in a closed configuration (or rest configuration). In the open configuration, as shown in Fig. 1, the elements (C) are spaced from each other and they hold substantially tight the cover (D) defining the drying chamber. In the closed configuration, visible in Fig. 2, the elements (C) are close to each other, as a bundle, and the covering sheet (D) is properly folded.

The covering sheet or web (D) can be made of nonwoven fabric or another suitable material that allows to form the drying chamber and that can be folded when in rest condition.

At one end of the structure it is provided a wall (A) which, in the shown example, is mechanical resistant, that is to say rigid, and that can be made of wood, metal, plastics, etc. Said wall (A) features a space (B) for the housing of a fan (not shown).

The fan is preferably provided with electric resistance or with another heating means (thermo-fan), so as to convey hot within the drying chamber. The thermo-fan can be permanently housed in the space (B) or it can be inserted in the space only for the drying operation.

Furthermore, said wall (A) is provided, as in the shown example, with a base (E) which allows the firm positioning on the floor and which, in the same time, is shaped and dimensioned so as to receive the remaining part of the structure when the latter is closed, in rest configuration. In particular, the base (E) is defined by a portion of the wall (A) extending orthogonally with respect to the vertical length of the same wall.

Referring to Fig. 1, in order to use the structure (1), the laundry (not shown) is disposed on the clothes-drier (S), which is of foldable type.

The clothes-drier (S) is covered by the structure (1). Then, the fan is activated, in order to allows the laundry to be dried in few time, instead of the long time which is normally required.

Advantageously, the tunnel structure of the present invention can change its longitudinal extension in order to be associated to clothes-driers of different dimensions.

In practice, the combination of the structure (1) with a clothes-drier (S) defines a device for the drying of laundry comprising a support structure, consisting of the folding clothes-drier (S), and a drying structure, consisting of the structure (1) and of the fan housed in the space (B). Such device allows drying of a relatively high quantity of laundry on a support which can be put on the floor. When the device isn't used, both the two structures can be kept in their rest configuration of minimum encumbrance.