AU2001100054A4 - Utility rack - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT UTILITY RACK The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of using it known to me: UTILITY RACK FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a utility rack for support of articles in an elevated position.

Particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a rack for supporting articles of clothing, towels or the like for airing and/or drying.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION A common problem in bedrooms and bathrooms of domestic dwellings and hotels is the lack of adequate hanging space for items of clothing, towels and it the like for airing and/or drying. Leaving wet towels in a bathroom with insufficient ability for them to dry is both unpleasant in odour and potentially unhygienic. Although hereinafter the invention is referred to in the context of supporting wet towels for drying, it should be understood that the invention relates broadly to support of items of clothing as well as towels both for airing Sand for drying. As used herein, "garment" includes towels as well as items of clothing.

The traditional method of hanging towels is, from a fixed horizontal towel rail mounted a short distance from the wall. Such a fixture has a number of disadvantages, including inefficient use of space, lack of airflow around the to wall side of the rail. Most towel rails are designed for neat storage of towels rather than drying efficiency.

Various towel rails have addressed portions of these problems including wall mounted or free standing mobile heated rails to ensure that the towels dry, as well as rigid frames adapted to pivot from a wall mounting about an upright 'L axis. Such devices, while partially effective in achieving their respective aims, nevertheless still require either ongoing power costs or demand large areas of wall space.

Despite many attempts over the years to address the shortcomings of the prior art, to this time there is still a need for a versatile towel rail incorporating o maximum drying/airing ability with minimum wall space being utilised, particularly when the rail is not in use.

SUMMA R Y OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a rack to support garments for airing and/or drying, said rack including: At least one elongate support arm pivotally attached adjacent at one end to a S mounting bracket, said mounting bracket being adapted in use for mounting to an upright mounting surface, said support arm being pivotally adjustable through at least two orthogonally disposed axes for selective inclination between upright and transverse positions.

Suitably, said rack includes locking means to lock said arm at a selected S inclined position whilst supporting at least one garment.

If required, said locking means may be adjustable to support garments of differing mass.

Preferably, said locking means is adapted to lock said arm at predetermined angles of inclination.

S The locking means may include one or more biased detent members locatable in respective recesses in said locking means.

The mounting bracket may be secured directly to an upright surface by fasteners extendible through apertures in said bracket.

Alternatively, the mounting bracket may be adapted to support the arm at a position spaced from an upright-mounting surface.

If required the mounting bracket may comprise a clamp member to removably secure said rack to a mounting surface.

Suitably, the arm may be removably secured to said mounting bracket.

Said support arm may be of fixed length or telescopically adjustable.

'tS Said at least one support arm may include one or more transverse support elements.

If required said support elements may be pivotally attached to said support arm for pivotal movement between an extended position and a retracted position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA WINGS In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to one example of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: Figs l a, lb and 1 c show a side elevational views.

Fig 2 shows a top plan view.

Fig 3 shows a front elevational view Figs 4a, 4b and 4c show component parts of one suggested style of locking means.

to DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA WINGS Figs la to Ic show a towel rack or the like suitable for mounting on a wall surface of a bathroom where such a mounting is permissible. In the drawings, like features employ like reference numerals, for the sake of simplicity.

Fig la shows the towel rack support arm in the extended, horizontal position.

IS Fig lb shows the towel rack support arm in an intermediate position.

Fig Ic shows the towel rack support arm in the closed, vertical position.

In Figs I a to Ic the towel rack comprises a mounting bracket and a support arm pivotally attached thereto. Bracket consists of a flat plate with two apertures (10) (depicted in fig 3) for fitment of screws or the like for mounting o to a wall or auxiliary bracket. Attached to this flat plat are two plates perpendicular to and with their lateral axis at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the flat plate and parallel to each other. These plates also containing apertures to accommodate a transverse pivot bolt to pass through to form part of the vertical axis to allow transverse pivoting of the support arm via the swivel block two locking plates left hand and right hand and locking unit The two locking plates are attached to the swivel block (2) by two assembly bolts The locking unit is able to rotate in the vertical plane around the elevational pivot bolt The pre set holding positions (as shown in figs la to Ic) of the support arm are dictated by detents created on 0So the inside faces of the two locking plates (see fig 4b). Corresponding apertures containing compression springs (14) and steel balls (13) are situated in the locking unit See fig 4. Spring pressure forcing the steel balls into the appropriate detents ensures that the support arm stays in its selected position when the design load is applied to the support arm. A load in excess of design load causes the locking unit and support arm to rotate in direction of the applied force; this obviates damage to wall or brackets in event of application of excessive forces. The end of the support armnn away from the wall is finished with a non-slip rounded end or some other form of non-slip blunt end to avoid causing injury to occupants who come into contact with this end of the support arm. The non-slip surface provides grip on the garment that hangs over to this end in the horizontal position of the support arm when the support arm is moved to the inclined or vertical position.

Fig 2 shows a top elevational view of the embodiment illustrated in Fig 1.

Fig 3 shows an end elevational view of the embodiment illustrated in Fig 1.

Mounting bracket includes two apertures (10) to facilitate fitment of the S utility rack to wall or auxiliary bracket.

Fig 4a shows the inside view of the left hand side locking plate showing the layout of the 6 detents the aperture to accommodate the vertical pivot bolt and the apertures to accommodate the two assembly bolts The right hand side locking plate is a mirror image of the left hand side locking plate.

1o Fig 4b shows locking unit with the aperture to accommodate the vertical pivot bolt and the two apertures (15) to accommodate the compression springs and balls. The aperture (5a) accommodates the support arm Fig 4c depicts one set of balls (13) and compression spring (14) as would be installed in aperture The mount requirements of this rack only needs a width of approximately and can be easily fitted to a wall stud in a timber house or using modern Loxin type devices fitted to concrete/brick walls. It is definitely in the scope of the do-it-yourself market.

When not in use the wall mounted towel rack is left with it's bar in the vertical 3, position, thus only slightly impinging on available space in the bathroom. When in use, various positions are available depending on bathroom utilization at the time i.e. to hang the towel the bar is brought to the horizontal position with a small portion of the towel being over the non-slip rounded end of the bar away from the wall. The bar can then be left in this position for maximum drying efficiency if the occupants are going to work for example. If other occupants are still requiring the bathroom then the bar can be raised to the 600 or vertical position to reduce space taken, the bar can also be positioned left or right as space availability allows. A small amount of discipline is required to lower the bars to horizontal upon the bathroom going to be vacated for an extended period.

The inherent safety features of this design are that should the bar be in the horizontal position during times of darkness and an occupant enter the room, the bar will swing away from the occupant upon contact and the rounded end also tt obviates the possibility of injury. Another positive aspect of the design is that should a younger member of the family decide that the bar would be good for monkey practice, the bar will break away from the horizontal position to downward without causing damage to the rail or wall mounting. It is easily reset when the necessary disciplinary action has taken place! t S It will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof For example, mounting bracket may comprise an adjustable clamp, which permits the rack to be removably secured over the top of a door without any IQ damage to a wall surface or the door. The top portion of the bracket clamp is thin enough to allow the door to be closed with the rack in situ.

In another variation of the invention, the support arm is telescopically extendible or retractable to accommodate bathrooms of varying size and also to accommodate more garments or garments of differing masses, particularly 2U when wet. The support arm could also be comprised of two bars parallel to each other at a fixed distance apart (say 50 mm.) to further enhance airflow to the inside areas of garment being dried or aired.

Still further variations may include different locking mechanisms such as pin through aligned apertures, ratchet mechanisms, adjustable friction discs, gas oS struts, adjustable springs, over centre locking mechanisms such as those used in bonnet props of early motor cars, these variances could deal with a wide variety of hanging mass requirement. A second bar, locking unit and swivel block could be fitted to the single mounting bracket. Hooks, lightweight brackets and other accessories could all be designed into the same concept to maximise J! usability.

6 The utility rack has wide user functionality catering for the common problem of insufficient airing/drying space for damp towels in the average bathroom thus obviating the unpleasant odours and potential hygiene risks whilst being environmentally friendly. Being able to dry towels in serviced apartments reduces the requirement for frequent washing of same, thus aiding the environment in the reduction of the use of power and water.

The simplicity of design allows for the invention to be sold in either the assembled or kit form, with the average DIY handyman being able to assemble and fit the utility rack in a very short time frame. The fact that the utility rack is t comprised of easily assembled parts makes for great ease of supplying spare parts should they be required at a future time. The component parts can be manufactured from a variety of materials, from industrial plastics to metal and alloys. The components can be supplied in a range of finishes; chrome plated, painted or powder coated which caters for flexibility in requirements with S g regard to quality and/or decor.

Claims (5)

1. A rack to support garments for airing and/or drying, said rack including at least one elongate support arm pivotally attached adjacent at one end to a mounting bracket, said mounting bracket being adapted in use for mounting to an upright mounting surface, said support arm being pivotally adjustable through at least two orthogonally disposed axes for selective inclination between upright and transverse positions.

2. A rack as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rack includes locking means to lock said arm at a selected inclined position whilst supporting at least one to garment.

3. A rack as claimed in claim 2 wherein said locking means is adjustable to support garments of differing mass.

4. A rack as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said locking means is adapted to lock said arm at predetermined angle of inclination. g

5. A rack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said support arm is telescopically adjustable. John Seeck 39 Devonshire St Ashgrove QLD 4060 Dated: 5-Jun-01