AU2016253698B2

AU2016253698B2 - A clothesline and a tether arrangement therefor

Info

Publication number: AU2016253698B2
Application number: AU2016253698A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Timothy Hooper; David Herschel Nicholls; Matthew Joseph Reilly
Original assignee: Ames Australasia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Ames Australasia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2009-10-21
Filing date: 2016-11-04
Publication date: 2018-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2030-10-21
Also published as: AU2016253698A1

Abstract

This invention relates to a clothesline status securement arrangement comprising a tether element. The tether element comprises a flexible line having first and second ends, where the first end of the line is connected to biasing means located inside of a clothesline frame portion, and a hook shaped tab portion retained external of the clothesline frame at a second end of the line, and wherein the biasing means bias the flexible line into the frame portion.

Description

A CLOTHESLINE AND A TETHER ARRANGEMENT THEREFOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a clothesline and a tether arrangement therefor.

PRIORITY

This patent application claims priority from:

Australian Provisional Patent Application 2009905103, titled "A CLOTHESLINE AND A TETHER ARRANGEMENT THEREFORE", and filed on 21 October 2009.

The entire content of this application is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The main application for the present invention is in relation to rotary, folding head clotheslines that are adapted to be folded up, removed from the ground and stored away when they are not required, although the application of the invention need not be so limited.

Rotary, folding head clotheslines generally incorporate a vertical (when in use) support post pivotally supporting arms adapted to fold between the horizontal when in use, and the vertical, for storage.

When folded, the arms must be retained in their vertical position before the clothesline can be removed from the ground and stored, or else these arms may swing about, causing damage or injury. For this reason, previous clotheslines have employed a length of material that is suspended from a portion of the clothesline, and which can be passed around the arms and tied off (or hooked or otherwise secured) on itself in order to retain these arms in the folded position. A problem with this arrangement however is that when the tether is not in use, it either dangles from one of the arms in an unsightly fashion, or it is removable and therefore easily misplaced.

It is an object of the invention to provide a clothesline status securement arrangement that ameliorates the stated difficulties or which at the least provides a useful alternative to known arrangements, such as those discussed above.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tether element for a retractable clothesline assembly having vertically foldable arms, the tether element comprising a flexible line having first and second ends, where the first end of the line is connected to biasing means located inside of a clothesline frame portion, and a hook shaped tab portion retained external of the clothesline frame portion at a second end of the line, wherein the biasing means bias the flexible line into the frame portion such that the tether element is substantially concealed within the frame portion when retracted, and wherein, in use, the tab portion is configured for hooking onto a portion of the tether element when it is extended and looped about vertically folded arms of the clothesline assembly so as to secure the arms in a folded state.

In one form, there is an aperture in the frame portion from which a tab equipped end of the tether element extends, the aperture being sized so that the tab cannot pass through this.

In one form, the biasing means is a counterweight located in a vertically oriented frame portion and secured to an end of the tether element distal to the tab equipped end.

In one form, the basing means is a spring loaded spool.

In one form, the frame portion is a support post of the clothesline.

In one form, the frame portion is a clothesline arm.

In one form, the clothesline is a rotary folding head clothesline.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of this disclosure it will now be described with respect to an exemplary embodiment which shall be described herein with the assistance of drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a rotary, folding head clothesline, illustrating the arms extending outwardly (i.e. substantially horizontally);

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the clothesline of Figure 1, illustrating the arms folded into a vertical position;

Figure 3 is a detailed view of the hub to which each of the arms of the clothesline in Figure 1 is pivotally connected, and a locking mechanism adapted to lock the hub in the position illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail view of the hub as per Figure 3, illustrating the release of the locking mechanism;

Figure 5 is a detail view of a clothesline status securement arrangement for the clothesline in ) Figure 1, illustrating this in a retracted position; ) * Figure 6 is a detail view of the clothesline status securement arrangement in Figure 5, illustrating ) this is in a partially extended position; > Figure 7 is a detail view of the clothesline status securement arrangement in Figure 5, illustrating this extended fully around the arms and secured to itself; ) \ > Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the clothesline status securement arrangement in ) isolation; Figure 9 is a detail front view of the clothesline status securement arrangement in > isolation; and

H ) * Figure 10 is a detail cross sectional view through the clothesline status securement arrangement in isolation.

In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In Figure 1, there is illustrated a rotary clothes line 10 comprising a hollow support post 11 and four radial arms 12 supporting lengths of line therebetween. Each of the radial arms 12 is pivotally secured to a central hub 15 disposed upon the support post 11. There are four support arms 13, each of which corresponds to a radial arm 12. Each support arm is pivotally connected at a first end 45 to its corresponding radial arm 12, and at a second end 46 to the upper end 11a of the support post 11 respectively. The support arms 13 support the radial arms 12 when they are in their extended position as shown in Figure 1.

The support post 11 incorporates a locking mechanism 20 which locks the central hub 15 in position when the radial arms 12 are horizontal. In order to return the radial arms 12 to the vertical for storage, this locking mechanism 20 must be released. Once released, the hub 15 is free to slide down the central support post 11, thereby bringing each of the radial arms 12 to its vertical position.

There is an aperture 30 in the support post 11 at a location just above the latch 22 to which the hub 15 locks. From this aperture 30 there is extending an end of a tether element 1. To the end of this tether element 1 there is fixed a tab 40 incorporating a pair of hook shaped portions 42.

The tether element 1 comprises a cord 44 which extends from tab 40, back into the support post 11 via aperture 30, and is secured at its distal end to a counterweight assembly 60 located inside of the support post 11.

The counterweight assembly 60 comprises a cassette 62 carrying four elongate weights 64. The counterweight assembly 60 is free to travel up and down within the support post 11 as the tether element I is extended from and returned to its retracted position within the support post 11. At all times, the counterweight assembly 60 is attempting to pull the cord 44 of the tether element I into the post.

In use, the tab 40 is grasped and the cord 44 drawn from within the support post 11 via aperture 30. The cord 44 of tether element I is then passed around the four vertical, radial arms 12 of the clothesline 10 and one of the hook shaped portions 42 fanned into the tab 40 is used to hook this free end of the tether element 1 to a portion of cord 44 closer to the distal end thereof.

When the tab 40 is released, the counterweight 60 will tension the cord 44 of the tether element I, thereby securing the arms 12 in their vertical positions so that the clothesline IO can be removed from the ground and stored safely.

When the tether element 1 is no longer required, it can be permitted to retract within the support post 11 of the clothesline until it is needed next. Only the tab will remain external to the support 11, by virtue of the fact that this will not pass through aperture 30. In this way, tab 40 remains accessible to a user ready for when tether element 1 is required again.

The clothesline status securement arrangement disclosed in the embodiment above provides a very simple and effective means of providing a biased retractable tether. An alternative means (not illustrated) of achieving this result may be by way of a cord being wound onto and off of a reel biased by a spring. The reel may rotate about a vertical axis incorporated in the support post. It will be appreciated however, that the arrangement disclosed in the embodiment above is cheaper and simpler to implement.

Throughout the specification and the claims that follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words “comprise" and "include" and variations such as "comprising" and "including" will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers, but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described. Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodiment with regard to the particular elements and/or features described or depicted herein. It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, the invention should be understood to include all such modifications in its scope.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A tether element for a retractable clothesline assembly having vertically foldable arms, the tether element comprising a flexible line having first and second ends, where the first end of the line is connected to biasing means located inside of a clothesline frame portion, and a hook shaped tab portion retained external of the clothesline frame portion at a second end of the line, wherein the biasing means bias the flexible line into the frame portion such that the tether element is substantially concealed within the frame portion when retracted, and wherein, in use, the tab portion is configured for hooking onto a portion of the tether element when it is extended and looped about vertically folded arms of the clothesline assembly so as to secure the arms in a folded state.
2. The tether element according to claim 1, wherein there is an aperture in the frame portion from which a tab equipped end of the tether element extends, the aperture being sized so that the tab cannot pass through this.
3. The tether element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the biasing means is a counterweight located in a vertically oriented frame portion and secured to an end of the tether element distal to the tab equipped end.
4. The tether element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the biasing means is a spring loaded spool.
5. The tether element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the frame portion is a support post of the clothesline.
6. The tether element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the frame portion is a clothesline arm.
7. The tether element according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the clothesline is a rotary folding head clothesline.