AU2020103977A4 - Improved Hanging Rail - Google Patents

Abstract

A hanger for hanging a sheet of material, such as a towel is provided. The hanger having a mount for fixing the hanger relative to a wall or floor, an elongate rail onto which a towel can be hung in use and support arms extending from the mount and supporting the elongate rail at or towards respective ends of the elongate rail. The support arms define a hanging span along the elongate rail. The elongate rail comprises two elongate rail parts that together define a gap along the hanging span. A towel can be passed through the gap for hanging. The elongate rail parts are configured so that the same towel can be hung on both of the two elongate rail parts in use. 14

Description

Improved hanging rail

Technical field

The present invention relates to bathroom hardware. In particular, the invention relates to a hanger for hanging a sheet of material in a bathroom. The sheet of material can be a towel.

Background

The bathroom is typically used for various personal hygiene routines. One of these routines can include showering or bathing in the facility provided in the bathroom. When the person gets out of the shower or bath, they are typically wet and require a sheet of material for drying the water from their body. One or more towels are typically provided in a bathroom as convenient sheets of material that are absorbent to water and soft against the skin for drying. Before use the towel can be folded or hung so as to be readily available to the user. After use, it is preferred that the towel is hung, so that the wet material can air dry in the ambient conditions. If the wet towel is folded rather than hung, it may not dry quickly enough so as to be ready for next use, or the wet towel can start to smell or promote the growth of moulds in the material.

A wet used towel can be hung on a hook, but this causes the towel to drape into folds which do not expose the whole surface area of the towel for drying. A wet towel can be hung over an elongate rail to solve this problem. Hanging a small towel over a rail simply involves lifting the material from towards one end and making sure one part of the towel falls behind the rail while the other part falls in front of the rail. This action becomes slightly more complex for larger towels since the lifting process may require that the towel is lifted quite high in order for it to be positioned properly over the hanger. Some children find the lifting process difficult due to their height relative to the towel and hanging rail. Some adults find the lifting process difficult, especially when there is an injury e.g. a shoulder or arm injury. A difficult lifting process can be exacerbated when the towel is wet, which can increase its weight and reduce the towel's ability to slip over the hanging rail. On some occasions, rather than lifting the towel properly, the wet towel gets wedged between the hanging rail and the wall to give the towel the appearance of being hung. When the wet towel is wedged rather than hung, water from the towel can cause damage to the underlying material e.g. plasterboard of the wall.

Furthermore, the bunched up wet towel can remain wet or damp over a substantial portion of its surface. There is also considerable pressure applied by the wedged towel to the mount of the hanging rail which increases the risk that the hanging rail will demount from the wall.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved hanging rail for hanging sheets of materials such as towels in e.g. the bathroom.

Summary of invention

In a first aspect there is provided a hanger for hanging a sheet of material, such as a towel, the hanger having: a mount for fixing the hanger relative to a wall or floor; an elongate rail onto which a towel can be hung in use; support arms extending from the mount and supporting the elongate rail at or towards respective ends of the elongate rail, the support arms defining a hanging span along the elongate rail; wherein the elongate rail comprises two elongate rail parts that together define a gap along the hanging span through which a towel can be passed for hanging; wherein the elongate rail parts are configured so that the same towel can be hung on each of the two elongate rail parts in use.

By providing a gap along the hanging span, a sheet of material such as a towel can be conveniently hung across the hanging span without the need for substantial lifting of the sheet over and onto the rail. The sheet, such as a towel, can be manually passed though the gap along the hanging span, and then unfolded so as to rest on the two elongate rail parts.

The sheet of material is sometimes referred to herein as a towel, but it should be understood that the invention is not so limited and other sheets can be hung on the hanger. Other sheets might include tea-towels, bed sheets, clothing, scarves, or any other large sheet or sheet-like material that would otherwise be required to be lifted before being hung over a rail.

The hanger comprises a mount for fixing the hanger relative to a wall or floor. The mount can be affixed to a wall using any known fixing method such as contact adhesive and/or screws. A contact adhesive can be pre-applied with a backing io paper that can be peeled off prior to use. Any screws can be provided together with corresponding apertures in the mount through which the screws can be passed before tightening. Adhesive can be used together with screws. The intention of the mount to the wall is to reduce movement of the hanger in use. When the mount is fixed relative to the floor, there is typically provided a heavy base and a stand, with the elongate rail parts arranged at user height at the top of the stand.

When a sheet of material e.g. a towel is hung on the hanger, a force is applied to the mount that it should be able to withstand without moving. Even if the towel is heavy (i.e. wet) and if the rail is handled during use, the hanger preferably remains fixed relative to the wall or floor. It should be understood that excessive force, however, may cause the hanger to move from the desired position.

In an embodiment, the mount comprises a first mount part spaced apart from a second mount part. The mount can be provided in multiple pieces that together provide the mount. Where the mount is provided in separate pieces, a first mount part can be fixable to the wall in the way described above. In addition, a second mount part can be fixable to the same wall at a spaced apart distance from the first mount part. The spacing distance of the first mount part and second mount part is preferably set so as to be about the width or just wider than the width of the sheet of material that will be hung. In an embodiment, the distance is at least about 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 or 120cm. It should be understood that any spacing of the mount should take into the account the required gap in the elongate rail as discussed below. Practically, the distance requirements of the mounting points would be achieved by the provision of instructions accompanying the hanger product specifying a mount spacing distance appropriate to the length of the elongate rail parts provided.

Information would also be provided in the installation instructions provided with the hanger regarding the height that the hanger should be from the floor. The height should be sufficient so that a sheet of material e.g. a towel will not touch the floor when hung. The height of hangers to be hung in e.g. bathrooms may be specified by the builder during the planning process. A standard height for hangers in commercial bathrooms is in the range of from about 105cm to about 120cm from io the floor.

In an alternative embodiment, the mount comprises an elongate bar. The elongate bar can be of the type that contacts the wall along its length once it is affixed; alternatively, when free standing, the elongate bar runs the length of the hanging span. The bar can have a first mount part at one end that is thereby arranged to be apart from a second mount part. If the mount is fixed relative to the floor, the elongate bar can be at the top of a stand supported by a base. This means that the hanger is essentially free-standing. Alternatively, the elongate bar can be for mounting against a wall. Preferably, the elongate bar is mounted so as to be flush with the wall. There can be any number of fixing points along the length of the elongate bar including at the ends. The elongate bar can be of any length including at least about 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 or 120cm.

An advantage of the elongate bar type of mount over the disparate mounting points is that, in use, when e.g. a towel is hung on the hanger, any force applied about a single mount point can be absorbed along the length of the elongate bar. This is in contrast to the separate mount parts which have the weight of the item being hung transferred to one fixing point on the wall. There is, in the single point fixing, an increased potential for rotation of a single mount point about the fixing point. Optionally, to reduce incidence of rotation in a single point fixing when it is used, a mounting system can be employed that firmly anchors the mount point to the wall. Such mounting systems would be known in the art. Furthermore, more than one attachment point (e.g. more than one screw) at each mount part can be employed so as to reduce the impact of rotation forces.

The hanger comprises support arms extending from the mount. The support arms support the elongate rail on which the sheet of material is hung. The first mount part can support a first support arm and the second mount part can support a second support arm. Where there is an elongate bar, a first support arm can extend from one end of the bar, and a second support arm can extend from the other end of the bar. When mounted to a wall or when part of a hanger free standing on the floor, the support arms can extend in a direction substantially parallel to the ground. Alternatively, the support arms can extend at any angle io relative to the ground provided that the elongate rail can be configured to support the sheet of material. In an embodiment, the support arms are curved downwards towards the floor so as to provide an aesthetically pleasing design.

The support arms can support the elongate rail at respective ends of the elongate rail. Alternatively, the support arms can support the elongate rail inwards of the ends (i.e. towards respective ends but not at the ends). When the elongate rail is not supported at its terminal ends, there will be small extensions of the rail which are not a part of the hanging span. The small extensions could act as hanging points for items such as wash clothes, bags, or small items of clothing that can be looped over the short extension(s).

Together, the support arms define a conceptual hanging span along the elongate rail, which is the span across which the sheet of material can be hung. The hanging span is preferably at least 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 or 120cm in length. The hanging span can be adjusted during manufacture to accommodate for the size of material to be hung.

There can be one or more hanging spans defined by elongate rails. In an embodiment, there are two, three, or four hanging spans per hanger. Where there is more than one hanging span, the first support arm supports the ends of the multiple first elongate rail parts and the second support arm supports the ends of the multiple second elongate rail parts. Each of the elongate rail parts can have a hanging span spaced from the others, so as that there is room enough for a sheet of material to be hung on each elongate rail. In a preferred embodiment, the first support arm supports two first elongate rail parts that align respectively with two second elongate rail parts supported by the second support arm, thereby providing two hanging spans one forward of the other with respect to the mount.

The same sheet can be hung on each of the two elongate rail parts in use. This means that the elongate rail parts should be located close enough to one another so that the sheet intended to be hung can be spread out (unfolded) and hung securely (i.e. doesn't slide off under its own weight). If the gap in the hanging span is too small, the user will find it difficult to get the sheet of material through the gap io and onto the rail. If the gap is too large, the sheet will sag in the middle and may fall off one side of the rail e.g. if knocked. In an embodiment, the gap is in the range of from about 8cm to about 16cm. In an embodiment, the gap is in the range of from about 10cm to about 25cm. In an embodiment, the gap is in the range of from about 17cm to about 26cm. In an embodiment, the gap is in the range of from about 12cm to about 24cm. Preferably, the gap is at least about 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 cm in width as measured from the two closest points of the rail parts. In an embodiment, the gap is at least about 17 cm. The gap is preferably free from obstruction that would inhibit the user's hands from passing through the gap, and which would inhibit the sheet from hanging across the two elongate rail parts. Where there is more than one elongate rail and therefore more than one gap, optionally, the gap size differs for each rail. The gaps might be wider towards the front of the hanger and narrower towards the rear of the hanger closer to any wall (if present). The larger gap at the front is intended to allow the user more convenient access to the elongate rails at the rear.

In use, the user picks up the sheet of material to be hung e.g. the towel, and bundles the material together to reduce the width. The user then passes the bundled material through the gap and past the elongate rail onto which the sheet is intended to be hung. During this process, the user should not have had to lift the sheet of material higher than waist or chest height. Once in position, the user manipulates the sheet so that one half of it passes over the backs of the two elongate rail parts, and the other half of it passes over the fronts of the two elongate rail parts. This action can be performed one side at a time, or both sides of the material can be hung simultaneously. The sheet once hung is spread out across the hanging span. The sheet should be flat as it hangs which is not only tidy in appearance, but also promotes drying and airing of the material.

The hanger can be made from any material that is suitable for example metal or plastic. Each of the elongate rails can be made from a material e.g. metal that is strong enough to support the sheet of material. The thickness of the rails can be varied according to aesthetics. The shape of the rails can also be varied. The rails can be a square or rectangular cross-section. In a preferred embodiment, the elongate rail has a curved surface to allow the sheet of material to pass over it io more easily. The elongate rail can have a substantially circular or oval cross section. In an embodiment, the diameter of the rail can be at least about 1, 1.5, 2 or 2.5, 3, 3.2 or 3.5 cm. The ends of the rails, particularly the ends terminating in the gap of the hanging span can be rounded or capped with a cap. The cap can be a smooth knob that allow the sheet of material to easily pass over the surface and that reduces catching or snagging.

In a further aspect there is provided a kit of parts for a hanger for hanging a sheet of material such as a towel, the kit comprising: two elongate rail parts which together in use form an elongate rail onto which a towel can be hung in use, a mount associated with each of the two elongate rail parts for fixing each elongate rail part to a surface such as a wall, each elongate rail part having at least one support arm extending from the mount and in use supporting the elongate rail part at or towards an end thereof, the support arms in use together defining a hanging span along the elongate rail, instructions for how to mount the elongate rail parts relative to one another so as to define a gap along the hanging span through which a towel can be passed for hanging.

Brief Description of the Figures

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are not drawn to scale and which are exemplary only and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective front view of an embodiment of the hanger mounted to a wall.

Figure 2 is a perspective front view of another embodiment of the hanger mounted to a wall.

Figure 3 is a perspective front view of the hanger of Figure 1, with a towel hanging across a hanging span.

Figure 4 is a perspective front view of the hanger of Figure 1, with two towels hanging across the two provided hanging spans.

Figure 5 is a close up view of one half of the hanger of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a close up view of one elongate rail of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a hanger that is free-standing.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

Figure 1 is a front view of a hanger 10 for hanging a sheet of material 22, in this case a towel 22. The hanger has a mount 12 which is shown as having fixed the hanger 10 relative to the wall. An elongate rail 16 is provided onto which a towel 22 can be hung in use. There are support arms 14a and 14b extending from the mount 12 and supporting the elongate rail 16 at respective ends of the elongate rail 16. The support arms 14a and 14b define a hanging span 24 along the elongate rail 16. The elongate rail 16 comprises two elongate rail parts 16', 16" that together define a gap 20 along the hanging span 24 through which a towel 22 can be passed for hanging. The elongate rail parts 16', 16" are configured so that the same towel 22 can be hung on each of the two elongate rail parts 16', 16" in use as shown in e.g. Figure 3.

The mount 12 is affixed to the wall using contact adhesive and screws. The contact adhesive was pre-applied with a backing paper that was peeled off prior to use. The screws are provided together with corresponding apertures in the mount 12 through which the screws can be passed before tightening. The mount in Figure 1 has a backing plate (not shown) which is secured by screws, and then the front of the mount 12 is applied and engaged with the backing plate, so that the affixing means is not seen.

In Figure 1, the mount comprises a first mount part 12' spaced apart from a second io mount part 12". The mount is therefore provided in multiple pieces 12', 12" that together provide the mount 12. The spacing distance of the first mount part 12' and second mount part 12" distance is 100cm which is just wider than the width of the towel 22.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in Figure 2, the mount 12 comprises an elongate bar 12. The bar 12 is mounted so as to be flush with the wall. There can be any number of fixing points along the length of the elongate bar including at the ends. The elongate bar shown is 100cm in length.

The hanger 10 comprises support arms 14a and 14b extending from the mount 12. The support arms 14a and 14b support the elongate rail 16 on which the towel is hung. As shown in at least Figure 1, the first mount part 12' supports a first support arm 14a and the second mount part 12" supports a second support arm 14b. The support arms 14a and 14b are shown as curved in a downwards direction towards the ground.

The support arms 14a and 14b support the elongate rail 16 at respective ends. Together, the support arms define a conceptual hanging span 24 along the elongate rail 16, which is the span across which the towel 22 can be hung. The hanging span is 100cm in length.

In Figure 1, there are two elongate rails 16, 18. The first support arm 14a supports the ends of the multiple first elongate rail parts 16' and 18'. The second support arm 14b supports the ends of the multiple second elongate rail parts 16" and 18".

Each of the elongate rail parts 16', 16" and 18',18" respectively has a hanging span 24 spaced from the others, so as that there is room enough for a sheet of material to be hung on each rail 16 and 18.

The same towel 22 can be hung on both of the two elongate rail parts 16', 16" in use. This means that the elongate rail parts 16', 16" should be located close enough to one another so that the towel can be spread out (unfolded) and hangs securely. The gap between rails 16' and 16" is 17cm.

io In use, the user picks up the first towel 22, and bundles material together to reduce the width. The user then passes the bundled material through the gap 20 and past the elongate rail 16 onto which the towel will be hung. During this process, the user should not have had to lift the sheet of material higher than chest height. Once in position, the user manipulates the towel so that one half of it passes over the backs of the two elongate rail parts 16' 16", and the other half of it passes over the fronts of the two elongate rail parts 16', 16". This action can be performed one side at a time, or both sides can be hung simultaneously. The sheet once hung is spread across the hanging span 24. The user then passes a second bundled towel 22' through the gap 20 and past the elongate rail 18 onto which the towel will be hung. Once in position, the user manipulates the second towel 22' so that one half of it passes over the backs of the two elongate rail parts 18' 18", and the other half of it passes over the fronts of the two elongate rail parts 18', 18".

The hanger is made from metal. The elongate rail has a substantially circular cross section. The diameter of the circular cross-sectional rail is about 2cm. The ends of the rails 16, 16", 18', 18" are capped with a cap 19. The cap 19 is a smooth knob that allows the sheet of material to easily pass over the surface and that reduces catching or snagging.

Figure 7 is a perspective of a hanger 110 according to a further embodiment. The hanger 110 is also for hanging a sheet of material (not shown). The hanger has a mount 112 which is shown as an elongate bar. An elongate rail 116 is provided onto which a towel 122 can be hung in use (not shown). There are support arms 114a and 114b extending from the mount 12 and supporting the elongate rail 116 at respective ends of the elongate rail 116. The support arms 114a and 114b define a hanging span 124 along the elongate rail 116. The elongate rail 116 comprises two elongate rail parts 116', 116" that together define a gap 120 along the hanging span 124 through which a towel 122 can be passed for hanging. The hanger includes a stand 126. The height of the stand 126 is such that a towel once hung on the hanger 110 will not drape onto the floor. The height of the stand 126 is 1.2 meters from the floor. A heavy stand 128 is provided so as to provide stability.

Any promises made in the present description should be understood to relate to io some embodiments of the invention, and are not intended to be promises made about the invention. Where there are promises that are deemed to apply to all embodiments of the invention, the right is reserved to later delete those promises from the description since there is no intention to rely on those promises for the acceptance or subsequent grant of a patent unless the context makes clear otherwise.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS:

1. A hanger for hanging a sheet of material, such as a towel, the hanger having: a mount for fixing the hanger relative to a wall or floor; an elongate rail onto which a towel can be hung in use; support arms extending from the mount and supporting the elongate rail at or towards respective ends of the elongate rail, the support arms defining a hanging span along the elongate rail; wherein the elongate rail comprises two elongate rail parts that together define a gap along the hanging span through which a towel can be passed for hanging; wherein the elongate rail parts are configured so that the same towel can be hung on both of the two elongate rail parts in use.

2. The hanger according to claim 1, wherein the mount comprises an elongate bar configured to lay substantially flat against a wall to which it is mounted.

3. A kit of parts for a hanger for hanging a sheet of material such as a towel, the kit comprising: two elongate rail parts which together in use form an elongate rail onto which a towel can be hung in use, a mount associated with each of the two elongate rail parts for fixing each elongate rail part to a surface such as a wall, each elongate rail part having at least one support arm extending from the mount and in use supporting the elongate rail part at or towards an end thereof, the support arms in use together defining a hanging span along the elongate rail, instructions for how to mount the elongate rail parts relative to one another so as to define a gap along the hanging span through which a towel can be passed for hanging.

4. The hanger or kit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gap in the hanging span is in the range of from about 10cm to about 25cm.

5. The hanger or kit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a first support arm supports two first elongate rail parts that in use align respectively with two second elongate rail parts supported by a second support arm, thereby providing two hanging spans one forward of the other with respect to the mount.

12' 12'' 14a 16' 16'' 14b

18' 1/6

18''

20

24

FIGURE 1

16' 14a 16'' 14b 12 2/6

20 18' 18''

24

FIGURE 2

12' 10 12''

14b 14a

18' 18''

22 3/6

FIGURE 3

12' 10 12'' 14b 14a

22

22' 4/6

FIGURE 4

12''

16''

14b 18'' 5/6

FIGURE 5

19 18''

FIGURE 6

112 114b

116'' 116'

114a 124 6/6

126

128

FIGURE 7