AU2022202465A1

AU2022202465A1 - Foldable clothes drying apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU2022202465A1
Application number: AU2022202465A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Dean Britton
Original assignee: AUSTRAL CLOTHES HOISTS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: AUSTRAL CLOTHES HOISTS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-13
Filing date: 2022-04-13
Publication date: 2023-11-02

Abstract

A clothesline for use in an elevated environment comprising a frame member pivotally mounted to a wall surface to be movable between a use position whereby the frame member extends laterally from the wall surface and a stored position whereby the frame member extends substantially parallel to the wall surface, at least one support arm pivotally mounted to the wall, at least one latch member pivotally mounted to a side of the frame member to receive the support arm. The latch member has a body configured such that when the frame member is in the stored position an upper end of the body of the latch member has at least one angled edge that prevents the upper surface of the body being used as a foothold by a potential climber. 1/4 Lb6 M /OrI 6nU HL

Description

1/4

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HL FOLDABLE CLOTHES DRYING APPARATUS FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a drying apparatus for drying clothes; and in particular, to a foldable clothesline for installation in a building structure that can be folded when not in use in a safe and convenient manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As populations continue to increase, particularly in large urban centres, housing availability for the large number of people seeking accommodation close to city centres becomes under increasing pressure. As a result of this, higher density accommodation options are becoming more common, particularly in areas where there is a limited availability of land in which to build upon.

High density living generally refers to high to medium rise apartment buildings that accommodate residents in vertically spaced units or apartments. Most such apartments comprise living spaces, such bedroom(s), kitchens, bathrooms and dining rooms to comfortably support the needs of the residents. Common outdoor spaces may be accessible to provide recreation for the residents and most apartments may include a private outdoor area, such as a balcony or the like, to provide residents with an ability to access fresh air and sunshine without having to leave their apartment.

Due to the nature of most apartment buildings, the private outdoor areas are typically of a limited space as most of the available space is enclosed within the walls of the building. In the case of balconies, they are typically formed along a wall of the apartment and have a railing or balustrade that provides protection about the perimeter thereof. As a result of limited indoor space, most such outdoor areas are also used to provide a space for drying clothes in an open air environment, especially in situations where the balcony is in direct sunlight.

For this reason, many apartment buildings employ wall mounted foldable clotheslines that are mounted to the wall of the building in the private outdoor space. Such foldable clotheslines can be configured to extend perpendicular to the wall for use, so as to present multiple lines extending parallel to the wall upon which clothes can be hung or otherwise suspended to dry. When not in use, the clothesline can be folded into a position that extends substantially parallel with the wall of the building such that the outdoor space is maximised and can be used for other purposes.

Unfortunately, it has been found that such clothes drying systems, whilst convenient and space saving, have a potential to be a hazard to toddlers and small children. In this regard, when the clothesline is in the folded position the lines or wires of the clothesline typically extend horizontally to function as a ladder that the child may use to climb and access the railing or balustrade. This can result in the child falling over the railing or balustrade and sustaining injury or death.

Thus, there is a need to provide a clothes-drying system that can be used in such an enclosed and elevated environments that does not pose a climbing hazard when not in use.

The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a clothesline for use in an elevated environment comprising: a frame member pivotally mounted to a wall surface to be movable between a use position whereby the frame member extends laterally from the wall surface and a stored position whereby the frame member extends substantially parallel to the wall surface; at least one support arm pivotally mounted to the wall surface to support the frame member when in the use position; and at least one latch member pivotally mounted to a side of the frame member to receive the support arm, the latch member being configured to grip the support arm when the frame member is in the use position and to facilitate sliding movement of the latch member over the support arm during pivotal movement of the frame member to the use position from the stored position and from the use position to the stored position; wherein, the at least one latch member has a body configured such that when the frame member is in the stored position an upper end of the body of the latch member has at least one angled edge that prevents the upper surface of the body being used as a foothold by a potential climber.

The upper end of the body may comprise a pair of spaced apart side members with an upper end of the spaced apart side members configured to form the at least one angled edge. The upper end of the spaced apart side members may be configured to form two angled edges that converge to meet at an apex.

The two angled edges may comprise a front angled edge and a rear angled edge. The front angled edge may have an angle of between 70° - 80° to the longitudinal axis of the body. The rear angled edge has an angle of between 50° - 700 to the longitudinal axis of the body.

The frame member may have a plurality of strand members extending across the frame member for suspending clothes therefrom. The plurality of strand members may extend across the frame member in a parallel manner and are substantially equi spaced from each other. The plurality of strand members may be formed from a single strand of material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which:

Fig. 1 is perspective view of a clothesline in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in an extended position for use;

Fig. 2 is a side view of a prior art clothesline stored in a non-use position;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a clothesline in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in an extended position;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the clothesline of Fig. 3 in a stored position;and

Fig. 5 - 7 are front perspective, rear perspective and side views of a body of a latch member for use with the clothesline of Figs. 3 and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described below in relation to its application for use in as an apparatus for drying clothes in an elevated balcony type environment. However, it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention could be employed for suspending articles therefrom for a variety of different purposes, including drying and could be used in any structure where there is limited space for a more conventional clothesline arrangement.

Referring to Fig. 1, a clothesline 10 is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The clothesline 10 is shown in an extended or erected state, for receiving articles for drying.

The clothesline 10 generally comprises a frame member 12 having a front rail 13 and a rear rail 14 and a pair of opposing side rails 15 extending between the front rail 13 and the rear rail 14 to form a substantially rectangular frame member 12. The front rail 13, rear rail 14 and side rails 15 are made from a suitable metal tubing, such as aluminium, and may be fitted together at their respective ends via brackets and/or screws to form the substantially rectangular frame member 12, as shown. A plurality of wires 11, or similar cables or rope, are arranged to extend between the front rail 13 and the rear rail 14 to provide a means from which cloths and the like may be suspended from for drying purposes, as is well known in the art.

A mounting bracket 16 is attached to a rear end of each of the side rails 15 to facilitate mounting of the clothesline 10 to a vertical wall 5, such as an external wall of a balcony or outdoor space of an apartment building, to which the clothesline 10 is to be positioned. The mounting brackets 16 have recesses 17 formed therein to 1s receive fasteners, such as securing bolts and the like, to secure the mounting brackets 16 to the wall 5. In a preferred form the mounting brackets 16 are configured to be pivotally mounted to the ends of the side rails 15 to enable the frame member 12 to pivot between the extended or in-use position as shown in Fig. 1 and a folded or non-use position as shown in Fig. 4.

A pair of support arms 18 are provided along each sides of the clothesline 10 to support the frame member 12 in the extended position. Each of the support arms 18 are pivotally mounted to a lower end of a respective mounting bracket 16 at a proximal end thereof, such that the support arms 18 are free to pivot about an axis extending parallel to the surface of the wall 5. The support arms 18 each extend from the lower end of the mounting bracket 16 and pass through a latch member 19 that is pivotally mounted to an outer surface of the side rails 15. The distal end of the support arms 18 extend through and beyond the latch member 19, as shown.

The latch member 19 is configured to function as a locking mechanism that locks the frame member 12 in position along the support arm 18. The latch member 19 has a body 20 that is substantially hollow to receive the support arm 18 as it extends therethrough. The cross-sectional shape of the body 20 substantially matches the cross-sectional shape of the support arm 18 so as to receive the support arm 18 therein. In the embodiment as depicted the cross-sectional shape of the body is rectangular, however the shape could be circular or oval, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. However, the height of the body 20 is greater than the height of the support arm 18, such that there is a vertical clearance between the body 20 and the support arm 18 to enable the body 20 to grip the support arm 18 in the manner as to be described below.

The latch member 19 is pivotally mounted to the side rail 15 by way of a fastener 21, such as a rivet or bolt. The internal surface of the body 20 of the latch member 19 is provided with an engagement member (not shown), such as a rubber gripper or the like, that engages with the surface of the support arm 18 to lock the support arm 18 in position within the body 20 of the latch member 19. As the body 20 of the latch member 19 is pivotally mounted to the side members 15 at an end thereof, the longitudinal axis of the body 20 is able to be off-set with respect to the support arm 18 passing therethrough so as to capture and grip the support arm 18. This allows the support arms 18 to securely support the frame 12 in the extended position as shown in Fig. 3.

Thus, to move the clothesline 10 from the non-use position as depicted in Fig. 4 to the in-use extended position as shown in Fig. 3, a user can simply grip the front rail 13 of the clothesline 10 and raise the front rail 13 in the direction of arrow A (Fig. 4). As the frame member 12 is raised, the support arms 18 will freely slide within the body 20 of the latch members 19 due to the body 20 pivoting about the connection point with the side rail 15, which causes the longitudinal axis of the body 20 and the support arm 18 to substantially align. Such an alignment of the longitudinal axis of the body 20 and the support arm 18 will enable free sliding movement of the latch members 19 along the support arms 18.

When the clothesline 10 is raised to the extended position of Fig. 3, gravity will act upon the frame member 12 in the direction of arrow B. This will cause the body 20 of the latch member 19 to pivot about the pivot point such that the longitudinal axis of the body 20 and the support arm 18 become off-set. As is shown in Fig. 3, this will result in the upper surface of the free end of the body 20 contacting the upper surface of the support arm 18. The engagement member present within the body 12 at the free end of the body will then grip the surface of the support arm 18 and hold the frame member 12 in the extended position.

To retract the frame member 12 of the clothesline 10 to the stored position of Fig. 4, a release mechanism 22 is provided on the body 20 of the latch member 19 which can be activated by the user to release the engagement member from contact with the support arm 18 and align the longitudinal axis of the body 20 and the support arm 18 to enable the support arm 18 to freely slide within the body 20 back to the stored position. It will be appreciated that the latch member 19 may be configured in a variety of different forms and the gripping/engagement member may vary, as is known in the art.

Fig. 2 depicts a prior art clothesline system 110 that employs a similar latch member 119 as the described above. As can be clearly seen in the clothesline 110 when the clothesline 110 is in the non-use/stored position, the upper end of the latch member 119 presents a substantially horizontal surface 130 which can form a foot-hold for a child to climb the clothesline. As will be appreciated, by presenting such a horizontal surface at an accessible height, a child may climb the device and onto a balustrade enclosing a balcony or a similar elevated outdoor space, placing the child in considerable risk.

To address this significant problem, the present invention provides a latch member 19 having a body 20 configured to resist climbing by a child. As can be seen in more detail in Fig. 5 - Fig. 7, the body 20 of the latch member 19 has a hollow elongate shape for receiving the support arm 18 in the manner as previously discussed. However, the free end (or trailing end) 25 of the body 20 has a pointed end 26 comprising a pair of spaced apart side members 27 projecting from the free end 25 of body 20, as shown.

Each of the side members 27 are identically configured and comprise a front angled edge 28 and a rear angled edge 29. The front angled edge 28 and the rear angled edge 29 of each side member 27 meet at an apex 30, which is rounded to avoid to avoid a sharp edge that may injure a user. The front angled edge 28 is arranged at an angle 0 to the longitudinal axis of the body 20, with the angle 0 being considerably steep, around 70° - 80°, preferably around 80°. The rear angled edge also extends at an angle P to the longitudinal axis of the body 20, with the angles being around 50° - 70°, preferably around 60°.

As is shown more clearly in Figure 4, when the clothesline 10 is in the stored or non-use position, the latch member 19 is arranged substantially vertically with the free end 25 of the body 20 arranged uppermost. In this position, the steeper front angled edge 28 is presented at the front of the folded clothesline 10 with the rear angled edge 29 sloping behind the clothesline 10 towards the wall. Due to the steep angle of the front angled edge 28, there is no foothold presented to enable a child to climb the stored clothesline 10. In this regard, should the child's foot contact the rear angled edge 29, the frame member 12 of the clothesline 10 will be caused to move away from the wall 5 in the direction of arrow A, thereby causing the foot to slide away and gain no purchase on the body 20. As a result, any attempt by the child to use the latch member 19 to climb up the stored clothesline 10 will be prevented, substantially improving the safety of the clothesline 10.

Throughout the specification and claims the word "comprise" and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word "comprise" and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.

Orientational terms used in the specification and claims such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, upper and lower are to be interpreted as relational and are based on the premise that the component, item, article, apparatus, device or instrument will usually be considered in a particular orientation, typically with the clothesline uppermost.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A clothesline for use in an elevated environment comprising:

a frame member pivotally mounted to a wall surface to be movable between a use position whereby the frame member extends laterally from the wall surface and a stored position whereby the frame member extends substantially parallel to the wall surface;

at least one support arm pivotally mounted to the wall surface to support the frame member when in the use position; and

at least one latch member pivotally mounted to a side of the frame member to 1o receive the support arm, the latch member being configured to grip the support arm when the frame member is in the use position and to facilitate sliding movement of the latch member over the support arm during pivotal movement of the frame member to the use position from the stored position and from the use position to the stored position;

wherein, the at least one latch member has a body configured such that when the frame member is in the stored position an upper end of the body of the latch member has at least one angled edge that prevents the upper surface of the body being used as a foothold by a potential climber.

2. A clothesline according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the body comprises a pair of spaced apart side members with an upper end of the spaced apart side members configured to form the at least one angled edge.

3. A clothesline according to claim 2, wherein the upper end of the spaced apart side members are configured to form two angled edges that converge to meet at an apex.

4. A clothesline according to claim 3, wherein the two angled edges comprise a front angled edge and a rear angled edge.

5. A clothesline according to claim 4, wherein the front angled edge has an angle of between 70° - 80° to the longitudinal axis of the body.

6. A clothesline according to claim 4, wherein the rear angled edge has an angle of between 50° - 70° to the longitudinal axis of the body.

7. A clothesline according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the frame member has a plurality of strand members extending across the frame member for suspending clothes therefrom.

8. A clothesline according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of strand members extend across the frame member in a parallel manner and are substantially equi spaced from each other.

9. A clothesline according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of strand members are formed from a single strand of material.