AU706575B3 - Protective cover system for a clothes line - Google Patents

Description

P00012 Regulation 3.2 Revised 2/98

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DONG LUO DONG LUO Peter Maxwell Associates Level 6 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 INVENTION TITLE: PROTECTIVE COVER SYSTEM FOR A CLOTHES LINE DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO(S): NIL The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- The present invention relates to a protective cover system for clothes lines and, in particular, to a weather resistant, durable and lightweight canopy and means for extension and retraction of the canopy over a rotary clothes line or clothes hoist to protect clothing and the like supported therefrom from undesirable weather conditions, such as rain or excessive direct sunlight.

A common inconvenience suffered by many users of outdoor clothes lines is unexpected rain falling on clothes, bed sheets and other washed items that have been left out to dry on a clothes line. The consequence of rain falling on clothing, for example, is that the clothing becomes saturated and may acquire stains or smells from the falling rain that require removal by rewashing the clothing, as well as once again needing to be dried. The increasing unpredictability of weather conditions and the difficulties of attending to all the many responsibilities of running a household within the limited time available that are imposed on people in this modern age serve as a stimulus for finding new and improved methods of drying clothes and other household items of washable fabric based materials.

The advent of clothes driers has removed some of these inconveniences and difficulties, but the widespread adoption of clothes driers remains unlikely whilst they are a relatively costly item to purchase, use and maintain or repair. Although uncommon, there has been some limited use of canopies that are thrown over clothes lines in order to shelter the items supported thereon from inclement weather conditions. However, these canopies are ill-suited to their desired purpose as they are generally heavy (being more suited to their staple use as heavy duty protective canopies for trailers, tents or for other outdoor applications), are difficult to place over the clothes line and henceforth be maintained thereover in a stable and evenly balanced manner, and require separate storage when not in use. It is little surprise that most rotary clothes line manufacturers do not recommend the application of a canopy on their clothes lines, for fear that it may place an inappropriate load and create stresses that may impair the proper performance of the clothes line.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least substantially ameliorate the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.

It is another object of the invention to provide a protective cover system for a clothes line that is inexpensive, light weight, simple to operate and can be stored in or on the clothes line when not in use.

According to the invention there is provided a protective cover system for a clothes line, comprising: a canopy adapted to be located over the clothes line so as to protect items supported from the clothes line from undesirable weather conditions, whereby the canopy assumes an unfolded position, (ii) means for retracting the canopy from its unfolded position to a folded position where it can be stored so as to no longer protect the said items from the said conditions, (iii) means for storing the canopy when in its folded position, said storing means adapted to be mounted on the clothes line, and (iv) means for extending the canopy from its folded position to its unfolded position.

Preferably, the clothes line is a rotary clothes line which includes a ground supported upright member about which the clothes line is rotatably disposed, and wherein the storing means is adapted to be mounted centrally upon the summit of the upright member.

It is preferred that the canopy retracting means includes a spring action mechanism operably connected with the canopy, whereby the spring action mechanism will act to automatically retract the canopy to its folded position when the canopy is released from its unfolded position.

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig 1 is a perspective view of a rotary clothes line upon which is located a protective cover system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with the canopy being in its folded position where it is stored in storing means mounted on the clothes line, and Fig 2 is cut-away perspective view of part of the clothes line of Fig 1 with the canopy extended to its unfolded position where it can protect items supported from the clothes line from undesirable weather conditions.

The clothes line shown in Fig 1 is of a conventional rotary type and includes an upright member or standard 12 supported in the ground 14, and a winding handle 16 operably connected to an internal lifting mechanism for raising and lowering a rotatable head assembly 18 which supports a plurality of lines 20 to which washed items may be pegged.

The rotatable head assembly 18 has four evenly spaced outwardly directed arms 22, across each adjacent pair of which are stretched portions of the lines Mounted by clamp means centrally on the summit of the standard 12 is a storage container 24 within which is stored a canopy 26 (shown in part in Fig 2 and shown transparently to reveal the underlying clothes line).

Four draw strings 28 extend from within the container 24 and follow respective ones of the arms 22. Each draw string 28 is slidably associated with its respective arm 22 by passing through one or more guide members fixed at one or more respective sites along the arm 22. The guide members may be part of the line tensioners 30 that tension their respective line The draw strings 28 are connected within the container 24 to respective four corners of the canopy 26 which is in a folded position so as to fit snugly within the container 24. The canopy 26 naturally acquires such a folded position by the action of a spring action mechanism which is operably connected with the canopy 26, such as by being woven or otherwise in intimate contact through the canopy 26. Elastic gathers which extend radially outwardly from a central part of the canopy 26 that is anchored within the container 24 may be used for this purpose.

The canopy 26 can be manually extended by the user from its folded position within the container 24 against the action of the spring action mechanism whereby, by a process of unfolding in generally concertina-like fashion, it is located over and will, as a result, cover the clothes line.

Having been fully extended, the canopy 26 assumes an unfolded position, in which position it protects washed items supported from the clothes line from undesirable or inclement weather conditions. The unfolding of the canopy 26 is achieved by the user simply pulling, in at least some downward vector of direction, the vertically hanging ends of the draw strings 28, to which are terminally attached grip members 32. The canopy 26 may be extended to its unfolded position in a step-wise manner whereby a first corner portion of the canopy 26 is extended outwardly, followed by a second corner portion (perhaps that portion which is in opposed relationship to the first corner portion), followed consecutively by the other two corner portions.

The downwardly directed pulling of the hanging ends of each draw string 28 need go no further than is required for the canopy 26 to be suitably located over the clothes line, usually entirely over the clothes line, for optimally protecting all the washed items supported therefrom. As shown in Fig 2, the peripheral portion 27 of the canopy 26 may overhang the clothes line so as to provide some extra shelter from the sun, wind or rain. The canopy 26 is then stabily but removably fixed in that unfolded position. Such fixing may be achieved by locking a receiving part of the canopy 26 (such as an eyelet formed at each corner portion of the canopy 26) to a fixing means (such as a hook) at the end of its respective adjacent arm 22, or otherwise by locking the draw string 28 to an immobile part of the clothes line (such as to the standard 12 or arm 22). Alternatively, such fixing may be achieved by utilizing a venetian blind type or holland blind type of locking mechanism which has been suitably adapted for use in the present invention.

When the canopy 26 is required to be retracted from its unfolded position, either to a folded position where it is stored in the container 24 or to an intermediate position where it can cover a smaller part of the clothes line, the user simply releases the canopy 26 or the draw strings 28 as the case may be, from their fixing locations, and the spring action of the spring acting mechanism automatically causes the canopy 26 to fold on itself and retract towards its anchor site within the container 24.

It is preferred that the canopy 26 be fabricated of a weather resistant, light-weight, but durable material, such as suitably flexible plastic and rubber, or nylon or KEVLAR (trademark), which has been treated so as to provide 100% UV protection, and that the protective cover system be inexpensive overall.

Preferably, the canopy allows sufficient air to pass therethrough to avoid damage to the clothes line in heavy winds, but is impervious to rain water, at least that rain water impacting the roof of the canopy.

Various other modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope or ambit of the invention.

For instance, the protective cover system may be electrically operated, rather than or in addition to being manually operated, by a small motor (say, a servo motor) which may be remotely operated and cause winch-like folding and unfolding of the canopy.

Also, the operation of the protective cover system may be automated, such as by the utilization of a small barometric sensor which will detect the approach of rain and will automatically trigger a mechanism for the unfolding of the canopy, followed by the refolding of the canopy for storage when the sensor no longer senses the approach of rain.

A back-up battery may be utilized in both the electrically operated motor driven, and automated sensor controlled embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (3)

1. A protective cover system for a clothes line, comprising: a canopy adapted to be located over the clothes line so as to protect items supported from the clothes line from undesirable weather conditions, whereby the canopy assumes an unfolded position, (ii) means for retracting the canopy from its unfolded position to a folded position where it can be stored so as to no longer protect the said items from the said conditions, (iii) means for storing the canopy when in its folded position, said storing means adapted to be mounted on the clothes line, and (iv) means for extending the canopy from its folded position to its unfolded position.

2. The protective cover system of claim 1 wherein the clothes line is a rotary clothes line which includes a ground supported upright member about which the clothes line is rotatably disposed, and wherein the storing means is adapted to be mounted centrally upon the summit of the upright member.

3. The protective cover system of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the canopy retracting means includes a spring action mechanism operably connected with the canopy, whereby the spring action mechanism will act to automatically retract the canopy to its folded position when the canopy is released from its unfolded position. Dated this 30th day of March 1999. DONG LUO By her Patent Attorneys PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES