CN101258281A - Stowable clothesline assembly and cover - Google Patents

Abstract

A clothes line assembly comprising: a support; a line carrier adapted to have a plurality of lines attached thereto to which clothes or other articles may be secured, the line carrier being operatively mounted to the support for movement between a use position in which the line carrier extends laterally from the support and a non-use position; the support comprising a support frame which is mountable to a wall or similar structure, the line carrier being pivotally mounted to the support frame for pivotal movement between the in-use and non-use positions; and a cover arranged such that when the line carrier is in the non-use position the cover and line carrier can adopt a stowed position in which the cover can conceal the line carrier from view and in which the cover substantially abuts the lines and/or the line carrier, wherein the cover comprises a panel operatively connected to the line carrier such that in the operative position with the line carrier in the use position the cover is disposed over and spaced from the lines on the line carrier.

Description

Collectible Clothesline Components and Covers

technical field

The present invention relates generally to clothesline assemblies and components thereof for supporting clothes and other items for drying purposes. The term "clothesline" is understood not to be restricted to use for clothes only, but to cover the use of other items, such as towels, bed sheets or any other item that can be fastened thereon.

Background technique

Many different types of clotheslines are currently known. In general, currently known clotheslines have the disadvantage that they take up a considerable amount of space. Although some of these known clotheslines are collapsible in order to alleviate this problem, they still have the disadvantage that they are not very aesthetically pleasing. In addition, when not in use, since most of the clotheslines are outdoors, the clothes on the clotheslines may suffer from adverse weather conditions such as rain, as well as bird droppings and dust that accumulates on the clotheslines.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a clothesline assembly which alleviates one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages.

Contents of the invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clothesline assembly comprising: a stand; a clothesline bracket adapted to attach a plurality of clotheslines to which clothes or other items can be secured On, the clothesline support is operably mounted to the support for movement between a use position and a non-use position, in which the clothesline support extends laterally from the support; the support The stand includes a stand frame, which may be mounted to a wall or similar structure, to which the clothesline stand is pivotally mounted for pivotal movement between use and non-use positions; and a cover, which is arranged to When the clothesline stand is in the non-use position, the cover and the clothesline stand can adopt a stowed position, in which the cover can hide the clothesline stand from sight, and the cover is substantially adjacent by said clothesline and/or said clothesline support, wherein said cover includes a panel operably connected to said clothesline support so that when in the operating position while the clothesline support is in the use position , the cover is arranged above and spaced from the clothesline on the clothesline support.

The clothesline assembly may further include a further clothesline support operably connected to the stand for movement between an in-use position and a non-use position. Said further clothesline bracket is pivotally mounted to the stand frame for pivotal movement between an in-use position and a non-use position. Preferably, where there are two clothesline supports, the clothesline supports extend transversely from the stand frame spaced apart from each other when the clothesline supports are in the use position, and when the clothesline supports are When the supports are in the non-use position, the clothesline supports are stacked on each other and on the support frame.

In one form, the clothesline stand may comprise a stand frame, which may for example be generally square or rectangular, with the clothesline extending between opposite sides thereof.

Said further clothesline support may be of similar construction to the first said clothesline support as described above. Preferably, said further bracket has a smaller peripheral dimension than said first bracket so as to be nestable when both brackets are in the non-use position.

The panel may be operably mounted to the clothesline support by a link pivotable for enabling movement of the panel between an operative position and a stowed position in which the panel is in contact with the clothesline bracket. The clothesline supports are adjacent and stacked on top of the clothesline supports.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a cover suitable for use with a clothesline assembly comprising: a stand; a clothesline support adapted to attach a plurality of clotheslines thereon A rope, clothes or other items can be secured to the clothesline, and the clothesline support is operably mounted to the stand for movement between a use position and a non-use position, in which The clothesline bracket extends laterally from the support, and the cover is arranged in the non-use position so that the cover and the clothesline bracket can adopt a stowed position when the clothesline bracket is in the non-use position. The cover in the stowed position can hide the clothesline support from view.

The cover may comprise a panel operatively connected to a first said clothesline support so that the cover is disposed on the clothesline support in the operative position while the clothesline support is in the use position above and spaced from the clothesline. The panel may be operably mounted to the clothesline support by a link pivotable for enabling movement of the panel between an operative position and a stowed position in which the panel Adjacent to the clothesline support and stacked on the clothesline support.

In another embodiment, the stand frame includes two generally upright strut elements, each strut element comprising two or more members telescopically connected together for movement between an extended position and a retracted position. sports. In this embodiment, the or each clothesline stand is operatively connected to the upright member so that at least one clothesline stand can be raised and subsequently moved from its stored non-use position to its place of use. The clothesline support or supports and cover may be of the type described above.

In yet another embodiment, the stand frame comprises two generally upstanding upright members to which the or each clothesline stand is operatively connected. In this embodiment, the cover is in the form of a box having a storage compartment therein, and the strut is movable from a position disposed inside the storage compartment to a second position protruding from the compartment.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clothesline assembly comprising: a support; a first clothesline support adapted to attach a plurality of clotheslines to which clothes or other items can be secured; a clothesline, said clothesline support being operably mounted to a support for movement between an in-use position and a non-use position, in said use position said clothesline support extending transversely from the support; the stand includes a stand frame mountable to a wall or similar structure, the clothesline stand being pivotally mounted to the stand frame for pivotal movement between in-use and non-use positions; and a second clothesline support operably mounted to the support for movement between an in-use position and a non-use position in which said second clothesline support extends transversely from the support, the first The second clothesline support is further adapted to be spaced apart from the first clothesline support when in the use position.

The additional clothesline support may have a similar structure to the first clothesline support as described above. Preferably, said further clothesline rack has a smaller peripheral dimension than said first clothesline rack so as to nest within each other when both clothesline racks are in the non-use position.

Description of drawings

In order to enable a better understanding of the invention, attached drawings illustrating exemplary embodiments in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic first isometric view of a clothesline assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic second isometric view of the clothesline assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a front view;

Fig. 5 is a side view;

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of yet another embodiment; and

9-11 are illustrations of other embodiments.

Detailed ways

Referring to Figures 1-5 of the drawings, there is shown a clothesline assembly generally indicated at 10 including a stand 12 adapted to be mounted to a structure such as a wall, fence or the like. The stand body may be in the form of a frame 13 of generally rectangular configuration. Any suitable fasteners may be used to attach the stand body to the structure.

The assembly further comprises a clothesline support 16 adapted to attach a plurality of clotheslines 17 to which clothes etc. may be attached. As shown, the clothesline stand 16 includes a generally rectangular stand frame 18 with a plurality of clotheslines 17 disposed generally parallel to one another and extending between opposite sides of the stand frame 18 . Stand frame 18 is operatively mounted to stand frame 13 by means of hinges 21 for pivotal movement between an in-use position as shown in the Figures and a non-use position in which stand frame 18 moves from The stand frames 13 extend transversely, in said non-use position the two frames are arranged in adjacent planes. The pivotal movement of the stand frame 18 as indicated by the arrow Y in FIG. 5 enables it to adopt its non-use and use positions. As shown, stand frame 18 is pivotally connected to stand frame 13 at its upper edge.

The assembly 10 may further include an additional clothesline stand 26 comprising a stand frame 28 having a plurality of clotheslines 27 thereon. Bracket 26 is similar in construction to clothesline bracket 16 and is connected by hinge 31 to the lower edge of the stand frame. As in the case of the stand frame 18, the stand frame 28 can also pivotally move between an in-use position and a non-use position as indicated by arrow Z in FIG. 5 . The plane peripheral dimension of the support frame 28 is smaller than that of the support frame 18, so that the support frame 28 can be nested in the support frame 18 when both support frames are in the non-use position. Each stand frame is provided with a respective pair of struts 22 and 32 which hold the stand frame in the use position. The strut 32 may be in the form of a cable.

The assembly further includes a cover 40 which can be operably connected to the clothesline support 16 so that the cover engages with the clothesline 17 on the support 16 when in the operative position while the body of the clothesline support is in the use position. Spaced out. The cover 40 may be in the form of a panel 41 which is operatively connected to the stand frame 18 by a linkage 44 which enables a pivotal movement as indicated by arrow X in FIG. The location is next to the bracket 16 . The panel 41 also includes an outer peripheral flange 45 that provides a cavity in which the stand frame 18 may be disposed when in the stowed position. A handle 46 is provided for moving the cover between stowed and operative positions. A stop is provided adjacent to or integral with the base of the link 44 to prevent the link 44 from rotating so that the panel 41 is held at a selected height above the stand frame 18 when the panel 41 is in the use position. The stops are provided so that the links rotate past a vertical or vertical point, and then the weight of the panel 41 keeps the links pressed against the respective stops while the clothesline assembly is in the use position.

Panel 41 is held generally parallel to stand frame 18 through the use of spaced pairs of links 44 throughout its extension from the stand frame to the in-use position.

If desired, the cover 40 can be completely removed or installed so that it can assume a position away from the stand frame 18 . The cover may be made of any suitable material and subjected to any suitable post-treatment. It can be transparent or opaque. There may be a pattern on its outer or reflective surface. A frame structure may be provided around the peripheral edge of the panel to give the impression of a framed image or the like.

Figure 6 illustrates another embodiment in which the stand comprises a pair of upstanding elements 53 and 54 arranged telescopically. The upper portion of each telescoping member is in the form of an I-beam 55 and 56, a portion of which is slidably received in a slot at the lower end such that the clothesline support is operatively connected to the telescoping member, and as described The assembly can be raised or lowered for movement between use and storage positions.

Figure 7 is similar to that shown in Figure 6, except that the cover 65 is in the form of a panel behind which the clothesline support is located in the stowed position.

Figure 8 illustrates another embodiment of a clothesline assembly. In this embodiment, the cover is in the form of a case 70 and the clothesline stand is adapted to be stored in the case in the stowed position. In this case, the stent body is similar in form to that described with reference to FIG. 6 . When in the raised position it functions in substantially the same manner as described with reference to Figures 1-5.

9-11 illustrate other embodiments of covers. In Figure 9, the cover 80 is in the form of a box which holds the clothesline stand and has a closure panel 81 which is pivotally mounted so as to be openable to allow access to said clothesline stand.

Figure 10 is similar in structure to Figure 9, except that the closure panel is slidable.

Figure 11 is an embodiment in which the closure panel is a pivotally mounted upper wall.

Finally, it should be understood that various modifications, changes and/or additions may be incorporated into various configurations and arrangements of components without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. A clothesline assembly comprising: a support; a clothesline support adapted to connect a plurality of clotheslines to which clothes or other items can be fixed , the clothesline support is operably mounted to a support for movement between an in-use position and a non-use position in which the clothesline support extends laterally from the support; the support comprising a stand frame mountable to a wall or similar structure to which the clothesline stand is pivotally mounted for pivotal movement between an in-use position and a non-use position; and a cover , which is arranged so that when the clothesline bracket is in the non-use position, the cover and the clothesline bracket can adopt a stowed position, and in the stowed position, the cover can hide the clothesline bracket from vision, and the The cover substantially abuts the clothesline and/or the clothesline support, wherein the cover includes a panel operatively connected to the clothesline support for simultaneously drying clothes in an operative position The cover is disposed above and spaced from the clothesline on the clothesline support when the line support is in the use position. 2. The clothesline assembly of claim 1, further comprising an additional clothesline support operably connected to the stand for use in the in-use position and the non-use position movement between. 3. A clothesline assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the further clothesline bracket is pivotally mounted to the stand frame for pivotal movement between an in-use position and a non-use position. 4. A clothesline assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said clothesline supports extend transversely from the stand frame spaced apart from each other when said clothesline supports are in the in-use position, When the supports are in the non-use position, the clothesline supports are stacked on each other and on the support frame. 5. A clothesline assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the panel is operably mounted to the clothesline support by a link which is pivotable for enabling the panel to be in the operative position and Movement between stowed positions in which the panel is adjacent to and overlying the clothesline support. 6. The clothesline assembly as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said links are arranged in a spaced configuration so that said cover extends a selected distance from the bracket during the entire extension movement and when in the use position, while Keep it substantially parallel to the stand frame. 7. A clothesline assembly as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein a stop is provided to prevent rotation of the linkage past a selected point to provide the cover with a repeatable selected height above the stand frame. 8. The clothesline assembly of claim 7, wherein said selected point of linkage rotation is at a position after the linkage is rotated slightly past a vertical or upright position during deployment so that when in the use position The cover may rest against a stop, thereby maintaining the cover at the selected height above the stand frame. 9. A clothesline assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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