EP3543392A1

EP3543392A1 - Holder for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar

Info

Publication number: EP3543392A1
Application number: EP19000129.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nadia Vittorini
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-03-19
Filing date: 2019-03-14
Publication date: 2019-09-25
Also published as: IT201800003762A1

Abstract

Holder (10) for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar, comprising a flexible cloth support (11) permeable to water and air, suspension means (12) for stably maintaining said flexible cloth support (11) in an extended arrangement, containment means (13) for stably maintaining said flexible cloth support (11) stably maintaining said flexible cloth support (11) in, characterized in that it comprises suspension and restraining means (14), comprising at least one pair of transversal linear organs (14.1, 14.2), fixed to said support (11) and providing at least one hanging organ (H) for a corresponding pair of socks (P), comprising a suspension element (14.11), contiguous to said support (11), and a corresponding restraining element (14.21), in front of said suspension element (14.11).

Description

The present invention relates to a holder for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar.
A holder for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar is known from Italian patent application no. 102016000035047 by the same applicant, and comprises:

a perforated flexible cloth support;
a plurality of pockets in perforated flexible cloth, on a face of said support;
means for closing said plurality of pockets;
suspension means for stably maintaining said holder in an extended arrangement, and
means for containing said holder in a rolled-up arrangement.

The afore-mentioned known holder offers the possibility of arranging each pair of socks in a respective pocket, which is closed for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe. Each pair of socks in the respective pocket is substantially wrapped around itself or rolled into a ball. This results in poor exposure of the pair of socks to the washing water, initially, and then to the air for drying, and subsequent storage in an incorrectly folded condition. It will be noted that placing each pair of socks in a respective pocket, in the known holder, and then closing the pocket, requires time and care.
On the other hand, the best way to dry an item of clothing traditionally consists of hanging it folded over one or more supporting wires and not placing it in a pocket or similar.
Furthermore, manufacture of the afore-mentioned known holder comprising a plurality of pockets involves a relatively large amount of technical and economic expense.
Taking into account the known art described above and starting from the notion of the afore-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention intends to remedy them.
An object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a plurality of pairs of socks, wherein said plurality of pairs of socks is presented in an arrangement that is very favourable for washing with water, air drying and subsequent storage, for example in a wardrobe, so that the socks are kept always orderly paired in said holder.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a plurality of pairs of socks of the type specified, that does not require the operator to arrange each pair of socks in a respective pocket, thereby simplifying and improving the preparatory operations for washing, drying and storing each pair of socks.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a plurality of pairs of socks of the type specified, which has a simplified structure, is easy to use and has a low cost.
Given these objects, the present invention provides a holder for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar, the essential characteristic of which is the subject of claim 1.
Further advantageous characteristics are described in the dependent claims. The afore-mentioned claims are given in full herein.
The present invention will become more evident from the following detailed description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

figure 1 shows a front view of the holder for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar, according to an example of an embodiment of the invention, open and empty, not in use and suspended by means of a conventional clothes hanger;
figure 2 shows a rear view of the holder shown in figure 1;
figure 3 shows a view similar to that shown in figure 1, but wherein a plurality of pairs of socks is shown arranged ordered in the holder;
figure 4 shows a detailed enlarged view of detail IV shown in figure 3;
figure 5 shows a side view of the holder shown in figure 3 in a partially rolled-up arrangement;
figure 6 shows a side view of the holder shown in figure 3 in a fully rolled-up arrangement and enclosed in a containment pocket integral to the holder;
figure 7 shows a three-quarter overhead perspective view of the holder shown in figure 6;
figure 8 shows a view in the direction of arrow VIII shown in figure 6. There follows a description of an example of an embodiment of the holder for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar, according to the invention.

In the afore-mentioned figures, said holder as a whole is indicated by the reference number 10.
Said holder 10 comprises:

a perforated flexible cloth support 11;
suspension means 12 for stably maintaining said flexible cloth support 11 in an extended arrangement;
containment means 13 for stably maintaining said flexible cloth support 11 in a rolled-up arrangement.

In particular, in the present embodiment, said support 11 is made of broad-mesh flexible cloth with an essentially rectangular shape, wherein the longitudinal length is considerably larger than the transverse length. Natural or synthetic textile materials can be used for said support with an appropriate mesh size.
Said suspension means 12 for stably maintaining said support 11 an extended arrangement, comprise two eyelets 12.1, provided at a first transversal side 11.1 of said support 11, each located at a respective corner of the support and each with a strap configuration, as in the example shown. Said straps 12.1 cooperate, as illustrated, with a hanger A for the suspension of said support 11 in an extended arrangement.
Said perforated flexible cloth support 11, at the other transversal side 11.2, supports a pocket 13.1, having a transversal aperture 13.2 turned towards and substantially parallel to said other transversal side 11.2 and of a width substantially corresponding to the transversal sides 11.1, 11.2 of said support 11. Said pocket 13.1 provides said containment means 13 and has a zip fastener 13.3 at said aperture 13.2. Said pocket 13.1 is also made of flexible cloth permeable to air and water, however with a consistency greater than that of said support 11.
Said flexible cloth support 11 has longitudinal 11L and transversal 11T edges reinforced by means of a respective reinforcing ribbon sewed around the perimeter, and also comprises two continuous intermediate longitudinal reinforcements 11.3, at a distance from one another, consisting of respective sewn linear ribbons, so that said support 11 is sub-divided into three continuous longitudinal areas 11A, 11B, 11C respectively. It will be noted that one end of each eyelet 12.1 is fixed at a respective longitudinal reinforcement 11.3.
A plurality of suspension and restraining means 14, fixed and transversal, are provided along said flexible cloth support 11, at a distance from one another.
Each of said suspension and restraining means 14 comprises a pair of transversal linear organs 14.1, 14.2, sewn to said support 11 at the reinforced longitudinal edges 11L and at said longitudinal intermediate reinforcements 11.3, and which are staggered between one another in the longitudinal direction of said flexible cloth support 11.
In particular, said linear suspension and restraining organs 14.1, 14.2 comprise, in the example shown, a pair of perforated belts, longitudinally staggered with respect to one another and partially overlapping.
By means of this arrangement, each of said suspension and restraining means 14, at each longitudinal area 11A, 11B, 11C, provides a hanging organ H for a corresponding pair of socks P, comprising a suspension element 14.11, contiguous to said support 11, and a corresponding restraining element 14.21, in front of and staggered with respect to said suspension element 14.11.
In this way, said holder 10 is kept extended by means of said suspension means 12, cooperating with said clothes hanger A. In each hanging organ H there is placed a respective pair of socks P to be washed, folded over the suspension element 14.11, and behind the corresponding restraining element 14.21, which holds said pair of socks P in the correct position suspended on the element 14.11 and against the element 14.11 (figure 3).
When all the hanging organs H of said holder 10 are occupied by respective pairs of socks P, the flexible cloth 11 is rolled up (figure 5) and inserted into the pocket 13.1 of the containment means 13 (figure 6) through the open aperture 13.2. The zip fastener 13.3 is then closed, thereby closing the rolled-up cloth 11 inside the pocket 13.1 and containing the pairs of socks P arranged correctly.
The holder 10 is placed in a washing machine for washing said pairs of socks P. Once the washing has been completed, the holder 10 is removed from the washing machine, the zip fastener 13.3 is opened, and thereby also the aperture 13.2. The cloth 11 is removed from the pocket 13.1 and unrolled, while the pairs of socks P are arranged correctly and held in position by the respective hanging organs H.
The cloth 11 is once again suspended by means of the eyelets 12.1 cooperating with the clothes hanger A to dry the pairs of socks P in the respective hanging organs H. After the pairs of socks P have dried, said holder 10, wherein one pair of socks P is placed orderly in each hanging organ H, is hung up in a wardrobe or similar, in an extended position, by means of said suspension means 12 and the clothes hanger A.
It is understood, obviously, that other different means of closing the containment means 13, provided they are suitable for the purpose, fall within the remit and scope of the present invention.
Said restraining means may, obviously, be made in any other form suitable for the purpose.
As can be noted from the above description, it is evident that said holder 10 for a plurality of pairs of socks, according to the present invention, simply and effectively achieves the objects set out in the introduction.
In particular, the present invention provides a holder for a plurality of pairs of socks, wherein said plurality of pairs of socks is presented in an arrangement very favourable for washing with water, drying with air and subsequent storage, for example in a wardrobe, so that the socks are kept always orderly paired in said holder.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a holder for a plurality of pairs of socks of the type specified, that does not require the operator to arrange each pair of socks in a respective pocket, thereby simplifying and improving the preparatory operations for washing, drying and storing each pair of socks. In addition, each pair of socks is placed in the holder in a way that is conventional for drying an item of clothing, i.e. consisting of hanging the item folded on itself and not contained in a pocket or similar.
Moreover, said holder 10 as described has a simplified structure, is easy to use and has a low cost.

Claims

Holder (10) for a plurality of pairs of socks ordered for washing, drying and placing in a wardrobe or similar, comprising a flexible cloth support (11) permeable to water and air, suspension means (12) for stably maintaining said flexible cloth support (11) in an extended arrangement, containment means (13) for stably maintaining said flexible cloth support (11) in a rolled-up arrangement, characterized in that it comprises suspension and restraining means (14), comprising at least one pair of transversal linear organs (14.1, 14.2), fixed to said support (11) and providing at least one hanging organ (H) for a corresponding pair of socks (P), comprising a suspension element (14.11), contiguous to said support (11), and a corresponding restraining element (14.21), in front of said suspension element (14.11).
Holder (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of said suspension and restraining means (14), fixed and transversal, provided along said flexible cloth support (11) at a distance from one another, wherein each of said suspension and restraining means (14) comprises a pair of transversal linear organs (14.1, 14.2), fixed to said support (11) which are staggered between one another in the longitudinal direction of said flexible cloth support (11), and in that each hanging organ (H) for a corresponding pair of socks (P) comprises a suspension element (14.11), contiguous to said support (11), and a corresponding restraining element (14.21), in front of and staggered with respect to said suspension element (14.11).
Holder (10) according to claim 1 and/or 2, characterized in that said linear suspension and restraining organs (14.1, 14.2) comprise a pair of belts permeable to air and water, longitudinally staggered with respect to one another and partially overlapping.
Holder (10) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that said flexible cloth support (11) at a transversal side (11.2), supports a pocket (13.1), having a transversal aperture (13.2) turned towards and substantially parallel to said transversal side (11.2), which provides said containment means (13) and has closing means (13.3) in the area of said aperture (13.2), said pocket (13.1) being made of flexible cloth permeable to air and water.