EP4360511A1 - Laundry hanger with foldable hanger arms - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a clothes hanger with two hanger arms (2) arranged foldably on a housing (1) and a release mechanism (5) arranged on or in the housing (1), which can be moved between a holding position for holding the hanger arms (2) in a folded-up transport position and a release position for pivoting the hanger arms (2) into a folded-down removal position, wherein at least one holding device (16) with at least one holding element (18) which can be moved between a closed position and an open position by means of a coupling drive (24) is arranged on each of the two hanger arms (2). According to the invention, the holding elements (18) are coupled to the release mechanism (5) via the coupling drive (24) in such a way that the holding elements (18) open from the holding position into the release position by the movement of the release mechanism (5) even when the bail arms (2) are still folded up, and the opening movement of the holding elements (18) continues continuously when the bail arms (2) move into the folded-down removal position.

Description

The invention relates to a clothes hanger with foldable arms according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such clothes hangers are used in laundry and dry cleaning operations to transport the items of clothing to be cleaned between the individual processing stations. They usually have a housing with a hanger hook, in or on which two foldable hanger arms are arranged. Inside the housing there is an operating mechanism for holding the hanger arms in an extended position or for folding the hanger arms in. Such clothes hangers are often also equipped with an additional retaining clip for holding trousers, a skirt or the like.

From the DE 296 01 670 U1 a generic clothes hanger with two hanger arms that can be folded up on a hanger housing is known. On the two hanger arms that are used to hang up jackets, shirts, coats or similar, additional holding elements designed as clamping jaws for holding trousers, skirts or other items of laundry are arranged. In the hanger housing there is a locking device that can be actuated by means of a control pin for locking the hanger arms in an unfolded transport position and for releasing the hanger arms for their movement into a folded position. The holding devices arranged on the hanger arms are coupled via control rods to a guide on the hanger housing in such a way that the folding movement of the hanger arms is converted into an opening movement of the clamping jaws. This means that the additional holding elements can only be opened when the hanger arms move into a folded position. However, for certain applications it can be useful to open the holding elements before the hanger arms are folded in.

The object of the invention is to provide a clothes hanger of the type mentioned at the beginning, in which the additional holding elements arranged on the hanger arms can be opened automatically before the hanger arms are folded in.

This object is achieved by a clothes hanger with the features of claim 1. Expedient embodiments and advantageous further developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The clothes hanger according to the invention contains two hanger arms that are arranged foldably on a housing and a trigger mechanism that is arranged on or in the housing and that can be moved between an upper locking position for holding the hanger arms in a folded-up transport position and a lower release position for pivoting the hanger arms into a folded-down removal position. At least one holding device with at least one holding element that can be moved between a closed position and an open position by means of a coupling drive for holding trousers, skirts or the like is arranged on each of the two hanger arms. The holding elements are coupled to the trigger mechanism via the coupling drive in such a way that the holding elements open from the upper locking position to the lower release position when the hanger arms are still folded up by the movement of the trigger mechanism and the opening movement of the holding elements continues continuously when the hanger arms are moved into the folded-down removal position. The coupling drive ensures that the additional holding elements are opened when the ironing arms are still in the raised transport position, and not when the ironing arms are moved into the folded-down removal position. Even if an item of clothing has not been properly tightened on the holding elements, the holding elements can be opened by simply pressing down the release mechanism without the ironing arms folding in at the same time. If the release mechanism is then operated further and the ironing arms fold in, the holding elements continue to move into a fully open position via the coupling drive, which ensures that the items of clothing can be removed safely.

In a structurally simple and practical embodiment, the holding devices arranged on the bracket arms can be designed as slot-shaped receptacles with a clamp-shaped holding element that can be pivoted about an axis between a closed position and an open position. The holding devices can also be designed as holding clips, holding brackets or the like. A holding device can be arranged on each of the bracket arms. If required, two or more holding elements that can be operated together can also be provided on the bracket arms.

In an advantageous embodiment, the coupling drive has tension elements coupled to the trigger mechanism and connected to the holding elements for driving them. The tension elements of the coupling drive can be designed, for example, as tension rods or as tension cables guided around deflection rollers.

The holding elements are conveniently pressed into the holding position by springs and pulled into the opening position by the pulling elements connected to the release mechanism. These springs also exert a restoring force on the hanger arms, which causes the folded-in hanger arms to automatically unfold again after the items of clothing have been removed. This means that a separate unfolding step is no longer necessary.

The pull rods are conveniently connected to the holding elements at their outer ends via a hinge pin and a slot. This allows the holding elements to be moved into an open position by hand.

The pull rods can be connected at their inner ends via a gear wheel with teeth on both sides of a trigger of the release mechanism that is arranged so that it can move within the housing. This allows the movement of the release mechanism and the folding movement of the bracket arms to be converted into an opening and closing movement of the holding elements.

The trigger, which interacts with both the pull rods and the pull cables, can expediently contain a lower locking area which holds the bow arms in the upper locking position of the trigger in the folded-up transport position. The lower locking area of the trigger can have lateral contact surfaces for contacting stop surfaces on the inner ends of the bow arms which are rotatably mounted within the housing.

A retaining clip for clamping trousers or similar can be arranged on the lower side of the housing. However, the clothes hanger can also be used without an additional retaining clip.

In a cost-effective version, the bracket arms can be made of plastic. However, the bracket arms can also be made of metal or another suitable material.

Figur 1

eine zum Teil geschnittene Vorderansicht einer ersten Ausführungsform eines Wäschebügels mit ausgeklappten Bügelarmen;

Figur 2

einen Bügelarm des in Figur 1 gezeigten Wäschebügels in einer ausgeklappten Transportstellung mit einem Halteelement in einer Schließstellung;

Figur 3

den Bügelarm von Figur 2 in einer ausgeklappten Transportstellung mit manuell geöffnetem Halteelement;

Figur 4

den Bügelarm von Figur 2 in einer ausgeklappten Transportstellung mit einem über den Auslösemechanismus geöffneten Halteelement;

Figur 5

den Bügelarm von Figur 2 in einer eingeklappten Entnahmestellung und geöffnetem Halteelement;

Figur 6

ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel eines Wäschebügels und

Figur 7

ein drittes Ausführungsbeispiel eines Wäschebügels.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawing. They show:

Figure 1

a partially sectioned front view of a first embodiment of a clothes hanger with unfolded arms;

Figure 2

a bracket arm of the Figure 1 shown clothes hanger in an unfolded transport position with a holding element in a closed position;

Figure 3

the ironing arm of Figure 2 in an unfolded transport position with the holding element manually opened;

Figure 4

the ironing arm of Figure 2 in an unfolded transport position with a holding element opened via the release mechanism;

Figure 5

the ironing arm of Figure 2 in a folded-in removal position and open holding element;

Figure 6

a second embodiment of a clothes hanger and

Figure 7

a third embodiment of a clothes hanger.

In Figure 1 a first embodiment of a clothes hanger according to the invention is shown in a partially sectioned front view. As can be seen from Figure 1 As can be seen, the clothes hanger contains a housing 1 in which two hanger arms 2 are arranged so as to be pivotable about a rotation axis or a pivot pin 3 between a folded-up transport position and a folded-down removal position. In the embodiment shown, the housing 1 consists of two housing halves which are connected to one another via screws or the like. The two housing halves can, however, also be glued or welded to one another. In the housing 1 there is an upwardly projecting hanger hook 4 which is used to hang the transport hanger in a conveyor or transport device. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the hanger hook 4 is bent from a steel wire and is fixed at its lower end within the housing 1.

The housing 1 contains a trigger mechanism 5 which can be moved between an upper locking position for holding the bail arms 2 in a folded-up transport position and a lower release position for pivoting the bail arms 2 into a folded-down removal position. The trigger mechanism 5 comprises a trigger 6 which is slidably guided within the housing 1 and a pin-shaped actuating element 7 which protrudes upwards relative to the housing 1 and by means of which the trigger 6 can be pressed downwards. The trigger 6 is slidably guided within the housing 1 between an upper locking position and a lower release position via the pin-shaped actuating element 7 which is firmly connected to the trigger 6.

The trigger 6 contains a wider lower locking area 8 with lateral contact surfaces 9 and a slimmer upper actuation area 10, which has a toothing 11 on both sides, which is explained in more detail below. The lower locking area 8 of the trigger 6 is designed in such a way that in the upper locking position of the trigger 6 it holds the two ironing arms 2 in the folded-up transport position and prevents the two ironing arms 2 from folding down in this locking position. Only when the trigger 6 is pressed down into the release position via the pin-shaped actuating element 7 does the trigger 6 release the two ironing arms 2, so that they can fold into the removal position either under their own weight or under an appropriate force, in particular under the weight of the item of laundry.

In the embodiment shown, the two bracket arms 2 are made of two plastic housing halves connected to one another via screws, pins or other fastening elements 12. However, they can also be made of metal or another material and manufactured in a different way.

As can be seen from the figures, the two bracket arms 2 have a stop surface 14 on their inner ends 13, which are rotatably mounted within the housing 1 and which runs parallel to the lateral contact surfaces 9 of the trigger 6 in the folded-up transport position of the bracket arms 2. The trigger 6 is designed in such a way that in the upper locking position of the trigger 6, the two bracket arms 2 rest with their stop surfaces 14 on the contact surfaces 9 of the trigger 6. This prevents the folding down of the bracket arms 2. Only in the lower release position of the trigger 6 the lateral stop surfaces 14 of the trigger 6 are located below the lateral contact surfaces 9 of the bracket arms 2 so that they can fold downwards.

Additional holding devices 16 for holding trousers, skirts or the like are arranged on the outer free ends 15 of the two hanger arms 2. In the embodiment shown, the holding devices 16 are designed as slot-shaped receptacles 17 with a holding element 18 that can be moved between a closed position and an open position. The holding elements 18, designed here as clamps, are arranged on the hanger arm 2 so that they can rotate about an axis 19 parallel to the axis of rotation or the pivot pin 3 of the hanger arms 2 or about a pin and are pressed into the closed position by a spring 20. In the closed position, the clamp-like holding elements 18 rest with a holding toothing 21 on an inner clamping surface 22 of the slot-shaped receptacles 17. Trousers, skirts or other items of clothing can be pressed onto the inner clamping surfaces 18 of the receptacles 17 and thus held in a clamped manner via the spring-loaded holding elements 18. A toothing can also be provided on the inner clamping surfaces 18 for improved holding. The clamp-like holding elements 18 have a nose-shaped projection 23 protruding downwards from the ironing arm 2 for manual actuation of the holding elements 18. The clamp-like holding elements 18 can be moved by hand into the open position against the force of the spring 20 via the nose-shaped projection 23, whereby items of laundry can be introduced into the holder or the clamped holder can be released and the items of laundry held on the holding devices 16 can be removed.

For the automated opening of the clamp-like holding elements 18, these are coupled to the release mechanism 5 via a coupling drive 24 in such a way that the holding elements 18 open from the locking position into the release position by the movement of the release mechanism 5 even when the bracket arms 2 are still folded up, and the opening movement of the holding elements 18 continues continuously when the bracket arms 2 move into the folded-down removal position.

The Figure 2 coupling drive 24 shown in more detail in Figure 1 The laundry hanger shown contains tension elements arranged within the hanger arms 2, which in the embodiment shown are designed as tension rods 25. The tension rods 25 are connected at their outer end to the respective holding element 18 and at their inner end to the trigger 6 in such a way that the holding elements 18 are released from their upper position by a downward movement of the trigger 6. locked position to its lower release position. Figure 1 and 2 In the embodiment shown, the pull rods 25 are connected at their outer ends via a first hinge pin 26 to the clamp-like holding elements 18 and at their inner ends via a second hinge pin 27 to a gear wheel 28 that can be rotated relative to the bracket arm 2 coaxially to the pivot pin 3 of the bracket arms 2. The two gear wheels 28 are each arranged within a bracket arm 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 29 and mesh according to Figure 1 each with the toothing 11 on the two outer sides of the trigger 6. The two hinge pins 26 and 27 are offset from the axis 19 of the holding elements 18 and from the axis of rotation 29 of the gears 28, so that by rotating the two gears 28 the holding elements 18 can be moved from the holding position into the opening position via the pull rods 25 by a type of crank drive.

The first hinge pins 26 arranged on the holding elements 18 are guided displaceably within an elongated hole 28 of the rod-shaped tension elements 25. As a result, the clamp-like holding elements 18 can also be opened manually via the lugs 23 without displacing the tension elements 25 and without rotating the gear wheels 28.

A retaining clip 31 for clamping trousers, a skirt or the like is arranged on the lower side of the housing 1. The retaining clip 31 consists of two clip halves 32 which are mounted in the housing 1 so as to be pivotable relative to one another about a transverse axis of rotation 33 and are pre-tensioned into a closed position by a shaped spring 34. A trigger element 35 for opening and closing the two clip halves 30 of the retaining clip 29 is arranged on the retaining clip 31. The retaining clip 31 can be opened by manually pushing up the trigger element 35 and closed by pushing down the trigger 6 with the aid of the actuating element 7. The trigger element 35 is arranged in such a way that the clip halves 32 of the retaining clip 31 are already opened when the trigger 6 is still in a locked position and prevents the bracket arms 2 from folding down. The retaining clip 31 can therefore be opened when the bracket arms 2 are still folded out.

As from Figure 1 As can be seen, a spring 41 arranged around the pin-shaped actuating element 7 is housed in the housing 1. The spring 41 is clamped between an inner annular surface in the housing 1 and an annular collar on the actuating element 7. The spring 41 presses the trigger 6 into its upper locking position via the actuating element 7.

This ensures that the trigger 6 remains in an upper locking position even when the holding elements 18 are in an inwardly pivoted position, e.g. by holding an item of laundry. This prevents an unintentional movement of the trigger 6 into the release position and an unintentional folding in of the ironing arms 2.

In the following, the functionality of the clothes hanger described above is explained using the Figures 1 to 5 explains:
In Figure 1 the clothes hanger is shown with the hanger arms 2 folded out and the release mechanism 5 in the locking position. In this position, the release 6 is completely raised and engages with its widened lower locking area 8 in the space formed between the two stop surfaces 14 of the hanger arms 2. In this raised locking position of the release 6, the two hanger arms 2 are prevented from folding down by their stop surfaces 14 resting on the two lateral contact surfaces 9 of the release 6. When the release 6 is arranged in its uppermost locking position, the two gears 28 engaging with the teeth 11 of the release 6 are in a position which is also in Figure 2 recognizable, outwardly pivoted position and the rod-shaped tension elements 25 connected to the gear wheels 28 are pushed outwards. In this position, the clamp-shaped holding elements 18 pressed into the closed position by the springs 20 are completely closed and lie according to Figure 2 with the first hinge pins 26 at the outer ends of the elongated holes 30.

In the Figure 1 In the position shown with the ironing arms 2 folded out and the release mechanism 5 in the locking position, the clamp-shaped holding elements 18 can be opened by hand via the nose-shaped projections 23 to fasten a piece of laundry, whereby the first hinge pins 26 can move within the elongated holes 30 to the inner end of the elongated hole 30, as can be seen from Figure 3 is evident.

If the trigger 6 is pressed in via the actuating element 7, the gears 28 are moved via the teeth 11 provided on the trigger 6 in accordance with Figure 4 turned inwards so that the clamp-shaped holding elements 18 are moved over the rod-shaped tension elements 25 according to Figure 4 The opening process of the holding elements 18 begins in the phase in which the folding of the bracket arms 2 is still blocked by the trigger 6. If the Trigger 6 is in the lower release position and the bracket arms 2 fold into the lower removal position or are pressed downwards by a corresponding force, the bracket arms 2 move relative to the then stationary gears 28, so that the holding elements 18 are opened further and reach the fully open position with the bracket arms folded down, as shown in Figure 5 is shown.

The holding elements 18 are pressed into the holding position by springs 20. These springs 20 also exert a restoring force on the ironing arms 2, by means of which the folded-in ironing arms 2 are automatically unfolded again after the item of clothing has been removed. This means that a separate unfolding step can be omitted.

In Figure 6 a partial view of another embodiment of the clothes hanger according to the invention is shown. This design differs from the previously described clothes hanger only in that two holding devices 16 arranged next to one another are provided on the hanger arms 2. The two holding elements 18 of each holding bracket 2 are connected to the corresponding gear wheel 28 via a common pull rod 25. Otherwise, the design and structure correspond to the previously described clothes hanger, so that corresponding components are also provided with the same reference numerals. The advantage of several holding elements on the hanger arm is that the item of laundry can be hung up by the waistband to enable more even drying.

In a Figure 7 In the further embodiment of a clothes hanger shown as a partial view, the pulling element of the coupling drive 24 is designed as a pulling cable 37 guided over a deflection roller 36. The pulling cable 37 is attached with its first end 38 to the trigger 6 and with its second end 39 to the holding element 18. The deflection roller 36 is arranged within the hanger arm so as to be rotatable about an axis 40 coaxial with the pivot axis of the hanger arm 2. In this embodiment too, the holding elements 18 open when the hanger arms 2 are still folded up by the movement of the trigger 6 from the upper locking position to the lower release position and the opening movement of the holding elements 18 continues continuously when the hanger arms 2 are moved into the folded-down removal position.

List of reference symbols

1

Housing

2

Ironing arm

3

Pin or pivot

4

Hanger hook

5

Trigger mechanism

6

trigger

7

Actuator

8th

Restricted area

9

Contact surface

10

Operating area

11

Gearing

12

Fastener

13

Inner end

14

Stop surface

15

Outer end

16

Holding device

17

Recording

18

Holding element

19

axis

20

Feather

21

Retaining teeth

22

Clamping surface

23

Approach

24

Coupling drive

25

pull bar

26

First hinge pin

27

Second hinge pin

28

gear

29

Rotation axis

30

Long hole

31

Retaining clip

32

Clamp half

33

Form spring

34

Rotation axis

35

Trigger element

36

Deflection pulley

37

Pull rope

38

First end of the pull rope

39

Second end of the pull rope

40

axis

41

Feather

Claims (12)

Clothes hanger with two hanger arms (2) arranged in a foldable manner on a housing (1) and a trigger mechanism (5) arranged on or in the housing (1), which can be moved between an upper locking position for holding the hanger arms (2) in a folded-up transport position and a lower release position for pivoting the hanger arms (2) into a folded-down removal position, wherein at least one holding device (16) with at least one holding element (18) which can be moved between a closed position and an open position by means of a coupling drive (24) is arranged on each of the two hanger arms (2), characterized in that the holding elements (18) are coupled to the trigger mechanism (5) via the coupling drive (24) in such a way that the holding elements (18) open from the upper locking position into the lower release position when the hanger arms (2) are still folded up by the movement of the trigger mechanism (5) and the opening movement of the holding elements (18) is continuous when the hanger arms (2) are moved into the folded-down removal position. continues. Clothes hanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding devices (16) arranged on the hanger arms (2) are designed as slot-shaped receptacles (17) with a holding element (18) pivotable about an axis (19) between a closed position and an open position. Clothes hanger according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coupling drive (24) comprises pulling elements (25; 37) coupled to the release mechanism (5) and connected to the holding elements (18) for driving them. Clothes hanger according to claim 3, characterized in that the holding elements (18) are pressed into the holding position by a spring (20) and are pulled into the opening position by the pulling elements (25; 37) connected to the release mechanism (5). Clothes hanger according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the tension elements (25; 37) are designed as tension rods (25) or as tension cables (37) guided around deflection rollers (36). Clothes hanger according to claim 5, characterized in that the pull rods (25) are connected at their outer ends to the holding elements (18) via a first hinge pin (26) and an elongated hole (30). Clothes hanger according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the pull rods (25) are connected at their inner ends via a gear wheel (28) to toothings (11) on the two sides of a trigger (6) of the trigger mechanism (5) arranged displaceably within the housing (1). Clothes hanger according to claim 7, characterized in that the trigger (6) which is guided displaceably within the housing (1) between an upper locking position and a lower release position can be displaced by an actuating element (7) protruding from the housing (1). Clothes hanger according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the trigger (6) contains a lower locking area (8) which holds the hanger arms (2) in the upper locking position of the trigger (6) in the folded-up transport position. Clothes hanger according to claim 9, characterized in that the lower locking area (8) of the trigger (6) has lateral contact surfaces (9) for the attachment of Contains stop surfaces (14) on the inner ends (13) of the bracket arms (2) which are rotatably mounted within the housing (1). Clothes hanger according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a retaining clip (31) for clamping a pair of trousers or the like is arranged on the lower side of the housing (1). Clothes hanger according to claim 11, characterized in that the retaining clip (31) contains a release element (35) for opening the retaining clip (31).

Images