ES2659802T3 - Clothesline tower - Google Patents

Abstract

A tower clothesline (10) comprising at least two modules (11, 18), each of which comprises: - a first perimeter frame (12, 23) to which folding racks (13, 14, 24, 25) to hang clothes are pivoted, to said first frame (12, 23) being pivoted - well a second perimeter frame (15, 26) adapted to provide or an active configuration, in a cross-arrangement with the first frame, or an inactive, packing configuration plane on the first frame, -or two C-shaped frame parts that are pivoted with parallel axes in opposite positions with respect to the first perimeter frame and intended to provide an active cross-shaped or T-shaped configuration with the first frame (12, 23) or an inactive configuration in which it is packed flat on the first frame, resting elements (16, 29) protruding from the posts of the second frame (15, 26) or of said two frame parts, for corresponding hitch portions (17, 30) of the folding racks (13, 14, 24, 25) in the active configuration, said at least two modules (11, 18) being stacked on top of each other, in the active configuration, with means (19, 20) for fixing the frames or frame parts of a first module (1 1) to the corresponding frames or frame parts of a second module (18), said fixing means (19, 20) being of the automatic closing type, said fixing means ( 19, 20) each being constituted by a T-shaped element comprising a first central portion (44, 45) and second and third opposite lateral portions (46, 47, 48.49), each T-shaped element comprising four seats (60, 61, 62, 63), a first seat (60) being formed for the insertion of one end of a lower cross member of a first module, a second seat (61) being formed for the insertion of a final portion of a post of said first module, a third seat (62) being formed for insertion ion of an upper cross member of a second module, and a fourth seat (63) being formed for the insertion of a post of the second module, each T-shaped element defining the fixing means (19, 20) being made of a piece of plastic material.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

TOWER TOWER

The present invention refers to a tower clothesline.

At the moment the clothes lines of the type that extend vertically, or towers, are known, widely spread and much appreciated.

Such vertically extending clotheslines generally comprise.

1 -a first perimeter frame to which folding racks for hanging clothes are pivoted, to such first frame being pivoted

- well a second perimeter frame, adapted to provide or an active configuration in a cross-arrangement with the first frame, or an inactive configuration of flat packaging,

-or two C-shaped frame parts that are pivoted with parallel axes in opposite positions with respect to the first perimeter frame and intended to provide an active cross-shaped or T-shaped configuration with the first frame, or an inactive flat-pack configuration.

Rest elements protrude from the posts of the second frame, or the two frame parts, for corresponding hook portions of the racks for hanging clothes in the active configuration

Such clotheslines, generally provided with wheels for standing and rolling on the ground, are very convenient because they make it possible to take advantage of a reduced available surface to hang clothes on several overlapping levels instead of on a single level as is the case with clotheslines Classic folding.

Such tower clotheslines, although they are appreciated and widely disseminated, have an important height limitation in the active configuration.

In fact, such tower clotheslines are sold packaged so that they can be used immediately after being removed from the packaging, without the need for any assembly; This implies that the first and second perimeter frames must have posts of limited height that make it possible to conveniently transport the packaging in a shopping cart and in a motor vehicle.

Such a limitation means that such tower clotheslines usually have at most three or four levels of racks for hanging clothes, which are arranged spaced apart from one another, the presence of other levels of grilles being prevented by height limitations of the perimeter frames, in particular with clotheslines with four levels of grilles that are very uncomfortable to transport.

EP 1 001 071 A1 shows a clothesline 1 comprising four tubular rods arranged vertically 2a-d and first and second identical crossbars 100a-b that respectively connect and stiffen the upper and lower ends of the rods 2a-d. Each cross member 100a-b includes a member 10 that pivotally connects (by 90 °) the inner ends (vertical rolls 8a, c) of two identical arms 9, and fixedly connecting the inner ends (vertical rolls 8b, d) of other two identical arms 9. A rotational movement of the member moves the four arms 9 from a non-operative packed position 1 (Fig 2a) of the arms 9 to an operative position O (Fig. 2b) in which the arms are arranged at 90 ° to each other. The outer ends of the arms 9 are provided with sleeves 7 connected to the respective ends of the vertical rods 2a-d. Support elements 3, 300 are connected in a series of holes 40 provided in the vertical bars 2a-d, the support elements 3, 300 each forming a rest 35 for the detachable connection to grid frames for laying clothes 80 each comprising an external U-shaped member 83, two hooks 81 obtained by folding the ends of the member 83 and a plurality of stiffener sleepers 82. The upper ends of the vertical rods 2a-d are provided with fasteners hooks 50 while the lower ends of the 2a-d vertical rods are provided with 60 pivot wheels.

US 2005/247655 A1 shows a folding and re-expanding modular bottle rack, each module comprising a pair of rectangular frames that are mutually and pivotally connected to be movable between the folding and re-expanding configurations. Heavy duty clips 210 and 220 are provided to hold wire sections of the stacked modules.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a tower clothesline whose height in the active configuration is such that it allows the use of one or more extra levels of racks to hang clothes in addition to the usual three or four levels of racks that are typical of the clotheslines Conventional tower

Within this objective, an object of the invention is to provide a tower clothesline that is more convenient to transport with respect to conventional tower clotheslines.

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Another object of the invention is to provide a tower clothesline that is easy to use and manage.

In accordance with the invention, a tower clothesline is provided as defined in the appended claims.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a tower clothesline according to the invention which is illustrated by a limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which;

■ Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tower clothesline according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tower clothesline according to the invention in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail of the means for fixing the clothesline according to the invention;

Figure 4 is another detail of the means for fixing the clothesline according to the invention;

Figure 5 is a portion of the perspective view of Figure 1.

With reference to the figures, a tower clothesline according to the invention is generally designated with the reference number 10.

The tower clothesline 10 is characterized by the fact that it comprises at least two modules, for example 11 and 18 in the figures, each of which comprises:

-a first perimeter frame, 12 and 23 respectively, to which folding racks 13 and 14 and 24 and 25 for hanging clothes are pivoted, to the first frame 12 and 23 being pivoted

- well, a second perimeter frame 15 and 26 respectively, which is adapted to provide either an active configuration, in a cross arrangement with the first frame, or an inactive configuration, of flat packaging on the first frame,

-or two C-shaped frame parts that are pivoted with parallel axes in opposite positions with respect to the first perimeter frame and intended to provide an active cross-shaped or T-shaped configuration with the first frame 12, 23 or an inactive configuration in the which is packed flat on the first frame.

Rest elements 16 and 29 protrude from the posts of the second frame 15 and 26, or of the two frame parts, for corresponding hook portions 17 and 30 of the folding grilles 13, 14, 24 and 25 in the active configuration.

The at least two modules 11 and 18 are stacked on each other, in the active configuration, with means 19 and 20 for fixing the frames or frame parts of a first module 11 to the corresponding frames or frame parts of a second module 18.

In particular, the first module 11 comprises:

-a first perimeter frame 12 to which folding racks, for example 13 and 14, for hanging clothes are pivoted; -the first frame 12 being pivoted -well a second perimeter frame 15,

-or, in a variation of an exemplary embodiment not shown for simplicity, two C-shaped frame parts that are pivoted with parallel axes in opposite positions with respect to the first perimeter frame,

- resting elements 16 protruding from posts 21 and 22 of the second frame 15, or of the two frame parts, for corresponding hook portions 17 of the folding racks 13 and 14 in the active configuration.

Similar to a first module 11, the second module 18 also has;

-a first perimeter frame 23 to which folding racks, for example 24 and 25, for hanging clothes are pivoted; to the first frame 23 being pivoted

-well a second perimeter frame 26,

-or, in a variation of an exemplary embodiment not shown for simplicity, two C-shaped frame parts that are pivoted with parallel axes in opposite positions with respect to the first perimeter frame,

- resting elements 29 protruding from posts 27 and 28 of the second frame 15, or of the two frame parts, for corresponding hook portions 30 of the folding racks 24 and 25 in the active configuration.

Each perimeter frame 12, 13, 23 and 26 consists of two side posts, a lower crossbar and an upper crossbar.

The first frame 12 of the first module 11 comprises two posts 31 and 32, a lower cross member 33 and an upper cross member 34.

The second frame 15 of the first module 11 comprises the two posts 21 and 22, a lower cross member 35 and an upper cross member 36..

The first frame 23 of the second module 18 comprises two posts 37 and 38, a lower cross member 39 and an upper cross member 40.

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The second frame 26 of the second module 18 comprises the two posts 27 and 28, a lower cross member 41 and an upper cross 42.

The fixing means 19 and 20 are of the quick coupling type.

In particular, in the embodiment described here, it should be understood as a non-limiting example of the invention, the fixing means 19 and 20 are each constituted by a T-shaped element comprising a first central portion, 44 and 45 respectively , and second and third opposite lateral portions 46. 47, 48 and 49 respectively.

Each of the first portions 44 and 45, for example a first portion 44, as in Figures 4 and 5, is formed to engage by automatic closure with a final portion 50 of the upper cross member 40 of the first frame 23 of the second module 18, and with a corresponding final portion 51 of the lower cross member 33 of the first frame 12 of the first module 11.

Each of the second and third portions 46. 47, 48 and 49, for example a second portion 46, as in Figures 4 and 5 is formed to engage by automatic closure with a final portion 52 of a post 31 of the first frame 12 of the first module 18, while the third opposite portion 47 is formed to engage by automatic closure with a final portion 53 of a post 37 of the first frame 23 of the second module 18.

What has been said above regarding the T-shaped element that defines the first fixing means 19 should be understood to apply also to the second fixing means 20.

Each T-shaped element comprises four seats 60, 61, 62 and 63 respectively, as shown for example purposes in Figure 3.

A first seat 60 is formed for the insertion of one end of a lower cross member of a first module, a second seat 61 is formed for the insertion of a final portion of a post of the same first module, a third seat 62 is formed for insertion of an upper cross member of a second module, and a fourth seat 63 is formed for the insertion of a post of the second module.

Each seat 60, 61, 62 and 63 has anti-extraction teeth, for example 65 and 66 in Figure 3, are adapted to retain the final portion of the corresponding crossbar or post within that seat, and adapted to produce automatic closing to the passage between two opposite teeth or anti-extraction or between two opposite series of anti-extraction teeth, of a corresponding final portion of a crossbar or post,

Each T-shaped element that defines the fixing means 19 and 20 is made of a unique body of plastic material. ■

The T-shaped element defining the first fixing means 19 has the seats 70 and 71 for the final portions of a lower crossbar and an upper crossbar respectively, such seats being spaced apart to allow the automatic closing of the final portions 50 and 51 of the upper cross member 40 and the lower crossbar 33 which in the active configuration are further from each other in the height direction of the clothesline 10 than the other two matched crossbars.

The T-shaped element defining the second fixing means 20 has the seats 60 and 62 for the final portions of a lower crossbar and an upper crossbar respectively, such seats being spaced apart to allow the automatic closing of the final portions 73 and 74, as in Figure 5, of the lower crossbar 35 and the upper crossbar 42 which in the active configuration are closer to each other in the height direction of the clothesline 10 than the other two matched crossbars.

The use of the clothesline 10 according to the invention is as follows.

Once the perimetric frames of the two modules 11 and 18 are arranged in a cross, the final portions of the posts and the corresponding crossbars engage by automatic closure in the respective seats of the T-shaped elements of the fixing means 19 and 20 to make the first frame 12 of the first module 11 integral with the first frame, 23 of the second module 18, and the second frame 15 of the first module with the second frame 26 of the second module 18,

In this way a clothesline 10 is obtained that can be managed as a conventional one-piece tower clothesline, provided with a number of levels of folding racks for hanging clothes, which is constituted by the sum of the number of levels of folding racks with which Both modules 11 and 18 are provided.

If for example each module is provided with four folding grilles that are arranged symmetrically in pairs in two planes, as shown in the figures, then the clothesline 10 according to the invention is provided, in the active configuration, with eight folding grilles arranged in four planes.

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The tower clothesline 10 thus makes it possible to lift a tower clothesline of greater or equal height to similar conventional tower clotheslines and therefore can be provided with a number of levels or gratings, for example four or more grating levels, which is greater than or equal to the usual maximum number of four levels of grilles that is typical of conventional tower clotheslines, but simpler to transport or store after use thanks to the possibility of joining or separating the modules 11 and 18 that form it.

The tower clothesline 10 according to the invention, thanks to its possibility of being separated in modules, can be easily packed by the manufacturer in boxes of a contained size and can easily be transported by a buyer, both with a normal shopping cart and in the trunk of a motor vehicle; in fact, the two modules can be packed separately from each other, folded in the inactive configuration of flat packaging and together in the same packaging so that such packaging is substantially half the height of the packaging of an improved clothesline 10 which has modules 11 and 18 stacked on each other.

In addition, each module can be used separately and in this way if the user does not need to use both modules on top of each other it is possible to use only one of them conveniently.

In practice it has been discovered that the invention fully achieves the intended purpose and objects,

In particular, with the invention a tower clothesline is provided whose height in the active configuration is such as to allow the use of one or more extra grilles for hanging clothes in addition to the usual three grilles that are typical of conventional tower clotheslines.

In addition, a tower clothesline is provided with the invention that is convenient to transport in the manner of a conventional tower clothesline.

In addition, a tower clothesline is provided with the invention that is easy to use and manage.

The invention conceived in this way is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, all the details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the components used, with the proviso that they are compatible with the specific use, and the contingent dimensions and shapes may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

The information of the Italian patent application No. PD2014A000024 of which this application claims priority is incorporated herein by reference.

Where the technical elements mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by example by such reference signs.

Claims (5)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 Four. Five fifty 1. A tower clothesline (10) comprising at least two modules (11, 18), each of which comprises: - a first perimeter frame (12, 23) to which folding racks (13, 14, 24, 25) for hanging clothes are pivoted, to said first frame (12, 23) being pivoted - well a second perimeter frame (15, 26) adapted to provide or an active configuration, in a cross arrangement with the first frame, or an inactive configuration, of flat packaging on the first frame, -or two C-shaped frame parts that are pivoted with parallel axes in opposite positions with respect to the first perimeter frame and intended to provide an active cross-shaped or T-shaped configuration with the first frame (12, 23) or an inactive configuration in which it is packed flat on the first frame, resting elements (16, 29) protruding from the posts of the second frame (15, 26) or of said two frame parts, for corresponding hook portions (17, 30) of the folding grilles (13, 14, 24, 25) in the active configuration, said at least two modules (11, 18) being stacked on each other, in the active configuration, with means (19, 20) for fixing the frames or frame parts of a first module (11) to the corresponding frames or frame parts of a second module (18), said fixing means (19, 20) being of the automatic closing type, said fixing means (19, 20) each being constituted by a T-shaped element comprising a first central portion (44, 45) and second and third opposite lateral portions (46, 47, 48, 49), each T-shaped element comprising four seats (60, 61,62, 63), a first seat (60) being formed for the insertion of one end of a lower cross member of a first module, a second seat (61) being formed for the insertion of a final portion of a post of said first module, a third seat (62) being formed for the insertion of an upper cross member of a second module, and a fourth seat (63) being formed for the insertion of a post from! second module, each T-shaped element that defines the fixing means (19, 20) being made of a piece of plastic material. 2. The tower clothesline according to claim 1, characterized in that each perimeter frame (12, 13, 23, 26) consists of two side posts (21, 22, 27, 28, 31, 32, 37, 38), a lower crossbar (33, 35, 39, 41) and an upper crossbar (34, 36, 40 , 42). 3. The tower clothesline according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each one of said first portions (44, 45) is formed to engage by automatic closing with a final portion (50) of the upper cross member (40) of the first frame (23) of the second module (18), and with a corresponding final portion ( 51) of the lower cross member (33) of the first frame (12) of the first module (11). 4. The clothesline tower according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that each one of said second and third portions (46, 47, 48, 49) is formed to engage by automatic closing with a final portion (52) of a post (31) of the first frame (12) of the first module (18), while that the opposite third portion (47) is formed to engage by automatic closure with a final portion (53) of a post (37) of the first frame (23) of! second module (18). 5. The tower clothesline according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each seat (60, 61,62, 63) has teeth to prevent extraction (65, 66) adapted to retain the final portion of the corresponding crossbar or post within said seat and adapted to produce automatic closing, when passing between two opposite teeth to prevent the extraction or between two opposite sets of teeth to prevent the extraction, of a corresponding final portion of a crossbar or post.