GB2144981A

GB2144981A - Laundry drying apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2144981A
Application number: GB08322392A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steve Yeo Siow Kuang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-08-19
Filing date: 1983-08-19
Publication date: 1985-03-20
Also published as: GB2144981B; GB8322392D0

Abstract

Laundry drying apparatus has a frame 5 with spaced uprights 6, 7 interconnected by horizontal rails 10, 11. The uprights have feet 8, 9 which fit into pipe sockets 4 mounted on a window ledge of a building for the reception of conventional laundry drying poles. A laundry drying member such as a pole 23 or line is suspended by end fittings 22 from a pole member 21 which slides in a slide tube 20 for movement between an extended position in which the laundry drying member extends away from the building for drying laundry and a retracted position in which the laundry drying member is retracted into the building for removing dry laundry from and attaching wet laundry to the drying member. The slide tube has an offset slot 26 through which the end fittings can pass in order to detach the pole member from the frame. A carrier 17 of the slide tube is mounted on the horizontal rails in order to provide for movement of the laundry drying member transversely of the frame at right angles to the direction of extension and retraction. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Laundry drying apparatus This invention relates to laundry drying apparatus.

It is well known in certain countries, for example Singapore, to provide selected window leges of high-rise apartment blocks with hollow pipe holders for receiving laundry drying poles made of bamboo or aluminium. The wet laundry is fastened to the pole inside the apartment and the pole is then pushed out of the window until the near end of the pole can be inserted in the pipe holder. Because of the combined weight of the pole and the wet laundry, considerable effort is involved in the operation. Injuries such as twisted arms and sprained backs frequently occur and there have been some deaths of women who overbalanced and fell through the window while trying to position the poles.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the disadvantages of the aforesaid laundry drying system by the provision of apparatus which is adapted to be used in a similar but safe and reliable manner.

According to the present invention there is provided laundry drying apparatus comprising a frame adapted to be mounted on a building outside a window thereof and a laundry drying member supported on the frame for movement between an extended position in which the laundry drying member extends away from the building for drying the laundry attached to the member and a retracted position in which the laundry drying member is retracted into the building through said window for removing dry laundry from and attaching wet laundry to the drying member.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the single Figure and various insets are illustrative of one embodiment of apparatus according to the invention.

The apparatus is shown in the position of use on a building 1 outside a kitchen window 2 with an external ledge 3 Onto which are fixed steel pipe sections 4 during construction of the building. Normally, the pipe sections 4 are used for receiving the laundry drying poles of the known drying system described above. The present apparatus comprises a frame 5 with spaced uprights 6, 7 having feet 8, 9 which fit into conveniently located pipe sections 4. At their upper ends the uprights 6, 7 are interconnected by horizontal rails 10, 11 using fittings 12 having mutually perpendicular slideways 13, 14 and fixing screws 15, 16.

A bracket 17 has parallel sleeves 18, 19 slidably engaging the rails 10, 11 and a perpendicular slide tube 20 slidably receiving a pole member 21 from which is suspended by end fittings 22 a laundry drying member in the form of a rod 23 to which laundry items such as illustrated at 24, 25 may be attached in known manner.

The slide tube 20 of the bracket 17 has a longitudinal slot 26 for the purpose explained below. Correspondingly slotted nylon bushes 27 are inserted into the tube ends for slidably engaging the pole member 21. Each end fitting 22 comprises an arm 28 interconnecting an end cap 29 of the pole member 21 with a socket 30 for receiving the corresponding end of the laundry rod 23. The end cap 29 has a spigot 31 which is a tight fit in the pole member 21 which has an end slot (not shown) through which the arm 28 can project. The thickness of the arm 28 in the vicinity of the pole member 21 is less than the width of the slot 26 in the slide tube 20 in order to enable the pole member 21 to be fitted and removed in the manner described below.

In the drawing the pole member 21 carrying the drying rod 23 is in the extended position for drying laundry. With the window 2 open the pole member 21 may be retracted into the kitchen for removing dry laundry from the rod 23 and hanging wet laundry on it.

The pole member 21 is then pushed back to the starting position. By sliding the bracket 17 along the rails 10, 11 the pole member 21 may be positioned where desired between the uprights 6, 7.

The pole member assembly 21, 22, 23 can be removed from the frame 5 by sliding it into its fully retracted position and then twisting it slightly so as to align the arm 28 of the outer end fitting 22 with the axial slot 26 in the slide tube 20. Further pulling causes the arm 28 to slide down the slot 26 and disengage the slide tube 20. The pole member assembly 21, 22, 23 can then be stored until it is needed again. Refitting is accomplished by locating the end cap 29 of the outer end fitting 22 in the inner end of the slide tube 20. The assembly is then twisted, to align the arm 28 of this fitting with the slot 26, and pushed until the arm 28 has passed along and out of the slot 26. The assembly is then twisted back into the illustrated position with the drying rod 23 directly under the pole member 21.Accidental disengagement during normal use is thus prevented because of the angled position of the slot 26.

The components of the frame and pole member assembly may be made of any suitable material. For example, the pole member assembly may be made primarily of aluminium for lightness while the frame is made of steel pipe. The bracket 17 is preferably an aluminium die-casting.

it will be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, two or more brackets 17 with respective pole member assemblies may be provided to increase the amount of laundry that may be dried on the apparatus. Also, the rod 23 of the pole member assembly may be replaced by an alternative drying member, for example a plastics line. If the buiiding to which the apparatus is to be attached does not already have suitable aflachmert means such as the steel pipe sections 4 alternative fixing means may be used.

Claims

1. Laundry drying apparatus comprising a frame adapted to be mounted on a building outside a window thereof and a laundry drying member supported on the frame for movement between an extended position in which the laundry drying member extends away from the building for drying the laundry attached to the member and a retracted position in which the laundry drying member is retracted into the building through said window for removing dry laundry from and attaching wet laundry to the drying member.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laundry drying member is additionally movable transversely of the frame at right angles to the direction of extension and retraction.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the laundry drying member is suspended by end fittings from a pole member slidable in a slide tube mounted on the frame.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the slide tube has a slot through which the end fittings can pass in order to detach the pole member from the frame, the slot being offset from the vertical plane in which said end fittings are normally disposed in use so that the pole member requires to be twisted before it can be disengaged from the tube.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the frame comprises spaced uprights interconnected by a pair of horizontal rails slidably engaged by a carrier of said slide tube.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the uprights have feet which fit into pipe sections provided on the building for the reception of known laundry drying members.

7. Laundry drying apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.