GB2182847A - A clothes line and a shuttle therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A clothes line is made up of a pair of cords 11, 12 twisted together to form an axial series of loops 13. The cords are passed through the central aperture of a shuttle 15 consisting of an outer member 20, an inner member 22 and a loop-opening and closing device 40,41. The inner member 22 of the shuttle can rotate relatively to the outer member 20 and is loosely held between a pair of radially inwardly directed flanges 25. The inner member 22 has a central aperture 30 containing a pair of curved channels 40,41, the cords 11,12 running through the channels. The channels 40,41 can move to a limited axial extent into, through and out of the central aperture 30. At the limit position the adjacent ends of the channels 40,41 are at their closest while their opposite ends are farthest apart in which a sizable gap is opened up between the cords 11,12 for the convenient insertion of a wet garment 14; when the shuttle is then displaced axially, this gap is closed and the cords 11,12 will firmly grip the garment in question. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A clothes line and a shuttle therefor This invention concerns a clothes line and a shuttle therefor.

At present, mostly clothes-pegs are used to attach washed articles of clothing to a clothes line in order to allow them to dry. Avastvariety of different mechanical constructions for clothes-pegs have been proposed overtheyears. However, none has been found to be so convenient as to gain universal acceptance, either because the more complicated constructions are relatively expensive or because they are relatively fragile and/or are easily lost; others again can become readily damaged due to weathering,e.g.wooden pegs, and still further, many are not able securelyto retain the clothes on the clothes line in windy conditions.

Aso-called 'travelling clothes line' is also known which consists ofthree stranded-together elastomeric cords tied to a loop at each end, in which articles of clothing can be suspended by stretching the elastomeric cords and manually making an opening between the stranding to insert a corner of the article and allowing the natural resilience of the cords to close the opening and retain the article by friction. This clothes line is inconvenient to use and can require considerable effort to separate the strandsto insertasufficientamountofthearticleof clothing to be dried. Furthermore, the rubbery cord material may eventually perish or snap.

The present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages of known clothes lines and to dispense altogether with clothes-pegs by providing a combination of twisted cords with a shuttle which readily allows a gap to be formed between the strands or loops of the cords in which the shuttle can be pulled from one end ofthe linetotheotherand back again to open up and re-close the loops, wherebytoenableawetgarmentto be placed between the gaps and by pulling the shuttle awayto twist the cords to grip the garment safely to the line.

According therefore to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a shuttlefora clothes line consisting of at least two cords stranded togetherto form a series of successive loops, the shuttle comprising a housing displaceable along the clothes line and having an internal aperture for guiding-said cords therethrough, said device including means defining a pair of spaced apart channels for receiving said cords and maintaining them in a position in which the stranding of the cords is separated to form an opening into which an article of clothing may be inserted.

Preferably, means are provided to permit the said device to move relatively to the housing along the longitudinal direction of the cords between two limit positions.

The said device may include a pair of elongated cord-guiding members containing the said channels, the said members being so shaped and connected togetherthaton displacing the housing alongthe clothes line the adjacent ends of said pair of members move progressively apart from a minimum spacing therebetween at one of said limit positions to a maximum spacing at the other of said limit positions.

Advantageously, each said member may be an arcuate member of U-shaped cross-section and the pairofthem is arranged back-to-back for relative rocking movement.

The said members are preferably interconnected by a series of spaced apart projections on the back of one member successively engaging in a corresponding series of spaced apart and complementary recesses in the back of the other member. However, in an alternative embodiment, the members may be interconnected by a series of spaced apart saw teeth or cogs on the back of one member successively engaging in a corresponding series of spaced apart and complementary recesses in the back of the other member.

In a preferred embodiment, said limit positions are defined by abutments and there may be one abutmentatoneendofonememberandasimilar abutment at the other end of the other member or alternatively there may be an abutment at each end of each member.

In order to provide forthe smoother running ofthe shuttle overthe lines orcords,each said member may include a pulley at each end thereof for engaging the cord associated with it, although I have found that these pulleys may be obviated without deleterious effect on the performance of the shuttle.

In a preferred embodiment, the said housing includes an outer member and an inner member which are relatively rotatable about an axis which is coincident with the length ofthe clothes line.

Advantageously, said housing is annular, said inner member having a pair of diametrically opposed recesses in which a pair of pulleys is accommodated, each pulley being rotatable about an axis transverse to the axis defined by the clothes line and said outer member has a radially inwardly directed flange at each axial end thereof for retaining said inner member with its pulleys.

in another aspect ofthe present invention, there is provided a combination of a clothes line comprising a pair of twisted cords on which is mounted a shuttle as set forth above.

The invention will be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 illustrates the housing of a shuttle embodied in the present invention, Figure la being in elevation and Figure lb being in cross-section along the plane defined by the lines A-A in Figure la; Figure2 illustrates an inner member of the shuttle held within the housing member shown in Figure 1, Figure2a being an elevation, Figure 26 being an elevation taken at right angles to Figure 2a along the plane defined bythe lines B-B in Figure 2a and Figure 2c being a cross-section taken on the plane defined bythe lines A-A in Figure 2a;; Figure 3 is a view of a roller member adapted to be mounted on the inner membershown in Figure 2, Figure3a being an elevation and Figure3b being a sectiontaken on the plane indicated bythelinesA-A in Figure3a; Figures 4and 5 respectively illustrate two members together constituting a loop opening device, wherein more particularly Figures 4a, h,c and dcorrespond respectively with Figures 5a, b, cand d, theviewsbeing,inturn,asfollows::- a is an elevation, b is an orthogonal elevation taken on the plane defined bythe lines A-A in viewa, cis an orthogonal elevation taken on the plane defined by the lines B-B in view a, and dis a cross-section taken along the plane defined by the lines C-C in views; Figure 6illustrates the combination ofthe shuttle and a clothes line, Figure 6a being a part-elevational and part-sectional view while Figure 6b is a cross-section taken along the plane indicated bythe lineA-Ain Figure; and Figure 7a and Figure 7b correspond to Figures 6a and 6b but illustrate an alternative embodiment.

Referring to the drawings, perhaps the most convenient starting point is Figure 6a which shows a clothes line consisting of a pairofmultiplystranded together cords 11 and 12toform an axially successive series of loops 13, each loop in effect forming a gap which can be opened and closed to receive and grip an article of clothing 14.

To facilitate the opening and closing of the loop or gaps 13, there is provided a shuttle generally designated bythe reference number 15. The shuttle has an annular housing generally designted by the reference number 1 6which can be slid along the cords 11,12 in either sense as indicated by the double-headed arrow 17.

The housing 1 6 itself consists of two members, namely an outer member 20 and an inner member 22. The outer member 20 is essentially a cylindrical body which is C-shaped in cross section, the web of the C extending axially and the limbs in effect forming a pair of radially extending end flanges 25 defining between them axial through-going apertures 26. The flanges 25 serve to retain the inner member 22 within the outer member 20. The inner member 22 is clearly discernible from Figure 2 and Figures 2 and 66. ltisessentiallyaflatannulardisc having a pair of diametricaly opposed recesses 28 each containing a short spindle 29. At the centre of the disc or inner member 22 is a rectangular aperture 30 having at its two opposite ends a pair of cord-guiding arcuate recesses 32.A set of water drainholes 27 is provided in an equiangularly spaced apart arrangement to permit rain or snow that penetrated into member 20 to be drained away.

A pairoffreely rotatable rollers 35 shown in Figures 3 and 6 and provided with a central aperture 36 are mounted on the spindles 29. Since the axial extent ofthe inner member 22 is considerably less than the axial extent ofthe gap defined bytheflanges 25,the inner member is in effect loosely retained in the outer member 16 both for limited axial movement as well as for rotation about an axis which -coincides with the axis defined by the length of the cord 11,12. The rollers 35 accordingly assist in the smooth relative rotation of the outer member 20 and inner member 22, the rollers 35 co-operating with the internal radially extending surfaces oftheflanges 25 forming a rolling track.

Captively held within the central aperture 30 ofthe inner member 22 is a pair of curved channels40,41 which together constitute a loop-opening and loop-closing device, to be described in further detail below with reference to Figures 4,5 and 6.

The two channels 40,41 are in the form of arcuately curved pieces arranged back-to-back within the central aperture 30 ofthe inner member 22 and are captively retained therein by means of abutments 45. These abutments consist of disc-shaped lugs mounted on the outer surface of one side of the channel. As can be seen from Figures 4b,5b, and 6a, one lug 45 may be arranged at each of two opposite ends and opposite limbs ofthe channel, although it would be possible to provide such a lug or abutment 45 at each end of each side or it would be possible for each channel 40 and 41 to have a pair of abutments on the same side (and one side only) of the channel.In this way the channel channels 40,41 will rotate with rotation of the inner member 22, will move axially with it when it moves relatively axially within the outer member 20 but in addition can move generally axiallywithin the limits imposed by the abutments 45 into, through and out of the central aperture 30.

In Figure 6a one limit position is shown in which the righthand ends of the channels 40,41 (as viewed) are at their point of closest approach while conversely the opposite ends are maximally spaced apart. It will be seen that with the cords 11,12 running through the channels, in the illustrated position a large and conveniently dimensioned gap or opening 13 is formed for the insertion of a wet garmenttherebetween; but pulling the shuttle to the left (as viewed) so that the outer member 20 moves relative to the inner member and the channels 40,41, the latterwill rock over their curved back-to-back surfaces and a gap 13will be closed securelyto retain the garment.

To facilitate the coordinated movement of the channels40,41 and to ensure thatthey are axially co-extensive at all times with each other, they are loosely interconnected. This interconnection may take many forms. Intheembodiments illustrated in Figures 4,5 and 6 channel 40 is provided with a series of holes or apertures 50 while the channel 41 is provided with a correspondingly positioned series of projecting lugs 56 capable of entry into and retraction from the apertures 50.

It will be appreciated that by sliding a shuttle axially and by virtue of the captive but relatively displaceablearrangementofthe inner member 22 within the outer member20 and the channels 40,41 in turn within the aperture 30 ofthe inner member 22, the sliding movement causes one pair of ends to move as far apart as possible to open a gap 13 between the cords 11, 12 while atthesametimethe othertwoendsthereofmove as closely together as possible to close the next successive gap 13.

Turning nowto Figures 7a and 6, there is shown an alternative embodiment differing only in the following minor respects from the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 6. Extending across each end of the open channels40,41 there is provided a freely rotatable pulley 60 to provide additional guidancefor the shuttle as it runs overthe cords 11,12, and these pulleys 60 may be mounted on the same shaft as may carry the abutments 45. Also, the series of male lugs 56 and female apertures 50 are replaced in this embodiment by a series of saw-teeth 70 engageable in corresponding sawtooth-shaped recesses 72 in the opposing members 40,41 respectively. In other respects, and as regards the mode of operation this embodiment is the same as that described previously.

The material for the shuttle is preferably a hard plastics material such as polypropylene or ABS.

The material for the cords need not be elastomeric but may instead be nylon.

Claims (12)

1. A shuttle for a clothes line consisting of at least two cords stranded together to form a series of successive loops, the shuttle comprising a housing displaceable along the clothes line and having an internal aperture for guiding said cords therethrough, and a loop opening device captively held in said aperture, said device including means defining a pairofspacedapartchannelsforreceiving said cords and maintaining them in a position in which the stranding ofthe cords is separated to form an opening into which an article of clothing maybe inserted.

2. A shuttle according to claim 1, wherein means are provided to permitthesaid deviceto move relatively to the housing along the longitudinal direction ofthe cords between two limit positions.

3. Ashuttle accordingto claim 1 or2,wherein said channels are so shaped and connected together that on displacing the housing along the clothes line the adjacent ends of the channels move progressively apart from a minimum spacing therebetween atone of said limit positions to a maximum spacing at the otherofsaid limit positions.

4. A shuttle according to claim 3, wherein each said channel is an arcuate piece of U-shaped cross section arranged back-to-back with the other channel for relative rocking movement.

5. A shuttle according to claim 4,wherein said members are interconnected by a series of spaced apart projections on the back of one channel successively engaging in a corresponding series of spaced apart and complementary recesses in the back of the other channel.

6. A shuttle according to claim 4, wherein said channels are interconnected by a series of spaced apartgearteeth orcogs on the back of one channel successively engaging in a corresponding series of spaced apart and complementary recesses in the back of the other channel.

7. A shuttle according to claims 2 and 3, wherein said limit positions are defined by abutments, there being an abutment at at least one end of each of said channels.

8. Ashuttleaccordingtoanyofclaims3to7, wherein each said channel includes a pulley at each endthereofforengaging the cord associated with it.

9. A shuttle according to any preceding claim, wherein said housing includes an outer member and an inner memberwhich are relatively rotatable about an axis which is coincident with the length of the clothes line.

10. A shuttle according to any preceding claim, wherein said housing is annular, said inner member having a pair of diametrically opposed recesses in which a pair of pulleys is accommodated, each pulley being rotatable about an axis transverse to the axis defined by the clothes line and said outer member has a radially inwardly directed flange at each axial end thereof for retaining said inner member with its pulleys.

11. A shuttle according to any preceding claim, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 6 or Figure 7 ofthe accompanying drawings.

12. In combination, a clothes line comprising a pair of twisted cords on which is mounted a shuttle according to any preceding claim.