GB2276079A - Clothes airer or dryer - Google Patents

Description

2276079 AIRERS This invention relates to airers and driers for clothes and

the like which have been washed. A well known type of airer to which the invention relates comprises a plurality of arms which support a clothes line extending in a plurality of parallel paths between the arms. The arms may be radial, extending outwardly from a central pole and in this case it is convenient to use a single length of line wound from arm to arm. Thus if three arms are employed, the line may extend as a series of triangles of successively larger size, or the line may form the equivalent of a spiral passing from a point on one arm to a point at a slightly larger radial distance from the pole on the next arm and so on, although the spiral is made of a series of angularly related straight line portions rather than being a continuous arc.

The line must support the weight of wet washing, but the line tension must not be high since it is usual to make the arms to fold or collapse to a bundle for storage, and too much tension may make the airer difficult to erect. Often the line is tied to one of the arms at one point in each triangle or like shape and is merely engaged with the other arms.

Many different arrangements or systems have been proposed for the engagement. In simpler designs the line is threaded through diametrical holes in the arms and periodically knotted. This makes adjustment necessary if the line stretches in repeated use tedious or difficult One arran-ement in widespread use involves moulded plastic cleats which are riveted to the arms along their length at appropriate spacing and the line is simply wound about those cleats. The object of the invention is to simplify the airer construction.

According to the invention, an airer comprises a plurality of arms each provided with a plurality of cleats for engaging a washing line portion, and is 0 2 characterised in that the cleats are engaced in holes in the arms.

Preferably the cleats are snap-engaged or are a push-fit i.e. frictionally en-a-ed in the arnis, without needing any separate attachment means. rience the riveting step which was necessary in the prior art is avoided.

The cleat of the invention may be a plastics moulding and a material of suitable slight deformability and or resilience is preferred so as to provide secure anchorage of the cleats either by friction as a push-fit or by snap-engagement where a head or projection from the cleat is deformed during assembly and recovers to hold the cleat in position.

Preferably the arms are of tubular metal which may be round or square, apertured diametrically, and each cleat comprises a peg suitably dimensioned to pass through the aligned apertures with a head or projection at one end and a line receiving notch at the other end, these two ends lying adjacent opposite sides of the arm.

The 'Line engaging part of the cleat may have only a single notch or recess to receive the line, a plurality of such notches or a notch or notches dimensioned to accept more than one run of the line. Where a plurality is provided, these may open in opposite directions, or be sideby-side, and in the latter case a greater length of pe- will be necessary.

0 Where a plastic coated line is used, having some c diametric deformability, the notches may be shaped to grip by line deformation rather than notch deformation.

The invention is now more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein Fi.l.ure 1 is a dia-rammatic view showing a short c portion of the arm of a radial airer with a cleat according to the invention in position.

Frigure 2 is an ele vat ion of a zlodifi e 'U cleat Figure 3 is an end elevation of the modified cleat.

Referrinlo. to Gle drawing, a tubular metal arm 10 is pierced diametrically with a pair of holes of suitable cross section to acconmodate cleat 12. The cleat is a plastics moulding comprising a shank portion 14, a head 16 and a line engaging end 18. The shank 14 may be noncircular and the holes in the tube likewise so that rotation uE the cleat is Prevented. The purpose of the head 16 is simply to control the axial position.

FiSure 1 of the drawing does not illustrate any means for preventing withdrawal of the cleat from the arni, because in this instance the shank is intended to bue a push-fit i.e. a friction fit in the holes. However a suitable radial projection froin the shank may be provided to be deformed and deflected in movement of the shank to the illustrated position and so as to lie within tne tube or alternatively on the outer face of the tube at the line engaging end for tile purposes of fixing the axial position.

The end 18 is provided with the notch comprising channel 20 opening laterally of the shank to receive the line, and the recess has a narrow throat 22 so that the end portion 24 is flexed outwardly to widen the throat to allow the line to enter. rroviding the line is the same diameter as the larger portion 26 of the recess, the line will be firmly gripped by the cleat when the pressure causing the 'Llexin2 is released.

As mentioned, the shank- Play be extended to provide fjiore than one notch to accommodate more than one portion of line, or these may possibly be angularly related for example open to opposite 'Lateral ed-es of the shank using notches of smaller dimension than that illustrated, without needing a lon,-er shank.

0 1 In 7.i.,ures 2 and 3 tht. shank 114 is of pear shape in C) J_ cross-section. and has an el-onvated s."Lc)t 28 wInich -may narrow as the shanic is oushed into i-)o.si!-ion and recover 11( _Lu 7" 1 e a n;i s c) t r a n s v e r s e --) ' ' - e 1: 1 en t ' i:, 1 j:-. h.

4 ridges 30 on one or both ed-es which will be located in 0 the arr-ii and also help hold it in place. J The 'Line accommodating notch 1120 is in this instance a slot 32) extending lengthwise of the shank 0Dening through a lateral jaw portion between 'Laces 34, 36. The dotted line circle -"';U' shows the line position and indicates a shallow recess opposite the jaw. It will be seen that the 'Line is inserted in the notch by a lateral movement which 'Llexes the shanks at the thinnest zone 40, allowing the jaw faces to separate. When they recover due to the elasticity of the material, the line is gripped at 3 more or less equi-spaced zones represented by the reference numerals 34, 36, 40. The grip may be light, allowing the 'Line tension to be adjusted by the line being pulled through the notch.

0 Moreover, more than one line portion may be accommouated with greater line deformation by displacing a first line part from the dotted line position further along the narrow slot portion 32, leaving the dotted line area free for a second line portion. The first one will be more ti- htly gripped than the second.

CL A I'. 1 S An airer comprising a plurality of arms each provided witix a plurality of cleats for anchoring a washing line portion and characterised in that the cleats are enga-ed in holes in the arms.

0

Claims (1)

1. 2. An airer as claimed in Claim 1 wherein each cleat has a shank which is

   frictionally eng-aged in a hole in the arm.

   3. An airer as claimed in Claiin 1 wherein eacIi cleat has a shanIC which is a push-fit and is snap-engaged in a hole in the arm.

   4. An airer as claimed in any preceding claim wherein 0 the cleats are plastics mouldings of a material of slight deformability.

   5. An airer as claimed in Claim 4 wherein each cleat comprises a shank provided with a head or projection arranged to be deformed during insertion into the hole in the arm and to recover to hold the cleat in position.

   6. An airer as claimed in any preceding claiin wherein the arms are of tubular metal apertured diametrically, each cleat comprises a peg dimensioned to pass through aligned apertures with a head at one end and a line receiving notch at the other end.

   4 7. An airer as claimed in Claim 6 wherein a plurality of notches is provided.

   A 8. An airer as claimed in Claim 4 and Claim;') wherein the notch comprises a slot extending along the shank and a laterally Opening law, arranged to be flexed when the line is passed through the law into the slot, so that the line is,Y,,ripped at a plurality of points about its periphery.

   9. 4 An airer substantia'4'Lv as Ude-cribed rrference L t_ c.) i: ' ne accompanyinu