GB2304556A - An improved wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack comprising a slidable rack 10, a guider assembly 22 and a limiting means 18, 19 in which the slidable rack can be partly moved inside the interior of a building and comprises at least an elongated rail member 11 on which means 15 for holding clothes are provided, the guider assembly comprises an elongated bracket 22 within which part of the length of the rail member is receivable and along the length of which the rail member is slidably movable and the limiting means limits the range of longitudinal movement of the rack relative to the guider assembly. The rails may be of T-shaped cross section, sliding inside C-shaped channels 22. The channels may have internal rollers 23. A rib formation 16 on the bottom of each rail allows attachment of clothes pegs. A cover 40 may be provided.

Description

AN IMPROVED WALL=MOUNTABLE OUTDOOR CLOTHES RACK The present invention relates to an improved outdoor clothes rack, in particular, it relates to an outdoor wall-mountable clothes rack for use in high-rise multi-storey residential buildings.

In many big cities, land for dwelling is precious and scarce. To cope with the large and ever-increasing city populations, millti-storey high-rise residential buildings are commonplace to provide maximulll residential space with Ininimum land. The high costs of living space means that open space for natural convection drying of clothes, bedding, fabrics or the like is not readily available. Consequently, it brings about a phenomenon not commonly seen in rural areas, that is, clothes are dried by being overhung from the outside wall of a residential unit which may be many storeys above ground level.

The single-pole type clothes rack is traditionally used by dwellers of high-rise buildings in big cities. This single flag-pole type rack comprises a long pole, for example, made of bamboo or aluminium, which can be removably inserted into a slightly sloped socket formed permanently on the exterior wall of a building. When the pole is inserted into the socket, it is maintained in a slightly upward elevation, resembling a flag pole. Clothes or fabrics to be dried are firstly clipped onto the long pole and distributed along its length, the loaded pole is then moved outside the building so that one end, the near end, of it can be inserted into the sloped socket. When the clothes are dried, the pole is removed from the socket, taken into the building interior and the clothes are then removed.

Such clothes racks are clumsy, not aesthetically pleasing and are dangerous since a user has control of only one end of a very long and hcavy pole during the loading and unloading stages when the pole is being lifted out of its supported position in the socket. Accidental falling of clothes poles due to unexpected gusts or tired wrists causes numerous fatal incidents which are of particular concerns to residents of high-rise buildings where many such traditional poles are used.

To alleviate the problems associated with the traditional single-pole clothes rack, there is available a wall mounted clothes rack comprisillg a substantially rectangular exterior frame within which there are provided a plurality of parallel clothes lines which run between the near- and the far-end of the frame. The rack fr;une is usually made of aluminium tubes and is mounted to the exterior wall at its near-end wedge. A plurality of pulley sets, corresponding to the number of clothes lines, are mounted at the near- and far-end of the frame so that the clothes lines can run perpendicularly to the exterior wall through the pulleys, thereby transporting clothes between the near- and tar-end of the rack by movements of the clothes lines.

While this device offers a higher degree of safety than the single-pole type, clothes loading and unloading are still cumbersome since each individual clothes line has to be advanced or retreated whenever a piece of clothes is to be placed on or retrieved from the line. Also, the presence of pulleys at the far-end means difficult repair and maintenance if any of the pulleys mounted at the far end, which may be about three to four meters away and many storeys above the ground level, are out of order or worn out. Moreover, the fixed external dimensions of stich rack frame means that a supl)lier has to keep in stock many different sizes of racks to sleet different installation requirelncnts.

Furthermore, clothes lines must be flexible to be able to run through the pulleys which means that only a small number of wet clothes can be placed along the lines, otherwise sagging of the line at the middle will cause the clothes to crowd and optimal drying can not be attained.

It is therefore beneficial and desirable if there can be provided an outdoor clothes rack which alleviates the problems present in existing clothes racks.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an outdoor clothes rack which can be moved inside a building so that clothes can be speedily loaded onto and retrieved from the rack when the rack is in the interior of a building so that it is not necessary to sequentially advance or retreat the clothes lines within a rack.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an outdoor clothes rack which can be easily maintained by having the movable or consumable parts located within easy access of a user.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an outdoor clothes rack having means for evenly distributing clothes therealong to avoid undesirable crowding of clothes due, especially, to the sagging of clothes lines.

According to the present invention, there is therefore provided a wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack comprising a slidable rack, a gtiide'. assembly and a limiting means in which the slidable rack comprises at least an elongated rail member on which means for holding clothes are provided, the guider assembly comprises aii elongated bracket within which part of the length of the rail member is receivable and along the length of which the rail member is slidably movable and the limiting means limits the range of longitudinal movement of the rack relative to the guider assembly.

Preferably the guider assembly comprises conveying means for transporting the slidable rack.

The conveying means may comprise a plurality of rollers the axis of rotation of which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of transportation of the rails.

Preferably the guider assembly is mounted on a support frame which is connectible to a wallmounting means.

Preferably the slidable rack comprises an elongated rail member having a generally T-shaped cross section.

Preferably the slidable rack comprises an elongated rail member, said rail member having a vertical limb symmetrical about which there are formed a first and a second horizontal flange.

Some embodiments of the present invention will now be further explained by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an outdoor clothes rack of the present invention; Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the device of figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a rail received within a guide; and Figure 4 shows the cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to figures 1 to 3, there is shown an outdoor clothes rack of the present invention comprising a movable rack 10, a guide assembly 20 and a wall-mount assembly 30.

The movable rack 10 comprises a plurality of elongated rails 11 on which there are provided means for holding clothes. Each rail has a generally T-shaped cross-section and is made preferably of aluminium or other light-weight, slrong and non-corrosive alloys. The T-shaped rail 11 has near the middle part of its vertical limb 12 a second horizontal flange 13 which extends along its entire length and is symmetrically about the vertical limb 12. The second flange 13 has about the same width as the top horizontal flange 14 of the rail 11, thus forming two parallel flanges along the top and niiddle part of the entire length of the rail 11.

Between the second flange 13 and the bottom of the vertical limb 12, there are provided along the entire length of the rail 11 a plurality of openings 15 on which clothes hangers (not shown) can hook, thereby providing means for evenly distributing clothes hangers along the rail 11 and preventing undesirable sliding or crowding of clothes hangers due to wind or outward movement of the whole rack. At the bottom of the vertical limb 12 of the rail, there is provided a semi-circular arch 16 which abuts the rail, thus providing means for attaching clothes pegs so that longer pieces of clot lies, such as towels and bedding, can be secured along the rail.

The guide assembly 20 comprises a plurality of elongated guide brackets 21 each of which has a generally rectangtilar internal cross-sectioii. The internal dimensions of the bracket are such that the first 14 and second 13 horizontal flanges of the rail l l are receivable within the bracket while a substantial portion of the vertical limb 12 below the second flange 13 protnides beyond the bracket 21 through a slit opening 22 formed on the underside of the bracket 21.

Along the inside of each of the vertical side walls of the bracket 21 there are mounted conveying means in the form of a plurality of, preferably at least two on each side, identical free-rolling rollers 23 or roller bearings which are distributed along its length. The rollers 23 are made preferably of a very strong and rigid material, such as nylon or steel, and are mounted on strong and heavy-duty shafts. Each roller 23 is mounted in such a way that the axis of rotation is substantially perpendicular to the length of the bracket, thereby assisting transportation of the rail I I along the bracket 2 1.

The roller diameter is designed to be just slightly less than the vertical clearance between the first 14 and second 13 horizontal flanges so that a roller 23 will only be in contiguous contact with either one of the flanges. When the rail is moved longitudinally, the rollers in contact therewith will also be brought into rotation.

When assembled, a length of the rail 11 is received within the bracket 21 with the rollers located between the first 14 and second 13 flanges. Ideally, the rail 11 is connected to the guide assembly 20 only through the rollers 23 so that the weight of each rail 11 is only supported by and distributed among them. Ob\ iously, service life of the individual rollers will be prolonged if a plurality of rollers are distributed along the length of the bracket so that the weight of a rack is distributed thereon.

Furthermore, since the vertical space between the flanges is designed to be approximately equal to the diameter of the rollers, gravity caused tilt of the rack is generally limited by the roller assemblies. Indeed, the horizontal elevation of the rack can be trimmed by suitable alignment of the vertical levels of the shafts 26 of the rollers.

To accommodate a rack 10 which comprises a plurality of rails 11, a corresponding number of guide brackets 21 are mounted on a support frame 24 which is in turn secured onto a wallmount assembly 30. The support frame 24 can take many different forms, for example, it can comprise a pair of transversally extending rectangular bars as shown in the present embodiment.

The wall-mount assembly 30 comprises a pair of plates 31 which can be wall-mounted through a plurality of openings 32 pre-formed on the plates. Preferably the plates are made also of a strong and non-corrosive alloys which are suitable for attaching to building walls, for example, by bolts or screws. Each wall-motint plate has a right-angled bend near its bottom edge so that the aforementioned support frame 24 can be mounted thereon.

When assembled, the aforementioned guide brackets 2 1 are mounted onto the underside of the support frame 24 so that the rack 10 is slidably movable with respect to the support frame 24 and the guide brackets 2 1.

On both the near- and far-ends of the rack l l, there are mounted a vertical near-18 and far19 end limiting plate so that movements of the rack l l is limited by the two end limiting plates. Preferably the end limiting plates are releasably mounted onto the rails so that the assembled rack can be easily taken apart for maintenance, assembling and transportation. In addition, there is mounted on the support framc 24 a latch 27 which can releasably engage the near-end limiting plate 18 to prevent undesirable movement of the rack towards the interior of the building when it is intended that the rack should stay in the fully extended configuration.The present latch 27 comprises ;t pivotally mounted hook which has on one side a first flat surface facing the support frame 24 and a second outwardly convex surface on the opposite side. With such a latch 27, a user can push the rack away from himself with only one hand and in a single action until the rack 11 is automatically latched and remains in its fully extended configuration, providing extra convenience.

To provide shielding against rain or drippings from washing above, there is further provided a canopy 40 made of a water-proof material which is also so-called ultra-violet treated for longer service life under the sun. The canopy 40 is preferably removably attachable to the clothes rack 10 so that it can be easily removal when not needed.

To provide a further degree of flexibility so that the present clothes rack can be mounted onto different building walls, the support frame 24 is provided with a telescopically extending member 25 so that its width can be adjusted antl maintained by some simple locking device, for example, screws.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the figure, there is shown two layers of rollers 23 mounted on the inside of each of the vertical side walls of the aforementioned rectangular bracket. The vertical side wall of the guide bracket 21 is partitioned into two vertical halves, i.e., the supper and the lower side wall, each of which has approximately the same height. Along the length of the upper and lower side walls there are mounted a plurality of rollers the diameter of which is smaller than the height of the corresponding half side wall, thereby leaving a gap between the upper and lower layers of rollers.The gap thus formed defines a path for the top flange 14 of the rail and at the same time it limits the gravity caused tilt so that the second horizontal flange which is necessary in the first embodiment is no longer necessary.

In operation, the whole rack can be moved towards the interior of a building and a user can load and unload the clothes in any sequence onlo any position along the rail, without having to load sequentially, as is necessary for conventional racks. Since all the movable rollers in the present devices are located in the guider brackets 2 1 which are easily accessible, a user or servicemen can easily repair or exchange worn-out rollers while standing within the building. Furthermore, since the rack can be easily dis-assembled by dis-mounting the limiting plates, maintenance or modifications of the rack can also be conveniently conducted.

While the present invention has been explained with reference to embodiments which are considered to be the most practical and preferred. It should be appreciated that departures may be made therefrom without loss of generality and that obvious modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art. For example, the present invention has been explained by reference to a rack having a plurality of rails, it should be appreciated that a rack comprising a single rail would be an obvious alternative. lurthermore, the present invention has been explained by reference to a rail-and-roller assembly in which the rollers are free-rolling, it should be appreciated that a rack-and-pinion assembly can equally well be used in the guiderrail assembly to achieve the designed function.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS:

   1) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack, coml,rising a slidable rack, a guide assembly and a limiting means wherein: said slidable rack comprises at least an elongate rail member on which means for holding clothes are provided; said guide assembly comprises a elongated bracket within which part of the length of said rail member is receivable and along the length of which said rail member is slidably movable; and said limiting means limits the range of longitudinal movement of said rack relative to said guider assembly 2) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in claim 1 wherein said guide assembly comprises conveying means for transporting said slidable rack.

   3) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in claim I wherein said guide assembly is mounted on a support frame, said support frame being connectible to a wall-mounting means.

   4) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said slidable rack comprises an elongate rail member er having a generally T-shaped cross section.

   5) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said slidable rack comprises an elongate rail nieniher, said rail member having a vertical limb symmetrical about which there are formed a first and a second horizontal flange.

   6) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein a plurality of rollers are mounted on the inside walls of said bracket of said guide assembly as conveying means for transporting said rail.

   7) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as clainied in claim 6 wherein the axis of rotation of said rollers is substantially perpendicular to the direction of transportation of said rail.

   8) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said means for holding clothes abuts the underside of said elongate rail.

   9) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said means for holding clothes comprises a plurality of openings distributed along the length of said rail so that clothes on clothes hangers can hook onto said rail through.

   10) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said limiting means comprises a first and a second limiting plates, said first and second limiting plate being mounted on the near- and far-ends of said slidable rack respectively.

   11) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as cl.imed in claim 10, further comprising a latch means, wherein said latch means releasably latches said first limiting plate of said limiting means when further longitudinal movement of said slidable rack is being limited by said first limiting plate.

   12) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a transparent canopy, said canopy being removably attachable to said clothes rack and being made of a ultra-violet treated plastic material.

   13) A wall-mountable outdoor clothes rack substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.