GB2451109A

GB2451109A - Electrically heated towel rack

Info

Publication number: GB2451109A
Application number: GB0713971A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dermot Lennon; Martin Betz
Original assignee: Basic Holdings
Current assignee: Basic Holdings
Priority date: 2007-07-18
Filing date: 2007-07-18
Publication date: 2009-01-21
Also published as: EP2229559A2; GB0713971D0; WO2009010541A2; WO2009010541A3

Abstract

An electrically heated towel 305 rack has an array of hollow bars which are joined into a general ladder shaped configuration by a plate joined at an end of the respective bar array, and possibly also a second plated joined at the other end. This forms a rigid sub assembly such that a flexible electrical heating wire can be threaded through the array during manufacture. Covers 210 are then placed over the plate and bar assembly to cover the wires.

Description

1 24509 Title Towel Rail

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to towel rails and in particular to electrically heated towel rails provided in a dry rail configuration.

Background

Towel rails are well known in the art. Electrically heated towel rails are particularly useful in bathroom environment where one wishes to selectively heat the towel rail to provide a heating either of the bathroom or specifically for drying and warming the towels that are used for bathing or showering activities.

Such towel rails are conventionally provided in a ladder arrangement where a plurality of heated rungs that may be used to hang individual towels.

The heating for electrically heated towel rails is provided using an electrical heating element that is internally provided within the towel rail. The variations on the towel rail include so called "dry rails" where there is no internal fluid within the towel rail and "wet rails" where the element is used to heat a liquid within the towel rail, and the heated liquid subsequently imparts heat to the metal that forms the rungs of the towel rail. A wet rail typically provides for the location of the heating element in a lower portion of the rail, the element effecting a transfer of heat to the fluid within the rail which on circulation within the towel rail effects a distribution of heat throughout the rail. In contrast, a dry rail has no such circulating fluid and requires a co-location of a heating element within the rail at each location where heat is required. This typically involves the placement of a heating element throughout the interior volume of the rail.

A wet rail is advantageous in that the fluid provides for circulation of the heat within the towel rail and does not require a heating element at each location within the towel rail where heat is required. As such it is possible to provide more diverse shapes or configurations of the towel rail than possible with dry rails. Specifically it is typical that wet rails are normally used to provide a ladder configuration where a plurality of rungs are provided, the rungs being spaced apart on two parallel stiles. By allowing liquid to flow within each of the rungs and the stiles it is possible to achieve a heating of the entire arrangement.

With a dry rail, and the requirement to provide an active heating element at each location within the rail where heating is required, there is a trend to provide for simple configurations with a single path through the rail, such as an "5" configuration which is amenable to threading a heating element from one end of the rail to the other.

Dry rails are however advantageous in that they can be installed wherever there is an electricity supply, they are lighter and as they are not coupled to a plumbing arrangement they are less prone to leaking. There is however a desire to provide such rails with alternative configurations and in particular a rail configuration where multiple paths are available within the rail and yet a distributed heating of the rail is provided.

Summary

These and other problems are addressed by a dry towel rail in accordance with the teaching of the invention that provides a plurality of rungs that are individually coupled to at least one planar member, the coupling of the rungs to the at least one planar member being effected prior to insertion of an active heating element into the rungs, and wherein subsequent engagement of the at least one planar member with an outer casing prevents access to the heating element within the rungs.

The at least one planar member is desirably provided with a plurality of apertures in a presentation surface thereof, the number and dimensions of the apertures corresponding with the number and dimensions of the rungs that are to be coupled thereto.

By coupling each of the rungs individually to the at least one planar member the towel rail is provided as a rigid structure. Desirably the coupling of the rungs to the at least one planar member is effected through a clinch arrangement, individual ones of the rungs having a swage or otherwise machined reduced end section that may be presented through an appropriate aperture provided in a presentation surface of at least one planar member and clinched thereto.

The active heating element may be formed from a continuous loop of a flexible heating wire. On engagement of the rungs with the at least one planar member, the wire may be threaded through the individual rungs. As the planar member is substantially planar and the sub assembly of the rungs to the planer member is already completed, the threading operation is simplified in that a direct line of sight & access to each of the rungs is available and no further assembly of the rungs to the planer member(s) is required thereafter. Once threaded, it will be understood that a portion of the wire will extend out of one rung and into a second rung, typically an adjacent rung. As such there will be regions within the towel rail wherein the wire will overlap with the vertical planar member. This otherwise visible portion is covered and inaccessible to a user through an engagement of the planar member with its respective outer casing.

Typically two planar members and correspondingly two outer casings are provided, the rungs being coupled at opposing end thereof to each of the planar members. In such an arrangement the rail adopts a ladder configuration. The combination of the planar members with the outer casing forms a stile for the ladder such that the plurality of rungs are spaced apart from one another on two parallel stiles. It will be understood that each stile is therefore formed of a multi-part construction, a first part having a planar member provided with a plurality of apertures, the number and dimension of apertures corresponding with the number and circumference of rungs that are to be coupled thereto and a second part being engageable with the first part to define an interior volume of the stile within which the heating element is located.

The engagement may be effected through a slideable engagement of the outer casing with its respective planar member. The outer casing may be provided with an acute surface.

The towel rail is wall mountable or otherwise portable and is desirably arranged such that if mounted on the wall, each of the stiles are vertically orientated relative to the wall and have a main axis that is substantially parallel with the wall.

These and other features of the invention will be better understood with reference to the following drawings.

Brief Description Of The Drawings

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a towel rail in accordance with the teaching of the invention provided in an assembled condition.

Figure 2 is an exploded view showing the plurality of parts that make up the towel rail of Figure 1, separated from one another.

Figure 3 is an exploded view showing a partially assembled towel rail.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a partially assembled rail with an outer casing being slideably received onto the planar member, together with an exploded detail showing the resultant inter-engagement.

Figure 5 is a top view of a towel rail provided in accordance with the teaching of the invention, together with an exploded detail of same.

Detailed Description Of The Drawings

The teaching of the invention will be better understood with reference to the exemplary embodiments which follow. While illustrated with reference to preferred arrangements as set forth in Figures 1 to 5, it will be understood that such arrangements are provided to assist in an understanding of the teaching of the invention and it is not intended to limit the invention in any way except as may be deemed necessary in the light of the appended claims.

Figure 1 shows a towel rail, in this example a wall mountable towel rail 100 in accordance with the teaching of the invention. While not shown in the Figure, such a rail is wall mountable and when mounted to a wall is coupled via a power lead to an electricity supply box that is provided within the wall. Such coupling of towel rails to an electricity supply will be well known to the person skilled in the art, and is therefore omitted from the present discussion. When used within a bathroom environment in Ireland and the UK, regulations for electrical installations dictate that such a supply box must be rated for bathroom usage.

In the configuration of Figure 1, the towel rail is shown as including a plurality of rungs 110 that are provided in a ladder configuration 120, neighbouring rungs being located one above another. Each of the rungs are secured at either or opposing ends to a support member 125, which in accordance with the language used to describe ladders are termed stiles or beams. The length of the stile will determine the height of the towel rail. The stiles have a major axis A-A' that, when the rail is mounted to the wall will be vertically orientated and substantially parallel with the wall. In such an arrangement, it will be understood from an examination of Figure 1 that if a number of towels were hung on the towel rails that those towels hung on an upper rung that would overhang towels located on those rungs below.

The configuration and appearance of the towel rail of Figure 1 will be well known to those skilled in the art as being similar to those already known as wet towel rails, i.e. those rails of the type having a circulating fluid contained within the towel rail such that when heated, the fluid will transport the heat around the towel rail. The towel rail of the present invention differs in that no circulating fluid is provided within the interior volume of the towel rail; it is of the type known as a dry rail.

In order to provide for an even heating of the individual rungs of the towel rail of Figure 1, the present invention provides for the provision within each of the rungs of an electrically powered heating element. Such an element may be provided in the form of a flexible wire that may be threaded through the individual rungs of the rail. The passing of a current through the element results in a heating of the element. The heated element will then transfer heat through conduction to the interior walls of the individual rungs where it will pass through and be noticeable on the exterior surfaces.

To achieve assembly of such a towel rail, the invention teaches that the rail should be provided in a multi-part construction. As shown in Figure 2, the individual stiles 125 may be formed from separate components. A first part 200 which in the final assembly of the towel rail is intimately coupled to the individual rungs is provided as a vertical substantially planar member with a plurality of apertures 205. The number and dimension of the apertures corresponds with.

Each of the rungs 110 are desirably substantially cylindrical and have a smooth outer surface. In this example of a rung, end portions of each individual rung is configured to include a swage ill, which has an outer diameter substantially corresponding to the inner diameter of the apertures of the planar member 200. To couple the individual rungs to the planar member, the swage may be presented through an aperture from a presentation surface 201 of the at least one planar member and clinched against the planar member on an opposing surface 202 thereof. The use of such a clinch arrangement provides for a secure engagement of the rungs relative to the planar member and reduces the possibility of the rungs rotating relative to the member. Other mechanisms that can achieve such a secure inter-engagement such as a turn down or interference fit could be equally suitable for achieving the necessary coupling. Equally the two parts could be welded or glued to one another to prevent any rotation of the two relative to one another.

Each stile includes a second part 210 which provides an outer sleeve or cover of the rail. The second part is desirably formed as a single piece having a length substantially corresponding with the length of the planar member. In the example shown in Figure 2, the second part has an acute surface 215, which is provided in a "D" configuration. Such a geometrical configuration is of course not essential within the context of the teaching of the invention in that other shapes or geometries may also be chosen for the outer sleeve. What is important is that the sleeve is engageable with the planar member to achieve a final assembly of the rail.

Figure 3 shows a view similar to that of Figure 2 but with a heating element 300 threaded through the rungs. The heating element, as shown in this example, is a flexible wire element that is provided in one continuous length. In assembly, the individual rungs 110 are coupled to the first part 200 of the stile.

Once the rungs have been coupled to the planar member, in a manner which does not necessarily require a seal, the flexible wire 300 may be passed through the individual rungs so as to extend from the top 305 to the bottom 310 of the rail in one continuous loop. At the end of the loop, a free end 315 of the wire is available for coupling to the terminal block 240, which may then provide an electrical connection to an outer cable (not shown).

While the provision of a continuous loop is advantageous, other methods of providing a direct heating element in each of the rungs would also be applicable within the context of the present invention. For example, instead of providing a continuous loop that extends from one end of the rail to the other, it is possible to provide individual elements within each of the rungs, and then couple these elements to a terminal block provided within the stile. The coupling could be provided at the point of engagement of each of the rungs with the first part 200, through for example use of a plurality of terminal blocks, or electrical connections could be made to a single terminal block located at one location with the stile. What is important is that distributed heating within each of the rungs is achieved. By providing the stile in a multi-part construction it is possible to insert and couple such heating elements within each rung prior to coupling the first and second parts of the stile together to form the assembled product.

As shown in Figure 4, assembly of the first 200 and second 210 parts may be effected through a slideable inter-engagement. Desirably if used, such a slideable engagement is effected by orientating each of the first and second parts above one another and then presenting the second part to the first part along the axis defined by the major axis A-A' of the stile. The first part is provided with a shoulder 220 at each side of its longitudinal surface. The second part has side walls 400 the distance between which define the width of the second part. Two mating surfaces 225 are provided on the second part 210.

The mating surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the side walls 400 and when the first and second parts are located along the axis A-A' are co-planar with the shoulder 220 of the first part. In this way when the two parts are slideably presented to one another a mating of the mating surfaces with the shoulder defines an abutment which prevents the lateral movement of the second part away from the first part in the direction Y. To prevent movement in the direction Y' stops 306 (shown in Figure 3) may be located along an inner surface of the second part, a distance comparable to the thickness of the shoulder 220 from the mating surfaces 401 so as to define a channel within which the slideable inter-engagement is defined.

Once inter-engaged, the provision of top 230 and bottom 235 caps which are secured at the top and bottom of each of the stiles using screws or the like, are used to provide for further coupling between the first and second part and are arranged to prevent further relative movement of the first and second parts to one another along a longitudinal axis. It will be understood that as two stiles are provided, each having a top and bottom, that four caps in total are required.

To assist in providing external power to the internally provided heating element, one of the caps-shown in Figure 2 as a bottom cap, may be modified to include a terminal block 240, a cable clamp 245 and a cable cap 250. When assembled, the terminal block and cable clamp are not visible from the outside of the towel rail, they are located within the interior volume 255 defined by the space between the first and second parts.

As shown in Figure 5, the individual rungs may be provided in bow configuration such that when mounted to a wall, the rungs will project away from the wall increasing the depth between the wall and the rungs and facilitating the insertion of towels or other articles between the towel rail and the wall. Such orientations or modifications thereto are not limiting but are rather exemplary of the type of arrangement that may be achieved using a towel rail provided in accordance with the teaching of the invention. Figure 5 also shows in the exploded view how the first and second parts inter-engage with one another to provide the slideable fit that prevents lateral movement of the two parts relative tooneanother.

It will be understood that a towel rail such as that heretofore described is advantageous for a number of reasons. By providing a dry towel rail in a multi part construction it is possible to individually provide each of the rungs of the towel rail with an active heating element (by active is meant one whose heat output changes with the passing of a current through the element). This enables the provision of dry towel rails which have multiple possible paths from the top to the bottom of the towel rail, each of the paths being actively heated through co-location of a heating element therein. Furthermore as the first part of the multi- part rail is provided as a planar element it is easier to insert the heating element into the rungs that are coupled to the planar element as there is a direct line of sight available through the rungs, subsequent completion of the total assembly is also made substantially easier. Finally as each of the rungs are independently coupled to the planar member, the rigidity of the finally assembled arrangement is improved.

While described with reference to a wall mountable towel rail it will be understood that such an embodiment is exemplary of the teaching of the invention and there is no requirement for the towel rail to be wall mountable.

Free standing towel rails could equally be formed using the teaching of the invention to fabricate the towel rail from a plurality of parts.

Heretofore, the electrical heating element has been described in one of two variations. In the first variation, the element is provided as a flexible heating wire which is provided as a continuous loop within the towel rail such that it threads through each of the rungs. In the variation a number of distinct heating elements were described, each of the elements being located in a respective rung and then coupled to an electrical supply provided in at least one of the vertical stiles. Such coupling could be effected through use of a snap fit to a connector provided within the vertical stile. Both these arrangements were described with reference to a continuous heating element, i.e. there was no thermal control provided. In a modification to the arrangements described thus far the towel rail may be configured to include one or more thermal safety device or temperature limiters. The construction of such thermal safety barriers will be well known to the person skilled in the art. In accordance with this embodiment, if provided a thermal safety barrier could be provided in the assembly either separately wired in and running alongside the heating element in which case it would be an in series circuit threaded through the rails beside the element wire or it could be supplied as an integral part of the element assembly. In this latter arrangement, the heating element would include a number of splits, the location of which corresponds to the insertion location for the thermal safety devices. It will be understood that desirably a thermal safety device is provided within each rung where a heating element is located. It will be also understood that while advantageous to obtain an even distribution of heat within each rung of the ladder, that it is not essential for each rung to be provided with a heating element.

The words comprises/comprising when used in this specification are to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. A dry towel rail including a plurality of rungs that are individually coupled to at least one planar member, the coupling of the rungs to the at least one planar member being effected prior to insertion of an active heating element into the rungs, and wherein subsequent engagement of the at least one planar member with an outer casing prevents access to the heating element within the rungs.
2. The rail of claim 1 wherein the plurality of rungs are provided in a ladder configuration.
3. The rail of claim 1 or 2 including first and second planar members, the rungs being coupled at either end to each of the first and second planar members and wherein each of the planar members include a co-operable outer casing.
4. The rail of any preceding claim wherein the active heating element is provided as a continuous loop extending through a plurality of rungs.
5. The rail of claim 4 wherein the loop is formed from a flexible heating wire.
6. The rail of any one of claims I to 3 wherein the active heating element is formed from a plurality of individual heating components
7. The rail of claim 6 wherein each of the individual heating components are located within individual rungs of the ladder, the individual heating components being coupled to a common power supply.
8. The rail of any preceding claim wherein the planar member is provided with a plurality of apertures, the number and dimension of apertures corresponding with the number and circumference of rungs that are to be coupled thereto.
9. The rail of any preceding claim wherein the outer casing includes an arcuate surface.
10. The rail of claim 9 wherein the outer casing is provided in a substantially "D" configuration.
11. The rail of any preceding claim wherein the planar member and outer casing are slideably engageable with one another so as to form a stile.
12. The rail of claim 11 wherein the planar members includes a first and second shoulder, each of the shoulders being configured to abut against a first mating surface provided on the outer casing so as to prevent lateral movement of the outer casing away from the rungs.
13. The rail of claim 12 wherein the outer casing included a second mating surface, spaced apart from the first mating surface, the first and second mating surfaces defining a channel within which the shoulders are received so as to prevent lateral movement of the casing towards the rungs.
14. The rail of any one of claims 11 to 13 including a plurality of caps, configured to mate with the stile to prevent longitudinal movement of the planar member relative to the outer casing.
15. The rail of any preceding claim including a thermal safety device.
16. The rail of claim 15 wherein the thermal safety device is provided separately to the heating element.
17. The rail of claim 15 wherein the thermal safety device is integrally formed within the heating element.
18. The rail of any preceding claim being wall mountable.
19. A rail substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 1 to 5.