GB2451256A

GB2451256A - Electrically heated towel rail moveable between two positions

Info

Publication number: GB2451256A
Application number: GB0714461A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Michael Warren; Martin Betz
Original assignee: Basic Holdings
Current assignee: Basic Holdings
Priority date: 2007-07-25
Filing date: 2007-07-25
Publication date: 2009-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 2027-07-25
Also published as: WO2009013353A2; GB2451256B; GB0714461D0; EP2183527A2; WO2009013353A3

Abstract

An electrically heated wall mountable towel rail 100 is moveable from a first position (Fig. 3) proximal to a wall 105 to second position (Fig. 1) in which at least a portion of the towel rail is moved away from the wall. The towel rail may be parallel with the wall in the first position and perpendicular to the wall in the second position, and may be pivoted relative to the wall. The towel rail may be provided on a support bracket 201 which includes at least one support arm 230, 235 to support the towel rail in the second position. The support arm may be pivotable relative to the wall and slidably coupled to the towel rail, and may be telescopic. The towel rail may comprise a plurality of rungs 120 and at least one support member 130 in a ladder configuration.

Description

1 2451256 Title Towel Rail

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to towel rails and in particular to electrically heated towel rails. In a preferred arrangement such an electrically heated towel rail is configured for use in a bathroom.

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 may be used to hang individual towels.

The heating for electrically heated towel rails can be provided using an electrical 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. In both variations a heating element is provided within the interior volume of the towel rail. In the wet rail environment this heating element is used to impart heat to a circulating fluid that subsequently travels around within the towel rail and heats the individual rungs.

Such a heating element is typically located in a lower region of the towel rail. In the dry rail environment there is no circulating fluid such that any heating of the individual rungs requires a location of a heating element proximal to those rungs-typically the heating element extends within the interior volume defined by each rung, and imparts heat to its surrounding environment. The length of the heating element that is required therefore for a dry rail is much greater than that required for a wet rail. However as dry rails do not contain a fluid they can traditionally be made much lighter than wet rails.

The conventional towel rail is mounted vertically on a wall within the bathroom and when the towels are stacked on the individual rungs of the rail, one portion of the towel is located between the rail and the vertical wall whereas the other portion is hanging on the other side of the rung. Where two or more towels are hung above one another on separate rungs there towels on the lower rungs are at least partially covered by those towels hung above. This can increase the drying time of the towels and can lead to incomplete drying in that the towel is never dried sufficiently between bathing activities.

As the towel rail has traditionally been used as an ancillary heating source, the limitations of such arrangements have been tolerated. If a user wished to efficiently dry their towel they would use a clothes line or some other drying source. In effect the towel rail was provided as a hanging facility for the towel within the bathroom with an element of heating. However with changing living conditions such additional space is not always available.

Summary

These and other problems are addressed by a wall mountable towel rail in accordance with the teaching of the invention that is moveable from a first position wherein the towel rail is substantially paralel to and proximal with the wall on which it is mounted to a second position wherein the towel rail is moved away from the wall. The movement is typically such as to allow a movement from a vertical orientation of the towel rail to one substantially perpendicular to the wall on which it is mounted. By providing a pivotable or otherwise moveable towel rail it is possible to provide the towel rail in a number of different orientations including a substantially horizontal configuration wherein the rail projects laterally into the room in which it is located. At any one of the number of possible mounting positions, the towel rail may be locked and maintained in that position. By providing such a configuration individual items may be hung on the towel rail witho Ut overlapping with one another thereby improving the drying capabilities of the rail. In this way the towel rail may be used as a clothes horse which may be useful in effecting a drying of any number of different types of articles, including of course towels.

Accordingly the invention provides a towel rail according to claim 1 with advantageous embodiments provided in the dependent claims thereto.

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 a first mounting position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing how the towel rail of Figure 1 may be moved away from the wall and a first mounting arrangement suitable for maintaining the towel rail in such an orientation.

Figure 3 is an example of how collapsible arms may be used within the context of the teaching of the invention to achieve a support of the towel rail in its second position.

Figure 4 shows an alternative arrangement for supporting the towel rail.

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 4, 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 wall mountable towel rail 100 in accordance with the teaching of the invention, located in a first position. The towel rail includes an electrical heating element. In the arrangement of Figure 1 the rail 100 is shown mounted to a wall 105, and is coupled via a power lead 110 to an electricity supply box 11 5 that is provided within the wall. Such coupling of electrical towel rails to an electricity supply will be well known to the person skilled in the art.

When used within a bathroom environment in Ireland and the UK, regulations 1 5 for electrical installations dictate that such a supply box 115 must be rated for bathroom usage. The towel rail may include some circulating fluid to assist in a distribution of heat generated through the heating element, a wet rail, but is desirably of the type known as a dry rail.

In the configuration of Figure 1, the towel rail is shown as including a plurality of rungs 120 that are provided in a ladder configuration 125, neighbouring rungs being located one above another. Each of the rungs are secured at either end to an support member 130, 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. It will be understood from an examination of Figure 1 that if a towel was hung on an upper rung that it would overhang towels located on those rungs below. It will be understood that this example of a towel rail is a specific example provided to assist in an understanding of the teaching of the invention and that it is not intended to limit the invention to any one physical configuration of a towel rail except as may be deemed necessary in the light of the appended claims. For example, while the towel rail herein described includes two parallel stiles in a ladder configuration, it will be understood that one vertical support member coupled to a number of rungs could also be used.

The present invention provides for a movement of the towel rail away from the vertical mount where it is substantially parallel to the wall. Desirably the movement is a controlled movement which allows the location of the towel rail in any one of a number of different orientations relative to its first position. In the example of Figure 2, the towel rail is moved from the orientation shown in Figure 1 to a second orientation where it is substantially perpendicular to the first orientation. In this arrangement the towel rail has been pivoted away from the wall such that the stiles 130 are not parallel with the wall. The individual rungs are arranged in a horizontal configuration such that if a towel or other article were hung on an individual rung it would hang downwardly and would not necessarily overlap with articles hung on other rungs. It will be understood that such a movement effects a projection of a distal end portion 200 of the towel rail into the room in which the towel rails is located. The distal end portion 200 has moved from a position where it was proximally located to the wall (Figure 1) to a position where it is distally located (Figure 2). While the movement has been shown as being effected through approximately 90 degrees, it will be understood that any number of different locking positions could be chosen depending on the level of projection away from the wall that is required. The rail could also be configured to be moveable through the position adopted in Figure 2 to a final resting position where it is parallel to the wall again, but located below the orientation of Figure 1 -in effect moveable through 180 degrees.

The movement that is shown through an examination of Figures 1 and 2 is achieved in this exemplary arrangement by a pivoting of the towel rail away from the wall. This may be achieved by mounting the stiles and rungs of the towel rail to a mounting bracket 201 which includes a hingeable portion 202.

The bracket may include fixing arms 205, 210 which are permanently fixable to the wall and provide a necessary securing of the towel rail to the wall. By coupling a proximal end portion 215 of the towel rail to the hingeable portion 202 of the mounting bracket it is possible to achieve a controlled pivoting of the towel rail away from the wall 105. The control may be achieved in any number of different arrangements including use of a ratchet mechanism, a pin and socket arrangement, through use of an assisted movement using for example hydraulic or pneumatic fluids or indeed through control effected by the user. In the arrangement of Figure 2 the stiles 130 are shown as being substantially perpendicular to the wall, and the rail is supported in that position using the support arms 230, 235.

As mentioned above, o nce a desired second position has been achieved it 1 5 is necessary to support the towel rail in that second position so as to enable it to support articles which are then hung on the rail. Such support may be achieved in a number of different fashions. For example the hingeable portion may be provided with an assisted lift mechanism such as that implemented using hydraulic action or the like, where once a desired location is achieved such a location is maintained until a release mechanism allows subsequent movement.

In a simpler arrangement such as that shown in Figure 2, support arms 230, 235 are shown which are pivotably coupled to the fixing arms 205, 210 such that they may be moved away from the fixing arms but are in contact with them.

The support arms may be provided with jaws 240 that are engageable with individual rungs of the rail, It will be appreciated that choice of rung will determine the ultimate support position of the towel rail relative to the wall. To allow the support arms 230, 235 to be coupled to one of a number of different rungs it is desirable that they are telescopic, allowing their distance from the fixing arms to be modified as desired. It will be understood that the use of two support arms and their corresponding jaws is exemplary of the type of locking means that may be used to effect a securing of the towel rail in its second position.

If it desired to move the towel rail, the end portion 200 may be lifted away from the jaws 240 such that the jaws and their corresponding rungs will separate from one another. As shown in Figure 3, the support arms may then be collapsed upon one another and then moved to a resting position where they are parallel to the fixing arms -such as what is shown in Figure 1. Such an arrangement requires a manual intervention in that the user is required to individually separate and collapse the support arms and then return them to their resting position. If an arrangement such as a ratchet hire mechanism was used, then the support may be integrally provided through the use hinge mechanism and the need for separate support arms may be obviated.

In another arrangement such as that shown in Figure 4, support arms 400 are modified so as to be slideably moveable within the stiles 130. In this arrangement the support arms are still pivotably coupled to the fixing arms 205, but are also permanently coupled to the stiles 130. By providing a channel within the stiles, on a lower surface thereof (not visible in the view of Figure 4), end portions of the support arms are slideable within the stiles. One or more stop locations may be predetermined to enable a user to select which orientation they desire their towel rail to be supported in.

It will be understood that a towel rail such as that heretofore described is advantageous for a number of regions. By providing a moveable towel rail, it is possible to extend the towel rail so as to project into a room so as to provide an extended drying surface which may be utilized for drying any one of a number of articles. Such an arrangement is particularly useful in apartments or other modern living environments where large amounts of space are not available. By incorporating a towel rail such as that provided in accordance with the teaching of the invention it is possible to enable a user to avail of the towel rail in its conventional vertically mounted configuration for normal usage and yet where an extended drying area is required to enable the user to modify the configuration to provide an extended drying area. While the movement to a second position has been described with reference to adoption of a horizontal configuration it will be understood that any movement that effects a pivoting of the towel rail away from the wall irrespective of the final location will be considered as falling within the teaching of the invention. Furthermore whereas the invention has been described with reference to a pivoting at a fixed location on the fixing arms, it is envisaged that movement could be achieved through a rotation and slide of the towel rail relative to the fixing arms. Such an arrangement is particularly useful where the height of the towel rail in the second position is desired to be moveable.

It will be understood that what has been described herein are exemplary embodiments of a moveable towel rail. Such an electrically heated towel rail is mountable to and moveable relative to a wall. Movement of the towel rail may be controlled and allows the adoption by the tovel rails of a number of different orientations relative to the wall such that the towel rail may be located parallel to the wall onto which it is mounted or may be arranged to at least partially project away from the wall and into the room. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof it will be understood that these have been 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. Furthermore where integers or components are described with reference to any one figure it will be understood that these could be replaced by or interchanged with those of another figure without departing from the teaching of the invention.

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. 1Q

Claims

Claims 1. An electrically heated wall mountable towel rail, the towel rail being moveable from a first position where it is located proximal to the wall to a second position wherein at least a portion of the towel rail moves away from the wall.
2. The towel rail of claim 1 wherein on adoption of the first position the towel rail is substantially parallel with the wall.
3. The towel rail of claim 1 or 2 wherein on adoption of the second position the towel rail is substantially perpendicular to the wall.
4. The towel rail of any preceding claim wherein the towel rail is pivotable to and locatable at a number of different positions relative to the wall.
5. The towel rail of claim 4 wherein the towel rail is provided on a mounting bracket, the bracket being fixable to the wall, the towel rail being moveable relative to the bracket.
6. The towel rail of claim 5 wherein the mounting bracket includes at least one support arm configured to support the towel rail on adoption of the second position.
7. The towel rail of claim 6 wherein the at least one support arm is manually inter-engageable with the towel rail.
8. The towel rail of claim 7 wherein the at least one support arm includes jaws that are cooperable with the towel rail to achieve a coupling of the towel rail to the at least one arm.
9. The towel rail of claim 5 or 6 wherein the at least one support arm is pivotable relative to the wall.
10. The towel rail of claim 6 wherein the at least one support arm is slideably coupled to the towel rail.
11. The towel rail of any one of claims 6 to 10 wherein the at least one support arm is telescopic.
12. The towel rail of any preceding claim including a plurality of rungs.
13. The towel rail of claim 12 wherein the plurality of rungs are coupled to and spaced apart from one another on a support member.
14. The towel rail of claim 13 including two support members, the support members and rungs being arranged in a ladder configuration.
15. The towel rail of claim 1 being supportable at each of the first and second positions, such that on adoption of one of the first or second positions the towel rail provides an immovable support for a removable article such as a towel.
16. The towel rail of claim 1 including control means configured to provide for a controlled movement of the rail from the first to the second position.
17. The towel rail of claim 1 wherein including means to secure the towel rail in its second position.
18. A towel rail substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figures 1 to 4.