GB2568658A - Improvements in clothing drying methods and equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The rack includes two longitudinal members 2, 15 joined by transverse sections 3, 4, 6, 14, 16, 17, 18 which are tubed bars or wire lengths horizontally presented between the longitudinal members, which are fixing lengths. The two longitudinal members are used to brace against two walls or surfaces 1, 19 using tensioned holding bars 9, 10. Clothing (35, 36, 37, Figure 6) may then be draped over the tubed bars or wires for drying or airing. The holding bars may have circular feet 8 and a twist grip 11.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOTHING DRYING METHODS AND EQUIPMENT

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a dryer and airer for clothing after it has been washed, which can be used around a dwelling in various locations.

Background

A clothes airer, sometimes called a clothes rack, drying horse, clothes maiden, drying rack, drying stand, Frostick, airer, or (Scots) winterdyke, is a frame upon which clothes are hung after washing, indoors or outdoors, to dry by evaporation. The frame is usually made of wood, metal or plastic. There are many types of drying racks, including large, stationary outdoor racks, smaller, folding portable racks, and wall-mounted drying racks. A drying rack is similar in usage and function to a clothes line, and used as an alternative to the powered clothes dryer.

A pulley clothes airer, sometimes described as Victorian, Edwardian, or Lancashire, can be loaded and unloaded at a convenient height, and hoisted out of the way to ceiling height while the clothes dry. It comprises two iron frames positioned as far apart as desired to provide a suitable length, with wooden laths, typically four or six, passed through holes in them. The frames are suspended from the ceiling by a system of rope and pulleys. The result is a hoistable rack with several parallel bars on which clothes can be draped out of the way, or hung, extending further down, with clothes hangers. The racks are also used in kitchens, to hang utensils out of the way. All of these methods are known but offer no solution to be used in a space which is unused or in additional space. Everyone has this space in a home or dwelling and it can be any small area which is approximately three feet wide. For example inside a small cupboard or an alcove, the space at the top of a staircase between the walls near the ceiling and most of the time it is wasted space which is not used.

The present invention aims to provide a solution to this problem, by disclosing a way of fitting a clothes airer and drying rack between any two vertical walls which are of suitable distance apart.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention there is provided a rack on which wet or damp clothes or other items can be laid for the purposes of airing and drying. The rack is able to be installed between any two surfaces which are vertical and are around three feet apart from each other. This provides an unlimited array of locations into which the rack can be installed within a home, which include; inside a cupboard between the two interior sides, on a home staircase landing, in any small room between the two walls and in a shower cubicle. Because no electricity is required during the drying process, this is an ecologically friendly solution.

In the first embodiment: The rack is derived of two longitudinal members joined by a plurality of transverse sections. The longitudinal members are two equal narrow lengths of wood or a textured plastic with a wider flat side with grip texture to contact with the wall. These are separated by preferably at least seven equal lengths of extendable tubes which are horizontally positioned to the inner face of the vertical fixing length. Each tube is inserted and fixed by the ends into a hole provided on the inner face of the fixing lengths, at equal spacing to form a rack, as shown in the Figures.

On fixture and installation, the two fixing lengths are pulled apart by hand and thus the extendable tubes extend until the fixing lengths with their outer gripping side are fully placed to the wall or surfaces, on both sides.

A second person then places an extending holding bar between the end area of the holding lengths and extends the bar and tightens them to fully hold the fixing lengths using tension to the wall or surface.

This is repeated to the bottom area of the rack also, as shown in the Figures.

As the racking tubes extend when pulled apart, the rack can be made to fit between varying widths of walls and surfaces.

The clothes are then hung over the extended tubes for airing and drying.

In a second embodiment: The rack has flexible wires which are in place of the extendable tubes. The flexible wires are inserted through a small hole in the inner face of the fixing lengths and pass through the hole to the wall or surface facing side of the fixing lengths. A knot or fitting is applied to each end of the wire in turn, to prevent them from passing back through the hole.

To enable continued use of the fixing lengths to the wall or surface, the holes and knotted wire ends are seated within a recessed channel which is provided to the full length of the outer facing side of the fixing lengths. The recess enables the knotted ends to remain beneath the facing surface and allow for normal application to proceed to all planar surfaces thereto.

The flexible wires are able to fold for storage when the ensemble of the rack and the holding bars are removed.

In a third embodiment: The rack has elasticated cord in place of the extendable tubes onto which clothing or other items are hung to dry.

The elasticated cord may be of a durable waterproof nature and able to expand when pulled during the fitting process. The stretched and expanded elasticated cord is held apart as the fixing lengths are positioned and clamped to the wall or surface by the holding bars.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be fully understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the Patent Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved clothes drying and airing rack which has all the advantages of the prior art examples and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new clothes drying and airing rack which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved clothes drying and airing rack which is of durable and reliable construction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved clothes drying and airing rack which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labour, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a product available to the buying public.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved clothes drying and airing rack which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of figures

Figures 1 show a frontal view of the clothes drying and airing rack installed with extending tubes.

Figures 2 show a frontal view of the clothes drying and airing rack installed, with uninstalled holding bars.

Figures 3 show a dimensional view of the clothes drying and airing rack installed.

Figures 4 show a dimensional view of the clothes drying and airing rack with a flexible wire in place of the extending tubes.

Figures 5 show a dimensional view of the clothes drying and airing rack in partial collapse.

Figures 6 show a frontal view of the clothes drying and airing rack with items placed upon it being dried or aired.

Detailed description of figures

A typical embodiment of the improved clothes drying and airing rack is shown in Figure 1. It comprises two fixing lengths 2 and 15 which are long battens with a textured outer surface which contacts with the walls 1 and 19.

The rack onto which the wet items are placed is derived of at least seven horizontally aligned bars which extend, shown as extendable tubes, 3, 4, 6, 14, 16, 17, 18 as shown in Figure 1.

Items for drying are passed over the extendable tubes through spaces 5 in between them.

The holding bars which extend to hold the fixing lengths by bracing tension comprise a foot 8, an extending section 9, extending section outer sleeve 10, a twist grip 11 and an end fitting 12 and a second foot 13.

The holding bar is expanded outward as indicated by arrows 7.

In Figure 2 the holding bar comprising of feet 8A, an extending section 9A, extending outer sleeve 10A and twist grip 11 A, is not extended to fixing lengths 2A and 15A. This is during installation or removal.

Figure 3 shows a dimensional view of the installed rack with the holding bar and components foot 8B, extending section 9B, extending section outer sleeve 10B and twist grip 11B, as shown.

Fixing length 2B provides fixture to a wall or surface and extendable tubes 4B with spaces 5B therefore.

Figure 4 shows flexible wire used in place of extendable tubing, on which to place clothing or items to dry. Wire sections 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 are horizontally provided and holding means by way of knotted wire ends 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27. A grooved recess 26 provided housing for the knotted wire ends. Fittings in Figure 4 are applied to both fixing lengths.

Folding of flexible wire sections 28D, 29D, 30D, 31D, 32D, 33D and 34D is possible when feet 8D are not tensioned to fixing lengths 2D and 15D, as shown in Figure 5. This is during removal or installation processes.

Figure 6 shows clothing or other items 35, 36 and 37 being dried on the installed clothes drying and airing rack.

Claims (12)

1) A clothes drying and airing rack constituted by:

Fixing lengths, extendable tubes, holding bars, feet, extending sections, extending section sleeves, twist grips, wire lengths.

2) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 wherein, a clothes drying rack has two longitudinal members joined by a plurality of transverse sections which are tubed bars or wire lengths horizontally presented between the longitudinal members which are fixing lengths, these two longitudinal members are used to be braced against two walls or surfaces using tensioned holding bars, clothing is then draped over the tubed bars or wires for drying or airing.

3) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 2 wherein, two fixing lengths are long battens which can be braced between various wall or surface distances due to expanding transverse sections between them.

4) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 3 wherein, expanding transverse sections which can be extending bars or wires, are fixed at equal distance to two fixing lengths at all end points and thus expand with the two fixing lengths on installation.

5) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 4 wherein, fixing lengths are braced between walls or surfaces, to include inside cupboards, small rooms and at ceiling areas.

6) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 5 wherein, fixing lengths have suitable planar outer surfaces to contact with surfaces, are held in place using tensioned bracing from a holding bar.

7) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 6 wherein, a tension bar has circular feet which contact with the inner surface of the fixing lengths.

8) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 7 wherein, a tension bar can be extended to brace fixing lengths and has feet which are circular.

9) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 8 wherein, a tension bars has a wider outer extending section sleeve inside which a more narrow bar extends from within on application.

10) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim

9 wherein, holding bars have a twist grip which secures the two sectional extending bars to provide fixture.

11) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim

10 wherein, clothes are hung over tubed bars once the clothes drying and airing rack is installed between two walls or surfaces.

12) A clothes drying and airing rack as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim

11 wherein, clothes are hung over wire with is flexible once the clothes drying and airing rack is installed between two walls or surfaces.