US2060630A - Towel rack - Google Patents

Description

'NOV- 1936. H. P. MERTEL TOWEL RACK h Filed June 25, 1954 W TTO/F/VEY W A m, M A & s 5 m T .MW 3 T m M m (inn 4% A Z 0 4 I P M 7 r7 M m M W A Patented Nov. 10, 1936 PATENT OFFICE TOJWEL RACK Henry P. Mertel, Ridgefield, N. J.

Application June 25, 1934, Serial No. 732,265

1 Claim.

This invention relates to towel-racks.

In accordance with the rubric of the Roman Catholic Church it is necessary for the priest, before ofliciating at the mass, to wash and dry his hands on a towel of specified size and during such washing to say a given prayer and it is also necessary in accordance with said rubric, after the priest is through officiating at the mass, to again wash his hands and dry them. This subsequent drying of the hands must, according to the said rubric, be done on a clean, fresh towel of similar specified size which must be kept separate from the towel originally employed or any other used towels. During the last-mentioned washing and drying'of the hands the priest is required to repeat the same prayer.

It is conventional practice to have said prayer printed on a loose celluloid tablet which may be read by the priest during both washings and dryings of his hands and to place the different towels on racks or shelves at different positions relative to the lavabo in which the priest washes his hands, thus relying on the memory of the priest to dry his hands on the specified towel at the specified time and to keep the two towels or sets of towels separated from each other.

In accordance with my invention I provide apparatus adapted to facilitate the aforesaid ritualistic operations by bringing into definitely fixed relationship the said prayer and the towels, visually identifying each of the towels to be employed and thus avoiding errors due to failures of memory.

With these ends in view, I provide a prayer tablet, preferably comprising a permanent fixture having means for securely fastening the same to a wall in the sacristy of the church where the lavabo in which the priest washes his hands is located, and I provide a common frame for such a permanent or fixed prayer tablet, having the specified prayer permanently inscribed thereon, and for a rack adapted to independently carry and to separate from each other two towels or two sets of towels, and I also provide on the body of said prayer tablet above the towels, identifying indications comprising legends showing that towel or set of towels to be used before officiating at the mass and that towel or set of towels to be used after ofiiciating at the mass.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act and cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations, the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a combined prayer tablet and towel-rack embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a corner of the tablet and frame showing the connection of the towel-rack bar to the edge of the tablet;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, l indicates the body portion of a prayer tablet which is preferably made of bronze, or other suitable metal and which is provided with a raised frame around its edge having any suitable border design. The central portion of the body of the tablet is provided with the words of a specified prayer as indicated by the word Prayer at 3 in Fig. 1, and is also provided with the usual church insignia or cross 4.

The tablet is preferably made of a width substantially equal to the width of two towels or two sets of towels 5 and 6, which in accordance with the rubric of said church are of a specified size, and I provide below the prayer a towel-rack bar 1, extending across the tablet from edge to edge thereof and as shown I utilize the frame of the tablet l to provide a bracket for mounting and supporting said rod 1. As illustrated, said rod is fastened to hearing brackets 8, 8 formed integrally with the frame 2 around the edge I of the tablet I. As shown, ears are formed on the frame to provide bearing brackets 8, 8'. Each of these ears is, as shown at 8 in Fig. 2, bored .and an externally screw-threaded member 9, fixed in the bracket cooperates with a socket member ID having an internally screw-threaded portion at one end and at the other end a socket portion adapted to receive one end of the rackbar I. A forked member II at the middle of the tablet receives the bar 1 to assist in supporting the same and also divides the tablet into two towel sections. One of these towel sections is designated on the tablet with the Latin words Ante missam and the other section is identified with the Latin words Post missam. I thus am enabled to provide a definite and permanent identifying indication for each of the two towels or for each set of two sets of towels.

The identifying indications Ante missam and Post missam are preferably permanently molded into the metal of the tablet and the prayer is likewise so molded. I thus provide permanent association of the prayer with the towels employed while saying or reading the same and I thus avoid relying on the memory of the officiating priest, who is often a stranger to the church in which he celebrates mass.

As shown, I provide screws I2 for fastening the supporting element for my towel rack to the wall of the sacristy.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A towel-rack embodying, in combination, a flat metallic supporting element adapted to be attached to a wall and provided at its edges with a frame member, fixed brackets on said frame at opposite ends of said supporting element, fixed members in said brackets each having an external screw-thread, and a socket member at each end of the towel supporting member having an internal screw thread cooperating with one of said fixed members to permit connection to and disconnection of the towel-supporting member from said bearing brackets.

HENRY P. MERTEL.

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