US2290468A - Rack and the like - Google Patents

Description

July 21, 1942. E. c. GODFREY 2,290,468

BACK AND THE LIKE Filed July 10, 1939 if E- INVENTOR ZZZ yard 6. 60/791934 Patented July 21, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT ics BACK AND THE LIKE Edward C. Godfrey, Detroit, Mich.

Application July 10, 1939, Serial No. 283,584

6 Claims. (Cl. 211-123) This invention relates to racks and in particular to racks for holding towels and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a rack for supporting towels, wash cloths, dish cloths, dust cloths and other objects which, without the use. of mechanical fastening means, will prevent the said towels or the like from sliding down therefrom if hung thereon in an unbalanced manner and which will permit the said towels or the like to be placed thereon and removed therefrom with extreme ease and. facility.

Another object of the invention is to provide a towel rack which is inexpensive to manufacture, easly to erect and which occupies a minimum of space.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a double open end towel rack embodying the invention secured by vacuum-cup means to a tile wall or the like.

Fig. 2 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1 in which a single open end towel rack embodying the invention is disclosed secured to a tile wall or the like.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing a single open end towel rack embodying the invention secured to a wood rail having a towel or the like positioned thereover.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the towel.

rack disclosed in Fig. 3 with the towel removed.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a double closed end towel rack embodying the invention secured to a wood rail or the like.

' Fig. 6 is a plan view of a single closed end towel rack embodying the invention secured to a wood rail or the like.

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line l| of Fig, 1 showing the preferred cross sectional shape of bar employed.

Fig. 8 is a view part in section and part in elevation showing how the towel racks are secured to vacuum cups when vacuum cup supporting means are employed.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the double open end towel rack disclosed in Fig. 1 comprises a pair of towel bars Ill and II secured to a tile wall l2 by means of vacuum cups l3, the said towel bars 10 and H being secured together and to the said vacuum cups [3 by means of a threaded insert l4 moulded in the vacuum cup l3 and extending therefrom. In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Fig. 1, it is preferred that only the outer towel bar H be threaded to accommodate the threaded insert [4 of the vacuum cups I3.

Each of the towelbars IE! and H is provided with a base portion I00 and i II] respectively disposed parallel to the object to which the towel rack is secured. Each towel bar It! and II is formed into a curved towel supporting arm l5 extending laterally and forwardly outward from the base portion I08 and I 40 thereof terminating with a suitably hooked or otherwise rounded laterally and outwardly spaced end It as best shown in Fig. 1. Such construction provides ample space at X to slide towels onto and off from the towel bars 10 and II.

The towel bars H] and l I are preferably formed substantially half round as indicated in Fig. 7, except, however, the base I00 of the towel bar ID is preferably flattened as indicated in Fig. 4. The apertures toaccommodate securing means located in the base of the towel bar H] are preferably not threaded, however, the aperturesin the base llllof the towel bar H are threaded to accommodate the threaded insert 14 of the vacuum cups l3. Nevertheless, either or both of the bases of the towel bars may be apertured, threaded, slotted, or otherwise formed to adapt the said towel bars to any of numerous available and known means for securing the said towel bars in pairs or singly to any desired surface or structure.

The dot and dash lines in Fig. 1 indicate the position taken'by towels or the like I! when hung on'the towel bars IE] and l l, the said towels or the like I! being placed over the said towel bars l0 and H by first folding them into an inverted U-shape and then sliding them on the towel bars 10 and H through the space X. However, one of the depending ends of the towels or the like 11 may beinserted vertically through the space Y between the towel bars l0 and II and the support l2 if preferred or necessary. When the towels or the like I l are placed on the towel bars l0 and II, it will be noted that the inner portion I!!! thereof becomes crimped or crowded together which materially lessens the tendency to sliding of the said towels or the like I! down from the towel bars [0 and II. Therefore, even though the towels or the like I! are unevenly hung on the towelbars I ii and H they will not easily slide down therefrom due to the crimping of the rear portion of the said towels or the like I1. This is particularly advantageous when racks embodying the invention are used for smaller items such as guest towels, finger-tip towels, wash cloths and the like, and when longer towels or the like are placed over the rack in unsymmetrical inverted U-shaped position In other words, it has been found that to use a horizontally disposed curved bar in towel racks provides a more positive and firm holding of a towel or the like thereon with little or no possibility of the article being unintentionally knocked or blown off therefrom.

The invention is subject to many applications. For example, the towel bar I I may be used alone with two vacuum cups l3 attached to a tile wall 12 or the like as shown in Fig. 2, in which event, the threaded insert M in each of the said vacuum cups I3 is made slightly shorter than in Fig. 1. Also, the towel bar ID may be used alone and secured by wood screws 118 to a wood rail or the like I9 as disclosed in Fig. 3. A towel or the like I1 is shown folded in an inverted U- shape and draped over the towel bar It] in Fig. 3. A front elevation of the towel bar 10 used in Fig. 3 is shown in Fig. 4 without a towel or the like positioned thereover.

Fig. 5 discloses a second embodiment of the invention wherein a towel bar 20 is formed into a plurality of outwardly disposed laterally spaced curved towel supporting elements 2| which function precisely the same as the towel bars l and H disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. Supporting bases 200 are formed at the ends of the said towel bar 20 and wood screws I8 are employed to secure the same to a wood rail 19 or'the like. Obviously, bases 20!] of the towel bar 20 may be secured to any type of a wall in any conventional manner and the towel bar 20 may be provided with any reasonable number of curved towel supporting elements 2|.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in Fig. 6 is composed of a towel bar 22 formed into a single outwardly disposed curved towel supporting element 23 which functions the same as the towel racks disclosed in Figs. 1 to inclusive. Supporting bases 220 are formed at the ends of the said towel bar 22 and wood screws I8 are employed to secure the same to a wood rail l9 or the like. Likewise, the bases 220 of the towel bar 22 may be secured to any type of a wall in any conventional manner. The curvature of the towel supporting element 23 was not formed to such a severe radius as in the case of the towel racks disclosed in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive because the towel supporting element 23 of the towel rack disclosed in Fig. 6 is intended for use with large towels which require less crimping along the inside of the element supporting them to prevent them from sliding 01f therefrom.

In each of the embodiments of the invention disclosed, the towel placed over the towel bar becomes crimped on the rearward side thereof at the towel bar after being draped thereover in an inverted U-shaped manner which reduces to a minimum any possibility of a towel or the like placed thereover falling therefrom because of being accidentally placed on the towel rack in an unsymmetrical inverted U-shaped manner or because of being accidentally brushed against in passing. Also, towels or the like on any of the racks disclosed herein are not as easily blown off the same by wind entering a kitchen or bathroom through open doors and windows.

In addition to the fact that the curved towel racks disclosed will retain towels or the like placed thereon more surely than in the case of the old straight towel bars, the curved towel racks have a greater towel capacity per lineal inch of wall space occupied than straight racks.

Although but three embodiments of the invention and several modified applications thereof have been shown and described in detail, it is obvious that the invention may be practiced in many forms and that many changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various parts thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rack for towels and articles of similar nature which consists of two members of which each includes a rigid article holding arm which extends generally horizontally and is essentially curved horizontally so that when the article is draped over it a portion of the article will be crowded into folds and the article thus restrained from slipping from the arm and an appendage on one end of the arm which extends generally in the direction of the length of the arm and through which the member may be mounted on a wall, the angle between the appendage and the arm being such that when the member is mounted on the wall the end of the arm distant from the appendage will be spaced laterally from the wallthe members being so arranged that the appendage of one overlies the appendage of the other and the article holding arms extend in opposite directions.

2. A rack for towels and articles of similar nature including a rigid article holding arm which extends horizontally and means through which the rack may be attached to a support, said arm being essentially sharply curved horizontally so that when the article is draped thereover a portion of the article will be crowded into folds and pressed against the inner curved side of the arm while free from the support and the article will thus be restrained from slipping down from the arm.

3. A rack for towels and articles of similar nature including a rigid article holding arm which extends horizontally and an appendage at one end thereof which extends generally in the direction of the length of the arm and through which the rack may be mounted on a wall, the angle between the appendage and the arm being such that when the rack is mounted on the wall the end of the arm remote from the appendage will be spaced from the wall, said arm being essentially sharply curved horizontally so that when the article is draped thereover a portion of the article will be crowded into folds and pressed against the inner curved side of the arm while free from the wall and the article will thus be restrained from slipping down from the arm.

4. A rack for towels and articles of similar nature including a rigid article holding member which extends generally horizontally and an appendage at each end thereof for attaching the rack to a support, said member comprising two arms, each of which is essentially sharply curved horizontally so that when the article is draped thereover a portion of the article will be crowded into folds and pressed against the inner side of the arm over which it is draped while free from the support and the article will thus be restrained from slipping down from said arm, one end of one arm being joined to one appendage and one end of the second arm being joined to the second appendage, and the other ends of the arms being joined together.

5. A rack for towels and articles of similar nature including a rigid article holding member having two appendages for attaching the rack to a support, said member comprising two arms joined together and to the appendages, each of said arms being essentially sharply curved horizontally so that when an article is draped thereover a portion of the article will be crowded into folds and pressed against the inner curved side of an arm while free from the support and the article will thus be restrained from slipping down from the arm.

6. A rack for towels and articles of similar nature including a rigid article holding member which extends generally horizontally and an appendage at each end thereof for attaching the rack to a support, said member comprising an arm essentially sharply curved horizontally so that when an article is draped over the arm a portion of the article will be crowded into folds and pressed against the inner curved side of the arm while free from the support and the article will thus be restrained from slipping down from the arm.

EDWARD C. GODFREY.

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