US2530324A - Clothesline structure - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 14, 1 950 BUMBERA r 2,530,324

CLOTHESLINE STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 9, 1946 Patented Nov. 14, 1950 2,530,324 CLOTHESLINE STRUCTURE Edmund A. Bumbera, Turtle Creek, and Clarence S. Herr, J r., Penn Township, Allegheny County, Pa.; said Herr, J r., assignor .to said Bumbera Application October 9, 1946, Serial'No. 702,160

1 Claim.

Our invention consists in a new and improved clothes line structure.

The principal object in view is the provision of means for hanging out for drying a large washin a relatively contracted area.

In'many instances, such .as in thicklypo'pulated localities and in building developments where the houses are built closely together or in rows with narrow back yards of a limited length, the common method of stringing a clothes line provides too limited a capacity, and thus the wash must be hung out in successive sections, requiring more time and increased labor even :in the case of a-small family. a a

To solve the problem of drying at large wash in one operation and in ,a contracted area, we have invented the new and improved clothes line structure, hereinafter described, and which com-v prises two substantially iparallelasupportin'g members, preferably chains, erected at the proper elevation, and of a length and spaced apart the distance permitted by the available yard area. Stretched between said support in a zigzag disposal is a clothes line detachably connected to the two supporting members at staggered points and at its ends. Means are provided for connecting the clothes line to the supporting members in such a manner that the line may be quickly installed or removed and slipping of the clothes line between the flights is prevented.

To attach the clothes line to the longitudinal supporting members at the angles of the clothes line and at its ends, we provide a new and improved type of hook members which are detachably anchored to the opposed supporting members in staggered relation and with which the clothes line is engaged in such manner as to be conveniently and quickly mounted and dismounted from position and which will prevent longitudinal slipping of the clothes line.

Other points of novelty will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of our invention.

Fig. l is a view in plan illustrating the clothes line structure assembled ready for hanging out the wash;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in perspective showing one of the hook members used to attach the clothes line to the longitudinal upporting members;

Fig. 3 is a broken elevation showing the attachment of an end of one of the longitudinal members to a fixed support, such as a post;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the provision of means for maintaining the longitudinal members in proper tautness. I

Referring to the'drawings, l0 represents-the two substantially parallel longitudinal supporting members whicharepreferably chains of the-open linktype, such, for instance, as the chain come monly. termed a porch swing chain, the interconnected links of the same being indicate'dat II in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. At their extremities these:

. .l 4 indicates a hook'atta'ched to'the wall or post,

as by .havinga threaded shank :screwed into the post l3, as illustrated in. Fig. 3, the end link ll of the chain l0 being looped over the hook. To enable the chainslll to be made sufliciently taut to :prevent material sagging we provide in each chain a turnbuckle IS.

The chains preferably are as nearly parallel and spaced as far apart as the available yard area permits. 1

l6 indicates the clothes line, which preferably is the usual type, and is disposed between the chains l0 in a zigzag manner and supported at its angles and ends by the latter.

For attaching the clothes line l6 at its angles and ends to the chains In we provide the hook members I! which are formed of lengths of metal rod or wire stock. The extremities of the said lengths are bent to form the hook portions I8 which face rearwardly and diverge as shown in Fig. 2. At the base of said hook portions [8 the portions l9 are bent to extend rearwardly forming with the base of the portions l8 the narrow loop portions 20. At their outer ends the portions 19 converge into close parallel relation and the central portion of the length of stock is bent upwardly, then rearwardly, then upwardly and finally forwardly to form the snug central hook portion 2| which is positioned in advance of the hook portions l8.

When in use the loops 28 extend through and engage adjacent links H of the chain [0, thus removably mounting the hook members I! on the chains. The hook members are equally spaced apart on each chain and the hook members on one chain are disposed equally in staggered relation to those on the other chain, as illustrated in Fig. 1. It is evident the hook members l'l, owing to the engagement between the loops 2!! and the chain links H, cannot shift longitudinally of the chains but will maintain their proper relative positions.

The clothes line I6 engages from the rear the end hook portions l8 and intermediate of such points of engagement the rope is looped around the center hook portion 2|. When the clothes line is held taut and engaged in such manner that one of the hook members I! either at an intermediate portion of the line or adjacent either extremity of the line the latter cannot shift relative to the hook member but each flight of the line between hooks is individually anchored at its ends, and therefore a heavy load of wet clothes hung on one flight will not draw line from adjacent flights and thus permit its load to sag dangerously.

The angle between adjacent flights of the clothes line as erected maybe varied in accordance with the available yard area, the angles however being sufficient to provide access on the part of the operator to the clothes on adjacent flights and to prevent articles on adjacent flights from intertangling.

The new and improved clothes line structure hereinbefore described is of great advantage under modern conditions of limited yard area, enabling a large wash to be successfully dried in one, operation of hanging the same in a contracted area. a building compartment in which under the usual set-up but a very limited wash could be suspended at one time.

It is evident that our improved means for attaching the line at its ends and at its angles to the longitudinal supporting members prevents lengthwise slipping of the line due to ununiform distribution of the load between adjacent flights; a very important consideration as otherwise the heavily loaded flights of the line would sag and frequently the clothes on the heavily loaded flights would be brought into contact with the ground.

It may also be employed within We claim:

In a clothes line assembly, the combination of a pair of chains arranged to be stretched in spaced relation between fixed supports, a plurality of spaced apart fastening members provided with hooked portions detachably engaging the links of said chains, the fastening members of one chain being positioned in staggered relation with the fastening members of the other chain, and a flexible clothes line stretched between the chains in a zigzag pattern with its ends and its intermediate angles secured to the fastening members and held thereby against longitudinal slipping of the clothes line.

EDMUND A. BUMBERA. CLARENCE S. HERB, JR.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 209,814 Keefer Nov. 12,1878 692,753 Wright Feb. 4, 1902 766,758 Cross Aug. 2, 1904 1,268,132 Lenzen June 4, 1918 1,349,503 Dowdle Aug. 10, 1920' 1,357,383 Curtis Nov. '2, 1920 1,411,850 Kroona Apr. 4, 1922 1,531,379 Cummings Mar. 31, 1925 1,960,882 Turner May 29, 1934 2,005,491 Beaverson June 18, 1935 2,214,499 Evans Sept. 10, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain July 11, 1935:

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