US2828864A - Portable folding clothes drier - Google Patents

Description

April 1, 1958 P. E. EVANS 2,828,864

PORTABLE FOLDING CLOTHES DRIER Filed Aug. 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent" PORTABLE FOLDING CLOTHES DRIER Peter E. Evans, Mount Rainier, Md. Application August 19, 1954, Serial No. 450,838 2 Claims. (01. 211-86) This invention relates to clothes driers and more particularly to clothes driers of the portable type designed primarily for use in providing a drying rack in restricted areas.

An important object of the invention is to provide a clothes drier which may be readily and easily installed in a bath room and held in place by frictional contact with the walls of the room,- thereby eliminating the necessity of using screws, nails, bolts or similar securing devices that mar and disfigure the wall of the room in which the drier is positioned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clothes drier which may be adjusted for positioning between walls of rooms wherein the walls are located various distances apart.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a clothes drier that may be readily folded into a small and compact article for storing.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts Without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view illustrating the walls of a bath room with the clothes drier forming the subject matter of the present invention as installed directly over the bath tub, of the bath room.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental elevational view illustrating one of the wall engaging members, as positioned against a wall.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental elevational view partly in section illustrating the means for exerting pressure against the ceiling of the room for efiecting outward movement of the supporting arms of the device.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 7 is a fragmental longitudinal sectional view through the overlapped ends of the sections of the supporting arms.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference character 5 indicates opposite end walls of a bath room, and the reference character 6 indicates the bath tub over which the clothes drier or rack is supported.

In the conventional bath room construction, a ledge 7 is provided at the termination of the upper edge of the tiling which usually covers a portion of the walls of a bath room.

The clothes drier comprises a center block 8 formed with a central opening over which the plates 9 and 10 are positioned, the plate 9 having a threaded opening registering with the opening of the center block, while the plate 18 is provided with an opening which registers 2,828,864 Patented Apr. 1, 1958 with the opening of the center block, the edges of the opening of the plate 10 being smooth. A threaded rod 11 extends through the plates 9 and 10 and is threaded in the opening of the plate 9, the upper end of said threaded rod being formed with a head 12 secured within the socket 13 of the block 14.

The lower end of the threaded rod 11 extends laterally providing a handle 15 by means of which the threaded rod may be rotated for purposes to be hereinafter more fully described.

Pivotally connected to opposite side edges of the center block 8, are supporting arms 16 and 17, respectively, hinges 18 being connected between said supporting arms and centerplate 8, as better shown by Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Secured to one end of each supporting arm, is a substantially triangular frame 19, the bar 20 forming a part of each triangular frame being hingedly connected to the free ends of the arms 19 which form the major portions of said triangular frames.

These bars 20 being hingedly connected to the supporting arms 16 and 17, will automatically move to a position in close contact with the walls of the room, when positioned on the ledge 7 in accordance with the invention and when outward pressure is directed to the bars 20 due to the operation of the threaded rod 11, as described. Secured to the inner surfaces of the bars 20, are line hooks 21 which provide means for supporting the clothes line, which may be positioned by placing the clothes line over the hooks at opposite ends of the drier.

Secured to each bar 20 and extending inwardly therefrom, is a spring arm 22 that is designed to contact with the supporting arm 16 associated therewith for normally holding the bars 20 in position for properly contacting the Wall of the room in which the clothes drier is mounted.

The threaded rod 11 extends into the notch 11 which extends inwardly from one end of the bar 12' that in turn is hingedly connected to the supporting arm 16 at 13'. Wing nuts 14' are provided on opposite sides of said bars 12' and provide means for clamping the bars 12 to brace the supporting arms 16 and 17 against accidental inward movements under the weight of articles supported by the device.

In the form of the invention shown by Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, the clothes drier comprises a pair of identical sections, each section embodying an arm 23 and an arm 24, the arm 23 having openings in which the bolts 25 are positioned, the bolts passing through the slot 26 of the adjacent adjustable section 27. Wing nuts 28 are provided on the bolts 25 for drawing the sections of the arms 23 and 27 together after they have been properly attached to engage the wall of the room at the point where the ceiling merges with the side walls, as better shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings.

In this form of the invention substantially triangular wall engaging members 29 are provided, at one of the respective ends of the arms 23 and 24, which wall engaging members 29 include pivoted bars 30 that rest on the upper edge of the usual tiling of the bath room, directly over the bath tub.

Thus it will be seen that due to this construction, a pair of these supporting members may be positioned in a manner as shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings and the adjustable end sections of the arms 23 and 24 extended so that they fit closely within the corners of the room where the ceiling merges with the side walls securely holding the arms in supporting position.

In this form of the invention books 31 are secured to the inner surfaces of the pivoted bars 30, over which the clothes line 32 is laced.

Thus it will be seen that a clothes drier constructed in accordance with the invention may be readily and easily secured by frictional contact with the walls of a room, eliminating the necessity of providing permanent securing means. V w o g Having thus-described theinvention, what is claimed l. A portable clothes drier for installation in a room having'horizontal wall ledges and a ceiling, comprising a block having a centrally located threaded opening, supporting arms having one of their respective ends hingedly connected to the opposite side edges of said block, wall engaging members pivotally connected to the other ends of said supporting arms adapted to rest on the wall ledges, an adjusting screw threaded through said threaded opening of said block, a block swiveled on one end of said screw and adapted to be forced against the ceiling of the room, said screw adapted to feed said first mentioned block-downwardly moving said arms and wall engaging members laterally against the walls and ledges of the room as said screw is rotated in one direction, and supporting hooks secured to said wall engaging members to which clothes lines are secured.

2. The subject matter as claimed in claim 1, and spring arms connected to said wall engaging members engageable with said supporting arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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