US3197169A

US3197169A - Broom hanger and guard

Info

Publication number: US3197169A
Application number: US314995A
Authority: US
Inventors: Burrows Allen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-10-09
Filing date: 1963-10-09
Publication date: 1965-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-27

Description

July 27, 1965 A. BURROWS 3,197,169

BROOM HANGER AND GUARD Filed Oct. 9, 1963 F l G. l INVENTOR.

ALLEN BURROWS BY 774x ATTOREY United States Patent 3,197,169 BRQOM HANGER AND GUARD Allen Burrows, 38 James St, Providence, RI. Filed Oct. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 314,995 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-359) My present invention relates to household items and more particularly to a novel construction of a broom hanger and guard.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device for attachment to a conventional broom handle to allow the broom to be hung from a hook.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for attachment to a broom handle which will also act as a guard to prevent marring wall-s or other areas against which the broom is allowed to lean.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination broom hanger and guard which can easily be attached to any type of conventional broom.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a conventional broom handle and guard which can be molded in a single integral piece.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a combination broom handle and guard which is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and more particularly defined in the appended claim.

-In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a broom with a combination broom handle and guard of the present invention mounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the broom hanger and guard of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the, same taken generally along line 33 on FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 on FIG. 2.

Closet areas are conventionally cluttered by all types of brooms so that the door area of the closet is difiicult to use for storage purposes. This can be corrected by providing means for hanging brooms. Small whisk brooms are usually provided with bail handles. However, large elongated brooms and mops are not provided with any handles. The present invention is designed to provide a device which can readily be attached to any conventional broom which will render the broom capable of being hung away from the floor and which will also protect walls and Wallpaper from damage when the broom is leaned against the wall. The device of the present invention is made in a single integral piece and designed to frictionally clamp the broom handle. Referring to FIG. 1 the broom 19 is equipped with an elongated handle 11 at the top of which is a device of the present invention 12 adapted to make the hanging of the broom as on the book 13 shown in dotted lines. It is contemplated that the member 12 be molded in a single integral piece from an elastomeric material such as a plastic or rubber. Comparatively thin side walls 14- provided with spaced strengthening ribs 15 to provide a certain amount of stiffness to the material. The inside diameter of the side walls 3,197,169 Patented July 27; 1965 "ice 14 be such that the member 12 will fit loosely over a conventional broom handle 11. However, the internal portion of the side walls 14 is molded with a plurality of fins 16 beginning at a point slightly above the open bottom end 17 and extending upwardly as shown in FIG. 3. The fins 16, as shown enlarged in FIG. 4, are provided with straight walls 18 on one side and curved walls 19 on the other so that when the member 12 is placed over the end of a broom handle a twisting motion can be imparted which will have a tendency to flatten the fins 16-slightly and permit it to be slipped over the broom handle. Also the fins 16 will frictionally grab the broom handle to hold it but will permit removal of the member 12 by a twisting motion. The bottom end of the fins 16 taper as at 20 in FIG. 3, so that as the member 12 is pushed over the end of the broom handle the frictional pressure is led into the fins 16.

Now referring to FIG. 3, the upper end of the member 12 is domed as at 21 and the domed portion is provided with a central opening 22 to allow the air to escape as the member 12 is pushed over the end of the broom handle and also to allow air to enter when the member 12 is removed from the broom handle. Otherwise, an air lock will develop which will make it diflicult to put on and take off the member. Molded integrally with the top portion 21 is a bail handle 23 for hanging the broom on a hook in a closet. Also molded adjacent the top portion circumferentially of the dome portion 21 are a series of outside fins 24 protruding beyond the circumference of the body portion 14 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The fins 24 are designed to provide a bumper against which the broom handle rests when the'broom is leaned against a wall. This also acts to save the wall or wallpaper from scratches or other markings from the broom.

As can readily be seen the entire construction can be molded in a single integral piece. The bail handle 23 permits the broom to be hung. The portion 24 protects it in case it is leaned against a wall. The internal portion is so constructed that it will frictionally grip the broom and hold it in raised position from the floor. By molding the device in a single integral piece, all assembly is eliminated and the device can be sold immediately as it comes from the mold. The construction is therefore simple and economical.

While the above description and the drawings specifically illustrate the invention applied to a broom handle it is obvious that it can also be used for hanging mops, garden tools, and small tools having wooden handles such as files. Another advantage in molding the device in one piece is that it allows the broom or tool to be hung with one hand. If the bail handle 23 were loose, two hands would be required to hang the broom. The internal fins also allow for variations in the diameter of the handle and act like friction springs to apply a gripping pressure to the handle. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a per-son skilled in the art.

I claim:

A broom handle attachment comprising an elongated sleeve of elastomeric material having an open bottom the internal diameter of said sleeve being loosely equal to the diameter of a conventional broom handle, an integral top closure on said sleeve having a central opening, an integral loop extending upwardly from the top edge of said sleeve for hanging said attachment and broom, and a plurality of spaced integral ribs extending vertically on the inside surface of said sleeve from the upper end to a point spaced from the bottom edge, said ribs having tapered bottom ends for leading onto the end of a broom handle, said ribs having a triangular cross-section with the apices extending toward the center to form a restricted diameter smaller than the diameter of a broom handle, one sideof each of said ribs being flat and in alignment with a radius of said attachment wherebyrsaid ribs will bend laterally to increase the diameter of the opening when said attachment is pushed over a broom handle with a twisting action, said ribs bearing resiliently againstsaid broom handle to frictionally retain said broom handle in said attachment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Ubellar 24256 Fuller 248188.9 Hokanson 287l26 Ryland et al 248-459 Hibbard 24-256 Heyer 292-70 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.