US3920127A

US3920127A - Folding rack for clothes hangers

Info

Publication number: US3920127A
Application number: US555658A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis J Labeaud
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1975-03-05
Filing date: 1975-03-05
Publication date: 1975-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-18

Abstract

A tubular body is fastenable normal to a ceiling by an end, and has a pair of oppositely disposed channels longitudinally defined therein. A pair of arms are loosely fitted in the channels and respectively pivoted therein adjacent a free other end. An operating shaft is slidably mounted in the longitudinal center hole defined by the tubular body and is operable by a handle projecting from the free end of the rack. A tension line passes through transverse holes defined in an end of the operating shaft and intermediate the ends of the tubular body. The free ends of the tension line are respectively secured to the arms equally from either of their similar ends for translating movement of the operating shaft to moving and supporting the arms. Springs are provided to bias the arms outward, and locking means are provided to lock the shaft in its fully inserted position in the tubular body and also the arms in their respective channels.

Description

[ Nov. 18, 1975 FOLDING RACK FOR CLOTHES HANGERS Inventor:

New Orleans, La. 70150 Filed: Mar. 5, 1975 Appl. No.: 555,658

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1906 Carr 211/117 2/1911 Gehrke 211/165 12/1923 Wood 211/165 1,587,674 6/1926 Patterson. 21 1/1.3 2,490,265 12/1949 Gillespie 21 1/1.3

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,099,628 1/1968 United Kingdom 211/118 Louis J. LaBeaud, P.O. Box 50814,

Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier Assistant Examiner-Terrell F. Lewis Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James B. Lake, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A tubular body is fastenable normal to a ceiling by an end, and has a pair of oppositely disposed channels longitudinally defined therein. A pair of arms are loosely fitted in the channels and respectively pivoted therein adjacent a free other end. An operating shaft is slidably mounted in the longitudinal center hole defined by the tubular body and is operable by a handle projecting from the free end of the rack. A tension line passes through transverse holes defined in an end of the operating shaft and intermediate the ends of the tubular body. The free ends of the tension line are respectively secured to the arms equally from either of their similar ends for translating movement of the operating shaft to moving and supporting the arms. Springs are provided to bias the arms outward, and locking means are provided to lock the shaft in its fully inserted position in the tubular body and also the arms in their respective channels.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures grin, 40

US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 FOLDING RACK FOR CLOTHES HANGERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention I The invention relates generally to racks and more particularly to foldable racks for clothes hangers.

2. Description of the Prior Art I The closest category was in clothes driers: some were telescoping devices as in G. Ogilvie, US. Pat. .No. 3,415,386; some had no containing member and comprised a large plurality of pivoted arms. as in E. A. Illig, US. Pat. No. 2,166,592; andsome were screw operated as in G. N. Galloway, US. Pat. No. 947,591. In another closer category, that of clothing racks, the prior art disclosed an umbrella type mode of operation and structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is for a contractable rack for installation above a clothes drier. The rack receives and supports coat or clothes hangers on which permapress and other artificial fiber garments can be immediately hung as they are removed from the drier.

It is an object of the invention to provide a contractable rack for supporting clothes hangers on which clothes are hung as they are removed from a drier.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contractable rack that is suspendable from a ceiling, is simple to operate, economical to make, and uses a minimum number of parts.

Other objects and a more complete understanding of the invention may be had from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sideelevation of the invention with folded arms;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along section lines 33 of FIG. 2, somewhat reduced;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along section lines 4-4 of FIG. 3; and I FIG. 5 is another sectional view taken along section lines 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BEST EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 the invention comprises a ceiling mount 10, a tubular body 12, a hinge base 14, and a lock block 16 rigidly connected end to end in that order by screws 18. Arms 20 are pivoted by respective pivots 22 in channels 24 defined longitudinally in oppositely disposed sides of body 12, and an operating shaft 26 is slidably mounted longitudinally therein. A tension line 28 connects arms 20 with an interior end of the slidably mounted operating shaft 26 through a transverse hole 30 defined in body 12 intermediate its ends. Springs 32 are mounted in body 12 between arm pivots 22 and transverse hole 30 and adapted to outwardly bias arms 20 when pivoted into channels 24. The length of tension line 28, the distance between ceiling mount end of body 12 and transverse hole 30, and the distance of longitudinal travel of operating shaft 26 are coordinated to lower arms 20 to a position normal to body 12 from a position parallel thereto at the respective limits of travel of shaft 26 longitudinally in tubular body 12. An eliptical flange 34 fixed to shaft 26 adjacent and exterior end thereof fits through a similarly shaped hole ceiling mount 10.

.36, interiorly defined in lock block 16, and rides up on erably is oval or eliptical in cross-section. Channels 24 are defined by body 12 in the oppositely disposed sides with the longest radius. Screws 18 fasten ceiling mount 10 to an overhead which may be directly over a clothes drier from which clothes are to be unloaded. Similar screws 18 horizontally driven in the recessed part of ceiling mount 10 and into the recess-received part of annular body 12 along its shortest radius at respectively oppositely disposed, ends thereof secures body 12 to Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, annular body 12 defines a center longtiudinal hole having a larger diameter in the part between transverse hole 30 and ceiling mount 10 than in the part between said hole 30 and hinge base 14, the larger diameter part being for receiving both operating shaft 26 and a bight of tension line 28.

I Referring to FIG. 3, hinge base 14 is cross-sectionally shaped to conform to an end of body 12 and is partially recessed in continuation of channels 24 to permit the pivoted ends of arms 20 to swing without binding.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, lock block 16 defines an oval or eliptical center hole 36 similar in shape and slightly larger than flange 34 in a fixed end thereof, and defines a longitudinal center hole coaxial with the center hole of body 12 and oval center hole 36 but with a diameter slightly larger than the largest diameter of oval flange 34 for the remainder of the length of lock block 16. The long sides of oval hole 36 are oppositely beveled with bevels 38 as indicated in FIG. 5 for flange 34 to ride up on when operating shaft 26 is rotated as it is pushed toward ceiling mount 10 to thereby lock said operating shaft in its fully inserted position in the body.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, shaft 26 has a handle 44 fixed to an exterior end projecting from a free end of body 12, and a hole 46 defined adjacent an oppositely disposed interior shaft end.

To operate after mounting on an overhead, handle 44 is rotated until flange 34 registers with oval hole 36 and pulled downward to slide operating shaft 26 in coaxial mined by tension line 28 that passes theret-hrough being unable to descend into the smaller diameter center hole I defined between transverse hole 30 and hinge base 14.

Tension line 28 passes out of body 12 through the

holes

46 and 30 to support arms 20, that have been biased outwardly by springs 32, normal to body 12 for receiving hangers on which clothes from a drier have been hung. When the drier has been unloaded and all the clothes hung on hangers and removedfor wear and storage, the hanger rank can be folded and left in position for a next use, by pushing operating shaft upwardly into body 12, the tension line being carried upward into the defined center longtitudinal hole to draw up arms 20 into channels 24 and compress springs 32. The orientation of line 28 in

holes

30 and 46 aligns flange 34 with oval center hole 36, and a quarter turn of handle 44 engages said flange with the beveled edges of hole .36 and locks said operating handle in its fully inserted position with arms fully folded into channels 24 and tension line in body 12.

The channel ends of hole 30 may be beveled downwardly and outward toward their respective channels, the longitudinal hole ends may be beveled upwardly and inward toward said longitudinal hole to reduce friction on tension line 28 as it is drawn through said holes.

What is claimed is:

l. A folding rack for clothes hangers comprising in combination:

a. a ceiling mount for securing to an overhead;

b. a tubular body for securing to said ceiling mount by an end, and defining a longitudinal center hole,

a transverse hole between its ends, and oppositely disposed external channels extending longitudinally from end to end and transversely to intersect outboard ends of said transverse hole;

. a pair of arms adapted to respectively fit into said channels and pivotally mounted therein by pivots through similar ends of said arms adjacent the ends of channels remote from said ceiling mount;

d. an operating shaft slidably mounted in said longitu' dinal center hole for travel of an end between said transverse hole and the end of said tubular body adjacent said ceiling mount, and for rotating relative to said tubular body, said shaft defining adjacent to said shaft end a transverse hole therethrough for registering with said transverse hole defined in said tubular body at the lower end of said shaft travel;

e. a tension line for threading through said transverse holes in said tubular body and operating shaft and secured to said arms an equal distance from similar arm ends; said line being adapted to travel with said operating shaft in said center hole above said transverse hole; and

. Means for locking said operating shaft in a fully inserted position in said tubular body, thereby locking said arms in folded position in said channels,

2. A folding rack for clothes hangers as described in claim I wherein said ceiling mount is recessed to receive an end of said tubular body, and is oppositely flat to fit against an overhead for respectively fastening with screws driven normal to contacting surfaces.

3. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein said tubular is oval in cross-section, and said oppositely disposed external channels extending from end to end of 4 said tubular body are normal to respective ends of longest cross-sectional diameter.

4. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein said transverse hole defined between ends of said tubular body intersect said center longitudinal center hole and respective channels and are beveled downward at said channel intersections and upward at said center hole intersections for reducing wear on the friction line.

5. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein spring means are mounted in said tubular body above and adjacent said arm pivots and adapted to bias outward said arms from their respective channels.

6. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein an annular hinge base is engaged concentric with a free end of said tubular body and defines transverse recesses adapted to receive pivoting interior ends of said arms as they swing outward.

7. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein said means for locking said operating shaft and arms in a folded position comprises:

a. an oval flange fixed to lower end of said operating shaft; and

b. an annular lock block mounted as the lowest element of said rack and defining with a longitudinal center hole a coaxial oval hole adapted to receive said oval flange therethru and above as said operating shaft is slidably advanced to folded position and rotated.

8. An annular lock block as described in claim 7 wherein said oval hole defined therein has its longest edges oppositely beveled for engaging said oval flange to ride up thereon when rotated.

9. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal center hole defined in said tubular body is larger in diameter above said transverse hole, said larger hole for receiving said operating shaft and two runs of said tension line, than defined below said transverse hole which is adapted to receive said operating shaft only.

10. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein said tension line is flexible with low coefficient of friction for dually, in combination with said tubular body, supporting in suspension said arms in unfolded operable position, and, in additional combination with said operating shaft and its locking means, folding and locking said arms in their respective channels.

Claims

1. A folding rack for clothes hangers comprising in combination: a. a ceiling mount for securing to an overhead; b. a tubular body for securing to said ceiling mount by an end, and defining a longitudinal center hole, a transverse hole between its ends, and oppositely disposed external channels extending longitudinally from end to end and transversely to intersect outboard ends of said transverse hole; c. a pair of arms adapted to respectively fit into said channels and pivotally mounted therein by pivots through similar ends of said arms adjacent the ends of channels remote from said ceiling mount; d. an operating shaft slidably mounted in said longitudinal center hole for travel of an end between said transverse hole and the end of said tubular body adjacent said ceiling mount, and for rotating relative to said tubular body, said shaft defining adjacent to said shaft end a transverse hole therethrough for registering with said transverse hole defined in said tubular body at the lower end of said shaft travel; e. a tension line for threading through said transverse holes in said tubular body and operating shaft and secured to said arms an equal distance from similar arm ends; said line being adapted to travel with said operating shaft in said center hole above said transverse hole; and f. Means for locking said operating shaft in a fully inserted position in said tubular body, thereby locking said arms in folded position in said channels.

2. A folding rack for clothes hangers as described in claim 1 wherein said ceiling mount is recessed to receive an end of said tubular body, and is oppositely flat to fit against an overhead for respectively fastening with screws driven normal to contacting surfaces.

3. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein said tubular is oval in cross-section, and said oppositely disposed external channels extending from end to end of said tubular body are normal to respective ends of longest cross-sectional diameter.

7. A folding rack as described in claim 1 wherein said means for locking said operating shaft and arms in a folded position comprises: a. an oval flange fixed to lower end of said operating shaft; and b. an annular lock block mounted as the lowest element of said rack and defining with a longitudinal center hole a coaxial oval hole adapted to receive said oval flange therethru and above as said operating shaft is slidably advanced to folded position and rotated.