GB2137875A - Clothes airers - Google Patents

Abstract

A device having a support member on which clothes and other items can be draped for drying, the support member being movable up and down by suspension from ropes and having interconnected spars 8, 9 which can be moved towards and away from one another between a stored and an in-use position, and a housing 1 mounted on a ceiling and into which the stored spars can be retracted. The support member may comprise two outer spars 9 disposed in a parallelogram arrangement about a central span 8 and interconnected by cross members 10 pivotally secured at their ends to the spars 9 and at their centres to the central spar 8. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Pulley Device This invention relates to a pulley, especially to a domestic pulley for use in supporting wet articles while they dry.

Existing domestic pulley devices are in general unsightly, comprising a series of interconnected parallel wooden or metal strips over which clothes and other articles can be draped, and having ropes extending from the strips over a pulley arrangement at the ceiling of the room in which the device is disposed. The rope hangs down from the pulley arrangement for raising or lowering the strips, and is generally secured by knotting the ropes together and engaging the knot with a wall-mounted hook.

According to the present invention there is provided a pulley device having a support member for supporting articles to be dried or stored, flexible connecting means from which the support member is suspended and which passes around guide means to allow raising and lowering of the support member from below the support member, and a housing for storage of the support member in its raised position, the support member comprising interconnected spars which are movable away from and towards one another between an in-use position and a stored position, and the housing being adapted to receive the support member when the spars are in their stored position.

The brake means may be in the form of a cam which is engageable with the flexible connecting means to trap it against an abutment surface in the housing. The cam is preferably arranged so that it is actuated by movement of the flexible connecting means in a direction corresponding to downward movement of the support member; thus the cam acts as a safety brake.

The flexible connecting means is preferably one or more ropes which may be attached to the support member in conventional fashion.

The support member may be a series of spaced parallel spars of wood, plastics, metal or other material capable of supporting the weight of articles to be dried or stored.

The housing may extend around one, two or three sides of the retracted support member and is intended to allow neat and unobtrusive storage of the support member when not in use. It may also conceal the pulley and brake mechanisms.

The effect can be enhanced by concealing the connecting member, for example in trunking or behind a wall, and providing remote, for example electric, actuation of the connecting means to raise and lower the support member.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a domestic pulley device of this invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the support member of the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view showing brake means of the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the housing of the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an end section through the device of Fig. 1 in its stored position; and Fig. 6(a) and (b) are respectively a bottom plan and sectional side view of an alternative brake means to that of Fig. 3.

The pulley device of this embodiment of the invention has a housing 1 of mild steel sheet which is open at its lower face and secured on the ceiling of a room by screwing into the existing joists 2 above the ceiling. A pulley arrangement is provided within the housing 1, comprising a series of three plastics or alloy rollers 3, 4, 5 mounted rotatably on axles extending laterally of the housing and secured to the housing side walls. A pair of ropes 6, 7 pass together round the roller 3 and then round respective ones of the rollers 4, 5 and are secured to opposite end portions of a central spar 8 which forms with two side spars 9 a support member over which clothes and other articles can be draped.The spars 9 are disposed in a parallelogram arrangement with the central spar 8 and are interconnected by cross-members 10 pivotally secured at their ends to the spars 9 and at their centres to the central spar 8. Thus the spars 9 can be "folded" so as to lie alongside the central spar 8 when not in use, or opened out into the form shown in Fig. 2. The spars 8, 9 are made of plastics-coated mild steel.

Adjacent the roller 3 and below it, as shown in Fig. 3, is a brake or locking mechanism having a rigid block 1 1 with a rubber insert 12 on its inwardly-directed face, and a pivotal cam 13 mounted on an axle 14 held between the side faces of the housing 1. The cam 13 is of moulded plastics material, and is apertured through one end face 1 5 to allow passage of the ropes 6, 7. A stop member 16 causes the ropes 6, 7 to pass out of the cam 1 3 and be trapped in use between the stop member 1 6 and the rubber face 12 of the block 11. This prevents upward movement of the ropes 6, 7 and thus downward movement of the support member.

To allow the support member to be lowered the ropes 6, 7 are simply pulled slightly towards the centre of the housing 1, causing the cam 1 3 to pivot about its axle 14 in a clockwise direction (with reference to Fig. 3), taking the ropes 6, 7 out of entrapment against the block 1 1 and allowing their free movement. Re-locking of the ropes 6, 7 is by pulling them towards the block 1 1, or by simply releasing them so that their upward movement acts against the cam 13 to pivot it anticlockwise. The upward pressure of the ropes 6, 7 then presses the cam 13 anticlockwise, retrapping the ropes 6, 7 against the block 1 1.

The housing 1 has a longitudinal groove 17 along the internal face of each side wall to correspond with similar formations on the block 11 and to assist in locating the axles of the pulleys 3, 4, 5.

The device of this embodiment of the invention provides a neat and unobtrusive pulley system which when not in use retracts into the housing by means of the spars 8, 9 folding against one another. The brake mechanism is also hidden from view in the housing and provides a fail-safe lock for the device.

Referring now to Fig. 6 the alternative brake means has a rigid block 18 angled to the vertical and having a roller 1 9 with a frictional outer face bearing against it. The ropes 6, 7 pass over the roller 3 and between the roller 19 and block 18, so that if the ropes 6, 7 move quickly upwards (in response to rapid downward movement of the spar assembly) the ropes 6, 7 are jammed between the roller 19 and block 18.

Modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

1. A pulley device having a support member for supporting articles to be dried or stored, flexible connecting means from which the support member is suspended and which passes around guide means to allow raising and lowering of the support member from below the support member, and a housing for storage of the support member in its raised position, the support member comprising interconnected spars which are movable away from and towards one another between an in-use position and a stored position, and the housing being adapted to receive the support member when the spars are in their stored position.

2. A pulley device according to Claim 1, wherein the support member has a plurality of spars which are hingedly interconnected by crossmembers in a parallelogram arrangement.

3. A pulley device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein brake means for the flexible connecting means is disposed within the housing.

4. A pulley device according to Claim 3, wherein the brake means has a clamping arrangement actuable by rapid movement of the connecting means in one direction but which allows movement of the connecting means in the opposite direction.

5. A pulley device according to Claim 4, wherein the brake means has a cam which is engageable with the connecting means to clamp it against an abutment surface in the housing.

6. A pulley device according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the flexible connecting means is one or more ropes.

7. A pulley device according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the housing is disposed on a ceiling of a room.

8. A pulley device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A pulley device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings.