US2951591A - Clothes drying rack - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 6, 1960 J. P. LA FURGE 2,951,591

CLOTHES DRYING RACK Filed Dec. 13, 1956 INVENTOR JAMES PHILIP LA FURGE U te a e aren't 9 "7 cc 2,951,591 CLOTHES DRYING RACK James Philip La Furge, 21' Grigg St., Greenwich, Conn.

Filed Dec. 13, 1956, Ser. No. 628,125

3 Claims. (Cl. 2115.3)

This invention relates to a clothes drying rack and more particularly to a rack or hanger for suspending and drying articles of clothing indoors. The present device is especially suitable for use over bath tubs with or without showers, andin stall showers.

, Because many hotel and apartment dwellers have no facilities for indoor drying of washed garments the present device was designed to permit a great number of garments, such as hosiery and lingerie, to be suspended therefrom over a bath tub or shower. Thus, the water dripping from the clothing will not accumulate on the floor but will be conducted down the bath tub or shower drain. In addition, if it becomes necessary to shield the clothes from the view of guests, the shower curtains may be drawn and closed. In this age of drip-dry clothes,

the use of the' present drying rack is of utmost importance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible and extensible clothes drying rack which is supported firmly from the opposite walls of a bathtub enclosure or a stall shower.

\ Another object of the present invention is to provide a construction which enables the rack or hanger to be more firmly held against opposite walls as the weight of the load on the rack increases. i

- A further object of the present invention is the provisiOnof an inexpensive, collapsible and portable clothes 1" drying rack which is reliably effective for the purposes intended and which folds into a neat, unobtrusive assembly for storage purposes.

The above and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a clothes drying rack embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of an alternative modification of my clothes drying rack in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of one end of the rack constructed in accordance with Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a partial elevation view of the rear of my clothes drying rack in the area of the hinge and constructed in accordance with Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 wherein is shown a garment drying rack embodying my present invention comprising a supporting frame referred to generally by the numeral 10 and constituted of a suitable material such as plastic, wood or metal. Frame 10 is made up of a plurality of sections, for example those bearing the reference numerals 12, 14 and 16. Sections 12 and 14 are hinged together at 17 by means of screws 11, whereas section 14 and 16 are removably secured together by means of bolt 18 and wing nut 20. Bolt 18 passes through aperlure 22 in section 14 and elongated cut-out 24 in section 16. Cut-out 24 has a series of upwardly extending locking grooves 26 in which bolt 18 may be selectively inserted. Thus, the total length of the garment drying rack may be adjusted depending upon the distance between the walls to be spanned. The aforesaid is accomplished by merely loosening wing nut 20 and moving the bolt 18 to the proper locking groove 26 and thereafter tightening up on the ring nut 20. It should be noted that instead of bolt 18 and wing nut 20 a loose-fitting doubleheaded rivet may be used effectively as a means for securing sections 14 and 16 together.

The free end of section 12 is bifurated forming legs 28 and 30. A pivot pin 32 is secured in both legs 28 and 30 and mounts an end part of gripper plate 34 having a frictional surface 36 by passing through a hole 33 in the gripper plate 34. In the .top surface of gripper plate 34 is an identation 37 into which is adapted to be inserted a projection 38 which is preferably integral with leg 28. Similarly, the free end of section 16 is bifurcated forminglegs 40 and 42. A pivot pin 44 is fixed in both legs 40 and 42 and mounts an end part or gripper plate 46 having a frictional surface 48. In the top surface of gripper plate 46 is an indentation 50 into which is adapted to be inserted a projection 52 which is preferably integral with leg 40. Sections 12 and 14 are provided with a multiplicity of notches 54 in which clothes hangers or garments may be suspended. In Fig. 5 the rear elevation of the section in the area of hinge 17 is illustrated in which is shown a hook 56 pivotally connected at 57 to section 12 and adapted to be secured to a large-headed stud 58. This arrangement prevents collapse of the adjoining sections 12 and 14 after the rack is installed. In addition, a spring 60 is fixed, to section 14 and has a projection 62 extending in a direction substantially transverse to the plane of the main portion of spring 60. Projection 62 prevents the collapse of the clothes drying rack in the event the rack is given a blow in the upward direction previousto the application of weight to the clothes drying rack by the hanging of garments thereon.

-erably of aluminum tubing is utilized. Notches or grooves 66 are made in the support 64 for suspension of hangers, clothes or the like connected to each end of support are gripping tubes 63. This construction is particularly suitable for hotels and motels where a lengthy, not easily concealed device will be less likely to be misappropriated or stolen from the premises.

The installation of my device is as follows: the entire clothes drying rack is for example supported by the opposite walls over a tub or shower. In this respect, the overall length of the rack is adjusted until it is slightly larger than the distance between the walls. Thereafter, the rack is tilted at a slight angle in order to place the gripper plates 34 and 46 in frictional engagement with the walls. Spring 60 prevents premature collapse of the rack. As weight is applied to the rack in the form of wet garments hung thereon the gripper plates 34 and 46 hold the rack in even firmer engagement with the walls so there is no chance for the rack to slip or fall from its initial position. In addition, the shower curtain may be drawn to obscure the sight of drying clothes from guests using the bathroom. The clothes drying rack illustrated in Fig. 1 may be folded and telescoped to form a compact unit that may be easily stored, or carried in a suitcase when traveling. To achieve this result, sections 12 and 14 are hinged and section 16 is slidable. Moreover, gripper plates 34 and 46 are pivotable into a position substantially parallel to the sections 12, 14 and 16.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described and that in the illustrated embodiment certain aha-a es in the details of construction and in the airahgeihnt of parts may be made Wfthdl'l'f departing from the underlying idea "of principle 'of the ill- Vention within the scope "or the appended claims.

I claim: I p p 1. A clothes rack of the class described comprising at least three sections including a first section having a first part secured to the free end of said first section and positioned substantially transverse thereto, an intermediate section, hinge means 'con'nee'tin'g said first section with said intermediate sec'ti'on whereby said first section is adapted to fold in side-by-side relationship with said intermediate section, a third section having a slot therein with a plurality of upwardly extending locking grooves, means 'slidable in said slot and positioned in one of said locking grooves and pivotally connecting said intermediate section at a preselected position to said third section, said third section being folded in side-'by-side relationship with said intermediate section on the side opposite to the side adjacent to which said first section is folded, and a second part secured to the free end of the third section and substantially transverse thereto, the total length of said clothes rack when extended to operating position being slightly in excess of the distance between the'two opposite walls that are to be spanned by said clothes rack and engaged by said first and second parts respectively.

2. A clothes rack of the class described comprising at least three sections including a first section having a part pivotally secured to the free end of said first section and positioned substantially transverse thereto, an intermediate seet'ion eonnected to said first section whereby said first sectien is adapted to fold in side-by-side relationship with said intermediate member, a third section, said third section being provided with a plurality of apertures there- 'in, means pivotally connecting said intermediate section to said third section at a preselected aperture therein, said third section being foldable in side-by-side relationship with said intermediate section on the side opposite to the side adjacent to which said first section is folded, a second part pivotally secured to the free end of the third section and substantially transverse thereto, the total length of said clothes rack when extended to operating position being slightly in excess of the distance between the two opposite walls that are to be spanned by said clothes rack and engaged by said first and second parts respectively, and a spring member secured to said intermediate section and engaging a top surface of said intermediate section and third section whereby premature collapse of the extended clothes rack before articles are hung thereon is prevented.

3. A clothes rack of the class described comprising at least three sections, a first section having a bifurcated free end and a first part pivotally secured between the legs of said free end of said first section and positioned substantially transverse thereto and rotatable in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said first section, an intermediate section hinged to said first section, a third section, said third section being provided with a pluralityof aperturestherein and having -a bifurcated free end,*means pivotally'connecting said intermediate 'section to said third section at a preselected aperture therein, and a second part pivotally secured between the legs of said free end of the third section and substantially transverse thereto and rotatable in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of 'sa-id first section, the total length "of said clothes rack when extended to operating position being slightly in excess of the distance between the two opposite walls that are to be spanned by said clothes rack and engaged by said first and secondparts respectively,

all of said sectionshaving a plurality of grooves "on the a top surface thereof for the sup ort o fgarrnen't's suspended from said clothes rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 527,273 Fowler et a1. c. Oct. 9, 1894 1,756,716 Whitney Apr. '29, 1930 1,793,036 Whitney Feb. 17, 1931 2,066,623 Hatch Jan. 5, 1937 2,438,886 Belmont Apr. 6, 1948 2,500,423 Martin Mar. 14, 1950 2,522,174 Hermsmeyer Sept. 12, 19-50 2,616,569 Akers a Nov. "4, 1952 2,623,435

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