Patent Application
20080185358
This invention relates to expandable drying racks.
An expandable drying rack is disclosed herein. The details of the invention are set forth below in connection with the detailed description of the embodiments.
A better understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed descriptions and accompanying drawings, which set forth illustrative embodiments that are indicative of the various ways in which the principals of the invention may be employed.
Turning now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, there is illustrated in
As depicted, assembly 20 comprises a pair of side assemblies, 21 and 121, attached by a plurality of cross bars 24. Side assembly 21 is comprised of a series of x-shaped subassemblies 30, 40 and 50, while side assembly 121 is comprised of a series of corresponding x-shaped subassemblies 130, 140 and 150. Because the subassemblies 30, 40 and 50 are identical to subassemblies 130, 140 and 150, only subassemblies 30, 40 and 50 will be described in detail herein. Hence, the description of subassemblies 30, 40 and 50 will apply to subassemblies 130, 140 and 150. It will be appreciated by those in the art that, while the embodiment depicted in
In the depicted embodiment, subassembly 30 is comprised of first member 31 and second member 32. First member 31 has first end 35 and second end 37, while second member 32 has first end 36 and second end 38. As shown, first ends 35 and 36 form subassembly first end 30A, while second ends 37 and 38 form subassembly second end 30B. First member 31 and second member 32 are rotatably joined at pivot point 33, which, in the depicted embodiment, is located at the approximate midpoint of both first member 31 and second member 32. It will be appreciated that the depicted location of pivot point 33 is exemplary and not limiting.
Subassembly 40 is comprised of a structure that is similar to subassembly 30. Subassembly 40 comprises first member 41 and second member 42. First member 41 has first end 45 and second end 47, while second member 42 has first end 46 and second end 48. As shown, first ends 45 and 46 form subassembly first end 40A, while second ends 47 and 48 form subassembly second end 40B. First member 41 and second member 42 are rotatably joined at pivot point 43, which, in the depicted embodiment, is located at the approximate midpoint of both first member 41 and second member 42. It will be appreciated that the depicted location of pivot point 43 is exemplary and not limiting.
Subassembly second end 30B may be pivotally attached to subassembly first end 40A. Specifically, first member 31 of subassembly 30 is pivotably engaged to second member 42 of subassembly 40. Similarly, second member 32 of subassembly 30 is rotatably engaged to first member 41 of subassembly 40. In this manner, rotation of first member 31 and second member 32 about pivot point 33 will cause first member 41 and second member 42 to rotate about pivot point 43.
As seen, the structure of subassembly 50 may be similar to both subassemblies 30 and 40. As depicted, subassembly 50 comprises first member 51 and second member 52. First member 51 has first end 55 and second end 57, while second member 52 has first end 56 and second end 58. As shown, first ends 55 and 56 form subassembly first end 50A, while second ends 57 and 58 form subassembly second end 50B. First member 51 and second member 52 are rotatably joined at pivot point 53, which, in the depicted embodiment, is located at the approximate midpoint of both first member 51 and second member 52. It will be appreciated that the depicted location of pivot point 53 is exemplary and not limiting.
As shown, subassembly second end 40B is pivotably attached to subassembly first end 50A. Specifically, first member 41 of subassembly 40 is pivotably engaged to second member 52 of subassembly 50. Similarly, second member 42 of subassembly 40 is rotatably engaged to first member 51 of subassembly 50. In this manner, rotation of first member 41 and second member 42 about pivot point 43, or the rotation of first member 31 and second member 32 about pivot point 33, will cause first member 51 and second member 52 to rotate about pivot point 53.
In an expanding grille-type structure, the individual sub-assemblies are connected at two connection points, such as the point where first member 31 is connected to second member 42, and the point where second member 32 is connected to first member 41. As is known in the art, in an expanding grille-type structure, such as assembly 20, the distance between these connection points will increase as the structure is collapsed. Conversely, the distance between these connection points will decrease as the structure is expanded. To accommodate this increase and decrease in distances, assembly 20 is slidably engaged to both first frame member 12 and second frame member 14.
Specifically, assembly 20 is attached to frame member 12 through subassembly first end 30A. As depicted, first end 36 of second member 32 is pivotally engaged to frame member 12. First end 136 of second member 132 is also pivotally engaged to frame member 12. First end 35 of first member 31 is slidably engaged to frame member 12 through sliding assembly 60. Likewise, first end 135 of first member 131 is slidably engaged to frame member 12 through sliding assembly 160. Sliding assembly 60 comprises housing 62 attached to frame member 12. Housing member 62 comprises groove 64 (not shown), to which first end 35 is slidably engaged. It will be appreciated by those in the art that there are numerous ways to slidably engage first end 35 with groove 64, all of which are covered by the scope of the present invention. Sliding assembly 60 is identical to sliding assembly 160, and therefore, it will be appreciated by those in the art that the description of sliding assembly 60 will apply to sliding assembly 160. It will also be appreciated by those in the art that the scope of the present invention includes an embodiment in which first ends 35 and 135 are pivotally attached to frame member 12, while first ends 36 and 136 are slidably attached to frame member 12 through sliding assemblies similar to assemblies 60 and 160. The scope of the present invention also includes an embodiment where each of first ends 35, 135, 36 and 136 are slidably attached to frame member 12 through sliding assemblies similar to assemblies 60 and 160.
Assembly 20 is also attached to frame member 14 through subassembly second end 50B. Specifically, second end 57 of first member 51 is pivotally engaged to frame member 14. First end 157 of first member 151 is also pivotally engaged to frame member 14. Second end 58 of second member 52 is slidably engaged to frame member 14 through sliding assembly 80. Likewise, second end 158 of second member 152 is slidably engaged to frame member 14 through sliding assembly 180. Sliding assemblies 80 and 180 may be identical to sliding assembly 60, and need not be described in detail. It will be appreciated by those in the art that the scope of the present invention includes an embodiment in which second ends 58 and 158 are pivotally attached to frame member 14, while second ends 57 and 157 are slidably attached to frame member 14 through sliding assemblies similar to assemblies 80 and 180. The scope of the present invention also includes an embodiment where each of second ends 57, 157, 58 and 158 are slidably attached to frame member 14 through sliding assemblies similar to assemblies 80 and 180.
As seen in
To aid in the expansion and contraction of expandable drying rack 10, castor wheels 70 are engaged to frame member 12 at bottom end 13 thereof. Castor wheels, such as castor wheels 70, are well known in the art, and will only be generally described herein. Each castor wheel 70 is capable of rotating 360° in a plane perpendicular to the axis of frame member 12. To keep expandable drying rack 10 from involuntarily contracting, each castor wheel 70 can also be braked through known means. It will be appreciated by those in the art that the description of castor wheels 70 is exemplary, and is by no means meant to be limiting. For example, castor wheels 70 need not be capable of rotating in a plane perpendicular to the axis of frame member 12. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the use of castor wheels, but includes any means to ease the expansion and contraction of expandable drying rack 10, such as sliders, pads, etc.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalent thereof.
