Patent Application
20110198308
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drying fabric, and more particularly, to a system for drying clothes and other textiles without using energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for clothes drying apparatuses have been designed in the past. None of them, however, includes a system comprising a rope assembly that prevents the unwanted movement of articles hanging on the line when used with either or both of a clip assembly and a hanger assembly.
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,174 issued to Olson. However, it differs from the present invention because the present device includes a novel hanging line that works in concert with clips and hangers designed to hang onto the line without unwanted movement from wind or other forces. The present invention also includes clips that can be affixed to a specific hanger to convert the hanger from a shirt mode to a pants mode.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.
It is one of the main objects of the present invention to provide a clothes hanger system that permits the hanging of multiple textile articles while preventing them from moving along the length of the line.
It is another object of this invention to provide a laundry hanger combination that can dry clothes effectively without the use of any electricity or other forms of energy.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a laundry hanger system that prevents the hanging items from bunching on the line thereby increasing airflow and decreasing dry time.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a set of laundry hanging devices that can be combined to specifically accommodate the drying of both shirts and pants.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a device that is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain while retaining its effectiveness.
Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.
With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to the drawings, where the present invention is generally referred to with numeral 10, it can be observed that it basically includes a rope assembly 12, a pair of lines 14, a multiplicity of stretchers 16, a hanger 18, a hanger assembly 20, a clip assembly 22 and a combination assembly 34.
The line assembly 12, in a preferred variation, is comprised of a pair of parallel lines 14 that are connected together by periodic sets of stretchers 16. The stretchers 16 are generally perpendicular to the axis of the lines 14 and other variations are contemplated such as alternating complementary angles or other aesthetically pleasing pattern. Said sets of stretchers 16 may be comprised of between two and ten perpendicular stretchers 16. Alternatively there may be stretchers 16 uniformly spaced throughout the entire length of the rope assembly 12.
Between each two adjacent stretchers 16 is a gap dimensioned to accept a common household hanger 18, a hanger assembly 20 or a clip assembly 22. In practice said gap could typically range from about five millimeters to about twenty millimeters but other values could be equally effective in their purpose. Likewise said sets of stretchers 16 could be separated from the adjacent set of stretchers 16 by five to thirty centimeters but other values could be equally effective in their purpose.
In typical use of the present invention a hanger 18, hanger assembly 20 or clip assembly 22 is passed between two adjacent stretchers 16 so that said hanger 18, hanger assembly 20 or clip assembly 22 cannot slide along the length of the line 14. For example, if a wind is imparted onto the garments hanging on the invention or if the weight carried on the length of the rope assembly 12 causes the lines 14 to sag the hanger 18, hanger assembly 20 or clip assembly 22 will not slide and bunch up thereby permitting continued air flow through the garments and speeding up the drying time of wet garments.
In typical use of the clothes hanger system the rope assembly 12 is strung between two supports to elevate the rope assembly sufficiently off the ground or other obstructions so that any textiles hanging on the clothes hanger system do not make contact with any other object. Said supports could be a wall, pole, tree or other suitable means to anchor each end of the line assembly 12. Further examples of rope assembly 12 support is below in the discussion on
Now referring to
The hanger assembly 20 includes a hook 24 dimensioned to engage between a pair of stretchers 16 and therefore be supported by the rope assembly 12. By hooking the hook 24 between a pair of stretchers 16 the hanger assembly 20 will not be able to slide along the rope assembly 12 and any articles hanging on the hanger assembly will not bunch up and will dry more effectively.
The pair of spreaders 28 are connected to each other by a series of a predetermined number of stretchers 32 resulting in a rigid and durable structure onto which textile articles may be supported. The hook 24 is connected to the spreaders 28 by a neck 26. Shoulders 30 are provided at both ends of the spreaders 28 to provide a soft curve that could, for example, be used to avoid creasing a shirt or other garment hung on the hanger assembly 20.
The nature of most common laundry lines is that they are made of non-rigid material, such as rope, and thus sag in the middle when spanning a distance. Generally, when the hanger assembly 20 is hanging on the line assembly 12 it is biased toward the perpendicular to the line assembly 12 due to the hook 24 being formed substantially parallel to the spreaders 28. In other words, the present invention allows textile articles to hang leafed together like as they would if on common wire hangers on a common rigid closet hanger rod contrasted to if those same textile articles were directly draped over the same common closet hanger rod. This allows for much more to hung onto a given length of rope assembly 12, without bunching, than would be otherwise be possible.
Still referring to
In one preferred variation the hanger assembly 20 is constructed of a plastic polymer. However, as can easily be appreciated other materials such as metal or other synthetic composition could be equally effective, durable and cheap to manufacture.
It can also be appreciated that other designs of hangers might also be employed with the present clothes hanger system that may not be as effective and adaptable as the design disclosed but may also be suitable for some limited applications. An example of an alternate may be such as the common hanger 18 shown and demonstrated in
Referring now to
The clip assembly 22 is designed to securely hold a textile article in the mouth 38 on one end and hang onto either a hanger assembly 20 or a rope assembly 12 with the hook 36. In typical use, an article could be held with multiple clip assemblies 22 onto multiple points on the line assembly 12. Preferably the mouth 38 of the clip assembly 22 is biased closed with a spring (not shown).
Alternately, as shown in
While hanging between two points of support the rope assembly 12 experiences tension forces which are primarily borne by the pair of parallel lines 14. This tension force is increased with the more weight that is hung onto the line assembly 12. The stretchers 16 also perform the important function of transferring and balancing the tension between the lines 14 so that the pair of lines 14 share the tension. Also, if one line 14 of the pair should fail then the other line 14 remaining in tact could support the entire weight imparted onto the rope assembly 12.
Preferably the stretchers 16 and lines 14 are made of a material that is both flexible and durable. The lines 14 and stretchers 16 could be made of the same material or complementary materials. For versions of the device that may be used out doors or in less than ideal conditions the stretchers and lines 14 may be ultra-violet stabilized and mildew and rot resistant. It has been contemplated to construct the stretchers 16 and lines 14 from braided or twisted polymer, natural fiber, metal cable or combinations of the preceding but any material that is flexible and durable could potentially be used.
Now referring to
An advantage of including gaps between groups of stretchers 16 is that these gaps may be used as an anchor point to secure over a hook 42. It has been found particularly effective to double loop the line assembly 12 over a hook 42 through two adjacent gaps separated by a set of stretchers 16 as shown in
A preferred variation of the invention may be described as a clothes hanger system comprising a rope assembly and hanger accessories; said rope assembly further comprised of a first line and a second line; said first line and second line are substantially parallel; said first line and said second line are joined by multiple stretchers; said stretchers are present in periodic sets of stretchers; each set of stretchers having a predetermined number of individual stretchers; the individual stretchers in any set of stretchers are spaced evenly; a predetermined gap is present between said sets of stretchers; said stretchers are each connected at a first end to said first line; said stretchers are connected on a second end to said second line; said stretchers intersect said lines substantially perpendicularly creating a series of voids bounded by any two adjacent stretchers and the first line and second line; said voids dimensioned to accept any of said hanger accessories; said hanger accessories include any of a common household clothes hanger, a hanger assembly or a clip assembly; said clip assembly having a hook on a first end dimensioned to be inserted into any of said voids on the rope assembly and a clip on a second end; said hanger assembly having on a first end a hook dimensioned to be inserted into any of said voids and having on a second end spreader assembly comprised of a pair of parallel spreaders intersected and joined together by a predetermined number of stretchers spaced sufficiently apart to form voids bounded by any two adjacent stretchers and both spreaders and dimensioned to accept the hook of any of said hanger accessories.
In a variation, the invention can be further characterized in that said voids on the rope assembly are dimensioned the same as the voids on the hanger assembly.
In another variation, the device may be further characterized in that each of said sets of stretchers on the rope assembly are comprised of between two and ten individual stretchers.
In yet another variation, the invention may be further characterized in that said sets of stretchers on the line assembly are spaced apart equidistant to the space between stretchers in any set so that there are equally spaced stretchers throughout the length of the line assembly.
The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.
