Holder

Abstract

A holder is provided for holding one or more articles, such as a hairdryer. The holder can include a body and at least one member protruding outwardly therefrom. At least part of the member can be flexible which allows the member to be flexed around a part or parts of the hairdryer, to hold the hairdryer in a required position in said holder when said hairdryer is in and/or out of use.

Description

This invention relates to a holder.

It is known to provide holders for maintaining an article or articles in a particular position for storage purposes when the article is not in use, or to allow easy access to the article when the article is in use. Conventional holders are typically provided for holding a pre-determined article in position. For example, a glass holder in a bathroom typically comprises an annular member for location of a glass of pre-determined dimensions therein, the annular member being mounted on a wall by means of a fixing bracket.

Problems associated with conventional holders is that the use of the holder is restricted to the article for which the holder was designed. Thus, for example if the glass was broken in the case of the bathroom glass holder, a replacement glass of similar dimensions as the broken glass would need to be found. This is often difficult to do, thereby making the holder redundant. If a number of articles of different dimensions need to be held in a required position, each article typically requires its own holder of the required dimensions. This can be both expensive and provides a cluttered appearance to an area in which the holders are located, particularly if the holders are not in regular use. In addition, conventional holders are typically permanently mounted at a particular location in a premises, such that if the user moves from the locality of the holder to use the article, the user will not be able to easily move the holder to the new site of use.

Furthermore, conventional holders are typically designed to hold the article in a position during storage but the article cannot be used when in this stored position. For example, electrical appliances can be located on hooks during storage but the appliances are not operable in this position due to safety factors and lack of manipulability.

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an improved holder which overcomes the abovementioned problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a holder, said holder including a body portion and at least one member protruding outwardly therefrom and wherein at least a part of said member is flexible which allows the member to be flexed around one or more articles, to hold said articles in a required position by said holder.

Preferably the member(s) is formed such that it can be easily flexed (i.e., moulded, moved and/or bent) in a required shape to hold one or more articles in a required position, but is preferably sufficiently rigid such that the member remains in the moulded/bent position until it is remoulded to release the held/clamped article(s) or to hold/clamp a new or further article.

The one or more articles can sit on or between a plurality of members when held in the holder and can be removed therefrom without manipulation of the members. Alternatively, the members are required to be flexed and moved to release the article being held therefrom.

In one embodiment substantially all the member is flexible.

In an alternative embodiment one or more of the members comprise a rigid portion and a flexible portion. The flexible portion can be provided at the end or ends of the member or at any point or points along the length thereof. The flexible portion allows the one or more members to be flexed around one or more articles.

Preferably the member is elongate in length, the length of the member being variable depending on the size of the article(s) for which it is to be used to hold.

Preferably each member has at least one free end and the free ends allow manipulation of the members between holding and non-holding positions.

In one embodiment the one or more members have at least two ends, a first end attached to or forming part of the body and a second free end. In one embodiment the one or more members engage together to form the body at a point between their free ends.

In one embodiment the member can be provided with more than two ends, i.e., a single end can be forked to provide, in effect, two free ends.

Preferably the free ends of the members are provided with any or any combination of a knob, stud, feet and/or the like. These act to protect the user from injuring themselves on the free ends of the member, and secure the article in place. These can also protect the surface and provide grip with the surface.

In one embodiment one member is provided having at least two free ends, the free ends can be manipulated to clamp one or more articles therebetween. The member is typically engaged to or forms part of the body along a substantially central portion of its length. Alternatively the member can be engaged to the body at a point along the length of the member nearer to one free end than to the other(s). Thus the holder has top and bottom member portions which are of different lengths on either side of the body.

In a further embodiment two members are provided.

In a yet further embodiment three members are provided.

In one embodiment the one or more members are provided with cover means. The cover means protect the members from damage and provide an improved aesthetic effect. The cover means can include any or any combination of a plastic cover, rubber cover, chrome cover, resin based cover, fabric cover or paint based cover.

The members can be provided with slip resistant means thereon (i.e., friction providing means) to prevent a clamped article being held in the holder from slipping through the members. The slip resistant means can include any or any combination of indents, grooves, protrusions, a granular material, studs and/or the like.

Preferably the slip resistant means, if provided, are formed as part of the cover means.

The members can be permanently attached to the body portion, or indeed portions of the members are joined together to form the body portion.

In one embodiment the members are detachedly attached to the body.

In one embodiment the members can be attached to the body via any or any combination of screw threads, friction engagement, welding, adhesive, nuts and bolts, screws and/or the like.

In one embodiment the holder has fixing means for securing the same to a wall or other surface.

Fixing means, if required, can include any or any combination of a clip, clamp, nut and bolt, screw, adhesive, hook and/or the like.

In an alternative embodiment the holder is locatable on a surface and capable of free standing thereon.

Preferably the holder is supported by one or more members in the free standing position. Preferably at least two or more members are provided to support the holder in use.

The members which support the holder in position can be in addition to the members holding the one or more article in position, or alternatively can be portions of the same members supported by the body portion.

The members supporting the holder in use protrude from the base of the body and the article holding members protrude from a top or side wall of the body.

In one embodiment the body is a suitably shaped component made from wood, metal, rubber or plastic. In an alternative embodiment the body is formed from part of each of the members themselves, said parts joined together to form the body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrical article holder, said holder having at least one member protruding outwardly therefrom and wherein at least part of said member is flexible to allow the member to be flexed around a part or parts of the electrical article, to hold said article in a required position in said holder when said article is in and/or out of use.

Typically the electrical article is a hairdryer.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a holder, said holder having a plurality of elongate members protruding outwardly therefrom, the members provided in a position to support one or more articles, and hold the articles in a required position in said holder.

The advantages of the present invention are that the holder can be fixed or free standing and can be easily dismantled for storing and/or transporting the same. The flexibility of the members allows the holder to accommodate a variety of different sized and shaped articles. In addition, the members allow the position of the article within the holder to be changed, thereby allowing the article to be used when in the holder. For example, it is often the case that when a person is drying their hair they require both hands to be free. The holder of the present invention allows the hairdryer to be angled in a required position for the hot air flow to be directed onto the hair whilst allowing the user to have both hands free for styling the hair. The holder can be formed from or covered with electrical insulating material, such as plastic, for safety reasons. By maintaining the hairdryer or other electrical appliance in the holder, this prevents the risk of placing the appliance near water, i.e., in a puddle of water in a bathroom on a work surface, thereby increasing the safety of the device.

Furthermore, the holder allows air to flow around the article held by the holder and especially if the article is electrical, this allows the article to be cooled by the air flow.

The holder of the present invention is especially adapted for holding small light weight articles but the invention is not limited to such use. For example, the article can hold a phone, book, kitchen appliance or utensil and/or the like. The flexibility of the members of the holder allows the holder and the articles to be angled according to the required use.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures wherein:

FIGS. 1-6 show views of a holder according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7 a,b-13 show a holder according to further embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 14-17 show a holder according to a yet further embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 18-21 show a holder according to different embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 22-25 show alternative features of the present invention;

FIGS. 26-32 show a clamping device with the holder according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 33 shows a clip device with the holder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring firstly to FIGS. 1-6, there is illustrated a holder 2 comprising a body 4 and two members 6 and 8 attached to the body. The members 6, 8 are elongate in length and made from flexible material so as to allow the same to be manipulated Studs 10, 12 are located at the free ends 14, 16 of the members 6, 8.

The studs 10, 12 are typically made from rubber, foam or plastic to prevent a person injuring themselves on the ends. In addition, they allow a user to easily grip the members to manipulate them into a clamping position for clamping an article, such as a hairdryer 18, shown by broken lines in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. The flexible material from which the members 6, 8 are made allow them to be moulded around the article to be clamped. The members can enclose a part of the circumference of the article or can enclose substantially the entire circumference of the article.

In this embodiment the body 4 is mounted on a wall surface by screws (not shown). A screw aperture 20 is provided in the front surface of the body 4 for location of a screw therethrough.

A similar embodiment is shown in FIGS. 14-17 but in the embodiment the members are substantially rigid.

Referring to FIGS. 7-13, there is illustrated a holder 102 according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Holder 102 is free standing by means of three members 104, 106, 108. These members are attached to a base of body 110. A further three members 112, 114, 116 are located above the body and are engaged in a similar manner to a top surface of the body. Studs 118 are provided on the free ends of members 104, 106, 108, 112, 114 and 116 to protect same. As an alternative the members 104, 112 are parts of the same elongate member with the intermediate portion of the same located in, or forming, part of the body 110. This can be repeated for 106, 114 and 108, 116 respectively and the description herein is applicable to both embodiments.

The studs 118 on members 104, 106 and 108 help to support the holder in position on a surface and limit vibration of the holder when in use, i.e., when a hairdryer is being used in the holder.

All the members 104, 106, 108, 112, 114 and 116 are in this case flexible. This allows the members 104, 106 and 108 to be manipulated and bent to provide a base in the form of a tripod, as shown in FIG. 8, and members 112, 114 and 116 to be manipulated to form a holding arrangement for an article, such as the hairdryer 120.

The flexibility of the members also allows the holder to be moved between a storage position, wherein the flexible members are typically substantially straight, adjacent each other and a minimal volume of space is taken up therewith, as shown in FIG. 7, and an in use position, wherein the members are moved to locations a spaced distance apart sufficient to perform the function of the holder and typically take up a greater volume of space than the storage position. Thus the holder of the present invention is portable and easily stored, thereby providing a significant advantage over prior art devices.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the holder of the present invention can include any combination of features from any of the above described embodiments. For example, the holder can include any number of members sufficient to hold one or more articles or can include both flexible and rigid members.

FIGS. 18-21 illustrate a similar embodiment to FIGS. 7-13 but the members are substantially rigid.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example of a holder 402 wherein four members 404 are provided to clamp two articles in the form of a hairdryer 406 and brush 408. The three members 410 provide sufficient support to form a stable structure and they can be adjusted by manipulating and flexing the same to ensure the holder does not become out of balance and topple over. It will be appreciated that a greater number of arm members can be provided to extend above the body 412 compared to below the body and vice versa.

FIG. 22 shows a further embodiment of the present invention wherein members 302, 304, 305 extend through the body 306 (as shown by broken lines), rather than comprising three separate members above and below the body. Channels are typically provided through the body 306 to allow the members to be located therethrough, or indeed form the body. The members can be held in position within the body by friction or can be clamped in position by means of adhesive, nut and bolt, screw and/or similar. A single member can be provided attached to the body in this manner in the simplest form of the present invention when the body is secured to a wall or other surface. This single member provides two free ends for moulding around an article to be held.

In one embodiment, if required, the holder of the present invention can be dismantled when not in use and reassembled when required. FIG. 24 illustrates an example of how the members 502 can be joined to the body 504 by means of screw threaded sections 506 on the ends 508. These screw threaded sections 506 can be located in complementary threaded apertures 510 in body 504. The apertures 510 can pass through the length of the body. This allows a member to be threaded therethrough and removable therefrom. In this manner, the holder of the present invention can be dismantled, thereby further reducing the space/volume taken up by the holder when in a storage condition. This allows the holder to be easily taken on holiday with a user, located in a handbag and/or the like.

The members are typically provided with slip resistant means thereon. FIG. 25 illustrates a member 512 which is provided with grooves 514 thereon to offer a degree of friction between the member and an article around which the member is flexed/moulded when in a clamping position. Other materials can be used to provide slip resistance to the members. For example, the member can be coated in a resin containing a granular material, such as sand, or provided with a rough finish which provides sufficient slip resistance to the without risking damage to the article being clamped therein.

An end of the member 512 is detachedly attached in aperture 516 in stud 518. The stud 518 can be maintained in position by adhesive, screw thread arrangement or by providing a friction fit.

The holder and members can be provided in any length and shape, but the members are typically cylindrical in shape. The entire length of the member can be made from flexible material or a portion of the member can be made from flexible material. The material from which the flexible part of the member is formed can be rubber, metal, plastic and/or similar. The rigid material from which the rigid part of the can be formed can include metal, plastic wood, rubber and/or similar. In addition, the members can be covered in a plastic coating, fabric, chrome or paint to provide an aesthetic finish and also to prevent rusting or damage to the members or articles held by the members.

The holder in FIGS. 1-6 or 14-17 can be secured to a wall, shelf, work surface, object, other surface by means of a clamping device 602, as shown in FIGS. 26-32, or a clip device 616 as shown in FIG. 33. In these embodiments the body of the holder can form part of the clip or clamp devices 616, 602. Alternatively the body can be attached to the clip or clamp via an attachment pole 618 in FIG. 33, or location apertures 610 on an interior surface 614 or an exterior surface 612 of the clamp, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32. The members 604 can be either substantially rigid and/or flexible and a hairdryer 606 can be located therewith. Thus these embodiments allows the holder to be portable and easily attached/detached from any location and moved to a new location.

Thus it can be seen that the present invention provides a holder which can either be easily dismantled and stored or can be a permanent fixture. The holder can be easily flexed to range taking and accommodate any sized article or articles, thereby greatly increasing the use and versatility of the same.

Claims

1. A holder, said holder including a body portion and at least one member protruding outwardly therefrom and wherein at least part of said member is flexible which allows the member to be flexed around one or more articles, to hold said articles in a required position by said holder.

2. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the members are sufficiently flexible to be flexed around one or more articles to provide a holding position and are sufficiently rigid such that the members remain in the holding position until the one or more articles are removed or the members are moved by manipulation.

3. A holder according to claim 1 wherein one or more of said members includes a rigid portion and a flexible portion, the flexible portion allowing the member to be flexed around one or more articles.

4. A holder according to claim 1 wherein substantially all of one or more of the members are formed from the flexible material.

5. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the members are elongate.

6. A holder according to claim 1 wherein each member has at least two ends, a first end attached to the body and a second, free, end.

7. A holder according to claim 1 wherein one or more members have at least two free ends, the members attached to the body portion at a point between their free ends.

8. A holder according to claim 1 wherein one or more of the said members are attached and held together at a location by the body portion of the holder.

9. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the body portion of the holder is rigid providing support for and holding of the said members.

10. A holder according to claim 8 wherein one or more of the said members are attached and held together at an intermediate point such that the holder has member portions protruding from opposing ends of the body.

11. A holder according to claim 1 wherein two or more members are provided.

12. A holder according to claim 1 wherein one or more of said members are provided with a cover means including any or any combination of a plastic cover, a rubber cover, a chrome finish, resin based cover, fabric cover, a paint based cover or slip resistant cover.

13. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the members are attached to the body via any or any combination of screw threads, friction engagement, welding adhesive, nut and bolts or screws.

14. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the body has a fixing means that includes any or any combination of a clip, clamp, nut and bolt, screw, adhesive or hook for securing the body to a wall, floor, shelf or other surface.

15. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder is locatable on a surface and is capable of free standing thereon.

16. A holder according to claim 15 wherein the members supporting the holder in a free standing position are in addition to the one or more members for holding one or more articles in a required position.

17. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder is movable between an in use position, wherein the members and body are positioned in such a manner as to take up a large volume of space and an out of use position, wherein the members are in line with the body taking up a smaller volume of space.

18. An electrical article holder, said article holder having at least one member protruding outwardly therefrom and wherein at least part of said member is flexible to allow the member to be flexed around part or parts of the article, to hold article in a required position in said holder when said article is in and/or out of use.

19. A holder, said holder having a plurality of elongate members protruding outwardly therefrom, the members positioned to support one or more articles and hold articles in a required position in said holder.