Patent Application
20080178499
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an ironing board assembly which is mountable to a door.
II. Descriptive of Material Art
Ironing boards have long been used for ironing clothes. While many of the previously known ironing boards are self supporting, a number of the previously known ironing boards are mounted to one side of a door. These door mounted ironing boards, furthermore, are typically pivotally mounted to the door between a first or operational position in which the ironing board extends laterally outwardly from the door and in a generally horizontal plane, and a second or storage position in which the ironing board extends vertically and closely adjacent the door.
These previously known door mounted ironing boards, however, have not proven wholly satisfactory in operation. One disadvantage of these previously known door mounted ironing boards is that they were relatively difficult to pivot between the first or operational position and the second or storage position.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known door mounted ironing boards is that such ironing board assemblies fail to include appropriate latches for locking the ironing board in both the first and second position. As such, these previously known ironing board assemblies were somewhat unstable in use.
A still further disadvantage of the previously known ironing boards is that such ironing boards were unable to accommodate doors of different heights and widths. As such, it was oftentimes necessary to purchase different ironing board assemblies for doors having different heights.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known ironing boards is that, when collapsed to their storage position, the bottom of the ironing board faced outwardly from the door. As such, it presented an unsightly appearance.
The present invention provides an ironing board assembly for use with a door which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previously known ironing board assemblies.
In brief, the ironing board assembly of the present invention comprises an elongated ironing board dimensioned to support clothes for ironing. The ironing board is preferably made of a flame-resistant material.
An elongated ironing board support has an upper end adapted to be attached to the top of a door so that the ironing board support extends vertically downwardly along and closely adjacent one side of the door.
One end of the ironing board is both pivotally and slidably attached to a lower end of the ironing board support so that the ironing board support is movable between a first and a second position. In its first position, the ironing board extends laterally outwardly from the door so that clothes may be ironed. Conversely, with the ironing board in its second position, the ironing board pivots vertically upwardly and closely adjacent both the ironing board support and the door for storage and so that the top of the ironing board faces outwardly from the door.
In order to enhance the rigidity of the ironing board when in its first or operational position, preferably a support leg is pivotally attached to the bottom of the ironing board adjacent its other end. The length of the support leg is adjustable in order to accommodate the ironing board at different heights. Similarly, the ironing board support is also adjustable in order to accommodate doors of different heights and different widths.
A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
With reference first to
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An elongated ironing board support 18 is preferably formed from two elongated rails 20 which are spaced apart and parallel to each other. A bracket 22 is secured to the upper end of each rail 20 while a cross rail 24 secures the bottom ends of the rails 20 together.
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With reference now to
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For added rigidity, a leg 64 has its upper end 66 pivotally mounted to the ironing board frame 15. A foot 68 is secured to the bottom of the leg 64 for engaging the ground. The leg 64 thus adds additional rigidity and support to the ironing board 16.
Preferably, the leg 64 is formed from two telescoping tubes 70 and 72 which can be slid relative to each other in order to obtain the desired length of the leg 70. A cam lock 74 or a twist lock compresses the outer tube 70 against the inner tube 72 when the leg tubes 70 and 72 are moved to the desired adjusted position to thereby lock the tubes 70 and 72 together at an adjusted length.
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With reference now particularly to
When desired, the ironing board 14 can be moved to its second or storage position as illustrated in
With reference now particularly to
At least one hole 96 is formed through the other tube 90. Thus, with the tubes 92 and 90 at a longitudinally adjusted position so that at least one of the holes 94 register with the hole 96, a pin 98 is insertable through the registering holes to lock the tubes 90 and 92 together thus altering the effective length of the rails 20 and simultaneously altering the height of the ironing board 16 when the ironing board 16 is in its first or operational position.
With reference now particularly to
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides a simple and yet highly effective folding ironing board for use with a door. Having described our invention, however, many modifications thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.
