This invention relates generally to laundry baskets, and more particularly to a laundry basket system that functions for the collection of soiled laundry, and also as an organizer and caddy for the return of clothes once they have been laundered.
The prior art includes a wide range of laundry baskets that are generally in the form of a bag, hamper, or cabinet. Cabinet style laundry baskets typically include a door for accessing the interior of the laundry basket for reaching multiple storage bags hanging vertically within the cabinet, so that the bags may be removed to take the clothes to the laundry machine. Each bag may receive different types of laundry (e.g., whites, darks, etc.).
Laher, U.S. Pat. No. 7,204,407, is an example of such as laundry cabinet. The cabinet includes a carrying frame with several cutouts, each receiving a bag-like receptacle that hangs vertically from the frame. The cabinet has a front door which allows access to the bag-like receptacles. See also Boone, U.S. 2007/0200471, and Hall, U.S. D462,149.
Wallace, U.S. 2005/0051981, teaches a laundry caddy that includes a box having a bottom wall with a front wall and a pair of opposed side walls and being secured to, and extending upwardly therefrom. The box also includes a top wall that is hingedly secured to one of the opposed side walls and a back wall and that is hingedly secured to one of the opposed side walls. The top wall and the back wall are each capable of moving between a closed condition wherein access to the interior of the box is not easily obtained and an open condition wherein access to the interior of the box is easily obtained. A pair of wheels is secured to the bottom wall of the box. A handle is secured to the box and extends upwardly therefrom. A pair of latches is secured to the box for selectively retaining the top wall and the back wall in a closed condition.
The prior art teaches laundry baskets that are generally in the form of a cabinet, and include a door for accessing the interior of the laundry basket. The prior art also teaches vertically hanging baskets. However, the prior art does not teach a laundry basket system that includes an interior that receives a plurality of pallets that are vertically disposed for holding organized and folded laundry in a stack. The prior art also does not teach a folding hanger assembly mounted on the laundry basket. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further advantages as described in the following summary.
The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.
The present invention provides a laundry basket system for collecting soiled clothes, and for use as a caddy for the return of the clothes once they have been laundered. The laundry basket system comprises a laundry housing having a base that extends to a base perimeter, and an upwardly extending wall that extends upwardly from the base perimeter of the base to form a laundry receiving chamber, the upwardly extending wall having an outer surface and an inner surface. The upwardly extending wall extends upwardly to a top perimeter that forms an upper opening, which allows laundry to be dropped into the laundry receiving chamber while the access door is closed. An access opening in the upwardly extending wall allows access into the laundry receiving chamber. An access door is pivotally mounted on the upwardly extending wall adjacent the access opening for movement between a closed position wherein the access door substantially closes the access opening, and an open position wherein the access door does not substantially impede access through the access opening. A plurality of pallets each have a generally planar body that extends to an outer perimeter, the outer perimeter being sized and shaped to slidably abut the inner surface of the upwardly extending wall, so that the plurality of pallets may be slidably inserted through the upper opening of the upwardly extending wall and into the laundry receiving chamber.
In one embodiment, the system may further include a hanger assembly mounted on the laundry housing, the hanger assembly having a pair of longitudinal struts each connected at a proximal end via a pivot to the laundry housing, and connected at a distal end via a crossbar. The hanger assembly pivots on the pivots between a lowered position wherein the crossbar is positioned adjacent to the upwardly extending wall beneath the access opening, and a raised position wherein the pair of longitudinal struts are generally vertical, and the crossbar may be used for hanging the clothing.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a laundry basket system having advantages not taught by the prior art.
Another objective is to provide a laundry basket system that includes a plurality of pallets that may be slidably inserted, in a horizontal orientation, through the upper opening of the upwardly extending wall and into the laundry receiving chamber, for separating the clothes into different groups.
A further objective is to provide a laundry basket system that includes a hanger assembly that pivots between raised and lowered positions.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention.
The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a laundry basket system that functions for the collection of soiled laundry, and also as an organizer and caddy for the return of clothes once they have been laundered.
In this embodiment, the laundry housing 20 is generally rectangular, and the upwardly extending wall 24 includes a rear panel 32, side panels 33, and a front panel 34. However, in alternative embodiments, the upwardly extending wall 24 may be tubular, or include a greater or fewer number of panels than the illustrated embodiment. As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the laundry housing 20 further comprises a plurality of wheels 40 for supporting the base 22 for rolling movement. In this embodiment, the plurality of wheels 40 is in the form of a pair of rear fixed wheels 41a and a pair of front caster wheels 41b, but in other embodiments a different number or type(s) of wheels may be used. Additionally, the laundry housing 20 may include a handle portion 42 for maneuvering the laundry housing 20 on the plurality of wheels 40. In some embodiments, the handle portion 42 comprises a pair of longitudinal supports 43 each connected at a first end 44a to the laundry housing 20 adjacent the upper opening 31, and connected at a second end 44b via a horizontal rod 45 for gripping. The first ends 44a of the longitudinal supports 43 may be pivotally attached to the laundry housing 20, or fixedly attached, and may further be attached to any other suitable portion of the laundry housing 20. While one example of the handle portion 42 is illustrated and discussed herein, it should be understood that other types of handles may be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention, having a wide range of potential features. For example, the handle portion 42 may include a T-shaped handle, straps, knobs, etc., and may comprise features such as a grip portion, an adjustment mechanism, etc., or any other features known to those skilled in the art.
In use, the access door 38 is opened to allow access into the laundry receiving chamber 26, either for removing laundry to be washed, or for organizing laundry after it has been washed. As illustrated, folded clothing 12 or similar may be placed on one of the plurality of pallets 50 of
As shown in
The title of the present application, and the claims presented, do not limit what may be claimed in the future, based upon and supported by the present application. Furthermore, any features shown in any of the drawings may be combined with any features from any other drawings to form an invention which may be claimed.
As used in this application, the words “a,” “an,” and “one” are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. The terms “approximately” and “about” are defined to mean +/−10%, unless otherwise stated. Also, the terms “have,” “include,” “contain,” and similar terms are defined to mean “comprising” unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application. While the invention has been described with reference to at least one particular embodiment, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather the scope of the invention is defined by claims made to the invention.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20230287623 A1 | Sep 2023 | US |