Patent Application
20240008668
This invention relates to a device for hanging, storing and transporting linen and bedding items. More particularly, this invention relates to a modular, convertible and changeable linen hanger system capable of storing and transporting various types of types of bedding and bathroom products.
Bed linens comprise numerous items, including sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads, blankets, and comforters. A general practice is storing these things in closets or pantry areas. In a home or residential setting, there is little need to transport these items more than a short distance to a bedroom, laundry room, or cupboard.
Hotels and motels also use a substantial number of sheets, pillow cases, and bedspreads in the numerous facility rooms. During cleaning these rooms, workers usually store and transport these bedding items in mobile carts. Storage of these items can be on multiple shelves or in closet areas. However, in some circumstances, closets may not have sufficient storage capacity. In other cases, closet and cabinet space may not be available.
When it comes to storing clothing items, the conventional approach is to place the clothing item on a hanger. This form of storage can have several benefits, including saving space and reducing the wrinkles in the clothing item. It is also a common practice to store clothing items in drawer or cabinet spaces. However, placing these items on a hanger device is standard for shirt and pants items (items somewhat similar to bedding).
The clothing hanger allows people to access their items quickly and provides a permanent space and location in their homes to store and keep their things. In addition, as mentioned, hanging clothing items serves to reduce or prevent wrinkling of some clothing items. Three basic designs cover all clothing hangers substantially. Regarding materials and construction, there are three basic clothes hangers: wire hangers, wooden hangers, and plastic hangers. These hangers all have the same basic shape. The top of the hanger is a hook element. Two rod-type members are connected to and extend downward at an angle from the hook element. These rod-type members are intended to resemble a person's shoulder angles.
Hanger designs have evolved over time. As a result, different designs constantly provide innovation to the clothes hanger product. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,028,869 describes an adjustable clothes hanger with an adjustable sleeve upper stays, sleeve lower stays, and torso side stays. These components adjust to spread the sleeves and torso of a shirt on the hanger to hold the fabric in a smooth, lightly stretched condition to optimize drying and preclude wrinkling. The hanger has opposed sleeve upper stays, which adjust along with the underlying frame of the hanger. The outer portions of the sleeve upper stays extend to support the shirtsleeve upper edges. The Torso side stays extended downwardly from the horizontal cross member of the hanger. It adjusts to hold the shirt's sides apart and hold the torso fabric in a smooth and unwrinkled condition during drying. Pivotal or fixed sleeve lower stays may extend from the upper portions of the torso side stays or may extend adjustably from the outer ends of the adjustable sleeve upper stays.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,635 describes an improved hanger for storing and displaying materials such as fabric and the like. The hanger includes opposed panel sides interconnected at an upper spine portion. Fabric or other material is placed between the panels. It is retained by a unique set of clips applied externally on the panel sides combined with high-friction components, including friction plates or clips with friction nibs positioned within the panels. A resilient spring clip is moved into a gripping position to impart pressure to the assemblage. Embodiments of the friction plates include a first U-shaped bracket element designed to be friction fitted along a side of one of the panels. In contrast, a second U-shaped bracket element is configured to be friction fitted along with an opposing panel. The first bracket includes a detent arrangement for retaining the spring clip in a gripping position. The second bracket consists of a spring clip retaining arrangement to prevent detachment of the spring clip when it is moved to its release position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,088 describes a hanger for carrying piece length fabric in a pendant, the vertical roll includes a support assembly, and a hanger assembly removably supported thereon. The support assembly includes a base portion and a substantially flat central body portion connected at one end thereof to the base portion to be supported in an upstanding position. The main body has longitudinally extending edges, forming a core for supporting the roll of fabric. The hanger assembly is carried at the end of the main body portion opposite the base portion. The hanger assembly includes a longitudinally extending main support member with securing units carried at opposite longitudinal ends of the support member. The securing units may be of a variety of types with either single or double-pointed members and may include a stationary safety bar spaced from the pointed members. The hanger assembly carries an attachment hook for supporting the main support member in a generally horizontal position. Ties that extend through the fabric and a portion of the support assembly may also be used to securely hold the fabric on the support assembly during transport.
Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. D946,288, describe a sectioned clothes hanger, and U.S. Pat. D651,813 show a Fabric Hanger device. Also, there are garment devices used to store fabric comprising center support and rails extending horizontally outward from the center support.
These rails hold different fabrics. One can retrieve the type of fabric as needed. However, with all the various hanger devices for storing clothing and other fabric materials, none of these existing devices or systems are designed to accommodate storing bed linens such as sheets, bedspreads, and pillow cases. There remains a need for an apparatus and method capable of storing and transporting bed linens.
A modular hanger system enables one to store and transports various linen products used on bedding. This hanger system can be a solid rectangular piece with a series of openings for storing different linens. This hanger system can also be multiple solid rectangular panels connected together to form the hanger system. Each panel can have one or more openings through which linen materials are secured and stored. These panels can fold together to facilitate portability. A hook-type element attaches to the top of the rectangular piece or series of panels. The hook element promotes the hanging function similar to conventional hangers. In addition, during storage and transport of this modular linen hanger system, the hook element can fold down.
The modularity capabilities of the system provide the flexibility to vary the length of the system when desired. For example, the number of connected panels can be added to or removed from the system to change the system length as desired. Other embodiments can have rods attached to and angled downward from the hook element and attached to the top panel to form a top section of the system. This top section has a form and shape similar to some conventional hangers. The ends of this top section are foldable to reduce the size of the width of the horizontal length of the system to facilitate more accessible transport of the system
The present invention provides a modular hanger device to store and transport linen bedding items such as sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads, and comforters. With this device and system, the user can easily store these bedding items to save storage space and transport them when desired. In addition, this system's modularity provides easy storage of the device to save space when not in use.
The modularity of this invention gives the user the flexibility to change the configuration of the hanger system.
In this illustration, the hanger comprises only two panels. In other embodiments, the user can add one or more panels or reduce the number of panels to one. For example,
Still, another approach is to attach the panels slidably. In the embodiment, one can slide a lower panel upward to the same length location as the adjacent upper panel. The lower panel would slide up and cover the upper panel in the same manner as folding the lower panel upward.
While the description of embodiments thereof has illustrated the present invention, and while the embodiments have been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the invention to such information. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. In its broader aspects, the invention is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general inventive concept.
