Patent Application
20090172876
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a towel holder, and more particularly, to a towel holder which removably affixes to a pedestal style sink or similar construction under the action of its weight and structural configuration as situated relative to the load-bearing sink to which it is affixed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Restrooms have been the target of a wide array of development over the years. In particular, attention has been often directed at simplifying the restroom experience by placing restroom specifics within close proximity to one another so as to generally enhance the restroom visit. Some of the prior art concerned with locating restroom specifics to a limited restroom radius, including towel holding devices attachable to sinks and the like, is briefly described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 573,835 ('835 patent), which issued to Taylor, discloses a Display Rack. The '835 patent describes a display rack comprising of side rods or wires united with cross rods or wires, in which each of the side rods or wires is formed of two slidably connected sections, one of which is provided with a hook to engage one of the cross rods or wires, and each of the cross rods or wires is formed of two slidably connected sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,309,851 ('851 patent), which issued to Kuhne, discloses a Fastening Device for Sink Strainers. The '851 patent describes a device for clamping a sink strainer or like receptacle to a sink. The device comprises a length of spring like wire formed with a central loop. The ends of the loop extend upwardly substantially in a plane thereof, which ends have portions extending outwardly of said plane of the loop in substantially spaced relation and being bent downwardly. At least one of said downwardly bent portions is extended downwardly beyond the bottom of the loop and inwardly of the plane thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,128 ('128 patent), which issued to Canalizo, discloses a Modular Bathroom Unit. The '128 patent describes a modular bathroom unit constructed in a single cabinet, in which a hydraulic system, a drainage system and the system of regulation of different fixtures are integrated, and consisting of a least one equipped washbasin, one toilet with cover and one shower.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,123 ('123 patent), which issued to Riley et al., discloses a Rack for Hanging a Dishcloth on the Inside Wall of a Kitchen Sink. The '123 patent describes a rack designed for attachment to the inside wall of a kitchen sink. A rod is connected to two suction cups within a width that will accommodate either a double or single kitchen sink. It provides a resting place for a dishcloth to dry while being virtually out of sight. The support rod is made of one integral continuous piece of material having a straight elongated horizontal central rod portion for supporting a towel and a pair of opposite reversely bent horizontal end portions extending toward one another in generally parallel spaced relationship to said central rod portion and being spaced from one another a distance substantially less than the length of said central rod portion. The suction cups are fixedly mounted on each of the end portions for engagement with an inside surface of a sink for holding said central portion in inwardly spaced relationship to the inside surface of the sink.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,804 ('804 patent), which issued to Crum et al., discloses a Device for Draining and Storing Items in the Vicinity of a Sink. The '804 patent describes a device for draining and temporarily storing items in the vicinity of a sink essentially comprising a bucket and nestable strainer. The bucket has two flexible straps which are secured to the interior of the sink basin by suction cups thereby supporting the bucket and nestable strainer adjacent to the sink basin without interfering with the workable area around the sink. The flexible straps also facilitate emptying any liquid accumulated within the bucket into the sink without loosening the suction cup attachment by first removing the strainer from the bucket and then tilting the bucket over the rim of the sink basin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,475 ('475 patent), which issued to Lim, discloses a Rack Structure. The '475 patent describes a convenient and multi-purpose rack structure comprising a fixing part which has both ends bent and screw holes, screws inserted through an installing part which has an opening to receive the fixing part, a strengthen holder, and a hole to insert a bolt to sustain the installing part on the wall. The strengthen holder forms steps to adapt the holder on the bottom of the opening of the installing part.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,547 ('547 patent), which issued to Becker et al., discloses a Laundry Basin. The '547 patent describes a laundry basin comprising a laundry basin body having a plurality of walls secured to a base and a plurality of legs secured to the body. A towel rack, a removable shelf and a removable soap dish are secured to the laundry basin body. The shelf includes a support member having brackets extending upwardly therefrom. The brackets define recesses that are adapted to receive portions of the laundry basin body. The soap dish includes a three-sided structure secured to a perforated bottom wall that defines an open side wall at an open top. The open side wall is positioned adjacent a laundry basin side wall to define an open topped receptacle adapted to receive a bottle of liquid soap. The towel rack is pivotally secured to the laundry basin body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,325 ('325 patent), which issued to Comstock, discloses a Dishcloth Dryer Rack. The '325 patent describes a dish cloth dryer rack comprising a wire-like frame having a dish-cloth drying portion thereof, which drying portion is curved to fit over a sink divider. The rack is held in place by feet which support the rack above the level of the sink divider, thereby providing a free air space between the rack and the sink divider. A tool-carrying basket may be integrally formed with the elongate portion to provide storage for soap and additional cleaning tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,704 ('704 patent), which issued to Michel, Jr., discloses an Adjustable Rack for Laundry Tub or the Like. The '704 patent describes a stiff wire rack for hanging in a laundry tub or sink that is adjustable to accommodate tubs or sinks of various sizes. To achieve this objective, the rack comprises a pair of rectangular rack members, which telescope together. Clips slidably engage parallel adjacent stiff wire members on the bottom of each of the telescoped rack members. Hanger members are swingably attached at their lower ends to a side end of each of the rack members and attach the assembly to an upper edge of a laundry tub or the like via upper ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,847 ('847 patent), which issued to Melton et al., discloses a Hanger Hook for Clippers. The '847 patent describes a portable clipper holding apparatus comprising a generally “S”-shaped structure having a first arch and a second arch, the first and second arches positioned in an inverted relationship to one another. The first arch is configured for engaging a substrate and the said second arch configured for receiving at least one clipper and/or accessories.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0050951, which was authored by Simmons, describes a towel holder device for maintaining towels in place, keeping them from falling off of a rack or sink countertop. The device comprises an elongated strip of solid material with two ends. The strip is formed to create an enclosure space for holding a towel, with the towel in a desired shape. The two ends are spaced apart and face each other. The strip is formed of a material that has a flexing ability sufficient to enable the two ends to be separated enough to expand the enclosure space to enable the towel to fit into and out of the space without resistance from the strip. The flexing ability enables the strip to return to its original shape, holding the towel with a friction fit to prevent movement of the towel. The strip is capable of providing any of a number of changeable decorative appearances.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0056091, which was authored by Bolton et al., describes a Portable Wash Basin designed for children. The basin can be connected to sink and pedestal lavatories with functional plumbing features and include a concealed interior removable water reservoir container for temporarily holding of used, dirty or soapy excess water, which can be locked for child safety. The apparatus is equipped with a pull out adjustable towel rack on the pedestal and built in pull out step underneath the pedestal. Said apparatus is designed with a storage compartment for placing dry clean hand towels, first aid kit or other items. Safety latches are located on the mobility apparatus to prevent the wash hand basin from moving while child performs hygiene routine. The portable wash basin can be used indoors or outdoors and incorporate various designs for commercial use in public places.
It may be seen from an inspection of the foregoing art, as well as from a consideration of the state of the art generally, that the prior art does not disclose a pedestal sink towel holder which removably attaches directly to a pedestal type sink under the action of its own weight and load-bearing properties of the structure to which it is attached. Further, the prior art appears to be silent on a certain methodology for removably attaching a towel holder of the specified sort to a load-bearing sink construction for bearing articles such as towels and the like from the sink construction for providing the towel and sink at a compact, single wash station. The prior art thus perceives a need for such a pedestal sink towel holder and associated methodology as set forth in more detail hereinafter.
The pedestal sink towel holder according to the present invention is a device that provides a decorative and utilitarian fixture from which to hang a hand towel. It is primarily designed for use with pedestal type sinks. It also works well with nearly all laundry type sinks, and vessel type sinks. While the material from which the holder is constructed should be a strong, sturdy, substantially rigid, load-bearing material such as steel, it is contemplated that the commercial product may be made available in brushed nickel, chrome, brass, and bronze finishes.
The device is simply constructed from a single load-bearing rod (approximately 0.25 inches in diameter) which rod is bent into a unique shape that allows it to hang off the front portion of a pedestal or similar other type of sink. The rod has “hooks” on each end that fit into the bowl of the sink, which hooks then bend over the front of the sink bowl or traverse the upper sink rim, and then form a “loop” that ties them together and forms the actual bar from which to hang a towel. It is believed that the towel holder according to the present invention provides a number of benefits, including a decorative benefit, a utilitarian benefit, and an ease of installation benefit.
In other words, it is believed that the towel holder design enhances the appearance of any restroom with a pedestal sink, commonly located in residential homes and frequented by guests. The towel holder further provides the perfect placement for a hand towel for both adults and children. It may further operate to prevent water from splashing on the bathroom mirror and walls, which may typically occur after one washes one's hands in the sink, and otherwise reaches up for a more traditionally located towel as mounted on a wall adjacent the sink. Moreover, the towel holder could not be easier to install. The holder is simply removed from product packaging and hung from the front of the sink.
To achieve these and other readily apparent objectives, the towel holder according to the present invention provides a towel holder for use in combination with a pedestal type sink construction or similar other bowl-like body. It is contemplated that the combination of a pedestal sink and towel holder may well function to present a restroom user with both a pedestal style sink and towel at a single wash station. The pedestal sink or bowl-like structure usable in combination with the towel or article holder according to the present invention essentially comprises an upper sink rim, an inner sink surface, and an outer sink surface. The sink surfaces and a portion of the upper sink rim are load-bearing interfaces for bearing the modest loads of the towel holder itself and any articles held or borne by the towel holder, such as towels.
The towel holder is essentially a load-bearing rod having a certain rod weight and being bent at a plurality of points intermediate its length to effect a three-dimensional structure. The three-dimensional structure of the bent rod preferably comprises opposed, generally C-shaped lateral support structures and a generally C-shaped central support structure. The lateral support structures each comprise a free rod end, a lateral support end portion, and a central rim-traversing portion. The central support structure comprises opposed central support end portions and a towel-support portion.
The central and lateral support end portions integrally form opposed sink-engaging junctions at laterally opposed bends in the rod. The free rod ends may thus be engaged with the inner sink surface; the rim-traversing portions may be engaged with a portion of the upper sink rim; the sink-engaging junctions may be engaged with the outer sink surface; and the rod weight may well function to align the towel support portion relative to the rim portion via the aforementioned sink-to-rod engagement. Articles such as towels and the like may thus be borne via the towel support portion in adjacency to the pedestal sink or similar bowl-like construction.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated or become apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.
Other features of our invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following brief description of patent drawings:
a is an anterior view of a pedestal style sink usable in combination with a towel holder according to the present invention.
b is a miniaturized version of
a is a right lateral view of a pedestal style sink usable in combination with a towel holder according to the present invention.
b is a right lateral view of a pedestal style sink outfitted with a towel holder according to the present invention, the towel holder holding or supporting a towel.
a is a top plan type view of a pedestal style sink usable in combination with a towel holder according to the present invention.
b is a top plan type view of a pedestal style sink outfitted with a towel holder according to the present invention, the towel holder holding or supporting a towel.
a is a force diagram depicting the forces from
a is an enlarged fragmentary depiction of the junction otherwise depicted in
a is a first sequential depiction showing a section of the sink being received by a lateral support structure of the towel holder.
b is a second sequential depiction showing free rod ends of the towel holder contacting the inner sink surface and being rotated about an axis of rotation extending through the contact points.
a is a third sequential side view depiction showing the rim-traversing portions contacting the sink rim and the sink-engaging junctions of the towel holder contacting the outer sink surface in a de minimis load scenario.
b is a third sequential top view depiction showing sink-engaging junctions of the towel holder contacting the outer sink surface in a de minimis load scenario.
a is a fourth sequential side view depiction showing the rim traversing portions contacting the sink rim and the sink-engaging junctions of the towel holder contacting the outer sink surface in a fully loaded scenario.
b is a fourth sequential top view depiction showing sink-engaging junctions of the towel holder contacting the outer sink surface in a fully loaded scenario.
Referring now to the drawings with more specificity, a first preferred embodiment of the present invention concerns a towel holding device or towel holder 10 as generally illustrated and referenced in
Further, as earlier stated, the positioning of a hand towel 12 in (anterior) adjacency to such a pedestal style sink 11 may well function to eliminate water from becoming displaced relative to the wash station. In other words, the towel 12, being positioned directly adjacent the sink, functions to eliminate the need to reach beyond the sink 11 for a towel 12, and thus reduces the likelihood that hand-borne water will contaminate areas other than the bowl-like wash basin provided by the sink construction 11.
The pedestal sink construction 11 preferably comprises a bowl-like structure or wash basin 13 as generally illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7-9b, which basin or sink 13 comprises a substantially horizontal planar upper basin or sink rim 14 as depicted and referenced in
It should be understood from an inspection of
Further,
The towel holder 10 is preferably constructed from a single load-bearing rod-like material such as SAE 1008 wire stock having a preferred diameter on the order of 6-6.35 millimeters. The load-bearing material may be provided with any number of finishes, including, but not limited to brushed nickel, chrome, brass, and bronze finishes. The rod or rod-like material thus inherently comprises a certain rod weight and, as may be readily understood from a consideration of the depictions in
The three-dimensional structure formed after bending or forming preferably comprises opposed, generally C-shaped and substantially planar lateral support structures 20 as depicted and referenced in
In this last regard, it may be readily understood that the lateral support structures 20 each preferably comprise a free rod end 22; a lateral support end portion 23; and a central rim-traversing and support portion 24 all as illustrated and referenced in
The auricle-shaped lateral support structures 20 enable rod-to-sink engagement via six contact points, two of which are at the inner sink surface 17, two of which are at the outer portion of the upper sink rim 14, and two of which are at the outer sink surface 15. The rod-to-sink engagement generally allows the rim-traversing and support portions 24 to follow the cross-sectional contour of the basin or sink 13. In other words, the inner and outer sink surfaces 17 and 15 extend away from the rim 14 and the rim-traversing portions 24 are preferably spaced from the inner portion of rim 14, but contact the outer portion of the rim 14 at laterally opposed sites as previously stated.
The central support structure 21 preferably comprises opposed central support end portions 25, and a towel-support portion 26 as illustrated and referenced in
The rod weight as at vector arrow 104 in
Similarly, the rim-traversing portions 24 of the lateral support structures 20 are substantially planar as perhaps best seen in
From a comparative inspection of
It is contemplated that the sink-engaging junctions 27 could similarly be capped, or otherwise provided with means for interfacing between the member 10 and the sink 13 although this detail has not been specifically illustrated. In this regard, it is contemplated that certain polymeric materials may be provided with the member and (adhesively) affixed to the sink 13 or the member 10 so as to provide said interfacing means.
Further, it is contemplated that the member 10 could be encased (by dipping the member 10 in a liquid polymer bath and allowing the liquid to solidify) in a polymeric sheath so as to provide member-encasing interfacing means. It is believed well within one of ordinary skill in the art to cap contact points of load bearing systems, or to otherwise provide such interfacing means so that underlying structures do not become needlessly damaged, and thus specific illustrations thereof have not been provided.
It should be further noted from an inspection of
Without perfect symmetry about the medial plane, it is likely that the towel holder 10 may not present a visually appealing towel holding device. For example, the supported towel 12 may not appear horizontally level, or may appear lopsided relative to the various sink surfacing. To achieve proper alignment, it is contemplated that the towel holder be nearly perfectly symmetrical about the medial plane diving the holder into right and left halves, regardless of whether minor defects may be found in the artistic renderings presented herewith.
While the above description contains much specificity, this specificity should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of the invention. For example, as is described hereinabove, it is contemplated that the present invention essentially discloses a towel holder for use in combination with a pedestal sink having a sink rim and inner and outer sink surfaces extending therefrom. The towel holder 10 is believed to essentially comprise certain sink-engaging or bowl-engaging structure and certain towel-holding or article-holding structure.
The sink-engaging structure is believed to be exemplified by the free rod ends 22; the rim-traversing-engaging portions 24; and the sink-engaging junctions 27, and may thus be said to comprise a sink-engaging end (such as one or more of the free rod ends 22), a holder-engaging end (such as one or more of the lateral support end portions 23) and a rim-traversing portion as at 24. The towel-holding structure may be exemplified by the towel holding portion 26 as supported by the holder-engaging ends of the sink-engaging structure. In other words, the towel-holding structure extends from the sink-engaging structure at the holder-engaging end. The sink-engaging end of the towel holder thus functions to engage the inner sink surface and the sink rim; the holder-engaging end of the towel holder functions to engage the outer sink surface; and the towel-holding or engaging structure functions to receive and bear a towel or similar other article n adjacency to the outer sink surface.
It is contemplated that the sink-engaging structure and towel-holding structure may preferably be formed from a single load-bearing rod substantially as described and illustrated in this specification. Prototypes not specifically illustrated have been constructed from multiple elements and attached to one another to perform a similar function. However, the one-piece construction of the towel holder 10 has proven superior over the prototypes previously developed and thus has been presented as the preferred embodiment.
Notably, the load-bearing rod has a rod weight and is bent at a plurality of points intermediate its length to effect a three-dimensional structure, which three-dimensional structure comprises opposed lateral support structures which may well function to define the sink-engaging structure and a central support structure which may well function to define the towel-holding structure. The lateral support structures each preferably comprise a free rod end, a lateral support end portion, and a central rim-traversing portion. The central support structure preferably comprises opposed central support end portions and a towel-support portion.
The central and lateral support end portions integrally form opposed sink-engaging junctions. The free rod ends may thus be engaged with the inner sink surface; the rim-traversing portions may engage the sink rim; the sink-engaging junctions may be engaged with the outer sink surface, and the rod weight aligns the towel support portion relative to the rim portion via sink-to-rod engagement, which towel support portion may bear a towel or similar other article in adjacency to the outer sink surface.
Certain towel hanging or article supporting methodology is believed to be further supported by the foregoing specifications and supporting illustrations, as well as the illustrations set forth in
a depicts the rim-traversing portions 24 are being engaged with the outer portion of the upper sink rim 14 at a second set of contact points, and that the sink-engaging junctions 27 are being engaged with the outer bowl surface 15 of the sink 13 at a third set of contact points. It will be seen that when the rim-traversing portions 24 engage the outer portion of the upper sink rim 14, a second set of contact points are engaged as at the tail ends of vector arrows. Further, it will be seen that when the sink-engaging junctions 27 engage the outer bowl surface 15 of the sink 13, a third set of opposed contact points are engaged as at the tail ends of load vector(s) 103.
The relatively low magnitude contact load vectors 102, 103, and 109 are all illustrated and referenced in
a is substantially identical to
The article or towel support method according to the present invention may thus be said to comprise an initial step of forming a member (such as towel holder 10) into a three-dimensional structure having opposed upright end sections (such as lateral support structures 20) transversely joined by a central section (such as central support structure 21) at opposed section junctions (such as sink-engaging junctions 27). After the member is formed, a bowl rim (as at 14) may be received into the upright end sections (as generally depicted in
The member may then be rotated an axis of rotation (as at 110) generally extending through the opposed contact points such that the rim-traversing portions may contact the bowl rim at a second set of contact points, and the opposed section junctions may contact the outer bowl surface at a third set of contact points as generally depicted in
Stated another way, the method essentially functions to support an article from a bowl, and comprises the steps of: forming a member into a three-dimensional structure having an upright bowl-engaging section extending from an article-engaging section; receiving a bowl rim into the bowl-engaging section such that a first end thereof is juxtaposed adjacent an inner bowl surface; contacting the inner bowl surface with the first end of the upright bowl-engaging section at a (first set of opposed contact points or) first contact point; rotating the member about an axis of rotation extending through the first contact point; simultaneously contacting (1) the bowl rim with a rim-traversing portion and support portion of the member at a second contact point and (2) the outer bowl surface with the bowl-engaging section with a second end thereof at a third contact point; and bearing the weight of the load-bearing member at the first, second and third contact points via the bowl.
A select bowl-engaging end may comprise opposed and traversal contact points, wherein the select bowl-engaging end is selected from the group consisting of the first and second ends of the bowl-engaging end. The step of forming the member into a three-dimensional structure may be defined by forming opposed upright end sections transversely joined by a central section at opposed section junctions; successive steps being defined by: receiving the bowl rim into the upright end sections such that free ends thereof are juxtaposed adjacent an inner bowl surface; contacting the inner bowl surface with the free ends of the upright end sections at a first set of opposed contact points; rotating the member about an axis of rotation extending through the opposed contact points; contacting the bowl rim with the traversal portion at a second set of contact points, and contacting the outer bowl surface with the opposed section junctions at a third set of contact points; and bearing the weight of the load-bearing member at the first, second, and third sets of contact points via the bowl.
Notably, the foregoing steps may be essentially reversed for removing the towel holder 10 from engagement with a sink construction as at 13. In this regard, it should be further noted that the towel holder 10 is designed so as to be easily removed (e.g. for cleaning the sink 13) and installed without having to manipulate fastening hardware or the like. Rather, the holder 10 may be oriented as shown in the drawings and installed on a bowl-like structure as heretofore specified, thereby presenting a towel support portion 26 for supporting dishcloths, towels, garments, and/or any other similar item.
Although the invention has been described by reference to several preferred embodiments and certain methodology, it is not intended that the novel shelter construction and method of erecting the same be limited thereby, but that modifications thereof are intended to be included as falling within the broad scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure and the appended drawings.
