1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage device that is mounted on a wall.
2. Prior art
Storage devices, including towel racks are well known to the vast majority of consumers. In its simplest form, a towel rack consists of a single horizontal bar that is held away from a wall by two attachment mechanisms—one at east end. The bar is positioned away from the wall, to allow a towel to rest upon it. More complicated racks include multiple bars for supporting multiple objects. Some include hooks for hanging objects and solid surfaces for storing toiletries.
Existing towel racks are very effective for storing towels and other articles, but they leave the towel rack itself exposed. The metal or plastic of existing towel racks is visually exposed even when the towel rack is filled with towels. This is undesirable for many establishments, especially hospitality establishments which depend a great deal on aesthetic.
The present invention concerns a wall mountable rack or holding device. The device includes upper and lower connectors and a continuous beam traveling between the two connectors. The continuous beam is shaped to form a plurality of non-circular loops, each loop being substantially parallel to each other and to the ground. Substantially all of the loops include a rear straight section. When the rack is mounted to a wall, the rear straight section is positioned adjacent to a wall.
Items (e.g. lines, towels) are stored in the space in between adjacent layers. The items are held in place by gravity and friction. In a preferred embodiment, the horizontal area of the items exceeds the area encompassed by the perimeter of a loop. Accordingly, the item expands and hides the layer of a loop from view. Thus, the item may appear to be floating against the wall.
The present invention provides a cost effective, visually appealing and highly sanitary device for storing items (e.g. lines, towels) on a wall. One main advantage of the device is that it is hidden when filled with items.
Continuous bar 106 includes a plurality of loops 108.
Loops 108 include front 110, rear 112 and body 114. Body 114 is preferably curved as shown in
Loops 108 are preferably substantially parallel to each other and substantially parallel to the ground. Loops 108 provides a stable resting place for each item.
Loops 108 are connected by support bars 116. As illustrated in
At the uppermost loop 108, rear 112 connects to upper connector arm 118, which connects to upper connector 104. At the lowermost loop, front 110 connects to lower connector arm 120, which connects to lower connector 102.
Although the invention has been described with the above preferred embodiment, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications and improvements can be made to the invention herein without departing from the scope of the invention. The embodiments shown herein are merely for illustrative of the inventive concepts and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.
This application is related to Design Patent Application Ser. No. 29/354,774, filed on Jan. 28, 2010.