Patent Application
20240251980
The overall field of this invention relates to an improved device that offers patrons a place to hang their handbags while dining in a restaurant.
A women's handbag is a functional part of a women's wardrobe and a necessity for their varying needs. They have always had the issue regarding where to place it while dining out in a restaurant where it is safe and conveniently located. Most women while dining out choose to place their handbag on a chair or hanging on the back of a chair, which is a risk; on the floor, which is unsanitary; on their lap or behind their back on the chair, which is uncomfortable or place it on the table or bar area which can interfere with the available space needed for eating and drinking.
Past inventions that have tried to solve this problem, for example, the handbag hook, which is a portable hanger that must be purchased by each woman and always carried with them. This device is heavy, mechanically unreliable and it has limitations on what type of table it can be attached to. A second apparatus invented is called a Purse Holder, which is similar to a coat rack but shorter, this device is not so popular because it can only be placed outside the vicinity of the table, which leaves a women's handbag out in the open and at risk for theft; not to mention it stands in the way of wait staff's ability to move around the table freely, while serving. Presently, there is no solution for restaurants to offer a convenient, safe, and sanitary place for women to hang their handbags. Thus exists the need for a new system and method for safely and hygienically storing a woman's handbag near them while dining at a restaurant.
The present invention solves the issue that women have always encountered, while dining in a restaurant environment, peach of mind. Restaurants can now offer women a secure, sanitary, and convenient place to suspend their handbags while dining in their restaurant, by providing them an under-the-table handbag holder. The present invention is bigger, stronger, and a better support assembly from past inventions offered. It requires no hardware to install it, therefore leaving no marks and easily detachable. The tall slender appearance makes it easy for storage in a corner of the restaurant, closet or cabinet and the simple elegant design is attractive, and offers colors to match the motif of the venue
The present invention is directed to a temporary pole that is fitted under a dining table to allow women to suspend their handbags, while dining. The pole itself is spring loaded to allow it to be shortened while placing it under the table for easy installation and removal by the waitstaff. The pole may be equipped with a locking mechanism which can be applied when it is in the proper position to support the weight of handbags. The pole may have one or more hardware and soft receptacles attached to the pole to be used for suspending each style handbag. The pole may have a cushioned head for slight movement, a non-slip rubber head and foot base for gripping the table and floor for support. The pole may have a rubber hand grip that is centered on the outer cylinder of the device, for assisting in installation and detachment; this caved in hand grip can also play a part as a shock absorber for the inside spring.
The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, which are meant to be illustrative but not restrictive as to the scope of the present invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:
In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, and the claims below, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features.
Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
“Exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described in this document as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects.
Throughout the drawings, like reference characters are used to designate like elements. As used herein, the term “coupled” or “coupling” may indicate a connection. The connection may be a direct or an indirect connection between one or more items. Further, the term “set” as used herein may denote one or more of any item, so a “set of items,” may indicate the presence of only one item, or may indicate more items. Thus, the term “set” may be equivalent to “one or more” as used herein.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the one or more embodiments described herein. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skills in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.
In reference to
Handbag securing apparatus 100 may include a spring loaded pole 110 with two or more cylinders that slide and move over the next such that spring loaded pole 110 may be positioned and secured under a table or other apparatus at a restaurant or other type of establishment. In one or more non-limiting embodiments the outside diameter of spring loaded pole 110 may be approximately 1¼ to 1½ inches in diameter. However, this is non-limiting and may be any suitable size depending on the circumstances and type of handbags that need to be secured. Spring loaded pole 110 may come in various lengths such as but not limited to 28 to 30 inches for the standard dining table, 40 to 42 inches for a tall bar table, and 36 inches for a bar counter.
Spring loaded pole 110 may have tension rods that may be hollow or semi hollow each with a capped end such as a smaller rod 111 and larger rod 112, as illustrated in
Smaller rod 111 is then pushed into the larger rod 112, causing the spring to compress. Larger rod 112 may then be fitted with a special gasket or crimped slightly on one end to prevent smaller rod 111 from leaving the inside of the larger rod completely. Because the spring is compressed, the spring pushes out against one end of larger rod 112 and one end of smaller rod 112, creating tension to push against the underside of the table to apply pressure against the table to keep the spring loaded pole secured under the table.
In one or more non-limiting embodiments smaller rod 111 and larger rod 112 may be telescopic with an inner component and outer component whereby the outer component may move relative to the inner component or vice versa as illustrated in
Top side 131 and bottom side 132 of spring loaded pole 110 may be of a gripping surface material or any adhesive wherein the material prevents slippage between spring loaded pole 110 and the underside of table 200. Top side 131 and bottom side 132 may be of a larger perimeter and area to provide further support for spring loaded pole 110. The coverage area of the material may be an externally applied adhesive coating or the material may be impregnated within the top platform itself. In one or more non-limiting embodiments this gripping surface material may be a flexible rubber head for attaching underneath the table and a rubber base for grip and balance.
Spring loaded pole 110 may have a locking mechanism 140 to support the weight of the handbags where the pole will be locked at a specific elevation until the locking mechanism is disengaged including clamps, hinges, or latches. In some non-limiting embodiments spring loaded pole 110 may be locked via a locking pin that is inserted into a receiving element of the outer rod through an axial section, and into the inner rod or vice versa. Inner rod is thereby secured into the outer rod, though inner rod is allowed to twist and then slidably move within the outer rod until twisted again.
One or more accessory mounts 150 may be fastened to spring loaded pole 110, as illustrated in
Accessory mounts 150 may be symmetrical (or in other embodiments asymmetrical) with a flat surface 152 having the aperture 151. The flat surface 152 may extend upward into two convex portions 154 that extend inward into spring loaded pole 110. Convex portions 154 then extend upward into two concave portions 156 that extend outward from spring loaded pole 110 whereby a gap is formed between convex portions 154 and spring loaded pole such that any number of articles may be placed into the gap. As illustrated there may be multiple accessory mounts 150 that are positioned at different heights of spring loaded pole 110 with different shapes and orientations to receive different handbags and apparatuses.
In some non-limiting embodiments accessory mounts 150 may have a gooseneck arm. The gooseneck arm may be a spring made of a high-strength steel to provide strength and flexibility and soft galvanized iron wire that is compressed into the gaps of the spring to provide stiffness and to hold accessory mounts' 150 position. As such, the user connects the hook of accessory mounts 150 to the location chosen, thereby securing accessory mounts 150 in place where it is ready to retain a hand bag purse or other accessory.
During use an employee of the restaurant or a user may position spring loaded pole 110 under a table 200. The employee or user may then extend spring loaded pole 110 by compressing the first rod to the second to a height such that the spring causes the first rod to move away from the second rod to push against an underside of the table. The employee or user may then initiate the locking mechanism to lock spring loaded pole 110 at a specific elevation. The user then may hang a handbag on one or more accessory mounts 150 connected to spring loaded pole 110. They may also place any other objects or apparatuses such as a doggie bag on flat surface 152 of accessory mounts 150. When the user wishes to leave, the user may remove the handbag and the apparatus from accessory mounts 150. When the employee or user wishes to remove spring loaded pole 110 they may disengage the locking mechanism and compress spring loaded pole 110 such that it may then be pulled out from under the table.
The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best use the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications suited to the use contemplated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the below claims.
