Patent Application
20060266720
1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates generally to racks, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved rack for holding ties, scarfs, and the like.
2. Brief Description of Related Art.
Various kinds of tie racks are known in the art, including a type having a plurality of pivotable arms which are located adjacent one another on a support and which, when access is desired to the ties, are pivoted to a position in which they extend at right angles to the support. The support is intended to be mounted on a wall or door of a clothes closet, or in a similar position. Each of the arms has a length that is just sufficient to support a single tie, and the arms are spaced from one another in direction transversely of their pivot axis by a distance which is slightly longer than the length of the arms so that, when the arms are pivoted back against the support to a storage position, all the arms will become located in a common plane with the free end of one arm being located adjacent the pivoted end of the next arm, and so on. An arrangement is provided which is coupled with all of the arms in order to pivot all of the arms simultaneously to the storage position or to the access position.
Other types of racks have arms that are fixed to a support frame or to a carousel mechanism that allows the arms to be selectively rotated until the desired tie is located. Like the pivoting arms described above, each of the fixed arms has a length that is just sufficient to support a single tie.
Because of the limited size of the arms of many tie racks and the close proximity of one arm to an adjacent arm, the act of removing a selected tie from an arm and placing the tie back on the arm is a tedious endeavor that often results in adjacent ties being knocked off their respective arms.
To this end, a need exists for an improved tie rack that is capable of supporting multiple ties while allowing a selected tie to be easily removed and replaced without disrupting the other ties supported on the rack. It is to such an improved tie rack that the present invention is directed.
Referring now to the drawings, a tie rack 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown supporting a plurality of neck ties 12. Broadly, the tie rack 10 includes a mounting plate 14, a first side arm 16, a second side arm 18, a first mounting rod 20, a second mounting rod 22, and a drag rod 24.
The mounting plate 14 is a planar member having a front surface 26 and a back surface 28 (
The first side arm 16 and the second side arm 18 extend perpendicularly from the front surface 26 of the mounting plate 14 in a spaced apart, parallel relationship to each other. It will be appreciated that the first side arm 16 and the second side arm 18 may be mounted directly to a support surface, such as a wall or door, thereby eliminating the need for the mounting plate 14. The first side arm 16 has a inner facing surface 30, and the second side arm 18 has an inner facing surface 32.
The first mounting rod 20 has a proximal end 34 and a distal end 36. Similarly, the second mounting rod 22 has a proximal end 38 and a distal end 40. The proximal end 34 of the first mounting rod 20 is connected to the first side arm 16 so that the first mounting rod 16 extends from the inner facing surface 30 of the first side arm 16 toward the second side arm 18. Likewise, the proximal end 38 of the second mounting rod 22 is connected to the second side arm 18 so that the second mounting rod 22 extends from the inner facing surface 32 of the second side arm 18 toward the first side arm 16. In a preferred embodiment, the second mounting rod 18 is positioned in axial alignment with the first mounting rod 20, and the distal end 40 of the second mounting 22 is in a spaced relationship with respect to the distal end 36 of the first mounting rod 20. The distal end 36 of the first mounting rod 20 is provided with a catch member 42, and the distal end 40 of the second mounting rod 22 is provided with a catch member 44. The distal end 40 of the second mounting rod 22 is preferably spaced from the distal end 36 of the first mounting rod 20 a distance of at least approximately 1.5 inches to facilitate the positioning of a tie on one of the first mounting rod 20 and the second mounting rod 22. It should be understood that the tie rack 10 may be constructed to have only one mounting rod instead of two as described above.
The drag rod 24 is connected to the first side arm 16 and the second side arm 18 such that the drag rod 24 extends therebetween. The drag rod 24 is positioned in a spaced apart and parallel relationship to the first mounting rod 20 and the second mounting rod 22 such that when a tie, such as tie 12a, is looped over one of the mounting rods 20, 22 with two portions 46a and 46b of the tie 12a extending from the mounting bar 20 or 22, the two portions 46 and 48 are extendable over one side of the drag bar 24. Preferably, the drag bar 24 is vertically offset from the first mounting rod 20 and the second mounting rod 22, and the drag rod 24 is positioned below and forward of the first mounting rod 20 and the second mounting rod 22.
In the preferred embodiment, the first mounting rod 20 and the second mounting rod 22 are cylindrically shaped and have a diameter of about 0.75 inches or greater. Similarly, the drag rod 24 is cylindrical in shape and has a diameter of about 0.75 inches or greater. The drag rod 24 is vertically spaced from the first mounting rod 20 and the second mounting rod 22 a distance of approximately 1.5 inches and horizontally spaced a distance of about 2 inches.
The components of the tie rack 10 may be fabricated of any suitable material, such as wood, plastic, or metal. However, as will become apparent below, the drag rod 24 should have an outer surface such that the coefficient of friction between the ties 12 and the outer surface of the drag rod 24 is greater than the coefficient of friction between the overlapping ties 12. To this end, the outer surface of the drag rod 24 is provided with a texture, such as by roughing the outer surface of the drag rod 24 should it be fabricated of wood, or lining the drag rod 24 with a material having a higher coefficient of friction than the ties 12, such as wool, cotton, or the like.
In use, the ties 12 are looped over the mounting rods 20, 22 such that the portions 46 and 48 of the ties 12 extend from the mounting rods 20, 22. The portions 46 and 48 of the ties 12 are extended over one side of the drag rod 24. As such, at least one of the portions 46, 48 of the ties 12 extend in a serpentine pattern. The ties 12 may be positioned on the first and second mounting rods 20, 22 in a random fashion without the need to meticulously place each tie 12 in a particular location. As such, the placing of the ties 12 on the tie rack 10 is easily accomplished.
In removing a tie 12 from the tie rack 10, a desired tie 12 is first selected. One portion 46,48 of the selected tie 12 is then grasped and simply pulled off the drag rod 24 and the mounting rod 20 or 22. Because of the friction between the drag rod 24, and the non-selected ties 12, the selected tie 12 is removed from the tie rack 10 without causing the non-selected ties 12 positioned on the mounting rod 20, 22 to be pulled along with the selected tie 12.
While the tie rack 10 has been described for use in supporting neck ties, it will be appreciated that the tie rack 10 of the present invention is not limited to such use and may be used to support other objects, such as scarfs and handkerchiefs. Also, it will be appreciated that the tie rack 10 may be made in any length depending on the number of ties one has and amount of wall space available.
From the above description, it is clear that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the invention disclosed and as defined in the appended claims.
