Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COLLAPSIBLE RACK UNIT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to racks, and more particularly
to a collapsible rack unit for hanging clothes and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Space is often limited in household areas such as laundry rooms
orlaundry areas, closets, garages, bedrooms, bathrooms and the like.
Particularly in the laundry room/area people encounter the problem
of finding space to air dry garments as they come out of the washer
or dryer. For example, some garments cannot be placed in the dryer,
but must be air dried; some garments can only go in the dryer for
a short time and then must be air dried. However, due to limited
space in the laundry area it is not desirable to always have a rack
sticking out from the wall for hanging such items. Racks can often
be bulky and get in the way of other items in the laundry area or
closet when not in use. Many such racks are floor models and/or bulky
wall models. Accordingly, a need exists for a rack that can be wall,
under shelf or closet mounted, and collapsed and hidden when not in
use.
SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there
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is provided a rack unit that includes a housing, a hanging bar, and
a pair of hinged arms that extend between the housing and the hanging
bar. The hinged arms extend generally parallel to the housing in a
closed position and extend generally perpendicular to the housing
in an open position. In preferred embodiments, the hinged arms
include a base portion that is associated with the housing and an
arm portion that is hingedly connected to the base portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of hanging an article. The method includes the
steps of providing a rack unit that is affixed to an object, moving
a pair of arms from a closed position to an open position, moving
a hanging bar along the pair of arms, extending it out and away from
the housing, and hanging the article on the hanging bar.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention
there is provided a collapsible rack unit for hanging articles that
includes a hanging bar and a collapsing mechanism. The unit has at
least two modes, one mode where the base, hanging bar and collapsing
mechanism are collapsed together in a generally cylindrical package
and another mode where the base is spaced from the hanging bar in
an extended position spaced by the collapsing mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible rack unit in an
open position in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
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present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rack unit of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the rack unit of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rack unit of FIG. 1 in a
partially open position;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rack unit of FIG. 1 in a
closed position;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the rack unit of
FIG. 1 showing the base portion of the hinged arm and the housing
cut away to reveal the locking mechanism; and
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the collapsible rack unit of
FIG. 1 in an open position with clothes hanging therefrom.
Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views
of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in the drawings, for purposes of illustration, the
invention is embodied in a collapsible rack unit for hanging items,
such as clothes, belts and the like.
For exemplary purposes only, described hereinbelow is a
preferred embodiment wherein the rack is used to facilitate hanging
clothes. However, this is not a limitation on the present invention.
It will be understood that the rack can be used to support any desired
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item.
It will be appreciated that terms such as "front," "back,"
"top, ""bottom, " and "side" used herein are merely for ease of
description and refer to the orientation of the components as shown
in the figures. It should be understood that any orientation of the
rack unit, and the components thereof described herein is within the
scope of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1-7, generally, the rack unit 10 includes
a housing 12, a pair of hinged arms 14 and a hanging bar 16. The
housing 12 includes a back portion 20 that has a flange 22 extending
outwardly therefrom. The flange 22 and back portion 20 cooperate
to define a recess 24 which is sized to receive the hanging bar 16,
as will be described more fully below.
In a preferred embodiment, the housing 12 is adapted to be
affixed to a wall or other object. Those skilled in the art will
understand that there are numerous ways to connect the housing 12
to the wall. In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the
rack unit 10 preferably includes a pair of plates 18 that include
an opening 18a defined therein that cooperates with an opening 12a
in the housing 12 through which a threaded fastener 26, such as a
screw, can be inserted for threading into a wall. The plate 18 also
includes an opening 18b for receiving a threaded fastener 26 for
securing the plate 18 to the housing. And, the plate 18 includes
another opening 18c that is sized to receive the base portion 28 of
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the hinged arm 14.
In a preferred embodiment, each hinged arm 14 includes a base
portion 28 and an arm portion 30 that is hingedly connected to the
base portion 28. The base portion 28 is affixed to plate 18. In
a preferred embodiment, the base portion 28 is permanently welded
to plate 18. This can be done by inserting base portion 28 into
opening 18c and welding it therein or omitting opening 18c and welding
base portion 28 directly to plate 18. In a preferred embodiment,
the plate 18 and hinged arms 14 (and their various components) are
made of metal or the like and the housing 12 and hanging bar 16 (and
their various components) are made of a high density plastic or the
like. However, the materials are not a limitation on the present
invention.
In a preferred embodiment, the arm portion 30 is connected to
the base portion 28 by an intermediate portion 32 that includes a
male end 32a onto which the arm portion 30 slides and is press fit
(other connections, such as screws, welding, gluing and the like are
contemplated), and an opposite end 32b that is hingedly connected
to the base portion 28. In another embodiment, the intermediate
portion 32 can be omitted and the arm portion 30 can be directly hinged
to the base portion 28.
In a preferred embodiment, the arm 14 includes a locking
mechanism 46 for locking the arm portion 30 in the open and closed
positions (described more fully below). As is shown in FIGS. 2 and
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6, in a preferred embodiment, the locking mechanism 46 includes a
ball bearing 46a biased by a spring 46b and a grub screw 46c for holding
the ball bearing 46a and screw 46b in place. The ball bearing 46a
and then the spring are inserted into a threaded opening 28a in the
bottom of the base portion 28 and extends through another opening
28b, whose diameter is smaller than that of the ball bearing 46a,
near the top of the base portion 28. The grub screw 46c is then screwed
into the bottom of the base portion 28, thereby securing the spring
46b and ball bearing 46a inside the base portion 28 and biasing a
portion of the ball bearing 46a through opening 28b. End 32b of the
intermediate portion 32 includes an arcuate track 48 defined therein
that has locking indentations 50 at opposite ends thereof. Track
48 and locking indentations 50 are adapted to allow ball bearing 46a
to ride therealong. Locking indentations 50 are deeper than track
48 and correspond to the open and closed positions of the arm portion
30. In use, when arm portion 30 is moved from one position to the
other, after applying a little pressure, ball bearing 46a exits the
corresponding locking indentation 50 and rides along track 48 until
it pops into the other corresponding locking indentation 50. Other
locking mechanisms are also contemplated.
As is best shown in FIG. 2, the hanging bar 16 includes a
plurality of fingers 34 that cooperate to define a plurality of
hanging slots 36, which are sized to receive the hook portion of a
typical clothes hangar. The hanging bar 16 also includes an arm
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channel 38 into which the arms 14 can be folded when the rack unit
is in the closed position. As can be seen in FIG. 5, when the
unit 10 is in the closed position it has a generally cylindrical shape
as a result of the curvature of the outer surface of the hanging bar
5 16 and the cylindrical shape of the arms 14.
The hanging bar 16 also includes a pair of openings 40 defined
transversely therethrough, through which the arms 14 extend. The
arms 14 include stoppers 42 on the ends thereof that prevent the
hanging bar 16 from coming off the end of the arms 14 when the hanging
10 bar 16 is pulled to the open position. In a preferred embodiment,
the stoppers 42 are removable from the arm portion 30 for assembly
and disassembly of the rack unit 10. As shown in FIG. 2, in a preferred
embodiment, the stopper 42 is removable from the arm portion 30 by
a biased button or ball bearing 44a and opening 44b arrangement.
In operation, the rack unit 10 is initially in the closed
position, as is shown in FIG. 5. In this position, the hanging bar
16 is received in recess 24 and the arms 14 are hinged inwardly and
received in the arm channel 38. Preferably, the arms 14, recess 24,
hanging bar 16 and arms 14 (together with any other components) are
sized such that the rack unit 10 is compact as is shown in FIG. 5.
For example, in a preferred embodiment, in the closed position, the
rack unit 10 measures about 25.5 inches long, is about 2 inches wide
at its widest point and about 1.75 inches deep ensuring it is neatly
stored and out of the way when not in use.
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To place the rack unit 10 in the open position, the user first
pulls and hinges the arms 14 outwardly, as is shown in FIG. 4, until
the arms 14 extend approximately perpendicularly from the housing
12 and wall (and ball bearing 46a pops into the locking indentation
50 that correponds with the open position). Then, the user grasps
the hanging bar 16 and pulls it outwardly until the stoppers 42 prevent
the hanging bar 16 from going any further. At this point, as is shown
in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rack unit 10 is in the open position. The user
can then hang the hook portion of a hangar in any of the hanging slots
36. In an embodiment that includes the biased ball bearing 44a and
opening 44b arrangement between the stopper 42 and arm portion 30,
the ball bearing 44a is also used to lock the hanging bar 16 in the
open position. When the hanging bar 16 is pulled outwardly along
the arms 14, because of the rounded shape of the ball bearing 44a,
the ball bearing is pushed inwardly and then is biased back outwardly
once the hanging bar 16 has been pulled past the button 44a. In
another embodiment, the hanging bar 16 can have an indentation
defined in the surface of the opening 40 that receives the ball bearing
44a for locking the hanging bar 16 in place.
To close the rack unit 10, the user slides the hanging bar 16
back into the housing and hingedly closes the arms 14, which fit
compactly into the arm channel 38 of the hanging bar.
In a preferred embodiment, the flange 22 of the housing 12
includes an area on the top and bottom thereof where it bulges
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outwardly. This area defines a finger recess 52 between the flange
22 and the hanging bar 16. This arrangement makes it easier for a
user to grasp the hanging bar 16 and pull it outwardly.
In an alternative embodiment, the housing can be omitted and
the hinged arms can be directly affixed to the wall. In another
embodiment, the arms can extend into the wall in the closed position
and then be pulled straight outwardly to the open position. In this
embodiment the arms are always perpendicular to the wall, housing
and hanging bar.
The foregoing embodiments are merely examples of the present
invention. Those skilled in the art may make numerous uses of, and
departures from, such embodiments without departing from the spirit and
the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present
invention is not to be limited to or defined by such embodiments in any
way, but rather, is defined solely by the following claims.
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