Stabilizing base for a clothes horse

Abstract

 A stabilizing base (10) for a clothes horse (12) comprises a base body (32) having a first upper wall (34) and a second flat lower wall (36) opposite the first wall (34), so as to stably rest on a support plane, and a lateral surface (38) that connects the first wall (34) to the second wall (36) so as to delimit internally a cavity to be filled with weighting material. The base body (32) comprises at least a protruding block (42) disposed in a substantially peripheral position on said first wall (34) and which has at least a lateral wall (44) that extends transversely from the first wall (34) and from which lateral wall (44) projects in its turn transversely at least a retaining element (46) lying in a position opposite the first wall (34). The retaining element (46), the lateral wall (44) and the first wall (34) are consecutive one to the other, cooperating to define at least a coupling seating (48) that extends longitudinally in a manner correlated to a rectilinear support portion (24, 26) of the clothes horse (12), and which lies on a plane substantially parallel to the second lower wall (32), so as to define a stable positioning inside it of the rectilinear support portion (24, 26) of the clothes horse (12).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention concerns a stabilizing base for a clothes horse comprising one or more first frames, square or rectangular, which support a plurality of parallel filiform elements to hang out the clothes, and a second support frame, of the fixed type, or closable or collapsible, coupled to the one or more first frames to allow it to rest on the floor or other supporting surface.

[0002] The present invention can be used in trestle-type clothes horses, in which the second support frame is formed by two U-shaped sections, having rectilinear support portions, of which a first section constrained to the frame to hang out the clothes and a second section sliding along the filiform elements, the two sections being hinged to each other in correspondence to the respective central zones, in order to rotate around an axis parallel to the lying plane of the frame to hang out the clothes, being able to pass from one folded position, when not in use, to an open position.

[0003] A variant of the trestle-type clothes horse provides that the two sections as above are both constrained to the first frame and one of two sections is centrally articulated to assume a folded, closed configuration and therefore more compact.

[0004] The present invention can also be used in clothes horses of the extendable type, similar to the trestle-type clothes horses, but in which the two U-shaped sections are autonomous with respect to each other, and not hinged, and are slidingly coupled to the frame, so that it is possible to vary their reciprocal distance depending on the sizes of the frame for hanging out the clothes.

[0005] Moreover the present invention can also be used in tower-type clothes horses, in which several first frames to hang out the clothes are provided, disposed distanced one above the other and in which the two sections of the second support frame have a rectangular or square shape with a mainly vertical extension, are coupled along the edges of the frames to hang out the clothes and have hinging means to rotate around an axis orthogonal to the lying plane of the frames, between a folded position, when not in use, to an open position when in use.

[0006] It is clear that, although we have indicated its use as a stabilizer for clothes horses as described above, the application should not be understood as restrictive of the field of protection, since the base according to the present invention, suitably sized and/or configured, can be used for other types of clothes horses, and also to stabilize and balance other functional or operative support elements, typically with closable or collapsible support frames, such as ironing boards, work benches, folding tables or chairs, other objects or furnishing elements for inside or outside, for example garden or camping furniture or similar.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The use of clothes horses to hang out clothes to dry, outside or inside a living area, gardens, terraces, courtyards and suchlike is known. A first type of known clothes horse is represented by clothes horses which rest on the floor, the ground or other, with a support frame, which can be fixed or closable or collapsible, while a second known type of clothes horse is of the type which is suspended cantilevered.

[0008] One particular disadvantage of clothes horses which rest on the floor with a support frame is that the parts which rest on the floor or ground may not guarantee a balanced condition in the event of accidental knocks or oscillations, or strong drafts or, particularly in the open, in the case of wind, all of which can cause the clothes horse to overturn or fall, even due to the sail effect the clothes themselves can generate.

[0009] It can be dangerous if the clothes horse falls over, for example for old people or children, and also soils or scatters the clothes themselves, and therefore it takes time to wash them again and hang them out.

[0010] Document GB-A-0,219,418 describes a supporting trestle of the collapsible type for clothes. The supporting trestle comprises a base and support uprights for an element to support the clothes. The base has a single longitudinal groove, open at the upper part, which has a first open portion to insert attachment ends of the uprights and a second open portion in which to place, substantially retracted, the support uprights and the support element, when not in use. A cover is hinged to the base and can be closed to cover the longitudinal groove, when the clothes horse is not in use, or it can be positioned open in an inclined condition to act as a support of said uprights. In this known solution, if the longitudinal groove is filled or occupied, it is impossible to position the attachment ends of the uprights. Moreover, the longitudinal groove open at the upper part makes the attachment from above difficult, for example in the case of collapsible clothes horses with hinged sections of the pantograph type.

[0011] Document US-A-5,816,417 describes a clothes horse which has two hollow base feet which support uprights which, in their turn, support at the upper part a frame with lines for hanging the clothes. Each base foot is L-shaped, and comprises a substantially flat portion and a portion protruding upward. Each upward protruding portion of the base feet supports one of the uprights, inserted and clamped in a fixed manner, and not releasable, in a corresponding upward facing aperture. The hollow base feet internally define chambers which can be filled with sand or a similar weighting material.

[0012] Purpose of the present invention is to make a stabilizing base for a clothes horse which determines conditions of great stability and balance, particularly in accidents or situations of drafts or wind as described above.

[0013] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

[0015] In accordance with the above purpose, a stabilizing base for a clothes horse according to the present invention comprises at least a base body having a first upper wall and a second flat lower wall, opposite the first wall, so as to stably rest on a support plane, such as a floor or similar, and a lateral surface that connects the first wall to the second wall so as to delimit internally a closed cavity to be filled with weighting material, and which selectively cooperates with a closing element. For example, during normal use the cavity is filled with water, sand or similar or an equivalent weighting material, by means of an aperture provided with a removable closing element made on the first or the second wall, or on the lateral surface, so as to confer a desired weight on the base, in order to stabilize and anchor the clothes horse to the support plane.

[0016] According to the present invention the stabilizing base comprises at least a protruding block disposed in a substantially peripheral position on said first wall and which has at least a lateral wall that extends transversely from the first wall, and from which lateral wall at least a retaining element transversely projects in turn, lying in a position opposite the first wall, said at least one retaining element, said at least one lateral wall and said first wall being consecutive one to the other, cooperating to define at least a coupling seating, external and separate from the closed cavity, that extends longitudinally in a manner correlated to a rectilinear support portion of the clothes horse, and which is delimited at the upper part by the at least one retaining element and open laterally and lying on a plane substantially parallel to the second lower supporting wall, to allow the lateral insertion into the at least one coupling seating of the rectilinear support portion of the clothes horse in a manner substantially tangential to the first wall and to the at least one retaining element and to define a stable releasable positioning inside the at least one coupling seating of the rectilinear support portion of the clothes horse.

[0017] The presence of the base, with the weighting material inside it, allows to vary the disposition of the overall center of gravity of the clothes horse in a position which is more favorable to increase the stability and the balance thereof. This determines conditions of great stability and balance of the clothes horse, particularly in accident situations or drafts which could cause the clothes horse to overturn or fall.

[0018] The coupling seating of the present invention, being configured for a releasable coupling with the rectilinear support portion of the clothes horse, allows the stabilizing base according to the present invention to be associated rapidly and intuitively, reversibly and repeatably to the clothes horse, according to needs. This is particularly advantageous for example if the stabilizing base is to be associated to the clothes horse when there are unfavorable wind conditions.

[0019] Moreover, unlike the trestle described in GB-A-0,219,418 the present invention provides that the internal cavity of the stabilizing base is closed, it can be filled with weighting material without this escaping, and it is distinct and separate from the at least one coupling seating in which the rectilinear support portion of the clothes horse is stably positioned.

[0020] The coupling seating of the present invention, therefore, is independent from the closed internal cavity and can be used to rapidly and releasably insert the rectilinear support portion of the clothes horse, even if the internal cavity is filled. In this way, the positioning of the rectilinear support portion of the clothes horse in the corresponding coupling seating does not depend on the filling of the cavity, as instead happens in GB-A-0,219,418.

[0021] Moreover, compared to what is described in GB-A-0,219,418, the coupling seating is open laterally, and not at the upper part, allowing an easier and intuitive lateral insertion of the rectilinear support portions of the clothes horse with a rapid movement of tangential insertion of the latter which facilitates and reproduces the normal opening movement of the clothes horse in question.

[0022] In some variants, the base body has one or more handles for transport, defined by an aperture with an advantageously ergonomic conformation.

[0023] In other variants the retaining element can have an aperture which acts as a handle.

[0024] According to other forms of embodiment, the base body can have one or more through apertures, to make it lighter, disposed under the at least one retaining element. In variants of these forms of embodiment, in the one or more through apertures, protruding lower support elements can be provided which support the support portions of the clothes horse, in the event that the latter is translated or moved from a central, balanced position, in order to guarantee a good positioning stability in all conditions.

[0025] According to one form of embodiment, the stabilizing base of the present invention consists of a single base body.

[0026] In a variant form of embodiment, the base body comprises two protruding blocks disposed in an opposite peripheral position on the first wall, so as to define coordinated coupling seatings substantially facing or opposite each other.

[0027] In a variant form of embodiment, the abovementioned base body has a rectangular or square shape and the protruding blocks are provided along two opposite sides of the rectangular or square shape, disposed so that the corresponding coupling seatings develop along at least a linear segment of each of said sides. This variant is suitable to act as a stabilizer for a trestle-type clothes horse.

[0028] In another form of embodiment, the single base body has a circular shape and comprises two protruding blocks provided in a diametrically opposite position. Each of the protruding blocks comprises two lateral walls transverse to the first wall and converging radially toward the center of the base body and two corresponding retaining elements that project transversely in their turn from the lateral walls, so that the corresponding coupling seatings develop linearly in a radial direction. This form of embodiment is suitable to act as a stabilizer for tower-type clothes horses.

[0029] According to another form of embodiment, the stabilizing base of the present invention comprises two separate base bodies.

[0030] In a variant of this form of embodiment, each base body comprises a protruding block disposed in a peripheral position on the first wall so as to define a coordinated coupling seating.

[0031] In a variant, each base body has a rectangular or square shape and the corresponding protruding block is provided along one side of the rectangular or square shape, disposed so that the corresponding coupling seating develops along at least a linear segment of the side.

[0032] This form of embodiment is suitable to act as a stabilizer for a clothes horse of the extendable type, in that it is possible to autonomously dispose the two base bodies at a desired distance, consistent with the extension adopted on each occasion for the extendable clothes horse.

[0033] The base according to the present invention can be made of plastic commonly used in similar applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

• fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first form of embodiment of the base according to the present invention associated to a first trestle-type clothes horse;
• fig. 1a is a perspective view of the first form of embodiment in fig. 1 associated to a second trestle-type clothes horse;
• fig. 2 is a lateral view of the base in fig. 1;
• fig. 3 is a plan view from above of fig. 2;
• fig. 4 is a perspective view of fig. 2;
• fig. 5 is a perspective view of a second form of embodiment of the base according to the present invention associated to a first type of extendable clothes horse;
• figs 5a and 5b are perspective views of the second form of embodiment in fig. 5 associated, in two symmetrical spatial configurations, to a trestle-type clothes horse;
• fig. 6 is a lateral view of a part of the base in fig. 5;
• fig. 7 is a plan view from above of fig. 6;
• fig. 8 is a perspective view of fig. 6;
• fig. 9 is a perspective view of the second form of embodiment in fig. 5 associated to a second type of extendable clothes horse;
• fig. 10 is a perspective view of a third form of embodiment of the base according to the present invention associated to a tower-type clothes horse;
• fig. 11 is a lateral view of a part of the base in fig. 10;
• fig. 12 is a plan view from above of fig. 11;
• fig. 13 is a perspective view of fig. 11.

[0035] To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one form of embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other forms of embodiment without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERENTIAL FORMS OF EMBODIMENT

[0036] With reference to figs. 1 - 4, a first form of embodiment of the base according to the present invention, indicated by the reference number 10, is used to function as a stabilizer for a first type of trestle-type clothes horse 12.

[0037] The trestle-type clothes horse 12 is typically formed by a first rectangular frame 14 and by auxiliary lateral frames 15, hinged and closable at the sides. The first frame 14 supports a plurality of parallel filiform elements 16 to hang out the clothes. The clothes horse 12 also comprises a second support frame 18 coupled with the first frame 14 to allow it to rest on a determinate surface or support plane.

[0038] The second support frame 18 is formed by two U-shaped sections 20, 22, having rectilinear support portions 24, 26, of which a first section 20 constrained to the first frame 14 and a second section 22 sliding along the filiform elements 16. The two sections 20, 22 are hinged to each other in correspondence with the respective central zones, to rotate around an axis parallel to the lying plane of the first frame 14, and can pass from a folded position, when not in use, to an open position, when in use, with a substantially X-shaped conformation.

[0039] In another application (fig. 1a), the base 10 can function as a stabilizer for a second type of trestle-type clothes horse 12a, in which the two sections 20, 22 are both constrained to the first frame 14 and one of the two sections, specifically section 22, could in turn be articulated, by hinging means 19, in a substantially central position so as to assume a folded and more compact configuration.

[0040] The base 10 (figs. 2 - 4) comprises a single base body 32 having a first upper wall 36, a second flat lower wall 36, opposite the first wall, so as to stably rest on a support plane, such as a floor or suchlike, and a lateral surface 38 that connects the first wall 34 to the second wall 36 so as to delimit internally a closed cavity which, in normal use, is filled with water or sand so as to confer a desired weight on the base 10, by means of an aperture provided with a removable closing element 40, made on the first wall 34.

[0041] The base body 32 comprises two protruding blocks 42 disposed in an opposite peripheral position on the first wall 34.

[0042] Each protruding block 42 has a lateral wall 44 that extends orthogonally from the first wall 34; from the lateral wall 44 a retaining element 46 projects in its turn orthogonally, lying in a position parallel and opposite to the first wall 34, protruding from the first wall 34 by a desired length so as to retain the rectilinear support portion 24, 26 of the clothes horse 12.

[0043] The retaining element 46, the lateral wall 44 and the first wall 36 are consecutive to each other, cooperating to define a coupling seating 48, outside and separate from the closed cavity, for each opposite side of the base body 32 that extends longitudinally for a linear segment of the corresponding side of the base body 32, in correlation to a rectilinear support portion 24, 26 of the clothes horse 12. Each coupling seating 48 is delimited at the upper part by the retaining element 46 and open laterally and lying on a plane parallel to the second support wall 36, to allow the lateral insertion into the coupling seating 48 of the rectilinear support portion 24, 26 of the clothes horse in a manner substantially tangential to the first wall 34 and to the retaining element 46, and to define a stable, releasable positioning of the corresponding rectilinear support portion 24, 26 of the clothes horse 12. In particular, opening the clothes horse 12 in its X-shaped position of use, it is possible to put the portions of linear support 24, 26 stably inside the coupling seatings 48 and the base 10 thus coupled allows to keep the clothes horse 12 in stable balance, also thanks to the weight of the material it is filled with, substantially anchoring it to the support plane.

[0044] In the solution shown here, the base body 32 is provided with one or more handles 49, made in this case through the first wall 34, in order to transport the base 10 and make it more manageable.

[0045] Furthermore, the retaining elements 46 can also have gripping apertures 50 (figs. 3 and 4).

[0046] Furthermore, according to some forms of embodiment, the base body 32 can have one or more through apertures 51 to make it lighter, disposed under the retaining elements 46.

[0047] In variants of these forms of embodiment, in the one or more through apertures 51 lower support elements 53 may be provided, protruding from the edges 55 of the apertures 54 which are adjacent to the lateral walls 44. The support elements 53 function as brackets since they support the support portions 24, 26 of the clothes horse 12, if it is translated or moved from a central, balanced position, to guarantee a good, stable positioning in all conditions.

[0048] With reference to figs. 5 - 9, a second form of embodiment of a base according to the present invention is shown and described, indicated by the reference number 110, where the same reference numbers are used to described identical parts in the first form of embodiment shown in figs. 1 - 4.

[0049] The base 110 is used to function as a stabilizer for a first type of extendable clothes horse 112. The extendable clothes horse 112 is similar to the trestle-type clothes horse 12, but the two U-shaped sections, indicated by reference numbers 120, 122, are autonomous with respect to each other, and not hinged, and are slidingly coupled with the frame 14, so that their reciprocal distance can be varied depending on the sizes of the frame 14.

[0050] The base 110 comprises two separate base bodies 132, in this case each of a rectangular shape and of a size substantially equal to half that of the base body in figs. 1 - 4, selectively positionable in association with the extendable clothes horse 112.

[0051] Each base body 132 comprises a single protruding block 42 disposed in a peripheral position on the first wall 34 along one side of the rectangular shape, so as to define a coordinated coupling seating 48 that develops, in the same way as described for figs. 1 - 4, along a linear segment of the side.

[0052] The two base bodies 132 can be positioned at a variable distance from each other, consistent with the extension adopted on each occasion for the extendable clothes horse 112.

[0053] In a variant, the two base bodies 132 can have mating reciprocal attachment/ detachment means, not shown, for example of the snap-in type or other, so as to be able to be coupled with each other and to reproduce an overall base body similar to the one described in relation to the previous drawings 1 - 4.

[0054] Figs. 5a and 5b show how the base 110 can be used to stabilize a trestle-type clothes horse 12 as in fig. 1. In particular, the two base bodies 132 can be positioned with the coupling seatings 48 facing toward the inside (fig. 5a) or, in a symmetrical configuration rotated by 180°, facing toward the outside (fig. 5b).

[0055] Fig. 9 shows the application of the base 110 to a second type of extendable clothes horse, indicated by the reference number 212, which does not provide the lateral frames 15. In fig. 9 the base bodies 132 are disposed rotated by 180° with respect to fig. 5, that is, with the coupling seatings 48 facing toward the outside with respect to the extendable clothes horse 212, although they could be positioned with the coupling seatings 48 facing toward the inside as in fig. 5.

[0056] With reference to figs. 10 - 13, these show and describe a third form of embodiment of a base according to the present invention, indicated by the reference number 210. The base 310 is used to stabilize a tower-type clothes horse 312.

[0057] The tower-type clothes horse 312 comprises a plurality of first frames 314 to hang out the clothes, disposed distanced one above the other and in which the two sections 320, 322 of the second support frame 318 are shaped with a rectangular shape with a mainly vertical extension, they are coupled along the edges of the first frames 314 and have hinging means 325 to rotate around an axis orthogonal to the lying plane of the first frames 314, between a folded position, when not in use, and an open position, for use.

[0058] In this third form of embodiment, a single base body 232 is provided, with a circular shape having a first upper wall 234, a second flat lower wall 236, opposite the first wall 234, so as to stably rest on a support plane, such as a floor or suchlike, and a lateral surface 238 that connects the first wall 234 to the second wall 236 so as to delimit internally a cavity that, in normal use, is filled with water or sand so as to confer a desired weight on the base 310, by means of an aperture provided with a removable closing element 240, made on the first wall 234.

[0059] The base body 232 comprises two protruding blocks 242, in a diametrically opposite position on the first wall 234.

[0060] Each protruding block 242 is shaped to follow a desired segment of the arc of a peripheral circumference of the base body 232 and comprises two lateral walls 244 orthogonal to the first wall 234 and converging in a radial direction toward the center of the base body 232, and two corresponding retaining elements 246 that project orthogonally from the lateral walls 244, so as to define two corresponding coupling seatings 248 that develop linearly in a radial direction, also outside and separated from the closed cavity and open laterally to allow the lateral insertion and stable releasable positioning of the rectilinear support portion 324, 326, tangentially to the first wall 234 and to the retaining element 246.

[0061] To insert the rectilinear support portions 324, 326 of the tower-type clothes horse 312 it is enough to dispose it, in the closed position, at the center of the base 210, so that the axis of rotation of the two sections 320, 322 passes substantially through the center of the base 310 and subsequently to rotate one or the other of the sections 320, 322, taking care to insert the rectilinear support portions 324, 326 in the two pairs of seatings 248.

[0062] It is clear that the auxiliary support elements 53 associated with the through apertures 51 can be provided, in some forms of embodiment, also in the variants described in relation to figs. 5 - 9 and 10 - 13 as above.

Claims

1. Stabilizing base for a clothes horse (12, 12a, 112, 212, 312), characterized in that it comprises at least a base body (32, 132, 232) having a first upper wall (34, 234) and a second flat lower wall (36, 236) opposite the first wall (34, 234), so as to stably rest on a support plane, and a lateral surface (38, 238) that connects the first wall (34, 234) to the second wall (36, 236) so as to delimit internally a closed cavity to be filled with weighting material, said closed cavity selectively cooperating with a closing element (40), wherein said at least one base body (32, 132, 232) comprises at least a protruding block (42, 242) disposed in a substantially peripheral position on said first wall (34, 234) and which has at least a lateral wall (44, 244) that extends transversely from the first wall (34, 234) and from which lateral wall (44, 244) projects in its turn transversely at least a retaining element (46, 246) lying in a position opposite the first wall (34, 234), said at least one retaining element (46, 246), said at least one lateral wall (44, 244) and said first wall (34, 234) being consecutive one to the other, cooperating to define at least a coupling seating (48, 248), outside and separate from said closed cavity, that extends longitudinally in a manner correlated to a rectilinear support portion (24, 26; 124, 126; 324, 326) of the clothes horse (12, 12a, 112, 212, 312), and which is delimited at the upper part by said at least one retaining element (46, 246) and open laterally and lying on a plane substantially parallel to the second lower wall (32, 232), to allow the lateral insertion into said at least one coupling seating (48, 248) of the rectilinear support portion (24, 26; 124, 126; 324, 326) of the clothes horse (12, 12a, 112, 212, 312) in a manner substantially tangential to the first wall (34, 234) and to said at least one retaining element (46, 246) and to define a stable, releasable positioning inside said at least one coupling seating (48, 248) of the rectilinear support portion (24, 26; 124, 126; 324, 326) of the clothes horse (12, 12a, 112, 212, 312).

2. Base as in claim 1, characterized in that it consists of a single base body (32, 232).

3. Base as in claim 2, characterized in that said base body (32, 232) comprises two protruding blocks (42, 242) disposed in an opposite peripheral position on said first wall (34, 234), so as to define coordinated coupling seatings (48, 248) substantially facing each other.

4. Base as in claim 3, characterized in that said base body (32) has a rectangular or square shape and the protruding blocks (42) are provided along two opposite sides of the rectangular or square shape, disposed so that the corresponding coupling seatings (48) develop along at least a linear segment of each of said sides.

5. Base as in claim 3, characterized in that said base body (232) has a circular shape and comprises two protruding blocks (242) provided in a diametrically opposite position, each of which comprises two lateral walls (244) transverse to the first wall (234) and converging radially toward the center of the base body (232) and two corresponding retaining elements (246) that project transversely in their turn from the lateral walls (244), so that the corresponding coupling seatings (248) develop linearly in a radial direction.

6. Base as in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two separate base bodies (132).

7. Base as in claim 6, characterized in that each base body (132) comprises a protruding block (42) disposed in a peripheral position on said first wall (34) so as to define a coordinated coupling seating (48).

8. Base as in claim 7, characterized in that each base body (132) has a rectangular or square shape and the corresponding protruding block (42) is provided along one side of the rectangular or square shape, disposed so that the corresponding coupling seating (48) develops along at least a linear segment of said side.

9. Base as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises support elements (53) provided in apertures (51) associated at the lower part with said coupling seatings (48), in a position substantially opposite said retaining elements (46).

10. Clothes horse comprising a stabilizing base as in any claim hereinbefore.

Drawing