Clothes airer

Abstract

 A clothes airer of the type comprising two tubular support structures (1, 2), each presenting at least one crosspiece (3, 4), from the ends of each of which there extend two uprights (5-8) connected together by parallel rods (9) for suspending the clothes to be dried, and first means (10) and second means (11) for hinging together the free ends (5A-8A) of said uprights to enable variation of the angle (A) formed by the planes (P1) and (P2) in which said structures (1, 2) lie, to hence be able to position the clothes airer in a rest position (R) in which said angle (A) is substantially equal to 0°, and in a plurality of operative positions in which said angle (A) is different from 0°, in which the tubular structures (1, 2) have different mutual dimensions, with said hinging means (10, 11) shaped such that when in its rest position (R) the structure (2) of lesser dimensions is substantially contained within that (1) of greater dimensions, to hence reduce the transverse dimension (T) of the clothes airer to the size of just one (1) of said support structures and of the relative hinging means (10, 11).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothes airer in accordance with the pre-characterising part of the main claim. The invention concerns a widely used article marketed at low price, of which despatch and storage costs form a considerable part. However, known clothes airers of the type of the present invention still present relatively large overall dimensions when in their closed position, which negatively affect the final product cost.

[0002] An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes airer in accordance with the pre-characterising part of the main claim, which enables the overall dimensions of the clothes airer to be reduced compared with known clothes airers, to hence also reduce its relative transport and storage costs, and thus finally the overall marketing costs of the article.

[0003] These and other objects which will be apparent to an expert of the art are attained by a clothes airer in accordance with the characterising part of the claims.

[0004] The present invention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting example and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective schematic view of a clothes airer of the invention, shown in a possible operative position,

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view thereof shown in a closed or rest position,

Figures 3-5 show respectively a front, side and top schematic view thereof in the rest position,

Figures 6-8 and 9-11 show respectively a front schematic view, a view from below, and an exploded perspective view of first and second hinge means, with the clothes airer in its rest position.

[0005] With reference to said figures, a clothes airer of the invention comprises two tubular support structures 1 and 2, each presenting at least one crosspiece 3, 4, from the ends of each of which there extend two uprights 5-8 connected together by parallel rods 9 for suspending the clothes to be dried, and means 10, 11 for hinging together the free ends 5A-8A of said uprights to enable variation of the angle A formed by the planes P1 and P2 in which said structures 1 and 2 lie, to hence be able to position the clothes airer in a rest position R (Figure 2) in which said angle A is substantially equal to 0°, and an operative position in which said angle A is different from 0° (Figure 1 shows one of said possible operative positions). According to the invention, the tubular structures 1 and 2 have different mutual dimensions, with the connection means 10 and 11 shaped such that when in its rest position R the structure 2 of lesser dimensions is substantially contained within the structure 1 of greater dimensions, to hence reduce the transverse dimension T of the clothes airer to the size of just one, 1, of said support structures and of the relative hinging means 10, 11. To this end, the tubular support structure 1 of greater dimensions has all the rods 9 for suspending the clothes to be dried associated with the same outer portion 5B and 6B of the uprights 5 and 6, such that these uprights and these rods form a seat able to house within it the other tubular structure 2 which, in order to be able to be housed in said seat, itself has its rods 9 associated with an outer portion 8B, 9B of the uprights 8 and 9. By virtue of this solution, when the clothes airer is closed, the tubular structure of lesser dimensions 2 is completely housed within the structure of greater dimensions 1 with the rods 9 of the two structures projecting from the uprights (as shown in particular in Figure 4). The hinging means 10 and 11 are of two different types, one (11) simply enabling the two structures to rotate with an axis of rotation R parallel to the crosspieces 3 and 4 of the structures 1 and 2 and passing through the freer ends of the uprights 5-8, while the other hinging means 10, in addition to enabling said rotation, also comprises a screw member 12 for locking the two structures in a preferred angular position.

[0006] The first hinging means 11 present two parts 15 and 16, each comprising: a tubular seat 13, 14 to house an end 6A, 7A of the uprights 6 and 7 of the two structures 1 and 2, and a head 20, 21 integral with each of said seats. Said heads 20, 21 comprise a hinge member 17 presenting a pivot 18 integral with one (20) of said heads to penetrate into a bush 19 extending from the other seat 21. The pivot 18 has an end 18A shaped to snap-engage a suitably shaped seat (not shown)provided in the head 21, in order to be able to removably snap-connect the two parts 15 and 16 together. The bush 19 itself penetrates into a seat (not shown) provided in that head 20 from which the pivot 18 extends. According to the invention, the hinging means are shaped such that when said hinging means are closed, i.e. when in a position such as to enable the clothes airer to assume the rest position in which one tubular structure 1 is housed in the other tubular structure 2, the centres C1 and C2 of the seats for housing the ends of the uprights 6 and 7 are spaced apart by a distance D1, substantially equal to the thickness S of the rods 9, and such that when viewed in plan the width L of the heads 20, 21 of the hinging means is substantially equal to the diameter M of the uprights 7 and 6, coinciding with that of the crosspieces 3 and 4, plus the thickness S of the rods. Moreover according to the invention, the hinging means are shaped such that the hinge member enables a limited axial movement, equal to a distance Z (Figure 9), of the two constituent parts 15 and 16 of said means.

[0007] The second hinging means 10 present two parts 25 and 26 each comprising: a tubular seat 23, 24 to house an end 5A, 8A of the uprights 5 and 8 of the two structures 1 and 2, and a head 30, 31 integral with each of said seats. Said heads 30, 31 comprise a hinge and locking member 27 presenting a screw element 28 comprising a first part 28A to enable the screw to be rotated, a second part 28B to penetrate into and rotate in a through hole 32 provided in the head 30, and a final part 28C presenting a thread to engage in a corresponding threaded seat 31A of the head 31. The heads 30, 31 present on their opposing faces a toothing 30B, 31 B which enables the heads to be removably secured in a precise position without them being able to move relative to each other when the screw 28 is screwed fully down. To improve this characteristic the head 30 presents a projecting bush 30A, with a sawtooth free end 30C, arranged to penetrate into a seat 31C provided in the other head 31, the abutment edge 31 D for said bush also being sawtoothed. When screwed down into the respective threaded seat, the screw element 28, by virtue of these toothings, locks the two parts 25, 26 of the said hinging means 10 together without any possibility of relative movements, whereas when slackened, because of the limited axial movement allowed to the heads 20, 21 of the other hinging means 11, the sawtooth edges of the two parts 25, 26 can disengage to enable the part 25 to rotate relative to the other part 26. According to the invention, these hinging means 10 are also shaped such that when closed, i.e. when in a position such as to enable the clothes airer to assume the rest position in which one tubular structure 1 is housed within the other 2, the centres C3 and C4 of the seats for housing the ends of the uprights 5 and 8 are spaced apart by a distance D1', substantially equal to the thickness S of the rods 9, and such that when viewed in plan, the width L' of the heads 20, 21 of the hinging means is substantially equal to the diameter M of the uprights 7 and 6 (coinciding with that of the crosspieces 3 and 4), plus the thickness S of the rods, and is also equal to the width L of the other hinging means 11. According to the invention, the limited axial movement of the two constituent parts 15 and 16 of the hinging means 11 is equal to that necessary for the toothings 30B, 31B and 30C, 31 D to disengage and enable the tubular structures 1 and 2 to be newly positioned.

[0008] To also limit the overall width of the clothes airer the knob 28A of the screw element 28 projects inwards from the clothes airer, i.e. the part 26 in which the screw engages and which is associated with the support structure 1 of greater dimensions, is provided on the outside of the clothes airer whereas the part 25 in which the screw idly rotates, associated with the structure 2 of lesser dimensions, is the more inner.

[0009] To improve its resting, the clothes airer of the invention comprises: conventional resting elements 37 to be removably connected to the corners of one of the support structures 1 or 2, and resting feet to be removably snap-fitted to the crosspiece 3 or 4 of said structures and shaped such as to be able to slide along said crosspiece (in Figures 2-5 these feet are in a different position from that of Figure 1). During transport of the clothes airer the feet 38 are obviously released from the crosspieces 3, 4 and positioned for example between two rods, to hence limit the transverse dimension of the clothes airer when in the rest position to the dimension T (Figure 5), substantially equal to the thickness of only one of the support structures 1, 2 and of the relative hinging means 10, 11.

Claims

1. A clothes airer of the type comprising two tubular support structures (1, 2), each presenting at least one crosspiece (3, 4), from the ends of each of which there extend two uprights (5-8) connected together by parallel rods (9) for suspending the clothes to be dried, and first means (10) and second means (11) for hinging together the free ends (5A-8A) of said uprights to enable variation of the angle (A) formed by the planes (P1) and (P2) in which said structures (1, 2) lie, to hence be able to position the clothes airer in a rest position (R) in which said angle (A) is substantially equal to 0°, and in a plurality of operative positions in which said angle (A) is different from 0°, characterised in that the tubular structures (1, 2) have different mutual dimensions, with said hinging means (10, 11) shaped such that when in its rest position (R) the structure (2) of lesser dimensions is substantially contained within that (1) of greater dimensions, to hence reduce the transverse dimension (T) of the clothes airer to the size of just one (1) of said support structures and of the relative hinging means (10, 11).

2. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the tubular support structure (1) of greater dimensions has all the rods (9) for suspending the clothes to be dried associated with the same outer portion (5B, 6B) of the uprights (5, 6), such that these uprights and these rods form a seat able to house within it the other tubular structure (2) which, in order to be able to be housed in said seat, itself has its rods (9) associated with an outer portion (8B, 9B) of the uprights (8, 9) opposite that of the other uprights.

3. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that when the clothes airer is closed, the hinging means (10, 11) have a transverse dimension (L) substantially equal to that of the support structure (1) of greater dimensions.

4. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that first hinging means (11) present two parts (15, 16), each comprising: a tubular seat (13, 14) to house an end (6A, 7A) of the uprights (6, 7) of the two structures (1, 2), and a head (20, 21) integral with each of said seats, said heads (20, 21) comprising a hinge member (17) presenting a pivot (18) integral with one (20) of said heads to penetrate into a bush (19) extending from the other seat (21), said pivot (18) having an end (18A) shaped to snap-engage a suitably shaped seat provided in the other head (21), in order to be able to removably snap-connect the two parts (15, 16) together.

5. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the first and second hinging means (11, 10) are shaped such that when said hinging means are closed, i.e. when in a position such as to enable the clothes airer to assume the rest position in which one tubular structure (1) is housed within the other (2), the centres (C1, C2) of the seats for housing the ends of the uprights (6, 7) are spaced apart by a distance (D1, D1') substantially equal to the thickness (S) of the rods (9).

6. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that when viewed in plan, the width (L) of the heads (20, 21) of the first and second hinging means is substantially equal to the diameter (M) of the uprights (7, 6), plus the thickness (S) of the rods (9).

7. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the first hinging means (11) are shaped such that the hinge member enables a limited axial movement, equal to a distance Z (Figure 9), of the two constituent parts (15, 16) of said means.

8. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the second hinging means (10) present two parts (25, 26), each comprising: a tubular seat (23, 24) to house an end (5A, 8A) of the uprights (5, 8) of the two structures (1, 2), and a head (30, 31) integral with each of said seats, said heads (30, 31) comprising a hinge and locking member (27), said heads (30, 31) presenting toothings (30B, 31 B) which enable the heads to be removably secured in a precise position without them being able to move relative to each other when said member (27) is fully tightened.

9. A clothes airer as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that when screwed fully down into the respective threaded seat, the locking member (27), by virtue of these toothings, locks the two parts (25, 26) of the hinging means together without any possibility of relative movements, whereas when slackened, because of the limited axial movement allowed to the heads (20, 21) of the other hinging means (11), said toothings can disengage to enable one part to rotate relative to the other part.

Drawing