Abstract:
The present invention discloses an open air dryer having one or more layers of flexible clothes dryers. Each clothes dryer is made of at least one generally rectangular piece of breathable fabric or net like material mounted on two parallel support bars made of a rigid material. The length of each layer is fully adjustable. Each support bar is held by at least one hook and preferably two hooks to any external structures such as walls, dryer, washer or other self-supporting structure.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present patent application claims the benefits of priority of commonly assigned Canadian Patent No. 2,674,106, entitled “Extendable Clothes Dryer” and filed at the Canadian Patent Office on Aug. 4, 2009. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to clothes dryers and, more particularly, to a novel open air extendable clothes dryer. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Even if sophisticated automatic cloth dryers exist, there is still demand for open air dryers from which any clothes or laundry can be laid flat or hung to dry. 
         [0004]    Many reasons exist to justify the high demand for this type of dryers. First, clothes manufacturers often recommend to hang clothes or to lay flat to dry them instead of using automatic clothes dryers in order to avoid damages to some types of fabrics. Second, as the price of energy is escalating, many are those who are avoiding the use of energy-consuming sophisticated automatic clothes dryers to use open air clothes dryers. Third, in some areas, such as high density populated regions, clothes-lines are often unavailable, impossible to be installed or the coldness of the winter prevents clothes to be hung on the exterior clothes lines. Finally, the advent of front load washing and drying appliances has left empty and often unused space between the said appliances and either the ceiling or the cabinets usually installed over the appliances. 
         [0005]    In some situation, those advantages are eclipsed by inherent disadvantages such as the space required to store and use these apparatus. As many open air dryers can be folded or collapsed in order to be stored out of sight, their usage still require considerable space. Those living in apartments and even homeowners have generally a limited area to use for clothes drying. These types of dryers are generally made of a structure of rigid material such as plastic, metal or wood and are designed to be placed on the floor. As a consequence, these apparatuses require much space when used to dry clothes. There is therefore a need for an extendable open air dryer which can be easily installed and stored in some unused areas of an apartment or a house and more particularly in the space located between the washer and dryer appliances and either the ceiling or the cabinets usually installed over the appliances. Also, it should be easy to manipulate and to be cleaned. Such a clothes dryer should preferably be simple and inexpensive to manufacture. 
         [0006]    Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practise. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is generally providing a clothes dryer adjustable in length and in tension to be fixed on and between at least a pair of substantially parallel wall structures or the like extending substantially vertically, and the adjustable clothes dryer may be installed between walls having variable distance between them, the dryer comprising at least one layer adjustable in length, the layer comprising a first support bar and a second support bar extending substantially horizontally, and a laundry support mesh extending between the support bars, wherein the laundry support mesh is removable from the support bars; a supporting structure comprising retaining members, the retaining members securely fixed to the walls; retainers fixed to the retaining members, the retainers being configured to receive the support bars, wherein the length of each of the layer is adjustable in length in order to fit variable distance between the walls by rolling the laundry support mesh over at least one of the support bars to adjust the length of the layer to the width between the walls. 
         [0008]    In a further embodiment, the clothes dryer further comprises at least one supplementary retaining member extending substantially parallel to the parallel walls, the supplementary retaining member being secured to a further wall perpendicular to the parallel walls. 
         [0009]    In a further embodiment the first support bar and the second support bar are parallel to the parallel walls. 
         [0010]    In a further embodiment the first support bar and the second support bar are perpendicular to the parallel walls. 
         [0011]    In a further embodiment, the retainer is a hook. 
         [0012]    The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a dryer in accordance with the invention installed with many layers. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a dryer in accordance with the invention installed with one layer. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the unassembled dryer of  FIG. 1  showing the hooks portion of the dryer. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4A  is a front view of another embodiment of a dryer in accordance with the invention installed over a top loading washer and dryer appliances. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4B  is a side view of the supplementary retaining member shown in  FIG. 4A . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4C  is a perspective view of the supplementary retaining member shown in  FIG. 4A . 
           [0020]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the dryer, showing the hooks portion and supplementary retaining bars. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 5B to 5E  are perspective views of the dryer of  FIG. 5 , showing different ways to install the dryer by folding or not a layer over the supplementary retaining bars. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6A  is a front view of another embodiment of the dryer in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6B  is a top view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6A . 
           [0024]      FIG. 6C  is a side view showing an embodiment of the supplementary retaining member shown in  FIG. 6A . 
           [0025]      FIG. 6D  is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the retaining member shown in  FIG. 6A . 
           [0026]      FIG. 6E  is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the retaining member shown in  FIG. 6A . 
           [0027]      FIG. 7A  is a front view of a further embodiment of the dryer in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7B  is a top view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7A . 
           [0029]      FIG. 8  is a front view showing a possible way to store the dryer. 
           [0030]      FIG. 9  is a front view of another way to install the dryer in accordance with the present invention, using the available space over the appliances. 
           [0031]      FIG. 10  a front view of a further way to install the dryer in accordance with the present invention, using the available space beside appliances mounted one over the other. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0032]    A novel extendable clothes dryer will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiment(s), it is to be understood that the embodiment(s) described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the extendable clothes dryer of the present invention is generally indicated at  10 . The dryer  10  generally comprises one or a plurality of layers  100  and at least two retaining members  200  that each retains one longitudinal extremity of the layer  100 . Each layer  100  comprises at least two support bars  110  and a laundry support mesh  120 . Each support bar  110  is made of rigid material such as wood, plastic or metal and in the embodiment shown is generally shaped as a rectangular cuboid but could also have another shape such as a circular rod, a hexagonal prism or an octagonal prism. The laundry support mesh  120  has a generally rectangular shape and is typically made of any breathable fabric or net. The skilled addresses will note that breathable fabric is used to allow air to circulate through the laundry support mesh  120  in order to accelerate the drying of the laundry. 
         [0034]    The laundry support mesh  120  is secured to the support bars  110  through attaching means  115 . The skilled addressee will note that the use of non-permanent attaching means  115  such as, but not limited to, snap fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, buttons or zipper is preferred to permanent attaching means such as glue, nails or staples to facilitate the cleaning of the laundry support mesh  120 . The attaching means  115  are generally secured to the support bars  110  with nails, screws, staples or glue. The skilled addressee will note that the attaching means  115  are strong enough to provide the required tension to hold the laundry items laid down on the laundry support mesh  120 . 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , each retaining member  200  embodies one or many supporting structures  210  comprising at least one hook  220  used to retain one end of a layer  100 . In the present embodiment, a hook  220  can be made of a folded sheet of metal or plastic which forms a square angle. Each hook is secured at a selected height of the supporting structure  210  using fasteners (not shown). Typically, permanent fasteners such as nails or screws are used but any other non permanent attaching means could be used instead. The hooks  220  can also be integral with the retaining member  200 . The hooks  220  could also be attached directly to the wall or other support structure. In the present invention, the hooks  220  can be replaced by other holding means such as hook and loop fasteners, or clips located on the supporting bar  110  which engage with attaching means such as apertures located on the retaining member  200 . 
         [0036]    In the embodiment shown, each retaining member  200  comprises a supporting structure  210  generally shaped as bars made of metal, plastic or any other rigid material. Even if the present embodiment shows the use of two supporting structures  210  at each end of the dryer, other embodiments of the present invention could comprise one or many said supporting structures  210  at each end. Each supporting structure  210  is secured to any external structure such as walls, a dryer, a washer or other appropriate self-supporting structure. The supporting structure  210  is secured to the external structure using fasteners (not shown) generally through apertures  230  located in the supporting structure  210 . The supporting structure  210  is secured to a dryer or a washer using appropriate means such as a support or a rack adapted to the dryer or the washer. The skilled addressee will note that the supporting structures  210  facilitate the installation of the dryer  10  and could be replaced by hooks or other retainer devices directly secured in any such external structure. 
         [0037]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 to 3 , to hold the weight of the laundry items laid down on the support mesh  120 , any of the support bars  110  must be first downwardly engaged with one or many hooks  220  of any retaining member  200  and then the opposite support bar  110  must be downwardly pushed into engagement with one or many of the aligned hooks  220  of the opposite retaining member  200  while stretching the laundry supporting mesh. The skilled addressee will note that the length of the laundry supporting mesh  120  must be adjusted to the width of the opposite retaining members  200  to maintain a sufficient tension to hold the laundry items laid down on supporting mesh  120 . The length and the tension of the laundry supporting mesh  120  are generally adjusted by rolling the said mesh  120  around one or all the support bars  110 . Once layer  100  is installed, the previous steps may be repeated to install identical layers  100  to increase the drying surface as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0038]    To store the dryer, one must simply upwardly displace any support bar  110  of any layer  100  installed to get it out of the hook  220 . The skilled addressee will note that one may generally either engage the removed support bar  110  with the opposite set of hooks so to leave the laundry supporting mesh  120  dangling underneath as shown in  FIG. 8 , or roll the laundry supporting mesh  120  around the removed support bar  110  before engaging it with the opposite set of hooks  220 . Alternatively, both support bars may be disengaged from the hooks and the supporting mesh  120  may be wrapped around one or both of the support bars. 
         [0039]    Referring now to  FIG. 4A to 4C , in a second embodiment  300 , an extendable clothes dryer  10  is generally installed over a top loading washing machine  400  and an automatic cloth dryer  410 . The skilled addressee will note that, in the present embodiment, the space located between the washer and dryer appliances and either the ceiling or the cabinets usually installed over the appliances is limited by the top loading washing machine which require a higher clearance to open the door. 
         [0040]    In the second embodiment, the extendable clothes dryer  10  comprises at least two retaining member  200  fixed to any external structure  320  on each end of the dryer using fasteners (not shown), one or many supplementary retaining member  310  fixed to any external structure  330  positioned perpendicularly to the external structures  320  using fasteners (not shown) and one or a plurality of layers  100  supporting the laundry laid down to dry. The supplementary retaining member  310  typically comprises one or many supporting bars  311  and one or many supporting structure  312 , as shown in  FIGS. 4B and 4C . A supporting bar is generally made of plastic, metal or any other rigid material and is secured to the supporting structure  312  using fasteners such as nails, screws or any other securing means. The supporting bar  311  can also be integral with the supporting structure  320 . 
         [0041]    To hold the weight of the laundry items laid down on the support mesh  120 , one of the layer support bars  110  must be first downwardly engaged with one or many hooks  220  of one of the retaining members  200 . Then the opposite layer support bar  110  must moved over a first supporting bar  311 . Next, the said layer support bar  110  must be moved over another supporting bar  311 , located over or under the first supporting bar  311 . Finally, such opposite support bar  110  must be engaged with one or many of the aligned hooks  220  of the opposite retaining member  200  while stretching the laundry supporting mesh  120 . The skilled addressee will note that the length of the laundry supporting mesh  120  must be adjusted to maintain a sufficient tension to hold the laundry items laid down on supporting mesh  120 . This second embodiment allows one supporting mesh  120  to be configured as at least two levels of drying layers. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 5A to 5E  show that a layer  100  may be folded over supplementary retaining bar  310  to create smaller drying sections. 
         [0043]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  shows an embodiment of the present invention wherein the layers are extended in a different direction due to the orientation of the hooks. In this case, the layers are extended from the rear to the front of the appliances or vice versa instead of from a side to another side. To hold the weight of the laundry items laid down on the support mesh  120 , one of the layer support bars  110  must be first downwardly engaged with one or many hooks  520  of one of the first retaining members  500 . Then the opposite layer support bar  110  must moved over a supporting bar  511 . Finally, such opposite support bar  110  must be engaged with one or many of the aligned hooks  560  of the second retaining member  550  while stretching the laundry supporting mesh  120 . It is to be noted that the layers may be extended from front to rear also. 
         [0044]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  shows an embodiment similar to the one disclosed in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the layer having a larger width. 
         [0045]      FIG. 6C  shows another embodiment of a supplementary retaining member  510  comprising one or many supporting bars  511  and one or many supporting structure  512 .  FIG. 6D  shows another embodiment of a retaining member  550  having hooks  560 .  FIG. 6E  shows another embodiment of a retaining member  500  having hooks  520 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 9  discloses an installation wherein there are no storage over the appliances and all the available space is used to hang on clothes using the dryer in accordance with the present invention.  FIG. 10  shows another installation wherein the dryer is installed beside appliances mounted one over the other. It is to be noted that the user may adapt the dryer to the available space he has by using different length of layers. 
         [0047]    It is to be noted that the support bars could be retained by other means than the hooks without departing from the present invention. For example, the support bars could be retained by clip connected to the retaining members. The support bars could also be retained by extensions such as a pins cooperating with hole in the support bars. The support bars could also be retained in a receiving hole having a shape complementary to the shape of the support bars. 
         [0048]    While illustrative and presently preferred embodiment(s) of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.