Towel or blanket support device

A device (10) for supporting articles (11) in a pile so that any one of the articles in the pile can be removed without disrupting the orderly arrangement of the pile. The device (10) comprises a guide means (13) and a plurality of spacing elements (20) mounted on and slidably movable along the guide means (13). The spacing elements adjacent to one another when in a spaced apart relationship define a storage zone (29) each for receiving and storing one of the articles. The spacing elements (20) serve to maintain at least partial separation between articles in the pile to permit any one of the articles to be removed without disrupting the pile. As each article (13) is removed from the pile, the spacing elements above it slide down along the guide means (13) to progressively decrease the height of the pile.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a device for supporting articles in a pile so 
that any one of the articles in the pile can be removed without disrupting 
the orderly arrangement of the pile. 
BACKGROUND 
Where articles are assembled in a pile, it can be difficult to remove some 
of the articles without disrupting the orderly arrangement of the pile. 
This is particularly so with articles such as bath towels and blankets 
which are commonly stored in a pile on a shelf. When one of the articles 
is required for use, it may be that the article required is not at the top 
of the pile and so it has to be pulled from between other articles in the 
pile with the result that the orderly arrangement of the pile may be 
disrupted. 
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
The present invention seeks to provide a novel and useful device for 
supporting articles in a pile so that any one of the articles can be 
conveniently and easily removed without disrupting the orderly arrangement 
of the pile. 
In one form the invention resides in a device for supporting articles in a 
pile, said device comprising: a guide means; a plurality of spacing 
elements; means provided on the spacing elements for co-acting with said 
guide means to allow movement relative thereto for varying the spacing 
between adjacent spacing element members; said spacing elements adjacent 
to one another when in a spaced apart relationship defining a storage zone 
for receiving and storing an article, said spacing elements maintaining at 
least partial separation between said articles in the pile to permit any 
one of the articles to be removed without disrupting the pile. 
For preference, said spacing elements comprise leaves, said storage zones 
being defined between the major faces of said leaves. Conveniently, said 
leaves are formed of low friction material to facilitate removal of 
articles from said storage zones. 
To facilitate loading of articles onto the storage zones, each of said 
spacing elements is preferably movable on the guide means between a normal 
position in which it can co-operate with an adjacent one of said spacing 
elements to define a respective one of the storage zones and a loading 
position away from said normal position. 
Preferably, said guide means define a track along which said spacing 
elements can move, said track including an upright portion and a further 
portion offset from said upright portion, said spacing elements assuming 
said loading position upon movement along said further portion. 
Preferably said co-acting means defines an engaging means for releasably 
engaging said guide means. 
In one arrangement, said engaging means comprises a support part and an 
engaging part, said engaging part being movable between engaging and 
release conditions and including two spaced arm portions and an elongated 
bridging portion extending between and formed integrally with said arm 
portions, said arm portions each being mounted on the support for pivotal 
movement about a respective pivot axis between a first position 
corresponding to said engaging conditions and a second position 
corresponding to said release condition, said bridging portion being 
adapted for movement between two stable positions one corresponding to 
said engaging condition and the other corresponding to said release 
condition, there being an unstable zone between said two stable positions 
thereby said bridging portion is urged to one or the other of said stable 
positions. 
Preferably the spacing between said pivot axes is fixed.

BEST MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 14 of the drawings is directed to a 
device 10 for supporting folded bath towels 11 in a pile so that any one 
of the bath towels can be easily and conveniently removed from the pile. 
The device 10 comprises a base 12 of rectangular configuration and a guide 
means 13 mounted on the base adjacent an edge thereof. The base 12 is 
supported on friction pads 14 located at the front end thereof. There are 
no friction pads at the back end of the base so as to facilitate easy 
sliding or positioning of the base on a shelf or other support surface. 
The guide means 13 may be detachable from the base 12 if desired to 
facilitate storage when not in use. The guide means 13 is in the form of 
an upright support defining a track having an inner track section 15, an 
outer track section 16 offset from the inner track section, and an 
intermediate track section 17 between the inner and outer sections. The 
inner and outer track sections 15 and 16 respectively are generally 
upright and the intermediate section 17 is arcuate. The track sections 15, 
16 and 17 are formed integrally and are rectangular in cross section, as 
shown in FIG. 8. A brace 18 extends between the inner and outer track 
sections 16 and 17 for stability and structural strength. A stop 19 is 
provided on the outer track section 16, the purpose of which will be 
explained later. 
The device further comprises a plurality of spacing elements 20 which 
co-act with the guide means 13 for movement along the track. The spacing 
elements each comprise a rectangular leaf having an inner edge 21, an 
outer edge 22 and a pair of side edges 23. Each leaf is formed from a thin 
sheet of substantially rigid plastics material having low friction 
properties. In this embodiment the plastics material forming each leaf is 
preferably clear so as to be inconspicuous. A central strengthening rib 25 
extends between the inner and outer edges 21 and 22. 
The guide means 13 co-acts with the leaves to maintain the leaves in 
position while allowing them to move along the track. More particularly, 
the leaves 20 are in slidable engagement with the track defined by the 
guide means. With this arrangement, the leaves 20 occupy a normal position 
in which they are located one above another when in engagement with the 
inner track section 15. When there are no towels in the device, the leaves 
20 can rest one upon another, with the lowermost leaf resting on the base 
12. 
Storage zones 29 for accommodating the towels 11 are defined between 
adjacent leaves 20 when the leaves are in a spaced relationship and in 
engagement with the inner track section 15. With this arrangement, each 
towel 11 (apart from the lowermost towel) rests on one of the leaves and 
supports the leaf immediately above it. In this way, the towels 11 
maintain the spaced relationship between the leaves 20 while the towels 
are in the storage zones 29. The lowermost towel is simply supported on 
the base with the lowermost leaf resting on the towel. 
The towels 11 are separated by the leaves 20 with the result that the pile 
is not disrupted when any one of the towels is removed. The low friction 
characteristics of the leaves allow each towel to be easily withdrawn from 
its storage zone. The leaves 20 are, however, so dimensioned as to be a 
little smaller than the folded towels 11 so that when in the storage zones 
the towels extend beyond the outer edge 22 and side edges 23 of the 
leaves. With this arrangement there is some frictional contact between 
adjacent towels in the pile which gives lateral stability to the pile. 
Because the towels 11 project a little beyond the outer edges of the 
leaves they can be easily grasped and withdrawn from the storage zone 
through the outer end thereof when required for use. 
When a towel is withdrawn from the device, the leaf 20 which was previously 
resting on the towel moves downwardly to occupy a position in which it 
rests on the leaf immediately below it. At the same time, other -leaves 
higher in the pile also move downwardly together with any towels stored 
between those leaves, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In this way, the height 
of the pile progressively decreases as towels are removed from it but the 
orderly arrangement of the pile is not disrupted. 
To load towels into the storage device, the leaves 20 can be moved out of 
the normal position into a loading position by turning them rearwardly; 
that is by moving them along the track through the intermediate track 
section 17 onto the outer track section 16 in which position they are 
clear of the base 12. The stop 19 serves to limit downward movement of the 
leaves 20 in the outer track section. With the leaves 20 in the loading 
position, towels can then be progressively loaded into the storage device 
and the leaves sequentially returned to the normal position on the inner 
track section 15 as each towel is placed in the device, as shown in FIG. 4 
of the drawings. 
While the leaves can remain permanently attached to the guide means 13 (as 
will be described in more detail later) in this embodiment the leaves are 
detachable from the guide means so that they can be selectively removed as 
the size of the pile progressively decreases. This allows leaves which 
remain in the pile but which are superfluous at the time, to be removed 
and reattached to the inner track section 15 to provide additional storage 
zones at the top of the pile. This approach allows towels to be added to 
the pile as they become available rather than waiting for a collection of 
towels and then loading all of the towels into the device in the manner 
described earlier where the leaves are moved into the loading position. 
To provide for selective detachment from the guide means 13, each leaf 20 
is provided with engaging means 31 for releasably engaging the guide 
means, the engagement being in a manner which allows the leaf to move 
along the track as previously described. The engaging means 31 is 
associated with a recess 33 provided in each leaf 20 at the inner edge 21 
thereof, being the edge which is adjacent to the guide means. The recess 
33 opens onto the inner edge of the leaf at opening 35 so that the track 
has access to the recess through the opening. The recess 33 is of such 
size and shape that the track defined by the guide means can be received 
in the recess. 
Referring in particular to FIGS. 8 to 14 the engaging means 31 comprises a 
support part 37 and an engaging part 39. The support part 37 comprises a 
housing 41 which is disposed on the underside of the leaf 20 adjacent to 
the recess 33 and which is attached to the inner end of the central rib 
25. The housing is relatively thin in edge profile and of streamlined form 
to allow for easy withdrawal of superfluous leaves in the device. 
The housing 41 accommodates the engaging part 39 and has a pair of inner 
side faces 42 between which the engaging part is received. The support 
part 37 includes a pair of fixed pivot pins 43 positioned on opposed sides 
of the recess 33. 
The engaging part 39 is formed of rigid plastics material such as 
polypropylene and is relatively thin in edge profile, as shown in FIGS. 11 
and 14. It comprises two arm portions 45 and an elongated bridge portion 
47 extending between and formed integrally with the arm portions. The arm 
portions 45 are each mounted on one of the pivot pins 43 for pivotal 
movement between an engaging position and a release position, holes 46 
being provided in the arm portions to receive the pivot pins 43. The 
bridge portion 47 is movable between two stable positions, being a first 
position corresponding to the engaging position of the arm portions and a 
second position corresponding to the release position of the arm portions. 
There is an unstable zone between the two stable positions which results 
in the bridging portion being urged to one or the other of the stable 
positions. The bridge portion is formed so that it can deflect laterally 
in two mutually perpendicular directions to accommodate such movement, one 
direction being generally parallel to the pivot axes defined by pivot pins 
43 and the other being generally perpendicular thereto in the direction of 
movement of the bridge portion between the two stable positions. The 
bridge portion is of reduced section at 48 to provide a region about which 
it can flex to accommodate the lateral movement as it moves between the 
two stable positions. The spacing between the pivot pins 43 is fixed. The 
bridge portion 47 undergoes axial compression as it moves through the 
unstable zone from either one of the two stable zones due to the fact that 
the distance between the two holes 46 in the engaging part 39 is slightly 
larger than the distance between the two fixed pivot pins 43 on the 
support part. The contact force needed to move the bridge portion 47 
through the unstable zone from either of the two stable zones can be 
increased or decreased by lengthening or shortening the distance between 
the two holes in the engaging part. 
The deflection of the bridging portion can be better understood by 
reference to FIGS. 41 and 14 of the drawings. In FIG. 11, the bridge 
portion is shown in a normal (undeflected) condition as is the case when 
it is at either one of the two stable positions. In FIG. 14, the bridge 
portion is shown in a condition where it has deflected laterally in a 
direction parallel to the pivot axes (and thus towards one of the side 
faces 42 of the housing 41). This deflection introduces stresses into the 
bridge portion which urge it to one or the other of the stable positions. 
This tendency exhibits itself in the form of a snapping action whereby the 
bridge portion snaps from one stable position to the other stable position 
after passing through the unstable zone. This snapping action generates a 
snapping sound which is particularly useful because it provides an audible 
indication to the operator that the engaging means has releasably engaged 
the guide means. At the same time, the bridging portion also deflects 
laterally in said other direction to accommodate movement of the bridge 
portion through an over-centre position between the two stable positions, 
one of which is shown in FIG. 12 and the other of which is shown in FIG. 
13. The bridging portion flexes to accommodate the lateral deflection in 
the two mutually perpendicular directions, the flexing occurring at the 
reduced section 48. 
When the engaging means 31 is in the engaging position, the arm portions 45 
extend into the recess 33 but the bridge portion is located within the 
confines of the housing, as shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings. When in the 
release position, the arm portions 45 are within the confines of the 
housing 41 and the central region of the bridge portion 47 extends into 
the recess, as shown in FIG. 12. With this arrangement, the central region 
of the bridging portion is exposed for contact with the track defined by 
the guide means 13 as the latter enters the recess, the bridge portion 
being in the second position at this stage. A contact force between the 
track and the bridging portion of predetermined magnitude causes the 
bridge portion to move laterally through the unstable zone from the second 
stable position into the first stable position with the result that the 
arm portions are moved from the release position to the engaging position, 
so securing the leaf to the guide means. The bridge portion can be 
returned to the second stable position by moving the arm portions from the 
engaging position to the release position, but the application of a force 
of predetermined magnitude is required to effect this movement. This 
feature is used in releasably connecting the leaves to the guides, as will 
now be explained. When a leaf is in engagement with the track of the guide 
means, the action of pulling a towel from the storage zone 29 in which it 
is accommodated does not exert a sufficient force on the leaf (by way of 
friction) to cause the resulting reaction forces between the guide 
means-and the arm portions to overcome the biasing effect of the bridge 
portion to move the arm portions from the engaging position to the release 
position. Removal of the leaf can, however, be achieved by manually 
pulling the outer edge thereof at the strengthening rib 25 with a force 
exceeding the predetermined force required to be exerted on the arm 
portions by the guide means to cause pivotal movement of the arm portions 
against the influence of the bridge portion 47 from the engaging position 
to the release position. In other words, the leaf 20 can be removed from 
the guide means 13 simply by pulling the leaf with sufficient force. It is 
a simple matter to return the leaf 20 into engagement with the guide 
means, it only being necessary to present the leaf to the guide means such 
that the guide means is received within the recess and sufficient force 
applied to cause the guide means to push the bridging portion from the 
second stable position into the first stable state. 
There may be circumstances where it is desirable to prevent reaction forces 
between the guide means 13 and the engaging part 39 from moving the arm 
portions 45 between the engaging and release positions. Such a situation 
may arise where heavy articles (such as blankets) are stored between the 
leaves 20 with the result that high forces are applied to the leaves 
through friction as the articles are withdrawn from the storage zones. In 
such a situation, the predetermined , force required to release the leaves 
from engagement with the guide means has to be increased substantially in 
comparison to when the device is used for towels. The increased contact 
force still allows the operator to attach the leaf to the guide means with 
ease, however, the force required to detach the leaf makes it too 
difficult to operate simply by pulling on the leaf. To accommodate such 
situations, means may be provided for manually operating the engaging 
means to move the arm portions from the engaging position to the release 
position. Such an arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 of the 
accompanying drawings where an elongated control member 51 is accommodated 
within a longitudinal passage 53 in the strengthening rib 25 of the leaf. 
The control member 51 extends along the passage 53 such that one end of 
the control member can push on the bridging portion to move it from the 
first stable state corresponding to the engaging position of the arms to 
the second stable state corresponding to the release position of the arms. 
The other end of the control member 51 is connected to an actuator such as 
a button 58 exposed adjacent the outer end of the leaf whereby a user can 
conveniently operate the control member by movement of the button. 
There may be situations where it is desirable to ensure that the engaging 
means 39 cannot be operated to release from the guide means 13 simply by 
applying forces to the arm portions 45. To accommodate such situations, at 
least one of the arm portions 45 can be constructed so that it deflects 
without causing the bridge portion 47 to move out of the first stable 
state corresponding to the engaging position of the arm portions. Such an 
embodiment is shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 wherein the engaging part is 
provided with weakened sections 61 which cause deflection of the arm 
portions without operation of the bridge portion. The engaging part is 
weakened by providing a notch 63 on its inner edge between its pivot axis 
and the bridging portion. The arm portions are shown in an undeflected 
state in FIG. 17. When there is an attempt to detach the leaf from the 
guide means simply by pulling on the leaf, reaction forces between the 
guide means and the arm portions cause the arm portions to deflect about 
the weakened sections (as shown in FIG. 18). The arm portions 45 can be 
returned to the engaging position upon the bridge portion 47 being 
contacted by the guide means with a force of predetermined magnitude, as 
was the case with the first embodiment. In other words, the weakening of 
the engaging part with notches 63 does not alter in any way functioning of 
engaging part in assuming the engaging position. The control means is 
required for the engaging part to assume the release position, as the 
engaging part cannot move from the engaging to the release position as a 
result of application of force to the arm portions. The leaves 20 can be 
releasably engaged with the guide means 13 in various ways other than by 
way of the engaging means 31 described in the first embodiment. One such 
other engaging means is shown in FIG. 19 of the drawings and comprises a 
pair of resilient arms 71 which extend inwardly across the opening of the 
recess 33, with the spacing between the arms being less than the 
corresponding width of the guide means 13 (which in this embodiment is 
circular in cross section). With this arrangement the arms 71 prevent the 
guide means 13 from being withdrawn from the recess 33 until a force of 
sufficient magnitude is applied to cause the arms 71 to deflect so 
allowing the guide means to pass therebetween. 
A further feature of this embodiment is that with the guide means 13 of 
circular cross section, the leaves 20 can be pivoted sideways around the 
guide means to facilitate loading of articles into the device, rather than 
turning the leaves rearwardly as was the case in the first embodiment. 
A further arrangement for releasably engaging the leaves with the guide 
means is illustrated in FIG. 20 where each leaf 20 is provided with a pair 
of rigid arms 81 which extend inwardly across the opening of the recess 33 
for engagement against a pair of resilient tabs 83 provided on the guide 
means 13. With this arrangement, the leaf 20 is released from the guide 
means 13 by applying a force to the leaf of sufficient magnitude to cause 
the tabs 83 on the guide means 13 to deflect to allow the leaf to be 
released. 
There may be situations where it is not necessary to have leaves which can 
be removed from the guide means and so permanent engagement with the guide 
means is acceptable. This form of engagement can be achieved in various 
ways, one of which is illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21 of the drawings where 
the guide means 13 comprises a pair of pillars 91 and each leaf 20 is 
formed with a pair of apertures 93 for receiving the pillars. The upper 
ends of the pillars 91 are configured so that the leaves can be turned 
rearwardly into a loading position (in much the same way as in the first 
embodiment) for loading articles into the device. 
A somewhat similar embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 23 of the 
drawings. In this arrangement, the guide means 13 is mounted on the base 
12 so that it can be collapsed for storage purposes. The guide means 13 
comprises a pair of pillars 101 supported on a panel 103 hingedly mounted 
on the base for movement between an upright position (as shown in the 
drawings) and a collapsed condition in which it rests against the base. 
The pillars are located behind the supporting panel and elongated 
apertures 107 are provided in the panel to provide access to the pillars. 
Each leaf 20 has a pair of tabs 109 on its inner edge, one tab 
corresponding to each pillar. In each tab there is a hole 111 through 
which the pillar is received when the leaf is in engagement with the 
pillar. 
With the embodiments described above, the device would usually be located 
on a shelf and loaded in that position or removed and supported on a flat 
surface such as a table while loading takes place. It is, however, 
possible for the device to be mounted on the inside of a closet door and 
loaded in that position. This can be achieved by permanently fixing a 
receptacle to the inside of the door which allows the bottom of the outer 
track section of the guide means to be lodged in it. In this case when the 
spacing elements are turned rearwardly into the loading position, they are 
held in an upright position in the gap between the surface of the door and 
the outer track of the guide means. 
In all of the embodiments described above, the guide means has been 
supported on a base. There are, however, situations where a base is not 
necessary, such as when articles are to be stored on a shelf adjacent a 
wall. In this situation, the guide means can be mounted directly onto the 
wall so as to allow the shelf to function as the base for supporting the 
lowermost article. 
Finally, it should be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not 
limited to the scope of the various embodiments described.