Patent Publication Number: US-3874496-A

Title: Garment storage rack

Description:
Unlted States Patent 11 1 1111 3, Bodin Apr. 1, 1975 GARMENT STORAGE RACK [57] ABSTRACT [75] Inventor: Ted Bodin, Miami Beach, Fla. A garment storage rack having a vertically disposed frame structure for supporting a plurality of horizon- [73] Asslgnee&#39; Bodm Apparel H tally arranged rods secured at their ends to endless Filed! 1973 sprocket chains and equally spaced thereon. The chains are in mesh engagement with sprocket wheels [21] Appl&#39; rotatably mounted along the sides of the frame structure with a motor operatively connected to the [52] US. Cl. 198/158 sprocket wheels for rotational movement of the chains [51] Int. Cl. B65g 15/00 and the rods along the frame structure. To maintain Field of Search 1 2l4/16 the garments hung on the rack in an upright and verti- 214/ 16. 1 B, 16.1 BB cal position, a pipe is rotatably mounted on the rods with a panel secured at their upper end portions to [56] References Cited each end of the pipes adjacent the chains thereby UNITED STATES PATENTS maintaining any garments hanging from the pipes in 1458881 6/1923 Gromer 214/16.1 B an upright Position as the Pipes moved along the 210711770 4/1937 Morton 214/l6.1 B frame Structure the Panels acting as a guard to 2,260,528 10/1941 Levy et al. 214/16 B prevent the garments nearest the chains from engag- 2,6l9,240 11/1952 Teason 2l4/l6.l BB ing same. 3,442,564 5/1969 Gutting 193/158 Primary E.\&#39;aminerRichard A. Schacher Assistant Examiner-Douglas D. Watts Attorney, Agent, or FirmSalvatore G. Militana 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures i ll GARMENT STORAGE RACK DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals are This invention relates to storage racks and is more 5 used to designate similar parts throughout the several particularly directed to an upright conveyor operated garment storage rack.  
 2. Description of The Prior Art The present devices for storing garments and the like in upright rack-like apparatuses are both complicated l and expensive in cost and are not entirely effective to store a maximum quantity of garments in the area provided while still permitting the garments to be within easy reach of the operator of the device. In these devices, the garments are supported by coat hangers that hang over or depend from a horizontally disposed rod whose ends are secured to endless chains that rotate the rod and garments about in a circutous path. No provision is made, except by the action of gravity, to maintain the garments in a vertical hanging position. The present invention contemplates avoiding the above indicated objections.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a garment storage rack that is simple in construction and design, economical in cost of manufacture having a minimum of parts, yet is most effective to store a maximum of garments in the space alloted to the device.  
  Another object of the present invention is to provide an upright garment storage rack having a pair of endless chains to which horizontally extending rods are attached ror circulatory movement of the rods on the device and on which a rotatable pipe is mounted so that garments hanging from the pipe will always be maintained by gravity in an upright position on its travel about the device.  
  A further object of the present invention is to provide a garment storage rack having endless chains and sprocket gears on each side thereof with a garment holding rod extending therebetween and a shield positioned on the rod adjacent the chains for both protecting the garments and assisting the garments hanging from the rods to be maintained in an upright vertical position at all times.  
  With these and other objects in view, the invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the shwoing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:  
  FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a garment storage rack constructed in accordance with my invention.  
 FIG. 2 is a side elevational view.  
 FIG. 3 is a perspective view.  
  FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross sectional views taken along the line 44 and 55 respectively of FIG. 3.  
 views, the numeral refers to my garment storage rack which consists of a vertically disposed rectangular shaped frame structure having upwardly extending front and rear members 11, 12 with cross members 13 and 14 extending between the ends of the upright members 11 and 12. Spaced along the full length of the upright members 11, 12 are the side cross members 15 extending between the upright members 11, 12 to further strengthen the frame construction of the rack 10.  
  Welded or otherwise secured to the uppermost cross members 14 and lowermost cross members 15 are stub shafts 17 extending inwardly of the frame structure having sprocket gears &#39;16 rotatably mounted thereon. The sprocket gears 16 positioned adjacent the upright frame membes 11, 12 are engaged by an endless sprocket chain 18 so that all of the sprocket gears 16 on each side of the frame structure rotate in unison.  
  In order to compel the sprocket gears 16 and also the chains 18 mounted on each side of the frame structure to rotate in unison, there is provided a second sprocket gear 20 secured to one of the upper sprocket gears 16 on each side of the frame structure. A shaft 21 that is rotatably mounted on supports 22 secured to the upper cross members has sprocket gears 23 at each end thereof. The sprocket gears 23 and 20 are engaged by endless sprocket chains 24.  
  Extending between and supported by the upper cross members 13 is a panel 24 on which is mounted a motor 25 having a sprocket gear 26 mounted on the end of its shaft. The sprocket gear 26 is in alignment with a further sprocket gear 27 mounted on the shaft 21 with endless sprocket chain 28 engaging the sprocket gears 26 and 27.  
  Mounted on the inner surfaces of the cross members 15 and extending vertically thereon are channel members 30 that form tracks for the endless sprocket chains 18. To maintain the chains 18 in a taut condition, there is provided an idler sprocket gear 31 that engages the lower surface of each chain 18 and are mounted on the lowermost cross member 15. The sprocket gears 31 are each rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 32 that is welded to a plate 33 having a pair of bolts 34 extending through elongated openings 35 in the tubular member 15 and secured thereon by nuts 36.  
  Secured to the endless sprocket chains 18 and extending therebetween is a plurality of equally spaced pipes 37 whose ends are bolted to the chains 18. On each of the pipes 37 is a pipe 38 that is rotatably mounted thereon and extends to a position adjacent of the chains 18. Adjacent each of the endless sprocket chains 18 on each end of the pipe 38 is a panel-like guard 40 positioned thereon. The function of the panels 40 is to prevent the garments that are hung on the pipes 38 from becoming soiled by grease, etc. that might be found on the chains 18 and also to assist in the rotational movements of the pipes 38 with relation to the rods 37 to maintain garments hanging from the pipes 38 in an upright position as the endless chains 18 travel about the sprocket gears 16. A control box 41 for operating the motor 25 is positioned on one of the upright tubular members 11.  
  In the nonnal use of my garment storage rack which can be of any desired height depending upon the amount of garments to be stored thereon and limited only by the height of the space in which the apparatus is to be position, the conveyor is effected upon pressing a button on the control panel or box 41 to energize the motor 25 which through the intervention of the gears 26, 27, chain 28 causes the shaft 21 to effect the simultaneous rotation of the gears 23 on each side of the rack 10. The gears 23 and 20 engaged by chain 22 now rotate to cause the simultaneous rotation of the chains 18 between which the shafts 37 extend. Clothing (shown by dotted lines) supported by hangers mounted on the pipes 38 will be carried throughout the full width and height of the rack 10, with the weight of the panels 40 maintaining the garments in an upright position throughout its circulatory path on the device 10. Also, the panels 40 will prevent the end garments that are hung on the pipes 38 from becoming entangles in or soiled by contact with the chains 18 or the gears 16 and 31.  
  When the desired pipe 38 finds itself on the forward lowermost position, such as after the pipe 38 has past the position of the forward lower gears 16, the switch 41 is actuated to deenergize the motor 25 to stop the movement of the chains 18. The operator may then place garments on this pipe 38 or remove garments therefrom as desired.  
 What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1.. A garment storage rack comprising a substantially rectangular frame structure extending vertically, a plurality of sprocket gears rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said frame structure forming two sets of gears, an endless chain engaging each set of said gears, a pair of channel members mounted vertically on said opposite sides receiving and forming a guide for said chains, a plurality of rods extending between said opposite sides secured at their ends to said endless chain, a pipe for supporting garments rotatably mounted on each of said rods, a panel secured at each end of said pipes and extending downwardly therefrom, whereby said panels remain upright throughout the travel of said rods about said rack, an idler gear mounted on each of said sides engaging said enless chains for rendering said chains in a taut condition and power operated means mounted on said rack and engaging said chains for the simultaneous movement of said endless chains and said garment carrying pipes, said power operated means comprising a motor having a shaft mounted on said frame structure, a gear mounted on said motor shaft, a further rod extending between said opposite sides above said frame structure a further sprocket gear mounted on the ends of said further rod, second sprocket gears secured to a pair of oppositely positioned first named sprocket gears, endless chains engaging said second sprocket gears with said further sprocket gears, a third sprocket gear mounted on said further rod at substantially the mid-portion thereof whereby upon the actuation of said motor all of said sprocket gears and said endless chains rotate substantially simultaneously. :l: