Patent Publication Number: US-2007113420-A1

Title: Device for storing and drying sports equipment

Description:
This application is a §371 national phase filing of PCT/CH2004/000026 filed Jan. 19, 2004, and claims priority to a Swiss application No. 2179/03 filed Dec. 18, 2003. 
    
    
      The present invention relates to a device for storing and drying sports equipment, according to the preamble of patent claim  1 .  
      Sports equipment, in particular for ice hockey players, inline hockey players and football players comprise many parts which are not suitable for drying in a tumble dryer. This in particular relates to shoes, shin pads, armoured trousers, elbow protectors, chest armour pieces, gloves and helmets. Such equipment is relatively heavy and voluminous. Accordingly, the storage and drying of such sports equipment is a problem. The drying via a heating on coat hangers or washing lines may be accomplished in the fewest of cases. In order in particular to solve the drying to a satisfactory extent, air suctioning is provided in the wardrobes of various sports clubs, above the compartments which are suitable for storing the sports equipment. Various special drying devices are known for the drying of individual parts of sports equipment. Thus for example a stand is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,693 which may be arranged in a drum of a tumble dryer and on which several shoes may be fixed for drying. Stands which are generally suitable for hanging up and drying clothes in general are also present. Here U.S.  468 , 873  is referred to purely by way of example, which discloses a rotary clothes dryer with a covering casing and a blower, or another example is a valet as is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,703. This valet, just as the clothes hanging and drying stand according to GB-A-860 208 serve for hanging up clothes, wherein the hanging-up stand is designed in a manner which is as space-saving as possible. Stands which are particularly suitable for storing sports equipment are also known. With regard to this, U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,465 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,958 are referred to by way of example. These two last mentioned stands, just as the device according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,188, are not however suitable for drying sports equipment.  
      Devices are also known for storing and drying sports equipment, in particular of ice hockey players or football players. Thus U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,573 illustrates a multi-membered hanging hook which is suitable for receiving chest armour pieces.  
      A device of the initially mentioned type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,849. Here it is the case of a stand which may be screwed together from a multitude of tube- or rod elements and which in particular serves for the storage and transport of such sport equipment. With this, one should take particular care that the individual elements of the sports equipment does not come to lie above one another, in order to improve their drying. With this known solution, one takes care that the complete stand may be screwed together of individual tube elements, specifically tube sections, tube bends, tube branchings, etc. This permits the complete stand to be manufactured of a set of part elements which may be screwed together by a purchaser.  
      This known solution is hardly suitable for active drying and is extremely costly with regard to manufacturing technology.  
      It is the object of the present invention to provide a device for the drying and storage of sports equipment, in particular for ice hockey players and football players, which may be manufactured in a rational manner and serves for the active drying of the sports equipment.  
      This object is achieved by a device with the features of patent claim  1 . Further advantageous design variants are to be deduced from the dependent claims and their significance is examined in the subsequent description with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
    
    
      One preferred embodiment example, as well as certain details are represented in the drawings. There are shown in:  
       FIG. 1 a  view of the device according to the invention and  
       FIG. 2 a  lateral view of the same device, whilst  
       FIG. 3  shows a view of the device from the top. In  
       FIG. 4 a  part section through the flange element is represented, on which the ventilator is assembled.  
       FIG. 5  shows an axial longitudinal section through a vertical support in the region of a connection, with a communicating connection and  
       FIG. 6 a  diametral section through the connection along line A-A in  FIG. 5 . 
    
    
      The device according to the invention is indicated in its entirety at  1 . It comprises two vertical supports  2  which are indirectly connected to one another via a transverse support  3 , and are bent of two tube sections and run in a plane. The lower ends of the two vertical supports  2  are in each case shaped into a base foot  4 . For this, a first tube section  5  is bent obliquely to the rear and running downwards, whereupon a second horizontally running tube section  6  follows, which forms the actual base surface. This tube section  6  extends with respect to the plane in which the two vertical supports  2  run, somewhat further to the front than they run behind the mentioned plane. Connecting to the horizontal tube section  6  are the free tube ends  8  which, serving for sticking on the shoes, run upwards firstly in a first vertical section  7  and then into a horizontal section  9  obliquely to the centre, to then finally end in a vertical end section  10 . The end sections  10  are closed at  11 . The horizontal section  9  runs towards the middle in order on the one hand to apply the weight over the base surface which is defined by the two horizontal tube sections  6 , but in particular to lengthen the path of the horizontal section  9 , in order by way of this to also be able to stick the shoe with a hollow leg onto the free tube ends  8 .  
      In each case, a circular, open bow  12  is fastened on the first tube section  5  which is directed obliquely to the rear and to the bottom. Both bows  12  serve for mounting shin pads. They are fastened on the tube section  5  via connection locations  44  and are closed at the end side with a peg  45 .  
      A tube element  13  is fastened to the two vertical supports  2  in a communicating manner above the two free tube ends  8  for storing and drying the shoes. This tube element  13 , after a connection location  12 , runs horizontally to the front and the middle, in a first rest section  15 . Subsequently there follows two retaining bows  16  which are directed perpendicularly upwards, and are perpendicular to the plane spanned by the two rest sections  15 . A connection section  17  is present between the two retaining bows  16 , which again runs in a plane which is formed by the two rest sections  15 . The complete tube section  13  serves for hanging armoured or padded trousers. The two retaining bows  16  thereby come to lie in the two trouser legs.  
      A hook-like tube element  18  is fastened on the two vertical supports  2  above the tube element  13 , in each case at the same height. The two hook-like tube elements are bend around in the manner of a hairpin from their respective connection location  19 , and run upwards at an acute angle with respect to a plane which is spanned by the two vertical supports  2 . These hook-like tube elements  18  on the one hand serve for accommodating elbow protectors which come to hang at the bend at the bottom, whilst the free ends of the hook-like tube element  18  serve for sticking on gloves.  
      In the example shown here, a further tube element  20  is present which is bent in a U-shaped manner and may serve as a towel holder. This tube element designed as a towel holder extends perpendicularly to the rear with respect to the plane which is spanned by the two vertical supports  2 . Accordingly, the connection locations  21  of this tube element  20  on the two vertical supports  2  lie diametrally opposite the connection locations  19  of the hook-like tube elements  18 . The free distance between the tube element  20  and the two circular open bows  12  is relatively large, so that the tube element  20  which is formed as a towel holder is also suitable for hanging and drying a shirt.  
      Finally, yet an upwardly bent centrally arranged bow  22  is fastened on the upper transverse support  3 . The bow  22  serves for holding a helmet. The bow  22  is connected to the transverse support  3  via the two connection locations  23 .  
      The transverse support  3  itself serves for storing a chest armour piece. The ventilation of the chest armour is effected by way of the suction air of the ventilator.  
      So that the complete device  1  not only serves for storing and holding sports equipment but additionally may also serve for active drying, the various tube elements which are connected to the two vertical supports  2  comprise air exit openings  30 . Only the two vertical supports  3 , the transverse support  3  and the bow  22  for the helmet have no air exit openings  30 . In particular the air exit openings are present on the hook-like tube elements  18 , on the two retaining bows  16  of the tube element  13 , on the circular open bow  12  and finally on the end sections of the base feet  4 . The tube element  20  serving as a towel holder may also be provided with air exit openings  30 . The air supply to the air exit openings  30  is effected by way of a ventilator  31 . This is held on a flange element  32 . The electrical ventilator  31  is fed via a cable  33  which is represented in an indicated manner. The ventilator  31  operating with a low voltage may comprise a transformer integrated in the flange, advantageously however only a plug-and-socket connection  34  is provided in order to connect the cable  33 . The cable  33  may then be connected to different transformers and adapters without any problem.  
      As already mentioned, the two vertical supports as well as the transverse support  3  may be manufactured of a single tube section. It is however simpler to individually manufacture the two vertical supports with a part of the transverse support  3  and to use the flange element  22  for connecting the two transverse support sections. In this case, the bow  22  simultaneously has the function of a reinforcement beyond the flange element  32 , and leads to an improved clamping of the flange element in the transverse support  3 . The transverse connection between the two vertical supports  2  is increased additionally by the tube elements  20  and  13 . Finally it may be useful to provide a stiffening support  35  between the two base feet, which lies perpendicularly below the horizontal transverse support  3  and therefore may only be recognised in  FIG. 1 . Of course, further stiffening supports may be arranged between the two vertical supports  2 , but this would hardly be necessary. The stiffening support  35  has no air exit opening  30 . Neither does it lead air. This is also the case with the bow  22 .  
      The flange element  32  is shown in detail in  FIG. 4 . The ventilator  31  is shown merely schematically. The flange element  32  is designed as a T-piece. The two lateral ends are formed as muffs  36  in which the two sections of the transverse support  3  are insertably held. The branching of the T-piece is designed as a bracket  37  on which the ventilator  31  for example may be screwed or bonded. The T-piece may be technically manufactured of plastic injection moulding and thereby the valve housing may be designed as a part of the T-piece.  
      The possible design of the connection locations as are present at  14 ,  19 , and  44  are shown in detail in the FIGS.  5  and  6 . The connection location  14  is shown here purely by way of example. The connection location  14  represents the connection between the vertical support  2  and the tube element  13 . The screw bolts  40  are attached on the vertical support by way of a jig, and the air connection opening  41  is drilled into the vertical support  2 .  
      The screw bolts  40  may be welded or screwed on the vertical support  2 . In the latter case, the jig is a pure drill jig and accordingly a thread is cut into the two bores which serve for receiving the screw bolts  40 . The connection in the  FIGS. 5 and 6  is shown as a welding connection. The already drilled tube element  13  at its end is pressed together on a female die which has the cross-sectional shape of the vertical support  2 . Subsequently with a drill jig which is equal and opposite to the drill jig for setting the bore, one would incorporate suitable bores for the screw bolts  40  and the air connection  41 . The pressed-together end  42  of the tube element  13  may then be pushed over the screw bolts  40 , and simultaneously the air connection opening  43  of the tube element  13  comes to lie exactly over the air connection opening  41  in the vertical support  2 . In principle, a seal may be incorporated in the region of the two communicating air connection openings  41  and  43 , but this is usually not required. The free passage in the region of the air connection openings  41  and  43  is significantly larger that the possible leakage opening. Anyway, the air which possibly exits the leakage openings in any case also serves for the drying, since this likewise acts in the region of the sports equipment to be dried. As is known, the air would take the path of the least resistance. Accordingly, in the upper region, thus on the hook-like tube elements  18  and the tube element  20  designed as a towel dryer, one would provide less air exit openings or provide these with a smaller diameter than the air exit openings  30  on the tube element  13  or on the circularly open bow  12 . The air exit openings  30  on the end sections  10  which come to lie in the shoes, may again be designed slightly larger, or here the number of air exit openings may be larger.  
      In contrast to the known state of the art, the device according to the invention not only has the advantage that this may be manufactured much less expensively than the device forming the closest lying state of the art, but in particular the drying procedure is significantly accelerated due to the active conveying of air. This is extremely important for active sportsmen since the training and game intervals are relatively short and accordingly the equipment must be dried very quickly. As is known, such sport equipment is expensive and it is therefore not possible for most sportsmen to have a multiple of their sports equipment. Furthermore, the formation of germs is significantly reduced by way of the active aeration.  
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS  
     
         
           1  device  
           2  vertical support  
           3  transverse support  
           4  base feet  
           5  first tube section  
           6  horizontal tube section  
           7  vertical section  
           8  free tube ends  
           9  horizontal section  
           10  end section  
           11  closure  
           12  circular open bow  
           13  tube element  
           14  connection location  
           15  rest section  
           16  retaining bow  
           17  connection section  
           18  hook-like tube element  
           19  connection location  
           20  tube element as a towel holder  
           21  connection location  
           22  bow for helmet  
           23  connection location  
           30  air exit openings  
           31  ventilator  
           32  flange element  
           33  cable  
           34  connection  
           35  stiffening support  
           36  muffs  
           37  bracket  
           40  screw bolts  
           41  air connection opening  
           42  end tube elements  
           43  air connection opening  
           44  connection  
           45  peg