Patent Publication Number: US-2007102383-A1

Title: Athletic equipment storage device

Description:
This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/729,701 filed Oct. 24, 2005. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The invention relates generally to devices and methods used to display, transport and store sports equipment. In particular aspects, the invention relates to devices and methods for storage, display and drying of football, hockey and/or lacrosse uniforms and equipment.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      American football, lacrosse, hockey and similar sports require the use of bulky pads and helmets that the players must wear to protect themselves during play. In the case of football, the typical uniform includes a helmet, shoulder pads, as well as a jersey and pants, and socks. The uniform may also include other components, such as gloves, shin guards, hip and thigh pads, mouthguard and the like.  
      Children who play these games after school and on weekends tend to remove the remove the helmet and shoulder pads upon returning home and leave them scattered or in a heap on the floor. Often the pads and other equipment are sweaty and may be wet from rain. The pads are not able to completely dry out if left on the floor in this manner. Because the athletic equipment is bulky and oddly-shaped, it is not easily stored in conventional hanging racks or storage areas. Therefore, the various pads and other components of the uniform may become misplaced after use. In homes where there are multiple children playing football, for example, the components may become mixed up with one another, so that one child ends up with, for example, the shoulder pads of another child, leading to confusion the next time the children must get ready to play football. Those uniform components that must be laundered, i.e., the jersey, pants, and socks will often become mixed up during the washing and drying cycle, requiring them to be sorted out properly before they can be used again.  
      A number of support racks are known in the prior art for storage and display of football equipment. However, these racks do not provide an optimal solution to the problems of storage and organization for the equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,849, issued to Martin, for example, describes a sports equipment rack having a frame formed of tubular pieces. The rack frame can be used to hold and display a helmet and associated football equipment pads. The jersey and pants must be hung on a hanger behind the rack. With many children, however, it is unlikely that they will take the trouble to actually hang the garments on a hanger and hang them from the rack. Also, in order to launder these items, they must be first removed from the hangers, necessitating more work. Additionally, this style rack does not provide any storage area for smaller washable items, such as socks, gloves and the like.  
      Similar equipment racks are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,711, issued to Collier; U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,887, issued to Soo; U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,783, issued to Allman; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,924, issued to Dumont. Unfortunately, these racks have at least the same drawbacks as the Martin rack. The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems of the prior art.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides an improved device and method for the storage, drying and display of sports equipment, such as football equipment uniforms. In addition, the invention provides a means for temporarily storing the washable items associated with the individual uniform. In a preferred embodiment, the equipment rack includes a frame having a ground-contacting base portion and an upper equipment support portion for supporting a helmet, and shoulder pads. In addition, the frame includes a laundry bag support portion that is shaped and sized to receive and retain a laundry bag in a hanging relation proximate the frame. The laundry bag can be used to contain washable items related to an individual&#39;s sports uniform, including a jersey, pants, socks, gloves, and undergarments. The laundry bag preferably includes a drawstring for its opening that will allow it to be drawn to a closed configuration or removably secured to the laundry bag support portion of the frame.  
      The devices and methods of the present invention provide advantages over the prior art. In addition to the frame providing supporting portions for shoulder pads and a helmet, the frame also supports a removable laundry bag that may be readily removed from the frame along with the contents to be washed. The bag can then be laundered with its contents or the contents integrated into the household laundry. The equipment support rack makes it easy for mothers to manage the laundry and provides a convenient storage solution for the helmet and shoulder pads when traveling. The equipment storage rack has a simple and straightforward construction as well.  
      Although the storage rack of the present invention was conceived and is primarily directed to a solution for equipment storage and organization for households whose children play football, its application is not limited to this application. The storage rack may also be adapted for use in school locker rooms or professional sports venues. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      For detailed understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which reference characters designate like or similar elements throughout the several figures of the drawings.  
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an exemplary athletic equipment storage rack constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the storage rack shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the storage rack shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  
       FIG. 4  depicts the rack of  FIGS. 1-3  now with laundry bag attached.  
       FIG. 5  depicts the rack of  FIGS. 1-4  now with a helmet and shoulder pads is being retained thereupon. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       FIGS. 1-5  depict an exemplary equipment storage rack  10  that is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The storage rack  10  includes an upright frame  12  that is shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . In currently preferred embodiments, the frame  12  is fashioned from tubular PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe members and fittings, such as T-fittings and elbows, which are commercially available at hardware stores. PVC components may be easily cut to suitable lengths and secured to one another using pipe glue. Although construction of the frame from PVC components is currently preferred, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to such construction. If desired, the frame  12  may be constructed from pipe lengths of metal or another durable material.  
      The frame  12  includes a ground-contacting base portion  14  that is formed of a five-way T-fitting  16  and four leg members  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24  that extend outwardly from the T-fitting  16 . End caps  26  are placed over the distal ends of each of the leg members  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 .  
      The base portion  14  supports a lower central post  28  which, in turn, is connected to a first T-fitting  30 . An upper central post  32  extends upwardly from the T-fitting  30  and, at its upper end, is secured to a second T-fitting  34 . Horizontal shoulder pad support arms  36  extend laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the second T-fitting  34 . A helmet support member  38  extends vertically upwardly from the second T-fitting  34 . Additional end caps  26  are secured to the distal ends of each of the support arms  36  and support member  38 . The upper central post  32 , T-fitting  30 , support arms  36  and helmet support member  38  collectively form an upper support portion  39  for the frame  12 .  
      The frame  12  also includes a laundry bag support portion, generally indicated at  40 . The laundry bag support portion  40  is a rectangular, generally horizontally-disposed bracket that includes pipe segments  42  and  44 , which extend laterally outwardly from the T-fitting  30 . The pipe segments  42 ,  44  are secured via elbows  46 ,  48  to pipe segments  50 ,  52 , respectively. The pipe segments  50 ,  52  are also connected by elbows  54 ,  56  to a pipe segment  58  to complete the rectangular bracket of the support portion  40 . The support portion  40  defines an interior rectangular opening  60  and presents an upper side  62  and a lower underside  64  (see  FIG. 3 ).  
       FIG. 4  illustrates the upper support portion  39  of the rack  10  now supporting a set of shoulder pads  66  and a helmet  68 . The shoulder pads  66  are placed upon the horizontal support arms  36 . The helmet  68  is placed upon the vertically-disposed support member  38 .  
       FIG. 5  depicts the rack  10  now with a laundry bag  70  releasably secured to the laundry bag support portion  40  of the rack  10 . The bag  70  may be fashioned of cloth or mesh fabric materials, of types generally known in the art, and may be, if desired, be colored or decorated with suitable team insignia, logos and the like. The bag  70  includes a closure device  72 , such as a drawstring (pictured) or elastic band, for drawing the opening  74  of the bag  70  to a closed position. To affix the bag  70  to the support portion  40 , the bag  70  is disposed within the rectangular opening  60  of the support portion  40 . Portions of the opening  74  are then draped over the upper side  62  and down toward the lower underside  64  of the support portion  40 . At this point, the closure device  72  is drawn toward closure below the underside  64  to cause the bag  70  to be secured onto the support portion  40 . The bag  70  may be used to hold athletic pants, socks and other dirty washable items requiring washing. To remove the bag  70  from the rack  10 , the closure device  72  is loosened and the bag  70  withdrawn from the opening  60  of the support portion  40 . Items in the bag  70  may then be removed from the bag  70  and laundered along with the usual household laundry. Alternatively, the bag  70  itself may be fully closed off and laundered with the items inside. This is useful in homes where there are multiple children playing sports and it is desirable to keep the items of each child separate to prevent confusion. Additionally, the entire uniform and equipment, including helmet  68  and shoulder pads  66 , may be placed into the bag  70  for transport when the child must dress away from home.  
      Those of skill in the art will recognize that numerous modifications and changes may be made to the exemplary designs and embodiments described herein and that the invention is limited only by the claims that follow and any equivalents thereof.