Patent Publication Number: US-7717391-B2

Title: Portable clothes stand

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to portable clotheslines. 
   The term “portable clothes line” is to used to identify clothes lines which are able to be folded into a compact storage shape and when they are to be used are able to be extended with a body including a plurality of parallel “lines” from which clothes and other washed articles can be attached and hung for drying. We are referring to such an article in this document which article includes a body which includes the line or lines from which clothes or the like can be hung, and legs that can be extended when the stand is required to be in a usable state, and subsequently retracted for storage purposes and to facilitate portability. 
   BACKGROUND ART 
   There have been various arrangements to facilitate the easy and efficient locking of such legs in an extended position and also to facilitate the release and lowering of such legs to a compact state. Hitherto one arrangement has included a set of hinged members which lock using an overcenter interlocking arrangement which has been found to be quite difficult for some people to use especially those who may be more elderly or frail. At the same time, the cost of manufacture with many individual parts has been also of concern especially for the area of the market that such a product is directed to. 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable clothes-drying stand that overcomes or at least substantially ameliorates the problems associated with the portable stands of the prior art. 
   Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. 
   DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
   In one form of this invention there is proposed a portable clothes line including a body, and at least one leg pivotally attached to the body at each end of the body, and releasable locking means that for each end extend between the body and a respective leg or legs, the means being pivotally attached at one end to at least a one of the legs and at a further end in releasable manner to the body. 
   Preferably, the body includes a pair of outwardly extending oppositely positioned arms with a line or lines extending therebetween, and a central frame member supporting the opposing end members. 
   Preferably, there is at each end a pair of legs with each of the legs of a pair being fixedly joined to the other leg and having each leg with a foot that is separated from the other foot of its paired leg so as to provide support for the line. 
   Preferably, the selectively releasable locking means include a link arm for each pair of legs which at its upper inner end is connected to a slidable bracket which is slidably engaging a central frame member. 
   Preferably, each selectively releasable locking means includes a stop fixedly secured to the central frame member, the slidable carriage or bracket being slidably free to travel along the central frame member, wherein in use, extension of the legs draws the carriage into selectively releasable locking engagement with the stop thereby locking the legs in an extended position. 
   Preferably the link arm is a single element which is pivotally attached at its upper end to the respective slidable bracket and at its lower end to each respective one of the pair of legs. 
   Preferably, the carriage has an inner hollow bore that is sized and shaped so as to be a sliding fit around the central frame member. 
   Preferably, the stop is positioned between the carriage and the pivot point at a respective end of the central frame member for any given pair of legs. 
   In a further form, the invention may be said to lie in a portable clothes drying stand that includes a body, and at least one leg pivotally attached to the body, wherein in use, when a leg is allowed to move into either of an extended or retracted positions the stand includes selectively releasable locking means that are adapted to lock the leg in either of its fully extended or retracted positions. 
   Preferably, one selectively releasable locking means can lock both legs in a retracted position. 
   In a further form, the invention may be said to reside in a portable clothes line which includes a body, the body having a central frame member, outwardly extending oppositely positioned arms providing support for a line or lines extending between the respective arms being located at and secured to each respective end of the central frame member, and with, at each end, a leg or legs which is or are secured to the central frame member and at or toward a respective end of the central frame member so that each can assume either of two positions, a first position being a supporting position in which the respective leg or legs is or are extended to provide support for the body above a surface, and a second position being a storage position in which the respective leg or legs are folded so as to lie alongside the central frame member, and for each leg or pair of legs at respective ends there is a link which extends between the leg or legs at a respective end of the central frame member and the central frame member itself where the link arm is pivotally supported and secured at one end to the leg or legs and at a further end is positioned and shaped so that it is restrained to slide only along the central frame member, and there are means to releasably interengage the said further end with respect to the central frame member to thereby maintain an extended position of the said respective leg or pairs of legs. 
   Preferably, there are two legs at each respective end of the member. 
   Preferably, the further member includes a bracket or carriage that is retained to be slidable along the member and there is an arm pivotally secured to the bracket with the further end being pivotally secured to the leg or legs. 
   In a further form the invention can be said to reside in a portable clothes line with a body including a pair of oppositely positioned end members, and a central frame member as a body which is a continuous length of tube of constant cross sectional shape and size along its length supporting the oppositely positioned end members, lengths of clothesline in parallel alignment extend between the oppositely positioned end members and are threaded from a length of pliable line in a manner that provides for a plurality lines on each of both sides of the respective oppositely positioned end members, a pair of tubular aluminum legs, pivotally attached to the body at an upper end of each of the legs, the respective pairs being joined together by for each a cross-member which is secured fixedly so as to ensure the pair of legs extend and retract together, a stop fixed to the central frame member, a carriage that is positioned and shaped to travel along the central frame member, the carriage including an integral collar with an internal bore that is sized and shaped so as to be a free sliding fit when moving along the central frame member, a stop positioned between the carriage and the pivot point for each pair of legs, the carriage having a link arm attached to it, that connects it to a respective pair of legs, such that in use, extension of the legs draws the carriage into selectively releasable locking engagement with the stop, thereby locking the legs in an extended position. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a better understanding of this invention it will now be described with respect to the preferred embodiment which shall be described herein with the assistance of drawings wherein; 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views of the portable clothes line according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  are cross-sectional views through the carriage and stop of the portable clothesline in  FIG. 1  along line A-A; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view through the carriages and a stop of a portable clothes-drying stand according to a further embodiment; and 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view through the frame and stop of the portable clothes in  FIG. 1  along line B-B. 
   

   BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
   Now referring to the illustrations, and in particular to  FIG. 1 , there is a portable clothes line  1 , with a body  2  including a pair of oppositely positioned end members  4  and  6 , and a central frame member  8  which is a continuous length of square cross section tube of constant cross sectional shape and size along its length and is used so that it is supporting the opposing end members  4  and  6 . The opposing end members  4  and  6 , and the central frame member  8  are of square hollow tubular aluminum of the same shape and size throughout its length. Lengths of clothesline  9  in parallel alignment extend between the opposing end members  4  and  6  and are threaded from a continuous length of pliable line in a manner that provides for a plurality (in this case 4) lines on each side. 
   The stand  1  includes a pair tubular aluminum of legs  10  and  12 , pivotally attached to the body  2  at an upper end thereof, the respective pairs being joined together by cross-members  13  which are secured fixedly so as to ensure that they extend and retract together. Each leg comprises a first portion that extends straight down, and a second portion that extends both downwardly and outwardly to an outwardly located foot so as establish thereby adequate stability of the erected stand. 
   There is a stop  14  fixed via a screw to the central frame member  8 , and a carriage  16  that is free to travel along the central frame member  8 . The central frame member  8  is a tubular aluminum member of square cross-section, this cross-section being consistent in shape and size along the entire length of the frame member  8 . The carriage then is an integral collar with an internal bore that is sized and shaped so as to be a free sliding fit on the central frame member with minimal slop or play. 
   Both the carriages  6  and the stop are made from a plastics material. The stop is positioned between the carriage and the pivot point for any each pair of legs. The carriage  16  has a link arm  20  attached to it, that connects it to a pair of legs, such that in use, extension of the legs draws the carriage  16  into selectively releasable locking engagement with the stop  14 , thereby locking the legs in an extended position. The link arm  20  is a single piece of wire bent into a U-shape, the link arm  20  having in-turned ends at a first end that are adapted to engage the legs of the stand by being inserted into an aperture in a side of a respective leg. At its second end, the link arm  20  passes through an aperture in the underside of the carriage  16 . 
   The carriage  16  has a tab  22  integrally formed with it; this tab extends from the body of the carriage such that it is cantilevered from it. The tab  22  has an upwardly extending, ramped head portion  24 , which is thinnest at the leading edge  26  of the tab  22 . 
   The stop  14  has an opening  28  that is adapted to accept the head portion  24  of the tab  22 , and includes a top wall  30  that has a lip  32  extending downwardly from it. In use then, extension of the legs draws the carriage  16  toward the stop  14  until the head portion  24  of the tab  22  comes into contact with the downwardly extending lip  32  in the stop. This lip gradually forces the head portion  24  of the tab  22  downwardly until the ramped portion of the head  24  has passed under the lip  32 , at this point the resiliency of the plastic material from which the carriage  16  and its integrally formed tab  22  are formed allows the tab to spring upwardly, so that the stop captures the carriage, and prevents it from being removed in normal use. If a user wishes to remove the carriage from the stop, they press down on the tab at a point proximate to the head, so that the head can again pass under the lip  32 , thereby allowing the legs of the stand  1  to be retracted. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 6 , the stop  14  includes a pair of legs  50  that are integrally formed with, and extending downwardly from the top wall  30  of the stop  14 . At their lowermost edge the legs  50  include integrally formed, outwardly projecting bulbous portions  52  that are adapted to capture the straight portions of the stand&#39;s legs when they are in the retracted position. 
   In a further form each carriage  35  might include tabs  22  at both ends, so that the carriages can also be used to lock each set of legs in a retracted position, using a double sided, centrally positioned stop  40 . 
   The arrangement described simplifies the arrangement that has hitherto been used and is found to enable less able people to be also able to erect and collapse the stand without great difficulty. 
   Significant advantages of the clothesline according to the present invention therefore are that the legs will automatically lock into position if they are allowed to drop into their erected position, making erection of the stand easy for one person. Once locked into position, the legs are securely locked in this extended position, so that if the clothes line is unintentionally bumped, it will not collapse. 
   It is considered therefore that a portable clothes-drying stand such as that described herein would prove to be of considerable benefit to those who desire a portable clothes-drying stand that can be erected and put away quickly and easily, and which is sturdy when erected. 
   Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognised that departures can be made within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details described herein, but is to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.