Patent Abstract:
An over-the-door garment drying rack has a stationary frame affixable to a door, and a drying pane pivotably coupled to the stationary frame. At least one rotatable and slidable bumper is coupled to the drying pane and fixed for rotation and slidable movement relative to the drying pane. Upon opening of the door when the drying rack is in an open configuration, the bumper comes into contact with an adjoining wall surface prior to any other component of the drying rack. The rotatable and slidable nature of the bumper serves to protect the wall and the drying rack and to further inhibit damage or marring to the wall or the drying rack that may otherwise occur as a result of contact between the drying pane and the wall.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/303,682, filed Mar. 4, 2016, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates, in general, to garment racks and, in particular, to racks for the air drying of garments following laundering. 
         [0004]    2. General Background of the Invention 
         [0005]    Drying racks for garments have been in use for some time. The use of such racks in lieu of conventional electric or gas-powered dryers may be desirable for several reasons, including cost savings, and for the drying of articles that may shrink or otherwise be damaged as the result of the application of heated air, the accompanying tumbling of the articles, or both. 
         [0006]    One type of garment drying rack, often preferable to use where a limited amount of space is available, is a folding rack capable of being mounted to a door. An example of a prior art drying rack of this general type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,844,737 to Bukowski. These drying racks typically include one or more foldable drying panes having a plurality of rods from which wet or damp garments may be hung or suspended for drying, and hooks for suspending the overall drying rack from the top edge of a door, such as an interior door of a dwelling. 
         [0007]    Most interior doors of dwellings are constructed of wood or another opaque material, and, as a result, an over-the-door mounted drying rack is typically not visible from the side of the door that opposes the side on which the drying rack is mounted. One potential resultant issue with this type of garment drying rack is the potential to dent, scratch, or otherwise mar the appearance of an opposing wall, in the event a door to which the garment rack is attached is swung open, particularly from the side of the door from which the rack is not visible, thereby causing the garment rack to strike a portion of the opposing wall. The risk of marring the opposing wall is heightened when the drying pane of the drying rack is left in a deployed or open position. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an over-the-door mounted garment drying rack having a mechanism for inhibiting damage to an opposing wall on occasions where the associated door is inadvertently opened, particularly when a drying pane of the rack has been left in an opened or deployed position. 
         [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an over-the-door mounted garment drying rack having a mechanism for inhibiting damage to the drying rack on occasions where the associated door is inadvertently opened causing the drying rack to contact an opposing wall, particularly when a drying pane of the rack has been left in an opened or deployed position. 
         [0010]    These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent in view of the following specification, drawings and claims. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present invention comprises an over-the-door drying rack having a generally rectangular stationary frame, a pivoting drying pane, hooks or other fasteners to secure the stationary frame to a door, and straps, hinges and clips to change the position of the drying pane with respect to the frame. The drying pane consists of horizontal parallel rods or wires connected to two transversely oriented rods or wires. 
         [0012]    This invention provides two different positions for the drying pane: an open and a closed position. Each position provides different advantages. The angled or open position provides more spacing between the items for more efficient drying; the vertical or closed position is ideal for smaller space. The invention enables the user to hang several long items in parallel from the various rods of the drying pane, optimizing the hanging space with minimal depth. In an embodiment of the present invention, several linear meters of vertical hanging space is provided, with only 10 to 20 cm. of depth. 
         [0013]    The hinge design at the bottom of the drying pane, and the strap and plastic clip at the top make it easy for the user to alternate or flip between open and close positions. No tools are required to do this and there is no need to take the drying rack down from the door to change these positions. 
         [0014]    A flexible strap, string or other flexible material couples the drying pane to the drying frame proximate its top and makes it easy to switch between open and close position. This flexibility also reduces contact between the drying rack and an adjacent wall, making it easier to open and close the door without damaging the drying rack or the wall or the door. 
         [0015]    Guards or protectors, in the form of rotatable and slidable bumpers coupled to portions of the pivoting drying pane, initially come into contact with an opposing wall, in the event a door to which the present drying rack is mounted is inadvertently swung open. These bumpers, which may be constructed of a plastic material, are the first portions of the overall drying rack to contact the opposing wall under such circumstances, and serve to reduce the possibility that the contacted wall surface or the drying rack may be damaged or marred by such contact. In particular, the rotatable and slidable mounting of the bumpers serve to reduce friction between the pivoting drying pane and the opposing wall as contact is initially made, and serve to enable the drying pane to more readily retract towards the closed position, without damaging the wall or the drying rack as the door is further opened towards the opposing wall. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is an elevated perspective view of a garment rack of the present invention, with the drying pane in the open or deployed position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is an elevated perspective view of the garment rack of  FIG. 1 , with the drying pane in the closed or retracted position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is an elevated left side view of the garment rack of  FIG. 1 , with the drying pane in the open or deployed position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is an elevated left side view of the garment rack of  FIG. 1 , with the drying pane in the closed or retracted position; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is an elevated perspective view of a hanging hook, suitable for affixing and suspending the garment drying rack of  FIG. 1  adjacent the surface of a door; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a rotatable bumper of the present invention; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a rotatable bumper of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, several specific embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is intended as an exemplification of the principles of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. 
         [0024]    An embodiment of the present garment drying rack  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-5  as comprising stationary member or frame  20 , pivoting member or drying pane  30 , locking clip  50 , straps  60 , rotatable and slidable bumpers  70 , and hanging hooks  80 . Stationary member  20  is releasably mountable adjacent a surface of a door, and comprises inverted U-shaped tubular member  21  having horizontal portion  22  and vertical portions  23 . Apertures  24  disposed through vertical portions  23  proximate their endpoints permit opposing ends of bottom crossbar  26  to be disposed and secured therein. End caps  26  are fitted into the bottom openings of vertical portions  34  of tubular member  21 . Guards  27  are resiliently clipped to bottom crossbar  26  and serve to protect the surface of a door to which the present garment drying rack  10  is suspended from being scratched or otherwise marred by stationary member  20 . Stationary member  20  may be constructed of steel or other relatively rigid material. 
         [0025]    Pivoting member  30  comprises center region  31 , offset drying bar  35 , and angled stop member  40 . Center region  31  is generally planar, and includes two opposing side rails  33  and a plurality of drying bars  32  disposed in a parallel, spaced relationship from each other, each spanning the space between side rails  33  and permitting a plurality of articles of clothing to be simultaneously hung upon pivoting member  30  for drying. Offset drying bar  35 , which may be integrally formed with center region  31 , is disposed at an angle of approximately ninety degrees from drying bars  32 , providing a convenient surface for hanging additional garments for drying, even when pivoting member  30  is in its closed position. Side rails  33  each include an associated pivoting loop  34 , disposed about bottom crossbar  26  of stationary member  20 . This, in turn, permits pivoting member  30  to rotate or pivot about bottom crossbar  26 , and for pivoting member  30  to transition between its open and closed positions. Pivoting member  30  may be constructed of steel or other relatively rigid material. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , a plurality of hooks  80  may be employed to suspend drying rack  10  from the top surface of a door. Each hook  80  includes curved supporting region  81 , attachable to horizontal portion  22  of stationary member  20 , and hanger region  82 , configured to overlie the top surface of a door. Two hooks are preferably disposed along the length of horizontal portion  22  of stationary member  20  and, may either be snap-fit to horizontal portion  22 , or permanently secured to horizontal portion  22 , such as with a screw or other suitable fastener. Hooks  80  may be constructed of steel or other relatively rigid material. 
         [0027]    Angled stop member  40  is disposed at an interior angle of approximately one hundred twenty-five degrees from drying bars  32 , and serves to preclude drying bars  32  from reaching a completely vertical orientation upon movement of pivoting member  30  to its closed position. Upon movement of pivoting member  30  to its closed position, top crossbar  41  of stop member  40  engages a portion of locking clip  50  in a releasable, snap-fit manner. Another portion of locking clip  50  is secured to horizontal portion  22  of U-shaped tubular frame member  21  and, accordingly, the engagement of top crossbar  41  of stop member  40  by locking clip  50  serves to releasably secure pivoting member  30  in the closed position. In a preferred embodiment, angled stop member is integrally formed with center region  31  of rotating member  30 . 
         [0028]    As best seen in  FIG. 4 , when in the closed position, pivoting member  30  is disposed at an angle of approximately six degrees from the vertical. This angle permits drying rack  10  to take up a relatively small amount of horizontal space when in the closed position while, at the same time, providing enough of an angle for multiple garments to be suspended from individual drying bars  32 . 
         [0029]    Upon the release of pivoting member  30  from securement to locking clip  50  and, in turn, from securement to stationary member  20 , straps  60  limit the opposing rotational movement of pivoting member  30 . In particular, each of two straps  60  includes a first attachment clip, or hoop  61 , disposed at one end of the strap and coupled to horizontal portion  22  of U-shaped tubular member  21 , and a second attachment clip, or hook  62 , disposed at the opposing end of the strap and coupled to top crossbar  41  of pivoting member  30 . Upon full extension of strap  60 , which may be constructed of a metallic wire, a synthetic or natural fabric cord, or other suitable material, pivoting member  30  is in its fully open position, and is disposed at an angle of approximately thirty-two degrees from the vertical. 
         [0030]    As compared to the closed position of pivoting member  30 , this angle permits additional lateral spacing between the individual drying bars  32  of center region  31  while, at the same time, still permits overall drying rack  10  to occupy a relatively narrow space adjacent a door to which the rack is affixed. Moreover, having the pivoting member  30  in a less than horizontal orientation upon full deployment facilitates the movement of pivoting member  30  towards its closed or retracted position upon contact of rotatable and slidable bumpers  70  with an adjacent wall upon the opening of a door to which the present drying rack  10  is attached. Alternatively, straps  60  may be manually unhooked or disconnected from pivoting member  30 , in which case center region  31  and drying bars  32  will further rotate until offset drying bar  35  contacts the surface of the door to which rack  10  is affixed, placing drying bars  32  in a substantially horizontal orientation. 
         [0031]    Pivoting member  30  further includes two opposing rotatable and slidable bumpers  70 , each disposed about an associated side rail of angled stop member  40 , proximate the junction of stop member  40  and center region  31  of pivoting member  30 . Each rotatable and slidable bumper is both rotatable about and slidable along its associated side rail. Accordingly, in the event that a door to which drying rack  10  is affixed is swung fully open while rack  10  is in its open configuration, the first portions of drying rack  10  to come in contact with an opposing wall will be rotatable and slidable bumpers  70 , which are both rotatable and slidable about their associated side rail of stop member  40 . Moreover, as the door is more fully opened following initial contact of bumpers  70  and the adjacent wall, each bumper  70  remains in contact with the adjacent wall, as contact with the wall and further movement of the door causes pivoting member  30  to move from its open position, with straps  60  fully extended, towards its closed position. This rotational and slidable capability serves to lessen the friction between rotating member  30  and the adjoining wall, as pivoting member  30  is pushed towards the closed position by reason of the wall and door coming into further proximity. 
         [0032]    Although, in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-4 , each bumper  70  is fixed for lateral rotation about an axis comprising the generally vertically oriented side rail of stop member  70 , and is fixed for vertical sliding movement along such axis, each bumper  70  may alternatively be disposed about the topmost drying bar  32  of center region  31  of pivoting member  30 . In such an embodiment, each bumper  70  is instead fixed for vertical rotation about an axis comprising a generally horizontally oriented drying bar, at the positions denoted by reference numeral  85  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and is fixed for horizontal sliding movement along such axis. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , rotatable and slidable bumper  70  is generally toroidal in shape and comprises two hemispherical members  71 , each having a plurality of semicircular bearing surfaces  72 , which contact and rotate about a portion of angled stop member  40  or another suitable cylindrical member of drying rack  10 . Each hemispherical member  71  further includes a resilient arm  73  having an end tab  74 , configured for snap-fit engagement with an aperture  75  of an opposing hemispherical member  71 . In this manner, a pair of identically-configured hemispherical members  71  can be snap-fit together about a suitable cylindrical member, with bearing surfaces  72  permitting relatively low friction rotation of rotatable and slidable bumper  70  about the cylindrical member. A plurality of optional locating fingers  76 ,  77  serve to further preclude each hemispherical member  71  of rotatable and slidable bumper  70  from twisting or lateral rotation, relative to each other. Rotatable and slidable bumper  70  may be constructed of a suitable plastic material, such as, for example, high density polyethylene (HDPE). 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , an alternatively constructed rotatable bumper  90  is likewise generally toroidal in shape, and comprises two hemispherical members  91 , each having a plurality of semicircular bearing surfaces  92 , which contact and rotate about a portion of angled stop member  40  or another suitable cylindrical member of drying rack  10 . Each hemispherical member  91  further includes a plurality of posts  93 , configured for snap-fit engagement with a corresponding socket  94  of an opposing hemispherical member  91 . In this manner, a pair of identically-configured hemispherical members  91  can be snap-fit together about a suitable cylindrical member, with bearing surfaces  92  permitting relatively low friction rotation of rotatable bumper  90  about the cylindrical member. Internal webbing  95  serves to further strengthen each rotatable bumper  90 , and to further support the inner-most bearing surface  92 . 
         [0035]    Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of construction of the invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present disclosure is intended to exemplify and not limit the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 3