Drying assembly

Abstract

A drying assembly for mounting to a wall, the assembly comprising: (a) an elongate mounting member; (b) an elongate support member hingeably coupled to an upper end of the mounting member for disposition between a storage position in which the mounting member and the support member are aligned parallel and an open position in which the support member extends outwardly from the mounting member to provide a continuous length for supporting clothes; and (c) a brace that is operable to retain the members in the open position; and wherein the support member has a profile that defines a volume that conceals the brace and the mounting member in the storage position and that includes a reinforcing web enabling connections with the brace and the mounting member to be concealed.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a drying assembly for use by consumers to dry and air household articles. The invention further relates to a drying assembly for clothing, bedding and other like goods.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0002]There are many different types of interior and exterior products for use in airing and drying clothes and other articles. In today's energy conscious times using an electrically powered tumble dryer is not considered environmentally friendly and there has been increased demand for interior and exterior clothes lines. Also the use of tumble dryers can damage, shrink clothes and cause the deterioration of the fabrics and colours of items. Furthermore dryers create dust particles and condensation which leads to musty air and mould which is detrimental to a user's health pushing consumers to seek alternatives to tumble drying machines.[0003]Exterior clothes lines are not always available for household use. The use of exterior clothes lin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a drying assembly that is tall and slim, but when extended it offers a continuous, uninterrupted drying length that is long enough to accommodate large items such as clothes, towels, and bed linen. This eliminates the need for folding and reduces the drying time for damp fabrics. The design features a minimalistic and aesthetically pleasing appearance that can be used in living spaces. The assembly includes a reinforcing web that doubles the structural stiffness and torsional stiffness without adding much weight. The assembly can be made from high-quality materials and has a plethora of external visual effects to hide its purpose.

Problems solved by technology

In today's energy conscious times using an electrically powered tumble dryer is not considered environmentally friendly and there has been increased demand for interior and exterior clothes lines.

Also the use of tumble dryers can damage, shrink clothes and cause the deterioration of the fabrics and colours of items.

Furthermore dryers create dust particles and condensation which leads to musty air and mould which is detrimental to a user's health pushing consumers to seek alternatives to tumble drying machines.

Exterior clothes lines are not always available for household use.

The use of exterior clothes lines may be restricted by local ordinances or practices.

Alternatively, there simply may be no available outside space, as can occur when living in high rise accommodation such as flats, apartments and housing developments.

However, even when it is not in use there is still the inconvenience of a large housing mounted on a wall and a fastening point secured to an opposing wall.

The housing can be obtrusive and quite unattractive in appearance, reducing consumer acceptance.

The rack and rope and pulley system is visible and noticeable when the device is not in use, again limiting consumer acceptance of this system.

These devices are not ordinarily capable of carrying a large number of clothes or bed linen but typically can be folded to a substantially flat arrangement for storage out of sight when not in use.

The invisible clothes line is limited in its carrying capacity by the size of the cover.

Furthermore, the cover impacts on the movement of air around the articles hanging from the rack potentially reducing its effectiveness in airing and drying the articles.

The limited size together with reduced effectiveness can extend the drying time and thus the period for which articles are on display.

Clothes lines, washing lines and drying rack products are generally bland and not appealing in their design or appearance and are at best out of place in a residential or commercial setting, having to be used and then put to the side out-of-sight to minimise disruption, hazards and to maintain the decor of the interior design or furnishings of a user's home.

More specifically, people with very limited drying space, cramped areas or confined living conditions, are limited in the environmentally friendly product options available to them and rely heavily on the current market offerings that are not aesthetically pleasing in design / function and that do not offer a product that would be considered a design feature in any setting or enable the product to blend and or be co-ordinated within the work area of commercial space or a domestic dwelling.

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