Small parts holder and clothes drying rack

Abstract

The invention relates to a small parts holder (7) and a laundry drying rack with a small parts holder (7) which is intended for attachment to a support arm (2) of the laundry drying rack, wherein the small parts holder (7) has receptacles by which laundry items can be detachably attached to the small parts holder (7); an elongated, central area which can be arranged along the support arm (2); and at least one fastening means for attaching the small parts holder (7) to the support arm (2). The known small parts holders (7) and laundry drying racks have the disadvantage that the small parts holder (7) is designed as a separate component and therefore, in addition to increased manufacturing costs, there is a risk that it will be lost. This improves the invention in that the small parts holder (7) has at least one support arm panel extending laterally from the central area outwards, wherein the receptacles for attaching the laundry items to the small parts holder (7) are arranged on the support arm panel, and that in the laundry drying rack this small parts holder is permanently arranged on the respective support arm (2).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a small parts holder for a laundry drying rack according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a laundry drying rack according to the preamble of claim 9.

[0002] The small parts holders of this type are designed for attachment to a support arm of a clothes drying rack. The holders have receptacles through which smaller items of laundry, such as socks, handkerchiefs, or underwear, can be detachably attached. The holders feature an elongated central section that, when mounted on the drying rack's support arm, extends along a section or the entire length of the arm. They can be attached to the support arm by at least one fastener. A one-piece design of the support arm and holder is also possible, particularly if the support arm itself is made of plastic.

[0003] A clothes drying rack is, in particular, but not necessarily, a rotary clothesline. It then has support arms that can be moved from a folded, inactive position to an extended drying position, between which clotheslines run laundry-supporting elements. In the folded, inactive position, the support arms lie vertically next to each other, leaving a gap between them. In the drying position, they are spread radially outwards from a central area, in particular a mast, by means of a spreading mechanism.

[0004] A small parts holder of the type mentioned above and an associated clothes drying rack are known from DE 10 2005 022 487 A1. The known small parts holder has an elongated base body with a plurality of eyelet-like hanging devices that project downwards from the base body when properly installed. The base body, in turn, can be clamped to the support arm of a rotary clothesline by means of clamping devices provided at its upper and lower ends.

[0005] The well-known small items holder has proven very advantageous, as it allows smaller items of laundry, such as socks, handkerchiefs, or underwear, to be hung securely without the hassle of using separate clothespins. Furthermore, it can be retrofitted to any standard rotary clothesline or freestanding clothes dryer using the clamping mechanism. However, it has the disadvantage of being a separate component, which is more expensive to manufacture than an integrated solution and can also be lost or forgotten when setting up the drying rack, rendering the small items holder unusable.

[0006] German patent DE 103 05 746 A1 discloses another solution for hanging small items, involving a specially equipped freestanding clothes dryer. This dryer features a central drying area with hinged side wings. In the area of ​​the hinged wings, the drying area is bordered by plastic crossbeams, from which clotheslines in the form of rods or lines extend to the opposite crossbeam. The plastic crossbeam has elastically deformable slots on its outer surface facing the hinged wing, allowing small items to be clamped in place. This solution allows socks to be hung on a freestanding clothes dryer, but it is permanently attached to the dryer and therefore can only be used with this specific system. Furthermore, the capacity and accessibility of the small item holder are limited.

[0007] From JP H10-15295 A, an X-shaped freestanding clothes dryer is known, which has transverse bars in its upper section on which shirts or other laundry items can be hung using hangers. One of these bars has a separate component for hanging clothes hangers. This component can be used as a holder for small items, but does not allow the small items to be clamped without additional fixing devices such as small clips or clamps.

[0008] From DE 10 2013 107 315 ​​B3, a rotary clothesline is known as a generic clothes drying rack, which has support arms attached to a sliding joint movable along a mast, wherein the support arms are movable from an inactive position, in which they are largely parallel to the mast vertically, to an active drying position, in which they protrude laterally outwards from the mast, when the sliding joint is raised, via a mechanism formed by spreader rods.

[0009] Rotary clotheslines are known from EP 2 503 051 A1 and WO 2010 / 057 542 A1, which retract the clotheslines into the support arms using small weights when the drying screen is folded. Other designs of the rotary clothesline, for example, the one known from DE 43 19 004 A1, do not have this feature. In this case, after the drying screen is folded, the clotheslines hang down between the support arms. This naturally has the disadvantage that the clotheslines are exposed to environmental influences and can become dirty.

[0010] To protect the clotheslines when folded, the clothes drying rack known from EP 2 476 794 A1 has cover plates attached to the support arms, extending laterally from the arms with flat sections. Preferably, the cover plates are curved about an axis parallel to the support arm. In the folded, inactive state, the cover plates thus form a more or less closed protective cylinder that surrounds and protects the hanging clotheslines. An additional cover is provided in the upper area to prevent dirt or rainwater from penetrating this protective cylinder; this cover can be formed by appropriately shaped end caps of the support arms or the outer ends of the cover plates.

[0011] Alternatively, separate components, for example on the mast, can be used. This rotary clothesline has the advantage of protecting the clotheslines from dirt even without weights or line guides in the support arms. However, the lateral projection of the cover plates on both sides of the support arms has the disadvantage that the small parts holder mentioned earlier can no longer fully encircle the support arm, making installation more complicated.

[0012] From US patent 2020 / 0221891A1, a holder for laundry items is known, comprising a support element and a hanging part. The hanging part has several clamping elements that are elastically movable for clamping laundry items and are arranged side by side in a row extending outwards from the support element. This holder must be attached to a wall or an edge, for example, of a table.

[0013] DE 20 2004 007 580 U1 discloses a small parts holder that can be clipped onto a round bar, which, for example, can be part of the drying area of ​​a freestanding clothes dryer. The small parts holder has the form of a profiled rail with open recesses along one edge section. At least one spring-loaded tongue projects into each recess, to which a garment can be clamped. A freestanding clothes dryer is described in KR 20 0 439 504 Y1. This freestanding clothes dryer has a small parts holder that can be clipped onto a section of the drying area and is essentially identical to the small parts holder shown in DE 20 2004 007 580 U1.

[0014] The object of the invention is to create a small parts holder for a clothes drying rack and a clothes drying rack with such a small parts holder, in which, at low manufacturing costs, a possibility for hanging small items of laundry is created, which is provided without the risk that the small parts holder is forgotten or even lost.

[0015] This problem is solved according to the invention by a small parts holder according to claim 1. With regard to the laundry drying rack, the problem is solved by a laundry drying rack according to claim 9. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0016] The new small parts holder is characterized in particular by the fact that it has at least one support arm panel extending laterally outwards from the support body. The support arm panel is preferably an elongated plate with receptacles or other sections for holding the laundry items, wherein the fastening means and the support arm panel are designed such that, when the small parts holder is mounted on the support arm as intended, a flat section extends laterally outwards, and the receptacles for attaching the laundry items to the small parts holder are formed, at least partially, by clamping receptacles in the support arm panel.

[0017] The support arm cover preferably integrates into the known cover panels of rotary clotheslines in such a way that a plate-like strip protrudes from the support arms at least on one side, but preferably on both sides. This strip is formed partly by the support arm cover and partly by one or more cover panels, which are provided as separate components independent of the small parts holder. Alternatively, a continuous component can be provided, which then forms the small parts holder extending over the length of the support arm.

[0018] In one embodiment, the previously continuous cover plate is replaced by one or two cover plates arranged at a distance from each other on the support arm, with the small parts holder and its support arm covers located in the area between these cover plates. If only one cover plate, shorter than the length of the support arm, is used, the small parts holder is then positioned in front of or behind the cover plate.

[0019] Of course, several small parts holders can also be provided on the support arm, in which case cover plates are provided between, in front of or behind the small parts holders, so that when the clothes drying rack is closed, a circumferential protective cylinder is created over the height of the then vertically inclined support arms.

[0020] The mounting points for attaching small laundry items are provided in the support arm panels of the small parts holder. The new laundry drying rack is characterized by the fact that it has the new small parts holder on at least one of the support arms, preferably on all support arms. This holder is arranged between two sections of cover panels or below or above a section of a cover panel on the support arm.

[0021] Like the cover plates, the small parts holder is preferably attached to the support arm via a clamping device. For this purpose, the support arm, which is usually but not necessarily made of aluminum, can have appropriate fastening elements. This could, for example, be a groove for a tongue-and-groove connection. Alternatively, the plastic parts that form the cover plates and the small parts holder can also be clamped to the support arm, for example, using clips.

[0022] According to the invention, the support arm cover is designed to both serve as a small parts holder and to complement and extend the cover plates, particularly for forming the protective cylinder. Although a closed protective cylinder is intended to be constructed using the cover plates, it has been shown that the incorporation of clamping slots, and thus the formation of elastic retaining pins in the cover, surprisingly does not reduce the protective effect. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the clamping slots are arranged at the lower end region of the support arms facing the sliding joint, so that the clotheslines are positioned above the clamping slots when folded.

[0023] As an alternative to interruptions in the material of the support arm cover, clamping areas can also be provided below the support arm covers and integrally connected to them. Since the support arm covers are usually made of plastic, it is relatively easy from a manufacturing perspective to incorporate clamping elements under the flat areas of the support arm covers. However, it will be more cost-effective if the flat areas themselves incorporate the clamping receptacles for the small parts.

[0024] A favorable embodiment of the invention therefore comprises a small parts holder with support arm panels that have clamping slots in sections, into which the small items of laundry can be inserted and clamped. The area between two clamping slots is preferably elastically designed, in particular as an elastic retaining pin. For this purpose, an elastic material can be used for the construction of the support arm panels that have the retaining pins.

[0025] Furthermore, the elasticity of the cone- or tongue-shaped area between two clamping gaps can be increased by introducing one or more through-holes. This has the particular advantage of creating a very favorable spring effect, which on the one hand holds the small parts in the clamping gap and on the other hand also prevents damage to the textile.

[0026] In principle, the small parts holder according to the invention, in conjunction with the protective cylinder for the clotheslines described above, can be used with a rotary clothesline in its folded state. However, this is not absolutely necessary. A small parts holder can also be used in conjunction with a line retractor or other rotary clotheslines. In this case, the use of additional cover plates is naturally unnecessary. The support arm cover then only needs to extend outwards as far as is necessary to create an elastic clamping gap for holding small parts.

[0027] The small parts holder or the support arm of the clothes drying rack may have additional covers to close off the area of ​​the small parts holder or the openings within it. In the simplest case, these can be simple clip-on covers that are attached to the small parts holder. Besides protecting against the elements, these covers can also make it difficult or impossible for crawling insects to enter.

[0028] Alternatively, protective flaps can be used that run along the small item holder and can be folded down onto the area of ​​the small laundry items. Preferably, this design incorporates locking mechanisms so that the folded-down protective flaps are releasably locked in the position covering the small item holder in the area of ​​its openings. This can facilitate the folding of, for example, a rotary clothesline, as it prevents the protective flaps from opening unintentionally. When the clothes drying rack is open, however, a locking mechanism is unnecessary, since the protective flaps can rest on a section of the support arm in both the open and closed positions.

[0029] In summary, a key concept of the present invention is that the cover plates on at least one side of the support arm of a clothes drying rack are used to integrate a small parts holder. These cover plates can be partially interrupted and supplemented by the small parts holder according to the invention, or the small parts holder can be integrated into the cover plates.

[0030] Alternatively, the retaining elements for the small laundry items can also be arranged on a support that can be attached to an existing cover panel. For this purpose, the cover panels can be reduced in depth, or the support can be designed so that, after the laundry drying rack is moved into the drying position, the retaining elements can be folded around an axis parallel to the edge of the cover panels from an inner position, where they rest against the inside of the cover panels, to an active position, where they are unfolded, extending the cover panels outwards.

[0031] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0032] The drawings show: Fig. 1. A side view of a clothes drying rack designed as a rotary clothesline in a three-dimensional view, Fig. 2 a side view of the in Fig. 1. Laundry drying rack shown in the inactive, folded position, Fig. 3 a side view of the in Fig. 2. Laundry drying rack shown in the drying position with spread support arms, Fig. 4 a top view of the in the Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 laundry drying racks shown in the drying position, Fig. 5. The area of ​​the small parts holder in an enlarged section view, Fig. 6 the individual part representation of detail “Z” from Fig. 5, Fig. 7. The small parts holder in a single-part view (details “X” in Fig. 2) from above, Fig. 8 dem in Fig. 7 small parts holders shown in a front view, Fig. 9 the individual part representation of detail “Y” from Fig. 4, Fig. 10. Another design of the small parts holder, Fig. 11 a third embodiment of a small parts holder with a coverable retaining pin in the covered position, Fig. 12 den in Fig. 11 small parts holders shown in the open position of the cover and Fig. 13 a top view of the in the Fig. 11 and Fig. 12 small parts holders shown, with the left cover open and the right cover closed.

[0033] In the Fig. Figures 1 to 4 depict a clothes drying rack, here designed as a rotary clothesline. The clothesline has a mast 1 on which a sliding joint 3 is slidably mounted. Support arms 2 are hinged to the sliding joint 3 on one side, and when the sliding joint 3 is pushed upwards, the support arms 2 are angled outwards via spreader rods 4, which are articulated to the support arms 2 and an upper pivot 5.

[0034] The support arms 2 have cover plates 10 that extend laterally from the support arms 2 towards the adjacent support arm (when the clothes drying rack is folded). These have the advantage that, after the clothes drying rack is folded, they form a protective cylinder that protects the clotheslines 6, which are designed here as clotheslines and thus hang down from the support arms 2 when folded (unless a retraction device is provided), from environmental influences.

[0035] A small parts holder 7 is now provided in the area of ​​the support arms 2. This small parts holder 7 is integrated into the area of ​​the cover plates 10. The small parts holder 7 can be designed as a separate component, which is attached to the support arm 2 or to a cover plate 10 as an alternative to the cover plate. Alternatively, the small parts holder 7 can be designed to be long enough to completely replace the cover plates, in which case it can also have flat, plate-like sections above and below the small parts receptacles. Furthermore, all versions can also include holes, eyelets, or hooks through which brackets or other suspension devices can be attached in addition to clamping.

[0036] The cover plates 10 can be provided above and / or below the small parts holder 7, depending on the position of the support arm 2 in which the small parts holder 7 is attached. The small parts holder 7 is preferably designed such that it continues the course and shape of the cover plates 10, which project laterally from the support arms 2 in the form of flat strips, with the exception of the incorporated retaining means for the small parts, i.e., it lies essentially in the same plane as the cover plates, although it may, of course, project from these planes with a thickened area of ​​a limited thickness.

[0037] In Fig. Figure 2 shows the clothes drying rack in its folded, inactive state. The small parts holder 7 is located in the lower section of the support arms 2. This lower section is shown as detail X in Figure 2. Fig. 9 shown in an enlarged view. Fig. 1 and Fig. Figure 3 shows the rotary clothesline during unfolding or in the open position. Fig. 1. The laundry carriers 6 were omitted for clarity. In Fig. 1 The cover plates 10 can be seen, which extend the support arms 2 laterally outwards.

[0038] Fig. 5 shows the area of ​​the Fig. 1-4 depicted clothesline, which is equipped with the small parts holder 7, in an enlarged sectional view. Fig. Figure 6 again shows detail Z, i.e., the small parts holder 7, enlarged. Fig. 7 in turn shows detail Y from Fig. 4 in a rotated view, i.e. the small parts holder 7 in a single part view.

[0039] Especially from the Fig. 5 and Fig. Figure 6 shows that the small parts holder 7 is arranged between the outwardly projecting strips of the cover plates 10, which are located in front of and behind the small parts holder 7, and has the form of individual elastic retaining pins 8, each separated from the other by clamping slots 9. Small items of laundry can now be clamped into these clamping slots 9. To enable the elastic deformation of the elastic retaining pins 8, which is helpful for this purpose, these elastic retaining pins 8 have through-holes, so that the remaining area, which is made of elastic material, can be more easily compressed and subsequently springs back against the inserted item of laundry to clamp it against the adjacent elastic retaining pin 8. These openings are best made of Fig. 6 to recognize.

[0040] As an alternative to the illustrated design of the elastic retaining pins 8, other variants can of course be used, in particular solid retaining elements can be used which can be bent upwards or downwards or which, due to their inherent elasticity, can also be displaced laterally without a through-opening.

[0041] As already mentioned, the elastic retaining pins 8 of the small parts holder 7 essentially continue the form and function of the cover plates 10. The small through-openings in the elastic retaining pins 8, as well as the clamping gaps 9, have proven not to impede the protective effect of the protective cylinder formed by the cover plates 10, now in conjunction with the small parts holder 7, when the rotary clothesline is folded.

[0042] In Fig. Figure 8 shows a side view of the small parts holder 7. It can be seen that the small parts holder 7 can be clamped onto the support arms 2 (not shown here) using a clamping area 11. In the illustrated embodiment, this is achieved by providing a rail on the support arm 2 or, for example, by providing two grooves in the side flanks of the support arm, into which the inwardly projecting, elastically deformable retaining pins or strips of the clamping area 11 can resiliently engage. This is only an exemplary illustration.

[0043] Alternatively, the small parts holder 7 can of course also encompass the entire support arm 2. Furthermore, the small parts holder 7 can have separate fastening means by which it can be attached to the support arm 2 or to the adjacent cover plates 10. For example, it is possible for the front and rear edges of the small parts holder 7 to be connected to the adjacent edges of the cover plates 10 in a tongue-and-groove joint manner.

[0044] To cover the openings resulting from the design of the small parts holder 7 shown here, a strip can be attached or clipped onto the small parts holder 7. In its inactive state, this strip covers the elastic retaining pins 8 and the clamping slots 9. This strip can be easily inserted into one of the openings of the elastic retaining pins 8 or into the clamping slots 9, either spring-loaded or snapping into place. A cord connection to the support arm 2 can serve as a safety device to prevent loss.

[0045] Fig. Figure 10 shows a further embodiment of the small parts holder 7. In this embodiment, the elastic retaining pins 8 and the clamping slots 9 provided between them are arranged on a separate support 12. This separate support 12, in turn, is inserted into a rectangular recess in the cover plates 10 in a snap-fit ​​manner. Here, too, a tongue-and-groove connection is suitable. This variant allows the use of relatively flat and rigid cover plates 10, while the functional components of the small parts holder 7 can be made of a different material and, for example, can also have a greater thickness.

[0046] While the cover plates 10 only serve to protect the clotheslines when the clothes drying rack is folded, the elastic retaining pins 8 are regularly subjected to bending stresses from the repeated hanging of laundry and can break during the Fig. The variant shown in Figure 10 can be manufactured from a different, more resistant material. The same effect can be achieved by manufacturing the components using multi-component injection molding. In the illustrated variant, the elastic retaining pins 8, together with the support 12, are arranged in line with the cover plates 10, as in the previously shown variants. This allows the support arms 2 to be folded together to form the protective cylinder described above.

[0047] Alternatively, instead of the illustrated embodiment, the support 2 could also be located at the outer edge of the cover plates 10. In this case, the elastic retaining pins 8 would protrude outwards from the outer edge, potentially interfering with the folding of the clothes drying rack. To avoid this, the elastic retaining pins 8 can, for example, be angled slightly upwards so that they lie inside the protective cylinder. However, there is a slight risk that the clotheslines 6, hanging down when inactive, could become entangled with the elastic retaining pins 8.

[0048] Another variant of this design therefore uses a support 12 that can be folded along a line parallel to the outer edge of the cover panels 10. In this variant, the support 12 can be folded into a working position after the clothesline has been set up. In its passive state, the support 12 can rest against either the outside or an inside of the cover panels 10.

[0049] The above-described variant of the invention, comprising the support 12, can advantageously also be used as a retrofit solution for existing laundry drying racks. In this case, the support 12 can be attached to the outer edge of the cover panels 10 and has at least one joint with two joint parts, wherein a first joint part is attached to the edge of the cover panels 10, while the other joint part carries the retaining pins 8 with the clamping slots 9.

[0050] In the Fig. Figures 11 to 13 show a further advantageous embodiment of the small parts holder 7. This small parts holder 7 has protective flaps 13 which are hinged in the central area of ​​the small parts holder 7. Fig. Figure 11 shows the position of the protective flaps 13 in the covering position. Alternatively, the protective flaps 13 can of course also be arranged below the small parts holder 7, which has the advantage that they then also protect the elastic retaining pins 8 from contamination. On the other hand, this has the disadvantage that they then have to be fixed in the protective position, for example, by snapping them into place with the elastic retaining pins 8 or the clamping gap 9.

[0051] In the illustrated variant, the protective flaps 13 rest on the elastic retaining pins 8 when the clothes drying rack is unfolded and can be folded inwards to expose the elastic retaining pins 8. To prevent the protective flaps 13 from unintentionally folding together when the clothes drying rack is folded, locking devices can also be provided to hold the protective flaps 13 in the unfolded protective position.

[0052] Fig. Figure 13 shows a small parts holder 7, which is provided next to a piece of the cover plates 10 on the support arm 2. This small parts holder 7 corresponds to the one shown in the Fig. 11 and Fig. 12 small parts holder 7 shown, wherein on the left side a protective flap 13 is folded down, while on the right side the protective flap 13 is upright to expose the elastic retaining pins 8 and the clamping gaps 9.

[0053] In summary, the new small parts holder 7 is integrated into the outer extension of the support arms 2, which was previously formed exclusively by the cover plates 10. This allows the small parts holder 7 to be manufactured with significantly less effort and, at the same time, to remain permanently attached to the support arm 2 without obstructing folding or the application of a protective cover. Reference symbol list: 1 mast 2 support arms 3 Gliding joint 4 spreader bars 5 Upper linkage 6 Laundry carriers 7 small parts holders 8 Elastic retaining pin 9 clamping gap 10 Cover plate 11 Clamping range 12 carriers 13 Protective flap

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