Collapsible Drying Rack Rope Tensioning for Tangle-Free Closing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hinged clothes horses with central support columns often result in an unsightly and tangled clothes line when closed, as the existing designs fail to maintain a taut and organized configuration.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates four support arms with protective flaps and sliders equipped with weights, which keep the laundry rope taut by pulling it in a V-shape when closed, and automatically open when the clothes horse is opened, utilizing a connecting rope and deflection mechanism for easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional clothes horses are closed, then the structure is compact and space-saving, but the clothes line becomes unsightly and tangled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making different sections of the support arms have different functions: the inner ends are designed for structural support and hinging, while the outer ends are equipped with protective flaps and guides specifically for maintaining clothes line organization. The protective flaps create localized organized channels that guide the clothes line, ensuring neat appearance specifically at the critical outer end regions where tangling would be most visible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary elements (protective flaps and guides) that mediate between the support arms and the clothes line. These flaps act as intermediate structures that physically guide and contain the clothes line, preventing it from becoming tangled while maintaining a neat appearance during storage.
2Shape
If protective flaps are added to protect the laundry rope, then the appearance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the protective flaps: they serve as both protective covers for the clothes line and as structural guides with integrated guides and sliders. By combining the protective function with the guiding function in a single integrated component, the design avoids adding separate complex mechanisms while achieving both appearance improvement and functional effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms are segmented into functional zones with guides and sliders positioned at specific locations along their length. This segmentation allows the protective and guiding functions to be distributed at optimal positions without requiring complete restructuring of the entire support arm, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If sliders with weights are used to tension the laundry rope, then the rope remains taut and organized, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs simple plastic sliders with basic weights that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. These are not precision-engineered components but rather simple functional elements made from inexpensive materials, reducing manufacturing complexity while still achieving the required tensioning function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves clothes line tautness by changing the physical state and positioning parameters of the sliders along the guides, rather than requiring complex active control mechanisms. The weights provide automatic tension through gravitational force, maintaining constant tautness without additional power sources or control systems.
4Ease of operation
If the clothes horse is designed to be easily opened, then the ease of operation is improved, but the structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic hinged connections at the inner ends of the support arms that allow easy opening and closing motion. These hinges provide controlled movement during operation while maintaining structural integrity when the clothes horse is in use, achieving both ease of operation and structural stability through dynamic joint design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures the laundry rope remains taut and organized, preventing tangling and simplifying the opening process while maintaining a neat appearance when closed.
Implementation Method 1
the sliders are each provided with a weight (not shown) in order to pull them down and to allow the laundry rope 4 to be tensioned in an orderly manner
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The clotheshorse has four support arms (2) slidingly and pivotably attached to a central support column (1), where each of the arms has two protective covers (3) for protecting clothes ropes. The covers have guides (5) at each of the two opposite support arms, and a number of gliders (6) are slidingly attached to the guides. The gliders are made of plastic, and are connected among each other with a connecting rope. A deflect for the connecting rope is attached to outer end areas of the support arms.