CLOTHES LINE AND CLOTHES HORSE

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present invention fits the technical field of home accessories and personal care, in particular it concerns the equipment that allows to keep objects suspended. A specific application field of the present invention relates to the garments stretch in order to allow them to dry after washing.

STATE OF THE ART

[002] Typically, the natural drying of the garments takes place by hanging these last ones horizontally stretched between two supports spaced apart from each other and requires the widest possible exposure of the same to the sunlight and to the wind.

[003] The exposure of garments on wires also involves their fixing which, for rapidity and functionality, usually takes place through the use of clothespins specifically sized for the purpose. These are therefore necessary and the fact that the fixing of the garments is dependent on the presence of the clothespins is particularly disadvantageous since those are not always available, so it is not always possible to immediately lay the garments and also the clothespins can damage the garments themselves by creating wrinkles or even rusting. Not to mention the fact that clothespins can detach and let garments free, causing them to detach from the wire and lose them (a dangerous event in case of hanging garments on the balcony of the upper floors).

[004] Over time, some ideas have been developed to overcome this drawback and one in particular has been the subject of the Italian utility model patent n. 0000280480. It protects a clothes horse with hooking and unhooking elements of the rods, which allows the use without clothespins, being able to insert garments by sliding them and passing the retaining rods inside them, keeping the garments hanging and hooked to the structure, without these to fall or fly away. However, this does not fully solve the problem since only some types of garments can be "impaled" by the rods (such as trousers, skirts, shirts, underwear) while others (such as sheets, tablecloths, towels, socks, gloves, hats etc..) cannot be fixed and would continue to require the use of clothespins.

[005] Clothes horse are also known which do not require clothespins providing the presence of two wires which run parallel and are kept together and close together by annular elements. For example, in US 699,736 a clothes horse system is described in which two stretched branches of a single wire run coupled and annular elements made of malleable metallic material, such as steel, copper, zinc or tin, keep them close to each other. The annular elements can slide along the branches of the wire to adapt their distance to the dimensions of the garment to be stretched. In said solution the action of retaining garments is exerted only by the clamping force between the two branches of the stretched wire and is consequently very limited for garments of considerable size in which the annular elements must remain very far apart.

[006] US 1 ,360,189 describes a clothes line completely similar to the previous one and therefore affected by the same limits. US 1 ,360,189 specifies that the wire from which the two coupled branches are formed is preferably elastic.

[007] Still a clothes line completely similar to the previous ones, and affected by the same limits, is described in US 1 ,944,808 in which annular clamping elements applied in a fixed position and annular sliding elements are provided. The drawings relating to this clothes horse device show that this is suitable for tightening only very narrow items.

[008] Given the above, it is desirable to provide a clothes horse which does not require the use of clothespins and which overcomes the limits of known solutions as regards the strength and reliability of the garments tightening. Moreover, it would be desirable that this can be easily installed both internally and externally and that it can be applied to different supporting structures, both protruding and self-supporting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [009] An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a clothes line which can allow the fixing of garments without the use of clothespins.

[010] A further object of the present invention is to propose a clothes line which can be used both in internal and external environments.

[011] Another object of the present invention is to propose a clothes line that can be installed easily and quickly on different types of supporting structures.

[012] A further object of the present invention is to propose a clothes line which can be used inside a retention device suitable for creating several stretching lines.

[013] Another object of the present invention is to propose a clothes line which can be used inside a retention device suitable for creating an annular and sliding stretching path.

[014] A further object of the present invention is to propose a clothes line which can be used to keep objects and/or instruments suspended.

[015] These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by means of a clothes line for objects, in particular for garments, characterized in that it comprises at least a first and a second wire portions having substantially the same length and arranged one close to the other, and a plurality of sliders associated in sliding mode with friction to at least one of the first and second wire portions. The clothes line is suitable for retaining partially suspended objects between the first and second wire portions.

[016] Advantageously, at least one of the sliders is associated in sliding mode with friction to both the first and second wire portions to keep them locally close together.

[017] Still advantageously, the clothes line comprises constraining means, arranged at the ends of the first and second wire portions, suitable for allowing the coupling of the clothes line to a supporting structure.

[018] Advantageously, the first and second wire portions are both elastically extendable. [019] Alternatively, at least one of the first and second wire portions is substantially inextensible.

[020] A further advantage consists in the fact that at least one of the sliders comprises a protruding portion adapted to protrude from the slider to exert a retention force on the object.

[021] Further objects of the present invention are achieved by means of a clothes horse device for objects characterized in that it comprises at least a first and a second supporting structures, adapted to be arranged in a stable position facing each other at a certain distance, and one or more clothes lines coupled to the first and second supporting structures with the first and second wire portions remaining stretched between the first and second supporting structures.

[022] Advantageously, the first and second supporting structures comprise a first wheel rim, a second wheel rim, having a radius smaller than the radius of the first wheel rim and arranged inferiorly, coaxial, at a predetermined distance from the first wheel rim, a supporting element of the first and second wheel rims comprising a pole, coaxial to the first and second wheel rims, and a base of the pole. The first and the second wheel rims are adapted to rotate axially around the pole and the clothes lines are suitable for sliding on the outer profile of the first and second wheel rims following their rotation.

[023] Still advantageously, the first and second supporting structures comprise two bars suitable for collapsing between each other.

[024] A further advantage lies in the fact that the first and second wire portions are wound in a spiral between themselves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages and features associated with the clothes line of the present invention will be more easily understood by illustrating a non-limiting embodiment, as described below with the aid of the attached drawings, in which: - Fig. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a first embodiment of the clothes line according to the invention,

- Fig. 2 shows an overall perspective view of a second embodiment of the clothes line according to the invention,

- Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a detail of the clothes line of Fig. 1 ,

- Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a detail of the clothes line of Fig. 1 ,

- Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the detail of Fig. 4,

- Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the detail of Fig. 4,

- Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the detail of Fig. 4,

- Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a retention device according to the invention,

- Fig. 9 shows a section view of a detail of the embodiment of Fig. 8,

- Fig. 10 shows a front view of the detail of Fig. 9,

- Fig. 1 1 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a retention device according to the invention,

- Fig. 12 shows a partial section view of a portion of a clothes lineclothes line according to an embodiment of the invention,

- Fig. 13 shows a front view of a slider of a clothes lineclothes line according to the invention,

- Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of the slider of Fig. 13,

- Fig. 15 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the slider of Fig. 14,

- Fig. 16 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a slider of a clothes lineclothes line according to the invention,

- Fig. 17 shows a side view of the slider of Fig. 16, - Fig. 18 shows a top view of another embodiment of a slider applied to a clothes lineclothes line according to the invention,

- Fig. 19 shows a side view of the portion of the clothes lineclothes line of Fig. 18,

- Fig. 20 shows a top view of a portion of a different embodiment of a clothes lineclothes line according to the invention,

- Fig. 21 shows a side view of an element of the clothes lineclothes line of Fig. 20.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[025] A clothes lineclothes line, 1 , shown in Fig. 1 , comprises two wire portions, 10 and 1 1 , stretched horizontally between two constraining means, 13, of the hook type, fixed to two supporting elements, 2, horizontal of the pole type, and a plurality of sliders, 12, acting as a coupling between the two wire portions 10, 1 1. Along the clothes line 1 there are arranged various garments, V, stretched between the sliders 12 so as to be passed between the two wire portions 10, 1 1 remaining crossed on one of them. A detail of the clothes line 1 , visible in Fig. 3, shows how a garment V is fixed to the clothes line 1 with one of its own part passing through between the two wire portions 10, 1 1 clamped together by the slider 12. The tension of the two wire portions 10, 1 1 together with the presence of at least two sliders 12, one positioned immediately before and one immediately after the garment V, actually creates a vice which blocks the garment V between them in the extended position leaving it free to hang and therefore to be exposed safely to the action of the sun and wind for a quick drying. The detail of Fig. 4 shows the slider 12, of the hollow tubular type, which connects the two wire portions 10, 1 1 through its own through hole, 121 , and keeps them coupled without, in fact, allowing clearance between them. The two wire portions 10, 1 1 , already stretched by themselves between the two ends, being held tightly together in the points around the garment V, prevent them from slipping and block their positioning. [026] The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 , 3 and 4 corresponds to said prior art solutions and has as these the limit that the tightening action of the garment is carried out exclusively by the coupling of the two portions 10 and 1 1.

[027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, shown in Fig. 2, it is provided the presence of at least one wire portion that is inextensible, 15, of the sheathed steel type or also of the nylon type, while the two wire portions 10, 1 1 are elastically extendable. This embodiment allows an effective tightening even when the line is very long since the elastically extendable wire portions 10, which are brought to yield in the central portion, must only exert the clamping action and must not instead bear the weight of the garment V which is supported by the inextensible wire portion 15. Further grouping sliders 16 are also provided for clamping all the three wire portions together, i. e. both the elastically extendable wire portions 10, 11 and the inextensible wire portion 15, so as to maintain a sufficient rigidity level along the extension of the entire clothes line 1. This arrangement is preferable when carried out with a pitch of 1-1.5 m between a single grouping slider 16. The garment V thus goes to straddle the inextensible wire portion 15 and passes between the other two wire portions 10, 1 1 in such a way that the sliders 12 positioned immediately before and immediately after the garment V go tighten it, and this, straddling the inextensible portion 15, results tighten. The inextensible wire portion 15 can be of the rigid type, for example steel wire, or even of the semi-rigid type, such as nylon, provided that the linearity between the supporting elements 2 to which one is to be associated is guaranteed. In this way it is possible to install clothes lines 1 of this type even for long paths and it is possible to expose them inside the buildings as well as outside.

[028] A variant embodiment provides for associating with the two elastic wire portions 10 and 1 1 , an inextensible, rigid wire of larger section than that of the elastic wires and coated with an anti-slip material. [029] A further variant embodiment of the invention provides for the use of three elastic wires which are suitably twisted so as to be effectively kept close to each other, but with a sufficiently large angle of the twisting helix so as to allow to space them apart in order to insert a garment V between them.

[030] Another embodiment relating to the number, type and arrangement of the wires provides for the presence of a rigid, inextensible wire and at least two elastic wires suitably twisted about the first one.

[031] Another variant embodiment, shown in Fig. 12, provides for the use of two coupled wire portions, 10', 11 ', preferably in nylon, having a circular section with a periodically variable diameter, that is to say of wavy type, and sliders 12 having internal opening dimensions such as to keep the crests of a first wire portion 10' inside the valleys of the second wire portion 1 1 ' and vice versa. The wavy section of the wires 10' and 1 T allows a particularly stable coupling between them and therefore also significantly improves the tightening action on a garment V inserted between them.

[032] In a clothes line 1 according to the present invention, sliders 12 are advantageously made differently from those according to the known technique shown in Fig. 4.

[033] In a first embodiment, visible in Fig. 5, a slider 12' comprises a toothed knurling, 122', at the edges of the through hole, 12 , of the hollow tubular body, with the function of further retaining the garment V to which it stands side by side. The end sliders, i.e. those located at the ends of said wire portions and in proximity of the couplings to the supporting elements, can also have a single knurling at the edge of the hole facing the development of the clothes line, while at the opposite edge, that is the one facing the supporting element to which the clothes line is to be coupled, they can have a smooth edge. [034] In an embodiment of the invention, visible in Fig. 6, two different covering elements are provided, 12"A and 12"B, each applied individually around facing part of the wire portions of which, in this case, at least one, 15, is of the extensible type. Moreover, there is also a coupling element, 123", composed of two different ribbon-like bodies passing individually through the two different covering elements 12"A, 12"B, and more specifically in the slots existing between the wire portions 15, 1 1 and the covering elements 12"A, 12 "B, so as to keep them close to each other, closing by means of their own closing heads. This alternative typology is further functional since it makes possible to lay garments also inside the slot created between the two separate covering elements 12"A and 12"B. This is possible since two further sliders 12 are added, positioned one before and one after the two covering elements 12"A and 12"B, so as to further guarantee the block to the accidental sliding of the same covering elements 12"A and 12"B. In this way, therefore, at least one edge of the garment V can be inserted into the slot and, precisely as a result of the block guaranteed by the sliders 12, a clamp grip is created between the two different covering elements 12"A and 12"B which effectively block the sliding of the garment V.

[035] A further embodiment, visible in Fig. 7, provides a locking slider, 12"', tightened tightly around a single inextensible wire portion 15, used together with a simple slider 12 associated with both wire portions 15 and 11. The locking slider 12"' comprises a locking body, 120'", from which it extends, orthogonal to the direction of extension of the wire 1 1 , a protruding portion, 12T", of the hook type, suitable for stopping the accidental fluttering of the garment V stretched between the sliders 12. The blocking slider 12'", in fact, is used tightly around the wire portion 15 on which the garment V is not spread, and is inserted between pairs of sliders 12 which block the spreading of the garment V, as per type previously described. In this way the locking slider 12'" can be directed with its protruding portion 12 " towards the garment V and prevent it from fluttering, further guaranteeing its stability on the clothes line 1. [036] With reference to Figs. 13 and 14, another embodiment of a slider, 12 ^IV , according to the present invention provides a cylindrical body with a flared shape crossed by a longitudinal cavity, 125, in the shape of a cross, and a cut, 126, which runs longitudinally through the slider in an inclined direction with respect to the axial direction and extends from the outer surface to the longitudinal cavity 125. The slider 12 ^IV is made of a highly elastic material, for example silicone rubber which, being extremely resilient, allows a high deformation of the cavity 125 in order to stop the passage of the wires 10 and 1 1. Moreover, the high deformability and the cross-shaped shape of the cavity allow the garment to be kept locked since an end edge of the garment can penetrate into the cavity 125. The inclined cut 126 prevents the insertion of the wires 10 and 11 in the slider, maintaining the latter in a maximum traction configuration and therefore in a minimum section and slightly rotating the slider during insertion. The inclination of the cut 126 subsequently prevents the unintentional decoupling of the wires 10 and 1 1 from the slider.

[037] With reference to Fig. 15, a further variant embodiment, completely similar to the previous one, provides a slider 12 ^v , with a cross-shaped opening, 127, of increased dimensions and a cavity inside the slider, 125', of larger dimensions than those of the cross-shaped opening 127. The larger dimensions of the opening 127 and of the internal cavity 125' allow the edge of a garment to more easily penetrate the slider 12 ^v and remain gripped inside it, thus providing a particularly effective retention of the garment.

[038] With reference to Figs. 16 and 17, a further embodiment provides a slider, 12 ^VI , which has a central portion consisting of a cylindrical tubular body, 131 , and end portions, 128, flared and provided with a plurality of axial cuts, 129. The end portions 128 are adapted to expand elastically to receive the end edge of a garment and hold it gripped both between its inner surface and a wire 10, and between the walls of the cuts 129. Advantageously, the cylindrical tubular body 131 and the end portions 129 are made of different materials. [039] Still another embodiment of a slider, 12 ^v ", according to the invention is shown in Figs. 18 and 19 and comprises a cylindrical tubular body, 131 , dimensioned to receive internally the coupled wires 10 and 11 , to the outer surface of which is associated an elastic clamping element, 132, which extends in the axial direction from the two ends of the cylindrical body, or at least from one end in other embodiments. The elastic clamping element 132 is shaped so as to have an abutting surface, 132a, which tends to urge towards the axis of the cylindrical tubular body 131 thus presing on the wires 10 and 1 1 which tends both to prevent the sliding of the slider 12 ^v " and to keep a garment tight against the wires themselves. Advantageously, the clamping element 132 is provided with maneuvering portions, 132b, suitable for being grasped to elastically deform the element by moving apart the abutting surfaces 132a from the wires 10 and 11 in order to free the garment and to allow the sliding of the slider 12 ^v " along the wires 10 and 1 1. This alternative embodiment, in addition to allowing a good retention of the garment, has the advantage of allowing a tightening of the garment which does not cause folds in it.

[040] With reference to Figs. 20 and 21 , an embodiment of a clothes line 1 according to the present invention, particularly suitable for being applied to clothes horse devices with pre existing conventional stands, comprises constraining means 13 constituted by a shaped body in the form of a double hook in which it is made a first hooking cavity, 135, of such dimensions as to allow the coupling of the constraining means 13 to a supporting arm of a clothes horse, and a second hooking cavity, 136, adapted to allow the insertion of a clothes line that at the outlet of the second hooking cavity constitutes the two wire portions 10 and 11 which are coupled by sliders according to the invention, for example the sliders 12 ^lv of Figs. 13 and 14.

[041] A clothes horse device 3, visible in Fig. 8, comprises the clothes line 1 in the embodiment of Fig. 2, that is with the elastically extendable wire portions 10, 11 and the inextensible wire portion 15, clamped by means of the sliders 12 and grouping sliders 16 and arranged to rotate around two distinct circularwheel rims, 20, 21. These are coaxial, spaced apart, fixed to a common base pole, 22, stabilized on a common base plate, 23, and have a different radius so as to provide an arrangement of the clothes line 1 such that it is spatially arranged on four distinct parallel lines. Moreover, even more characterizing, the clothes line 1 can continuously slide, and therefore make the garments V move, by means of the rotation of the circular wheel rims 20, 21. The set of the two circular wheel rims 20, 21 , of the pole 22 and of the base plate 23 defines the supporting element 2 of the clothes horse device 3 which, installed as a pair at two points spaced apart from each other, creates a closed path capable of guaranteeing continuity and by which each garment V lying on it can always be recalled at any point through the sliding of the relative clothes line 1 around the corresponding wheel rim 20, 21.

[042] The details visible in Figs. 9 and 10 show a cross-section and a front view of a detail of the circularwheel rims 20, 21 in which it can be seen how the two opposite elastically extensible wire portions 10, 1 1 and the inextensible wire portion 15 flow together, because under tension, along the concave curvature of the wheel rim 20, 21. The two elastically extendable wire portions 10, 11 are held together by the sliders 12, while all three portions 10, 1 1 and 15, including the inextensible one, are clamped together by the grouping slider 16. The type of clothes line 1 used here is that described above and referring to Fig. 2.

[043] An alternative embodiment, 3', of the clothes horse device of the invention is visible in Fig. 11 and comprises a supporting element, 2', consisting of a base plate, 23', on which a pole is fixed, 22', to the head of which is fixed a system of collapsing bars, 20' and 2T, joined at one of their ends in correspondence with the head of the pole 22' and diverging with the other two ends thereof so as to realize an angle included between them whose tice corresponds to the head of the pole 22' itself. At both the divergent ends of the bars 20' and 2T two pulleys 4 are fixed, each comprising a rigid body 41 , to which a wheel is applied, 42, around which runs a clothes line I of the type described in Fig. 2, that is composed of two elastically extendable wire portions 10,

I I and an inextensible wire portion 15 clamped together by means of sliders 12 and grouping sliders 16. The clothes line 1 runs around both the wheels 42 and allows the spreading of the garments V. The collapsing bars 20' and 2T, to which a pretension tending to close the angle between them is applied, are kept spaced between them by means of a spacer element, 24', a frame passing with both its ends through the same bars, substantially at half of their length. The spacer element 24' comprises a threaded bar body, 24T, two nuts, 242', and two bolts, 243', screwed onto the threaded bar 24T in order to clamp it to the two collapsing bars 20' and 2T in correspondence of driving points. The spacer element 24' is suitable for realizing a mechanism manually adjustable in its length, thus useful for further increasing or decreasing the angle between the two collapsing bars 20' and 2 . This mechanism provides for the adjustment of the nuts 242' and of the bolts 243' with concordant screwing or unscrewing capable of spacing the two collapsing bars 20' and 2T further, increasing the distance with which the two pulleys 4 face each other and therefore at the same time the part of the clothes line 1 which slides between them, in order to allow the user to freely adjust the depth of the device 3'.

[044] As easily understood, the characteristics of a given embodiment among those described above can be combined with characteristics of other embodiments, for which for example to a specific embodiment relating to the number, material, conformation and arrangement of the coupled wires 10, 1 1 and 15 can be associated any type of sliders from 12 to 12 ^v " described, and the latter can be provided to be associated with a single wire or to keep two or more of them close together.

[045] Moreover, further technical variant embodiments can certainly be envisaged by the person skilled in the art without the need to use an inventive step and without departing from the scope of protection defined by the following claims.