CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/118,506 filed November 25, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to pole caddies, and more particularly relates to bathroom pole caddies with baskets mounted on height-adjustable brackets.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0003] Bathroom pole caddies with one or more baskets may be installed in bath and shower stalls. Typical pole caddies are installed as comer units with wire baskets attached to a vertical pole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention provides pole caddies with adjustable basket brackets that allow one or more baskets to be moved along the length of the pole and secured at desired heights. The adjustment bracket includes a cylindrical body with a central tube-receiving hole in which the pole is inserted. A bracket lever pivotally mounted on the body of the bracket is movable from a closed position in contact with the pole to an open position that allows the adjustable bracket to slide along the pole. The caddy pole may include a tension locking mechanism to hold the caddy in place when installed, and may include one or more tube sections.

[0005] An aspect of the present invention is to provide an adjustable pole caddy comprising a support tube, at least one adjustment bracket selectively positionable along an axial length of the support tube, and at least one adjustable basket mounted on the at least one adjustment bracket. The at least one adjustment bracket comprises a body comprising a tube receiving hole extending therethrough structured and arranged to receive the support tube therein and a support housing extending radially outward from the tube-receiving hole, and a bracket lever movably mounted on the support housing from a closed position in which the adjustment bracket is prevented from moving along the axial length of the support tube to an open position in which the adjustment bracket is slidable along the axial length of the support tube. The bracket lever comprises a finger tab and a rear contact pad structured and arranged to contact the support tube when the bracket lever is in the closed position and to at least partially disengage from the contact with the support tube when the bracket lever is in the open position.

[0006] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an adjustment bracket for adjustably mounting a height-adjustable basket on a pole caddy. The adjustment bracket comprises a body comprising a tube-receiving hole extending therethrough structured and arranged to receive a support tube of the pole caddy therein and a support housing extending radially outward from the tube-receiving hole, and a bracket lever movably mounted on the support housing from a closed position to an open position, the bracket lever comprising a finger tab and a rear contact pad comprising a pole contact surface that extends radially inward into the tube-receiving hole when the bracket lever is in the closed position, and is at least partially removed from the tube-receiving hole when the bracket lever is in the open position.

[0007] These and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Fig l is a side view of a pole caddy with height-adjustable baskets in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Fig. 2 is an isometric view of a pole caddy with an adjustable basket and adjustment bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Fig. 3 is a front view of the adjustable pole caddy of Fig. 1.

[0011] Fig. 4 is a side sectional view taken through section 4-4 of Fig. 3.

[0012] Fig. 5 is an isometric view of an adjustable basket for a pole caddy in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Fig. 6 is a side view of the adjustable basket of Fig. 5.

[0014] Fig. 7 is an isometric view of an adjustable tray for a pole caddy in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Fig. 8 is a side view of the adjustable tray of Fig. 7. [0016] Fig. 9 is an isometric view of a hook bracket that may be mounted on adjustable pole caddy baskets and/or trays in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] Fig. 10 is an isometric view of an adjustment bracket for use on pole caddies in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Fig. 11 is an exploded isometric view of the adjustment bracket of Fig. 10.

[0019] Fig. 12 is a front view of the adjustment bracket of Fig. 10.

[0020] Fig. 13 is a side sectional view taken through section 13-13 of Fig. 12.

[0021] Fig. 14 is a side view of the adjustment bracket of Fig. 10.

[0022] Fig. 15 is a top view of the adjustment bracket of Fig. 10 installed on a caddy pole support tube.

[0023] Fig. 16 is isometric view of an adjustment bracket mounted on a caddy pole in an open position which allows the adjustment bracket to adjustably slide along the length of the caddy pole.

[0024] Fig. 17 is an isometric view of the open adjustment bracket of Fig. 16.

[0025] Fig. 18 is a front view of the open adjustment bracket of Fig. 17.

[0026] Fig. 19 is a side sectional view taken through section 19-19 of Fig. 18.

[0027] Fig. 20 is a side view of the open adjustment bracket of Fig. 17 installed on a caddy pole support tube.

[0028] Fig. 21 is a top view of the open adjustment bracket of Fig. 17.

[0029] Fig. 22 is an isometric view of a housing of the adjustment bracket of Figs. 10 and

17.

[0030] Fig. 23 is an isometric view of a bracket lever of the adjustment bracket of Figs. 10 and 17.

[0031] Fig. 24 is a side view of a caddy pole including multiple tube sections in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Fig. 25 is an exploded side view of the caddy pole of Fig. 24.

[0033] Fig. 26 is an exploded side view of a tension lock assembly that may be used in a caddy pole in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Fig. 27 is a side view of the tension lock assembly of Fig. 26. [0035] Fig. 28 is an isometric view of a section of a pole caddy tube in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Figs. 1-4 illustrate an adjustable pole caddy 10 of the present invention. The pole caddy 10 may include at least one outer tube 12 and at least one inner tube 14 that may be installed between opposing floor and ceiling surfaces, such as in a bath or shower stall. Adjustable basket assemblies 100 are mounted on the outer tube 12 and/or inner tube 14, and are movable to selected heights along the vertical length of the pole caddy 10. An adjustable tray assembly 110 is also movably mounted on the pole caddy 10. As used herein, the term “basket” includes any type of basket, tray, shelf and the like that may be used to support or hold various items such as soap, shampoo and other bath products, bathroom accessories, wash cloths and the like.

[0037] As shown in Figs. 1-4, the caddy pole may include a telescoping inner tube 14 provided at the top of the outer tube 12. As more fully described below, the inner tube 14 may be extended from the outer tube 12, and a locking spring tension mechanism may be used to provide tension that holds the adjustable pole caddy 10 in place. The outer tube 12 may be provided as a single tube, or may be provided in multiple sections, as more fully described below.

[0038] Each adjustable basket assembly 100 includes a wire base 102, side rail 104 and support pins 106, as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6. The support pins 106 extend vertically downward and are insertable in an adjustment bracket 120, as more fully described below. The adjustable tray assembly 110 includes a wire base 112, side rail 114 and support pins 116, which may be inserted into an adjustment bracket 120. As shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 9, detachable hook brackets 118 with one or more hooks 119 may be removably mounted on the wire basket(s) 100 and/or wire tray(s) 110.

[0039] Figs. 1-4 and 10-23 illustrate an adjustable bracket 120 and components thereof in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The adjustment bracket 120 includes a generally cylindrical body 122 with a central tube-receiving hole 123, support columns 124 with pin-receiving holes 125 located on opposite sides of the cylindrical body 122, and a front support housing 126 upon which a bracket lever 130 is pivotally mounted. The support housing 126 includes mounting holes 127 and stop tabs 128. The bracket lever 130 includes mounting pins 132 that are inserted in the mounting holes 127 of the support housing 126. The bracket lever 130 includes a front finger tab 134, a concave rear contact pad 136, and a top retaining ridge 138. As shown in Figs. 2-4, an adjustable basket 100 may be installed on and supported by the adjustment bracket 120 by inserting the support pins 106 into the pin-receiving holes 125 of the support columns 124 of the adjustment bracket 120. Although a support pin arrangement is shown, it is to be understood that any other suitable means for attaching the adjustable basket 100 and/or tray 110 to the adjustment bracket 120 may be used.

[0040] As shown by comparing Figs. 10-15 with Figs. 16-21, the finger tab 134 of the bracket lever 130 may be pivotally raised from the closed position shown in Fig. 10 to the open position shown in Fig. 17 to unlock the adjustment bracket 120 from the outer pole 12, thereby allowing the adjustment bracket 120 and adjustable basket 100 to move vertically along the length of the outer pole 12 to a desired height. The adjustment bracket 120 may then be locked in a desired position by pressing and rotating the finger tab 134 inward toward the outer pole 12. When the bracket lever 130 is in the closed position, such as shown in Figs. 10-15, the generally cylindrical rear contact pad 136 of the bracket lever 130 extends radially into the cylindrical body 122 for engagement with the outer pole 12. In this position, frictional engagement between the conforming surfaces of the generally cylindrical rear contact pad 136 and outer pole 12, aided by the weight of the adjustable basket 100, keeps the adjustable bracket 120 and adjustable basket 100 in a fixed position on the outer pole 12.

[0041] In Figs. 16-21, the bracket lever 130 and finger tab 134 have been moved to a fully open position in which the rear contact pad 136 is separated from the outer pole 12. As can be seen in Fig. 21, the rear contact pad 136 is almost entirely removed from the tube-receiving hole 123 in the open position. This allows the user to adjust the height of the basket 100 by sliding the adjustment bracket 120 up or down the pole 12 to a desired position. Once the adjustment bracket 120 and basket 100 are at a desired height, the finger tab 134 may be pressed inward to press the contact pad 136 against the pole 12 and lock the adjustment bracket 120 and basket 100 into position.

[0042] When the bracket lever 130 and finger tab 134 are in the locked position in which the semi-cylindrical surface of the rear contact pad 136 contacts the cylindrical outer pole 12, a slight gap may exist between the top retaining ridge 138 and an underside of the support housing 126. In an alternative embodiment, when the bracket lever 130 and finger tab 134 are in the closed position shown in Figs. 10-15, the top retaining ridge 138 may come into contact with the underside of the support housing 126 (not shown) to create frictional resistance that helps hold the bracket lever 130 in the closed position. In such an alternative embodiment, rotation of the bracket lever 130 and finger tab 134 toward the open position results in disengagement between the top retaining ridge 138 and the underside of the support housing 126, thereby reducing or eliminating frictional rotational resistance as the bracket lever 130 and finger tab 134 are moved from the closed position toward the open position.

[0043] Figs. 24-27 further illustrate details of an embodiment of the adjustable pole caddy 10 in which outer tube 12 includes multiple outer tube sections 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D and 12E, and the pole caddy 10 includes a tension lock assembly 18 for securing the outer tube 12 and inner tube 14 together to provide an adjustable telescoping tension rod assembly.

[0044] The tension lock assembly 18 includes a retaining rod 20 having a spring retaining bar 21 of non-circular cross section, a tapered threaded portion 22 having exterior threads 23, a tapered end cap 24, a mid separator flange 25, spring retaining webs 26, and a spring retaining bar end cap 27. The tapered threaded portion 22 is insertable in the outer tube 12, and the non-circular retaining bar 21 is insertable in the inner tube 14. The tension lock assembly 18 includes a spring 30 surrounding the spring retaining bar 21. The spring 30 has a first end 31 that fits over the spring retaining webs 26 and abuts the spring retaining bar end cap 27. The spring 30 has a second end 32 that abuts an anti-rotation collar 40, as more fully described below.

[0045] The anti-rotation collar 40 is inserted in the end of the inner tube 14 and may be secured within the inner tube 14 by means of an indented dimple (not shown), or any other suitable fastening means such as crimping, press-fitting, mechanical fasteners and adhesives.

The anti-rotation collar 40 has a generally cylindrical outer sidewall 46, an end flange 48 at one end and an insertion nose 49 at the opposite end from the end flange 48. A non-circular through hole 44 extends through the anti-rotation collar 40 in an axial direction of the collar. The non circular through hole 44 of the anti-rotation collar 40 allows the non-circular spring retaining bar 21 to move axially within the inner tube 14, but prevents the spring retaining bar 21 and retaining rod 20 from rotating around the longitudinal axis of the inner tube 14. Although square cross- sections are shown in the figures for the non-circular retaining bar 21 of the spring retaining rod 20 and the non-circular hole 44 of the anti-rotation collar 40, any other suitable cross-sectional shape may be used that prevents relative rotation therebetween.

[0046] The anti-rotation collar 40 includes a first half 41 and a second half 42 that are secured around the spring retaining bar 21 adjacent to the spring retaining bar end cap 27 of the retaining rod 20. With the anti-rotation collar 40 surrounding the spring retaining bar 21 of the retaining rod 20, the end flange 48 of the anti-rotation collar 40 abuts the second end 32 of the spring 30.

[0047] The split locking sleeve 50 includes a tapered interior opening 51, interior threads 52, a generally cylindrical outer sidewall 53, a first end 54 and, a second end 56. The split locking sleeve 50 surrounds the tapered threaded portion 22 of the retaining rod 20. The interior threads 52 of the locking sleeve 50 engage the exterior threads 23 of the tapered threaded portion 22. The split locking sleeve 50 is threadingly movable along the axial length of the tapered threaded portion 22 between one position in which the first end 54 is adjacent to the tapered end cap 24 and another position in which the second end 55 is adjacent to the separator plate 25. When the split locking sleeve 50 is threaded toward the tapered end cap 24, its outer sidewall 53 expands radially outward to contact and press against an inner wall of the outer tube 12 A. The tapered external threads of the spring-retaining rod 20 and the tapered internal threads of the split locking sleeve 50 engage with each other in a manner such that relative rotation of the outer and inner tubes 12 and 14 around their central longitudinal axis expands the outer diameter of the split cam nut 50 against the inner surface of the outer tube 12 to thereby releasably lock the spring-retaining rod 20 in a fixed axial position with respect to the outer tube 12.

[0048] With the outer tube 12 and retaining rod 20 locked together against relative axial movement, spring tension is still provided for the rod assembly 10 by allowing the spring- retaining rod 20 to slide axially within the non-circular hole 44 of the anti-rotation collar 40 and within the inner tube 14, against the force of the tension spring 30 as it is compressed between the mid separator flange 25 of the spring-retaining rod 20 and the opposing abutment end of the anti-rotation collar 40.

[0049] A protective end sleeve 60 is inserted in the end of the outer tube 12 in order to guide and protect the inner tube 14 as it telescopingly slides in the outer tube 12. The end sleeve 60 has a cylindrical body 61 and an end flange 62. The adjustable tension rod assemblies 10 may include first and second end caps, such as first and second end caps 71 and 72 shown in Figs. 1, 2, 24 and 25.

[0050] Fig. 28 illustrates the second outer tube section 12B having a cylindrical outer tube sidewall 13. A first end 15 of the outer tube section 12B has an outer diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the cylindrical sidewall 13. A second end 16 of the outer tube section 12B has a decreased outer diameter forming a connection insert 16 that may be inserted into the end of the first outer tube section 12 A.

[0051] As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 24, 25 and 28, the adjustable pole caddy 10 may optionally be provided in the form of a multi-segment tube assembly in which two sections of the tubing include the first outer tube section 12A and inner tube 14, respectively, and additional tube sections 12B-E with narrowed or swaged ends are provided. The swaged end of each tube section 12B-E is inserted and secured in a cylindrical non-swaged end of an adjacent tube section 12A-D to form the tube assembly. Although four swaged tubes are shown in Figs. 1, 2, 24 and 25, any other suitable number of swaged tubes may be used, e.g., from zero to 6 or more. The multi-segment adjustable tension rod assembly facilitates storage and shipping of the assemblies by decreasing the overall packaging lengths. Although the outer and inner tubes 12 and 14 are shown at one end of the multi-segment adjustable tension rod assembly in the figures, any other suitable arrangement may be used, for example, the outer and inner tubes 12 and 14 and associated tension mechanism 18 may be provided at either end of the multi-segment adjustable tension rod assembly, or may be provided in the middle of the assembly with one or more swaged tube sections removably attached to the end of each outer and inner tube 12 and 14. Although the ends of selected tube sections are swaged or narrowed in the embodiment shown in Figs. 24, 25 and 28, any other suitable attachment means may be used, such as radially extending retractable pins and radial pin-receiving holes at the ends of adjoining tube sections, and the like.

[0052] The components of the adjustable tension rod assemblies of the present invention may be made from any suitable materials. For example, the outer and inner tubes 12 and 14, any additional swaged or narrowed tube segments, the wire baskets and trays 100 and 110, and detachable brackets 118 and hooks 119 may be made of metal such as steel, aluminum and the like, or polymeric materials such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and the like. The spring- retaining rod 20, split anti-rotation collar 40, guide ring 60, end caps 71 and 72, and adjustable bracket 120 may be made of metal or polymeric materials such as nylon, HDPE, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), rubber and the like. The tension spring 30 may be made of steel and the like. The split locking sleeve 50 may be made of synthetic or natural rubber, e.g., of low durometer, as well as other materials such as polycarbonate, polystyrene, polypropylene, ABS, SAN, polyurethane, PVC and the like.

[0053] The adjustable pole caddies 10 of the present invention may be easily installed between opposing ceiling and floor surfaces by sliding the inner tube 14 out from the outer tube 12 until the total length of the caddy pole is slightly larger than the distance between the opposing surfaces, for example, from 0.5 to 4 inches larger, from 1 to 3 inches larger, or from 1.5 to 2.5 inches larger. The outer and inner tubes 12 and 14 are then twisted relative to each other around their longitudinal axis to thereby expand the outer diameter of the split locking sleeve 50 against the inner surface of the outer tube 12, and to releasably lock the spring -retaining rod 20 in a fixed axial position with respect to the outer tube 12. The pole caddy 10 is then installed between the opposing surfaces by compression of the spring 30. In the installed position, spring tension holds the pole caddy 10 in place.

[0054] As used herein, “including,” “containing” and like terms are understood in the context of this application to be synonymous with “comprising” and are therefore open-ended and do not exclude the presence of additional undescribed or unrecited elements, materials, phases or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of’ is understood in the context of this application to exclude the presence of any unspecified element, material, phase or method step. As used herein, “consisting essentially of’ is understood in the context of this application to include the specified elements, materials, phases, or method steps, where applicable, and to also include any unspecified elements, materials, phases, or method steps that do not materially affect the basic or novel characteristics of the invention.

[0055] Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard variation found in their respective testing measurements.

[0056] Also, it should be understood that any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein. For example, a range of “1 to 10” is intended to include all sub-ranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value of equal to or less than 10.

[0057] In this application, the use of the singular includes the plural and plural encompasses singular, unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, in this application, the use of “or” means “and/or” unless specifically stated otherwise, even though “and/or” may be explicitly used in certain instances. In this application and the appended claims, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent.

[0058] Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.