BACKGROUND: The provision of adequate storage space is an age-old problem. The need to eradicate, or at least diminish, clutter and the appearance of disorganization has been the subject of a high degree of inventive energy. One area of particular interest has been that of retaining or hanging devices for towels, coats, and the like. For example, U. S. Patent No. 5,647,568 to Nettles is directed to an apparatus for attaching a pliable material, such as a towel, to a more rigid structure, such as a golf bag. The apparatus includes a body. The body has a cylindrical, vertically disposed bore. The body of the apparatus is attached to the rigid structure. A ball of smaller diameter than the bore of the body is wrapped in the pliable material and forced into the bore. The pliable material is thereby wedged between the ball and the wall of the bore.

U. S. Patent No. 5,170,956 to McTaggart discusses a dispenser for rolled sheet material comprises a base, with a mandrel having a free end projecting from the base.

The mandrel is receivable in the core to rotatably support the roll of material. A brake mechanism carried by the mandrel responds to longitudinally inwardly directed pressure on the free end of the mandrel by frictionally engaging the core to retard rotation of the roll.

U. S. Patent No. 5,135,979 to Morano shows a dispenser for dispensing a paper sheet from a paper roll having a core. The dispenser can have a spindle made of two separate sleeves. The sleeves are inserted in opposite ends of the core and frictionally retained therein. A support is rotatably mounted in one sleeve to support the roll. A brake member is rotatably mounted in the other sleeve and selectively cooperates therewith to brake rotation of the roll on the support.

U. S. Patent No. 3,957,241 to Morris is directed to a relevable hanger for towels and the like is disclosed which incorporates a ball having a fixed rod extending therefrom. The ball is movably captured within a socket to form a ball joint. A portion of the ball is bored out to receive therein a spring-loaded element with a rounded, blunted end. Positioning the rod upwardly to serve as a hanger for towels and the like disposes the blunted-end of the spring-loaded element over a detent within the socket. The blunted end is urged by the spring into the detent which relievably locks the rod in its upright position.

U. S. Patent No. 3,900,180 to McPhee sets forth a towel hook which incorporates a spring loaded ball joint whereby the hook has only enough strength in any direction to support a towel or the like but which will yield if more substantial pressure is placed upon it. The hook is designed for use in mental institutions or the like and it is impossible to use the towel hook for committing suicide.

U. S. Patent No. 3,847,336 to Morris discusses a relevable hanger having an article supporting arm pivotally attached to a journal pin mounted in a pair of holes in a pair of bracket flanges, and rigidly fixed to the edge of one hole and slidably disposed within the other hole, the bracket further having a base plate which is attachable to a vertical support structure. One or more inwardly projecting shoulders on the inside face of the flange serves to support combined weight of the arm and clothing and the like. A substantially heavier weight hung on the arm, such as the weight of an adult, will force the arm between the shoulders causing the bracket flanges to flex outwardly thereby allowing the arm to pass completely beyond the shoulders to relieve the arm of the substantial weight as the arm comes to rest into substantial parallelism with the lower portion of the base plate.

The need for storage is even greater in applications having tight spaces, such as pleasure boats and recreational vehicles. Although each of the patents mentioned provides some mechanism for holding towels, coats, and the like, none provides any particular advantage in demanding, limited-space environments. Furthermore, despite their advantages, known devices fail to take full advantage of unused spaces in tight quarters. It can be seen from the foregoing that, despite the existence of known devices, the need exists for an inexpensive, compact hanging device capable of providing storage capacity in spacially limited locations.

SUMMARY: These and other objects are achieved by providing a hanging assembly for planar materials. The hanging assembly includes a generally planar base member having a width and a height. A concave cam slot extends into the base member. A generally planar cover member is mounted in covering relation to the cam slot of the base member. A retaining ball is secured between the base member and the cover member for movement in the cam slot.

The retaining ball is caused to travel in the cam slot by insertion of planar material between the base member and the cover member. Releasing the planar material, once inserted, causes the retaining ball to exert force on the planar material sufficient to retain the planar material between the base member and the cover member.

In an embodiment, a spacer is secured between the base member and the cover member. The base member, the cover member, and the spacer can be generally parallelepipedal. The cover member, and the spacer can be fabricated from any suitable material, such as wood, plastic, or metal. The retaining ball can be fabricated from a suitable hard, durable material, such as plastic or metal. At least one fastener can be provided to secure the cover member, spacer, and base member together.

The features of the invention believed to be patentable are set forth with particularity. The invention itself, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS : FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a hanging assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken generally along lines 11-11 of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views similar to that shown in FIG. 2, showing operation of a hanging assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail, an exemplary embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as illustrative of the principles of the invention and not intended to limit the invention to the exemplary embodiments shown and described.

A hanging assembly 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The hanging assembly 10 includes a generally parallelepipedal base member 12 having a width substantially less than its height. A generally planar cover member 14 is mounted in spaced-apart, covering relation to the base member 12 using a spacer 16. A plurality of fasteners F are provided to secure the cover member 14, spacer 16, and base member 12 together.

As seen in FIG. 2, retaining ball 18 is secured between the base member 12 and the cover member 14 for movement within a cam slot 20 extending into the base member 12. The cam slot 20 tapers from the top to the bottom of the base member 12.

The base member 12, the cover member 14, and the spacer 16 can be fabricated from any suitable material, such as wood, plastic, or metal. The retaining ball 18 can be fabricated from a suitable hard, durable material, such as plastic or metal.

As seen in FIG. 3, the retaining ball 18 is caused to travel into the deeper portion of the cam slot 20 by insertion of planar material 22, such as a towel or clothing, between the base member 12 and the cover member 14 in the direction of arrow A.

As seen in FIG. 4, releasing the planar material 22, once inserted, causes the retaining ball to fall toward the narrower portion of the cam slot 20 by the force of gravity. The retaining ball 20 thus exerts force on the planar material 22 sufficient to retain the planar material 22 between the base member 12 and the cover member 14.

While details of the invention are discussed herein with reference to some specific examples to which the principles of the present invention can be applied, the applicability of the invention to other uses and equivalent components thereof will become readily apparent to those of skill in the art. For example, it is contemplated that the present invention could be provided with indicia, such as logos or personalization. Alternatively, the present invention could be provided with any suitable mechanism, e. g., adhesives or a bayonet mount, for mounting to a vertical surface, such as a wall. The present invention permits the hanging of clothing, towels, or any other planar material, while providing a compact unit with no protruding hooks.

This makes it particularly suitable for use in recreational vehicle, boats, or any environment in which space is at a premium.

Accordingly, it is intended that all such alternatives, modifications, permutations, and variations to the exemplary embodiments can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.