Technical field

The invention relates to an auxiliary device for clothes lines for improving the drying time of laundry hung on the clothes line, comprising portions for receiving the clothes line.

Background art

Our everyday hygiene involves keeping clothes and other commonly used textiles such as towels and bedclothes clean by washing and drying.

The prior art includes a great number of devices for drying clothes that usually focus on securing the laundry to the drying device. Several types of clothes pegs are known for this purpose (see e.g. the document GB 539611 ).

The drying of bulkier clothes poses significant problems caused on the one hand by their large surface and on the other by the significantly increased drying times.

The document CN 201 80233 for instance discloses a multi-function clothes hanger that' is capable of drying large-surface clothes in one of its operating positions.

Although drying times are shortened due to a relatively large aired surface, the disadvantage of this solution is its large footprint.

The document with the publication number AU3304371 discloses a clothes peg arrangement that can be secured on the clothes line and can receive the clothes to be dried.

European patent specification EP 0882833 discloses a clothes drying stand having an upright post, with an expanding frame with several arms being mounted on the post via support struts.

None of the above cited solutions address the problem of improving the air flow between the two parallelly hanging clothes surfaces by arranging the large-surface clothes on a conventional clothes line in a specific manner. The prior art includes a number of solutions where the distance between the parallelly hanging clothes surfaces may be increased by applying an auxiliary device in order to improve the air flow between the clothes surfaces and thereby shorten the drying time.

Such solutions are disclosed in the documents JP2006175190 and

JP10127987.

The principal disadvantages of these solutions are that the surface region where the clothes are supported by the device is too narrow, and that the lightweight clothes line may easily slip out from the line-receiving portion of the device.

Disclosure of invention

The objective of the present invention is therefore to provide an auxiliary device that circumvents the disadvantages of known devices by providing adequate support surface for the clothes to be dried.

The objective of the invention is accomplished by providing an auxiliary device that comprises a groove for receiving the clothes line and constituent pieces adapted for keeping the parallelly hanging stretches of drying clothes at a predetermined distance from each other, the device being characterised by that it has a regular or irregular polygonal, circular or elliptic prism shaped body constituted by two constituent pieces, each constituent piece having a groove for receiving the clothes line.

A preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention has mirror-symmetrical, regular or irregular polygonal, circular or elliptic prism shaped constituent pieces.

The first constituent piece of the auxiliary device according to the invention has a groove adapted for receiving the clothes line, pins arranged at a predetermined spacing distance in a single row above the groove, and pins arranged in an aligned manner in two rows extending along the portion below the groove parallelly with each other and with the row of pins disposed above the groove, while the second constituent piece thereof has a groove for receiving the clothes line, and recess holes arranged identically to the pins of the first constituent piece and adapted for receiving said pins.

The pins of the first constituent piece of the auxiliary device according to the invention have a head portion capable of undergoing elastic deformation, and the device is made from plastic.

Brief description of drawings

Preferred embodiments of the auxiliary device according to the present invention will be described in detail referring to the attached figures where

Fig. 1 shows the perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is the perspective view of the first constituent piece of the ¹ auxiliary device of Fig 1 ,

Fig. 3 is; ^' , the perspective view of the second constituent piece of the ^' auxiliary device of Fig 1 , ^{* ;} ·'

Fig. 4 is the perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention,

Fig. 5 is the perspective view of the first constituent piece of the auxiliary device of Fig 4,

Fig. 6 is the perspective view of the second constituent piece of the auxiliary device of Fig 4,

Fig. 7 shows the perspective view of the third preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention,

Fig. 8 is the perspective view of the first constituent piece of the auxiliary device of Fig 7,

Fig. 9 is the perspective view of the second constituent piece of the auxiliary device of Fig 7,

Fig. 10 shows the perspective view of the fourth preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention, 00062

4

Fig. 11 is the perspective view of the first constituent piece of the auxiliary device of Fig 0,

Fig. 12 is the perspective view of the second constituent piece of the auxiliary device of Fig 10,

5 Fig. 13 shows the front view of the fifth preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention.

Best mode of carrying out the invention

Fig. 1 shows the perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of 0 the auxiliary device according to the invention in its essentially finished state, placed on a clothes line 5.

■ Yr The auxiliary device 1 consists of two constituent pieces 2, 3 that each have a groove 4 for receiving the clothes line 5 and constitutes a regular < : body that in this embodiment is a cylindrical body. - J

15 ^: i Thanks to their mirror-symmetrical configuration, the constituent pieces 2, 3 form the two body halves of this cylindrical body.

In the facing surfaces of the constituent pieces 2, 3 a groove 4 is disposed at the top portion - the portion above the median plane - of the pieces for receiving the clothes line 5.

20 Fig. 2 shows the first constituent piece 2. Above the groove 4 a row of uniformly spaced pins 8 is disposed, while on the portion below the groove 4 two further parallel rows of uniformly spaced pins 9 are disposed, the pins being arranged to be aligned with the pins 8 in the upper portion.

Fig. 3 illustrates the second constituent piece 3 of the auxiliary device

25 1.

The second constituent piece 3 has a groove 4 and recess holes in the portion above the groove 4 for receiving the pins 8 of the first constituent piece 2, as well as recess holes 6 in the portion below the groove 4 for receiving the pins 9 of the first constituent piece 2. The diameter of the head portion of the pins 8, 9 of the first constituent piece 2 is slightly larger than the diameter of the recess holes 7 of the second constituent piece 3. Thereby the auxiliary device 1 can be placed on the clothes line 5 by first inserting the line 5 into the groove 4 of one of the constituent pieces 2, 3, and then closing together the constituent pieces 2, 3. As the constituent pieces 2, 3 get closer the pins 8, 9 of the constituent piece 2 enter the recess holes 6, 7 of the constituent piece 3, and under a slightly larger force the head portion of the pins 8, 9 undergoes elastic deformation and provides a tight press fit in the recess holes 6, 7. After the constituent pieces 2, 3 have been snapped together, the clothes line 5 is received in the grooves 4 of the constituent pieces 2, 3 such that is capable of rotating about the clothes line 5.

After the desired number of auxiliary device or devices 1 have been put on the clothes line 5, laundry - usually bulkier pieces of laundry, like towels, bedding, etc. - is placed on the devices 1. This provides that there is an increased distance - that depends on the diameter of the auxiliary device 1 - between the two parallel surfaces of clothes hanging on two sides of the clothes line 5. Thereby the air flow between the clothes hung on the line is improved and drying time is shortened. Dried clothes may also be removed more easily, because they can be simply pulled of the clothes line 5 fitted with the auxiliary device by grabbing them at one side as the auxiliary device 1 may rotate about the line 5. In addition to easier drying, the application of the auxiliary device 1 is advantageous also because it can prevent the phenomenon of the clothes line leaving a trace in the form of a hardened narrow streak on the dried clothes. Ironing the clothes dried on the auxiliary device may also become unnecessary.

Fig. 4 illustrates a second preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention mounted on a clothes line 15. The auxiliary device 11 is produced by snapping together the constituent pieces 12, 13 shown in Figs. 5, 6, where pins 18, 19 and recess holes 16, 17 adapted for receiving the pins 18, 19, as well as grooves 14 adapted for receiving the clothes line 15 are disposed on adjacent surfaces of the constituent pieces 12, 13 The arrangement of the grooves, pins, and holes are identical to what has been described in relation to Figs. 1-3.

The auxiliary device 11 is a regular body with an elliptic cross- sectional shape, the outer surfaces of constituent pieces 12, 13 being correspondent to this shape.

The embodiment of the auxiliary device 21 shown in Fig. 7 is a polygonal prism formed by the constituent pieces 22, 23 illustrated in Fig. 8 and Fig 9, respectively.

The constituent pieces 22, 23 have mirror-symmetrical configuration, with grooves 24 for receiving a clothes line 25, pins 28, 29 adapted for securing together the constituent pieces 22, 23, and recess holes 26, 27 adapted for receiving the pins 28, 29 being disposed on their adjacent faces.

Fig. 0 illustrates a fourth preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention in a completed state, mounted on a clothes line 35.

The principal configuration of the auxiliary device 31 is that of a regular triangular prism where the points of the triangle are rounded off. The device consists of two constituent pieces 32, 33 having a principally triangular prismatic shape with a right angled triangle base, where the groove 34 for receiving the clothes line 35 is disposed near the point of the triangle.

In addition to groove 34, the adjacent faces of the constituent pieces 32, 33 comprise pins 38, 39 as well as recess holes 36, 37 for receiving the pins 38, 39. The auxiliary device 31 arrangement shown in Fig. 10 is even better suited for increasing the spacing between the parallelly hanging surfaces of drying clothes, as the auxiliary device 31 has a shape that is conically extending under the clothes line 35.

A fifth preferred embodiment of the auxiliary device according to the invention is illustrated in Fig. 13. The constituent pieces 42, 43 forming the body of the auxiliary device 41 are made from plastic and are configured such that the two constituent pieces 42, 43 are joined above the groove 44 receiving the clothes line 45 to form a single piece after the two pieces are snapped together following the insertion of the clothes line 45 in the groove 44.

The main advantage of the auxiliary device according to the invention is that it provides improved support for clothes hung on the clothesline, as well as better air flow between the surfaces, and thereby shorter drying times can be achieved. Also, the line leaves no "imprint" on the dried clothes, diminishing the need for ironing.

List of reference numerals

1 auxiliary device

2 constituent piece

3 constituent piece

4 groove

5 clothes line

6 hole

7 hole

8 pin

9 pin

10 auxiliary device

12 constituent piece

13 constituent piece

14 groove

15 clothes line

16 hole

17 hole

18 pin

19 pin

21 auxiliary device

22 constituent piece

23 constituent piece

24 groove

25 clothes line

26 hole

27 hole

28 pin

29 pin

31 auxiliary device constituent piece constituent piece groove clothes line hole

hole

pin

pin

auxiliary device constituent piece constituent piece groove clothes line