Technical Field

The present invention relates to a clothes line and canopy arrangement, in particular to a collapsible rotary clothes line including an integral canopy arrangement.

Background Art

A conventional rotary clothes line comprises a central pole which is secured to a heavy base or anchored in the ground, with three or more upwardly-directed arms radiating from a crown, rotatable about the pole and supporting lines stretched from one arm to another onto which clothes may be pegged.

It is known to provide a canopy-supporting arrangement which may be fitted as an accessory on top of an existing rotary clothes line over which a canopy or tarpaulin is thrown so as to keep the clothes dry in the event of a shower of rain. Such an arrangement is described, for example, in IE-A-59902 and comprises supports resting on the outer tips of the arms and secured thereto, which supports meet at an apex which is spaced from the crown of the rotary clothes line. This arrangement has the disadvantage that it is not readily collapsible and has to be detached from the arms of the rotary clothes line, if the clothes line is to be collapsed for storage or when not in use. If a protective cover is provided as an accessory for a conventional rotary clothes line, there is also the disadvantage that the base may not be sufficiently sturdy to support the additional weight of the cover, especially in wet and windy weather.

Despite this, there are other advantages in having a protective cover for a rotary clothes line. The cover may also act as a sun shade, when clothes have been hung out to dry in bright sunlight, which may otherwise fade or discolour certain dyed fabrics.

Another example of a removable, but non-collapsible cover for a rotary clothes line is disclosed in GB-A-2,263,395. This arrangement includes a triangular sheet of waterproof material supported by the arms, but also includes side flaps which hang downwards from the edges of the cover. Side flaps have the advantage of keeping clothes dry in windy and showery conditions, but such arrangements are particularly cumbersome if the cover is difficult to remove and collapse for storage.

EP-A-547,591, GB-A-2,259,002, EP-A-475,668, GB-A-2,247,401, GB-A-2,224,432, EP-A-357,803 and EP-A-283,530 all disclose various arrangements of protective covers for rotary clothes lines, some of which are collapsible, but with varying degrees of difficulty. A need therefore exists for a rotary clothes line including a cover which is easy to erect and collapse, most preferably with a cover which is attached to the arms and which may be opened out and folded down together with the arms.

Umbrella or parasol-type arrangements have been proposed to provide an integral protective cover for a rotary clothes line, for example, as disclosed in DE-A-3,702,086, DE-A-3,233,127, EP-A-526,615,

EP-A-547,591, and W0-A-92/15217. In common with the way in which a conventional umbrella is opened out, struts at their proximal ends are each articulated about a collar which is free to slide up and down the pole, but to engage a catch when the arms are opened out fully, but the struts at their distal ends are each articulated about a hinge or sliding hinge located intermediate the ends of the arms. Progressively more force is required to be applied as the collar approaches the catch, when the full weight of the arms and a canopy supported by the arms bears down upon the struts. Large diameter canopies opened out and supported by the conventional umbrella method are therefore quite difficult and heavy to open out, and require considerable strength.

Disclosure of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved umbrella-type canopy arrangement for a free-standing clothes line, and especially a rotary clothes line. This has the advantage that the canopy is attached to the arms of the clothes line and is raised and lowered in a similar manner to an umbrella so as to collapse the whole arrangement about the central pole, but it is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanism which allows the canopy to be raised and lowered with minimal force and in an easy and safe manner. It is also an object to provide an improved base support, as it-will be appreciated that the provision of a canopy adds to the weight of the clothes line, and increases the strain on the base in windy conditions. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a canopy arrangement which may, when not in use as a clothes line, be used as a sunshade and item of garden furniture.

According to the present invention, there is provided a free-standing clothes line with a canopy arrangement, wherein the clothes line comprises a central pole, means for connecting the pole to a base, a crown arrangement fixed or rotatable about the pole, a collar movable up and down the pole with respect to the crown, wherein arms are articulated with respect to the crown and radiate therefrom to support a canopy, and has struts articulated with respect to and radiating from the collar at their proximal ends, and connected at their distal ends to the arms, characterised in that the struts are articulated at their distal ends to the outer ends of the arms, and in that the collar is moved down the pole, away from the crown, to open out the arms, and is moved up the pole, towards the crown, to collapse the arms, and wherein the struts are adapted to support a plurality of clothes lines.

Preferably, either the arms or the struts each define a bend adjacent to its respective outer end, whereby a pivotal connection is provided to connect the outer ends of the arms to the outer ends of the struts, the arrangement being adapted to prevent a pinching or scissors action between the arms and struts when the arrangement is collapsed.

In another aspect, an additional base support for a free-standing or rotary clothes line is provided by a table surface defining a hole through which the central pole is adapted to pass, which table is supported by legs to act as a steadying support for the pole.

Advantageously, a separate skirt portion is provided which is attachable to the edges of the canopy, by suitable means, for example by hook and loop fastener strips.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a canopy arrangement for a rotary clothes line, in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the invention, with the canopy removed, also showing the arrangement in a collapsed condition in dashed outline,

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail side view of the U-shaped connections shown at A in Figure 1 and

Figure 3 is a side view of al alternative table arrangement to that shown in Figure 1.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows a rotary clothes line arrangement comprising a central pole 1, which preferably is telescoped in two sections for height-adjustability. The pole 1 supports a crown 2 which is fixed to the top of the pole, but is free to rotate about the pole. Four arms 3 are pivotally connected to the crown 2, and are adapted to support a flexible canopy made from plastics or fabric (not shown, for clarity). The canopy is preferably adapted to be detachable from the arms, for separate storage when not in use, for cleaning or replacement, as required. A collar 4 is free to slide up and down the pole 1, with respect to the crown 2 and is articulated with a series of four struts 5 radiating outwardly therefrom at their inner or proximal ends. The distal or outer ends of the struts 5 are connected to the outer ends of respective arms 3 by means of a U-shaped connection 6, shown in greater detail in Figure 2.

A table surface 7, including inwardly directed struts 8 may be supported entirely by the pole 1. However, an alternative table arrangement is shown in Figure 3, in which the table surface 7a is supported by legs 8a which bear directly on the ground surface 9, and thus provide additional base support for the pole 1. It will be appreciated that a table surface 7 or 7a will be useful when hanging out clothes to dry, and has the alternative use of a garden table, which may be used in conjunction with the canopy as a sunshade.

Figure 2 shows in more detail the pivotal connection which joins the outer ends of the arms 3 to the struts 5. The outer ends of the arms 3, or for that matter the struts 5, may be hooked, or a U-shaped bracket or end piece may be provided, but generally a bend is provided in either the arm 3 or the strut 5 adjacent to its outer extremity with a pivotal connection 10 interconnecting the arms and the struts. It will be noted that when the respective arms 3 and struts 5 are pivoted about the connections 10, i.e. when the arrangement is being collapsed to the position shown in Figure 1 in dashed outline, a gap B remains. This arrangement serves to prevent a scissors action or pinching action, which could be dangerous if a persons hand were to be caught between the struts and arms when collapsing the arrangement.

In order to erect the clothes line and open out the canopy, , the collar 4 is moved down the pole 1, i.e. away from the crown 2, which is opposite to a conventional umbrella mechanism in which a collar supporting struts or spokes is moved towards the crown to open up the canopy. Because the struts 5 are articulated about the outer ends of the arms 3 as opposed to some point in between the ends of the arms 3, as in the case of a conventional umbrella articulation, the weight of the arms and the canopy is better levered and supported as the struts are being extended. It will be noted that when the struts have been extended to a position as shown in solid outline in Figure 1, they are appoximately perpendicular to the pole 1, not at an angle. In this position the struts engage a releasable catch (not shown).

In order to collapse the arrangement the catch is released, and the collar 4 is pushed upwardly by a relatively small amount. Again, this is the opposite of a conventional umbrella mechanism, in which the

collar is moved away from the crown to close the canopy. The weight of the arms 3 is preferably balanced sufficiently to collapse the struts 5 with a minimal force being applied to push the collar 4 upwardly. Alternatively, a string and pulley arrangement may be provided allowing for the collar 4 to be raised by pulling downwardly on the string, with the advantage that a person collapsing the clothes line can stand clear as the arms and struts fold in towards the pole.

It will also be appreciated that the canopy of plastics or fabric material is secured and permanently attached to the arms 3. A skirt may be provided hanging downwardly from the edges of the canopy and attached thereto with hook and loop fastener strips, e.g.-Velcro (trade mark).

A series of clothes lines are stretched between holes 11 provided in the struts 5 in a known manner. The collar 4 is perferably made from nylon material, and may be teflon-coated for less friction. The arms 3, struts 5 and pole 1 are preferably made from round section aluminium.