GB2061719A - Improvements relating to clothes driers - Google Patents

Abstract

A triangle cover 24 for a three-arm clothes drier comprises three triangular panels 26 formed of overlapping strips 30 and joined at their adjacent edges by spines 34 to each of which are attached pairs of struts 40, 42 and 44, 46. Clips 48, 50 fixed at the intersection of each pair of struts enables the cover 24 to be secured to an arm 14 and strut 16 of the drier. Alternatively the cover may be formed of waterproof elasticated material having a pocket at each corner for the reception of the end of a drier arm; of triangular panels of pliable material which are hinged together and secured to the drier by clips; or of triangular panels of rigid transparent plastics sheet material which are secured together at their adjacent edges by bands of expandible wire passing around overlapping flanges and <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to clothes driers This invention relates to covers for clothes driers of the type having at least three arms extending radially from a central post to support clothes lines; the arms of such driers are generally rotatably mounted and foldable so that they take up little room when the drier is not in use.

While such driers represent an advance over conventional single clothes lines, particularly for use in confined areas, they still suffer from the disadvantage of allowing washing hung thereon to become wet if it rains. It is an object of the invention to provide means to protect washing from rain.

According to the present invention there is provided a cover for a clothes drier having at least three radially extending arms, the cover comprising a sheet of waterproof material extending at least above the clothes lines of the drier, and means for securing the sheet to the arms. The material is preferably flexible so that it can be easily stored when not in use and may conveniently be a sheet of plastics material such as polyethylene.

In its simplest form a cover according to the invention takes the form of a polygon having as many sides as the drier has arms, a pocket being provided at each corner for receiving the end of an arm so that the cover is held in place.

In a more sophisticated form the cover additionally comprises a supporting frame work which is securable to the arms. The cover then has an umbrella-like appearance with the sheet sloping downwards from the centre. To encourage currents of air to pass through the washing suspended on the drier vents are usually provided.

Although the invention may be carried out in many different ways, some embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through a cover according to a first embodiment fitted on a drier; Figure 2 is a plan of a cover according to a second embodiment fitted on a drier; Figure 3 is a part-sectional side elevation of the cover of Fig. 2; Figure 4 is a detail section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3; and Figure 5 is a side elevation of a modification of the cover of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows the top portion of a drier post 10 surrounded by a slidable collar 12 from which extend three arms 14, two of which are shown, each arm 14 being supported by a strut 16 hinged thereto at one end and at the other to a fixed ring 18. Between neighbouring pairs of arms extend parallel lengths of clothes line 19.

Atriangular cover 20 formed of heavy gauge polyethylene is fitted with a pocket 22 at each corner for reception of the outer end of an arm 14.

To fit the cover 20 the collar 12 is slid up the pole until the arms 14 are fully extended. Each pocket 22 is then fitted over the end of a corresponding arm 14.

As the cover 20 is of a size that it has to be stretched slightly to fit it, it is under slight tension when fitted and is thus held firmly in place, the centre of the cover 20 being supported by the top of the pole 10.

When not in use the cover 20 is readily foldable to facilitate storage.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the cover 24 comprises three panels 26, each having two radial borders 28 between which extend overlapping strips 30 of sheet to provide vents which terminate in a lower border 32.

Each panel 26 is disposed between two spines 34 and is held in position by virtue of the fact that, as shown in Fig. 4, a bead 36 formed at the edge of each border 28 is received in a channel 38 formed in the side of each spine 34.

A series of four struts 40,42,44 and 46 extends below each spine 34 and a clip 48 is provided at the junction of struts 40 and 42 for clipping to the drier strut 16 and a clip 50 is provided at the junction of struts 44 and 48 for clipping to both the end of the drier strut 16 and the arm 14.

It will be noted that the inner vertex of each panel 26 is cut away so that the panels together define a central circular vent 52.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 each cover panel 54 is held between an adjacent pair of curved spines 56 in the previously described manner. The overlapping panels of the embodiment of Figs. 2 to 4 are replaced by vents 58 of the type common on tents; however a circular central vent 60 is again provided.

To provide extra protection against driving rain the spines 34 or 56 may extend beyond the ends of the arms 14.

Not only does the cover according to the invention keep clothes dry but it also, and sometimes more importantly, prevents clothes from becoming dirtied by falling particles, as for example smuts or bits from trees.

It will be appreciated that the term "sheet" as used herein includes a sheet made up of a number of conjoined panels.

The above-described embodiments of the invention can each be fitted with dependent side panels forming a skirt to provide additional protection when rain is not falling vertically. For example the cover 20 of the embodiment of Fig. 1 may have a rectangular extension at each side edge, say 2'6" deep; when fitted adjacent edges of the panels are joined by press studs.

Some further unillustrated embodiments of the invention will now be described.

In the first of these embodiments the cover comprises a sheet of elasticated waterproof material in the shape of an equilateral triangle and having a cirocular vent hole at the centre. A strip of reinforcement, also elasticated, extends from the vent to each corner of the sheet to which it is secured by stitching. The drawing(s) originally filed was/were informal and the print here reproduced is taken from a later filed formal copy.

A pocket is provided on the underside of the sheet at each cornerthereoffor receiving an end of a respec tive drier arm. A panel of non-elasticated waterproof material is attached to each edge of the sheet to form a dependent skirt; each panel may be attachable to its neighbour as by press-studs. Preferably the cover is shaped to have the form of a shallow tetrahedron by forming it of three separate triangular panels, the adjacent edges of which are secured together at the reinforcement strips.

A rectangular cover to fit a four-armed drier is similarly constructed.

In the second of the unillustrated embodiments the cover again has the shape of an equilateral triangle which is formed ofthree separate triangular panels, the vertices of which meet at a central circular air vent. The panels are each formed of a soft and pliable waterproof material which may be a plastics sheet material or a woven man-made fibre material.

The first and second panels and the second and third panels are joined at their adjacent edges by two hinges while the adjacent edges of the first and third panels are connectible by two unfastenable hinges: the permanent hinges have the form of a ring passing through an eyelet near each edge of the panel and the unfastenable hinges are similar but have an openable ring similar to a key ring formed of two semi-circles having one pair of ends hinged together and the other pair arranged to latch together. It will be appreciated that the coverthus has the form of a shallow tetrahedron.

Two catches are provided at the adjacent edges of neighbouring panels, one catch being positioned nearthe centre vent and one near the respective corner of the cover; these catches respectively clip on a strut of the drier which supports an arm thereof and on to the arm itself, thus securing the cover to the drier.

Each panel is formed with a downwardlyextending pleat parallel to the outer edge and running between the mid-points of the othertwo sides, the purpose of the pleat being to induce the coverto fold when the arms of the drier are moved to the "down" position: a cover band is also provided to put round the cover when the arms are in this position. The cover may thus be left on the drier between periods when it is being used for drying clothes. As an alternative or addition to the medial pleats it may be desirable to form radial pleats to ensure that the cover folds neatly when the drier arms are folded together.

To store the coverthefastening hinges between the first and third panels are undone, thus allowing the cover to be removed. The first and third panels are then folded over the second panel.

In the third of the unillustrated embodiments the cover is again triangular in plan and is essentially constituted of three panels the shape of isosceles triangles. The panels are fabricated of fairly stiff coloured transparent sheet plastics material, a small portion of which is removed at the vertices to form a central circular vent. At each of the edges adjacent to the vertex each panel is formed with an L-section flange, the web at the bottom of the L being parallel to the main portion of the panel. At one edge of each panel this web is formed with an upwardly facing U-section groove and at the other edge with a downwardly facing U-section groove. The panels are assembled to form a shallow tetrahedron such that each web with the upwardly facing groove overlies the web of a neighbouring panel with the downwardly facing groove. The panels are held together by an endless band of expandible plastic-covered wire. The grooved webs have registering apertures near the vent and nearthe outercorner. A length expandible wire is secured to the endless band so as to pass through the pair of apertures near the central vent and is provided with a clip by which it can be secured to the band lying in the downwardly facing groove and a terminal hook which can be secured to a strut supporting an arm of the drier. A similar, but longer, arrangement is provided at theother pair of apertures, the hook being connectible to the drier at the junction between the strut and drier arm. The panels are thus simply and effectively secured to one another and to the drier.

Claims (14)

1. A cover for an outdoor clothes drier having at least three radially-extending arms between which extends an array of clothes lines, the cover comprising a sheet of waterproof material dimensioned to extend at least above the clothes lines, and means for securing the sheet to the drier.

2. A cover as claimed in Claim 1, in which the sheet is a polygonal sheet of elasticated material having a pocket at each corner for receiving the distal end of a drier arm.

3. A cover as claimed in Claim 1, in which the sheet is polygonal in plan and formed of separate triangular panels, the base of each of which forms a side of the polygon.

4. A cover as claimed in Claim 3, in which the cover is shallow pyramidal in form.

5. A cover as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, in which the neighbouring panels are arranged to be joined by the attachment of each of the adjacent edges to a common spine.

6. A coveras claimed in Claim 3 or4, in which the panels are arranged to be assembled with adjacent marginal:edge portions overlapping, and the cover additionally comprises means to ensure correct alignment ofthe panels and means to hold the marginal edge portions together.

7. A cover as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, in which all but one the pairs of adjacent edges are hinged together, the remaining pair of edges being releasably secured together to enable the panels to be folded relatively to one another for storage.

8 A cover as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 7,in which the securing means comprise clips for embracing an arm or struts of the drier.

9. A cover as claimed in Claim 8, in which the clips are spaced from the adjacent edges of the panels by rigid spacing means.

10. A cover as claimed in any preceding claim and having a central vent.

11. A cover as claimed in any preceding claim and having one or more vents in non-central positions.

12. A cover as claimed in any preceding claim and having a dependent peripheral skirt.

13. A cover for a clothes drier substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 1, Figs. 2 to 4 or Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings or as one of the unillustrated embodiments of the invention.

14. The features as herein disclosed, or their equivalents, in any novel selection.