US 4,862,611 A · Portable, door-hanging ironing board

Abstract

An ironing board having a mounting frame with a hook that allows the ironing board to be hung from the top of a door without any permanent fasteners. All the weight of the device is taken on the hook, and only a small side force caused by the motion of an iron across the surface of the board needs to be accounted for. A pair of suction cups mounted on the frame and applied to the door surface are provided to handle this side force. To support the surface board, which is pivotally mounted on the frame, each of a pair of braces is slideably connected to the frame and pivotally connected to the surface board. The frame, the surface board and the braces together form a pair of three-sided structures for supporting the surface board while it is extended in use. For transport and storage, the ironing board can be folded inside of its frame, minimizing the space taken up by the device and protecting the board from damage. When extended in use, the ironing board occupies wasted space which must be left vacant in a room to allow the door to be swung open. The underside of the surface board lacks any obtrusive support legs, allowing even a person confined to a wheel chair to utilize it. The design allows a unique ironing board cover to be utilized. The cover, which is slipped over the free end of the board like a glove, offers interchangable top and bottom surfaces, thereby doubling the life of the cover.

Claims6

Dependent claims

In an ironing board having an elongated, flat, rigid structure with a rounded off, pointed toe end and a broad heel end, said heel end being pivotally mounted on a supporting frame which is suspended generally vertically, wherein the improvement comprises:

the frame having substantially the same thickness as the structure, the structure being rotatable about a pivot into a position inside the frame in which the longitudinal centerlines of the structure end of the frame are aligned generally parallel with each other, so that when the structure is folded inside the frame the bulk of the structure does not protrude therefrom;
and means for bracing the structure so that the structure can be held in a horizontal position when the frame is suspended generally vertically, the bracing means being disposed generally upwardly of the underside of the structure so that space beneath said structure is free for other uses, the bracing means having at least one brace, a first end of the brace being pivotally attached to said structure near the heel end and a second end of the brace being slidably connected to the supporting frame by a pin mounted on the second end, the pin being moveable along an elongated slot formed in the supporting frame, the pin having reached its full travel at the bottom of the slot when the structure is disposed generally horizontally.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Portable, door-hanging ironing board

Life of this patent

Portable, door-hanging ironing board

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6