Back to results
US 9,051,680 B1Granted
Retractable clothesline support and method
OwnerR. Darren Harrisinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A retractable clothesline support and method utilizes a pivotable arm hingedly attached to a housing. The arm having a reel with a line such as a clothesline wound thereon can be unlocked and then unreeled. The line support is particularly useful with an RV or other mobile vehicle while traveling for hanging wet clothes or the like for drying purposes. When not in use the clothesline can be wound on the reel, the reel locked and the arm closed for containment within the housing.
Claims18
A collapsible drying device for drying articles comprising:
- a wall mountable housing adapted to be suspended from a wall, said housing includes a recess;
- a pivotable arm pivotably attached to said housing to move said pivotable arm between an operational position wherein the pivotable arm extends generally orthogonal from said housing and a collapsed position wherein said pivotable arm is generally parallel to said housing for compact storage of the drying device;
- a reel rotatably mounted on said pivotable arm;
- a tether line, wherein said tether line wraps around said reel;
- a telescopic arm extension attached to the pivotable arm, said telescopic arm has an aperture that is capable of receiving the tether line therethrough;
- wherein, when said pivotable arm is in said operational position, said reel is free to rotate to unwind and extend said tether line to pass through the aperture of the telescopic arm and articles are capable of being stored on the tether line to dry said articles;
- wherein, when said pivotable arm is moving from said operational position to said collapsed position, said tether line retracts around said reel and said pivot arm is pivoted into the collapsed position wherein said tether line and said reel are stored in said recess of said housing.
4 more elements
A method of utilizing a collapsible drying device comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a wall mountable housing adapted to be suspended from a wall, said housing includes a recess;
- providing a pivotable arm pivotably attached to said housing to move said, pivotable arm between an operational position wherein the pivotable arm extends generally orthogonal from said housing and a collapsed position wherein said pivotable arm is generally parallel to said housing for compact storage of the drying device;
- providing a reel, said reel being rotatably mounted on said pivotable arm;
- providing a tether line, wherein said tether line wraps around said reel;
- providing a telescopic arm extension, said telescopic arm extension being attached to the pivotable arm, said telescopic arm has an aperture that is capable of receiving the tether line therethrough;
- wherein, when said pivotable arm is in said operational position, said reel is free to rotate to unwind and extend said tether line to pass through the aperture of the telescopic arm and articles are capable of being stored on the tether line to dry said articles;
- wherein, when said pivotable arm is moving from said operational position to said collapsed position, said tether line retracts around said reel and said pivot arm is pivoted into the collapsed position wherein said tether line and said reel are stored in said recess of said housing
- b) pivoting the pivotable arm away from the housing to expose the reel;
- c) unwinding the tether line from the reel;
- and
- d) affixing the unwound tether line to a support structure.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.