US2937758A - Holder for clothing and like - Google Patents

Description

May 24, 1960 J. w. TABB 2,937,758

HOLDER FOR CLOTHING AND LIKE Filed Aug. 10, 1956 INVENTOR.

BY TF 2 W ATT NE) United States. Patent HOLDER FOR CLOTHING AND LIKE. James w. Tabb, 1201 s. Main St., Findlay, Ohio Filed Aug. 10, 1956, Ser. No. 603,315 1 Claim. 01. 211-1 My invention concerns the holding, storage or display of clothing and household items, such as towels, washclothes, magazines, paper bags, etc. Particularly, my invention relates to means for holding items,-which means may supplement the furniture provisions for holding such items, such.as bureaus, racks, 'chitfoniers and costumers, and the building provisions, such as closets, clothes presses, shelving and the like.

. Essentially, when used for clothing, my invention deals with a holder of small clothes, such as stockings, undergarments, and the like, as distinct from the heavy garments, such as suits, dresses, sweaters and coats. Even more particularly, my invention proposes a holder for clothing whose nature'and use particularly require the user to possess duplicate or near-duplicates and desirably to expose such clothing, when possible, to air and light.

;My invention has for its main object to provide a clothing holder of this kind at low cost,-of exceedingly simple construction and unusually effecient holding capacity.

A more particular object of my invention is to provide such a holder having a panelwith jopposite faces, each face being of some area, the panel also having a plurality of spaced holes extending through the panel between said opposite faces thereof and being supported with its faces in vertical extending positions by a supporting means. Such holder panel also has a plurality of holding clip-s, each clip having a pair of bowed resilient legs integral with and depending from a bowed resilient crotch extending through one of each of said panel holes. Thus, one leg of each clip will be located on one side of the panel and facing the panel face on such side and the other clip leg will be on the other side of the panel facing the other panel face and be positioned for receiving and yieldably engaging an item placed between a panel face and each leg. In this position, clothes may be separately supported and displayed for selection, airing and storage. The panel supporting means mentioned may include a hook or a floor engaging base and thus the panel may be placed at any desired place.

Another more particular object of my invention is to provide the described clip legs with outwardly curved end feet which, when the clothes are moved over the panel face, preparatory to being engaged by the clip leg, will slidingly engage the clothes gradually compressing them and smoothly lifting the leg against the bias which urges it toward the panel face until the clothes reach a position to be clamped against the panel face by the clip leg.

Other and further objects of my invention are to provide useful arrangements appearing in the following description and shown in the accompanying drawing. I have selected preferred and modified forms which embody my invention and will describe them hereinafter, the preferred form appearing presently to be the best mode of carrying out my invention. To aid in such description I shall refer to the accompanying drawing. I do not mean, by such reference, however, that my invention is considered by me to be limited to the exact forms shown in such drawings.

2,937,758 Patented May 5 H V 2 V Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a perspective view of the preferred form of clothes holder embodying my inventio Figure 2 is an end view of the form shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of a section taken along the plane of the line 3-3 indicated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of a modified form of clothes holder also embodying my invention.

A clothes holder embodying my invention has a panel; a panel supporting means and a plurality of clothes engaging clips.

Hence, as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, the preferred form of clothes holder has a panel 10. The panel 10 has a pair of preferably flat opposite faces 11 and 12 of some area joined at their perimeters by a panel edge 14. The faces 11 and 12 are preferably finished smoothly and if the panel 10 be wood, be provided 'withhigh-gloss coating, such.as that obtained by applying varnish or enamel thereto. Of course, some woods finish so smooth, no finish will be needed. The panel 10 shown is rectangular in outline but may be elliptical or of an otherwise curved outline.

To support the panel 10 I provide means such as th hook 15 which extends into the edge. 14 and is adaptedto engage a strut or clothes bar or any suitable fixed element of suflicient strength to support the panel. It is in the provision of the panel supporting means that the modified form shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawing has one of its principal differences. The

panel of the modified form shown in Figure 4 is of an elongated plank-like outline. To support such panel 110, Iv propose means embodied in the stand 115. The stand 115. has a base 116 adapted to rest upon a supporting surface,.such as a floor. On an upper surface 117 of the base 1'16,'a plurality of braces'118 are aflixed. The braces 118 are so spacially disposed relative to each other that between them they form apanel receiving socket 119 into which a lower end 120 of the panel 110 may be received 7 to support the panel 110 in vertically upright position. Preferably, the braces 118 comprise spiral resilient members, as shown in the drawing, fastened at one end to the base 116 and extending in coiled resiliency towards each other and engaging the end 120 of panel 110.

To provide means for engaging the clothes to be held on the clothes holder whether in the preferred form shown in Figure l or in the modified form shown in Figure 4, I provide a plurality of engaging clips on the panel of the holder.

Hence, in the form of structure shown in Figure l, I provide a plurality of clips 25. Each clip 25 has a pair of resilient bowed legs 26 and 27 which depend from and are interjoined by a resilient bowed crotch 28. The bow of the legs 26 and 27 are in the manner of paired parenthetical marks, first outwardly away from the crotch 28 and each other and then inwardly towards each other. Preferably, each clip 25 is made from suitably tempered strip steel which may be enameled or otherwise tastefully finished.

The modified form shown in Figure 4 has clips which in all respects are like the clips 25 I have just described. The clips 125 have opposite legs 126 and 127 depending from a crotch 128.

To mount the clips 25 on the panel 10 and to enable utilization of both clip legs 26 and 27 and both panel faces 11 and 12 in the support of small clothes, the panel 10 has a plurality of spaced holes 30 which extend through the panel from one face 11 to the other face 12. Each clip 25 extends through a hole 30 with its crotch 28 extending generally axially or parallel thereto through the hole 30. This disposes the leg 26 of each clip in a depending relation to the crotch 28 on one side of leg 27 of each clip will depend from the crotch 28 on the other side of the panel and in facing relation to the panel face 12. By this disposition, both legs 26 and 27 are in operating position to clamp upon such clothes as are placed in the space between thein'and the panel face they face.

By mounting the clips in the described mannenthat is, with the crotch 28 extending through one .of the panel holes 30 and being freely movable, both axial-wise of the hole 30 and rotatively with respect thereto, .the .clips are free to adjust themselves automatically to the bulkiness of the bundle which they may be called upon to hold. For example, if the folded clothes that are to .be held on one side of the panel 10 are bulky, the freedom .of the clip crotch 28 within the hole 30 allows a portion of the clip 25 to be drawn to that side of the panel 10so that the clip leg 26 or 27, as the case maybe, may encompass the bundle. On removal of the bundle, however, the clip 25 automatically returns to its original relation.

By having the clips 25 free to move rotatively with respect to the panel holes 30 adjoining clips may be swung towards each other to cooperate in the support .of items as well as other useful advantages obtained.

The modified form shown in Figure 4 also has holes 130 to like advantage. However, the holes 130 are arranged in a vertical extending row along the panel 110 whereas the holes 30 on the panel 10 are in a plurality of horizontally extending rows.

If desired and preferably so, each leg of the clips has an outwardly extending end foot. Legs 26 and 27 have end feet 35 and legs 126 and 127 have end feet 135. The feet curve reversely away from the leg to which they append. The feet 35 and 135 provide, in their surfaces 36 and 136 which curvedly converge towards the panel faces, a cam-like bearing surface tending to facilitate the entry of the clothes between the legs and panel face, as the clothes are being slid upwardly and over the panel face toward engagement with the legs. This enables the user to single-handedly place clothes on the holder.

Auxiliary holding equipment, such as a belt hook 37 and tie bars 38 may also be mounted on the panel 10. Thus, my invention provides an inexpensive, simple but highly efficient silent valet or clothes holder of acceptable appearance and composition.

I claim:

In a holder for clothing, garments, and the like, a wood panel board having fiat opposite plane surfaces, means in engagement with the edge of the panel board and adapted to support-said board with its opposite plane surfaces in vertically extending planes in space and easy accessibility; a plurality of clips; each clip having a pair of oppositely bowed and mutually facing resilient legs and a bowed resilient crotch portion integral with and between the said legs to form a U-shaped body; each leg end being outwardly extending to form an end foot; each clip being formed of flat strip metal; the panel board having a plurality of spaced circular holes of diameters exceeding the width of the flat strip clip metal whereby each clip may extend through one panel board hole to locate the clip crotch portion thereof within the hole and for free movement, bothaxial wise and rotative-wise, in, through and around the hole and each clip leg on one of the opposite sides of the panel board and in a facing relation to the panel board face on said side for receiving and yieldably engaging to thereby support clothing, garments or the like placed between the leg and the panel faced thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 562,276 Boyd -Q June 16, 1896 689,439 Trott Dec. 24, 1901 1,754,940 Freeman Apr. 15, 1930 2,150,497 Frenberg Mar. 14, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 735,979 Great Britain Aug. '31, 1955

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