Flipper shower caddy
The present invention is a shower caddy including a frame that supports at least one shelf assembly and a top attaching means. In a preferred embodiment, the invention also includes a rail assembly to aid in preventing containers from falling from the shelf assemblies and a suction cup placed at the bottom end of the frame to secure the bottom end to a shower wall or other similar support.
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The present invention relates to the field of bathroom accessories. More specifically, the present invention relates to bath and shower accessories, particularly the area of caddies for showers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWith the innumerable shower products such as soaps, shampoos, and conditioners found on the market today, a large proportion of home shower units are often lined with several bottles and jars each containing one of several variations of the above products. This plethora of containers can lead to clutter and possibly cause a safety hazard if they fall onto the shower floor due to a lack of shelf space.
Although many devices designed to hold and store shower accessories and products are found in the prior art, they usually fail to overcome one or more of the problems created by the presence of numerous shower products and accessories. One problem is that although many of the prior art devices provide storage space for containers, the storage spaces, such as shelves, lack adequate guards so that the containers are easily knocked off the shelves to either break or cause a tripping hazard in the wet shower. Another problem is that these devices often lack stability in that they are easily moved or struck accidentally, knocking them ajar and spilling the containers. A third problem is that the shelves often take up an uncomfortable amount of space, especially in a smaller shower. The bather must take special care to not consistently hit them when maneuvering in the shower. Finally, the shower caddies found in the prior art often contain a number of parts with several corners, notches, slots, etc. that provide for the simple build up and difficult removal of soap residue.
The shower caddy disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,131 and Des. 286,599 to Sussman are typical of the caddies found in the prior art. Although the caddy includes an upper clamp for hanging onto a shower nozzle, the disclosed caddy has no device to prevent the lower end from swinging on the supporting nozzle. In addition, the shelves of the '131 device rotate and are suspended from slots that allow for containers to spill and for soap residue to build up. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 407,249 to Hampshire discloses a shower caddy with a curved notch for suspension from a shower nozzle and also discloses a pair of suction cups to prevent the lower end from swinging on the nozzle. However, the two shelves on the caddy have a low rail or bar with insufficient height to prevent containers from toppling from the shelf.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 415,916 to Hofman, et al. discloses a shower caddy with two shelves one of which has a protective rail to keep product containers from falling. Similar to the '131 patent, the '916 patent provides a notch for hanging from a shower nozzle, but it lacks any component for maintaining the stability of the lower end of the device. Similar to the '916 patent, U.S. Pat. No. D493,991 to Dretzka is a shower caddy shaped to suspend from a nozzle but it also lacks any lower end stabilizer. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 417,990 to Yemini is a design patent disclosing a multishelf shower caddy that does not provide for any spill protection from its shelves and also appears to lack a lower end stabilizer.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0121871 to Zadro discloses a height adjustable shower caddy designed to mount on different structures. Although it provides for lower end stability, the '871 application discloses only a shelf with no rail and two wire basket type holders for bottles. The holders are shaped from wire-like material and have large spaces through which the bottles can easily slip. Finally, Japanese publication 2005-42306 discloses a device with foldable shelves that are supported within a frame. However, the device appears to lack any lower end stabilizing device and also any mechanism to easily and quickly hang or suspend the device in a shower. Moreover, the device in the '306 disclosure has a slotted shelf support mechanism which allows for the build up of soap residue.
Therefore, there exists in the field a need for a shower caddy type device that provides for easy installation, stability of the lower (non suspended) end, protection from the spilling of containers, and a simple design that resists soap residue build up.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention broadly comprises shower caddy including a frame having opposite first and second ends, at least one shelf assembly that spans or traverses the frame such that the shelf assembly includes a shelf support fixedly attached to the frame and a shelf member rotatably attached to the shelf support, and a first support means positioned within said frame at said first end and fixedly attached to said frame. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of shelf assemblies are attached to an oblong frame and fold or rotate into the space bound by the frame. In a more preferred embodiment, the present invention also includes a rail assembly and a second support means in the form of a suction cup positioned opposite the first support means.
The present invention also broadly comprises a shower caddy including a frame, a plurality of shelf assemblies in which each shelf assembly includes a shelf support spanning the frame and a rotatably attached shelf member, a rail assembly that spans the frame with a rotating rail member, a grip insert at one end of the frame that is sized to grip a shower nozzle or similar object, and a suction cup attached to a second end of the frame.
A general object of the invention is to provide a shower caddy with foldable shelves to provide for easy storage and, if needed, extra room in a shower.
A second object of the invention is to provide a shower caddy that is easily installed.
A third object of the invention is to provide a shower caddy with an element that prevents movement of the shower caddy's nonsuspended end.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a secure locking mechanism for holding the foldable shelves in an open or extended position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGSThe nature and mode of the operation of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description of the invention taken with the accompanying drawing Figures, in which:
At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical structural elements of the invention. It also should be appreciated that figure proportions and angles are not always to scale in order to clearly portray the attributes of the present invention.
While the present invention is described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The present invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Adverting to the drawings,
Shower caddy 10 includes one or more shelf assemblies 12. Shelf assemblies 12 each include shelf member 13 and shelf support 14. As will be explained below, shelf member 13 folds or rotates from the extended or open position shown in
Rail support 18 is shown attached to frame 11 and supports rail 19. Rail 19 is rotatably attached to rail support 18 and rotates from the extended position shown in
Accessory holder 23 is shown opposite insert 20 and is formed to hold accessories such as razor 30 or a toothbrush or other similar items. In the preferred embodiment shown, accessory holder 23 includes slots 23a to provide a convenient receiver for accessories.
Shown in shadow is suction cup 24 which is attached to the rear side of frame 11 and is used to secure the lower end of frame 11 to a shower wall or other suitable support. In alternate embodiments, suction cup 24 may be replaced by an adhesive pad or similar device that allows the bottom end of frame 11 to be secured to a support such as a shower wall.
Thus it is seen that the objects of the invention are efficiently obtained, although changes and modifications to the invention should be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, which changes would not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.
Claims
1. A shower caddy comprising:
- a frame having opposite first and second ends;
- at least one shelf assembly spanning said frame, wherein said at least one shelf assembly includes a shelf support fixedly attached to said frame and a shelf member rotatably attached to said shelf support; and,
- a first support means positioned within said frame at said first end and fixedly attached to said frame.
2. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one shelf assembly is a plurality of said shelf assemblies.
3. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein said first support means is a grip sized to frictionally attach to a shower nozzle.
4. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said at least one shelf assembly further comprises a tab and slot mechanism for locking said shelf member in an open position.
5. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 further comprising a rail assembly spanning said frame, wherein said rail assembly includes a rail support fixedly attached to said frame and a rail member rotatably attached to said rail support.
6. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 further comprising a second support means positioned at said second end of said frame.
7. The shower caddy as recited in claim 6 wherein said second support means is a suction cup.
8. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 further comprising an accessory holder.
9. The shower caddy as recited in claim 8 wherein said accessory holder includes at least one slot.
10. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein said frame is oblong.
11. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein said shelf member of said at least one shelf assembly rotates between the space within said frame and a position substantially perpendicular with said frame.
12. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein said rotatable attachment is a hinge.
13. The shower caddy as recited in claim 12 wherein said hinge is a continuous hinge.
14. The shower caddy as recited in claim 13 wherein said continuous hinge extends the length of said shelf support member.
15. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein said rotatable attachment comprises a pair of pins attached to said shelf member.
16. The shower caddy as recited in claim 5 wherein said rail assembly rotatable attachment comprises a pair of pins attached to said rail.
17. The shower caddy as recited in claim 1 wherein said shelf member is slightly wider than said frame and includes a frame contact surface that allows a snug fit with said frame.
18. A shower caddy comprising:
- a frame having opposite first and second ends;
- a plurality of shelf assemblies spanning said frame, wherein each of said plurality of shelf assemblies includes a shelf support fixedly attached to said frame and a shelf member rotatably attached to said shelf support;
- a rail assembly spanning said frame, wherein said rail assembly includes a rail support fixedly attached to said frame and a rail member rotatably attached to said rail support;
- a grip insert means positioned within said frame at said first end and fixedly attached to said frame, wherein said grip insert is sized to frictionally attach to a shower nozzle; and,
- a suction cup attached to said second end of said frame.
19. The shower caddy as recited in claim 18 wherein said frame is oblong.
20. The shower caddy as recited in claim 18 further comprising an accessory holder.
21. The shower caddy as recited in claim 20 wherein said accessory holder includes at least one slot.
22. The shower caddy as recited in claim 18 wherein at lest one shelf member is slightly wider than said frame and includes a frame contact surface that allows a snug fit with said frame.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 1, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 1, 2007
Applicant: Umbra Inc. (Buffalo, NY)
Inventor: David Quan (Toronto)
Application Number: 11/217,976
International Classification: A47F 5/08 (20060101);