Clothes rack

Abstract

A collapsible mobile clothes rack that is easily transportable and stored in the fully collapsed position. The folding mobile clothes rack including a base unit comprising a first base frame member having a first plurality of wheels and a pivotally connected first vertical support member with an extension arm, the first base frame member being hingedly connected to a second base frame member having a second plurality of wheels and a pivotally connected second vertical support member with an extension arm and a releasbly attached support bar adapted for hanging clothes thereon when connected to the extension arms in the fully extended position and releasably adapted to connect to the base unit for pulling the clothes rack in the fully collapsed position.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to clothes racks for hanging and transporting clothes, and more specifically to a foldable clothes rack that collapses into a rolling, easily transportable, low profile unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Clothes racks are generally used for storing clothing items in personal settings, as well as use in the garment sales trade and fashion industry for transporting and displaying clothes for sales or marketing. Trade users often have multiple clothing samples to be displayed and/or transported on the garment rack requiring the racks to be rigid and durable. Traditional garment rack designs in industrial use have been large, heavy and bulky requiring the user to exercise strength in controlling the racks during transport with no way of readily transporting the rack in the users automobile.

Recently, various clothes racks have been developed for hanging clothes and that may be collapsed for storage. However, these clothes racks are not easily folded into a small footprint and reassembled into the expanded structure to hold clothes. The assembly and knock-down are typically complex and sometimes require more than one person to perform. Assorted tools and other components are often required for assembly of these collapsible clothes rack.

Further, once a clothes rack is collapsed to its folded position, moving the collapsed device to a designated place of storage, or to the user's automobile trunk, is often burdensome and strenuous for the user. Additionally, most such devices do not fold to a sufficiently small footprint to easily fit into a user's automobile.

Accordingly, there is a need for a folding mobile clothes rack that provides a condensed but rigid structure that is easy to assemble and knock-down, and provide a means for ease of transport to a designated place of storage and which folds into a sufficiently small footprint to be readily transportable in a user's automobile.

INVENTION SUMMARY

Briefly, and in general terms, this invention is directed to a mobile clothes rack that easily assembles to a fully extended position capable of supporting hanging clothes, and also easily folds to a fully collapsed position for ease of storage, transport in the collapsed position, and placement in a compact area such as a user's automobile trunk.

In one aspect of the invention a folding mobile clothes rack is provided which includes a base unit, the base unit having a first base frame member and a second base frame member hingedly attached together such that the base unit is capable of easily collapsing from the fully extend clothes rack position to the fully collapsed transporting and storage position. The base unit further includes a first vertical support unit pivotally connected to the first base frame member, and a second vertical support unit pivotally connected to the second base frame member. The first and second vertical support units further include first and second vertical support members having adjustable extension arms. The adjustable extension arms retract within the vertical member providing adjustable height to the clothes rack when in the extended position.

The preferred embodiment of the folding mobile clothes rack further includes a top support bar that is configured for supporting clothes thereon. The support bar further including two receiving members proximate the ends thereof adapted to removably attach to the vertical support unit extension arms, wherein when connected, the support bar forms the clothes hanging member when the clothes rack is in the fully extended position.

In another aspect of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the first base frame member further includes a transport connector loop fixedly attached to said base frame unit, wherein the support bar receiving member is alternatively adapted to releasably attach to a transport connector loop forming a mobile transport member when said folding mobile clothes rack is in a fully collapsed position.

In a further aspect of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the mobile clothes rack including the base frame members, vertical support members, extension arms, and support bar are each made of aluminum cylindrical tubing to provide a durable lightweight clothes rack. The clothes rack may be manufactured from steel, hardened plastic or any other durable material suitable for the purpose of this invention. Likewise, the clothes rack of the present invention may be formed from tubing of other cross-sectional shapes, or rolled or non-rolled poles, and any suitable formation that provides a durable structure for the purpose stated herein.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the folding mobile clothes rack according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the clothes rack of the present invention in a semi-collapsed position;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the clothes rack of the present invention in a fully collapsed and transportable position; and

FIG. 4 is an elevated view of an alternate embodiment of the clothes rack of the present invention being transported by the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to a foldable mobile clothes rack with a base unit having a first base frame member and a second base frame member that can be collapsed from a fully extended position to a fully collapsed position. More particularly, when fully collapsed the folded clothes rack forms a low profile device with a handled support bar easily pulled and transported on a plurality of wheels attached to the base unit, such that the present invention provides a means for transporting clothes and other related items when in the fully extended position and which may be easily collapsed into a folded position, rolled by a user and stored or transported in the user's automobile.

By way of explanation and example, the present invention will be described in detail below. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the specific structure described herein as will be evident to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention of the mobile clothes rack. The base unit 12 forms a rectangular body comprising a first base frame member 20 having a first plurality of wheels 22, hingedly connected to a second base frame member 30 having a second plurality of wheels 32, wherein the foundation and base support of the clothes rack is formed. The base unit 12 may be manufactured from steel, aluminum, hardened plastic or any other durable material suitable for the purpose of this invention. The base unit 12 further comprises a first vertical support unit 40 having a first vertical support member 42 connected to the first base frame member 20, and a second vertical support unit 50 having a second vertical support member 52 connected to the second base frame member 30. The base unit 12 is supported in the fully extended position and transported therein by the first plurality of wheels 22 and the second plurality of wheels 32 attached thereon.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the two vertical support units are pivotally connected to the first and second base frame members 20 and 30 to provide a means for easily collapsing the mobile clothes rack 10 from the fully extended position to the fully collapsed position. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pivoting connections between the first and second vertical support units 40 and 50 and the first and second base frame members 20 and 30 are formed from two socket-joint couplings proximate each horizontal end of the first and second vertical support unit where it is attached to the first and second base frame members 20 and 30. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other means of incorporating pivotal or rotational movement between the first and second vertical support units and the first and second base frame members may be used.

The first and second vertical support units 40 and 50 further comprise first and second vertical support members 42 and 52, both having a vertical support extension arm 44 (extension arm). The first and second vertical support members 42 and 52 provide a cylindrical housing for the retractable extension arm 44. The extension arm 44, having a diameter less than the diameter of the first and second vertical support members, extends and retracts as a piston within the vertical support member cylinder. The extension arm 44 further comprises a top end, and a bottom end having a snap lock or compression tab designed to lock the vertical support unit at a desired height when the clothes rack is in the fully extended position.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1, the first and second vertical support members 42 and 52 further comprise two vertical support tab holes 43 adapted for receiving the extension arm compression tab 49 and securing the vertical support unit at the desired height. Preferably, the two vertical support tab holes are positioned approximately five inches apart for a varied height range. However, more tab holes may be positioned on the vertical support member for varied height ranges.

The mobile clothes rack 10 further comprises a horizontal support bar 60 designed for hanging clothes thereon when the clothes rack is in the fully extended position. The horizontal support bar 60 includes two receiving members 62 fixedly attached proximate each end of the support bar. The receiving member 62, being vertically projected downward, removably receives and attaches to the vertical support unit extensions arms 44 to the support bar 60, as shown in FIG. 1.

In a preferred embodiment of the mobile clothes rack of the present invention, the base frame members, vertical support members, extension arms, and support bar are each cylindrical tubing to provide a durable lightweight clothes rack.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the folding mobile clothes rack collapses from the fully extended position to the collapsed folded position by detaching the support bar 60 from the extension arms 44 and retracting the extension arms 44 within the vertical support member 42 and 52. While rotating the vertical support members inwards, the internal section of the base unit 12 is raised upward by pulling and lifting a handle 82 attached to the base unit proximate a base hinged connector 80 causing the first and second plurality of wheels 22 and 32 to be drawn toward each other. Accordingly, the first base frame member 20 and the second base frame member 30 draw together until the first base frame member 20 and the second base frame member 30 become adjacent, and the second plurality of wheels 32 are lifted off of the floor, leaving the folded clothes rack supported by the first plurality of wheels. A latching mechanism 84 fixedly attached to the second base frame member 30 connects with a latching notch 86, that is fixedly attached to the first base frame member 20, to secure the base unit in the collapsed position.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support bar 60 also functions as a transport member to pull the fully collapsed clothes rack 10. The support bar receiving member 62 is releasably connected to a transport connector receptacle or loop 70 attached to the first base frame member 20. The support bar 60 may then be releasably fixed in place by a locking mechanism 72. In this embodiment the locking mechanism 72 comprises a two ring looped connector adapted to releasably connect the first and second vertical support units 40 and 50 and the vertical support bar 60 when the clothes rack 10 is in the fully collapsed position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The movable locking mechanism 72 is retained on the second vertical support member 52 by a fixedly attached stop cap 74. Further, one or both support bar receiving A members 62 may be adapted to include a grip for the comfort of the user when pulling the collapsed clothes rack 10.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second base frame members 20 and 30, first and second vertical support members 42 and 52, extension arms 44, and the support bar 60 are made of square aluminum tubing. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various tubular and non-tubular formations may be used to provide a rigid and durable structure for the clothes rack of the present invention.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first plurality of wheels are lockable wheels providing stability to the clothes rack in the fully extended position, during the folding procedure, and in the storage position. Still other users may find it desirable for the second plurality of wheels to be lockable as well.

By way of example, the preferred embodiment of the folding mobile clothes rack has a base unit length of approximately 47 inches, a width of approximately 20½ inches, and a fully extended height from the support bar to the base unit of approximately 61 inches. The first base frame member 20 has a length of approximately 26 1/2 inches while the second base frame member 30 length is approximately 20½ inches, the first and second base frame members 20 and 30 are configured so that the second base frame member 30 does not extend into contact with the first plurality of wheels 22 in the collapsed position and when the fully collapsed clothes rack is transported.

Preferrably, when the user pulls the fully collapsed clothes rack 10 the unit is supported and rolled on the first plurality of wheels 22. However, in another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the base unit may be configured such that when being pulled in the fully collapsed position the clothes rack 10 may be rolled on both the first and second plurality of wheels 22 and 32.

While the specification describes particular embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the extension arms 44 may have a diameter greater than the first and second vertical support members 40 and 50, or the transport connector receptacle or loop may be attached to the second base frame member, without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A folding mobile clothes rack, comprising:

a base unit including a first base frame member having a first plurality of wheels, and a second base frame member having a second plurality of wheels, wherein said first base frame member and second base frame member being hingedly attached such that said base unit collapses from a fully extended position to a fully collapsed position;

a first vertical support unit pivotally attached to said first base frame member, said first vertical support unit further comprising a first vertical support member housing an adjustable retractable extension arm,

a second vertical support unit pivotally attached to said second base frame member, said second vertical support unit further comprising a second vertical support member housing an adjustable retractable extension arm; and

a support bar adapted to removably attach to said extension arms, wherein when connected, said support bar forms a clothes hanging member when the clothes rack is in the fully extended position, and said support bar adapted to removably attach to said base unit forming a mobile transport member when said folding mobile clothes rack is in a fully collapsed position.

2. The folding mobile clothes rack of claim 1, wherein said first plurality of wheels being lockable to provide control of the clothes rack in the fully extended position and the fully collapsed position.

3. The folding mobile clothes rack of claim 1, wherein said first base frame member has a longer length than the length of said second base frame member, therein forming a collapsible clothing rack being supported by said first plurality of wheels when base frame unit is collapsed from the fully extended position to the fully collapsed position.

4. The folding mobile clothes rack of claim 1, wherein said base unit further comprises a latching mechanism adapted to releasably connect and secure the first and second base frame member together in the fully collapsed position.

5. The folding mobile clothes rack of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism for securing said support bar, first vertical support member and second vertical support member when the clothes rack is in the fully collapsed position.

6. The folding mobile clothes rack of claim 1, wherein said first and second base frame members, vertical support members, extension arms, and support bar are each aluminum cylindrical tubing.

7. A mobile clothes rack, being collapsible from a fully extended position to a fully collapsed position, comprising:

a base unit including a first base frame member having a first plurality of wheels attached thereon, a second base frame member having a second plurality of wheels attached thereon, wherein said base unit is collapsible from a fully extended position to a fully collapsed position;

a first vertical support unit pivotally connected to said first base frame member, said first vertical support unit further comprising an adjustable extension arm, a second vertical support unit pivotally attached to said second base frame member, said second vertical support unit further comprising an adjustable extension arm;

a horizontal support bar having two receiving members adapted to releasably attach to said extension arms, wherein when connected, said horizontal support bar forms a clothes hanging member when the clothes rack is in said fully extended position; and

means for easily transporting said clothes rack in the fully collapsed position.

8. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, wherein said first base member further comprises a transport connector loop fixedly attached to said first base frame member for releasably receiving one end of said horizontal support bar receiving member for easily transporting said mobile clothes rack when in the fully collapsed position.

9. The mobile clothes rack of claim 8, wherein said horizontal support bar receiving members being further adapted with a grip for easily pulling said mobile clothes rack when one said horizontal support bar receiving member is attached to said transport connector loop.

10. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, wherein said first and second base frame members, vertical support members, extension arms, and support bar are each cylindrical tubing.

11. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, wherein said first plurality of wheels being lockable to provide control of the clothes rack in the fully extended position and the fully collapsed position.

12. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, wherein said first base frame member has a longer length than the length of said second base frame member, therein forming a collapsible clothing rack being supported by said first plurality of wheels when said base frame unit is collapsed from the fully extended position to the fully collapsed position.

13. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, wherein said base unit further comprises a latching mechanism adapted to releasably connect and secure the first and second base frame member together in the fully collapsed position.

14. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, further comprising a locking mechanism for securing said support bar, first vertical support member and second vertical support member when the clothes rack is in the fully collapsed position.

15. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, wherein said first and second base frame members are each square tubing.

16. The mobile clothes rack of claim 7, wherein said first and second base frame members, vertical support members, extension arms, and support bar are formed from aluminum tubing.