Sorting Apparatus
Various embodiments for an apparatus for receiving items are described. One embodiment is a sorting apparatus for receiving items of different individuals. The sorting apparatus comprises a vertical back panel, a horizontal panel coupled to the vertical back panel, the horizontal panel comprising a plurality of openings. The sorting apparatus further comprises a plurality of bags configured to receive the items of different individuals, the plurality of bags configured to be attached to the horizontal panel at the openings, wherein each the of the plurality of openings has a corresponding bag, wherein each opening corresponds to a different individual.
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This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled, “Sock Sorting Assembly,” having Ser. No. 61/324,417, filed on Apr. 15, 2010, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDAs one can appreciate, it can be a frustrating process to try and find a matching sock in a large pile of socks after doing laundry for an entire family. Many times, individuals simply give up and throw unmatched socks into a pile. Various designs exist for sorting clothing or laundry, including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,019,445 and 7,014,096, in addition to U.S. publication number US2005/0242248. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,659 is directed to providing sock identification. However, there remains a need for an efficient means for sorting items such as articles of clothing.
SUMMARYBriefly described, one embodiment, among others, is a sorting apparatus that comprises a vertical back panel, a horizontal panel coupled to the vertical back panel, the horizontal panel comprising a plurality of openings. The sorting apparatus further comprises a plurality of bags configured to receive articles of clothing, the plurality of bags configured to be attached to the horizontal panel at the openings, wherein each of the plurality of openings has a corresponding bag, wherein each opening corresponds to a different individual.
Another embodiment is a sorting apparatus for receiving items of different individuals that comprises a vertical back panel, a horizontal panel coupled to the vertical back panel, the horizontal panel comprising a plurality of openings. The sorting apparatus further comprises a plurality of bags configured to receive the items of different individuals, the plurality of bags configured to be attached to the horizontal panel at the openings, wherein each the of the plurality of openings has a corresponding bag, wherein each opening corresponds to a different individual.
Another embodiment is an apparatus configured to receive items. The apparatus comprises a horizontal panel comprising a plurality of openings and a plurality of containers configured to be removably attached to the horizontal panel at the openings, wherein each container corresponds to an attribute characterizing the items.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Having summarized various aspects of the present disclosure, reference will now be made in detail to the description of the disclosure as illustrated in the drawings. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Various embodiments for a sorting apparatus are described that provide an efficient means for sorting socks and other laundry as well as an aesthetically pleasing addition to the laundry room.
The sorting apparatus 20 may be manufactured out of various types of materials, including but not limited to plastic, wood, iron, ceramic, etc. Some embodiments of the sorting apparatus 20 incorporate a shelf-like design and are designed to be attached to a wall, for example, in the laundry area. By attaching the shelf-style sorting apparatus 20 to a wall near the dryer, for example, the user can efficiently sort socks as clean socks are being removed from the dryer. For alternative embodiments, the sorting apparatus is configured to be a free standing structure and includes a base to allow the assembly to stand up freely on the top of a dryer or other platform.
The accessibility of the sorting apparatus 20 saves valuable time for the user while doing laundry, especially for households with multiple members. Exemplary embodiments of the sorting apparatus 20 comprise a plurality of holes or openings on the horizontal panel 10 of the shelf for receiving each individual's socks. For some embodiments, the openings have a corresponding label located on the vertical back panel, which allows for identification of household members' slot, color coordination, etc.
As shown in the drawings, each opening may be surrounded by one or more hooks or a similar device. The purpose of the hooks or similar device is to hold or secure the hanging bags or nets. The bags or nets can be made of any material and are intended to be attached to each opening in order to receive clean socks. The drawings illustrate an embodiment of a sorting apparatus that attaches to a wall. With reference to
For other embodiments, a hard plastic container or canister may be used for receiving socks instead of bags 14. The receiving bags can be designed with loops, or any other similar device, that allow the bags or nets to attach to the hooks on the shelf openings. In accordance with some embodiments, the bags 14 may be attached to the sorting apparatus 20 using hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro®) or other attachment means (not shown). Referring back to
In accordance with alternative embodiments, the vertical back panel 11 may be attached to the horizontal panel 10 of the sorting apparatus 20 via one or more hinges (not shown) such that the sorting apparatus 20 can be folded when not in use. In other embodiments, the sorting apparatus 20 may comprise only the horizontal panel 10 where the horizontal panel is mounted directly on a wall.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. A sorting apparatus comprising:
- a vertical back panel;
- a horizontal panel coupled to the vertical back panel, the horizontal panel comprising a plurality of openings; and
- a plurality of bags configured to receive articles of clothing, the plurality of bags configured to be attached to the horizontal panel at the openings, wherein each of the plurality of openings has a corresponding bag, wherein each opening corresponds to a different individual.
2. The sorting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more hooks extending through or around the openings for hanging the plurality of bags.
3. The sorting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the articles of clothing are associated with the different individuals corresponding to the plurality of bags.
4. The sorting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising labels associated with each of the plurality of openings, wherein one or more of the labels are configured to indicate the individual corresponding to the opening.
5. A sorting apparatus, comprising:
- a vertical back panel;
- a horizontal panel coupled to the vertical back panel, the horizontal panel comprising a plurality of openings; and
- a plurality of bags configured to receive items of different individuals, the plurality of bags configured to be attached to the horizontal panel at the openings, wherein each the of the plurality of openings has a corresponding bag, wherein each opening corresponds to a different individual.
6. The sorting apparatus of claim 5, wherein the horizontal panel is coupled to the vertical back panel via one or more hinges.
7. The sorting apparatus of claim 5, further comprising labels associated with each of the plurality of openings, the labels indicating the individual corresponding to the opening.
8. The sorting apparatus of claim 5, further comprising one or more hooks placed around each of the openings.
9. The sorting apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of bags is configured to loop onto the one or more hooks of a corresponding opening.
10. The sorting apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of bags is independently removable from the horizontal panel.
11. An apparatus configured to receive items, comprising:
- a horizontal panel comprising a plurality of openings; and
- a plurality of containers configured to be removably attached to the horizontal panel at the openings, wherein each container corresponds to an attribute characterizing the items.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a vertical back panel.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of openings comprises one or more hooks for detachably connecting to the plurality of containers.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising labels corresponding to each of the attributes.
15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the attribute corresponds to a color.
16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the attribute corresponds to an individual owing one or more of the items.
17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of openings comprises one or more hook-and-loop fasteners for detachably connecting to the plurality of containers.
18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the vertical back panel comprises one or more openings for mounting the apparatus to a wall.
19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the containers comprise net bags.
20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the containers comprise canisters.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 8, 2011
Publication Date: Oct 20, 2011
Applicant: (Dallas, GA)
Inventor: Kimberly M. Clayton (Dallas, GA)
Application Number: 13/082,971
International Classification: B65D 33/14 (20060101);