SPIRAL TOWEL RACK

Abstract

A wall mountable coil rack is provided for securing a plurality of items. The rack includes a continuous coiled beam with a top connector and a bottom connector. The beam includes a plurality of layers, where item are held in between adjacent layers. The layers have a horizontal area smaller than the horizontal area of the items. Accordingly, the layers are hidden from view when the rack is filled with items.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to Design Patent Application Ser. No. 29/354,774, filed on Jan. 28, 2010.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a storage device that is mounted on a wall.

2. Prior art

Storage devices, including towel racks are well known to the vast majority of consumers. In its simplest form, a towel rack consists of a single horizontal bar that is held away from a wall by two attachment mechanisms—one at east end. The bar is positioned away from the wall, to allow a towel to rest upon it. More complicated racks include multiple bars for supporting multiple objects. Some include hooks for hanging objects and solid surfaces for storing toiletries.

Existing towel racks are very effective for storing towels and other articles, but they leave the towel rack itself exposed. The metal or plastic of existing towel racks is visually exposed even when the towel rack is filled with towels. This is undesirable for many establishments, especially hospitality establishments which depend a great deal on aesthetic.

SUMMARY

The present invention concerns a wall mountable rack or holding device. The device includes upper and lower connectors and a continuous beam traveling between the two connectors. The continuous beam is shaped to form a plurality of non-circular loops, each loop being substantially parallel to each other and to the ground. Substantially all of the loops include a rear straight section. When the rack is mounted to a wall, the rear straight section is positioned adjacent to a wall.

Items (e.g. lines, towels) are stored in the space in between adjacent layers. The items are held in place by gravity and friction. In a preferred embodiment, the horizontal area of the items exceeds the area encompassed by the perimeter of a loop. Accordingly, the item expands and hides the layer of a loop from view. Thus, the item may appear to be floating against the wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention mounted to a wall;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention mounted to a wall holding towels;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the present invention holding towels;

FIG. 4 is a rear view thereof; and

FIG. 5 is a side view thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a cost effective, visually appealing and highly sanitary device for storing items (e.g. lines, towels) on a wall. One main advantage of the device is that it is hidden when filled with items.

FIG. 1 shows the preferred embodiment of the towel rack of the present invention without any items. Rack 100 includes lower connector 102, upper connector 104 and continuous bar 106. Continuous bar 106 is constructed from a single elongated bar, preferably made from aluminum, stainless steal or hard plastic, Continuous bar 106 is bent to form the shape shown in FIG. 1. This shape is advantageous for holding items.

Continuous bar 106 includes a plurality of loops 108. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment including five of loops 108. This embodiment is purely illustrative and the invention can be constructed with any number of loops 108 great than one.

Loops 108 include front 110, rear 112 and body 114. Body 114 is preferably curved as shown in FIG. 1, but can be U-shaped, V-shaped or any other shape which connects front 110 to rear 112 and is consistent the invention as described below. In one embodiment, body 114 is a half circle and in another embodiment, body 114 is a section of the perimeter of a circle.

Loops 108 are preferably substantially parallel to each other and substantially parallel to the ground. Loops 108 provides a stable resting place for each item. FIG. 1, shows loops 108 as horizontally flat or existing in a single geometric plane. This construction is preferable, but loop 108 could also have a convex (or concave) shape where its center is slightly lower (or higher) than front 110 and rear 112.

Loops 108 are connected by support bars 116. As illustrated in FIG. 1, support bars 116 connect front 110 of one loop 108 to rear 112 of an adjacent loop 108. When lower connector 102 and upper connector 104 are secured to a wall, all of fronts 110, rears 112 and support bars 116 rest adjacent to or near the wall. Support bars 116 are preferably straight connections between a rear 112 and a front 110, but may be curved.

At the uppermost loop 108, rear 112 connects to upper connector arm 118, which connects to upper connector 104. At the lowermost loop, front 110 connects to lower connector arm 120, which connects to lower connector 102.

FIG. 2 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the present invention mounted to a wall and loaded with folded towels 201. Folded towels 201 have an elastic property such that they will contract when compressed. Folded towels 201 are preferably large bath towels that are folded several times to form a shape having a height slightly taller than the distance between adjacent loops 108 and width and length both surpassing the horizontal area of loop 108. Thus, folded towels 201 are compressed to fit between adjacent loops 108 and remain in place by both gravity and the friction caused by their tendency to return to their full volume.

Although the invention has been described with the above preferred embodiment, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications and improvements can be made to the invention herein without departing from the scope of the invention. The embodiments shown herein are merely for illustrative of the inventive concepts and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A wall mountable apparatus for holding a plurality of objects, comprising:

a top wall connector, for attaching to a wall;

a bottom wall connector, for attaching to a wall;

a continuous beam connecting the top wall connector to the bottom wall connector;

wherein the continuous beam includes a plurality of parallel layers, each layer having a front and a rear, the plurality of layers being substantially parallel;

wherein a layer connector connects the end of one layer to the front of an adjacent layer, and the layer connector has a flat surface that rests adjacent to a wall when the top wall connector and bottom wall connector are attached to a wall.

2. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the continuous beam is constructed of a material selected from the group consisting of: aluminum, hard plastic, and stainless steal.

3. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parallel layers are rounded for at least half their perimeter.

4. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the layer connectors are straight.

5. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of layers are substantially parallel to the ground when the top wall connector and the bottom wall connector are attached to a wall.

6. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of the continuous beam is round.

7. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parallel layers are the shape of a partial circle.

8. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, wherein said objects are bath towels.

9. The wall mountable apparatus of claim 1, comprising five parallel layers.

10. A wall mountable apparatus for holding a plurality of objects, comprising:

a single continuous beam, having a first end and a second end, the continuous beam including:

a plurality of parallel shelves, the shelves being parallel to the ground;

a plurality of shelve connectors for connecting the parallel shelves, the shelve connectors resting against a wall when the first end and second end are mounted to the wall.

11. A linen storage system, comprising:

a wall;

a first fastener and a second fastener, said first fastener and said second fastener mounted to said wall;

a continuous beam connecting said first fastener to said second fastener, said continuous beam including: a plurality of loops, each loop including a towel support section and a rear angled section, said rear angled section connecting two adjacent loops; and

a plurality of items, each item being positioned between two adjacent loops, and hiding one of said loops from view.