Folding rack

Dec. 4, 1934.

A. VAN ROOSENDAEL

FOLDING RACK

Filed June 27, 1932

1,982,972

<img file="US1982972A_D0001.tif" />

Patented Dec. 4, 1934

1,982,972

UNITED states patent office

1,982,972

FOLDING RACK

August van Rocsendael, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Home Facilities, Inc., a corporation of California

Application June 27, 1932, Serial No. 619,566

Claim. (Cl. 211—99)

This invention relates to and has for a purPosb the provision of a rack adapted to support Various articles, siich as neckties, towels, etc., 5 ^{the r}ack being structurally characterized in a manlier to enable articles to be readily applied thereto arid removed therefrom, as well as stored oh the rack in a restricted space by virtue of the adjustability bf the rack to either project from a wall or other support in a substantially horizontal position for the application and removal of article's, or to be disposed vertically against the wall for the storage of articles neatly and compactly.

_-15 It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a folding rack of the above described character which is extremely simple in construction; is inexpensive to manufacture; and is composed of but a few parts capable of being assembled -20 ^{and installed w}hh the utmost ease and dispatch to form a substantial structure of neat appearance.

Only one form of this invention will be described, following which its novel features will ₂₅. be pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a view showing in perspective the folding rack embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional ₃₀ view taken on the line 2—2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the manner in which article holding bars or rods can be removably associated with ₃g, the rack.

Figure 4 is a schematic view illustrating in dot and dash lines the relative positions of the bracket and the coacting frame of the device when adjusting the frame to a vertical posi40- tion.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts in each of the several views, this invention in its present embodiment comprises an ar₄₅ tide supporting unit in the form of a rectangular frame F constructed of wood or other suitable material. The frame F is composed of side members 10—10 and end members 11—11α spanning and rigidly connecting the side members. CO Bars ^{or 1-}°ds 12, from which articles such as towels, neckties, etc., can be suspended, span and are either permanently secured to the side members in parallelism at intervals along the lengths of the side members, as shown in Figures 1 and 85 2, or can be removably associated with the side members by the provision of inclined slots 13’ i-’i thf! latter which are adapted to freely receive the ends of the bars, as shown in Figure 3.

A brace member M is preferably constructed from a length of lieavy wire stock bent into ⁶⁰U shape to provide parallel arms 16—16 and a rectilinear portion 17. The free ends of the' aims 16 are inturned to provide alined trunhions'18—18 which are journaled in openings extending through the side members 10 of the ⁶⁵fraim: F adjace'nt one end thereof, the trunnions being associated with the side members by springing the arms outwardly sufficiently to receive thC iffriffie, And.' then releasing the arms so that upon registering the trunnions will snap ⁷⁰into the openings so as to hingedly connect the brace to· the frame.

A bracket B of wood or other suitable material is preferably in the form of a rectangular and flat bar adapted to be secured in a horizontal ⁷⁵position by screws or other fastening means to a vertical support such as a wall W. The bracket is co-extensive in length with that of the end member 11 of the frame F, and is· provided in that vertical side face 19 intended to confront ⁸⁹the wall, with a groove 20 extending lengthwise of the bracket and co-extensive in length therewith.

The groove 20 is of sufficient cross sectional area to freely receive the connecting portion 17 ⁸⁵of the brace M, it being understood that the connecting portion is co-extensive in length with the bracket B. When the bracket is secured to the wall, as shown in Figure 2, the connecting portion 17 will be confined in the groove 20 ⁹⁹against lateral and axial displacement so as to provide a hinged connection between the bracket and brace, which, with the hinged connection provided by the trunnions 18 between the brace and the frame F, enables the frame to be ad- ⁹⁵justed to occupy the horizontal and vertical positions shown, respectively, in full and broken lines in Figure 2.

In the horizontal position of the frame, wherein articles can be readily applied to and removed ^10<>from the bars 12, the upper surface 21 of the end member 11 abuts the parallel under surface 22 of the bracket B throughout the length of the latter, whereas the outer surface 23 of this end member abuts the wall W, for co-action with the brace in rigidly supporting the frame against tilting.

The frame is moved to its vertical position by being first swung upwardly about the hinged no,

1,982,972 connection provided by the connecting portion of the brace, following which the frame is swung downwardly about the axes of the trunnions 18 and allowed to rest against the wall, thus storing 5 the suspended articles neatly and compactly in a minimum amount of space. The rack is particularly advantageous at locations where space must be economized, or where the frame would present an obstruction in its horizontal position.

Due to the manner in which the frame is associated with the bracket and brace, there is no sacrifice of the rigidity afforded by a non-adjustable rack, all while enabling the rack to be constructed at a minimum cost. The end mem15 ber 11 is rounded at one of its longitudinal corners to provide a transversely curved surface lib, and the adjacent ends of the members 10 are likewise rounded to provide similar curved surfaces 10b, the latter surfaces being associated with the surface lib so that the whole thereof constitute a rocker-like portion which directly coacts with the front face of the bracket B to permit the frame F to be quickly turned to occupy the substantially vertical position shown in

Figure 2. In Figure 4, I have schematically illustrated by the dot and dash lines the manner in which the aforementioned rocker-like portion is adapted to bear against the front face of the bracket B and to rock and smoothly glide there30 over the moment the surface 21 is withdrawn from under the surface 22 and the frame canted in a direction forwardly of the bracket.