US2765487A - Laundry weight - Google Patents

Description

H. L. FOSTER LAUNDRY WEIGHT Get. 9, 1956 FiledMarch 5, 1954 3 Herberf L. Fosfer INVENTOR.

United States Patent LAUNDRY WEIGHT Herbert L. Foster, Wake Island, Territory of Hawaii Application March 5, 1954, Serial No. 414,295 1 Claim. (Cl. 16-1) This invention relates to a laundry weight, and more specifically provides a device for attachment to the lower edges of items of laundry that are hanging on a clothesline for drying in order to prevent wind from whipping and wrapping the articles of laundry around the clothesline :and around each other.

An object of this invention is to provide a laundry Weight which is simple in construction, easy to attach, well adapted for its purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a laundry weight for attachment to laundry articles to prevent the articles from whipping and wrapping :around the clothesline such as often occurs on windy days.

A further object of this invention is to provide a laundry weight having a structure which is easily attached to items of laundry and which securely retains itself on the laundry.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 shows :an article of laundry secured to a clothesline with the laundry weight of the present invention secured to the bottom edge thereof;

Figure 2 is :a top plan view of the laundry weight of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the device of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the cylindrical weight used in the structure of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the laundry weight; and

Figure 6 is a transverse detail section taken substan tially along section line 6-6 of Figure 5 showing the means for retaining the weight on the clip of Figure 5.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, it will be seen that the numeral 10 generally designates the laundry weight of the present invention as specifically illustrated in Figures l-4, and the numeral 12 generally designates the laundry weight of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 5 :and 6. The laundry weight 10 is adapted to be attached to the free edge of an item of laundry 14 secured to a clothesline 16 by suitable clothespins 18. The laundry weight 10 includes a pair of elongated members 20 and 22 having a pair of inwardly extending lugs 24 thereon and a pivot pin 26 extending through the matching lugs 24 thereby pivotally securing the members 22 and 20 together. A coil spring 28 is positioned around the pivot pin 26 and includes laterally extending end portions 30 which engage the inner surface of the members 20 and 22 respectively. Integral with the elongated members 20 and 22 is an extension 32 forming a tubular member having bendable tabs 34 thereon. The bendable tabs 34 are positioned on each end of the tubular member formed by the extension 32 and retains a cylindrical weight 36 therein and it will be understood that the extension 32 forming the tubular member is utilized as handle means for the laundry weight 10. The opposite end of the elongated members 20 and 22 is provided with a zig-zag portion 38 in complemental relation to each other thereby forming a gripping means for the lower edge of the laundry item 14. The outer end of the member 22 has an otfset portion 40 forming an entrance guide for the laundry item 14.

As specifically shown in Figures 5 and 6, a pair of wooden members 42 and 44 are pivoted together by a spring member 46 and one end of the members 44 and 42 is provided with a cloth gripping contact area 48 and the other end thereof is tapered and forms handles 50 in the nature of conventional and well known clothespins. A weight 52 of semi-cylindrical shape is positioned on each handle portion 50 by a strap 54 encircling the weight 52 and secured to the weight and to the wooden handle 50 by suitable small nails 56. It will be seen that each of the weights 52 is secured by a pair of straps 54 thereby assuring the attachment of the weights 52 to the handle portions 50 of the laundry weight 12. It will be seen that the device of Figures 5 and 6 may be utilized for smaller articles such as diapers, wash clothes, dish towels, or the like.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. The laundry item 14 is positioned on the clothesline 16 and held thereon by the clothespins 18 in the usual manner. In order to prevent the laundry item from winding around the clothesline 16, the laundry weight 10 or 12 is positioned on the lower edge of the laundry item 14. It will be seen that the laundry weights 10 and 12 are retained on the laundry item 14 by the respective spring means 28 and 46 and the weight members 36 or 52 retain the laundry item 14 in a substantially vertical and extended position thereby facilitating the drying operation and also preventing the usual winding and wrapping of the laundry item 14 about the clothesline or other pieces on the clothesline. Further, it will be understood that the device may be constructed of any readily obtainable material which is rust-proof and simple in construction thereby enhancing the economic feasibility and the ease of using the laundry weight of the present invention.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A stabilizing device for laundry items hanging from asupporting line for drying comprising a pair of elongated members pivotally attached to each other intermediate their ends, spring means urging said members about the pivotal connection thereby urging one end of each member towards the adjacent end of the other member for releasably clampingly securing the members to a laundry item, the other ends of said members being urged apart and forming handles, each of said handles being in the form of an elongated tubular member, an elongated weight disposed within each tubular member, said weight being generally the same shape and of a size to fit the tubular member thereby distributing the weight evenly along the length of the handles, and inwardly extending bendable tabs on each end of said tubular members for retaining said weights therein. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Aug.

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