194results about "Clothes-lines" patented technology

A rope tensioner sets the tension of a rope operated switch assembly actuable to switch between first and second conditions on a change in tension of the rope. The tensioner comprises a body, a rotatable member which engages the rope, a shaft for rotating the member relative to the body to adjust tension in the rope by winding the rope around the member, and a lock to lock the member in position relative to the body. The rope opperated switch assembly is much simpler to install than previous assemblies, as the tensioner may be simply threaded or otherwise installed onto the rope without the rope having to be cut.

A bath toy mounting device adapted to be releasably secured to the side or bottom wall of a bathtub partially filled with water. The bath toy mounting device maintains a secure attachment to the bathtub but may be easily removed by an adult. The bath toy mounting device further includes a toy holding device, such as elongated bar, for suspending toys above the water. Toys are secured to and hang from the toy holding device by means of a coupling member. In this way, the coupling member allows the child to move the toys while restricting movement to the immediate vicinity of the toy holding device. Additionally, the bath toy mounting device insures that toys are readily accessible to the child while he or she takes a bath.

An improved padlock and particular an improved small padlock that has a shackle adjustable to a desired length includes a lock body and a steel cable. The steel cable can run through the lock body to form a closed shackle. The lock body includes a casing, a dial assembly, two pushbuttons, two thrust members and two latch members. Locking and unlocking operations can be accomplished by depressing the pushbuttons. The latch members can engage with the steel cable to form a locking condition, or be moved away from the steel cable to form a unlocking condition so that the shackle range formed by the steel cable and the lock body can be adjusted to meet user's requirements. It overcomes the problem of the conventional padlocks that provide a shackle which is not adjustable and often does not have an adequate length.

An adjustable pole caddy includes an elongated pole, a shelf including a generally planar surface for supporting at least one object thereon, a clamp having a first aperture and a second aperture, and a fastener extending through the first aperture of the clamp. The second aperture extends around at least a portion of an outer periphery of the pole. In a locked position of the fastener and clamp, an end portion of the fastener engages the pole and at least a portion of the shelf removably engages at least a portion of the clamp. The clamp is secured to the pole and the shelf is secured to the clamp. In a released position of the fastener and clamp, the end portion of the fastener does not engage the pole.

Bath Caddy with a multi-sectioned, multi leveled tray portion made of rigid material such as injection molded acrylic plastic, the tray sections including a left and right narrow and deep portion and a central wide and shallow portion, the central tray section including a pair of horizontally disposed shaft retaining enclosures, the shaft retainers each capable of slidably holding a first leg of an L shaped rigid tub grasping rod, the second leg of the tub grasping rod sheathed in a flexible plastic tube, and the shaft retaining enclosures each including a threaded aperture allowing a thumb screw to be threaded into the wall of the shaft retaining enclosure and impinge upon the first leg of the tub grasping rod to allow the user to adjust the distance between the second leg of the L shaped rod and the wall of a bathtub.

A strap attachment device includes a main body with a lower body end that has an opening suited for a strap. Based on its position, a cam lever at the opening of the lower body end holds or releases the strap, permitting adjustment of the length of the strap that enters the opening. Extending upward from the lower body end is an upper body end that is curved into a hook or any other shape appropriate for connection to an object. A flexible or translatable gate may extend from the main body so as to prevent the upper body end from inadvertently becoming detached from the object. Slip-resistance on the upper body end resists slippage between the upper body end and the object during side-to-side movements. Ends of the strap may include a loop or handle or connect to other devices.

The present invention is a retractable display apparatus comprising at least one upright support having at least one retractable cord able to extend generally perpendicular to the stanchion, said cord able to attach to an object or preferably a matching stanchion. Preferably, each stanchion is a T-shape, but may be other shapes, for example, an inverted L shape, which has a riser plus one horizontally-extending side arm at or near the top of the riser. Retractor mechanisms and locking mechanisms are preferably included for each cord, for easy and neat handling of the cord, preferably by winding the cord on a rotating member ("spool"). The apparatus is adapted so that the cord(s) support one or more signs or banners or other items that might be decorative or functional for a retailer, warehouse, flea market, or other business. Additionally, signage may be installed generally in the plane of the stanchions, so that signage may be seen on all four sides of the generally rectangular space defined by the two-stanchion, two cord apparatus.

A wire grip comprising a stationary-side gripping portion provided with a body and having a substantially straight front shape, and a movable-side wire gripping portion arranged to face the stationary-side wire gripping portion and set movable back and forth with respect to the stationary-side wire gripping portion, whereby the linear object can be gripped between the stationary-side wire gripping portion and the movable-side wire gripping portion, wherein a first action portion for moving the movable-side wire gripping portion back and forth and a second action portion connected to the first action portion by a connecting rod are turnably attached at their individual ends to the body, wherein the other end of the first action portion and the other end of the second action portion are turnably attached to one end of the connection rod and an intermediate portion of the connection rod, respectively, wherein the other end of the connecting rod is pulled substantially parallel to the stationary-side wire gripping portion and the movable-side wire gripping portion so that the connecting rod, the second action portion and the first action portion are linked to act to move the movable-side wire gripping portion forward with respect to the stationary-side wire gripping portion.

A window covering lifting control apparatus includes a holding unit, a locating set and a pushbutton. The holding unit has a first spacer and a second spacer formed thereon that are spaced from each other. The spacers have two slots inclining downwards. The first spacer has a strut on one side to be coupled with a spring on an outer side. The locating set includes two gears, two locating rods, two locating heads and a spring assembly to hold the two gears between the spacers. The pushbutton is movably coupled on the strut of the holding unit to control movement of the two gears in the slots. The window lifting control apparatus can be installed in a lower elongated member to control retraction upward or extension downward of the window covering. The two gears of the locating set can engage with and latch a lift cord assembly to provide improved locating effect.

A telescopic prop-up pole device of the present invention is configured to comprise a first pole; a second pole which is drawably inserted into this first pole, while being protruded; and a telescoping adjustment body for adjusting the protruding length of the second pole, the telescoping adjustment body being constituted by an upper cylindrical body; a lower cylindrical body; a pole pressure-contacting / releasing part including a pressure-contacting annular body having a protrusion and a coil spring; and an operation lever which, with a turning operation thereof, pushes up this pole pressure-contacting / releasing part, and the turning operation of the operation lever pushes up the protrusion on one side of the pressure-contacting annular body against the resilience of the coil spring for bringing the pressure-contacting annular body into the horizontal state to eliminate the bulging of one side and the other side thereof toward the circumference side of the second pole and thereby to bring the pole pressure-contacting / releasing part into the second pole releasing state, while, with the turning operation thereof being canceled, the pressure-contacting annular body is brought into an inclined state under the resilience of the coil spring with one side and the other side thereof being bulged toward the circumference side of the second pole and thereby the pole pressure-contacting / releasing part being brought into the second pole pressure-contacted state.

A stress relief apparatus for a conductor has two bodies, at least one of which pivots so as to grip the conductor. The bodies have first and second contours, respectively. The contours face each other, so that the smallest distance between the first and second contours changes as the pivoting body pivots. First and second elastic members bias the first and second bodies, respectively, so that each of the first and second bodies engage a cable positioned between the first and second bodies. The bodies may both be pivoting bodies, and may be mirror images of one another. The contours of the bodies may have an elliptical shape. Alternatively, the bodies may have a circular shape, in which case each body pivots about a pivot point that is located at a non-zero distance from the center of that body.

A system for stabilizing articles is provided. The system is particularly well-suited for stabilizing plastic grocery bags during transport in a vehicle. The system comprises a stabilizing element that, when in use, extends from a first point to a second point and passes through the handles of a bag to be stabilized. Preferably, the first and second points are fixed, either detachably or semi-permanently, on the sidewalls in the interior of a vehicle. Further, the stabilizing element preferably is flexible. In addition, the stabilizing element preferably can be disconnected from the second point and also preferably, the stabilizing element can recoil into a location at the first point so that only a portion of the stabilizing element is visible. Other preferred embodiments of the present invention, including those with intermediary fixtures or intermediary support features, as well as those with multiple stabilizing elements, also are disclosed. In addition to stabilization during travel, the stabilizing system provides a certain degree of freedom in allowing a bag to move with the inertial forces imposed on it during travel. Also, the stabilizing system provides a convenient, easy and simple method for loading bags into and unloading bags from a vehicle, thereby requiring very little time and effort to utilize.

A mobile clothesline provides mobility and is easy to set up and break down, making it ideal for areas with limited space, for example, while not requiring tools for assembly. The mobile clothesline offers an energy efficient alternative to using an electric or gas dryer. The mobile clothesline includes first and second wheeled bases having a receptacle for holding a retractable clothesline post. The post may include a plurality of arms that may extend outward from the post or may be folded in against the post. A retractable line may extend from the arms on one of the posts to interconnect with a receptacle on the arm on the other post.

The present invention is a rectangular shelf having a top side and a bottom side which includes a hexagonal-shaped valve receiving cap for being installed to a conventional urinal or toilet in a public restroom.

A collapsible clothes hanger structure includes a frame including a pair of supporting legs and a rail. A rail is secured between the supporting legs. A tent is provided on the frame and the tent covers a portion of the rail. A transmission unit includes a transmission gear meshing with a transmission belt. The transmission gear and the transmission belt are disposed in the rail. Multiple hanging units are movably disposed in the rail in sequence. A motor is connected to and drives the transmission unit in the rail to control the hanging units to slide along the rail. A control unit is coupled with a light sensor, a water drop sensor, and a timer. The control unit collects signals from any of the light sensor, the water drop sensor, and the timer to control the motor and the hanging unit. By the structure, the collapsible clothes hanger is automatically expanded or retracted according to light and rain or the pre-set time.

A clothesline system is provided for automatically applying clothespins to articles to be dried once they are placed on a clothesline. The clothesline system comprises first and second pulleys, which are positioned at a spaced apart distance from each other, as well as a main cable, a secondary cable and a plurality of clothespins. The clothespins are capable of being removably attached to the secondary cable, and are movable between an open and closed position for receiving and gripping articles to be dried to the main cable. The clothesline system further comprises a mechanism for automatically opening and closing the clothespins so that they are able to either selectively grip or release the articles to be dried. Finally, the clothesline system comprises a support system for guiding and supporting the main cable such that the main cable is prevented from sagging beyond an acceptable distance within which the clothespins are capable of being attached to the main cable.

A cable tie comprises a band-shaped strap which has a fixed end, formed in the shape of a hook, and a free end, a locking head which is secured to the fixed end of the strap and through which the free end of the strap passes, and a locking ball which is disposed in the locking head so as to be movable forward and rearward, wherein the width between upper and lower portions of the fixed end of the strap is established to be slightly greater than the thickness of the bottom wall of the locking head, a release prevention tongue is cut in the upper portion of the fixed end of the strap and is integrated with the strap, a distal end of the release prevention tongue is bent downward, and the locking ball is guided in a rearward locking direction and is elastically supported upward.

A retractable clothesline support and method utilizes a pivotable arm hingedly attached to a housing. The arm having a reel with a line such as a clothesline wound thereon can be unlocked and then unreeled. The line support is particularly useful with an RV or other mobile vehicle while traveling for hanging wet clothes or the like for drying purposes. When not in use the clothesline can be wound on the reel, the reel locked and the arm closed for containment within the housing.

A clothesline assembly is disclosed comprising a housing containing a take-up reel about which a clothesline is wound. The clothesline can be extended from and retracted into the housing. The assembly further includes a clip storage compartment through which the clothesline extends. Clothing clips are stored in the compartment and the line extends through the clips, such that when the clothesline is extended, the clips are already suspended from the clothesline.