Wall-mounted retractable clothesline assembly

Abstract

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.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Not Applicable.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0002]Not Applicable.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]This invention relates primarily to clotheslines and, in particular, to retractable self-contained clothesline system which includes clips.[0004]Clotheslines and clothespins / clips are well-known and have been produced for many years in many configurations. Although some prior art clotheslines provided retractable clotheslines that could be stored within a housing, such systems are typically bulky and their mounting hardware causes the housing to protrude well beyond the surface to which the housing is mounted. Additionally, such systems do not provide an integrated storage area for clips, making it necessary to find a separate place to store clips.[0005]It is desirable to provide a clothesline system of a compact design that minimally extends from the wall to thereby maximize the length of line available from which to hang ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]A take-up reel is rotatably mounted in the housing cavity externally of the storage compartment. Preferably, the take-up reel rotates in a plane generally parallel to the front surface of the housing. An elongate flexible line is at least partially wound about the take-up reel. The line is selectively moved between an extended position and a retracted position. In the retracted position, the line is substantially wound about the reel, and includes a portion that extends from the reel and through a back of the storage compartment and is fixed to an inner surface of the cover. The take-up reel includes a spring which causes the reel to rotate in a direction to wind the line about the reel. A stop is provided to prevent undesired unwinding of the clothesline from the reel after the clothesline has been extended a desired extent. In a preferred embodiment, the stop comprises a cleat positioned in the storage compartment. The cleat is sized and shaped to be encased by the cover when the cover closes the housing opening.

[0010]The clothing clips are stackable. When the clips are stacked together, the tongue of one clip extends through the opening of the body of an adjacent clip to be adjacent the tongue of such adjacent clip. Thus, the addition of one clip to a stack of clips increases the stack depth no more than the thickness of the material from which the clip is made, despite the clip having a front-to-back width that is substantially greater than the thickness of the material from which said clip is made.

Problems solved by technology

Although some prior art clotheslines provided retractable clotheslines that could be stored within a housing, such systems are typically bulky and their mounting hardware causes the housing to protrude well beyond the surface to which the housing is mounted.

Additionally, such systems do not provide an integrated storage area for clips, making it necessary to find a separate place to store clips.

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