US20030164348A1

US20030164348A1 - Portable clothes dryer

Info

Publication number: US20030164348A1
Application number: US10/086,703
Authority: US
Inventors: Swei-Ing Seng
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-03-04
Filing date: 2002-03-04
Publication date: 2003-09-04

Abstract

A clothes dryer includes a retractable pole and a plurality of grooves are defined in an outer surface of the pole so that a plurality of legs pivotably connected to a lower end of the pole can be received in the grooves. A plurality of clothes rods are received in a top end of the pole and limited by a limit cover in the top end of the pole. The clothes rods can be pulled out from the top end of the pole by lifting the limit cover and are positioned horizontally so that clothes can be hung on the clothes rods.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a portable clothes dryer having retractable pole and pivotable legs and clothes rods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is a concern for a traveler to hang his/her clothes after being washed because in a hotel room, there has no suitable place or equipment for the traveler to hang the clothes. Most of the travelers hang their clothes in the bath room by hangers. Unfortunately, the hangers can only hung on the towel racks and due to the high humidity in the bath room, the clothes cannot be dry in the next day.

The present invention intends to provide a portable and retractable clothes dryer that can be folded to be a compact size and is easily to be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clothes dryer which comprises a retractable pole and a plurality of grooves are defined in an outer surface of the pole. three legs are pivotally connected to a lower end of the pole and sized to be suitably received in the grooves in the pole when being folded. A plurality of clothes rods are received in the pole from a top end of the pole and a limit cover is movably connected to the top end of the pole and has recesses for the clothes rods passing through. The legs can be engaged with the limit cover when received in the grooves of the pole.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a portable clothes dryer which has retractable ole with legs and clothes rods. When the legs and the clothes rods are folded, the whole clothes dryer become compact and is easily to be stored and carried.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view to show the clothes dryer of the present invention; [0007]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view to show the clothes dryer of the present invention in folded status; [0008]
FIG. 3 shows the limit cover is lifted to allow the legs to be pivoted outward; [0009]
FIG. 4 shows the bolt is unscrewed to allow the legs to be pivoted outward; [0010]
FIG. 5 shows the legs have hooks which are engaged with the head of the bolt when the legs are expanded outward; [0011]
FIG. 6 shows the clothes rods are pulled out from the pole; [0012]
FIG. 7 shows that the clothes rods are positioned in the horizontal positions, and [0013]
FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the limit cover. [0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the portable clothes dryer of the present invention comprises a [0015] retractable pole 10 composed of three sections and four grooves 11 are defined in an outer surface of the pole 10. Three legs 20 each have a first end having a hook 22 pivotally connected to a bottom plate 13 at a lower end of the pole 10 as shown in FIG. 3. The legs 20 are sized to be suitably received in the grooves 11 in the pole 10 when the legs 20 are folded.
A [0016] bolt 15 is connected to the lower end of the pole 10 and a head of the bolt 15 has insertions 151 which are able to be engaged with the hooks 22 of the legs 20 when the legs 20 are expanded outward as shown in FIG. 5. When the legs 20 are received in the grooves 11 of the pole 10, the head of the bolt 15 contacts the hooks 22 and when the legs 20 are to be folded outward, the bolt 15 is unscrewed to allow the hooks 22 to be pivoted.
Three [0017] clothes rods 30 are received in the pole 10 from a top end of the pole 10 and a ring 31 is pivotably connected to the respective ends of the clothes rods 30. A limit cover 14 is movably connected to the top end of the pole 10 and has recesses for the clothes rods 30 to pass through. A stop 32 is connected to a distal end of each of the clothes rods 30 which is engaged with the recesses of the limit cover 14 as shown in FIG. 6 when the clothes rods 30 are received in the pole 10.
The [0018] limit cover 14 has tongues 141 extending from an underside thereof and a second end of each leg 20 has a recess 21 which receives the tongue 141 when the legs 20 are received in the grooves 11 of the pole 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the [0019] limit cover 14 can be lifted to remove the tongues 141 from the recesses 21 of the legs 20 and the bolt 15 is unscrewed so that the legs 20 can be expanded outward. The ends with the ring 31 are stopped by the limit cover 14 when the clothes rods 30 are positioned in horizontal positions. The stop 32 prevents the hangers on the clothes rods 30 from sliding out from the clothes rods 30. FIG. 8 shows that another limit cover 14′ that has no recesses can be used to prevent the pivotal ends of the clothes rods 30 from moving upward from the recesses.
While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. [0020]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A clothes dryer comprising:

a retractable pole composed of multiple sections and a plurality of grooves defined in an outer surface of the pole;

a plurality of legs having a first end pivotally connected to a lower end of the pole and being sized to be received in the grooves in the pole;

a plurality of clothes rods received in the pole from a top end of the pole, and

a limit cover movably connected to the top end of the pole and having recesses for the clothes rods passing through, a second end of each of the legs being engaged with the limit cover when received in the grooves of the pole.

2. The clothes dryer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the limit cover has tongues extending from an underside thereof and the second end of each leg has a recess which receives the tongue when the legs are received in the grooves of the pole.

3. The clothes dryer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of each leg has a hook and a bolt is connected to the lower end of the pole, a head of the bolt has insertions which are engaged with the hooks of the legs when the legs are expanded outward.

4. The clothes dryer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a stop connected to a distal end of each of the clothes rods.