US1394007A - Collapsible wardrobe - Google Patents

Description

IVI. L. HALL. coLLAPsmLE WARDROBE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.3,I92I.

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M. L. HALL.

' `COLLFIPSIBLE WARDROBE.

APPLICATION FILED mma, 1921.

ci? L 62 'A 61 I v w UNITED STATES MARY LUCY HALL, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE.'

Application led January 3, 1921.

T o all whom 1f/may concern.'

Be it known that I, MARY LUCY HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible lVardrobes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible wardrobes.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a collapsible wardrobe, especially adapted for temporary use for protecting all kinds of wearing apparel worn by men, women or children, such as suits of clothing, hats, and the like, and providing a desirable covering for such articles, that is easily and quickly assembled and not objectionablev in ap earance.

nother object is to provide' a device of the character described that may be compactly folded into -a package, of relatively small dimensions, that may be carried n a suitcase or small trunk when not in use.

Another object is to provide a folding, rlgid frame for supporting and distending the bag or cover to render it conveniently available for use.

Another object is to provide an upper` -bag and clothes hooks upon which the garments are suspended.

Other, further and more specific objects of the invention will become readily apparent, to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration ofthe following description, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view ofr the wardrobe set up for use and closed.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the front side open.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the upper, interior part looking toward the front.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper spreader frame showing it open.

Fig. 5 is a side view showing it collapsed for shipment.

Fig.`6 is a plan Viewl showing position of the parts as the frame is being closed.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectlonal view of one of the joints, in the straight bars.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a joint between the angular disposed bars of the frame.

Fig. 9 is a central section thereof. Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of one end of the hanger bar and ,supporting hook.

Speoication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Serial No. 434,516.

Fig. 11 is a central vertical section through the wardrobe when assembled and set up for use, showing the drop bar extending from side to side in rear of front opening.

F ig. 12 is an enlarged pocket to contain a spreader frame for forming a partition in the wardrobe, as shown in section in Fig. 11.

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

The housing or cover for the device may be made of a suitable fabric, such as cretonne, or the like, and consists of two vertical side walls 15`and 16, and a back wall 17. The front entrance wall is divided into two curtain- like portions 18 and 19, adapted to be secured together along their proximate vertical edges by snap fastenings 20. The end closure 21 is rectangular in form, secured at its meeting edges with the side walls and the back wall, as at 22, by sewing, or otherwise.

In the front of the structure and overlying the upper ends of the members 18 and 19 is a band 23. The upper end of the curtain 18 is sewed to` the upper edge of the band 23 to the point 24, and the upper edge of the curtain 19 is sewed to the band 23, to the point 25. Beyond this point toward the free edges, snap fasteners 26 are used to hold the front curtains to the band. A similar arrangement may be provided at the bottom of the structure, and snap fasteners 27 are located at intervals along the vertical and meeting edges of the` members 18 and 19 to snap and hold them together as shown more clearly in Fig. 1. Any arrangement of curtain closure closable on vertical lines will come within contemplation of my invention.

The bottom end of the structure just described is closed by a rectangular end member 21', which is similar in every respect to the end member 21, which latter is located at the top end of the structure.

There are three spreader frames shown in the structure. A .larger number of intermediate frames may be usd to supply additional shelves.

The upper spreader frame 28, as also are the other frames, is composed of a plurality of.l

bars hinged together, adapted to be arranged in rectangular form when extended, as shown in Fig. 4, and to occupy smaller dimensions when collapsed, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

Parallel side bars 29 and 30 are as long as the transverse depth of the housing which is to cover them to form the wardrobe. They loo los

extend from front to rear and areeach shown as equal to the lengths of the composite bar (31 and 32) or the parallel side bar (33 and 34)'. The relative dimensions of the structure parts is not of material inportance. Parallel with the composite side bar, 31 and 32, and intermediate this bar and the bar, 33 and 34, is a drop hanger bar composed of the members 35 and 36. The drop hanger bar appears on the upper frame only. The bar, 35 and 36, and the parallel members on either side thereof are hinged together, as shown clearly in detail in Figs. 7 and 10. lAs an example, the bar 32 is hinged to the bar 31 at a point 37, somewhat removed from the end 38. to provide a means for holding the bar members more or less rigid when they are placed in extended positions. The hinged together bar members are provided with nesting indentations and protub'erances, as at 39. The extension of the bar 31 beyond the rivet point 37, provides sufficient elasticity for the end 38 to ride over the connected bar to allow the protuberance 40 to enter the indentation 41, of the bar 32. The object of this form of construction is to hold the alining bars in rigid position when the frame occupies a rec'- tangular form, as shown in Fig. 4.

To produce the same effect at the points where the bars are hinged together in angular relation, I provide the structure shown enlarged in detail in Figs. 8 and 9. In this form of structure, the protuberances and indentations are produced. as at 42, and a spring washer 43 is located between the head 44 of the rivet and the bar 32 to provide some yielding elasticity to permit some la'teral movement of the bars with respect to each other so that the contacting surface of the bar 30 may freely ride over the protuberance 40 on the bar 32, this protuberance being provided by the indentation 41, as in the case just described.

After breaking the ,joints in the operation of collapsing the frame 28, the pivoted-together members move freely into collapsed position shown in Fig. 5.

0n the upper frame a drop hanger bar provided by the two members 35 and 36 extends from side to side back of the front opening and is pivoted to the side bars 29 and 30, respectively, and the members are pivoted together as at 45 by a hook member or stud 46, a part of which forms the rivet and another portion part of the hook 47. the latter being hinged to the stud as at 4 8, to permit the hook to lie in a plane parallel with the bars, as shown in Fig. 5, when the frame is collapsed. The hook also swivels so that the structure may be rotated on the hook as the axis.

A sleeve 49 overlies the shank 50 of the ho0k, and when the hook is in vertical posi-l tion, as shown in Fig. lO, the sleeve also overlies the stud 46 to hold the hook rigidly in its vertical upright position.

The hook 47 is the means by which the wardrobe is suspended from a fixed support, such as a clothes hook, bracket, or the like.

The dropy bar, composed of the members 35 and 36, is corrugated at separated intervals, as at, 51, to provide depressions in which to receive -t-he clothes hooks upon which the articles of clothing are to be suspended. The object of providing the depressions is to more positively retain the clothes suspending hooks upon the bar and to prevent them from sliding in the event that the bar should be inclined at an angle fromthe horizontal.

The bar is bent upwardly, as at 53, to provide a space between the upper surface of the bar members and the fabric cover overlying the upper end of the frame for the entrance of the clothing suspending hooks in the act of placing the garments upon the suspending bar members 35 and 36, within thel wardrobe.

One or more shelves in the wardrobe may each be provided by a pocket 53, consisting of two parallel layers of fabric stitched together at meeting edges, or near such edges, as at 54, except at its front edge 55, where it is left open. The rear edge of the pocket 53 is stitched to the rear wall 17, as at 56, and the three other edges are provided with flaps 57 58 and 59, each flap being provided with spaced-apart snap fastening members 60, for engaging relation with similar members 62 that are secured to the side walls and located in a. horizontal plane near the bottom of the wardrobe structure, more clearly shown in Fig. 11.

A spreader frame, substantially the same in every respect as the frame 28 shown in Fig. 4, with the exception that the drop hanger bar is omitted, is indicated by 61, is introduced into the pocket 53 which serves as means for spreading apart the side walls of the fabric structure, thus providing a partition and shelf. After the frame 61 has been placed in this pocket, the flap 57 along the front edge is't-urned downwardly and the snaps 60 are fastened to similar snaps located on the bottom surface of the lower layer of fabric constituting a part of the pocket 53, for the purpose of providing a finish at the exposed edge of the partition and for more securely holding the frame61 in place.

Another frame 63, similar to the frame 61, is placed in the bottom of the fabric structure which serves for spreading the fabric Walls and holding them in proper relation.

By use of the pocket 53, above the lower Wall 21 of the structure, a space 64 is thus provided within which to contain hats or the like. pocket 53 and the frame 61, is not desirable If the shelf, provided by the` within the inclosure, the frame may be removed from the pocket and the snaps 60 and 62 disengaged, whereupon the two parallel sheets of stitched-together fabric will hang limp against the rearwalls 17, without oc- Ucupying a great deal of space and the entire length of the wardrobe housing may be utilized for the garments that are suspended from the drop bar. As many shelves as desired may thus be included within the inclosure.

IVhile I have herein shown a single embodiment of myinvention, for the purpose of clear disclosure, it will be manifest, to persons skilled in the art, that many changes may be made in the general arrangement and configuration of the parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A collapsible wardrobe having 'a plurality of detached spreader frames, one at the top and one at the bottom; aseparable fabric cover comprising rectangular end members overlying the respective frames;

. three side walls, permanently fixed to the edges of said end members of the cover; a front wall divided vertically into two side curtains, detachably fixed to the bottom end member cover and a band extending below the front edge of the upper end member of the cover and across the front wall to which the two parts of the front wall or curtains are attached by clasps and clasps connecting the proximate vertical edges of the two curtains of the front wall.

2. A collapsible wardrobe providing a housing of fabric of rectangular cross section having four side walls and two end walls, one side wall divided between the end walls to provide an opening having complementary fastening devices to close the opening; two collapsible spreader frames, rectangulai` in cross section when extended and insertible in the housing, one at the top and one at the bottom to hold the walls parallel and a hook on the upper frame extending through the upper end wall-by which to support the structure.

3. A collapsible wardrobe having an elongated, rectangular receptacle of fabric, provided by four vertical side walls and two horizontal end walls; collapsible spreader frames near each end ofthe receptacle to hold the side walls in parallel relation, the front wall divided into two vertically separated members; complementary fastening devices spaced apart and secured to adjacent vertical edges of the separated mem-w bers; a horizontally disposed pocket secured along its rear edge to the rear wall and detachably secured along its side edges to the side walls and a spreader frame within the pocket, thereby to provide a partition in the structure.

4. In a device of the character described, a rectangular, collapsible frame comprising two parallel, spaced apart bars; two angularly related parallel bars provided by hinged-together members, the latter members hinged to the respective ends of the first mentioned b'ars and spring pressed latch members to yieldingly retain the frame members in extended positions.

5. In a device of the character described, a rectangular, collapsible frame comprising two parallel, spaced apart, one-piece bars; two angularly related parallel bars, each` provided by hinged-together members, the latter members hinged to the respective ends of the rst mentioned bars; a drop bar having two hinged-together members and hinged to the one-piece bars between the aforesaid composite bars and spring pressed latch members to yieldingly retain the frame members in extended positions'. A

6. In a device of the character described, a rectangular, collapsible frame comprising two parallel, spaced apart,'onepiece bars; two angularly related parallel bars, each provided by hinged-together members, the latter members hinged to the respective ends of the first mentioned bars; a drop bar having two hinged-together members and hinged to the one-piece bar between the aforesaid composite bars; a two-piece supporting vhook having a shank divided into two parts hinged together, one part of the shank serving as a pintle for the last mentioned hinge; a sleeve slidable over the shank hinge to support the hook in vertical position and spring-pressed latch members to yieldingly retain the frame members in extended positions.

7. A collapsible wardrobe providing a housing of fabric of rectangular cross section having four side walls and two end walls, one side wall divided between the end walls to provide an opening having complementary fastening devices to close the opening; two collapsible spreader frames rectangular in cross sections when extended and insertible in the housing, one at the top and one at the bottom to hold the walls parallel; a hook on the upper frame extending through the upper end wall by which `to support the structure and a foldable drop bar connected to o posite members of the extended spreader rame from which to suspend clothing.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto subscribed my name.

MARY LUCY HALL.

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