GB2244427A - Towel support - Google Patents

Abstract

A towel support, which includes a wall plate 2 having a projecting stem 22 and elongated mounted holes 21'' for easy alignment of flat head screws with anchors 13 which are secured inside a wall, to fasten the wall plate onto the wall, and a connector 6 to secure a hanging device to the mounting plate for holding towels. The connector comprises an axial hole 61 into which the stem of the wall plate is inserted, a bolt hole 62'' vertically in communication with the axial hole, and a screw rod 60'' movably fastening in the bolt hole pressing against the top taper end of the stem 23'' to firmly secure the connector thereto. The tapered stem portion 23'' allows the connector to be easily secured to the stem. <IMAGE>

Description

TOWEL SUPPORT This invention relates to a towel support.

Various kinds of towel holding devices have been disclosed. In U.S. Patent No. 4,907,771 there is disclosed a type of hanger for holding towels (as shown in Figure 1). The hanger includes a mounting plate having a stem extending from its center and holes for fastening of flat head screws to secure the mounting plate onto a wall surface by flat head screws. A connector connects with the stem of the mounting plate by pivot bolt so that a cover plate and an insert can be rmlv retained between the mounting plate and the connector. Because the flat heae screws are to match with respective a:.cnors which are fastened inside a wall, the holes on the mounting plate must be accurately aligned with the anchors for fastening.If the anchors are cct accurately positioned, the screws will be difficult to fix the mounting plate onto the wall. Further, the connector is secured to the stem of the mounting plate by fastening a bolt through a pivot hole on the connector into a longitudinal hole on the stem. Before fixing, the pivot hole of the connector must be accurately aligned with the longitudinal hole of the stem for the fastening therein of the bolt.

U.S. Patent No. 1,997,686 discloses a kind of fixture support which is illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4. This fixture support has a supporting member attached to a supporting surface and a supported member fitting over the supporting member and which is formed in two parts comprising a wall flange and a shank.

Similar to the aforesaid problems, the mounting holes of the supporting member must be accurately aligned with the corresponding anchors within a wall so that screw means can be fastened to secure the mounting member to such a wall, the supported member shall also be accurately aligned with the groove on the stem so that a screw can be threaded in to secure the mounted member to the mounting member.

The main object of the present invention is to a towel support which can eliminate the aforesaid problems. A towel support of the present Invention includes a mounting member having elongated holes for easy alignment with anchors set within a wall surface so that flat head screws can be conveniently fastened to secure the mounting member onto a wall. A taper stem projects frc3 the mounting member at the center onto which a cap-lIke connector is mounted and firmly secured thereto by a pivot bolt. Because of the tapered surface o- the upper end of the stem, the connector is fIrmly secured to the stem of the mounting member after the pivot bolt is threaded down.By means of this arrangement, no any aligning procedure is required before fastening up the pivot bolt.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a hanger of the prior art; Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of a fixture support of the prior art; Fig. 3 is a front view of the fixture support : of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 illustrates the structure of the stem of the fixture support of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a perspective exploded view of a towel support according to the present invention; Fig. 6 is a sectional assembly view of the embcdi=ent of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 illustrates an alternate form of the present invention.

Referring ts the various drawings attached herewIth, a detailed descrIption of the structural features of a towel support of the present invention is as follows: Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a towel support in accordance with the present invention includes a rigid mounting member 2 comprising a wall plate having elongated mounting holes 21'' to respectively match with anchors 13 set inside wall surface for easy fixation of the mounting member 2 onto the wall by means of flat head screws 14, and a stem 22 upstanding from its center. Because of the design of the elongated mounting holes 21 , a more flexible range is provided in aligning the mounting holes 21'' with the anchors 13 so that the flat head screws 14 can be straighly inseted in the anchors 13 to secure the mounting member 2 to the wall.

After the mounting member 2 is fixed onto the wall, a spring 3 is sleeved on the stem 22 of the mounting member 2, and a cover 4 which has a center hole 42 is covered on the mounting member 2 permitting the stem 22 to protrude behond its center hole for the connection thereto of a hanging device 7 through a connector 6. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the hanging device 7 has a ring shaped body suitable for hanging towels, and the connector 6 is fixedly mounted on the hanging device 7 for securing the hanging device 7 to the taper stem 22 of the mounting member 2 to squeeze the spring 3 and the cover plate 4 in therebetween.

The connector 6 includes an axial hole 6' for receivIng the stem 22 of the mounting member 2, a bolt hole 62'' vertically in communIcaton w th the axial hole 61, and a screw rod 60'' movably secure in the bolt hole 62''. Because the stem 22 of the mounting member 2 has a tapered surface portion 23'' , the connector 6 can be conveniently motes on the stem 22 and firmly secured thereto by screwing down the screw rod 60' ' onto the tapered surface portion 23'' without aiming the bolt hole 62' ' to any specific point on the stem 22.

Fig. 6 illustrates an alternate form of the present invention, in which a rod-like hanging device 7' is connected to two mounting member 4 by means of two connectors 6.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS : -

1. A towel support comprising a mounting member having holes formed therethrough for fastening said mounting member to a wall, said mounting member including a stem extending from a central portion thereof, said stem including an outer end portIon terminating in a distal end remote from said mounting member, said outer end portion having a tapered outer surface thereof tapering from a smaller outer dimension to a larger outer dimension in a direction toward sald distal end, a cover plate covering said mounting member and including an opening formed therethrough, said stem extending through said opening, spring means surrounding said stern and engaging said mounting member and said cover plate to urge said mounting member and said cover plate apart, a connector having a first hole formed therein receiving said outer end portion of the stem, said connector includIng a second hole intersecting said first hole and being threaded, a threded bolt received in said second hole and including an innter end for engaging the tapered outer surface on the outer end portion of said stem to retain said outer end portion of the stem within said first hole in the connector, and a hanging device supported by said connector for supporting a towel.

2. A towel support according to claim 1, wherein said first hole in said connector is substantially complementary in configuration to the outer surface on the outer end portion of the stem.

3. A towel support according to claim 1, wherein said tapered outer surface is substantially frusto conical in configuration.

4. A towel support according to claim 3, wherein in said holes formed in said mounting member are elongated to facilitate alignment with cooperating holes.

5. A towel support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6; or Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings.