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Portable article support apparatus

Portable article support apparatus description/claims

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/043,466 filed Jan. 25, 2005, entitled Portable Article Support Apparatus.

This invention relates generally to apparatuses used to support household goods. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a portable article support apparatus, an example of which includes a portable article support apparatus for supporting a hand towel.

Article support apparatuses for household goods such as towels rings, towel bars, garment hooks, and toilet paper holders are typically fixed-in-place within a home, business, or recreational vehicle. To make household goods more accessible, people are known to drape towels over oven door handles, refrigerator handles, door handles on cabinetry doors below sinks, and drawer handles; or to place toilet paper on a shelf just inside a cabinet door, or on countertop adjacent the toilet, for example, because the fixed position toilet paper roll support apparatus is beyond a child's reach.

Generally speaking, it would be desirable for individuals to determine at will a preferred location for article support apparatuses for household goods, and the ability to alter at will their preferred location of those article support apparatuses in response to changing desires and needs for placement for household goods by the individual. For example, during times of illness it may be desirable to place a towel or a roll of toilet paper conveniently positioned and easily accessible adjacent the patient's bed, while leaving the top of the night stand for medicines, fluids, and facial tissue. As such, challenges remain and a need persists for improvements in devices and methods for conveniently and adaptively positioning and repositioning article support apparatuses for household goods in response to an individual's changing desires and needs.

The present invention preferably provides an apparatus with first and second leaf spring portions extending from a bridge portion, the second leaf spring portion preferably providing an article support mounting aperture for attachment of an article support by means for attaching said article support, and means for securing the article support to the second leaf spring portion. In a preferred embodiment, the article support is a towel ring, the means for attaching the towel ring to the second leaf spring portion includes a shaft extending from a distal end of a post, and a retention groove formed at a distal end of the shaft. The means for securing the shaft to the second leaf spring portion preferably includes a compression spring enclosing the shaft and interposed between a raised support region of the second leaf spring portion and a distal end of the post, and a fastener affixed to the retention groove.

The preferred embodiment further includes an article support confinement aperture provided at a proximal end of the post; and an article support motion bushing interposed between the article support confinement aperture and the towel ring. The article support motion bushing preferably provides a reduced friction surface for the towel ring to move relative to the post, the first and second leaf spring portions are preferably non-contactingly adjacent one another. The means for securing to the second leaf spring portion the means for attaching the towel ring to the second leaf spring portion preferentially includes, at least a raised support region adjacent the article support mounting aperture and a fastener affixed to the retention groove.

The preferred embodiment still further includes an escutcheon providing a compression spring retention aperture, the escutcheon is positioned adjacent the raised support region, interposed between the second leaf spring portion and the means for attaching the towel ring to the second leaf spring portion, and confines the compression spring within the compression spring retention aperture. The bridge, the first and second leaf spring portions each include at least an internal surface and an external surface, and in which the apparatus further comprises an interface surface material including at least an internal surface and an external surface. Preferably, the external surface of the interface surface material is secured to the internal surface of each: the bridge, the first and second leaf spring portions, and the internal surface of the interface surface material preferably mitigates abrasion of a surface interacting with the internal surface of the interface surface material, such as a door front of cabinetry.

These and various other features and advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings.

FIG. 1 provides an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present inventive portable article support apparatuses.

FIG. 2 provides a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the inventive portable article support apparatuses of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 provides an exploded perspective view of an alternate preferred embodiment of the present inventive portable article support apparatuses.

FIG. 4 provides a side elevational view of a bridge portion with first and second spring leaf portions extending therefrom of the alternate preferred embodiment of the present inventive portable article support apparatuses of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 provides an exploded perspective view of another alternate preferred embodiment of the present inventive portable article support apparatuses.

FIG. 6 provides a perspective view of the another alternate preferred embodiment of the inventive portable article support apparatuses of FIG. 5.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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