WO1996013191A1

WO1996013191A1 - Systems and means for quickly suspending objects of everyday use made of non-ferromagnetic materials, such as cloth, plastic and the like, by insertion of ferromagnetic bodies or of magnets

Info

Publication number: WO1996013191A1
Application number: PCT/IT1995/000047
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carlo Cimabella
Original assignee: Carlo Cimabella
Priority date: 1994-10-27
Filing date: 1995-04-05
Publication date: 1996-05-09
Also published as: ITMI942197A0; IT1271701B; ITMI942197A1; AU2113695A

Abstract

System and means for quiclky and easily hanging up, on supports, strips (30) and the like mounted on vertical surfaces and provided with permanent magnets (40), objects of everyday use made of cloth, plastic, wood and other materials, there being inserted in said objects, especially pot holders (10) for kitchen use, ferromagnetic bodies such as small chains (21) and the like placed inside a channel formed of a tape sewn round the outer edge of said pot holders (10).

Description

SYSTEMS AND MEANS FOR QUICKLY SUSPENDING OBJECTS OF EVERYDAY USE MADE OF NON-FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS, SUCH AS CLOTH, PLASTIC AND THE LIKE, BY INSERTION OF FERRO¬ MAGNETIC BODIES OR OF MAGNETS The invention concerns systems and means for hanging up objects generally.

It is a common necessity, or at any rate advantageous, to be able to hang up objects of frequent use such as kitchen utensils, workshop tools, hand towels or pot holders, both for general orderliness and also to avoid occupying space on shelves, work tops, furniture gener¬ ally, as well as to keep such objects handy. Making use of wall space can obviously be done by means of shelves, recesses, bags, wall supports of different kinds utilizing various means for hanging.

If the objects concerned contain holes, cavities or the like they are usually suspended by means of hooks in the walls or on the furniture either directly or by supports that pass through the holes or into the cavities. If the objects have no holes they can be hung by loops, eyeholes, strings and the like.

Kitchen cloths, for example, can be given loops of tape. Some very commonly needed objects such as kitchen pot holders often have neither holes nor loops so that they usually have to lie on shelves of some kind. In the case of objects made of ferromagnetic material, wall mounted supports fitted with permanent magnets pro¬ vide an advantageous solution. In this case it is quick and easy to hang them up by simply placing the object close to the support. The magnet attracts it and keeps it adhering to the wall

Detachment is similarly quick and easy it being merely necessary to pull the object off with sufficient force to overcome magnetic attraction between the magnet and the ferromagnetic object itself.

It is not so easy however to hang up everyday objects not made ferromagnetic material such as kitchen cloths, hand towels, rubber gloves, pot holders, these latter being pieces of padded material, square or round, used to pick up any hot receptacle. Problems arise, however, over here to keep them as they should be quickly avail¬ able close at hand and no effort be needed to detach them or pick them up. The above invention solves this problem as will be ex¬ plained below.

Subject of the invention is a system for quickly and easily hanging up objects in common use made of materials such as cloth, plastic, wood and others but not ferromagnetic. To these objects means must be applied that will react to the effect of a magnetic field towards supports placed on the walls or on the furniture, these supports also being provided with means for reacting to the effects of a magnetic field. By bringing such objects close to such supports the respective magnetic fields create mutual attraction sufficient to hold the object to the support .

The means of magnetic attraction are ferromagnetic bodies placed in the objects, and permanent magnets placed in the supports, or else they are ferromagnetic bodies placed in the supports and permanent magnets placed in the objects.

Advantageously the means of magnetic attraction may be placed inside the objects to be hung up and inside the supports, flush with the surfaces of said objects and of said supports or a short distance from said surfaces. The means of magnetic attraction can be in solid or in powder form as considered most suitable. The means in the form of solids are sunk inside the plastic material of objects made of that material; if said means are in powder form, the powder is mixed with the plastic material.

The system here concerned is found to be highly advan¬ tageous in the case of the pot holders mentioned above. In one execution the means used to react to the effect of a magnetic body is a chain of ferromagnetic material inserted inside the pot holder where a channel is made to receive it created by a tape sewn all round the edge of the pot holder. The system described is likewise advantageous for hanging up kitchen cloths, hand towels and similar objects of everyday use. The means for reacting to the effect of a magnetic body may be a chain, warp or weft threads, or any others usually contained in ferromagnetic material.

These components may be inserted close to an edge or elsewhere according to shapes, sizes or preferences.

In this way hanging these objects up fully spread out be¬ comes easy without loss of time, as happens with presently known owel-hanging arrangements and the like. The support mounted on walls or sides of furniture is best if formed of a strip-shaped piece of non-ferromagnet ic material containing a longitudinal channel open at one of the longitudinal sides.

On one of the broader faces of this strip one or more holes are made and these pass through to the above channel. Small blocks made of permanent magnets are fitted into these holes, their thickness being subs antially equal to the depth of said holes.

A thin plate of ferromagnetic material is inserted into the channe1. The permanent magnets placed in the holes are therefore held stably in position by mutual attraction between them and said plate.

In a preferred type the holes and permanent magnets are cy^¬ lindrical . The invention offers evident advantages.

Hanging everyday objects to walls or to other vertical sur¬ faces is equally possible whether such objects are made of cloth, plastic, wood or any other non-ferromagnetic material. Use of many objects such as pot holders, drying-up cloths and others required daily in the kitchen is greatly faci¬ litated to the benefit of the user. Particularly pot holders, so vitally necessary at critical moments during the preparation of food, are now made quickly and easily available at the right time without occupying needed space when out of use.

Kitchen cloths and hand towels can also be made ir-ime- diately available; when suspended on the invented device they remain extended for rapid drying and better hygiene. Characteristics and purposes of the invention will become still clearer from the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatically drawn figures. Fig.1 Kitchen pot holder subject of the invention hung up on a wall support that contains ferromagnetic inserts. Fig.2 Detail of the support with magnetic inserts. Fig.3 Detail of the pot holder. The pot holder 10 is made of a quilted piece 11 of material, meaning by this that it is criss-crossed with stitching 18 executed on two pieces of cloth 12 and 13 one laid over the other, with a layer of padding 14 between them. Said pieces of cloth are sewn together and reinforced at the surrounding edges by a tape 15 folded longi udinally and held in place by a seam 16.

Inside the channel 20, formed between the longitudinal fold of the tape and the edges of the quilted piece, a chain 21 of ferromagnetic material is placed. The strip of wood or plastic 30 contains a longitudinal channel 31 inside which is placed a metal plate 32; on the front face 33 of the strip 30 are cylindrical holes 34 that penetrate through as far as the channel 31. Inside said holes cylindrical magnetic blocks 40 are in^¬ serted their thickness being substantially equal to the depth of the holes 34.

Said magnetic blocks inserted in the holes are rendered stable by attraction exercised on them by the plate 32. As Fig. 1 clearly shows, all that is needed to hang up a pot holder 10 is to lay it against the strip 30, or even to throw it towards said strip.

Magnetic attraction of the blocks 40 is exercised towards the ferromagnetic chain 21 causing the pot holder to ad¬ here to said strip and therefore to the wall on which the strip is mounted, as shown in Fig. 1 referred to above

Claims

C l a i m s

1. System for quickly and easily hanging up objects ( 10) of everyday use made of non- ferromagnet ic materials like cloth, plastic, wood and others characterized in that the objects ( IO)contain suitable means (2!) for reacting to a magnetic field towards supports (30) placed on kitchen walls or on sides of furniture also equipped with suitable means (40) for reacting to magnetic fields so that by bringing together objects ( 10) and supports (30), the magnetic fields will create sufficient mutual attraction to suspend the object ( 10) stably to the support (30).

2. System as in claim 1 characterized in that magnetic attraction is produced by fer¬ romagnetic bodies (21) put inside the objects ( 10) and perma- nent magnets (40) incorporated in the supports (30).

3. System as in claim 1 characterized in that magnetic attraction is produced by fer- fomagnetic bodies in the supports and permanent magnets in the bodies.

4. System as in claim 1 characterized in that the means of magnetic attraction are placed flush with the surface of the object ( 10) or of the sup^¬ port (30) at a short distance from said surface.

5. System as in claim 1 characterized in that the means of magnetic attraction consist of solid bodies (21,40) or of powdered material.

6. System as in claim 5, chara terized in that, for objects made of plastic, the solid bodies (21,40) are submerged in the plastic but if the magnetic material is powdered it can be mixed into all or part of the plastic.

7. System as in claim 1 characterized in that the objects ( 10) are pot holders for use in the kitchen.

8. System as in claims 1 and 7, characterized in that the suitable means for reacting to the effect of a magnetic body is a small chain (21) of ferromagnetic material inserted in said pot holders ( 10).

9. System as in claims 1 and 7 characterized in that the suitable means for reacting to the effect of a magnetic body is a small chain (21) of ferromagnetic material inserted in the channel (20) formed by a tape ( 15) sewn round the outer edge of the pot holder ( 10).

10. System as in claim 1, characterized in that the support mounted on the kitchen wall or vertical sides of furniture therein is formed of a strip (30) or similarly shaped piece of non- ferromagnetic material in which there is a longitudinal channel (31) open at one of the longitudinal sides and one or more pre¬ ferably aligned holes (34) made in one of the broader sur^¬ faces (33) of said strip (30), said holes passing through as far as the channel (31) and into which holes (34) small blocks (40) are inserted, said blocks consisting of perman- ent magnets whose thickness is substantially equal to the depth of the holdes (34), there being inserted inside the channel (31) a thin plate (32) of ferromagnetic material so that the permanent magnets (40) placed in the holes (34) will be held stable by mutual magnetic attraction between said blocks (40) and said thin plate (32).

11. System as in claim 10, characterized in that the holes (34) are cylindrical.

12. System as in claim 1, characterized in that the objects are drying-up towels, hand towels and the like.

13. System as in claims 1 and 12 - 9 -

characterized in that the suitable means for reacting to the effect of a magnetic field is a small chain (21), weft or warp threads, inserts generally of ferromagnetic material applied close to an edge of the objects ( 10) or elsewhere on it according to the shapes and sizes of the objects ( 10) and to preferences.

14. Means (21,30,32,40) for quickly and easily hanging up objects ( 10) in everyday use made of non-ferromagnetic ma¬ terial such as cloth, plastic, wood and others as described in claims numbers from 1 to 13.