MOUNTING STRUCTURE FOR RETAINING A MESH LAUNDRY BAG OPEN

Abstract

An angle bracket whose longer leg is secured to a sidewall of a drawer and whose shorter leg extends outward away from a drawer surface. An elastic liner or a mesh laundry bag is placed against the longer leg. When a pair of such angle brackets are secured to the sidewall and another pair to an opposite sidewall, the liner may press against the longer leg of each of the longer legs such as adjacent the respective bend, or a distal portion of a mesh liner's many apertures which, once protruded by a tab, may exert a force on the underside of the tab. Such s force is translated to an inward-facing force by the tab, in effect locking or preventing the method liner from collapsing. In that manner, the liner or laundry bag is retained and can be filled with soiled laundry within the drawer.

Claims

1. A device suited to retain a mesh bag in an open condition, comprising retaining means for retaining open a mouth of a laundry bag having a mesh material, the retaining means including a mounting structure that includes angle brackets each having two legs of different lengths and a bend between; wherein the angle brackets are secured to respective ones of opposite sidewalls spaced apart from each other, the angle brackets each having two legs of different lengths and a bend between, one of the two legs being secured to an associated one of the opposite sidewalls and a remaining one of the two legs protruding beyond an edge of the associated one of the opposite sidewalls, wherein placement of the mouth of the laundry bag around the remaining one of the two legs of each of the angle brackets results in the mouth of the laundry bag being in an open condition, and wherein a weight force of laundry within confines of the laundry bag causes the laundry bag to exert a commensurate in magnitude pulling force on the mouth, which in turn causes the mouth to press against the angle brackets, resulting in the mouth being retained in the open condition.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the two legs include a longer leg and a shorter leg, the longer leg has at least one aperture.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the longer leg includes a formation that has a contour of a stem of a fastener that is inserted into the one of the sidewalls.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising: a front wall and a rear wall each spaced apart from each other and extending between the opposite sidewalls, wherein the angle brackets include two pairs of angle brackets, one pair of the angle brackets being closer to the front wall than is a remaining pair of the angle brackets to the rear wall.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the angle brackets include two pairs of angle brackets, the angle brackets of one of the two pairs being in alignment with each other across the container from the two opposite sidewalls, a remaining one of the two pairs of angle brackets also being in alignment with each other across the container from the two opposite sidewalls.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the opposite sidewalls are part of a drawer in a piece of furniture.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the opposite sidewalls are part of an open container fitted into a stand.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the sidewalls are part of a wire container, the angle brackets and associated ones of the opposite sidewalls being welded to each other.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the angle brackets have plugs for plugging same into the opposite sidewalls.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein fasteners are in position fastening the angle brackets to the opposite sidewalls.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the bend defines a right angle.

12. A device suited to retain a mesh bag in an open condition, comprising a laundry bag having a mouth and a mesh material; a mounting structure that includes angle brackets each having two legs of different lengths and a bend between, wherein the angle brackets are secured to respective ones of opposite sidewalls spaced apart from each other, one of the two legs being secured to an associated one of the opposite sidewalls and a remaining one of the two legs protruding beyond an edge of the associated one of the opposite sidewalls, wherein placement of a mouth of the laundry bag around the remaining one of the two legs of each of the angle brackets results in the mouth of the laundry bag being in an open condition, and wherein a weight force of laundry within confines of the laundry bag causes the laundry bag to exert a commensurate in magnitude pulling force on the mouth, which in turn causes the mouth to press against the angle brackets, resulting in the mouth being retained in the open condition.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the two legs include a longer leg and a shorter leg, the longer leg has at least one aperture.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the longer leg includes a formation that has a contour of a stem of a fastener that is inserted into the one of the sidewalls.

15. The device of claim 12, further comprising: a front wall and a rear wall each spaced apart from each other and extending between the opposite sidewalls, wherein the angle brackets include two pairs of angle brackets, one pair of the angle brackets being closer to the front wall than is a remaining pair of the angle brackets to the rear wall.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the angle brackets include two pairs of angle brackets, the angle brackets of one of the two pairs being in alignment with each other across the container from the two opposite sidewalls, a remaining one of the two pairs of angle brackets also being in alignment with each other across the container from the two opposite sidewalls.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the opposite sidewalls are part of a drawer in a piece of furniture.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the opposite sidewalls are part of an open container fitted into a stand.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the sidewalls are part of a wire container, the angle brackets and associated ones of the opposite sidewalls being welded to each other.

20. The device of claim 12, wherein the angle brackets are plugged into the opposite sidewalls, the opposite sidewalls having complementary configurations into which the angle brackets are plugged.

21. The device of claim 12, wherein hardware screws the angle brackets into the opposite sidewalls.

22. The device of claim 12, wherein the bend defines a right angle.

23. The device of claim 12, wherein the mouth presses against the bend.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying figures, which are included as part of the present specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below serve to explain and teach the principles described herein.

[0012] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an exterior of a conventional drawer having, in according with the invention, two L-shaped angle brackets secured to one of the two sidewalls of the drawer and, in accordance with the invention, of a mesh bag being retained by one of the L-shaped angle brackets prior to having the mesh bag retained by additional L-shaped angle brackets secured to the opposite sidewall.

[0013] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an interior of the drawer of FIG. 1 that shows the two L-shaped angle brackets secured to the interior facing side of the sidewall of the drawer with screws.

[0014] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the L-shaped angle bracket of FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a top view of the L-shaped angle bracket of FIG. 3.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a left-side view of the L-shaped angle bracket of FIG. 3 and that is symmetric to the right-side view thereof.

[0017] FIG. 6 is an end view of the L-shaped angle bracket of FIG. 3 as viewed from the right of FIG. 3.

[0018] FIGS. 7 and 8 are isometric views showing the L-shaped angle bracket of FIG. 3 welded to wire containers that differ in construction from each other.

[0019] FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the L-shaped angle bracket of FIG. 3 equipped with means for plugging it into a container.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a top elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

[0022] Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The present disclosure should not be understood to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments.

[0024] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a drawer 10 that may be considered the same or analogous to the drawer shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 14 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/990,199 and the drawer of FIGS. 4 and 5 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/731,244. In each case, the drawer retains a mesh laundry bag 20 open within the drawer by retaining the mouth 22 of the mesh laundry bag 20 to L-shaped angle brackets 30, which are secured to the sidewalls 12 of the drawer 10. The present invention in effect replaces the S-shaped flanges from those patent applications with L-shaped angle brackets 30 and does away with the need for apertures in the sidewall to accommodate placement therein of the S-shaped flanges.

[0025] One pair of the L-shaped angle brackets 30 (or flanges) is secured to one sidewall 12 of the drawer 10 and another pair of L-shaped angle brackets 30 are secured to the opposite sidewall 12 of the drawer 10. One L-shaped angle bracket 30 from each pair is located in close proximity to the front wall 14 of the drawer 10. The remaining pair of the L-shaped angle brackets 30 are secured to the respective sidewall 12 closer to the rear wall 16 of the drawer 10 at roughly one third the length of the sidewall 12 away from the rear wall 16. The drawer 10 is of conventional construction and assembly using conventional hardware to retain the two sidewalls 12 to the front wall 14 and to the rear wall 16. The securement of the angle brackets 30 to the drawer 10 may be via screws with nuts, plugs, welds, nails, rivets, etc. The purpose for the fastener is to supply a counterforce to the mesh liner or mesh laundry bag. In addition, it may be more common for manufacturing purposes to have voids in injection molded pieces into which would be fitted the fastener hardware. The plug versions may be made from injection molded plastics or die cast metal.

[0026] The mesh laundry bag 20 is fitted onto each of the L-shaped angle brackets 30 by positioning portions of the liner at the mouth 22 of the laundry bag 20 under the shorter leg 32 of the L-shape angle brackets 30. As to how far above the edge of the top edge of the drawer or container should the square tab extend to ensure retention of the mesh bag, the thickness of the mesh liner is a factor, but for many common residential and commercial intents and purposes: approximately or 3 mm clearance from the top of the drawer side to the bottom surface of the protrusion accommodates most users' dexterity. For example: if the user grips and locks any of the top 3 inches of the perimeter of the open mesh liner, or the top approximately 10 rows of mesh liner apertures, or approximately 1 finger's distance: approximately 10 diameters of mesh liner material may then be easily protruded and then tucked neatly, without undue force to either tuck, or untuck, from between the protrusion's bottom surface and the top of the drawer side.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 4-7, each L-shaped angle bracket 30 has a shorter leg 32 and a longer leg 34 between which is a right-angle bend 36. The longer leg 34 has two formations 38 to facilitate securing the L-shaped angle brackets 30 to the sidewalls 12. Each formation 38 may be an aperture as shown that can accommodate a fastener 40 whose stem 42 Is inserted through the aperture and into the sidewall 12 and whose head 44 is too large to fit in the aperture. Alternatively, the formation may have a contour of a stem of a fastener and thus eliminate the need for the separate fastener 40. Preferably, the liner is sized to stretch slightly when positioned to wrap around the longer leg 34 of the L-shaped angle bracket 30 adjacent the right-angle bend 36 and under the shorter leg 32. The shorter leg 32 extends over an edge of a respective one of the sidewalls 12 so as to define a gap 50 between, The mouth 22 of the laundry bag is fitted into the gap 50 and may exert a force on the L-shaped angle bracket 30 or more commonly, a distal portion of a mesh liner's many apertures that once protruded by a tab, may exert a force on the underside of the ta. Such an exerted force is then effectively translated to an inward-facing force by the tab, effectively locking or preventing the mesh liner from collapsing.

[0028] The mouth 22 of the laundry bag 20 is wrapped around each of the L-shaped angle brackets 30, which are spaced apart from each other. The mouth is sized preferable to exert the force on the L-shaped angle brackets 30 as the laundry bag gets dirty laundry placed inside, which helps retain the mouth 22 in place against the L-shaped angle brackets 30. The mesh laundry bag 20 is removed by pulling the mouth 22 outward enough to clear the longer leg 34 as the mouth 22 is moved upward and away and, once clear, the mouth 22 is closed on itself such as with a pull string or elastomeric closure if provided.

[0029] While the edges may be rounded over or be an external fillet or be radiused, the top and bottom edge of the L-shaped angle bracket ideally have the smallest radius necessary to prevent unnecessary chafing (thus maximizing available grip). These radii may be accomplished by simply tumbling those edge. The fastener may be a conventional threaded screw having a threaded stem that tapers at one end and has a head at the other end in which is a recess shaped to accommodate insertion of a tip of a tool such as a screwdriver.

[0030] While the drawings show the longer leg of the L-shaped angle bracket attached to the inside facing surface of the drawer so that the shorter leg extends over the top edge of the sidewall of the drawer and continues outward slightly beyond the outer facing surface of the sidewall, the longer leg could be attached to the outside facing surface of the drawer instead with the shorter leg shortened by the width of the sidewall but still directed outward in the same orientation.

[0031] The present invention therefore includes a non-tined (squared tab) protrusion in manners including, but not limited to being: [0032] 1. welded to a wire container such as a basket tray 50 (FIG. 7) or wire drawer 52 (FIG. 8). [0033] 2. plugged into a container with plugs 60 (FIGS. 9-11). The opposite sidewalls of a conventional drawer may have openings that accommodate retention of the plugs 50. [0034] 3. screwed into a container (the L-shaped bracket with fasteners such screws (FIG. 2). The opposite sidewalls of the drawer may have openings configured to accommodate retention of the stems of the screws such as a threaded opening where the stem of the screws are threaded in a complementary manner.

[0035] The longer legs of the L-shaped brackets may be secured either to the inside facing sides of the sidewalls or to the exterior facing sides of the sidewalls. If the former, the shorter legs of the L-shaped brackets extend over the top of the applicable sidewall preferably extending more than a thickness of that sidewall so that its edge is past the exterior facing side of that sidewall. If the latter, the shorter legs extend in a direction outward away from the sidewalls. Either way, the mouth of the mesh laundry bag will press against either the short leg, the bend or a portion of the longer leg adjacent the bend or any two or all three of those surfaces.

[0036] While the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.