Drying assembly

Abstract

A drying assembly for mounting to a wall, the assembly comprising: (a) an elongate mounting member; (b) an elongate support member hingeably coupled to an upper end of the mounting member for disposition between a storage position in which the mounting member and the support member are aligned parallel and an open position in which the support member extends outwardly from the mounting member to provide a continuous length for supporting clothes; and (c) a brace that is operable to retain the members in the open position; and wherein the support member has a profile that defines a volume that conceals the brace and the mounting member in the storage position and that includes a reinforcing web enabling connections with the brace and the mounting member to be concealed.

1 . A drying assembly for mounting to a wall, the assembly comprising:
 (a) an elongate mounting member;   (b) an elongate support member hingeable coupled to an upper end of the mounting member for disposition between a storage position in which the mounting member and the support member are aligned parallel and an open position in which the support member extends outwardly from the mounting member to provide a continuous length for supporting clothes; and   (c) a brace that is operable to retain the members in the open position; and   wherein the support member has a profile that defines a volume that conceals the brace and the mounting member in the storage position and that includes a reinforcing web enabling connections with the brace and the mounting member to be concealed.   
     
     
         2 . The drying assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate support member is the only visible component when the drying assembly is disposed in the storage position. 
     
     
         3 . The drying assembly of  claim 1  or  claim 2 , wherein the mounting member and/or the support member comprises an internal reinforcing web such that the member has a closed box-section and an open U section. 
     
     
         4 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the brace is extendable. 
     
     
         5 . The drying assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the brace is rigidly affixed to the support member and the mounting member. 
     
     
         6 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the brace is releasably locked in the fully extended position. 
     
     
         7 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims where the mounting member and the support member are of substantially the same length. 
     
     
         8 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims further comprising at least one supplementary support member. 
     
     
         9 . The drying assembly of any  claim 8 , wherein the at least one supplementary support member is extendable. 
     
     
         10 . The drying assembly of  claim 8  or  claim 9 , wherein the at least one supplementary support member is rotatably mounted to the drying assembly and is configured to be stored within the mounting member. 
     
     
         11 . The drying assembly of any one of  claims 8  to  10 , further comprising a stabiliser to stabilise the at least one supplementary support member. 
     
     
         12 . The drying assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the stabiliser comprises a link for transferring load on the at least one supplementary support member to the support member or the mounting member, whereby to support the load on the or each supplementary support member. 
     
     
         13 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims further comprising a connector permanently affixed to the support member and configured to temporarily connect a first drying assembly to a second, adjacent drying assembly such that together the two connected assemblies provide a structure that is more resistant to lateral loads than a sinle assembly. 
     
     
         14 . The drying assembly of  claim 13  wherein the connector is rotatably affixed to, and configured to be stored within, the support member and rotates from the within the support member to enable a connection with the support member of the second drying assembly. 
     
     
         15 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member comprises a plurality of apertures for supporting additional crying means. 
     
     
         16 . The drying assembly of any one of e preceding claim configured to be mounted to a vertical substrate. 
     
     
         17 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims having an overall shape according to any one of the following profiles: rectangular, square, circular, ovoid, star, and triangular. 
     
     
         18 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member and the mounting member are made from a material select from the following group: plastic, timber, metals, carbon fibre, graphite fibre and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims further comprising a source of illumination. 
     
     
         20 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member comprises an elongate shroud, the shroud having a plurality of apertures therein. 
     
     
         21 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member includes a heat source or is configured to receive conditioned fluid from a source such that heat from the heat source or the conditioned fluid facilitates drying of items disposed on the support member. 
     
     
         22 . The drying assembly of any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member is extendable.