JP7793204B2 - Magnetically attachable rack - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a rack that can be magnetically attached to a magnetic wall, such as in a bathroom.

In recent years, with the spread of modular bathrooms that use magnetic steel plates for bathroom walls, many bathroom racks for placing shampoo bottles and other items have been proposed that can be magnetically attached to the bathroom wall using rubber magnets (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-129935 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-129933

The greatest advantage of these magnetic racks is that they can be easily attached and detached from magnetic walls such as bathroom walls, but if the magnetic force is too strong, they can be difficult to remove from the magnetic wall when rearranging or removing, and if you try to remove them forcibly, the rubber magnet may come off the rack itself. Conversely, if the magnetic force is weak, the rack itself may fall off the bathroom wall due to the weight of pumping a shampoo bottle, etc.

As such, magnetically attachable racks have been left with a fundamental problem: it is difficult to optimize the magnetic force in order to achieve the conflicting objectives of supporting items and making them easy to remove.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a rack that will not fall off the magnetic wall even when a load greater than the magnetic force is applied.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention uses an L-shaped rack body with a shelf protruding from the front of a back panel with a magnet on the back surface, and a pair of side panels on both the left and right sides of the rack body. The side panels are triangular in side view with a hypotenuse between the back panel and the shelf. Both the front and back sides of the shelf are used as placement surfaces for items, and the shelf is inclined with a drainage gradient and has drainage holes that penetrate both the front and back at the top and bottom of the drainage gradient. This allows for a choice between using the back panel facing upward or downward.

This method allows items to be placed on both the front and back of the shelf in two different modes: one with the back panel facing upward, and the other with the back panel facing downward after being flipped 180 degrees from this mode. In the latter, flipped mode, the downward-facing side panels can be inserted from above into a towel hanger already installed on the magnetic wall and magnetically attached. Therefore, even if a load greater than the magnetic force is applied to the shelf, such as the force of pumping a shampoo bottle, the side panels will interfere with the towel hanger, preventing the rack from falling off. Furthermore, in this flipped mode, even if the wall on which the towel hanger is installed is not magnetic and the rack cannot be magnetically attached, it can still be inserted into the towel hanger and used.

In addition, the shelf portion is inclined with a drainage gradient, and drainage holes are provided at both the top and bottom of the drainage gradient, penetrating both the front and back. This allows liquids such as hot water and shampoo that accumulate on the shelf portion to be quickly drained through the drainage holes. This prevents the shelf portion from becoming slimy and makes cleaning easy. Furthermore, with this method, since the shelf portion is inclined overall, the direction of the slope will be reversed if the unit is turned upside down, but because the drainage gradient is the same, drainage is guaranteed in either configuration.

Furthermore, by providing multiple protruding ribs with the same horizontal top surface on both the front and back sides of the shelf in the inclined direction of the shelf, and using the spaces between the ribs as drainage channels that connect to the drainage holes, the shelf has a drainage slope, but the multiple ribs form a flat surface, allowing items to be placed horizontally.

Furthermore, by providing a low wall section around the shelf section that is continuous with the back and side panels in the circumferential direction and surrounds both the front and back sides of the shelf section, the low wall section forms a shallow pocket around the shelf section (particularly on the front side), preventing items from slipping off.

Furthermore, if the means for providing the bottom wall section is such that the oblique side of the side panel starts from the tip of the back panel and connects inward from the front end of the shelf, then in the inverted position described above, the bottom wall section that surrounds the front part of the shelf protruding from the side panel can be engaged with the towel hanger. At the same time, when engaged, the bottom wall section functions as a reinforcement for the forward protruding part of the shelf, preventing damage to the shelf.

Furthermore, a rectangular plate-shaped rubber magnet is embedded on the back of the back plate, protruding slightly from the back surface, and long strips of cushion rubber are embedded on each side of the rubber magnet, protruding slightly from the rubber magnet. This prevents the back plate (and its rear surface) from coming into direct contact with the magnetic wall during magnetic attachment, preventing damage to the magnetic wall surface and assisting magnetic attachment by preventing the rack from sliding downward due to frictional resistance from the cushion rubber.

This invention allows users to choose between two configurations: upside down and upside down. In one of these configurations, the rack can be prevented from falling off even when a load exceeding the magnetic force is applied.

1 is a perspective view of a rack according to an embodiment of the present invention; (a) front view, (b) plan view, (c) bottom view, (d) left side view, (e) right side view Same, rear view Cross section of line A-A Enlarged cross-sectional view of line B-B of the same FIG. The same, installation illustration showing another different usage mode FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the other use mode. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the other use mode.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 5 are a perspective view, a basic six-sided view, and a cross-sectional view of a rack according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 denotes a back panel, 2 denotes shelf panels, 3-3 denote side panels, and 4 denotes a bottom wall.

Back panel 1 is the part that magnetically attaches the rack to a magnetic wall such as a bathroom wall, and as shown in Figures 3 and 5, its back surface is embedded with a horizontally elongated rectangular rubber magnet 1a and long, vertically extending, strip-shaped cushion rubbers 1b, 1b made of silicone rubber or similar material, on either side of rubber magnet 1a. Here, rubber magnet 1a is embedded so that it protrudes slightly from the back surface, as shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 5. In contrast, cushion rubber 1b is embedded so that it protrudes even further than rubber magnet 1a, as shown in Figures 2(d) and (e).

The shelf 2, where items are placed, protrudes forward from one end of the front of the back panel 1. The shelf 2 and back panel 3 form an L-shaped rack body. As shown in Figure 5, the shelf 2 slopes from the front toward the back panel 1, creating a drainage gradient. At the top and bottom of this drainage gradient, horizontal drainage holes 2a and 2b are provided in the left-right direction, as can be seen in Figures 2(b) and 2(c). Furthermore, multiple protruding ribs 2c are provided on both the front and back of the shelf 2, extending in the direction of the slope of the shelf 2. These ribs 2c are the portions of the shelf 2 where items are actually placed, and the top surfaces of the ribs 2c are all flush with each other, as can be seen in Figures 4 and 5. Therefore, although the shelf 2 itself is sloped, the ribs 2c allow items to be placed horizontally. Furthermore, the grooves 2d between the ribs 2c function as drainage channels, connecting to the drainage holes 2a and 2b.

The side panels 3 are triangular walls located on both sides of the L-shaped rack body, which consists of the back panel 1 and the shelf panel 2. When the back panel 1 is facing upward, as shown in Figure 6, they prevent items G from falling from the left and right sides of the shelf panel 2. On the other hand, when the back panel 1 is facing downward, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the side panels 3 can be inserted like a wedge from above into an existing towel hanger TH, which consists of a rod suspended between a pair of left and right fixing parts protruding from the wall surface, and magnetically attached to it. As shown in Figure 9, even if a load exceeding the magnetic force of the back panel 1 is applied when pumping a shampoo bottle SB placed on the shelf panel 2, the oblique side 3a of the side panels 3 interferes with the towel hanger TH, preventing the rack from tipping forward and falling off the magnetic wall. However, the usage mode shown in Figure 9 allows the rack to be installed along the wall by inserting it into the towel hanger TH, regardless of whether the wall is magnetic or not, and items can be placed on it in the same way.

In this embodiment, the oblique side 3a of the side panel 3 is connected to the tip of the back panel 1, further inward than the front end of the shelf 2. In other words, the shelf 2 protrudes forward from the side panel 3, enlarging the item placement surface. A bottom wall 4 is provided on this protruding portion, surrounding both the front and back sides. In both usage modes shown in Figures 6 and 9, this bottom wall 4 forms a shallow pocket in the protruding portion of the shelf 2, preventing items from falling out. In the usage mode shown in Figure 9, it also functions as a locking portion for the towel hanger TH. The height of the bottom wall 4 can be determined within the range required to achieve these functions. However, in the usage mode shown in Figure 9, to obtain the interference effect of the oblique side 3a of the side panel 3 (preventing the rack from falling out), it is preferable to set the height to approximately one-third or less of the back panel 1. On the other hand, even if the bottom wall 4 is omitted from the protruding portion of the shelf 2, it is possible to directly attach the towel hanger TH to the protruding portion, but in that case, excessive force may cause the protruding portion of the shelf 2 to bend and break. In contrast, if the bottom wall 4 is provided around the protruding portion of the shelf 2, this bottom wall 2 acts as a reinforcement and can prevent damage to the shelf 2.

As described above, in this embodiment, items can be placed on the shelf 2 in both usage modes: with the back panel 1 facing upward, and with the back panel 1 facing downward. In the former usage mode (Figure 6), liquids such as hot and cold water that accumulate on the shelf 2 are drained from the drain groove 2d through the drain holes 2a and 2b according to the drain gradient at that time. That is, in Figure 6, the shelf 2 is tilted downward to the right, so liquid is drained from the drain hole 2a on the back panel 1 side. In Figure 9, the drain gradient is reversed, so liquid can be drained from the front drain hole 2b.

In the above embodiment, the shelf section 2 is inclined in the front-to-back direction, but it can also be in the left-to-right direction. In this case, the rib 2c should also be formed in the left-to-right direction, and the drainage holes 2a and 2b should be provided on both the left and right ends of the shelf section 2. Furthermore, since the rack in the above embodiment is a bathroom rack that is magnetically attached to the bathroom wall, it has a drainage function. However, when used in such a dry location, the shelf section 1 can be made horizontal, and the drainage holes 2a and 2b and rib 2c can be omitted.

The side panels 3, 3 may also be designed so that the shelf section 2 does not protrude by connecting the oblique side 3a to the leading edge of the back panel 1 and the front end of the shelf section 2. The angle of the oblique side 3 is not limited, but to more reliably prevent the rack from tipping forward in the usage mode shown in Figure 9, it is preferable to set the angle so that it can be inserted deeper into the towel hanger.

Furthermore, while a magnet is required on the back of the back panel 1, it does not necessarily have to be a rubber magnet 1a; as long as it has enough magnetic force to support an item in a stationary position, it does not need to have a magnetic force that exceeds the pumping force of a shampoo bottle. Furthermore, the cushion rubber 1b also has the advantage of providing a cushioning effect when magnetically attached and preventing the rack from slipping due to frictional resistance, but it can be omitted.

1 Back plate portion 1a Rubber magnet 1b Cushion rubber 2 Shelf plate portion 2a, 2b Drainage hole 2c Rib 2d Drainage groove 3, 3 Side plate portion 3a Oblique side portion 4 Bottom wall portion

Claims (4)

a pair of side panels provided on both the left and right sides of the rack body, the side panels being triangular in shape when viewed from the side with an oblique side between the back panel and the shelf panel, the front and back sides of the shelf panel being surfaces on which items can be placed, the front and back sides of the shelf panel being inclined with a drainage gradient and having drainage holes that penetrate the front and back at the top and bottom of the drainage gradient, a rectangular plate-shaped rubber magnet is embedded on the back of the back panel so as to protrude slightly from the back, and long strip-shaped cushion rubber is embedded on each side of the rubber magnet so as to protrude slightly beyond the rubber magnet, allowing the rack to be used in a manner that either the back panel is facing upward or downward. A rack as described in claim 1, in which multiple ribs with their top surfaces flush with the top horizontal plane are provided on both the front and back sides of the shelf portion along the inclined direction of the shelf portion, and the spaces between the ribs serve as drainage channels that connect to the drainage holes. A rack according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a low wall portion around the shelf portion, which is continuous with the back panel and side panel portions in the circumferential direction and surrounds both the front and back sides of the shelf portion. A rack as described in claim 3, wherein the oblique sides of the side panels are connected to the inside of the front end of the shelf panel, starting from the tip of the back panel.