| CPC A47F 7/06 (2013.01) [A47F 5/05 (2013.01); A47F 5/06 (2013.01)] | 12 Claims |
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12. A collapsible headwear storage assembly for storing a plurality of articles of headwear which is collapsible for storage, said assembly comprising:
a base positionable on a horizontal support surface, said base having a bottom side and a top side and a perimeter edge extending between said top side and said bottom side, said perimeter edge being continuously arcuate about a center of said base such that said base has a circular shape, said top side having an angled portion sloping upwardly from said perimeter edge and a planar portion being oriented parallel to said bottom side, said planar portion being centrally located having said angled portion surrounding said planar portion;
a pole being coupled to and extending upwardly from said base such that said pole is vertically oriented when said base is positioned on the horizontal support surface, said pole comprising an upper half which slidably receives a lower half such that said pole has a telescopically adjustable length, said pole having a bottom end being coupled to said top side of planar portion of said top side of said base, said bottom end being associated with said lower half, said pole having a top end being associated with said upper half, said pole including a lock being movably integrated into said lower half, said lock releasably engaging said upper half when said upper half is urged into an extended position for retaining said pole at a maximum length, said lock being urgeable to disengage said upper half to facilitate said upper half to be lowered onto said lower half for positioning said pole at a minimum length for storage;
a plurality of cups, each of said plurality of cups being slidably disposed on said upper half of said pole, each of said plurality of cups having an incrementally increasing diameter between a bottom one of said plurality of cups and a top one of said plurality of cups, said plurality of cups being arrangeable into a deployed position having said plurality of cups being distributed along a substantial length of said upper half of said pole, said plurality of cups being arrangeable into a collapsed position having each of said plurality of cups being stored within said top one of said plurality of cups, each of said plurality of cups having an upper wall and an outer wall extending downwardly from said upper wall, said outer wall of each of said plurality of cups having a lower edge defining an opening into a respective cup, said upper wall of each of said plurality of cups having a hole extending through said upper wall having said upper half of said pole extending through said hole in said upper wall of each of said plurality of cups, each of said plurality of cups having a plurality of engagement holes each extending through said outer wall, said plurality of engagement holes in said outer wall being evenly spaced apart from each other and being distributed around a full circumference of said outer wall, each of said plurality of engagement holes being positioned closer to said upper wall than said lower edge of said outer wall;
a plurality of bearings, each of said plurality of bearings being attached to said interior surface of said outer wall of a respective one of said plurality of cups, each of said plurality bearings being continuously arcuate such that each of said plurality of bearings forms a closed ring thereby facilitating each of said plurality of bearings to conform to curvature of said interior surface of said outer wall, each of said plurality of bearings engaging said outer surface of said outer wall of a respective one of said plurality of cups thereby facilitating said plurality of cups to be rotatable about a respective one of said cups, each of said plurality of bearings being aligned with said lower edge of said outer wall of said respective cup;
a plurality of holding units, each of said plurality of holding units being removably attachable to a respective one of said plurality of cups when said plurality of cups is positioned in said deployed position wherein each of said plurality of holding units is configured to support an article of headwear, each of said holding units comprising:
an arm having a first end and a second end, said arm having a bend being centrally located between said first end and said second end to define a first portion of said arm forming an angle with a second portion of said arm;
a plate having a front surface being attached to said second end of said arm, said second end of said arm being insertable into a respective one of said plurality of engagement holes in said outer wall of a respective one of said cups such that said plate fills said respective engagement hole having an exterior edge of said plate conforming to a bounding edge of said respective engagement hole;
a foot being coupled to a back surface of said plate such that said foot extends upwardly beyond said plate, said foot abutting said interior surface of said outer wall of said respective cup when said second end of said arm is inserted into said respective engagement hole for retaining said second portion of said arm along a horizontal axis having said first portion of said arm extending downwardly from said second portion;
a panel having an upper surface and a perimeter edge which has a back side being concavely arcuate with respect to a front side of said perimeter edge of said panel such that said panel has a semicircular shape, said second end of said arm being coupled to said upper surface of said panel at a point located adjacent to said back side, said second end of said arm being centrally located along said back side, said panel being oriented to lie on a horizontal plane when said arm is secured in said respective engagement hole wherein said upper surface of said plate is configured to have the article of headwear being positioned on top of said upper surface, said panel having a slide well extending through said front side of said perimeter edge of said panel into an interior of said panel, said slide well being centrally located along said front side;
a member being slidably inserted into said slide well in said front side of said perimeter edge of said panel; and
a grip having a first section forming an angle with a second section, a forward surface of said first section being attached to an exposed end of said member such that said second section of said grip is spaced upwardly from said member and is oriented to lie on a plane being oriented parallel to said member, said member being positionable in a deployed position having said grip being spaced from said front side of said perimeter edge of said panel wherein said second section of said grip is configured to have a brim of the article of headwear being positioned between said second section and said member for securing the article of headwear on said panel, said member being positionable in a stored position having said first section lying against said front side of said perimeter edge of said panel; and
a hook having a lowermost end being coupled to and extending upwardly from said top end of said pole wherein said hook is configured to be engaged to a support for suspending said pole from the support, said hook having an uppermost end, said hook being curved between said lowermost end and said uppermost end such that said uppermost end is directed downwardly toward said lowermost end.
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