- Hills Hoist
The Hills Hoist is an Australian version of the rotary
clothes line , the distinguishing feature of which is a crown and pinion winding mechanism allowing the clothesline to be lowered and raised. The hoist mechanism was devised byAdelaide inventor Lance Hill in 1945 and remains a common backyard sight inAustralia andNew Zealand . It is considered one of Australia's most recognisable icons, and is used frequently by artists as a metaphor for Australiansuburbia in the 1950s and '60s. [http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_in_time/Transcripts/s785953.htm George Negus on ABC] Transcript from 17/2/03]Previous Designs
The rotary clothes line itself had been invented as early as 1855 with diagrams published in
Scientific American that year. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/rewind/txt/s1179331.htm Rewind(ABC TV): Who invented the Hills Hoist?] Broadcast 22/8/04] An American hoist, holder of US patent 434921 of26 August 1890 , is the earliest known patent for a ‘rotary clothes line’. A slightly different looking model was offered for sale in America by an American firm, the Hill Dryer Company, and was also advertised for sale in 1914. Despite its similar name, this American company had no connection with the Australian Hills company.Fact|date=February 2007The Adelaide ironfounders and blacksmiths company A. C. Harley also advertised an ‘Improved Rotary and Tilting Clothes Drying Rack’ in the Sun Foundry Illustrated Catalogue in 1914.
History
Lance Hill created the Hills Hoist in his backyard in 1945, after returning from World War II. His wife apparently wanted an inexpensive replacement to the line and prop she had for drying clothes. [ [http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blhillshoist.htm Hills Hoist - Inventor Lance Hill] Accessed 18/1/07]
Hill developed a crown and pinion mechanism attached to the traditional rotary clothesline, and sought a patent for his design. His brother-in-law Harold Ling assisted in starting
Hills Industries to market the Hoist. [http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23318/20020131/www.hills.com.au/html/story2.html The Hills Story] Pandora.com, Accessed 18/1/07] Ling had returned from the war and could not re-adapt to his old job and approached Hill to see if he had work available. Ling and Hill became partners in1946 . Alf Hill, who was Lance Hill's father, provided the start up capital for the business. Production began, in 1946, at a Blacksmith's facility on Glen Osmond Road not far from the Hill's Bevington road home.Hill's initial patent application lapsed but a second application for the crown and pinion winding mechanism was awarded in 1956. [ [http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/ex_hoist.shtml IP Australia: Patent Example] Accessed 18/1/07] [http://www.dinkumaussies.com/INVENTION%2FLance%20Hill.htm INVENTION - Lance Hill] Accessed 18/1/07]
Features
Key benefits of a Hills Hoist over the old rotary design include the opportunity to raise or lower the height and in some cases fold up and remove the entire structure when required. The crown and pinion mechanism also provided greater load-bearing capacity, enabling the drying of a greater volume of washing.Fact|date=June 2008
References
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