HANGER WITH CLIP

Abstract

A hanger including an elongate clip with upper and lower legs configured to hold a textile article therebetween. The elongate clip has a closed end and an open end opposite the closed end. A closure is included on the open end so that the clip can be shut when the article is placed between the legs. A hook, extending upward from the upper leg and away from the lower leg, allows the hanger to be placed on a support structure, such as a rod. The hanger can be made of biodegradable material.

Description

FIELD

The present invention relates to hangers for textile articles.

BACKGROUND

Retailers frequently use hangers to store and display items that are for sale. Specifically, textile articles, such as linens and clothing, are often displayed in retail stores on hangers. The hanger provides an effective means of storing a group of textile articles compactly, while still allowing each individual article to be open or spread out so that it can be inspected by consumers. For example, a group of beach towels can be compactly displayed on a rack if each is held by a hanger. Each beach towel can be draped over the hanger such that the design of the towel is viewable and can be inspected thoroughly.

Although hangers provide a convenient means of storing and displaying textile articles, they are usually discarded once the article has been purchased. As a result, a large number of plastic and metal hangers cause an environmental impact by ending up in landfills each year. Conventional hangers take years to decompose, and thus crowd the landfills for long periods of time.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a hanger with a configuration that is compatible with biodegradable materials. In one embodiment, the hanger includes an elongate clip with upper and lower legs configured to hold a textile article therebetween. The elongate clip has a closed end and an open end opposite the closed end. A closure is included on the open end so that the clip can be shut when the article is placed between the legs. A hook, extending upward from the upper leg and away from the lower leg, allows the hanger to be placed on a support structure, such as a rod. In one embodiment, the hanger is made of biodegradable material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown and described in connection with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hanger in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hanger of FIG. 1 in use;

FIG. 3 is a detailed rear perspective view of a closure of the hanger of FIG. 1 in a closed position;

FIG. 4 is a detailed rear perspective view of the closure of the hanger of FIG. 1 in an open position;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the closure of FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the hanger of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the hanger of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a detailed top view of the hanger of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The hanger 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a hook 4 extending upward from the main body of the hanger, which is in the form of a clip 6. The clip 6 includes two substantially parallel legs 8, 10 that are attached at their respective first ends 12, 14 by a joint 16. At their respective opposite second ends 18, 20, the legs include corresponding portions 22, 24 of a closure 26. The closure can be opened, as shown in FIG. 1, or the two portions 22 and 24 can be engaged so that an enclosed holding area 28 is formed between the upper and lower legs. The clip is specifically configured so that a textile article 2 can be held in the holding area between the upper and lower legs, as shown in FIG. 2. The textile article is not limited and can include towels and clothing articles, such as a pair of pants, or linens, such as sheets. A towel will be described as the textile article in the exemplary embodiment set forth in the following. The hanger is used to hold the textile article on a support structure, such as a rod, using the hook 4. The hook 4 extends up from the upper leg 8 in a direction opposite the lower leg 10 with the free end 30 of the hook pointing downward.

Detailed views of the closure 26 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 from the opposite side as FIG. 1 in closed and open positions, respectively. A cross-sectional view of the lower portion 22 of the closure 26 is shown in FIG. 5. As shown, the closure 26 is in the form of a latch and the lower portion 22 includes an engagement hook 32 that latches through an aperture 34 included on the upper portion 24 of the closure 26. To shut the closure 26, the engagement hook is passed through the aperture 34 so that an attachment surface 36 (shown in FIG. 5) of the engagement hook 32 rests on a support surface 36 (shown in FIG. 4) at the bottom of the aperture 34. Accordingly, the engagement hook 32 can be smaller than the size of the aperture 34 so that the hook 32 can be easily passed through the aperture 34. Once the closure is shut, any weight born by the lower leg 8 as a result of the towel resting thereon is translated through the closure 26 to the upper leg 10. As a result, both the upper and lower legs of the hanger 2 help support the towel.

The engagement hook 32 helps ensure that the upper and lower portions of the closure 26 are securely attached. When the closure is shut, the free end 40 of the engagement hook 32 is held on the opposite side of the aperture 34 as the lower leg 8 of the clip 6 extending down below the support surface 38. As a result, the free end 40 of the engagement hook 32 acts as a catch preventing the closure 26 from opening. The weight of any article that is resting on the lower leg 8 helps secure the closure in a shut position by pushing the lower leg 8 and the engagement hook 32 down onto the support surface 38 of the aperture 34.

The hanger 2 of the present invention can be molded as a single piece. Accordingly, production of the hanger can be straightforward and relatively inexpensive. Moreover, the hanger can be molded from a light inexpensive material, such as plastic. Advantageously, the hanger can be molded from biodegradable plastic. For example, the hanger can be molded from biodegradable resin, such as a starch based resin (e.g., available from Cereplast). This type of material is able to biodegrade substantially more quickly than conventional plastics. Subsequently, a product made from this type of materials can have a much lower negative impact on the environment. The biodegradability of this material is based, in part, on its thickness. The material degrades from the outside surfaces inward, and thus, the time required for a product to decompose depends on its thickness. For example, if a 3 mm thick starch based resin will fully biodegrade within about 90 days, only those portions of a product made from this resin will biodegrade within those 90 days. The European standard EN 13432 requires biodegradation of 90 percent of a product within 90 days in order to be labeled compostable. Thus, in order to take advantage of the biodegradability of starch resins, as much of the hanger as possible should be thin, preferably less than 3 mm thick. However, the thickness of a material contributes to its strength and a conventional hanger design with conventional members only 3 mm thick would not be strong enough to support a textile article, such as a towel. Therefore, the hanger shown in FIG. 1 has a unique configuration allowing it to maintain an adequate strength to support a heavy textile article, such as a towel, while having most of the material be no greater than 3mm thick.

As shown in FIG. 6, much of the hanger 1 is in the form of a support beam 42 which allows the material of the hanger to be thin, while maintaining the necessary strength to hold a towel 2 between the two legs 8, 10. The support beam includes two flanges 44, 46 linked by connectors 48 to form of a plurality of truss structures. To reduce the amount of material used, the two flanges may be of different widths. In the illustrated embodiment, the flange on the outside of the clip is a thicker flange 44, while the flange on the inside of the clip is a comparatively thinner flange 46. The trussing formed by the connectors 48 add structural support to the hanger such that the support beam 42 is significantly stronger than each of the flanges 44, 46 individually. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, most of the connectors 48 are disposed in a crisscross pattern forming a continuous support beam 42 of alternating triangular truss structures. However, because of the small radius of curvature of the joint 16, the connectors 48 in the region of the joint 16 are all angled inward thereby forming a number of triangular truss structures pointed in the same direction, toward the inside of the joint 16.

The hanger 1 shown in the drawings is specifically designed to avoid excess material so that the hanger can decompose within a short period of time if it is made of a biodegradable material. For example, most of the hanger has a thickness of about 3 mm or less. Specifically, all of the portions of the support beam (i.e. the thicker flange 44, thinner flange 46 and connectors 48) have a thickness of about 3 mm or less at all or substantially all points. Accordingly, these portions of the hanger will biodegrade relatively quickly. The openings 50 within the truss structures also help increase the biodegradability of the hanger by increasing its surface area and likewise reducing thickness. Other similar openings are included throughout the body of the hanger 1. The aperture 34 of the upper portion 24 of the closure 26 includes a recessed area 52 surrounded by a support wall 54, as shown in FIG. 4. Similarly, another recessed area 56 is provided in the lower portion of the closure 22 behind the engagement hook 32. The recessed area 56 is also surrounded by a support wall 58, as shown in FIG. 1. The engagement hook 32 itself has a recessed portion 60 that reduces its thickness, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The support beam 42 runs along most of the hanger including the hook 4, a substantial portion of the upper leg 10, the joint 16 and the lower leg 8. There are two substantially continuous support beam sections that make up nearly all of the hanger 1. The first substantially continuous support beam section 62 includes a portion of the upper leg 10 and the hook 4. The thicker flange 44 runs along the entire length of the support beam from the upper portion 24 of the closure 26 to the free end 30 of the hook. The thicker flange 44 of continuous support beam section 62 makes up the top side of upper leg 10 and the inside of the hook 4. The second continuous support beam section 64 includes a portion of the upper leg 10, the joint 16 and the lower leg 8. Both the thicker and thinner flanges 44, 46 run along the entire length of the second continuous support beam section 64. The two support beam sections 62, 64 are connected at a junction 66 below the hook 4. The junction 66 attaches an end of the second support beam section 64 to the middle of the first support beam section 62. The increased surface area included in the junction 66 can provide an area for a logo or trade name to be included on the hanger, such as the leaf shown in the illustrated hanger 1.

The lower and upper legs 8, 10 of the clip 6 are substantially parallel and spaced apart to leave room within holding area 28 for a textile article. The space between the legs is provided at the first end of the clip by the joint 16. The joint 16 has a curved profile and holds the first end 12 of the lower leg 8 spaced apart in relation to the first end 14 of the upper leg 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the curved profile is substantially semi-circular. A space is also provided between the legs 8, 10 at the second end of the clip because the lower portion 22 of the closure extends up from the lower leg 8 and the upper portion 24 of the closure 24 extends down from the upper leg 10. Accordingly, when the closure 26 is in a closed position the second end 18 of the lower leg 8 is held in spaced apart relation to the second end 20 of the upper leg 10. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the shut closure 26 has a curved profile similar to the curved profile of the joint 16. As illustrated, the shut closure also has a substantially semi-circular profile.

As stated above, the weight of the textile article helps maintain the closure 26 in a shut position by pushing the attachment surface 36 of the engagement hook 32 down on to the support surface 38 of the aperture 34 of the upper portion 24 of the closure. Furthermore, the shape of the clip 6 itself can help maintain the closure in a shut position by having a spring force which biases the upper and lower portions of the closure away from one another. For example, the hanger 1 shown in FIG. 1 is in a relaxed position and the lower portion 22 of the closure is held at a distance from the upper portion 24. In order to shut the closure, a force must be exerted on the lower and upper legs 8, 10 to push the second ends 18, 20 of the legs together. Once the closure 26 is shut, the bias of the spring force pushes the attachment surface 36 of the engagement hook 32 down onto the support surface 38 of the aperture 34. The spring force can be provided by a slight curvature in the legs 8, 10 guiding the second ends 18, 20 of the legs away from each other. Both the lower leg 8 and upper leg 10 of the illustrated hanger have a slight curvature away from the opposite leg. As depicted in FIG. 6, the upper leg 10 curves up away from the lower leg 8, and the lower leg 10 curves down away from the upper leg 10. Alternatively, only one of the legs can be curved or the spring bias can be supplied by the joint 16 itself.

In addition to providing a spring bias, the curve of the lower leg 8 also helps hold the textile article 2 flat. Because the lower leg curves downward, when the clip 6 is closed, the center of the lower leg 8 is higher than the ends 12, 18. As a result, a force exerted on the center of the lower leg 8 by a hanging textile article will bend the lower leg toward a straightened position. In contrast, if the lower leg is straight, the force will cause the center of the lower leg 8 to sag.

As shown in FIG. 6, two projections 68, 70 are provided in the holding space 28 to secure the textile article within the clip 6. A lower projection 68 extends up from the inner flange of the lower leg 8 and an upper projection 70 extends down from the inner flange of the upper leg 10. The two projections 68 and 70 are coplanar such that they project toward one another. Both the lower and upper projections 68, 70 span a majority of the legs and are substantially centrally located on the legs 8, 10 of the clip. For additional security of the textile article, the projections can include teeth 72 thereon. The teeth 72 of the lower projection 68 extend up toward the upper projection 70, while the teeth of the upper projection 70 extend down toward the lower projection 68. In the shown embodiment, the teeth have a staggered position. The teeth 72 can be sized such that they adequately hold the textile article in place, but will not catch the fabric of the article. For example, the illustrated teeth may be sized to avoid catching the loops of a towel.

The hanger 1 shown in the drawings is substantially planar, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The hook 4 and the two legs 8, 10 of the clip all lie in a single plane. As a result, the two projections 68 and 70 can also easily be coplanar and effectively hold the textile article therebetween. However, the latching mechanism of the illustrated closure 26 operates by having one of the engagement hook 32 or the aperture 34 being offset from the other. To provide the offset between the engagement hook 32 and the aperture 34, the aperture 34 is provided on an offset segment 74 shown in FIG. 8. The offset segment includes most of the upper portion 24 of closure 26, including the recessed area 52 and support wall 54 shown in FIG. 4.

Although the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, many features may be varied, as will readily be apparent to those skilled in this art. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A hanger comprising:

an elongate clip including: an upper leg with a first end and a second end, a lower leg substantially parallel to the upper leg and including a first end and a second end,

a joint connecting the first end of the upper leg to the first end of the lower leg, a first portion of a closure disposed at the second portion of the closure disposed at the second end of the lower leg, the second portion of the closure being configured to engage the first portion of the closure so as to form an enclosed holding area between the upper and lower legs; and a hook extending up from the upper leg and away from the lower leg, wherein the elongate clip and the hook are formed as a single piece, and

wherein at least one of the upper and lower legs has a curved profile between the first and second ends.

2. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the single piece of the elongate clip and hook are made of biodegradable material.

3. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the first portion of the closure includes a upward facing support surface and the second portion of the closure includes a downward facing attachment surface configured to rest on the support surface when the closure is in a closed position.

4. The hanger as recited in claim 3, wherein the second portion of the closure is in the form of an engagement hook including the attachment surface, the engagement hook having a free end extending below the support surface when the closure is in a closed position.

5. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the joint has a first curved profile such that the first end of the upper leg is spaced apart from the first end of the lower leg.

6. The hanger as recited in claim 5, wherein: the first portion of the closure extends down from the upper leg,

the second portion of the closure extends up from the lower leg, and

the closure has a second curved profile when the closure is in the closed position, the second curved profile being similar to the first closed profile.

7. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the lower leg includes an upwardly extending projection and the upper leg includes a corresponding downwardly extending projection opposite the upwardly extending projection.

8. The hanger as recited in claim 7, wherein each of the upwardly and downwardly extending projections includes teeth extending toward the corresponding other projection.

9. The hanger as recited in claim 1, where each of the hook, upper leg and lower leg include a portion comprising a support beam, the support beam having a plurality of truss structures therein.

10. The hanger as recited in claim 9, wherein the support beam tapers from a thick side to a narrow side opposite the thick side.)

11. The hanger as recited in claim 9, wherein the hook and a portion of the upper leg are formed as a continuous support beam.

12. The hanger as recited in claim 9, wherein the lower leg, the joint and a portion of the upper leg are formed as a continuous support beam.