GARMENT HANGER

Abstract

A garment hanger includes a garment support structure having first and second arms arranged for supporting the opposed shoulders of a garment. These two arms are rigid and in a fixed relation to each other. A hook member is included and configured for suspending the hanger from a support structure, and a means or structure is provided for coupling the hook member to the garment support structure enabling both the first and second arms to rotate in substantially a same plane about a generally horizontal pivot axis.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) to U.S. provisional Application Ser. No. 61/435,156, filed on Jan. 21, 2011, and which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to garment hangers, and more particularly, to a garment hanger having arms that pivot about a pivot axis point on the hanger hook/neck.

BACKGROUND

Most common garment (or clothes) hangers are constructed of plastic material. The plastic material, as well as the process for manufacturing, is relatively inexpensive. However, the arms and hook/neck are rigid and usually rigidly affixed together. Other hangers are generally more expensive because of the material (e.g., wood, metal, etc.) used or because they include additional functionality (e.g., folding, foldable arms, use for special garments, collapsible, etc.).

The common relatively inexpensive plastic hanger has at least one drawback—when a user pulls a garment from the hanger, the hanger can break. This is especially problematic for smaller hangers used mainly for children's garments, as they tend to be smaller and more prone to breaking. In addition, due to their height size and lack of experience with hangers, children and toddlers often pull downward (from below) on the garment while the hanger remains on the rod while attempting to remove the garment. Many times, due to the rigidity of the arms, as the garment is pulled (usually at one side) downward one arm of the hanger rotates downward and the other arm rotates upward. At the same time, the garment usually gets caught to the smaller neck area and the child tends to pull harder on garment. As a result of this force, the hanger arm(s) or neck may break.

Accordingly, there is needed a relatively inexpensive (material and manufacture) garment hanger that resists such forces and reduces the likelihood of breakage.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a garment hanger including a garment support structure having first and second elongated arms arranged for supporting the opposed shoulders of a garment. The first and second arms are configured in a rigid and fixed relation to each other, and each of the first and second elongated arms having an outer end spaced apart relative to one another. The hanger includes a hook member configured for suspending the hanger from a support structure. The hanger further includes a structure for coupling the hook member to the garment support structure and for enabling both the first and second arms to rotate in substantially a same plane about a generally horizontal pivot axis.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description that follows. Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the concept and the specific embodiment(s) disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same or similar purposes of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention in its broadest form.

Before undertaking the Detailed Description below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior uses, as well as future uses, of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers designate like objects, and in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate front and side views of a garment hanger in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a more detailed and exploded view of one embodiment of a coupling means shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate two different positions of the hanger arms as they are rotated counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively;

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a pivot pin for coupling hanger arms to the hook/neck member; and

FIGS. 6-12 illustrate different embodiments of the coupling mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-12 and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit its scope. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles described herein may be implemented with any type of suitably arranged device and/or devices.

To simplify the drawings, reference numerals from previous drawings may sometimes not be repeated for structures that have already been identified.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there are shown a front view and a side view, respectively, of garment hanger 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The hanger 100 includes a garment support structure 102 having two elongated arms 104, 106. Each of the arms 104, 106 are adapted for supporting a different shoulder of a garment (e.g., shirt, T-shirt, dress, sweater, and the like). In one embodiment, the arms 104, 106 are about equal in length to each other in the hanger 100, though they may be of different lengths.

Each of the arms 104, 106 includes an outer end 114, 116, respectively. In the embodiment illustrated, each of the arms 104, 106 extends generally downwardly relative to the other arm, and the outer ends 114, 116 are interconnected to by an elongated lower cross member 120. Such interconnections are, preferably, integrally formed and curved in order to avoid catching or snagging any portion of a garment. In another embodiment (not shown), the cross member 120 may be omitted.

The arm 104 and the arm 106 of the garment support structure 102 are structured or configured to be in a fixed relation with respect to each other. In other words, not only are the arms 104, 106 in a fixed relation, the outer end 114 and the outer end 116 are also in a fixed relation to each other. In other words, the arms 104 and 106 are adapted or structured such that they do not fold or move relative to each other. This may be accomplished by constructing the garment support structure 102 of a single unitary piece of material (e.g., plastic, wood, metal) or rigidly attaching or securing multiple structures together

The hanger 100 includes a hook 130 for supporting the hanger 100 from a closet rod 132 or other similar structure (shown in dashed outline in FIG. 1). The hanger 100 further includes a hanger neck 134 coupled to the hook 130. The neck 134 is generally a smoothly arcuate structure which terminates at a coupling end 140. A coupling means 140 provides a coupling mechanism (or function) that allows or enables the garment support structure 102 to pivot in relation to the hook 130 (and neck 134) and about a pivot axis 150. The pivot axis 150 extends in the horizontal direction (into and out of the drawing page in FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the two arms 104, 106 rotate in a circular direction about the pivot axis 150. As will be understood, the extent of rotation will generally be limited by the dimensions and configuration of the arms 104, 106 and the hook 130/neck 134.

As will be described in more detail set forth below, the coupling means 140 may include a portion of the hook 130/neck 134, a portion of the garment support structure, one or more additional structures, or a combination of any of these.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 (and illustrated in more detail in FIG. 3), the coupling means 140 includes a pivot pin 150 that secures an end portion 152 of the hook 130/neck 134 to the garment support structure 102. The end portion 152 (e.g., female portion) has a shape similar to a fork, and includes two spaced apart downwardly extending portions 154, with each portion 154 including an aperture 156 (for receiving the pivot pin 150). A portion 158 (e.g. male portion) of the garment support structure 102 also includes an aperture 159 (for receiving the pivot pin 150). In this embodiment, the pivot pin 150 may have a structure similar to a rivet, axle, kotter pin or the like.

In this particular embodiment, the coupling mechanism includes at least the pivot pin 150, and may further be considered to include the two spaced apart downwardly extending portions 154 and the portion 158 of the structure 102. Various other coupling mechanisms 140 may be utilized as desired, so long as each provides the desired function of allowing the ends 104, 106 to rotate relative to the hook 130/neck 134 and about an axis point. It will be understood that persons of ordinary skill in the art can readily identify coupling mechanism 140 that may be utilized.

Now turning to FIGS. 4A and 4B, there are shown front views illustrating rotational movement of the ends 104, 106 of garment support structure 102 of the hanger 100 of FIG. 1.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the pivot pin 150 may be a push-in pin or fastener, in which the pin 150 is squeezed for insertion through the apertures 156 and aperture 159, and once inserted, the pin 150 expands to lock into place. This type of pin may be constructed of any suitable material, such as plastic (e.g., nylon). Advantages of using this type of coupling mechanism include smaller packaging and shipping convenience, since the garment support structure 102 and the hook 130/neck 134 structure can be packaged, shipped and/or purchased separately from each other. Using this type of pin or fastener, a user can easily assemble the two main hanger portions (102 and 130/134) into a fully assembled garment hanger 100.

Another embodiment of the coupling mechanism 140 is shown in FIG. 6. This is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, except the male/female portions are reversed—as shown.

Turning to FIG. 7, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the coupling mechanism 140. The forked configuration has been deleted and the two portions 102 and 130/134 are simply positioned adjacent to one another and interconnected about the pivot point, as shown. This may be accomplished using the pivot pin 150, or some similar structure such as a snap pin or rivet. The ends of the hook member/neck 130/134 and the support structure 102 may be suitably structured or configured to enable a rotational pivot point, as described earlier. In this embodiment, the 102 structure is considered as the “female” portion. As will be appreciated, and though not shown, the embodiment in FIG. 7 may be reversed, such that the structure 102 may be alternatively configured to be considered as the “male” portion.

Now turning to FIG. 8, there is shown is shown another embodiment of the coupling mechanism 140. Instead of having differently configured ends (i.e., male and female), each of the end portions have an aperture and a pivot pin (snap pin or rivet, etc.) is disposed therebetween to connect them.

Now turning to FIG. 9, there is illustrated another embodiment of the coupling mechanism 140. The portion 130/134 includes a ball-shaped portion 900 while the structure 102 is structured with a receiving portion 902 having an opening therein for receiving the portion 900. The dimensions of the structures are sized to allow the portion 902 to “snap” into the opening of the portion 902. One connected, the amount of force necessary to remove the portion 900 is substantial. In addition, and though not shown, the end receiving portion 902 may be configured or structured to deform or allow relatively easy insertion of the ball-shaped portion 900 into the receiving portion 902. Shapes other than the shape of a round ball may be utilized, as appropriate. In addition, once inserted, the structure 102 may pivot (rotate and twist) about a pivot point in all directions. This may be beneficial in some applications. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the coupling mechanism includes members 904 that restrict movement of the structure 102 relative to the hook/neck 130/134. In one embodiment, the structure 102 is prevented from rotating about the hook/neck 130/134. In another embodiment, the structure is restricted such that it is only allowed to move about the pivot axis in a single plane—that plane being illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Different structure(s) or member(s) may be utilized as part of the structure 102, the hook/neck 130/134 or both, to provide this functionality.

Now turning to FIG. 10, this embodiment is similar to the one described in FIG. 9, however the structure 120 includes the ball-shaped portion 900 (or similar structure) and the hook/neck 130/134 includes the receiving portion 902. This embodiment may also include other structures or members such as 904, etc. to restrict movement as described above.

Now turning to FIG. 11, there is illustrated another embodiment (two views) of the coupling mechanism 140. The portion 130/134 includes a receiving portion 1100 which receives a ball-shaped portion 1102. The receiving portion 1110 is hook-shaped, as illustrated, and includes two prongs or forks (as shown). The dimensions of the structures are sized to allow the portion 1102 to rest within the “hook” of the portion 1102. Shapes other than the shape of a round ball may be utilized, as appropriate. In addition, once inserted, the structure 102 might pivot (rotate and twist) about a pivot point in all directions. This may be beneficial in some applications. In another embodiment, the coupling mechanism includes additional structures or members 904 (not shown) that will restrict movement of the structure 102 relative to the hook/neck 130/134. In one embodiment, the structure 102 will only be allowed to move about the pivot axis in a single plane—that plane being illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Different structure(s) or member(s) may be utilized as part of the structure 102, the hook/neck 130/134 or both, to provide this functionality.

Now turning to FIG. 12, there is illustrated another embodiment (two figures) of the coupling mechanism 140. The portion 130/134 includes a receiving portion 1200 which receives a pin-shaped portion 1202. The receiving portion 1200 includes two downwardly extending portions with inner surfaces. The inner surfaces include protrusions or ridges 1204 for contacting or mating with corresponding indentations or valleys 1206 in the pin-shaped portion 1202 of the structure 102. The protrusions 1204 and indentations 1206 will be configured to “snap” together when the two portions are aligned and pushed together. Once snapped in place, a substantial force may be required for removal. Thus, the receiving portion 1200 will beneficially be configured or structured to deform to some degree with force is applied for insertion of the pin-shaped portion 1202. Once inserted, removal will likely require a substantial amount of additional force. The shape of the protrusions 1204 and the indentions 1206 (and the portions 1200, 1202) will restrict movement of the structure 102 relative to the hook/neck 130/134. In one embodiment, the structure 102 will only be allowed to move about the pivot point (becoming a pivot axis) in a single plane—that plane being illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Different structure(s) or member(s) may be utilized as part of the structure 102, the hook/neck 130/134 or both, to provide this functionality.

As will be appreciated with respect to the embodiment in FIG. 12, the protrusions 1204 and indentations 1206 may be switched—that is, the portion 1200 may include the indentions 1206 while the portion 1202 may include the protrusions 1204. Similarly, the female/male configuration may be switched—that is, the portion 1200 may be the “male” (having the pin-shape) and the portion 1202 may be the “female” (having the receiving portion).

In any of the foregoing embodiments, it may be desirable for the structure 102 (with the arms 104, 106) to be relatively stationary under ambient conditions. That is, at rest (without any force), the hanger 100 will be in the ambient condition as shown in FIG. 1. To prevent any unwanted pivoting movement due to a relative light force applied (i.e., moving the hanger with or without a garment, or a steady state with a garment), the surface(s) of the coupling mechanism 140 may include a coating or material that causes a low amount of friction which results in the structure 102 not pivoting under normal conditions (no substantial force applied to a garment thereon or to the structure 102). In addition, the dimensions of the members in the coupling mechanism 140 may be selected such that a low amount of friction is present under normal conditions.

The hanger 100 is typically, formed of a rod-shaped material but is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the two hanger portions are formed of any suitable material known to those skilled in the art, and the same material or different material may be used for the two hanger portions. In one embodiment, the material is plastic material.

Each of the hanger embodiments described herein can be constructed of various conventional materials using various conventional construction methods. For example, the hanger can be comprised of molded or preformed plastic with a tubular or rod cross section. The hanger 100 can be formed using, for example, preformed plastic rodding, plastic extrusions, plastic coated wire, plastic tubing, metal tubing, mixtures thereof or the like, as desired.

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A garment hanger comprising:

a garment support structure having first and second elongated arms arranged for supporting the opposed shoulders of a garment, the first and second arms in a rigid and fixed relation to each other, each of the first and second elongated arms having an outer end spaced apart relative to one another;

a hook member configured for suspending the hanger from a support structure; and

means for coupling the hook member to the garment support structure and for enabling both the first and second arms to rotate in substantially a same plane about a generally horizontal pivot axis.