HANGING SEPARATOR TO BE USED FOR SEPARATING ARTICLES OF CLOTHING HANGING IN A CLOTHES CLOSET, AND A PLURALITY OF HANGING SEPARATORS FORMING A SYSTEM FOR SEPARATING ARTICLES OF CLOTHING HANGING IN A CLOTHES CLOSET

Abstract

A clothing separator is disclosed that can be readily hung upon a horizontally oriented clothing bar mounted within a clothes closet for separating articles of clothing hanging upon the clothing bar within the closet, or to be hung upon the clothing bar within the closet, or to be removed from the clothing bar of the closet, by facilitating the removal or insertion of the article of clothing from the clothing closet. The separator can be interposed between a pair of adjacent articles of clothing, or conversely, a single article of clothing can be interposed between a pair of adjacent separators. Furthermore, a multiplicity of separators can effectively define a separator system within the closet wherein a separator is interposed between each pair of adjacent articles of clothing, or conversely, each article of clothing is accommodated within a separate compartment or space defined between adjacent pairs of separators. Spacers are also fixedly secured to only one of the separators but are adapted to engage adjacent separators so as to define spaces between the separators for accommodating articles of clothing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/050,835 filed on Feb. 23, 2016, the priority date of which is hereby claimed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to clothing accessories, and more particularly to a clothing separator that can be readily hung upon a horizontally oriented clothing bar mounted within a clothes closet for separating articles of clothing hanging upon the clothing bar within the closet or to be hung upon the clothing bar within the closet or to be removed from the clothing bar of the closet. The separator effectively facilitates the ease in which articles of clothing may be removed from the clothing bar and from the closet, or deposited onto the clothing bar and into the closet, when it is desired to remove an article of clothing from the closet, or to insert an article of clothing into the closet. In this manner, the article of clothing can be readily removed from or hung upon the clothing bar of the closet with relative ease and without disturbing or encountering other articles of clothing within the closet which would otherwise inhibit the removal or insertion of the article of clothing from or onto the clothing bar when removing or inserting the article of clothing from or into the closet.

A separator can be interposed between a pair of adjacent articles of clothing, or conversely, a single article of clothing can be interposed between a pair of adjacent separators. Furthermore, a multiplicity of separators can effectively define a separator system within the closet wherein a separator is interposed between each pair of adjacent articles of clothing, or conversely, each article of clothing is accommodated within a separate compartment or space defined between adjacent pairs of separators. Still further, a plurality of separators can be disposed at particular locations within the closet so as to separate a plurality of articles of clothing, that is, a group of articles of clothing can be interposed between a pair of separators if spatial parameters within the clothing closet permit such usage. Tab members can be attached to the separators so as to facilitate manual separation of the separators with respect to each other when, for example, an article of clothing is to be removed from or inserted into the closet, or to identify particular articles or types of clothing. The tab members may be color-coded for facilitating, for example, types of clothing, such as, for example, shirts, suits, dresses, jackets, and the like. Still further, spacers may be attached to one of a pair of adjacent separators so as to effectively define the size of the space or compartment formed between the pair of adjacent separators so as to optimally accommodate particular articles of clothing, or alternatively, to facilitate the insertion of a person's hand between the separators so as to thereafter effectively separate the separators to a larger degree so as to again facilitate the insertion of clothing articles into that predetermined space within the clothes closet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When a clothes closet is full of clothes hanging in a suspended mode from a horizontally oriented clothing bar mounted within the closet, the individual articles of clothing are normally tightly compressed together with respect to each other. This disposition of the individual articles of clothing makes it difficult to either remove a particular article of clothing from the array of clothing disposed within the closet, or conversely, to insert a particular article of clothing into the closet and between two articles of clothing already hanging upon the clothing bar within the closet. For example, when it is desired to remove an article of clothing from the clothing bar and closet, one must first try to move those articles of clothing, disposed to the left or to the right of the article of clothing to be removed, to one side so as to effectively enlarge the space within which the article of clothing, that is desired to be removed from the closet, is disposed, so as to facilitate the removal of the particular article of clothing out from that space within the clothing array. When it is similarly desired to insert an article of clothing into the closet so as to in fact hang the particular article of clothing upon the clothing bar, the process is effectively the same, that is, articles of clothing must be moved toward the left or toward the right so as to effectively establish an enlarged space in order to facilitate the insertion of the article of clothing into the array of clothing already present within the closet. Furthermore, even when the enlarged space, for removing or inserting the article of clothing out from or into the closet, has effectively been established, the selected article of clothing will still engage the article of clothing to its immediate left or to its immediate right as considered within the array of clothing. This engagement with or interference between the articles of clothing also renders the removal or insertion process somewhat difficult. Still further, such engagement or interference during the clothing removal or insertion process, as well as when all of the articles of clothing are disposed in static hanging positions within the closet, can lead to undesirable creasing or wrinkling of the clothing garments.

A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved clothing separator that can be readily hung upon the horizontally oriented clothing bar that is mounted within the clothes closet, for separating individual articles of clothing, that are hanging upon the clothing bar within the closet, or to be hung upon the clothing bar within the closet, or to be removed from the clothing bar of the closet, so as to effectively facilitate the ease in which articles of clothing may be removed from the clothing bar and from the closet, or deposited onto the clothing bar and into the closet.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The overall objectives of the present invention is to provide a new and improved clothing separator that can be readily hung upon the horizontally oriented clothing bar that is mounted within the clothes closet, for separating individual articles of clothing hanging upon the clothing bar within the closet, or to be hung upon the clothing bar within the closet, or to be removed from the clothing bar of the closet, so as to effectively facilitate the ease in which articles of clothing may be removed from the clothing bar and from the closet, or deposited onto the clothing bar and into the closet. Alternatively, a plurality of separators may be utilized in pairs so as to separate individual articles of clothing by accommodating an individual article of clothing therebetween. Furthermore, pairs of separators may be utilized to separate a small number of articles, or a group of articles of clothing, from the remaining articles of clothing, or from other small numbers of articles of clothing, present within the closet, depending upon and to optimize spatial parameters. Still yet further, spacers may be mounted upon one of a pair of adjacent clothing separators so as to effectively engage the other one of the pair of adjacent clothing separators and thereby define a space, having a predetermined width, between the pair of adjacent separators such that articles of clothing can be readily inserted into or removed from such space, or alternatively, the space is sufficiently wide enough to permit one's hand to be readily inserted into the space so as to thereafter move one or both of the adjacent pair of separators apart from each other in opposite directions in order to easily enlarge the space so as to facilitate the insertion or removal of articles of clothing into or out from the space. The spacer may be oriented horizontally so as to extend depthwise from the front end of the clothes rack to the rear end of the clothes rack, or alternatively may be oriented vertically along or adjacent to a front edge portion of the separator so as to again simply define a space into which one's hand can be inserted in order to expand or enlarge the space into which articles of clothing are to be inserted. In either case, the spacer will have a predetermined lateral or horizontal width or extent, as considered parallel to the clothing rack within the closet, so as to define the desired space. The free end or edge portion of the spacer, not attached to the separator, will also have a relatively smooth geometrical contour so as not to present any sharp contours that might otherwise impede the insertion or withdrawal of articles of clothing into or out from the clothes closet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a new and improved clothing separator that is to be hung upon the horizontally oriented clothing bar of a clothes closet and interposed between two individual articles of clothing hanging upon the clothing bar. The separator is preferably fabricated from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), or a polycarbonate (PC), is preferably generally rectangular in configuration so as to have dimensions approximating two feet (2.00 ft) in depth, as considered as extending into the closet from the front of the clothing rack to the rear of the clothing rack, by three feet (3.00 ft) in height, such that the sides or major surfaces of the separator, disposed toward, facing, and in engagement with the articles of clothing disposed immediately adjacent to both sides or major surfaces of the separator, will effectively present relatively smooth and slippery surfaces toward the articles of clothing. Accordingly, when it is desired to remove a particular article of clothing from the closet, or to insert a particular article of clothing into the closet, the article of clothing will effectively move or slide along one of the smooth and slippery surfaces of the separator so as to be readily and easily removed from or hung upon the clothing bar of the closet with relative ease and without disturbing or encountering other articles of clothing within the closet which would otherwise inhibit the removal or insertion of the clothing article from or onto the clothing bar of the closet.

It is also envisioned that a plurality of separators be interposed between other individual articles of clothing such that each pair of separators, disposed immediately adjacent to each other, effectively define a pocket, recess, slot, or compartment within which a particular article of clothing can be readily and easily accommodated and inserted into, or removed from, the overall clothing array disposed within the closet, so as to be hung upon or removed from the clothing bar of the closet. Alternatively, in lieu of a pair of the plurality of separators being disposed immediately adjacent to each other so as to effectively define a pocket, recess, slot, or compartment effectively accommodating or separating a single or particular article of clothing from the remaining articles of clothing within the closet, a plurality or small group of articles of clothing may be separated from the remaining articles of clothing within the closet and confined or interposed between the two separators. In other words, it may not be necessary to separate each individual article of clothing from every other individual article of clothing, if spatial parameters within the closet permit, however, the overall objective of the invention may nevertheless be effectively achieved when two separators separate groups of, for example, two, three, or four articles of clothing from the rest of the array of clothing disposed within the clothes closet. Tab members can be attached to the separators so as to facilitate manual separation of the separators with respect to each other when, for example, an article of clothing is to be removed from or inserted into the closet, or to identify particular articles or types of clothing. The tabs may be color-coded as may be desired. Still further, spacers may be attached to adjacent pairs of separators so as to effectively define the size of the space or compartment formed between the pair of adjacent separators. In this manner, relatively smaller-sized compartments can be utilized to accommodate shirts and trousers, whereas larger-sized spaces or compartments can accommodate different types of dresses, such as gowns, or outer wear garments.

The spacers may be mounted upon one of a pair of adjacent clothing separators so as to effectively engage the other one of the pair of adjacent clothing separators and thereby define a space, having a predetermined width, between the pair of adjacent separators such that articles of clothing can be readily inserted into or removed from such space, or alternatively, the space is sufficiently wide enough to permit one's hand to be readily inserted into the space so as to thereafter move one or both of the adjacent pair of separators apart from each other in opposite directions in order to easily enlarge the space so as to facilitate the insertion or removal of articles of clothing into or out from the space. The spacer may be oriented horizontally so as to extend depthwise from the front end of the clothes rack to the rear end of the clothes rack, or alternatively may be oriented vertically along or adjacent to a front edge portion of the separator so as to again simply define a space into which one can insert his or her hand can be inserted in order to expand or enlarge the space into which articles of clothing are to be inserted. In either case, the spacer will have a predetermined lateral or horizontal width or extent, as considered parallel to the clothing rack within the closet, so as to define the desired space. The free end or edge portion of the spacer, not attached to the separator, will also have a relatively smooth geometrical contour so as not to present any sharp contours that might otherwise impede the insertion or withdrawal of articles of clothing into or out from the clothes closet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a new and improved clothing separator constructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention and adapted to be utilized by being hung from a horizontally oriented clothing bar disposed within a clothing closet so as to separate articles of clothing from each other in order to facilitate the removal or insertion of one of the articles of clothing from or into the clothing closet;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the separator, illustrated within FIG. 1, as disposed in a hanging mode from the horizontally oriented clothing bar disposed within the clothing closet;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a plurality of separators, as illustrated within FIGS. 1 and 2, as disposed in hanging modes from the horizontally oriented clothing bar disposed within the clothing closet such that each pair of adjacent separators defines a space or compartment within which at least one article of clothing can be accommodated;

FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a pair of separators, as illustrated within FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein a spacer is adapted to be fixedly connected to one of the pair of adjacent separators while engaging the other one of the pair of adjacent separators so as to effectively define the widthwise dimensional size of the space or compartment defined between the pair of separators whereby the particular size of the space or compartment can therefore accommodate different articles of clothing having, for example, different bulk dimensions;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view, similar to that of FIG. 4, wherein differently sized spacers and separators have been spatially connected together so as to in fact define differently sized spaces or compartments for accommodating the differently sized articles of clothing between adjacent separators;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the separator illustrated within FIG. 1 illustrating a horizontally disposed primary spacer fixedly disposed thereon and extending along the upper rear region of the separator;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the separator illustrated within FIG. 6 illustrating the primary spacer having a substantially triangular cross-sectional configuration and a width dimension D;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the separator illustrated within FIG. 6 illustrating the primary spacer having a substantially semi-circular cross-sectional configuration and a width dimension D;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the separator illustrated within FIG. 6 illustrating the primary spacer having a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional configuration and a width dimension D;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view, similar to that of FIG. 6, showing, however, the provision of an additional secondary spacer fixedly mounted upon a side surface portion of the separator body;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view, similar to that of FIG. 6, showing, however, the provision of a single, horizontally oriented spacer fixedly mounted upon a side surface portion of the separator body at a substantially midway portion between the upper and lower edge portions of the separator and extending substantially between the front and rear edge portions of the separator;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view, similar to that of FIG. 6, showing, however, the provision of a single, vertocally oriented spacer fixedly mounted upon a side surface portion of the separator body at a position adjacent to the front edge portion of the separator; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of a tab member that can be utilized in conjunction with any one of the hanging separators.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, a new and improved clothing separator, for separating articles of clothing within a clothing closet, is illustrated and is generally indicated by the reference character 100. More particularly, it is seen that the clothing separator 100 is seen to comprise a body member 102 having a substantially rectangular configuration with the oppositely disposed long side front and rear edge portions 104 thereof disposed vertically and the oppositely disposed short side upper and lower edge portions 106 thereof disposed horizontally. Alternatively, the separator can have a substantially square-shaped configuration. The separator is preferably fabricated from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), or a suitable polycarbonate (PC), and it is seen that a substantially C-shaped hook member 108 is integrally affixed to or formed with the upper edge portion 106 of the body member 102 so as to permit the clothing separator 100 to be suspendingly mounted upon a horizontally oriented clothing bar 110 as can best be seen, for example, within FIG. 2. As a result of being fabricated from the aforenoted thermoplastic materials, such as, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), or a suitable polycarbonate (PC), it can be readily appreciated that each side surface portion of the body member 102 of the separator 100 will effectively exhibit smooth and slippery surface characteristics. Accordingly, when a clothing separator 100 is suspendingly mounted upon the horizontally oriented clothing bar 110 within the clothes closet and interposed between two adjacent clothing articles such that each one of the two adjacent clothing articles is now disposed in contact or engagement with one of the oppositely disposed smooth and slippery side surface portions of the body member 102, the smooth and slippery side surface portions of the body member 102 of the clothing separator 100 will effectively permit either one of the two adjacent clothing articles to be removed from the clothing closet in a relatively easier manner, than would be the case if the clothing separator 100 was not disposed within the clothing closet and interposed, between the two articles of clothing, because each one of the clothing articles can be readily moved along a respective one of the oppositely disposed smooth and slippery side surface portion of the body member 102 of the clothing separator 100. It can therefore be further appreciated that when it is desired to remove a particular article of clothing from the closet, or to insert a particular article of clothing into the closet, the article of clothing will effectively move or slide along one of the smooth and slippery surface portions of the clothing separator 100 so as to be readily and easily removed from or hung upon the clothing bar 110 of the closet with relative ease and without disturbing or encountering other articles of clothing within the closet which would otherwise inhibit the removal or insertion of the clothing article from or onto the clothing bar of the closet, provided, of course, if other articles of clothing, adjacent to the article of clothing being removed from or inserted into the clothing closet, were, for example, moved slightly in a direction away from the clothing separator.

With reference now being made to FIG. 3, it is also envisioned that a plurality of clothing separators 100 can be disposed within the clothing closet so as to effectively form a clothing separator system which is generally indicated by the reference character 200. It is to be noted that component parts of the system 200 which correspond to component parts of separator 100 as disclosed within FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by similar reference characters except that they are in the 200 series. The particular number of clothing separators 100 comprising the clothing separator system 200 can vary, it being noted that, as an example, five clothing separators 100 are illustrated as comprising the system 200 as illustrated within FIG. 3. As a result of the formation of the clothing separator system 200 with a predetermined number of clothing separators 100 comprising the system 200, several options are available so as to achieve the various objectives of the present invention. In accordance with a first option, for example, the number of clothing separators 100 can be such that a clothing separator 100 is interposed between each pair of adjacent articles of clothing. In this manner, it will be readily appreciated that each pair of clothing separators 100, disposed immediately adjacent to each other, will effectively define a pocket, recess, slot, or compartment within which a particular article of clothing can be readily and easily accommodated and inserted into, or removed from, the overall clothing array disposed within the clothing closet, so as to be easily hung upon or removed from the clothing bar 110 of the closet. Alternatively, in lieu of a pair of the plurality of clothing separators 100 being disposed immediately adjacent to each other so as to effectively define a pocket, recess, slot, or compartment therebetween so as to effectively accommodate or separate a particular or single article of clothing from the remaining articles of clothing within the clothing closet, a second option comprising the clothing separator system 200 may comprise the disposition of a plurality or small group of articles of clothing confined or interposed between a pair of adjacent clothing separators 100 so as to separate such articles of clothing from the remaining articles of clothing within the clothing closet. In other words, it may not be necessary to separate each individual article of clothing from every other individual article of clothing, if spatial parameters within the closet permit, however, the overall objective of the invention may nevertheless be effectively achieved when two separators separate groups of, for example, two, three, or four articles of clothing from the rest of the array of clothing disposed within the clothes closet.

With reference now being made to FIGS. 4 and 5, and in accordance with additional structural features comprising the clothing separator system 200, as has been illustrated within FIG. 3, a first embodiment of a spacer 202, that may be interposed between a pair of adjacent clothing separators 100 and affixed to one of the separators 100 by means of suitable fasteners or pins 203 such that the pocket, recess, slot, or compartment, defined between an adjacent pair of clothing separators 100, can have a predetermined width dimension, is disclosed. In accordance with such objectives, it is seen, as illustrated within FIGS. 4 and 5, that the opposite edge portions of the spacer 202 simply engages corresponding portions of the other one of the pair of adjacent separators 100′ as seen in FIG. 4, whereas, as disclosed within FIG. 5, two different spacers 202,202′, can be respectively affixed to first and second clothing separators 100, 100′ such that the spaces 204,204′ respectively defined between clothing separators 100,100′, and 100′,100,″ have two differently sized width dimensions, space 204 having a smaller width dimension than that of space 204′.

In this manner, space 204 can easily accommodate, for example, a shirt or a pair of trousers, whereas space 204′ can easily accommodate, for example, a gown-type dress, a bulky outerwear coat or other outerwear garments, and the like. As can best be seen from FIG. 4, each one of the spacers 202,202′ effectively comprises a bracket having a substantially inverted L-shaped configuration with the vertically oriented long leg portion of the L-shaped spacer 202 being affixed to the vertically oriented rear edge portions 104 of the clothing separators 100, while the horizontally oriented short leg portion of the L-shaped spacer 202 is affixed to the horizontally oriented upper edge portions 106 of the clothing hangers 100. It is also noted that the horizontal extent of the horizontally oriented short leg portion of the L-shaped spacer 202 only extends, in the rear-to-front direction, from the rear edge portions 104,104′ up to the C-shaped hook members 108,108′. In this manner, the spacers do not interfere with the insertion of the article of clothing into the compartment or space 204,204′ or the hanging of the article of clothing upon the horizontally oriented clothing bar 210.

With reference now being made to FIG. 6, a second embodiment of a spacer, similar to the spacer 202 as illustrated within FIGS. 4 and 5, is disclosed at 302. More particularly, it can be seen from FIG. 6 that the spacer 302 comprises an elongated, horizontally oriented bar that is fixedly secured to one side surface portion of the body member 102 of the separator 100 and within an upper region of the body member 102 so as to be disposed somewhat adjacent to the upper edge portion 106 of the separator 100. The spacer 302 has a predetermined width dimension D, as can best be seen in FIG. 7, such that the spacer 302 projects away from the side surface portion of the body member 102 to which it is affixed. In this manner, when the spacer 302 engages an adjacent one of a pair of separators 100, in a manner similar to that seen in FIG. 5, the predetermined width D of the spacer 302 will effectively define a predetermined space, having the predetermined width dimension D, between the pair of separators 100,100′ so as to define a space into which an article of clothing can be easily and readily inserted into the clothing closet or from which an article of clothing can be easily and readily be withdrawn from the clothing closet.

Alternatively, the space D can also be utilized to permit one's hand to be inserted thereinto so as subsequently permit one to move one or both of the pair of adjacent separators 100,100′ away from each other in opposite directions so as to effectively enlarge the space D so as to facilitate even further the insertion of an article of clothing into the clothes closet or the withdrawal of the article of clothing out from the clothes closet. The predetermined width dimension D can comprise, for example, one inch (1.00″). It is to be appreciated further that while the cross-sectional configuration of the spacer 302 is that of a triangle, similar spacers may be provided with a semi-circular cross-sectional configuration, such as the spacer 302′ illustrated within FIG. 8, or a trapezoidal cross-sectional configuration, such as the spacer 302″ illustrated within FIG. 9. It is to be lastly noted that in fabricating the actual spacers 302 and 302″, while the apex or edge portions of the triangle or trapezoid are illustrated as being relatively sharp or pointed, in reality, such apex or edge portions would be somewhat rounded so as not to present any relatively sharp-edged regions which may snag or otherwise inhibit the insertion of the article of clothing into the clothes closet or the removal of the article of clothing out from the clothes closet.

It has also been envisioned that in the instance that the clothes closet is quite full with articles of clothing, whereby adjacent articles of clothing may in fact be compressed against one another, that even with the separator 100, having the spacer 302 affixed thereon, since the spacer 302 is located upon the upper rear portion of one side surface portion of the body member 102, the vertically oriented forward edge portions 104 of the adjacent separators 100 may in fact be disposed in contact with each other. Accordingly, a secondary or supplemental spacer 302a, as illustrated within FIG. 10, has been affixed to a forward region of one side surface portion of the body member 102 such that even under such crowded conditions, with many articles of clothing disposed within the clothes closet, the secondary or supplemental spacer 302a will in fact provide sufficient space between the pair of adjacent separators 100 so as to permit one to insert his or her hand into the space D and thereafter sufficiently enlarge the space defined between the pair of adjacent separators 100 so as to facilitate the insertion of an article of clothing into the clothes closet or to easily and readily remove an article of clothing from the clothes closet. Alternatively still further, in lieu of the primary and secondary spacers 302,302, a single spacer 302b may be fixedly mounted upon one side surface portion of the body member 102 of the separator 100 wherein this single spacer 302b will be disposed at an elevation-al level substantially midway between the upper and lower edge portions 106 of the separator 100, and will extend horizontally substantially the entire depth between the front and rear edge portions 104 of the separator 100 as illustrated within FIG. 11. Still yet further, a single spacer 302c may be fixedly mounted upon one side surface portion of the body member 102 of the separator 100 wherein this single spacer 302c will extend vertically adjacent to the forward edge portion 104 of the separator 100 as illustrated within FIG. 12.

With reference lastly being made to FIGS. 1 and 13, it is noted that tab members 112 can be attached to the clothing separators 100 so as to facilitate manual separation of the clothing separators with respect to each other when, for example, an article of clothing is to be removed from or inserted into the closet, or to identify particular articles or types of clothing. The tabs may be color-coded as may be desired and may be affixed to the forward upper edge portions 106 of each clothing separator 100 by any suitable fastening means. As can best be appreciated from FIG. 13, each one of the tab members 112 may be similar in structure to the tab members which are conventionally used in conjunction with hanging files in a filing cabinet. Each one of the tab members 112 is seen to comprise, for example, an elongated body portion which is fabricated from a suitable thermoplastic material and effectively folded in half such that the tab member 112 comprises two plastic sheet members 114,116 which have substantially the same configuration. The two plastic sheet members 114,116 are connected together at a common upper edge portion 118. The lower half of the tab member 112 is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed substantially triangular-shaped side edge portions 120,122 which are adapted to be inserted into slots, not shown, defined within the forward upper edge portion 106 of each clothing separator 100, while the upper half of the tab member 112 is effectively provided with a substantially rectangular portion 124 which defines an elongated slot 126, open at both ends between the sheet members 114,116, so as to accommodate, for example, a nameplate or the like upon which clothing identifying indicia may be disposed. As has been noted, the tab members 112 may be color-coded, and together with the nameplate or other identifying indicia, individual articles of clothing may be readily identified or grouped together. It is also noted, as is conventional with the tab members used in conjunction with hanging files within a filing cabinet, that the upper half portion 124 of the tab member 112 is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the lower half portion upon which the side edge portions 120,122 are disposed, and in this manner, when two tab members 112 are disposed adjacent to each other, they facilitate the spatial separation of the clothing separators 100. Still yet further, and as is also conventional in connection with hanging file folders, while the tab members 112 are shown in the drawings as being mounted upon forward areas of the upper edge portions 106 of the clothing separators 100, they may in fact be disposed at staggered positions along the upper edge portions 106 of the clothing separators 100 so as to further facilitate the spatial separation of the clothing separators 100.

Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

REFERENCE NUMBER KEY

• 100—Clothing separator
• 102—Body member of clothing separator
• 104—Opposite disposed vertically oriented side edge portions of separator
• 106—Oppositely disposed horizontally oriented side edge portions of 100
• 108—C-shaped hook member of clothing separator
• 110—Horizontally oriented clothing bar disposed within a clothing closet
• 112—Tab member on clothing separator
• 114—First sheet of tab member 112
• 116—Second sheet of tab member 112
• 118—Upper connecting edge portion of tab member 112
• 120—First lower side edge portion of tab member 112
• 122—Second lower side edge portion of tab member 112
• 124—Upper half portion of tab member 112
• 126—Elongated slot defined within upper portion 124 of tab member 112
• 200—Clothing separator system
• 202,202′—Spacers for use in system 200
• 203—Connector pins
• 204,204′—Spaces between clothing separators 100,100′,100″
• 302—First embodiment spacer
• 302′—Second embodiment spacer
• 302″—Third embodiment spacer
• 302a—Secondary or supplemental spacer
• 302b—Single elongated, horizontally oriented spacer
• 302c—Single elongated, vertically oriented spacer
• D—Space between adjacent separators 100

Claims

1. A clothing separator system for facilitating the insertion or removal of articles of clothing from a clothes closet, comprising:

a horizontally oriented clothing bar disposed within the clothes closet from which articles of clothing are to be hung;

at least two clothing separators adapted to be suspendingly hung from said horizontally oriented clothing bar of the clothes closet so as to define a space between said at least two clothing separators for accommodating at least one article of clothing which is also to be hung upon said horizontally oriented clothing bar of the clothes closet;

wherein each one of said at least two clothing separators comprises a body member having a geometrical configuration such that oppositely disposed side surface portions of said body member are disposed toward articles of clothing disposed upon opposite sides of said body member of said clothing separator when said clothing separator is hung upon the horizontally oriented clothing bar disposed within the clothes closet and when said body member is interposed between two adjacent articles of clothing hanging from said horizontally oriented clothing bar within the clothes closet; each one of said at least two clothing separators has front, rear, upper, and lower edge portions; and a hook member fixedly mounted upon said upper edge portion of said body member for hanging said clothing separator upon said horizontally oriented clothing bar of the clothes closet; and

at least one spacer having a predetermined width dimension so as to provide a space, defined between said at least two clothing separators, with a predetermined width dimension corresponding to said predetermined width dimension of said spacer whereby, depending upon said predetermined width dimension of said spacer, said space defined between said at least two clothing separators by said spacer can have different width dimensions so as to accommodate different articles of clothing, wherein said at least one spacer is fixedly secured to only one of said at least two clothing separators but adapted to engage said other one of said at least two clothing separators so as to define said space between said at least two clothing separators;

whereby an article of clothing, disposed within said space defined between said at least two clothing separators can be easily removed from or inserted into the clothes closet as a result of the article of clothing sliding along said oppositely disposed side surface portions of said body members of said at least two clothing separators.

2. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said body member of each one of said at least two clothing separators is fabricated from a thermoplastic material.

3. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

said thermoplastic material is selected from the group comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and a polycarbonate (PC).

4. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a tab member fixedly attached to said body member of each one of said at least two clothing separators for supporting identifying indicia thereon so as to facilitate identification of articles of clothing hanging upon said clothing bar of the clothes closet.

5. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said body member of each one of said at least two clothing separators has a substantially rectangular configuration.

6. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

said rectangular body member has dimensions approximately two feet in depth and three feet in height.

7. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said body member of each one of said at least two separators has a substantially square-shaped configuration.

8. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said spacer has a substantially inverted L-shaped configuration.

9. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said predetermined width dimension of said at least one spacer comprises a predetermined width dimension D of approximately one inch (1.00″).

10. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said at least one spacer comprises a primary, horizontally oriented spacer.

11. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

said at least one primary, horizontally oriented spacer is fixedly secured to an upper rearward portion of said side surface portion of said body member of said separator.

12. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

said at least one spacer comprises a secondary, horizontally oriented spacer which is shorter in length than said primary, horizontally oriented spacer and is fixedly secured to an upper forward portion of said side surface portion of said body member of said separator.

13. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 10, wherein:

said at least one horizontally oriented primary spacer is fixedly secured to said side surface portion of said body member of said separator at a location which is substantially midway between said upper and lower edge portions of said separator.

14. The clothing separator system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said at least one spacer comprises a vertically oriented spacer fixedly secured to said side surface portion of said body member of said separator at a location which is substantially adjacent to said forward edge portion of said separator.