Garment hanger

Abstract

A garment hanger is provided and includes a body having first and second ends and an upper edge and a hook member extending upwardly from the hanger body for suspending the hanger from a support location. The hook member is coupled to a base member that is attached to the upper edge of the body. The hanger also includes at least one fastener receiving feature that is associated with the hook member and is defined by a tapered recessed body that has a through hole formed therethrough and is of sufficient size to receive a fastener therethrough for securely linking at least one additional garment hanger to the hanger body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/358,580, filed Feb. 5, 2003 of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to garment hangers, and more particularly to a garment hanger that has a feature formed as part of a body portion thereof that permits reception of a fastener, such as a twist tie or other type of flexible tie member, for connecting two or more hangers together.

BACKGROUND

There are a number of different types of garment hangers that are used to hold a number of different articles of clothing or other types of articles, such as linens or other household fabrics. Typically, garment hangers are either formed of a plastic material or a metal material or a combination thereof. Not only do garment hangers come in a variety of different sizes but they also come in a number of different styles which have different types of construction to accommodate different articles which are carried by the hangers.

For example, one type of garment hanger construction is designed to secure knitwear, blouses, slips, strapped garments, including dresses and lingerie. Another type of garment hanger construction is designed to also secure blouses, dresses and other light garments, while another type of garment hanger is designed to secure heavier knitwear, blouses, pants and light weight pant suits. Yet another type of garment hanger is designed to secure coats, jackets and outerwear. The foregoing types of garment hangers can be generally classified as being top garment hangers, while another class of garment hangers is pant hangers, which are those hangers that are designed to secure pants, skirts, and other outfits together. Often times, pant hangers incorporate some type of clamp mechanism to securely grasp and hold the articles of clothing. One will appreciate that there are even more types of garment hangers (e.g., bra/panty hanger) that are intended for particular applications.

Referring first to FIGS. 1A-1B, a conventional garment hanger 10 is illustrated. The garment hanger 10 includes a body portion 12 (cross bar) having two opposing ends 14, 16 and a hook member 20 that is attached to the body portion 12. The exemplary garment hanger 10 is of the type that includes a clamp or grip assembly 30 formed at each of the first and second ends 14, 16. The grip assemblies 30 are integrally formed with body portion 12 at the first and second ends 14, 16.

The illustrated garment hanger 10 is of a swivel hook type construction in that the hook member 20 is swivably or pivotally attached to the body portion 12 at a location that is generally at a midpoint along the body portion 12. The hook member 20 is pivotally received within a bore that is formed in a base structure 30 that is integrally attached at one end to an upper edge 13 of the body portion 12. The bore therefore has a complementary shape as the hook member 20 and thus, for the illustrated embodiment, the bore is annular in shape to complement the circular shape of the hook member 20. The overall shape of the base structure 30 is not critical and it can assume any number of different shapes. For example, while the illustrated base structure 30 has a rectangular or square cross-section, it will be appreciated that the base structure 30 can have a number of different shapes, such as circular, oblong, etc. The hook member 20 is thus frictionally fit within the bore; however, it is permitted to swivel freely therein when a user applied a force to the hook member 20 to produce such movement.

According to the present invention, the base structure 30 includes first and second side elements 32, 34 that extend outwardly therefrom and are integral with the body portion 12. More specifically, each of the first and second side elements 32, 34 has a first end 31 that is integrally connected to the base structure 30 and an opposing second end 33 that is integrally connected to the upper edge 13 of the body portion 12. A space 40 is formed between each of the first and second side elements 32, 34 and the base structure 30 and upper edge 13. The side elements 32, 34 served as structural support elements in that they further strengthened the base structure 30 and therefore, in the conventional design, the space 40 is very small and can not readily accommodate items.

Many consumers utilize a dry cleaning facility for dry cleaning and pressing of their clothing. As consumers are aware, many types of articles of clothing can not be machine washed and pressed but rather must be taken to the dry cleaning facility. Thus, it is common for a consumer to bring in a number of different articles during each visit to the dry cleaning facility. More specifically, the consumer brings in a number of dress shirts, pants, as well as other clothing, such as knitwear, and also potentially brings house linens, etc., in the same visit. The dry cleaning facility tags each consumer's articles and after dry cleaning, the articles are typically individually placed on their own garment hangers and loosely arranged and then a garment cover and a garment bag is placed over a bundle of cloths or all of the articles, depending upon how many items are present.

Therefore, it is no surprise that because most consumers bring a number of articles of clothing to the dry cleaning facility that when they pick up the cleaned articles, they are provided with a number of loosely held garment hangers. Because different types and sizes of garment hangers can be arranged loosely together, the hangers do not necessarily lie flush against one another and therefore, it may be cumbersome for the user to carry the articles of clothing by the garment hangers. Thus, the user may grasp one group of similar garment hangers and fail to completely grasp one or more other garment hangers, which is then subject to falling within the bag resulting in wrinkling of the garment or in a worst case, the garment may fall onto the ground and be spoiled.

It is therefore desirable for one or more types of garment hangers to have a feature formed as a part thereof that permits coupling or securing of the individual garment hangers together.

SUMMARY

A garment hanger is provided and includes a body having first and second ends and an upper edge and a hook member extending upwardly from the hanger body for suspending the hanger from a support location. The hook member is coupled to a base member that is attached to the upper edge of the body.

The hanger also includes a structure that extends between the upper edge of the hanger body and the base member so as to define a space therebetween. The space is of sufficient size to receive a fastener therethrough for securely linking at least one additional garment hanger to the hanger body. In one preferred embodiment, the fastener is a twist tie and the space has an area of at least about 0.25 cm².

By being securely connecting or linking individual garment hangers to one another, the problems that were often associated with carrying multiple loose hangers are overcome since all of the hangers are joined to one another. Therefore, if the consumer loses grasp of one of the garment hangers when carrying the entire load, the garment hanger may slip slightly but it is prevented from completely falling to the bottom of the surrounding bag (if present) or to the ground surface when no protective bag surrounds the garments due to the presence of the fastener.

In another embodiment, the hanger includes at least one fastener receiving feature that is associated with the hook member and is defined by a tapered recessed body that has a through hole formed therethrough and is of sufficient size to receive a fastener therethrough for securely linking at least one additional garment hanger to the hanger body.

Further aspects and features of the exemplary apparatus disclosed herein can be appreciated from the appended Figures and accompanying written description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1A is a side elevation view of a conventional garment hanger;

FIG. 1B is an enlarged, partial side elevation view of the garment hanger of FIG. 1A taken around the circle 1 of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a side elevation view of a garment hanger according to one exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2B is an enlarged, partial side elevation view of the garment hanger of FIG. 2A taken around the circle 2 of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial side elevation view of two or more garment hangers connected together by a fasteners received through a feature formed as part of the hanger body;

FIG. 4A is an enlarged, partial side elevation view of a garment hanger according to another exemplary embodiment in which a fastener receiving feature is illustrated;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged, partial side elevation view of a garment hanger according to another exemplary embodiment in which a fastener receiving feature is illustrated;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partial side and front perspective view of a garment hanger according to another exemplary embodiment in which a fastener receiving feature is illustrated; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIGS. 2A-2B, a garment hanger 100 according to one exemplary embodiment is illustrated. The garment hanger 100 includes a body portion 110 (cross bar) having two opposing ends 112, 114 and a hook member 120 that is attached to the body portion 110. The exemplary garment hanger 100 is of the type that includes a clamp or grip assembly 130 formed at each of the first and second ends 112, 114. The grip assemblies 130 are integrally formed with body portion 110 at the first and second ends 112, 114. Each grip assembly 130 includes a front grip member 140 and a rear grip member 150 with the front grip member 140 having a first gripping feature (not shown) and the rear grip member 150 having a second gripping feature (not shown). The article of clothing is placed between the front and rear grip members 140, 150 when they are opened and then the user closes the front grip member 140 with respect to the rear grip member 150. Preferably, the front grip member 140 is pivotally attached to the body portion 110 in an integral manner. The first and second gripping features serve to grip the article of clothing and can be in form of shaped protrusions that mate with one another. In one exemplary embodiment, the first and second gripping features are a series of protrusions (nubs, etc.) arranged on the surface.

As is known, each grip assembly 130 also includes a movable clip member 160 that is movable between an open position and a closed position. The exemplary clip member 160 is formed of metal and is generally U-shaped with a first section that travels within a guide track formed on an exterior surface of the rear grip member 150 and a second section that travels within a guide track formed in the exterior surface of the front grip member 140. In the open position, the second section of the clip member 160 engages a beveled feature of the guide track formed in the exterior surface of the front grip member 140 so that the front and rear grip members 140, 150 are locked in the closed position with the article of clothing being securely held therebetween.

It will be appreciated that this type of grip assembly 130 is merely one exemplary type and that a number of other types of grip assemblies 130 can be used.

The body portion 110, including the grip assemblies 130 with the exception of the clip member 160, is preferably made as a single piece, molded in plastic using a plastic injection molding machine, as understood by those skilled in the art. Any appropriate plastic can be used, such as styrene, which provides a clear, virtually transparent hanger and alternatively, the hanger 100 can be molded using polypropylene, such as H.I. styrene polypropylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, ABS or other suitable thermoplastics and/or mixtures thereof. As understood by those skilled in the art, the plastic mixture used to mold the hangers can include additional resins for added strength and reinforcement.

The illustrated garment hanger 100 is of a swivel hook type construction in that the hook member 120 is swivably or pivotally attached to the body portion 110 at a location that is generally at a midpoint along the body portion 110. The hook member 120 is pivotally received within a bore that is formed in a base structure 170 that is integrally attached at one end to an upper edge 111 of the body portion 110. The bore therefore has a complementary shape as the hook member 120 and thus, for the illustrated embodiment, the bore is annular in shape to complement the circular shape of the hook member 120. The overall shape of the base structure 170 is not critical and it can assume any number of different shapes. For example, while the illustrated base structure 170 has a rectangular or square cross-section, it will be appreciated that the base structure 170 can have a number of different shapes, such as circular, oblong, etc. The hook member 120 is thus frictionally fit within the bore; however, it is permitted to swivel freely therein when a user applied a force to the hook member 120 to produce such movement.

According to the present invention, the base structure 170 includes first and second side elements 172, 174 that extend outwardly therefrom and are integral with the body portion 110. More specifically, each of the first and second side elements 172, 174 has a first end 176 that is integrally connected to the base structure 170 and an opposing second end 178 that is integrally connected to the upper edge 111 of the body portion 110. While, the precise connection points between the first ends 176 and the base structure 170 and the second ends 178 and the body portion 110 can vary, it is important that a space 180 of sufficient size is formed between each of the first and second side elements 172, 174 and the base structure 170 and upper edge 111.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second side elements 172, 174 are elongated, planar walls that extend from the upper edge 111 to an upper end of the base structure 170. The width of the first and second side elements 172, 174 and the base structure 170 is preferably the same or about the same. An angle is thus formed between each of the first and second side elements 172, 174 and the upper edge 111. In this embodiment, the space 180 is generally triangular shaped. The first and second elements 172, 172 do not have to have a linear, planar construction, as it will be appreciated that the first and second side elements 172, 174 can have an arcuate shape. In other words, the first and second side elements 172, 174 can have a curved surface (resulting in space 180 having an irregular space) so long as the space 180 is of sufficient size (e.g., FIG. 4A).

Space 180 is of a sufficient size when a fastener 200, shown in FIG. 3, can be received therethrough. For example, one exemplary fastener 200 is a conventional twist tie that is disposed through one of the spaces 180 and is then passed through other garment hangers and the free ends of the fastener 200 are brought together and tied so as to connect two or more garment hangers together. As is known, a conventional twist tie 200 is formed of an elongated wire that is encased between a paper strip so that the user does not contact the metal wire itself and any sharp ends of the metal wire are eliminated. Space 180 therefore is in contrast to space 50 which is of insufficient size to pass a fastener therethrough. Thus, the conventional hanger 10 of FIG. 1 had the associated disadvantage that the user or dry cleaner can not pass a fastener 200 therethrough for linking a number of hangers together.

In one exemplary embodiment, the space 180 has an area of greater than 0.25 cm². In other embodiments, the space 180 has an area of at least 0.3 cm²; 0.4 cm²; and 0.5 cm², respectively. However, these values are merely illustrative of the various embodiments.

It will be appreciated that fastener 200 is not limited to being a twist tie but also can be any other structure that is intended to be used to attach or connect articles to one another by manipulation of the fastener 200. Preferably, the size of the space 180 is such that the fastener 200 can easily be received therethrough and the fastener 200 is permitted a degree of movement within the space 180. For example, the space 180 can be sized so that it can accommodate a plurality of fasteners 200 therethrough even if in a preferred application, only a single fastener 200 is disposed through the space 180.

FIG. 3 illustrates garment hanger 100 being used with another garment hanger 300 such that the two hangers 100, 300 are securely connected to one another using the fastener 200 in the following manner. First, it will be understood that the garment hanger 300 does not have to be of the same type as the garment hanger 100 and in fact most times, the garment hanger 300 is of a different type than the garment hanger 100. For example, the illustrated garment hanger 300 is a traditional wire hanger. To securely connect the hangers, the fastener 200 is passed through one of the spaces 180 of the garment hanger 100 and then it is fed through a contained, bounded space that is formed in the garment hanger 300 and then the two free ends of the fastener 200 are brought to together and tied (e.g., twisted) so that the two hangers 100, 300 are securely connected to one another. The space in the other hanger through which the fastener 200 is disposed through can be identical to space 180 if the other hanger is identical to hanger 100 or it can be a different space so long as the space is bounded completely around such that the movement of the fastener 200 is restricted (i.e., fastener 200 can not slip out of space 180).

By being securely connected to one another, the problems that were often associated with carrying multiple loose hangers are overcome since all of the hangers are joined or connected to one another. Therefore, if the consumer loses grasp of one of the garment hangers when carrying the entire load, the garment hanger may slip slightly but it is prevented from completely falling to the bottom of the surrounding bag (if present) or to the ground surface when no protective bag surrounds the garments due to the presence of the fastener 200. The length of the fastener 200 can be varied since these types of fasteners 200 can easily be shortened by using scissors.

For purposes of simplicity, the garment hanger 100 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as being used in combination with only one additional garment hanger 300; however, it will be appreciated that in normal use, the garment hanger 100 will be connected or attached to two or more other garment hangers 300 or the like by way of the fastener 200. Once again, the additional one or more garment hangers 300 to which the garment hanger 100 is connected can be of a different type (e.g., a standard metal hanger, a plastic top hanger, etc.) than the garment hanger 100, which in the illustrated embodiment, is a pant hanger.

It will therefore be appreciated that the feature that is formed as part of the body portion of the garment hanger for receiving the fastener 200 is not limited to being formed as part of a garment hanger that has grasp (clamp) members or with a hanger that has a swivable hook member since this feature can be incorporated into a top hanger design or any other garment hanger design.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a garment hanger 400 according to another embodiment. The garment hanger 400 is very similar to the garment hanger 100 for merely purposes of illustration since it will be understood that the garment hanger 400, as with the garment hanger 100, can take any number of different forms so long as the fastener receiving feature is formed as part thereof. In this embodiment, each of the first and second side structures 172, 174 does not extend to the upper edge 111 of the body 110 but rather the ends of each of the first and second side structures 172, 174 are integrally attached to the base section 170. In FIG. 4A, the first and second side structures 172, 174 each has an arcuate shape with the space 180 being formed between the respective side structure 172, 174 and the base structure 170. In FIGS. 4B and 4B, the first and second side structures 172, 174 each has a “C” or “U” shape. In both embodiments and unlike the embodiment of FIGS. 2A-2B, both ends of the first and second side structures 172, 174 are attached to the base structure 170.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a garment hanger 500 according to another embodiment. The garment hanger 500 is very similar to the other garment hangers previously described, including garment hanger 100. It will be understood that the garment hanger 500, as with the garment hanger 100, can take any number of different forms so long as the fastener receiving feature is formed as part thereof. In this embodiment, the base section 170 includes at least one and preferably two fastening receiving features 600 formed as a part thereof. Each of the fastening receiving features 600 is in the form of a tapered body section 602 that a bore 604 formed therethrough to permit the fastener 200 to be received and “threaded” through the structure. More specifically, the body section 602 can be in the form of a conically shaped portion of the base section 170 with the bore 604 extending therethrough. Thus, the entrance of the body section 602 formed on one face of the base section 170 has a greater diameter than a diameter of a bore exit that is formed on the opposite face of the base section 170. The smooth surface and varying diameter of the tapered body section 602 assists in the user “threading” the fastener 200 into and through the bore 604 since the entrance has the greatest diameter and thus, it is easier for the user to initially locate the bore 604 as by initially directing the fastener 200 towards the tapered body section 602 until the fastener 200 is received in the narrow and substantially uniform diameter section of the bore 604. In other words, the tapered (conical) shape of the fastening receiving feature 600 assists the user in easily locating and receiving the fastener 200 since so long as the user places the end of the fastener 200 within the fastening receiving feature 600, the smooth surface of the body section 602 directs the fastener 200 to the bore 604 and thus it properly threads the fastener 200 through the feature 600.

The hanger 500 can include one or more features 600 and in the case of two features 600, one feature 600 is disposed on one side of the base section 170, while the other feature 600 is placed on the other side of the base section 170. If two or more hangers 500 are to be attached to one another with the fastener 200, the hangers 500 are aligned with respect to one another so that the features 600 are generally axially aligned with one another so that the fastener 200 is easily fed straight through one bore 604 and into another bore 604 associated with another hanger 500. It will be understood that the fastener 200 can be used to tie or link the hanger 500 with another hanger besides the hanger 500 (e.g., a standard wire hanger).

In sum, the present garment hanger has a feature formed as part of a body portion thereof that permits reception of a fastener, such as a twist tie or other type of flexible tie member, for connecting two or more garment hangers together in an easy and efficient manner. Because in the preferred embodiment, the structures that define the space extend between the base member and the upper edge of the hanger body, the structures act as reinforcing or strengthening elements for the hanger body and more specifically for the hook member portion thereof.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A garment hanger comprising:

a body having first and second ends and an upper edge;

a hook member extending upwardly from the hanger body for suspending the hanger from a support location, the hook member being coupled to a base member that is attached to the upper edge of the body; and

a fastener receiving feature that is associated with the hook member and is defined by a tapered recessed body that has a through hole formed therethrough and is of sufficient size to receive a fastener therethrough for securely linking at least one additional garment hanger to the hanger body.

2. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the body has a clamp mechanism at each of the first and second ends.

3. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the hanger body is formed of a plastic material and the hook member is formed of metal.

4. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the base member has a proximal end integrally attached to the upper edge and a distal end having a bore formed therein for receiving the hook member.

5. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the tapered body of the fastener receiving feature comprises a conically shaped bowl that has the through hole formed centrally through the tapered body for receiving the fastener.

6. The garment hanger of claim 5, wherein a portion of the tapered body is integrally attached to the upper edge.

7. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the hanger includes two fastener receiving features formed with the base section, one fastener receiving feature being formed on one side of the base section, the other fastener receiving feature being formed on the other side of the base section.

8. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the tapered body of the fastener receiving feature comprises a concave bowl-shaped member defined by smooth surfaced walls so as to assist the fastener being received into the through hole that is formed through a base of the bowl and acts as an exit for the fastener.

9. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a twist tie.

10. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the through hole has a dimension that is at least twice as great as a width of the fastener.

11. The garment hanger of claim 10, wherein the dimension is a diameter of the through hole.

12. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the through hole has an area of at least about 0.25 cm2.

13. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the through hole has an area of at least about 0.3 cm2.

14. The garment hanger of claim 1, wherein the through hole has an area of at least about 0.5 cm2.

15. A garment hanger comprising:

a body having first and second ends and an upper edge;

a hook member extending upwardly from the hanger body for suspending the hanger from a support location, the hook member being coupled to a base member that is attached to the upper edge of the body; and

a pair of fastener receiving features that are integrally formed with a hook base section of the hanger body that is attached to the hook member, each fastener receiving feature in the form of a substantially hollow conically shaped body with a through hole being formed therethrough, the through hole being of sufficient size to receive a fastener therethrough for securely linking at least one additional garment hanger to the hanger body, wherein at least a portion of the conically shaped body is integrally attached to an upper edge of the hanger body.

16. The garment hanger of claim 15, wherein the conically shaped body comprises a concave bowl-shaped member defined by smooth surfaced walls so as to assist the fastener being received into the through hole that is formed through a base of the bowl and acts as an exit for the fastener.