Closet hanger spacer

Abstract

A closet hanger spacing device includes an elongate body having a series of spaced-apart spacing elements arranged along its length on a first side, and an adhesive element applied on a second side opposite the first side, whereby the spacing device can be adhesively attached to a hanger rod in a closet. The spacing elements define notches between them, in each of which the hook of a clothing hanger is received, while the spacing elements themselves maintain the desired degree of spacing between adjacent hangers and thus the clothing items hung on them. The spacing interval between the notches may be a fixed constant, or the device may have two or more portions with different spacing intervals. The adhesive element comprises a strip of double-sided tape or a strip of adhesive material.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Not Applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to devices for storing clothing items and the like in a closet or wardrobe. More specifically, it relates to a device for attachment to a closet rod from which clothes hangers can be suspended, and that maintains a desired amount of space or clearance between clothing items hung on the rod.

The typical closet or wardrobe includes a horizontal pole or rod, extending across its interior, from which clothes hangers are suspended. The rod or pole has a generally smooth or at least continuous surface. Therefore, clothes hangers cannot be spaced at regular intervals, and thus there is a tendency for clothes that are hung in the closet or wardrobe to be bunched or packed too closely together, often resulting in unwanted wrinkles or creases.

One possible solution would be to configure the rod or pole so that it has a series of spaced apart notches or ribs to provide separation between adjacent hangers. This would increase the cost of manufacturing the rod or pole, and would offer little in the way of flexibility of spacing. Thus, for example, it may be desired to have a first portion of the closet or wardrobe space with widely-spaced part hangers for thick or bulky items of clothing (e.g., winter coats and jackets), a second portion with intermediate spacing between the hangers for items such as suits and dresses, and a third portion with closely spaced hangers for shirts and blouses and the like. At different seasons, or for other reasons, it may be desired to change the respective percentages of the total rod or pole length occupied by each of these three portions. A notched or ribbed rod or pole would offer, at best, fixed percentages of its length for each of these three portions, and event then the cost of the rod or pole would be increased substantially by the need for the integral notches or ribs.

Accordingly, it would be greatly advantageous to provide a device or an mechanism for maintaining a desired degree of hanger spacing on a closet hanger pole or rod, and that would allow different hanger separation distances at different positions on the pole or rod. It would be further advantageous to provide such a device or mechanism that could be applied to or used on an existing pole or rod; in other words, that would allow the retrofitting of the pole or rod to achieve the advantages of the invention. Of still further advantage would be to allow the user to change the percentages of the total rod or pole length dedicated to each of several different hanger spacings. These functional advantages should be offered in a device that is economical to manufacture and easy to use and install.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Broadly, in one aspect, the present invention is a closet hanger spacing device, comprising an elongate body of a rigid or semi-rigid material (e.g., plastic, metal, or wood) having a series of spaced-apart spacing elements arranged along its length on a first side, and an adhesive element applied on a second side opposite the first side, whereby the spacing device can be adhesively attached to a hanger pole or rod in a closet or wardrobe. The spacing elements define notches between them, in each of which the hook of a clothing hanger is received, while the spacing elements themselves maintain the desired degree of separation or spacing between adjacent hangers and thus the clothing items hung on them. The spacing distance or interval between the notches may be a fixed constant, or the device may have two or more portions with different spacing intervals. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive element comprises a strip of double-sided tape.

In another aspect, the present invention is a modular system for spacing the hangers on a hanger pole or rod, comprising at least first and second self-adhesive spacing components, each of which comprises an elongate body of rigid or semi-rigid material having a series of spacing elements (as described above) on a first side of the body, and an adhesive element on a second, opposite side of the body, wherein the spacing elements on the first component are spaced apart by a first fixed distance or spacing interval, and the spacing elements on the second component are spaced apart by a second spacing interval that is measurably different from the first spacing interval. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive element is a double-sided tape. Also, the first and second spacing components may advantageously be of different colors, and these colors may be coded to specific spacing intervals. The use of the modular system allows different portions of the hanger pole or rod to be dedicated to specific and different spacing intervals, thus accommodating clothing of different thicknesses and susceptibility to wrinkling or creasing.

As will be better appreciated from the detailed description that follows, the present invention provides the desired degree of hanger separation or spacing, without requiring a specially designed hanger rod or pole, because the invention is designed for use on existing, conventional hanger rods or poles. Flexibility of spacing within the closet or wardrobe is provided by employing two or more modular spacing components having different spacing intervals. The spacing device or components be easily removed or changed, offering additional flexibility in their application. Finally, the spacing device or components of the present invention are simple and economical to manufacture, and they are easy to install and use.

BRIEF DECRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closet hanger spacing device in accordance with the present invention, showing the device installed on a typical hanger pole or rod;

FIG. 2 is a detailed side elevational view of a portion of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the device of FIG. 1, showing one end of the device and the double-sided tape that is employed as an adhesive element in a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a system of modular spacing components in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged elevational view of a first one of the modular spacing components of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevational view of a second one of the spacing components of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged elevational view of a third one of the spacing components of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 6, a closet hanger spacing device 10, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, is shown attached to a hanger rode or pole 12, of the type used in a typical closet or wardrobe. The rod or pole 12 is shown having one end mounted in a holder 14, which, in turn, is fixed to an interior wall surface 16 of a wardrobe or closet, as is conventional in practice. It is understood that the other end (not shown) of the rod or pole 12 is similarly attached to an opposed wall surface (not shown).

The spacing device 10 comprises an elongate body 20 of rigid or semi-rigid material (such as plastic, metal, or wood), having a first side that is castellated to form a series of spacing elements 22 or risers extending from the first side thereof. The spacing elements 22 define spaces or notches 24 between them, so that a hanger (such as that indicated by the numeral 26) can be received in each of the notches 24. The body 20 can be made in a variety of lengths, depending on the length of the closet rode or pole 12, and whether the device meant to be fixed to all or only a portion of the length of the rod or pole 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the spacing elements 22 are of substantially equal lengths, thereby defining notches 24 that are separated by equal intervals. Typical spacing intervals (spacing element lengths) might range, for example, from about 2.5 cm-7.5 cm (1-3 inches), or perhaps more, depending on the bulkiness of the items to be hung in the closet or wardrobe, or, alternatively, on how susceptible to wrinkling or creasing the clothing items would be. Alternatively, a single spacing interval (e.g., 2.5 cm) may be made the standard, with the user selecting every second or third notch for bulky items. The elongate body 20 may be formed initially with a first side already castellated, or it may be made initially as a continuous, uninterrupted length of material, with the castellated first side being formed afterward, by, for exampling, cutting the notches 24 into the body at equally-spaced intervals to form the spacing elements 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the body 20 of the spacing device 10 has a continuous second side, opposite the castellated first side, to which an adhesive element 28 is fixed. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive element is a double-side tape, with a first surface adhered to the second side of the body 20, and a second surface covered by a peelable protective strip or membrane 30 that is removed when it is desired to fix the hanger device 10 to the rod or pole 12. Alternatively, the adhesive element 28 may be a layer of adhesive (such as a suitable glue) applied to the second side of the body and covered by the removable protective strip or membrane 30. The adhesive of the adhesive element 28 may be such as to provide either a permanent or a removable attachment of the device 10 to the rod or pole 12. The second side of the body 20 may be substantially planar, or it may have a slight curvature so as to conform better to the surface of the rod or pole 12.

FIGS. 7 through 10 illustrate a modular closet hanger spacing system, in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention. The system of the present invention employs two or more closet hanger spacing devices, as described above in connection with FIGS. 1 through 6, as modular hanger spacing components 10a, 10b, 10c. (Although three such components are shown, it is understood that the invention, in accordance with its aspect of a modular system, may employ two or more such components.) Each of the hanger spacing components 10a, 10b, has a predefined spacing interval (spacing element length) that is advantageously (although not necessarily) different from the spacing interval of the other hanger spacing components. Thus, for example, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the first component 10a may have spacing elements 22a of a first length (e.g., 2.5 cm or 1 inch), the second component 10b may have spacing elements 22b of a second length (e.g., 5 cm or 2 inches), and the third component 10c may have spacing elements 22c of a third length (e.g., 7.5 cm or 3 inches). The components 10a, 10b, 10c may be of equal length or of different lengths, and they may advantageously be color-coded, so that a particular color is identified with a particular spacing interval. While FIG. 7 shows components having three different spacing intervals installed on a single closet rod or pole 12, it may be desired to have any number of components of each spacing interval on the rod or pole 12.

It will thus be appreciated from the foregoing description that the present invention provides any desired degree of hanger separation or spacing, without requiring a specially designed hanger rod or pole, because the invention is designed for use on existing, conventional hanger rods or poles. Flexibility of spacing within the closet or wardrobe is provided by employing two or more modular spacing components having different spacing intervals. The spacing device or components be easily removed or changed, offering additional flexibility in their application. Finally, the spacing device or components of the present invention are simple and economical to manufacture, and they are easy to install and use.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it will be appreciated that this embodiment is exemplary only, and that a number of modifications and variations, other than those specifically mentioned above, may suggest themselves to those skilled in the pertinent arts. For example, as shown in the drawings, the spacing elements 22 and the notches 24 are configured as a “square wave” (defined broadly to encompass a configuration in which the spacing elements are of a length that is equal to or greater than their height). This configuration is exemplary only, and other configurations (such as a sawtooth configuration or a “scalloped” configuration) may be satisfactory functionally, and even preferable aesthetically. Such variations and modifications should be considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A clothes hanger spacing device for attachment to a hanger rod or pole in a closet or wardrobe, the device comprising:

an elongate body having first and second opposed sides, the first side being castellated so as to define a plurality of spacing elements separated by notches, each of the notches being configured to receive a clothes hanger, the second side being continuous; and

an adhesive element on the second side of the body for attachment to the rod or pole.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive element comprises a strip of double-sided tape.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive element comprises a layer of adhesive material.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the castellated first side forms a substantially square wave configuration.

5. A modular clothes hanger spacing system for attachment to a hanger rod or pole in a closet or wardrobe, the system comprising:

at least first and second elongate bodies, each having first and second opposed sides, the first side of each body being castellated so as to define a plurality of spacing elements separated by notches, each of the notches being configured to receive a clothes hanger, the second side of each body being substantially continuous; and

an adhesive element on the second side of each of the bodies for attachment to the rod or pole;

wherein the spacing elements on the first side of the first body are separated by a first spacing interval, and the spacing elements on the first side of the second body are separated by a second spacing interval that is different from the first spacing interval.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the adhesive element comprises a strip of double-sided tape.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the adhesive element comprises a layer of adhesive material.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the castellated first side of each of the bodies forms a substantially square wave configuration.