CLOSET ORGANIZER SYSTEM
A closet organizer system is provided. In one embodiment, the closet organizer system includes a closet organizer unit having one or two flexible support members to be detachably secured to a closet rod, and a storage compartment. Other closet organizer units have one flexible support member and a plurality of storage compartments. Another closet organizer unit comprises a extendible hanger rod connected to the closet rod by two support straps. One or both of the support straps may be removed and replaced by another closet organizer unit, whereby various combinations of closet organizer units may be fashioned. In addition, more than one hanger rod unit may be used with one or more other closet organizer units.
This application claims priority to currently pending U.S. utility application Ser. No. 11/941,329, filed Nov. 16, 2007, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/859,255 filed Nov. 16, 2006, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to organizers and, more particularly, to closet organizers having one or more storage compartments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several forms of flexible organizers are known in the art for storing and organizing items, such as garments and shoes, in a closet. Such flexible organizers generally include a plurality of storage compartments having either vertically or horizontally arranged shelves formed from a flexible material and a coupling means which is configured and adapted to hang the plurality of storage compartments from a closet rod. While these flexible organizers provide users with additional shelving space to store shoes and folded items, such as sweaters, they tend to occupy a considerable amount of hanging space on a closet rod which can be rather limited in most closets. As a result, the use of these flexible storage compartments reduces the available space within a closet for hanging clothes from the closet rod. For individuals requiring as much hanging space as possible for suits, dress shirts, blouses, and dresses, for example, these flexible organizers are not practical.
An improved organizer is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,157 issued to Stoddart et al. An embodiment of the Stoddart organizer includes multiple compartments, a suspension device to attach the organizer to a closet rod, and a hang bar system below the organizer. The Stoddart organizer does have shortcomings. First, the Stoddart organizer requires a separate suspension assembly to attach the organizer to the closet rod. The Stoddart organizer also requires a separate hanging bar support assembly to suspend the hang bar. Both the suspension assembly and the hanging bar assembly are separate assemblies that require connection to the organizer. Second, the Stoddart organizer is not designed to be coupled with additional organizer units. Thus, the Stoddart organizer is not part of an expandable and customizable organizer system.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved closet organizer including multiple storage compartments and a hanger rod.
BRIEF SUMMARYAccording to an aspect of the invention, a closet organizer system is provided for use in a closet having a closet rod. The organizer system includes a plurality of flexible closet organizer system units whose upper ends are detachably connected to the closet rod, and a hanger rod connected between the plurality of flexible closet organizer system units. The hanger rod, which may be adjustable in length, is capable of supporting a plurality of hangers having clothes thereon. Each of the system units may include compartments for storing articles of clothing, and/or clothing accessories, and a first strap for supporting one end of the hanger rod. A second hanger rod may also be provided having one end connected to one of the system units, and the other end connected to either a support strap or another of said system units. The hanger rods may be located below the compartments, or at the approximate midpoint thereof. Grommets are preferably provided in the flexible system units for further supporting the ends of the hanger rods.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a closet organizer system unit for use in a closet having a closet rod, that includes a hanger rod with first and second ends, and a first strap connected between the first end of the hanger rod and the closet rod. A second strap may be connected between the second end of the hanger rod and the closet rod. The hanger rod may be adjustable in length whereby the distance between the first and second straps may be varied. Alternatively, one end of the hanger rod may be mounted in a second closet organizer system unit having a plurality of flexible compartments. Additional closet organizer system units may be added as desired, including hanger rods and/or compartmented storage units, to build any desired closet organizer system. In such a system, the hanger rods are preferably coaxially aligned.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a closet organizer system unit for use in a closet having a closet rod, that includes a first flexible support member detachably secured to the closet rod, a storage unit coupled to the first flexible support member, and means located below the storage unit and formed in the first flexible support member for receiving one end of a first hanger rod. The storage unit is preferably flexible and includes a storage compartment for housing articles of clothing or the like. Alternatively, the storage unit might not be flexible in that it comprises a plurality of horizontally extending rod members for supporting and storing pants or slacks thereon. A second flexible support member may also be detachably secured to the closet rod, and a flexible storage unit having a plurality of compartments may be positioned between the first and second flexible support members. The second flexible support member also may receive one end of a second hanger rod. Finally, each of the first and second flexible support members preferably includes a nylon reinforcing strap extending vertically along the respective sides thereof and a grommet for receiving the ends of the first and second hanger rods.
The foregoing and other aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
As used herein, the terms “a”, “an” and “the” may refer to one or more than one of an item. The terms “and” and “or” may be used in the conjunctive or disjunctive and will generally be understood to be equivalent to “and/or”.
Reference is made to
Referring to
Still referring to
While the storage compartments 18, 118 are shown in
The storage compartments of a closet organizer system unit may be arranged horizontally and/or vertically, either in a row and column configuration, or in any other appropriate configuration, as will be shown in greater detail hereinafter. The dimensions of the closet organizer system units may vary depending on the configuration. In one embodiment, the organizer system unit may measure 32 inches from the center of the closet rod to the center of the hanger rod, 8 inches wide, and 15 inches deep. In another embodiment, the organizer system unit may measure 23.81 inches from the center of the closet rod to the center of the hanger rod. In yet another embodiment, the organizer system unit may measure 54.12 inches from the center of the closet rod to the center of the hanger rod. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the dimensions may be adjusted depending on a variety of factors, such as manufacturing concerns, closet dimensions, etc. As seen in
As clearly shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The hanger rod 1520 of closet organizer system unit 1500 may be used alone or in conjunction with one or more of the other closet organizer system units of
Another example of a closet organizer system would be to use system unit 1500 in combination with system units 900 and 1000 shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
It may be appreciated from the foregoing that the closet organizer system of the present invention has many advantages. Each of the shelf organizer units (
In the preferred embodiments, all grommets are 32″ from the closet bar when an item is hung. No tools are required to assemble or install the system of the present invention. Further, the system is not a permanent installation and may be easily moved from one home to the next.
Nylon straps are preferred, but cotton or polypro or other flexible, strong material may also be used. Each hanger bar preferably expands from 24″ to 42″ and can be easily adjusted to suit customer needs.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. (canceled)
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. (canceled)
14. (canceled)
15. (canceled)
16. (canceled)
17. (canceled)
18. (canceled)
19. (canceled)
20. (canceled)
21. (canceled)
22. (canceled)
23. A closet organizer system for use in a closet having a closet rod, comprising:
- (a) first and second flexible closet organizer units having reinforcing straps attached to the sides thereof for detachably connecting said units to said closet rod; and
- (b) a hanger rod having first and second ends supported by said closet rod, said hanger rod coupled to and supported by said reinforcing straps of said first and second flexible closet organizer units and adapted to receive a plurality of hangers having clothes thereon.
24. The closet organizer system according to claim 23, wherein each of said first and second flexible closet organizer system units includes compartment means for storing articles of clothing and accessories therein, said compartment means being located below said upper ends.
25. The closet organizer system according to claim 23, wherein said hanger rod is adjustable in length.
26. The closet organizer system according to claim 24, wherein said compartment means of one of first and second flexible closet organizer system units includes a plurality of compartments each of which are located above said hanger rod.
27. The closet organizer system according to claim 24, wherein said compartment means of one of said first and second flexible closet organizer system units includes a plurality of compartments, some of said plurality of compartments being located above said hanger rod and some of said plurality of compartments being located below said hanger rod.
28. The closet organizer system according to claim 23, wherein each of said first and second flexible closet organizer system units includes grommet means for holding said hanger rod therein.
29. A closet organizer system for use in a closet having a closet rod, comprising:
- (a) a hanger rod having a first end and a second end; and
- (b) a first flexible strap connected between said first end of said hanger rod and said closet rod; and
- (c) a closet organizer unit having: (1) a plurality of flexible compartments for storing items therein; (2) means located above said plurality of flexible compartments for detachably connecting said closet organizer unit to said closet rod; and (3) means located below at least one of said flexible compartments for detachably connecting said closet organizer unit to said hanger rod.
30. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 29, wherein said first end of said hanger rod includes means for detachably securing said first end to said first strap.
31. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 29, wherein said hanger rod is adjustable in length.
32. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 29, further comprising a second closet organizer unit having:
- (a) a plurality of flexible compartments for storing items therein;
- (b) means located above said plurality of flexible compartments for detachably connecting said second closet organizer unit to said closet rod; and
- (c) means located below at least one of said flexible compartments for detachably connecting said second closet organizer unit to said second end of said hanger rod.
33. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 32, further comprising a third closet organizer unit that is flexible and includes:
- (a) a plurality of storage compartments for storing articles therein;
- (b) means located above said plurality of storage compartments for detachably connecting said third closet organizer unit to said closet rod; and
- (c) means located below at least one of said plurality of storage compartments for detachably connecting said third closet organizer unit to said second closet organizer unit.
34. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 33, wherein said means located below at least one of said plurality of storage compartments for detachably connecting said third closet organizer unit to said second closet organizer unit comprises a second hanger rod.
35. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 34, wherein said first and second hanger rods are positioned coaxially.
36. The closet organizer system of claim 29, wherein said closet organizer unit includes first and second side walls and first and second reinforcing straps respectively connected to and extending vertically along said first and second side walls.
37. The closet organizer system of claim 36, further comprising a second flexible strap connected between said second end of said hanger rod and said closet rod.
38. The closet organizer system of claim 37, wherein said second flexible strap comprises said second reinforcing strap.
39. The closet organizer system of claim 29, wherein said closet organizer unit includes first and second side walls and first and second reinforcing straps respectively connected to and extending vertically along said first and second side walls.
40. The closet organizer system of claim 39, wherein said second closet organizer unit includes third and fourth side walls and third and fourth reinforcing straps respectively connected to and extending vertically along said third and fourth side walls.
41. The closet organizer system of claim 40, further comprising a second flexible strap connected between said second end of said hanger rod and said closet rod.
42. The closet organizer system of claim 41, wherein said second flexible strap comprises said third reinforcing strap.
43. The closet organizer system of claim 41, wherein said hanger rod extends through said closet organizer unit.
44. The closet organizer system of claim 43, wherein said hanger rod extends through said second closet organizer unit.
45. The closet organizer system of claim 44, wherein said second flexible strap comprises said fourth reinforcing strap.
46. A closet organizer system for use in a closet having a closet rod, comprising:
- a first closet organizer unit made of a flexible material and having an upper end detachably connected to said closet rod, and first and second side walls that form boundaries for a plurality of storage compartments therebetween;
- first and second reinforcing straps connected respectively to said first and second side walls;
- a hanger rod having first and second ends and first and second straps removably connected to said closet rod for supporting said respective first and second ends;
- wherein said hanger rod is coupled to said first closet organizer unit.
47. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 46, wherein said hanger rod extends through said first closet organizer unit.
48. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 46, wherein said second strap comprises said first reinforcing strap.
49. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 46, wherein said plurality of storage compartments of said first closet organizer unit includes a first portion of storage compartments above said hanger rod and a second portion of storage compartments below said hanger rod.
50. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 49, wherein said hanger rod extends through said first closet organizer unit and said second strap comprises said second reinforcing strap.
51. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 46, further comprising:
- a second closet organizer unit made of a flexible material and having an upper end detachably connected to said closet rod, and third and fourth side walls that form boundaries for a plurality of storage compartments therebetween;
- third and fourth reinforcing straps connected respectively to said third and fourth side walls;
- said second end of said hanger rod coupled to said third closet organizer unit;
- wherein said second strap of said hanger rod comprises said third reinforcing strap of said second closet organizer unit.
52. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 51, wherein said plurality of storage compartments of said second closet organizer unit includes a first portion of storage compartments above said hanger rod and a second portion of storage compartments below said hanger rod.
53. The closet organizer system as set forth in claim 46, wherein said first and second reinforcing straps comprise said first and second straps, respectively.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 12, 2010
Publication Date: Feb 24, 2011
Inventor: Adrienne McNICHOLAS (Toronto)
Application Number: 12/855,312