MULTIFUNCTIONAL CLOTHING HANGER

Abstract

A multifunctional clothing hanger includes an integrally molded frame formed by a cross bar, connecting end pieces having a pair of ends of which a respective first end is attached at each end of the cross bar, a pair of outwardly extending arms having a pair of ends where respective first ends are connected to a respective connecting end piece and the respective second ends are attached to each other and to a hook that is used for hanging the hanger from a pole within a closet. In one embodiment, the cross bar of the hanger frame is formed with a series of U-shaped loops, while the respective outwardly extending arms are formed with a plurality of downward facing T-shaped hooks. In another embodiment of the invention, the hanger is provided with a second cross bar that is disposed a spaced distance below the first cross bar and is provided with several, spaced divider posts that are attached between and to the first and second cross bars so as to form several compartments. The various loops, hooks and compartments that are formed on the hanger allow it to have a multiplicity of uses besides just hanging a single article of clothing, such as hanging jewelry, scarves, belts, earrings, and several similarly constructed articles of clothing in a simultaneous fashion. The multifunctional hanger allows a greater utilization of often lacking storage space within a closet of a residential home.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to the field of clothing hangers that are used in association with clothing articles stored within a residential closet. More specifically, the present invention relates to a clothing hanger that is hung from a clothing rod found in a typical residential closet and which is adapted to organize a multiplicity of garments and accessories on a single hanger.

2. Description of the Related Art

Efforts are constantly being made to improve and maximize the use of storage spaces within a home and particularly the storage space within residential clothing closets. Cabinetry, shoe racks, clothing hangers, and other types of storage devices have been constructed to be mounted to and/or used within the interior of residential closets in order to maximize the space within a closet that is typically devoted for storing various types of accessories and articles of clothing that are not being worn. The present invention is directed to a multifunctional clothing hanger that is designed to maximize the use of the storage space within a residential closet.

Hanger manufacturers have produced hangers made of wire, wood, plastic, and combinations of one or more of these materials and clothing hangers have been traditionally been manufactured in one standard size or they have been comprised of specialty type of hangers that are dedicated to specific functions particular to a specific article of clothing or to a particular clothing-related industry. One example of this is found with the large, stout wooden hangers that are specifically designed for use when hanging heavy winter coats while another example is the simple, lightweight wire clothing hanger that is employed by the dry cleaning industry. Everyone has used one some form of a manufactured hanger device to hang clothing upon when that article of clothing is not being worn. One of the principal problems with known prior art clothing hanger devices is that the construction of the standard hanger does not render itself to an efficient use thereof since they are not capable of functioning in other capacities other than hanging a single, dedicated article of clothing upon it. This lack of multi-functionality in turn leads to inefficient use of the usually limited storage space that is available within a closet. Thus, it can be appreciated that when a standard hanger is holding only a single article of clothing, there will be a multiplicity of hangers being hung side-by-side within the closet, often tightly crammed together in a very tight space due to the space constraints. Such arrangement within the closet is an inefficient use of the space and does not facilitate easy viewing of an article of clothing because of the difficulty in removing the article, let alone the return of it to the closet. That type of closet arrangement is most easily understood and appreciated by women who have a passion for clothes and do not have adequate closet space to accommodate that passion. For example, it is common for women to possess several copies of the same article of clothing but in different colors, with each colored article hung upon a single, dedicated clothing hanger. Because a standard hanger isn't designed to allow several articles of the same type of clothing article to be hung on a common hanger, the practice of buying multiple articles of differing colors leads to a redundancy of hangers being used to store the same type of clothing article. Another similar type of problem with standard hangers is encountered by women who own a number of clothing articles that have very similar design features but which cannot share a hanger. For example, a women might have several types of camisoles which may or may not be of the same color but each article has a different type of shoulder strap, i.e., one strap may be of the spaghetti type while another may be of the tank top type and wherein the widths of each strap type have varying widths. In that situation, standard hangers are not designed for the efficient use of a single hanger to simultaneously accommodate several similar clothing items even when they have the same type and width of shoulder straps or to allow similar types of clothing items which may have differing types and widths of straps. Furthermore, hangers have no provision for preventing certain types of clothing articles, especially those with shoulder straps, from sliding off the hanger while in storage. Although some retail clothing stores can display clothing having shoulder straps, they do so on specialty hangers that are provided with a pair of displaced hooks and/or clips integrally formed into the hanger ends that hold the straps. However, such hangers are typically not provided to the purchaser upon checkout and these types of hangers are not available for public purchase at home goods stores. Thus, a purchaser of an article of clothing having shoulder straps is left with no good option other than storing such articles in a dresser or other storage container. This type of storage is undesirable for many reasons such as a lack of available dresser space, wrinkling of stacked items and difficulty in viewing the stacked items.

Another shortfall of the standard hanger is that it is designed to fulfill one basic function, to hang clothes. On occasion, a user might consider using a standard hanger for hanging a belt on the hanger hook that engages about the closet pole but this type of use is not typical and is sometimes impossible because the size and type of the belt buckle can interfere with the hook of the hanger seating properly on the closet pole. Still another shortfall of the standard hanger is that they cannot accommodate the storage of accessories which complement an article of clothing. In many instances, and with women's clothing in particular, there are specific pieces of costume jewelry, earrings, belts and scarves that were sold with the clothing article as a matched set or there might be several articles of clothing that go well with a particular accessory and it would be preferred if the set as a whole or the accessories that match several clothing articles could be attached directly to the hanger that is holding the clothing. Not only does that arrangement reduce wasted time in hunting down the matching accessory in another location or locations, it also increases the efficiency of use of all available storage space within a house or apartment. However, there is no known presently available hanger that is constructed specifically for accommodating the attachment of clothing accessories in addition to the article or articles of clothing that match the accessories. Therefore, it would be desirable and efficient to store a multiplicity of these types of accessories, as well as the clothing article(s) which they complement, on a single hanger.

Inventors have proposed various methods to modify a standard hanger in an attempt to overcome such difficulties but none of these previous attempts have adequately solved the problem of allowing multiple strapped garments to be hung and sufficiently retained on a single hanger or to accommodate various types of accessories that are worn with the article(s) of clothing to be attached to the same hanger. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,093 to Harris, a standard hanger was modified for use as a dedicated belt hanging device. This patent discloses several embodiments each which show various types of prongs that are attached to the bottom member of the hanger and oriented to project away from the plane of the hanger body. to hold a multiplicity of men's belts. A matched number of the prongs are oriented to project in opposite directions from each other in order to provide balance to the hanger when several belts are simultaneously hung on the prongs. However, there are two major shortfalls of this design. One is that the projecting prongs require additional closet space to avoid the neighboring hangers and their articles of clothing from being entwined with or damaged by the prongs, while the other is that the hanger is not capable of retaining accessories such as earrings and decorative pins. A similar hanger design is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,543 to Lazaroff and like the Harris hanger, it too is provided with prongs on the bottom member of the hanger. However, these prongs are limited in number and vertical extent and the spacing between prongs restricts the size of the article that can be attached to the hanger as well as the number of articles that can be hung from a single hanger. The hanger disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,556 exemplifies the typical hanger used by retail clothing stores for hanging clothing articles that have straps. However, the problem with this type of hanger is that only a limited number of articles can be simultaneously hung from it at a time. Furthermore, article attachment clips are prone to fatigue breakage after repeated opening and closing of the clip. Moreover, this hanger also has no provision for retaining the various accessories previously mentioned herein. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,592.343 to Swett et al., a men's travel tie hanger is disclosed which is designed to carry a plurality of men's ties and men's accessories such as belts, tie clips and tacks and cuff links. Because of the construction of the hanger, it does not lend itself to be a suitable device for hanging articles of clothing and is capable of only holding a very limited number of clothing accessories.

All hangers previously developed do not adequately address the disadvantages mentioned herein, whereas the hanger of the present invention solves these and related problems in a manner not disclosed or disclosed in the known art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a clothing hanger of the type that is used within a residential closet and which has a multitude of additional, functional uses other than the known, typical use of suspending thereon, a single article of clothing. The object is met in the present invention by providing a multifunctional hanger that can be used for simultaneously hanging on a single hanger, a plurality of clothing articles and clothing accessories, such as belts, scarves and jewelry in the form of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. The multifunctional hanger that will be described in greater detail herein is comprised of a cross bar member having a pair of ends that are connected to two identical connecting end portion members, one connecting end portion at each end of the cross bar; two identical and oppositely extending side arm members, one extending side arm associated with and connected to one of said connecting end portions and the other extending side arm associated with and connected to the other connecting end portion, with each extending side arm having a respective and common distal and proximate ends and wherein the distal ends of each extending side arm are connected to a respective connecting end portion while the proximate ends are co-joined to each other; and an upper portion member having an attachment hook for removably suspending said hanger from a closet clothing bar, whereby the upper portion is connected to the extending arm portions at the point where those arms co-join. This embodiment provides a means for suspending and retaining multiple articles of clothing and accessories on the cross and a supplemental means for suspending and retaining multiple clothing accessories is also provided on each of the extending side arms, thereby increasing the utility of the hanger compared to a hanger commonly available. One aspect of this embodiment is that all of the members which contribute to form the hanger frame all lie on a common plane and are of a uniform cross section. Advantageously, since all members lie on the same plane, snagging of a hanger component on an adjacent hanger's garments or accessories is minimized, if not eliminated, and the uniform cross section provides stability and integrity to the frame. In one aspect to this embodiment, the means for suspending and retaining multiple articles of clothing and accessories is comprised of a series of identical, U-shaped loops formed across the lateral extent of the cross bar, while in another aspect of this embodiment, the U-shaped loops are replaced with solid posts. In yet another aspect of this embodiment, a vertical stabilization bar is incorporated into the structure of the hanger frame to add further strength to the hanger frame. The stabilization bar is located at the midpoint of the hanger and it interconnects the cross bar with the two extending side arms at the point where the two side arms co-join.

In another embodiment of the invention, all of the features of the first embodiment are retained with the exception of the physical construction of the two extending side arms. In the first embodiment, the side arms co-join together and are on a same horizontal plane after they are co-joined. In this embodiment, the two side arms are still co-joined but they do not lie on the same plane.

In a final embodiment, all of the features of the first embodiment are retained, however, a second cross bar is incorporated into the hanger frame. The second cross bar is disposed below the first cross bar in a parallel fashion to the first cross bar. The second cross bar is provided with at least two divider columns that interconnect between the first and second cross bars, thereby forming defined open sections between the two cross bars. Each open section allows a user to suspend a multiplicity of scarves on the second cross bar within each section.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of several embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first aspect of the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of second aspect of the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third aspect of the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fourth aspect of the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5A is a detailed, break away perspective view of an accessory hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5B is a detailed, break away perspective view of an alternative cross bar to that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional type of a clothing hanger incorporating the aspects of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a hanger of FIG. 7 shown in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the characters of reference in the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, a preferred style of the multi-functional clothing hanger of the invention 10 is illustrated. A more conventional style of clothing hanger which also incorporates various aspects of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 6. With either style type, clothing hanger 10 is defined by an integrally formed frame that is of a uniform cross section that is preferably configured to have a round geometrical shape and which is composed of a synthetic, molded plastic material or the like. Although a round cross section is preferred and is exclusively shown in the drawing figures, certain other geometrically shaped cross sections having multiple sides also work well to form the hanger frame such as a square, hexagon, octagon, etc. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame of the clothing hanger is comprised of a cross bar 20 member having a pair of ends 22,24, two identical connecting end portion members 60A,60B, each of which has a respective first end 62 attached to a cross bar end 22,24, two identical, oppositely extending side arm members 80A,80B, and an upper portion member 110. The upper portion 110 has a base portion 110B on one of its ends for attachment to the extending arms 80A,80B, an extended middle section, and an attachment hook 110A on the other end that has is used for suspending the hanger 10 in the usual manner from a clothing bar attached within a closet.

As a means to add further structural integrity to either of the hanger frame types presented in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6, either one may be further provided with a vertical stabilization bar 120 member, which is shown being incorporated into the hanger frame of FIG. 2. The vertical stabilization bar 120 provides additional structural integrity and strength to hanger 10 to prevent cross bar 20 from sagging under heavy clothing load applications. Only one type of hanger, that shown in drawings FIG. 1-4, is illustratively shown with this additional structural component since those in the art could readily understand the purpose of this component without the need for additional illustration for the type of hanger presented in FIG. 6. As seen, one end 122 of stabilization bar 120 is attached to the transverse arm 100 at the lateral midpoint thereof so that stabilization bar 120 is in substantial vertical alignment with hook portion 110, while the other end 124 is connected at the midpoint 25 of the cross bar 20, normal to the bar. Similar placement and attachment of a stabilization bar could be incorporated into the conventional type of hanger that is illustrated in FIG. 6 or to the type of hangers that are shown in drawing FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. However, since those in the art could readily understand the purpose and placement of the stabilization bar component without the need for additional illustration, those drawing figures are not shown with a stabilization bar.

From the foregoing general description, it is seen in the drawing figures that the two oppositely extending arms 80A,80B have respective distal and proximate ends 82,84. The distal ends 82 of each of extending arm 80A,80B are attached to respective second ends 66 of a connecting end portion 60A,60B, while the respective proximate ends 84 of each extending arm 80A,80Bb, are attached in an abutting, end-to-end relationship with respect to each other and are also attached to base 110B of the upper portion 110. The structural configuration of base 110B is seen to comprise an angled offset component and a triangularly shaped strengthening gusset. A first end of the angled offset component is attached to top surfaces 87a,87b at a point where the extending arms 80A,80B are co-joined together, while the other end is attached to a bottom of the extended middle section of upper portion 110. The strengthening gusset extends between and joins the angled offset component of base 110B to the extended middle section of upper portion 110. The gusset also is anchored to the top surface 87b of the hanger frame, thereby strengthening the entire upper portion 110. As seen from the drawing figure, the angled offset of base 110B effectively displaces the extended middle section of upper portion 110 in a lateral direction to the right of the midpoint 25 of hanger frame 10. However, this displacement is intentional because it dictates that the arcuate midpoint of attachment hook 110A, identified in FIG. 1 as line m-m, will be in substantial vertical alignment simultaneously with the vertical center of a closet pole, midpoint 25 of hanger 10, and the midpoint of cross bar 20. The oppositely extending side arms 80A,80B, being connected together in an abutting relationship, are substantially on the same horizontal plane and that plane is parallel to the horizontal plane of the cross bar 20. Likewise, the connecting end portions 60A,60B, are on parallel, vertical planes that are perpendicular to the horizontal planes of the opposed extending side arms and the cross bar. Structurally, it should be appreciated that except for the upper portion 110, the frame of hanger 10 has a generally rectangular profile which forms two identical or mirrored halves. The type of hanger frame presented in FIG. 6 also consists of two mirrored halves but because of the angular displacement of the two opposed extending side arms off the horizontal, that frame is non-rectangular, taking on the profile that is associated with a more typical wire hanger.

An important aspect of the invention is that the hanger 10 of the invention is formed of a molded plastic material or the like so that the hanger frame is formed as one continuous and uniform hanger frame of uniform cross section. By forming the frame in this fashion, clothing articles, especially delicate ones, will not become caught and snagged upon any part of the hanger. Thus, because of this feature, it should be understood that all of the above-described connections between the various members and their components will be integral with each other so as to maintain that uniformity. The same will be true with respect to all additional structural components of the hanger that will be described immediately below.

Again referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that cross bar 20 of hanger 10 is formed as a series of adjacent, identical loops 26a-26h that serve to function as a means for suspending and retaining various articles of clothing and accessories. Each loop is constructed into a U-shaped configuration that is defined by a respective base 30 connected to a respective pair of opposed legs 32,34. For the sake of clarity within the drawing figures, the opposed legs 32,34 of each U-shaped loop have not been specifically identified in the drawings but rather, only the opposed legs of loop 30a are numbered. However, it should be understood that the opposed legs of each loop, when necessary, will be referred to by the particular loop that the opposed legs are associated with, i.e., loop 26c will describe its opposed legs as 32c and 34c even though the reference numerals of the legs will not be shown on the drawings for clarity's sake. Each of the U-shaped loops is connected to an adjacent loop by an interconnecting cross bar segments 28a-28i. Each pair of opposed legs 32a-32h and 34a-34h extends upwardly from its respective base 30a-h by a like extent, with an opposed leg from an adjacent loop being connected to a respective cross bar segment 28a-28i. It is intended that each U-shaped loop be laterally spaced an equal distance from each other, said distance controlled by the lateral extent of the cross bar segments 28a-28i, which are identical in lateral length or extent. It is also seen that all of the loops 26a-26h are disposed such that they project in the same direction. All of the U-shaped loops and cross bar segments that form cross bar 20 lie on the same plane. It is also preferred that hanger 10 be constructed so that one cross bar segment is always positioned on cross bar 20 such that it is centered about the lateral midpoint 25 of cross bar itself. In the FIG. 1 drawing, it is seen that in this particular instance, the cross bar segment identified at 28e is seen to be located at the midpoint 25 of hanger 25 and is laterally centered thereabout. In this way, the center point of one dedicated segment will always be in substantial vertical alignment with the vertical centerline of a closet clothing bar and the arcuate midpoint of attachment hook 110A. By dedicating one cross bar segment as described, it is then preferred that the number of fully formed U-shaped loops matched in number on each half of the hanger frame, a half of the frame defined as the distance between the midpoint 25 of the cross bar 20 to a respective connecting end portion 60a and 60b. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there are a total of eight loops formed along the horizontal extent of cross bar 20, with a respective group of four loops, 26a-d and 26e-h, being formed on each side of midpoint 25. Since a standard molded hanger has a lateral extent that is usually about 17 inches long, it is not desirable to form cross bar 20 with more than five loops on each side of the dedicated midpoint loop. Otherwise, when the number of loops is increased, the lateral extent of each loop base 30a-30i will decrease. The bases 30 of each loop are the structural locations on the hanger where the clothing articles will be hang upon when the hanger is used, as depicted in FIG. 8. Decreasing the lateral extent of each base 30 will decrease the utility of hanger 10 since the number and types of clothing articles that can be accommodated on hanger 10 will decrease too. This point is best understood when considering the article of clothing shown in FIG. 8 which is next to the belt; that particular article has relatively wide shoulder straps. If the bases 30 on the adjacent U-shaped loops from which the article is suspended about were significantly reduced in lateral extent, the straps of the article might not fit in between the opposed legs or it may create a situation where a user of the hanger would have to squeeze the straps into the loop openings, which is undesirable for obvious reasons. Likewise, it should also be appreciated that when the lateral extent of either the cross bar segments 28a-28i or the bases 30a-h is increased so as to reduce the total number of fully formed U-shaped loops along cross bar 20, the utility of hanger 10 may also become compromised. For example, if the number of fully formed U-shaped loops was decreased to say only two loops on each side of hanger 10, the hanger will lose its multifunctional utility to simultaneously suspend multiple clothing articles and certain types of accessories such as belts because the two loops would hold a significantly smaller number of clothing articles compared to a hanger having four loops on each hanger half. In the case of hanger only having two loop on each half, those loops, if dedicated to only suspending clothes on each half, would necessarily dictate that there would be no loops available for suspending certain accessories like belts. Furthermore, when the number of loops is decreased, a user's choice in variations as to how an article of clothing can be suspended from the hanger also becomes affected. This point can be best appreciated when viewing FIG. 8 and noting how the two strapped clothing articles there are being suspended. The leftmost article shows that when multiple, side-by-side loops are provided on cross bar 20, the user can choose to suspend an article between or across more than one loop. The leftmost article shown in FIG. 8 is being suspended across at least two loops and this manner of suspension and use of the hanger tends to prevent an article from getting wrinkled while in suspension. However, if only two fully formed U-shaped loops were provided on that half of the hanger, then all clothing articles being hung on that side of the hanger would have to be stacked upon each other, which may not be desirable to the user. Moreover, if that isn't a concern, it can be appreciated that the shear number of clothing articles being hung in a like fashion would certainly be limited and reduced compared to when four, full, U-shaped loops are being provided on each hanger half. Furthermore, if there were only two loops on each side of the hanger, then a user might be forced to hang multiple articles in the same fashion as the rightmost article of clothing is being hung, as shown in FIG. 8. For certain types of clothing articles such as bathing suits, a user would not care and may actually desire to hang several bathing suits in that fashion, but with other types of more delicate clothing, that form of suspension would not be acceptable. One other additional problem is anticipated when decreasing the number of loops to less than three per side and it relates to whether or not the hanger would still have application when using it for storing children's clothing such as pants that have built-in belt loops. With the present hanger, the pant loops can be slipped over two, non-adjacent loops in accordance with the positioning of the belt loops on the pants. But if the number of U-shaped loops on the hanger is decreased to less than four loops per side and depending upon their lateral spacing from each other, the U-shaped loops on the hanger would likely not coordinate with the location of the belt loops on the pants to allow the pants to be neatly suspended from the hanger by at least two loops on the pants. It is also contemplated that when the number of U-shaped loops provided on each side of the hanger, a certain dimensional width of each of the U-shaped loops must not be exceeded, otherwise, when the lateral width of each U-shaped loop is increased, then certain accessories, like belts, may not be suspended from the hanger. That point is emphasized by again referring to FIG. 8 and specifically to the belt, where it is see that the belt buckle fits perfectly over the opposed legs of two adjacent U-shaped loops. However, when the lateral width of each U-shaped loop is increased, some belts might not be accommodated in the same manner unless the belt was provided with a relatively large belt buckle. So an important consideration of the hanger of the invention is that the number of U-shaped loops preferably not exceed five and have not less than three loops per side, otherwise it has been found that the adaptability of the hanger to accept various types and quantities of clothing articles is negatively effected.

In another embodiment of the invention, another type of means for suspending and retaining the various articles of clothing and accessories is envisioned where one opposed leg from two adjacent U-shaped loops are effectively melded into each other to form of combined legs in the form of a post, as best seen when viewing FIG. 5B. FIG. 5B shows this version of the cross presented as bar 20′, showing a series of identical posts 35 which represent this structurally different suspension and retaining means. That structural modification eliminates one half of the total opposed legs and cross bar segments that were formerly used to define each of the U-shaped loops 26a-26h. Each post 35 rises upwardly from cross bar 20′ a like extent and each is also laterally spaced from the other by a like extent so that all U-shaped loops are identical to the other. The cross bar 20′ is also shown being connected to partials of the connecting end portions 60A and 60B that were previously described in order to highlight that cross bar 20′ will connect to the end portions and ultimately to the opposed extending side arms 80A,80B in the same manner as described above with the cross bar 20. With this version of the cross bar, one post, in this case post 35e, will always be formed at the lateral midpoint of cross bar 20′ so that a matched number of U-shaped loops are formed on each side of the cross bar. Furthermore, if a vertical stabilization bar 120 is to also be employed within the hanger frame, a lower end 124 of the stabilization bar would necessarily have to connect to this dedicated post at the midpoint of cross bar 20′, while an upper end 122 would connect to the hanger components as previously described with respect to the hanger frame arrangement of FIG. 2. Although a vertical stabilization bar is not shown in this drawing figure, one in the art should readily be able to conceptualize how the stabilization bar shown in FIG. 2 would similarly connect to the dedicated post instead of a cross bar segment, as was previously connected and described with the FIG. 2 embodiment. When using posts 35, it has been found that in limited respects, the utility of hanger 10 has been slightly compromised with certain types of articles that were intended to be suspended and retained from a hanger incorporating cross bar 20′. For instance, in FIG. 8, it is seen that the belt buckle of the belt is securely held in position. However, when posts are used on the cross bar instead of U-shaped loops, it has been found that belt buckles can slide along the post and depending upon the number of belts being suspended on the hanger at one time, the sliding can cause the hanger to become unbalanced when it is hanging from the closet clothing bar. Also, it has been discovered that because of the structural substitution of a post for the opposed legs and cross bar segments, the width or lateral extent of the various U-shaped loops has increased such that suspending a belt buckle from two posts instead of one becomes more difficult unless the buckle is fairly wide. On the other hand, one bonus of using the posts is that they make the hanger frame structurally simpler and less costly to manufacture.

Turning again to FIG. 1, it is further seen that hanger 10 is also provided with a plurality of downwardly depending hooks 90a-90e that are attached to a respective bottom surface 89 of each of the outwardly extending support arms 80 in a laterally spaced relationship to each other. The hooks 90 provided on each of the embodiments of hanger 10 and which will be described in detail herein are comprised of identical components and may be of identical construction. The hooks 90 serve as a supplemental means for suspending and retaining various clothing accessories. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, each hook 90 has a T-shaped configuration that is defined by pole 92 and a traverse arm 100. The pole 92 has a base end 94 connected to the bottom surface 89 of extending arm 80 and a top end 96 that is connected in a perpendicular fashion to transverse arm 100 at a midpoint 103 thereof. The transverse arm 100 is oriented on pole 92 such that it is substantially on the same plane as each of the outward extending arms 80. The transverse arm 100 is intentionally constructed as a planar or flat member so that several clothing accessories can be simultaneously suspended therefrom, which would not be possible if that component was formed to have a curved or arcuate surface. Advantageously, the utility of hanger 10 is greatly increased by such provision.

Now turning attention to only FIG. 5, a T-shaped hook is shown in greater detail where it is seen that the transverse arm 100 is further provided with a pair of upturned ends 101 that upwardly extend normal to arm 100. Transverse arm 100 is also seen to be provided with two identical sets of spaced, passageways 105 that are defined by surfaces 106. Each passageway 105 is generally located between an upturned end 101 and midpoint 103 in a spaced and equal distance from the other. In another aspect, not shown, transverse arm may instead be provided with only two passageways, each one laterally centered between an upturned end and midpoint 103. The ends 101 of each arm are upturned to prevent various clothing accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, watches, bangles, etc., from sliding off the end of the arm. This feature is best appreciated when viewing the bracelet shown in FIG. 8. Turning again to FIG. 1, it is seen that two of the hooks 90b and 90d downwardly extend further away from outwardly extending support aims 80 relative to one of the adjacent hook 90a, 90c or 90d. The two hooks 90b,90d extend downward the same distance because the poles 92 of each hook are of the same length. A variation to this arrangement is shown in FIG. 3, where it is seen that the poles 92 of alternating hooks 90b and 90d are attached to opposing side surfaces 87 of the extending arms 80, rather than from the bottom surface 89. In the embodiment of hanger 10 shown in FIG. 2, it is seen that all of the hooks 90a-90e downwardly extend away from support arms 80 the same distance as a result of all of the poles 92 being the same length or extent and that each of the poles 92 are attached to and depending from the bottom surface. Turning to FIG. 4, it is seen that each of the transverse arms 100 may be oriented on a respective pole 92 so that each arm 100, and the plane that it lies within, is perpendicular to the plane of the extending arms 80 and for that matter to the plane of the frame of hanger 10. It should be understood that with the embodiments of the hanger 10 described herein, one hook will always be formed at a location which corresponds with and is in vertical alignment with the midpoint 25 of hanger 10. That dedicated hook, in this case the hook identified at 90c in the drawing figures, will also be located on the bottom surfaces of the extending arms 80A,80B at the point where those two arms co-join together. In this way, the center point of one dedicated hook will always be in substantial vertical alignment with the vertical centerline of a closet clothing bar and the arcuate midpoint of attachment hook 110A. By dedicating one hook as described, it is preferred that the number of inverted T-shaped hooks provided on each side of the hanger midpoint 25 will be the same, thereby adding to the structural balance to the hanger 10.

No matter the number of U-shaped loops or T-shaped hooks so formed as part of the hanger frame or their dimensional sizes, it is to be understood that in a preferred aspect of the invention, all such loops and hooks will lie on the same plane and will not project outside of the plane of the frame that forms hanger 10. In other words, each of the structural loops and hooks, as well as all of the other structural components of hanger 10, i.e., the connecting end portions 60, the hook portion 110, the oppositely extending side arms and the stabilization bar 120, if one is provided, all lie on the same plane. An exception to that condition is found with the two aspects of the invention that are respectively shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3, it is seen that the T-shaped hooks do not lie within the same plane of the other structural components that form the frame of the hanger 10 because some of the T-shaped hooks are in one plane while the other half are in another common plane, each plane being parallel to that of the general structure of the hanger itself. The second exception is shown in FIG. 4, where each of the cross arms 100 associated with a respective T-shaped hook 90 are shown to lie in separate planes, with each plane being perpendicular to the plane which forms the general structure of hanger 10.

In a final embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7, hanger 10 now includes a second cross bar 40 member, along with all of the same structural components that were made a part of and described above with respect to the other embodiments of hanger 10. The ends 42,44 of the second cross bar 40 terminate with upturned extensions that facilitate the attachment to connecting portions 60a and 60b. The second cross bar 40 is an elongate, continuously planar member disposed a spaced distance below cross bar 20, having a pair of ends 42,44. First end 42 is integrally attached to a first end 62 of connecting portion 60a, while second end 44 is integrally attached to first end 62 of connecting portion 60b. Second cross bar 40 is also provided with several divider columns 46a-46c that are equidistantly spaced from each other. Each divider column has a respective first end 48a,48b,48c, integrally connected to the second cross bar member 40 and respective second ends 50a,50b,50c, integrally connected to an associated U-shaped loop. The second cross bar member 40 and the divider columns 46 lie on the same plane as the rest of the hanger frame. In this aspect of the second embodiment of hanger 10, the three divider columns create the open sections A-D that are intended for use as scarf hanging and storage areas on hanger 10. The outermost open sections A and D are slightly larger in lateral extent when compared to the lateral extents of open sections B and C. In order for hanger 10 to have any utility as a scarf storage area, it is critical that the second cross bar be positioned at least four, but no more than seven inches below cross bar 20. Otherwise, it has been discovered that when this distance is less than four inches it becomes too difficult to load scarves onto hanger 10 and when the distance is greater than seven inches, the spacing in between cross bars becomes so large that much of the open compartment area is not used because it becomes very inconvenient trying to remove one scarf from the bottom of a very tall, vertical stack of scarves. Moreover, if this large, open section is not going to be used by a consumer, materials are wasted in constructing hanger 10, which increases production costs and the sales price to consumers. In another aspect of this final embodiment, two equidistantly spaced divider columns could have been utilized instead of three. The location of the columns in a two divider column arrangement is shown in dashed-line form in FIG. 7. Provision of two divider columns as shown in dashed line form forms three open sections that are equal in size. The three open sections are larger in size compared to the four open section arrangement that results when three divider columns are provided. In either aspect of the second embodiment, the formation of the open sections through the addition of the second cross bar 40 and the divider columns substantially increases the utility of hanger 10 because each open section has an intended use for hanging and storing several scarves on the same hanger in addition to articles of clothing and accessories. It is preferred to form no more than four and no less than three open sections, as will become clearer later herein when a detailed description of the intended use of the entire hanger 10 is explained.

Since all embodiments and types of the clothing hanger 10 that were presented and described through FIGS. 1-7 are preferably formed of molded plastic material or the like, it should be understood that all of the above-described connections between the various components that were described will be integral with each other so as to form one continuous and uniform hanger frame of a uniform cross section.

Having observed the structural details of hanger 10, attention may now be directed to FIG. 8 which shows the FIG. 7 embodiment of the invention in its intended use. While the following description of use of the hanger 10 will be specific to the various clothing and accessory articles shown in FIG. 8, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not necessarily so limited and that hanger 10 can be used for storing a multiplicity of a one type of clothing articles or accessories on the hanger and it does not always have to be used in storing a combination of articles like that shown in the drawing figure. Furthermore, it should also be understood that the hanger of the invention may find suitable adaptability for other uses such as for storing children's clothing and accessories thereon, especially belts and pants that have belt loops sewn into them. Without the need for diagrammatic detail, one can envision how the belt loops of a child's pair of pants can be strung over the various U-shaped loops or the T-shaped hooks that are provided on hanger 10 so that more than one pair of pants can be stored. Also, since the belt buckle for a child's belt is much smaller than that on an adult belt, the T-shaped hooks is well suited for storing such belts. In another totally different application, it was found in practice that hanger 10 is also very useful for storing animal accessories such as dog and cat collars, leashes, and harnesses by attachment to the U-shaped loops and/or the T-shaped hooks. This hanger also found use in another type of application; for hanging baseball style hats that have the adjustable plastic tab on the back of the hat. With that application, the plastic adjusting tab on the back of the hat is looped over adjacent opposed legs, exactly like the belt shown in FIG. 8.

In any event it can be appreciated that the hanger of the present invention has many practical applications and uses. For instance, FIG. 8 shows how the U-shaped loops are employed to accommodate shoulder strapped articles such as a tank top (leftmost article) or a skirt (rightmost article) and a belt. With respect to the clothing articles, the shoulder straps of each article can be placed over a U-shaped loop in sequence so that several articles are arranged in a side-by-side fashion, as shown with respect to the leftmost article. Alternatively, each shoulder strap on a particular clothing article can be placed over the same U-shaped loop that would best correspond to the actual width between straps on the article, as shown with respect to the rightmost article of clothing on the hanger. If that method is used, then the only limit as to how many similar items of clothing that may be suspended from the hanger is limited by the length of the opposed legs 32,34. With the hanging method disclosed with respect to the left side of the hanger, the number of articles that can be suspended is limited by the number of U-shaped loops that are provided.

FIG. 8 also shows that the T-shaped hooks 90 can serve a dual purpose when using the hanger for storing accessories that match the clothing articles being stored on the hanger. In this particular application, one of the T-shaped hooks is being used for accommodating a bracelet and a pair of post-type earrings. The bracelet is suspended directly on the transverse arm 100 and the upturned ends 101 prevent the bracelet from falling off the hanger during movement thereof. Although not shown, the transverse arm 100 can also be used for storing one or more necklaces thereon by suspending them in a similar fashion to that of the bracelet. With respect to the storage of earrings on the hanger, it should be easily understood that each T-shaped hook will accept the posts of the earrings (not shown) when they are inserted through the holes 105. The backings to the earrings (also not shown) would attach to that portion of the earring post that extends outwardly beyond the surface of the transverse arm of the T-shaped hook. Although only one scarf and one belt is shown being suspended from hanger 10 for clarity sake, it should be understood that each open section (A-D) could accommodate a single scarf within its respective open section or it may accommodate several scarves that are layered upon each other in each of the sections. Likewise, more than one U-shaped loop on the hanger could be employed for receiving additional belts and it should be readily understood that the number of belts that can be stored per U-shaped loop is a function of the length of the opposed legs 32, 34 of each loop 26a-26e as well as the size and thickness of the belt buckle.

While the multifunctional hanger has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the claims. Modifications and variations of the present invention may be made without departing from the novel aspects of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A multi-functional hanger having a peripheral frame, comprising:

a cross bar member having a pair of ends;

two identical connecting end portion members, each connecting end portion having respective and common first and second ends, said first ends of each connecting end portion attached to an end of said cross bar;

two identical and oppositely extending side arm members, one extending side arm associated with one of said connecting end portions and the other extending side arm associated with the other connecting end portion, each extending side arm having respective and common distal and proximate ends, said distal ends of each extending side arm connected to a respective second end of said connecting end portion and said proximate ends of each extending side arms co-joined to each other;

an upper portion member having an attachment hook for removably suspending said hanger from a closet clothing bar, said proximate ends of each of said oppositely extending arms attached to said upper portion and to each other,

wherein said cross bar member is provided with a means for suspending and retaining multiple articles of clothing and accessories and each of said extending side arm members is provided with a supplemental means for suspending and retaining multiple clothing accessories, and

wherein all of said members of said hanger frame lie on a common plane and are of a uniform cross section.

2. The multi-functional hanger of claim 1, wherein said means for suspending and retaining associated with said cross bar member is comprised of one of one of a group consisting of a series of identical, adjacent loops that are laterally spaced from each other and a series of identical, adjacent posts that are laterally spaced from each other.

3. The multi-functional hanger of claim 2, wherein said means for suspending and retaining associated with each of said extending arm members is comprised of a series of hooks that are laterally spaced from each other.

4. The multi-functional hanger of claim 3, wherein one of said hooks is in substantial vertical alignment with said arcuate midpoint of said attachment hook of said upper portion and said midpoint of said cross bar.

5. The multi-functional hanger of claim 2, wherein one of said means for suspending and retaining that is associated with said cross bar member is in substantial vertical alignment with said arcuate midpoint of said attachment hook of said upper portion and said midpoint of said cross bar.

6. The multi-functional hanger of claim 5, further including a vertical stabilization bar disposed at the midpoint of said cross bar and which is interconnected between said cross bar and said hook that is in substantial vertical alignment with said arcuate midpoint of said attachment hook of said upper portion.

7. The multi-functional hanger of claim 6, further including a second cross bar having a pair of ends, said second cross bar disposed below said first cross bar, wherein one end of said second cross bar is connected to said first end of said connecting end portion and the other end of said second cross bar connected to said second end of said connecting end portion.

8. The multi-functional hanger of claim 4, wherein each hook extends in a downward direction from said extending arm members.

9. The multi-functional hanger of claim 8, wherein each of said hooks has an inverted T-shaped configuration defined by a pole connected to a transverse arm, said pole perpendicularly connected to said arm at a midpoint thereof.

10. The multi-functional hanger of claim 9, wherein said transverse arm is provided with at least one pair of spaced passageways, each of said passageways identical in size.

11. The multi-functional hanger of claim 10, wherein each of said passageways is equidistantly spaced from said midpoint of said transverse arm.

12. The multi-functional hanger of claim 11, wherein each of said hooks extends in a downward direction from said extending arm members by a uniform extent.

13. The multi-functional hanger of claim 12, wherein each of said hooks extends in a downward direction from said extending arm members and wherein a first group of hooks extends a longer and uniform extent from said extending arm members then that of a second group of hooks that also extend a uniform extent from said extending arm members.

11. The multi-functional hanger of claim 12, wherein said cross bar is on a first horizontal plane and said co-joined extending side arms are on a second horizontal plane, wherein said second horizontal plane is one of angularly displaced from and parallel to said first horizontal plane.

12. The multi-functional hanger of claim 13, wherein said cross bar is on a first horizontal plane and said co-joined extending side arms are on a second horizontal plane, wherein said second horizontal plane is parallel to said first horizontal plane.

13. The multi-functional hanger of claim 7, wherein said second cross bar further includes a plurality of identical divider columns laterally spaced from each other, each divider extending between and interconnecting said first and second cross bars.

14. The multi-functional hanger of claim 13, wherein said second cross bar is provided with at least two divider columns and no more than three divider columns.

15. The multi-functional hanger of claim 2, wherein each loop extends in the same direction and a like extent.

16. The multi-functional hanger of claim 15, further including a series of identical cross bar segments, a respective cross bar segment disposed between and connected to adjacent loops.

17. The multi-functional hanger of claim 16, wherein each said cross bar segment defines an extent of lateral separation between loops.

18. The multi-functional hanger of claim 7, wherein each of said loops has a U-shaped configuration defined by a base interconnected to a pair of opposed legs.

19. The multi-functional hanger of claim 2, wherein each post extends in the same direction and a like extent.

20. A multi-functional hanger having a peripheral frame, comprising:

a first cross bar member having a pair of ends;

a second cross bar member having a pair of ends, said ends of said second cross bar corresponding with said ends of said first cross bar, said second cross bar disposed below said first cross bar and parallel thereto;

two identical connecting end portion members, each connecting end portion having respective and common first and second ends, said first ends of each connecting end portion attached to a corresponding first end of each of said first and second cross bars;

two identical and oppositely extending side arm members, one extending side arm associated with one of said connecting end portions and the other extending side arm associated with the other connecting end portion, each extending side arm having respective and common distal and proximate ends, said distal ends of each extending side arm connected to a corresponding second end of each of said connecting end portions and said proximate ends of each extending side arm connected to each other;

an upper portion member having an attachment hook for removably suspending said hanger from a closet clothing bar, said proximate ends of each of said oppositely extending arms attached to said upper portion and co joined to each other,

wherein said first cross bar member is provided with a means for suspending and retaining multiple articles of clothing and accessories and each of said extending side arm members is provided with a supplemental means for suspending and retaining multiple clothing accessories; and

wherein said second cross bar member is provided with a plurality of divider columns laterally spaced from each other, each divider column extending between and interconnecting said first and second cross bars; and

wherein all of said members of said hanger frame lie on a common plane and are of a uniform cross section.

21. The multi-functional hanger of claim 21, further including a vertical stabilization bar disposed at the midpoint of said cross bar and interconnected between said cross bar and said hook that is in vertical alignment with said midpoint of said cross bar.

22. The multi-functional hanger of claim 22, wherein said second cross bar is provided with at least two divider columns and no more than three divider columns.

23. The multi-functional hanger of claim 23, wherein said means for suspending and retaining associated with said cross bar member is comprised of a series of adjacent identical loops that are laterally spaced from each other.

24. The multi-functional hanger of claim 24, wherein each loop extends in the same direction and a like extent.

25. The multi-functional hanger of claim 25, further including a series of identical cross bar segments, a respective cross bar segment disposed between and connected to adjacent loops.

26. The multi-functional hanger of claim 26, wherein each said cross bar segment defines an extent of lateral separation between loops.

27. The multi-functional hanger of claim 27, wherein each of said loops has a U-shaped configuration defined by a base interconnected to a pair of opposed legs.

28. The multi-functional hanger of claim 28, wherein one of said cross bar segments is centered about a midpoint of said cross bar and is in substantial vertical alignment with an arcuate midpoint of said attachment hook.

29. The multi-functional hanger of claim 29, wherein said means for suspending and retaining associated with each of said extending arm members is comprised of a series of hooks that are laterally spaced from each other.

30. The multi-functional hanger of claim 30, wherein one of hooks is in substantial vertical alignment with said arcuate midpoint of said attachment hook of said upper portion and said midpoint of said cross bar.

31. The multi-functional hanger of claim 31, wherein each hook extends in a downward direction from said extending arm members.

32. The multi-functional hanger of claim 32, wherein each of said hooks has an inverted T-shaped configuration defined by a pole connected to a transverse arm, said pole perpendicularly connected to said arm at a midpoint thereof.

33. The multi-functional hanger of claim 33, wherein said transverse arm is provided with at least one pair of spaced passageways, each of said passageways identical in size.

34. The multi-functional hanger of claim 34, wherein each of said passageways is equidistantly spaced from said midpoint of said transverse arm.

35. The multi-functional hanger of claim 35, wherein each of said hooks extends in a downward direction from said extending aim members by a uniform extent.

36. The multi-functional hanger of claim 36, wherein each of said hooks extends in a downward direction from said extending arm members and wherein a first group of hooks extends a longer and uniform extent from said extending arm members then that of a second group of hooks that also extend a uniform extent from said extending arm members.

37. The multi-functional hanger of claim 36, wherein said first cross bar is on a first horizontal plane and said co joined extending side arms are on a second horizontal plane, wherein said second horizontal plane is one of angularly displaced from and parallel to said first horizontal plane.

38. The multi-functional hanger of claim 37, wherein said first cross bar is on a first horizontal plane and said co-joined extending side arms are on a second horizontal plane, wherein said second horizontal plane is parallel to said first horizontal plane.