TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a clothing hanger, and more particularly relates to a clothing hanger with finger hook modifications in the neck of the hanger.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There has been a long standing problem for people trying to carry a number of clothes hangers all at once, in that their fingers get pinched when trying to lift clothes hangers, especially when lifting many clothes hangers at the same time.
Therefore, there has been a long felt need for a more comfortable and more efficient clothes hanger. For the first time since plastic clothes hangers were introduced to the market, the only development has been the Joy Mangano® Huggie Hanger, available from Ingenious Designs, LLC, in Edgewood, N.Y. However, this hanger merely stops clothes from slipping off the hanger due to a friction-creating coating over the hanger, as well as having a hanger that is half the width of a conventional plastic clothes hanger. There is nothing that will add to the comfort of the user, nor is there anything that will alleviate pinching.
The industry could benefit from any innovations relating to comfort and utility, and the present invention will provide such a benefit, as this design alleviates pinching of fingers when carrying the clothes hangers with garments thereon, as well as providing a more attainable load of clothes on the hangers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, disclosed is a new type of clothes hanger with separate finger hooks extending outwardly, preferably from the neck of the clothes hanger, or any other part of the clothes hanger that is suitable for picking up. The present invention discloses such a hanger. My invention is equally adaptable to any sort of clothes hanger, including wire hangers, plastic injection molded hangers, wooden hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers, or any other type of hanger. As long as there is a neck connecting the hanger to a hook to be received over a closet rod or any other support member for the clothes on the hanger, my invention finds utility and application.
Essentially, since fingers become pinched when lifting more than one clothes hanger with garments hanging thereon, my invention relocates the lifting portion of the hanger off to the side, where a finger grip portion can be utilized without pinching one's fingers. The location of the finger grip portion may be anywhere on the upper portion of the hanger, but is most preferably in the neck of the clothes hanger for better balance. However, it should be noted that anywhere on the clothes hanger above the center of gravity will perform equally well.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front plan review of a clothes hanger made in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front plan view of a second aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an environmental view showing a prior art hanger as well as the use of a hanger made in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a front plan view of yet another aspect of the present invention including a piece of padding;
FIG. 5 is a front plan view of another aspect of the present invention including a secondary government hook;
FIG. 6 is a front plan view of another aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a front plan view of a plastic hanger incorporating the new invention;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another plastic hanger in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a front plan view of another aspect;
FIG. 10 is a front plan view with safe finger hold on top of the hanger;
FIG. 11 is a front plan view illustrating the finger hold off to the side of the neck of the hanger;
FIG. 12 is a front plan view of yet another aspect of the present invention showing where the finger hold may occur;
FIG. 13 is a front plan view of a wire hanger showing the neck of the hanger doubled back on itself to form a finger hooked;
FIG. 14 is a front plan view of the bottom portion of a clothes hanger with sloping shoulders;
FIG. 15 is a front plan view of the bottom portion of a clothes hanger with a trouser bar extending between the two ends of the close hanger;
FIG. 16 is a front plan view of the bottom portion of a clothes hanger;
FIG. 17 is a front plan view of a bedspread hanger;
FIG. 18 is a front plan view of a trouser hanger;
FIG. 19 is a front plan view of a plastic clothes hanger, commonly used in retail stores; and
FIG. 20 is a front plan view of a trouser or skirt hanger, commonly used in retail stores.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Looking first to FIG. 1, there is shown a first novel and non-obvious new aspect of the present invention, wherein the new type of clothes hanger is generally denoted by the numeral 10, and includes a shoulder support portion 12 rising up and over to a distal hook 14 permanently attached to an integral neck 18. In this aspect of the invention, neck 18 includes an extended finger grip portion 16 radiating outwardly from neck 18, such that someone that is carrying one or more of the clothes hangers to carry the multitude of garments can do so without pinching their fingers between the various hooks 14 in the bunch. Finger grip portion 16 may be an enclosed loop type of grip as shown in FIG. 1, or it may be an open grip as described more fully hereinbelow with reference to further FIG's. In this aspect, when the wire hook portion of this wire hanger is being bent into shape, a first twisted neck portion 17 is being twisted around itself for sturdiness. To form the loop, as the neck wire is twisted up, a span of wire remains untwisted 18, wherein the closed finger grip portion 16 is formed. After the span has been traversed, neck 18's wire can be twisted around the wire again into second twisted neck portion 19. But this time, it is twisted above the finger grip portion, in order to secure the ends of the wire. Upward of the second twisted portion 19, distal hook 14 first extends upward and then extends downward in order to form a conventional hook for sliding onto a closet rod.
FIG. 2 illustrates another aspect of the present invention that includes an open finger grip portion, as mentioned above. In this aspect, the neck of the clothes hanger may be attached to any type of hanger, whether metal, wood or plastic. Clothes hanger 10 again includes a garment supporting shoulder portion, and is suspended from a metal wire neck and hook, but with an inclusion of a special bended portion that forms the novel finger grip portion in accordance with the present invention. The wire hook 14 shall be made of a material that is sufficiently strong to not only support a garment hanging therefrom, but must also be strong enough not to be deformed when a relatively heavy garment is place thereon. A suitable strength and diameter of wire can be determined without undue experimentation, also my invention works best when the wire is from about 1/16″ to about ⅛″ in diameter of stainless steel, aluminum, or metal alloy. They may also be coated with paint or with a thin layer of plastic. If the neck is formed from plastic, a 60 to 90 durometer plastic is preferred. Regardless of the material or the diameter of the neck, the determining factor for suitability in usage within my invention is that the hanger must support from 0 to 50 lbs. of weight substantially equally distributed over the shoulder support portions 12 of the clothes hanger 10.
Looking next to the environmental view of FIG. 3, the garment and clothes hanger in the forefront are prior art articles, while the new finger grip style clothes hanger in the back is made in accordance with the present invention. Garment 20 is hanging on clothes hanger 10, and is also being supported on closet rod 22 by hook 14. Finger grip portion 16 extends radially from neck 18. One can see from FIG. 3 that the fingers of the person are not pinched between the clothes hanger and the closet rod, as they are in the prior art device illustration in the forefront of the FIG.
As anyone working in a retail clothing store can testify, when re-stocking the floor, multiple clothes hangers become very uncomfortable to transport by hand, because your fingers always get pinched. As one can imagine, FIG. 3 merely illustrates only one way that fingers become pinched. With regards to other injuries from trying to carry too many hanging garments, it is not only common, but probable, for someone picking up their dry cleaning, where each garment is hung on a separate hanger. Picking up all the hangers and trying to hang those clothes on the little hook provided in a car or truck means that your fingers will generally get pinched. My novel finger grip portion will alleviate said pinching, as your fingers will not come into contact with the hook, and the hooking procedure can still be effected without hindrance.
FIG. 4 shows yet another aspect of the present clothes hanger invention as generally denoted by the numeral 30, still including a shoulder support portion 32. As before, a neck portion 40 extends upwardly, and intermediate between the neck 40 and the hook 34, a finger grip portion 36 is formed into the neck. Finger grip portion 36 further includes an enhanced comfort pad 38 incorporated into the top of the finger grip portion 36. Thus, when picking up a number of hangers, numerous hangers can be lifted without discomfort. The comfort pad 38 will be located such that, when lifting, your fingers will be cushioned. This aspect will work equally well for the closed loop aspect of FIG. 1 as it does for the open loop finger grip portion 36 of this aspect.
FIG. 5 illustrates another aspect of the present invention, wherein the finger grip portion common throughout all the aspects herein is not a looped aspect, but rather is a supported lift aspect. Clothes hanger 50 includes shoulder support portions 52, with a spreader bar 54 supporting and attached to the distal ends 53 of shoulder support portions 52. Spreader bar 54 may be used to support pants, skirts, or anything else that one would want to hang together with the garment. As in my other aspects, a neck portion 58 rises vertically from the top of shoulder supports 52 and includes an upwardly extending finger grip hook 60 radiating radially from neck 58. Said finger grip hook 60 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of shoulder supports 52. In this aspect, finger grip hook 60 may also be used for hanging belts, scarves, and the like once the garment has been hung on the support of choice, usually a closet rod. This finger grip hook 60 shall be made of any suitable material that is sufficient to allow one to lift the maximum weight garment on the clothes hanger 50.
Looking next to FIG. 6, this aspect is essentially the same as FIG. 5, except that the clothes hanger 50 has a finger grip portion 62 is now which is pointed down out of neck 58 to make it simpler to collect with one's fingers. The strength of all of these materials needs to be great enough such that clothing could be transported in large numbers and carried on the hand of the person moving the clothing.
FIG. 7 illustrates yet another aspect of the present invention wherein a plastic molded hanger 70 includes a shoulder support 72 and a distal hook 74 to be received over a closet rod or other support. In this aspect, a finger hook portion 76 is integrally formed in neck 78, acting as a finger grip portion that can be utilized by the person moving the clothing so that their fingers will not get pinched.
FIG. 8 illustrates yet another aspect of the present invention wherein a plastic molded clothes hanger is generally denoted by the numeral 70, and again includes shoulder supports 72 and neck portion 74 for hanging on a rod. As above, the finger grip portion is molded directly into the plastic hanger and is denoted by the numeral 76. Finger grip portion 76 is formed intermediate as an integral portion of neck 78, and is placed appropriately for lifting by the person moving the clothing on the clothes rack.
FIG. 9 shows yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein a molded clothes hanger is generally denoted by the numeral 90 and includes the requisite shoulder supports 92 and a hook 94 for hanging over a closet rod or the like. The novel portion of this aspect is the finger grip portion 96, wherein the finger grip is still following the general text of my invention where the finger grip portion is separate from the neck and hook portions (91 and 94), such that a person would lift the hanger without getting his/her fingers crimped between either the closet rod or other hangers if you are lifting multiple pieces of hung up clothing. In this aspect, the fingers are removed up onto a shoulder 93 of hook 94. Hook shoulder 93 is located intermediate of neck portion 91 and hook 94. As one can see, the finger grip portion 96 could be picked up by someone without any worries about pinching one's fingers.
FIGS. 10-13 illustrate an additional number of aspects of the finger grip portion (100, 102, 104, and 106 respectively). Although each one is slightly different, each of these aspects shown in FIGS. 10-13 follows the basic premise and achieves the overriding advantage of the present invention for providing a grip portion on the hanger neck or shoulder that prevent pinching because it removes one's fingers away from the closet rod or from each other when multiple hangers are being transported.
FIG. 10 shows only the neck and hook portion of a hanger, wherein neck 98 is proximal to the operational portion of the hanger, while the finger grip portion 100 is atop the hook portion 99. In this aspect, a person could use all fingers to grip the finger grip portion 100. This could be especially useful for short pieces of clothing, where the person could grip any number of these special hangers, and allow the clothes to hang down while being carried.
FIG. 11 shows a shoulder hip type finger grip portion 102 which is attached to the shoulder of hook 99. Shoulder hip type finger grip portion 102 is shown to be extending outwardly and upwardly from hook 99, unlike the aspect shown in FIG. 9 where the finger grip portion 96 extends outwardly. FIG. 11 shows the finger grip portion 102 as extending upwardly and outwardly for a more ergonomically feasible aspect of the present invention when carrying heavier loads.
FIG. 12 is yet another aspect similar to FIG. 10, although the top of finger grip portion 104 is comparatively flatter, and yet more amenable to carrying a large number of hangers loaded with clothing articles. Likewise, FIG. 13 is similar to the hanger top of FIG. 12, but its finger grip portion 106 is made of wire, and securement is made through twisting together a hanger wire precursor to yield a hanger with an upwardly extending finger grip portion 106.
In principle, disclosed is a clothes hanger apparatus, comprising some form of a formed flexible supporting body member adapted for conforming to the approximate shape of a piece of clothing capable of being worn by a person, including a right and a left shoulder support convening at a yoke, including an upwardly extending closet rod hook depending upwardly from a neck on the yoke such that the hanger can be suspended from a horizontal closet rod; and a separate finger hook support distal from the closet rod hook extending outwardly from the body member, thereby creating a passageway for fingers of an operator to engage the clothes hanger without pinching fingers when picking up the hanger. In addition, like any conventional clothes hanger, a horizontal bar may optionally extend horizontally between the two shoulder supports. In accordance with the present invention, a separate finger hook support may be located distal from the closet rod hook extending outwardly from the body member, wherein more than one hanger is capable of being lifted without pinching the fingers of the person doing the lifting. An additional hook for supporting at least one additional separate supporting hanger from the clothes hanger can be included, either singly or in combination with the finger hook. In the many aspects shown, a separate finger hook support may be located on top of the closet rod hook extending outwardly from the body member, or it may extend outwardly from the top of the yoke all the way up to the top of the rod hook.
The hanger itself may be configured from a metal wire hanger with an elongated portion of the metal wire that wraps back around itself down the neck of the hanger, such that a finger hook is provided without any sharp edges. Furthermore, the hanger may be a formed plastic clothes hanger with a finger hook portion formed into the plastic, or it may be made from any suitable material, including metal wire, plastic, wood or any combination thereof.
The inventor envisions that the clothes hanger may include a finger hook or grip portion located on the clothes hanger from the top of the yoke up to the closet rod hook portion, depending on the particular application. If the hanger is designed for silk blouses, then a simple finger hook may be suitable. However, if the hanger is made of wood suitable for heavy fur coat storage, then the finger hook may need to be more substantial.
All of the aspects of the present invention include some variation of a finger grip portion that is separate from the hook portion of the hanger in order to alleviate finger pinching when picking up the clothes hanger. Clearly, such hanger additions can be made out of any suitable material, especially preferable would be the material that the rest of the hanger is made from. Such hanger neck and hook portions can be fastened through any suitable means to the rest of the hanger body, as will be seen in the context of the following FIGS. 14-20. It must be noted that all of the various aspects described hereinabove may be attached (or formed into) all of the hanger bottoms yet to be described below with regards to FIGS. 14-20.
Referring now to FIGS. 14-20, there are shown in all FIG.'s a hanger bottom, generally denoted by various numerals. FIG. 14 shows a wide shoulder hanger 110 having spaced apart shoulder supports 112 extending downwardly from an interchangeable neck 114, ready to receive any of the neck and hook portions shown in FIGS. 1-13 hereinabove. This wide shoulder hanger 110 may be made of any suitable material, especially wood or plastic. Any suitable dimension may be utilized, as long as one of the neck and hook portions with a separate finger grip portion in accordance with the present invention is also attached. FIG. 15 shows a hanger substantially the same as FIG. 14′s aspect, but with a bar 116 spanning the bottom between the two distal ends of shoulder supports 112. Again, the appropriate neck and hook portion should be mated to any one of these hanger bottoms.
FIG. 16 illustrates a trouser or skirt hanger 110 with shoulder supports 112, a neck and hook portion 114 made of wire with a cardboard roll at the bottom, like most dry cleaner trouser or skirt hangers. An appropriate neck and hook portion should be mated to this hanger bottom.
FIG. 17 shows a conventional trouser hanger bottom 120, where the hanger is made of wood and metal wire for pants to be looped thereover. A suitable hanger top described above would be attached to this hanger bottom.
FIG. 18 illustrates a horizontally supported hanger bottom 130 designed for trousers, skirts, or the like includes horizontal support members 132 with a neck 134 extending upwardly midway between the attachment for a wire bail 136 which supports securement clips 138. Clips 138 act to secure the pant legs or skirt tops (not shown) of a garment to be hung on this hanger.
FIG. 19 shows yet another version of a conventionally available hanger for use in retail stores for lightweight garments and the like. Hanger 130 includes a horizontal support 132 with a neck 134 midway between the distal ends of the hanger. Clips 138 extend downwardly from horizontal support 132.
FIG. 20 shows a classic style of retail sales type of plastic skirt or pants hanger generally denoted by number 130, as above. Neck 134 is usually a rotating wire bail attached to a horizontal support 132, having a wire spreader bar 136 located underneath to support clothes clips 138 for clipping onto the pants or skirts which it is designed to carry. One of the novel finger grip portion of FIGS. 1-13 would be attached above neck 134.
Any of these aspects of the present invention could be made from any suitable size, weight, material, configuration or exterior finish to be suitable for the intended job. So long as the finger grip portions are in accordance with this invention, it will be workable and desirable.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings with regards to the specific aspects. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various aspects and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
