Wardrobe Hanging System
A wardrobe hanging system. The present system is adapted to store clothes in a compact, yet easily accessible manner. Various embodiments of the present invention utilize a bi-directional sliding rail system, a unidirectional sliding rail system, pivotable arms, and a rotatable attachment mechanism. Furthermore, the present system includes various embodiments of hangers adapted to store multiple different types of articles of clothing in a compact manner are also provided herewith. The hangers include hooks of various configurations and lengths, indicators adapted to indicate if the hanger has available space for hanging articles of clothing thereon, and adjustable shoulder supports. The hangers are adapted to engage with the embodiments of the rail system in a secure, yet removable manner.
The present invention relates to wardrobes and other such types of furniture designed for holding clothing. More specifically, the present invention relates to furniture that is adapted to store a large number of articles of clothing in a compact manner.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMany people lack proper closet and storage space in which to place their clothing. Closets can quickly become full, particularly when a closet is shared by multiple people. However, people often wish to maintain their clothes in a neat and organized fashion so that their clothes are easily accessible and remain unwrinkled. Thus, a space saving device that can be used to store and organize a plurality of trousers, shirts, and other articles of clothing is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of wardrobes now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a wardrobe having a sliding rail design for holding hangers and hangers that are adapted to hold articles of clothing in an organized, compact manner, wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for storing articles of clothing. The present system comprises clothing hangers adapted to hold multiple articles of clothing in a compact manner and a closet-mounted holding mechanism adapted to hold the hangers. In some embodiments of the present invention, the hangers are slidably attached to the closet-mounted holding mechanism, allowing users to move the hangers between different positions within the closet or other article of furniture in an organized fashion. In other embodiments of the present invention, the closet-mounted holding mechanism comprises one or more arms that are slidably of pivotably attached to the closet, allowing users to deploy the arms and the hangers thereon as needed.
Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the space-saving wardrobe hanging mechanism and hangers. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for maximizing the amount of available storage in a wardrobe for articles of clothing. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
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The present invention comprises a panel 11 that is integrally attached or attachable to a wardrobe 10. The panel 11 comprises a front longitudinal rail 12, a back longitudinal rail 13, and one or more lateral rails 14 extending therebetween. The rails 12, 13, 14 form a continuous track along which the hangers 30 can be slid in both the lateral and longitudinal directions. The panel 11 is a planar surface on which the plurality of rails 12, 13, 14 are mounted. In one embodiment of the present invention, the panel 11 is integral to the wardrobe 10. In another embodiment, the panel 11 is affixed to the lower interior surface of the top portion of a wardrobe 10 via any type of fasteners known in the prior art. In still another embodiment of the present invention, the panel 11 is slidably attached to the lower surface of the top portion of the wardrobe 10 along rails or other such means known in the prior art. This provides users with additional adjustability for the convenience of accessing their articles of clothing.
The panel 11 further comprises a plurality of receivers 16 slidably disposed on the rails 12, 13, 14. The receivers 16 are rotatably attached to the rails 12, 13, 14, in addition to being slidably attached thereto. The rotatable connection between the receivers 16 and the rails 12, 13, 14 allows users to alter the orientation of the hangers 30, and the clothing stored thereon, as desired. For example, when the articles of clothing are being stored on the back rail 13, the receivers 16 can be rotated so that the hangers 30 are perpendicular to the longitudinal to the axis of the panel 11. This reduces the side profile of the articles of clothing and thereby allows users to maximize the space within the rear portion of the wardrobe 10 to which the present invention is mounted. When users pull the hangers 30 forward to the front rail 12 to access the articles of clothing thereon, users can rotate the receivers 16 on which the hangers 30 are mounted so that the hangers 30 are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the panel 11. This presents the hangers 30 such that the clothing stored thereon can be accessed in a convenient manner. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the rails 12, 13, 14 comprise channels having a rectangular cross-section and the receivers 16 comprise a ball bearing having a diameter less than or equal to the width of the rails 12, 13, 14, which allows for the ball bearing to freely rotate therein without obstruction from the sidewalls of the rails 12, 13, 14. In another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the shaft of the receiver 16 is rotatably mounted to the bearing disposed within the rails 12, 13, 14. However, no claim is made as to a specific mechanism by which the receivers 16 are rotatable.
The panel 11 further comprises one or more pairs of slots 15, wherein each of the pairs of slots 15 corresponds to one of the lateral rails 14. Each of the slots 15 is positioned a distance from the corresponding lateral rail 14 equal to the distance from the center of the hanger 30 to the locking members 39 disposed on the hanger 30. This ensures that the slots 15 on the panel 11 are positioned appropriately so that they are able to engage with the locking members 39 on the hangers 30 when the locking members 39 are extended therefrom. Each of the slots 15 has a complementary shape to the shape of the locking members 39 and is sized within a close tolerance of the locking members 39 such that when the locking members 39 engage with the slots 15, the locking members 39 are held securely therein and fixedly hold the hangers 30 in place. Although the depicted embodiment of the present invention as shown and described herein comprises a pair of slots 15 for each lateral rail 14 and a complementary pair of locking members 39 disposed on each hanger 30, embodiments of the present invention comprising a single slot 15 or more than two slots 15 are contemplated.
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The present invention further comprises hooks 34 and/or clips 35 disposed on the hinged members 32, 33 for holding different types of articles of clothing. The hooks 34 are designed to hold items that are hung from another hanger, e.g. shirts. The clips 35, which may be either removably attached to the members 32, 33 or integral therewith, are designed to secure items that are generally clipped over the members 32, 33 of a hanger 30, e.g. pants. In the depicted embodiment of the present invention, the hooks 34 are disposed on the first members 32 and the clips 35 are disposed on the second members 33; however, the hooks 34 and clips 35 do not have to be completely segregated on the members 32, 33 as shown in the depicted embodiment and no claim is made as to a specific arrangement of the hooks 34 and clips 35 on the members 32, 33. Furthermore, although some of the members are preferably designed for holding garments on hangers, i.e. the first members 32 having hooks 34 disposed thereon, and the other members are preferably designed for holding pants, i.e. the second members 33 having clips 35 disposed thereon, no claim is made as to the specific garment-gripping mechanisms utilized by the present invention.
When articles of clothing are hung on the members 32, 33, the members 32, 33 can be closed and locked in place via a locking mechanism 37. The locking mechanism 37 holds the articles of clothing suspended on the members 32, 33 tightly against each other, minimizing the amount of space that the clothing occupies and therefore maximizing the amount of usable space within a wardrobe. In the depicted embodiment of the present invention, the locking mechanism 37 comprises a clip that engages with one or more tabs 40 extending from the distal edges of each of the members 32, 33. The tabs 40 have a length equal to or greater than the distance to the successive complementary member disposed thereunder. The length of the tab 40 causes the lower members 32b, 33b to hold the upper members 32a, 33a against the frame of the hanger 30 when the lower members 32b, 33b are closed because the lower members 32b, 33b acts as a barrier to the tab 40 of the upper members 32a, 33a. The tab 40 of the lowest members 32c, 33c engages with a clip 41 or another such re-closable connector disposed at the distal end of the lowest members 32c, 33c. Because each successive member 32, 33 is held in place by the immediately adjacent member 32, 33, all of the members 32, 33 can be held fixedly in place by securing the lower members 32c, 33c to the hanger 30 via the clip 41. Although the depicted embodiment of the present invention comprises three of each of the first and the second sets of members 32, 33, no claim is made as to the number of sets of members 32, 33 utilized by the present hangers 30.
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Hangers 30 can be transferred from the back longitudinal rail 13 to the front longitudinal 12 rail by first rotating the movable rail 51 so that it is perpendicular to the back longitudinal rail 13. The user then rotates the receiver 16 to which the hanger 30 that he or she wishes to transfer to the front is connected so that the receiver 16 is aligned with the perpendicularly-oriented movable rail 51. The user can then slide the connector 31 of the hanger 30 from the receiver 16 aligned with the movable rail 51 onto the movable rail 51. In the depicted embodiment of the present invention, the receivers 16 are semi-tubular members that are adapted to slidably receive the cylindrical connectors 31 therein. The movable rail 51 therefore has a size and shape that is complementary to the receivers 16 slidably disposed on the back longitudinal rail 13 so that the movable rail 51 can receive the connectors 31, just as with the receivers 16. Once transferred from the receiver 16 disposed on the back longitudinal rail 13 to the movable rail 51, the user can thereafter slide the hanger 30 therealong to bring it to the front so that the user can retrieve the clothes therefrom.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the movable rail 51 further comprises an extensible rail 52 connected to and in line with the movable rail 51. In this embodiment of the present invention, the extensible rail 52 comprises a telescopic attachment to the movable rail 51, thereby allowing the user to extend the length of the movable rail 51 in order to improve access to the hangers 30 thereon. However, no claim is made as to the specific means by which the extensible rail 52 extends from the movable rail 51.
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In an alternative embodiment of the present hanging system, the enclosures 71 can be provided in a stacked arrangement, wherein the enclosures 71 are arranged such that two or more enclosures 71 are situated in each vertical space. The sets of stacked enclosures 71 are then arranged in a side-by-side manner, as shown in
In another alternative embodiment of the present hanging system, the one or more hooks 73 are replaced with one or more pivotable arms with hooks, as shown in
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The arm members 204 are hingedly connected 205 to the connector 206, allowing the arm members 204 to transition between a first position, as shown in
When the hanger 201 is transitioned to its second position, the arm members 204 are opened, which causes the projection 210 to slide along the length of the slot 209 of the lockable, slidable connection 208 and engage with the portion of the slot 209 projecting orthogonally from the elongated portion thereof. When the projection 210 is engaged with the orthogonal portion of the slot 209, the two portions of the transverse member 207 are fixedly held in an angled relationship with respect to each other, which in turn fixedly holds the arm members 204 in a wider configuration than the first position. Although the depicted embodiment of the lockable, slidable connection 208 has been described in detail, no claim is made as to the specific means by which the two portions of the transverse member are connected and any type of lockable, slidable connection known in the prior art can be utilized. The first position of the hanger 201 is adapted for holding clothes having narrow shoulders and the second position of the hanger 201 is adapted for holding clothes having wider shoulders.
The present embodiment of the hanger 201 hanger further comprises one or more supports 212 slidably attached to the arm members 204 via a sheath 203. The supports 212 comprise a pair of flaps 202 that are hingedly connected to the sheath 203. The flaps 202 are adapted to transition between an open position and a closed position suitable for hanging articles of clothing. When in the open position, the supports 212 provide an extended width suitable for supporting the shoulders of jackets and other such articles of clothing. The arm members 204 further comprise a first stop 211 disposed at the distal ends thereof that prevents the supports 212 from sliding off of the arm members 204.
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It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1) A hanger, comprising:
- a first member and a second member;
- a connector extending from the first member and the second member;
- one or more hooks disposed on the first member and the second member;
- an indicator disposed on the connector, the indicator comprising a first indicia and a second indicia.
2) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the indicator is rotatably attached to the connector and the indicator comprises a first side bearing the first indicia and a second side bearing the second indicia.
3) The hanger of claim 1, further comprising:
- a bottom member extending between a distal end of the first member and the second member;
- the bottom member comprising one or more hooks thereon.
4) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the one or more hooks are of varying lengths.
5) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the one or more hooks comprise one-sided hooks.
6) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the one or more hooks comprises dual-sided hooks.
7) The hanger of claim 1, further comprising a shoulder support adapted to transition between a first position having a first width and a second position having a second width.
8) The hanger of claim 7, further comprising:
- a first stop adapted to hold the shoulder support at a distal end of the first member or the second member;
- a second stop adapted to hold the shoulder support at a point on the first member of the second member.
9) The hanger of claim 7, wherein the shoulder support comprises:
- a sheath slidably and rotatably disposed on at least one of the first member or the second member;
- a pair of flaps hingedly connected to the sheath;
- wherein the flaps are adapted to transition between a folded position wherein the flaps lay flush against each other and an extended position.
10) The hanger of claim 9, further comprising:
- a first stop adapted to hold the shoulder support at a distal end of the first member or the second member;
- a second stop adapted to hold the shoulder support at a point on the first member of the second member.
11) The hanger of claim 10, wherein a diameter of the sheath is greater than or equal to a width of the first member or the second member plus a height of the second stop.
12) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a hook.
13) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a cylindrical member adapted to slidably engage with a sleeve member.
14) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises an arcuate member.
15) The hanger of claim 1, wherein the hanger is adapted to pivot between a compact configuration and an extended configuration.
16) The hanger of claim 1, further comprising:
- a transverse member extending between the first member and the second member;
- the transverse member comprising a first portion and a second portion connected by a pivotable connection;
- wherein the first member and the second member are pivotably connected.
17) A hanging system, comprising:
- a first longitudinal rail, a second longitudinal rail, and one or more lateral rails extending between the first longitudinal rail and the second longitudinal rail;
- wherein the first longitudinal rail, the second longitudinal rail, and the one or more lateral rails forming a continuous track;
- one or more receivers slidably disposed on the continuous track;
- wherein the receivers are adapted to engage with a hanger.
18) The hanging system of claim 17, wherein the receivers are rotatably disposed on the continuous track.
19) The hanging system of claim 17, further comprising a locking slot adapted to engage with a locking bar of a hanger and secure the hanger in place.
20) The hanging system of claim 17, wherein the receiver comprises a sleeve member adapted to engage with a cylindrical member.
Type: Application
Filed: May 5, 2015
Publication Date: Nov 10, 2016
Inventor: Afzaal Mustafa (Islamabad)
Application Number: 14/704,576