GB2399493A

GB2399493A - Garment hanger with slidable garment securing means

Info

Publication number: GB2399493A
Application number: GB0306187A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Barlow
Original assignee: Braitrim UK Ltd
Current assignee: Braitrim UK Ltd
Priority date: 2003-03-18
Filing date: 2003-03-18
Publication date: 2004-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 2023-03-18
Also published as: GB2399493B; GB0306187D0

Abstract

A garment hanger 10 comprises: a garment support member 15; a suspension hook 11 which includes a shank portion 111, connected directly or indirectly to the garment support member; and a slideable garment securing member 18 that slides, relative to the garment support member, at least partially along the shank portion, between an open position in which a garment 151 is loadable onto, or unloadable from, the garment support member and a closed position in which the garment is securable thereby to the garment hanger. The garment may be secured to the garment support member by a tab 19 dependent from the garment securing member. Alternatively, or in addition, the slidable garment securing member 48 may form a closure of a passage 425 through which a garment may be loaded onto, or unloaded from, the garment support member 45.

Description

GARMENT HANGER

This invention relates to a garment hanger.

Garment hangers of various designs for suspending a variety of types of garment are weld known. However, it is a known disadvantage of many such hangers that gar meets are liable to slip off the hangers. This is a particular problem in the garment manufacturing industry during transport and warehousing of garments, when garments on hangers may be subject to substantial acceleration forces. It is also a problem in re- tail establishments when garments on hangers are handled by customers or prospective customers.

Various proposed solutions to this problem are known, although the proposed so lutions are directed predominately to hangers for trousers and skirts in a domestic envi ronment rather than to a wide variety of garments in a manufacturing or retail environment.

US-1,027,837 discloses a moveable wire-frame clamp for a horizontal bar of a hanger having well-known shaped arms for supporting a jacket or coat and a horizontal bar for supporting trousers or skirts, in which the clamp has substantially parallel wire terminal portions for sliding in blind bores in the underside of the shaped arms to move the clamp from a position spaced above the horizontal bar to a position in which the clamp grips both sides of the horizontal bar to secure a garment on the horizontal bar.

US-2,478,297 discloses a hanger with shaped arms and a horizontal bar for sup porting trousers, in which the bar is connected to only a f rst of the shaped arms to pro vide a passage between a second of the shaped arms and the bar through which trousers can be loaded onto the bar. A sprung clamping bar is moveable on a vertical rod, de pendent from a centre of the shaped arms, between a position spaced above the horizon tat bar for loading or unloading a garment and a position in which the clamping bar clamps a portion of the garment between the clamping bar and the horizontal bar.

US-2,527,869 discloses a hanger with shaped arms and a horizontal bar for supporting trousers or a skirt having a sprung swingable gripping member dependent from the shaped arms such that a lower edge of the swingable gripping member frictionally grips a garment suspended on the horizontal bar.

US-6,481,603-B2 discloses an isosceles-shaped garment hanger including a hori zontal bar for suspending trousers or slacks and various arrangements for securing the trousers or slacks on the horizontal bar. There is disclosed a pliable arcuate strip located above the horizontal bar moveable from a upwardly convex position, in which trousers can be loaded onto the bar, to an upwardly concave position in which a central portion of the pliable strip bears on a garment suspended on the bar to grip the garment be- tween the portion of the pliable strip and a central portion of the bar. There is also dis closed a clamp or clip on an arm pivoted to one side of the hanger such that the clamp or clip is pivotally moveable from a position above the horizontal bar to a position in which the clamp or clip is clipped around the horizontal bar to clip a garment to the horizontal bar. The patent also discloses a clip located on a lower end of a pliable strip dependent from an apex of the isosceles-shaped hanger. In a further disclosure in the same source a foam pad is held against the horizontal bar by a plastic sheet backing se- cured to angularly branching side bars of the isosceles-shaped hanger. Similar sprung plates bearing on a horizontal bar of a hanger are also disclosed in EP-O 481 340-AI and US-2,620,951.

US-2,924,363 discloses a single arcuate bar hanger for lightweight garments such as dresses having on one arm a clip having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to a tangent of the arcuate arm such that the clip may be used to clamp a shoulder of the garment between the clip and the arm. The position of the clip on the arm is adjustable to accommodate different sizes and shapes of garment.

US-4,054,234 discloses two clips, similar to that of US-2,924,363, slideable along a horizontal bar of a hanger either to clamp trousers or a skirt looped over the bar be- tween the clip and the horizontal bar or to grip such a garment in jaws of the clip.

It will be understood that these garment hangers of the prior art are primarily for trousers or skirts, involve some complexity in the loading and unloading of garments, that they incorporate a substantial number of components, are apparently unsuitable for mass production and have inelegant and obtrusive components making them undesir- able for displaying garments in a retail establishment. It is an object of the present in- vention at least to ameliorate at least some of these disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a garment hanger compris- ing: a garment support member; a suspension hook comprising a shank portion con nected directly or indirectly to the garment support member; and a slideable garment securing member movable, relative to the garment support member, at least partially along the shank portion, between an open position in which a garment is loadable onto, or unloadable from, the garment support member and a closed position in which the garment is securable thereby to the garment hanger.

Preferably, the shank portion is connected to a neck portion of the garment hanger, the neck portion comprising guide means and the slideable garment securing member comprising runner means for cooperating with the guide means for moving the slideable garment securing member between the open position and the closed position.

Conveniently, the guide means comprise two spaced apart elongate members sub stantially parallel to the shank portion.

Preferably, the slideable garment securing member comprises a housing having a top, in use, first wall with an aperture for passage of the shank portion therethrough and opposed side walls, substantially perpendicular to the first wall, inside faces of said side walls comprising the runner means.

Advantageously, the first wall is upwardly, in use, convex.

Conveniently, at least one of the two spaced apart elongate members has a sub stantially horizontal, in use, portion at an upper, in use, end thereof for engaging the first wall for limiting movement of the slideable garment securing member in the direc tion towards the garment support member at the closed position.

Advantageously, movement of the slideable garment securing member in a direc tion away from the garment support member to the open position is limited by a prede termined length of the shank portion which is passable through the aperture.

Advantageously, the housing comprises a label area for receiving a label.

Conveniently, the label area is substantially elliptical, having a minor axis sub stantially parallel to the shank portion.

Advantageously, the garment hanger is a wire hanger.

Conveniently, the slideable garment securing member comprises an engaging por tion for engaging a garment supported on the garment support member to secure the garment on the garment support member.

Advantageously, the engaging portion is a tab dependent from the slideable gar ment securing member for bearing on a garment supported on the garment support member to secure the garment to the garment support member.

Conveniently, the garment support member is an elongate bar for supporting a garment folded over the bar.

Advantageously, the garment support member is substantially perpendicular to the shank portion.

Alternatively, the garment support member is arranged at an acute angle to the shank portion for supporting at least one sock folded diagonally, at a heel of the sock, over the garment support member.

Preferably the garment support member is provided with a tab for engaging the at least one sock, wherein a lower, in use, edge of the tab is substantially parallel to the garment support member.

Advantageously, in the open position a passage is open in the hanger for the load- ing a garment onto or unloading a garment from the garment support member through the passage and in the closed position the passage is closed by the slideable garment securing member to prevent removal of a garment from the garment support member through the passage.

Conveniently, the garment support member is substantially annular.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a hanger according to the invention; Figure 2 is a rear view of the hanger of Figure 1, with a garment securing member in a closed position; Figure 3 is a rear view of the hanger of Figure 1, with the garment securing mem her in an open position; Figure 4 is a side view of the hanger of figure 1; Figure 5 is a vertical cross-section along the line A-A in Figure 4, with the gar- ment securing member in an open position; Figure 6 is a vertical cross- section along the line A-A in Figure 4, with the gar ment securing member in a closed position; Figure 7 is a front view of the hanger of Figure 1 in use; Figure 8 is a front view of a second embodiment of a hanger according to the invention, in use; Figure 9 is a rear view of a third embodiment of a hanger according to the inven lion, with a garment securing member in a closed position; Figure 10 is a rear view of the hanger of Figure 9, with the garment securing member in an open position; Figure 11 is a front view of the hanger of Figure 9, in use; Figure 12 is a front perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a hanger accord- ing to the invention; Figure 13 is a rear view of the hanger of Figure 12, with a garment securing member in a closed position; Figure 14 is a rear view of the hanger of Figure 12, with the garment securing member in an open position; Figure 15 is a side view of the hanger of Figure 12; Figure 16 is a vertical cross-section along the line B-B in Figure 15, with the gar- ment securing member in a closed position; Figure 17 is a vertical cross-section along the line B-B in Figure 15, with the gar- ment securing member in an open position; and Figure 18 is a front view of the hanger of Figure 12, in use.

In the Figures like reference numerals represent like parts.

A first embodiment 10 of the invention, shown in Figures 1 to 7, is a wire hanger for, for example, a necktie 151. As best seen in Figures 5 and 6, a wire forming a com plete hanger frame is formed substantially in a single plane, including a conventional wire hanger suspension hook 11 terminating at a lower, in use, end in a shank 111. An outward facing dog- leg in the plane of the hanger is formed at a base of the shank 111 to provide a shoulder 121 of a neck portion 12 of the hanger. A first side 122 of the neck portion 12 extending from the shoulder 121 is terminated in a right-angle bend outward of the hanger, in the plane of the hanger, to form a first upper arm 13 of the hanger. The first upper arm is terminated in a first semicircular portion 14 of the hanger leading into an elongate portion which is perpendicular to the shank 111 of the hook and parallel to, and spaced from, the upper arm 13 and which forms a garment support member 15 for a garment, such as a necktie 151, to be supported by the hanger. The elongate portion is terminated at an end remote from the first semicircular portion 14 by a second semicircular portion 16 which is a mirror image of the first semicircular por tion 14, and leads into a second upper arm 17 which is a mirror image of the first upper arm 13. An inner end of the second upper arm 17 is joined by a right angle to a second side 123, opposed to the first side 122, of the neck portion 12. An upper terminal por tion of the second side 123 is tuned inward to forth a second shoulder 124 of the neck portion 12, which terminates proximate to, but spaced from, a base of the shank 111.

A garment securing member 18 of the hanger comprises a substantially elliptical front plate 181 joined by an inverted substantially U-shaped wall 183, 184, 185, which extends from an upper edge to a lower edge of the front plate 181, to a substantially rectangular rear plate 182, such that the base 183 of the inverted U-shaped wall and an upper edge of the rear plate 182 follow a line of a portion of the upper edge of the ellip tical front plate 181. Thus the inverted U-shaped wall has an arcuate base portion 183, a first leg 184 and an opposed second leg 185. The rear plate 182 is narrower than the front plate 181 such that side portions the front plate 181 project beyond the opposed legs 184, 185 of the U- shaped wall and the rear plate 182. The base portion 183 of the inverted U-shaped wall is provided with a central aperture 1831 for passage of the shank 111 therethrough, in a manner to be described.

Referring to Figures I to 4, a substantially rectangular tab 19 depends from a lower edge of the rear plate 182 such that, in a closed position of the garment securing member 18 to be described, a portion of the tab 19 engages a central portion of the garment support member 15. As best seen in Figure 4, a lower, in use, edge of the tab 19 is provided on a side of the tab which engages the garment support member, with a lip 191 for latching the tab to the garment support member thereby latching the garment securing member in the closed position.

When the hanger is assembled for use, the garment securing member 18 is located around the neck portion 12 such that the neck portion is sandwiched between the front plate 181 and the rear plate 182 and the first side of the neck portion 122 engages an inner face of the first leg 184 of the housing wall and the second side of the neck por tion 123 engages an inner face of the second leg 185 of the housing wall and the shank 111 of the hook 11 passes through the aperture 1831 in the base 183 of the inverted U shaped housing wall.

In use the garment securing member 18 may be slid along the neck portion 12 and the shank 111, in the direction of double-headed arrow 180 in Figure 3, between an open position, shown in Figures 3 and 5, in which the garment securing member 18 is fully raised, at which point substantially all the shank 111 is within the housing, and the tab 19 is clear of the garment support member 15 to allow loading of a garment onto, or unloading of a garment from, the garment support member 15, and a closed position, shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 6, in which the arcuate wall 183 may abut the shoulders 121, 124 and a portion of the tab l9 engages either the garment support member IS, or if a garment is loaded on the garment support member, the garment, so that a portion of the garment is sandwiched between the portion of the tab 19 and a portion of the gar ment support member 15, thereby tending to preventing the garment slipping off the garment support member 15.

Preferably the hanger is formed of sufficiently resilient material, and is so shaped, that the opposed neck walls 122, 123 bear on the opposed housing walls 184, 185 with sufficient pressure that the garment securing member 18 may be readily slid between the open position and the closed position but is held in the respective open and closed positions by friction when not being intentionally moved.

Preferably the tab 19 is also of sufficiently resilient material that just sufficient pressure is created between the tab 19 and the garment support member to grip the garment 151 therebetween, but without significantly marking the garment.

A second embodiment 20 of the invention is shown in use in Figure 8, which dif fers from the first embodiment 10 only in that the arms 23, 27 and the garment support member 25 of the second embodiment are proportionately longer than the correspond ing members in the first embodiment so that the second embodiment is suitable for sus pending a wider garment than the first embodiment, for example, a scarf 251.

A third embodiment 30 of the invention, suitable for supporting a pair of socks, is illustrated in Figures 9 to 11. In this embodiment, upper arms 33, 37 and a garment support member 35 are inclined at an acute angle to the shank 111 of a hook 11, to ac commodate a diagonal fold in socks 351 folded at a heel, so that the socks hang sub stantially vertically. Moreover, a lower, in use, edge of a tab 39 dependent from the garment securing member 18 is substantially parallel to the inclined garment support member 35. The garment securing member 18 is slideable along the neck portion and the shank portion 111, in the direction of double-headed arrow 380, between an open position and a closed position. In other respects the third embodiment is substantially the same as the first and second embodiments.

A fourth embodiment 40 of the invention, for supporting, for example, a pair of gloves 451, is illustrated in Figures 12 to 18. This embodiment differs from the previ ous embodiments in that the garment support member 45, rather than being an elongate member supported by opposed upper arms and opposed semi-circular portions, is a sub stantially annular member and, moreover, there is no tab dependent from a garment se curing member 48, which is otherwise the same as the garment securing member l 8 of the previously described embodiments. Moreover, as shown in Figures 14, 16 and 17, a second side 423 of the neck portion is significantly shorter than a first side 122 so that in an open position of the garment securing member 48 there is a passage 425 between a lower edge of the garment securing member 48 and a shoulder 424 formed on the shorter side 423. As best seen in Figures 13 and 16, this passage is closed when the garment securing member 48 is in a closed position. The garment securing member 18 is slideable predominantly along the shank portion l l l and the first side 122 of the neck portion, in the direction of double-headed arrow 48O, between the open position and the closed position.

In use a garment, or in the case of a pair of gloves, a link 452 joining the pair of gloves 451 to each other, may be passed through the open passage 425 to be suspended on the garment support member 45, but is secured on the hanger 40 when the passage is closed.

Although only embodiments having either a tab for securing a garment on a gar ment support member or a closable passage for loading a garment onto a garment sup port member have been described, it will be understood that a hanger may have both a closable passage for loading the garment and a tab for securing the garment to the gar ment support member. In the case of a long scarf, for example, such an arrangement would obviate the need to feed half of the length of the scarf between the upper arms 23, 27 and the garment support member 25 to load the scarf onto, or unload the scarf from, the hanger.

In addition, although a wire frame hanger has been described it will be understood that the invention has application to other types of hanger, for example hangers of plas tics material, provided that a friction fit, or some alternative means, can be provided to hold the garment securing member at least in the closed position while allowing move- ment, at least partially along the shaft portion, between the open position and the closed position. It will be understood that, for example, the garment securing member may be held in the closed position by a latching member rather than by a friction fit.

Similarly, other known forms of runners and guides may be provided for sliding the garment securing member in relation to the neck portion.

Similarly, although embodiments of the invention have been described in which the neck portion of the hanger is sandwiched between front and rear plates of the gar ment securing member, alternative methods of slidably securing the garment securing member to the neck portion will readily present themselves to a person skilled in the art. For example, the garment securing member may comprise a single plate with lugs for engaging the sides of the neck portion. Alternatively, the neck portion may be dispensed with, and a cylindrical garment securing member, with a dependent tab, be pro- vided to slide directly on the shank portion of the hook.

Furthermore, although only a single tab dependent from the garment securing member has been described and illustrated, it will be understood that a pair of opposed tabs may be used, for bearing on opposed sides of the garment support member respec- tively. r

Claims

1. A garment hanger comprising: a garment support member; a suspension hook comprising a shank portion connected directly or indirectly to the garment support member; and a slideable garment securing member movable, relative to the garment support member, at least partially along the shank portion, between an open position in which a garment is loadable onto, or unloadable from, the gannent support member and a closed position in which the garment is securable thereby to the garment hanger.

2. A garment hanger as claimed in claim l, wherein the shank portion is connected to a neck portion of the garment hanger, the neck portion comprising guide means and the slideable garment securing member comprising runner means for cooperating with the guide means for moving the slideable garment securing member between the open position and the closed position.

3. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guide means comprise two spaced apart elongate members substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shank portion.

4. A garment hanger as claimed in claims 2 or 3, wherein the slideable garment securing member comprises a housing having a top, in use, first wall with an aperture for passage of the shank portion therethrough and opposed side walls, substantially perpendicular to the first wall, inside faces of said side walls comprising the runner means.

5. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first wall is upwardly, in use, convex.

6. A garment hanger as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5, wherein at least one of the two spaced apart elongate members has a substantially horizontal, in use, portion at an upper, in use, end thereof for engaging the first wall for limiting movement of the slideable garment securing member, in the direction towards the garment support member, at the closed position.

7. A garment hanger as claimed in any of claims 3 to 6, wherein movement of the slideable garment securing member in a direction away from the garment support member to the open position is limited by a predetermined length of the shank portion which is passable through the aperture.

8. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 4, wherein the housing comprises a label area for receiving a label.

9. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 8, wherein the label area is substantially elliptical, having a minor axis substantially parallel to the shank portion.

10. A garment hanger as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the garment hanger is a wire hanger.

11. A garment hanger as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the slideable garment securing member comprises an engaging portion for engaging a garment supported on the garment support member to secure the garment on the garment support member.

12. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 11, wherein the engaging portion is a tab dependent from the slideable garment securing member for bearing on a garment supported on the garment support member to secure the garment to the garment support member.

13. A garment hanger as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the garment support member is an elongate bar for supporting a garment folded over the bar.

14. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 13, wherein the garment support member is substantially perpendicular to the shank portion.

15. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 13, wherein the garment support member is arranged at an acute angle to the shank portion for supporting at least one sock folded diagonally, at a heel of the sock, over the garment support member.

16. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 15, wherein the garment support member is provided with a tab for engaging the at least one sock, wherein a lower, in use, edge of the tab is substantially parallel to the garment support member.

17. A garment hanger as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein in the open position a passage is open in the hanger for loading a garment onto or unloading a garment from the garment support member through the passage and in the closed position the passage is closed by the slideable garment securing member to prevent removal of a garment from the garment support member through the passage.

18. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 17, wherein the garment support member is substantially annular.

19. A garment hanger substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in the accompanying Figures.