BRPI0713201A2 - adjustable clothes hanger - Google Patents

Abstract

ADJUSTABLE HANGER FOR CLOTHING. An adjustable hanger for clothing including a pair of side elements (104) and (106) selectively adjustable with respect to the hanger body (102) and furniture with respect to the upper bar (108) and the lower bar (110). The hanger can also include a rotatable lockable hook (100).

Description

"ADJUSTABLE CLOTHING CLOTHING"

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improvements made to an adjustable garment hanger.

Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention, in one of its preferred embodiments, provides an adjustable garment hanger, including a body having a first bulkhead portion and a second bulkhead portion; a first side member having an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement relative to the first bulkhead portion; a second side member having an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement relative to the second bulkhead portion; an upper bar connected to said first and second side members; and a lower bar connected to the first and second side members, such upper and lower bars having at least two portions adapted for relative telescopic movement, said portions of said upper bar being asymmetrically positioned with respect to said portions of said bar. lower when the hanger is not in an expanded position.

In another of its embodiments, the present invention provides an adjustable garment hanger, including a body having a first bulkhead portion and a second bulkhead portion; a first side member having an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement relative to the first bulkhead portion and to a lower arm at an angle to said upper arm; a second side member having an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement relative to the second bulkhead portion and a lower arm angled with said upper arm of the second side member, such lower arms of said first and second side members are of different lengths and adapted for relative telescopic movement, one of said upper arms having a length greater than the length of one of said lower arms.

In yet another of its embodiments, the present invention provides a hanger, including a body having a first bulkhead portion and a second bulkhead portion; a hook pivotally engaged with said body; and a locking mechanism for selectively locking the rotatable position of said hook relative to said body.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for selecting the radial position of a garment hanger hook relative to the hanger body, such method including axially moving the hook relative to the body in a first direction; move the hook in a second direction to engage the hook with a portion of the body to prevent the hook from rotating about its own axis.

Brief Description of the Figures

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the adjustable garment hanger according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the hanger of Figure 1 in an expanded position.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the hanger of Figure 2.

Figure 3A is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the hanger adjusting mechanism of Figure 1 along a line A-A of Figure 3.

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the side view of the hanger hook of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the hook of Figure 4 fitted with the body of the hanger.

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the side view of the hook of Figure 4 in a detached and rotatable position.

Figure 7 is a top perspective view of the adjustable garment hanger according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a bottom perspective view of the garment hanger of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a top perspective view of the clothing hanger of Figure 7 in an expanded position.

Figure 10 is a partial front sectional view of the adjustable garment hanger according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of this report and implementation of the invention described herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered by way of example only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention will be established by the following claims. Wherever possible, similar numbers will refer to similar parts.

Figures 1 to 6 show a preferred configuration of the adjustable garment hanger (10) having a hook (100), body (102), a first (104) and a second (106) side members, an upper bar (108) and a lower bar (110), and a first (112) and a second (114) bulkhead board. In common use, the first (104) and second (106) side elements are selectively adjustable with respect to the body (102). As the first (104) and second (106) side members are adjustable, portions of the lower bar (108) and upper bar (110) move relative to the side elements. Preferred elements and their correlation are described below.

As shown in Figure 3, body 102 includes a first (116) and a second (118) bulkhead portion, preferably in opposite position to each other and attached to a support rod (120). As shown in Figure 4, the bulkhead portions 116 and 118 meet to form an apex 122 having a bore or recess 124 adapted to receive a portion of the hook 100. The recess (124) preferably includes eight circumferential retaining elements (125) (Fig. 5) for engagement with the hook (100) (described in more detail below).

The body (100) is preferably made of a tubular material having males (126) and (127) fitted within the bulkhead parts (116) and (118) respectively. The ends of the cores 126 and 127 may be formed by molding or pressing or may be fabricated by inserting a tubular core bar into the free ends of opposing bulkhead portions made of tubular material. Alternatively, the body 100 may be tubular with open ends to receive complementary male ends of the side members. It will be described that the ends of the bulkhead portions 116 and 118 may be formed with reduced diameter rather than pressing a tubular core thereon. The body 102 may be made of a tubular or solid material such as metal or plastic.

As shown in Figure 3, the first (104) and second (106) side members are preferably adapted for telescopic engagement with taps (126) and (127). The structure of the second side member (106) is similar to that of the first side member (104), so the description of the first side member (104) will apply to that of the second side member (106), unless expressly provided for. contrary. The first side member (104) preferably includes an upper arm (128). The upper arm (128) preferably includes an end (134) having a recess (136) (Fig. 3A) suitable for receiving at least a portion of the tap (126), and a plurality of recesses or recesses (138) suitable for the socket with a part of a selective locking means (140) (described in detail below). The upper arm 128 may additionally include a hanger such as a skirt hanger 142 or other fastening means adapted to secure a portion of the garment to the hanger.

According to Figure 3A, the selective locking means (140) is preferably a spring-type locking device having a button (144) and a spring (146). When in use, spring 146 pushes button 144 through an opening in the tongue and into one of the cavities 138 of the upper arm 128. The knob 144 may be selectively engaged in one of the recesses 138 to position the tubular taps relative to the respective tubular side members. Selective locking means (140) is preferably positioned on a part of the core. It will be described that the selective locking means (140) may alternatively be positioned on a part of the side member. Mechanisms other than a spring-type lock can be used to selectively adjust the side element to the body as desired by the user. An end stop may be included to limit movement of the side elements relative to the body of the hanger. For example, a change in diameter of either end (134) of the upper arm side elements (128) and / or the male end (126) may be sized to frictionally engage and prevent the side elements from completely disengaging from the body. from the hanger.

According to Figure 3, the upper bar 108 and lower bar 110 preferably include at least two parts, more preferably three parts, adapted for relative telescopic movement with one another. In particular, the upper bar 108 and the lower bar 110 are preferably formed by an asymmetrical telescopic arrangement. The upper rod (108) preferably includes a relatively long upper tubular receiver (130) over the second side member (106) and adapted to receive an upper rod (156) secured within a tube (131) formed in the first side member (104). ). On the opposite side, the lower bar (110) preferably includes a relatively long lower tubular receiver (132) over the first side member (104) and adapted to receive a lower rod (158) secured within a tube (133) formed in the second side element (106).

Preferably, tube (131) and tubular receiver (132) are generally connected by a "U" bend (148). The tubular receiver (130) and tube (133) are preferably connected by a "U" bend (150). It will be described that the tubular receptacles and bar tubes may be fitted to the appropriate side member or may be integral with the appropriate side member. It will be further described that the lower and upper bars may be configured in other ways. For example, one or more of the tubular receivers and tubes may be configured to fit within the respective rods. The upper rod (156) may be fixedly or movably attached to the tube (131). Likewise, the lower rod (158) may be fixedly or movably attached to the tube (133).

The upper bar 108 and the lower bar 110 are arranged asymmetrically relative to each other so that the end of each tubular receiver 130 and 132 is not in the same vertical plane in the unexpanded position (Fig. 1 ) and in the expanded position (Figures 2 and 3).

The asymmetry of the upper bar 108 and the lower bar 110 provides better stability to the assembly. The upper bar 108 and lower bar 110 are preferably positioned parallel to each other and at an acute angle relative to each of the upper arms of the side elements. Preferably, one part of one of the bars extends from one of the side elements through a vertical central plane (CVP) separating the first (104) and the second (106) side elements. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the tubular receivers 130 and 132 have a length extending from the respective side member and passing through the vertical central plane, dividing the hanger into a left portion and a right portion, generally along the recess axis (124) of the hook. One or both rods are preferably positioned so that when the hanger is moved from the contracted or unexpanded position to the expanded position (see Figures 1 and 2), the respective rod is not exposed to only one side of the vertical central plane. Such a configuration contributes to the overall stability of the hanger in its expanded position.

Preferably, one of each of the upper and lower bar portions attached to each of the side members is tubular and the other is a tongue so that the side members are telescopically engageable with one another. The use of an asymmetrically arranged tap and a tubular arrangement for the telescopic rod portions allows for greater scope for expansion.

As shown in Figure 3, the upper bar 108 may have auxiliary garment suspending means such as one or more hanger fasteners 152, skirt hooks, or the like for attaching to a garment.

The hanger may be provided with other components. For example, bulkhead parts and / or side elements may be provided with bulkhead or similar boards as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The bulkheads (112) and (114) are preferably molded from a plastic. relatively rigid and have an integral stiffening column (shown in Figure 8). The bulkheads may be fixed or removable. Removable bulkheads may be secured by snap fasteners, velcro, or other suitable means. The bulkheads may be selectively attached to the side member and the bulkhead and may thereby form securing means providing a plurality of combined lengths.

Figures 4 to 6 show a hook according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The swivel hook (100) is preferably tubular in shape and is mounted to rotate relative to the apex (122). As shown in Figure 4, the hook (100) preferably includes a substantially hollow shaft (160) having a free end (162) with a plug end (164) and a locking end (166) adapted to engage with it. the body of the hanger. The hook (100) additionally includes a locking mechanism (168) which includes a locking key (170) mounted transversely on the locking end (166) of the hook (100) and pressed by a spring (172) to engage with one of the retainer elements (125) selected to position the hook (100) in rotation relative to the apex (122) of the hanger body (102). Preferably, an end-of-stroke shoulder (174) is pressed into the snap end (166) of hook 100 to retain the hook at the apex of body (102).

Pushing the hook (100) down through the recess (124) enables the key (170) to release the retaining member (125) and open, as shown in Figure 6. In this configuration, the hook (100) is free. to rotate at the apex (122) with the key (170) acting as a bearing in its lower portion.

Having described the preferred components of the garment hanger, a preferred method of use will now be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. To expand the hanger (10) from its non-expanded position to its expanded position, the user may press the button ( 144) (Figure 3A) on the side elements to disengage the selective locking means (140) and move the side elements (104) and (106) down and away from the hanger body (102), thereby moving the hanger (10 ) from the non-expanded position (Figure 1) to the expanded position (Figure 2). While the side members (104) and (106) are being moved away from the hanger body (102), the ends of the upper rod (156) and lower rod (158) slide into the tubular receivers of the side members (104). and (106) to accommodate increased lateral expansion. The user continues to expand the hanger until the desired size is reached, when the user simply allows the selective locking means to snap back into one of the cavities (138). To reduce the size of the hanger, the user disengages the selective locking means and moves the side elements towards the hanger body (102) until the desired position is reached, at which point the selective locking means is again engaged in one of the cavities (138).

To operate the lockable swivel hook, the user may select a radial position of the hook (100) relative to the body (102) by axially moving the hook (100) relative to the body (102) in a first direction, for example by pressing the hook (100) towards the body (102). Then, the user may move the hook 100 in a second direction to engage the hook 100 with a body part 102 and prevent the hook from rotating about its own axis. For example, the user may rotate the hook (100) about its own axis and then release the hook, allowing the spring force (172) to cause a portion of the hook (100) to move up and contact it. with retaining elements (125).

According to Figures 7 to 9, an adjustable garment hanger (20) is shown in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The hanger (20) is similar to the hanger (10) except for the folds connecting the lower and upper bars which are formed as separate insertable sections. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the bend (248) is formed as a section engaging with the upper arm of the side member (204) and the lower bar tube (210). The bend (250) is formed as a section engageable with the upper arm of the side member (206) and the lower bar tubular receiver (210). The interchangeability of the fold sections allows the user to change the hanger shape, for example with different distances between the bars. To facilitate user preferences, the hanger can be sold with a kit with folding sections of different shapes and / or sizes as well as bars, which can all be configured for interchangeability. The hanger (20) can be used in a similar manner as described above for the hanger (10).

Figure 10 shows an adjustable garment hanger (30) according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The side elements 304 and 306 are in this example provided with two slots 376 which are selectively corresponding with one or more slots in the respective males 326 of the bulkhead part. The stiffening column (378) has a locking element (not shown) adapted to lock the yachting elements (306) and (307) to the bulkheads (326) and (327) through the slot (376) in a selected position. . The upper portions of the bulkheads (112) and (114) are preferably stabilized at opposite portions of the bulkheads (116) and (118) by means of velcro (not shown).

The foregoing description is for explanatory purposes only and may vary considerably without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the telescopic connections between the side elements and the taps or bulkhead parts of the hanger composing may include a track or tongue and groove configuration. Selective locking means other than spring-type locks or locking elements may be used. For example, peripheral garment fasteners such as fasteners (152) or hooks (142) may be configured with an extension adapted for insertion (threading or snap locking) into a recess to lock the position of the side member relative to the hanger body. (similar to that described for hanger locking elements (30) above).

The upper and lower bars can be configured so that each side member has a pair of lower arms that engage with a pair of lower arms of the opposite side member directly, without the intervention of a rod. A single bar may be used instead of two or more bars. Where the bars have rods, the lower and upper rods may have the same or different lengths.

The hook may have an alternate locking mechanism, or have no locking mechanism. For example, the hook may be fixedly attached to the hanger body or made to the hanger body itself integrally. The hook locking mechanism, where present, may include a ratchet mechanism so that the hook rotates about its own axis at preselected intervals the hook will lock in position. Where the locking mechanism includes retaining elements, the retaining elements may be placed on the hook axis. The number of retaining elements may vary as desired. The gain shaft may be solid or hollow as desired or appropriate. The swivel hook allows the hanger to be rotated relative to the beam where it is hung in the closet. The swivel hook can rotate freely with respect to the body. Alternatively, the swivel hook may be provided with one or more retaining elements or other means for selectively positioning the hook in a particular body arrangement as described above. For example, a spring may be included in a part of the hanger body to exert force on the retaining elements included in the hook axis.

Using a swivel hook allows, among other things, the use of the hanger to its fullest extent in shallow cabinets. The locking mechanism allows the user to select an angle for the position of the hanger relative to the bar to which the hook attaches. Another advantageous result is that the wearer can arrange his wardrobe so that all garments are angled rather than the traditional one. The angled presentation allows for greater visibility of clothes and is adaptable for various wardrobe configurations. The hanger can be made of materials such as metal, plastic and / or wood.

The present invention has numerous advantages. For example, the presence of two bars provides unforeseen stability for the adjustable hanger assembly, thus allowing the use of minimal parts for tubular parts. When in asymmetric side configuration, additional stability is provided by the bars.

The characteristics described in relation to one of the configurations may be applied to the other configurations, or combined or interchanged with the characteristics of other configurations, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood, of course, that the foregoing description has been made by way of illustration only of an invention and that all variations and modifications thereof will be obvious to a person skilled in the art and will fall within the scope of the invention set forth herein.

Claims (22)

1. "ADJUSTABLE CLOTHING HOSE", characterized in that it has a body with a first bulkhead part and a second bulkhead part; a first side member having an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement with said first bulkhead portion; a second side member with an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement with said second support part; an upper bar connecting such first and second side members; and a lower bar connecting such first and second side members, such upper and lower bars including at least two portions adapted for telescopic movement with respect to each other, such upper bar portions being asymmetrically positioned with respect to the lower bar portions when said hanger is not in expanded position. "Hanger" according to Claim 1, characterized in that it includes a third part adapted for telescopic movement with the other two parts. "HANGER" according to claims -1 and 2, characterized in that one of said portions of one of said bars extends from one of said side members through a central vertical plane separating said first and third portions. second side element. "HANGER" according to claims -1 and 2, characterized in that one of said parts of each of said bars extends from one of said side elements through a central vertical plane separating the said first side member and the second side member. "HANGER" according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that one of said portions of one of said bars is an exposed rod when said hanger is moved from the unexpanded position to the expanded position. . "Hanger" according to claim 5, characterized in that said rod is exposed only to one side of the vertical central plane separating said first side member and the second side member. "Hanger" according to claim 5, characterized in that one of said parts is adapted to move within said rod. "HANGER" according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, characterized in that it further includes a limit switch configured to prevent said first side member and second side member from separating. completely from said body. "HANGER" according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, characterized in that each of said first and second side elements includes an opening and each of said first and second bulkhead part have an opening, the apertures of said first side member and said first bulkhead part are alignable to form a first part of aligned apertures, the apertures of said second side member and said second bulkhead part are alignable to form a second portion of aligned openings, further including a bulkhead board having a projection for insertion into one of said pairs of aligned openings. 10. "ADJUSTABLE CLOTHING HOSE", characterized in that it includes a body having a first bulkhead part and a second bulkhead part; a first side member having an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement with said first bulkhead portion and a lower arm angled with respect to said upper arm; a second side member having an upper arm adapted for telescopic movement with said second bulkhead portion and a lower arm angled with respect to said upper arm of said second side member, said lower arms of said first and second side members are of different lengths and adapted for telescopic movement with respect to each other, one of said upper arms has a greater length than the length of one of said lower arms. "HANGER" according to claim 10, characterized in that said bulkhead portions of said body are longer than one of said upper arms of said side members. "HANGER" according to claim 10, characterized in that each of said first and second side elements includes a second lower arm adapted to enable telescopic movement of the side elements in relation to each other. "HANGER" according to claims -10, 11 and 12, characterized in that it further includes a hook adapted to be pivotally connected with said body, said hook including a locking mechanism for selectively locking the rotatable position of said hook relative to said body. 14. "CLOTHING HOSE", characterized in that it has a body with a first bulkhead part and a second bulkhead part; a hook pivotally attached to said body; and a locking mechanism for selectively locking the rotational position of said hook relative to said body. "HANGER" according to claims 13 and 14, characterized in that said locking mechanism includes a plurality of radially dispersed retaining elements about the rotational axis of said hook. "HOSE" according to claims 13, 14 and 15, characterized in that said locking mechanism includes a spring. "HANGER" according to claim 16, characterized in that said spring is configured to exert force against said hook to engage one of the retaining elements. 18. "METHOD FOR SELECTING THE RADIAL POSITION OF A CLOTHING HOOK FOR A CLOTH BODY HOOK", characterized in that it includes axially moving the hook relative to the body in a first direction; move the hook in a second direction to engage the hook with a body part to prevent the hook from rotating about its own axis. "Method" according to claim 18, characterized in that the step of movement includes axially moving the hook in the opposite direction of the first direction. "Method" according to claims 18 and 19, characterized in that the step of axial movement includes moving the hook towards the body. "Method" according to claims 18, 19 and 20, characterized in that the step of movement includes contacting a part of the hook with at least one retaining element. "Method" according to claims 18, 19, 20 and 21, characterized in that the step of movement includes allowing the spring contact force to move the hook to fit a body part.