EP0446074A1

EP0446074A1 - Garment hanger

Info

Publication number: EP0446074A1
Application number: EP91301970A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Henry James Emblem
Original assignee: MORPLAN
Current assignee: MORPLAN
Priority date: 1990-03-08
Filing date: 1991-03-08
Publication date: 1991-09-11
Also published as: GB9005232D0

Abstract

A garment hanger comprising a frame and a plaque, the frame including frame elements (6, 7, 8; 6a, 7a, 8a) defining a recess (9, 9a) having a number of closed sides and an open side, and the plaque (10, 30) substantially corresponding in shape and size to the recess (9, 9a), the hanger frame and plaque being resiliently flexible to allow the plaque and said frame elements to deform so as to admit the plaque into a position within the recess and coplanar therewith, cooperating formations (11, 12, 25) on the edges of the plaque and on the frame elements defining the recess retaining the plaque when the plaque is in position in the recess.

Description

The present invention relates to garment hangers, and is particularly concerned with the provision of "customised" garment hangers which bear for example the logo of a particular clothing manufacturer or retailer.
Hitherto, some garment hangers have been moulded integrally and a flat printing area has been incorporated in the design so that wording or a house emblem may be printed on the hanger. Clearly, the operation of accurately and clearly printing a small area of a bulky article such as a garment hanger requires special machinery not readily susceptible to automation.
The present invention seeks to provide a garment hanger which may easily bear an emblem or a message without having to print the emblem on to the hanger itself.
A garment hanger according to the present invention comprises a generally planar frame and a plaque, the frame including frame elements defining a recess having a number of closed sides and an open side, and the plaque substantially corresponding in shape and size to the recess, the hanger frame and plaque being resiliently flexible to allow the plague and said frame elements to deform so as to admit the plaque into a position within the recess and coplanar therewith, cooperating formations on the edges of the plaque and on the frame elements defining the recess retaining the plaque when the plaque is in position in the recess.
The cooperating means provided on the plaque and hanger prevent relative movement in directions normal to the plane of the hanger, and may comprise a groove in the hanger frame into which the edge of the plague may be received.
Three embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a garment hanger and plaque;
Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line II-II of Figure 1 showing the plaque in place;
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing an alternative, thinned plaque;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a central portion of a second hanger, and a plaque, embodying the invention;
Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line V-V of Figure 4, showing the plaque in place;
Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of a third hanger and plaque, showing the hanging hook and plaque-receiving recess; and
Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line VII-VII of Figure 6, with the plague assembled to the hanger.

Referring to Figure 1, there is seen a substantially triangular coathanger 1 having a trouser bar 2, shoulder bars 3 and 4 and a hook 5. The hanger 1 may be moulded entirely from plastics material, the bars 2, 3, 4 and hook 5 being preferably circular in cross-section, or the hanger may be predominantly of plastics material and have a metal hook part. The hanger may alternatively be formed from wire, with the ends of the wire twisted together at the stem of the hook 5.
At the base of the hook 5, the hanger includes a transverse bar 6 to whose ends are joined semicircular end bars 7 and 8 which join the transverse bar 6 to the shoulder bars 3 and 4 respectively.
Between the transverse bar 6 and the end bars 7 and 8 is defined a recess 9 having an open side between the junctions of the end bars and their respective shoulder bar. As can be seen, the length L of the open side is less than the maximum dimension D of the recess 9.
A plaque 10 is provided, the shape and size of the plaque corresponding to the shape and size of the recess 9. The semi-cylindrical end faces of the plaque are shaped with channels 11 and 12, whose shape conforms to the internal faces of the end bars 7 and 8 of the hanger.
By a small flexing of the hanger, the open side of the recess 9 may be enlarged sufficiently to allow the plaque to pass through the opening and adopt a position in which the channels 11 and 12 engage the inner faces of the end bars 7 and 8 of the hanger, the plaque being held against removal by the resilience of the hanger frame.
As may be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the plaque may be of a thickness equal to that of the end bars 7 and 8, or may be a thinner component surrounded by a lip in which the channels 11 and 12 may be formed. The plaque may be provided with a further channel (not shown) to engage the transverse bar 6 of the hanger.
The hanger may be produced in various sizes to suit adult or child-size garments.
Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown a central portion of a so-called "peg hanger". This type of hanger includes a beam 20 which is horizontal in use and is suspended centrally by a hook 21. At the ends of the beam 20 are positioned gripping pegs (not shown) to grip a garment such as a skirt or a pair of trousers.
The hanger shown includes a recess formed in the beam 20 below hook 21, the recess having a straight upper edge 22 and arcuate sides 23 and 24. A groove 25 runs around the recess, the groove opening into the recess as shown.
A plaque 26 is provided, the thickness of the plaque being equal to the width of the groove and the shape and size of the plaque being such that, by flexing the beam 20, the plaque may be pushed in the direction of arrow 'A' into the recess to be held by its edge in the groove 25, as seen in Figure 5.
In an alternative embodiment of the hanger of Figure 1, a groove may be formed around the recess 9 by grooving the inner faces of the end bars 7 and 8 and the transverse bar 6, so as to accept a planar plaque such as is seen in Figure 4.
As a further alternative to the cooperating engagement means shown, the internal faces of the recess in the hanger frame may be formed with a series of projections to engage the edge regions of the plaque faces. Generally, such a series of projections will comprise lugs which alternately engage opposite faces of the plaque to retain it in place.
Yet another embodiment of the plaque is shown in Figures 6 and 7, wherein parts of the hanger corresponding to those of Figure 1 are given the same reference number, with the suffix 'a'.
The plaque 30 comprises a pair of plates 31 and 32 joined by a web 33, the plates 31 and 32 corresponding in size and shape to the recess 9a, and the web 33 corresponding in length to the open side of the recess 9a.
Preferably the plaque 30 is integrally moulded from plastics material so that in its as-moulded condition the plates 31 and 32 are in convergent planes, with the web 33 joining the plates at their edges of maximum separation.
The hanger is formed of circular-section bars, preferably integrally moulded from plastics. Only the upper portion of the hanger is shown, the lower part being either formed as a conventional triangular hanger, or as a trouser hanger with one or two horizontal bars.
To install the plaque into the hanger, one end of the plaque is inserted through the open side of recess 9a so that the semicircular end edges 34 of the plates 31 and 32 engage the bar 8a and the end edges 35 are positioned outside the recess 9a.
By pivoting the plaque about the centres of end edges 34 and bar 8a, the end edges 35 of the plates 31 and 32 of the plaque are urged apart by the end of the circular bar 7a, and the plaque can be snap-engaged into the recess 9a. In the engaged position, plates 31 and 32 are resiliently held against the bars 6a, 7a and 8a, and the open side of the recess 9a is closed by the web 33.
As can be seen from Figure 7, the edges of plates 31 and 32 engage the bars 6a, 7a, 8a at an inwardly facing part of their circumference, thus ensuring that any movement of the plaque must result in outward flexing of the plates 31 and 32. Since the plaque is of resilient material, such flexing is resisted and the plaque held firmly in place.
The plaques shown are of generally rounded shape, having two parallel sides and generally semicircular ends, but the present invention contemplates the use of polygonal or trapezoidal plaques, or circular or elliptical plaques held by engagement over a major part of their circumference.
The plaques may be printed with information relating to garment size, manufacturer or style, or may carry house emblems to match the decor of a retailer, or to identify an hotel.

Claims

A garment hanger assembly comprising a hanger having a hook and a frame for supporting a garment, and characterised in that the hanger assembly further includes a plaque, the hanger frame including frame elements defining a recess having a number of closed sides and an open side, and the plaque substantially corresponding in shape and size to the recess, the hanger frame and plaque being resiliently flexible to allow the plaque and said frame elements to deform so as to admit the plaque into a position within the recess and coplanar therewith, cooperating formations on the edges of the plaque and on the frame elements defining the recess retaining the plaque when the plaque is in position in the recess.
A garment hanger assembly according to Claim 1, characterised in that the frame elements are circular-section bars, and the plaque includes a concave edge surface shaped to engage the frame elements defining the recess.
A garment hanger assembly according to Claim 1, characterised, in that the frame elements are formed with a groove open toward the recess, and the plaque has an edge region capable of entering the groove.
A garment hanger assembly according to Claim 1, characterised in that the frame elements are convexly rounded at their sides facing the recess, and the plaque comprises a pair of spaced, substantially parallel plates joined by a web extending between respective sides of the plates, the web being dimensioned so as to fill the open side of the recess, and the spacing between the plates being such that the edges of the plates engage the frame elements.
A garment hanger according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that the length of the open side of the recess is less than the maximum dimension of the recess measured in a direction parallel to the open side.