GB2044094A - Improvements in garment rails - Google Patents

Abstract

A garment rail (1) is equipped with an auxiliary rail (2) to prevent clothes hangers from slipping off the main rail (1). The auxiliary rail (2) is spaced from but secured to the main rail (1) by stanchions (3) and the auxiliary rail terminates just short of one of the ends of the main rail (1). The rail has a pair of end fittings (6,16) in the form of tubular or cylindrical members which are provided with means (7) for engagement with a wall or track or the like. The rail (1) is rotatable about its longitudinal axis with respect to the end fittings (6, 16) and is provided with a spring-loaded plunger (26) which extends through a bore (23) in the side wall of the rail and is biassed by the associated spring (28) into engagement with a spigot (15) forming part of the end fitting (16). The spigot (15) has a closed bore (25) in which the end of the plunger is releasably engageable in order releasably to secure the garment rail against rotation in one rotational position of the rail. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in garment rails This invention relates to improvements in garment rails and is particularly concerned with garment rails for use in vehicles.

A known form of garment rail for use in containers and rigid sided vehicles comprises a first main rail from which clothes hangers are intended to be suspended and an additional restraining rail which prevents the hangers from swinging and slipping or jumping off the main rail when the vehicle is in motion. Thus, clothes which are hung on the hangers are prevented from falling on the floor of the vehicle. The main rail is rotatably mounted in the vehicle and the restraining rail extends parallel to the main rail and is spaced therefrom and secured thereto by a number of spacer members. In use, clothes hangers are suspended from the main rail after which the rail is rotated to a position in which the restraining rail is brought into engagement with the shafts of the hanger hooks to restrain said hangers from pivotal movement with respect to the main rail.While this system is admirable, one disadvantage of the known rail is that it has large end fittings often in the form of cups which are secured to the sides of a container or rigid-sided vehicle and in which the ends of the main rail are rotatable. These end fittings serve to shorten the effective usable length of the rail from which clothes hangers can be hung.

The present invention aims to provide a garment rail having end fittings which enable substantially the entire length of the- rail to be utilised for the reception of clothes hangers.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a garment rail having means for restraining clothes hangers from slipping offsaid rail and a pair of end fittings for the ends of the rail wherein each end fitting comprises a tubular or cylindrical member adapted to engage with a respective end of the rail and having means for engagement with a wall or track or the like, the rail being rotatable about its longitudinal axis with respect to the end fittings and at least one end fitting being provided with means for releasably securing the garment rail in at least one rotational position of said rail.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an end fitting for a garment rail in which the end fitting is adapted to engage with one end of the garment rail in such a mannerthatthe rail is rotatable about its longitudinal axis with respect to the end fitting, said end fitting being provided with means for engaging a wall ortrackorthe like to locate the end fitting and hence the rail in position and with means for releasably securing the rail against rotation in at least one rotational position of said rail.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the or one end fitting comprises a cylindrical spigot adapted to fit into one end of the rail. The other end fitting may also comprise a cylindrical spigot which is adapted to fit into the other end of the rail. In this case, the rail is preferably hollow and bearings may be provided between the spigots and the internal surface of the side wall of the rail.

The means for securing the rail against rotation preferably comprises a spring-loaded plunger which is mounted on the rail adjacent one end thereof, extends through a bore in the side wall of the rail and is biassed by the associated spring into engagement with the spigot at said end of the rail. The spigot is provided with one or more closed bores in which the plunger is engageable to secure the rail against rotation. The rail may be freed for rotation simply by withdrawing the plunger from the closed bore(s) against the bias of the spring.

The rail may be axially slidable with respect to the other end fitting, means being provided to prevent the associated end of the rail from being disengaged from the end fitting. In the case in which the said other end fitting comprises a cylindrical spigot, said means may comprise a grub screw engaging with a screw-threaded bore in the wall of the rail and projecting into a groove in the spigot. Alternatively, a hammer head screw may be utilised. The side walls of the groove serve to limit the axial movement of the rail with respect to the spigot.

Preferably, the means for restraining clothes hangers on the garment rail comprise an auxiliary rail extending substantially parallel to the main rail and spaced therefrom but secured thereto by a plurality of stanchions.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which Figure lisa longitudinal section through one embodiment of a garment rail according to the invention; and Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of one end of the garment rail shown in Figure 1 showing one embodiment of an end fitting according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the garment rail comprises a main tubular rod 1 and extending substantially parallel thereto an auxiliary rail 2 which is secured to the main rail 1 by a plurality of stanchions 3. As shown in Figure 1, the auxiliary rail 2 extends substantially to the end of the main rail 1 at one end but terminates just short of the other end of the main rail. The stanchions 3 may be secured to the rails 1 and 2 by any suitable means but brazing is preferred.

Mounted in the main rail 1 at said one end are a pair of plain bearings 4 in the form of oilite bushes and a spigot member 5 of an end fitting 6 is receivable in this end of the rail 1 and is engageable with the bearings 4. The rail 1 is free to rotate with respect to the spigot 5 and is also capable of axial movement on said spigot. The extent of this axial movement is limited by providing the spigot with a groove 8 and by screwing a grub screw 9 into a screw-threaded bore 11 provided in the side wall of the rail 1. The inner end of the grub screw 9 is located in the groove 8 and limits axial movement of the rail with respect to the spigot by engaging one of the side walls of said groove 8, the engaged side depending on the direction in which the rail is axially moved.

The other end of the rail 1 is provided with a pair of bearings 14 which are similar to the bearings 4 and a spigot member 15 of a second end fitting 16 is receivable in this end of the rail 1 and is engageable with the bearings 14. Again, the rail 1 is free to rotate with respect to the spigot 15 but in this case relative axial movement is prevented by providing the spigot with a narrow groove 18 and by screwing a grub screw 13 into a second screw-threaded bore 12 in the side wall of the rail 1 so that the inner end of the grub screw 13 engages in the groove 18 as shown in Figure 1.

Each end fitting 6, 16 is provided with a respective tongue 7 by means of which the end fittings can be engaged in suitable tracks which are secured to the side wall of a vehicle. Only one track 17 is shown in Figure 1 for the end fitting 16 and this fitting is inserted through a slot 19 in the track 17 and then allowed to drop so that the tongue 7 engages with the inside wall of the track 17 and maintains the end fitting 16 and garment rail in position. The other end fitting 6 is fitted to a like track in a similar manner.

During fitting to the tracks, it is necessary for a certain amount of axial movement of the garment rail and end fittings to take place and this is permitted by means of the groove 8 in the spigot 5.

The grub screws 9 and 13 however prevent the end fittings from falling out of the rail 1 when the rail is not installed in the tracks. The groove 8, by permitting relative axial movement to take place between the rail 1 and end fitting 6, also compensates for manufacturing tolerances so that the rail can be installed between tracks whose distance apart varies between the limits imposed by the width of the groove 8.

Relative rotation between the rail and end fittings is normally prevented by providing the end of the rail 1 at which the end fitting 16 is located with a stub tube 21 which is secured to the rail so that its axis extends substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail 1. The tube 21 is preferably secured to the rail 1 by brazing although other means may be used if desired. At the base of the tube 21, a bore 23 is provided in the side wall of the rail 1 through which a plunger 26 extends to engage in a closed bore 24 in the spigot 15. The plunger 26 extends through the tube 21 along the axis of said tube and a washer 27 is secured, e.g. by brazing, to the shank of the plunger.A coil spring 28 is mounted on the plunger and engages at one end against the washer 27 and, at the other end, against an end cap 29 which is secured to the outer end of the tube 21 by providing it with a screw-thread which is engageable with a screw-thread 22 on said end of the tube 21.

This arrangement is effective to urge the plunger 26 through the bore 23 in the rail 1 and into the bore 24 in the spigot 15. A knob 30 is fixed to the outer end of the plunger 26 by screwing it onto a screw-thread 31 on said end of the plunger and the spigot 15 is provided with a second closed bore 25 diametrically opposed to the bore 24. The axis of the aligned bores 24 and 25 is preferably off-set by 28 to the vertical when the end fitting 16 is fitted into the track 17.

Clothes hangers will normally be hung on the rail 1 with the auxiliary rail 2 in its upper position, that is the position shown in Figure 1 in which the plunger 26 is engaged in the bore 24. When the rail 1 is full or when there are no more hangers to be hung from the rail, the knob 30 is pulled to withdraw the plunger 26 from the bore 24, against the action of the spring 28, and the rail 1 can then be rotated by means of the rail 2. Once the plunger 26 is clear of the bore 24, the knob 30 can be released when the plunger will be urged by the spring 28 against the side of the spigot 15 until said plunger is aligned with the bore 25 when it will be urged into the bore 25 to secure the rail 1 against further rotation.In this rotational position, the auxiliary rail 2 is so located that the hooks of the clothes hangers cannot be taken off the rail 1 and thus there is no fear of the clothes hangers falling off the rail when the vehicle is in motion.

Moreover, the auxiliary rail 2 will also serve to restrain the clothes hangers from swaying and thus prevent clothes from falling off the suspended hangers.

It will be seen that, by means of the end fittings according to the invention, substantially the entire length of the garment rail may be used for suspending clothes hangers, only a short length at one end at which the tube 21 and plunger are provided being unusable. This represents a considerable improvement in load capacity which can be carried by means of the garment rail according to the invention.

It should be noted that the invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiment but modifications may be made and other embodiments are envisaged without departing from the scope of this invention. In particular, while the invention has been described with specific reference to vehicles, the garment rail assembly according to the invention may also be used in containers fitted with tracks for receiving the end fittings.

Claims (12)

1. A garment rail having means for restraining clothes hangers from slipping off said rail and a pair of end fittings for the ends of the rail, wherein each end fitting comprises a tubular or cylindrical member adapted to engage with a respective end of the rail and having means for engagement with a wall or track or the like, the rail being rotatable about its longitudinal axis with respect to the end fittings and being provided with means engageable with one of said end fittings for releasably securing the garment rail in at least one rotational position of said rail.

2. A garment rail according to claim 1, wherein said one end fitting comprises a cylindrical spigot adapted to fit into one end of the rail.

3. A garment rail according to claim 2, wherein the other end fitting comprises a cylindrical spigot adapted to fit into the other end of the rail.

4. A garment rail according to claim 3, wherein the rail is hollow and wherein bearings are provided between the spigots and the internal surface of the side wall of the rail.

5. A garment rail according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the means for releasably securing the rail against rotation comprises a spring-loaded plunger which is mounted on the rail adjacent said one end thereof, extends through a bore in the side wall of the rail and is biassed by the associated spring into engagement with the spigot at said end of the rail.

6. A garment rail according to claim 5, wherein the spigot is provided with a closed bore in which the plunger is engageable to secure the garment rail in said one rotational position thereof.

7. A garment rail according to claim 6, wherein the spigot is provided with a further closed bore in which the plunger is engageable to secure the garment rail in a further, alternative, rotational position thereof.

8. A garment rail according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the said one end fitting is prevented from falling out of the rail by providing the spigot with a groove in which a screw co-operating with a screw-threaded bore in the wall of the rail is engageable.

9. A garment rail according to any preceding claim, wherein the rail is axially slidable with respect to the other end fitting, means being provided to prevent the associated end of the rail from being disengaged from the end fitting.

10. A garment rail according to claim 3 and claim 9, wherein the said means for preventing disengagement of the rail and other end fitting comprise a screw engageable with a screw-threaded bore in the wall of the rail and projecting into a groove in the spigot, the groove having such a width that axial movement of the spigot with respect to the rail is permitted.

11. A garment rail according to any preceding claim, wherein the means for restraining clothes hangers from slipping off the garment rail comprise an auxiliary rail extending substantially parallel to the main rail and spaced therefrom but secured thereto by a plurality of stanchions.

12. A garment rail substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.