GB2128474A - Garment hangers - Google Patents

Abstract

A garment hanger for a long garment e.g. trousers, skirt, has first and second support means, e.g. grips and clips 3, 6, 23, 27, for supporting spaced portions of the garment in a folded looped condition so that the effective overall length of the garment is reduced. The second means 6 may be removed after they are no longer required. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Garment hangers This invention relates to garment hangers which are particularly suitable for supporting relatively long articles, such as trousers and skirts.

It is usual for garments, such as trousers and skirts, to be transported, prior to sale, on individual garment hangers. For example, from the place of manufacture to a warehouse, and from the warehouse to the shop, the garments are transported on individual hangers which are supported from rails provided in closed vans. It is desirable, for maximum transport efficiency, that there are as many rails in each van as possible. If men's trousers are transported while held by the waist-band, with the trousers extending downwardly by their full length, then there is only space in a transport van for one or two layers of trousers, and so it would be desirable if the trousers could be looped and attached to the garment hanger, thereby approximately halving the length of the trousers during transit.

At the point of sale, however, it is desirable for the trousers to be held on a hanger acting along the waist band, with the trousers hanging full length from the hanger.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hanger which permits a garment, such as a pair of trousers or a skirt, to be supported with an overall reduced length during transit.

According to the present invention, a garment hanger includes a support hook, first means for supporting a garment and second means for use in addition to the first means for supporting the same garment in a looped state where its effective overall length is less than when it is supported by the first means alone.

Preferably, the garment hanger, apart from the took, is made as a one-piece moulding from plastics material.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, it will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hanger, Figure 2 is an enlargement of a clip shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side elevation of an alternative hanger, Figure 4 is a side elevation of a still further embodiment of the invention, and Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring now to Figure 1, a hanger for long garments, such as a pair of trousers, has a bar structure and its exact shape can take numerous alternative forms. It consists basically of an elongate bar 1 having first supporting means in the form of a grip 3 at each end whereby a pair of trousers, arranged in their normal creases, can be attached by the waist-band to the grips. The grips extend from one side of the bar structure or are at the ends of the bar structure and, on the side of the structure opposite to the trousers, there is a hook 5 by which the hanger and the garment can be supported from a rail, not shown.

Second supporting means in the form of a pair of clips, which can readily be clipped to the bottom ends of the trouser legs after the trousers have been looped, are attached to the bar structure. A convenient form of clip is shown in more detail in Figure 2, as reference 6, and it comprises a first limb 7 having a second limb 9 spaced from it by a bridge portion 11.

The facing surfaces of the two limbs have serrations or other means which serve to grip the bottoms of trouser legs inserted between them.

Each clip 6 is attached to the bar structure by a flexible link 13 which includes an area of reduced strength 1 5 which enables the link to be readily broken by a user. The area of reduced strength is conveniently located where the flexible links are joined to the bar 1.

Conveniently, the clips 6, the flexible links, the bar structure, and the grips 3 are formed as an integral moulding from plastics material. The hook 5 may also be of plastics material but, in the arrangement shown, it is of metal and is moulded into the bar structure during the moulding process.

In use, a pair of trousers, or similar long garment, is gripped at the waist-band by the grips 3, so that the garment is supported from the bar structure. The lower ends of the garment are then turned up, almost to the level of the bar structure, and are attached to the clips 6. The garment is then transported in this looped state while supported from a rail by means of the hook 5 and the effective overall length of the garment is reduced to approximately half the length of the garment. On arrival at the point of sale, the clips 6 are detached from the bar structure, by breaking the flexible links at their area of weakness 1 5, thus allowing the garment to extend full length while supported at the waist-band. The clips 6 are then removed from the lower ends of the garment.

In an alternative arrangement, shown in Figure 3, the hanger comprises a bar structure 21 having a grip 23 positioned at each end and a centrally located support hook 25. Second support means in the form of a further pair of grips 27 are positioned on the bar structure in spaced apart relation between the grips 23. The grips 27 are of generally smaller size than the grips 23.

In use, a pair of trousers held in their creases with the wasit-band 29 are gripped in the grips 23. The lower ends of the legs of the trousers are taken up to the level of the waistband so that the trousers are looped and are held by the grips 27 which are outside the waistband. The trousers are transported in this looped state where the effective overall length of the trousers is less than the full length of the trousers. At the point of sale, the waist-band is unclipped from one of the grips 23, and the trouser ends are removed from the grips 27. The grips 27 are then pushed into the top of the trousers between the two sides of the waist-band and the waist-band is reclipped to the grip 23. The trousers are then supported at the waist-band by the grips 23 only and the trousers hang full length.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 5, the garment is supported in either a single looped state or a treble looped state. The hanger consists of a structure 31 having a horizontal bar 33 and a support hook 35 above it. A pair of elongated grippers 37 are positioned one on each side of the bar 33 and are conveniently connected to the structure 31 by a flexible link 39. A rigid link could, however, be provided if this is preferred.

In use, the garment 41, such as a pair of trousers arranged in their creases, is supported in a looped state on the bar 33 with the waist-band hanging one side of the bar and the ends of the legs on the other side. In order to reduce the effective overall length further, the lower ends of the trousers are then lifted up to provide two further loops 43 and the ends are attached to the grips 37. There are then three loops in the garment and the overall length of the garment, when supported in this way, is small. The garment is transported in this mode and, at the point of sale, the grips 37 are removed allowing the ends of the garment to fall so that there is only one loop in the garment. The grips and their limbs can be removed from the hanger structure.

Claims (13)

1. A garment hanger including a support hook, first means for supporting a garment and second means for use in addition to the first means for supporting the same garment in a looped state where its effective overall length is less than when it is supported by the first means alone.

2. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first means supports the garments at one end and the first and second means support the garment at opposite ends.

3. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second means comprises separate first and second gripping means.

4. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first gripping means comprises a pair of spaced apart grips, and the second gripping means comprises a pair of spaced apart grips located between the first-mentioned pair of spaced apart grips.

5. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pairs of grips are on an elongate bar which carries the support hook.

6. A garment hanger as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the second means can be removed from the hanger after use.

7. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second means is attached to the hanger by a link which can readily be broken.

8. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second means comprise a pair of clips each connected to an elongate bar which carries the support hook by a flexible link and with an area of reduced strength between the bar and each link.

9. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 1, in which the first means comprises a bar for supporting a looped garment fitted over the bar and the second means support the end of the garment with a second loop between each end of the garment and the bar.

10. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 9, in which the second means comprise a pair of gripping means, one for each end of the garment.

11. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 10, in which the bar forms part of a structure including the support hook and the pairs of gripping means are attached to the structure.

12. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 11, in which the gripping means are attached to the structure by links which can readily be broken.

13. A garment hanger substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.