GB2145929A - Garment hanger - Google Patents

Abstract

A plastics ship-on hanger has a plurality of garment grips in each of which a cooperating finger (16) and wall (18), engage an interposed garment therebetween, and the finger is movable into a clearance (32) formed between the finger and a support leg (30) to which the finger is connected. This arrangement reduces stresses in the plastic at the junction of the garment grip to the main body of the hanger. The finger (16) additionally has a gripping projection in the form of a bump (36), which significantly increases the gripping pressure on the garment. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Garment hangers The present invention relates generally to inexpensive plastic ship-on or garment display hangers, ofthe type exemplified by the hanger of U.S. Patent 4,148,421, and more particularlyto improvements in the garment-engaging grips of these type of hangers.

As understood, the garment-gripping structure of a typical throw-away or ship-on hanger includes a finger which is pushed slightly awayfrom a gripping wall or surface as the garment is inserted in a slot bounded by said finger and wall. The garment gripped or supported on the hanger is then shipped to a retailer who conveniently, i.e. without extensive handling, hangs the product on a rod or other support of a display. It frequently inadvertently happens, however, thatthe finger portion ofthe grip which, as noted, is pushed slightly to one side, ruptures or breaks art its connection to the hanger because of stress which develops in the plastic construction material of the hanger.

Broadly, it is an object ofthe present invention to obviate or reduce the risk of breakage of the finger grip of a plastic garment hanger.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a garment hangerofmoulded plastics construction having a plurality of garment engaging grips, each grip being formed by a relatively rigid wall portion of the hanger and a resilient finger spaced from the wall portion to define a garment receiving slot open at one of its ends,the finger being connected adjacent the open end ofthe slot to one end of a support leg whose otherend is connected to the main body ofthe hanger, so thatthefinger is positioned between and spaced frorrptfie said wall portion on the one hand and the support leg on the other, and wherein the finger is formed on one side with a garment engaging bump projecting towards the said wall portion.

Features and advantages ofthe present invention, will bemorefullyappreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:: Figs. 1 and 2 are plan views of priorart plastic hangers used for the same commercial purposes as the hanger ofthe present invention; Fig. 3 is a plan view of an improved garment hanger according to the present invention in which, more particularly, the improvements reside in a first embodiment of garment grips which are significantly less susceptible to breakage than the grips of the hangers of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, in section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a front elevational view demonstrating the functioning ofthewithin inventive garment grip; and Figs. 6 and 6a are enlarged scale illustrations ofthe grip encircled bythe reference line 6 of Fig. 5and demonstrate, by progressive examination,thefunc- tioning ofthegrip.

As understood, there are numerous embodiments of inexpensive plastic injection moulded hangers to which garments are attached at the factory or other manufacturing site and shipped to the retailer, who then can conveniently transfer the same to his display racks. The hangers referred to are typically known as "ship-on" hangers and afford the obvious convenipence to the retailer of having the garment being sold in a display position on a hangerwhich, in turn, can readily be placed on a support rod of a display rack with little or no handling. Moreover, the hanger is so inexpensive that it is feasible to discard it, if the customer so chooses, when the purchase is completed, the hanger having achieved its primary function of advantageously displaying the garment so as to contribute to the sale thereof.

The economic needfora ship-on plastic hanger, as just generally described, has thus resulted in numerous variations which differ from each other as to specific structural features which, as exemplified by the prior art hanger of Fig. 1, have certain basic or characterizing structural features. More particularly, in the typical prior art hanger, such asthe one illustrated in Fig. 1 and intended to be the hanger of prior U.S. patent4,148,421 and generally designated 10' in said figure, the said hanger includes, as is well understood, a flat plastic body 12' which has integrally moulded garment-engaging grips 14' at strategic locations thereabouts, all as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Further as is generally understood, each garment grip 14' includes a finger 16' in an location adjacent and opposite a wall surface 18' that is part ofthe plastic hanger body. As a result,thereisformed between the finger 16' and wall 18' a slot 20' to receive therebetween a waistband or other part of a garmentthat is intended to be supported on the hanger 10'.

In referring to the prior art hanger 10' of Fig. 1, it is significant to note that in inserting the garment into the clearance 22' of the finger grip 14', finger 16' will be urged in the direction of 24' in orderto make allowance forthe bulk ofthe garment waistband or the like that is inserted into the slot or compartment portion 22' of said slot. Finger 16' remains in this slightly angular position and, in practice, it has been found that, as a result thereof, stress concentrations occur in the plastics material ofthe hanger 10', which ultimately results in rupture ofthefinger 16'. This rupture, more particularly, occurs at the connecting juncture of the finger 16' with the hanger body 12' at 26'.

There have, of course, been numerous attempts to obviate the rupturing ofthe garment-gripping fingers ofthe hanger at their juncture with the plastics hanger body, as above explained. For Example, in another model of a prior art hanger 10", as illustrated in Fig. 2, the finger 16" is comprised essentially as a reinforced edge or rib, similar,forexample, tothe peripheral ribs 28" which traditionally and effectively serve to increase the structural strength ofthe hanger body 12".

This type of solution, while somewhat effective, does not totally obviate the problem. In practice, even on the prior art hanger 10" of Fig. 2 it has been found that finger 16" ofthe integrally moulded grip 14" still ruptures at the location 26" when a garment waistband orthe like is inserted into the slot 20" incidentto being gripped on opposite sides bythefinger 16" and the garment-gripping wall surface 18".

An effective solution which obviates rupturing in a garment-gripping finger is illustrated in the ship-on garment hanger illustrated more particularly in Figs.

3-5 and the detailed views Figs. 6 and 6a projected therefrom, which nowwilll be explained in sufficient detail for a complete comprehension of the present invention. More particularly,the hanger 10 illustrated therein embodies in many respects the conventional structural features ofthe prior art hangers of Figs. 1 and 2 already described. Thus, forthe sake of brevity, the conventional structural features embodied by the improved garment hangerof Figs. 3-5 will not again be described, it being sufficientthatthese structural features are designated by the same, but umprimed, reference numerals used in connection with the descriptions ofthe hangers of Figs. 1 and 2.What distinguishes the inventive hanger 10 are structural features embodied in the garment-engaging grips 14, which will now be described in detail and which consist ofthose structural features starting with reference numeral 30. More particularly, and as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, each finger grip 14 includes a finger 16 in a position adjacent but spaced from a garment-gripping wall 18 so as to boundtherebe- tween a slot 20 forthe insertion of a garment waistband orthe like therein. However, finger 16 is attached to the garment body 12through the in termediaryofasupportleg 30, generally parallel with the finger 16 and wall position 18, the finger being connected to the leg 30 adjacent the open end ofthe slot 20.The importance ofthis isthatfinger 16 can then be integrally moulded with an additional clearance space 32 behind said finger, as well as with a clearance space 20 between it and the garmentengaging wall 18. Thus, each finger grip 14 embodied in the inventive hanger 10, being three in number at each end of the hanger as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, has provision for a clearance space 32 on one side of the finger 16 as well as the usual clearance space 20 on the opposite side thereof. The provision ofthe clearance space 32 in the location just noted contributes significantly to the manner in which each garment grip 14functions, all as will now be explained in detail and as best can be understood by progressive examination of Figs. 6 and 6a.

More particularly, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 6a, a garmentwaistband 34 is typically inserted into the slot 20 of finger grip 1 4 and this, of course, results in a slight angular movement in both thefinger 16 and support leg 30 away from the wall surface 18, such movement, of course, being necessary to allowforthe bulk of the garmentwaistband being inserted into the slot20. Instead of remaining in the angular orientation illustrated in Fig. 6, however, the garment grip 14 assumes the condition illustrated more particularly in Fig. 6a.That condition, more particularly, is one in which the finger 16 remains in gripping contact with the garmentwaistband 34 but said finger 16 makes sufficient allowanceforthe bulk ofthe waistband 34 by easing slightly into clearance 32 or, in other words, in a direction towards and away from the garment- gripping wall surface 18. As a result, in the inventive hanger 10 of Figs. 3-5, the garment is under a firm grip in its interposed position between the finger 16 and the wall 18, but the bending stress imposed by the movement ofthe finger into the clearance space 32 is absorbed partially bythe leg 30, aswell as bathe junctions between the leg and the main bodyofthe ha nger, andthejunction betweenthefingerandthe leg.

As may bestbeobserved in the enlarged scale illustrations of Figs. 6 and 6a, the side ofthe finger 16 in facing relationtothewall 18, and thus in facing relation also to the garment 34 interposed therebetween, is moulded with a gripping projection in the specific form of a bump 36. The bump or projection 36 is thus advantageously maintained in a pressed condition into the garment 34 incident to movement of finger 16 away from the wall 18, andthis significantly enhances the frictional gripping force exerted on the inserted garment.

It is to be noted that use can effectively be made not only of a vertically oriented grip '14but also a horizontally oriented embodiment thereof, and that whether vertically or horizontally oriented the result is the same in that movement ofthefinger ofthe grip into a clearance behind the finger effectively relieves any rupture-causing stress in the construction material at the connecting juncture between the finger and the body ofthe hanger.

From the foregoing it should be readily appreciated that there has been described herein a plastic ship-on hanger of styrene or similar construction material in which there is effective provision for relieving the hanger of stress which ultimately results in rupture as a result of accommodating the bulk of the portion of the garment inserted into the gripping mechanism thereof. Although a preferred embodiment of a garment-gripping means 14 has been described herein, it will be understood that a latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the description thereof, and that in some instances some features ofthe invention will be employed without a corresponding use ofotherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

Claims (8)

1. A garment hanger of moulded plastics construction having a pluralityofgarmantengaging grips, each grip being formed bya reiativei.rigidwall portion of the hanger and a resilientfinger spaced from the wall portion to define a garment receiving slot open at one of its ends,-tbe finger being connected adjacentthe open end of the shttoone end of a support leg whose other-end is connected to the main body of the hanger, sothat tElefinger is positioned between and spaced from the said wall portion on the one hand and the support leg on the other, and wherein thefinger isformed on one side with a garment engaging bump projecting towardsthe said wall portion.

2. A garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the said support leg, finger and wall portion are substantially parallel with each other.

3. A garment hanger according to claim 1 or2, wherein a plurality of said grips are provided at each end ofthe hanger, at least one grip at each end having its finger disposed substantially vertically (inthe position of use ofthe hanger) and at least one at each end having its finger disposed substantially horizontally.

4. A garment hanger according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each grip is substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.

5. Agarment hanger substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 3to 6 ofthe accompanying drawings.

6. A garment hanger of plastics material having garment engaging-grips moulded integrally therewith, the grip comprising a garment-receiving slot bounded along one side by a wall surface of said hanger and along an opposite side by a resilientfinger member of said plastic construction material located adjacent but spaced from said wall surface, said resilient finger member being additionally movable in a transverse direction towards and away from said wall surface by being disposed in a clearance position from any portion of said hanger on both its opposite sides, and a bump moulded on said finger member in facing relation to said wall surface, whereby said finger is movable away from said wall surface into one said clearance space to provide an enlarged size to said garment-receiving slot incident to the insertion of a garment therein while said bump thereon remains in gripping engagement with said inserted garment, such that said movement of said finger obviates any stress in said construction material atthe connecting juncture of said grip with said hanger.

7. An improved plastic hanger as claimed in claim 6, wherein said resilient finger is of a U-shaped configuration.

8. An improved plastic hanger as claimed in claim 7, wherein plural U-shaped resilientfingers are embodied at opposite ends of said hanger, and said fingers are horizontally and vertically oriented to facilitate the display attachment of garments thereto.