GB2177296A

GB2177296A - Stacking device for coat hangers

Info

Publication number: GB2177296A
Application number: GB08513186A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alison Barbara Cooper; Martin William Foley; Robert Anthony Sanger
Original assignee: Marks and Spencer PLC
Current assignee: Marks and Spencer PLC
Priority date: 1985-05-24
Filing date: 1985-05-24
Publication date: 1987-01-21
Also published as: GB8513186D0

Abstract

A stacking or trapping device for coat hangers, for use at point of sale in a garment store comprises a base 1 mounted on castors 2 with its upper surface inclined to the horizontal. Shaft 5 and parallel rods 6 extend from the base at more or less the mid point of the upper edge, and handle 4 at more or less the mid point of the lower edge. Coat hangers of various configurations can be held in a neat accumulation by placing the hook over shaft 5 and holding the neck between the two rods 6. When the stacking device is full it can be wheeled or carried away and a new such device put ready for use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Surplus hanger trap This invention relates to a device for accumulating surplus garment hangers.

Clothes hangers at the point of sale or payment are often removed by the customer or sales staff for disposal. At busy times they can accumulate, either underfoot or in a loose stack on the counter, in an accumulation of different shapes and sizes of such hanger.

This is unsightly, dangerous, and potentially inefficient. We have established that the best way of dealing with accumulations of such disposable hangers is for the sales staff to accumulate them as neatly as possible prior to occasional onward disposal e.g. by support staff. We have moreover now evolved a trap or holder which copes with the different sizes and shapes of available garment hangers, allowing them to accumulate in a more or less stable stack which is movable to exactly where needed and which is thereafter moveable away to be dumped or recycled.

The nature of our trap or holder is based upon our observation that whatever their shape in detail, all such garment hangers have a hook or the like, and all such garment hangers have some form of stem extending away from the hook to the remainder of the garment supports.

The present invention consists in a stacking or trapping device for disposable garment hangers, for use at point of garment sale and hanger disposal, comprising (a) a shaft for holding the garment hanger hook and (b) two rods generally parallel thereto at a distance such as to hold between the rods the neck portion of the hanger adjacent the hook the shaft and rods all protruding upwardly from (c) a moveable base.

Normally the shaft is of larger diameter than the rods. It can be for example be one or two inches in diameter (preferably one and half inches) and the rods can be from one quarter to three quarters of an inch diameter (preferably one half inch). The distance between the centres of the rods will be normally be from one to two inches, and the distance between the centre of the shaft and one of the rods will normally be from two to three inches.

Generally speaking, the shaft will be somewhat longer than the two rods by a few inches. Its overall height is usually from two to three feet, that is to say, generally suitable for it to be grasped by either a standing or sitting operative so that it can be pulled to exactly where required over short distances.

Preferably the base is mounted on castors to facilitate such minor movement in use.

The base itself may have a top surface at an angle to the horizontal of between 10 and 30 , preferably about 20 . The shaft and the rods in such a case will most preferably extend from such a surface at right angles to the surface, from a point somewhere near the upper edge and about half-way along. Such an arrangement, if grasped and pushed, gives a good "trolley" feeling to the device.

The base may possess a gripping handle, located more or less in the mid point of the other long edge from the shaft. We have found that this is valuable so that the whole device can be lifted when full if necessary, for example, if it is desired to take the whole stack away downstairs or towards the noncustomer areas of the store for disposal or recyling.

For convenience in use, it is preferred that the outer ends of the rods diverge slightly from one another and from the shaft.

The invention will be further described with reference to the single Figure of the accompanying drawing which shows a perspective view of the surplus hanger trap. A rectangular base 1 occupies an angle of about 20 to the horizontal and is supported on four castors 2, one at each lower corner. At the upper surface there is a ribbed rubber cover 3, from which protrudes (a) a handle 4 more or less at the middle of one side of the rectangular base and (b) a shaft 5 and two rods 6 parallel thereto or at about the middle of the other long side. The shaft 5 and rods 6 are located at 90 to the angled upper surface.

The shaft 5 extends slightly more than the rods 6 to a level easily reached by a user.

The free ends of the rods 6 are slightly angled from each other and from the shaft 5.

In use, the shop assistant with a hanger for disposal of whatever shape, puts the hook on the shaft 5 and the stem between the rods 6.

The hanger will slide down to join any stack of hangers already located. The accumulating stack is stable because of its shape, and the angle and length of shaft 5 ensures that the weight is distributed over the castors 2 as uniformly as possible and gives a "trolley" like feeling for occasional movement around the small distances of one department area.

When the hanger trap is full, maintenance or other support staff can wheel the device away in the same fashion. Alternatively, especially where stairs are involved, such staff can pick up the whole device by the handle 4 and by the shaft 5 to carry it to a disposal or recycling area.

1. A stacking or trapping device for disposable garment hangers, for use at point of garment sale and hanger disposal, comprising (a) a shaft for holding the garment hanger hook and (b) two rods generally parallel thereto at a distance such as to hold between the rods the neck portion of the hanger adjacent the hook the shaft and rods all protruding upwardly from (c) a moveable base.

2. A stacking or trapping device as claimed

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Surplus hanger trap This invention relates to a device for accumulating surplus garment hangers. Clothes hangers at the point of sale or payment are often removed by the customer or sales staff for disposal. At busy times they can accumulate, either underfoot or in a loose stack on the counter, in an accumulation of different shapes and sizes of such hanger. This is unsightly, dangerous, and potentially inefficient. We have established that the best way of dealing with accumulations of such disposable hangers is for the sales staff to accumulate them as neatly as possible prior to occasional onward disposal e.g. by support staff. We have moreover now evolved a trap or holder which copes with the different sizes and shapes of available garment hangers, allowing them to accumulate in a more or less stable stack which is movable to exactly where needed and which is thereafter moveable away to be dumped or recycled. The nature of our trap or holder is based upon our observation that whatever their shape in detail, all such garment hangers have a hook or the like, and all such garment hangers have some form of stem extending away from the hook to the remainder of the garment supports. The present invention consists in a stacking or trapping device for disposable garment hangers, for use at point of garment sale and hanger disposal, comprising (a) a shaft for holding the garment hanger hook and (b) two rods generally parallel thereto at a distance such as to hold between the rods the neck portion of the hanger adjacent the hook the shaft and rods all protruding upwardly from (c) a moveable base. Normally the shaft is of larger diameter than the rods. It can be for example be one or two inches in diameter (preferably one and half inches) and the rods can be from one quarter to three quarters of an inch diameter (preferably one half inch). The distance between the centres of the rods will be normally be from one to two inches, and the distance between the centre of the shaft and one of the rods will normally be from two to three inches. Generally speaking, the shaft will be somewhat longer than the two rods by a few inches. Its overall height is usually from two to three feet, that is to say, generally suitable for it to be grasped by either a standing or sitting operative so that it can be pulled to exactly where required over short distances. Preferably the base is mounted on castors to facilitate such minor movement in use. The base itself may have a top surface at an angle to the horizontal of between 10 and 30 , preferably about 20 . The shaft and the rods in such a case will most preferably extend from such a surface at right angles to the surface, from a point somewhere near the upper edge and about half-way along. Such an arrangement, if grasped and pushed, gives a good "trolley" feeling to the device. The base may possess a gripping handle, located more or less in the mid point of the other long edge from the shaft. We have found that this is valuable so that the whole device can be lifted when full if necessary, for example, if it is desired to take the whole stack away downstairs or towards the noncustomer areas of the store for disposal or recyling. For convenience in use, it is preferred that the outer ends of the rods diverge slightly from one another and from the shaft. The invention will be further described with reference to the single Figure of the accompanying drawing which shows a perspective view of the surplus hanger trap. A rectangular base 1 occupies an angle of about 20 to the horizontal and is supported on four castors 2, one at each lower corner. At the upper surface there is a ribbed rubber cover 3, from which protrudes (a) a handle 4 more or less at the middle of one side of the rectangular base and (b) a shaft 5 and two rods 6 parallel thereto or at about the middle of the other long side. The shaft 5 and rods 6 are located at 90 to the angled upper surface. The shaft 5 extends slightly more than the rods 6 to a level easily reached by a user. The free ends of the rods 6 are slightly angled from each other and from the shaft 5. In use, the shop assistant with a hanger for disposal of whatever shape, puts the hook on the shaft 5 and the stem between the rods 6. The hanger will slide down to join any stack of hangers already located. The accumulating stack is stable because of its shape, and the angle and length of shaft 5 ensures that the weight is distributed over the castors 2 as uniformly as possible and gives a "trolley" like feeling for occasional movement around the small distances of one department area. When the hanger trap is full, maintenance or other support staff can wheel the device away in the same fashion. Alternatively, especially where stairs are involved, such staff can pick up the whole device by the handle 4 and by the shaft 5 to carry it to a disposal or recycling area. CLAIMS

2. A stacking or trapping device as claimed in claim in which the shaft is from 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimetres) in diameter and the rods are from 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch (0.6 to 1.9 centimetres) in diameter, with the distance between the centres of the rods from 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimetres) and the distance between the centre of the shaft from one of the rods from 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 centimetres).

3. A stacking or trapping device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the shaft is longer than the rods and of an overall height from 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 centimetres).

4. A stacking or trapping device as claimed in any one preceding claim which is mounted on castors.

5. A stacking or trapping device as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the base has a top surface at an angle to the horizontal of between 10 and 30 , with the shaft and the rods extending from such a surface at right angles and from a location somewhere near the upper edge and about halfway along.

6. A stacking or trapping device as claimed in any one preceding claim which possesses a gripping handle located at generally the mid point of one long edge.

7. A stacking or trapping device as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the outer ends of the rod diverge slightly from one another and from the shaft.

8. A stacking or trapping device as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.