GB2192331A

GB2192331A - Garment display device

Info

Publication number: GB2192331A
Application number: GB08711076A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sebastian Conran
Original assignee: Karner and Co AB
Current assignee: Karner and Co AB
Priority date: 1986-05-09
Filing date: 1987-05-11
Publication date: 1988-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 2007-05-11
Also published as: GB8711076D0; GB2192331B

Abstract

A garment display device for the support of a garment having a neck and a collar, such as a shirt or blouse is integrally moulded of plastics material and comprises a frame including portions which are designed to extend across the back of the garment in the shoulder region. A collar support is hingedly attached to the shoulder region portions. The collar support includes respective wings designed either for underlying the collar of the garment or for extending downwardly within and about the collar neck portion of the garment. As a result the collar neck portion of the garment is at least partially rigidified. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Garment display device The present invention relates to garment display devices and more particularly, though not necessarily exclusively, to display devices for shirts and blouses.

The retail fashion trade in the United Kingdom has been characterised in recent years by fierce competition between established retail chains selling over broad market spectrum, such as Burtons, Marks and Spencer and C & A Modes and new chains of retail stores aimed at particular sections of the market, such as Principies, Next and Now, coupled with the revitalisation of old established chains such as Richard Shops under a new name Richards and new management, not to mention the myriad of small boutique style shops.

With this increased competition has come an increased emphasis on the way in which garments are displayed for sale since experience has proved that differences in the way one and the same garment is displayed in different stores can have a significant effect on sales of that garment.

In the case of knitwear, and specifically jumpers and cardigans, one approach to improve in-store display is demonstrated by the approach disclosed in published European Patent Application EP 0133791 of Marks and Spencer plc. The usual practice with knitwear is to display this in-store in horizontal or slightly sloping racks in which the knitwear is loosely folded into shape and may optionally be packaged in plastic film. The said European Patent Application suggests the provision of a plastics frame for maintaining the shape of such a folded garment, the frame having a first support element which extends across the back of the garment in a shoulder region and second eiements joined to the first which extend down inside the neck and then lie along the interior of the shoulder.The frame also includes some form of latch or clip for receiving and retaining the folded lower end of the garment.

Although a number of embodiments are illustrated in the drawings of the said European Patent Application, none is suitable for the display of shirts or of blouses. The present invention arises in part from work which we have undertaken to devise new and improved forms of garment display devices which can be used neatly and simply to display shirts and blouses for sale.

We should first explain that particular problems arise in respect of the display of shirts and blouses for sale. Ladies' blouses are conventionally displayed on a hanging rail using either conventional or specifically designed blouse hangers. The blouses may be handled by customers and consequently tend to become detached from the blouse hanger either accidentally, to fall on the floor, or deliberately in shoplifting. A free hanging blouse removed from a hanger is readily concealable. There is a clear need for improved and more secure blouse hangers.

In the case of shirts, the presently conventional practice is to pin and fold a shirt about a cardboard sheet serving as a frame to stiffen the shirt, with additional stiffeners in and under the collar, the whole packaged inside a cellophane bag. This practice is both labour intensive in packaging the shirt and frequently a source of irritation for the purchaser who may inadvertently fail to remove all the pins before first wearing the shirt.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a garment display device adapted for the support of a garment having a neck and a collar, the device being integrally moulded of plastics material, and comprising a frame including portions adapted to extend across the back of the garment in the shoulder region, and a collar support hingedly attached to the shoulder region portions, the collar support including respective wings adapted either for underlying the collar of the garment or for extending downwardly withinand about the collar neck portion of the garment, thereby to at least partially rigidifythe collar neck portion of the garment.

In preferred embodiments, the frame includes portions adapted to extend downwardly of the body of the garment and at least one crossbar extending wholly or partially across the back of the garment body below the shoulders; the device includes an integral hook adapted for supporting the display device together with a garment supported thereon from a hanging rail, the hook being hingedly attached to the frame whereby optionally to be folded through 180 to lie generally interiorly of and in the plane of the frame, both to save space and to allow garments supported by the said device to be displayed either on a generally horizontal or sloped rack or display stand or free hanging from a rail with the hook exposed; one or more clips are provided integral with the frame and adapted for releasably holding shoulder portions of the garment and/or a folded lower end portion of the garment; the clips comprise toggle-action clips; and the collar support is hingedly attached to the shoulder region portions by one or more live hinges.

The invention is hereinafter more particularly described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of garment display device according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the display device of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of an alternative embodiment of garment display device also constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The garment display device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a frame 1 which s adapted to extend across the shoulders and back of a garment such as a shirt. The frame comprises side members 2 which are arranged to extend downwardly of the garment body and crossbars 3 and 4which are arranged to extend across the back of the garment body at positions below the shoulders. The frame has sloped or angled shoulder bars 5 with a dog leg at 6 to define portions 7 which extend at a small angle relative to the longitudinal centre line 8 and which are adapted to lie behind the neck or collar region of 3 g or DIOUCU.

Hingedly attached to a central portion 9 (which in this particular embodiment is discontinuous for reasons discussed in detail below) joining the neck/ collar portions 7 is a collar support 10. As is the common practice in plastics moulding with plastics such as nylon, polyethylene or (as preferred) polypropylene, a so-called "live or film hinge" 11 can be provided in the mould so that the frame and collar portion are integrally moulded in hingedly connected form. The collar support 10 includes wings 12 which each have a plurality of apertures 13 to make them relatively more flexible than the remainder of the display device.As will be seen from the side elevational view of Fig. 2, the collar support is somewhat thinner than the frame, again for greater flexibility, the frame being designed to be substantially more rigid that the collar portion in use supporting a garment.

As will be clearfrom Fig. 1, the garment display device also includes a hook 14 integrally moulded with the remainder of the device and lying on the centre line 8. The hook 14 is hingedly connected to the remainder of the device, in this particular embodiment along the same hinge line 11 as the collar support. In this way, the hook 14 may either lie generally within the frame 1 and in its plane, as shown, or may be pivoted essentially through 180 to enable the garment display device to be suspended from a hanging rail.

The garment display device further includes a pair of toggle-action latches 15 which are also integrally moulded with the frame 1. The latches 15 each comprise a first serrated hinge member 16 solid with the frame 1 and a second serrated hinge member 17 hinged to the first member by a flexible web 18 formed as a film hinge. Connecting the two hinge members 16 and 17 is a link 19 whose ends 20 and 21 are respectively joined to the hinge members 16 and 17 byflexible web film hinges. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the link 19 is curved. The resilience of the material of the display device of which the link 19 is an integral part is such that the link 19 tends resiliently to maintain its respective ends 20 and 21 apart.The geometry of the latch 15 defines two stable configurations, namely that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the configuration in which the serrated surfaces of the hinge members 16 and 17 are in contact with each other. Moreover, in the latter position the spacing between the ends of the link 19 is such that the two hinge members are resiliently biased towards each other in that configuration.

Between the two positions, the ends of the link 19 are further apart than they are in either of the two end positions mentioned above so that the latch 15 is always biased towards one or other of the two end positions. In effect it has a snap-hinge or toggle action.

When the illustrated embodiment of garment display device is employed for a shirt, the shirt is laid on top of the frame 1 and the collar support is pivoted through an angle approaching 180 to a position in which the wings 12 may either underlie the collar or in which the wings may extend at least partially circumferentally within the neck of the shirt collar an a uxiliarv suorr may I)u addled, if necessary either underlying the collar or within the collar neck. In this condition the shirt shoulder line will follow the "shirt line" indicated at 22 in Fig. 1.

Closure of the latches 15 will then hold the shirt in position on the frame. The sides of the body and one or both arms may be folded about the reverse side of the frame and the whole inserted into a cellophane bag. If desired, and if the particular embodiment of garment display device includes the hook 14, this may be suitably rotated to lie in an upward position exteriorly of the frame enabling the shirt, so packaged to be suspended from a hanging rail. It will be appreciated that the garment display device enables a shirt to be packaged in this way without recourse to the conventional cardboard frame and numerous pins.

However, the particularly described and illustrated embodiment of garment display device may be modified in various respects. Thus, where the garment manufacturer or retailer prefers to continue to rely upon pins, the latches 15 may be omitted. Alternatively, where a shirt or blouse manufacturer or retailer intends the garment to be displayed for sale on a horizontal or slightly sloping rack rather than from a hanging rail, the hook 14 may be omitted and the central portion 9 will then be continuous.

In an alternative modification suitable, for example, for shirts, the garment display device may omit the side members 2 and the crossbars 3 and 4, terminating just below the toggle-action latches 15.

Such a modified garment display device would be used in conjunction with, say, a sheet of cardboard which in effect provides the support for the shirt body in place of the support provided in the illustrated embodiment by the side members 2 and the crossbars 3 and 4. The shirt partly wrapped about such cardboard support may then be held in the toggle-action latches by its shoulder portions together with the cardboard sheet and with the lower portion or tail of the shirt folded up behind the cardboard sheet, the collar support then being manipulated into position and the shirt then inserted into a cellophane bag for sale.

Since garment display devices of the kind with which the present invention is concerned are by their very nature not reuseable, being in effect supplied to the ultimate purchaser together with the shirt or blouse concerned, the cost of such devices is part of the Retailer's overheads.

Fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment which is less expensive than the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 to produce. It has a frame 101 which is adapted to extend across the shoulders and back of a garment such as a shirt or blouse, side members 102 which are arranged to extend downwardly of the garment body and cross bars 103 and 104 which are arranged to extend across the back of the garment body.

Cross bar 103 is arranged to extend across the back of the garment body at or just below the position of the shoulders. Angled shoulder bars 105 are adapted to lie behind the neck or collar region of a shirt or blouse. The shoulder bars 105 are hingedly connected via short intermediate portions 107 to a collar support 110. As indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the hinge connection between the intermediate portions 107 and the shoulder bars 105 and between the intermediate portions 107 and the collar support 110 are provided by lines 111 of reduced cross-section. These may be formed as socalled "live or film hinges" integrally in the moulding of the garment device.By this means the collar support is foldable forwardly of the plane of the frame so that wings 112 of the collar support may be positioned to underlie the collar of a shirt or alternatively to extend over the back of the shirt collar and within the collar neck portion of a shirt.

In contrast to the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, the embodiment of Fig. 3 has its upper cross bar 103 at or just below the shoulder portion of the garment.

Integral clips 115 are provided at the left and right ends of the cross bar 103 for holding shoulder portions of the garment with which the device is employed. The width of the cross bar is designed to be less than the width of the garment at the shoulder so that when the garment is made to overlie the display device and the collar support 110 folded over and inwardly to support the collar neck, the shoulder edges are folded round the sides of the frame and clipped into the clips 115 from the rear of the frame. As will be seen, the clips are of a very simple construction comprising simply members 116 separated from the adjacent side member 102 by a narrow siot 117 of wavy profile adapted when material such as a shirt fabric is pushed into the narrow wavy slot to hold it in position against retraction.It will be noted that there is a further clip 118 provided centrally of the cross bar 103 and defined by two members 1 19 defining a slot 120 of wavy profile therebetween. Having first secured the sides of the shirt at the shoulder in the side clips, the lower end of the shirt is folded round the lower cross bar 104 and back upwardly behind the display device to be clipped into the centre clip. Unless the retailer wishes to show a portion of shirt cuff across the front of the shirt which would require it to be pinned in place, it will be readily appreciated that the embodiment of display device shown in Fig. 3 enables the shirt to be wrapped about the display device and held in place without the need for any pins at all, with a considerable reduction in labour costs for the retailer or garment supplier.

Thus it will be seen that the particular embodiments of garment display device illustrated in the accompanying drawings enable a garment supplier or a retailer to achieve significant advantages as compared with previous arrangements particularly in the case of display or shirts or blouses, through display devices in accordance with the present invention can, of course, be adapted for use with other garments provided that they have a neck and a collar, such as certain items of knitwear and suits, jackets and coats.

The arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2 allows the retailer the option as to whether to display any particular shirt or blouse either on a rack or from a hanging rail as the result of the incorporation of a hook which may be neatly folded out of the way if not required for a hanging rail.

The provision of an integral frame and collar support makes it possible to replace the cardboard, etc., supports conventionally used with shirts.

The incorporation of integral clips provides enhanced security in free hanging display of blouses or shirts and enables the replacement and avoidance of pins in the packaging of shirts.

The devices, and most particularly the embodiment of Fig. 3, are simple to manufacture and relatively inexpensive.

Claims

1. A garment display device adapted for the support of a garment having a neck and a collar, the device being integrally moulded of plastics material, and comprising a frame including portions adapted to extend across the back of the garment in the shoulder region and a collar support hingedly attached to the shoulder region portions, the collar support including respective wings adapted either for underlying the collar of the garment or for extending downwardly within and about the collar neck portion of the garment, thereby to at least partially rigidifythe collar neck portion of the garment.

2. A device according to Claim 1, wherein the frame includes portions adapted to extend downwardly of the body of the garment and at least one cross bar extending wholly or partially across the back of the garment body below the shoulders.

3. A device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the frame is formed with one or more integral clips positioned and adapted for releasably holding shoulder portions of the said garment.

4. A device according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the frame includes a cross bar at or adjacent its lower end about which a lower portion of the garment is adapted to be passed to be returned upwardly behind the display device, the device including clip means integral with the frame provided in an upper region thereof and adapted to receive the lower portion of a garment so returned.

5. A device according to Claim 3, wherein the said clips comprise toggle-action latches with a snaphinge construction.

6. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein a hook adapted for supporting the display device together with a garment supported thereon from a hanging rail is integrally moulded with and hingedly attached to the frame whereby optionally to be folded through 180 to lie generally interiorly of and in the plane of the frame, both to save space and to allow garments supported by the said device to be displayed either on a generally horizontal or sloped rack or display stand orfree hanging from a rail with the hook exposed.

7. A garment display device adapted for the support of a garment having a neck and a collar, the device being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings or Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.