GB2196244A

GB2196244A - A pocket-size clothes hanger

Info

Publication number: GB2196244A
Application number: GB08708906A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Passini
Original assignee: NAZARENO GABRIELLI DIFFUS SpA
Current assignee: NAZARENO GABRIELLI DIFFUS SpA
Priority date: 1986-10-15
Filing date: 1987-04-14
Publication date: 1988-04-27
Also published as: IT8636156V0; IT210855Z2; GB8708906D0; DE8704359U1; JPS6364283U

Abstract

A pocket-size clothes hanger comprising a hook-shaped member 2 and two lateral members on which the clothes are hung, the lateral members each being pivotally connected to an enlarged lower portion of the hook-shaped member and being formed in two parts 3,4,5,6 which themselves are pivotally connected together at 9 and 10, and wherein one part 4,6 is foldable so as to be stowed within the other part 3,5 and wherein the other parts 3,5 can be folded up relative to the hook shaped member so as to house the hook shaped member therein when it is not desired to use the hanger for hanging clothes. Preferably, semi-circular recesses 11,12,13,14 are provided in the upper edge of each part of the lateral members. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A pocket-size clothes hanger This invention relates to a pocket-size clothes hanger.

More particularly, the present invention relates to an articulated member pocket-size clothes-hanger device that can be folded up so as to take a shape suitable for carrying the device itself very easily in a pocket, a handbag, a work-bag and the like.

As is well known, for instance in the case of travels, long stays in hotels, long travels by car, by train or by plane, the problem occurs of hanging garments such as jackets or clothes or suits. Moreover, one may happen quite often to be in hotels, offices or other places for a long stay while completely lacking any device to hang, even temporarily, one's garments.

In order to solve such kind of drawback, clothes hangers have become available which are made up of an articulated hook and two lateral arms which are quite often connected by a lower horizontal cross-piece of such a size as to be usable in remarkably cumbersome or bulky suitcases only, said suitcases being quite often of the kind having a rigid structure and bearing in their inside an anchoring system to which said hook is fastened.

Such solution to the problem mentioned above is generally intended for very long travels with quite bulky baggages so that it is not suitable for those trips in which the sizes and the weight of the baggage are reduced to a minimum.

In addition, while cruising in ships or boats having quite small sleeping berths and quite reduced spaces for housing garments, it may be necessary to complete the on-board equipment with additional hangers. Thus, it is very clear that there is the need for a clothes hanger of such a structure as to allow the drawbacks mentioned above to be overcome and of such a weight and shape as to be easily carried by a person in any type of container, even of quite low sizes.

Accordingly, the present invention suggests a pocket-size clothes hanger comprising a hook-shaped member and two lateral members which are at a slope and symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis of said hookshaped member, each one of said side members being made up of a distal segment and a proximal segment that can be folded up with respect to each other, the proximal members being foldable in turn with respect to the hook-shaped member and being of such a cross-section as to house in its inside said distal segment and the corresponding portion of said hook-shaped member.

Preferably, the hanger is characterised in that the lower end of said hook-shaped member is of a widened shape and each of the proximal segments is tapered, and in that said proximal segments have at the central part of the upper end a first rotation means, said first rotation means engaging with first housing means provided at the central zones of the wide shape lower end of said hook-shaped member, and said second rotation means engaging with second housing means provided at the upper ends of said distal segments and wherein said proximal members have a Ushaped cross-section in order to accept said distal segments and the corresponding portion of said hook-shaped member.

Moreover, the pocket-size clothes hanger of the present invention has at points corresponding to the upper edge of the proximal and the distal segments, semi-circular hollows or cavities for supporting garments of various kinds and sizes and for making it easier to open or to spread said hanger when the same is in the closed or folded position.

A further advantage of the hanger according to the present invention consists in that when said device is in the closed or folded position, its maximum thickness corresponds to the thickness of the proximal segments on which the other segments as well as the hookshaped member are contained, so that the device can easily be put into the inside pockets of handbags, in the small pockets of jackets or in a ladies beauty-case so that the hanger is always within reach.

The present invention is now described by way of example with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a front view of the pocketsize clothes hanger according to the invention, in the open or spread position; Figure 2 shows a top view of the clothes hanger in the open or spread position, and Figure 3 shows a front view of the clothes hanger according to the present invention, in the closed or folded position.

As can be observed in Fig. 1, the pocketsize clothes hanger 1 comprises a hookshaped central member 2 and two side arms which are made up respectively of the segments 3, 4, 5 and 6.

It is quite easy to see from said Figure that the hook-shaped member 1 has in its upper part a circular type shape for engagement with support rods, nails, hooks orthe like, and, in its front part, a heart shape.

On the contrary, said members 3 and 4, as is clear in Fig. 1, have bevelled upper edges in order to allow the rotation about the fulcra 7 and 8 to be easily performed so that they can pass from the maximum spreading position to an intermediate folded position (drawn by dashed lines in Fig. 1).

When the device 1 is completely open as shown in Fig. 1, the lower, angular shapes of the upper ends of the two members 3 and 5 tally with each other so that said members are prevented from rotating further and the equi librium of the whole structure is assured.

The two segments 4 and 6, which can in turn rotate about the points 9 and 10 are fastened at the outer ends of the two segments 3 and 5.

As already explained above, the dashed line in Fig. 1 shows a folded configuration of the right arm of the device 1, said configuration being obtained by rotating the segment 6 with respect to the fulcrum 9 provided at the upper end of the same segment 6 that overlaps the lower end of the segment 5 and, next, by rotating the segment 5 with respect to the fulcrum 8.

As can be observed in Fig. 2, such folding operation, which operation is performed successively to give the final configuration shown in Fig. 3, is made possible by the fact that the segments 3 and 5 are of such a crosssection as to house in their inside parts both the two segments 4 and 6 and the hookshaped member 2.

The final thickness of said device 1 when completely folded up is thus equal to-the thickness of the segments 3 and 5.

Finally, Fig. 3 shows the device 1 in the completely closed or folded position.

The lower part of the members 3 and 5 indeed goes completely over the heart-shaped end of the member 2 (shown in dashed line in Fig. 3) so as to overlap completely the same.

Two semi-circular profiles 11 and 12 are provided on the top edges of the members 3 and 5, whereas the profiles 13 and 14 are obtained on the segments 4 and 6, the iatter profiles being intended to support for instance any kind of garments such as skirts or the like.

In Fig. 3 the profiles 11 and 12 tally with each other so creating a circular configuration which allows the two members 4 and 6 to be seen and which makes it easier to open or spread the device.

Moreover, the clothes hanger 1 of the invention can be equipped with supplementary members, such as for instance of the pliers type, or the straight rod or the articulated rod type or the like, for supporting additional garments.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A pocket-size clothes hanger comprising a hook-shaped member and two lateral members which are at a slope and symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis of said hookshaped member, each one of said side members being made up of a distal segment and a proximal segment that can be folded up with respect to each other, the proximal members being foldable in turn with respect to the hook-shaped member and being of such a cross-section as to house in its inside said distal segment and the corresponding portion of said hook-shaped member.

2. A pocket-size clothes hanger according to claim 1 wherein the lower end of said hook-shaped member is of a widened shaping and the proximal segment is tapered from the centre towards the ends and has, at a central part of its upper end, a first rotation means and, at the central part of the lower end, a second rotation means, said first rotation means engaging with the widened lower end of said hook-shaped member, said second rotation means engaging with the upper end of said distal segments, said proximal members having a U-shaped cross-section.

3. A pocket-size clothes hanger according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said sloping side members having semi-circular cavities or hollows along the upper edges of the proximal and the distal segments.

4.: A pocket-size clothes hanger, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.