GB2243539A

GB2243539A - Clothes hangers support

Info

Publication number: GB2243539A
Application number: GB9009139A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Albert Reilly
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-04-24
Filing date: 1990-04-24
Publication date: 1991-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2010-04-24
Also published as: GB9009139D0; GB2243539B

Abstract

The clothes hangers support (1) comprises at least one elongate support bar (4) provided with at least two spaced apart suspension means (2) each having an upper hooked portion and a lower portion that pivotally interconnects with the support bars (4). A length of chain (6) is mounted at at least two substantially spaced apart points along the support bar (4). The hooked portions of said suspension means (2) are formed and arranged for hooking over a support rail. The support (1) may be used in an extended condition with all the hooked portions hooked over a support rail or in a compact condition with only one hooked portion hooked over a support rail. Clothes hangers (18) are hooked through the chain links (14) and are supported thereby <IMAGE>

Description

SUPPORT The present invention relates to a clothes hanger suitable for the support and handling of a plurality of coat hangers and garments supported thereon.

The presently used methods for supporting clothes hangers are to hook the clothes hangers over a generally horizontal clothes rail as found in wardrobes etc.

Handling and transporting of clothes hangers presently involves the removal of clothes hangers and garments, more or less one by one, from a support rail and transferring them, again more or less one by one, to another support rail. Another method of handling a plurality of garments on clothes hangers is to move the support rail complete with garments, clothes hangers and any support rail suspension means but this is often a cumbersome operation. In addition the garments tend to take up a relatively large amount of storage space which can be a problem with the more restricted accommodation that is increasingly encountered.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise one or more of the above disadvantages.

The present invention provides a clothes hanger support, suitable for use in supporting and handling of a plurality of garments suspended on said hangers, which support comprises at least one elongate support bar provided with at least two substantially spaced apart suspension means, said suspension means having an upper hooked portion and a lower portion formed and arranged for pivotal interconnection with said support bar, and a length of chain mounted directly or indirectly at at least two substantially spaced apart points along said support bar, said hooked portion of said suspension means being formed and arranged for hooking over a support rail in use of the support whereby said support may be deployed in an extended condition with all said hooked portions hooked over the support rail and clothes hangers hooked into said chain more widely spaced apart, or said support may be deployed in a compact condition with only one said hooked portion hooked over the support rail, said at least one support bar and chain hanging down therefrom, and said clothes hangers disposed in closely overlapping relation.

Desirably the chain comprises a series of interconnected closed loop links each formed and arranged to accommodate a clothes hanger hook portion, while at the same time maximizing the number of such links available along the length of said chain for hooking said clothes hangers.

Using one of said hooked portions as a handle conveniently enables a plurality of garments to be handled with relative ease for instance when travelling.

Advantageously, two elongate support bars and their respective chains may be pivotally interconnected together so that one end from each bar shares a common suspension means so as to provide greater capacity for supporting clothes hangers in use of the invention. It will of course be appreciated that any number of support bars and chains may be interconnected to increase the capacity of the clothes hangers support.

Conveniently the clothes hangers may be distributed along the length of the chain in equally spaced distribution, for instance on every other or every fifth link, thereby facilitating access to clothing as well as, for instance, minimizing the creasing of one garment by another.

With the support of the invention it is possible to remove or to hang a plurality of garments collectively from a clothes rail in a wardrobe for instance by removing or hanging the clothes hangers support complete with garments in one operation.

Desirably, the support of the invention is made of light weight strong and durable material for example an aluminium alloy thereby facilitating the use of the invention when on holiday or when travelling for instance and minimizing the possibility of breakage when the support is fully loaded with more or less heavy garments.

It will of course be appreciated that the support may be hung on any suitable structure for instance over the back of a door and is not limited to use in wardrobes and other conventional places for hanging garments.

Further preferred features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a clothes hangers support of the invention in use on a support rail and Fig. la is a detail view thereof on an enlarged scale; Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a clothes hangers support of the invention; and Fig. 3 shows different mounting method for the clothes hangers supports of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows a clothes hangers support generally indicated by reference number 1 comprising two hook shaped suspension means 2 separated by a elongate support bar 4 pivotally interconnected between said suspension means 2 and a length of chain 6 connected to each end of the support bar 4.

The elongate support bar 4 is a generally round section bar formed into a substantially closed connection loop Sa, Sb at each end 10, 12 (see Fig.

la). The loops 8a, 8b are captively engaged with respective closed loop links 14a, 14b of the chain and also with a further closed loop 15 on the lower portion 16 of a respective suspension means 2. The support bar loops 8 are formed to allow relatively free pivotal movement of the suspension hooks 2 relative to the support bar 4. As may be seen in the drawings, the length of chain 14 extending between the support bar connection loops is generally slightly greater e.g. up to 5%, than the length of the support bar therebetween.

In use of the invention clothes hangers 18 and garments (not shown) hung thereon are hooked into chain links 14 which are in turn supported by the bar 4 and the suspension means 2.

It will of course be understood that the function of the support bar 4 is to prevent the suspension hooks 2 being drawn together along a clothes rail 22 by the combined weight of clothes hangers 18 and garments 20 suspended thereon. The support bar 4 maintains the suspension hooks 2 in substantially spaced part relation.

Fig. 2 shows a second preferred embodiment of the invention in which two bars 4 are interconnected together at their ends 12 by their respective loops 8a, 8b. Three suspension hooks 2 are employed to support the bars 4, chain 6 and clothes hangers 18., Fig. 3 shows the first and second preferred embodiments of the invention of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 in different mounting positions. By using only one of the suspension hooks 2 of the embodiment in Fig. 1, of one or two of the suspension hooks 2 of the embodiment in Fig 2., it is possible to hang more clothes hangers 18 (and garments 20 hung thereon) within a specified area by spacing hangers 18 vertically downwards in closely overlapping relation rather than conventionally horizontal parallel relation.

It will be appreciated that various other forms of the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For instance the means of interconnecting the suspension hooks 2 to the support bar 4 may be by ball and socket or any other suitable means.

Claims

1 A clothes hangers support, suitable for use in the supporting and handling of a plurality of garments suspended on said hangers, which support comprises at least one elongate support bar provided with at least two substantially spaced apart suspension means, said suspension means having an upper hooked portion and a lower portion formed and arranged for pivotal interconnection with said support bar, and a length of chain mounted directly or indirectly at at least two substantially spaced apart points along said support bar, said hooked portion of said suspension means being formed and arranged for hooking over a support rail in use of the support, whereby said support may be deployed in an extended condition with all said hooked portions hooked over the support rail and clothes hangers hooked into said chain more widely spaced apart, or said support may be deployed in a compact condition with only one said hooked portion hooked over the support rail, said at least one support bar and chain hanging down therefrom, and said clothes hangers hooked into said chain disposed in closely overlapping relation.

2. A clothes hangers support as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support bar is provided with a closed loop link at each end thereof for pivotal interconnection with said chain.

3. A clothes hangers support as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said length of chain comprises a series of interconnected closed loop links.

4. A clothes hangers support as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said each suspension means lower portion is provided with a closed loop link formed and arranged for pivotal interconnection with at least one of said chain links and said support bar.

5. A clothes hangers support as claimed in any one of claimsl to 4 wherein the length of chain extending between the pivotal interconnection points thereof with the support bar is from 0 to 5% greater than the length of support bar between said points.

.6. A clothes hangers support substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to Figs 1 and 2 or Figs. 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.