GB2243997A

GB2243997A - Suspension device

Info

Publication number: GB2243997A
Application number: GB9007597A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham Molyneux Stopford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-04-04
Filing date: 1990-04-04
Publication date: 1991-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 2010-04-04
Also published as: GB9007597D0; GB2243997B

Abstract

A suspension device 10 for a garment or other item hanger 14 which has a hook for suspension thereof from the device, said suspension device comprising a suspension means 11 for connection of the device to a support 13 and a support means defining a partially enclosed receiving space, said receiving space being open at one end which is to be adjacent the shank 15 of the hook of the hanger, and having defining means which prevent disengagement of the hook of the hanger in a direction directly upwardly towards said suspension means in the normal position of use of the device, said receiving space having a lateral receiving passage with side wall portions preventing horizontal lateral removal, said support means and receiving space being such as to permit removal of said hanger from said space by arcuate angular relative displacement between the suspension device and said hanger hook. <IMAGE>

Description

SUSPENSION DEVICE The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to suspension devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a suspension device for a garment or other item hanger. Further particularly, the suspension device of the present invention is utilisable in the transportation of garments which are themselves on hangers.

In any mechanical transportation system, it is beneficial to standardize the items being transported. In connection with the transportation of garments on hangers, a problem arises due to the variety of hangers which are used within the garment industry.

Accordingly, a device is required which would standardize means for transporting said hangers and associated garments.

A hook arrangement has been used previously to move or transport a garment on a hanger through a machine.

Such hook is in the form of a clamp rather than a small single hanger.

It is often necessary to allocate an identity to a garment, so that the identity can be checked whilst the garment is being moved within a mechanised garment handling system. This allows such individual garment to be controlled.

In order to save time, it is preferable that one should be able to mechanically load and unload the garment hanger to and from the suspension means.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a suspension device which at least substantially overcomes the previously mentioned disadvantages and provides the necessary requirements, particularly in connection with the transportation of garments on hangers.

According to the present invention there is provided a suspension device for a garment or other item hanger which has a hook for suspension thereof from the device, said suspension device comprising a suspension means preferably a hook member, for connection of the device to a support and a support means defining a partially enclosed, preferably elongate, space, more preferably a curved space, said receiving space being open at one end which is to be adjacent the shank of the hook of the hanger, and having defining means which prevent disengagement of the hook of the hanger in a direction directly upwardly towards said suspension means in the normal position of use of the device, said receiving space having a lateral receiving passage with side wall portions preventing horizontal lateral removal, said support means and receiving space being such as to permit removal of said hanger from said space by arcuate angular relative displacement between the suspension device and said hanger hook.

Preferably, said receiving space has an inclined receiving passage with inclined wall portions at an acute angle relative to the vertical when the device is in its normal position of use.

Also in accordance with the present invention there is provided a suspension device for a garment or other item hanger having a hook for suspension, said device comprising: a support means and a suspension member carrying said support means; said support means including means for receiving at least a portion of the hook section of said hook of said hanger; said receiving means including a channel portion having inclined side walls, said channel portion having an arcuate region, the side walls defining the channel being so shaped as to prevent substantially vertical or substantially horizontal removal of said hook of said hanger when located in said channel, removal of said hook of said hanger being effected by arcuate angular relative displacement between the support means and said hanger hook.

The space defined by the channel portion is preferably open at its normally upper end, when the device is in its normal position of use. Further preferably, the side walls of the channel portion are inclined at an acute angle relative to the vertical.

In a further embodiment, one of the side walls has a lip or like portion provided therein which lip arrangement ensures that the hook of the hanger is retainably located in said channel portion.

The support means is preferably in the form of a block having portions removed therefrom to provide the features of the suspension device referred to above. The device may be moulded completely from plastics material or may have a metal suspension or hook member and a moulded support body portion. Alternatively, the device can be formed from suitable metal or any other alternative material.

It is also possible for the device in accordance with the present invention to be moulded in two parts.

The suspension device of the present invention has the following features incorporated therein: The suspension device is suitably manufactured with a robust suspension or hook member so that the device is strong enough to be handled mechanically.

The suspension device of the present invention will accept different types of garment hanger.

The device of the present invention may be so constructed that the garment hanger can be loaded or unloaded automatically. Furthermore, it is also simple to attach and remove a garment hanger manually to and from the suspension device of the present invention.

The suspension device of the invention can be recycled many times as it may be removed before the garment is despatched.

The block type configuration of the support means of the suspension device of the present invention means that a bar code identity can be fixed to the front, rear, side or top portion of the block member.

Other means of identifying the hanger can be used to replace the bar code arrangement referred to above, such as: 1. An alternatively patterned label which can be read by optical means; 2. Human readable label; 3. Radio frequency transmitter/receiver.

4. Transponder.

The identity of the suspension device can be used to control the movement of a particular garment throughout the required handling system. This would be effected by substituting the identity of the suspension device for the identity of the garment.

The present invention will be further illustrated, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a suspension device in accordance with the present invention supporting a garment hanger; Fig. 2 is a perspective view from the front and one side of a preferred suspension device in accordance with the present invention; Figs. 3A,. 3B and 3C are respectively sections taken along the line A-A, B-B and C-C of the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 schematically indicates removal of the garment hanger from the suspension device of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a perspective view from the front and one side of a suspension device in accordance with the invention in which the channel portion is clearly indicated; Fig. 6 is a perspective view from the front and other side of the suspension device of Fig. 4;; Figs. 7A and 7B schematically indicate how the suspension device of the present invention can be moulded from two parts; and Fig. 7C indicates how the two moulded parts of Figs. 7A and 7B are located one on the other.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 a suspension device in accordance with the present invention, generally referenced 10, comprises a suspension or hook member 11 and a support means 12. The member 11 is locatable on a rail 13. A garment hanger generally referenced 14 has its hook 15 located in the suspension device of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the suspension device in accordance with the present invention and comprises the hook or suspension member 11 and the support means 12. Such support means 12 can have labels positioned thereon as indicated by the various arrows 21, 21', 21" and 21111.

The cut-out 22 in the top surface allows easy access to the hook of the incoming garment hanger. The garment hanger will generally be dropped vertically into the channel 23 from above.

In use, it is anticipated that the incoming garment hanger will slide down the rail which abuts the front face of the suspension device of the present invention and is positioned above the entry ramp. The garment hanger will then drop from the rail into the channel or slot 23.

The sections illustrated in Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C show how the hook portion of the garment hanger would be located in the suspension device of the present invention.

The support member 12 has inclined side walls 31 and 32 which define the channel member 23. Thus, if the garment hanger is later lifted, the lip L will hold the garment hanger making it difficult to remove.

It will thus be seen that a partially enclosed, preferably elongate and curved, space is provided in the support means 12, which space is open at one end which is to be adjacent the shank of the hook of the hanger and includes means which prevent disengagement of the hook of the hanger in a direction directly upwardly towards the suspension or hook member 11. The receiving space has a lateral receiving passage 23 with side wall portions 31 and 32 preventing horizontal lateral removal, said support means 12 and associated receiving space 22 being such as to make removal of the hanger hook from the space by arcuate angular relative displacement between the suspension device and the hanger hook.

Fig. 4 schematically indicates how the suspension device of the present invention may be rotated to the point at which the garment hanger becomes detached.

This may be carried out manually and is a simple and quick operation.

If desired, the garment hanger may be detached mechanically and such may be achieved in the following manner: Rail A is initially shown in Fig. 1 supporting the combined suspension device of the present invention and garment hanger. A second rail B is now introduced which is positioned immediately below the suspension device of the present invention 10. Rail A will now corkscrew round until it is located at position A' as indicated in Fig. 4. At this point, the garment hanger 14 is now supported by rail B and the suspension device 10 has been detached from the garment hanger 14. Rail B and Rail A/A' will now move apart to complete the separation.

The separated suspension means 10 is now supported on a rail and can be used again by recirculating it back into the system.

Figs. 5 and 6 show more detailed perspective views of the suspension device in accordance with the present invention.

Figs. 7A and 7B indicate how the support means for the suspension device of the present invention can be moulded in two parts and Fig. 7C indicates how such two parts are to be clamped together. By effecting such connection, the receiving space referred to previously is provided.

It can thus be seen that the suspension device in accordance with the present invention is simple and economic to manufacture and can be used with varying types of garment hanger. The suspension device of the present invention also achieves the advantages referred to above and at least minimizes the disadvantages of prior art devices.

Claims

1. A suspension device for a garment or other item hanger which has a hook for suspension thereof from the device, said suspension device comprising a suspension means for connection of the device to a support and a support means defining a partially enclosed receiving space, said receiving space being open at one end which is to be adjacent the shank of the hook of the hanger, and having defining means which prevent disengagement of the hook of the hanger in a direction directly upwardly towards said suspension means in the normal position of use of the device, said receiving space having a lateral receiving passage with side wall portions preventing horizontal lateral removal, said support means and receiving space being such as to permit removal of said hanger from said space by arcuate angular relative displacement between the suspension device and said hanger hook.

2. A suspension device as claimed in claim 1, in which said suspension means comprises a hook member.

3. A suspension device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the receiving space is elongate.

4. A suspension device as claimed in claim 3, in which the receiving space is curved.

5. A suspension device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said receiving space has an inclined receiving passage with inclined wall portions at an acute angle relative to the vertical when the device is in its normal position of use.

6. a suspension device for a garment or other item hanger having a hook for suspension, said device comprising: A support means and suspension member carrying said support means; said support means including means for receiving at least a portion of the hook section of said hook of said hanger; said receiving means including a channel portion having inclined side walls, said channel portion having an arcuate region, the side walls defining the channel being so shaped as to prevent substantially vertical or substantially horizontal removal of said hook of said hanger when located in said channel, removal of said hook of said hanger being effected by arcuate angular relative displacement between the support means and said hanger hook.

7. A suspension device as claimed in claim 6 in which the space defined by the channel portion is open at its normally upper end when the device is in its normal position of use.

8. A suspension device as claimed in claim 6 or 7 in which the side walls of the channel portion are inclined at an acute angle relative to the vertical.

9. A suspension device as claimed in claim 6, 7 or 8, in which one of the side walls has a lip or like portion provided therein, which lip arrangement ensures that the hook of the hanger is retainably located in said channel portion.

10. A suspension device as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the support means is in the form of a block having portions removed therefrom to provide the features of the suspension device.

11. A suspension device as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 10, in which the device is moulded completely from plastics material or the device is formed having a metal suspension or hook member and a moulded support body portion.

12. A suspension device as claimed in claim 11, in which the device is moulded in two parts.

13. A suspension device for a garment or other item hanger having a hook for suspension, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.