GB2269091A - Adjustable clothes hanger - Google Patents

Abstract

In a clothes hanger 2 comprising a hollow longitudinal body 4 with suspending means (eg. a hook 6), the support arms 8, which are telescopically slidable in the hollow body 4 and urged into the extended position by a compression spring 18, are retained within the body 4 by a separable clip 26. The arm is securely retained by the clip which may be removed for a new arm to be filled. <IMAGE>

Description

Clothes Hanger This invention relates to a clothes hanger comprising a body portion and pair of opposed arms received within the body portion and projecting therefrom.

Clothes hangers of the above-described type are normally used for hanging trousers or skirts. Although a particularly effective way of hanging and displaying such items of clothing, known hangers suffer from several drawbacks.

GB A 2 120 542 discloses a hanger in which a resilient tongue is provided on the internal side wall of the body portion. The tongue is used for anchoring a respective projecting arm into the body portion once it has been inserted at the assembly stage, and snaps behind a projection provided on the respective arm. The tongue is essentially hinged to the body and is configured to allow pivotal movement of the tongue towards the body portion upon insertion of the arm. The natural resilience of the tongue causes it to spring back out and thereby oppose removal of the arm after the projection has passed. Unfortunately, this hanger suffers from the problem that the connecting tongue must be relatively flexible to allow the insertion of the arm. As a result of this, the tongue is generally not strong and is susceptible to breakage during use.

EP 0 213 171 sets out to solve this problem by providing a respective ramped lug or lugs on an internal side wall at each end of the central body. As with GB 2 120 542, a projection is provided on each arm for interaction with a respective lug or lugs. However, in this case, the side walls of the body portion are made resilient so as to deflect due to the action of the projection upon the ramp, thereby allowing the projection to pass. Once the projection has passed, the sides spring back to restrain the arm within the body portion by means of a back surface of the ramp.

Although this hanger provides a significantly more secure retaining means from the tongue disclosed in GB 2 120 542, it also suffers from several drawbacks.

Firstly, the materials from which the body portion are formed must necessarily allow the required degree of resilience in the sides of the body portion. This limits the materials which can be used on the thickness of those materials.

In addition, to allow relative movement between the two sides of the central body portion, the bottom of the body portion must necessarily be open. This requirement can cause problems as general debris, and particularly lint from the clothing supported by the hanger, can enter the body portion via the opening and become entrapped in the mechanism, thus reducing the efficiency of operation and tending to cause the hanger to stick.

One further problem associated with both of the above described prior art hangers is that should, for example, an arm of one of the hangers suffer damage, the entire hanger must be discarded, because it is very difficult to remove one of the arms from the hanger without causing damage to the body portion or any of the formations used for retaining the arms within the body portion.

The present invention, therefore, sets out to provide a hanger which allows wide scope of choice for the manufacturing materials used and for the configuration of the various components of the hanger and particularly the body portion.

The invention also sets out to provide an arrangement in which the arms may be securely retained in the body portion by means which are not prone to failure but in such a manner that an arm can easily be removed and replaced if so desired.

Furthermore, the invention sets out to provide a hanger in which the internal spring mechanism of the body portion can be effectively substantially sealed, thus providing for more efficient operation of the hanger.

According to the present invention there is provided a clothes hanger comprising a hollow longitudinal body portion defining a channel and fitted with a suspension member, and at least one support arm telescopically fitted within the said channel and projecting from one end thereof; the support arm being movable between an extended position and a retracted position, the said body portion comprising at least one compression spring abutting a stop formation located within the said channel and urging the arm into the said extended position, the arm comprising a locking formation and the body portion being provided with a separable clip for engaging the said locking formation and thereby retaining a portion of the said arm within the channel.

Preferably, the hanger is fitted with two support arms and the channel of the body portion is a closed channel in cross section. In a preferred embodiment the or each arm will be provided with tooth-like formations at its extreme end for engaging clothing in a non-slip manner.

The clip can be generally "U" shaped with inwardly directed lugs and can fit over the outer surface of the body portion in such a manner that the lugs project through openings formed in the body portion and onwards into the channel. In such a case, it is preferred that a recess or groove is provided on the outer surface of the body portion to securely house the clip and serve to retain it in position.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a hanger according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of an arm portion suitable for use in the hanger shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the arm portion shown in Figure 2, as viewed from the left hand side of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side view of a clip suitable for use in the hanger of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a view of the clip shown in Figure 4 as viewed from the left hand side of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a side view of an end portion of the central body portion of the hanger shown in Figure 1; Figure 7 is a section through the central body portion taken along the line A-A of Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a perspective view of part of the arm, part of the body portion, the clip and part of a spring of the hanger shown in Figure 1.

As can be seen from Figure 1, the hanger 2 comprises a central body portion 4 provided with a hook 6. The hook 6 can have any suitable configuration and does not relate to the inventive concept herein discussed. It will not be discussed further.

The body portion 4 is generally elongate and open at each end to define a channel 5 extending completely therethrough from one end to the other, the cross section of the channel 5 is closed and generally rectangular, as can clearly be seen from Figure 7. A respective arm 8 comprising an elongate portion 10 and clothes-engaging portion 12 is fitted within the channel at each end of the body portion. The elongate portion 10 of each arm is configured to slide snugly within the channel 5.

The body portion 4 comprises a pair of opposed, axially extending longitudinal flanges 14 on the internal side surfaces of the side walls of the body portion. The flanges 14 project perpendicularly from the side walls and serve to divide the channel into an upper channel region 16 and a lower channel region 18, as viewed in Figure 7. From close to the centre towards each end of the body portion, the upper channel region 16 houses a respective one of a pair of compression springs 18.

Each compression spring 18 can move freely in a longitudinal direction in the upper channel 16. One end of each spring abuts against some suitable form of abutment 20 which effectively closes the inward end of the upper channel 16. The opposite end of the compression spring 18 locates around a lug 22 provided on the inwardly-directed end of the elongate portion 10 of the respective arm. The spring 18, therefore, serves to urge the arm 8 in the longitudinally outward direction of the channel. The effect of this is that each arm 8 may be forced into the channel, but will spring back outwards once the pressure is released. It is the action of these springs which serves to cause the hanger to expand, thereby effectively engaging an item of clothing fitted around the two respective clothes-engaging portions 12.

In order to prevent each arm 8 from being forced completely out of the body portion 4 by the spring 18, each arm 8 is provided with a pair of dogs 24. The dogs interact with spring clip 26.

The outer surface of each end portion of the body portion 4 is provided with a peripheral groove 30 which is generally in the form of a somewhat squared-off inverted "U". Each end of each groove 30 terminates at a respective aperture 32 in the channel wall. A spring clip 26 is provided for each groove 30. Each clip is shaped to fit comfortably within the groove and will, therefore, also be generally "U" shaped. Each clip 26 is resilient and comprises at the free ends of its limbs a pair of inwardly directed lugs 28 which are urged towards each other by the natural resilience of the clip 26. During use, a respective spring clip 26 is received within a respective groove 30 with lugs 28 projecting through apertures 32 and into the channel defined by the body portion 4.The lugs 32 thereby define means against which dogs 24 abut, thereby preventing relative longitudinal displacement between the body portion 4 and each of the respective arms 8 past a particular point.

This serves to retain the arms within the body portion 4.

Each side of the hanger is assembled as follows.

Firstly a spring 18 is inserted into an upper channel 16 and a respective arm 8 is inserted into the end of the channel and projection 22 is guided into a position where it fits snugly within the coils of the spring 18.

The arm 8 is then urged further into the channel until the pair of dogs 24 is located inwardly of the pair of apertures 32 provided in, the body portion. The arm is then held in this position and a clip 26 is prised slightly apart against its natural resilience and slipped into the groove 30. As the clip 26 is pushed into the groove 30, it reaches a position where the lugs 28 are located over the apertures 32 and the resilience of the clip urges the lugs 28 through the apertures 32 to project into the channel in the body portion. The pressure on the arm can then be released and the compression spring 18 urges the arm out of the channel until the pair of dogs 24 abut the pair of lugs 28.

Once both arms have been inserted into the body portion in this manner, the hanger is ready for use and serves to hold clothing in position by the action of the springs 18, which urge the arms outwardly to engage an item of clothing located therearound.

Although the cross-section of the longitudinal portion of each arm is shown to be generally in the shape of a "I", this is merely a preferred cross-section, which provides notable strength and stiffness without requiring a great degree of thickness. Other alternative profiles could be used as desired, as long as means are provided in the sides of the arm for accommodating flanges 14.

Preferably the body of the hanger, the arms and the clips will be moulded from a plastics material, which provides lightness in combination with strength, and, in the case of the clip, resilience. However, unlike the prior art hangers, the body portion could be made from a metal or even wood, for example. Furthermore, the clip could also be manufactured from metal as could the arms. The only physical requirement is that the hanger will be strong enough to support the clothing and that the clip is sufficiently resilient that it will not be permanently deformed before it is comfortably housed on the channel and with its lugs 28 projecting through respective apertures 32.

Many further modifications of the invention will suggest themselves to those versed in the art upon making reference to the foregoing description which is given by way of example only.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS:

1. A clothes hanger comprising a hollow longitudinal body portion defining a channel and fitted with a suspension member, and at least one support arm telescopically fitted within the said channel and projecting from one end thereof; the support arm being movable between an extended position and a retracted position, the said body portion comprising at least one compression spring abutting a stop formation located within the said channel and urging the arm into the said extended position, the arm comprising a locking formation and the body portion being provided with a separable clip for engaging the said locking formation and thereby retaining a portion of the said arm within the channel.

2. A clothes hanger according to Claim 1 wherein the hanger is provided with two support arms.

3. A clothes hanger according to any preceding Claim, wherein the clip is generally "U" shaped and comprises inwardly directed lugs, the clip being adapted to fit over the outer surface of the body portion in such a manner that the lugs project through openings formed in the body portion and onwards into the channel.

4. A clothes hanger according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the channel is a closed channel in cross section.

5. A clothes hanger according to any preceding claim wherein tooth like formations are provided at a distal end of the or each said arm.

6. A clothes hanger substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.