GB2426031A

GB2426031A - Clothes hanger support

Info

Publication number: GB2426031A
Application number: GB0609009A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Dennis Lewis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-05-12
Filing date: 2006-05-08
Publication date: 2006-11-15
Also published as: GB0509709D0; GB2426032B; GB0609010D0; GB2426032A; GB0609009D0

Abstract

A clothes hanger support comprising a structure that supports a number of clothes hangers from items such as central heating radiators. An elongate body 2 has support means 3 and extends above the level of the support means to carry a support arm 1 for a number of hangers. The support may: allow the supported clothes hangers to be supported at more than one height, fold up and or be dismantled for compact storage, adapt easily to other elongate supports, provide protective surfaces to prevent damage with decorative surfaces into which it may come into contact, provide means to keep the clothes hanger support arm level and provide means to prevent individual clothes hangers moving along or falling off it.

Description

HIGH REACH CLOTHES HANGER SUPPORT

The invention relates to a means of support for one or more clothes hangers that takes support from a variety of convenient horizontally elongate mounting points and can be configured to allow the clothes hangers to be supported at a higher elevation than the highest of the support points.

Accordingly, this invention provides a clothes hanger support comprising a structure that supports a number of clothes hangers which is hooked' over a suitable existing supporting structure (such as a the top of a central heating radiator protrusion or a horizontal rail).

The hanger may be constructed of one or more components and may be made of metal, polymer, plastic, wood, plywood, any composite type material, metallic extrusions, plastic extrusions, or any combination of these materials provided the material selected for each component has the requisite mechanical and physical properties for the purpose.

In the context of this invention, hooking' essentially describes the action of removably attaching the clothes hanger support on, over or around the supporting item without requiring any form of clamping or other mechanical fixing.

A number of embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures. They will include embodiments that allow for the clothes hangers to be positioned above the highest point of support to the clothes hanger support itself, allow it to be made more compact when not in use by utilising dismantleable and / or foldable components and allow it to take support from supports of various shapes and sizes.

Figure 1 shows a clothes hanger support with the hanger support arm set higher than the highest point of support to the clothes hanger support itself.

Figure 2 shows a clothes hanger support with the hanger support arm set higher than the highest point of support to the clothes hanger support itself with packing at the support formation.

Figure 3 shows a clothes hanger support with the hanger support arm set higher than the highest point of support to the clothes hanger support itself and which may be taken apart for more compact storage.

Figure 4 shows the dismantled split body clothes hanger support.

Figure 5 shows a clothes hanger support with the hanger support ann set higher than the highest point of support to the clothes hanger support itself and which folds up for more compact storage.

Figure 6 shows the hinged clothes hanger support folded up for storage.

Figure 7 shows a second embodiment of clothes hanger support with the hanger support arm set higher than the highest point of support to the clothes hanger support itself and which folds up for more compact storage.

Figure 8 shows the second folding embodiment of a clothes hanger support folded up for storage.

Figure 9 shows an arrangement for allowing the support formation to fold up for more compact storage.

Figure 10 shows a second arrangement for allowing the support formation to fold up for more compact storage.

Figure 11 shows an arrangement for adjusting the lateral position of the hanger support hooks.

Figure 12 shows a third arrangement for allowing the support formation to fold up for more compact storage Figure 13 shows a clothes hanger support incorporating a single articulating/hinge type facility between the hanger support arm and the body Figure 14 shows a clothes hanger support incorporating two articulating/hinge type facilities between the hanger support arm and the body.

Figure 15 shows a clothes hanger support incorporating two articulating/hinge type facilities between the hanger support arm and the body when folded.

Figure 16 shows a clothes hanger support incorporating a detachable hanger support arm.

Figure 17 shows a clothes hanger support incorporating a detachable hanger support arm when dismantled for storage.

Figure 18 shows a detail of a hanger support arm to body connection that allows the arm to be mounted on either side of the body.

Figure 19 shows a view of a clothes hanger support with removable and reversible hanger support arm assembled so as to take support from the rear face of a central heating radiator.

Figure 20 shows a means of adjusting the orientation of the hanger support arm relative to the body utilising packing.

Figure 21 shows a means of adjusting the orientation of the hanger support arm relative to the body utilising a screw jacking approach.

Figure 22 shows another example of adjusting the orientation of the hanger support arm relative to the body utilising a screw jacking approach.

Figure 23 shows the principle of profiling the clothes hanger support body packing to engage with the surface of a modern plate type central heating radiator.

Figure 24 shows a potential profile for the contact surface of the support formation hooks.

Figure 25 shows a second potential profile for the contact surface of the support formation hooks.

Figure 26 shows a method of making the support formation hooks adjustable to suit different support shapes and sizes.

Figure 27 shows a second method of making the support formation hooks adjustable to suit different support shapes and sizes.

Figure 28 shows a clothes hanger support incorporating a means of providing additional stabilisation.

Figure 29 shows a clothes hanger support incorporating a means of restricting unwanted movement of the hangers along it.

With the exception of a single component embodiment, in all of the following embodiments provision may be made to allow the clothes hanger support arm to be set in more than one position, thereby allowing the user a degree of flexibility in selecting the height of the clothes hangers. In some figures, additional clothes hanger support arms being shown in dashed outline indicates potential alternative clothes hanger support arm position(s). However, the figures should be taken as being indicative of the potential for the clothes hanger support arm to be positioned in more than one location or on more than one component rather than as an indication of a preferred position or positions.

The referenced figures show the clothes hanger support components as being made from sheet like materials. However, the various figures should be taken as being indicative only of the general arrangement and interrelationship between the various parts of the clothes hanger support and not as indicating a preference of type of material of construction for any particular part. For example, the hanger support arm could be made by bending metal barstock to the required outline, whilst the body could be made similarly, or of pressed metal sheet with welded on or bonded on connections or by any other appropriate construction.

Figure 1 shows the whole arrangement of a simple clothes hanger support according to the invention. In this and all other embodiments of the invention, all shapes are indicative only and may be adapted to suit the functional needs of the component. For example, the shape of the clothes hanger support arm (1) could be any profile providing it is small enough to allow a clothes hanger to fit over it at any point whilst being economical from a materials usage point of view yet strong enough to withstand the applied forces and bending moments at all points along it.

As shown in Figure 1, the item comprises of a clothes hanger support arm (1) and a support formation (3) that are attached to the body of the clothes hanger support (2). The support formation (3) generally takes the form of a downwardly open hook arrangement, and may comprise of a single narrow hook, a wide elongated hook or a number of individual hooks mounted along a common axis, the figure indicating two hooks. In addition to taking support from that which it is hooked over (4), the clothes hanger support is also arranged to take restraint from one or more other surfaces or bodies (4a) - with the resulting reaction forces that occur at the points of contact maintaining the clothes hanger support in stable equilibrium during use without the need for clips, clamps or other mechanical fixings.

In this basic embodiment, the clothes hanger support arm (1), the body of the clothes hanger support (2) and the support formation (3) may simply be functionally different areas of a single structural entity which is made as a single component as, for example, in a plastic moulding or a cast or folded metal construction. Alternatively, it may also be an assembly of separate components mechanically fixed or bonded together. However, for all embodiments it is preferable for the hanger support arm not to be permanently rigidly fixed to the body as this will make the unit much more compact for storage when not in use.

Packing shims (5) may be provided to the hanger support body to allow the clothes hanger support arm (1) to lie at an appropriate orientation (usually horizontal or rising slightly) for effective hanger support. The packing' may also be manufactured as an integral part of the body of the clothes hanger support (2). Alternatively, some of the packing' may be produced of separate components so as to be user' adjustable to allow the unit to mount properly on a range of surface / support geometries In addition, or possibly alternatively to the main packing' (5), supplementary packing' (6) may be provided at the support / support formation contact area to obtain an appropriate mounting orientation, as shown in Figure 2.

Any suitable means of fixing the packing together and to the body may be adopted including attachment by weak adhesive, use of double-sided adhesive tape or Velcro. Mechanical fixings such as screwing or friction contact doweling could also be used. Adjustment of the body orientation could also be achieved by using a screw jacking type system, or by any other suitable means of mechanical adjustment of the distance between the body and the surface(s) with which the clothes hanger support abuts. Body orientation adjustment is an optional feature that may be applied to all the various embodiments described herein.

The surfaces of the clothes hanger support that come into contact with that which supports or restrains it may be provided with a cushioning material (7) & (8) to minimise potential damage I disfigurement of the surfaces supporting the clothes hanger support. This surface may also be of a high friction material to enhance stability of the clothes hanger support and reduce down load on the support formation.

The internal (i.e. contact) surface of the hanger support formation itself may also be provided with a cushioning material (9) to minimise potential damage / marking to that from which the clothes hanger support is supported. This may also be of high friction material to enhance stability of the unit when in use.

The extreme end of the clothes hanger support arm is provided with a stop facility (10) to prevent clothes hangers falling off the end of the clothes hanger support arm. This may be either an integral part of the arm or a separate component.

Soft cushioning material (II) may be provided at the extreme end of the clothes hanger support arm to minimise damage to items that may come into contact with the arm.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the body is split into two separate parts ((2) and (2a)) joined by a dismantleable joint (12) to make the clothes hanger support more compact for storage. Although the figure shows a tongue and groove type joint, any form of easily separable joint or mechanical connection could be used providing it is adequately rigid and capable of withstanding the forces and moments to which it will be subjected in use. The unit is shown dismantled in Figure 4 with the second part of the body and a detachable hanger support arm stowed between the two hooks of the support formation.

Figure 5 shows another approach to making the item more compact when not in use. Again, the body is split into two parts ((2) and (2a)), this time being joined by a hinge type joint (32).

The hinged joint arrangement allows the unit to be conveniently folded up when not in use, but must also be self limiting in opening movement and strong enough to take the applied forces and bending moments when opened out and in use. The support formation (3) comprises of 2 narrow hooks, set well apart on the body. This, in conjunction with making the upper part of the body narrow enough to fit between the support formation hooks allows the body to fold tight up against itself thereby minimising the overall thickness of the folded unit. Figure 6 shows the unit folded up with a detachable hanger support arm stored against the hinged body extension.

Figure 7 shows an alternative approach using a pivoting joint in which the two parts of the body ((2) and (2a)) are joined by a pivot arrangement (39). This arrangement, again, allows the unit to be folded up' for more compact storage as shown in Figure 8. Means for the two body sections to be locked in the open position may be provided by any suitable mechanical system which could include a retractable pin or spring loaded plunger arrangement (38). The position of the pivot and the locking facility may be reversed to that shown in the Figure 7- i.e. item 38 may be set at the position shown for item 39 and vice versa. Figure 8 shows the pivoting type clothes hanger support folded up for storage.

If the hanger support arm (1) is detachable then, for all split body embodiments, provision may be made for it to be attached to either part of the body.

Many central heating radiators are nowadays fitted with a thin sheet metal cover plate over the top of them. To keep the overall thickness of the clothes hanger support as narrow as possible, it would be preferred for the support formation hooks to align with, and be narrow enough to fit into, the slots of the cover plates. To achieve this the support formation needs to allow the position of the hooks to be adjustable laterally - i.e. across the width of the body.

This may be achieved simply by having the support formation components adjustably mechanically fixed to the body by providing sets of fixing holes at various locations across the body or by providing slots in the body through which the support formation components may be adjustably connected to the body. Another approach would be to arrange for the support formation hooks (3) to be mounted on shafts (46) which would allow the hooks to be set at different positions along the shaft as shown in Figure 9. Use of close fitting hooks onto a non circular cross section shaft would provide a torsionally rigid connection, whilst use of a circular cross section shaft would allow the hooks to pivot.

Each shaft may be cantilevered from a single mounting block (48) as shown in the figure or set (preferably removably) between two shaft mounting blocks - the mounting blocks being either an integral part of the body (2) or attached to it. In the case of a cantilevered shaft, a means of preventing the hooks coming off the end of the shaft is desirable and, as an example, Figure 9 shows a threaded bolt arrangement in which the head of the bolt (47) provides the stop'.

The pivoting action is preferred as it allows the support formation to fold up' to a more compact form when not being used and reduces the likelihood of the support formation catching on things when being placed into or taken out of storage. To make the pivoting action work some form of restraint or stop is required to maintain the hooks in their correct position when in use. This function is served by the stop block (49) shown in Figure 9 that could be attached to the body or be a part of the body. Another option would be for the stop block to be integrated with the shaft mounting block.

Figure 10 shows an alternative approach to stopping' the support formation hook. In this arrangement, the support formation hook (3) is profiled in area (3a) so as to bottom out on the body when the hook is in the correct position for use.

For optimum stability when in use, the clothes hanger support requires some means of fixing the hooks at the required position along the shaft, and Figure 11 shows a series of pack washers (50) that may be fitted either side of the hook as required. The adjustable packing approach may be used with either cantilevered shafts or shafts supported at both ends.

Figure 12 shows another approach to facilitating a folding support formation. Here, the hooks pivot about a generally vertical axis with the support blocks (48) directly transmitting the vertical loads from the support hook through to the body. Provision for adjustment of the hook (3) positions laterally across the body could be made by allowing for adjustment of the position of the shaft mounting blocks (48) themselves (as previously indicated). Another option would be to arrange for a plurality of shaft mounting positions to be provided to each mounting block, for example, by providing a number of pre tapped holes in each mounting block.

Figure 13 shows an embodiment of the invention incorporating an articulating/hinge type facility (12) between the body and the hanger support arm to allow the clothes hanger support to be folded up when not in use, thereby making the item more conveniently stored.

Figure 14 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the clothes hanger support arm has an articulating / hinge connection (18) at two locations and is supported at one hinge location directly from the body of the clothes hanger support and at the other location by a strut arrangement (19) which provides a second triangulating support for the clothes hanger support arm back to the body of the clothes hanger support. The whole unit may then be easily folded as shown in Figure 15 for compact storage.

Figure 16 shows an embodiment in which the clothes hanger support arm (1) may be separated from the body of the clothes hanger support (2) for more compact storage.

Attachment of the two components may be by physical interlocking as shown, by mechanical fixing (e.g. screws) or any other appropriate means. To reduce the possibility of losing one of the components when separated, a full or partial depth rebate (21) may be provided in the packing' (5) for retention/stowage of the clothes hanger support arm as indicated in Figure 17. Alternatively, a separate stowage bracketlrestraint may be provided or a Velcro type fixing utilised.

Figure 18 shows an adaptation of the connection detail shown in Figure 16 that allows the hanger support arm (I) to be fitted to either side of the body without protruding significantly beyond the rear face of the body by providing a vee' type engagement (42) in the opening.

Although shown for a plate type arm, the principle of reversibility can be applied to any form of construction of the arm and body. Also, reversibility of the hanger support arm may be achieved by any other method, for example allowing a hinged hanger support arm to rotate through 180 degrees or so - although this may require the body to be slotted to allow the arm to pass through it.

As shown in Figure 19, reversibility of the hanger support arm, in conjunction with the facility for the packing (5) also to be removable and fittable to protrude either side of the body, allows the clothes hanger support to be positioned on the wall side of a central heating radiator, with the formation either taking vertical support from the sheet finning' (36a) that is often fitted to the wall side of a radiator (as shown in the figure) or from the top of the radiator itself (not shown). The lower end of the body then takes horizontal restraint from the wall (4a). It is therefore preferable that the support formation be suitable for engaging with the finning' and should therefore be adjustable positionally across the body of the clothes hanger support. Radiator finning (36a) is more clearly indicated in Figure 23.

An alternative approach to providing adjustment of the orientation of the hanger support arm is to arrange for the orientation of the arm relative to the body to be adjustable. This may be achieved in a number of ways including the use of packing or use of a screw jacking' arrangement. Figure 20 shows an arrangement in which packing (51) may be provided to a detachable hanger support arm. The packing could be attached' (preferably non- permanently) to either the arm or the body. Alternatively, the packing could be situated at the upper area of contact between the arm and the body. Any suitable means of fixing the packing may be used, some of which have been indicated in the description of Figures 1 / 2.

Figure 21 shows a screw jacking type arrangement (52) applied to a detachable type hanger support arm.

Hanger support arm orientation adjustment may be provided to any non rigidly fixed arm and, as another example, Figure 22 shows a screw jacking system (52) applied to singly hinged arm. Although not shown in a figure, the same effect could be achieved by use of packing either directly between the arm and the body or between the hinge housing (12) and the body.

Many central heating radiators present a profiled face to the room and it is preferable for this profiling to be made use of to enhance the stability of the clothes hanger support when in use.

Accordingly, the packing may be profiled so as to sit into the recesses of the radiator surface and gain improved transverse restraint accordingly. To aid this, the packing would preferably be provided in discreet locations and be of a size and profile to allow the packing to seat within the recesses as indicated by item (5) of Figure 23 (which represents a sectional plan view through such a radiator). However, provided the packing fits within the recesses as indicated by item (5a) in Figure 23 good restraint can still be obtained. Preferably the facings of the packing which abut the radiator (7) will be faced with high friction material. As with the support formation, the position of the packing should therefore be adjustable across the width of the body, and similar means to those suggested for positioning the support formation components may be adopted.

As the supports with which the support formation engages may be of varying geometry, it would be preferable for the support formation to be arranged so as to accommodate different sized and shaped support hooks. This is easily achieved with the detachable / adjustable position support formations previously described by providing a variety of interchangeable support formation components of various sizes and geometries to suit a range of different supports. The clothes hanger support may then be provided with the facilities to allow the unused support formation components to be removably attached to the clothes hanger support, for example by use of Velcro, providing retaining clips to the body or providing suitable rebates into which the spare components may be stowed. Providing additional non-load bearing cantilevered pivot mountings in addition to those actually used to support the unit would be another option for removable, shaft mounted type support hooks.

Alternatively, the support formation hook itself (3) could be arranged to accommodate a range of different shape supports. Two possible approaches are shown in Figures 24 and 25 in which the contact surface of the support formation is profiled to provide a range of engagement locations and contact geometries. For example, in Figure 25, the top seam on central radiators can engage in the slots (53), whilst rail type supports can engage an appropriate curved recesses. The profile of the contact surface of the hooks need not necessarily be a series of arcs, but may be any shape that allows an effective engagement between the hook and that which it takes support from. This could be a series of steps, triangular insets, rectangular insets etc. rather than the series of arcs shown in the figure.

On the other hand, the shape of the support formation hook can be made adjustable. The embodiment shown in Figure 26 incorporates an adjustable support formation that allows the support formation hook to be adjusted to suit a range of different shaped and sized supports.

In the configuration shown, the end of the support formation hook (3) is cut short and a number of appropriately shaped packing shim washers (22) are secured to the end of the support formation by a screw or bolt (23). The packing washers are drilled off centre, so that the internal width of the support formation can be varied to suit the support by rotating the packing washers appropriately. Alternatively, the same effect may be achieved by utilising an appropriate combination of two different sized packing washers. Similarly, an arrangement of packing shim washers (24) and a screw or bolt (25) may be utilised to adjust support formation depth as shown in Figure 27, which shows an arrangement for adjusting both the depth and internal width of the support formation hooks (although facility for adjustment may be provided only for height or only for reach if preferred).

Preferably, in addition to being able to adjust the position of the support formation hooks and the packing transversely across the body, provision would also be made to allow some adjustment of their position along the height of the body.

The clothes hanger supports so far described are nominally stable (particularly if high friction contact surfaces and / or the packing / body orientation adjustment is arranged so as to engage with the radiator face profile). However, it may be preferred to provide some form of additional stabilisation and Figure 28 shows an embodiment that is provided with stay arms (54) for additional stabilisation. The stay arms are shown connected to the body and extending down to take restraint from the top of the radiator. A means of fixing the stay arms in their working position is required, and this could be by providing inherent rigidity in the connection to the body or body extension (28) or by providing additional triangulating ties (55) back to one of the body parts (as shown in the figure) or any other suitable arrangement.

Whatever approach is adopted, it would be preferable for the stabilising arrangement to fold up or to be detachable to make the unit more compact for storage. For detachable items, provision for stowage on the clothes hanger support itself may be provided. Any other suitable method of providing stability could also be used, for example utilising cantilevered horizontal stay arms.

Figure 29 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the top face of the clothes hanger support arm is provided with a means of restricting unwanted movement of the hangers along it by, for example, appropriately profiling (17) the top surface of the member or providing the top surface of the member with a soft or high friction contact surface. This facility may be applied to all embodiments of the clothes hanger support herein described.

Claims

1. A clothes hanger support as a minimum comprising a support formation, an elongate clothes hanger support arm and a body, with the support formation and the hanger support arm each being attached to the body such that, in use; the clothes hanger support arm, being of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of coat hangers, extends from the body; and the clothes hanger support is arranged to abut one or more existing surfaces, thereby generating forces at one or more of the areas of contact that contribute to the translational and rotational restraint of the clothes hanger support; and the body extends to an elevation higher than that of the highest point of contact between the support formation and that from which it takes support sufficiently to enable a hanger support arm to be attached to the body at an elevation higher than the point of contact between the support formation and that from which it takes support, and the support formation comprises one or more downwardly open hook arrangements attached to the upper part of the body.

2. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim I in which the support formation is an integral part of the body.

3. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim I in which the support formation and the body are separate items.

4. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 3 in which one or more parts of the support formation are detachable.

5. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4 in which detachable parts are interchangeable with those of different dimensions/geometry to suit different supports.

6. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 5 in which provision is made for unused detachable parts to be removably attached to the clothes hanger support for storage purposes.

7. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4 or Claim 5 or Claim 6 in which the position of one or more parts of the support formation is adjustable and may be set at more than one position across the width of the body.

8. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 7 in which a shaft type arrangement is utilised to mount the positionally adjustable support formation components, thereby facilitating rotational or translational, or both rotational and translational adjustment of the position of the shaft mounted component(s).

9. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 8 in which the translational movement of the support formation component(s) is restricted so as to retain the support formation component on its mounting shaft.

10. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims 3 to 9 inclusive in which the position of one or more parts of the support formation may be set at more than one position along the height of the body.

11. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 10 in which a shaft type arrangement is utilised to mount the positionally adjustable support formation components, thereby facilitating rotational or translational, or both rotational and translational adjustment of the position of the shaft mounted component(s).

12. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 11 in which the translational movement of the support formation component(s) is restricted so as to retain the support formation component on its mounting shaft.

13. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claims 8 or Claim 9 or Claim 11 or Claim 12 in which an arrangement of removable shaft mounted spacers is utilised to allow the translational position of the relevant support formation components to be adjustably fixed.

14. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims 3 to 13 inclusive in which one or more parts of the support formation may be adjusted, angularly relative to the body about an axis running, in general terms, across the width of the body.

15. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims 3 to 13 inclusive in which any part of the support formation may be adjusted, angularly, relative to the body about an axis running, in general terms, along the height of the body.

16. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which one or more of the physical dimensions of one or more of the individual components comprising the support formation are adjustable to suit different shaped and I or sized supports.

17. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims I to 15 inclusive in which the support formation is profiled to provide two or more seating locations for the protrusion.

18. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which the body comprises two or more parts.

19. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 18 that utilises a linear hinge type arrangement to connect one or more pairs of interconnected body parts, the axis of rotation being nominally horizontal and nominally perpendicular to the elongate axis of the hanger support arm when in use thereby allowing the body parts to be folded together or extended lengthwise as required.

20. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 18 that utilises a pivoting type arrangement to connect one or more pairs of interconnected body parts, the axis of rotation being nominally parallel with the elongate axis of the hanger support arm when in use thereby allowing the body parts to be folded together or extended lengthwise as required.

21. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 18 or Claim 19 or Claim 20 in which one or more of the parts of the body are detachable.

22. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which an articulation or hinge facility is provided between the body and the hanger support arm in such a way as to provide effective support of the clothes hangers, but allows the clothes hanger support to be folded up for storage purposes when not in use.

23. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 21 inclusive in which the clothes hanger support arm has articulating or hinged connections at two locations and is supported at one articulating I hinge location from either the body of the clothes hanger support or an extension to the body of the clothes hanger support and at the other location by a strut arrangement that provides a second triangulating support for the clothes hanger support arm either back to the body of the clothes hanger support or to an extension to the body.

24. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim where the clothes hanger support arm is detachable from the body.

25. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 24 in which provision is made for the clothes hanger support arm to extend from two or more positions on the body.

26. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 25 in which provision is made for the clothes hanger support arm to extend from points on the body both above and below the highest of the points of contact between the support formation and that from which it takes support.

27. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which the clothes hanger support arm may extend from either side of the body.

28. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that incorporates means of adjusting the orientation of the hanger support arm relative to the body.

29. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 28 in which the means of adjusting the angle of the hanger support ann relative to the body involves the use of packs or spacers, one or more of which are detachable.

30. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 28 in which the means of adjusting the angle of the hanger support arm relative to the body involves the use of screw thread jacking system.

31. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that incorporates means of adjusting the angle of the body relative to the existing surface or surfaces with which the coat hanger support abuts.

32. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 31 in which at least part of the means of adjustment of the body angle relative to the existing surface or surfaces with which the coat hanger support abuts is achieved by adjustment of the horizontal distance between the lower part of the body and the surface or surfaces with which the clothes hanger support abuts.

33. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 32 in which the means of adjusting the angle of the hanger support arm relative to the body involves the use of packs or spacers.

34. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 32 in which adjustment is achieved by utilising a screw threaded jacking arrangement.

35. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 32 or Claim 33 or Claim 34 in which the means ofadjustment is attached to the body.

36. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 32 or Claim 33 or Claim 34 or Claim in which one or more parts of the means ofadjustment is detachable from the body.

37. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims 32 to 36 inclusive in which one or more parts of the means ofadjusting the angle of the body relative to the existing surface or surfaces with which coat hanger support abuts may be set in more than one position across the width of the body.

38. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of claims Claim 32 to 37 inclusive in which one or more of the means of adjusting the angle of the body relative to the existing surface may be set in more than one position over the height of the body.

39. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which the parts of either the body or any arrangement(s) for adjusting the orientation of the body that are attached to the body, that provide horizontal restraint to the clothes hanger support are shaped so as to physically engage with a profiled surface thereby enhancing the transmission of transverse forces between the existing surface(s) and the clothes hanger support.

40. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims 31 to 39 inclusive in which at least part of the means of adjustment of the body angle relative to the existing surface or surfaces with which the coat hanger support abuts is achieved by adjustment of the horizontal distance between the part of the body adjacent to the support formation and that against which the support formation directly or indirectly takes restraint.

41. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 40 in which the means of adjusting the angle of the hanger support arm relative to the body involves the use of packs or spacers.

42. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 40 in which adjustment is achieved by utilising a screw threaded jacking arrangement.

43. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 40 or Claim 41 or Claim 42 in which the means of adjustment is attached to the support formation.

44. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 40 or Claim 41 or Claim 42 or Claim 43 in which one or more parts of the means of adjustment is detachable from the support formation.

45. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any of Claims 40 to 44 inclusive in which one or more parts of the means ofadjusting the angle of the body relative to the existing surface or surfaces with which coat hanger support abuts may be set in more than one position across the width of the body.

46. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which the parts of either the support formation or any arrangement(s) for adjusting the orientation of the body that are attached to the support formation, that provide horizontal restraint to the clothes hanger support are shaped so as to physically engage with a profiled surface thereby enhancing the transmission of transverse forces between the existing surface(s) and the clothes hanger support.

47. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 33 or Claim 36 or Claim 41 or Claim 44 in which provision is made to attach unused detachable pack and / or spacer components to the clothes hanger support in one or more non functional stowage positions.

48. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which provision is made to compactly stow one or more detachable hanger support arms to the clothes hanger support when not in use.

49. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which the stability of the clothes hanger support may be enhanced by providing a stabilisation arrangement that provides additional points of contact between the clothes hanger support and that from which it is supported and / or takes restraint, the distance between the points of contact between the stabilisation arrangement and that with which it takes restraint being greater than either the width of the body or the width of the support formation.

50. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 49 in which the stabilisers may be repositioned for more compact storage.

51. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 49 or Claim 50 in which the stabilisation arrangement folds up to make the clothes hanger support more compact when the stabilisation facility is not required to be used.

52. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 49 or Claim 50 or Claim 51 in which the stabilisation arrangement is detachable to make the clothes hanger support more compact when the stabilisation facility is not required to be used.

53. A clothes hanger support as claimed in Claim 52 in which provision is made on the clothes hanger support for stowage of the components of the stabilisation arrangement when the stabilisation facility is not required to be used.

54. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which the clothes hanger support arm is provided with a means to restrict unwanted movement of a clothes hanger along the length of the clothes hanger support arm.

55. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that incorporates a means to prevent the clothes hangers sliding off the end of the clothes hanger support arm.

56. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that incorporates means to reduce or eliminate damage to or disfigurement of the surfaces of any or all other bodies or surfaces into which the clothes hanger support may come into contact.

57. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that is provided with high friction type material at any or all points of contact with other surfaces or bodies.

58. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that folds up for more compact storage.

59. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that incorporates one or more components that fold up for more compact storage.

60. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that utilises one or more detachable components to achieve compliance with one or more of the preceding claims.

61. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which one or more detachable components may be attached in one or more different positions thereby providing more flexibility of use or more secure and more compact storage of the clothes hanger support when not in use.

62. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim that incorporates extending or telescopic components.

63. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which more than one clothes hanger support arm is provided.

64. A clothes hanger support as claimed in any preceding claim in which any component is made from metal, polymer, plastic, wood, plywood, any composite type material, any extruded material, rubber or any combination of some or all of these materials.

65. A clothes hanger support substantially as herein described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.