GB2446647A

GB2446647A - Hanger with resiliently deformable arms

Info

Publication number: GB2446647A
Application number: GB0703026A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Daniel Wright; Mark Segasby
Original assignee: NEW WAVE PROJECTS Ltd
Current assignee: NEW WAVE PROJECTS Ltd
Priority date: 2007-02-16
Filing date: 2007-02-16
Publication date: 2008-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2027-02-16
Also published as: GB2446647B; GB0703026D0

Abstract

The invention provides a garment hanger 10 including: a central portion 12 having suspension means 14 and first 16 and second 18 garment retaining portions depending from the central portion; the garment retaining portions 16, 18 adopt an equilibrium position when not subjected to a compressive force, and are resiliently deformable when subjected to a compressive force towards the central portion 12; the garment retaining arms 16, 18 restore towards the equilibrium position when the compressive force is removed. The arms 16, 18 may be arcuate, and the suspension means 14 may be a hook or slot so that the hanger may connect to another hanger.

Description

I

GARMENT HANGER

This invention relates to a garment hanger.

The present inventors have realised that it would be desirable to provide a garment hanger having the ability to accommodate garments of differing dimensions, in particular differing widths. Accordingly, the present inventors have devised the following invention.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a garment hanger including: a central portion having suspension means enabling the garment hanger to be suspended; and first and second garment retaining portions depending from the central portion; in which both of the first and second garment retaining portions adopt an equilibrium position when not subjected to a compressive force, and are resiliently deformable when subjected to a user applied compressive force in a direction towards the central portion thereby enabling the garment hanger to accept garments of a range of sizes, the garment retaining portions applying a restoring force towards the equilibrium position when the user applied compressive force is removed. * **

The garment hanger of the invention is particularly useful for hanging **** * * garments for the lower half of the human body, such as trousers, skirts and ** , shorts, although the invention is not limited in this regard. S..

Preferably, at least one of the first and second garment retaining portions : includes an arcuate section which provides the resilient deformability. Most S.....

* preferably, both of the first and second garment retaining portions include an arcuate section. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the arcuate section or sections downwardly depend from the central portion. However, it is envisaged that it will be possible to provide embodiments in which the arcuate section or sections upwardly depend from the central portion and still provide the necessary resilient deformability.

Advantageously, the equilibrium position of the arcuate section or sections generally corresponds to the arc of an ellipse or a circle, wherein the length of said arc is greater than 30% of the circumference of the ellipse or circle. It has been found that sections of this type, which possess a pronounced arcuate shape, can provide highly desirable combinations of deformability and resilience.

Preferably, the first and second garment retaining portions each include a garment retaining clip. The clips may be disposed at the ends of the first and second garment retaining portions which are distal from the central portion.

The first and second garment retaining portions may be fabricated from a plastics material.

In one embodiment, the suspension means includes an attachment means, preferably a hook, enabling the garment hanger to be suspended from a * ** * * * * *. rail. S... * S S...

In another embodiment, the suspension means enables the garment hanger to be suspended from another garment hanger. In these embodiments, 55.

the suspension means may include a portion having a slot suitable to accept the S. *S : suspension means of the other garment hanger.

*S...S The other garment hanger may be a garment hanger of conventional design, or another garment hanger of the first aspect of the invention.

Accordingly, in a second aspect of the invention there is provided a dual garment hanger combination including a garment hanger of the first aspect of the invention in which the suspension means enables the garment hanger to be suspended from another garment hanger, and a second garment hanger according to the first aspect of the invention in which the suspension means includes an attachment means enabling the garment hanger to be suspended from a rail, in which the first garment hanger is attached via its suspension means to the second garment hanger.

Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination as set out or in the following description, drawings or claims.

Embodiments of garment hangers and dual garment hanger combinations in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a garment hanger; Figure 2 shows a garment hanging from the garment hanger of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows (a) a perspective view, (b) a side view, and (c) a plan * *S view of a second embodiment of a garment hanger; **** Figure 4 shows (a) a front view of a dual garment hanger combination and (b) a front view of garments hanging from the dual garment hanger S..

combination of (a); and Figure 5 shows (a) a front view of another dual garment hanger * combination and (b) a front view of garments hanging from the dual garment hanger combination of (a).

Figure 1 shows a garment hanger of the invention, depicted generally at 10, which comprises a central portion at 12 of any suitable design having a hook 14 for attachment to a rail or other suitable fixture. Depending from the central portion 12 are a pair of opposed arcuate sections 16,18. At the end of each arcuate section 16,18 distant from the central portion 12 is a push-clip 20. Other suitable forms of clips, such as spring clips, would readily suggest themselves to the skilled person.

The arcuate sections 16,18 are sufficiently uspringy so that they can be readily compressed by a user in the direction towards the central portion 12.

Where it is desired to hang a garment having a width which is smaller than the width of the garment hanger 10 in its equilibrium, i.e. uncompressed, position, the user compresses the arcuate sections 16,18 so as to accommodate the garment. Once the garment is positioned on the garment holder 10, the compressive force is released, and the arcuate sections 16,18 then exert a restoring force towards their equilibrium positions. This instance is shown in Figure 2(a), in which a relatively narrow pair of shorts 22 is hung from the garment holder 10. The pair of shorts 22 is positioned in the clips 20, although * ** in this instance it is possible that the restoring forces would be sufficient to hold the shorts 22 in place. Figure 2(b) depicts an instance in which a pair of shorts having a width which is approximately equal to the width of the garment hanger S..

in its equilibrium position is hung from the garment hanger. In this instance, :. there is only a low restoring force or no restoring force at all, and the garment *...

* hanger relies entirety upon the clips 20 to hold the garment in place.

Figure 3 shows the second embodiment of a garment hanger 30 which, in common with the first embodiment, comprises a central portion 32 having a pair of arcuate sections 34,36 depending therefrom. The arcuate sections 34,36 each have a clip 38 at the end furthest removed from the central portion 32. The principal difference with the first embodiment of the garment hanger is that the central portion 32 of the second embodiment 30 has a curved top portion 32a having a slot 32b formed therein. The slot 32b is designed to fit over the hook of another garment hanger, thereby allowing a dual garment hanger combination to be assembled. The central portion 32 further comprises a downwardly depending clip 32c Figure 4(a) shows a dual garment hanger combination formed when the garment hanger 30 of Figure 3 is suspended from the garment hanger 10 of Figure 1. Figure 4(b) shows the dual garment hanger of Figure 4(a) with a pair of shorts 42 hung on the garment hanger 10 and a pair of shorts 44 hung on the garment hanger 30.

Figure 5(a) depicts a variant in which the garment hanger 30 is suspended from a conventional garment hanger 50 by way of the hook 50a of the conventional garment hanger 50 being passed through the slot 32b of the * ** garment hanger 30. Figure 5(b) shows the instance in which a skirt 52 is hung on the garment hanger 30 and a T-shirt 54 is hung on the conventional garment *.*.2o hanger 50.

The present invention is convenient to use and manufacture, and can be : S.: used with a wide range of garments of differing sizes. Although other * embodiments would suggest themselves to the skilled person, the use of quite pronounced arcuate sections is advantageous, because it enables garment hangers of sufficient springiness to be fabricated from a plastic material. In general, the central portion is also fabricated from a plastics material, the garment hanger being formed in a single moulding process. However, the hook of the first embodiment can be fabricated from a plastics material or metal. * .* * ** * * ***. ** * * ** * ** *

S I. ** * S S * . * * S

Claims

1. A garment hanger including: a central portion having suspension means enabling the garment hanger to be suspended; and first and second garment retaining portions depending from the central portions; in which both of the first and second garment retaining portions adopt an equilibrium position when not subjected to a compressive force, and are resiliently deformable when subjected to a user applied compressive force in a direction towards the central portion thereby enabling the garment hanger to accept garments of a range of sizes, the garment retaining portions applying a restoring force towards the equilibrium position when the user applied compressive force is removed.

2. A garment hanger according to Claim I in which at least one of the first and second garment retaining portions includes an arcuate section which provides the resilient deformability.

3. A garment hanger according to Claim 2 in which the arcuate section or sections downwardly depend from the central portion.

4. A garment hanger according to Claim 2 or 3 in which the equilibrium position of the arcuate section or sections generally corresponds to the arc of an * ** ellipse or a circle, and wherein the length of said arc is greater than 30% of the S...

circumference of the ellipse or circle.

5. A garment hanger according to any previous claim in which the first and * second garment retaining portions each include a garment retaining clip.

::

6. A garment hanger according to Claim 5 in which the clips are disposed at *.....

* the ends of the first and second garment retaining portions which are distal from the central portion.

7. A garment hanger according to any previous claim in which the first and second garment retaining portions are fabricated from a plastics material.

8. A garment hanger according to any previous claim in which the suspension means includes an attachment means, preferably a hook, enabling the garment hanger to be suspended from a rail.

9. A garment hanger or dual garment hanger combination substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

9. A garment hanger according to any one of Claims I to 7 in which the suspension means enables the garment hanger to be suspended from another garment hanger.

10. A garment hanger according to Claim 9 in which the suspension means includes a portion having a slot suitable to accept the suspension means of the other garment hanger.

11. A dual garment hanger combination including a garment hanger according to Claim 9 or Claim 10 attached via its suspension means to a garment hanger according to Claim 8.

12. A garment hanger or dual garment hanger combination substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings. * S. ** * * ** S... * . *. S. * S.. * S. 55 * S S * *

S..... * S

-ic ii

1. A garment hanger including: a central portion having suspension means enabling the garment hanger to be suspended; and first and second garment retaining portions depending from the central portions; in which both of the first and second garment retaining portions adopt an equilibrium position when not subjected to a compressive force, and are resiliently deformable when subjected to a user applied compressive force in a direction towards the central portion thereby enabling the garment hanger to accept garments of a range of sizes, the garment retaining portions applying a restoring force towards the equilibrium position when the user applied compressive force is removed; wherein both of the first and second garment retaining portions include an arcuate section which provides the resilient deformability, each arcuate section depending downwardly from the central portion, in which the equilibrium positions of the arcuate sections generally correspond to the arc of an ellipse or a circle, and wherein the length of each arc is greater than 30% of the circumference of the ellipse or circle.

2. A garment hanger according to claim I in which the first and second garment retaining portions each include a garment retaining clip.

3. A garment hanger according to Claim 2 in which the clips are disposed at the ends of the first and second garment retaining portions which are distal from the central portion.

4. A garment hanger according to any previous claim in which the first and second garment retaining portions are fabricated from a plastics material.

5. A garment hanger according to any previous claim in which the suspension means includes an attachment means, preferably a hook, enabling the garment hanger to be suspended from a rail.

6. A garment hanger according to any one of Claims I to 4 in which the suspension means enables the garment hanger to be suspended from another garment hanger.

7. A garment hanger according to Claim 6 in which the suspension means includes a portion having a slot suitable to accept the suspension means of the other garment hanger.

8. A dual garment hanger combination including a garment hanger according to Claim 6 or Claim 7 attached via its suspension means to a garment hanger according to Claim 5.