GB2475113A

GB2475113A - Collapsible clothes hanger

Info

Publication number: GB2475113A
Application number: GB201007835A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nick Lewis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-11-05
Filing date: 2010-05-10
Publication date: 2011-05-11
Also published as: GB0919392D0; GB201007835D0

Abstract

A collapsible or foldable clothes hanger comprises at least first 5, second 7 and third 13 portions which can be secured together with releasable securing means 11, 19, 21. The first portion includes a hook 3 for suspending the hanger, the second portion includes a coupling 11 to releasably secure the second portion to the first portion, and the third portion includes couplings 19, 21 to releasably secure the third portion to the first portion and to the third portion. The arrangement allows the hanger to be configured in a deployed configuration or a stowed configuration. The couplings preferably comprise cooperating male 35 and female 39 members connecting the portions in an end to and fashion. Straps or flexible ribbons 9,15 may be provided to ensure that in the stowed configuration the second and third portions are arranged substantially side by side. In use, the collapsible clothes hanger takes up less space in transport than, and is more economical and ecologically friendly than, a conventional clothes hanger.

Description

CLOTHES HANGER

This invention relates to a clothes hanger, for example a folding clothes hanger.

Standard plastics clothes hangers are typically substantially triangular in shape.

Consequently, when such dothes hangers are transported, there is generally significant wasted space within a box or the like within which the hangers are packed. It is therefore desirable to provide a clothes hanger which reduces wasted space dunng transportation in order to reduce costs.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a clothes hanger which overcomes, or at least ameliorates, the above-mentioned problems.

According to the present invention there is provided a dothes hanger comprising at least first, second and third portions which can be secured together with releasable securing means, wherein the first portion includes means for suspending the hanger, the second portion includes means to releasably secure the second portion to the first portion, and the third portion includes means to releasably secure the third portion to the first portion and to the third portion, whereby the hanger can be configured in a deployed configuration or a stowed configuration.

The first portion may be substantially in the form of an inverted V which is integral with the suspending means substantially at an apex of the V. The releasable secunng means may be provided substantially at the ends of the arms of the V. The second and third portions may be substantially V-shaped in the deployed configuration of the hanger. The releasable securing means may be provided substantially at the ends of the arms of each V. A hinge may be provided substantially between the arms of each V for movement between the deployed and stowed configurations. The hinge may be integrally formed as part of the second or third portion.

Alternatively, each of the second and third portions may comprise sub-portions which are provided with means for releasably securing the sub-portions together.

The sub-portions may additionally be interconnected by means of a flexible ribbon. The flexible nbbon may be formed integrally with the sub-portions.

The second and third portions may each additionally be connected to the first portion by means of a flexible ribbon. The flexible ribbon may be formed integrally with the portions.

The releasable securing means may secure the portions together in a substantially end-to-end relationship.

The releasable secunng means may comprise a male member on one of the portions and provided with a resilient tongue on one of the portions and a female member on the other of the portions and provided with an opening into which the resilient tongue snaps.

In the stowed configuration, the second and third portions may be arranged substantially side-by-side.

The first, second and third portions may be substantially C-shape in cross-section.

The means for suspending the hanger may comprise a hook.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of a clothes hanger according to the present invention in a first configuration, the clothes hanger being foldable; Figure 2 shows a first part of the dothes hanger of Figure 1 on a larger scale; Figure 3 shows a second part of the clothes hanger of Figure 1 on a larger scale; Figure 4 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 1; Figure 5 shows part of the clothes hanger of Figure 4 on a larger scale, corresponding to the part shown in Figure 2; Figure 6 is an elevational view of the clothes hanger of Figure 1 in a second, assembled, configuration; Figure 7 is an elevational view of the clothes hanger of Figure 1 in a third configuration; and Figure 8 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 7.

The folding clothes hanger shown in Figures 1 to 8 comprises a substantially triangular body 1 and a hook 3 or other means for suspending the hanger, the hanger being formed from a single moulding of plastics material. The body 1 comprises a first portion 5, substantially in the form of an inverted V, which is integral with the hook 3 substantially at the apex of the inverted V of the first portion 5.

A second portion 7, substantially in the form of a V lying on its side, is permanently secured to the first portion 5 by way of a flexible ribbon 9 of the plastics material which extends between the end regions of arms of the two portions and is releasably secured to the first portion 5 by way of a releasable securing means 11, such as a clip, part of which is provided substantially at the end of an arm of each of the first and second portions and which serves to connect the two arms substantially end-to-end in a linear configuration.

A third portion 13, substantially in the form of a V lying on its side but with the apex pointing away from the second portion 7, is permanently secured to the first portion 5 by way of a flexible ribbon 15 of the plastics material which extends between the and regions of arms of the two portions, but there is no permanent connection between the third portion 13 and the second portion 7. In addition, the third portion 13 is releasably secured to the first portion by way of releasable secunng means 19, such as a dip, part of which is provided substantially at the end of an arm of each of the first and third portions and is releasably secured to the second portion 7 by way of similar releasable securing means 21. The securing means 19 and 21 function in a similar manner to the securing means 11. A first living hinge 23 is formed in the region of the apex of the second portion 7 and a second living hinge 25 is formed in the region of the apex of the third portion 13.

Hooks 27 are provided within the V of the second and third portions on one of the arms and close to the apex, for supporting clothes, such as skirts, which are formed with suitable loops. Profiled apertures 29 are formed through the other of the arms of each of the second and third portions for receiving accessories, such as a trouser bar (not shown).

Figures 1 to 5 show the folding clothes hanger in a partly assembled form, with the portions 5, 7 and 13 ready for releasably securing together by way of the securing means 11, 19 and 21.

Figures 2 and 5 show the securing means 11 in more detail, the securing means 19 and 21 being substantially identical. The securing means 11 comprises a male member 31 formed at the end of an arm of the first portion 5 which engages with a female member 33 provided at the end of an arm of the second portion 7. The male member 31 is provided with a resilient tongue 35, while the female member 33 is provided with a transverse bar 37 defining an opening 39 into which the resilient tongue 35 snaps when the arms of the first and second portions are pushed together. The securing means can be released by depressing the resilient tongue 35 and pulling the arms apart.

The living hinge 23 is shown in more detail in Figure 3.

Figures 1 to 5 also show that the first, second and third portions are moulded in a C-section, this being a configuration which combines lightness with strength.

Thus, as shown in Figure 6, this gives rise to a clothes hanger of substantially conventional configuration when assembled, including sloping portions as well as a lateral trouser bar.

Figures 7 and 8 show the clothes hanger in a stowed, or folded, configuration.

That is, the releasable secunng means 11, 19 and 21 have been released and the living hinges 23, 25 have been flexed to bring the two arms of each of the second and third portions together, while the folded portions have also been brought together so that they lie substantially side-by-side. In this way, the space occupied by the folded clothes hanger is substantially less than that occupied by the clothes hanger in its deployed configuration.

Thus the dothes hanger shown in Figures 1 to 8 allows a clothes hanger to be readily folded and unfolded. In the unfolded configuration, the clothes hanger has a substantially triangular shape and functions as a conventional clothes hanger, but in the folded configuration the clothes hanger is very compact and more readily transported and stored, for example in the luggage of a traveller or when packaged in bulk because a significantly greater number of hangers can be packed into the space occupied by a certain number of conventional hangers.

In addition, because it can be manufactured in the folded configuration, the amount of material required for tooling is reduced compared with a conventional hanger. The folding clothes hanger is therefore advantageous from both an economical and an ecological viewpoint.

The folding clothes hanger according to the present invention may be modified in a number of ways. For example, the form of the releasable securing means may be modified. Moreover, the flexible ribbons need not be provided resulting in the hanger being in three separate parts. It is also possible for the living hinges to be replaced by releasable securing means, the resulting components being connected together by flexible ribbons, if desired. It should be noted, though, that the living hinges generally provide greater stability than releasable securing means.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A clothes hanger comprising at least first, second and third portions which can be secured together with releasable securing means, wherein the first portion includes means for suspending the hanger, the second portion includes means to releasably secure the second portion to the first portion, and the third portion includes means to releasably secure the third portion to the first portion and to the third portion, whereby the hanger can be configured in a deployed configuration or a stowed configuration.
2. A clothes hanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first portion is substantially in the form of an inverted V which is integral with the suspending means substantially at an apex of the V.
3. A clothes hanger as claimed in claim 2, wherein the releasable securing means is provided substantially at the ends of the arms of the V.
4. A dothes hanger as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second and third portions are substantially V-shaped in the deployed configuration of the hanger.
5. A clothes hanger as daimed in claim 4, wherein the releasable securing means is provided substantially at the ends of the arms of each V.
6. A clothes hanger as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein a hinge is provided substantially between the arms of each V for movement between the deployed and stowed configurations.
7. A dothes hanger as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hinge is integrally formed as part of the second or third portion.
8. A clothes hanger as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein each of the second and third portions compnses sub-portions which are provided with means for releasably securing the sub-portions together.
9. A clothes hanger as claimed in claim 8, wherein the sub-portions are additionally interconnected by means of a flexible ribbon.
10. A clothes hanger as claimed in daim 9, wherein the flexible ribbon is formed integrally with the sub-portions.
11. A dothes hanger as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second and third portions are each additionally connected to the first portion by means of a flexible ribbon.
12. A clothes hanger as claimed in daim 11, wherein the flexible ribbon is formed integrally with the portions.-11 -
13. A clothes hanger as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the releasable securing means secures the portions together in a substantially end-to-end relationship.
14. A dothes hanger as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the releasable securing means comprises a male member on one of the portions and provided with a resilient tongue on one of the portions and a female member on the other of the portions and provided with an opening into which the resilient tongue snaps.
15. A clothes hanger as daimed in any preceding claim, wherein, in the stowed configuration, the second and third portions are arranged substantially side-by-side.
16. A clothes hanger as daimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first, second and third portions are substantially C-shape in cross-section.
17. A clothes hanger as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for suspending the hanger comprises a hook.
18. A clothes hanger substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.