GB2592389A

GB2592389A - A hanger and a method of manufacture

Info

Publication number: GB2592389A
Application number: GB2002712.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: East Steven; Philip Wilkins Andre
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-02-26
Filing date: 2020-02-26
Publication date: 2021-09-01
Also published as: GB2592389A8; GB202002712D0

Abstract

A hanger for storing or displaying clothing or packages. The hanger comprises a double layered hook head formed from two opposing hook head portions 105 of hanger precursor or blank 100 folded over one another. The hanger is manufactured using a die-cutting machine to die cut one or more hanger precursors from a sheet material such as paperboard, cardboard, thermoplastics material, or shape memory material. The opposing portions may be attached by applying adhesive such as a glue to the sheet or hanger precursor. The hanger may include an RFID tag or tear-off price tag between the two opposing sides. One or more crease lines 115 may be scored or perforated on the hanger blank. One side of the sheet may be printed on prior to cutting. The hanger may include pinhole 120 and hanger shoulders 110.

Description

A hanger and a method of manufacture

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to hangers for consumer products and methods of manufacture.

Background

Hangers are typically used to allow consumer products (e.g. items of clothing) to be conveniently stored and/or displayed, such as in a shop, warehouse or a consumer's wardrobe.

The listing or discussion of a prior-published document or any background in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document or background is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.

Summary

In a first aspect, there is provided a method comprising: feeding a sheet into a die-cutting machine; and die cutting the sheet so that the sheet comprises a hanger precursor with two opposing hook head portions which are configured to be foldable over one another to form a double-layered hook head of a hanger.

The sheet may be made from a recyclable material. The recyclable material may be one or more of paperboard, cardboard, a thermoplastic material, and a shape memory material.

The hanger may be a packaging hook or a garment hanger. For example, the hanger may be a packaging hook for one or more pairs of socks, knickers or non-clothing items. The hanger may be a garment hanger for tops, trousers, jackets, bras or other garments.

The method may further comprise die cutting the sheet so that the sheet comprises two or more hanger precursors, each with two respective opposing hook head portions which are configured to be foldable over one another to form a double-layered hook head of a respective hanger. This may enable multiple hanger precursors to be made at once, increasing manufacturing efficiency.

The method may further comprise removing the hanger precursor from the sheet by one or more of pressing, stripping and shaking.

The method may further comprise folding the hanger precursor to form a hanger with a double-layered hook head formed from the two opposing hook head portions. This provides a hanger with more rigidity and/or strength than a hanger with a single layered hook head.

The method may further comprise attaching the internal opposing sides of the hanger precursor to one another to form a hanger with a single integrated double-layered hook head formed from the two opposing hook head portions.

Attaching the internal opposing sides of the hanger precursor to one another may comprise applying an adhesive to one or more of the sheet and the hanger precursor.

The method may further comprise inserting an entity between the two opposing sides of the hanger precursor prior to folding. The entity may comprise an RFID tag.

The method may further comprise creating one or more crease lines in the hanger precursor, the crease lines substantially bisecting the two opposing hook head portions to facilitate the folding of the hook head portions over one another. The crease lines may be created by one or more of scoring and perforating.

Die cutting the sheet and creating the one or more crease lines may be performed in a single step The method may further comprise printing on one side of the sheet or the hanger precursor such that the hanger precursor is foldable to form a hanger with printing visible on one or both outer sides of the hanger.

Printing may occur before feeding the sheet into the die cutting machine or after die cutting the sheet so that the sheet comprises a hanger precursor.

In a second aspect, there is provided a hanger precursor manufactured according to any of the methods discussed above.

In a third aspect, there is provided a hanger comprising a double-layered hook head formed from two opposing hook head portions of a hanger precursor folded over one another. The hanger precursor may be manufactured according to any of the methods discussed above.

Corresponding computer programs for implementing one or more steps of the methods disclosed herein are also within the present disclosure and are encompassed by one or more of the described example embodiments. One or more of the computer programs may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to configure any apparatus to perform any method disclosed herein. One or more of the computer programs may be software implementations, and the computer may be considered as any appropriate hardware, including one or more of a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) and Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), as non-limiting examples.

It will be appreciated that any "computer" described herein can comprise a collection of one or more individual processors/processing elements that may or may not be located on the same circuit board, or the same region/position of a circuit board or even the same device. In some example embodiments one or more of any mentioned processors may be distributed over a plurality of devices. The same or different processor/processing elements may perform one or more functions described herein.

One or more of the computer programs may be provided on a computer readable medium, 25 which may be a physical computer readable medium such as a disc or a memory device or other non-transient tangible medium, or may be embodied as a transient signal. Such a transient signal may be a network download, including an internet download.

The present disclosure includes one or more corresponding aspects, example embodiments or features in isolation or in various combinations whether or not specifically stated (including claimed) in that combination or in isolation. Corresponding means for performing one or more of the discussed functions are also within the present disclosure.

The above summary is intended to be merely exemplary and non-limiting.

Brief Description of the Figures

A description is now given, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Figure 1 shows one example of a hanger precursor as described herein; Figure 2 shows the hanger precursor of Figure 1 in a half-folded configuration; Figure 3 shows a hanger made from the hanger precursor of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows the main steps of a method as described herein; Figure 5 shows several examples of hanger precursors as described herein; Figure 6 shows several examples of hanger precursors as described herein; Figure 7 shows an example of a hanger with a sleeve as described herein; Figure 8 shows several examples of hangers as described herein; and Figure 9a shows one example of a hanger precursor as described herein; Figure 9b shows a hanger made from the hanger precursor of Figure 9a; Figure 10a shows one example of a hanger precursor as described herein; Figure 10b shows a hanger made from the hanger precursor of Figure 10a; Figure 11 shows a computer-readable medium comprising a computer program configured to perform, control or enable a method as described herein.

Detailed Description

Hangers are typically used to allow consumer products to be conveniently stored and/or displayed, such as in a shop, warehouse or a consumer's wardrobe.

The particular shape and design of a hanger may depend on the type of consumer product that it is intended to support. The term "hanger" should be understood to include at least garment hangers and packaging hooks.

A garment hanger includes a hook portion and shoulder portions which directly support a garment (e.g. for tops, trousers, jackets or bras). A garment can be supported by just the shoulder portions of the garment hanger.

A packaging hook includes a hook and can optionally include shoulder portions. A packaging hook requires additional packaging to support the consumer product (e.g. one or more pairs of socks, fights, knickers or non-clothing items). In some embodiments, the additional packaging is a sleeve, box or tag. For example, a tag (e.g. a swift tag) may be threaded through a pinhole in the packaging hook and the consumer product to directly

S

attach the consumer product to the packaging hook. A sleeve (e.g. a cardboard sleeve) may be fitted over the packaging hook, with consumer products positioned within and supported by the sleeve. Similarly, a box may be fitted over the packaging hook with consumer products positioned within and supported by the box. The sleeve or box may itself be supported by shoulders of the packaging hook (e.g. as shown in Figure 7 for packaging hook 150 and sleeve 760) or attached to the packaging hook by a tag. The packaging hook may be used with various clothing items (e.g. one or more pairs of socks, tights or knickers) or non-clothing items.

Figure 1 shows a hanger precursor 100 (for a packaging hook-type hanger) according to one embodiment of the invention, in a plan view and two side views. Hanger precursor 100 comprises two opposing hook head portions 105, (optional) shoulder portions 110, (optional) pinhole 120 and (optional) crease line 115. The hook head portions 105 are configured to be foldable over one another to form a double-layered hook head of a hanger (such as hanger 150 shown in Figure 3). To form the double-layered hook head, hanger precursor 100 can (but does not have to be) folded along crease line 115. The hanger precursor 100 has a thickness of 2.5 mm.

Figure 2 shows the hanger precursor 100 in a half-folded configuration.

Figure 3 shows (in one plan view and two side views) a hanger 150 formed by folding the hanger precursor 100 along the crease line 115 and folding the hook head portions 105 over one another. Hanger 150 comprises a double-layered hook head 155 which is twice the thickness of the hook head portions 105 of the hanger precursor 100 (5 mm versus 2.5 mm).

Due to the increased thickness of the hook head (5 mm), hanger 150 is stronger and more rigid than a similar hanger made from a single layer of the same 2.5 mm-thick material. Additionally, the 2.5 mm-thick hanger precursor 100 is easier to manufacture than a hanger made from a single layer of 5 mm-thick material, as discussed below in relation to Figure 4.

The present disclosure is of course not limited to the shape, features or dimensions of hanger precursor 100 shown in Figure 1. Numerous other shapes, features and dimensions of hanger precursors can be envisaged and fall within the scope of protection.

Several other shapes of hanger cursors are shown in Figure 5 (for a garment hanger) and Figure 6 (for a packaging hook).

In some embodiments, hanger precursor 100 may be made from a recyclable material, to allow hanger 150 to be recycled at the end of its life cycle. The recyclable material may be one or more of paperboard, cardboard, other plant-based materials, a thermoplastic material, and a shape memory material.

In some embodiments, hanger precursor 100 (and thus hanger 150) may be made from a flexible material, i.e. a material that can be deformed without breaking. The flexible material may be resiliently deformable. Use of a flexible material may produce hangers that are more resistant to being bent out of shape, which may make them more hard-wearing and long-lasting. Use of a flexible material may also allow the hook head 155 to be temporarily bent to facilitate hooking onto an attachment point (e.g. a large rail).

In some embodiments, the flexible material may not be capable of holding a deformed shape and so hanger 150 will return to its original shape with no manual intervention required. However in other embodiments, the material may be able to hold a deformed shape and the hanger 150 may require manual intervention to return it to its original shape. For example, hook head 155 may be rotatable/twistable about an axis to alter the relative orientation between the hook head 155 and the consumer product(s) supported by the hanger 150. For example, the hook head 155 may be twisted (e.g. by 90 degrees) about the axis perpendicular to a crease line 165 and parallel to the plane of the undeformed hanger hook head 155. This allows the hook head to be hung from a differently orientated attachment point (e.g. rail) whilst the consumer product and (optional) shoulders of the hanger face in the same direction, and/or for consumer products to be displayed in different directions.

In some embodiments, the hanger cursor may be made from a shape memory material, i.e. a material which can hold a deformed shape but which returns to an original shape in response to an external trigger (e.g. temperature for a thermoplastic material).

Figure 4 shows the main steps of a method 400 of manufacturing a hanger precursor (e.g. hanger precursor 100) according to one embodiment. In step 430, a sheet is fed into a die-cutting machine. In step 440, the sheet is die cut so that the sheet comprises a hanger precursor (e.g. hanger precursor 100) with two opposing hook head portions (e.g. hook head portions 105) which are configured to be foldable over one another to form a double-layered hook head of a hanger (e.g. hook head 155 of hanger 150).

In some embodiments, the hanger precursor produced by method 400 (e.g. hanger precursor 100) can be removed from the sheet by one or more of pressing the hanger precursors, stripping the waste material from the sheet and shaking the sheet. In some embodiments, the hanger precursor 100 is removed immediately after die cutting. In other embodiments, additional steps are performed between die cutting and removal of the hanger precursor 100, e.g. forming crease lines or printing on the hanger precursor (both as discussed below). In some embodiments, the die-cut hanger precursor 100 may be transported (e.g. shipping from a factory to a buyer) before it is removed from the sheet. This may protect the hanger precursor from damage during transit.

The single-layer hanger precursor 100 may be folded to form a hanger 150 with a double-layered hook head 155 formed from the two opposing hook head portions 105 folded over each other.

As discussed above, the double-layered hook head 155 of the resultant hanger 150 has double the thickness of the hanger precursor 100 and of the sheet from which it was formed. In some embodiments, the thickness of the sheet may be between 1 mm and 4 mm and the thickness of the double-layered hook head 155 between 2 mm and 8 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the sheet may be between 1.5 mm and 3 mm and the thickness of the double-layered hook head 155 between 3 mm and 6 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the sheet is 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm or 3 mm, and the thickness of the double-layered hook head 155 is 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm or 6 mm.

It will be appreciated that there are limits on the thickness of a sheet that a die-cutting machine is able to cut, and that the material properties (including thickness) of the sheet used to form the hanger precursor are such that the sheet can be die cut. As previously discussed, the sheet (and thus the hanger precursor) may be made from materials such as paperboard, cardboard, other plant-based materials a thermoplastic material, and a shape memory material. The limits on the thickness of a sheet that a die-cutting machine is able to cut may be different for different sheet materials.

The present method allows for the formation of a hanger (e.g. hanger 150) with a hook head (e.g. hook head 155) up to twice the thickness of the thickest die-cuttable sheet of a given material. For example, if a die-cutting machine can cut sheets up to 3 mm thick, a hanger of 6 mm thickness can be formed. The increased thickness gives the double-layered hook head 155 of hanger 150 improved strength compared to a hook head of a similar hanger made from a single layer of the sheet, overcoming some of the limitations posed by die-cutting machines.

It will also be appreciated that the "single layer" sheet used to form the hanger precursor 100 may in fact be a multi-layered laminated sheet. Multiple layers might be used for structural, protective or design reasons, for example. The term "single layer" is used only to contrast with the "double layer" of the hanger hook head 155.

In some embodiments, one or more crease lines (e.g. crease line 115) are created in the hanger precursor 100 prior to folding, in order to make the folding step easier and/or quicker and to allow a neater-looking fold. (In these embodiments, the material properties of the sheet and hanger precursor 100 are such that crease lines can be formed in the sheet to facilitate folding). The one or more crease lines 115 substantially bisect the two opposing hook head portions 105 in order to facilitate the folding of the hook head portions 105 over one another. The crease lines 115 may be created by scoring, perforating, or using other methods. In some embodiments, creating the one or more crease lines 115 is performed at the same time as die cutting the sheet, in a single step. In other embodiments, the crease lines 115 can be created after die-cutting the hanger precursor 100. Crease lines 115 could also be created in the sheet prior to die-cutting the hanger precursor 100 (but with knowledge of where on the sheet the hanger precursor 100 would be cut from).

It will be appreciated that to form a hanger 150 from the hanger precursor 100, it is not strictly necessary to fold the hanger precursor 100 along a hook head-bisecting crease line 115 (whether or not formed prior to folding). In some embodiments, the hanger precursor 100 may be folded so that the two opposing hook head portions 105 are overlapping and attached together (e.g. with an adhesive or fastener) but without a discrete fold in the central portion of the hanger precursor 100. The central portion may be left as a curved portion or multiple crease lines 115 which do not substantially bisect the two opposing hook head portions 105 may be used (e.g. for example for design reasons or to create a more three-dimensional hanger).

In some embodiments, the hanger 150 (including the double-layered hook head 155) may be used without attaching together the two opposing hook heads 105 of the hanger precursor 100. For example, the hanger material may be sufficiently stiff to hold the folded hook heads close together without assistance. The material may be a shape memory material capable of holding the folded hook heads close together without assistance. In some situations, it may be desirable to be able to unfold the hangers 150 (e.g. for storage or transport of the hangers).

In other embodiments, the internal opposing sides of the hanger precursor 100 (these sides being from the same side of the sheet fed into the die-cutting machine) may be attached to one another to form a hanger 150 with a single integrated double-layered hook head 155 formed from the two opposing hook head portions 105. The attachment may comprise applying an adhesive to one or more of the sheet and the hanger precursor 100, before, during or after die-cutting. The attachment may involve fastening the two sides together with a clip or other fastening device.

In some embodiments, an entity can be (partially or completely) inserted between the two opposing sides of the hanger precursor 100 prior to folding such that when the two internal opposing sides are attached together, the entity is (partially or completed) held fixed within the hanger 150. The entity may comprise an RFID tag to be completely enclosed within the hanger 150 and usable to identify the hanger 150 (and the consumer product supported by the hanger). The entity may comprise a tear-off price tag to be held partially within the hanger 150, with the tear-off portion being external to the hanger 150.

In some embodiments, the entity is inserted between the opposing sides of the hanger precursor 100 after the hanger precursor 100 has been die cut. In other embodiments, the entity may be provided on the sheet prior to die-cutting (with knowledge of where on the sheet the hanger precursor 100 is to be cut from). In embodiments where multiple hanger precursors 100 are die cut from the same sheet, multiple entities may be provided on the sheet prior to die-cutting. The multiple entities may be provided within a second sheet (an entity sheet') that is positioned on top of the (hanger precursor material) sheet and fed into the die-cutting machine at the same time as the sheet. The entity sheet positions the multiple entities so that they are at least partially overlapping with the hanger precursors 100 to be cut from the sheet, to allow the entities to be at least partially held fixed within hangers 150 formed by folding the hanger precursors 100.

In some embodiments, the method involves printing on one side of the sheet (i.e. before or during die-cutting) or the hanger precursor 100 (i.e. during or after die-cutting) such that the hanger precursor 100 is foldable to form a hanger 150 with printing visible on one or both outer sides of the hanger. The visible printing may give information about the consumer product(s) that the hanger 150 is intended to support (e.g. size, price, brand name, material, washing instructions, country of origin), without requiring an additional tag or label to be attached. Printing may occur before feeding the sheet into the die cutting machine or after die cutting the sheet. Figure 8 shows examples of such hangers with printing visible on at least one outer side of the hanger and which are formable from a hanger precursor as discussed above.

In some embodiments, the method involves printing on both sides of the sheet, again such that the resultant the hanger precursor 100 is foldable to form a hanger 150 with printing visible on one or both outer sides of the hanger 150. In some embodiments, the hanger precursor 100 may include printing for two different consumer product types (e.g. different garments, different sizes of the same garment). The hanger precursor 100 may be folded in a different direction depending on which consumer product type the hanger is to be used for, i.e. different sides of the hanger precursor 100 may be the inner and outer sides of the hanger 150 depending on which printing is intended to be on the outer sides of the hanger 150.

In some embodiments, multiple hanger precursors 100 may be die cut from the sheet in a single die-cutting step. That is, the sheet can be die cut so that the sheet comprises two or more hanger precursors 100, each hanger precursor 100 having two respective opposing hook head portions 105 which are configured to be foldable over one another to form a double-layered hook head 155 of a respective hanger 150. This may enable multiple hanger precursors 100 to be made at once, increasing manufacturing efficiency.

In every example hanger precursor shown in Figures 5 and 6, the hanger precursor is symmetrical about a central crease line such that when a hanger is formed therefrom by folding along the crease line, the entirety of the hanger is double-layered. In other embodiments, the hanger precursor 100 is designed such that only part of a hanger formed therefrom is double-layered. Only the hook-head portion of the hanger is required to be double-layered. The hanger precursor may comprise other parts which, when the hanger precursor is folded, do not overlap with an opposing part of the hanger precursor to form a double layer. This may be, for example, for one or more of the following reasons: - to reduce the amount of material required to make a hanger, - to allow more convenient or space-efficient die cutting, - because the increased strength of a double layer is not required for parts of the hanger, - to allow parts of the hanger to protrude lower than a crease line (e.g. Figures 9a-9b), and -to allow parts of the hanger to protrude past a crease line (e.g. Figures 10a-10b).

Two such examples of hanger precursors 900, 1000 are shown in Figures 9a-9b and 10a-10b. Figures 9a and 9b respectively show a hanger precursor 900 and hanger 950. In hanger precursor 900, the two opposing hook head portions 905 and the part of the hanger precursor 900 directly between them overlap to form a double layer when the hanger precursor 900 is folded along the crease line 915 to form hanger 950. However, the two shoulder portions remain single-layered. This allows the shoulder portions 960 of the hanger 950 to protrude lower than the crease line 965 (i.e. to extend away from the crease line 965 in the opposite direction to the double-layered hook head 955).

Figures 10a and 10b respectively show a hanger precursor 1000 and hanger 1050 including a tab with a pinhole 1020, 1070 (through which a tag, e.g. a swift tag, could be threaded). In the folded hanger 1050, this tab is a single-layer which protrudes from the bottom of the double-layered hook head portion 1055 past the crease lines 1065a and 1065b (which could be considered as a single crease line 1065).

Figure 11 shows a computer-readable medium 1100 comprising a computer program configured to perform, control or enable a method as described herein. This computer program would be used to control one or more machines, e.g. in a processing line.

Advantageously, in some embodiments the manufacturing process may be entirely automated and controlled by a computer program. In other embodiments, some or all elements of the manufacturing process may require manual intervention. It will be appreciated that the methods described herein are also applicable for manually controlled machines.

Other example embodiments depicted in the figures have been provided with reference numerals that correspond to similar features of earlier described example embodiments. For example, feature number 1005 can also correspond to numbers 105, 905 etc. These numbered features may appear in the figures but may not have been directly referred to within the description of these particular example embodiments. These have still been provided in the figures to aid understanding of the further example embodiments, particularly in relation to the features of similar earlier described example embodiments.

The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole, in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. The applicant indicates that the disclosed aspects/example embodiments may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features as applied to different example embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices described may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or example embodiment may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or example embodiment as a general matter of design choice. Furthermore, in the claims means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures.

Claims

Claims 1. A method comprising: feeding a sheet into a die-cutting machine; and die cutting the sheet so that the sheet comprises a hanger precursor with two opposing hook head portions which are configured to be foldable over one another to form a double-layered hook head of a hanger.
2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the sheet is made from a recyclable material.
3. The method of Claim 2, wherein the recyclable material is one or more of paperboard, cardboard, a thermoplastic material, and a shape memory material.
4. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the hanger is a packaging hook or a garment hanger.
5. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising: die cutting the sheet so that the sheet comprises two or more hanger precursors, each with two respective opposing hook head portions which are configured to be foldable over one another to form a double-layered hook head of a respective hanger.
6. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising: removing the hanger precursor from the sheet by one or more of pressing, stripping and shaking.
7. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising: folding the hanger precursor to form a hanger with a double-layered hook head formed from the two opposing hook head portions.
8. The method of Claim 7, further comprising: attaching the internal opposing sides of the hanger precursor to one another to form a hanger with a single integrated double-layered hook head formed from the two opposing hook head portions.
9. The method of Claim 8, wherein attaching the internal opposing sides of the hanger precursor to one another comprises applying an adhesive to one or more of the sheet and the hanger precursor.
10. The method of Claim 8 or 9, further comprising: inserting an entity between the two opposing sides of the hanger precursor prior to folding
11. The method of Claim 10, wherein the entity comprises an RFID tag.
12. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising: creating one or more crease lines in the hanger precursor, the crease lines substantially bisecting the two opposing hook head portions to facilitate the folding of the hook head portions over one another.
13. The method of Claim 12, wherein the crease lines are created by one or more of scoring and perforating.
14. The method of Claim 12 or claim 13, wherein die cutting the sheet and creating the one or more crease lines are performed in a single step.
15. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising: printing on one side of the sheet or the hanger precursor such that the hanger precursor is foldable to form a hanger with printing visible on one or both outer sides of the hanger.
16. The method of Claim 15, wherein printing occurs before feeding the sheet into the die cutting machine or after die cutting the sheet so that the sheet comprises a hanger precursor.
17. A hanger precursor manufactured according to a method from any of Claims 1-16.
18. A hanger comprising a double-layered hook head formed from two opposing hook head portions of a hanger precursor folded over one another.
19. The hanger of claim 18, wherein the hanger precursor is manufactured according to a method from any of Claims 1-16.
20. A computer program comprising computer-readable instructions which when executed on a computer cause the computer to configure any apparatus to perform a method from any of Claims 1-16.