US2318770A - Garment hanger - Google Patents

Description

May 11, 1943. M FREEMAN 2,318,770

GARMENT HANGER Filed Jan. 30, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 luv: Mot.

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May 11, 1943- R. M. D. FREEMAN 2,318,770

GARMENT HANGER Filed Jan. 50, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 11, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT HANGER Richard M. D. Freeman, Goldsboro, N. 0. Application January 30, 1941, Serial no. 376,701

1 Claim.

This invention relates to garment hangers and morev particularly to hangers adapted for use initially by dry cleaners for returning all types of suits, overcoats, dresses and other garments after they have been cleaned and/or pressed.

Considerable difllculty has been experienced in the use of the ordinary garment hanger in the satisfactory adaption of the same in supporting various kinds of ladies and gentlemens garments in that when the garment hanger is constructed so as to be satisfactoryfor use in supporting some of these garments it does not effectively support certain of the other kinds of garments.

In the usual type of garment hanger now in general use today by the dry cleaning and pressing establishments, certain of the lighter sleeveless garments such as mens trousers, vests, ladies garments with shoulder straps, ladies skirts, etc., must be pinned onto the hanger, otherwise they are likely to slide off or be shaken 011 durin delivery and may be lost, or wrinkled up where a garment bag is used in conjunction with the hanger. The pinning of these garments on the hangers has a number of objectionable features among which are the additional time and labor required to place the pins in the garments, the unsightly pin holes left in the garments after the pins have been removed, the tendency of the pins to cause wrinkling of the garment, and in delicate garments the likelihood of the garment to tear or become damaged during its removal from the hanger should it happen that some of the pins were overlooked and not removed. Therefore, an object of the present invention is the construction of a simple and inexpensive garment hanger in which garments of various types may be supported thereon without the use of auxiliary securing means such as pins and the like.

A further object of my invention is the provision in a garment hanger formed of a single length of bendable resilient material having an elongated supporting bar and side bars inclined upwardly to the supporting hook portion of the hanger, in which the side bars each have offset gripping portions normally tensioned against the elongated supporting bar to yieldably grip any garment placed on the supporting bar.

A further object of my invention is the provision of finger loops formed in each of the offset gripping portions which are normally tensioned against the elongated bar to constitute gripping means for the garmentvor garments supported by the bar, the finger loops also forming a curved Still another important object of my invention is the provision of cushioning means located on the finger loop member and disposed between the loop member and the elongated bar member.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Y will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure l is a side view of one improved form of garment hanger embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a side View of a slightly modified form of my invention;

Figure 3 is a side view of a further modification;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing the finger loop portion of the garment hanger as disclosed in Figure 3;

Figure 5 enlarged vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 and showing in dotted lines a garment disposed on the elongated supporting bar; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 disclosing a tubular cushioning member disposed on the finger loop portion between the finger loop and elongated supporting bar.

Like reference characters designate correirponding parts in the several figures of the draw- Referring particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings, the hanger member is preferably formed of a single piece of wire bent upon itself to provide an elongated garment supporting bar I and upwardly inclining side bars 2 and 3. The extremity of the side bar 3 is bent to form a supporting hook or suspension member 4 while the extremity of the side bar 2 is twisted around the side bar 3 as indicated at 5 intermediate the same and the hook portion 4. The side bar members 2 and 3 are each provided with inwardly extending oil'set gripping portions 6 and l ter minating in the finger loops 8 and 9. In this form of the invention the finger loop portions are tensioned against the top or upper side of the supporting bar I so that when the garment is placed on the supporting bar I, the finger loop portions 8-and.9 will exert a downward clamping pressure on the garment to securely hold the same in place on the bar I. By placing a finger in the loop portions 8 and 8 or grippin the loop portions between the thumb and forefinger and exerting an upward pressure thereon, the gripping members 6 and I may be readily elevated to permit ready removal of the garment from the supporting bar I.

The opening into the loop portions as seen in this figure of the drawings is comparatively narrow and the sides of the opening are substantially parallel so that the loop portions constitute supporting means for receiving the supporting means of other garments such as ladies slips, skirts which today are usually provided with supporting loops, and the like, the. shoulder straps or supporting loops of which may be disposed in the loop portions 8 and 9, thus supporting these garments against lateral shifting on the hanger,

and the straight upwardly inclined passage from the loop to the exterior of the hanger makes it easy and convenient to remove the garment from the hanger, while minimizing accidental displacement therof from the hanger. If the suspension loops of a skirt or the like are too small to pass over the ends of the hanger and into the hanger loops, then by depressing the tension loops, the end portions of the hanger may be contracted sufiiciently to permit passage of the skirt loops thereover.

In Figure 2 of the drawings I have shown the finger loop portions ID of the inwardly ofiset gripping members II to be of semi-circular form and tensioned against the side of the elongated garment supporting bar i2. By disposing the gripping portions H at the side of the supporting bar l2 instead of being tensioned against the top of the bar I2, I find that the garments may be held in place on the bar with less tendency of the gripping members to leave impressions on or creases in the garment.

If desired a cardboard tube l3, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2 of the drawings, may be employed. This tube is disposed on the supporting bar l2 during the formation of the hanger.

Figure 3 illustrates a modification in which the finger loop portions I4 are substantially the same as disclosed in Figure 1 except that they are tensioned and positioned to engage the side of the elongated bar [5 instead of the top, as best seen in Figure 4.

In this form the hanger is more angular in that the end portions of the supporting bar l5 are bent abruptly at [6 to form the side bars l1, and these side bars are formed with an intermediate bent portion l8 and a substantially horizontal portion l9 leading to the hook member 20.

In Figure 6 the loop portion 14 of the gripping members 2| is provided with a rubber tubular sleeve or resilient friction covering 22 which assists in holding the garments on the supporting bar l5 and due to its yielding action reduces the tendency of the gripping member to pressions on the garments.

By, forming the hanger with comparatively acute angles at the bent portions, I find that it seems to place more stress or tension on the portion of the hanger above the bottom bar, thus reducing the tendency of the hanger to deform due to the weight of the garment supported by the bottom bar.

By constructing the gripping portions 6, l, and II, II, and 2|, 2| so as to provide only a relatively narrow opening between their parallel sides, the total length of wire required for each individual hanger is kept to a minimum, and the gripping pressure exerted thereby is confined to a limited area of the garment, thereby minimizing creasing or wrinkling of the garment. Moreover, by keeping the size of the finger loops relatively small, there is less tendency of lateral slippage of the garment on the bar and hence minimum wrinkling of the garment.

It is to be understood that while the tube i 3 form imhas been shown and described in relation to one form of invention, it may be applied to any of the other forms if desired. Likewise, the resilient friction member 22 may be applied to the other hangers as well as to that of Figure 6.

While the specific details of construction have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto as alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A garment hanger of the class described, comprising a continuous length ofbendable resilient wire formed into an elongated garment supporting bar and side bars inclining generally upwardly from the respectively opposite ends of the gar- .ment supporting bar and terminating in a suspension member located substantially midway between and above the opposite ends of the garment supporting bar, said side bars each being provided with an elongated offset garment gripping member coacting with the garment supporting bar aforesaid, said gripping members each comprising closely spaced parallel arms bent from the respective side bars of the hanger and depending therefrom at an inclination towards the arms of the other gripping member, said arms of each of the respective gripping members defining a garment receiving slot therebetween opening in a generally upward direction, and terminating in a rounded loop normally tensioned against the garment supporting bar and defining a finger hole for moving said gripping member away from the bar and also for receiving the supports of a garment therein upon introduction of said latter supports through the slots between the arms of the gripping members.

RICHARD M. D. FREEMAN.

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