US2417684A - Finger grip expandable garment hanger - Google Patents

Description

March 18, 1947. L. B HARRls ETAL FINGER GRIP EXPANDABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed April 22, 1946 v G gm---.w-1------ a a a z B R R A H 9 D R A W E L E L A C m P R 0 h V w. Y B

Patented Mar. 18, 1947 FINGER GRIP EXPANDABLE GARMENT HANGER Leonard B. Harris, Southold, and Vito R. Pascale,

New York, N. Y.

Application April 22, 1946, Serial No. 664,110

This invention relates to expanding clothes hangers which are particularly adapted for hanging up ladies skirts, trousers and like garments.

An object of this invention is to provide improvements in expanding garment hangers of the type which automatically adapts itself to different size skirts or trousers and which, by its inherent tendency to expand, can support a garment. and hold it in shape.

Another object of this invention is to provide an expanding garment hanger comprising two supporting arms each mounted for equal horizontal sliding movement and having a coil spring adapted to be compressed during the movement of the arms, the coil spring causing outward pressure and forcible distension of the arms after the hanger is inserted in a skirt or trousers and the pressure or tension on the arms is released,

whereby the garment is gripped and supported by the hanger.

This invention is an improvement on the garment hanger disclosed in our patent application Serial Number 611,200, filed August 1'7, 1945.

Another object of this invention is to provide finger grips in the said expanding type garment hanger whereby the user may move both the supporting arms towards each other to facilitate the insertion of the hanger in a garment.

Another object of this invention resides in the particular arrangement and structural features of the cooperating elements.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and arrangement of parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim which form part of this specification.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal view of the hanger, showing a coil spring in normally extended or open position and finger grips in far spaced relation.

Figure 2 is an end view of the hanger, partly broken away to show a portion of the housing in cross-section and one of the finger grips passing through a slot in the housing, the spring being omitted.

Figure 8 is a side view of a supporting arm and integral finger-grip member.

Figure 4 is a top view of the slotted housing.

Figure 5 is an end view of the housing.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention 1 1 Claim. (Cl. 223-95) the numeral It indicates a finger-grip expandable skirt or trouser hanger comprising two arms II, II, positioned in coaxial slidable relation.

Each arm has an extension l2 at its free end. The extension is positioned in obtuse angular relation with the arm. Figure 1 is a central longitudinal view of the hanger iii. The hanger I!) comprises a tubular housing 13 which has a slot 54 at its upper elevation and threads I5 at each end.

At each end of the housing [3 is a cover I6 of cylindrical cross-section. Each cover It comprises a tubular portion i1 having an opening of circular cross-section forming a, bearing 18 in which arms ll having a circular cross-section may be mounted in slidable relation.

Mounted on the inner end portion of each arm II is an elongated bushing [9. The bushing i9 is fixedly held on the arm II by riveting the end portion of the arm. The bushing l9 has a collar 26. Mounted on each bushing i9 and in abutting relation with the collar 20 is a finger grip 2|.

The finger grip 2| is pressed on the elongated portion of the bushing I9 so that the finger grip and bushing form an integral unit. The upper portion of the finger grip 2| is of a size to fit into and to be in slideable engagement Within the slot I4.

Mounted within the housing [3 is an open coil spring 22 which is of sufiicient length to permit its engagement with both finger grips and to press the finger grips equally away from each other and in abutting relation With the covers I6.

A hook or supporting member 23 has a looped end of a size large enough to engage a clothes rod or rail. At its lower end the hook member 23 is bent to provide one arm 24 of a bifurcation. The free end of the arm 24 is positioned horizontally.

The hook member 23 comprises another arm 24' the free end of which is also positioned horizontally. The upper end of the arm 24 is in coiled interengagement with a coiled portion of the hook member 23. The two arms 24, 24' are of a size permitting entrance into two circular openings 25 on diametrically opposite sides and at the mid portion of the housing It.

As best shown in Figure 2, the free end portions of the arms 24, 24' are inside the housing l3 and are of sufiicient length to pass across th Wire of the coils of the spring 22 (not shown).

With the arrangement shown, the finger grips 2! may be spaced apart sufficiently close so as to be engageable with two fingers of one hand and moved equally towards each other to cause compression of the spring from opposite ends. Each half of the spring is individually and equally compressed because of the engagement of two of its coils with the arms 24, 24, of the hook member 23.

It is to be noted that due to the axial arrangement of the supporting arms, that the arms may be made as long as desired while at the same time maintaining a minimum length of housing, that is coextensive with the spread length of the hand of the user. Only one length of housing is thus adaptable to any length of hanger.

In accordance with the patent statutes we have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment of our invention, but it will be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

We claim:

In a level hanging one-hand actuated expandable garment hanger of the class described, comprising a tubular housing having a longitudinal slot in its upper surface, covers and bearings secured respectively at each end of said housing, a supporting hook pivotally positioned at the central portion of said housing, garment supporting arms slidable in said bearings and having bushings at the ends inside said housing, two equally movable finger-grip members slidable within said housing and passing through said slot and being integral with said supporting arms for bringing said supporting arms equally toward each other, said arms being equidistant from said central supporting hook in all adjusted positions, a compression coil spring in said tubular housing pressing against said finger-grip members for extending said supporting arms, said hook having arms with free end portions passing between two coils through the midportion of said spring, thereby causing each half of said spring to be equally compressed and said fingergrip members to be equally movable toward each other supporting arms being positioned in obtuse angular relation with said housing and adapted to automatically support various garments in normally level hanging position.

LEONARD B. HARRIS.

VITO R. PASCALE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,247,551 Lendle Nov. 20, 1917 1,272,164 Williams July 9, 1918 1,804,314 Brun May 5, 1931 2,017,761 Leonard Oct. 15, 1935 2,096,717 Hille Oct. 26, 1932 2,281,842 Isaacson May 5, 1942

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