US2467011A

US2467011A - Stocking hanger

Info

Publication number: US2467011A
Application number: US751087A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Crosby
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-05-28
Filing date: 1947-05-28
Publication date: 1949-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 1966-04-12

Description

April 12, 1949- w. J. CROSBY 2,467,011

STOCKING HANGER Filed y 28, 1947 INVENTQR,

MW+W

Patented Apr. 12, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to hangers and means to provide an improved stocking hanger.

In the past, it has been customary for women to wash their stockings in the evening and then to drape them over a rack to dry. The folded stockings dry slowly and often occupy space which could be used to better advantage by towels or washcloths. I have discovered that a small, inexpensive but attractive stocking hanger can be provided for this purpose.

The hanger which I have invented consists of a frame which may be made from molded materials which are plastic when heated but set to a hard and rigid state when cooled. The frame has a central neck and a pair of arms whose outer ends are provided with a flat downwardly inclined lower surface. Each arm is provided with a pair of channels for the reception of a spring. One of these channels extends vertically through the arm adjacent its end. The other channel is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the neck to a mouth which is located in the upper face of the arms at a point between the neck and the vertical channel. The spring extends from the inclined channel to a point above the vertical channel and has a le extending through the vertical channel for up and down movement and the end of the spring normally bears against the lower surface of the end of the arm. A hook is attached to the frame at its neck. The frame is preferably made from a pair of molded longitudinal members whose inner faces are attached to each other and are symmetrically grooved to provide the channels in the frame.

In order that my invention will be clearly understood, 1 will describe the specific embodiment which I now prefer and which is illustrated on an enlarged scale in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the hanger;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of one of the longitudinal members showing the sprin and hook and the grooves provided for them in the inner face of that member;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hanger illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fdig. 4 is a section along the lines 4-4 in Fig. 1; an

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating a modified form of spring.

The hanger illustrated in the drawings consists .of a frame 1 equipped with a wire hook 8 and a flat steel spring 9. The frame 1 has a central neck III and a pair of arms II'. The ends M of arms II have downwardly inclined lower surfaces l5. The frame I is constructed from a pair of molded plastic longitudinal members l6 each of which has a pair of vertical grooves H, a pair of inclined grooves I8 and a central groove l9 terminating in an indentation 20.

The spring 9 is bent to provide a central portion which fits in the inclined grooves l8, a pair of vertical legs 22 which fit in the grooves l1 and ends 23 which normally bear against the lower surfaces 15 of the ends of arms H. The hook 8 has a shank 24 which fits in the central groove l9 and a ball 25 which fits in the indentation 20.

The hanger is assembled by placing the shank 26 and ball 25 in the groove [9 and indentation 20 respectively, and by placing the spring 9 in grooves ll, l8 of one of the longitudinal members It. The other longitudinal member is then fitted against the first longitudinal member so that the corresponding grooves of these two members coincide to provide channels for the central portion and legs 22 of spring 9, and for the shank 24. The indentations 20 provide a socket for the ball 25. The two longitudinal members It are then fastened to each other. This can be done conveniently by molding a hole 2'1 in each arm II and then forcing a plug 28 into each pair of registering holes 21. The plug 28 is preferably molded from a plastic material of the same composition as the members I6, and the plugs are softened by a solvent before they are inserted in the holes 21. Then, when the solvent dries, the plugs 28 are firmly cemented to the longitudinal members H5.

The spring 9 projects from the inclined passageways formed by the grooves l8 to points above the passageways formed by the grooves H. To suspend a stocking from a hanger, it is merely necessary to depress one of the ends 23 as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, by grasping the corresponding arm I I and the portion of spring 9 which is directly above it and squeezing them together. An end of the stocking is then placed between spring end 23 and the face l5 and the spring is released. In order that the sprin 9 may be easily flexed in this manner, the grooves l8 flare outwardly to provide wide mouths at the outer ends of those grooves, while the inner ends of the grooves I8 are so narrow that there is substantially no play between them and the spring 9.

It will be noted that the lower surfaces [5 of the end of each arm I I, and the ends 23 of the spring 9, are inclined downwardly. Consequently, if a stocking suspended from the hanger were pulled without depressing the end of spring 9, it would slip away from the hanger without being torn. Further provision for insuring against tearing a stocking under such circumstances is illustrated in Fig. 5, where the end 23 of spring 9 is rounded at 30.

The channel and socket provided for shank 24 and ball 25 are sufliciently large to permit hook 8 to be rotated. As a result, the hanger may be suspended from a fixture whether it is parallel to, or projects at an angle from, a wall. The dimensions of my hanger may be such that it is only three or four inches from end to end. Consequently, it is very convenient, occupies very little space and can be readily suspended from practically any bathroom fixture. It can be given a very attractive appearance by coating the hook 8 and spring 9 with an enamel whose color is the same as, or blends with, the color of the material from which the frame I is made.

The terms which I have used are terms of description and not of limitation, and it will be appreciated that modifications may be made in the specific embodiment which I have described without departing from my invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A stocking hanger comprising a frame having a central neck and a pair of arms, each of said arms having an end with a fiat downwardly inclined lower surface, a vertical channel extending through the arm adjacent said end, and an inclined channel leading outwardly and upwardly to the upper face of the arm at a point between said vertical channel and the neck; a spring extending from the inclined channel to a point above the vertical channel and having a leg extending through the vertical channel for up and down movement therein, and an end norm-ally engaging the lower surface of the end of the arm;

and a hook extending upward from said neck.

2. A stocking hanger comprising a frame having a central neck and a pair of arms, each of said arms having an end with a fiat downwardly inclined lower surface, a vertical channel extending through the arm adjacent said end, and an inclined channel leading outwardly and upwardly to the upper face of the arm at a point between said vertical channel and the neck; a spring extending from the inclined channel to a point above the vertical channel and having a leg extending through the vertical channel for up and down movement therein, and a rounded end normally engaging the lower surface of the end of the arm; and a hook extending upward from said neck.

3. A stocking hanger comprising a molded plastic frame having a central neck and a pair ofarms, each of said arms having an end with a flat downwardly inclined lower surface, a vertical channel extending through the arm adjacent said end, and an inclined channel leading outwardly and upwardly to the upper face of the arm at a point between said vertical channel and the neck; a spring extending from the inclined channel to a point above the vertical channel and having a leg extending through the vertical channel for up and down movement therein, and an end normally engaging the lower surface of the end of the arm; and a hook journaled in said neck.

4. Astocking hanger comprising a frame having a central neck and a pair of arms, each of said arms having an end with a flat downwardly inclined lower surface, a vertical channel extending through the arm adjacent said end, and an inclined channel flaring outwardly and upwardly to a wide mouth located in the upper face of the arm at a point between said vertical channel and 4 the neck; a spring extending from the inclined channel to a point above the vertical channel and having a leg extending through the vertical channel for up and down movement therein, and an end normally engaging the lower surface of the end of the arm; and a hook extending upward from said neck.

5. A stocking hanger comprising a frame having a central neck and a pair of arms, each of said [arms having an end with a fiat downwardly inclined lower surface, a vertical channel extending through the arm adjacent said end, and an inclined channel in one arm leading outwardly and upwardly from the inner end of the corresponding channel in the other arm to the upper face of the arm at a point between said vertical channel and the neck; a spring extending from the inclined communicating channels to points above the vertical channels and having legs extending through the vertical channels for up and down --movement therein, and ends normally engaging the lower surfaces of the ends of the arms; and a hook journaled in said neck.

6. A stocking hanger comprising a frame composed of a pair of molded plastic longitudinal members whose inner faces are attached to each other, and having a central neck and a pair of arms each having an outer end with a downwardly inclined lower surface, the inner faces of said members being symmetrically grooved to provide in the frame a central channel terminating in a socket, a pair of vertical channels extending through said arms adjacent their ends, and a pair of inclined channels communicating with each other in the neck and each flaring outwardly and upwardly to a wide mouth in the upper face of the arm between the neck and one of said vertical channels; a spring extending through the inclined channels to a point above each of said vertical channels and having legs extending through the vertical channels for up and down movement therein, and ends normally engaging said lower surfaces of the ends of the respective arms; and a hook having a shank mounted in the central channel and terminating in a ball journ'aled in said socket. v

7. A stocking hanger comprising a channeled frame having a central neck and a pair of arms, each of said arms having an end with a flat downwardly inclined lower surface; an M-shaped spring having a pair of inner legs and a pair of outer legs mounted in said framefor limited up and down movement, each of the inner legs extending upwardly and outwardly from a channel in said necktoa point above the upper surface of said arms, each of the outer legs extending downward from an inner leg through a channel in an arm and having an end normally engaging the lower surface of the end of the arm; and a hook extending upward from said neck.

WILLIAM J. CROSBY.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Flocco Dec. 17, 1935