US2800261A

US2800261A - Telescopically adjustable garment hanger

Info

Publication number: US2800261A
Application number: US546032A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lee Wing Wah
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-11-10
Filing date: 1955-11-10
Publication date: 1957-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 1974-07-23

Description

July 23,1957 WING WAH LEE 2,

TELESCOPICALLY ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 10. 1955 INVENTOR. WING .n H LEE,

' ,arroe/vf vs July 23, 1957 wms 'WAH LEE- 2,

TELESCOPICALLYI ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed Nov. 10. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet z IN V EN TOR.

WING -W4/-/ LEE',

a 2,800,261 I Patented July 23, 1957 2,800,261 TELESCOPICALLY ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Wing Wah Lee, San Francisco, Calif. Application November 10, 1955, Serial No. 546,032

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-94) far as the length of the garment support meansthereof is concerned, while still being adapted for manufacture at relatively low cost. r

Another object is to provide a garment hanger of the type stated wherein the telescopically adjustable support arms thereof are so related one to another as to permit the same-to be relatively adjusted in a longitudinal direction within a wide range, thereby to permit use of the hanger in supporting childrens as well as adult garments, and further, in supporting garments of any size or type. f f

Still another object is to so relate the support arms as to cause the same to be shifted longitudinally of one another through a regularly curved common or substantially common arcuate path.

Still another object is to provide a garment which, while having the desirable characteristics noted above in respect to the relative adjustability of the support arms, will still be capable of construction at a cost sufficiently low to make the same commercially feasible.

A further object is to provide for the telecopic adjustment of the arms by slidable support of the same in a guideway merging directly into the support means of the hanger, whereby to provide particularly great strength in the hanger in relation to the relatively low cost thereof.

Still another object is to provide, if desired, trousers support hooks at the ends of said guideway, with said hooks permitting the weight of the supported trousers to be transmitted directly to the support means of the device, thus to relieve the garment support arms of the Weight of the supported trousers to the maximum extent.

Still another object is to so relate the adjustable support arms to the guideway-providing means as to hold said arms against slippage from selected positions of adjustment, With the construction further being adapted to permit a saving of closet space when the hanger is not in use by telescoping of the arms to their maximum extent.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the-claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of one form of garment hanger constructed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a modified construction;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 3; Y

Figure 5 is a front elevational view of a fication;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of fication;

Figure 7 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section of a third modification; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, the garment hanger constituting the preserit invention has been generally designated by the reference numeral 10, and comprises a plurality of lengths of stout, comparatively rigid Wire material.

One of said lengths is fashioned into a suspension hook 12, and at the base of said hook is formed with a series of spirallingconvolutions 14 merging at its lower end into alaterally projecting, spirally twisted guideway portion 16. At the end of said portion remote from the spirally twisted stem of the suspension hook means, the length, of the wire has a depending extension tersecond modithe second modiminating in an upwardly turned hook 18 faced in a direction away from the suspension hook.

Asecond length of wire, at one end, has a series of.

spiralling convolutions 20 intertwisted with convolutions 14, to cooperate therewith in providing a particularlystrong support stem of double thickness.

. At the base of the stern, the second length is extended laterally and is spirally twisted to provide a guideway portion 22. This is integrally formed, at its outer end, with a depending extension terminating in an upwardly 1' turned book 24 faced oppositely to hook 18.

hanger Theguideway portions extend 'n opposite directions from the support stem, and together define an elongated guideway which as shown in Figure 1 is slightly curved longitudinally'with the stem meeting the guideway substantially at the crest of the curve. I

. Slidably engaged in the guideway are the telescopically related inner end portions of

arcuate support arms

26, 28 curved about a center common to that of the guide- Way, and travelling in parallel paths within the guideway. At their outer ends, support

arms

26, 28 are formed with depending

loops

30, 32 respectively, to eliminate the danger of a garment catching upon the support arms. 7

At their inner ends, the support arms are formed with

eyes

34, 36 respectively, the eye 34 extending downwardly and loosely receiving the arm 28, and the eye 36 extending upwardly to loosely receive arm 26. The eyes, as will be appreciated, form abutments adapted to engage the adjacent ends of the guideway on extension of the support arms and further constitute abutments limiting movement of the support arms in a direction to retract the same. In the latter event, the eyes engage the

loops

30, 32.

It will be seen that when the arms are extended to their maximum extent, they provide a garment hanger of substantial length adapted to support garments of large size. However, the arms can be retracted as necessary, to any desired extent, to shorten the length of the hanger. Thisadapts the hanger for use in supporting childrens garments, and also various light-weight garments such as blouses, dresses, and the like. A universally usable hanger thus results without requirement of manufacturing the same in difierent sizes. It is of importance, in this regard, that the hanger is fashioned from a few lengths of wire material, readily assembled with one another and having an inherently low cost, thus to permit manufacture in quantity for sale at a price calculated to increase measurably the commercial feasibility of the device.

In Figures 3 and 4, the hanger includes a pair of wires cooperating to provide guideway portions 38, 40

spirally twisted and extending in opposite directions along a common, gradually curving path. Guideway portions 38, 40 merge at their outerends into depending, hookproviding extensions 42., 44 respectively, At their inner end-s, the lengths ofwire are spirally twisted together-as at 45 to provide a stem engageable in the axial socket 47 of a supportingstandard 49that can project upwardly from a suitable base or other support, not shown. g

' Slidably overlapped within the guideway are the inner end portions of arcuate support arms 46, 48' having at their innerends oppositely projecting

eyes

50, 52 each loosely receiving the adjacent support arm in the same manner as the firstform of the invention. The outer ends of the arms have-depending

loops

54, 56, serving the same function as

loops

30, 32. e

As will be'notedfrom Figure 4, the spirally twisted guideway portions have convolutions of oblong shape, receiving the telescopically related support arms. The guideway of the first form'of the invention would be of like cross section.

In Figures and 6, thereis shown a construction which permits the device to be made from molded plastic, sheet metal, or the like. In this form, there is a molded suspensien hook 58 having a flaring stem integral with the midlength'portion of an arcuate, open-ended sleeve 60 providing a guideway. Integral with and depending from the ends of the sleeve are opposively facing

hooks

62, 64. Medially between itsends, the sleeve has an arcuate downwardly openingrecess 66.

Slidably engaged against'the wall of" the sleeve is the inner end portion of a support arm 68, having adjacentits extremity a depending lug 70'adapted to bear against the adjacent end of sleeve 60 to limit movement of'arm 68in a direction to extend the same. A second support arm 72is telescopically slidable within the arm 68, and has at its. inner end a depending lug 74 projecting through a longitudinal, downwardly opening guide slot 76 of the arm 68.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 7 and 8, there is again illustrated ajconstruction adapting the invention for manufacture from such materials as molded plastic, metal, etc. In this form there is an upwardly projecting, tapering standard'integral or otherwise rigid at its. other end with a flat base plate. The standard has been designated'at 80, and is integral at its upper end with the midlength part of a sleeve 82 having an arcuate, upwardly faced recess 84 medially between its ends. The sleeve provides a guideway for telescopically related garment support arms curved with the sleeve about a common center. The outer or first arm 86 slidably bears against the sleeve, and receives the inner or second arm 88. A depending lug 90 on arm 86 serves the same purpose as lug 70, while a lug 92 of arm 88 is guided in a longitudinal, downwardly facing slot 94 of arm 86.

If desired, the hooks 18, 24, and the analogous hooks of the modifications of Figures 3-6 can be eliminated.

These hooks when provided, serve to support trousers, and

it will be noted that they are so designed and arranged relative to the guideway and support means of the device that the weight of the trousers will be borne in large part by said support means and by the guideway.

It is believed apparent that the invention is, not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be r 4' illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger comprising first and second lengths of wire material spirally intertwisted at one end to form a support stem, the other end portions of said first and second lengths-projecting laterally in opposite directions from said stem and being respectively spirally twisted to form an elongated, arcuate open-ended guideway; and third and fourth lengths of wire material each formed as an elongated garment support arm, said last named lengths being slidably overlapped at their inner ends and being slidablyengaged in the guideway, the outer ends of said last named lengths projecting beyond the respective ends of the guideway and being disposable selected distances apart in respect to relative slidable adjustment of the arms within the guideway.

2. A garment hanger comprising first and second lengths of wire material spirally intertwisted at one end to form a supportstem, the other end portions of said first and second lengths projecting laterally in opposite directions from said stem and being respectively spirally twisted to form an elongated, arcuate operrcnded guide,- way; and third and fourth lengths of wire material each formed as an elongated garment support arm, said last named lengths being slidably overlapped at their inner ends and being slidably engaged in the guideway, the outer ends of saidlast named lengths projecting beyond the respective' ends of the guideway and being disposable selected distances apart in respect to relative slidable adjustment of the arms within the guideway, the arms at their inner'ends' having eyes with the eye of each arm loosely receiving the other. arm. I

3. A garment hanger comprising first and second lengths of wire material spirally intertwisted at one end to form a support stem, the other end portions of said first and second lengths projecting laterally in opposite directions from said stern and being respectively spirally twisted toform an elongated, arcuate open-ended guideway; and third and fourth lengths of wire material each formed as an elongated garment support arm, said last named lengths being slidably overlapped at their inner ends and'beingslidably engaged in the guideway, the outer ends of said last named lengths projecting beyond the respective ends of the guideway and being disposable selected distances apart in respect to relative slidable adjustment of the arms within the guideway, the arms at their inner ends having eyes with the eye of each arm loosely receiving the other arm, said arms being formed with loops at their outer ends, the eyes engaging the ends of the guideway on adjustment of the arms outwardly of the guideway to limit extension of the arms from the guideway, said eyes engaging the loops on retraction of the arms to limit adjustment of the arms in the opposite direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 71,136 Clemence Nov. 19, 1867 640,616, Broch Jan. 2, 1900 976,094 Nichols Nov. 15, 1910 1,018,584 Rathbun Feb. 27 1912 1,422,782- Rattan July 11, 1922 2,496,561 Saunders Feb. -7, 1950 2,754,039 Pierce July 10, 1956 2,757,836 Niedermeyer et al. Aug. 8. 1956