US2829810A

US2829810A - Clothes hanger

Info

Publication number: US2829810A
Application number: US586013A
Authority: US
Inventors: John M Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-05-21
Filing date: 1956-05-21
Publication date: 1958-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 1975-04-08

Description

J. M. WILSON CLOTHES HANGER April 8, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 21, 1956 INVENTOR. JOHN M. WILSON April 8, 1958 J. M.W|LSON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORQ JOHN M. WILSON CLOTHES HANGER John M, Wilson, San Diego, Calif.

Application May 21, 1956, Serial No. 586,013

4 Claims. Cl. 223-88) 1 The present invention relates generally to garment hangers and more particularly to a clothes hanger having a somewhat resilient body with novel clothes retaining means. p

The primary object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger which has novel wings which engage the waist bands of skirts, ladies slacks, mens trousers or the like and suspends and supports such garments in a wrinklefree manner, with the weight of the garment utilized as an agency for tightening the hold of the wings on the garment,

Another object of this invention is to provide ,a clothes hanger in which certain body portions are resiliently expandable for better gripping action, this feature being additive and auxiliary to that mentioned in the preceding object. a 4

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger of the aforementioned character having shoulder portions by means of which a coat or the like may be supported in wrinkle-free manner simultaneously with one of the before mentioned nether outer garments.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger in which said shoulder portions have a secondary function as finger holds for manipulation of the wings.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger which, in the smaller sizes thereof serves as a support for trousers andslacks in inverted position.

Another object of this invention is-to provide aclothes hanger which is adapted for fabricationfrom many different materials, so that the choice ofmaterial can be according to the dictates of availability and price considerations, the exact sizes and proportions being matters easily determined to suit particular conditions and needs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hanger which is practicable and inexpensive to manufacture.

Finally, it is an object to provide a clothes. hanger of the aforementioned character which is simple, safe and convenient to use and which will give generally elficient and durable service. 1

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawings pocket providing for Patented Apr. 8, 1958 is ideal for engagement with the individual cuffs of trousers or the like.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawings.

Referring now specifically to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the clothes hanger is shown as comprising a stem 10 having a hook 12 at the upper end, and a body, generally indicated by the numeral 14, comprising a single length of slightly flexible and resilient wire, rod or the like. It will be understood that although the preferre embodiment utilizes plastic rods for both the stem 10 and the body 14, the cross-sectional shape is by no means critical and said stem 10 and body 14 may be made of elements having a cross-sectional shape other than round, such as square, and oval rods, or even flat spring steel, while still implementing the instant invention.

The body 14 is provided with a single downwardly extending pocket 16 into which the lower end of the stem 10 is inserted and permanently aflixed therein by slight deformation in a press, thermal union or any other suit-able means, the upwardly extending sides 18 of the increased area of contact and great rigidity in the attachment.

It will be understood thatthepocket 16 is located centrally of the body 14, and the

wings

20, 20 comprise upwardly divergent portions 22 and outwardly disposed portions both incorporating a series of convolutions 24. The convolutions 24 are disposed, in a general sense, in a vertical plane and include garment-engaging elements in the form of substantially straight and substantially vertical portions or surfaces 25.

a portion of each bar 34 being bent to which form a material part of this disclosure, and in i which:

the waist band clothing,'it being Stops 26, extending slightly outwardly from the'top of the outermost convolution 24,'serve 'to limit the insertion of an opposed pair of the co'nvolutions 24 into 28 of a skirt 30 or similar article of understood that the skirt 30,. illustrated only in Figure 2, is merely representative of a great number of articles which may be suspended in this manner.

Opposed shoulder bars 34, unitary with the stops 26, converge upwardly toward the stem 10, the 'upper end constitute a finger pull 38 in spaced relation with the stem 10.

If reference now be had specifically to Figure 2, the action of the hanger becomes immediately apparent. If the body 14 is deflected into the position as indicated by dash line or the position of maximum upward deflection, the convolutions 24 are moved both upwardly and inwardly, i. e., toward the stem 10, obviously decreasing band 28 and allowing the garment to depend therefrom in a natural manner.

' Obviously, since the waist band 28 is securely held in the aforesaid manner, there can be no sagging of the band 28, and therefore no subsequent premanent distortion is experienced as is quite'comrnon in other types of hangers.

A linear element such as a small chain 40 or the like terminably engaging the finger pulls 38, or looped there- -about, and extending therebetween is provided to prevent inadvertent overloading and consequent overdeflection downwardly. It will be also noted that a jacket or the like, not shown in the drawings, may be hung in the conventional manner upon the shoulder bars 34, since substantially all bending is localized in the portions 22 and convolutions 24 as clearly indicated by the dash line representation in Figure 2 and the chain 40 prevents overdeflection. t Referring nowto Figure 3 ofthe drawings, there is shown a modified form of the invention. A hanger of this general type can be fabricated from heavy gauge, relatively inflexible wire. The stem 44 has a hook 46 on its upper end and the body, generally indicated by the numeral 48, comprises a single length of wire or the like. The body-48 is provided with a single helical coil 50, secured to the lowerend of the stem 44, and legs 52, unitary withithe coil, extend divergently upwardly from the lower side of the coil. The legs 52 are provided with conyolutions 54, garment-engaging elementsSS and stops 56, analogous to the convolutions 24, element 25 and .stops 2,6 of the foregoing embodiment. Shoulder bars.58, unitary with-the stops 56,- extend convergently upwardly toward the stem 44 and these shoulder bars have finger pulls 60 constituting loop ends with returned portions .62 welded or otherwise fixedly attached, as indicated at 64,-adjacent to the ends of the stops 56.

.. It now becomes evident that a substantial portion of the deflection is provided for by the coil 50, while the reinforcementof the structure at 64 due to said welding substantially eliminates bending at the points 64, while a chain 66 extending between the finger pulls 60 and attached thereto prevents over deflection downwardly when a coat or the like is suspended upon the bars 62. The waistband portion of a garment, not shown in Figure 3, is heldsecurely between opposing pairs of convolutions 54 due .to the outward biasing of the .convolutions 54 in exactly. the same manner as in the first described embodiment.

. If reference now be had to Figure 4, a second modification of the instant hanger is shown as comprising a stem 70 having an upper hook portion 72, the lower end of the stem 70 being'fixedly attached to a transverse spanner bar. 74. The bar 74 is-provided with depending legs 76, said legs having portions 78 bent to lie horizontally. As in the previously disclosed forms, the body 80 is fabricated from a single length of resilient Wire and is bent to pro videspaced parallel wing elements 84 diverging slightly upwardly from the portions 78 to which they are rigidly secured as by welding. The ends of the legs 84 are bent as at: 86 and extend upwardly to constitute garmentengaging elements 88, analogous to a single pair of the

convolutions

24, 54 previously disclosed herein. Stops 90 extending normally outwardly from the upper end of the portions 88, are, analogous to the previously dis closed

stop portions

26, 56.

The portions 94 terminate in loops constituting finger pulls 96. This embodiment of the instant hanger is adapted, when made in small sizes, for supporting slacks and trousers in inverted position, engagement therewith being accomplished merely by biasing the finger pulls 96 toward each other, and then inserting the wing elements individually intothe cuff of the garments with the portions .88 in registration with the normal creases of said cults. Release of the pulls 96 allows the legs 84 to return toward the undeflected position, biasing the portions 88 outwardly-and securely holding the garments in inverted position. It will be obvious that the distance between the garment-engaging portions 33'rnust be slightly greater than the span of the cuffs wherewiththe device is to'be used. I a i The operation of this invention will be clearly comprehended from a consideration of the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken inconnection with the drawing and the above recited objects. It

be obvious that all said objects are amply'achieved by this invention.

Further description would appear to be unnecessary.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. A garment hanger comprising: a supporting stem having a hook at the upper end; a pair of opposed wings having garment-engaging elements and having their adjacent ends secured to the lower end of said stem; said wings being slightly flexible and resilient and extending divergently upwardly from said lower end; whereby the weight of clothes supported on said wings tends to pull said wings downwardly with consequent increase of spacing between the corresponding elements on the opposing wings; and means on said wings for temporarily decreasing the divergence to facilitate attachment and detachment of garments and comprising shoulder bars terminally secured to said wings and extending therefrom toward said stem to points adjacent to each other, said finger pulls on the ends of said bars adjacent said stem.

2. A garment hanger according to claim 1 and including a linear element secured to and extending between the adjacent ends of said bars.

3. A clothes hanger comprising: a supporting stem having a hook at the upper end thereof; a body including a pair of opposed wings of slightly resilient material secured in fixed relation at their adjacent ends to the lower end of said stem and diverging upwardly therefrom; said wings having garment-engaging elements therein; shoulder bars in fixed relation with the outer extremities of said wings and extending convergently upwardly toward said stemto points adjacent to each other; finger pulls on the ends of said bars adjacent said stem for manipulation by one hand, whereby said shoulder bars may be pulledtoward said stem, thereby deflecting said wings upwardly to facilitate manipulation of the hanger into the garmentsupporting position and to release a garment from the hanger.

4. A clothes hanger comprising: a supporting stem having a hook at the upper end thereof; a body including apair of opposed wings of slightly resilient material secured in fixed relation at their adjacent ends to the lower end of said stem. and diverging upwardly therefrom; said wings ha-ving garment-engaging elements therein; shoulder bars in fixed relation with-the outer extremities of said wings and extending convergently upwardly toward said stem to points adjacent to said stem, finger pulls on the ends of said bars adjacent said stem, whereby said shoulder bars may be pulled toward said stern, thereby deflecting said wings upwardly to facilitate manipulation of the hanger into the garment-supporting position and torelease a garment from the hanger; and means to limit the downward deflection of said wings; said means comprisinga flexible linear element terminally secured to said finger pulls and extending therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS