US2877941A

US2877941A - Garment hanger retainer

Info

Publication number: US2877941A
Application number: US703580A
Authority: US
Inventors: James A Melone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-12-18
Filing date: 1957-12-18
Publication date: 1959-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 1976-03-17

Description

March 17, 1959 J. A. MELONE GARMENT HANGER RETAINER Filed Dec. 18, 1 957 INVENTOR. JA/WKS ,4, Mild/45'. BY

MQW

United States Patent 2,877,941 GARMENT HANGER RETAINER James A. Melone, Indianapolis, Ind. Application December 18, 1957, Serial No. 703,580 I 2 Claims. (Cl. 223-88) This invention relates to a garment hanger, particularly of the type wherein there is a wire hook extended from the arms of the hanger, the hook being designed to engage over a rod. The invention is primarily concerned with means for preventing the accidental disengagement of the hook from the rod. It frequently happens, where a number of hangers, particularly empty hangers are suspended from a rod, that when one hanger is purposely removed from the rod, other hangers may be rocked or become tangled so that they are turned sufiiciently to allow the hook to slide off the rod and the result is that a number of these hangers will drop to the floor.

This is particularly true where garment hangers are employed on a rod or a cable across an automobile and in this case, even though a garment is hanging on the hanger, the motion of the car in stopping and starting or in turning curves and the like will cause a hanger to be come disengaged from the supporting rod or cable and allow the hanger and its garment suspended thereon to drop to the floor.

The invention contemplates the use of an elastic member between the shank of a hook and the free end of the hook so that the elastic member may be engaged and disengaged from the free end for securing and disengaging the hook from the supporting bar as well.

A primary advantage of the invention resides in the fact that, by using an elastic link, the link may be held at any position along the shank by one end while the other end is engaged about the free end of the garment hanger hook, and simply by pulling on the end of the link at the free end, it may be disengaged, all without having to distort the hook in any manner, so that the free end is not required to be bent or to be sprung in or out toward the shank. Also, the elastic link, when carried upwardly on the shank and the free end of the garment hanger, may come into contact with the under side of the hanger support bar and thereby tend to resist frictionally rocking of the hooks around the hanger bar.

A further important advantage of the invention resides in the fact that, by use of the elastic link, the link may be applied to varying shapes of hooks on hangers, even to those hooks which have an upturned outer end.

These and other important advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a garment hanger to which the invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a modified form of garment hanger hook to which the invention is applied; and

Fig. 3 is a view in top plan of the elastic link.

A garment hanger designated by the numeral may have any desired shape and utilize any desired material, the hanger herein shown being the usual wire hanger from which extends upwardly a hook 12 terminating in a downwardly directed end portion 16. The hook 12 in normal llllmk usage will be engaged over a pole or rod 11 in the usual and well known manner. The diameter of the pole 11 will vary in many installations, from the relatively small size as indicated in Fig. 1, to a larger size approximately filling in the entire space defined by the hook. In any event, the free end 16 will extend below the under side of the pole 11.

A link 14 is formed out of any suitable material, the essential feature of the material being that it be elastic so that the link 14 may stretch longitudinally and return to its initial dimension. The link 14 is provided with holes 15, adjacent opposite ends of the link as indicated in Fig. 3. Preferably there is a tab portion 17 extending beyond one of the holes 15 to be used as means for gripping the The link 14 is positioned on the book 12 by entering the end portion 16 through one of the holes 15, such as hole 15a, and the link is then carried around the hook to have the end portion of the link positioned at some such location as indicated in Fig. I. Here, the link 14 has the end portion carrying the hole 15a well down on the shank 12a of the hook 12, that is at a distance below the underside of the rod or bar 11. The

holes

15 and 15a are preferably made to be of a diameter somewhat less than is the diameter of the wire forming the hook 12, so that the link 14 will be carried on the shank 12a at any position to which it may be shifted due to the elastic engagement therewith.

The link 14 is pulled horizontally from the shank 12a to bring the hole 15 into registry with the end 16 of the 00k 12 and then by means of the tab 17 the link 14 is pulled upwardly to have the end portion 16 passed through the hole 15 for a distance such as is indicated in Fig. 1. Normally, the link 14 will be below the pole 11, but the link 14 may be shifted upwardly on the hook 12 by pushing the link 14 upwardly along the shank 12a and the end portion 16 to bring the intermediate portion of the tab 14 into close proximity or even into contact with the underside of the pole 11. In that position, it will assume as desired the arcuate form as indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 1.

In any event, whether or not the link 14 is located to give clearance between it and the rod 11, or brought up against the rod 11, the hook 12 will be prevented from being rocked to drop oil of the rod 11. Normally, the weight of the hanger 10 is sufiicient to keep the hanger in the position as indicated in Fig. 1, but is only during the placing of a garment on the hanger, or when removing other hangers from the pole or rod 11, or as above indicated in using the device in an automobile due to excessive up and down and fore and aft travel of the rod 11, that the hangers 10 are severely rocked.

Referring to that form of the invention as shown in Fig. 2, the same tab 14 is employed, but in this instance, the hook 12 has an upwardly turned end portion 13 which is generally provided in the better forms of hangers so that the hook 12 is more readily engaged over the rod 11. Even with this reversely turned end portion 13, the link 14 may be pulled by the tab 17 to be stretched and bring the hole 15 up over the hook end to secure the link 14 in position. The link 14, of course, may be shifted upwardly and downwardly of the hook after this engagement over the end 13 is had.

The link 14 is made out of a flexible, elastic material such as rubber or synthetic rubber, and the

holes

15 and 15a are spaced apart a distance less than the spacing of said end portions from said shank 12a, so that the link 14 is under tension when engaging the hanger shank and end portions.

Therefore, while I have shown the invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which maybe imposed by the following claims.

1. The eombinationwith; a garment hanger-having a hook for engagement over a supporting pole wherein the hook-has a shankportion, curving around and terminating in a downwardly directed end portion spaced at distance from said shank-portion to receive said pole therenetween, of an elasticlink extending the distance between said shank and end portions, said link having a hole therethrough spaced a distance inwardly from each end leaving a link end'portion extending therebeyond, said: shank portion slidingly extending through one hole and said end portion slidingly extending: through the other hole, said holes being spacedapart normally at a distance less than that 4 between the shank and end portions requiring a longitudinal stretching ofthe link for engagement therewith. 2. The structure of claimil in which said link is adapted to pass under said pole and slidingly extend upwardly along both of said shank and said end portions compressively bearing against said pole and resisting rocking of said hook about said pole.

References. Cited in. the. file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,817,621 Harding Aug. 4, 1931 1,973,376 Freedman Sept. 11, 1934 2,392,257 ONealet aL Jan. 1, 1946 2,757,834 Bernier et al Aug. 7, 1956 2,795,025 Wexler June 11, 1957