US3017059A

US3017059A - Improved pants hanger

Info

Publication number: US3017059A
Application number: US814349A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph E Dzienisiewicz
Original assignee: Gadget of the Month Club Inc
Current assignee: Gadget of the Month Club Inc
Priority date: 1959-05-19
Filing date: 1959-05-19
Publication date: 1962-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 1979-01-16

Description

Jan. 16, 1962 J. E. DZIENISIEWICZ 3,017,059

IMPROVED PANTS HANGER Filed May 19, 1959 m 0W E ms N NE I m E H D- E s O J FIG 8 FIG? 3,017,059 HMIRGVED PANTS HANGER Joseph E. Dzienisiewiez, Lynwood, Calif, assiguor of onetenth to Gadgetif-The-ltionth Club, inc, North Hollywood, Calif a corporation of California Filed May 19, 1959, Ser. No. 814,349 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-91) The present invention consists of an improved pants hanger adapted to controllably resiliently engage and retain a pair of cuffs at the bottom of a pair of pants with the remainder of the pants depending therefrom. It should also be noted that the improved pants hanger may be adapted to support more than one pair of pants in the manner just described, if desired. The invention may be said to include a main body portion provided with upwardly directed engaging or hook means at the top thereof adapted to controllably removably engage an auxiliary transverse support member, such as a conventional closet clothes pole, or the like, whereby to controllably removably support the main body portion therebelow, with said main body portion being provided with controllably resiliently displaceable elastomeric cuff-engageable means (usually an encircling rubber band, or the like) normally abutting a cuff-engageable surface of said main body portion, or two such cuff-engageable surfaces on opposite sides of said main body portion. It will be noted that the resiliently displaceable elastomeric cuffengageable means may be controllably forcibly resiliently deflected away from the normally abutted cuff-engageable surface of the main body portion to facilitate the insertion therebetween of cuff means of a pair of pants whereby to controllably removably support the plants in depending relationship therefrom when the cuff-engageable means is released and allowed to frictionally engage the cuff means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pants hanger of the character generally described above, wherein the main body portion is provided with two longitudinal normally horizontaly oriented transversely outwardly open cuff-receiving recess means on op osite surfaces of the main body portion and having the above-mentioned cuflF-engageable surfaces at the inner ends thereof. and wherein the above-mentioned controllably resiliently displaceable elastomeric cuff-engageeble means comprises an elastic band or strip encircling the main body portion from end to end in a normally horizontal direction transverse to the upwardly projecting direction of the en aging or hook means at the top of the main body portion. with opposite portions of said elastomeric cuff-enganeable strip or band being received within the corresponding op osite cuff-receiving recess means and normally abutting each of said inner cuffengageable surfaces of each of said recess means.

It is a further object to provide an improved pants hanger of the character set forth in the preceding object, wherein the elastomeric cuff-enga eable means is provided with outwardly projecting digitally graspable handle means to facilitate controllable forcible resilient deflection outwardly of a portion of said cufi-engageable elastomeric means outwardly from the normally abutted cuffengageable surface of the main body portion to facilitate Patented Jan. 16, E9S2 the insertion therebetween of cuff means of a pair of pants.

It is a further object to provide an improved pants hanger of the type set forth in any of the preceding objects, wherein said main body portion is provided adjacent the bottom thereof With one or a plurality of beltreceiving slot-defining means.

It is a further object to provide an improved pants hanger of the type set forth in any of the preceding objects, which is formed of integral molded plastic material except for the elastomeric cuif-engageable means which comprises an encircling elastomeric band or strip engaged with the main body portion subsequent to the molding thereof.

It is a further object to provide a device of thhe character set forth in any of the preceding objects, which is of extremely simple, cheap, foolproof construction such as to be conducive to widespread use of the device.

Further objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study hereof.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, three exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single sheet of drawings, and are described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a reduced-size perspective view of one exemplary form of the invention shown in its normal position prior to being placed in supporting engagement with respect to the cuffs of a pair of pants. However, this view does show the device supporting a single belt.

FIG. 2 is a larger scale vertical sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a smaller-scale end elevational view of the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 showin" it after it has been engaged in supporting relationship with respect to the cuffs of a pair of pants. shown in broken lines for reasons of drawing clarity and simplification. This view also shows the device supporting a belt.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of one surface of the improved hanger of the present invention showing it in engaged supporting relationship with respect to the cuffs of a pair of pants, shown in fragmentary form.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of just the top portion of one embodiment of the improved hanger of the present invention showing a slightly modified form of upwardly directed resilient engaging means at the top of the main body portion and adapted to be resiliently engaged and disengaged with respect to an auxiliary transverse support member, such as the conventional closet clothes pole shown in cross section in this view. It should be noted that this view actually shows the resilient engaging means in the process of being upwardly sna ped over the clothes pole as a result of upward movement of the han er in the direction of the arrow.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but shows the modified form of engaging means after it has been upwardly snapped over the clothes pole whereby to effectively mount the main body portion.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 but shows another slightly modified form of upwardly directed engaging means in closed position such as it would normally assume before engagement with a clothes pole and after engagement with a clothes pole.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but shows this modification of the engaging means in the position which it normally assumes during the period when it is either being engaged with respect to a clothes pole or disengaged therefrom.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. l4, the improved hanger includes a main body portion, which takes one specific form, indicated generally at 16, wherein it is formed of substantially flat, thinsheet, normally vertically directed, molded plastic material substantially centrally provided with upwardly directed engaging means, indicated generally at 11, at the top thereof adapted to controllably removably engage an auxiliary transverse support member, such as a conventional closet clothes pole of the type indicated at 12 in FIGS. and 6, whereby to controllably removably support the main body portion 16 therebelow. In the specific example illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, said upwardly directed engaging means 11 takes the form of a hook 13 integrally formed out of the molded plastic thin-sheet ma.- terial of which the entire main body portion 1%) is formed.

In the specific form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. l-4, the main body portion includes on each opposite surface 14 and 15 thereof corresponding longitudinal normally horizontally oriented transversely outwardly open cuff-receiving recess means 16 and 17, respectively, defined by corresponding vertically spaced outwardly projecting ridges, indicated at 13 and 1?, respectively. In this specific embodiment of the invention, a controllably resiliently displaceable elastomeric cui'f-engageable strip or band, indicated generally at 2%, includes a first portion 21 carried in the recess 16 and a second portion 22 carried in the recess 17 and normally abutting, respectively, the cuff-

engageable surfaces

23 and 24 at the inner ends of each of said

recesses

16 and 17, respectively. This is clearly shown in both FIGS. 1 and 2.

Also in the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. l-4, each of the

portions

21 and 22 of the elastomeric cuif-engageable strip, indicated generally at 20, is provided with outwardly projecting digitally graspable handle means 25 and 26, respectively, adapted to allow a user of the device to grasp either of the handle means 25 or 26 and pull the

corresponding portion

21 or 22 of a cuff-engageable strip outwardly so that cuff means, indicated in broken lines at 27 in FIG. 4, of a pair of pants indicated in fragmentary form at 28 in FIG. 4, may be slipped under the

corresponding portion

21 or 22 after which the corresponding handle means or 26 may be released to allow the elastomeric band 29 to frictionally firmly hold the cuff means 27 so as to effectively support the pair of pants 28 in depending relationship, with respect to the improved pants hanger of the present invention, as is shown in broken lines in FIG. 3.

It should be noted that the

recesses

16 and 17 act to effectively maintain the elastomeric band or strip 26 in the proper position encircling the main body portion 10 at all times so that it cannot accidentally become displaced or disengaged from the main body portion 10 and possibly lost as a result thereof.

The specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 also includes a plurality of belt-receiving slot-defining means 29, each of which is adapted to receive a belt 30 therethrough with the buckle portion 31 thereof being too large to go through the slot 29, and thus effectively mounting the belt 30 with respect to the main body portion 1% of the improved hanger.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a slight modification of the invention, and similar parts will be indicated by similar reference numerals followed by the letter A. In this modification, the upwardly directed engaging means, indicated generally at 11A, at the top of the main body portion 10A comprises a resilient spring loop 13A normally maintaining itself in a substantially closed position as shown in FIG. 6, but being capable of being forcibly resiliently separated or open when either engaged or disengaged with respect to a conventional closet clothes pole 12 in the manner shown in FIG. 5. It will be understood that after it is fully engaged with the clothes pole 12 as a result of upward movement of the spring clip 13A in the manner shown in FIG. 5, it will assume it normal substantially closed configuration as shown in FIG. 6, effectively mounting the main body portion 16A with respect to the clothes pole 12 until a user of the device desires to release it from the pole 12, at which time it will be forcibly downwardly moved in a manner exactly the opposite of the upward engaging movement shown in FIG. 5. No further description of this modification is thought necessary.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a further modification of the upwardly directed engaging means, and corresponding parts in this modified form of the invention are indicated by similar reference numerals, followed by the letter B.

In this modification, the upwardly directed engaging means 1113 con ists of a hook 133 having a movable closure portion 32 pivotally attached by pivot pin means 33 to the base portion of the hook 133, and also having an actuating portion 34 and biasing spring means 35 connected between said actuating portion 34 and the stem portion 36 of the hook 138 whereby the closure portion 32 is normally resiliently biased into the closed position shown in FIG. 7, but may be controllably moved into the open position shown in FIG. 8 for engagement or disengagement with respect to a closet clothes pole, or the like, of the type indicated at 12 in FIGS. 5 and 6. No further description of this modification is thought necessary.

It shoud be noted that in certain forms of the invention the recess means, of the type indicated at 16 and 17 in the first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, need not be defined by vertically spaced ridges of the type shown at 18 and 19, but may comprise actual inwardly directed recesses extending from the flush outer opposite surfaces of the main body portion 10, if desired.

Furthermore, it should be noted that in certain forms of the invention, the handle means 25 and 26 may be modified substantially or eliminated entirely.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

1. An improved pants hanger adapted to controllably resiliently engage and retain a pair of cuffs at the bottom of a pair of pants, with the remainder of the pants depending therefrom, comprising: a main body portion of substantially flat thin-sheet normally vertically directed material substantially centrally provided with upwardly directed hook means at the top thereof adapted to controllably removably engage an auxiliary transverse support rnembcr whereby to controllably removably support the main body portion therebelow, said main body portion including on each opposite surface thereof longitudinal normally horizontally oriented transversely outwardly open cuff-receiving recess means having a cuif-engageable surface at the inner end thereof, each of said longitudinal cuff-receiving recess means carried by opposite surfaces of said main body portion being provided with a controllably resiliently displaceable portion of a continuous resilient elastomeric cuff-engageable band means longitudinally encircling said main body portion and normally abutting each of said inner cuff-engageable surfaces of each of said recess means.

2. A device of the character defined in claim 1, wherein said elastomeric cuif-eng'ageable band means is provided with two oppositely outwardly projecting digitally graspable handle means adajcent opposite cuff-receiving recesses of said main body portion to facilitate controllable forcible resilient deflection of the portion of said cuff-engageable elastomeric band means on either side of said main body portion outwardly from the normally abutted cutf-engageable surface at the inner end of the corresponding cuff-receiving recess of said main body portion to facilitate the insertion therebetween of a pair of cuffs of a pair of pants whereby to support the pants in depending relationship therefrom upon release of said handle means.

3. A device of the character defined in claim 1, wherein said main body portion is provided adjacent the bottom thereof with a plurality of belt-receiving slot-defining means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS