US3266684A - Antitheft apparatus for displayed garments and their hangers - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 16, 1966 J. 0. WEDDLE ANTITHEFT APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYED GARMENTS AND THEIR HANGERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 10, 1963 INVENTOR BY 6m l 7 ATTORNEY 6, 1966 J. o. WEDDLE 3,266,684

ANTITHEFT APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYED GARMENTS AND THEIR HANGERS Filed May 10, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 101111 ONVeJdle l7 INVENTOR BY @mm ATTORN E Y United States Patent 3,266,684 ANTITHEFT APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYED GARMENTS AND THEIR HANGERS John O. Weddle, 943 Paxton St., Alexandria, Va. Filed May 10, 1963, Ser. No. 279,359 13 Claims. (Cl. 22393) This invention relates generally to garment hangers and more particularly to novel apparatus co-operating with the hangers and their supporting rod for preventing the unauthorized removal of garments from the hangers or of the hangers from their supporting rod.

In the merchandizing of womens coats, suits, and dresses particularly, and also of mens clothes, it is customary in their display to hang the garments on plastic hangers having chrome plated extension hooks for support on horizontal rods mounted on fioor racks or placed in open wall sections or bays. Such method of display is essential because women shoppers must be able to feel the texture of the fabric and to be able to see all of the garments features.

Unfortunately, in addition to the desired sales resulting from such display, there is an annual loss to merchants of millions of dollars in inventory shrinkage due to shopliftingby both professional and amateur thieves. While the latter usually remove the garment from the hanger, the former steal both garment and hanger.

Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide novel apparatus for preventing removal of adisplayed or hanging garment from a hanger and the hanger from the rack rod by a shoplifter without interfering with the normal method of garment display or handling on the sales floor.

An important object of the present invention is to provide novel apparatus for preventing the shoplifting of displayed or hanging garments and their hangers while allowing a complete examination thereof by the customer and the ready release and removal of the garment and/or hanger by a salesperson to enable the immediate trying on of a garment by a customer, the novel apparatus resulting from twenty-eight years of experience in combating inventory shortages from shoplifting.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide novel shoplifting prevention apparatus for hanging garments and their hangers which will enable amerchant to protect his merchandise Without requiring any merchandize arrangement changes .or new basic equipment.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide shoplifting prevention apparatus comprising: a bracelet device which prevents removal of a garment hanger from a supporting rod except by authorized personnel while permitting its necessary adjustment along the rod to keep hanging garments properly spaced for neat appearance; and a transparent shield device which locks'a garment to a hanger and permits the garment to hang in a protected and natural condition so as to be clean and wrinkle-free when the protective shield is removed to permit a customer to try on the garment.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide shoplifting prevention apparatus which is so arranged with respect to and for co-operation with various portions of a conventional garment hanger as to prevent the unauthorized removal of the hanger from its supporting display rack rod or of a garment from the hanger while not interfering with such removal by authorized personnel.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide novel shoplifting prevention apparatus of the type described for garments and their supporting hangers which is: attractive in appearance. and permits the garihhhh l Patented August I6, 1966 ment to have a natural drape; simple in design; strong and rugged and of long life in use; and susceptible of ready and economical manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, vertical, transverse sectional view through the rod of a garment display rack showing a garment hanger locked thereto against unauthorized removal by the bracelet device forming a part of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the bracelet showing its arms in both locked and open position;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view to a reduced scale of the shield device for use as a coat protector;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational View thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view to a further reduced scale of the shield device as modified for use as a dress protector;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view thereof to a greatly enlarged scale;

FIGURE 8 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the lower shield corner locking connectors;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a conventional hanger showing the apertures through which the upper locking members pass; and

FIGURE 12 is similar view of one of the locking members.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, numeral 16 designates the garment-hanger-supporting rod of a garment display stand. As is well known, garments are supported on the rod in closely spaced parallel relationship on hangers 17 having hooks 18 which have a greater radius of curvature than the rod and terminate in an upturned strengthening end 20.

In order to prevent the unauthorized removal of a hanger 17 from the supporting rod 16, a bracelet type locking device 22 is provided to encircle the hook and rod and lock them together and comprises a pair of spaced, parallel semi-circular members 23, 24 connected at one end by a block 25. A second pair of spaced, parallel semi-circular members 26, 27 are pivotally connected at their inner ends by hinges 28, 30 to the other or inner ends of the members 23, 24 respectively, and are provided at their free or outer ends with locking male prongs 32 which are received in female recesses 33 provided with spring-urged, prong-holding detents (not shown). The detents are separately retracted to release the semicircular members by a simple key, (not shown) carried by the salespersons, etc. upon its insertion into the key holes 34.

The inner peripheral face of the bracelet connecting block 25 is provided with a partial recess 35 which engages the sides and top end of the hook portion 20 so that the hook 18 is clamped against the top of the rod 16 when the semi-circular bracelet members are both in the locked position of members 23 and 26 of FIG- URE 2.

It will now be apparent that the bracelet device 22 when in the operative position of members 23 and 26 of FIGURE 1, will lock the hanger and hook 17, 18 to the rod 16 against removal while permitting the hanger to be slid along the rod to adjust the space between the garments so as to maintain an attractive display rack.

, The bracelet device does not have to be removed when a garment is removed because sold or to be tried on as this requires only the removal of the shields to be described. The empty hanger may be removed by the salesperson at her convenience at a time when it does not interfere with her customer service.

The shields shown in the remaining figures of the drawings employ the same basic principles of the invention to secure a garment to a hanger and differ structually only as required to properly co-operate with and accommodate for the differences in womens dresses, co-ordinates, light weight suits, coats and collared coats. In general, the shield comprises a transparent shield of plastic which conforms to the shape of the top of the hanger and is closely spaced therefrom just enough to accommodate the garment thereon. The shield is provided with locking means which prevent its being moved relatively to the hanger and make it impossible for a shoplifter to work the garment out between the shield and the hanger.

Inasmuch as the shield locking means co-operates with the characteristic structure of a conventional garment hanger, it is to be understood that this term designates a hanger (as illustrated in FIGURE 11) in which the neck of the hanger 17 is provided with a generally rectangular opening 19 through which the base of the hook 13 passes. The means for rotatably securing the hook in the hanger is immaterial to the present invention.

Referring to FIGURES 3 to inclusive of the drawings, a shield for garments having a collar C is disclosed and comprises two partsa front 37 and a back 38 having peripheral flanges 39 extending toward each other and meeting, at the side edges 40 below the hanger and at the shoulder areas 42, except at their bottom edges 44 which are thus spaced to define an opening through which the garment G extends, and not at the V-neck portion 41 which permits the collar to lie outside of the shield. The bottom corners of the front and back shield portions 37, 38 are each thickened or provided with blocks 46 to enable their rigid connection by pins and sockets 47, 48 respectively (FIGURE Similarly, their shoulder portions are provided with tongue and slot snap connectors 52, 53 respectively.

The shield portions 37 and 38 are lockably connected to each other and to the hanger by a pair rigid straps 54, 55, each of which is pivotally connected to their bottom edges 44 by hinges 56, extend outwardly so as not to press on the nap of the front and lower extending rear portions of the collar C, upwardly to a point opposite the upper side of the shield, and inwardly to then terminate in upturned flanges 57, 58 having spaced apertures 60 in alignment with the two halves of the opening 19 (defined by the hanger hook 18) in the hanger 17. The shield portions and the hanger may now be locked immovably together by a simple lock 62 whose shank legs 63 pass through the apertures 60 and around the shank of the hook 18 in the hanger opening 19. Optionally, the locking means may be similar to the prong and spring urged detent with key release of FIGURE 2.

It will now be apparent that the collared garment shield of FIGURES 3-6 inclusive provides a greater spacing between the shield and the hanger to accommodate the thicker material of the garment, provides a V-shaped neck 41 to enable a collar C to extend theret-hrough and to lie and be displayed on the exterior of the upper shields portion, provides the rigid straps 54, 55 spaced from the shield portions 37, 38 to accommodate the even greater collar thickness so as to prevent any pressure on the garment fabric or the collar, and by the pivotal and locking connection of the straps with the shield and the hanger 17, positively prevent any possibility of the shield being moved upwardly and the collared garment G being worked out between the shield and the hanger by a shoplifter. It is contemplated that the shield be provided with interchangeable straps 54, 55 of different contours so as to accommodate differences in collar styles and sizes as fashions change.

The shield disclosed in FIGURES 6-12 does not employ the collar accommodating V-neck and straps just described but embodies otherwise the same principles set forth and the details are modified as a whole only to accommodate less bulky garments than coats such as dresses, etc. Accordingly, similar parts are designated by similar numerals.

The shield of FIGURES 6-12 extends with its peripheral flange edges 40, 42 in contact all the way from its corner male and female connectors 47, 48 (FIGURES 8 and 10) to its top neck edge 66 adjacent that of the hanger 17 to which it is very closely spaced because of the thinness of the dress, etc. material. that even a thin low neck-line dress may not be worked out between the shield and the hanger by a shoplifter, the face of the front and back plastic shield portions 3-7, 38 are provided with kidney shaped depressions 68 which are not required with normal neckline dresses. As illustrated in FIGURE 6, a vertically extending protrusion 70 is formed in the face of the front shield portion 37 to accommodate and protect buttons.

The front and back shield portions of FIGURES 6-9 are placed about a dress or garment on a hanger 17 and the bottom corners as before, are connected first. The shoulder snap connections 52, 53 are made next although these may be omitted in view of the rigidity afforded the shield by the uninterrupted edge abutments of the mating peripheral flanges 39. While the neck portions of the shield portions may be connected as shown in FIGURE 7, they are preferably reinforced or thickened in the rectangular area 70, and the back shield portion provided with lock prongs 74 (FIGURE 12) which project through and engage the corners of the hanger opening 19 as before to thus prevent and relative motion between the shield and the hanger. The prongs are received in and locked in the front shield portion 37 by means female sockets including spring urged detents releasable by a key (not shown) as in the locking means of FIGURE 2. The shield thus cannot be pushed up with respect to the hanger 17 and its garment G so that the latter cannot be worked out from between the hanger and shield, and cannot be pushed down so as to crush the fabric across the shoulders of the hanger. Each of the shield portions 37, 38 is provided with a stud pivoted hook 76 so that when the shield portions are removed from a hanger and garment for a try on or as the result of a sale, each portion may be readily and temporarily hung on the display rack rod 16 so as to be out of the way.

It will now be appreciated that the novel apparatus comprising the present invention: will effectively prevent unauthorized removal of a garment from a hanger or of both from the supporting rod of a display rack, etc. without interfering with the normal method of displaying garments on the sales floor; will allow complete examination by a customer; may be instantly released and removed by a salesperson or other authorized personnel; and permits the garment to hang in normal position without being penetrated or having pressure put on it, and

without acquiring wrinkles.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for securing a garment to a garment hanger having sloping shoulder portions with a centrallydisposed hook including a strengthening end, and the hook to the hanger supporting rod of a display rack comprising, in combination, a shield adapted to encircle and secure the shoulder portions of the garment to the conforming body of the hanger, said shield comprising a pair of com- To ensure plementary hanger-body conforming, garment clamping members having interfittably locking means, and being spaced at their bottoms for the passage of the garment; and a bracelet device adapted to encircle the supporting rod and including a recess to engage the hook strengthening end and clamp the hook of the hanger thereto to prevent removal of the hanger therefrom.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said shield members are formed of transparent plastic to protect the garment from dirt while permitting viewing of the garment.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said bracelet device comprises a pair of spaced semi-circular members connected at one end, and a second pair of spaced semi-circular members pivotally connected to their other ends and having their free ends pivotable toward said connected ends and into lockable engagement therewith.

4. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said shield includes a neck opening to permit the garment collar to lie externally of said shield, and means comprising rigid straps pivoted to the bottoms of said shield portions and extending outwardly and upwardly to encircle the collar and lockably engage the hanger body.

5. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein one of said shield members includes a protrusion to accommodate one or more buttons of said garment.

6. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein one of said shield members includes a depression to more closely confine and clamp thin garments.

7. A device for securing a garment hanger having centrally disposed hanger hook including a strengthening end to the hanger supporting rod of a display rack comprising, in combination, a bracelet device adapted to encircle the rod and including a recess to engage the hook strengthening end and clamp the book of the hanger to the rod to prevent removal of the hanger therefrom, said bracelet device comprising two pivotally connected spaced parallel pairs of semi-circular members for straddling the hanger hook and encircling the rod, the free ends of said semi: circular members include male and female coupling means operative to lock said ends together, and means connecting the free ends of said pairs and including additional means operative to unlock said ends.

8. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the hanger has an aperture formed centrally in the body thereof, and means for locking said shield members together comprising pin and socket connectors and a lock having members extending through said aperture.

9. A device for securing a garment to a garment hanger having sloping shoulder portions with a centrally disposed hook comprising a shield adapted to encircle and secure the shoulder portions of the garment to the conforming body of the hanger, said shield comprising a pair of complementary hanger-body conforming, garment clamping members having interfittably locking means, and being spaced at their bottoms for the passage of the garment.

10. The combination recited in claim 9 wherein said shield is formed of transparent material to display the shoulders of the garment.

11. The combination recited in claim 9 wherein one of said shield members includes a protrusion to accommodate one or more buttons of said garment.

12. The combination recited in claim 9 wherein one of said shield members includes a depression to more closely confine and clamp thin garments.

13. The combination recited in claim 9 wherein said extending members engage opposing sides of the aperture to prevent relative motion between said shield portions and said hanger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 742,207 10/ 1903 Mieden -15 924,824 6/ 1909 Peebler 70-15 986,029 3/ 1911 Steinert 24-249 X 1,643,077 9/1927 Levkofi 223--98 2,3 85,053 9/1945 Bohn 22398 2,584,045 1/1952 Peters 211--8 3,163,277 12/1964 Naef 19467 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. AN APPARATUS FOR SECURING A GARMENT TO A GARMENT HANGER HAVING SLOPING SHOULDER PORTIONS WITH A CENTRALLYDISPOSED HOOK INCLUDING A STRENGTHENING END, AND THE HOOK TO THE HANGER SUPPORTING ROD OF A DISPLAY RACK COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SHIELD ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE AND SECURE THE SHOULDER PORTIONS OF THE GARMENT TO THE CONFORMING BODY OF THE HANGER, SAID SHIELD COMPRISING A PAIR OF COMPLEMENTARY HANGER-BODY COMFORMING, GARMENT CLAMPING MEMBERS HAVING INTERFITTABLY LOCKING MEANS, AND BEING SPACED AT THEIR BOTTOM FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE GARMENT; AND A BRACELET DEVICE ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE SUPPORTING ROD AND INCLUDING A RECESS TO ENGAGE THE HOOK STRENGTHENING

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