US3512688A

US3512688A - Garment hanger construction

Info

Publication number: US3512688A
Application number: US725415A
Authority: US
Inventors: Melvin L Bacharach
Original assignee: Levi Strauss and Co
Current assignee: Levi Strauss and Co
Priority date: 1968-04-30
Filing date: 1968-04-30
Publication date: 1970-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 1987-05-19

Description

y 1970 M. L. BACH ARACH 3, 1 ,688

GARMENT HANGER CONSTRUCTION I 2 Sheets-Sheet l FiledApril so, 1968 INIVEN'TOR. MELVIN L. BACHARACH 'ATTORN E YS May 19, 1970 M. L. BACHARACH GARMENT HANGER CONSTRUCTION Filed April 30. 1968 2 Sheets-Shqt 2 29 FL! I XE 26\ [390 4 39b M 27 5| 5| ze H l 22a 49 49 38 1 4 8 I I I I l I I 5/42 I 46 l8 3' I9 I 44 43j1 I INVENTOR. MELVIN L. BACHARACH ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 223--95 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A garment hanger construction formed from a single unitary semi-rigid panel having marginal portions folded about lines of Weakness to rigidify the ends and upper edge of the garment hanger. Hinged portions of the panel move into and out of the plane of the panel whereby. when they are moved out of the plane, a garment may be laid upon the panel and thereafter the hinged portions folded across the garment to provide a pair of slots in the panel for locking the trousers or other garment to the panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a garment hanger construction of a type, for example, as shown in my co-pending patent applications, S.N. 619,848 and SN. 670,825. The present invention is particularly useful in facilitating the loading of the garment hangers with garments, such as trousers. The loading is accomplished without need for threading the garments through the slots found in constructions of the above type whereby they may be rapidly loaded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS The present invention comprises a garment hanger construction formed of a panel of semi-rigid material. An opening is formed to the panel and is adapted to be overlaid in substantially co-planar relation by portions of a garment to be hung, such as trousers. Panel portions are movable to positions adapted to overlay the garment and form, in the opening, a supporting edge across which the garment may be draped and supported when hung. The movable panel portions are disposed to be held in their garment supporting positions by the fact that the garment is disposed on opposite sides of these panel portions.

Heretofore, the garment has been threaded through the two openings which serve to lock the garment to the panel and the present invention minimizes the time required for such loading.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved garment hanger construction of the above type.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a garment hanger construction having significant rigidity even though manufactured from a semi-rigid material, such as a cardboard sandwich material containing corrugated cardboard interposed between two layers of smooth cardboard, and in which the garment hanger is readily formed by merely folding portions thereof about lines of weakness.

These and other objects of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGS. 1 and 2 are each perspective views respectively showing the procedures involved in loading a garment hanger construction according to the invention with a garment such as a pair of trousers;

ice

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a panel prepared with portions for forming a garment hanger construction as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the garment hanger construction, as viewed from the rear, when in folded condition;

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A single unitary panel 11 of semi-rigid material, such as corrugated cardboard prepared with smooth faces on opposite sides of a corrugated layer, of known construction, forms the garment hanger blank 12 shown in FIG. 3. Blank 12 when folded, as described further below, forms the garment hanger 13 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as now to be described.

Garment hanger 13 comprises a frame 14 having at least upper and

side edges

16, 17 respectively.

Locking panel portions

18, 19 are movable between positions substantially normal to the plane of frame 14 and hinged to move into the plane thereof, for example, after a pair of trousers 21 have been overlaid across the opening 22, movement of

panel portions

18, 19 substantially into the plane of frame 14 serves to overlay them across trousers 21. Trousers 21 may be folded thereafter across the

upper edges

23, 24.

Edges

23, 24 when thus moved into the plane of frame 14 serve to define support edges for folding and draping garment 21 thereacross.

Thus, when garment hanger 13 is hung for display, trousers 21 will be properly disposed. Means serving to support garment hanger 13 for display consist of the pairs of

ears

26, 27 formed at the upper end corners of frame 14. Thus, suitable support rails 28 may readily serve to engage the notch 29 formed respectively between

ears

26, 27 and the main body of frame 14.

Having folded the

locking panels

18, 19 across trousers 21, it will be readily evident that the hinged panel portions are movable to occupy a substantial portion of opening 22 and thereby to define

slots

22a, 22b adapted to be occupied by garment 21.

The

movable portions

18, 19 are further formed on their

meeting edges

31, 32 in a manner whereby when moved into the plane of the frame portion 14, the

meeting edges

31, 42 are disposed whereby one will serve to reinforce the support for the other in the plane of frame 14 and thereby serve to strengthen the support provided beneath the garment when hung for display or otherwise.

Thus, where sufiicient strength has been developed in this manner and in the choice of materials and where, for example, light-weight garments are to be displayed, another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, serves to provide adequate support to the garment.

Thus, with reference to FIG. 5, it will be'readily apparent that only a single slot 33 has been provided in the frame 34 of a garment hanger construction of the above general type.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be readily apparent that the above garment hanger construction may be formed from a single unitary semi-rigid blank 12 of material as now to be described.

Blank 12 includes an upper marginal portion 36 formed With an opening 37 therein of a size and shape to provide a carrying handle for the hanger. Margin 36 is attached to the main body 38 of blank 12 by a pair of slightly spaced lines of

weakness

39a, 39b. These lines of weakness 39 serve to define folding lines across which portion 36 will be folded as explained further below.

Main body 38 of panel 11 further includes

end margins

41, 42 similarly attached to main body 38 by pairs of slightly spaced lines of

weakness

43 and 44 respectively.

Ears

26, 27 have been similarly formed as a portion of blank 12.

It will be readily apparent that the

movable portions

18, 19 are hinged about

fold lines

46, 47 respectively for movement into and out of the plane of blank 12 whereby the meeting end edge 31 will engage the meeting end edge 32 and rest upon it when hanger 13 is hung upright.

By forming

portions

18, 19 slightly less than the overall width of opening 22, it will be apparent that residual

openings forming slots

22a, 22b will remain as above described.

Finally, a locking flap 48 has been formed with a pair of laterally extending end margins 49 for engaging the face of upper margin portion 36 in locking relation when portion 36 is in an overfolded position as shown in FIG. 4.

In order to assemble the blank 12 into a garment hanger construction as shown in FIG. 4,

end margins

41, 42 are first folded about their respective lines of

weakness

43, 44 and thereafter margin 36 is overfolded across the upper ends of each of

margins

41, 42. In order to lock the three

margins

41, 42 and 36 in this relationship, the locking flap 48 is then folded through opening 37 of margin 36 until the edges 51 of the ends 49 of flap 48 have engaged the face of margin 36.

As thus arranged, it will be readily apparent that there has been provided considerable rigidity to an otherwise light-weight semi-rigid material and wherein garments can be quite quickly attached to the hanger for carrying the article or for placement upon support rails 28 as when shipping or displaying the garment.

What is claimed is:

1. In a garment hanger construction a panel of semirigid material, an opening formed through the panel and adapted to be overlaid in substantially co-planar relation by portions of a garment to be hung, panel portions having a substantially continuous support edge and hinged at the sides of said opening and movable to positions adapted to overlay the garment and form in the opening said substantially continuous support edge across which to drape the garment for support when hung for display, said panel portions being disposed to be held in said overlaid condition by disposing the garment on opposite sides of the panel portions, one of said panel portions underlying the other in abutting relationship to abut same at an angle to the vertical to aid in supporting said support edge from beneath.

2. In a garment hanger construction a panel of semirigid material having an opening therein forming a frame having at least upper and side edge margins, locking panel portions having support edges disposed intermediate said side margins, fold lines defined between said side margins and said panel portions to define hinged connections between said panel portions and said frame, said hinged panel portions having a substantially continuous support edge and being movable in a manner to provide an exposed region disposed and adapted to permit said region and panel to be overlaid by a garment to be hung, said hinged panel portions being thereafter movable to overlay the garment and provide said support edge for folding and draping said garment across same, said panel portions being further disposed and adapted to support the garment to hang across and cover opposite sides of said portions to lock said portions to retain the garment supported by same, one of said panel portions underlying the other in abutting relationship to aid in supporting said support edge from beneath.

3. In a garment hanger construction a panel of semirigid material and an opening therein forming a frame having at least upper and side edges thereof, locking panel portions disposed intermediate said side edges and said upper edge within said opening, said panel portions having upper support edges spaced from said panel portion to form a garment-receiving slot adapted to be occupied by a garment, said panel portions being movably hinged in a manner to provide an exposed region disposed and adapted to be first overlaid by a garment to be hung, said panel portions being thereafter movable to overlay the garment and provide said support edges for folding and draping said garment across same, said panel portions being further disposed and adapted to support the trousers to hang across and cover opposite sides of said panel portions, one of said panel portions underlying the other in abutting relationship to aid in supporting said support edges from beneath and to lock said panel portions to retain the garment supported by same, said frame panel including margins adjacent said upper and side edges thereof, lines of weakness defining said margins, said margins being each foldable about said line of weak ness associated therewith to rigidify the ends of said construction, the upper margin being foldable across the folded end margins to hold same in place and to rigidify the upper edge of the construction, and means to retain the upper margin so folded.

4. A garment hanger construction according to claim 3 wherein the last named means includes an opening and a flap foldable through said opening to engage the edges thereof, said flap and opening being formed to cooperate as portions of the frame portion and the overfolded upper margin.

5. In a garment hanger construction a panel of semirigid material having an opening therein forming a frame having at least upper and side edges thereof, locking panel portions disposed intermediate said side edges and said upper edge, said panel portions having upper support edges spaced from said panel portion to form a garmentreceiving slot adapted to be occupied by a garment, said panel portions being movably hinged in a manner to provide an exposed region disposed and adapted to be first overlaid by a garment to be hung, said panel portions being thereafter movable to overlay the garment and provide said support edges for folding and draping said garment across same, said panel portions being further disposed and adapted to support the trousers to hang across and cover opposite sides of said panel portions, one said said panel portions underlying the other in abutting relationship to aid in supporting said support edges from beneath and to lock said portions to retain the garment thereon, said frame panel including foldable margins along the upper and side edges, said margins being foldable to form doubled thicknesses of material to rigidify same, the upper margin including an opening there through to form a handle for carrying the construction and, at the ends of the upper edge margin, laterally extending portions adapted to overhang support rails for engagement therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,638,375 8/1927 Stutz 22398 2,164,534 7/1939 Luhn 223 2,492,226 12/1949 Kohl et al.

3,064,866 11/1962 Sage 22387 3,209,965 10/1965 Tillery 22387 3,243,087 3/1966 Pulitzer 22387 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,116,387 1/1956 France. 1,237,735 6/ 1960 France.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner