US3515319A - Combination coat hanger and hanger support - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1970 R. 1-. FURTAK ETAL 3, 3

COMBINATION COAT HANGER AND HANGER SUPPORT Filed Feb. 10, 1969 United States Patent Office 3,515,319 Patented June 2, 1970 US. Cl. 223-85 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A supporting member slidable on a clothes pole has a laterally projecting hook with which the eye at the end of a hanger rod is engageable, the hook having a head portion to which the shank of the hook is attached at an intermediate level requiring the hanger rod to be tilted in the course of application or removal to minimize the possibility of accidental dislodgment.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Many different arrangements have been provided to minimize the tendency of guests in hotels and motels to take a conventional coat hanger with them on termination of their occupancy. The objective is to make the coat hanger unit difficult to use except when attached to its own supporting unit. One objection to such assemblies well-known in the prior art has to do with the difficulty of re-engaging the hanger rod with the supporting unit. Users sometimes feel obliged to hold the hanger unit with one hand and the supporting unit with the other. If the two units are made to permit separation with undue facility the hanger may from time to time become dislodged from the supporting unit.

The closest patented art known to me is found in Leebow Pat. 2,791,335 and Reed 2,998,142.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION According to the present invention a support reciprocable along a conventional clothes pole comprises a sleeve, a hook thereon having a forwardly projecting arm portion, and a head portion in a generally vertical plane from the sleeve by the arm portion. The arm portion is joined to the head portion at an intermediate level so that there is a shoulder of the head portion below the arm portion. Preferably the arm portion of the hook projects from a flange depending from the sleeve and somewhat offset rearwardly from its center.

The hanger has its supporting rod provided at its upper end with an eye or loop with an opening just sufficient to pass the head portion of the aforesaid hook. Because of the above mentioned shoulder, the rod of the hanger must be tilted to clear the lower end of the loop from beneath the head portion of the hook before the loop can be lifted from the hook. A corresponding but converse relative movement is required to replace the hanger on the support.

Because of this shoulder, it is almost impossible for the hanger to become dislodged accidentally from the support. Yet the manipulation of the hanger for disengagement or engagement is readily possible with one hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the relatively separated hanger and support members.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary detail view in side elevation showing the hanger and support members assembled, the clothes pole being shown in cross section.

FIG. 3 shows the assembly in front elevation with the coat hanger illustrated in section and the clothes pole fragmentarily illustrated.

FIG. 4 is a view in section on the line 44 of FIG. 3 showing the coat hanger rod in course of manipulation for disengagement from the support hook.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A support member 6 comprises a sleeve permanently mounted on a clothes poel 8 and integrally including a hook 16. A depending portion of this hook may comprise a flange 10 preferably offset to the rear of a vertical plane through the axis of the sleeve.

A shallow recess 12 is provided in the sleeve to receive a label if desired.

Projecting forwardly from the depending flange 10 is an arm 18 which, as best shown in FIG. 1, is substantially flat in cross section, but is much narrower than the flange 10. Supported by the arm 18 is a head 20 which extends upwardly from the arm to receive an eye 22 at the end of a rod 24 which suspends the coat hanger 26. The eye 22 defines an opening 28 which corresponds quite closely in its vertical dimension with the height of the head portion 20 of the hook 16.

The head 20 has its lower margin 30 at a level below the under surface of arm 18, leaving a shoulder at 32 as best appears in FIGS. 2 and 4. Because of this shoulder, it is difficult for the hanger to be displaced accidentally from its engagement over the arm portion of the hook. In practice, the user will tilt the rod 24 to the position shown in full lines in FIG. 4 whereby the eye 22 will clear the lower surface 30 of head 20. In this position, the eye is readily lifted from the hook as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 4. The parts will readily assume these relative positions in any normal attempt to engage the eye with the hook or to disengage the eye therefrom. Accordingly, this manipulation can readily be performed by the user with one hand.

It will be apparent that the particular front elevational form of the hook and the eye is a matter of design. Whereas the eye shown is generally rectangular, and the same is true in the cross section of the arm 18, these parts may be elliptical or circular if desired, or may have any other appropriate contour. The important feature is to provide the shoulder 32 and to dimension the parts in such a way as to require tilting of the hanger rod 24 in applying or removing the eye from the hook.

There is one mechanical advantage in the rectangular contours of the parts as shown in that the hanger does not tend to swing but tends to hold the clothing supported thereby in vertically depending position. The head of the hook as shown has the form of an inverted keystone, which makes it attractive without sacrificing the advantages above described.

We claim:

1. A combination coat hanger and hanger support in which the support comprises a sleeve for mounting on a clothes pole and having a headed arm projecting forwardly substantially at right angles to said sleeve, the coat hanger having a suspending rod provided with an eye in a plane which is transverse respecting the hanger, said eye being of a dimension to clear the head and to rest on the arm, the head having means below the level of the arm providing a shoulder requiring the tilting of the rod and eye for manipulation of the hanger to and from engagement with the arm of the support.

2. A combination according to claim 1 in which the headed arm is part of a hook which includes a flange depending from the sleeve and offset reanwardly with respect to a plane extending vertically through the axis of the sleeve, whereby to locate said arm substantially directly below said axis.

3. A combination according to claim 2 in which the arm is generally rectangular in cross section and elongated 3 4 horizontally but is of less length than the width of said 2,113,394 4/1938 Biri et a1 223-88 flange, said head being substantially equal to said arm in 543,105 7/1895 Schroeder 16-172 its horizontal dimension at the level at which it is con- 634,370 10/1899 Quimby 16172 nected with the arm, and the eye of said rod having a 839,963 1/ 1907 Schroeder 16172 substantially horizontal surface engageable with said arm. 5 1,613,284 1/ 1927 Moore 16-l72 4. A combination according to claim 1 in which said 2,998,142 8/1961 Reed 211--113 arm has an elongated upper surface for engagement with said eye, which is provided with a complementary sunface. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited 10 983,036 2/1951 France. UNITED STATES PATENTS MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner 301,356 7/ 1884 Ginn "223-88 G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner

Images