US3746223A - Molded garment hanger with clamping trouser bar - Google Patents

Molded garment hanger with clamping trouser bar Download PDF

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Publication number
US3746223A
US3746223A US00138064A US3746223DA US3746223A US 3746223 A US3746223 A US 3746223A US 00138064 A US00138064 A US 00138064A US 3746223D A US3746223D A US 3746223DA US 3746223 A US3746223 A US 3746223A
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bar
clamping
legs
cross bar
hanger
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US00138064A
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J Batts
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Batts Inc
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John Thomas Batts Inc
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    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47GHOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G25/00Household implements used in connection with wearing apparel; Dress, hat or umbrella holders
    • A47G25/14Clothing hangers, e.g. suit hangers
    • A47G25/48Hangers with clamps or the like, e.g. for trousers or skirts
    • A47G25/487Hangers with clamps or the like, e.g. for trousers or skirts for clamping the trousers or skirts against the trouser-supporting bar or between trouser-supporting bars

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  • the body also includes a cross bar interconnecting the legs at their extremities and a clamping bar cantilevered to the end of the cross bar adjacent one of the legs and extending adjacent the front face of the cross bar in a somewhat side-by-side relationship.
  • a keeper is provided at the end of the cross bar adjacent the other leg for receipt of the free end of the cantilevered clamping bar.
  • the cross bar is arched toward the clamping bar so that when the latter is secured by the keeper, both the cross bar and the clamping bar are pressed against each other to forcibly deflect therein creating a positive clamping force on a garment positioned therebetween.
  • the entire structure, with the ex ception 'of the support element may be integrally molded as a single component in a two-piece mold structure opening by simple movement of the mold valves in opposite directions.
  • Plastic hangers are lighter in weight, relatively inexpensive, structurally sound, and require little or no finishing separate from the molding process itself. With the proper choice of molds, it has become possible to produce hangers conforming generally to the contour of the shoulder section of a suit, coat or the like whereon garments can be hung for long periods of time without fear of their becoming wrinkled, stretched and the like from portions of the hanger protruding unnaturally into them.
  • Molded plastic hangers have become widely accepted in the industry.
  • the primary objective of a molded plastic hanger is to mold the header and leg sections such that they are a hollow, shell-like structure, the internal cavities which are concealed during usage of the hanger.
  • Such hollowing markedly reduces the amount of plastic required to mold a particular hanger configuration and additionally inherently reduces the weight of the resulting item.
  • only by so constructing the hanger can the structural and economic advantages of plastic, as opposed to wood, for example, be fully realized.
  • the key to an inexpensive production model is to provide a relatively inexpensive two-piece mold which molds the hanger by molds opening and closing parallel to the vertical axis of the hanger. Also, once additional camming or secondary mold movement is required, production costs increase markedly for a number of reasons.
  • This invention relates specificallyto a hanger having a one-piece body of the type described in Ser. No. Re. 26,949 which, in addition thereto, includes an integral clamping bar and latch which cooperates with the trouser bar and is capable of being molded as taught in the reissue patent.
  • one-piece hangers having a trouser support and clamp bar are known such as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,866 entitled Clothes Hanger issued Sept. 24, 1968, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,999 entitled Suit Hangers With Double Bar issued Apr. l, 1969, and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 213,405, entitled Garment Hanger issued Feb. 25, 1969.
  • this art teaches positioning the clamping bar below the cross bar.
  • a principle disadvantage is the inability to mold such a hanger with a two-piece mold opening and closing parallel to the vertical axis of the hanger. Another major disadvantage is that such an arrangement is particularly inconvenient for mounting and removing the gannents from the hanger.
  • Another disadvantage to the clamping bar being positioned below the cross bar is that it requires a bulkier cantilevered joint to provide the same strength at the joint since the clamping bar must be moved a greater vertical distance to be lifted up over the latch means.
  • the latch means provided by the prior art to clamp the bar is complex and requires additional camming in the molding operation such that it is no longer a simplified two-piece mold.
  • This invention discloses a body for a garment hanger adapted to suspend from a support, which body includes a header portion having means for securing a support engaging element thereto and a pair of curved or contoured, diverging legs extending downwardly and outwardly from the sides of the header portion, the legs and header portion being generally hollow shells opening downwardly.
  • the legs are interconnected by a cross bar and a clamping bar is cantilevered to one end thereof and detachably connected at the other end by a latch means provided on the other end of the cross bar.
  • At least one of the bars is shaped to provide a portion projecting toward the other of said bars a distance greater than the remainder thereof so that when the clamping bar is engaged with the latch means, said portion deflects at least one of the bars to provide positive clamping pressure between the bars of a garment positioned therebetween.
  • the header portion, legs, cross bar, clamping bar, and latch means are all integral with each other forming a one-piece body.
  • FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the novel garment hanger
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the trouser bar open
  • FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the trouser bar closed
  • FIG. 4 is an elevational view in section taken along the plane IV-IV of FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the garment hanger
  • FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the trouser bar taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5.
  • FIG. 5 shows a garment hanger 10 having a body 12 comprising an enlarged header portion 14 from which extend legs 16a and 16b in diverging fashion.
  • legs 16a and 16b extend downwardly and outwardly from the sides of the header portion and, additionally, curve forwardly from and out of the general plane of the header portion to provide a generally apparelconforming contoured configuration.
  • This general configuration is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 980,907, entitled Garment Hanger, issued Jan. 10, 1911.
  • a conventional hook l8 is-pressure fitted into or otherwise suitably secured to header portion 14 after the body has been molded in accordance with this invention.
  • the cross bar 20 may be used to support garments such as a pair of trousers or the like. This however, is not the preferred use. In the preferred usage it serves both to brace and reinforce its legs 16a and 16b and as a pressure generating member in cooperation with the clamping bar 22.
  • the clamping bar 22 is cantilevered at one end 24 to the extremity of one of the ends of the cross bar. In the drawings, it is shown as being cantilevered adjacent leg 16b.
  • the opposite end 26 of the clamping bar 20 is free and the bar extends longitudinally adjacent cross bar 20 in a horizontal plane for movement into and out of clamping engagement with the cross bar.
  • the free end 26 receivable and removable from a latch means 28 which will be described in more detail hereinafter.
  • clamping bar is so designed that in its free state, it diverges from the cross bar and thus must be forcibly deflected before it can be latched. However, when the free end 26 is positioned in latch means 28, the clamping bar is secured in its clamping position with relation to cross bar 20.
  • a pair of transitional portions 380 and 30b extend inwardly and in the preferred embodiment are offset rearwardly from the extremities of legs 16a and 16b respectively. These connect the ends of the cross bar with the legs.
  • the point at which the clamping bar is cantilevered to the cross bar is at the inner end of the transition 30b while the latch means 28 forms the inner end of the transition portion 30a.
  • the length of the clamping bar 22 which is normally used to support a pair of trousers, slacks or the like is less than the overall distance between the extremities of the legs 16a and 16b. This provides the additional advantage of helping to center the garment with respect to the body hook 18 so that when the hanger is supported, there is less chance of the garment being positioned off-center.
  • clamping bar 22 is shown to be movable in a fore and aft direction away from cross bar 20 and in its free state the free end is normally conveniently spaced away from the latch and transition section 30a so that a garment such as a pair of trousers can be facilely slipped over the clamping bar by passing the end of the bar through the foldin the garment.
  • the bar 22 With a garment so mounted, the bar 22 is movable to clamp the garment between the two bars.
  • the cross bar is secured in this position by inserting the free end 26 into latch means 28. It will be recognized that the garment can be folded over the cross bar rather than the clamping bar. This is a matter of choice and doesn't change the function of the hanger.
  • the preferred latch 28 comprises a pocket opening upwardly and having a side or lip 32 which extends longitudinally in the direction g the bars. This lip serves as a keeper to retain the clamping bar when it is latched.
  • the clamping bar has to be capable of sufficient deflection to permit the free end to be lifted over the keeper 32.
  • the bottom of the latch pocket is closed by the stop 40 which provides positive support for the free end of the clamping bar 22 in the latched position.
  • the clamping bar is preferably of a general, inverted U-shape opening downwardly as shown in FIG. 6. It will be appreciated that as a cantilevered structure, the clamping bar is, capable of a greater degree of bending about the axis XX shown in FIG. 6 than about the axis YY. This is one particular advantage in positioning the trouser bar adjacent the cross bar in the horizontal plane rather than below the cross bar as shown in the prior art. To achieve the same strength in a bar of similar configuration positioned below the cross bar, as in the prior art, the extremities of the legs 16a and 16b would have to be extended and reinforced, increasing the bulk and cost of the hanger.
  • cross bar 20 it will be appreciated that to effectively clamp a garment between the cross and clamping bars, a positive clamping force must be exerted upon the garment by the two bars.
  • the resultant body 12 provides a garment hanger of an integral one-piece construction.
  • the header portion 14 would lie in a generally vertical plane when the body is suspended from a support engaging element as shown in FIG. 4.
  • the diverging legs 16a and 16b extend downwardly and outwardly from the sides of the header portion and forwardly from and out of the general plane of the header portion.
  • the connector bar 20 which connects the extremities of each of the legs extends inwardly with respect to the extremities and are offset forwardly with respect to all segments of the legs thereabove in addition to being displaced forwardly from all segments of the header portion and legs.
  • clamping bar 22 is offset forwardly with respect to the cross bar and all segments of the header portion and legs.
  • structure defining the latch pocket 28 Only by positioning the various structural components of the hanger with respect to one another such that all segments of the header portion, legs, cross bar, clamping bar and latch means are forwardly offset with respect to one another can the mold be separated from the hanger without the hanger being hung up in the mold.
  • a number of plastic materials such as styrene, poly propyline and mixtures of various plastic materials may be used for this hanger.
  • the material must produce a hanger in which the clamping and cross bars can be de flected without injurious effect and which has insufficient give to produce noticable loss of clamping pressure over extended periods of time. At the same time it is necessary that the hanger body have sufficient strength to withstand impact and resist deformation under the weight of the garment.
  • a one-piece molded plastic clothes hanger body adapted to be suspended from a support, said hanger body having a header portion and a pair of opposed forwardly and downwardly curved garment supporting legs; a cross bar connecting the extremities of said legs and integral therewith; the improvement in said hanger comprising: a clamping bar having a free end and a fixed end; the fixed end of said clamping bar being integral with said cross bar adjacent one of said legs and cantilevered therefrom; said clamping bar being in the same general horizontal plane as said cross bar and adjacent the forward face thereof; said clamping bar being movable from a free position with its free end spaced forwardly from said cross bar to a clamping position where it exerts pressure on a garment between the bars and latch means integral with the cross bar adjacent the other of said legs for securing said clamping bar in garment clamping position, said cross bar and clamping bar being offset forwardly with respect to all portions of said body thereabove whereby said hanger body may be integrally molded from plastic as one piece in a two-
  • one of said cross and clamping bars is resilient, and one of said bars is shaped so that a portion of said bar is offset toward the other of said bars a distance sufficient to require at least one of said bars to be deflected when said clamping bar is latched, said deflection of said bar creating a positive clamping force therebetween.
  • a clothes hanger according to claim 2 wherein said cross bar is generally bow-shaped with the mid-portion being generally flat so that said clamping force is applied at at least two spaced positions along said bars.
  • a clothes hanger according to claim 4 wherein said clamping bar is biased towards said free position, wherein it diverges from said cross bar, and a side of said pocket prevents said trouser bar from being brought into said clamping position with said cross bar unless the free end of said support bar is first lifted up over said pocket side so that when said bar is positioned in said clamping position, said free end is biased against said pocket side.
  • a one-piece molded plastic body for a garment hanger adapted to be suspended from a support, said body having an enlarged header portion, and means for securing a support engaging element thereto, said header portion lying in a generally vertical plane when said body is suspended from a support engaging element; and a pair of diverging legs extending downwardly and outwardly from the sides of said header portion, each of said legs extending forwardly from and out of the general plane of said header portion, each of said legs and header portion being generally hollow shells opening downwardly and a cross bar integral with and connecting the extremities of each of said legs, the extremities of said cross bar extending inwardly with respect to the extremities of said legs and being offset forwardly with respect to all segments of said legs thereabove, the remainder of said bar being displaced forwardly from all segments of said header portion and legs, the improvement in said hanger body comprising: a clamping bar integral with and cantilevered at one of its ends from the extremity of one of said diverging legs, the other end of said clamping bar being free and
  • said body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein said body includes a transition portion at the end of each of said diverging legs, said transition portion being continuous with and following the curvature of said legs, the extremities of said cross bar being integral with the inner face of said transition portion, and the cantilevered end of said clamping bar likewise being integral with the inner face of one of said transition zones and said locking means being integral with the inner face of said other transition zone portion.
  • a one-piece molded plastic hanger body having a header portion and a pair of downwardly and forwardly curved legs, the extremities of said legs being integral with and connected by a bar, the improvement in said hanger comprising: said bar being bifurcated into a backing portion and a clamping portion, said portions being integral adjacent one of said legs of said body; said clamping portion having a free end and a latch adjacent the other of said legs for securing said free end of said clamping portion; said clamping portion being forward of said backing portion and movable forwardly and rearwardly with respect thereto; said bar being so shaped that said portions thereof must be forcibly deflected to engage said free end of said clamping portion to said latch.

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  • Holders For Apparel And Elements Relating To Apparel (AREA)

Abstract

An integrally molded garment hanger having a conventional contoured body which includes a header portion, and a pair of downwardly extending curved divergent legs. The body also includes a cross bar interconnecting the legs at their extremities and a clamping bar cantilevered to the end of the cross bar adjacent one of the legs and extending adjacent the front face of the cross bar in a somewhat side-by-side relationship. A keeper is provided at the end of the cross bar adjacent the other leg for receipt of the free end of the cantilevered clamping bar. The cross bar is arched toward the clamping bar so that when the latter is secured by the keeper, both the cross bar and the clamping bar are pressed against each other to forcibly deflect therein creating a positive clamping force on a garment positioned therebetween. The entire structure, with the exception of the support element, may be integrally molded as a single component in a two-piece mold structure opening by simple movement of the mold valves in opposite directions.

Description

[75] Inventor: John H. Batts, E. Grand Rapids,
Mich.
[73] Assignee: John Thomas Batts, Inc., Zeeland,
Mich.
[22] Filed: Apr. 28, 1971 [2]] App]. No.: 138,064
[52] US. Cl. 223/91 [51] Int. Cl. A47j 51/14 [58] Field of Search 223/88, 91, 96, 90, 223/89 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,435,999 4/1969 Mantell 223/91 3,402,866 9/1968 Byrd 223/91 3,406,881 10/1968 Batts 223/88 3,645,427 2/1972 Dekker 223/96 3,459,349 8/1969 Batts 223/91 3,067,917 12/1962 Reller et a1. 223/91 706,060 8/1902 Howe 223/96 541,293 6/1895 Smith 223/96 United States Patent 1 [111 3,746,223 Batts [451 Jul 17, 1973 1 MOLDED GARMENT HANGER WITH 914,604 6/1946 France 223 91 CLAMPING TROUSER BAR 307,928 9/1955 Switzerland 223/91 Primary Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorney-Price, Heneveld, Huizenga & Cooper [57] ABSTRACT An integrally molded garment hanger having a conventional contoured body which includes a header portion, and a pair of downwardly extending curved divergent legs. The body also includes a cross bar interconnecting the legs at their extremities and a clamping bar cantilevered to the end of the cross bar adjacent one of the legs and extending adjacent the front face of the cross bar in a somewhat side-by-side relationship. A keeper is provided at the end of the cross bar adjacent the other leg for receipt of the free end of the cantilevered clamping bar. The cross bar is arched toward the clamping bar so that when the latter is secured by the keeper, both the cross bar and the clamping bar are pressed against each other to forcibly deflect therein creating a positive clamping force on a garment positioned therebetween. The entire structure, with the ex ception 'of the support element, may be integrally molded as a single component in a two-piece mold structure opening by simple movement of the mold valves in opposite directions.
15 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented July 17, 1973 3,746,228
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2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. QOH H- BATTS BY M, M
MOLDED GARMENT HANGER WITH CLAMPING TROUSER BAR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the advent of plastic and, particularly plastic molding processes, a new structural material has become available which offers many advantages in the field of garment hangers. Plastic hangers are lighter in weight, relatively inexpensive, structurally sound, and require little or no finishing separate from the molding process itself. With the proper choice of molds, it has become possible to produce hangers conforming generally to the contour of the shoulder section of a suit, coat or the like whereon garments can be hung for long periods of time without fear of their becoming wrinkled, stretched and the like from portions of the hanger protruding unnaturally into them.
Molded plastic hangers have become widely accepted in the industry. The primary objective of a molded plastic hanger is to mold the header and leg sections such that they are a hollow, shell-like structure, the internal cavities which are concealed during usage of the hanger. Such hollowing, markedly reduces the amount of plastic required to mold a particular hanger configuration and additionally inherently reduces the weight of the resulting item. In fact, only by so constructing the hanger can the structural and economic advantages of plastic, as opposed to wood, for example, be fully realized. The key to an inexpensive production model, however, is to provide a relatively inexpensive two-piece mold which molds the hanger by molds opening and closing parallel to the vertical axis of the hanger. Also, once additional camming or secondary mold movement is required, production costs increase markedly for a number of reasons.
The principles of hanger construction on permitting this type of molding a one-piece garment hanger body having an integral trouser supporting bar are taught by Letters Patent No. Re. 26,949 entitled CONTOURED ONE-PIECE HANGER, reissued Sept. 8, 1970.
This invention relates specificallyto a hanger having a one-piece body of the type described in Ser. No. Re. 26,949 which, in addition thereto, includes an integral clamping bar and latch which cooperates with the trouser bar and is capable of being molded as taught in the reissue patent. It is recognized that one-piece hangers having a trouser support and clamp bar are known such as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,866 entitled Clothes Hanger issued Sept. 24, 1968, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,999 entitled Suit Hangers With Double Bar issued Apr. l, 1969, and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 213,405, entitled Garment Hanger issued Feb. 25, 1969. However, this art teaches positioning the clamping bar below the cross bar. There are several disadvantages to this construction which this invention overcomes. A principle disadvantage is the inability to mold such a hanger with a two-piece mold opening and closing parallel to the vertical axis of the hanger. Another major disadvantage is that such an arrangement is particularly inconvenient for mounting and removing the gannents from the hanger. Another disadvantage to the clamping bar being positioned below the cross bar is that it requires a bulkier cantilevered joint to provide the same strength at the joint since the clamping bar must be moved a greater vertical distance to be lifted up over the latch means. Also, the latch means provided by the prior art to clamp the bar is complex and requires additional camming in the molding operation such that it is no longer a simplified two-piece mold.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention discloses a body for a garment hanger adapted to suspend from a support, which body includes a header portion having means for securing a support engaging element thereto and a pair of curved or contoured, diverging legs extending downwardly and outwardly from the sides of the header portion, the legs and header portion being generally hollow shells opening downwardly. The legs are interconnected by a cross bar and a clamping bar is cantilevered to one end thereof and detachably connected at the other end by a latch means provided on the other end of the cross bar. At least one of the bars is shaped to provide a portion projecting toward the other of said bars a distance greater than the remainder thereof so that when the clamping bar is engaged with the latch means, said portion deflects at least one of the bars to provide positive clamping pressure between the bars of a garment positioned therebetween. The header portion, legs, cross bar, clamping bar, and latch means are all integral with each other forming a one-piece body.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the novel garment hanger;
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the trouser bar open;
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the trouser bar closed;
FIG. 4 is an elevational view in section taken along the plane IV-IV of FIG. 5;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the garment hanger; and
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the trouser bar taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 5 shows a garment hanger 10 having a body 12 comprising an enlarged header portion 14 from which extend legs 16a and 16b in diverging fashion. As shown best in FIG. 4, legs 16a and 16b extend downwardly and outwardly from the sides of the header portion and, additionally, curve forwardly from and out of the general plane of the header portion to provide a generally apparelconforming contoured configuration. This general configuration is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 980,907, entitled Garment Hanger, issued Jan. 10, 1911. A conventional hook l8 is-pressure fitted into or otherwise suitably secured to header portion 14 after the body has been molded in accordance with this invention. Suspended between connecting the extremities of legs 16a and 16b is a cross bar 20. The cross bar 20 may be used to support garments such as a pair of trousers or the like. This however, is not the preferred use. In the preferred usage it serves both to brace and reinforce its legs 16a and 16b and as a pressure generating member in cooperation with the clamping bar 22.
The clamping bar 22 is cantilevered at one end 24 to the extremity of one of the ends of the cross bar. In the drawings, it is shown as being cantilevered adjacent leg 16b. The opposite end 26 of the clamping bar 20 is free and the bar extends longitudinally adjacent cross bar 20 in a horizontal plane for movement into and out of clamping engagement with the cross bar. The free end 26 receivable and removable from a latch means 28 which will be described in more detail hereinafter. The
clamping bar is so designed that in its free state, it diverges from the cross bar and thus must be forcibly deflected before it can be latched. However, when the free end 26 is positioned in latch means 28, the clamping bar is secured in its clamping position with relation to cross bar 20.
A pair of transitional portions 380 and 30b extend inwardly and in the preferred embodiment are offset rearwardly from the extremities of legs 16a and 16b respectively. These connect the ends of the cross bar with the legs. The point at which the clamping bar is cantilevered to the cross bar is at the inner end of the transition 30b while the latch means 28 forms the inner end of the transition portion 30a. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the length of the clamping bar 22 which is normally used to support a pair of trousers, slacks or the like is less than the overall distance between the extremities of the legs 16a and 16b. This provides the additional advantage of helping to center the garment with respect to the body hook 18 so that when the hanger is supported, there is less chance of the garment being positioned off-center.
Referring now specifically to FIGS. 2 & 3, clamping bar 22 is shown to be movable in a fore and aft direction away from cross bar 20 and in its free state the free end is normally conveniently spaced away from the latch and transition section 30a so that a garment such as a pair of trousers can be facilely slipped over the clamping bar by passing the end of the bar through the foldin the garment. With a garment so mounted, the bar 22 is movable to clamp the garment between the two bars. The cross bar is secured in this position by inserting the free end 26 into latch means 28. It will be recognized that the garment can be folded over the cross bar rather than the clamping bar. This is a matter of choice and doesn't change the function of the hanger.
The preferred latch 28 comprises a pocket opening upwardly and having a side or lip 32 which extends longitudinally in the direction g the bars. This lip serves as a keeper to retain the clamping bar when it is latched. The clamping bar has to be capable of sufficient deflection to permit the free end to be lifted over the keeper 32. The bottom of the latch pocket is closed by the stop 40 which provides positive support for the free end of the clamping bar 22 in the latched position.
Turning to the configuration of both the cross bar and trouser bar, the clamping bar is preferably of a general, inverted U-shape opening downwardly as shown in FIG. 6. It will be appreciated that as a cantilevered structure, the clamping bar is, capable of a greater degree of bending about the axis XX shown in FIG. 6 than about the axis YY. This is one particular advantage in positioning the trouser bar adjacent the cross bar in the horizontal plane rather than below the cross bar as shown in the prior art. To achieve the same strength in a bar of similar configuration positioned below the cross bar, as in the prior art, the extremities of the legs 16a and 16b would have to be extended and reinforced, increasing the bulk and cost of the hanger.
Turning to cross bar 20, it will be appreciated that to effectively clamp a garment between the cross and clamping bars, a positive clamping force must be exerted upon the garment by the two bars. One of the drawbacks of the prior art, in addition to others mentioned, has been the failure to provide an effective clamping force on the garment to prevent displacement along the bars.
This problem is eliminated by shaping the cross bar into a flattened arch configuration with a mid-portion 40 of the bar offset toward the clamping bar. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, rather than an arcuate configuration, two flat portions 42a and 42b extend at an angle from the transition portions 30a and 30b of the hanger to offset the mid-portion 40. The mid-portion 40 has a flat outward face 44. With this configuration, when the clamping bar is moved into its closed position as shown in FIG. 3, both the clamping and cross bars are deflected and caused to forcibly press against each other. The added thickness of the garment between the bars further increases this deflection and thus the clamping pressure. It will be appreciated that the clamping bar could be given the offset configuration either in addition to or in place of the use of this configuration on the cross bar. This deflection also serves positively to secure the latch.
The resultant body 12 provides a garment hanger of an integral one-piece construction. To permit molding in a two-piece mold along a vertical plane with respect to the hanger as shown in FIG. I, the various components described above are arranged as follows. The header portion 14 would lie in a generally vertical plane when the body is suspended from a support engaging element as shown in FIG. 4. The diverging legs 16a and 16b extend downwardly and outwardly from the sides of the header portion and forwardly from and out of the general plane of the header portion. The connector bar 20 which connects the extremities of each of the legs extends inwardly with respect to the extremities and are offset forwardly with respect to all segments of the legs thereabove in addition to being displaced forwardly from all segments of the header portion and legs. Finally, the clamping bar 22 is offset forwardly with respect to the cross bar and all segments of the header portion and legs. The same is true of the structure defining the latch pocket 28. Only by positioning the various structural components of the hanger with respect to one another such that all segments of the header portion, legs, cross bar, clamping bar and latch means are forwardly offset with respect to one another can the mold be separated from the hanger without the hanger being hung up in the mold.
A number of plastic materials such as styrene, poly propyline and mixtures of various plastic materials may be used for this hanger. The material must produce a hanger in which the clamping and cross bars can be de flected without injurious effect and which has insufficient give to produce noticable loss of clamping pressure over extended periods of time. At the same time it is necessary that the hanger body have sufficient strength to withstand impact and resist deformation under the weight of the garment.
The advantages of the instant invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. In accordance with this invention it is now possible to integrally mold in a one-step operation, using a simple two-piece mold, an entire garment hanger body having a trouser clamping bar. This is accomplished while keeping the required amount of plastic to a minimum.
While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been illustrated in detail, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many other embodiments may be conceived and fabricated without departing from the spirit of this specification and the accompanying drawings. Such other embodiments are to be deemed as included within the scope of the following claims.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privelege is claimed are defined as follows:
l. A one-piece molded plastic clothes hanger body adapted to be suspended from a support, said hanger body having a header portion and a pair of opposed forwardly and downwardly curved garment supporting legs; a cross bar connecting the extremities of said legs and integral therewith; the improvement in said hanger comprising: a clamping bar having a free end and a fixed end; the fixed end of said clamping bar being integral with said cross bar adjacent one of said legs and cantilevered therefrom; said clamping bar being in the same general horizontal plane as said cross bar and adjacent the forward face thereof; said clamping bar being movable from a free position with its free end spaced forwardly from said cross bar to a clamping position where it exerts pressure on a garment between the bars and latch means integral with the cross bar adjacent the other of said legs for securing said clamping bar in garment clamping position, said cross bar and clamping bar being offset forwardly with respect to all portions of said body thereabove whereby said hanger body may be integrally molded from plastic as one piece in a two-piece mold.
2. A clothes hanger according to claim 1 wherein one of said cross and clamping bars is resilient, and one of said bars is shaped so that a portion of said bar is offset toward the other of said bars a distance sufficient to require at least one of said bars to be deflected when said clamping bar is latched, said deflection of said bar creating a positive clamping force therebetween.
3. A clothes hanger according to claim 2 wherein said cross bar is generally bow-shaped with the mid-portion being generally flat so that said clamping force is applied at at least two spaced positions along said bars.
4. A clothes hanger according to claim 1 wherein said clamping bar may be bent vertically as well as horizontally relative to said cross bar, said latch means being an upwardly opening pocket formed in said cross bar for receipt of said free end of said clamping bar, said pocket having a closed bottom side for supporting said clamping bar.
5. A clothes hanger according to claim 4 wherein said clamping bar is biased towards said free position, wherein it diverges from said cross bar, and a side of said pocket prevents said trouser bar from being brought into said clamping position with said cross bar unless the free end of said support bar is first lifted up over said pocket side so that when said bar is positioned in said clamping position, said free end is biased against said pocket side.
6. A clothes hanger according to claim I wherein said clamping bar remains in the same general horizontal plane as said cross bar when said clamping bar is in said free position.
7. A one-piece molded plastic body for a garment hanger adapted to be suspended from a support, said body having an enlarged header portion, and means for securing a support engaging element thereto, said header portion lying in a generally vertical plane when said body is suspended from a support engaging element; and a pair of diverging legs extending downwardly and outwardly from the sides of said header portion, each of said legs extending forwardly from and out of the general plane of said header portion, each of said legs and header portion being generally hollow shells opening downwardly and a cross bar integral with and connecting the extremities of each of said legs, the extremities of said cross bar extending inwardly with respect to the extremities of said legs and being offset forwardly with respect to all segments of said legs thereabove, the remainder of said bar being displaced forwardly from all segments of said header portion and legs, the improvement in said hanger body comprising: a clamping bar integral with and cantilevered at one of its ends from the extremity of one of said diverging legs, the other end of said clamping bar being free and engageable with locking means on the extremity of said other of said legs so that when said free end is engaged in said locking means, said clamping bar and cross bar provide a clamping force therebetween to positively clamp a garment between said cross bar and clamping bar, said clamping bar seating against the front face of said cross bar and moving in a horizontal plane with respect thereto, said clamping bar being offset forwardly with respect to all segments of said legs thereabove and displaced forwardly from all segments of said header portion, legs and cross bar whereby said body can be molded in a two-piece mold.
8. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein said bar is a generally hollow shell opening generally downwardly.
9. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein said body includes a transition portion at the end of each of said diverging legs, said transition portion being continuous with and following the curvature of said legs, the extremities of said cross bar being integral with the inner face of said transition portion, and the cantilevered end of said clamping bar likewise being integral with the inner face of one of said transition zones and said locking means being integral with the inner face of said other transition zone portion.
10. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein one of said cross and clamping bars are shaped so that a portion of said bars projects toward the other of said bars a distance greater than the remainder thereof such that when said clamping bar is locked into abutment with said cross bar, said portion projecting towards said other bar causes said bars to flex against each other to provide a positive clamping force therebetween. v
11. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 9 wherein said cross bar is generally bow-shaped with the mid-portion being generally flat so that said clamping force is applied at at least two spaced along said bars.
12. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein said clamping bar is movable relative to said cross bar both vertically and horizontally, and said locking means includes an upwardly opening pocket adjacent the extremity of said other downwardly extending leg and integral therewith, said pocket includ ing a side preventing said clamping bar from being brought into said clamping position with said cross bar unless the free end of said clamping bar is first lifted up over said pocket side, said clamping bar when so lifted and received by said pocket being locked into said clamping position.
13. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 11 wherein the free end of said clamping bar is beveled and the internal face of said pocket side is similarly shaped so that when said clamping bar is received in said pocket, the transition between said clamping bar face and outer pocket side face is relatively continuous and smooth. 7
14. A one-piece molded plastic hanger body having a header portion and a pair of downwardly and forwardly curved legs, the extremities of said legs being integral with and connected by a bar, the improvement in said hanger comprising: said bar being bifurcated into a backing portion and a clamping portion, said portions being integral adjacent one of said legs of said body; said clamping portion having a free end and a latch adjacent the other of said legs for securing said free end of said clamping portion; said clamping portion being forward of said backing portion and movable forwardly and rearwardly with respect thereto; said bar being so shaped that said portions thereof must be forcibly deflected to engage said free end of said clamping portion to said latch.
15. The molded hanger body described in claim 14 wherein all vertically offset portions thereof are also offset horizontally such that said hanger body may be molded in a two-piece mold having only one movable portion and removable therefrom without hang-up.

Claims (15)

1. A one-piece molded plastic clothes hanger body adapted to be suspended from a support, said hanger body having a header portion and a pair of opposed forwardly and downwardly curved garment supporting legs; a cross bar connecting the extremities of said legs and integral therewith; the improvement in said hanger comprising: a clamping bar having a free end and a fixed end; the fixed end of said clamping bar being integral with said cross bar adjacent one of said legs and cantilevered therefrom; said clamping bar being in the same general horizontal plane as said cross bar and adjacent the forward face thereof; said clamping bar being movable from a free position with its free end spaced forwardly from said cross bar to a clamping position where it exerts pressure on a garment between the bars and latch means integral with the cross bar adjacent the other of said legs for securing said clamping bar in garment clamping position, said cross bar and clamping bar being offset forwardly with respect to all portions of said body thereabove whereby said hanger body may be integrally molded from plastic as one piece in a two-piece mold.
2. A clothes hanger according to claim 1 wherein one of said cross and clamping bars is resilient, and one of said bars is shaped so that a portion of said bar is offset toward the other of said bars a distance sufficient to require at least one of said bars to be deflected when said clamping bar is latched, said deflection of said bar creating a positive clamping force therebetween.
3. A clothes hanger according to claim 2 wherein said cross bar is generally bow-shaped with the mid-portion being generally flat so that said clamping force is applied at at least two spaced positions along said bars.
4. A clothes hanger according to claim 1 wherein said clamping bar may be bent vertically as well as horizontally relative to said cross bar, said latch means being an upwardly opening pocket formed in said cross bar for receipt of said free end of said clamping bar, said pocket having a closed bottom side for supporting said clamping bar.
5. A clothes hanger according to claim 4 wherein said clamping bar is biased towards said free position, wherein it diverges from said cross bar, and a side of said pocket prevents said trouser bar from being brought into said clamping position with said cross bar unless the free end of said support bar is first lifted up over said pocket side so that when said bar is positioned in said clamping position, said free end is biased against said pocket side.
6. A clothes hanger according to claim 1 wherein said clamping bar remains in the same general horizontal plane as said cross bar when said clamping bar is in said free position.
7. A one-piece molded plastic body for a garment hanger adapted to be suspended from a support, said body having an enlarged header portion, and means for securing a support engaging element thereto, said header portion lying in a generally vertical plane when said body is suspended from a support engaging element; and a pair of diverging legs extending downwardly and outwardly from the sides of said header portion, each of said legs extending forwardly from and out of the general plane of said header portion, each of said legs and header portion being generally hollow shells opening downwardly and a cross bar integral with and connecting the extremities of each of said legs, the extremities of said cross bar extending inwardly with respect to the extremities of said legs and being offset forwardly with respect to all segments of said legs thereabove, the remainder of said bar being displaced forwardly from all segments of said header portion and legs, the improvement in said hanger body comprising: a clamping bar integral with and cantilevered at one of its ends from the extremity of one of said diverging legs, the other end of said clamping bar being free and engageable with locking means on the extremiTy of said other of said legs so that when said free end is engaged in said locking means, said clamping bar and cross bar provide a clamping force therebetween to positively clamp a garment between said cross bar and clamping bar, said clamping bar seating against the front face of said cross bar and moving in a horizontal plane with respect thereto, said clamping bar being offset forwardly with respect to all segments of said legs thereabove and displaced forwardly from all segments of said header portion, legs and cross bar whereby said body can be molded in a two-piece mold.
8. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein said bar is a generally hollow shell opening generally downwardly.
9. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein said body includes a transition portion at the end of each of said diverging legs, said transition portion being continuous with and following the curvature of said legs, the extremities of said cross bar being integral with the inner face of said transition portion, and the cantilevered end of said clamping bar likewise being integral with the inner face of one of said transition zones and said locking means being integral with the inner face of said other transition zone portion.
10. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein one of said cross and clamping bars are shaped so that a portion of said bars projects toward the other of said bars a distance greater than the remainder thereof such that when said clamping bar is locked into abutment with said cross bar, said portion projecting towards said other bar causes said bars to flex against each other to provide a positive clamping force therebetween.
11. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 9 wherein said cross bar is generally bow-shaped with the mid-portion being generally flat so that said clamping force is applied at at least two spaced along said bars.
12. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 7 wherein said clamping bar is movable relative to said cross bar both vertically and horizontally, and said locking means includes an upwardly opening pocket adjacent the extremity of said other downwardly extending leg and integral therewith, said pocket including a side preventing said clamping bar from being brought into said clamping position with said cross bar unless the free end of said clamping bar is first lifted up over said pocket side, said clamping bar when so lifted and received by said pocket being locked into said clamping position.
13. The body for a hanger as set forth in claim 11 wherein the free end of said clamping bar is beveled and the internal face of said pocket side is similarly shaped so that when said clamping bar is received in said pocket, the transition between said clamping bar face and outer pocket side face is relatively continuous and smooth.
14. A one-piece molded plastic hanger body having a header portion and a pair of downwardly and forwardly curved legs, the extremities of said legs being integral with and connected by a bar, the improvement in said hanger comprising: said bar being bifurcated into a backing portion and a clamping portion, said portions being integral adjacent one of said legs of said body; said clamping portion having a free end and a latch adjacent the other of said legs for securing said free end of said clamping portion; said clamping portion being forward of said backing portion and movable forwardly and rearwardly with respect thereto; said bar being so shaped that said portions thereof must be forcibly deflected to engage said free end of said clamping portion to said latch.
15. The molded hanger body described in claim 14 wherein all vertically offset portions thereof are also offset horizontally such that said hanger body may be molded in a two-piece mold having only one movable portion and removable therefrom without hang-up.
US00138064A 1971-04-28 1971-04-28 Molded garment hanger with clamping trouser bar Expired - Lifetime US3746223A (en)

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2239392A (en) * 1989-11-02 1991-07-03 Malzahn Kg Eugen Plastics hanger for displaying sacks
US5234139A (en) * 1991-08-06 1993-08-10 Korenstein Michael W Apparatus for the management of paired garments
GB2273867A (en) * 1992-12-23 1994-07-06 Ferguson Hangers Ltd A hanger
DE29800565U1 (en) * 1998-01-14 1999-02-18 Karner-Batts GmbH, 97737 Gemünden Hangers and clothes hangers
US20150129622A1 (en) * 2013-11-11 2015-05-14 Ellie K. MacLaren Clothes hanger

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FR914604A (en) * 1945-09-18 1946-10-14 Coat hanger
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US3067917A (en) * 1959-08-19 1962-12-11 Louis S Reller Garment holder
US3402866A (en) * 1965-10-23 1968-09-24 Byrd Plastics Inc Clothes hanger
US3406881A (en) * 1967-02-13 1968-10-22 Batts John T Inc Contoured one-piece hanger
US3435999A (en) * 1967-08-02 1969-04-01 Otto B Mantell Suit hangers with double bar
US3459349A (en) * 1967-10-17 1969-08-05 Batts John T Inc Garment hanger
US3645427A (en) * 1968-11-12 1972-02-29 Tomado Nv Clothes hanger

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US541293A (en) * 1895-06-18 Trousers-hanger
US706060A (en) * 1900-05-11 1902-08-05 James H Howe Trousers-hanger.
FR914604A (en) * 1945-09-18 1946-10-14 Coat hanger
CH307928A (en) * 1952-12-17 1955-06-30 Soehne Alfred Walther Hangers.
US3067917A (en) * 1959-08-19 1962-12-11 Louis S Reller Garment holder
US3402866A (en) * 1965-10-23 1968-09-24 Byrd Plastics Inc Clothes hanger
US3406881A (en) * 1967-02-13 1968-10-22 Batts John T Inc Contoured one-piece hanger
US3435999A (en) * 1967-08-02 1969-04-01 Otto B Mantell Suit hangers with double bar
US3459349A (en) * 1967-10-17 1969-08-05 Batts John T Inc Garment hanger
US3645427A (en) * 1968-11-12 1972-02-29 Tomado Nv Clothes hanger

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2239392A (en) * 1989-11-02 1991-07-03 Malzahn Kg Eugen Plastics hanger for displaying sacks
GB2239392B (en) * 1989-11-02 1993-03-10 Malzahn Kg Eugen Plastics hanger for retaining and displaying socks or the like
US5234139A (en) * 1991-08-06 1993-08-10 Korenstein Michael W Apparatus for the management of paired garments
GB2273867A (en) * 1992-12-23 1994-07-06 Ferguson Hangers Ltd A hanger
GB2273867B (en) * 1992-12-23 1996-08-21 Ferguson Hangers Ltd A hanger
DE29800565U1 (en) * 1998-01-14 1999-02-18 Karner-Batts GmbH, 97737 Gemünden Hangers and clothes hangers
US20150129622A1 (en) * 2013-11-11 2015-05-14 Ellie K. MacLaren Clothes hanger
US9186008B2 (en) * 2013-11-11 2015-11-17 Ellie K. MacLaren Clothes hanger
US9713398B2 (en) 2013-11-11 2017-07-25 Ellie MacLaren Xavier da Silva Clothes hanger with base

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