US3833159A

US3833159A - Flush hosiery hanger

Info

Publication number: US3833159A
Application number: US00361411A
Authority: US
Inventors: I Ono
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-06-26
Filing date: 1973-05-18
Publication date: 1974-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 1991-09-03
Also published as: JPS4932826U

Abstract

The hanger comprises a flexible cord having a loop and two standing parts, a stop member on said loop, preferably slidably mounted thereon, and a slide tube carried by said standing parts for shortening said loop, the standing parts having hanging bars at their ends with reduced tips for piercing spaced portions of the hose to be supported, the slide tube and stop enabling firm securement of the flattened loop and standing parts about a support.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Ono Sept. 3, 1974 FLUSHHOSIERY HANGER 2,351,523 6/1944 Langer 223/87 x 2,792,979 5/1957 C l 223/96 [76] Inventor: Iwao Ono, 78 Ajll'Oklta l-chome, I 2,997,217 8/1961 2 n 2 M13 x Osaka, Japan 3,171,577 3/1965 Lindegren 211/119 x [22] Filed: May 18, 1973 Primary Examiner-George H. Krizmanich [21] Appl. No.. 361,411 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hall & Houghton [30] Fgreiggn 2rkpglication Priority Data 7 7 42 [57] ABSTRACT 4 June 1 7 apan 5 9 The hanger comprises a flexible cord having a loop 52 U.S. Cl 223 85 223 95, 211 113 and standing Paris a member Said i511 Int. Cl. A47j s 1/94 Preferably slidably mounted there, and a Slide tube [58] Field of Search 223/85 92 95 51 96 carried by Said standing Parts shmening said 1001, 223/52 1 the standing parts having hanging bars at their ends with reduced tips for piercing spaced portions of the [56] References Cited hose to be supported, the slide tube and stop enabling firm securement of the flattened loop and standing UNITED STATES PATENTS parts about a Support 800,518 9/1905 Wardwell 223/85 X 1,804,314 5/1931 Brun 223/85 X 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures FLUSH HOSIERY HANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to hangers for supporting hosiery for airing, drying, or for sale. As feet are inclined to perspire, washing and drying of hose, or at least airing and drying thereof, after each wearing, is highly desirable to preserve the hose and to avoid development of fungus and other foot infections.

2. Description of the Prior Art It has heretofore been customary to use clothes pins or metal spring clips for supporting hosiery to air or dry. Such devices are awkward and the spring clips are apt to rust. Also such devices have not been well adapted for easy flat storage with or separate from the hose, or to be sold as part of a hosiery package, or to serve as a packaging aid. Indeed, in the case of elastic top socks, or stretch socks, it has been the custom to sell the same stretched on cardboard forms which are simply thrown away by the purchaser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a simple hosiery hanger that can lie flush in a flat package or any place of storage, and that can be used by the purchaser to support the hosiery for airing or drying, or for drying and subsequent storage, in paired association, and

which can be produced as a jewelry item, or can be mass produced sufficiently cheaply to be used as a giveaway or packaging element by the hosiery vendor. The construction and operation thereof will be made evident by the following description and accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hosiery hanger, illustrating a mode of hanging it on a hook or other open ended protruberance,

FIG. 2 is a perspective detail illustrating a mode of hanging the device on a closed end bar or other support shown in phantom lines,

FIG. 3 is a perspective detail illustrating a mode of hanging the device on a vertical bed post or the like,

FIG. 4 is a detail illustrating the engagement of one end of the device with the mouth portion of one of a pair of hose to be supported thereby, and

FIG. 5 is a detail in plan of another embodiment with a sock-mouth spreader, with its engagement with a sock illustrated in phantom lines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the hosiery hanger, which is adapted for hanging hosiery in pairs for sale, airing, or drying, comprises a flexible cord having two standing parts 3 and a loop portion 3 between them. This .cord may conveniently have a length of about 15 to 18 inches. The loop portion 3 is provided with a stop 4 thereon. This stop 4 may take various forms but in the form shown is a bead about /4 to 12 inches in diameter. In the preferred embodiment the stop 4 is slidably mounted on the loop 3' of the cord near the center thereof. The two standing parts 3 pass through a tubular slide 5, which may have a flanged end 5 to facilitate its movement, if desired, and the hanger further comprises two relatively stiff or rigid hanger bars 1 which may be constructed of relatively inexpensive rust-proof high quality material such as bamboo, hard wood, plastic or metal, e.g. aluminum, secured, respectively, to the free ends of the standing portions 30f the flexible cord. Such hanger bars 1 may have for example, a circular cross section of about 5 mm diameter, and a length of about 10 mm. With the stop 4,-slidably mounted, sliding of the

cord

3, 3 through the stop member 4 and slide 5 enables adjustment .of the bars 1 to the same height or to different heights, as desired, and movement of the slide 5 toward and away from the stop 4 decreases or increases the size of the loop 3', for the purpose hereinafter described.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the ends of the hanger bars 1 are formed with reduced fabric penetrating sections 2 providing piercing elements and abutments 2 between the piercing elements and the bar body. Thus, as best illustrated in FIG. 4, the bar may be positioned somewhat inside the mouth of the hosiery,

and its ends 2 may be engaged in the mesh of the knitted fabric at points which stretch the fabric between them. With elastic top mens hose, or with stretch hose, these points may be diametrically opposite eachother; with flare-top hose, they may be less than diametrically apart, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the fabric being stretched sideways between them so that its elasticity will hold the hosiery on the hanger bars. The shoulders 2' from which the penetrating sections 2 protrude prevent the fabric from sliding along the bars and thus maintainits tension.

Still referring to FIG. 1, if the hanger is to be supported by a hook or other open ended support, the loop 3' may simply be hung thereon, the stop 4 lying idle under these conditions. Usually, however, shower curtain rods, towel racks, bed-posts, and the like have closed ends or inaccessible ends, and the combination of stop 4 and slide 5 is very useful in such situations, because by simply passing the flattened loop around the support (e.g. horizontal support 10 in FIG. 2 or vertical support 11 in FIG. 3), passing the stop through the part of the loop proximate to the slide 5, and moving the slide 5 along the standing parts toward the support, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hanger may be securely attached to the support. Such secure attachment, of course, may also be employed with open hook sup ports, when wind or the like might dislodge a loop merely hung on the support as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

As above mentioned, the stop 4 is preferably slidably mounted on the loop 3', so that the position of the stop may be adusted to adjust the relative lengths of said standing parts to facilitate drying of a pair of hose by not placing them in face-to-face contact during drying.

Still referring to FIG. I, the cord may readily be attached to the hanging bars 1 by providing the latter with a centrally located groove, and knotting the cord ends to the bars in such central grooves, by a double half hitch, or other suitable knots, as shown.

Finally, for heavy hosiery used in cold seasons or for skiiing, it may be desirable to provide for holding the hosiery somewhat open for drying. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 5, the hanging bars 1 may have auxiliary bars 6 pivoted thereto at the centers thereof and rotatable to lie cross-wise thereof for holding open the mouth of the item of hosiery supported on said bars. Such auxiliary bars 6 may be secured to the hanging bars 1 as by pivots 14; or may themselves be centrally grooved and be secured in the same knots engaging the central grooves of the bars 1; or said auxiliary bars may be simply centrally transversely perforated and be threaded onto the respective standing parts 3 of the cord before the attachment thereof to the rods 1. By using such auxiliary bars the socks may hang stretched in the air in an oval cross section to facilitate rapid drying.

The hosiery hanger of this invention may be produced either as a jewelry item of precious metal and gems, or it may be made so inexpensively that it may be given away with a pair of hose. It may be used to secure a pair of hose to each other, and/or to a display card, for sale; or to secure a pair of hose together to prevent separation thereof during washing. Its convenience will foster its use and promote washing and drying of hose with consequent improvement in foot health.

For travelling the hanger may be left in the hose keeping the pair together, and will occupy only a minimum of space, either in such condition or when detached from the hose. The hanging bars 1 and stop 4 assure against loss from the cord of the slide member 5, as the slide member 5 cannot pass thereover. Hence the device comprises no separable small parts apt to become lost in use.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included therein.

l claimas my invention:

1. A hosiery hanger for hanging hosiery for sale, airing, drying, or storage, which comprises:

a. a flexible cord having a loop portion and two standing ports,

b. two relatively rigid hanging bars secured centrally, respectively, to the free ends of the standing parts of said flexible cord,

c. a stopelement on said loop portion, and

d. a tubular slide through which both of said standing parts are passed, movement of which reduces and increases the size of the loop portion,

e. said hanging bars having reduced fabric penetrating sections extending outwardly from each end of said hanging bars in substantially parlalel relationship therewith for piercingly engaging spaced portions of the hose fabric for supporting the same,

f. said stop member and slide cooperating to enable said loop in flattened condition to be passed around a support and be secured thereto by passing said stop member through the part of said loop proximate to said slide and moving said slide along said standing parts toward such support.

2. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said stop member being slidably mounted on said loop, whereby the position thereof adjusts the relative lengths of said standing parts.

3. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said hanging bars being centrally grooved, and said cord being knotted to said bars in said central grooves.

4. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 1, said hanging bars having auxiliary bars therewith to lie crosswise thereof for holding open the mouths of items of hosiery supported on said hanging bars.

5. A hosiery hanger as claimed in claim 4, said auxiliary bars being rotatably mounted adjacent said hanging bars.

Claims

1. A hosiery hanger for hanging hosiery for sale, airing, drying, or storage, which comprises: a. a flexible cord having a loop portion and two standing ports, b. two relatively rigid hanging bars secured centrally, respectively, to the free ends of the standing parts of said flexible cord, c. a stop element on said loop portion, and d. a tubular slide through which both of said standing parts are passed, movement of which reduces and increases the size of the loop portion, e. said hanging bars having reduced fabric penetrating sections extending outwardly from each end of said hanging bars in substantially parlalel relationship therewith for piercingly engaging spaced portions of the hose fabric for supporting the same, f. said stop member and slide cooperating to enable said loop in flattened condition to be passed around a support and be secured thereto by passing said stop member through the part of said loop proximate to said slide and moving said slide along said standing parts toward such support.