WO2013171478A1

WO2013171478A1 - Garment hanger with display device

Info

Publication number: WO2013171478A1
Application number: PCT/GB2013/051241
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Jones
Original assignee: Mainetti (Uk) Limited
Priority date: 2012-05-18
Filing date: 2013-05-14
Publication date: 2013-11-21
Also published as: GB2504059A; GB2504059B; GB201208813D0

Abstract

A garment hanger is disclosed, including a hook (12) for suspending the hanger from a rail. The hanger also has a body (14) including arms (16) for supporting a garment (18) on the hanger and a display portion that is visible when a garment (10) is hung on the hanger. The hanger further includes a garment identification reader for reading a garment identifier tag (26) attached to the garment which contains raw data relating to the garment and which can be read when it is hung on the hanger. There is also a display device located in the display portion (28) of the body of the hanger which displays information relating to the garment in response to the raw data read by the reader.

Description

GARMENT HANGER WITH DISPLAY DEVICE

The present invention relates to a garment hanger .. and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a garment hanger for displaying price information in a retail setting.

In order to best display garments for sale retailers commonly use hangers to hang garments on a display rail. It is often the case that the central portion of the hanger, commonly termed the "label area" contains a display label which provides information about the garment hung on a hanger. This can include size information, price information and may include further information such as special offers. However, this system relies on hangers and garments not becoming mixed up and this can easily happen when customers are trying on garments as well as for many other reasons. This can lead to frustration for customers where the information about a garment does not match the garment, for example resulting in customers buying the wrong size. As a result, information about garment price and special offers is rarely put onto a hanger, as this information may change or can lead to customer confusion by special offers being shown on a hanger for garments that are not included in that offer. As a result the label area of the hanger, which is an ideal place for displaying such price and special offer information, is rarely used to display this type of information . Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the above defined described disadvantages of the prior art . According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided claim a garment hanger comprising: - at least one suspension device for suspending the hanger from a rail; at least one body, including at least one garment support portion for supporting a garment on the hanger and at least one display portion that is visible when a garment is hung on the hanger; at least one garment identification reader for reading at least one garment identifier attached to said garment and containing raw data relating to said garment when hung on the hanger; and at least one display device located in said display portion of said body, said display device displaying information relating to said garment in response to said raw data read by said reader.

By providing a hanger with a display device and garment identification reader, so that information about the garment can be displayed on a hanger, the advantage is provided that information relating to the garment hung on a hanger can be automatically updated if garments are swapped from one hanger to another. As a result, it can be ensured that the information displayed on a hanger is correct for the garment hung thereon and as a result more information, including price information and special offers, can be easily displayed in the most visible part of a garment and hanger combination. It is also the case that the display device can display more information by changing the information on the screen to change through a series of different screen displays each carrying different information.

In a preferred embodiment the garment identification reader comprises at least one RFID reader.

By using an RFID reader in the garment hanger and an RFID tag attached to the garment, the advantage is provided that a lot of data can be contained on the RFID tag and all of this information can be displayed on the display device on a garment hanger significantly increasing the information that can be passed onto the customer. Furthermore, data on an RFID tag can be easily changed and as a result, information such as pricing can be updated by simply changing the data on each of the tags using processes familiar to those skilled in the art.

According to another preferred embodiment the display device comprises at least one screen and at least one processor, wherein said processor receives said raw data from at least one said least one garment identification reader and converts said raw data into display data which is used by said screen to display said information relating to said garment .

By using a processor and separate screen, both contained within the garment hanger, the advantages provided that simple data stored on the RFID tag can be converted into more complex information can be displayed to the customer.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment comprising: - a clothing portion; and a garment identifier attached to said clothing portion and containing data relating to the garment for use in conjunction with a hanger as set out above.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment rail comprising: - at least one elongate rail member for suspending a plurality of hangers therefrom; at least one garment identification reader for reading at least one garment identifier attached to said garment and containing raw data relating to said garment when hung on the hanger; and at least one display device located in said display portion of said body, said display device displaying information relating to said garment in response to said raw data read by said reader.

In another preferred embodiment the display device comprises at least one screen and at least one processor, wherein said processor receives said raw data from at least one said least one garment identification reader and converts said raw data into display data which is used by said screen to display said information relating to said garment. Preferred embodiments to the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : -

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a garment hanger of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of components used in the hanger of Figure 1 ;

Figures 3 and 4 are representations of the hanger Figure 1 in use; and Figure 5 is a series of perspective views of the hanger of Figure 1 in use showing different display configurations.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a garment hanger 10 includes a suspension device, in the form of hook 12 and a hanger body 14. The hanger body has garment support portions, in the form of arms 16 that support a garment, such as jacket 18 (shown in Figures 3 and 4) . The hanger body also has a display portion 20, which in the example shown in Figure 1, is the central part of the hanger from which the arms 16 extend and into which the hook 12 also extends.

Garment hanger 10 also includes a data handling device 22 that is contained within the hanger body 14 and most typically within the central display portion 20. As a result, in Figure 1 the data handling device cannot be seen and is shown schematically in Figure 2. The data handling device 22 includes a garment identification reader, in the form of RFID tag reader 24 that is capable of reading data from an RFID tag 26 located in jacket 18. The data handling device 22 also includes a display device, in the form of screen 28 that is visible to a potential customer when the jacket 18 is hung on hanger 10. As shown in the Figures the screen 28 forms part of the display portion 20 and is typically located in the central part of the hanger, from which the arms 16 extend, commonly referred to as the label area. Examples of the type of screen that can be used include, but are not limited to, an LCD screen and an e-paper screen. The screen type is preferably of a type requiring low voltage and minimal current to maintain a screen display. The data handling device 22 also typically includes a processor 30 that converts the raw data received by the RFID reader into display data that can be displayed on screen 28. The data handling device 22 generally requires a power supply to power the RFID reader 24, processor 30 and display 28 and this is provided in the form of battery 32.

Use of the garment hanger of the present invention will now be described with additional reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5. In use, a garment, such as jacket 18, is hung on a garment hanger 10. The jacket 18 has an RFID tag 26 attached to the jacket in a position such that when the jacket is hung on the hanger 10 the tag 26 is in close proximity to the RFID reader 24. In the example shown in Figures 3 and 4 the tag 26 is attached to the jacket label at the back of the collar and as a result when the jacket is hung on hanger 10 the tag 26 is in very close proximity, a few millimetres, or at most a few centimetre, from the RFID reader 24 that is located in the display portion 20 of hanger 10. RFID reader 24 periodically transmits an interrogation signal and if an RFID tag is insufficiently close proximity receives a response in the form of raw data. The range of the RFID reader, that is the distance that the interrogation signal will produce a response from an RFID tag, should be very limited so as to ensure that only a tag of a garment hung on the hanger will be interrogated. The examples shown in Figures 3 and 4 demonstrate a suitable proximity of tag to reader. Furthermore, shielding can be placed around the RFID reader so as to direct its interrogation signal in a particular direction, for example downwards from the display portion 2 of the hanger, so as to reduce the likelihood of interrogation of tags on adjacent garments.

Once raw data has been received by the RFID reader this is transferred to processor 30 which converts the data into display data which is transferred to display 28 and displayed on the screen in the display portion 20 of hanger 10. Figure 5 shows examples of the sort of information that can be displayed on screen 28 and this information can be passive information that remains constant whilst an RFID tag is within range of the hanger. Furthermore the information can remain on the hanger until such time as an alternative tag comes into range of the reader. Alternatively the information displayed on screen 28 can be active and changed by displaying more than one of the examples shown in Figure 5.

Data can be changed on the RFID tag by introducing a RFID reader and writer device to the RFID tag. As a result, if the price of a garment is to be changed, the RFID tag of each garment can be paged by the read/write device and the price altered.

In an alternative embodiment, a centralised pricing and special offer system can be used. As a result, less data is held on the RFID tags and the tags need only include garment identifying data, although other data may be present. The data handling device receives the other information from a centralised computer system via a receiver (not shown) . This receiver could be part of the RPID reader utilising the radio frequency receiver contained therein or could be a separate receiver, for example capable of receiving standard Wi-Fi data. In this embodiment, the data handling device reads the tag, which contains at least garment identification data, in the manner described above. The processor then queries a database (either on the memory of the data handling device and previously sent to the data handling device from the centralised computer system, or by paging the centralised computer system from a transmitter/receiver contained within the data handling device) and this provides the processor with the display data. The data is then displayed in the manner as previously described.

In a further alternative embodiment, the display device can be located at the end of a garment display rail instead of on each garment hanger. In this instance, the RFID reader is located adjacent the rail and pages multiple tags each attached to the garments hung on that rail and displays information relating to the garments hung thereon.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the garment support portion may be any other garments support familiar to those skilled in the art. These may include hangers having clips or trouser bar hangers that are equally applicable to the present invention. Furthermore, the RFID data encoded may be provided in sufficient detail that the display device is able to display data immediately with the RFID data without the need for reprocessing. For example, if the RFID data only contains price information then it can be immediately displayed. In a further alternative, the garment identifier may be an optical data tag such as a bar code or QR code that contain the raw data including for example price data. In this example the data reader is an optical data reader. The data contained in the optical data is different from a standard bar code that merely contains a product identifying code which is used by a computer to query a database to obtain price information.

Claims

1. A garment hanger comprising: - at least one suspension device for suspending the hanger from a rail; at least one body, including at least one garment support portion for supporting a garment on the hanger and at least one display portion that is visible when a garment is hung on the hanger; at least one garment identification reader for reading at least one garment identifier attached to said garment and containing raw data relating to said garment when hung on the hanger; and at least one display device located in said display portion of said body, said display device displaying information relating to said garment in response to said raw data read by said reader.

2. A garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein said garment identification reader comprises at least one RFID reader .

3. A garment hanger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said display device comprises at least one screen and at least one processor, wherein said processor receives said raw data from at least one said least one garment identification reader and converts said raw data into display data which is used by said screen to display said information relating to said garment .

4. A garment comprising :- a clothing portion; and a garment identifier attached to said clothing portion and containing data relating to the garment for use in conjunction with a hanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A garment rail comprising :- at least one elongate rail member for suspending a plurality of hangers therefrom; at least one garment identification reader for reading at least one garment identifier attached to said garment and containing raw data relating to said garment when hung on the hanger; and at least one display device located in said display portion of said body, said display device displaying information relating to said garment in response to said raw data read by said reader.

6. A garment hanger according to claim 5, wherein said garment identification reader comprises at least one RFID reader .

7. A garment hanger according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein said display device comprises at least one screen and at least one processor, wherein said processor receives said raw data from at least one said least one garment identification reader and converts said raw data into display data which is used by said screen to display said information relating to said garment .