The present invention relates to apparatus for hanging items of clothing, which may be for the purposes of display, retail, or storage.
Companies are constantly seeking to encourage people to purchase their goods, and to encourage existing customers to purchase more. They are also constantly looking for interesting ways of presenting both their products and the imagery related to them. Furthermore, companies are constantly looking for new ways to promote these products, and therefore there is a constant demand for the kind of display apparatus which will not only provide the best way of showing them, but enhance and promote the products by providing an impression of quality and value.
With clothing, for example, which is being offered for sale in a modern retail environment, a hanger is an important ‘point-of-sale’ ('POS') tool, which may be provided with features which can show a garment in its best possible aspect, so it needs to be both attractive and functional. The combination of quality and attractiveness with low-cost is almost always part of the requirement of any Point-Of-Sale artifact which often may not itself earn revenue. Another consideration emerging in the modern business sector, is a growing requirement to provide products which are environmentally friendly, and sustainable, in their manufacture, recycling and disposal.
Currently most clothes-hanging apparatus is made from moulded plastic, and requires industrial processes, which are far from eco-friendly. With regard to a hanger which may be made from a variety of materials, for example, in layers cut out from sheets of material, e.g., paper, metal. plastic or any material which comes in sheet form, a number of possibilities exist for the development of not only the hanger but the additions and extensions which most users would find useful and beneficial especially in the retail environment. Additionally, there are number of ways in which extensions might be developed, and attached to or made integral to the hanger, in order to enhance its role across a number of aspects, and as a communications tool.
According to the present invention therefore, there is provided apparatus designed to hold, store and display clothing, which falls into different formats. In the present embodiments, the apparatus comes in a number of different configurations, comprising developments which provide variable size indicators or other information, contoured shoulders, and extensions which provide different types of support and strengthening.
From a first aspect, the present invention provides a clothes hanger comprising one, two or more planar elements together defining a hanger shape for suspending a garment, at least one of the planar elements having an opening, an indicating element, or other information element, and movable into a position, retained between the planar elements, in which position at least one marking on the indicating element may be visible through said opening. The indicating element may bear a plurality of different markings and may be movable into different such positions in which a different one or ones of the markings is or are visible through the opening. The indicating element may be insertable between the planar elements through a hole in one of said elements or through a gap between said elements at the edge of the hanger. The indicating element may be formed from a portion of one of the planar elements that has been removed or cleared from the materials from which the hanger profile has been cut, or it may be made separately.
From a second aspect, the invention provides a clothes hanger having a main part of substantially planar form and including shoulder pieces each having a curved outer shell and at least one internal rib arranged transverse to the main part, an indent in one of the ribs and the main part engaging with the other of the rib and the main part.
From a third aspect, the invention provides a shoulder piece for attaching to a substantially planar clothes hanger, the shoulder piece comprising at least one substantially planar sheet arranged to lie on one side of the hanger transversely to the hanger, and having an engaging formation for engaging the hanger. The engaging formation may comprise a slot adapted to receive an upper edge of the hanger. Alternatively, the engaging element may comprise a tab cut out from the shoulder piece and engaging a slot in the hanger. The shoulder piece may comprise a plurality of planar sheets of similar shape but of sequentially increasing size, with a smallest sheet at a top of the shoulder piece and a largest sheet at a bottom thereof. Alternatively, the shoulder piece may include cuts or slots allowing the assumption of a shape corresponding to a shoulder. In one embodiment, the cuts or slots run generally parallel to an outer periphery of the shoulder piece and define inner peripheries of sequentially decreasing size. In another embodiment, the cuts or slots extend generally radially as far as the periphery of a shoulder part of the shoulder piece. A pair of shoulder pieces according to this fourth aspect of the invention may be joined together at a narrow end of each of the shoulder pieces to from a combined unit for fitting over both sides of a hanger.
From a fourth aspect, the invention provides a clothes hanger comprising two planar elements arranged vertically, joined at the top, with a number of sections projecting downwards from the base, between which are set sprung grippers, which project downwards and clamping by means of exerting a clamping force between said elements so as to clamp a garment to suspend it therebetween
From a fifth aspect, the invention provides a hook for suspending a clothes hanger that includes at least one through hole, the hook being formed from a continuous length of material that has an upper hook portion and a lower curved portion arranged to extend through the at least one through hole in a generally horizontal direction.
The FIRST embodiment is a basic hanger shape, including a horizontal aperture cut out just above the base, and stopping short of the outer edges to form beneath it, a crossbar upon which may be hung additional items. The shape is defined one or more layers of material, which may be paper, board, plastic, metal or any suitable material. For the purposes of simplicity, three layers are indicated, but it could be more or less. The drawings in this configuration describe a basic method of constructing the hanger, and show the profile of each layer prior to being attached or glued together. With the combination of a number of sheets of material, it is possible to incorporate within the inner layer, a cut out section, which may be of a circular shape, held between the two outer layers. When the layers are attached together by gluing or any other means, a recess within the body of the hanger may be created in a number of ways. In one embodiment the recess has been cut into the centre-panel, and in others the recess may be formed by excavation of material from the surface of one or more layers, or by pressure-embossing one or more layers, such that a recess extending to the edge of the hanger allows a disc or card or tab of some kind to be inserted or withdrawn. The card or disc may carry information of one kind or another, perhaps in the case of a disc, around the circumference, for example, size information, which may be visible through apertures cut into the outer panels. The disc may freely rotate between the two surfaces and maintain its position by being held in situ by the surrounding material. In other embodiments, recesses have been either cut out from, excavated or pressure embossed into one or more layers, with access holes through which a number of information bearing ‘tabs’ or cards of any shape may be inserted into and withdrawn from the recess in such a way that information on the tabs may be viewed through apertures cut into the surface of one or more of the panels.
In the SECOND embodiment, a standard hanger format has been added to, to form shoulder-pieces, or one conjoined shoulder-piece, covering both shoulders, joined at the centre, which may be made or moulded from any suitable material, allowing for multiple use of the basic apparatus insofar as the same device may be used to hang a shirt, or a dress or any garment requiring a better definition at the shoulder, such as a jacket or suit-coat. The shoulder-pieces in this embodiment consist of an outer shell with one or more ‘ribs’ or formers set across the width, each having within them a vertical aperture extending from near the top of the former, to the base where it is left open. These apertures will be in line and made to a width corresponding to the thickness of the hanger to which they attach at the top outer edge of each shoulder of the hanger. The shoulder-pieces may also be made able to move inwards or outwards, and held in situ by one or more indents cut into the hanger along the top-edge of the shoulder, such that any of the formers may engage with the indent to keep it stationery.
In the THIRD embodiment, another type of shoulder-piece, this time a flat piece of material has been utilised. It may either be flat, or configured in such a way that it responds to the weight of whichever garment or material is hung upon it, to form a shape corresponding to a moulded or pre-formed shoulder-piece. Of the two examples shown here, one has a series of cuts around the circumference of the outer edge, which continue around the edge and for a distance towards the neck of the hanger, which form a series of bands which run around the outer end of the shoulder piece attached at either end. This shoulder-piece may be attached to the hanger by means of one or more tabs which fold downwards along a perforation or fold-line, and which may be inserted into a corresponding aperture, or apertures cut out from an inner layer in a multi-layer constructed hanger. There may be a number of apertures corresponding to a number of tabs, such that the distance from the ‘neck’ of the hanger may be varied. Alternatively, the tabs may be set across the shoulder-pieces and inserted into indents transversing the edge of the hanger shoulder. The second example of the flat shoulder-piece is cut at its outer end, in a ‘flower’ configuration, i.e., a series of ‘V’ sections cut around the radius of a semi-circular centre, radiating outwards to form a series of ‘petals’ which bend downwards when a weight is placed upon them, such as a garment, and which provides the rounded profile as in a human shoulder.
The FOURTH embodiment is of the ‘gripper’ type, providing two or more panels of the same, or of a similar shape and joined at the top. Along the bottom edge, extensions protrude downwards, and on the inner surface of each of those extensions and attached to both surfaces, sprung grippers are fixed. The grippers, of course may be mounted simply along the bottom edge without extensions. In this embodiment the common spring-assisted clothes peg has been utilised, and set in pairs within each of the two projections, such that when pressure is applied to the upper sections the ‘jaw’ created by the pegs opens to grip whatever is inserted. It will be appreciated that any number of these grippers may be utilised, and applied to other embodiments of the hanger.
The FIFTH embodiment does not require any kind of layering or recesses within the main hanger body, and may be solid. The hanger body is created, like previous embodiments, minus an integrated support hook, but with a series of apertures or holes drilled, cut or formed, through the top, central section of the hanger, equidistant from the centre and running downwards. There may be one, two or more of these apertures or holes, and if there were more, these may be configured in rows, parallel to each other, but ‘staggered’ so that one row was set at a lower level than the other, the vertical distance between the apertures possibly being equal on both sides. Next, a hanger hook which may be made in any suitable material, e.g., metal wire, which is configured at the lower end, to form a coil similar to a corkscrew which may have a small ‘pommel’ slightly wider than the wire, at it's lower end. The lower, or ‘pommel’ end of the ‘coil’ is first passed through the aperture or hole closest to the top of the hanger, and the hook and coil turned around its vertical axis, so that it effects a downward spiral movement, in the manner of a corkscrew. Turning the hook and coil further around the vertical axis will cause the lower end or pommel to approach the aperture across from, and slightly lower than the first, and then to enter that aperture, and continue, if the turning is sustained, to the next aperture on the other side, set again, slightly lower than the one it has just passed through. The number of apertures or holes may be determined by whatever design is adopted, and the pommel at the lower end of the corkscrew part, may be stopped when there are no more holes.
In the SIXTH embodiment, the invention provides a shoulder piece for attaching to a substantially planar clothes hanger, the shoulder piece comprising one or more substantially planar sheets arranged to lie on one side of the hanger transversely to the hanger, and having an engaging formation for engaging the hanger. The engaging formation may comprise a slot adapted to receive an upper edge of the hanger. The shoulder piece may comprise a plurality of planar sheets of similar shape but of sequentially increasing size, with a smallest sheet at a top of the shoulder piece and a largest sheet at a bottom thereof. In the embodiment described here, the layers are configured symmetrically to form two shoulder-pieces, one right, one left, with the inner ends attached to a central panel, which itself is configured with horizontal perforations or creases designed to fold in such a way that each successive layer aligns to form the desired contour. The two shoulders may also be made as a single piece, the two shoulders being joined in the centre and slipped onto the hanger as a single attachment. In the present embodiment the fold is configured in the manner of a concertina, or ‘Z-fold’, but they may also be folded ‘over-&-over’ in a ‘rolling’ format. When the layers are attached, perhaps by a form of gluing, the central panel, which will at this stage also be in a ‘concertina’ configuration may be detached along the perforations, or cut off manually. The finished shoulder pieces may then be attached to the top edge of the hanger, by glue or simply by creating the gutter in the shoulder-pieces so that it grips the hanger-edge tightly. A slight curve may be incorporated into the gutter to create an even stronger grip.
An alternative method of production is where the profiles of each layer are cut out from a sheet in rows with the panels of the base layer set as close as possible to the panels from a top layer on the same sheet, in the manner of ‘stalactites & stalagmites’ in a cave. Each successive sheet will build both upwards from the base layer, panels which diminish in size until the top panel is reached, while the small top panel will have panels of an increasing size dropped on top until the base layer is reached. This method may be more economic with the use of material.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
According to
Of the two examples shown here, one 28A has a series of cuts around the circumference of the outer edge, which continue around the edge and for a distance towards the narrow end of the shoulder-piece 28A, to form a series of concentric rings 32A, each of which tracks around the curve at the outside edge, roughly parallel to each other, terminating a short distance along the length of the shoulder-piece 28A, but remaining attached, and leaving a centre section 32C projecting outwards but contained within the centre of the rings 32A. The other shoulder-piece 29A is cut at its outer end, in a ‘flower’ configuration 33A, i.e., a series of ‘V’ cuts radiating outwards from a semi-circular centre 33C, to form a series of ‘petals’ 33A.
Each of the shoulder-pieces 28A, 29A may have cut from along its length, one or more ‘tabs’ 30A, 31A which remain attached along the length at a fold A-A, B-B, which when folded downwards as shown in
This apparatus 35A,B, is of the ‘gripper’ type, providing two panels 35A, 35B, of the same shape and joined (FIGS. 40,41) at the hook and neck 36A,B. Along the bottom edge, (
Multiple unit production may be achieved (
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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0912667.3 | Jul 2009 | GB | national |
1010913.0 | Jun 2010 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/GB10/01378 | 7/20/2010 | WO | 00 | 1/20/2012 |