FOLDING HANGER

Abstract

A Folding Hanger includes a vertical post having a hook and a pair of arms connected to a pair of links with a link mechanism to enable operation of the Folding Hanger. The post includes a spring for biasing the arms to an “UNFOLDED” state, and a push button serving as a claw biased in a perpendicular direction. The Folding Hanger can be folded by holding the post with two fingers, such that one finger operates the push button to move the claw to an “IN” state, and a third finger moves a finger-operated portion, mounted at a boundary between the post and the hook, down, turning the arms to a “FOLDED” state. The Folding Hanger can be unfolded by operating the push button to move the claw from a “CLOSED” state to the “IN” state such that the arms are turned to the “UNFOLDED” state by the spring force.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hanger, and more particularly to a folding hanger wherein its arms are foldable.

BACKGROUND ART

When clothing of a type, such as a T-shirt, wherein it has an opening for entry of a head and its front or rear section cannot be opened and closed is to be hung down from a hanger, up to now, one of the arms should be inserted deep through the opening to a vicinity to a hook and then the other arm is inserted through the opening.

To this end, this hanging operation should inevitably be done with both hands, and it is impossible to do one-handed work while holding a number of clothing for a display, for example.

Further, this hanging operation is complicated operation as described above, which cannot be done speedily.

Moreover, when this is done by an inexperienced person, a shape of the opening of the clothing such as a shirt would be sometimes damaged. In such case, there is a disadvantage that a commercial value of the clothing is decreased.

With the prior art folding hanger, one arm is unfolded first and then the other. Consequently, when, for example, both of the left and right arms are not in best position in ideal situation, the force at the time of unfolding/folding is applied to the arms imbalancedly. This may result in left-right asymmetric unfolding of the arms or failure of unfolding of one arm. In such cases, the former case may lead to deformation or out-of-shape of the clothing now being hung, whereas the latter case requires both hands for unfolding the arms. In either case, the hanging work cannot be done continuously by one-handed, uniform operation.

PRIOR ARTS

Patent Documents

Patent Document 1: JP1988-140274A(U)

Patent Document 2: JP2002-306309A

Patent Document 3: JP2001-286382A

Patent Document 4: JP1984-10747A(U)

Patent Document 5: JP1998-75873A

Patent Document 6: JP1988-172383A(U)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-described drawbacks and to provide a folding hanger that can easily perform the hanging operation with one hand.

Another object is to provide a folding hanger capable of hanging the clothing speedily and efficiently.

Embodiments for Practicing the Invention

To achieve the above-described objects, a folding hanger according to the present invention comprises a post having a hook and a pair of arms, wherein said hook is provided at an upper end of said post that is telescopic in vertical directions, said pair of arms is provided at a side of one surface of said post and connected to a pair of links connected to a lower end of said post so that they can be unfolded and folded, each of said pair of links has one end pivoted to an intermediate of said arm and the other end pivoted to the lower end of said post, said post includes a built-in spring for constantly biasing said arms toward an “UNFOLD” state, there is provided a finger-operated portion at a boundary between said post and said hook, a portion of said post is held by opposite two fingers, and said finger-operated portion is operated downward with a third finger to move said arms to a “FOLD” state, whereas said arms are moved to the “UNFOLD” state by a force of said spring when said third finger is released from said finger-operated portion.

In another aspect, a folding hanger according to the present invention comprises a post having a hook and a pair of arms, wherein said hook is provided at an upper end of said post that is telescopic in vertical directions, said pair of arms is provided at a side of one surface of said post and connected to a pair of links connected to a lower end of said post so that they can be unfolded and folded, each of said pair of links has one end pivoted to an intermediate of said arm and the other end pivoted to the lower end of said post, said post includes a built-in spring for constantly biasing said arms toward an “UNFOLD” state, there is provided an out-in movable claw that is biased in a direction perpendicular to said post and a push button cooperating with said claw, there is also provided a finger-operated portion at a boundary between said post and said hook, a portion of said post is held by opposite two fingers, and said finger-operated portion is operated downward with a third finger, followed by moving said claw to an “OUT” state with respect to said post, to move said arms to a “FOLD” state, whereas, when said arm is to be moved to the “UNFOLD” state, a part of said post is held by said opposite two fingers and said push button is operated with said third finger so that said claw is moved to an “IN” state with respect to said post, thereby moving said arms to the “UNFOLD” state by a spring force.

In still another aspect, a folding hanger according to the present invention comprises a post having a hook and a pair of arms, wherein said hook is provided at an upper end of said post that is telescopic in vertical directions, said pair of arms is provided at a side of one surface of said post and connected to a pair of links connected to a lower end of said post so that they can be unfolded and folded, each of said pair of links has one end pivoted to an intermediate of said arm and the other end pivoted to the lower end of said post, said post includes a built-in spring for constantly biasing said arms toward an “UNFOLD” state, there is provided a push button that is operable as a claw and biased in a direction perpendicular to said post, there is also provided a finger-operated portion at a boundary between said post and said hook, a portion of said post is held by opposite two fingers, one of said two fingers being used to operate said push button so that said claw is moved to an “IN” state with respect to said post but is still not fixed thereto, followed by operating downward said finger-operated portion with a third finger to move said claw to an “OUT” state with respect to said post so as to move said arms to a “FOLD” state, whereas, when said arm is to be moved to the “UNFOLD” state, a part of said post is held by said opposite two fingers and one of said two fingers being used to operate said push button so that said claw is moved to the “IN” state with respect to said post, thereby moving said arms to the “UNFOLD” state by a spring force.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that said finger-operated portion is formed at a top of said post.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that said finger-operated portion is mounted projectingly on a top of said post.

In a folding hanger defined in Claim 2 or 3, it may be further characterized such that said spring for biasing said push button outwardly comprises a coil spring.

In a folding hanger defined in Claim 2 or 3, it may be further characterized such that said spring for biasing said push button outwardly comprises a linear movable spring.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that said link pair is pivoted to a common axis of rotation at the lower ends thereof.

In a folding hanger defined in Claim 8, it may be further characterized such that each of said link pair is pivoted to an outer surface of said post, respectively.

In a folding hanger defined in Claim 8, it may be further characterized such that each of said link pair is pivoted to an inner surface of said post, respectively.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that said arms are externally mounted to a back surface of said post.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that said finger-operated portion is formed integral with said hook.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that said post comprises an inner tube containing said spring and an outer tube into which said inner tube is inserted.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that each of said arms comprises a foldable structure and a slide arms slidably mounted to said structure.

In a folding hanger defined in Claim 14, it may be further characterized such that said slide arm is steplessly extensible with respect to said structure. In a folding hanger defined in Claim 14 or 15, it may be further characterized such that one of said slide arm and said structure is provided with a slide rail, and the other is provided with a rail bracket corresponding to said slide rail.

In a folding hanger defined in either one of Claims 1-3, it may be further characterized such that said outer tube has a pair of grips.

In a folding hanger defined in Claim 1 or 2, it may be further characterized such that wherein there is provided a lock device for securing the unfolded state of said arms wherein they are unfolded with respect to said post.

In a folding hanger defined in Claim 18, it may be further characterized such that said lock device comprises a lock bar movable in directions perpendicular to said post, said lock bar being inserted into a through-hole formed in said post.

Effects of the Invention

The clothing may be hung on the hanger by setting the arms to the “FOLDED” state and inserting the same into the clothing to cause the hook to project from the opening, followed by unfolding the arms.

Accordingly, the hanging operation of the clothing can be done continuously by uniform operation, which makes it possible to do the hanging operation of the clothing easily, speedily, continuously and efficiently.

The hanging operation is easy and not complicated, which may be done with one hand, even while holding a number of clothing.

A shape of the opening is not damaged by the hanging operation, which may decrease a risk associated with the hanging operation, for example a risk of degrading a commercial value of the clothing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In [FIG. 1A], (A) is a front oblique view showing an embodiment of a folding hanger according to the present invention, when in its unfolded state, and (B) is a rear oblique view of the same.

In [FIG. 1B], (C) is a front view of FIG. 1A(A), (D) is a plan view of (C), and (E) is a bottom view of (C).

In [FIG. 1C], (F) is a left side view of FIG. 1 B(C), and (G) is a rear view of FIG. 1 B(C).

In [FIG. 1D], (H) is a vertical cross-section of the arms and the link mechanism in FIG. 1B(C), and (I) is a vertical cross-section of the post of the same.

[FIG. 2A] is a view showing FIG. 1A(A) when in “FOLDED” state.

[FIG. 2B] is a view showing FIG. 1A(A) when in “UNFOLDED” state.

[FIG. 3] is a detailed view of the post in FIG. 1A.

[FIG. 4] is a detailed view of the hook in FIG. 1A.

In [FIG. 5], (A) is an enlarged view of the claw in FIG. 1A, and (B) is an oblique view of (A).

In [FIG. 6A], (A) is an enlarged view of the arm in FIG. 1A, and (B) is an exploded view of the same.

In [FIG. 6B], (C) is a view of FIG. 6A(A) when viewed in a direction of an arrow C, (D) is a view of FIG. 6A(A) when viewed in a direction of an arrow D, and (E) is a view of FIG. 6A(A) in an extended state when viewed in a direction of an arrow E.

In [FIG. 7], (A) is an enlarged view of the lock device, and (B) is an enlarged view of the same in a lock state.

In [FIG. 8A], (A) is a front oblique view showing another embodiment of the folding hanger according to the present invention, said hanger being in an unfolded state, and (B) is a rear oblique view of the same.

In [FIG. 8B], (C) is a front view of FIG. 8A(A), (D) is a plan view of (C), and (E) is a bottom view of (C).

In [FIG. 8C], (F) is a left side view of FIG. 8B(C), and (G) is a rear view of FIG. 8B(C).

In [FIG. 8D], (H) is a vertical cross-section of the arms and the link mechanism in FIG. 8B(C), and (I) is a vertical cross-section of the post of the same.

In [FIG. 9A], (A) is a front cross-section view showing still another embodiment of the folding hanger according to the present invention, said hanger being in “UNFOLD” state, and (B) is a left side view of (A).

In [FIG. 9B], (C) is a view showing “FOLDED” state of FIG. 9A(A).

In [FIG. 10], (A) is an oblique view showing an essential part of still another embodiment of the folding hanger according to the present invention, (B) is an oblique view showing an essential part of still another embodiment of the folding hanger according to the present invention, (C) is an oblique view showing an essential part of still another embodiment of the folding hanger according to the present invention, and (D) is a right side view of (C).

EMBODIMENTS FOR PRACTICING THE INVENTION

Next, a folding hanger according to the present invention will be described in more detail based on the drawings illustrating embodiments. For the sake of convenience, any parts that will function similarly are indicated by the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 1A though FIG. 7 show a first embodiment of a folding hanger 1 according to the present invention. This is a one-touch type wherein a push button 22 is used to set arms 11 to “UNFOLDED” state. The folding hanger 1 according to the present invention comprises a telescopic post 7, foldable arms 11 that can be unfolded and folded, a hook 3 mounted projectingly to an upper end of the post 7, and a finger-operated portion 4 mounted at a boundary between the hook 3 and the post 7.

The post 7 comprises an inner tube 8 formed as a tube, and an outer tube 9 that elevatably receives the inner tube 8. A spring 10 comprising a tension spring is mounted in the inner tube 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the post 7 includes an elongated slot 8a extending in a lengthwise direction of the inner tube 8. During the unfolding/folding of a pair of arms 11, a fixing pin 10a (shown in FIG. 1B(C) and FIG. 1 D(I)) for fixing the spring 10 (shown in FIG. 1B(C) and FIG. 1D(I)) will slide in the elongated slot 8a.

The arms 11 comprise a pair of left and right arms that are mounted to a rear surface of the outer tube 9 through a joint member 9a. Each arm 11 comprises a structure 13 made from resin and a slide arm 15 made from resin. The structure 13 and the slide arm 15 are slidable to each other. A groove 14 is formed on the bottom of the structure 13, and the link plate 17a is arranged in the groove 14 and pivoted to the structure 13 in the groove 14. Each of the structures 13 has base end pivoted to an upper portion of the outer tube 9 by means of a rotating pin 12, so that they can be unfolded and folded.

A reference numeral 17 denotes a link mechanism 17 comprising a pair of links, which is pivoted to the rear surface of the post 7. More specifically, as shown in more detail in FIGS. 1D(H) and (I), the upper end of each link mechanism 17 is rotatably connected to an intermediate of the structure 13, and its lower end is rotatably connected to a lower end of the inner tube 8. The upper end of the link plate 17a of each link mechanism is pivoted by a rotating pin 17b, and the lower end is pivoted by a common axis of rotation 17c. The respective arms 11 may be unfolded and folded through the above-described link mechanism 17.

The hook 3 has a hook-shaped leading end and is connected rotatably to the inner tube 8.

As shown in FIG. 4, the finger-operated portion 4, which may be seen like a sword-guard, is mounted to and projects outwardly from the lower end of a tongue-shaped member 5 connected integrally to the lower end of the hook 3.

A reference numeral 21 denotes an out-in movable claw, which cooperates with the push button 22. As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the claw 21 is mounted in the inner tube 8 while being biased by a coil spring 20 mounted in the inner tube 8 in a direction perpendicular to the inner tube 8, which is operated by the push button 22 for operation of “OUT” and “IN”. A reference numeral 21a denotes a plate that connects the claw 21 and the push button 22 with each other. A reference numeral 20a denotes a spring shaft, and 21b an aperture through which the spring shaft 20a may move out and in. A reference numeral 23 denotes a lower engagement aperture for engagement with the claw 21, which is formed on the outer tube 9 for allowing “OUT” and “IN” of the claw 21. An upper engagement aperture (not shown) is formed on the inner tube 8 for engagement with the claw 21. A pair of waved and concaved grips 25 are formed on the lower side surfaces of the outer tube 9.

The unfolding/folding operation of the arms 11 will be described in detail in reference to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. First, the arms 11 are set to the “FOLDED” state, which are inserted into the clothing 30, as shown in FIG. 2A. At this time, the spring 10 is being stretched. In the case of the one-touch type, the grips 25 are held by the thumb and the middle finger of one hand, and the push button 22 is pushed by the index finger, so that the claw 21 becomes disengaged from the engagement aperture 23, by which the arms 11 become unfolded by the force of the spring 10, as shown in FIG. 2B. During this unfolding operation, there is no need to shift the holding hand to the other hand B. In the case of the one-touch type, when the arms are set to the “FOLDED” state, the grips 25 are held by the thumb and the middle finger of one hand, and the index finger is placed on the finger-operated portion 4 to press the same down against the force of the spring 10, so that the claw 21 is moved down along the post 7 to the “OUT” state wherein it projects from the engagement aperture 23. As such, the arms 11 are held remaining in the “FOLDED” state.

The extension of a pair of the arms 11 will now be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 6A(A) and (B), slide rails 13a are mounted to the outer peripheral surface of the structure 13 at opposite positions, which are slidably engaged with rail brackets 15a mounted to the bottom of the slide arm 15 at opposite positions. By these, the slide arm 15 becomes steplessly extensible with respect to the structure 13 and may be slid to fit well with the shoulder width of the clothing. As shown in FIGS. 6B(D) and (E), the slide arm 15 is provided with a collision piece 15b. Another collision piece 13b is mounted to the structure 13 for collision with the collision piece 15b, which prevents removal of the slide arm 15.

As shown in FIGS. 6B(D) and (E), the slide arm 15 is formed to have expanded width and has a rounded end. The upper surface of the slide arm 15 includes a plurality of (five, in the illustrated embodiment) cutoffs 29, which will decrease the frictional resistance with the structure 13 during the sliding movement therebetween. As shown in FIG. 6B(C), the bottom of the structure 13 includes the groove 14 for receiving the link plate 17a in the “FOLDED” state.

In this embodiment, as shown in more detail in FIG. 7, the post 7 is provided with a lock device 24 for securely fixing the unfolded state of the unfolded arms 11, which will be useful when heavyweight clothing is to be hung down. The lock device 24 includes a lock bar 24b that is mounted in a case 24a mounted externally to the outer tube 9 and movable in directions perpendicular to the outer tube 9. On the other hand, both the inner tube 8 and the outer tube 9 have respectively engagement apertures (not shown) for insertion of the lock bar 24b. A reference numeral 24c (shown in FIG. 3) denotes an engagement aperture formed on the inner tube 8.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the arms 11 are set to the “FOLDED” state, which are inserted into the interior of the clothing 30, and the push button 22 is pressed down while the hook 3 is protruding from the opening 31. Thus, the claw 21 becomes disengaged from the engagement aperture 23, and the arms 11 become unfolded by the force of the spring 10, as shown in FIG. 2B, which makes it possible to hang the clothing 30 on the folding hanger 1.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2A, one hand (a single hand) A that holds the hanger 1 by three-point support is outside of the clothing, when the arms 11 are in the “FOLDED” state. On the contrary, the other hand B holds the neck of the clothing. Then, the arms 11 of the hanger 1 being held by the one hand A are inserted through the opening 31 of the clothing 30 to a depth where the hook 3 approaches the opening. In this state, the operation by the one hand A (that is, release of the later-described fingers in the manual type, or press-down of the push button 22 in the one-touch type) will unfold the arms 11, so that the closing 30 is hung on the hanger 1. That is, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to operate the hanger with one hand, in the outside of the clothing.

During this unfolding operation, there is no need to shift the holding hand to the other hand B. Therefore, the hanging operation according to the present invention can be done by uniform operation, providing advantageous effects that continuous operation may be made and the efficiency may be improved.

The finger-operated portion 4 is mounted at a boundary between the post 7 and the hook 3. Consequently, when the finger-operated portion 4 is pressed down so as to turn the arms 11 to the “FOLDED” state, the finger-operated portion 4 will inevitably go out of the opening 31 of the clothing 30 and, therefore, not interfere with the clothing 30. Accordingly, in combination with the above-described facts, there is provided an advantageous effect that the hanging operation may be made continuously and the efficiency may be improved.

Further, there is no danger of damaging the shape of the opening 31 of the clothing 30 during the hanging operation, which may decrease a risk associated with the hanging op eration. For example a risk of degrading a commercial value of the clothing 30 may be decreased.

According to the above-described embodiment, the hanging operation of the clothing 30 can be done by uncomplicated, uniform operation, which makes it possible to do the hanging operation of the clothing 30 easily, speedily, continuously and efficiently.

When unfolding the arms 11, the outer tube 9 is held by one hand. As best shown in FIG. 1B(D) and FIG. 1C(F), each arm 11 is externally mounted to the rear surface of the outer tube 9, which prevents collision of the arm 11 with the hand in operation, during the unfolding operation. Accordingly, the unfolding operation of the arms 11 can be done smoothly.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the link mechanism is pivoted to the common axis of rotation 17c to form a V-shape, which results in a smaller number of parts. This will decrease contact points between the connecting parts, which, in turn, decreases abrasion of the rotating members during the unfolding/folding of the arms 11. Accordingly, the breakdown is less frequent, which will also make the hanging operation effectively.

In addition, since the link mechanism is shaped into a V-shape and has a small number of parts, the process control becomes easier and the level of precision of machining becomes lower. This makes the production control easier, which will contribute to the cost reduction. Because there is a great demand of lowering the cost for the hanger of this type, this advantage is effective.

Further, the decreased number of the parts will simplify the construction and facilitate the assembling, which decreases frequency of inferior products. This will also contribute to the cost reduction.

Because the hanger construction becomes simplified, it may be developed to a wide design variation.

Next, according to the above-described embodiment, the link mechanism is pivoted to the common axis of rotation 17c to form a V-shape, so that the angle between the arms 11 is hard to be unbalanced, which will prevent the clothing 30 from being caught into the rotating portion of the arms, which may have been encountered with the prior art folding hanger of this type.

In addition, because the spring 10 is mounted within the inner tube 8, the arms may be smoothly unfolded and folded in a left-right symmetric fashion. In addition, when it is to be locked, the engagement during the unfolding is achieved by the lock device 24 that is a member separate from the arms, the lock becomes stabilized.

Now, the relationship between the one-handed operation and the link mechanism 17 will be described in detail. As described above, either in the above-described one-touch type and in the later-described manual type, when the clothing 30 is to be hung down, the arms 11 may be unfolded simply by the operation with a thumb, a middle finger and an index finger of one hand, while keeping the hook 3 outside. During this operation, there is no need to shift the holding hand to the other hand. Accordingly, the hanging operation of the clothing can be replaced with simple and uniform operation with three fingers, which makes it possible to do the hanging operation continuously and efficiently.

In addition, since the lower ends of the link members 17 are pivoted to the common axis of rotation 17c to form a V-shape, the link plates 17a are movable inwardly. Accordingly, the left and right arms 11 are respectively caused to rotate inwardly, thereby further narrowing a space therebetween, so that, even when the opening 31 of the clothing 30 is smaller, the clothing can be hung down while preventing the deformation of the opening of the clothing and its out-of-shape.

Further, since the lower ends of the link mechanism 17 are pivoted to the common axis of rotation 17c, the force is applied symmetrically to left and right when it is unfolded/folded, so that the arms 11 are unfolded bilaterally symmetrically. Consequently, the own weight of the clothing 30 will be well-balancedly applied to the clothing 30 now being hung, thereby preventing the deformation and the out-of-shape of the clothing now being hung. With regard to this point, if the force in the unfolding/folding operation should not uniformly be applied to left and right, this may result in left-right asymmetric unfolding of the arms or failure of unfolding of one arm. In such cases, the former case may lead to deformation or out-of-shape of the clothing now being hung, and the latter case requires both hands for unfolding the arms. In either case, the hanging operation cannot be done continuously by uniform operation.

The folding hanger according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the unfolding/folding mechanism of the arms 11 may be of a manual type such as shown in FIG. 8A though FIG. 8D. In this case, there is no need to provide the push button 22 and the upper and lower engagement apertures 23 for engagement of the claw 21 cooperating the push button 22, respectively.

The manual type has the same basic movement and, therefore, the unfolding/folding operation of the arms 11 will be described in again reference to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. When the index finger shown by a dashed line is released from the finger-operated portion 4, the arms 11 are moved to the “UNFOLDED” state by the biasing force of the spring 10 (see FIG. 2B). Meanwhile, when the grips 25 are held by the thumb and the middle finger of the one hand A shown by a dashed line and, in the meantime, the index finger shown by the dashed line is engaged with the finger-operated portion 4 to move it down against the force of the spring 10, the arm 11 is set to the “FOLDED” state. Still, when the push button 22 is not used in the above-described one-touch type, it may be used as a manual type.

According to the manual type shown in FIG. 8A through FIG. 8D, one hand (a single hand) A that holds the hanger 1 by three-point support is outside of the clothing, when the arms 11 are in the “FOLDED” state. In the meantime, the other hand B holds the neck of the clothing 30. Then, the arms 11 of the hanger 1 held by the one hand A are inserted through the opening 31 of the clothing 30 to a depth where the hook 3 approaches the opening (see FIG. 2A). In this state, the operation by the one hand A (that is release of the index finger from the finger-operated portion 4) will unfold the arms 11, so that the closing 30 is hung on the hanger 1 (see FIG. 2B), which makes it possible to operate the hanger with one hand, in the outside of the clothing 30. Accordingly, in the same way as in the above-described one-touch type, the hanging operation of the clothing can be done continuously by one-handed, uniform operation, which will achieve the same advantages as by the one-touch type. Namely, it also makes it possible to do the hanging operation of the clothing 30 easily, speedily, continuously and efficiently.

Furthermore, when the arms 11 are unfolded manually, the unfolding may be adjusted at a desired speed, which prevents an accident that the finger(s) and/or the clothing would be caught during the unfolding.

FIGS. 9A(A),(B) and FIG. 9B(C) show an improvement of the above-described first embodiment. This is the case where the out-in movable push button 22 will serve also as a claw. The push button 22 is biased outwardly by a linear shift spring 22a formed into a reverse U-shape. The grips 25 are formed near the upper portion of the outer tube 9, more specifically between the upper engagement aperture 23a and the lower engagement aperture 23b. The other arrangement is the same as in the above-described first embodiment.

This case also has the same basic movement and, therefore, the unfolding/folding operation of the arms 11 will be described in again reference to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. The one hand (a single hand) A that holds the hanger 1 is outside of the clothing 30, when the arms 11 are in the “FOLDED” state. On the contrary, the other hand B holds the neck of the clothing 30. Then, the arms 11 of the hanger 1 being held by the one hand A are inserted through the opening 31 of the clothing 30 to a depth where the hook 3 approaches the opening (see FIG. 2A). In this state, when the push button 22 in the lower engagement aperture 23b is pressed down by the thumb of the one hand A, the engagement between the push button 22 or the claw is disengaged from the lower engagement aperture 23b, so that the arms 11 are unfolded by the force of the spring 10 (see FIG. 2B). By this, the clothing 30 is hung down by the hanger 1. As such, it becomes possible to operate the hanger 1 with one hand A, in the outside of the clothing 30. In addition, in order to move the arms 11 to the “FOLDED” state in this case, while pressing down the push button 22 by the thumb of the one hand A, the post 7 is held by cooperation with the middle finger, so that the push button 22 or the claw is disengaged from the upper engagement aperture 23a to go to an “IN” state with respect to the post 7 but is still not fixed thereto. Then, the index finger is engaged on the finger-operated portion 4a to press the same down against the force of the spring 10, so that the push button 22 or the claw is moved to an “OUT” state with respect to the post 7 wherein it projects from the lower engagement aperture 23b. As such, the “FOLDED” state of the arms 11 is fixed securely.

Accordingly, in the same way as in the above-described first embodiment, the hanging operation of the clothing 30 can be done continuously by the uniform operation with one hand A, which will achieve the same advantages as by the one-touch type. Namely, it also makes it possible to do the hanging operation of the clothing 30 easily, speedily, continuously and efficiently. In addition, in accordance with this embodiment, the same members will be applicable to right- and left-handed users, which provides an advantage of decreasing the number of parts. More specifically, the hanger 1 shown in FIGS. 9A(A),(B) and FIG. 9B(C) is designed for right-handed users, but may be re-designed for left-handed users by assembling the post 7 in 180-degree rotation.

FIGS. 9A(A),(B) and FIG. 9B(C) also show an improvement of the finger-operated portion. In this case, a finger-operated portion 4a is mounted to the top of the inner tube 8, which projects therefrom to form as a sword-guard. The base end portion 4d of the finger-operated portion 4a, that is fixed to the inner tube 8, is formed larger in size to have a greater strength, which provides a stress when being pressed down.

Incidentally, when the lower engagement aperture 23b is omitted from the embodiment of FIGS. 9A(A),(B) and FIG. 9B(C), the claw is not engageable with the lower engagement aperture. This may be used as a manual type. In addition, though FIGS. 9A(A),(B) and FIG. 9B(C) show both the push button 22 serving also as a claw and the above-described improvement of the finger-operated portion 4a, they may be put into practice separately. For example, the finger-operated portion may be mounted to the lower end of the tongue-shaped member 5 such as shown in FIG. 1A(A).

FIG. 10 shows still another embodiment including an improvement of the finger-operated portion. In this case, a finger-operated portion 4b is formed on the top of the post 7, more specifically of the inner tube 8. In this case, the finger-operated portion 4b can be formed as a substantially flat member, as shown in (A), (B) or (C). The hook 3 is mounted to the top of the inner tube 8 in an eccentric position, as shown in (A) and (B). FIG. 10(B) shows a case wherein an eccentric portion 3a is enlarged so that the top of the inner tube 8 is formed to have a difference in level. FIGS. 10(C),(D) show cases wherein the enlarged portion 3a is formed to project outwardly from the finger-operated portion 4b. In the cases of FIGS. 10(C),(D), it should be made from material having suitable strength that can withstand the weight of the clothing 30 to be hung down.

Regarding the operation of the push button 22, engagement of the claw is released by the press-down of the push button 22 in the above-described embodiments, but it does not matter how to disengage the claw. For example, the claw may be disengaged by moving the push button 22 in a lateral direction.

A pair of the arms 11 may be mounted to project outwardly from the front, for example, of the post 7.

A pair of the arms 11 may respectively be replaced with a single arm member having no slide arm 15. However, in this case, it cannot be extended to conform with the width of the shoulder of the clothing 30.

The slide rail may be mounted to the slide arm 15, and the rail bracket may be mounted to the structure 13.

The slide arm 15 may be extended stepwise.

A pair of the links may be pivoted to the inner surface at the lower end of the inner tube.

The finger-operated portion 4, 4a, 4b may be formed separately from the hook 3.

It is optional to form a pair of the grips 25.

It is optional to provide the lock device 24, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

The shape of the post 7 is optional, which may not always be cylindrical but may be a rectangular cross-sectional tubular member, for example.

More, the biasing force of the spring 10 may be applied in a direction opposite to that in the above-described embodiments.

Furthermore, the respective members may be made from suitable materials.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The folding hanger 1 according to the present invention is applicable to a hanger 1 for use in hanging the clothing.

EXPLANATION OF LEGENDS

1 Folding hanger

3 Hook

3 a Lower end

4 Finger-operated portion

4 a Finger-operated portion

4 b Finger-operated portion

4 d Base end

5 Tongue-shaped member

7 Post

8 Inner tube

8 a Elongated slot

9 Outer tube

9 a Joint member

10 Spring

10 a Fixing pin

11 Arm

12 Rotating pin

13 Structure

13 a Slide rail

13 b Collision piece

14 Groove

15 Slide arm

15 a Rail bracket

15 b Collision piece

17 Link mechanism

17 a Link plate

17 b Rotating pin

17 c Axis of rotation

20 Coil spring

20 a Spring shaft

21 Claw

21 a Plate

21 b Aperture

22 Push button

22 a Shift spring

23 Engagement aperture

23 a Upper engagement aperture

23 b Lower engagement aperture

24 Lock device

24 a Case

24 b Lock bar

24 c Engagement aperture

25 Grip

29 Cutoff

30 Clothing

31 Opening

Claims

1. A folding hanger comprising a post having a hook and a pair of arms, wherein said hook is provided at an upper end of said post that is telescopic in vertical directions, said pair of arms is provided at a side of one surface of said post and connected to a pair of links connected to a lower end of said post so that they can be unfolded and folded, each of said pair of links has one end pivoted to an intermediate of said arm and the other end pivoted to the lower end of said post, said post includes a built-in spring for constantly biasing said arms toward an “UNFOLD” state, there is provided a finger-operated portion at a boundary between said post and said hook, a portion of said post is held by opposite two fingers, and said finger-operated portion is operated downward with a third finger to move said arms to a “FOLD” state, whereas said arms are moved to the “UNFOLD” state by a force of said spring when said third finger is released from said finger-operated portion.

2. A folding hanger comprising a post having a hook and a pair of arms, wherein said hook is provided at an upper end of said post that is telescopic in vertical directions, said pair of arms is provided at a side of one surface of said post and connected to a pair of links connected to a lower end of said post so that they can be unfolded and folded, each of said pair of links has one end pivoted to an intermediate of said arm and the other end pivoted to the lower end of said post, said post includes a built-in spring for constantly biasing said arms toward an “UNFOLD” state, there is provided an out-in movable claw that is biased in a direction perpendicular to said post and a push button cooperating with said claw, there is also provided a finger-operated portion at a boundary between said post and said hook, a portion of said post is held by opposite two fingers, and said finger-operated portion is operated downward with a third finger, followed by moving said claw to an “OUT” state with respect to said post, to move said arms to a “FOLD” state, whereas, when said arm is to be moved to the “UNFOLD” state, a part of said post is held by said opposite two fingers and said push button is operated with said third finger so that said claw is moved to an “IN” state with respect to said post, thereby moving said arms to the “UNFOLD” state by a spring force.

3. A folding hanger comprising a post having a hook and a pair of arms, wherein said hook is provided at an upper end of said post that is telescopic in vertical directions, said pair of arms is provided at a side of one surface of said post and connected to a pair of links connected to a lower end of said post so that they can be unfolded and folded, each of said pair of links has one end pivoted to an intermediate of said arm and the other end pivoted to the lower end of said post, said post includes a built-in spring for constantly biasing said arms toward an “UNFOLD” state, there is provided a push button that is operable as a claw and biased in a direction perpendicular to said post, there is also provided a finger-operated portion at a boundary between said post and said hook, a portion of said post is held by opposite two fingers, one of said two fingers being used to operate said push button so that said claw is moved to an “IN” state with respect to said post but is still not fixed thereto, followed by operating downward said finger-operated portion with a third finger to move said claw to an “OUT” state with respect to said post so as to move said arms to a “FOLD” state, whereas, when said arm is to be moved to the “UNFOLD” state, a part of said post is held by said opposite two fingers and one of said two fingers being used to operate said push button so that said claw is moved to the “IN” state with respect to said post, thereby moving said arms to the “UNFOLD” state by a spring force.

4. The folding hanger defined in claim 1, wherein said finger-operated portion is formed at a top of said post.

5-19. (canceled)

20. The folding hanger defined in claim 2, wherein said finger-operated portion is formed at a top of said post.

21. The folding hanger defined in claim 3, wherein said finger-operated portion is formed at a top of said post.

22. The folding hanger defined in claim 1, wherein said finger-operated portion is mounted projectingly on a top of said post.

23. The folding hanger defined in claim 2, wherein said finger-operated portion is mounted projectingly on a top of said post.

24. The folding hanger defined in claim 3, wherein said finger-operated portion is mounted projectingly on a top of said post.

25. The folding hanger defined in claim 1, wherein said link pair is pivoted to a common axis of rotation at the lower ends thereof.

26. The folding hanger defined in claim 2, wherein said link pair is pivoted to a common axis of rotation at the lower ends thereof.

27. The folding hanger defined in claim 3, wherein said link pair is pivoted to a common axis of rotation at the lower ends thereof.

28. The folding hanger defined in claim 1, wherein each of said link pair is pivoted to a side of one surface of said post.

29. The folding hanger defined in claim 2, wherein each of said link pair is pivoted to a side of one surface of said post.

30. The folding hanger defined in claim 3, wherein each of said link pair is pivoted to a side of one surface of said post.

31. The folding hanger defined in claim 1, wherein said finger-operated portion is formed integral with said hook.

32. The folding hanger defined in claim 2, wherein said finger-operated portion is formed integral with said hook.

33. The folding hanger defined in claim 3, wherein said finger-operated portion is formed integral with said hook.