Patent Application
20220022676
This invention relates to devices used for hanging and displaying clothes.
The disclosure relates in general to a clothes hanger, and more particularly, to a hanger that facilitates keeping various pieces of a clothing outfit together so that they can be easily viewed and retrieved at once without the time-consuming procedure of searching through a closet to assemble an outfit.
While clothes hangers have been used for a long time to hang and display clothes, they have a shortcoming in their ability to hold and display a number of clothes related to one outfit on a single hanger. Often parents may have numerous outfits for infants and toddlers, for example, that they, or other caregivers, would like to be able to view and select rapidly without having to search for different pieces. Unfortunately, the various available clothes hangers do not permit several pieces of an outfit to be easily hung together. For example, folding pants over the bottom rung of a clothes hanger does not work well for shorts, hats, socks, jewelry or other common parts of an infant's, young child's, older child's outfit. The same is true for adult clothing where there may be several associated pieces of an outfit.
Various “hacks” and modifications to a traditional clothes hanger have been attempted, but they have failed to provide a satisfactory solution. For example, some have tried to add clothespins or binder clips to a hanger. But, because these devices are not integrated with the hanger, they can fall off and pose a danger to any child who finds them on a closet floor, or the like. The present invention is designed to provide a simple way to hang clothing of various shapes and sizes together on one hanger.
The disclosure is directed to a hanger apparatus that is comprised of a hook portion, a hanging portion, a neck portion, and a clip. The hook portion supports the hanger apparatus while the hanger apparatus is being hung from a hanger apparatus support. The hanging portion hangs an item of clothing. The neck portion is coupled to the hook portion on a first end of the neck portion and the hanging portion on a second end of the neck portion. The clip is coupled to the neck portion.
In at least one configuration, the neck portion includes a base member having a first opening disposed therethrough, the clip includes a clip member having a second opening therethrough, and a biasing member is disposed through the first and second openings of the base member and the clip member. The biasing member biases a second end of the clip member toward a second end of the base member.
In at least one configuration, the clip member includes a first plurality of ridges disposed proximate to the hanging portion and the base member includes a second plurality of ridges disposed proximate to the hanging portion.
In at least one configuration, the hook portion includes an elbow member including a first end coupled to the first end of the neck portion, a straight member including a first end coupled to a second end of the elbow member, and a semi-circle member including a first end coupled to the second end of the straight member.
In at least one configuration, a second end of the semi-circle member is rounded.
In at least one configuration, the elbow member, the straight member, and the semi-circle member form an opening through which the hanger apparatus support is disposed through to hang the hanger apparatus.
In at least one configuration, the hanger apparatus further comprises a plurality of reinforcing ribs disposed at locations where the hook portion is coupled to the clip and where the clip is coupled to the hanging portion.
In at least one configuration, the hanging portion includes a first, second, and third straight members, the first and second straight members being coupled at first ends thereof to the second end of the neck portion, the first and second straight members being coupled at second ends thereof to first and second elbows, the third straight member being coupled to the first and second elbows.
In at least one configuration, the hook portion and the hanging portion have a circular cross section.
In at least one configuration, the clip includes a first offset member coupled to a back surface thereof and the neck portion includes a second offset member coupled to a front surface thereof, the first offset member and the second offset member forming a support for a biasing member biasing a second end of the clip member toward a second end of a base member of the neck portion.
In at least one configuration, the hanger apparatus is comprised of at least one of a plastic, a metal, and a wood.
In at least one configuration, the hanging portion is triangular in shape.
The disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein:
While this disclosure is susceptible of configuration in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein in detail a specific configuration(s) with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification and is not intended to be limited to the configuration(s) illustrated.
It will be understood that like or analogous elements and/or components, referred to herein, may be identified throughout the drawings by like reference characters. In addition, it will be understood that the drawings are merely schematic representations of the invention, and some of the components may have been distorted from actual scale for purposes of pictorial clarity.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to
In at least one configuration, the hanging portion 110, the hook portion 120, and the neck portion 130 can be integrated, such as during a molding process during manufacture. In at least one configuration, the hanger apparatus 100 is comprised of at least one of a plastic, a metal, and a wood. Alternatively, the clip 140 can be attached to a hanger by gluing, thermo-welding, and/or mechanically fastening, without departing from the scope of these disclosures. It will be understood that the clip 140 can comprise a separate component and may be at least one of metal, wood, plastic, for example, and that the clip 140 can be attached in any one or more of the modes that is described. In at least one configuration, the hook portion 120 can be rotatably attached to the neck portion 130 so that the hanger apparatus 100 can be easily turned while still being hung. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the hanger apparatus 100 is only an example, and can be manufactured in a variety of sizes. For example, a version of the hanger apparatus 100 can use a smaller clip than that shown to hold associated items of doll clothing.
The clip 140 can be used to hang an additional object, such as clothing, from the hanger apparatus 100. Although the clip 140 can take various configurations, in at least one configuration the clip 140 includes a first offset member 145 (
In at least one configuration, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 152 can be disposed at locations where the hook portion 120 is coupled to the clip 140 and where the clip 140 is coupled to the hanging portion 110. These plurality of reinforcing ribs 152 at least mitigate flexure between the hook portion 120 and the clip 140 and between the clip 140 and the hanging portion 110, such as due to additional weight of an object being hung from the clip 140. In at least one configuration, the hook portion 120 and the hanging portion 110 have a circular cross section, as shown, although other cross sections are possible, such as triangular, square, rectangular, oval, or any other cross section.
The hanging portion 110 is the portion of the hanger apparatus 100 that is used to hang an item of clothing 510 (
The hook portion 120 supports the hanger apparatus 100 while the hanger apparatus 100 is being hung from a hanger apparatus support 525 (
The neck portion 130 is coupled to the hook portion 120 on a first end 131 of the neck portion 130 and the hanging portion 110 on a second end 132 of the neck portion 130. The neck portion 130 can include a base member 133 having a first opening 134 disposed therethrough, the first opening 134 being disposed through an upper area of the base member 133. In the configuration shown, the base member 133 includes rounded ends, with the upper end being wider than a lower end of the base member 133. The clip 140 coupled to the neck portion 130. In at least one configuration, the clip 140 can include a clip member 141 having a second opening 142 therethrough. A biasing member 143 can be disposed through the first and second openings 134, 142 of the base member 133 and the clip member 141. The biasing member 143 biases a second end 141b of the clip member 141 toward a second end 133b of the base member 133. In at least one configuration, the clip member 141 includes a first plurality of ridges 144 disposed proximate to the hanging portion 110 and the base member 133 includes a second plurality of ridges 135 disposed proximate to the hanging portion 110. The first and second plurality of ridges 144, 135 at least mitigate an object, such as clothing, from slipping out of the clip 140.
In other configurations, two opposing sides, that is the base member 133 and the clip member 141, may include a live joint, so that they are co-molded and molded with portions of the hanger or separately. Furthermore, while a relatively narrow clip is shown, it will be understood that the clip may be wider or narrower, or that the clip may comprise two or more independent clips, or clips wherein there is one opposing side and two opposing sides that are attached thereto and that can be independently operated. Preferably, the clip is centrally located on the hanger apparatus 100.
In use of the hanger apparatus 100, items of clothing, such as shirts or dresses can be hung onto the hanging portion 110, as is done with a typical hanger, and shown in
Typical pants hangers do allow attachment of items (typically pants) from a bottom of the pants hanger via clips. But this location is difficult to view as typically another item of clothing, such as a shirt or jacket, is hung from the pants hanger which would cover the item of clothing hanging from the bottom of the pants hanger, also making hanging such item of clothing harder and more time consuming. The hanger apparatus 100 overcomes such deficiencies by locating the clip 140 above a bottom of the hanger apparatus 100, which facilitates easier viewing of the other clothing 515, and making it easier and less time consuming to hang the other clothing 515.
The foregoing description merely explains and illustrates the disclosure and the disclosure is not limited thereto except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent App. Ser. No. 63/056,825 filed Jul. 27, 2020, entitled “Hanger Apparatus” the entire specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63056825 | Jul 2020 | US |
