Information
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Patent Grant
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6264077
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Patent Number
6,264,077
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Date Filed
Tuesday, August 29, 200024 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, July 24, 200123 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 223 87
- 223 85
- 223 92
- 223 DIG 4
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A hanger comprises a hook and a tail depending from the hook, the hook being fabricated separately from the tail, the hook portion and the tail portion having mutually interfitting parts for separable joinder thereof, the hanger including securing structure for rendering the separable joinder to be a permanent joinder.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to hangers for article display and pertains more particularly to a folding tail hanger for display of a belt.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Folding tail belt hangers are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,996 and 4,063,669, to which incorporating reference is made.
The referenced '996 patent shows a hanger comprised of a one-piece body of plastic material having a hook portion and tail portion depending downwardly from the hook portion and foldable about the middle of the tail portion. The fold of the tail portion defines a transverse opening and the upper tail portion has a vertical opening contiguous with the transverse opening, the two openings jointly defining an “inverted T” opening.
The tail, while unfolded, is inserted through the frame of a belt buckle and the prong of the frame is inserted into the inverted T opening. The tail is then folded and a projection extending forwardly from the free end of the tail bottom portion is inserted into an opening in the tail upper portion, thereby locking the belt onto the hanger.
Belt manufacturer logo is imprinted on the hook portion and bar code data is typically applied to the rear of the hook portion.
The hanger of the '669 patent hanger has further facility for hanging so-called “stud buckle” belts, whereby the stud is inserted into an opening in the lower tail portion following tail folding and latching of the tail portions and the stud is thereby protected against scratching adjacent hung belts.
The assignee of the referenced, now expired patents, and of the subject patent application, recently has come to receive requests from belt manufacturers for a belt hangers of the type shown in the '669 and '996 patents, however, with a metal hook portion or a plastic hook portion of substantially greater thickness and rigidity than the tail portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention has as its primary object the provision of a belt hanger meeting such belt manufacturer recent requests.
In the efficient attainment of this and other objects, the invention provides a hanger comprising a hook and a tail depending from the hook, the hook being fabricated separately from the tail, the hook portion and the tail portion having mutually interfitting parts for separable joinder thereof, the hanger including securing means for rendering the separable joinder to be a permanent joinder.
In the particularly preferred embodiment, the hanger of the invention has its hook portion formed with a stem having an aperture therethrough and has a foldable tail whose upper portion has a projection formed thereon of dimensions to be insertable in the stem aperture. The securing means comprises the tail upper portion and a separate member heat-sealed to the tail upper portion and encompassing the free end of the tail upper portion projection.
More particularly, the tail upper portion defines, adjacent the tail upper portion projection, a recess for receiving the hook stem and structure bounding the recess and also forming part of the securing means. The tail upper portion defines a hinge section vertically below the structure bounding the recess, whereby the remainder of the tail portion is freely bendable without being constrained against bending by the securing means.
The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will be further evident from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof and from the drawings in which like components are identified by like reference numerals throughout.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a front elevation of a hook portion of a belt hanger in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2
is a front elevation of a tail portion of a belt hanger in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 3
is a rear elevation of the
FIG. 2
tail portion.
FIG. 4
is a right side elevation of the
FIG. 2
tail portion.
FIG. 5
is a front elevation of a separate member comprising a part of the securing means of the invention.
FIG. 6
is a partial front elevation of an assembled belt hanger in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 7
is a right side elevation of the hanger of FIG.
6
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND PRACTICE
Referring to
FIG. 1
, hook
10
is formed of metal or rigid plastic material and defines an opening
12
for receipt of a display rod (not shown) and an integral stem
14
having aperture
16
extending therethrough. Stem
14
is preferably of lesser thickness than the remainder of hook
10
.
Referring to
FIGS. 2-4
, tail
18
is comprised of a flexible plastic material and defines the aforesaid inverted T opening
20
centrally thereof and tail upper portion
22
and tail lower portion
24
are mutually foldable about the horizontal part of opening
20
. Tail upper portion
22
defines a hinge portion
26
, formed by reducing the thickness of the tail upper portion, as is seen in FIG.
4
.
Tail lower portion
24
has projection
30
extending outwardly thereof and tail upper portion
22
defines opening
32
for latchingly receiving projection
30
upon tail folding.
As is seen in
FIGS. 3 and 4
, tail upper portion
22
has projection
34
extending outwardly, rearwardly thereof. Projection
34
and hook stem aperture
16
are dimensioned such that the former may be insertable in the latter. Tail upper portion
22
further defines a recess
36
circumscribing projection
34
and configured complementally to hook stem
14
such that stem
14
nests in recess
36
and hence in tail upper portion
22
. Structure
38
of tail upper portion
22
circumscribes recess
36
to define part of the means for securing hook
10
to tail
18
, discussed below.
Turning to
FIG. 5
, separate member
40
of the securing means includes first recess
42
configured commonly with recess
36
of tail upper portion
22
and second recess
44
configured commonly with hook aperture
16
, so as to receive tail upper projection
34
. Structure
46
of separate member
40
circumscribes first recess
42
to define a further part of the means for securing hook
10
to tail
18
.
In assembling hanger
48
(
FIGS. 6 and 7
) of the invention, tail
18
is first separably assembled with hook
10
. More particularly, stem
14
is nested in tail upper portion recess
36
, interiorly of structure
38
, with tail upper portion projection
34
extending through hook aperture
16
. Separate member
40
is now applied to this separable assembly, such that stem
14
nests in first recess
42
and is circumscribed by structure
46
of separate member
40
and projection
34
resides in second recess
44
.
As will be appreciated, this further assembly provides that structure
46
of separate member
40
is in abutment with structure
38
of tail upper portion
22
and separate member structure bounding second recess
44
is in abutment with tail upper projection
34
. All such abutting components are comprised of plastic. Heat is now applied to the components while under interfacing pressure and a heat-sealed interface, or heat-effected securement, is thus defined therebetween, thus permanently securing hook
10
to tail
18
.
Further to be appreciated is that hinge portion
26
is disposed downwardly of the heat-sealed interface. This is of significance in that belt manufacturers, following assembly of a belt with a hanger of the subject invention, will curl the belt about the hanger in either of clockwise or counter clockwise directions. Per the invention either sense such curling is permitted freely, i.e., without limitation thereon by the heat-sealed interface.
By way of summary and introduction to the ensuing claims, the invention will be seen to provide a hanger comprising a hook and a tail depending from the hook, the hook being fabricated separately from the tail, the hook portion and the tail portion having mutually interfitting parts for separable joinder thereof, the hanger including securing means for rendering the separable joinder to be a permanent joinder.
The hook includes a stem depending therefrom which defines an aperture therethrough and the tail includes a projection resident in the stem aperture.
The tail and the securing means are comprised of plastic material, the securing means being secured to the tail projection for rendering the separable joinder to be a permanent joinder.
The hook is comprised of metal or rigid plastic material.
The tail defines a hinge at a location below the securing means.
Otherwise viewed, the invention comprises a hanger comprising a hook having a stem depending therefrom and defining an aperture extending therethrough, a tail having a projection resident in the stem aperture and extending to a free end outwardly of the stem aperture and a securement member in facing relation to the free end of the tail projection and secured therewith.
The tail defines a recess configured complementally with the hook stem. The securement member defines a first recess configured complementally with the hook stem. The securement member defines a second recess configured to receive the free end of the tail projection.
The tail defines first structure circumscribing the tail recess and the securement member defines second structure circumscribing the securement member first recess, the first and second structures being mutually secured.
Preferably, the tail defines first structure circumscribing the tail recess and the securement member defines second structure circumscribing the securement member first recess and third structure bounding the securement member second recess, the first and second structures being mutually secured, the third structure and the free end of the tail projection being mutually secured.
The securement of the first and second structures is a heat-effected securement and the securement of the third structure and the free end of the tail projection is a heat-effected securement.
Various changes to the particularly disclosed embodiments and methods may evidently be introduced without departing from the invention. For example, while the disclosed, preferred and depicted embodiment looks to securing means involving recesses in the upper tail portion and the separate member, the invention may be otherwise practiced by using only marginal portions of the upper tail portion and the separate member to define the heat-sealed interface. Accordingly, it is to be appreciated that the particularly discussed and depicted preferred embodiments and practices of the invention are intended in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The true spirit and scope of the invention are set forth in the ensuing claims.
Claims
- 1. A hanger comprising a hook and a tail depending from said hook, said hook being fabricated separately from said tail, said hook portion and said tail portion having mutually interfitting parts for separable joinder thereof, said hanger including securing means for rendering said separable joinder to be a permanent joinder.
- 2. The hanger claimed in claim 1, wherein said hook includes a stem depending therefrom, said stem defining an aperture therethrough, said tail including a projection resident in said stem aperture.
- 3. The hanger claimed in claim 2, wherein said tail and said securing means are comprised of plastic material, said securing means being secured to said tail projection for rendering said separable joinder to be a permanent joinder.
- 4. The hanger claimed in claim 1, wherein said hook is comprised of metal.
- 5. The hanger claimed in claim 4, wherein said hook includes a stem depending therefrom, said stem defining an aperture therethrough, said tail including a projection resident in said stem aperture.
- 6. The hanger claimed in claim 5, wherein said tail and said securing means are comprised of plastic material, said securing means being secured to said tail projection for rendering said separable joinder to be a permanent joinder.
- 7. The hanger claimed in claim 1, wherein said tail defines a hinge at a location below said securing means.
- 8. A hanger comprising:(a) a hook having a stem depending therefrom and defining an aperture extending therethrough; (b) a tail having a projection resident in said stem aperture and extending to a free end outwardly of said stem aperture; and (c) a securement member in facing relation to said free end of said tail projection and secured therewith.
- 9. The hanger claimed in claim 8, wherein said tail defines a recess configured complementally with said hook stem.
- 10. The hanger claimed in claim 9, wherein said securement member defines a first recess configured complementally with said hook stem.
- 11. The hanger claimed in claim 10, wherein said securement member defines a second recess configured to receive said free end of said tail projection.
- 12. The hanger claimed in claim 10, wherein said tail defines first structure circumscribing said tail recess and wherein said securement member defines second structure circumscribing said securement member first recess, said first and second structures being mutually secured.
- 13. The hanger claimed in claim 10, wherein said tail defines first structure circumscribing said tail recess and wherein said securement member defines second structure circumscribing said securement member first recess and third structure bounding said securement member second recess, said first and second structures being mutually secured, said third structure and said free end of said tail projection being mutually secured.
- 14. The hanger claimed in claim 12, wherein said securement of said first and second structures is a heat-effected securement.
- 15. The hanger claimed in claim 13, wherein said securement of said first and second structures and said securement of said third structure and said free end of said tail projection are heat-effected securements.
US Referenced Citations (4)