Patent Application
20100213222
The present invention relates to hangers for textile articles.
Retailers frequently use hangers to store and display items that are for sale. Specifically, textile articles, such as linens and clothing, are often displayed in retail stores on hangers. The hanger provides an effective means of storing a group of textile articles compactly, while still allowing each individual article to be open or spread out so that it can be inspected by consumers. For example, a group of beach towels can be compactly displayed on a rack if each is held by a hanger. Each beach towel can be draped over the hanger such that the design of the towel is viewable and can be inspected thoroughly.
Although hangers provide a convenient means of storing and displaying textile articles, they are usually discarded once the article has been purchased. As a result, a large number of plastic and metal hangers cause an environmental impact by ending up in landfills each year. Conventional hangers take years to decompose, and thus crowd the landfills for long periods of time.
The present invention provides a hanger with a configuration that is compatible with biodegradable materials. In one embodiment, the hanger includes an elongate clip with upper and lower legs configured to hold a textile article therebetween. The elongate clip has a closed end and an open end opposite the closed end. A closure is included on the open end so that the clip can be shut when the article is placed between the legs. A hook, extending upward from the upper leg and away from the lower leg, allows the hanger to be placed on a support structure, such as a rod. In one embodiment, the hanger is made of biodegradable material.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown and described in connection with the following drawings, in which:
The hanger 2 shown in
Detailed views of the closure 26 are shown in
The engagement hook 32 helps ensure that the upper and lower portions of the closure 26 are securely attached. When the closure is shut, the free end 40 of the engagement hook 32 is held on the opposite side of the aperture 34 as the lower leg 8 of the clip 6 extending down below the support surface 38. As a result, the free end 40 of the engagement hook 32 acts as a catch preventing the closure 26 from opening. The weight of any article that is resting on the lower leg 8 helps secure the closure in a shut position by pushing the lower leg 8 and the engagement hook 32 down onto the support surface 38 of the aperture 34.
The hanger 2 of the present invention can be molded as a single piece. Accordingly, production of the hanger can be straightforward and relatively inexpensive. Moreover, the hanger can be molded from a light inexpensive material, such as plastic. Advantageously, the hanger can be molded from biodegradable plastic. For example, the hanger can be molded from biodegradable resin, such as a starch based resin (e.g., available from Cereplast). This type of material is able to biodegrade substantially more quickly than conventional plastics. Subsequently, a product made from this type of materials can have a much lower negative impact on the environment. The biodegradability of this material is based, in part, on its thickness. The material degrades from the outside surfaces inward, and thus, the time required for a product to decompose depends on its thickness. For example, if a 3 mm thick starch based resin will fully biodegrade within about 90 days, only those portions of a product made from this resin will biodegrade within those 90 days. The European standard EN 13432 requires biodegradation of 90 percent of a product within 90 days in order to be labeled compostable. Thus, in order to take advantage of the biodegradability of starch resins, as much of the hanger as possible should be thin, preferably less than 3 mm thick. However, the thickness of a material contributes to its strength and a conventional hanger design with conventional members only 3 mm thick would not be strong enough to support a textile article, such as a towel. Therefore, the hanger shown in
As shown in
The hanger 1 shown in the drawings is specifically designed to avoid excess material so that the hanger can decompose within a short period of time if it is made of a biodegradable material. For example, most of the hanger has a thickness of about 3 mm or less. Specifically, all of the portions of the support beam (i.e. the thicker flange 44, thinner flange 46 and connectors 48) have a thickness of about 3 mm or less at all or substantially all points. Accordingly, these portions of the hanger will biodegrade relatively quickly. The openings 50 within the truss structures also help increase the biodegradability of the hanger by increasing its surface area and likewise reducing thickness. Other similar openings are included throughout the body of the hanger 1. The aperture 34 of the upper portion 24 of the closure 26 includes a recessed area 52 surrounded by a support wall 54, as shown in
The support beam 42 runs along most of the hanger including the hook 4, a substantial portion of the upper leg 10, the joint 16 and the lower leg 8. There are two substantially continuous support beam sections that make up nearly all of the hanger 1. The first substantially continuous support beam section 62 includes a portion of the upper leg 10 and the hook 4. The thicker flange 44 runs along the entire length of the support beam from the upper portion 24 of the closure 26 to the free end 30 of the hook. The thicker flange 44 of continuous support beam section 62 makes up the top side of upper leg 10 and the inside of the hook 4. The second continuous support beam section 64 includes a portion of the upper leg 10, the joint 16 and the lower leg 8. Both the thicker and thinner flanges 44, 46 run along the entire length of the second continuous support beam section 64. The two support beam sections 62, 64 are connected at a junction 66 below the hook 4. The junction 66 attaches an end of the second support beam section 64 to the middle of the first support beam section 62. The increased surface area included in the junction 66 can provide an area for a logo or trade name to be included on the hanger, such as the leaf shown in the illustrated hanger 1.
The lower and upper legs 8, 10 of the clip 6 are substantially parallel and spaced apart to leave room within holding area 28 for a textile article. The space between the legs is provided at the first end of the clip by the joint 16. The joint 16 has a curved profile and holds the first end 12 of the lower leg 8 spaced apart in relation to the first end 14 of the upper leg 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the curved profile is substantially semi-circular. A space is also provided between the legs 8, 10 at the second end of the clip because the lower portion 22 of the closure extends up from the lower leg 8 and the upper portion 24 of the closure 24 extends down from the upper leg 10. Accordingly, when the closure 26 is in a closed position the second end 18 of the lower leg 8 is held in spaced apart relation to the second end 20 of the upper leg 10. As can be seen in
As stated above, the weight of the textile article helps maintain the closure 26 in a shut position by pushing the attachment surface 36 of the engagement hook 32 down on to the support surface 38 of the aperture 34 of the upper portion 24 of the closure. Furthermore, the shape of the clip 6 itself can help maintain the closure in a shut position by having a spring force which biases the upper and lower portions of the closure away from one another. For example, the hanger 1 shown in
In addition to providing a spring bias, the curve of the lower leg 8 also helps hold the textile article 2 flat. Because the lower leg curves downward, when the clip 6 is closed, the center of the lower leg 8 is higher than the ends 12, 18. As a result, a force exerted on the center of the lower leg 8 by a hanging textile article will bend the lower leg toward a straightened position. In contrast, if the lower leg is straight, the force will cause the center of the lower leg 8 to sag.
As shown in
The hanger 1 shown in the drawings is substantially planar, as illustrated in
Although the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, many features may be varied, as will readily be apparent to those skilled in this art. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
