The present invention is directed to a hanger with foldable/removable hook.
As well known, a common hanger is made up of an arched body, centrally provided with a projecting crook-shaped hook. The hook is constituted by a wire-like body, generally made of steel, that engages in a stable manner, with the lower part thereof, in the arched body, usually made of plastic material.
Hangers are usually used several times, hence once they are free of the hanged garment, they are kept away, until next use. The drawback that is observed during the step of storing hangers in stores lies in the overall dimensions of the single hanger, defined by the width-wise dimension of the arched body and from the extension of the projection of the hook from the top part of the arched body. Furthermore the projection of the hook from the arched body constitutes a considerable overall dimension even when the hanger is packaged in a container with the garment hanged.
Practically, the overall dimension of the hanger, especially depending on the extension of the hook, thus becomes a major and crucial parameter in each step of utilisation of the hanger itself: from the manufacturer of the hangers, where there is required the maximum reduction possible of the dimensions of the packagings used for the shipment of the hangers to the garment makers, to the sales facility, when the hanger should be handled with the garment hanged, in particular, through the delivery sales channels, where the overall dimensions of the container of the folded hanged garment provided with hanger determine the dimension of the container to be shipped, which have an impact on the costs of transport, up to the so-called “recycling” operation, when the hanger, from a sales point where it is no longer used, is shipped again to the tailoring stores for the reutilization thereof.
In the current state of the art there are known hangers which can reduce the overall dimensions thereof providing for that the hook is held on the arched body through a connection which allows the disengagement and a rotation thereof, when required, so as to be moved into the space defined by the arched body itself.
By way of example reference is made to patent document VI2010A000293 in which there is described a hanger with foldable hook, which is characterized in that the base of the hook, at a side thereof, is connected to the arched body through a flexible tab, which allows the aforementioned hook an elastic twisting, in particular a 90° rotation and beyond, from vertical to horizontal and vice versa, i.e. from perpendicular to parallel on the arched body; vice versa on the opposite side said base is provided with an hook which holds, during the operating step, the hook on the arched body so that, when the hook is raised, the hanger takes up the configuration typical of the normal function thereof, having the same resistance of a common hanger with fixed hook.
Disadvantageously, the aforementioned hanger, as well as other hangers which provide for the movement of the hook to reduce the overall dimension thereof, (by way of example reference shall be made to those described in patent documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,452, U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,343, U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,820, U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,670 and GB 2355922) are obtained through a structural technique which is rather complex and which requires considerably modifying the design both of the arched body and the lower end of the hook, with considerable moulding costs.
In particular, in the hangers where the hook is held on the arched body through a flexible tab there is required the use of a plastic material with considerable elastic properties, such as polypropylene, which has a higher cost of raw material with respect to a less expensive plastic material, such as polystyrene, which however has a limited degree of elasticity.
In addition, in the structural solutions known up to date, due to the mobility of the connection between the hook and arched body, during use the hanger does not have a sufficiently rigid structure, like the one observed in a common monoblock hanger, which, practically, determines a considerable difficulty of optimally holding the hanged garment, sometimes causing even the aforementioned to fall.
Document FR 2 599 612 A1, which constitutes the most important document of the state of the art, provides a hanger in which the hook and the arched body constitute two separate components, which are mutually held by introducing the base of the hook in a cavity obtained on the central upper part of the aforementioned arched body, which has a particular design of the two opposite parts which determine a rapid operation of hooking/unhooking, which ensures a rigid structure (hook/arched body) during use and allow the hook, remaining constrained to the arched body, to rotate up to 90°, so as to reduce the overall dimension of the hanger, when it is not in use.
Structurally, the base of the hook provides for a ratchet, where there is introduced the end of the hook, to which there are associated two longitudinal walls, arranged opposite and mutually spaced, by a value equivalent to the thickness of the central portion of the arched body engaged in the hook, when said base is applied on said portion. Between the two walls there are introduced two pins, arranged transverse and symmetric with respect to the axis of the hook, which, upon engagement, end up introduced in corresponding hollows, open at the upper part, obtained on the aforementioned portion of the arched body.
An object of the present finding is that of providing a hanger which when not hanged, requires a minimum overall dimension and which is without the drawbacks shown by similar products of the known type.
Specifically, an object of the finding is that the making of the hanger is considerably simplified with respect to the structural techniques used for obtaining the hangers of the type similar to the one described above.
Still specifically, an object of the finding is that the making of a hanger as described above in which the manual handling of the hook is even simpler and quicker.
IN addition, an object of the finding is that the making of a hanger, as described above, does not considerably diverge from the design of a normal hanger with fixed hook, so that for the manufacture thereof there can be used the usual moulding equipment, which is just slightly modified, to the advantage of the cost of the moulding equipment and, thus, the end costs of the single product.
Still specifically, an object of the finding is the making of a hanger as described above, wherein, when the hook is extended in an operating position, said hook forms a rigid structure with the arched body.
Finally, an object of the finding is the making of a hanger as described above which allows the hook to be detached from the arched body in a single and quick manner.
This is obtained, according to the finding, by providing for that in one of the hollows present in the previously described device, there is present an elastic element, which deforms during the introduction of the pin in said hollow and, subsequently, with the elastic return, serves as a stop ratchet which prevents the pin form inadvertently slipping off from the hollow itself.
The finding will be better described through the description of a possible embodiment thereof, provided solely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
As observable in
Between the two opposite walls 5 there are introduced two pins 7 and 8, arranged transverse and symmetric with respect to the axis of the hook 2 which, upon the engagement, end up introduced and are held in corresponding hollows 9 and 10, open at the upper part, obtained on the aforementioned portion 6 of the arched body.
In one of the two hollows 9 there is present an elastic tab 11, which deforms during the introduction of the pin 7 into said hollow 9 (see
The other hollow 10 has a “lozenge-like” shape, which allows the other pin 8 a linear sliding (see
In use, as observable in the sequence of
In particular, as observable in detail “A” of
Still in particular, the elastic tab 11 is provided with a boss 15 which has two functions:
Still in use, as observable in the sequence of
In particular, as observable in detail “C” of
Lastly, in order to obtain maximum stability between the two elements, such to make the hanger according to the finding a monoblock, between the arched body 1 and the hook 2, there is provided a coupling through a shaped relief 18, projecting from the upper part 6 of the aforementioned body and the base 3; in particular, the cap 19 of the base and the lower end 20 of the ratchet 4 are engaged and are held on the aforementioned relief 18.
The finding thus designed can be susceptible to variants and modifications and the details thereof may be replaced by technically equivalent elements, as long as they fall within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims that follow.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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VI2013A0059 | Mar 2013 | IT | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2428820 | Therrien | Oct 1947 | A |
3726452 | Jaffe | Apr 1973 | A |
4063670 | Faarbech | Dec 1977 | A |
4487343 | Chen | Dec 1984 | A |
5183190 | Zuckerman | Feb 1993 | A |
5826759 | Ohsugi | Oct 1998 | A |
8381952 | Mainetti | Feb 2013 | B2 |
20090283556 | Ho | Nov 2009 | A1 |
20110073624 | Blanchard | Mar 2011 | A1 |
20120104056 | Mainetti | May 2012 | A1 |
20120241481 | Merandi | Sep 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
85 36 129.1 | Feb 1986 | DE |
2 599 612 | Dec 1987 | FR |
2 355 922 | May 2001 | GB |
52-6493 | Jan 1977 | JP |
Entry |
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Italian Search Report and Written Opinion dated Oct. 23, 2013 from corresponding Italian Application No. VI20130059. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20140252048 A1 | Sep 2014 | US |