Hanger with strap retainer

Abstract

A strap-retaining hanger for hanging garments with straps such that the garments do not become entangled with adjacent garments and/or hangers. The strap-retaining hanger includes a main hanger body and one or more strap-retaining components. Each strap-retaining component includes a housing attached to the main body of the hanger. The housing retains therein a strap hook joined to a spring member. An actuator is used to place the spring member in compression to cause protraction of the strap hook out of the housing. When pressure is released from the actuator, the spring compression is released and the strap hook retracted into the housing. The strap hooks hold the straps of the garment and are only exposed when there is a desire to put the garment on the hanger or to take it off the hanger.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to hangers. More particularly, the present invention relates to hangers for hanging garments with straps. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to hangers modified to include one or more strap retainers to hang garments with thin straps including, for example, dresses.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A hanger is a device used to hold a garment in a manner that allows a person to observe the entirety of the garment. There are many forms of hangers available commercially. They vary based on the type of garment to be displayed. However, in most instances, the hanger includes a main body on which the garment hangs, and a hook for placement of the hanger on a rod or other type of support structure. The hook extends from the main body, which includes one or more outwardly extending wings. Many such hangers angle the outwardly extending wings to maintain the shape of the hanger with the shape of a garment as worn by a person. In a private setting, the support structure may be a closet rod or a hook attached to a wall or door. In a commercial setting, the support structure may be a fixed or movable rack.

A plurality of garments may be displayed on a support structure by placing a plurality of hangers on the structure, each having its own associated garment, by placing a plurality of garments on a single hanger and placing the single hanger on the support structure, or a combination of the two. In a commercial setting, such as a dry cleaner or a retail clothing store, it is common for substantial numbers of garments to be hanged in close proximity to one another. An individual garment of interest may be accessed by forcibly separating it from adjacent ones and then removing it from the support structure. The garment may be replaced on the support structure by forcing an opening on the support structure and returning the hanger thereto.

There are many different types of garments which are placed on hangers. In particular, there are many types of garments worn on a person's shoulders. They range from those types which extend fully over an individual's shoulders, such as a coat or a long-sleeve shirt, to those which do not extend fully, such as bras and dresses with straps, including spaghetti straps, for example. The hangers that may be suitable for hanging a full-shoulder garment may not be suitable for holding a strapped garment. That is, for the most common form of hanger, the one with angled outwardly-extending wings, the straps simply slip off the hanger and the garment may fall to the ground or become inaccessible in the mix with other garments hanging on the support structure.

Hangers have been modified to account for this limitation. They have been fabricated to include slots or openings in the upper sections of the outwardly-extending wings. Unfortunately, when a plurality of such strap-based garments are pressed together in close proximity to one another, and as individual ones are removed from and then replaced on the support structure, they become entangled with one another. That is, one or more straps from one garment on one hanger may engage with the slot or opening of a different hanger. The person seeking to remove and observe a particular garment may spend a considerable amount of time detangling the garment from one or more other hangers. That effort discourages the person and may limit garment sales. It also results in racks of garments having an overall appearance of untidiness. A retailer may therefore be forced to expend considerable employee time fixing the garment hangings, or lose sales to customers who may wish to shop where the garments do not appear to be well cared for.

Therefore, what is needed is an improved hanger suitable for hanging garments with straps. Further, what is needed is a hanger suitable for hanging strapped garments next to other strapped garments with reduced possibility of adjacent garments becoming entangled. The improved hanger should be easy to manufacture and use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hanger suitable for hanging garments with straps. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hanger suitable for hanging strapped garments next to other strapped garments with reduced possibility of adjacent garments becoming entangled. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a hanger, which is easy to manufacture and use.

These and other objects are achieved with the present invention, which is a strap-retaining hanger suitable for hanging garments with straps including, for example, dresses with spaghetti straps. The hanger of the present invention includes a conventional hook section, a body with outwardly extending wings, and one or more strap retaining components forming part of, or affixed to, the outwardly extending wings. The wings may extend outwardly from the base of the hook on the same plane as the base, or they may extend therefrom at a downward angle. Further, the downwardly extending wings may be joined together at ends thereof by a joining section of the body.

Each of the strap retaining components is a spring-loaded device positioned substantially entirely in a housing. The spring-loaded device includes a strap hook at one end and an actuator at the opposing end. The strap hook is arranged to be retracted within the housing when the strap of a garment is being hanged or has been removed from the hanger. The application of pressure to the actuator forces the strap hook out of the housing such that the strap may be removed therefrom or placed thereon. The spring-loaded device allows for protraction and retraction of the strap hook with respect to the housing.

This arrangement of the strap retaining component ensures that only the garment or garments with straps to be applied to a particular hanger can be retained by that hanger. Since the strap hook is only exposed for the purpose of applying or removing the straps of the garment(s) of interest when application or removal is desired, it cannot hook the straps of other garments. Garments will not become entangled with the hangers of adjacent garments. This arrangement eliminates the difficulty for the consumer of removing from a rack or replacing on a rack a garment of interest. It also improves the appearance of the garment display and reduces the retailer's need to expend time to maintain the display. In addition, the retaining component may easily be applied to an existing type of hanger.

These and other advantages of the strap-retaining hanger of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following detailed description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the strap-retaining hanger of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of the strap-retaining hanger of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the strap-retaining hanger with the actuator extending above the housing, and a partial cutaway view showing the strap hooks retracted into the housings with the straps of a garment held thereon.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the strap-retaining hanger with the strap hooks protracted out of the housings with the straps of a garment held thereon and a partial cutaway view showing the actuator forced into the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A strap-retaining hanger 10 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The strap-retaining hanger 10 includes a conventional hanger 12 having a hook 14 and a main body 16. The hook 14 is arranged to hang the hanger 10 on a support structure, such as a retail store rack. The hook 14 and the main body 16 are joined at interface 18. The conventional hanger 12 may be formed as a single integral device or in sections joined together. The main body 16 includes a first extended wing 20 and a second extended wing 22. The first extended wing 20 and the second extended wing 22 extend downwardly at an angle from the interface 18. The hanger 12 may be of the type shown in the drawings, in which the first extended wing 20 and the second extended wing 22 are joined together at ends 24 and 26 thereof by joining section 28. Alternatively, the hanger 12 may be of the type having only the first extended wing 20 and the second extended wing 22 without the two joined together. Further, the hanger may be the type wherein the first extended wing 20 and the second extended wing 22 may extend directly outwardly from the interface 18 rather than at a downward angle. It is therefore to be noted that the hanger 12 may be most any type of commercially available hanger.

The strap-retaining hanger 10 further includes a first strap-retaining component 30 and a second strap retaining component 32. The first strap-retaining component 30 forms an integral part of, or is attached to, the first extended wing 20 and, if the conventional hanger 12 has one, the joining section 28. The second strap-retaining component 32 forms an integral part of, or is attached to, the second extended wing 22 and, if the conventional hanger 12 has one, the joining section 28. The first-strap retaining component 30 may be positioned at any location of interest along the first extended wing 20 between the interface 18 and the end 24, but is preferably located about equidistant between the two. The second strap-retaining component 32 may be positioned at any location of interest along the second extended wing 22 between the interface 18 and the end 26, but is preferably located about equidistant between the two. If not integrally formed therewith, the first strap-retaining component 30 and the second strap-retaining component 32 may be attached to the hanger 12 using an attachment means, such as an adhesive or a mechanical attachment including, but not limited to, one or more of nails, screws, bolts and rivets, but the attachment means is not limited thereto.

The first strap-retaining component 30 and the second strap-retaining component 32 may include the same type of elements arranged in the same manner. Therefore, common types of elements will be assigned the same numerical designation. With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in particular, each of strap-retaining components 30 and 32 includes a housing 34, a strap hook 36, a first spring 38, a spacer 40, a second spring element 42 and an actuator 44. The housing 34 is attached to or forms an integral part of the hanger 12. The housing 34 includes a space established within housing walls. The other elements are located within that spacing. The housing 34 includes an upper opening 46 and a lower opening 48. The housing may be a pipe or tubing section. It may be fabricated of any material of interest, such as a metallic material or a non-metallic material. It is preferably fabricated of plastic tubing.

The housing 34 is sized with sufficient length to ensure that when the strap hook 36 is in a relaxed or retracted position, it is positioned within the housing 34, as shown in FIG. 3. The strap hook 36 is coupled to the spacer 40 by attachment means such as an adhesive or a mechanical attachment. Preferably, the strap hook 36 is screwed into the spacer 40 at end 41. The strap hook 36 may be made of a metallic material or a non-metallic material as desired. The first spring element 38 and the second spring element 42 may be joined together to form a unitary spring extending substantially the length of the housing 34. Alternatively, a single spring device may be used to replace the combination of the first spring element 38 and the second spring element 42. The actuator 44 may be a solid rod or hollow cap arranged to be engaged with the second spring element 42. That is, the actuator 44 may be affixed to the second spring element 42 if solid, or the second spring element 42 may be forced into the actuator 44 if it is hollow. The spacer 40 is positioned within the interior space defined by the spring elements 38/42 and acts as a structural member of the strap retaining component 30/32.

The actuator 44, the spring elements 38/42 and the spacer 40 are arranged such that the application of pressure on the actuator 44 places the spring elements 38/42 in compression and moves the spacer 40 downwardly. The downward movement of the spacer 40 forces the strap hook 36 to protract downwardly such that it moves beyond end 48 of the housing 34 and is exposed for either removal of a strap thereon, or application of a strap thereon, as shown in FIG. 4. Release of pressure from the actuator 44 eliminates pressure on the spring elements 38/42 such that they return to their natural position, and in doing so, causes the actuator 44 to return upwardly. That action causes the spacer 40 to move upwardly, resulting in retraction of the strap hook 36 into the housing 34, as shown in FIG. 3.

The strap-retaining hanger 10 may be fabricated in any of a number of ways known to those skilled in the art. The strap-retaining hanger 10 shown specifically in the accompanying drawings may be fabricated using the following steps. First, two pieces of the spacer 40 are created, such as by cutting two wooden dowels of a selectable length. Second, two pieces of the housing 34 are created, such as by cutting two pieces of tubing to a selectable length suitable to ensure that the strap hook 36 will be retained therein when the strap retaining components are in a retraction state. Third, a guide hole is drilled into each spacer 40 at top end 43 thereof and a hook attachment hole is drilled into the spacer 40 at bottom end 41. Fourth, the strap hook 36 is screwed into the hook attachment hole of the spacer 40. Fifth, attach and/or otherwise secure each housing 34 to the hanger 12 at a selectable location. For example, an adhesive compatible with the materials of the housing 34 and the hanger 12 may be used to join the two. The housing 34 may be further secured to the hanger 12, such as with mechanical attachment including, for example, one or more tie wraps.

The sixth step of the process of making the strap-retaining hanger 10 includes drilling a spring end guide hole into the housing 34 at top end 35. Seventh, drill a hole into top of the actuator 44, which is preferably a hollow cap, such as a pen cap, for example. Eighth, join together the first spring element 38 and the second spring 42 together by twisting at least the first ring at top end 39 of first spring element 38 to at least the first ring of at bottom end 45 of second spring element 42. Alternatively, a single spring element may be substituted for the joined combination of the first spring element 38 and the second spring element 42. Ninth, insert the second spring element 42 into the actuator 44 such that a tight friction fit exists between the combined spring element and the interior of the actuator 44.

The tenth step of the process of making the strap-retaining hanger 10 includes inserting the spacer 40 into the interior side of the combination of the first spring element 38 and the second spring element 42 such that the top end 43 of the spacer 40 is positioned within the actuator 44. As shown in FIG. 2, the top end 43 of the spacer 40 may include a guide post arranged to extend into the interior of the actuator 44. Eleventh, secure the spacer 40 in the actuator 44 by physical attachment through the hole in the top of the actuator 44 created in the seventh step. For example, the physical attachment may be a screw screwed into the guide hole at top end 43 of the spacer 40. Twelfth, insert the spacer 40 with joined strap hook 36 and actuator 44 into the housing 34. Finally, extend at least one end of at least one of the spring elements 38/42 through the spring end guide hole of the housing 34 at the top end 35 thereof.

The strap-retaining hanger 10 solves the difficulty of retrieving a garment with straps from a support structure, such as a clothing rack, that may otherwise be entangled with other similar types of garments. The invention may be used as follows and in view of FIGS. 3 and 4. In order to place a garment on the strap-retaining hanger 10, one or more of one or more actuators 44 thereof is/are pushed to compress the spring elements 38/42 and cause the strap hook 34 to protract outwardly from the housing 34 through opening 48. Straps 50 of the garment may then be placed on the strap hooks 34. Pressure is then removed from the actuators 44 such that the strap hooks 36 retract into the housing 34. The garment is retained on the strap-retaining hanger 10 such that the strap 50 is partially within the housing 34.

In order to remove a garment from the strap-retaining hanger 10, one or more of one or more actuators 44 thereof is/are pushed to compress the spring elements 38/42 and cause the strap hook 34 to protract outwardly from the housing 34 through opening 48. This exposes the entire strap 50 of the garment outside of the housing 34. The garment may then be removed from the strap hooks 34. Pressure is then removed from the actuators 44 such that the strap hooks 36 retract into the housing 34. In both instances of usage, the strap hooks 36 are only exposed when the person forces them out of the housing 34. That may be done when the strap-retaining hanger 10 is positioned away from other hangers and garments. At all other times the strap hooks 36 are not exposed and therefore cannot entangle any adjacent garments.

While the present invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments of the strap-retaining hanger 10, it is to be understood that it includes all reasonable equivalents thereof as defined by the following appended claims.

Claims

1. A strap-retaining hanger comprising: a. a hanger including a hook and a body; and b. one or more strap-retaining components arranged to form a part of the hanger body, each strap-retaining component comprising: i. a housing including an upper opening and a lower opening; ii. a spring member positioned substantially within the housing; iii. a strap hook for retaining thereon one or more straps of clothing, wherein the strap hook is coupled to the spring member and arranged for movement through the lower opening of the housing but not through the upper opening of the housing; and iv. an actuator coupled to the spring member and accessed for actuation at the upper opening of the housing, wherein the spring member, the strap hook and the actuator are coupled joined together such that when no pressure is applied to the actuator the strap hook is retracted into the housing, and when pressure is applied to the actuator, the strap hook is protracted out of the housing.

2. The strap-retaining hanger as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a spacer having a first end and a second end, wherein the strap hook is attached to the first end of the spacer and the actuator is attached to the second end of the spacer, and wherein the spring member extends around the spacer.

3. The strap-retaining hanger as claimed in claim 2 wherein the spacer is a dowel.

4. The strap-retaining hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spring member is formed of a pair of springs joined together.

5. The strap-retaining hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing is a plastic tube.

6. The strap-retaining hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hanger body includes a first extended wing and a second extended wing, wherein the first extended wing and the second extended wing are joined together by a joining section, and wherein there are two strap-retaining components a first strap-retaining component and a second strap-retaining component, wherein the housing of the first strap-retaining component is attached to the component is attached to the second extended wing and the joining section.

7. The strap-retaining hanger as claimed in claim 6 wherein the housing of the first strap-retaining component and the housing of the second strap-retaining component are attached to the hanger body with an adhesive.