Patent Application
20080017677
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This invention relates to clothes hangers. More specifically it relates to suit hangers. Even more specifically it relates to women's suit hangers.
This invention is a suit hanger that can hold two suit bottoms. Other suit hangers have been developed that can hold two suit bottoms. None of these inventions have two bars that are independently attached to the arms of the hanger that allow easy access to the clothing on either bar.
An example is U.S. Pat. No. 2,185,253, by Klein. Patent '253 has a second bar hanging off of the first bar. Unlike the present invention, the item of clothing that hangs on the first bar covers the item of clothing hanging on the second bar. In addition, the present invention has both bars attached to the hanger by the arms of the hanger, where as the '253 patent has the second bar attached to the first bar.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,480, by Duester. Patent '480 has clips attached to the arms of the hanger, with a bar attached to the clips. The limitation of this invention is that if the clips hold an article of clothing, the functioning of the bar is limited. In addition, the present invention has two bars, where the '480 patent has only one bar.
A further example is U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,911, by Eshelman. In '911, the hanger has two bars that are attached to the arms of the hanger by a rotating pin. This invention requires that the rotating pin continues to function for the whole hanger to be able to operate. In the present invention, each bar is attached to the hanger separately, unlike the '911 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,325, by Schaefer, is a hanger with a second bar attached to the hook of the hanger. Like patent '253, in '325 the item of clothing that hangs on the first bar covers the item of clothing hanging on the second bar. In the present invention, both bars are attached to the arms of the hanger, unlike the '325 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,057, by Smith, is a hanger comprising two hangers attached to each other. The hangers have attachments for hanging belts and ties. Patent '057 is intended for belts and ties, but not suit bottoms.
The invention is a clothes hanger that can hold two bottom parts of a suit, in addition to a suit top. The bottom parts of the suit could be two pairs of pants, two skirts or a combination of a skirt and a pair of pants. The suit top could be a jacket. The preferred embodiment envisions a combination of a shirt and a pair of pants with a suit jacket. The hanger can hold two suit bottoms so that either can be easily accessed.
The invention comprises a clothes hanger with two bars attached to it. The first bar is the usual bar found on the bottom of many clothes hangers. The first bar is the bar found on all clothes hangers that has the potential to hang a pair of pants. The second bar is attached by a plurality of hinges to the arms of the clothes hanger. One of both of these bars could be a lock bar that can securely hold a pair of pants. One or both of these bars can include clips to hold a skirt. The preferred embodiment envisions the clips on the second bar but not the first bar. The preferred embodiment envisions the hanger used to hold a suit jacket over the arms, a pair of pants over the first bar and a skirt with the clips on the second bar. The preferred embodiment envisions the first bar has a lock bar for securely holding pants.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The hanger 1 can be any kind of hanger. The shape of the arms 5 could be any shape. Arms 5 could be parallel to the first bar or the second bar. Arms 5 could be straight, but at an angle relative to the first bar or the second. bar. Arms 5 could be curved. The curve of arms 5 could be horizontal or vertical relative to the first bar or the second bar. In the preferred embodiment, hanger 1 is a hanger that is bent concave to one side so that hinge 4 is on the concave side. Other versions of hanger 1 could be a hanger without any curve. Hanger 1 could also be a hanger with arms 5 that are parallel to the first bar 2. Still other versions of the hanger 1 could have hooks or notches for dress straps, belts and ties.
The hanger 1 and all the parts of hanger 1 could be made of any material that is rigid and strong enough to support the weight of a suit of clothes. Hanger 1 could be made of wood, plastic or metal. The arms 5, first bar 2 and the second bar 3 could be made of wood, plastic or metal. The clips 6, caps 11, and the hinge 4 could be made of wood, plastic or metal. Alternatively, the hinge 4 could be made of cloth, rubber, plastic, vinyl, cord, rope, string, chain, wire, ribbon, and silicone.
The hinge 4 is a plurality of hinges. The number of hinges 4 can be any number that will fit on the arms 5 of the hanger 1. The preferred embodiment envisions two hinges 4, one on the end of each arm 5.
The hinge 4 is attached to the arm 5 by a fastener 7. The number of fastener 7 can be any number. The preferred embodiment envisions three fasteners 7 if the hinge 4 is a traditional hinge. The preferred embodiment envisions one fastener 7 if the hinge 4 is a flexible length of material. The fastener 7 could be any fastener that can hold the hinge 4 to the arm 5. The fastener 7 could be a screw, nail, pin, plug, glue, adhesive, snap, or statistical fastener. The fastener 7 could also be a point where the arm 5 are integral and continuous with the hinge 4, such as the arm 5 and the hinge 4 made of a single piece of metal or molded out of a single piece plastic. The preferred embodiment envisions a screw as fastener 7 holding a metal or plastic hinge 4 to an arm 5. Another preferred embodiment envisions a nail as fastener 7 holding a fabric hinge 4 to the arm 5. A third preferred embodiment envisions a drop of glue as fastener 7 holding a fabric hinge 4 to the arm 5.
The hinge 4 can be any flexible device that connects the arms 5 of the hanger 1 to the second bar 3. Hinge 4 could be a traditional hinge. A traditional hinge comprises two plates 9 with knuckles 10 that can interlock, and a pin that holds the two plates 9 together through the knuckles 10. The hanger 1 could also use non-traditional hinges such as a length of flexible material. One preferred embodiment envisions a hinge 4 made of two metal or plastic plates 9 connected by a metal or plastic pin. Other hinges could be used for hinge 4, as a person skilled in the art will realize.
Another preferred embodiment envisions a hinge 4 made of a length of fabric, cloth, wire, vinyl, silicone, string, ribbon or rope attached to the arm 5 and to the second bar 3. In this embodiment, the hinge 4 is a length of flexible material that is held to the arms 5 by fastener 7. The length of material can be attached to the second bar by any means that is possible. This includes use of a fastener, tying the length of material to the second bar 3, gluing or fusing the length of material with the second bar 3 or making the length of material integral and continuous with the second bar 3. Other hinges could be used for hinge 4, as a person skilled in the art will realize.
The hinge 4 is attached to the second bar 3 at point 8. The hinge 4 can be attached to the second bar 3 by glue, adhesive, bolts, screws, nails, pins or by welding. Hinge 4 can also be integral and continuous with second bar 3. In embodiments where hinge 4 is a flexible piece of material, hinge 4 can be tied to second bar 3 at point 8.
A preferred embodiment of the attachment of the hinge 4 to the second bar 3 is a pair of caps 11. Each cap 11 covers the end of the second bar 3. Each cap 11 is a hollow receptacle. The second bar 3 fits into the hollow receptacle of cap 11. The cap 11 allows the second bar 3 to twist inside the cap 11 without falling out.
In hangers 1 where the hinge 4 is integral and continuous with the arms 5 of hanger 1, the whole hinge 4 can be integral. Alternatively, only one plate 9 of the hinge 4 could be integral and continuous with the arms 5 and the other plate 9 of the hinge 4 could be formed separately and attached to the integral plate of hinge 4 by the pin. The pin would be fitted through the knuckles 10 of plates 9.
The preferred embodiment envisions the bar the holds a pair of pants as a lock bar. The purpose of a lock bar is to hold a pair of pants securely. A lock bar has a fixed element and a movable element so that when the movable element is moved, a pair of pants can be placed over the fixed element and then the movable element is moved back to its original position and the pants are held securely in the lock bar. Traditionally, the fixed element is made of metal and the movable element is made of wood or plastic. The design of a lock bar is known to persons skilled in the art and persons skilled in the art will see how a lock bar could be used as either the first bar 2 or the second bar 3 or both the first bar 2 and the second bar 3.
Although this invention has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made which clearly fall within the scope of the invention. The invention is intended to be protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
