Patent Application
20240245247
This disclosure relates to hook devices that support articles hanging therefrom and, more particularly, to a planar hook device that suspends articles from the back of a chair or the top of a door.
When a person is carrying a purse or handbag in public areas there is often a desire or need not to place the purse or handbag on surfaces generally exposed to the public. If there is no hook to hang a purse or handbag, the person must continue holding the purse or handbag. It would be desirable to provide a portable hook device which could be easily carried by the person for use in such situations. US Patent Application No. 20140116585 discloses a portable purse strap hook having a flexible sheet constructed to form a sleeve wrapped around a strap on a purse. A hook is secured inside the sleeve. The portable purse strap hook extends from the sleeve so that the hook may be used to hang the purse from a stationary support. This portable purse strap hook is relatively complex in structure, bulky, requiring that it be mounted to the strap when needed, and is limited in use to purses with straps. A simple hook that does not require complex mounting to the purse, that can be carried on a key chain, and that will also work with purses without straps is desirable.
This disclosure provides a planar hook device that suspends articles from a structure. The hook device has a top end, a bottom end, a front side, and a rear side. The top end extends away from the front side and then extends downward towards the bottom end and then extends back towards the front side, thereby forming an upper loop having a tip adjacent to the front side. A space exists between the front side and the upper loop tip.
The bottom end extends away from the rear side and then extends upwards towards the top end and then extends back towards the rear side, thereby forming a bottom loop having a tip adjacent to the rear side. A space exists between the rear side and the bottom loop tip. The bottom loop tip has a hook member extending to the rear side, reversibly closing the space existing between the rear side and the bottom loop tip. The upper loop and the lower loop are springs. The upper loop tip is biased towards the front side and the bottom loop tip is biased towards the rear side. The space between the front side and the upper loop tip provides an opening into an interior of the upper loop and the space between the rear side and the bottom loop tip provides an opening into an interior of the bottom loop. A ring-shaped connecting member is positioned on the bottom end to connect the hook device to a key ring.
A portion of an article, such as a purse or a handbag, for example, is retained in the lower loop. A portion of a support structure, such as the top of the back of a chair or the top of a door, is retained in the upper loop.
An advantage of the hook device of this disclosure is an S-shaped hook that will suspend a purse or a handbag from the back of a chair or from the top of a door, preventing the need to place the purse or handbag on the floor or other areas exposed to public use.
Another advantage is a hook device that is planar and compact which can be stored in a purse or handbag.
Another advantage is a hook device that locks a portion of a purse or handbag to the hook device.
Another advantage is a hook device that can be used to suspend purses or handbags that do not have handles.
While the following description details the preferred embodiments of the hooks of this disclosure, it is to be understood that the hooks of this disclosure are not limited in their application to the details of arrangement of the features or parts described in the disclosure, since the hooks are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways.
The bottom end 12 extends away from the rear side 13 and upwards towards the top end 11 forming a loop 18 (bottom loop) which is constructed as a spring. The loop 18 ends in a tip 19 which is adjacent and spaced apart from the rear side 13 and provides an opening 20 into an interior of the loop 18. The tip 19 has a barb or hook member 21 that extends therefrom to the rear side 13. The hook member 21 engages the rear side 13 but is not attached thereto. The loops 15 and 18 are springs.
The tip 16 of loop 15 can be moved inward and outward in the directions of arrows 28. The tip 19 and the hook member 21 can be moved downward and upward in the directions of arrows 29. The tip 16 of loop 15 is biased towards the front side 14 and the tip 19 and hook member 21 of loop 18 are biased towards the rear side 13.
A ring-shaped attachment member 22 is positioned on the bottom end 12 of hook device 10. The ring-shaped member 22 allows the hook device 10 to be attached to a key ring or similar device.
A portion of the purse 25, for example a corner 27 of the purse 25, may also be inserted through opening 20, pushed against the hook member 21, and pushed passed the hook member 21 into the interior of loop 18. When pressure is released from the hook member 21 the hook member 21 will press the corner 27 of the purse 25 against the side 13, thereby retaining the purse 25 on the chair hook 10. The corner 27 is removed from the interior of loop 18 by pushing the hook member 21 away from the rear side 13 and pulling the corner 27 through opening 20 and out of the interior of the loop 18.
The hook device can be made of any suitable plastic or metal. Although the ring-shaped attachment member 22 is placed at the bottom of the hook device in can be mounted anywhere on the hook device as desired. The hook device can be made in any desired length and thickness. Although the hook device is shown and described as mounted on the back of a chair by means of the top loop, the hook device can be mounted similarly on any planar structure of suitable thickness, for example, on the top of a door.
The foregoing description illustrates and describes the disclosure. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only the preferred embodiments but as mentioned above, it is to be understood that the preferred embodiments are capable of being formed in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and are capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the invention concepts as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings and/or the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. The embodiments described herein above are further intended to explain the best modes known by applicant and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure in such, or other, embodiments and with the various modifications required by the particular applications or uses thereof. Accordingly, the description is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form disclosed herein. Also, it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments.
