Patent Application
20100025439
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of clothing hangers and in particular to the field of nestable hangers having hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom.
2. Background of the Related Art
Hangers having nestable configurations are disclosed in the prior art, as are hangers having hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom.
One example of a hanger having hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom may be found, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,678 to Blanchard et al., which discloses a “ganging hook” via which additional hangers may be supported. The “ganging hook” disclosed in Blanchard et al. extends downwardly from the hanger body. The “ganging hook” of Blanchard et al. does not provide any nesting functionality to the hanger.
Another example of a hanger having supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom is U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,098 to Bredeweg et al. The hanger disclosed in Bredeweg et al. discloses a “hook socket for ganging hangers.” As with Blanchard et al., the “hook socket” of the hanger disclosed in Bredeweg et al. extends downwardly from hanger body and does not provide any nesting functionality.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,445 to Chen discloses a garment hanger with a “ganging hook” extending from the hanger body. The position of the “ganging hook” of Chen impedes nesting of hangers.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,321 to Willinger et al. discloses a hanger having “ganging element” extending downwardly from the hanger body. As with the previously cited prior art, the “ganging element” of the hanger disclosed in Willinger et al. does not promote nesting of hangers. Like hangers may also be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,772 to Bond; U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,834 to Cohen; U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,872 to Duerr et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,658 to Olk et al.
None of the foregoing prior art discloses hangers with hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom configured in such a manner so as to allow for nesting of hangers. It is therefore desirable to have a hanger which not only includes hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom, but further readily provides for nesting of hangers.
The subject invention is directed to a new and useful hanger having a hanger supporting means in the form of a cascade hook for supporting additional hangers therefrom, wherein the cascade hook facilitate the nesting of one hanger with another similar hanger.
One embodiment of the present invention includes a garment hanger comprising: a hanger frame comprising a hanger body, the hanger body having a front surface and a rear surface, a top and a bottom; a hook member extending from the top of the hanger body, the body having a hole formed therethrough, the hole having a front aperture formed in the front surface and a rear aperture formed in the rear surface; the body having a cascade hook member extending from the front surface and disposed in front of the front aperture. In these embodiments, the hole is adapted to receive through the rear aperture a cascade hook member from a first identical garment hanger and the cascade hook member is adapted to be inserted into a rear aperture of a hole in a second identical garment hanger.
In certain embodiments, the cascade hook member has an inclined portion having a first end disposed at the bottom of the hole and a second end disposed opposite from the first end, and a second portion extending upwardly from the second end of the inclined portion
In any of the foregoing embodiments, the cascade hook member may comprise a rear surface substantially facing the front surface of the body; a front surface substantially facing away from the front surface of the body. A projection of the cascade hook member onto a plane containing the front surface of the body may be shaped substantially the same as the front aperture, and the projection may have an area less than the area of the front aperture. The rear aperture may have an area greater than the area of the of the front aperture. There may also be a concavity formed in the rear surface of the cascade hook member.
Furthermore, in any of the foregoing embodiments, the cascade hook member may be adapted to be inserted through the hole of the second identical garment hanger and extend out of a front aperture of the hole of the second identical garment hanger. Upon being inserted through the hole of the second identical garment hanger, the front surface of the cascade hook member may abut a portion of a rear surface of a cascade hanger member of the second identical garment hanger.
A channel may be formed between a portion of the front surface of the cascade hook member and a portion of the rear surface of the cascade hook member of the second identical hanger. Similarly, a cavity may be formed between a portion of the front surface of the cascade hook member and a concavity formed in the rear surface of the cascade hook member of the second identical hanger. Where both a cavity and a channel are formed, the width of the channel may be smaller than the width of the cavity.
These and other aspects of the subject invention will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings described herein.
So that those having ordinary skill in the art to which the subject invention pertains will more readily understand how to make and use the subject invention, preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein with reference to the drawings.
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Referring to
Hanger body 4 includes a generally planar front surface 10 and a rear surface 11 substantially collateral with front surface 10. Cascade hook 20, which may also be called a “finger”, extends from front surface 10.
Cascade hook 20, shown in cross section in
Cascade hook 20 may include a concavity 23, which may be formed at the intersection of the vertical portion 27 and inclined portion 28. Alternatively, concavity 23 may be omitted.
Body 4 includes a hole 26 formed therethrough. Hole 26 has a rear aperture 24 formed in the rear surface 11 and a front aperture 25 formed in front surface 10. Rear aperture 24 may include chamfer 30 (depicted more clearly in
Front surface 10 may also be curved, in which case apertures 24 and 25 would likewise be curved. In this case, the projection of cascade hook 20 onto a plane would have substantially the same shape as a projection of aperture 25 onto the same plane.
The surface area of front surface 10 which is not occupied by cascade hook 20 may be at least approximately twice that of the surface area occupied by cascade hook 20.
Referring now to
When nested as shown in
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the pertinent art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.
