Patent Application
20110031369
The present invention relates in general to decorative object holders, and more particularly to ornament holders for placement on mantles, shelves, furniture, and the like.
It is a common practice to hang ornaments such as Christmas stockings, and the like, on a mantle or ledge to display the same. Rather than using a nail or other hanger that is permanent, temporary ornament hangers are used so that they can be placed on the mantle, shelf or ledge to hang the items therefrom, and thereafter remove the hanger without marring or leaving a hole in the woodwork. Temporary ornament hangers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,819 by Ronia; U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,827 by Kacines and D447,936 by Kacines. Other ornament hangers are available which include various types of metal, glass and resin figurines attached to respective hook-like devices.
The ornament hangers known in the prior art are constructed of a hard and durable material, and if pulled off a mantle or shelf, can mar and damage the floor or furniture. These ornament hangers are more attractive to adults and less attractive to children, because the figurines are not soft and cuddly as many stuffed toys are.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that a need exists for an ornament hanger that is stable and can support the substantial weight of an ornament, but is soft and if dislodged from a mantle, the hanger will not itself injure a child or other person. Another need exists for an ornament hanger that is ornamental, and soft to prevent injuries.
In accordance with the principles and concepts of the invention, there is disclosed an ornament hanger that is soft and plush, but has sufficient weight to support a large decorative item hung therefrom. The soft nature of the ornamental hanger prevents injuries.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, there is disclosed an ornament hanger that is itself a soft and cuddly figure, shaped and colored according to the event, season or holiday being celebrated.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, disclosed is an ornamental figure constructed of a plush material that is soft, and filled with many small ballast articles, such as beads which are collectively deformable, so that the ornamental figure is overall soft and deformable and is less likely to injure a person or damage furniture if the ornamental hanger falls. The ornamental hanger includes a strap with a loop suspended therefrom for hanging other ornamental items therefrom.
In accordance with one feature of the invention, disclosed is an ornamental hanger that is constructed with a non-skid bottom surface to prevent lateral movement of the hanger when a heavy item is suspended from the strap.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the ornamental hanger includes a loop at the end of the strap, where the loop is adjustable in length or size to correspondingly adjust the distance between the ornamental hanger and the ornamental item suspended therefrom.
With regard to one embodiment of the invention, disclosed is an ornamental hanger that includes a soft figure having a bottom portion, a deformable ballast weight located in at least a portion of the bottom portion of the figure, and an anti-skid material on a bottom surface of the figure so that when the figure is placed on a surface, the figure is less likely to be moved laterally. The ornamental hanger further includes a pliable hanger having one end fastened to the bottom of the figure, where the pliable hanger has an opposite end adapted for suspending an item therefrom.
With regard to another embodiment of the invention, disclosed is an ornamental hanger which includes a three dimensional stuffed figure having a plush material cover. The figure has a top portion and a bottom portion, a deformable ballast weight formed of many weight articles located in at least a portion of the bottom portion of the stuffed figure. The top portion of the figure is stuffed with a light weight stuffing material. An anti-skid material is located on a bottom surface of the figure so that when the figure is placed on a surface, the figure is less likely to be moved laterally. A pliable hanger has one end fastened to the bottom of the figure, and the pliable hanger has an opposite end adapted for suspending an item therefrom. The pliable hanger is adapted to generally conform to a surface contour over which the pliable hanger is routed.
With regard to yet another embodiment of the invention, disclosed is a method of making an ornamental hanger. The method includes forming a three dimensional stuffed figure having a soft body, placing a deformable ballast weight in a bottom portion of the stuffed figure, placing a light weight stuffing material in a portion of the figure to maintain a desired shape of the figure, covering a bottom surface of the body with an anti-skid material, and fastening a strap hanger to the bottom of the body so that an item can be suspended from the strap hanger.
Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following and more particular description of the preferred and other embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters generally refer to the same parts, functions or elements throughout the views, and in which:
a is a partial cross-sectional view of the ornamental hanger, taken along line 4a-4a of
b is a view of the ornamental hanger of
With reference to
The ornamental snowman
A seasonal, or other type of ornamental item can be attached to the loop 36 of the strap 34. A Christmas stocking 40 is illustrated as one of many types of items that can be hung or suspended from the strap 34 of the ornamental hanger 10. The Christmas stocking 40 is of the type that has a loop 42 that can be captured in the hanger loop 36 to suspend the item 40 therefrom. The Velcro® patch 38 can be detached from the other mating patch so that the end of the strap 34 can be threaded through the stocking loop 42, and then the Velcro® patches can be reattached together to form a closed hanger loop to capture the stocking loop 42 therein. In reattaching the Velcro® patches together, the user can adjust the position by which the one Velcro patch 38 is attached to the mating Velcro® patch to achieve the desired length of the strap 34.
As an alternative to the use of the Velcro® patches, those skilled in the art can employ, for example, one male snap on the end of the strap 34, and a number of spaced-apart female snaps attached to the strap so that the male snap can be engaged with a desired one of the female snaps to achieve the effective length of the strap 34 desired. A button and a number of button holes can also be used to provide adjustability to the effective length of the strap 34 and hanger loop 36. Many other techniques can be employed to achieve the adjustability described above.
While a strap 34 having an adjustable loop is preferred, those skilled in the art may utilize a fixed loop at the end of the strap 34. Moreover, the loop at the end of the strap 34 need not be part of the strap itself, but can be any other type of closed or open loop adapted to suspend items therefrom. A closed plastic ring can be fastened to the end of the strap 34 so that an open hook of the item can be engaged therewith. Conversely, an open plastic ring can be fastened to the end of the strap 34 so that a closed ring or loop of the item can be engaged therewith. Indeed, both a closed ring and an open ring can be fastened to the end of the strap 34 to accommodate the different types of hangers attached to the items.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the strap is constructed of a woven cotton or other synthetic material to provide strength and pliability to conform to the contour of the mantle 32 or other surface on which the ornamental hanger 10 is situated. However, the strap 34 can be constructed of many other types of materials and shapes other than a strap. For example, the strap can be constructed entirely of a plastic ribbon with the Velcro® patches adhered or otherwise bonded thereto. The strap can be constructed as a cord or strand of material having a loop at one end and the other end fastened to the bottom of the ornamental hanger 10. Many other configurations of straps or hangers can be utilized by those skilled in the art.
The item, a Christmas stocking 40 in the illustration, can be quite heavy, especially when filled with candy, toys, novelty items, etc. As can be appreciated, with a heavy item hung on the ornament hanger 10, there is more force exerted on the strap 34, and thus on the ornamental figurer 11. The downward force exerted by the item 40 on the strap 34 translates to a sideways force exerted by the same strap 34 on the ornamental hanger 10. When the strap 34 conforms to the contour of the corner or edge of the mantle 32, there is more friction between the strap and the surface of the mantle 32, and thus less tendency of the force to be sufficient to move the ornamental hanger 10. With the strap 34 fastened to the ornamental hanger 10 at the bottom thereof, there is also a reduced tendency of the ornamental hanger 10 to tip over when the item 40 is inadvertently pulled by a child or person. Rather, the tendency of the ornamental hanger 10 is to move sideways if a sufficient force is exerted on the strap 34. As will be described in more detail below, the bottom surface of the ornamental hanger 10 is constructed with an anti-skid material to resist movement with respect to the surface of the mantle 32, or other surface on which the ornamental hanger 10 rests. As a result of these features, the ornamental hanger is highly resistant to movement when a heavy load is suspended therefrom, thereby making the ornamental hanger 10 safer and less likely to be pulled over the edge of the mantle 32.
In addition to the friction of the flexible strap 34 with respect to the mantle surfaces, the ornamental hanger 10 is weighted to resist movement when heavy items are suspended therefrom.
The fabric material of the body 12 of the figure is cut into several pieces and sewn together to form the rounded and plump body portion. The top of the body 12 includes a small opening 44, and the bottom of the body 12 has an opening 46. The head 18 is generally rounded, for a snowman, with a bottom opening 48 aligned with the top opening 44 formed in the body 12. The body 12 and the head 18 are sewn or bonded around the respective openings 44 and 48 to fasten the parts together. The hat 22 is formed in the shape shown from a cotton material, and stuffed with a lightweight stuffing material 50, such as polyester fibers, polyurethane foam, or other suitable stuffing material. The hat 22 is then sewn or bonded to the top of the head 18. The head 18 is then stuffed with the same lightweight material 52 through the aligned openings 44 and 48. The lightweight stuffing 50 and 52 function to maintain the hat 22 and the head 18 in the respective shapes shown. More importantly, the light weight stuffing 50 and 52 at the top of the figure prevents the figure from being top heavy and more prone to falling over when the bottom thereof is pulled via the strap 34. The eyes 24 and 26 can be black beads and the nose 28 can be an orange plastic cone that is glued to the head 18. The smile can be applied to the face with an ink marker, or other liquid that hardens when dried. The scarf 20 is a fabric material that is wrapped around the neck of the
The bottom surface of the
The circular bottom 54 can then be partially sewn to the bottom of the body 12 around most of the circular opening 46. A deformable ballast weight, such as glass or metal beads 58, beans, sand, etc., can be inserted into the body 12 via the unsewn portion between the circular bottom 54 and the bottom body opening 46. The weight can also be a solid object that is surrounded with a deformable and soft cover, such as a thick layer of foam rubber to prevent injury if the ornamental hanger 10 is pulled off the surface and onto a child or person. Should the ornamental hanger 10 be pulled completely off the mantle 32, the soft and plush nature of the hanger 10 will not mar or otherwise dent wood furniture or floors. With a body 12 of about 4-5 inches in diameter and height, the deformable ballast weight filling the body 12 can weigh between about 0.5-10 pounds, and preferably about two pounds. It can be appreciated that the weight of the ballast is generally a function of the size of the figure. The stuffing 52 in the head 18 prevents the beads 58 from entering the head 18. Once filled with beads 58, the round bottom 54 is completely sewn to the bottom body opening 46. The beads 58 substantially fill the body 12 and maintain it in the shape shown. It is noted that the bottom surface of the circular anti-skid bottom 54 is somewhat pliable and conforms to the shape of the surface on which it rests. The conformance of the anti-skid bottom 54 to the underlying mantle surface increases the surface area of contact therebetween and thus increases the friction therebetween. The tendency of the ornamental hanger 10 to move laterally on the mantle surface is thus reduced.
As noted above, the end of the strap 34 that is outside of the
The figure of the ornamental hanger 10 can, or course, be other than a snowman, as shown. Indeed, for the winter, Christmas or other religious holiday season, the figure can be formed to represent a snow woman, Santa Clause, Christmas tree, Christmas present, garland, reindeer, sleigh, candy cane, candle, Advent candle, letters spelling NOEL, or a penguin. The ornamental hanger 10 can also be formed to coincide with many other holidays and events celebrated. The figure can also be that of many popular toys, play objects or caricatures well known to children or adults. For example, a princess doll or a toy truck can be fashioned with a plush material and used as the
With reference now to
While the preferred and other embodiments of the invention have been disclosed with reference to specific ornamental hangers, and associated methods of fabrication thereof, it is to be understood that many changes in detail may be made as a matter of design choices without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.
