Patent Grant
9420910
The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally to tags for hangers used for hanging garments or other objects.
Today, many garment retailers use sizers to assist in identifying a garment hanging on a hanger. Typically, a sizer has descriptive information on it (e.g., a number or indicia such as the latter(s) S, M, L, XL, among others) that relates to the garment attached to the hanger. Sizers help manufacturers, retailers and purchasers by allowing garments of a particular size to be organized, displayed and easily seen.
Sizers currently available in the market are typically made to attach to the hanger so that once a sizer is attached, it does not fall off the hanger while in transit or as customers peruse a particular garment selection. In this regard, these sizers are designed so that they are not easily removable and cannot be removed unless a tool is used to remove them from the hanger. Attempting to remove such sizers by hand typically damages either the sizer or the hanger, rendering either one or both unusable for future use.
In one embodiment, a push-on-twist-off tag (tag) for a hanger is provided, wherein the tag includes a top end, a bottom end, and a body portion connecting the top end and the bottom end. The top end has at least one inwardly directed tab and at least one primary locking edge adapted to lock the tag to a corresponding locking surface on a neck portion of the hanger. Further, the top end includes an opening adjacent to the at least one inwardly directed tab adapted to receive the neck portion of the hanger, the opening having a lateral opening width and a diagonal opening dimension. The body is resiliently expandable in a direction of the lateral opening width to unlock the tag, such that the lateral opening width increases to a temporarily increased lateral opening dimension equal to at least the diagonal opening dimension upon rotation of the tag about the neck portion of the hanger to unlock the tag.
In another embodiment, a hanger and snap-on-twist-off tag (hereinafter referred to as tag) combination is disclosed. In this embodiment, the hanger includes a body, a boss, and a hook. The tag, in turn, includes a top end, a bottom end, and a body portion connecting the top end and the bottom end. The top end has at least one inwardly directed tab and at least one locking edge adapted to lock the tag to the boss of the hanger. The top end also has an opening adjacent to the locking edge adapted to receive the boss, wherein the opening has a lateral opening width that corresponds to a width of the boss and a diagonal opening dimension that corresponds to a diagonal dimension of the boss, wherein the body portion of the tag is resiliently expandable in a direction of the lateral opening width, such that the lateral opening width increases to a temporarily increased lateral opening dimension equal to at least the diagonal opening dimension upon rotation of the tag about the boss to unlock the tag
In yet another embodiment, a hanger and snap-on-twist-off tag (hereinafter referred to as tag) combination is disclosed. In this embodiment, the hanger includes a body, a boss, and a hook. The tag includes a top end, a bottom end, a body portion connecting the top end and the bottom end, and an opening adjacent to the top end, wherein the body is resiliently expandable. In this embodiment the tag has a locked position, wherein the tag is longitudinally aligned with the body of the hanger, wherein the tag is locked to the top portion of the hanger and cannot be moved freely in any direction, and wherein the boss of the hanger extends through the opening of the tag. The tag also has an unlocked position of the tag, wherein the tag is perpendicularly aligned with the body of the hanger, wherein the boss of the hanger extends through the opening of the of the tag, and wherein the tag is movable.
These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of the embodiments described and claimed herein will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the embodiments described and claimed herein or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the inventions described herein are not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated. Indeed, it is expected that persons of ordinary skill in the art may devise a number of alternative configurations that are similar and equivalent to the embodiments shown and described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.
Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from figure to figure in the following detailed description of the drawings.
Referring first to
Before describing the features of tag 100 illustrated in
In one embodiment, the hanger 150 is a garment hanger for hanging different types of garments. In this embodiment, the body portion 106 includes a description relating to the garment. For instance, the body portion 106 may include a size description (e.g., S, M, L, XL) of the garment that is to be hanged. In another embodiment, the hanger 150 is a hanger for hanging different tools, such as a screw driver or a wrench. In this embodiment, the tag 100 includes a size description or other identification information relating to the tool that is to be hanged. It should be noted that as a general matter that that tag 100 is not just limited to being used in the embodiments disclosed.
It should be understood that the neck portion 154 or the hanger 150 may include other features and is not limited to the design shown in
Regardless of what the tag 100 is used for, the tag 100 has at least three different positions relative to the hanger 150: an unlocked position, a locked position, and a removed or unlatched position.
In the locked position, the tag 100 is longitudinally aligned with the body of the hanger 150 and the tag 100 is locked or snapped-on to the neck portion 154. In this position, the tag 100 is pushed fully downwards so that a part of the neck portion 154 and the first and second corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159 of the neck portion 154 are positioned above the opening 114. The first corresponding locking surface 158 engages with the first primary locking edge 130 of the tag 100 and the second corresponding locking surface 159 engages with the second primary locking edge 132 of the tag 100 to lock the tag 100 to the locked position. The first and second corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159 prevent the tag 100 from moving from side to side or upwards. In the locked position, the tag 100 is locked to the neck portion 154 and cannot be moved freely in any direction.
Once the tag 100 is in the locked position (i.e., referred to as the locked tag 100), the locked tag 100 cannot be removed from the hanger 150 by hand by pulling it from the neck portion 154 without damaging the tag 100 or the neck portion 154 (or both). In this regard, when the locked tag 100 is pulled by hand to remove it from the neck portion 154, the first primary locking edge 130, the second primary locking edge 132, the first and second corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159, and/or other features of the tag 100 or hanger 150 are damaged, rendering either the tag 100 or hanger 150 (or both) unusable for future use. Any of these features may break or crack when the tag 100 is pulled away from the neck portion 154 by hand.
In addition, once the tag 100 is in the locked or snapped into the hanger, squeezing or pinching the body portion 106 (e.g. pinching either the parallel side walls 110 or the inclined side walls 108) to remove tag 100 does not assist in removing the tag 100 from the neck portion 154. In fact, squeezing or pinching the body portion 106 makes it more difficult to remove the tag 100 from the neck portion 154. When the parallel sidewalls 110 of the body portion 106 are squeezed or pinched towards each other, the first primary locking edge 130 is forced towards the first corresponding locking surface 158 and the second primary locking edge 132 is forced towards the corresponding locking surface 159. In effect, each of the first and second primary locking edges engage with the first and second corresponding locking surfaces even more, resulting in a tighter engagement between the first corresponding locking surface 158 and the first primary locking edge 130 and the second corresponding locking surface 159 and the second primary locking edge 132, making it more difficult for the tag 100 to be removed from the neck portion 154.
The locked tag 100 is designed to be removed without using a removal tool by first twisting or rotating the tag 100 by 90 degrees about the neck portion 152, and then lifting it upward. The resulting position of the tag 100 after rotating it or twisting it by 90 degrees is known as the unlocked position. The tag 100 can be forced upwardly from the locked position, but only with difficulty (such as prying with a sharp tool). This is especially true because gripping the tag on the two large flat and parallel sidewalls 110 of the body portion 106 tends to make it more difficult to slide the tag upward, because compressing the body potion in a direction perpendicular to the parallel sidewalls of the body portion 106 will tend to increase the engagement of the locking edges 130 and 132 with the locking surfaces 158 and 159. It should also be noted that the inclined sidewalls 108 are not effective surfaces to grip in order to remove the tag 100, because the sloping and smooth nature of surfaces of inclined sidewalls 108 makes it difficult to apply any significant upward force to the tag 100.
In the unlocked position, the tag 100 is perpendicularly aligned with the frame 152 and tag 100 is movable. In this position, the first and second corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159 are positioned above the opening 114. The corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159, however, are not engaged with their respective primary locking edges 130 and 132. Because the corresponding locking surfaces do not engage the primary locking edges, the tag 100 is movable in the upward direction.
While the tag 100 is movable in the unlocked position, it cannot be freely moved in this position. In the unlocked position, the tag 100 is frictionally latched to the neck portion 154 by way of at least one secondary locking edge 134. The first secondary locking edge 134 prevents the tag 100 from being moved freely. In one embodiment, upward force is applied at the bottom end 104 of the tag 100 to overcome the frictional force that latches the tag 100 to the neck portion 154. In an alternative embodiment, the tag 100 is pulled from the top end 102 to overcome the friction force that latches the tag 100 to the neck portion 154 in the unlocked position. In this regard, the tag 100 can be pulled by hand to remove the tag 100 in the unlocked position but not in the locked position.
In the unlatched or removed position, the tag 100 is not affixed to the neck portion 154. In one embodiment, the tag 100 is completely removed from the hanger 150. In another embodiment, the tag 100 rests above the neck portion 154 after a hook is passed through the opening 114 of the tag 100. In this regard, the removed position is the position in which the tag 100 can be moved freely in any direction relative to frame 152 of the hanger 150.
Before describing the other features of tag 100 illustrated in
To explain by way of another example, after the tag 100 is attached and locked to the neck portion of a hanger, when the tag 100 is rotated or twisted about the neck portion 154 of the hanger 150, the lateral opening width 144 increases to a second temporarily increased lateral opening dimension as the tag 100 is rotated about the neck portion 154. In one embodiment, the second temporarily increased lateral opening dimension is equal to the diagonal opening dimension 146 of the tag 100. After the tag 100 is rotated by 90 degrees, the opening 114 immediately returns to its original dimensions such that the second temporarily increased lateral opening dimension decreases to the lateral opening width 144.
Now returning to
In one embodiment, the body portion 106 includes a plurality of inclined side walls 108, a plurality of parallel side walls 110, and a plurality of beveled walls 112. As shown in
The resulting configuration of the tag 100 is that of a hollow trapezoidal shaped prism that has no protrusions on the inside walls of the tag 100. As shown in
It should be understood that the body portion 106 need not be in the shape of a trapezoidal shaped prism and that body portion may have other shapes. For instance, in one embodiment, the beveled walls 112 are curved so there are no straight edges on the body portion 106. In another embodiment, the body portion 106 is in the shape of a hollow rectangular shaped prism. In yet another embodiment, the inclined sidewalls 108 may be connected directly to one of the parallel sidewalls 110 without first connecting to the beveled walls 112.
The top end 102 includes a plurality of inwardly directed tabs (hereinafter referred to as tabs) and at least one primary locking edge. As shown in
The first and second primary locking edges 130 and 132 engage with corresponding locking surfaces on a neck portion of a hanger. In the locked position, the first and second primary locking edges 130 and 132 extend below the corresponding locking surfaces such that the corresponding locking surfaces extend over and above the first and second primary locking edges 130 and 132. The configuration prevents the tag 100 from being moved in the locked position.
In contrast to the primary locking edges 130 and 132, the secondary locking edges 134, 136, 138, and 140 do not engage with the corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159 on the neck portion 154. Rather, the secondary locking edges 134, 136, 138, and 140 frictionally latch the tag 100 in the unlocked position.
Unlike the primary locking edges 130 and 132 and the secondary locking edges 134, 136, 138, and 140 of the tag 100, the plurality expansion edges 142 do not come in contact with a standard neck portion 154 during attachment and removal of the tag 100. However, the cut-out defined by the edges 142 may engage an alternative neck with which the tag 100 may be used. Further, the expansion slots 149 are openings on both sides of the top end 102 which allows the tag 100 to expand without breaking or cracking as the tag 100 is locked to the neck portion 154 or unlocked from the neck portion 154. The slots 149 provide the tag 100 with an opening in the top of the tag that allows the tag to flex (beyond what the material alone provides) without cracking at the top of the inclined side walls 108, when the vertical sidewalls 110 separate during twisting of the tag.
In one embodiment, tabs 118 and 120 are located on an upper half of the tag 100 and tabs 122 and 124 are located on a lower half of the tag 100. In this embodiment, tabs on the upper half of the tag 100 (tabs 122 and 124) are connected to each other by the first connecting tab 126. The first connecting tab 126 includes the first primary locking edge 130. Similarly, tabs on the lower half of the tag 100 (tabs 122 and 124) are connecting to each other by the second connecting tab 128. The second connecting tab 128 includes the second primary locking edge 132.
The general dimensions of the tag 100 and the neck portion 154 should be noted. The opening 114 of tag 100 that has a lateral opening width 144, a diagonal opening dimension 146, and a height dimension 148. The opening 114 defined by the at least one inwardly directed tab, at least one of the primary and secondary locking edges, at least one of the expansion edges 142, at least one of the expansion slots 149. The lateral opening width 144 is the distance between the primary locking edges 130 and 132 when the tag 100 is in the removed position. The diagonal opening dimension 146 is the distance between two oppositely facing secondary locking edges (e.g., the distance between secondary locking edges 134 and 136). The height dimension 148 is the height of the tag from the top end 102 to the bottom end 104. As shown in
Comparing dimensions of the tag 100 with the neck portion 154, the lateral opening width 144 is smaller than the neck width dimension 161 in all three positions (locked, unlocked, and removed). Because the neck width dimension 162 is greater than the lateral opening width dimension 144, the opening 114 expands to allow the corresponding locking surface through the opening 114 when locking the tag 100 to the neck portion 154 and once in the locked position, the corresponding locking surfaces extend over the primary locking edges of the tag 100.
Further, the locking surface height dimension 164 is slightly greater than the height dimension of the tag 100. The difference in height allows the corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159 to extend pass the opening 114 of the tag 100 and allows the tag 100 to fit snugly between the base 151 and the corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159.
In addition, the diagonal opening dimension 146 of the tag 100 is at least equal to the diagonal dimension 160 of the neck portion 154 for all three positions, which allows the neck portion 154 to fit snugly within the opening 114 when being attached and in the locked position.
Turning to
In
In
In
The tag 100 may include other features as well not illustrated in
Further, it should be understood that tag 100 is not limited to the design and shape illustrated in
Referring to
In one embodiment, the body portion 206 includes a plurality of inclined side walls 208, a plurality of parallel sidewalls 210, and a plurality of beveled walls 212. As shown in
The resulting configuration of the tag 200 is that of a hollow trapezoidal shaped prism that has no protrusions on the inside walls of the tag 200. As shown in
The top end 202 includes a plurality of inwardly directed tabs (hereinafter referred to as tabs) and at least one primary locking edge. As shown in
In contrast to the tag 100, tag 200 does not include any connecting tabs (shown in
The secondary locking edges 234, 236, 238, and 240 do not engage with the corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159 on the neck portion 154. Rather, the secondary locking edges 134, 136, 138, and 140 frictionally latch the tag 200 in the unlocked position.
Unlike the primary locking edges 230 and 232 and the secondary locking edges 234, 236, 238, and 240 of the tag 200, the plurality expansion edges 242 do not come in contact with the neck portion 254 during attachment and removal of the tag 200. However, the cut-out defined by the edges 242 may engage an alternative neck with which the tag 200 may be used. Further, the expansion slots 249 are openings on both sides of the top end 202 which allows the tag 200 to expand without breaking or cracking as the tag 200 is locked to the neck portion 154 or unlocked from the neck portion 154. The slots 249 provide the tag 200 with an opening in the top of the tag that allows the tag to flex (beyond what the material alone provides) without cracking at the top of the inclined side walls 208, when the vertical sidewalls 210 separate during twisting of the tag.
In one embodiment, tabs 218 and 220 are located on an upper half of the tag 200 and tabs 222 and 224 are located on a lower half of the tag 200. Unlike tag 100 in
The general dimensions of the tag 200 and the neck portion 154 should be noted. The opening 214 of tag 200 that has a lateral opening width 244, and a diagonal opening dimension 146. The lateral opening width 244 is the distance between the primary locking edges 230 and 232 when the tag 200 is in the removed position. The diagonal opening dimension 246 is the distance between two oppositely facing secondary locking edges (e.g., the distance between secondary locking edges 234 and 236).
Comparing dimensions of the tag 200 with the neck portion 154, the lateral opening width 244 is smaller than the neck width dimension 261 in all three positions (locked, unlocked, and removed). Because the neck width dimension 262 is greater than the lateral opening width dimension 244, the opening 214 expands to allow the corresponding locking surface through the opening 214 when locking the tag 200 to the neck portion 254 and once in the locked position, the corresponding locking surfaces extend over the primary locking edges of the tag 200.
Further, the locking surface height dimension 264 is slightly greater than the height dimension of the tag 200. The difference in height allows the corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159 to extend pass the opening 214 of the tag 100 and allows the tag 200 to fit snugly between the base 151 and the corresponding locking surfaces 158 and 159.
In addition, the diagonal opening dimension 246 of the tag 200 is at least equal to the diagonal dimension 160 of the neck portion 154 for all three positions, which allows the neck portion 154 to fit snugly within the opening 214 when being attached and in the locked position.
Referring to
The body portion 306 connects the top end 302 to the bottom end 304 and that the top end 302 and bottom end 304 are at least partially open: the top end 302 includes an opening 314 and the bottom end 304 includes an opening at the bottom end (not shown in
The top end 302 includes a plurality of inwardly directed tabs (hereinafter referred to as tabs) and at least one primary locking edge. As shown in
The first and second primary locking edges 330 and 332 engage with corresponding locking surfaces on a neck portion of a hanger. In the locked position, the first and second primary locking edges 330 and 332 extend below the corresponding locking surfaces such that the corresponding locking surfaces extend over and above the first and second primary locking edges 330 and 332. The configuration prevents the tag 300 from being moved in the locked position.
In contrast to the primary locking edges 330 and 332, the secondary locking edges 334, 336, 338, and 340 do not engage with the corresponding locking surfaces on the neck portion 154. Rather, the secondary locking edges 334, 136, 138, and 140 frictionally latch the tag 100 in the unlocked position. The expansion slots 349 (shown in
In one embodiment, tabs 318 and 320 are located on an upper half of the tag 300 and tabs 322 and 324 are located on a lower half of the tag 300. In this embodiment, tabs on the upper half of the tag 300 (tabs 322 and 324) are connected to each other by the first connecting tab 326. The first connecting tab 326 includes the first primary locking edge 330. Similarly, tabs on the lower half of the tag 300 (tabs 322 and 324) are connecting to each other by the second connecting tab 328. The second connecting tab 328 includes the second primary locking edge 332.
As shown in
In the locked position, as shown by line 392, the first primary locking surface 330 engages with the first corresponding locking surface 358 and second primary locking edge 332 engages a second corresponding locking surface (not shown) of neck portion 354. In this locked position, the corresponding locking surfaces of the neck portion 354 extend over the first and second primary locking edges 330 and 332. This prevents the tag 300 from being moved upwards. In the unlocked position, the tag 300 is rotated by 90 degrees from the locked position. As the tag 300 is rotated, the opening 314 expands such that the lateral opening width 344 increases to a temporarily increased lateral opening width. In one embodiment, the temporarily increased lateral opening width is at least equal to the diagonal opening dimension 346. By the time the tag is rotated 90 degrees (i.e., is in the unlocked position), the opening 314 decreases from the temporarily increased lateral opening width to the lateral opening width 344. In the unlocked position, as shown by line 390, the first primary locking edge 330 engages with the guiding surface 384 of the neck portion 354. The guiding surface 384 allows the tag 300 to be moved upwards to remove it from the neck portion 354.
Note the corresponding locking surfaces on a neck portion of a hanger need not be protrusions as illustrated in
Although the inventions described and claimed herein have been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions described and claimed herein can be practiced by other than those embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.
This is a National Stage Application, claiming priority to PCT/IB2011/002206 filed 21 Jun. 2011, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/356,970, filed on Jun. 21, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2011/002206 | 6/21/2011 | WO | 00 | 3/13/2013 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2012/007840 | 1/19/2012 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4881836 | Blanchard | Nov 1989 | A |
| 7513400 | Gouldson | Apr 2009 | B2 |
| D658901 | Yau | May 2012 | S |
| 20070062984 | Louw | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20080054029 | Ho | Mar 2008 | A1 |
| 20090120973 | Ho | May 2009 | A1 |
| 20090277933 | Goldman | Nov 2009 | A1 |
| 20110101044 | Chan | May 2011 | A1 |
| 20120067929 | Gouldson | Mar 2012 | A1 |
| 20120292352 | Gouldson | Nov 2012 | A1 |
| 20130270309 | Mainetti | Oct 2013 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| CA 2539413 | Sep 2006 | AU |
| WO 8304122 | Nov 1983 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130200114 A1 | Aug 2013 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61356970 | Jun 2010 | US |
