GB2378130A

GB2378130A - Garment hanger with movable arms

Info

Publication number: GB2378130A
Application number: GB0124296A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Barlow
Original assignee: Braitrim UK Ltd
Current assignee: Braitrim UK Ltd
Priority date: 2001-08-02
Filing date: 2001-10-09
Publication date: 2003-02-05
Anticipated expiration: 2021-10-09
Also published as: GB2378130B; GB0118901D0; GB0124296D0

Abstract

A garment hanger comprising a body 1, a movable arm slidably mounted in the body for free movement and means for applying a resilient force to the arm to cause the arm to move away from an innermost point and an outermost point relative to the body wherein the force remains constant between the points. Preferably, the hanger has two arms 2, 3 each having a toothed region 13, 14 connecting with a central gear wheel 15 so that movement of one arm in one direction automatically causes movement of the other arm in the opposite direction, both arms are biased away from the body of the hanger by a constant force spring 4 connected to one of the arms, each arm has a garment-engaging portion located at their outer edges 19, 20, the spring 4 is contained in a cage within the body 1, the hanger is provided with a hook 21, and the body is made up of a rear part 5 containing the arms and the means for moving them and a front part 16.

Description

GARMENT HANGER The present invention relates to a garment hanger particularly of the expandable type.

Garment hangers in which the outer ends are intended to grip waistbands of garments such as trousers and skirts are well known.

It is also known for the hanger to have a structure which is used to accommodate waistbands of different sizes by extending the arms of such hangers to grip the waistband.

Such hangers conventionally fall into two types.

In the first type which might be typified by that shown in European Patent No. 0386080 two hanger arms are mounted in a body for simultaneous slidable movement in opposite directions relative to each other. The arms are then moved manually sufficiently far apart to grip the waistband and then the arms are locked in position with a locking mechanism.

The disadvantage of this type of hanger is that the loading operators often over-stretch the waistband material when placing the garment on the hanger. This is because the hanger provides no indication of the appropriate force necessary for retention.

In the second type, the two arms are slidably mounted on a hanger body for free simultaneous movement in opposite directions relative to each other and under the action of a compression spring the arms are caused to move away from the body so that the arm is able to assume a position between and including an innermost point and an outermost point relative to the body to grip the waistband of the garment.

The disadvantage of this type of hanger is that as a compression spring is compressed (i. e. recoiled) the force needed to compress it increases markedly. This means that the gripping force exerted by the arms on the waistband when they are fully extended is significantly less than the gripping

force exerted by the arms on the waistband when they are fully retracted but in this latter position for gripping the narrowest waistbands the force exerted may be so great as to damage the garment.

In general the appropriately desirable gripping force as supplied by a compression spring in order to hold a garment securely but without damaging it is only achievable over a limited width of arm extension. Consequently, it is essential to provide varying widths of hangers of one particular design to accommodate all the required waistband sizes.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to at least mitigate the disadvantages of the prior art expandable hangers.

According to the present invention, we provide a garment 'hanger comprising a body, a movable arm slidably mounted on the body for free movement, means for applying a resilient force to the arm to cause the arm to move away from the body so that the arm is able to assume a position between and including an innermost point and an outermost point relative to the body wherein the force remains constant between the points.

Preferably the arm includes a garment-engaging portion located at the extreme outer end of the arm for supporting a

'" garment thereon.

Suitably there are two arms mounted on the body for simultaneous slidable movement in opposite directions relative to each other.

Conveniently, each arm includes a garment-engaging portion located at the extreme outer end of each arm for supporting a garment thereon.

Preferably each arm includes a toothed portion engagable with a common centrally located gear wheel rotatably mounted in the body so that movement of one arm in one direction moves

the other arm in the opposite direction so that both arms move in opposite directions together.

Suitably the means for applying a resilient force to the arm comprises a constant force spring mounted in the body for example in a cage in the body with a free end of the spring secured to the or an arm in such a way that the tendency of the spring to recoil causes the arm to move away from the body.

Conveniently, the body is in two parts, a rear part on which the arm or arms and the means are mounted and a front part which is secured to the rear part.

The body may have a hook to suspend the hanger from a rail.

An embodiment of the invention will now be particularly described with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of the hanger slightly to one side with the front portion of the body removed from the hanger to clarify the view; Figure 2 is a front view of the hanger with the front portion of the body disengaged from but still hingeably connected to the rear portion of the body, the arms shown in their fully extended position ; Figure 3 is a further view of the hanger similar to Figure 2 with the arms shown in a partially extended position; Figure. 4 is yet another front view of the hanger similar to Figures 2 and 3 with the arms shown in a fully retracted position; Figure 5 is a rear view of the hanger; Figure 6 is a plan view of the hanger; and Figure 7 is an underneath view of the hanger.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the garment hanger of the present invention comprises a body 1, a pair of moveable arms 2,3, slidably mounted on the body 1 for free movement and means in the form of a constant force spring 4 for applying a

resilient force to (in this case) one of the arms 2 to cause the arm 2 to move away from the body 1.

The body 1 comprises a rear portion 5 to form a hollow within which the arms 2,3 are slidably mounted and within which the spring 4 is also mounted within a part-circular retaining cage 6. The rear portion 5 has a projecting wall 7 and the portion 5, the wall 7 and the cage 6 are all moulded together.

The leading edge 8 of the spring 4 is secured to the innermost body-located end 9 of arm 2, which in this case is the uppermost of the two arms 2 and 3. The innermost ends 9 and 10 of each arm 2,3 have a part 11 and 12 of reduced width on which is located a gear toothed portion 13 and 15 respectively extending inwardly from each of the arms 2,3. A geared wheel 15 rotatably mounted centrally of the body rear portion 5 is engaged with each of the toothed portions 13 and 14. Consequently, movement in one direction of one of the arms 2,3 by reason of interaction between the respective gear toothed portion 13,14 and the wheel 15 moves the other arm in the opposite direction. The body 1 also has a generally flat front portion 16 in the form of a flap which matches the rear portion 5 and which is'hingeably connected to the rear portion

5 and has a number of locating pins 17 (see Figure 2) moulded thereto to engage in corresponding apertures 18 in the wall 7 and cage 6 of the rear portion 5.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4 the front portion 16 can be released from the rear portion 5 from which the front portion 16 can then hang down to permit access to the arms, spring and gear wheel. The front portion 16 can then be raised and snap fitted into engagement with the rear portion 5 to hide the components as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

Each of the extreme outer ends of the arms 2,3 is provided with a garment engaging or gripping portion 19,20

which are angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the arms 2,3 to prevent a garment slipping off the hanger in use.

The wall 7 of the body rear portion 5 is provided with a centrally located hook 21 for suspending the hanger, the hook 21 being rotatably mounted in a bush 22 moulded in the rim 7.

As shown particularly in Figure 5 the rear body portion 5 may be provided with an area 23 to which a brand name, clothing size or other information may be affixed.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 again, in the normal relaxed state of the spring 4 the hanger will assume the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the arms 2,3 being fully extended at the outermost point relative to the body 1. This might be the position where the hanger is to suspend garments of the widest waistband but just narrower than the fully extended width of the arms 2, 3. By manually compressing the ends 19,20 inwards towards the body 1 against the force exerted. by the spring 4 to the position shown in Figure 3 garments of an intermediate waistband size can be suspended from the hanger by placing the garment over the ends 19,20 of the arms 2,3 and releasing the spring 4 so that the ends 19, 20 are urged into engagement with the garment waistband.

Finally by compressing the ends 19,20 further inwards towards the body 1 to the position shown in Figure 4 where the arms 2, 3 are fully retracted at the innermost point relative to the body 1, garments of the narrowest waistband can be suspended from the hanger by the same process as is described in relation to Figure 2.

By using a constant force spring for any hanger design it is possible to hang a variety of garments with differing waistband sizes with a force which is the same or nearly the same desired force whatever the respective waistband size so that damage to the garment is avoided.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A garment hanger comprising a body, a movable arm slidably mounted in the body for free movement and means for applying a resilient force to the arm to cause the arm to move away from the body so that arm is able to assume a position between and including an innermost point and an outermost point relative to the body wherein the force remains constant between the points.
2. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 in which the arm includes a garment-engaging portion located at the extreme outer end of the arm for supporting a garment thereon.
3. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 in which there are two arms mounted on the body for simultaneous slidable movement in opposite directions relative to each other.
4. A hanger as claimed in claim 3 in which each arm includes a garment-engaging portion located at the extreme outer end of each arm for supporting a garment thereon.
5. A hanger as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 in which each arm includes a toothed portion engagable with a common centrally located gear wheel rotatably mounted in the body so that movement of one arm in one direction moves the other arm in the opposite direction so that both arms move in opposite directions together.
6. A hanger as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the means for applying a resilient force to the arm comprises a constant force spring mounted in the body with a free end of the spring secured to the or an arm so that

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the tendency of the spring to recoil causes the arm to move away from the body.
7. A hanger as claimed in claim 6 in which a cage is provided in the body in which the spring is located.
8. A hanger as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the body is in two parts, a rear part on which the arm or arms and the means are mounted and a front part which is secured to the rear part.
9. A hanger as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the body is provided with a hook to suspend the hanger from a rail.
10. A garment hanger substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.