US20060243764A1

US20060243764A1 - Hanger assembly for vehicle use

Info

Publication number: US20060243764A1
Application number: US11/117,835
Authority: US
Inventors: Chin-Fu Chiang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-04-29
Filing date: 2005-04-29
Publication date: 2006-11-02

Abstract

A hanger assembly includes a flexible gripping member and a hanging member. The gripping member has two gripping portions adapted for gripping two headrest rods of a headrest of a car seat, and an intermediate segment provided with two insert holes. The hanging member includes a hanger body and a leg unit having left and right shanks that are insertable removably into the insert holes to thereby couple the hanging member to the gripping member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hanger for use in a vehicle, more particularly to a hanger assembly that can be conveniently attached to or detached from a headrest unit of a car seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
A car hanger is a device specifically designed for use in a car to facilitate hanging of clothes in a car compartment. A conventional car hanger includes two sleeves that are sleeved onto two headrest rods of a headrest unit of a driver seat or a passenger front seat. During assembly, the entire headrest unit is detached from the seat to permit the sleeves to be sleeved onto the headrest rods, and the headrest unit is then mounted in place. This is very inconvenient especially under the circumstances that the car hanger is required to be removed from the headrest unit after use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a hanger assembly which can be conveniently attached to or detached from a headrest unit of a car seat to overcome the problem of the aforesaid conventional car hanger.
Accordingly, a hanger assembly of this invention is Adapted for mounting detachably on a car seat that includes a headrest unit having a headrest body and two headrest rods extending downward from the headrest body. The hanger assembly includes a gripping member and a hanging member. The gripping member is formed from a flexible material, and includes left and right gripping portions opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction and adapted to respectively grip the headrest rods in a state of use, an intermediate segment interposed between the left and right gripping portions and including a major wall surface which extends in an upright direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and a mounting wall surface which extends in a transverse direction relative to both the upright and longitudinal directions. The mounting wall surface has an insert hole unit that extends in the upright direction. The intermediate segment is bent to enable the gripping portions to be placed in the state of use such that the insert hole unit is moved away from the headrest rods. The hanging member is adapted for hanging an article of clothing, and includes an elongated hanger body which has left and right end portions opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and a middle portion interposed between the left and right end portions, and a leg unit extending downwardly from the middle portion in the upright direction to terminate at at least one engaging end that is insertable removably into the insert hole unit to thereby connect the hanging member to the gripping member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a hanger assembly according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a top sectional view of the preferred embodiment in part, showing a gripping member in a normal state;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the gripping member in a bent state;
FIG. 4 is view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the gripping member in a state of use;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of a hanger assembly according to the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a top sectional view of the second preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first preferred embodiment of a hanger assembly according to this invention is adapted for mounting detachably on a headrest unit 1 of a front seat (not shown) of a car. The headrest unit 1 includes a headrest body 11, and two spaced-apart headrest rods 12 that extend downward from a bottom end of the headrest body 11 and that are connected to the seat.
The hanger assembly includes a gripping member 2 attached removably to the headrest rods 12, and a hanging member 3 connected releasably to the gripping member 2.
The gripping member 2 is formed from a flexible material, and includes left and right gripping portions 21 opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction and adapted to respectively grip the headrest rods 12 in a state of use, an intermediate segment 23 interposed between the left and right gripping portions 21 and including a major wall surface 231 which extends in an upright direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and a mounting wall surface 232 which extends in a transverse direction relative to both the upright and longitudinal directions. The mounting wall surface 232 has two insert holes 221 that extend in the upright direction. The intermediate segment 23 is bent to enable the gripping portions 21 to be placed in the state of use such that the insert holes 221 are moved away from the headrest rods 12, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The major wall surface 231 has left and right ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction. Each of the left and right gripping portions 21 includes a gripping wall 211 which extends integrally from a respective one of the left and right ends outwardly and in the longitudinal direction and which bends inwardly to cooperate with the respective one of the left and right ends to define a gripping space 213 that is adapted to accommodate the respective one of the headrest rods 12. The gripping wall 211 terminates at a snap end 215 which is spaced apart from the respective one of the left and right ends to define a clearance therewith, which is of a dimension slightly smaller than that of the respective one of the headrest rods 12 and which is communicated with the gripping space 213. The gripping wall 211 is configured to impart the snap end 215 with a biasing force which urges the snap end 215 to move toward the respective one of the left and right ends such that, when a respective one of the gripping portions 21 is being fitted onto a respective headrest rod 12, the snap end 215 is forced to move away from the respective one of the left and right ends against the biasing force thereof so as to enlarge the clearance to a dimension corresponding to that of the respective headrest rod 12. Each of the left and right gripping portions 21 further includes a guiding wall 212 that extends from the snap end 215 away from the respective one of the left and right ends, that cooperates with the major wall surface 231 to define an access opening 214 communicated with the clearance, and that has a progressively decreasing thickness such that the access opening 214 has a dimension greater than that of the clearance to facilitate attachment of the gripping portions 21 to the headrest rods 12. The intermediate segment 23 has two inner peripheral wall surfaces defining the two insert holes 221, which extend from the mounting wall surface 232 in the upright direction. In this embodiment, each of the inner peripheral wall surfaces is configured such that each of the insert holes 221 includes a circular portion 222 and two radially extending recessed portions 223.
The hanging member 3 is adapted for hanging an article of clothing, and includes an elongated hanger body 32 which has left and right end portions 323 opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and a middle portion 321 interposed between the left and right end portions 323, and a leg unit which includes left and right shanks 31 that are insertable removably into the insert holes 221, respectively, and that extend downwardly from the middle portion 321 in the upright direction to terminate respectively at left and right engaging ends 310, which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the hanger body 32 is formed by bending a bendable wire into an open-ended straightened loop which has left and right bent portions to serve as the left and right end portions 323, and two terminal ends 322 that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and that form a part of the middle portion 321. The left and right shanks 31 are integrally formed with and extend from the terminal ends 322, respectively. Each of the left and right engaging ends 310 has two radial protrusions 311 for engaging the recessed portions 223 of the respective insert hole 221 such that the left and right engaging ends 310 are respectively in a splined engagement with the inner peripheral wall surfaces defining the insert holes 221, thereby preventing undesired rotation of the left and right shanks 31 relative to the insert holes 221.
A friction unit 4 includes two friction blocks 41 which are configured to be retained and shiftable in the straightened loop so as to be shifted to be adjacent to the left and right bent portions 323, respectively, thereby helping prevent slippage of the article of clothing from the hanger body 32. Each of the friction blocks 41 has an outer surface provided with a plurality of anti-slip bosses 411.
FIG. 2 shows the gripping member 2 of the preferred embodiment in a normal state, i.e., an unbent state. In this state, the two gripping portions 21 are spaced apart by a distance greater than that between the two headrest rods 12. When the gripping member 2 is to be attached to the headrest unit 1, a force is applied to bend the intermediate segment 23 of the gripping member 2 in a manner as shown in FIG. 3 such that the distance between the gripping portions 21 is smaller than that between the headrest rods 12. In this bent state, the intermediate segment 23 of the gripping member 2 acquires a biasing force that urges the gripping walls 211 to abut against the headrest rods 12, respectively, when the gripping portions 21 are respectively fitted onto the headrest rods 12 from behind the car seat and the bending force is released, thereby holding the gripping member 2 firmly between the headrest rods 12, as shown in FIG. 4. Thereafter, the hanging member 3, with the friction blocks 4 mounted thereon, is coupled to the gripping member 2. To detach the hanger assembly from the headrest unit 1, the hanging member 3 is first detached from the gripping member 2, and the intermediate segment 23 is bent to permit removal of the gripping portions 21 from the headrest rods 12.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the second preferred embodiment of a hanger assembly according to this invention is substantially similar to the first preferred embodiment in construction. In this embodiment, the inner peripheral wall surfaces defining the insert holes 221 are each provided with a plurality of teeth 224. In addition, the hanger assembly further includes two adaptors 5, each of which includes a tubular body 51 having upper and lower ends opposite to each other in the upright direction and insertable into a respective one of the insert holes 221, an outer wall surface provided with a plurality of teeth 511 for engaging the teeth 224 on the inner peripheral wall surface of the respective one of the insert holes 221, and an inner wall surface radially opposite to the outer wall surface and confining an engaging hole 53 for receiving a respective one of the left and right shanks 31 of the leg unit. The upper end of the tubular body 51 has an enlarged diameter and protrudes from the mounting wall surface 232 after the tubular body 51 is fitted into the respective insert hole 221. The engaging hole 53 includes a circular portion 531 and two radially extending recessed portions 532 so as to match the configuration of the left and right engaging ends 310 of the left and right shanks 31, thereby preventing undesirable rotation of the leg unit after the hanging member 3 is connected to the intermediate segment 23 of the gripping member 2. Furthermore, the hanger body 32 of the hanging member 3 in this embodiment is a tubular body having two tubular end portions 326. The friction unit 4 includes two anti-slip members 41 which are fitted respectively into the tubular end portions 326 and which are provided with a plurality of anti-slip bosses 411 thereon.
As shown hereinabove, the hanger assembly of this invention can be attached to or detached from the headrest unit 1 of a car seat with relative ease.
While this invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A hanger assembly adapted for mounting detachably on a car seat that includes a headrest unit having a headrest body and two headrest rods extending downward from the headrest body, said hanger assembly comprising:

a gripping member formed from a flexible material, and including left and right gripping portions opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction and adapted to respectively grip the headrest rods in a state of use, an intermediate segment interposed between said left and right gripping portions and including a major wall surface which extends in an upright direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and a mounting wall surface which extends in a transverse direction relative to both the upright and longitudinal directions, said mounting wall surface having an insert hole unit that extends in the upright direction, said intermediate segment being bent to enable said gripping portions to be placed in the state of use such that said insert hole unit is moved away from the headrest rods; and

a hanging member adapted for hanging an article of clothing, and including an elongated hanger body which has left and right end portions opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and a middle portion interposed between said left and right end portions, and a leg unit extending downwardly from said middle portion in the upright direction to terminate at at least one engaging end that is insertable removably into said insert hole unit to thereby connect said hanging member to said gripping member.

2. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said leg unit includes left and right shanks which extend in the upright direction to terminate respectively at left and right ones of said engaging ends, which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, said insert hole unit including two insert holes for receiving said engaging ends, respectively, said intermediate segment having two inner peripheral wall surfaces respectively defining said insert holes, which extend from said mounting wall surface in the upright direction.

3. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said major wall surface has left and right ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, each of said left and right gripping portions including a gripping wall which extends integrally from a respective one of said left and right ends outwardly and in the longitudinal direction and which bends inwardly to cooperate with the respective one of said left and right ends to define a gripping space adapted to accommodate the respective one of the headrest rods, said gripping wall terminating at a snap end which is spaced apart from the respective one of said left and right ends to define a clearance that is of a dimension slightly smaller than that of the respective one of the headrest rods and that is communicated with the gripping space, said gripping wall being configured to impart said snap end with a biasing force which urges said snap end to move toward the respective one of said left and right ends such that, when a respective one of said gripping portions is being fitted onto a respective one of the headrest rods, said snap end is forced to move away from the respective one of said left and right ends against the biasing force thereof so as to enlarge said clearance.

4. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said left and right gripping portions includes a guiding wall that extends from said snap end to be away from the respective one of said left and right ends and that cooperates with said major wall surface to define an access opening communicated with said clearance and having a dimension greater than that of said clearance.

5. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said hanger body is formed by bending a bendable wire into an open-ended straightened loop which has left and right bent portions to serve as said left and right end portions, and two terminal ends that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and that form a part of said middle portion, said left and right shanks being integrally formed with and extending from said terminal ends, respectively.

6. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said left and right engaging ends are configured to be in a splined engagement with said inner peripheral wall surfaces of said intermediate segment of said gripping member, respectively.

7. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a friction unit which is configured to be retained and shiftable in said straightened loop so as to be shifted to be adjacent to one of said left and right bent portions to thereby help prevent slippage of the article of clothing from said one of said left and right bent portions.

8. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said inner peripheral wall surfaces of said intermediate segment of said gripping member is provided with a plurality of teeth, said hanger assembly further comprising two adaptors, each of which includes a tubular body having upper and lower ends opposite to each other in the upright direction and insertable into a respective one of said insert holes, an outer wall surface provided with a plurality of teeth for engaging said teeth on said inner peripheral wall surface of the respective one of said insert holes, and an inner wall surface radially opposite to said outer wall surface and confining an engaging hole for receiving a respective one of said left and right shanks of said leg unit, thereby connecting said hanger body to said intermediate segment of said gripping member.

9. The hanger assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said hanger body is a tubular body having two tubular end portions, said hanger assembly further comprising a friction unit that includes two anti-slip members fitted respectively into said tubular end portions to help prevent slippage of the article of clothing from said hanger body.