US20240148175A1 - Garment Hanger Assembly With Removable Hook - Google Patents
Garment Hanger Assembly With Removable Hook Download PDFInfo
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- US20240148175A1 US20240148175A1 US17/983,367 US202217983367A US2024148175A1 US 20240148175 A1 US20240148175 A1 US 20240148175A1 US 202217983367 A US202217983367 A US 202217983367A US 2024148175 A1 US2024148175 A1 US 2024148175A1
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- hanger
- hook
- base end
- hanger body
- proximal base
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Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G25/00—Household implements used in connection with wearing apparel; Dress, hat or umbrella holders
- A47G25/14—Clothing hangers, e.g. suit hangers
- A47G25/28—Hangers characterised by their shape
- A47G25/36—Hangers characterised by their shape characterised by the selection of the material, e.g. paper, board, plastics, glass
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G25/00—Household implements used in connection with wearing apparel; Dress, hat or umbrella holders
- A47G25/14—Clothing hangers, e.g. suit hangers
- A47G25/40—Collapsible hangers
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G25/00—Household implements used in connection with wearing apparel; Dress, hat or umbrella holders
- A47G25/14—Clothing hangers, e.g. suit hangers
- A47G25/28—Hangers characterised by their shape
- A47G25/36—Hangers characterised by their shape characterised by the selection of the material, e.g. paper, board, plastics, glass
- A47G25/38—Hook mountings therefor
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to a garment hanger assembly with a recyclable metal or plastic removable hook and a recyclable paper hanger body.
- a typical garment hanger is usually comprised of a hanger body, which is shaped or contoured in the form of a triangle with two arms extending in opposite directions, and a metal or plastic hook provided centrally to the hanger body.
- the hanger body and hook are usually made from one piece of material and therefore cannot be removed from each other.
- Retailers have, and still do, keep these traditional clothing hangers in stores, rarely if ever giving them to a customer. If a garment is sold, it is removed from the hanger and the sold garment packaged for the selling customer. The hanger itself is taken to a backroom of the store wherein it is introduced to a new article of clothing.
- This circular use of traditional clothing hangers is simple, but it comes with drawbacks. For example, the cost of replacing broken hangers is steep and the time used to hang a new article of clothing on an empty hanger is better spent on attending to paying customers.
- GOH Garment-on-Hanger
- GOH Garment-on-Hanger
- garments are delivered to retail merchants already suspended from hangers, wherein upon arrival at the retail location the garments are immediately placed on display for sale. A garment is placed on a hanger and subsequently shipped from a manufacturer and/or distribution center to the retail establishment.
- the GOH system therefore affords an efficient way for the storage, transport, retrieval, and sortation of many articles of clothing.
- costs associated with hangers and employee productivity are saved, the GOH system has seen a rise in shipping costs.
- GOH hangers are eventually disposed in the trash by retail stores, ensuing in approximately 20 billion plastic GOH hangers being landfilled every year.
- plastic GOH hangers being landfilled every year.
- dry-cleaner wire hangers are landfilled every year.
- Most municipal recycling programs do not accept any traditional clothing hangers due to the varying mix of material for each hanger and the tangling of said hangers in recycling machinery.
- the paper hanger remains relatively thick in diameter at the hook portion, making it unpracticable in industries such as dry-cleaning, which uses overhead conveyer machinery having narrow constriction points and designed for using all-wire hangers with very thin diameter. All-paper hangers additionally require employing a large amount of material due to the difficulty in efficiently nesting the cutting dies because of the awkward placement of the hook portions.
- plastic hangers with a collapsible plastic hook like the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 11,051,642 to Ho, have been utilized by clothing manufacturers and/or distributors to minimize the space needed in cartons or packages for sending clothing via a GOH method to retailers. While the collapsible plastic hook works well for plastic hangers, it presents mechanical issues for use with a paper hanger body. In addition, garment hangers with plastic bodies are still too thick for shipping clothing efficiently in a GOH method.
- US 2022/0300490 to Ho discloses a plastic two-piece plastic hook for a paper garment hanger, wherein the plastic hanger hook includes 1) a hanger body with a base having a “collar” or protuberance that can fit snuggly through an opening of a paper hanger body, and 2) a locking member with a sizer body portion and a “tongue” extending therefrom, wherein the tongue includes an opening for engaging the collar when the sizer body portion of the locking member is fitted down over the hook body and positioned at the base thereof.
- a removable hook for a hanger body is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,899,454 to Mainetti. However, the hook is limited in use to a plastic or metal hanger body that is arched.
- U.S. Pat. No. 11,134,804 to Mackenzie teaches two distinct removable hooks for a paper hanger body. One hook requires a wire hook with a bracket that is not sturdy and difficult to attach and remove from the hanger body, the bracket also including sharp edges that can easily damage a paper hanger body.
- the other hook disclosed in Mackenzie is a bent wire hook which is also difficult to attach and remove and is not aesthetically pleasing for use in stores.
- the garment hanger body of the garment hanger assembly is made of a durable, lightweight material such as paper.
- the garment assembly includes a removable hook such that garments can be shipped with only a hanger body. Once shipped to the retailer, each article of clothing in a GOH carton is removed by grabbing the hanger body that said article of clothing is suspended from and removably attaching a hanger hook made from a durable and recyclable material.
- Both the paper hanger body and the removable hanger hook are made from recyclable materials making it practical for the dry-cleaning and the GOH industries. Accordingly, a paper hanger assembly including a paper hanger body and a removable hanger hook is disclosed.
- the paper hanger assembly as disclosed herein can be used in the dry-cleaning industry and/or the GOH industries and generally employs a fastening mechanism on the removable hanger hook for the facile removable attachment of the hanger hook to the paper hanger body.
- a paper hanger assembly comprising a paper hanger body and a removable swivel hanger hook.
- the paper hanger body is in a shape of a garment hanger and includes a central region, a first side region extending from the central region in a first direction, and a second side region extending from the central region in a second direction opposing the first direction.
- the hanger body further comprises a front surface, a back surface, a top surface, and at least one aperture in the central region.
- the removable hanger hook includes a distal hook end and a proximal base end, wherein the proximal base end comprises a front side having a first top edge, a back side having a second top edge, and a top side defined by the first top edge and the second top edge of the front and back side, respectively, of the proximal base end.
- the top side of the proximal base end of the removable hanger hook includes a base end aperture, the distal hook end being permanently secured to the proximal base end through said base end aperture such that the removable hanger hook is provided with rotation relative to the proximal base end.
- the front side or the back side of the proximal base end also comprises a fastening mechanism that engages and fastens the removable hanger hook to the hanger body through the at least one aperture in the hanger body when the hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
- the front side, the back side and the top side of the proximal base end of the removable hanger hook are in contact with the front surface, the back surface and the top surface, respectively, of the hanger body when the hanger hook is removably attached to the central region of the hanger body.
- a paper hanger assembly comprising a paper hanger body and a single-piece removable hanger hook for use in the dry-cleaning industry.
- the hanger body is in a shape of a garment hanger and includes a central region, a first side region extending from the central region in a first direction, and a second side region extending from the central region in a second direction.
- the hanger body further comprises a front surface, a back surface, a top surface, and at least one aperture in the central region.
- the single-piece removable hanger hook includes a distal hook end and a proximal base end, the proximal base end comprising a front side which may or may not have a first top edge, a back side that may or may not have a second top edge, and a top side.
- the front side, the back side or both the front and back side of the proximal base end has a fastening mechanism that engages and fastens the single-piece removable hanger hook to the hanger body through the at least one aperture in the hanger body when said single-piece removable hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
- the front side, the back side and the top side of the proximal base end of the single-piece removable hanger hook is in contact with the front surface, the back surface and the top surface, respectively, of the hanger body when the single-piece removable hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
- the removable hanger hook of the garment hanger assembly is made from recyclable material and is either a 360-degree rotating swivel hook or a fixed-in-place hook (fixed hook) with no rotation.
- the removable swivel hook can be used in any industry, in particular one that employs a Garment-On-Hanger (GOH) system, such as for example, the garment or fashion industries, wherein at one end the garment is placed in a packaging carton by the manufacturer or distributor suspended only from the hanger body, and at the other end the garment is removed by a retailer by grabbing the hanger body that the garment is suspended from and removably attaching a removable swivel hanger hook.
- GOG Garment-On-Hanger
- the article of clothing can be viewed from all sides without removing the clothing from the hanger or removing the hanger from the rack, due to the presence of the rotating swivel hook.
- shipping costs in GOH methods are drastically reduced for two reasons. First, more garments can be added to each packaging carton because the thicker, traditional hangers are eliminated. Second, because the removable swivel hook is removed from the paper hanger body, larger GOH cartons can be replaced with shorter cartons as the space taken up by “protruding” hook portions of traditional hangers is also eliminated.
- the removable fixed hook of the garment hanger assembly can also be used in any industry, such as those that employ a GOH method and, in particular, the dry-cleaning industry, which employs overhead conveyer machinery having narrow constriction points and designed for using all-wire hangers thereon.
- Using an all-paper hanger with a thick hook portion is not feasible as the conveyers have narrow constriction points.
- the removable fixed hook as described herein is manufactured at a narrow diameter so as to be able to run through the constriction points of the conveyer system without incident. The paper hanger body can be replaced when necessary by removing it from the removable fixed hook.
- FIG. 1 a is a front perspective view of a removable swivel hook for a garment hanger assembly
- FIG. 1 b is a rear perspective view of the removable swivel hook
- FIG. 1 c is a side view of the removable swivel hook
- FIG. 1 d shows the proximal base end of the removable swivel hook in a planar position.
- FIG. 2 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the swivel hook depicted in FIGS. 1 a - 1 c ;
- FIG. 2 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook of FIGS. 1 a - 1 c and the hanger body of FIG. 2 a ;
- FIG. 2 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly.
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the garment hanger assembly of FIG. 2 b and FIG. 2 c.
- FIG. 4 a is a front perspective view of a second removable swivel hook for the garment hanger assembly
- FIG. 4 b is a rear perspective view of the removable swivel hook
- FIG. 4 c is a side view of the removable swivel hook
- FIG. 4 d shows the proximal base end of the removable swivel hook in a planar position.
- FIG. 5 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the swivel hook depicted in FIGS. 4 a - 4 c ;
- FIG. 5 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook of FIGS. 4 a - 4 c and the hanger body of FIG. 5 a ;
- FIG. 5 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly.
- FIG. 6 a shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable swivel hook of FIGS. 4 a - 4 c being removably attached to the hanger body of FIG. 5 a ; and
- FIG. 6 b shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable swivel hook of FIG. 6 a being removed from the hanger body.
- FIG. 7 a is a front perspective view of a removable fixed hook for a garment hanger assembly
- FIG. 7 b is a rear perspective view of the removable fixed hook
- FIG. 7 c is a side view of the removable swivel hook
- FIG. 7 d is a perspective cut-away view of FIG. 7 b with the fastening mechanism showing.
- FIG. 8 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the fixed hook depicted in FIGS. 7 a - 7 d ;
- FIG. 8 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook of FIGS. 7 a - 7 d and the hanger body of FIG. 8 a ;
- FIG. 8 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly.
- FIG. 9 a shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable fixed hook of FIGS. 7 a - 7 d being removably attached to the hanger body of FIG. 8 a ; and
- FIG. 9 b shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable swivel hook in FIG. 9 a being removed from the hanger body.
- FIG. 10 a is a front view of a second removable fixed hook for a garment assembly
- FIG. 10 b is a rear view of the fixed hook
- FIG. 10 c is a rear perspective view of the fixed hook
- FIG. 10 d is a rear perspective cut-away view of the fixed hook in FIG. 10 a.
- FIG. 11 a is a front view of a third removable fixed hook for a garment assembly
- FIG. 11 b is a rear view of the fixed hook
- FIG. 11 c is a rear perspective cut-away view of the fixed hook
- FIG. 11 d is a front perspective cut-away view of the fixed hook.
- FIG. 12 a is a front perspective view of a fourth fixed hook for a garment assembly
- FIG. 12 b is a front view of the fixed hook
- FIG. 12 c is a rear view of the fixed hook
- FIG. 12 d is a rear perspective view of the fixed hook
- FIG. 12 e is a perspective view similar to FIG. 12 d with the back side of the base end in an open position.
- FIG. 13 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the fixed hook depicted in FIGS. 12 a - 12 d ;
- FIG. 12 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook of FIGS. 12 a - 12 d and the hanger body of FIG. 13 a ;
- FIG. 13 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly.
- FIG. 14 a is a rear perspective view of the hook of FIG. 12 a with front and back sides in a planar position with each other;
- FIG. 14 b is a side view of FIG. 14 a ;
- FIG. 14 c is a similar view as FIG. 14 a with front and back sides at an angle to one another;
- FIG. 14 d is a side view of the hook of FIG. 14 a with front and back sides parallel to one another.
- FIG. 15 a is a front perspective view of a fifth fixed hook for a garment hanger assembly
- FIG. 15 b is a rear perspective view of the removable fixed hook
- FIG. 15 c is a side view of the removable hook.
- FIG. 16 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the fixed hook depicted in FIGS. 15 a - 15 c ;
- FIG. 16 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook of FIG. 16 a and the hanger body of FIG. 15 a ;
- FIG. 16 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly.
- the present invention relates to a garment hanger assembly comprising a paper hanger body and a removable (or releasable) hook.
- the removable hook is assembled such that it is either a 360-degree rotating swivel hook or a single-piece fixed hook with no rotation, and together with the paper hanger body that the hook removably attaches to, affords a garment hanger assembly which cures the deficiencies of the prior art.
- the removable swivel or fixed hook includes a hook end and a base end, the base end having at least a front side and a back side.
- a fastening mechanism is located on either the front or back side, or both.
- the hanger body of the garment hanger assembly as described herein is made from a biodegradable material such as paper. More specifically, the hanger body is made from a molded paper or pulp.
- molded paper can include, for example, pulp paper, pulp fiber, foamed paper pulp, recycled newspaper, brown paper, white paper, sugar cane pulp, bamboo pulp fibers, and/or any other suitable biodegradable material.
- a semi-rigid, lightweight and durable sheet paper material is used, such as for example, paperboard or cardboard.
- the hanger body can be formed from a variety of methods, including for example by die cutting, and can consist of one or more, preferably several layers of sheet paper material, A semi-rigid cardboard is preferred because it is easily cut into the desired shape and readily folded and joined to another piece of cardboard by adhesive or other forms of connection.
- the hanger body formed from this type of material is inexpensive to manufacture yet suitably strong for its intended task.
- These hangers can be repeatedly used and, when Lin usable, are readily disposed of by recycling.
- the sheet material is any semi-rigid, lightweight, durable, readily formed, foldable sheet-like material. Paper products, such as cardboard and paperboard, are preferred because they are readily disposed of by recycling. However, other types of paper products can be used as well.
- the shape, dimensions and material of the removable hook, swivel and fixed alike can vary depending on the type of garment hanger body employed.
- the hanger body is in turn dependent on the type of clothing being suspended therefrom.
- the removable hook as described herein is preferably molded and made of a sturdy, recyclable material such as a plastic, preferably a thermoplastic or bioplastic, or a material traditional wire hangers are made of, i.e. stress-hardened steel wire that may or may not be coated with a thin lacquer.
- Single-piece removable hooks are made from one material, such as a sheet metal or sheet plastic, while two-piece removable hooks can be made from one material or two different materials.
- a suitable example of sheet metal used as material for the base end is a magnesium alloy sheet metal or an iron/manganese (ferromanganese) alloy sheet metal.
- Suitable sheet plastics used as material include but are not limited to acrylics, polypropylenes, polystyrenes, nylons, and polyesters such as, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
- the garment hanger assembly comprises a paper hanger body and a removable swivel hanger hook preferably made of two pieces.
- FIG. 1 a shows a front perspective view of an embodiment of a removable swivel hook 101 for a garment hanger assembly 200 depicted in FIG. 2 b (front perspective view) and FIG. 2 c (perspective rear view) according to the present invention.
- the removable swivel hook 101 includes a hook end 103 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 210 (see FIG.
- the removable swivel hook 101 also includes a base end 105 that is in a position proximal to the paper hanger body 210 when the hook 101 is removably attached to said hanger body 210 .
- the proximal base end 105 of swivel hook 101 comprises a front side 105 A preferably with a planar surface and having a first top edge 105 B, a back side 105 C preferably shorter in length than the front side 105 A and having a second top edge 105 D, and a top side 105 E defined by the first top edge 105 B and the second top edge 105 D of the front 105 A and back side 105 C, respectively, of the proximal base end 105 (see FIG. 1 b , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 101 ).
- FIG. 1 b which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 101 ).
- FIG. 1 d which depicts the proximal base end 105 of the swivel hook 101 in a planar position (pressing or stamping pattern), shows the top side 105 E of the proximal base end 105 including a base end aperture 105 F, the distal hook end 103 permanently secured to the proximal base end 105 through the base end aperture 105 F such that hook 101 is provided with rotation relative to the proximal base end 105 .
- the distal hook end of the swivel hooks as described herein can be permanently secured to base end by a variety of known methods, such as with a rivet, bolt, lock nut and the like.
- the hanger body 210 as shown in FIG. 2 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with a central region 214 , a first side region 216 extending from the central region 214 in a first direction 216 A, and a second side region 218 extending from the central region 214 in a second direction 218 A opposing the first direction 216 A.
- the hanger body 210 includes a front surface 210 A, a back surface 210 B, a top surface 210 C, and at least one aperture 212 in the central region 214 for receiving proximal base end 105 of removable swivel hook 101 , as seen in FIG. 2 b and FIG. 2 c .
- the aperture 212 extends from the front surface 210 A of the hanger body 210 to the back surface 210 B of the hanger body 210 and is configured to be a particular shape.
- the at least one aperture 212 in the central region 214 of the hanger body 210 is in the shape of a semi-circle with a straight edge 212 A and a rounded edge 212 B, the straight edge 212 A parallel with and in closer proximity to the top surface 210 C of the hanger body 210 than the rounded edge 212 B.
- proximal base end 105 also includes a fastening mechanism 105 G as an extension or “arm” of the back side 105 C of base end 105 .
- the fastening mechanism 105 G can alternatively be an extension of the front side 105 A of the proximal base end 105 , as discussed in detail below, or in certain other non-limiting embodiments an extension of both the front and back side 105 A, 105 C of the proximal base end 105 . As shown in FIG.
- arm 105 G extends from the back side 105 C of base end 105 in a first direction medially towards the front side 105 A at essentially a right angle and then in a second direction laterally away from the front side 105 A at an angle less than a right angle to form an edge 105 H of the arm 105 G.
- the arm edge 105 H may or may not be configured such that it is preloaded, i.e. in contact with front side 105 A, when not removably attached to hanger base 210 .
- the back side 105 C can angle in medially from the second edge 105 D to the arm edge 105 G at an angle of from 1-10°.
- FIG. 3 shows a side view of the removable swivel hook 101 after the proximal base end 105 thereof is pushed over the central region 214 of the paper hanger body 210 and fully engaged therewith.
- the fastening mechanism 105 G engages and removably fastens the hook 101 to the hanger body 210 through the at least one aperture 212 ( FIG. 2 a ) in the hanger body 210 .
- the front side 105 A, back side 105 C and top side 105 E of the proximal base end 105 of the removable swivel hanger hook 101 is in contact with the front surface 210 A, the back surface 210 B and the top surface 210 C, respectively, of the hanger body 210 and the hook 101 is then removably attached to the central region 214 of said hanger body 210 .
- FIG. 1 depicted in FIG. 1
- the edge 105 H of the arm 105 G is inserted into aperture 212 and said arm 105 G from where it extends in a first direction to the arm edge 105 H is frictionally engaged with the straight edge 212 A of said aperture 212 in the central region 214 of the hanger body 210 , thereby removably attaching swivel hook 101 to the paper hanger body 210 .
- the width of the arm edge 105 H is preferably equal to or slightly less than the width of the straight edge 212 A of aperture 212 .
- Fastening mechanism 105 G of proximal base end 105 therefore acts as a clip-attachment when pushed down over and past the top surface 210 A of the paper hanger body 210 and into the aperture 212 . Flexibility of at least one of the front or back sides 105 A, 105 C is therefore crucial.
- a finger of a user is inserted into aperture 212 and pulls the arm 105 F out, up and away from straight edge 212 A.
- the central region 214 of the hanger body 210 can preferably also include a recess or slot 215 on the top surface 210 C of the hanger body 210 for more readily receiving the proximal base end 105 (see FIG.
- recess 215 is approximately the same width as, or slightly wider than, the front and back sides 105 A, 105 C of base end 105 near the first and second top edges 105 B, 105 D to assist in removably attaching hook 101 to hanger body 210 .
- base end 105 “slides” through recess 215 until fastening mechanism 105 G engages hanger body 210 through aperture 212 .
- At least a portion of the recess 215 is configured to also provide for room within the top surface 210 C of the hanger body 210 for that part of the distal end 103 that is permanently secured to the base end 105 through the base end aperture 105 F when the hook 101 is removably attached to the body 210 .
- FIG. 4 a shows a front perspective view of a removable swivel hook 401 for a garment hanger assembly 500 depicted in FIG. 5 b (front perspective view) and FIG. 5 c (perspective rear view) according to the present invention.
- removable swivel hook 401 includes a hook end 403 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 510 (see FIG.
- the removable swivel hook 401 also includes a base end 405 that is in a position proximal to the paper hanger body 510 when the hook 401 is removably attached to said hanger body 510 .
- the proximal base end 405 of swivel hook 401 comprises a front side 405 A having a first top edge 405 B; a back side 405 C that preferably has a planar surface and a shorter length than the front side 405 A and includes a second top edge 405 D; and a top side 405 E defined by the first top edge 405 B and the second top edge 405 D of the front 405 A and back side 405 C, respectively, of proximal base end 405 (see FIG. 4 b , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 401 ).
- FIG. 4 d which depicts the proximal base end 405 of the swivel hook 401 in a planar position (pressing or stamping pattern), shows the top side 405 E of the proximal base end 405 including a base end aperture 405 F, the distal hook end 403 permanently secured to the proximal base end 405 through the base end aperture 405 F such that hook 401 is provided with rotation relative to the proximal base end 405 .
- the proximal base end 405 and specifically the front side 405 A of base end 405 , includes a fastening mechanism 405 G.
- the hanger body 510 as shown in FIG. 5 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with a central region 514 , a first side region 516 extending from the central region 514 in a first direction 516 A, and a second side region 518 extending from the central region 514 in a second direction 518 A opposing the first direction 516 A.
- the hanger body 510 includes a front surface 510 A, a back surface 510 B, a top surface 510 C, and at least one aperture 512 in the central region 514 for receiving proximal base end 405 of removable swivel hook 401 , as seen in FIG. 5 b and FIG. 5 c .
- the aperture 512 extends from the front surface 510 A of the hanger body 510 to the back surface 510 B of the hanger body 510 and is configured to be a particular shape.
- the at least one aperture 512 in the central region 514 of the hanger body 510 is in the shape of a semi-circle with a straight edge 512 A and a rounded edge 512 B, the straight edge 512 A parallel with and in closer proximity to the top surface 510 C of the hanger body 510 than the rounded edge 512 B.
- FIG. 4 c depicts a sideview of the removable swivel hook 401 wherein the proximal base end 405 also includes a fastening mechanism 405 G as an extension or “arm” of the front side 405 A of base end 405 .
- arm 405 G extends from the front side 405 C of base end 405 in a first direction medially towards the back side 405 C at essentially a right angle, and then in a second direction essentially perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the back side 405 C to form an edge 405 H of the arm 405 G.
- the shape of the arm 405 G from the edge 405 H down is essentially the same as the shape of aperture 512 , as discussed in detail below.
- FIG. 6 a The removable attachment of swivel hook 401 to paper hanger body 510 is shown in FIG. 6 a .
- the proximal base end 405 of hook 401 is pushed over the central region 514 of hanger body 510 and slid down the central region 514 until the fastening mechanism 405 G on front side of 405 A is lined up with aperture 512 on the front surface 510 A of hanger body 510 .
- the arm 405 G of fastening mechanism from the edge 405 H down defines a substantially semi-circular outline which is sized to correspond to aperture 512 b such that arm 405 G extends into aperture 512 b , thereby removably attaching hook 401 to body 510 .
- fastening mechanism 405 G from the edge 405 H down is sized to maintain frictional engagement with straight edge 512 A and rounded edge 512 B when installed into aperture 512 .
- the central region 514 of the hanger body 510 can preferably also include a recess or slot 515 on the top surface 510 C for more readily receiving the proximal base end 405 of the swivel hanger hook 401 when hook 401 removably attaches to the central region 514 of the hanger body 510 .
- recess 515 is approximately the same width as, or slightly wider than, the front and back sides 405 A, 405 C of base end 405 near the first and second top edges 405 B, 405 D to assist in removably attaching hook 401 to hanger body 510 .
- Base end 405 therefore slides through recess 515 until fastening mechanism 405 G engages hanger body 510 through aperture 512 .
- At least a portion of the recess 515 is configured to also provide for room within the top surface 510 C of hanger body 510 for that part of the distal end 403 that is permanently secured to the base end 405 through the base end aperture 505 F when the hook 401 is removably attached to the body 510 .
- removal of the swivel hook 401 only requires insertion of a finger from a user into aperture 512 near the back surface 510 C of hanger body 510 to push fastening mechanism out of said aperture 512 .
- fastening mechanism 405 G is released from aperture 512 , swivel hook 401 is then lifted off hanger body 510 and completely removed therefrom.
- the garment hanger assembly comprises a paper hanger body and a removable fixed hanger hook.
- FIG. 7 a shows a front perspective view of an embodiment of a removable fixed hook 701 for a garment hanger assembly 800 depicted in FIG. 8 b (front perspective view) and FIG. 8 c (rear perspective view) according to the present invention.
- the removable fixed hook 701 is preferably a single-piece and includes a hook end 703 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 810 (see FIG.
- the removable fixed hook 701 also includes a base end 705 that is in a position proximal to the paper hanger body 810 when the hook 701 is removably attached to said hanger body 810 .
- the proximal base end 705 of fixed hook 701 comprises a front side 705 A that may or may not have a first top edge 705 B, a back side 705 C that may or may not have a second top edge 705 D, and a top side 705 E if base end 705 has a first top edge 705 B and a second top edge 705 D. Accordingly, if a top side 705 E is included in single-piece fixed hook 701 , it is defined by the first top edge 705 B and the second top edge 705 D of the front 705 A and back side 705 C, respectively, of the proximal base end 705 (see FIG. 7 b , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 701 ).
- the hanger body 810 as shown in FIG. 8 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with a central region 814 , a first side region 816 extending from the central region 814 in a first direction 816 A, and a second side region 818 extending from the central region 814 in a second direction 818 A opposing the first direction 816 A.
- the hanger body 810 includes a front surface 810 A, a back surface 810 B, a top surface 810 C, and at least one aperture 812 in the central region 814 for receiving proximal base end 705 of removable fixed hook 701 , as seen in FIG. 8 b and FIG. 8 c .
- the aperture 812 extends from the front surface 810 A of the hanger body 810 to the back surface 810 B of the hanger body 810 and is configured to be a particular shape.
- the at least one aperture 812 in the central region 814 of the hanger body 810 is in the shape of a circle and has an edge 812 B, which may or may not include one or two straight edges 812 A parallel with the top surface 810 C of the hanger body 810 .
- proximal base end 705 also includes a fastening mechanism 705 G as a protrusion on the front side 705 A of the proximal base end 705 .
- FIG. 7 d is a perspective cut-away view of FIG. 7 b showing the protrusion 705 G on an inside surface 705 A′ of the front side 705 A of base end 705 (see also FIG. 7 a illustrating the protrusion 705 G as broken lines on front side 705 A).
- the protrusion 705 G includes a ledge 705 H extending medially towards the back side 705 C of base end 705 .
- the width of the protrusion 705 G is preferably smaller than the width of front side 705 A.
- the ledge 705 H engages straight edge 812 A of aperture 812 in the central region 814 of hanger body 810 and fastens the single-piece hanger hook 701 , thereby removably attaching said hanger hook 701 to the central region 814 of hanger body 810 .
- the fastening mechanism 705 G can alternatively be a protrusion 705 G on the back side 705 C of base end 705 , or one protrusion 705 G on the front side 705 A and another protrusion 705 G on the back side 705 C, respectively, of the proximal base end 705 .
- the ledge 705 H of protrusion 705 G may or may not be configured such that at least a portion thereof is in contact with front side 705 A of the base end 705 when the fixed hook 701 is not removably attached to hanger base 810 .
- FIG. 9 a The removable attachment of fixed hook 701 to paper hanger body 810 is shown in FIG. 9 a .
- the proximal base end 705 of hook 701 is pushed over the central region 814 of hanger body 810 and slid down central region 814 until the protrusion 705 G on front side of 705 A enters aperture 812 on the front surface 810 A of hanger body 810 .
- Protrusion 705 G continues to enter aperture 812 until the entire protrusion edge 705 H is inserted therein and maintains frictional engagement with straight edge 812 A.
- the front side 705 A, back side 705 C and top side 705 E of the proximal base end 705 of the removable fixed hanger hook 701 is in contact with the front surface 810 A, the back surface 810 B and the top surface 810 C, respectively, of the hanger body 810 .
- Proximal base end 705 therefore acts as a clip-attachment when pushed down over and past the top surface 810 A of the paper hanger body 810 . Flexibility of at least one of the front or back sides 705 A, 705 C is therefore crucial.
- the central region 814 of the hanger body 810 can preferably also include a recess or slot 815 on the top surface 810 C for more readily receiving the proximal base end 705 (see FIG. 8 a ) of the fixed hanger hook 701 when hook 701 removably attaches to the central region 814 of the hanger body 810 .
- recess 815 is approximately the same width as, or slightly wider than, the front and back sides 705 A, 705 C of base end 705 near the first and second top edges 705 B, 705 D to assist in removably attaching hook 701 to hanger body 810 .
- Base end 705 therefore slides through recess 815 until protrusion 705 G engages hanger body 810 through aperture 812 .
- removal of the fixed hook 701 simply requires insertion of a finger from a user into aperture 812 near the back surface 810 C of hanger body 810 to push protrusion out of said aperture 812 . Once the protrusion 705 G is released from aperture 812 , the fixed hook 701 is then lifted off hanger body 810 and completely removed therefrom.
- FIG. 10 d is a perspective cut-away view of FIG. 10 c showing protrusion 1005 G on inside surface 1005 A′ of the front side 1005 A of base end 1005 for the fixed hook 1001 wherein the distal hook end 1003 extends into base end 1005 (see also FIG.
- Protrusion 1005 G likewise includes a ledge 1005 H extending medially towards the back side 1005 C of base end 1005 that can engage a paper hanger aperture when hook 1005 becomes removably attached to said hanger body.
- FIG. 11 a depicts a front perspective view of fixed hook 1101 with a protrusion 1105 G illustrated in broken lines on the inside surface 1105 A′ of the front side 1105 A of proximal base end 1105 (see also FIG. 11 c , which is a rear perspective cut-away view of hook 1101 ).
- FIG. 11 b depicts a rear perspective view of fixed hook 1101 with a protrusion 1105 G illustrated in broken lines on the inside surface 1105 C′ of back side 1105 C of proximal base end 1105 (see also FIG.
- each protrusion 1105 G is preferably smaller than the width of front side 1105 A and back side 1105 C, respectively.
- the protrusion 1105 G on inside surface 1105 A′ is preferably in a different position, relatively, than protrusion 1105 G on inside surface 1105 C′ such that one protrusion 1105 G is not aligned with the other protrusion 1105 G.
- Each protrusion 1005 G on the inside surfaces 1105 A′, 1105 C′ includes a ledge 1005 H extending medially towards the back side 1105 C and front side 1105 C, respectively, of base end 1105 that engage a paper hanger aperture when hook 1005 becomes removably attached to said hanger body.
- FIG. 12 a is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a removable fixed hook 1201 for a garment hanger assembly 1300 depicted in FIG. 13 b (front perspective view) and FIG. 13 c (rear perspective view) according to the present invention.
- the removable fixed hook 1201 is a single-piece and includes a hook end 1203 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 1310 (see FIG.
- FIG. 13 a depicts a front view of a paper hanger body 1310 of garment hanger assembly 1300 without hook 1201 ) when the hook 1201 is removably attached to said hanger body 1310 .
- the removable fixed hook 1201 also includes a base end 1205 that is in a position proximal to the paper hanger body 1310 when the hook 1201 is removably attached to said hanger body 1310 .
- FIG. 12 b front view
- FIG. 12 b front view
- the proximal base end 1205 of fixed hook 1201 comprises a front side 1205 A having a first top edge 1205 B, a back side 1205 C preferably shorter in length than the front side 1205 A and having a second top edge 1205 D, and a top side 1205 E defined by the first top edge 1205 B and the second top edge 1205 D of the front 1205 A and back side 1205 C, respectively, of the proximal base end 1205 (see also FIG. 12 d , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 1201 ).
- FIG. 12 d and FIG. 12 e show a perspective of a rear view of hook 1201 with a fastening mechanism 1205 G on both the front side 1205 A and the back side 1205 C of base end 1205 in the form of a snap-fit fastener.
- the hanger body 1310 as shown in FIG. 13 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with a central region 1314 , a first side region 1316 extending from the central region 1314 in a first direction 1316 A, and a second side region 1318 extending from the central region 1314 in a second direction 1318 A opposing the first direction 1316 A.
- the hanger body 1310 includes a front surface 1310 A, a back surface 1310 B, a top surface 1310 C, and at least one aperture 1312 in the central region 1314 for receiving proximal base end 1205 of removable fixed hook 1201 , as seen in FIG. 13 b (front perspective view) and FIG. 13 c (rear perspective view).
- the aperture 1312 extends from the front surface 1310 A of the hanger body 1310 to the back surface 1310 B of the hanger body 1310 and is configured to be a particular shape.
- the at least one aperture 1312 in the central region 1314 of the hanger body 1310 is in the shape of a circle.
- proximal base end 1205 collectively includes a fastening mechanism 1205 G as a cylindrical protrusion 1205 G′ on the front side 1205 A of base end 1205 and a snap-fit aperture 1205 G′′ on the back side 1205 C of base end 1205 .
- cylindrical protrusion 1205 G′ is on an inside surface 1205 A′ of the front side 1205 A of base end 1205 and includes an annular rib 1205 H near the medial end thereof at a position closer to the back side 1205 C of base end 1205 .
- the annular rib 1205 H engages the snap-fit aperture 1205 G′′ after being inserted into hanger body aperture 1312 in the central region 814 of hanger body 1310 and fastens the single-piece hanger hook 1201 , thereby removably attaching said hanger hook 1201 to the central region 1314 of hanger body 1310 (see FIGS. 13 a - 13 c ).
- the fastening mechanism 1205 G can alternatively include cylindrical protrusion 1205 G′ on the back side 1205 C of base end 1205 and the snap-fit aperture 1205 G′′ on the front side 1205 A of base end 1205 .
- FIG. 14 a depicts a rear perspective view of single-piece, removable fixed hook 1201 with front and back sides 1205 A, 1205 C of the proximal base end 1205 in a planar position with each other, illustrating how the base end 1205 includes two integral (or living) hinges (or fixture bearings), one hinge 12051 bifurcating the front side 1205 A at or near the first top edge 1205 B, and another hinge 12051 bifurcating the back side 1205 C at or near the second top edge 1205 D.
- FIG. 14 b is a side view of FIG.
- both front side 1205 A and back side 1205 C can be moved medially inward at integral hinges 12051 by pressing down on each side 1205 A, 1205 B, as shown in FIG.
- FIG. 14 c another front perspective view of hook 1201 .
- protrusion 1205 G′ approaches, and eventually is inserted into, circular aperture 1312 in hanger body 1310 until it engages snap-fit aperture 1205 G′′ in back side 1205 C of base end 1205 .
- FIG. 14 D is a side view of hook 1201 with front and back sides 1205 A, 1205 C of base end 1205 parallel to each other and depicting how annular rib 1205 H interlocks with snap-fit aperture 1205 G′′ and fastens hook 1201 to a paper hanger, such as for example hanger body 1310 .
- the front side 1205 A, back side 1205 C and top side 1205 E of the proximal base end 1205 of the removable fixed hanger hook 1201 is in contact with the front surface 1310 A, the back surface 1310 B and the top surface 1310 C, respectively, of the hanger body 1310 .
- Fastening mechanism 1205 G of proximal base end 1205 therefore acts as a snap-fit attachment when hook 1201 is removably attached paper hanger body 1310 .
- the snap-fit attachment as described herein can be a cantilever or torsional snap-fit, as well as annular.
- the central region 1314 of the hanger body 1310 can preferably also include a recess or slot 1315 on the top surface 1310 C for more readily receiving the proximal base end 1205 of the fixed hanger hook 1201 when hook 1201 removably attaches to the central region 1314 of the hanger body 1310 .
- recess 1315 is approximately the same width and shape as the front and back sides 1205 A, 1205 C of base end 1205 near the first and second top edges 1205 B, 1205 D to assist in removably attaching hook 1201 to hanger body 1310 .
- Removal of the fixed hook 1201 simply requires pulling back side 1205 C away from paper hanger body 1310 until cylindrical protrusion 1205 G′ is released from snap-fit aperture 1205 G′′ and the front and back sides 1205 A, 1205 C moved laterally away from the hanger body 1310 .
- FIG. 15 a is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a removable fixed hook 1501 for a garment hanger assembly 1600 depicted in FIG. 16 b (front perspective view) and FIG. 16 (rear perspective view) according to the present invention.
- the removable fixed hook 1501 is a single-piece and includes a hook end 1503 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 1610 (see FIG.
- the removable fixed hook 1501 also includes a base end 1505 that is in a position proximal to the paper hanger body 1610 when the hook 1501 is removably attached to said hanger body 1610 . As shown in FIG. 15 a and FIG.
- the proximal base end 1505 of fixed hook 1501 comprises a front side 1505 A having a first top edge 1505 B, a back side 1505 C preferably shorter in length than the front side 1505 A and having a second top edge 1505 D, and a top side 1505 E defined by the first top edge 1505 B and the second top edge 1505 D of the front 1505 A and back side 1505 C, respectively, of the proximal base end 1505 .
- the back side 1505 C consists essentially of two flanges, a first flange 1505 C that extends laterally from second top edge 1505 D in a direction perpendicular to top side 1505 E, and a second identical flange 1505 C that also extends laterally from second top edge 1505 D in a direction perpendicular to top side 1505 E.
- FIG. 14 c which shows a side view of hook 1501
- distal hook end 1503 extends into the proximal base end 1505 such that it bifurcates second top edge 1505 D and the first and second flanges 1505 C.
- the hanger body 1610 as shown in FIG. 16 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with a central region 1614 , a first side region 1616 extending from the central region 1614 in a first direction 1616 A, and a second side region 1618 extending from the central region 1614 in a second direction 1618 A opposing the first direction 1616 A.
- the hanger body 1610 includes a front surface 1610 A, a back surface 1610 B, a top surface 1610 C, and at least one aperture 1612 in the central region 1614 for receiving proximal base end 1505 of removable fixed hook 1501 , as seen in FIG. 16 b (front perspective view) and FIG. 16 c (rear perspective view).
- the aperture 1612 extends from the front surface 1610 A of the hanger body 1610 to the back surface 1610 B of the hanger body 1610 and is configured to be a particular shape.
- the at least one aperture 1612 in the central region 1614 of the hanger body 1610 is in the shape of a semi-circle with a straight edge 1612 A and a rounded edge 1612 B, the straight edge 1612 A parallel with and in closer proximity to the top surface 1610 C of the hanger body 1610 than the rounded edge 1612 B.
- the proximal base end 1505 of removable fixed hook 1501 also includes a fastening mechanism 1505 G as an extension or “arm” of the front side 1505 A of base end 1505 .
- the arm 1505 G extends from the front side 1505 A of base end 1505 in a first direction medially towards the back side 1505 C at essentially a right angle, and then in a second direction essentially perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the back side 1505 C to form an edge 1505 H of the arm 1505 G.
- the shape of the arm 1505 G from the edge 1505 H down is essentially the same as the shape of aperture 1612 .
- the removable attachment of fixed hook 1501 to paper hanger body 1610 is like that shown in FIG. 6 a for hook 601 .
- the proximal base end 1505 of hook 1501 is pushed over the central region 1614 of hanger body 1610 , between the first side 1505 A and back side 1505 C, and slid down central region 1614 until the fastening mechanism 1505 G on front side of 1505 A is lined up with aperture 1612 on the front surface 1610 A of hanger body 1610 .
- the arm 1505 G of fastening mechanism from the edge 1505 H down defines a substantially semi-circular outline (see FIG. 15 b ) which is sized to correspond to aperture 1612 b (see FIG.
- fastening mechanism 1505 G from edge 1505 H down is sized to maintain frictional engagement with straight edge 1612 A and rounded edge 1612 B when installed into aperture 1612 .
- the front side 1505 A, back side 1505 C and top side 1505 E of the proximal base end 1505 of the removable swivel hanger hook 1501 is in contact with the front surface 1610 A, the back surface 1610 B and the top surface 1610 C, respectively, of the hanger body 1610 .
- Proximal base end 1505 therefore acts as a clip-attachment when pushed down over and past the top surface 1610 A of the paper hanger body 1610 . Removal of fixed hook 1501 , like that depicted in FIG.
Landscapes
- Holders For Apparel And Elements Relating To Apparel (AREA)
Abstract
A garment hanger assembly comprising a paper hanger body and a removable hook is disclosed. The removable hook is either a swivel hook or a fixed hook and includes a hook end and a base end, the base end having at least a front side and a back side, with a fastening mechanism located on either the front or back side, or both.
Description
- The present invention relates generally to a garment hanger assembly with a recyclable metal or plastic removable hook and a recyclable paper hanger body.
- Traditional garment or clothing hangers are limited in design and utility for various retail and consumer applications. These hangers are made from plastic, metal, wood, or a combination thereof, and have been used to facilitate the hanging of clothing for more than a century. A typical garment hanger is usually comprised of a hanger body, which is shaped or contoured in the form of a triangle with two arms extending in opposite directions, and a metal or plastic hook provided centrally to the hanger body. The hanger body and hook are usually made from one piece of material and therefore cannot be removed from each other.
- Retailers have, and still do, keep these traditional clothing hangers in stores, rarely if ever giving them to a customer. If a garment is sold, it is removed from the hanger and the sold garment packaged for the selling customer. The hanger itself is taken to a backroom of the store wherein it is introduced to a new article of clothing. This circular use of traditional clothing hangers is simple, but it comes with drawbacks. For example, the cost of replacing broken hangers is steep and the time used to hang a new article of clothing on an empty hanger is better spent on attending to paying customers.
- Improvements in logistics and operational systems in the mid-1990's led to a new go-to storage method for the apparel and fashion industries, i.e. the Garment-on-Hanger (GOH) system, which drastically cut down the time and cost of using hangers in these industries. In a GOH system, garments are delivered to retail merchants already suspended from hangers, wherein upon arrival at the retail location the garments are immediately placed on display for sale. A garment is placed on a hanger and subsequently shipped from a manufacturer and/or distribution center to the retail establishment. The GOH system therefore affords an efficient way for the storage, transport, retrieval, and sortation of many articles of clothing. However, while costs associated with hangers and employee productivity are saved, the GOH system has seen a rise in shipping costs. For instance, fewer garments can fit in an individual shipping carton because of the space taken up by each hanger present therein, both because the hook portion on traditional hangers protrudes from the hanger body and because the thickness of each traditional hanger takes up vertical space, resulting in fewer garments packed in the same size shipping carton. Further, more space is needed at the manufacturing and/or distribution site, as well as the retail establishments, to accommodate the shipments of merchandise.
- Perhaps more importantly, an estimated 85% of GOH hangers are eventually disposed in the trash by retail stores, ensuing in approximately 20 billion plastic GOH hangers being landfilled every year. Similarly, an estimated 300 million dry-cleaner wire hangers are landfilled every year. Most municipal recycling programs do not accept any traditional clothing hangers due to the varying mix of material for each hanger and the tangling of said hangers in recycling machinery.
- The need to replace traditional hangers used in dry-cleaning and GOH systems has therefore been recognized for some time. The first all-paper fiberboard hangers began to surface in the 2000's, specifically for use in GOH programs. The all-paper hanger is thinner than traditional plastic shipping hangers, taking up 20% less room in shipping cartons than plastic hangers, while still being able to provide the strength needed for suspending an article of clothing. This efficiency translates to fewer cartons needed with each shipment, resulting in less shipping and labor costs, as well as requiring less space in distribution centers and storage rooms. Most importantly, paper fiberboard hangers are recyclable, both at the store or dry-cleaner level, as well as with a customer once the article of clothing and the hanger are taken home. All-paper hangers do not, however, come without deficiencies. For one, the paper hanger remains relatively thick in diameter at the hook portion, making it unpracticable in industries such as dry-cleaning, which uses overhead conveyer machinery having narrow constriction points and designed for using all-wire hangers with very thin diameter. All-paper hangers additionally require employing a large amount of material due to the difficulty in efficiently nesting the cutting dies because of the awkward placement of the hook portions.
- Recently, plastic hangers with a collapsible plastic hook, like the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 11,051,642 to Ho, have been utilized by clothing manufacturers and/or distributors to minimize the space needed in cartons or packages for sending clothing via a GOH method to retailers. While the collapsible plastic hook works well for plastic hangers, it presents mechanical issues for use with a paper hanger body. In addition, garment hangers with plastic bodies are still too thick for shipping clothing efficiently in a GOH method. US 2022/0300490 to Ho discloses a plastic two-piece plastic hook for a paper garment hanger, wherein the plastic hanger hook includes 1) a hanger body with a base having a “collar” or protuberance that can fit snuggly through an opening of a paper hanger body, and 2) a locking member with a sizer body portion and a “tongue” extending therefrom, wherein the tongue includes an opening for engaging the collar when the sizer body portion of the locking member is fitted down over the hook body and positioned at the base thereof. Although the plastic hook disclosed in US 2022/0300490 allows for a simple way to permanently secure a plastic hook to a paper-based hanger body, it is still not optimal for use in GOH systems since the assembled plastic hanger requires more packaging space because of the protruding hook, resulting in the use of larger cartons.
- A removable hook for a hanger body is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,899,454 to Mainetti. However, the hook is limited in use to a plastic or metal hanger body that is arched. U.S. Pat. No. 11,134,804 to Mackenzie teaches two distinct removable hooks for a paper hanger body. One hook requires a wire hook with a bracket that is not sturdy and difficult to attach and remove from the hanger body, the bracket also including sharp edges that can easily damage a paper hanger body. The other hook disclosed in Mackenzie is a bent wire hook which is also difficult to attach and remove and is not aesthetically pleasing for use in stores.
- There therefore still exists a need for a garment hanger assembly for use in dry-cleaning and in any industry that uses a GOH method, such as the garment and fashion industries. To reduce the thickness of the hanger in taking up less vertical space within a carton, the garment hanger body of the garment hanger assembly is made of a durable, lightweight material such as paper. To avoid using larger cartons which are presently employed in GOH systems, the garment assembly includes a removable hook such that garments can be shipped with only a hanger body. Once shipped to the retailer, each article of clothing in a GOH carton is removed by grabbing the hanger body that said article of clothing is suspended from and removably attaching a hanger hook made from a durable and recyclable material. Both the paper hanger body and the removable hanger hook are made from recyclable materials making it practical for the dry-cleaning and the GOH industries. Accordingly, a paper hanger assembly including a paper hanger body and a removable hanger hook is disclosed. The paper hanger assembly as disclosed herein can be used in the dry-cleaning industry and/or the GOH industries and generally employs a fastening mechanism on the removable hanger hook for the facile removable attachment of the hanger hook to the paper hanger body.
- In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paper hanger assembly comprising a paper hanger body and a removable swivel hanger hook. The paper hanger body is in a shape of a garment hanger and includes a central region, a first side region extending from the central region in a first direction, and a second side region extending from the central region in a second direction opposing the first direction. The hanger body further comprises a front surface, a back surface, a top surface, and at least one aperture in the central region. The removable hanger hook includes a distal hook end and a proximal base end, wherein the proximal base end comprises a front side having a first top edge, a back side having a second top edge, and a top side defined by the first top edge and the second top edge of the front and back side, respectively, of the proximal base end. In addition, the top side of the proximal base end of the removable hanger hook includes a base end aperture, the distal hook end being permanently secured to the proximal base end through said base end aperture such that the removable hanger hook is provided with rotation relative to the proximal base end. The front side or the back side of the proximal base end also comprises a fastening mechanism that engages and fastens the removable hanger hook to the hanger body through the at least one aperture in the hanger body when the hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body. The front side, the back side and the top side of the proximal base end of the removable hanger hook are in contact with the front surface, the back surface and the top surface, respectively, of the hanger body when the hanger hook is removably attached to the central region of the hanger body. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or more other aspects can meet certain other objectives. Each objective may not apply equally, in all its respects, to every aspect of this invention. As such, the following objects can be viewed in the alternative with respect to any one aspect of this invention.
- Accordingly, it can also be an object of the present invention to provide a paper hanger assembly comprising a paper hanger body and a single-piece removable hanger hook for use in the dry-cleaning industry. The hanger body is in a shape of a garment hanger and includes a central region, a first side region extending from the central region in a first direction, and a second side region extending from the central region in a second direction. The hanger body further comprises a front surface, a back surface, a top surface, and at least one aperture in the central region. The single-piece removable hanger hook includes a distal hook end and a proximal base end, the proximal base end comprising a front side which may or may not have a first top edge, a back side that may or may not have a second top edge, and a top side. The front side, the back side or both the front and back side of the proximal base end has a fastening mechanism that engages and fastens the single-piece removable hanger hook to the hanger body through the at least one aperture in the hanger body when said single-piece removable hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body. The front side, the back side and the top side of the proximal base end of the single-piece removable hanger hook is in contact with the front surface, the back surface and the top surface, respectively, of the hanger body when the single-piece removable hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
- As provided herein, the removable hanger hook of the garment hanger assembly is made from recyclable material and is either a 360-degree rotating swivel hook or a fixed-in-place hook (fixed hook) with no rotation. The removable swivel hook can be used in any industry, in particular one that employs a Garment-On-Hanger (GOH) system, such as for example, the garment or fashion industries, wherein at one end the garment is placed in a packaging carton by the manufacturer or distributor suspended only from the hanger body, and at the other end the garment is removed by a retailer by grabbing the hanger body that the garment is suspended from and removably attaching a removable swivel hanger hook. Once placed on a rack, the article of clothing can be viewed from all sides without removing the clothing from the hanger or removing the hanger from the rack, due to the presence of the rotating swivel hook. Also, shipping costs in GOH methods are drastically reduced for two reasons. First, more garments can be added to each packaging carton because the thicker, traditional hangers are eliminated. Second, because the removable swivel hook is removed from the paper hanger body, larger GOH cartons can be replaced with shorter cartons as the space taken up by “protruding” hook portions of traditional hangers is also eliminated.
- The removable fixed hook of the garment hanger assembly can also be used in any industry, such as those that employ a GOH method and, in particular, the dry-cleaning industry, which employs overhead conveyer machinery having narrow constriction points and designed for using all-wire hangers thereon. Using an all-paper hanger with a thick hook portion is not feasible as the conveyers have narrow constriction points. However, the removable fixed hook as described herein is manufactured at a narrow diameter so as to be able to run through the constriction points of the conveyer system without incident. The paper hanger body can be replaced when necessary by removing it from the removable fixed hook. Further, eliminating the hook portion from an all-paper hanger and using a removable hook with a paper hanger body brings the price of the hanger down as it takes less paper to make the hanger (i.e. no paper hook) and the hook can be used numerous times, bringing down the overall price of the garment hanger assembly as described herein.
- Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from this summary and the following descriptions of certain embodiments and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having knowledge of garment hangers. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above as taken into conjunction with the accompanying examples, figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom. The disclosures in this application of all articles and references, including patents, are incorporated herein by reference.
-
FIG. 1 a is a front perspective view of a removable swivel hook for a garment hanger assembly;FIG. 1 b is a rear perspective view of the removable swivel hook;FIG. 1 c is a side view of the removable swivel hook; andFIG. 1 d shows the proximal base end of the removable swivel hook in a planar position. -
FIG. 2 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the swivel hook depicted inFIGS. 1 a-1 c ;FIG. 2 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook ofFIGS. 1 a-1 c and the hanger body ofFIG. 2 a ; andFIG. 2 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly. -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the garment hanger assembly ofFIG. 2 b andFIG. 2 c. -
FIG. 4 a is a front perspective view of a second removable swivel hook for the garment hanger assembly;FIG. 4 b is a rear perspective view of the removable swivel hook; FIG. 4 c is a side view of the removable swivel hook; andFIG. 4 d shows the proximal base end of the removable swivel hook in a planar position. -
FIG. 5 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the swivel hook depicted inFIGS. 4 a-4 c ;FIG. 5 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook ofFIGS. 4 a-4 c and the hanger body ofFIG. 5 a ; andFIG. 5 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly. -
FIG. 6 a shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable swivel hook ofFIGS. 4 a-4 c being removably attached to the hanger body ofFIG. 5 a ; andFIG. 6 b shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable swivel hook ofFIG. 6 a being removed from the hanger body. -
FIG. 7 a is a front perspective view of a removable fixed hook for a garment hanger assembly;FIG. 7 b is a rear perspective view of the removable fixed hook;FIG. 7 c is a side view of the removable swivel hook; andFIG. 7 d is a perspective cut-away view ofFIG. 7 b with the fastening mechanism showing. -
FIG. 8 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the fixed hook depicted inFIGS. 7 a-7 d ;FIG. 8 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook ofFIGS. 7 a-7 d and the hanger body ofFIG. 8 a ; andFIG. 8 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly. -
FIG. 9 a shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable fixed hook ofFIGS. 7 a-7 d being removably attached to the hanger body ofFIG. 8 a ; andFIG. 9 b shows three, step-wise cross-sectional side views from left to right of the removable swivel hook inFIG. 9 a being removed from the hanger body. -
FIG. 10 a is a front view of a second removable fixed hook for a garment assembly;FIG. 10 b is a rear view of the fixed hook;FIG. 10 c is a rear perspective view of the fixed hook; andFIG. 10 d is a rear perspective cut-away view of the fixed hook inFIG. 10 a. -
FIG. 11 a is a front view of a third removable fixed hook for a garment assembly;FIG. 11 b is a rear view of the fixed hook;FIG. 11 c is a rear perspective cut-away view of the fixed hook; andFIG. 11 d is a front perspective cut-away view of the fixed hook. -
FIG. 12 a is a front perspective view of a fourth fixed hook for a garment assembly;FIG. 12 b is a front view of the fixed hook;FIG. 12 c is a rear view of the fixed hook;FIG. 12 d is a rear perspective view of the fixed hook; andFIG. 12 e is a perspective view similar toFIG. 12 d with the back side of the base end in an open position. -
FIG. 13 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the fixed hook depicted inFIGS. 12 a-12 d ;FIG. 12 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook ofFIGS. 12 a-12 d and the hanger body ofFIG. 13 a ; andFIG. 13 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly. -
FIG. 14 a is a rear perspective view of the hook ofFIG. 12 a with front and back sides in a planar position with each other;FIG. 14 b is a side view ofFIG. 14 a ;FIG. 14 c is a similar view asFIG. 14 a with front and back sides at an angle to one another; andFIG. 14 d is a side view of the hook ofFIG. 14 a with front and back sides parallel to one another. -
FIG. 15 a is a front perspective view of a fifth fixed hook for a garment hanger assembly;FIG. 15 b is a rear perspective view of the removable fixed hook; andFIG. 15 c is a side view of the removable hook. -
FIG. 16 a is a front view of a paper hanger body for the fixed hook depicted inFIGS. 15 a-15 c ;FIG. 16 b is a front perspective view of a garment hanger assembly including the hook ofFIG. 16 a and the hanger body ofFIG. 15 a ; andFIG. 16 c is a rear perspective view of the garment hanger assembly. - As it relates to certain non-limiting embodiments, the present invention relates to a garment hanger assembly comprising a paper hanger body and a removable (or releasable) hook. The removable hook is assembled such that it is either a 360-degree rotating swivel hook or a single-piece fixed hook with no rotation, and together with the paper hanger body that the hook removably attaches to, affords a garment hanger assembly which cures the deficiencies of the prior art. Specifically, the removable swivel or fixed hook includes a hook end and a base end, the base end having at least a front side and a back side. A fastening mechanism is located on either the front or back side, or both.
- According to one feature of the illustrated embodiments, the hanger body of the garment hanger assembly as described herein is made from a biodegradable material such as paper. More specifically, the hanger body is made from a molded paper or pulp. Such molded paper can include, for example, pulp paper, pulp fiber, foamed paper pulp, recycled newspaper, brown paper, white paper, sugar cane pulp, bamboo pulp fibers, and/or any other suitable biodegradable material. Preferably, a semi-rigid, lightweight and durable sheet paper material is used, such as for example, paperboard or cardboard. The hanger body can be formed from a variety of methods, including for example by die cutting, and can consist of one or more, preferably several layers of sheet paper material, A semi-rigid cardboard is preferred because it is easily cut into the desired shape and readily folded and joined to another piece of cardboard by adhesive or other forms of connection. The hanger body formed from this type of material is inexpensive to manufacture yet suitably strong for its intended task. These hangers can be repeatedly used and, when Lin usable, are readily disposed of by recycling. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the sheet material is any semi-rigid, lightweight, durable, readily formed, foldable sheet-like material. Paper products, such as cardboard and paperboard, are preferred because they are readily disposed of by recycling. However, other types of paper products can be used as well.
- According to another feature of the illustrated embodiments, the shape, dimensions and material of the removable hook, swivel and fixed alike, can vary depending on the type of garment hanger body employed. The hanger body is in turn dependent on the type of clothing being suspended therefrom. Regardless, the removable hook as described herein is preferably molded and made of a sturdy, recyclable material such as a plastic, preferably a thermoplastic or bioplastic, or a material traditional wire hangers are made of, i.e. stress-hardened steel wire that may or may not be coated with a thin lacquer. Single-piece removable hooks are made from one material, such as a sheet metal or sheet plastic, while two-piece removable hooks can be made from one material or two different materials. A suitable example of sheet metal used as material for the base end is a magnesium alloy sheet metal or an iron/manganese (ferromanganese) alloy sheet metal. Suitable sheet plastics used as material include but are not limited to acrylics, polypropylenes, polystyrenes, nylons, and polyesters such as, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
- Accordingly, the following presents non-limiting examples of an embodiment for a garment hanger assembly. It is to be understood that while terms such as “left”, “right”, “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” “rear,” “down,” “up” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements of the invention, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use.
- Removable Swivel Hook
- Referring to specific non-limiting embodiments depicted in
FIGS. 1 a-1 d toFIG. 6 a-6 b , the garment hanger assembly comprises a paper hanger body and a removable swivel hanger hook preferably made of two pieces.FIG. 1 a shows a front perspective view of an embodiment of aremovable swivel hook 101 for agarment hanger assembly 200 depicted inFIG. 2 b (front perspective view) andFIG. 2 c (perspective rear view) according to the present invention. Theremovable swivel hook 101 includes ahook end 103 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 210 (seeFIG. 2 a , which depicts the front view of apaper hanger body 210 ofgarment hanger assembly 200 without hook 101) when thehook 101 is removably attached to saidhanger body 210. Theremovable swivel hook 101 also includes abase end 105 that is in a position proximal to thepaper hanger body 210 when thehook 101 is removably attached to saidhanger body 210. Theproximal base end 105 ofswivel hook 101 comprises afront side 105A preferably with a planar surface and having a firsttop edge 105B, aback side 105C preferably shorter in length than thefront side 105A and having a secondtop edge 105D, and atop side 105E defined by the firsttop edge 105B and the secondtop edge 105D of the front 105A and backside 105C, respectively, of the proximal base end 105 (seeFIG. 1 b , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 101).FIG. 1 d , which depicts theproximal base end 105 of theswivel hook 101 in a planar position (pressing or stamping pattern), shows thetop side 105E of theproximal base end 105 including abase end aperture 105F, thedistal hook end 103 permanently secured to theproximal base end 105 through thebase end aperture 105F such thathook 101 is provided with rotation relative to theproximal base end 105. It is to be understood that the distal hook end of the swivel hooks as described herein can be permanently secured to base end by a variety of known methods, such as with a rivet, bolt, lock nut and the like. - The
hanger body 210 as shown inFIG. 2 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with acentral region 214, afirst side region 216 extending from thecentral region 214 in afirst direction 216A, and asecond side region 218 extending from thecentral region 214 in asecond direction 218A opposing thefirst direction 216A. Thehanger body 210 includes afront surface 210A, aback surface 210B, atop surface 210C, and at least oneaperture 212 in thecentral region 214 for receiving proximalbase end 105 ofremovable swivel hook 101, as seen inFIG. 2 b andFIG. 2 c . Theaperture 212 extends from thefront surface 210A of thehanger body 210 to theback surface 210B of thehanger body 210 and is configured to be a particular shape. For example, as shown inFIG. 2 a , the at least oneaperture 212 in thecentral region 214 of thehanger body 210 is in the shape of a semi-circle with astraight edge 212A and a rounded edge 212B, thestraight edge 212A parallel with and in closer proximity to thetop surface 210C of thehanger body 210 than the rounded edge 212B. - Referring now to
FIG. 1 c , which depicts a sideview of theremovable swivel hook 101,proximal base end 105 also includes afastening mechanism 105G as an extension or “arm” of theback side 105C ofbase end 105. Thefastening mechanism 105G can alternatively be an extension of thefront side 105A of theproximal base end 105, as discussed in detail below, or in certain other non-limiting embodiments an extension of both the front and backside proximal base end 105. As shown inFIG. 1 c ,arm 105G extends from theback side 105C ofbase end 105 in a first direction medially towards thefront side 105A at essentially a right angle and then in a second direction laterally away from thefront side 105A at an angle less than a right angle to form anedge 105H of thearm 105G. Thearm edge 105H may or may not be configured such that it is preloaded, i.e. in contact withfront side 105A, when not removably attached tohanger base 210. In an embodiment wherein thearm edge 105H is preloaded, theback side 105C can angle in medially from thesecond edge 105D to thearm edge 105G at an angle of from 1-10°. -
FIG. 3 shows a side view of theremovable swivel hook 101 after theproximal base end 105 thereof is pushed over thecentral region 214 of thepaper hanger body 210 and fully engaged therewith. Specifically, thefastening mechanism 105G engages and removably fastens thehook 101 to thehanger body 210 through the at least one aperture 212 (FIG. 2 a ) in thehanger body 210. Once thefastening mechanism arm 105G is engaged with thehanger body 210 throughaperture 212, thefront side 105A, backside 105C andtop side 105E of theproximal base end 105 of the removableswivel hanger hook 101 is in contact with thefront surface 210A, theback surface 210B and thetop surface 210C, respectively, of thehanger body 210 and thehook 101 is then removably attached to thecentral region 214 of saidhanger body 210. As depicted inFIG. 3 , theedge 105H of thearm 105G is inserted intoaperture 212 and saidarm 105G from where it extends in a first direction to thearm edge 105H is frictionally engaged with thestraight edge 212A of saidaperture 212 in thecentral region 214 of thehanger body 210, thereby removably attachingswivel hook 101 to thepaper hanger body 210. To maximize the frictional engagement, the width of thearm edge 105H is preferably equal to or slightly less than the width of thestraight edge 212A ofaperture 212.Fastening mechanism 105G of proximalbase end 105 therefore acts as a clip-attachment when pushed down over and past thetop surface 210A of thepaper hanger body 210 and into theaperture 212. Flexibility of at least one of the front or back sides 105A, 105C is therefore crucial. To initiate the release of thefastening mechanism 105G fromhanger body 210, a finger of a user is inserted intoaperture 212 and pulls thearm 105F out, up and away fromstraight edge 212A. Thecentral region 214 of thehanger body 210 can preferably also include a recess or slot 215 on thetop surface 210C of thehanger body 210 for more readily receiving the proximal base end 105 (seeFIG. 2 a ) of the removableswivel hanger hook 101 when saidhook 101 removably attaches to thecentral region 214 of thehanger body 210. As such,recess 215 is approximately the same width as, or slightly wider than, the front and back sides 105A, 105C ofbase end 105 near the first and secondtop edges hook 101 tohanger body 210. In other words,base end 105 “slides” throughrecess 215 untilfastening mechanism 105G engageshanger body 210 throughaperture 212. At least a portion of therecess 215 is configured to also provide for room within thetop surface 210C of thehanger body 210 for that part of thedistal end 103 that is permanently secured to thebase end 105 through thebase end aperture 105F when thehook 101 is removably attached to thebody 210. - In an alternate, non-limiting embodiment of the garment hanger assembly depicted in
FIGS. 1 a-1 d andFIGS. 2 a-2 c ,FIG. 4 a shows a front perspective view of aremovable swivel hook 401 for agarment hanger assembly 500 depicted inFIG. 5 b (front perspective view) andFIG. 5 c (perspective rear view) according to the present invention. Accordingly,removable swivel hook 401 includes ahook end 403 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 510 (seeFIG. 5 a , which depicts the front view of apaper hanger body 510 ofgarment hanger assembly 500 without hook 401) when thehook 401 is removably attached to saidhanger body 510. Theremovable swivel hook 401 also includes abase end 405 that is in a position proximal to thepaper hanger body 510 when thehook 401 is removably attached to saidhanger body 510. Theproximal base end 405 ofswivel hook 401 comprises afront side 405A having a firsttop edge 405B; aback side 405C that preferably has a planar surface and a shorter length than thefront side 405A and includes a second top edge 405D; and atop side 405E defined by the firsttop edge 405B and the second top edge 405D of the front 405A and backside 405C, respectively, of proximal base end 405 (seeFIG. 4 b , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 401). In a preferred embodiment, theback side 405C angles in medially from the second edge 405D to thearm edge 405G at an angle of from 2-6°, more preferably at about 3°.FIG. 4 d , which depicts theproximal base end 405 of theswivel hook 401 in a planar position (pressing or stamping pattern), shows thetop side 405E of theproximal base end 405 including abase end aperture 405F, thedistal hook end 403 permanently secured to theproximal base end 405 through thebase end aperture 405F such thathook 401 is provided with rotation relative to theproximal base end 405. As discussed in detail below, theproximal base end 405, and specifically thefront side 405A ofbase end 405, includes afastening mechanism 405G. - The
hanger body 510 as shown inFIG. 5 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with acentral region 514, afirst side region 516 extending from thecentral region 514 in afirst direction 516A, and asecond side region 518 extending from thecentral region 514 in a second direction 518A opposing thefirst direction 516A. Thehanger body 510 includes afront surface 510A, aback surface 510B, atop surface 510C, and at least oneaperture 512 in thecentral region 514 for receiving proximalbase end 405 ofremovable swivel hook 401, as seen inFIG. 5 b andFIG. 5 c . Theaperture 512 extends from thefront surface 510A of thehanger body 510 to theback surface 510B of thehanger body 510 and is configured to be a particular shape. For example, as shown inFIG. 5 a , the at least oneaperture 512 in thecentral region 514 of thehanger body 510 is in the shape of a semi-circle with astraight edge 512A and arounded edge 512B, thestraight edge 512A parallel with and in closer proximity to thetop surface 510C of thehanger body 510 than therounded edge 512B. -
FIG. 4 c depicts a sideview of theremovable swivel hook 401 wherein theproximal base end 405 also includes afastening mechanism 405G as an extension or “arm” of thefront side 405A ofbase end 405. As shown inFIG. 4 c ,arm 405G extends from thefront side 405C ofbase end 405 in a first direction medially towards theback side 405C at essentially a right angle, and then in a second direction essentially perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to theback side 405C to form anedge 405H of thearm 405G. In a preferred embodiment, the shape of thearm 405G from theedge 405H down is essentially the same as the shape ofaperture 512, as discussed in detail below. - The removable attachment of
swivel hook 401 topaper hanger body 510 is shown inFIG. 6 a . In particular, theproximal base end 405 ofhook 401 is pushed over thecentral region 514 ofhanger body 510 and slid down thecentral region 514 until thefastening mechanism 405G on front side of 405A is lined up withaperture 512 on thefront surface 510A ofhanger body 510. Thearm 405G of fastening mechanism from theedge 405H down defines a substantially semi-circular outline which is sized to correspond to aperture 512 b such thatarm 405G extends into aperture 512 b, thereby removably attachinghook 401 tobody 510. In one particularly preferred embodiment,fastening mechanism 405G from theedge 405H down is sized to maintain frictional engagement withstraight edge 512A androunded edge 512B when installed intoaperture 512. Once thefastening mechanism arm 405G is engaged with thehanger body 510 throughaperture 512, thefront side 405A, backside 405C andtop side 405E of theproximal base end 405 of the removableswivel hanger hook 401 is in contact with thefront surface 510A, theback surface 510B and thetop surface 510C, respectively, of thehanger body 510. Proximalbase end 405 therefore acts as a clip-attachment when pushed down over and past thetop surface 510A of thepaper hanger body 510. Flexibility of at least one of the front or back sides 405A, 405C is therefore crucial. Thecentral region 514 of thehanger body 510 can preferably also include a recess or slot 515 on thetop surface 510C for more readily receiving theproximal base end 405 of theswivel hanger hook 401 whenhook 401 removably attaches to thecentral region 514 of thehanger body 510. As such,recess 515 is approximately the same width as, or slightly wider than, the front and back sides 405A, 405C ofbase end 405 near the first and secondtop edges 405B, 405D to assist in removably attachinghook 401 tohanger body 510.Base end 405 therefore slides throughrecess 515 untilfastening mechanism 405G engageshanger body 510 throughaperture 512. At least a portion of therecess 515 is configured to also provide for room within thetop surface 510C ofhanger body 510 for that part of thedistal end 403 that is permanently secured to thebase end 405 through the base end aperture 505F when thehook 401 is removably attached to thebody 510. As shown inFIG. 6 b , removal of theswivel hook 401 only requires insertion of a finger from a user intoaperture 512 near theback surface 510C ofhanger body 510 to push fastening mechanism out of saidaperture 512. Oncefastening mechanism 405G is released fromaperture 512,swivel hook 401 is then lifted offhanger body 510 and completely removed therefrom. - Removable Fixed Hook
- Referring now to other specific non-limiting embodiments as depicted in
FIGS. 7 a-7 d to 16 a-16 c , the garment hanger assembly comprises a paper hanger body and a removable fixed hanger hook.FIG. 7 a shows a front perspective view of an embodiment of a removable fixedhook 701 for agarment hanger assembly 800 depicted inFIG. 8 b (front perspective view) andFIG. 8 c (rear perspective view) according to the present invention. The removable fixedhook 701 is preferably a single-piece and includes ahook end 703 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 810 (seeFIG. 8 a , which depicts the front view of apaper hanger body 810 ofgarment hanger assembly 800 without hook 701) when thehook 701 is removably attached to saidhanger body 810. The removable fixedhook 701 also includes abase end 705 that is in a position proximal to thepaper hanger body 810 when thehook 701 is removably attached to saidhanger body 810. Theproximal base end 705 of fixedhook 701 comprises afront side 705A that may or may not have a first top edge 705B, aback side 705C that may or may not have a secondtop edge 705D, and atop side 705E ifbase end 705 has a first top edge 705B and a secondtop edge 705D. Accordingly, if atop side 705E is included in single-piece fixedhook 701, it is defined by the first top edge 705B and the secondtop edge 705D of the front 705A and backside 705C, respectively, of the proximal base end 705 (seeFIG. 7 b , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 701). - The
hanger body 810 as shown inFIG. 8 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with acentral region 814, afirst side region 816 extending from thecentral region 814 in afirst direction 816A, and asecond side region 818 extending from thecentral region 814 in asecond direction 818A opposing thefirst direction 816A. Thehanger body 810 includes afront surface 810A, aback surface 810B, atop surface 810C, and at least oneaperture 812 in thecentral region 814 for receiving proximalbase end 705 of removable fixedhook 701, as seen inFIG. 8 b andFIG. 8 c . Theaperture 812 extends from thefront surface 810A of thehanger body 810 to theback surface 810B of thehanger body 810 and is configured to be a particular shape. For example, as shown inFIG. 8 a , the at least oneaperture 812 in thecentral region 814 of thehanger body 810 is in the shape of a circle and has anedge 812B, which may or may not include one or twostraight edges 812A parallel with thetop surface 810C of thehanger body 810. - Referring now to
FIG. 7 c , which depicts a sideview of the removable fixedhook 701,proximal base end 705 also includes afastening mechanism 705G as a protrusion on thefront side 705A of theproximal base end 705. Specifically,FIG. 7 d is a perspective cut-away view ofFIG. 7 b showing theprotrusion 705G on aninside surface 705A′ of thefront side 705A of base end 705 (see alsoFIG. 7 a illustrating theprotrusion 705G as broken lines onfront side 705A). As seen inFIG. 7 d , theprotrusion 705G includes aledge 705H extending medially towards theback side 705C ofbase end 705. The width of theprotrusion 705G is preferably smaller than the width offront side 705A. Theledge 705H engagesstraight edge 812A ofaperture 812 in thecentral region 814 ofhanger body 810 and fastens the single-piece hanger hook 701, thereby removably attaching saidhanger hook 701 to thecentral region 814 ofhanger body 810. Thefastening mechanism 705G can alternatively be aprotrusion 705G on theback side 705C ofbase end 705, or oneprotrusion 705G on thefront side 705A and anotherprotrusion 705G on theback side 705C, respectively, of theproximal base end 705. Theledge 705H ofprotrusion 705G may or may not be configured such that at least a portion thereof is in contact withfront side 705A of thebase end 705 when the fixedhook 701 is not removably attached tohanger base 810. - The removable attachment of fixed
hook 701 topaper hanger body 810 is shown inFIG. 9 a . In particular, theproximal base end 705 ofhook 701 is pushed over thecentral region 814 ofhanger body 810 and slid downcentral region 814 until theprotrusion 705G on front side of 705A entersaperture 812 on thefront surface 810A ofhanger body 810.Protrusion 705G continues to enteraperture 812 until theentire protrusion edge 705H is inserted therein and maintains frictional engagement withstraight edge 812A. Once theprotrusion 705G is engaged with thehanger body 810 throughaperture 812, thefront side 705A, backside 705C andtop side 705E of theproximal base end 705 of the removable fixedhanger hook 701 is in contact with thefront surface 810A, theback surface 810B and thetop surface 810C, respectively, of thehanger body 810. Proximalbase end 705 therefore acts as a clip-attachment when pushed down over and past thetop surface 810A of thepaper hanger body 810. Flexibility of at least one of the front or back sides 705A, 705C is therefore crucial. Thecentral region 814 of thehanger body 810 can preferably also include a recess or slot 815 on thetop surface 810C for more readily receiving the proximal base end 705 (seeFIG. 8 a ) of the fixedhanger hook 701 whenhook 701 removably attaches to thecentral region 814 of thehanger body 810. As such,recess 815 is approximately the same width as, or slightly wider than, the front and back sides 705A, 705C ofbase end 705 near the first and secondtop edges 705B, 705D to assist in removably attachinghook 701 tohanger body 810.Base end 705 therefore slides throughrecess 815 untilprotrusion 705G engageshanger body 810 throughaperture 812. As shown inFIG. 9 b , removal of the fixedhook 701 simply requires insertion of a finger from a user intoaperture 812 near theback surface 810C ofhanger body 810 to push protrusion out of saidaperture 812. Once theprotrusion 705G is released fromaperture 812, the fixedhook 701 is then lifted offhanger body 810 and completely removed therefrom. - It is to be understood that other non-limiting embodiments of single-piece hooks operate similarly to hook 701. For example, in an embodiment wherein a top side is not included in the single-piece fixed
hook 1001,distal hook end 1003 extends into theproximal base end 1005, as depicted inFIG. 10 a (front view),FIG. 10 b (rear view) andFIG. 10 c (rear perspective view of hook 1001).FIG. 10 d is a perspective cut-away view ofFIG. 10 c showing protrusion 1005G oninside surface 1005A′ of thefront side 1005A ofbase end 1005 for the fixedhook 1001 wherein thedistal hook end 1003 extends into base end 1005 (see alsoFIG. 10 a illustrating theprotrusion 1005G as broken lines onfront side 1005A).Protrusion 1005G likewise includes aledge 1005H extending medially towards theback side 1005C ofbase end 1005 that can engage a paper hanger aperture whenhook 1005 becomes removably attached to said hanger body. - Another non-limiting example of a single-piece removable fixed hook that operates similarly to hook 701 is one that includes two protrusions as a fastening mechanism.
FIG. 11 a depicts a front perspective view of fixedhook 1101 with aprotrusion 1105G illustrated in broken lines on theinside surface 1105A′ of thefront side 1105A of proximal base end 1105 (see alsoFIG. 11 c , which is a rear perspective cut-away view of hook 1101).FIG. 11 b depicts a rear perspective view of fixedhook 1101 with aprotrusion 1105G illustrated in broken lines on theinside surface 1105C′ ofback side 1105C of proximal base end 1105 (see alsoFIG. 11 d , which is a front perspective cut-away view of hook 1101). The width of eachprotrusion 1105G is preferably smaller than the width offront side 1105A and backside 1105C, respectively. As seen inFIGS. 11 a-11 d , theprotrusion 1105G oninside surface 1105A′ is preferably in a different position, relatively, thanprotrusion 1105G oninside surface 1105C′ such that oneprotrusion 1105G is not aligned with theother protrusion 1105G. Eachprotrusion 1005G on theinside surfaces 1105A′, 1105C′ includes aledge 1005H extending medially towards theback side 1105C andfront side 1105C, respectively, ofbase end 1105 that engage a paper hanger aperture whenhook 1005 becomes removably attached to said hanger body. - In an alternate, non-limiting embodiment of the garment hanger assembly depicted in
FIGS. 7 a-7 d andFIGS. 8 a-8 c ,FIG. 12 a is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a removable fixedhook 1201 for agarment hanger assembly 1300 depicted inFIG. 13 b (front perspective view) andFIG. 13 c (rear perspective view) according to the present invention. The removable fixedhook 1201 is a single-piece and includes ahook end 1203 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 1310 (seeFIG. 13 a , which depicts a front view of apaper hanger body 1310 ofgarment hanger assembly 1300 without hook 1201) when thehook 1201 is removably attached to saidhanger body 1310. The removable fixedhook 1201 also includes abase end 1205 that is in a position proximal to thepaper hanger body 1310 when thehook 1201 is removably attached to saidhanger body 1310. As shown inFIG. 12 b (front view) andFIG. 12 c (rear view) theproximal base end 1205 of fixedhook 1201 comprises afront side 1205A having a first top edge 1205B, aback side 1205C preferably shorter in length than thefront side 1205A and having a second top edge 1205D, and atop side 1205E defined by the first top edge 1205B and the second top edge 1205D of the front 1205A and backside 1205C, respectively, of the proximal base end 1205 (see alsoFIG. 12 d , which depicts a rear perspective view of hook 1201).FIG. 12 d andFIG. 12 e show a perspective of a rear view ofhook 1201 with afastening mechanism 1205G on both thefront side 1205A and theback side 1205C ofbase end 1205 in the form of a snap-fit fastener. - The
hanger body 1310 as shown inFIG. 13 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with acentral region 1314, afirst side region 1316 extending from thecentral region 1314 in afirst direction 1316A, and asecond side region 1318 extending from thecentral region 1314 in asecond direction 1318A opposing thefirst direction 1316A. Thehanger body 1310 includes a front surface 1310A, a back surface 1310B, atop surface 1310C, and at least one aperture 1312 in thecentral region 1314 for receivingproximal base end 1205 of removable fixedhook 1201, as seen inFIG. 13 b (front perspective view) andFIG. 13 c (rear perspective view). The aperture 1312 extends from the front surface 1310A of thehanger body 1310 to the back surface 1310B of thehanger body 1310 and is configured to be a particular shape. For example, as shown inFIG. 13 a , the at least one aperture 1312 in thecentral region 1314 of thehanger body 1310 is in the shape of a circle. - Referring now to
FIG. 12 e , which depicts a rear view of the removable fixedhook 1201,proximal base end 1205 collectively includes afastening mechanism 1205G as acylindrical protrusion 1205G′ on thefront side 1205A ofbase end 1205 and a snap-fit aperture 1205G″ on theback side 1205C ofbase end 1205. Specifically,cylindrical protrusion 1205G′ is on aninside surface 1205A′ of thefront side 1205A ofbase end 1205 and includes an annular rib 1205H near the medial end thereof at a position closer to theback side 1205C ofbase end 1205. The annular rib 1205H engages the snap-fit aperture 1205G″ after being inserted into hanger body aperture 1312 in thecentral region 814 ofhanger body 1310 and fastens the single-piece hanger hook 1201, thereby removably attaching saidhanger hook 1201 to thecentral region 1314 of hanger body 1310 (seeFIGS. 13 a-13 c ). Thefastening mechanism 1205G can alternatively includecylindrical protrusion 1205G′ on theback side 1205C ofbase end 1205 and the snap-fit aperture 1205G″ on thefront side 1205A ofbase end 1205. - The removable attachment of fixed
hook 1201 to a paper hanger body, as the one ofFIG. 13 a for example, is shown inFIGS. 14 a-14 d .FIG. 14 a depicts a rear perspective view of single-piece, removable fixedhook 1201 with front and back sides 1205A, 1205C of theproximal base end 1205 in a planar position with each other, illustrating how thebase end 1205 includes two integral (or living) hinges (or fixture bearings), onehinge 12051 bifurcating thefront side 1205A at or near the first top edge 1205B, and anotherhinge 12051 bifurcating theback side 1205C at or near the second top edge 1205D.FIG. 14 b is a side view ofFIG. 14 a and illustrates how thecylindrical protrusion 1205G′ with annular rib 1205H is perpendicular tobase end 1205 whenbase end 1205 is in a planar position. The twointegral hinges 12051 are made of the same material as the rest of single-piece hook 1201 and provide lateral to medial, as well as medial to lateral, movement for both thefront side 1205A and backside 1205C ofbase end 1205. Once theproximal base end 1205 in planar position is lined overcentral region 1314 ofpaper hanger body 1310, bothfront side 1205A and backside 1205C can be moved medially inward atintegral hinges 12051 by pressing down on eachside 1205A, 1205B, as shown inFIG. 14 c , another front perspective view ofhook 1201. As front and back sides 1205A, 1205C continue to move medially towards a front and back surface, 1305A, 1305C, respectively, of a hanger body,protrusion 1205G′ approaches, and eventually is inserted into, circular aperture 1312 inhanger body 1310 until it engages snap-fit aperture 1205G″ inback side 1205C ofbase end 1205.FIG. 14D is a side view ofhook 1201 with front and back sides 1205A, 1205C ofbase end 1205 parallel to each other and depicting how annular rib 1205H interlocks with snap-fit aperture 1205G″ and fastenshook 1201 to a paper hanger, such as forexample hanger body 1310. Once thecylindrical protrusion 1205G′ is engaged withaperture 1205G″, thefront side 1205A, backside 1205C andtop side 1205E of theproximal base end 1205 of the removable fixedhanger hook 1201 is in contact with the front surface 1310A, the back surface 1310B and thetop surface 1310C, respectively, of thehanger body 1310.Fastening mechanism 1205G ofproximal base end 1205 therefore acts as a snap-fit attachment whenhook 1201 is removably attachedpaper hanger body 1310. The snap-fit attachment as described herein can be a cantilever or torsional snap-fit, as well as annular. Thecentral region 1314 of thehanger body 1310 can preferably also include a recess orslot 1315 on thetop surface 1310C for more readily receiving theproximal base end 1205 of the fixedhanger hook 1201 whenhook 1201 removably attaches to thecentral region 1314 of thehanger body 1310. As such,recess 1315 is approximately the same width and shape as the front and back sides 1205A, 1205C ofbase end 1205 near the first and second top edges 1205B, 1205D to assist in removably attachinghook 1201 tohanger body 1310. Removal of the fixedhook 1201 simply requires pulling backside 1205C away frompaper hanger body 1310 untilcylindrical protrusion 1205G′ is released from snap-fit aperture 1205G″ and the front and back sides 1205A, 1205C moved laterally away from thehanger body 1310. - In yet another alternate, non-limiting embodiment of the garment hanger assembly depicted in
FIGS. 7 a-7 d andFIGS. 8 a-8 c ,FIG. 15 a is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a removable fixedhook 1501 for agarment hanger assembly 1600 depicted inFIG. 16 b (front perspective view) andFIG. 16 (rear perspective view) according to the present invention. The removable fixedhook 1501 is a single-piece and includes ahook end 1503 that is in a position distal to a paper hanger body 1610 (seeFIG. 16 a , which depicts a front view of apaper hanger body 1610 ofgarment hanger assembly 1600 without hook 1501) when thehook 1501 is removably attached to saidhanger body 1610. The removable fixedhook 1501 also includes abase end 1505 that is in a position proximal to thepaper hanger body 1610 when thehook 1501 is removably attached to saidhanger body 1610. As shown inFIG. 15 a andFIG. 15 b (rear perspective view) theproximal base end 1505 of fixedhook 1501 comprises afront side 1505A having a firsttop edge 1505B, aback side 1505C preferably shorter in length than thefront side 1505A and having a secondtop edge 1505D, and atop side 1505E defined by the firsttop edge 1505B and the secondtop edge 1505D of the front 1505A and backside 1505C, respectively, of theproximal base end 1505. Theback side 1505C consists essentially of two flanges, afirst flange 1505C that extends laterally from secondtop edge 1505D in a direction perpendicular totop side 1505E, and a secondidentical flange 1505C that also extends laterally from secondtop edge 1505D in a direction perpendicular totop side 1505E. As shown in FIG. 14 c, which shows a side view ofhook 1501,distal hook end 1503 extends into theproximal base end 1505 such that it bifurcates secondtop edge 1505D and the first andsecond flanges 1505C. - The
hanger body 1610 as shown inFIG. 16 a is made from paper and has a shape of a garment hanger with acentral region 1614, afirst side region 1616 extending from thecentral region 1614 in a first direction 1616A, and asecond side region 1618 extending from thecentral region 1614 in asecond direction 1618A opposing the first direction 1616A. Thehanger body 1610 includes a front surface 1610A, a back surface 1610B, atop surface 1610C, and at least oneaperture 1612 in thecentral region 1614 for receivingproximal base end 1505 of removable fixedhook 1501, as seen inFIG. 16 b (front perspective view) andFIG. 16 c (rear perspective view). Theaperture 1612 extends from the front surface 1610A of thehanger body 1610 to the back surface 1610B of thehanger body 1610 and is configured to be a particular shape. For example, as shown inFIG. 16 a , the at least oneaperture 1612 in thecentral region 1614 of thehanger body 1610 is in the shape of a semi-circle with astraight edge 1612A and a rounded edge 1612B, thestraight edge 1612A parallel with and in closer proximity to thetop surface 1610C of thehanger body 1610 than the rounded edge 1612B. - As shown in
FIG. 15 c , theproximal base end 1505 of removable fixedhook 1501 also includes afastening mechanism 1505G as an extension or “arm” of thefront side 1505A ofbase end 1505. Thearm 1505G extends from thefront side 1505A ofbase end 1505 in a first direction medially towards theback side 1505C at essentially a right angle, and then in a second direction essentially perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to theback side 1505C to form anedge 1505H of thearm 1505G. In a preferred embodiment, the shape of thearm 1505G from theedge 1505H down is essentially the same as the shape ofaperture 1612. - The removable attachment of fixed
hook 1501 topaper hanger body 1610 is like that shown inFIG. 6 a for hook 601. In particular, theproximal base end 1505 ofhook 1501 is pushed over thecentral region 1614 ofhanger body 1610, between thefirst side 1505A and backside 1505C, and slid downcentral region 1614 until thefastening mechanism 1505G on front side of 1505A is lined up withaperture 1612 on the front surface 1610A ofhanger body 1610. Thearm 1505G of fastening mechanism from theedge 1505H down defines a substantially semi-circular outline (seeFIG. 15 b ) which is sized to correspond to aperture 1612 b (seeFIG. 16 a ) such thatarm 1505G extends into aperture 1612 b (seeFIGS. 16 b -FIG. 16 c ), thereby removably attachinghook 1501 tobody 1610. In one particularly preferred embodiment,fastening mechanism 1505G fromedge 1505H down is sized to maintain frictional engagement withstraight edge 1612A and rounded edge 1612B when installed intoaperture 1612. Once thefastening mechanism arm 1505G is engaged with thehanger body 1610 throughaperture 1612, thefront side 1505A, backside 1505C andtop side 1505E of theproximal base end 1505 of the removableswivel hanger hook 1501 is in contact with the front surface 1610A, the back surface 1610B and thetop surface 1610C, respectively, of thehanger body 1610.Proximal base end 1505 therefore acts as a clip-attachment when pushed down over and past the top surface 1610A of thepaper hanger body 1610. Removal of fixedhook 1501, like that depicted inFIG. 6 b , requires only the insertion of a finger from a user intoaperture 1612 near theback surface 1610C ofhanger body 1610 to push fastening mechanism out of saidaperture 1612. Oncefastening mechanism 1505G is released fromaperture 1612, fixedhook 1501 is lifted offhanger body 1610 and completely removed therefrom. - Although various embodiments of the garment hanger assembly are illustrated and described herein, it is appreciated that other embodiments are contemplated as being within the scope of the present disclosure and that various substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the same.
Claims (20)
1. A paper hanger assembly comprising:
a hanger body made from paper and having a shape of a garment hanger with a central region, a first side region extending from the central region in a first direction, and a second side region extending from the central region in a second direction opposing the first direction, the hanger body comprising a front surface, a back surface, a top surface, and at least one aperture in the central region; and
a removable hanger hook comprising a distal hook end and a proximal base end, the proximal base end comprising a front side having a first top edge, a back side having a second top edge, and a top side defined by the first top edge and the second top edge of the front and back side, respectively, of the proximal base end, the top side having a base end aperture, and the distal hook end permanently secured to the proximal base end through the base end aperture such that the removable hanger hook is provided with rotation relative to the proximal base end;
wherein the front side, back side and top side of the proximal base end of the removable hanger hook is in contact with the front surface, the back surface and the top surface, respectively, of the hanger body when the removable hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body; and
wherein the front side or the back side of the proximal base end has a fastening mechanism that engages and fastens the removable hanger hook to the hanger body through the at least one aperture in the hanger body when the removable hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
2. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the hanger body further comprises a recess on the top surface of the hanger body for receiving the proximal base end of the removable hanger hook when said removable hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
3. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one aperture in the central region of the hanger body has a shape of a semi-circle with a straight edge and rounded edge, the straight edge parallel with and in closer proximity to the top surface of the hanger body than the rounded edge.
4. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the fastening mechanism is an arm extending from the front or back side of the proximal base end, the arm extending in a first direction medially at essentially a right angle and then in a second direction laterally at an angle less than a right angle to form an arm edge, the arm from where it extends in a first direction to the arm edge is frictionally engaged to the straight edge of the at least one aperture in the central region of the hanger body when the arm edge is inserted into the aperture, thereby removably attaching the removable hanger hook to the central region of the hanger body.
5. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 1 , the back side of the proximal base end being shorter in length than the front side of the proximal base end.
6. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the arm is on the front side of the proximal base end, the shape of the arm from the edge down defines a substantially semi-circular outline which is sized to correspond to the aperture.
7. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least the proximal base end of the hanger hook is made of a recyclable sheet metal.
8. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the recyclable sheet metal is a recyclable magnesium alloy.
9. A paper hanger assembly comprising:
a hanger body made from paper and having a shape of a garment hanger with a central region, a first side region extending from the central region in a first direction, and a second side region extending from the central region in a second direction, the hanger body comprising a front surface, a back surface, a top surface, and at least one aperture in the central region; and
a single-piece hanger hook comprising a distal hook end and a proximal base end, the proximal base end comprising a front side having a first top edge and a back side having a second top edge;
wherein the front side and the back side of the proximal base end of the single-piece hanger hook is in contact with the front surface and back surface, respectively, of the hanger body when the single-piece hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body;
wherein the front side, the back side or both the front and back side of the proximal base end has a fastening mechanism that engages and fastens the single-piece hanger hook to the hanger body through the at least one aperture in the hanger body when the single-piece hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
10. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the proximal base end further comprises a top side defined by the first top edge and the second top edge of the front and back side, respectively, of the proximal base end.
11. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the hanger body further comprises a recess on the top surface of the hanger body for receiving the proximal base end of the single-piece hanger hook when the hanger hook removably attaches to the central region of the hanger body.
12. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one aperture in the central region of the hanger body has a shape of a circle.
13. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the fastening mechanism is a protrusion on an inside surface of the front side, the back side or both the front and back side of the proximal base end, each protrusion having a ledge extending medially relative to the proximal base end, the ledge engaging an inner aperture surface of the at least one aperture in the central region of the hanger body and fastening the single-piece hanger hook, thereby removably attaching the hanger hook to the central region of the hanger body.
14. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the single-piece hanger hook is made of recyclable polymer resin.
15. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the first top edge and the second top edge of the front and back side, respectively, of the proximal base end are constructed such that vertical movement relative to the top side of the proximal base end is provided; and
wherein the fastening means comprises a cylindrical protrusion on an inside surface of one of the front or back sides of the proximal base end and a snap-fit aperture in the other of the front or back sides of the proximal base end, the cylindrical protrusion having an annular rib such that when the cylindrical protrusion is guided through the at least one aperture in the hanger body and pressed into the snap-fit aperture, the single-piece hanger hook is removably attached to the central region of the hanger body.
16. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the single-piece hanger hook is made of recyclable polymer resin.
17. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the single-piece hanger hook is made of polyethylene terephthalate.
18. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one aperture in the central region of the hanger body has a shape of a semi-circle with a straight edge and rounded edge, the straight edge parallel with and in closer proximity to the top surface of the hanger body than the rounded edge;
wherein the fastening mechanism is an arm extending from the front side of the proximal base end at an end away from the top side, the arm extending in a first direction medially relative to the proximal base end at essentially a right angle to form a ledge of the arm, the arm extending in a second direction at essentially a right angle from the first direction and away from the top side to form an arm edge, the arm edge formed in a semi-circle shape;
wherein when the arm edge is pushed through the at least one semi-circular aperture in the central region of the hanger body, the arm edge engages the straight edge of the at least one semi-circular aperture and at least a portion of the arm edge engages the back surface of the hanger body, thereby removably attaching the single-piece hanger hook to the central region of the hanger body; and
wherein the back side of the proximal base end consists essentially of a first flange on one side of the second top edge and a second flange on the other side of the second top edge, the first and second flange constructed such that vertical movement relative to the top side of the proximal base end is provided.
19. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 18 , wherein the single-piece hanger hook is made of from a single piece of recyclable sheet metal.
20. A paper hanger assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the distal hook end extends into the proximal base end.
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US17/983,367 US20240148175A1 (en) | 2022-11-08 | 2022-11-08 | Garment Hanger Assembly With Removable Hook |
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US17/983,367 US20240148175A1 (en) | 2022-11-08 | 2022-11-08 | Garment Hanger Assembly With Removable Hook |
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US20240148175A1 true US20240148175A1 (en) | 2024-05-09 |
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US17/983,367 Pending US20240148175A1 (en) | 2022-11-08 | 2022-11-08 | Garment Hanger Assembly With Removable Hook |
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