US3151788A

US3151788A - Garment hanger

Info

Publication number: US3151788A
Application number: US189185A
Authority: US
Inventors: Norman L Wingate
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-04-20
Filing date: 1962-04-20
Publication date: 1964-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 1981-10-06

Description

Oct. 6, 1964 N, L, wlNGATE 3,151,788

GARMENT HANGER Filed April 20, 1962 INV EN TOR.

NoQMAN L. Wma/rra United States Patent O 3,151,783 GARVIENT HANGER Norman L. illingate, 906 Mercedes Ave., Albany, Ga. Filed Apr. 2l), 1962, Ser. No. 189,185 6 Claims. (Cl. 223-88) This invention relates to garment hangers of the collapsible type. Requirement for this type of hanger arises from the need for inserting the hanger through a relatively small neck opening, in the case of pull-over sweaters, for instance, or in cases where it is inconvenient to unbutton a garment to admit the hanger, followed by re-buttoning, as in display articles in retail stores, for instance.

Collapsible hangers heretofore proposed, have partaken of various forms and schemes, but for the most part have involved a pivoting action medially of the shoulder pieces, and the preferred embodiment selected to illustrate the present invention comprises an arrangement falling in this general class. One drawback of such jackknife arrangements has been the diiiiculty of providing a pivot connection without detriment to the strength and rigidity of the hanger, when in its expanded form, and it is a general object of the present invention to improve hangers in this respect. More particularly, it is an object to provide a folding hanger having interlocking elements in the expanded condition, so as to avoid reliance on the pivot for rigidity. A related object is to provide for overlapping of the hanger parts in the collapsed condition, to the same end.

Another, and further related object is to provide an improved detent, cooperating with the interengaging parts in the expanded condition of the hanger. Irl still greater particular, it is an object to provide a bell crank detent, actuable under its own resilience.

Another object is to provide a collapsible hanger having collapsible and detent features related to a flange and web structure, cross-sectionally -of the hanger. A still further object is to provide a shoulder hanger with an associated cross-bar hanger related to collapsible features in the hanger.

The objects also include the provision of a hanger having a minimum number of parts, simple in structure, easy of manufacture, and low in cost.

These and other ends, which will be readily apparent, are attained by the present invention, a preferred form of which is described in the following specification, as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is a front elevational View of the hanger, in expanded form,

FIGURE 2 is a view of the hanger of FIGURE l, with the two swingable parts in collapsed condition,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the hinge or pivot region of the hanger of FIGURE l,

FIGURE 5 is a vertical, sectional view through the pivot, taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 6--6 of FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 4, and

FIGURE l0 is a perspective view of the bell crank detent, apart from the assembly.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, there is shown a shoulder-type hanger, with two generally S-form shoulder elements l0 and 12 pivoted together on "ice a common hinge pin. Except as modiiied for purposes of the present invention, the hanger, which is formed from suitable plastic material, is generally of I-form crosssection throughout, as known in the art, with edge llanges le and webs IS. The shoulder element I0 has a neck portion 9 and a shoulder portion Il, the neck portion 9 having a nook portion 2li which is integral therewith and projects therefrom. The shoulder element l2 has a neck portion I3 and a shoulder portion I5. The

neck portions

9 and 13 are arranged for relative swinging movement on a first pivot pin 14 which is located near the bottom of the neck portions and adjacent the line of symmetry of the hanger. The hook portion 29 serves for suspending the hanger from a rod or hook, and carries a latch or detent 2,2, presently 'to be described. Each of the shoulder portions 1I and l5 of the elements I@ and l2 has a reentrant notch 24 on its under side, partially closed by an extension 26 of the flange I6, having a hooked outer end 2S, the notches being adapted for hanging slips, or the like. Also, each of the shoulder portions 11 and 15 of the elements lli, I2 has a hooked extension Sli of ange le at its outer end, adapted to anchor the looped ends 32 of a cross bar 3d. This bar is securely held when the hanger is locked in expanded position, but may be easily removed, either by flexing the hanger arms, or simply by lifting ol'l after unlocking of the pivoted elements.

In the neck portion of the hanger, the neck portions 9 and I3 of the elements It), l2 have a male-female relationship, 'to provide rigidity and avoid undue stressing of the pivot pin. Thus, the neck portion 9 of the element lli has a part of a construction of U-section, with spaced, parallel walls 36 and forming an open slot therebetween (best seen in FIGURE 6), located above the pivot pin 14, and adapted to receive a part of the neck portion 13 of the shoulder element l2, said part being above the pivot pin I4 and including the inner and

outer edges

38 and 40 which border a web panel 42, the outer ilange 44, and the inner flange 46 receiving 'the pivot pin, being reduced in width to tit in the receiving unit 36.

The detent or latch 22 is in the form of a bell crank lever (FIGURE l0), with a pair of resilient spaced, parallel arms 48, connected at one end by a cross piece Sii (FIGURE 4) and a pair of depending resilient arms 52, disposed at right angles to the iirst pair, on the end opposite the cross piece. The spaced arms of the latch are received on the lower portion of the hook portion 20 of the hanger, the edge iianges of the hook portion being reduced in width for this purpose, and the arms have aligned bores at their junctions, to receive a second pin 5d, by which they are secured to the hanger, for swinging movement. The cross piece Sii, which constitutes the detent element of the latch, is engageable in a notch 56 midway of the top edge of the neck portion of swingable element l2, the said top edge, at flange 46, being rounded as at 58, so as to cam the detent Sti upward automatically when the hanger is swung to unfolded condition. In the latching action, the depending pair of arms 52, provide the bias on the detent Sii through their natural resilience, being permanently engaged at their lower ends in a pair of slots substantially vertically below the second pin 54 and formed in the upper edge of the cross flange 62 of the neck portion 9 of the shoulder element 10, as by the curved portion ell formed in said liange 62, whereby the arms are flexed, as shown by the broken lines in FIGURE 4, when the bell crank is swung counterclockwise, as when cammed by edge 5S during closing, or when lifted manually for opening. Since the holding arms 48 of the latch are located at a substantial distance above the main pivot pin 14, and the load on detent 5@ is substantially aligned with pin 54 of the latch, there is no tendency for the latch to open accidentally. On the other hand, man- 3 ual pressure may be applied at right angles to this line, whereby the force necessary to iiex the arms 52, sufiiciently for release of the detent is easily applied.

In order to provide an optimum degree of collapse, the

elements

10 and 12 are constructed for clearance, or overlap, scissors-fashion, up to a substantial distance from the pivot, in the folding movement. As seen in FIGURE 8, this is accomplished by locating the

respective Webs

62, 64, in this region on opposite sides of the central plane of the normal webs 18.

While a certain, preferred embodiment has been shown and described, various modifications will be apparent, in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited, except insofar as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A collapsible garment hanger comprising two shoulder elements, each element having a neck portion and a shoulder portion, one of the neck portions having a projecting hook portion integral therewith, the neck portions being arranged for relative swinging movement on a irst pin located near the bottom of the neck portion and adjacent the line of symmetry of the hanger, a second pivot pin carried by said one of the neck portions and located spaced above said first pin and laterally of said line of symmetry, a bell crank lever with two pairs of resilient spaced parallel arms disposed rectangularly and straddling said one neck portion and journaled at its vertex on said second pin, one of said pairs of arms having a cross-piece connecting their outer ends, said one neck portion having a pair of notches substantially vertically below said second pin and receiving the outer ends'of the other of said pair of arms for anchoring the last-mentioned arms against revolution about said second -pin to a minor degree against flexure resilience of said other of said pair of arms, a part of said one neck portion being of spaced wall construction and dening an inwardly open slot and a part of the other neck portion having an inner edge receivable in said slot, and a notch in the upper edge of said other neck portion adapted to receive said crosspiece.

2. A device as in claim l, said shoulder portion having inwardly and upwardly hooked outer ends, and a cross bar with looped ends engaged with said outer ends.

3. A collapsible garment hanger according to claim 1 wherein the upper edge of said other neck portion is provided with a curved portion adapted to cam said crosspiece upwardly.

4. A collapsible garment hanger comprising two shoulder elements, each element having a neck portion and a shoulder portion, one of the neck portions having a projecting hook portion integral therewith, the neck portions being arranged for relative swinging movement on a first pin located near the bottom of the neck portions and adjacent the line of symme'tryrof the hanger, a second pivot pin carried by one of the neck portions and located spaced above said iirst pin and laterally of said line of symmetry, a bell crank lever with two pairs of resilient spaced parallel arms disposed rectangularly and straddling said one neck portion and journaled at its vertex on said second pin, one of said pairs of arms having a cross-piece connecting their outer ends, detent means on said one neck portion restraining the outer ends of the other of said pairs of arms against revolution about said second pin, and said lever being rotatable about said second pin to a limited degree against the exure resilience of said other of said pairs of arms, a part of said one neck portion having an open slot and a part of the other neck portion having an inner edge receivable in said slot, and an upper edge with a curved portion adapted to cam said crosspiece upwardly, and a slot beyond said curved portion adapted to receive said cross-piece.

5. A collapsible garment hanger comprising two shoulder elements, each element having a neck portion and a shoulder portion, one of the neck portions having a projecting hook portion integral therewith, the neck portions being arranged for relative swinging movement on a first pin located near 'the bottom of the neck portions and adjacent the line of symmetry of the hanger, a second pivot pin carried by said one of the neck portions and located spaced above said irst pin and laterally of said line of symmetry, a bell crank lever with two pairs of resilient spaced parallel arms disposed rectangularly and straddling said one neck portion and journaled at its vertex on said second pin, one of said pairs of arms having a crossapiece connecting their outer ends, detent means on said one neck portion restraining the outer ends of the other of said pairs of arms against revolution about said second pin, and said lever being rotatable about said second pin to a limited degree against the iiexure resilience of said other of said pairs of arms, the other of said neck portions having a cam means to lift said cross-piece, and a slot to receive said cross-piece.

6. A collapsible garment hanger comprising two shoulder elements, each element having a neck portion and a shoulder portion, one of the neck portions having a projecting hook portion integral therewith, the neck portions being arranged for relative swinging movement on a irst pin located near the bottom of the neck portions and adjacent the line of symmetry of the hanger, a second pivot pin carried by said one of the neck portions and located spaced above said irst pin and laterally of said line of symmetry, la bell crank lever with two pairs of resilient spaced parallel arms disposed rectangularly and straddling said one neck portion and journaled at its vertex on said second pin, one of said pairs of arms having a cross-piece connecting their outer ends, detent means von said one neck portion restraining the outer ends of the other of said pairs of arms against revolution about said second pin, and said lever being rotatable about said second pin to a limited degree against the iieXure resilience of said other of said pairs of arms, the other of said neck portions having a slot adapted vto engage said cross-piece.

Claims

1. A COLLAPSIBLE GARMENT HANGER COMPRISING TWO SHOULDER ELEMENTS, EACH ELEMENT HAVING A NECK PORTION AND A SHOULDER PORTION, ONE OF THE NECK PORTIONS HAVING A PROJECTING HOOK PORTION INTEGRAL THEREWITH, THE NECK PORTIONS BEING ARRANGED FOR RELATIVE SWINGING MOVEMENT ON A FIRST PIN LOCATED NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE NECK PORTION AND ADJACENT THE LINE OF SYMMETRY OF THE HANGER, A SECOND PIVOT PIN CARRIED BY SAID ONE OF THE NECK PORTIONS AND LOCATED SPACED ABOVE SAID FIRST PIN AND LATERALLY OF SAID LINE OF SYMMETRY, A BELL CRANK LEVER WITH TWO PAIRS OF RESILIENT SPACED PARALLEL ARMS DISPOSED RECTANGULARLY AND STRADDLING SAID ONE NECK PORTION AND JOURNALED AT ITS VERTEX ON SAID SECOND PIN, ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF ARMS HAVING A CROSS-PIECE CONNECTING THEIR OUTER ENDS, SAID ONE NECK PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF NOTCHES SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY BELOW SAID SECOND PIN AND RECEIVING THE OUTER ENDS OF THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF ARMS FOR ANCHORING THE LAST-MENTIONED ARMS AGAINST REVOLUTION ABOUT SAID SECOND PIN TO A MINOR DEGREE AGAINST FLEXURE RESILIENCE OF SAID OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF ARMS, A PART OF SAID ONE NECK PORTION BEING OF SPACED WALL CONSTRUCTION AND DEFINING AN INWARDLY OPEN SLOT AND A PART OF THE OTHER NECK PORTION HAVING AN INNER EDGE RECEIVABLE IN SAID SLOT, AND A NOTCH IN THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID OTHER NECK PORTION ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID CROSSPIECE.