Apparel apparatus – Garment hangers – Skirt or trousers
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-30
2001-09-11
Mohanty, Bibhu (Department: 3765)
Apparel apparatus
Garment hangers
Skirt or trousers
C223S093000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286735
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a garment hanger having at least one clamp or pinch-grip formed exclusively of plastic for suspending a garment, and more particularly to such a hanger which may be manufactured economically and is adapted to both machine and manual garment loading operations.
Garment hangers having at least one clamp or pinch-grip formed exclusively of plastic for suspending a garment are well-known in the art. Once the appropriate production tools are provided, the cost of manufacturing each hanger through a conventional injection molding process is minimal.
Typically, the pinch-grip of a conventional garment hanger defines an overlap between the grip front leg and the grip back leg with the overlap providing the garment-suspending function. However, it is well-known that, in order to perform injection molding where two pieces overlap, it is necessary to use extremely expensive special injection molds which include slides or other moving parts. The cost of such specialized tooling increases the initial production tool costs and, when amortized, the unit cost per production unit.
During loading of a garment in such a hanger, especially machine loading of the hanger with the garment by automated equipment, the garment is inserted between the clamp legs to varying degrees. For example, the insertion process may terminate when the garment is only slightly up the channel between the two clamp legs or when the garment is further up the channel, and even adjacent the bight of the clamp. This non-uniformity of garment positioning is undesirable from an aesthetic point of view, even though it does not substantially affect the ability of the hanger clamp to suspend the garment. Thus it would be aesthetically desirable if the hanger clamp provided a stop mechanism which limited upward insertion of the garment into the clamp during both machine and manual assembly of the hanger and the garment.
The conventional hangers, as noted above, include an overlap between the front and back clamp legs and this overlap prevents a fully telescopic action between the two legs when aligned (front-to-back) hangers are pressed together—i.e., stacked. Accordingly, the clamp is necessarily relatively thick (typically thicker than the remainder of the hanger) and thus interferes with an economical stacking (whether horizontal or vertical) of an aligned plurality of the hangers. The result is increased packaging, shipping and storage costs.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger having at least one clamp or pinch-grip formed exclusively of plastic for suspending a garment wherein there is no overlapping of the clamp legs so that no expensive special features are required on the injection molding equipment.
Another object is to provide such a hanger in which the clamp includes means for limiting automatic or manual insertion of a garment thereinto.
A further object is to provide such a hanger wherein the legs of the clamp are fully telescopic when aligned hangers are pressed together in a stack.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a garment hanger which is simple and economical to manufacture and use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that the above and related objects are obtained in a garment hanger having at least one clamp or pinch-grip formed exclusively of plastic for suspending a garment. The clamp comprises an outer portion defining (i) a central aperture therethrough, and (ii) a peripheral gap therethrough communicating with the central aperture, an inner portion defining (i) a body configured and dimensioned to pass through the outer portion central aperture, and (ii) a tab communicating with the inner portion body and configured and dimensioned to pass through the outer portion peripheral gap, and a bight portion connecting the inner and outer portions for biasing the inner portion forwardly relative to the outer portion towards a retaining orientation for retaining a garment disposed at least partially intermediate a front of the inner portion and a rear of the outer portion. The inner portion is rearwardly displaceable by rearward pressure on the inner portion tab to a releasing orientation enabling a garment to pass intermediate a front of the inner portion and a rear of the outer portion.
The inner and outer portions may be substantially rigid or resiliently flexible, but preferably the outer portion is substantially rigid and the inner portion is resiliently flexible.
In a preferred embodiment, the outer portion defines only a single central aperture and only a single peripheral gap. The inner portion tab, which is preferably of substantial width, projects downwardly from the inner portion body, and the outer portion peripheral gap projects downwardly from the outer portion central aperture. The inner and outer portions cooperatively define therebetween an hour glass-shaped space. In the retaining orientation the inner and outer portions are in a common plane when no garment is disposed therebetween. The bight potion connects the tops of the inner and outer portions.
In an especially preferred embodiment the hanger additionally includes a rib projecting forwardly of a front of the inner portion body and configured and dimensioned to pass through the outer portion central aperture, the rib being mounted on the inner portion body for movement therewith such that the inner portion body can be moved to the releasing orientation from the retaining orientation by rearward pressure on the rib.
Even when the hanger is in the releasing orientation, preferably the rib is configured and dimensioned to limit upward movement of a garment intermediate the inner and outer portions. The rib is of a thickness such that rearward pressure on the rib can displace the rib to an orientation wherein the front of the rib is not forward of the level of the front of the outer portion, and the back of the rib is not rearward of the level of the back of the outer portion, thereby to facilitate compact stacking of an aligned plurality of the hangers. Optionally the inner portion body can be moved to the releasing orientation from the retaining orientation by rearward pressure on either of the inner portion tab and the rib. Preferably the hanger includes a pair of ribs, one projecting forwardly from the front of the inner portion body, and one projecting rearwardly from the rear of the inner portion body.
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Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein
Carlisle Plastics Inc.
Mohanty Bibhu
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