Garment hangers

Apparel apparatus – Garment hangers – Coat or dress

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C223S095000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06173871

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention concerns garment hangers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Stores and shops use garment hangers to display garments on racks. For some garments a single size hanger can be used to display garments of different sizes. However, for garments, such as skirts and trousers, it is not possible to use a standard size hanger to fit onto the waist band of such garments. Various types of expandable hangers have been proposed and are in use but suffer from various disadvantages.
EPO548402A discloses a garment hanger having a generally central portion and garment support arms extending therefrom, the support arms each having a movable part slidably connected to the central portion for reciprocal movement to increase or decrease the length of the arms, wherein the movable parts of the arms are connected by a flexible link member such that extending movement of one movable part causes extending movement of the other moving part.
A significant disadvantage of available expandable hangers is the extent to which they are able to expand. Typically expandable hangers can go from 280 to 465 nun, which limits their usefulness. Other disadvantages include lack of strength at full extent and complexity, which increases the cost for an item generally, considered to be a throwaway.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide an improved expandable garment hanger.
A garment hanger having a generally central portion and garment support arms extending therefrom, the support arms each having a movable part slidably connected to the central portion for reciprocal movement to increase or decrease the length of the arms, characterised by ends of the arms being connected by a flexible link member constrained against movement other than in line with the movable parts of the arms and arranged to reverse direction from its connection to one arm to the other arm, whereby extending movement of the movable part of one arm causes extending movement of the movable part of the other arm and pushing the movable part of one arm inwards causes retraction of the movable part of the other arm.
It is preferred that there are two such flexible link members such that extension or retraction of both arms may be achieved by pulling or pushing on either movable arm part.
Garment hangers of the invention preferably also include means for locking the arms thereof at a desired extension, such as a ratchet mechanism. A trigger means is preferably provided for disengaging the locking means for resetting the hanger arms to a different greater or lesser extension. A preferred locking mechanism comprises a series of teeth on one hanger part and one or more teeth on a movable arm part, wherein the respective teeth are shaped and arranged to permit movement over each other in extending the arm of the hanger but prevent movement to shorten the arm of the hanger, save for action of a release member. The release member is preferably on a separate arm associated with said movable arm part. The one or more teeth of the movable arm part are preferably on a resiliently movable arm part whereby the teeth are normally engaged with the series of teeth of the one hanger part. The release member preferably has a spigot or the like at or near one end arranged to be movable to disengage the respective sets of teeth by acting on the resiliently movable arm part of the hanger arm. Then, the release member is preferably movable between a first position where it does not act to disengage the respective sets of teeth and second position where it disengages the respective sets of teeth. The release member is preferably arranged to move with the movable arm as hanger is extended whilst captured in its first position, whereby it is ready to be moved to its second position to disengage the respective sets of teeth. The release member is preferably slidably captured on the movable arm part.
Garment hangers of the invention may be provided with waist band engaging end portions for use with trousers or skirts. On the other hand, the hanger of the invention may also be in a form suitable, for example, for jackets, dresses, pullovers.
In one preferred embodiment, ends of the hanger arms are shaped to suit waistbands of garments. In another preferred embodiment the hanger arms are shaped for carrying jackets, skirts and the like. In yet another preferred embodiment, ends of the hanger arms are provided with clip type fasteners for gripping a garment. The clips preferably comprise spring-loaded members arranged to trap a garment part therebetween.
The flexible link member is preferably a band, strip or the like which is anchored at one end to an inwards end of an extendable arm part and to an inwards end of the other extendable arm part via a pulley, roller, runner or the like spaced from the inward end of the first extendable arm whereby the link member returns in the opposite direction to the other extendable arm. When a second flexible link is present it is arranged in the opposite manner.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2477873 (1949-08-01), Hopkins et al.
patent: 4391395 (1983-07-01), Karner
patent: 5044535 (1991-09-01), Hunt
patent: 5397038 (1995-03-01), Hunt
patent: 5511701 (1996-04-01), Lam

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