Apparel apparatus – Garment hangers – Coat or dress
Patent
1990-03-21
1991-12-10
Schroeder, Werner H.
Apparel apparatus
Garment hangers
Coat or dress
223 85, A47G 2528, A47G 2514
Patent
active
050710451
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to improvements in moulded plastics garment hangers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In our Australian Patent No. 544211 (AU-B-21403/83), and U.S. Pat. No. 283,854, we describe a moulded plastics garment hanger having an improved arm cross section which significantly increases the strength of the hanger and therefore enables it to be manufactured in a manner which reduces the amount of material used in the moulding of the hanger. While such hangers have achieved significant commercial success, market requirements have developed which dictate that further increases in hanger strength must be achieved to reduce the likelihood of hanger breakages which could result in injuries to the end users of the product.
Our continuing research has shown that hangers of the type described in our above mentioned patent tend to fracture, under extreme load conditions, in the region of the transition between the shoulder of the hanger and the arm of the hanger. This area of weakness becomes noticeable when the hangers are used for heavy weight garments of the type which are sold in markets outside Australia, for example, in the northern hemisphere markets of Europe and North America. When the hanger supports a heavier type of garment, the arms of the hanger tend to bend at the transition region between the shoulder and arms and may therefore develop fractures or breakages in these regions. Such problems may in particular develop where the hanger is moulded from a less flexible material, such as general purpose polystyrene.
In most moulded plastics garment hangers, including the hanger described in our aforementioned patent, the arms are strengthened by means of channel or I-sections, or variations of such sections, such as described in our aforementioned patent. The channel or I-section usually extends along the length of the arm and through the transition region between the arms and the shoulder of the hanger. Experiments have shown that the passage of the channel section, or the extension of the I-section, through this region creates areas of weakness about which the arms tend to bend when the hanger is excessively loaded.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION AND OBJECTS
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved moulded plastics garment hanger in which the above shortcomings are at least ameliorated.
In its broadest form, the invention provides a moulded plastics garment hanger comprising a hook, a shoulder region extending from the hook, and arms extending from said shoulder region, said arms having a cross-sectional configuration adapted to increase the strength of the arms, said cross-sectional configuration extending from one arm to the other along a continuous or interrupted path which extends below the transition region between the arms and the shoulder region, said shoulder region being moulded in a configuration which reinforces said shoulder region in a manner which does not completely intersect said transition region.
By moulding the garment hanger in the above form, the region of weakness created by the reinforcing cross section of the arms intersecting the transition region between the shoulder and the arms is avoided thereby strengthening the hanger in this vulnerable region.
In a preferred form of the invention, the moulded reinforcing means in the shoulder region of the hanger is spaced from the cross section extending from one arm to the other to leave a planar region of substantial width. In one particularly preferred embodiment, this planar region is of the order of 3 to 7 mm wide, and most preferably about 5 mm wide.
The reinforcing means in the shoulder region of the hanger includes a channel formed in an inverted generally U-shaped configuration extending across the shoulder region with the legs of the U directed towards, but having their ends spaced from, said cross section extending from one arm to the other. The spacing between the ends of the legs of the U and the said cross section is preferably as defined above.
In a particularly preferred a
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Mohanty Bibhu
Schroeder Werner H.
Spotless Plastics Pty. Ltd.
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