US20070228240A1

US20070228240A1 - Hang tag device

Info

Publication number: US20070228240A1
Application number: US11/390,817
Authority: US
Inventors: Chi-Feng Kao
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-28
Filing date: 2006-03-28
Publication date: 2007-10-04

Abstract

A hang tag device includes a hanger having a top hanging part defining a shank-display aperture, and a bottom holder connected to the top hanging part. The bottom holder includes a front panel, top and bottom walls extending rearwardly and respectively from top and bottom ends of the front panel, and a substantially vertical groove extending through the top and bottom walls and rearwardly of the front panel. A sleeve is insertable fittingly into the vertical groove, and has a sleeve wall which defines a substantially vertical passage adapted for insertion of an elongated article. The sleeve is compressible to extend into the vertical groove.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hang tag device, more particularly to a hang tag device that facilitates hanging of an elongated article, such as a screwdriver, for display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional hang tag device 1 for hanging a screwdriver 10 is shown to include a top display wall 11 and a bottom holder 12. The top display wall 11 has a display face 111 for providing a picture(s) or lettering thereon. The bottom holder 12 is connected to the top display wall 11, and includes two sidewalls 122, and two pairs of clamping walls 14 interconnecting the sidewalls 122 and cooperating with the same to define two shank-display apertures 15 that are arranged vertically. The clamping walls 14 are made of soft and resilient materials, such as rubber. Each pair of the clamping walls 14 defines a clamping groove 13 for extension of a shank portion 101 of the screwdriver 10 therethrough.
In use, the shank portion 101 of the screwdriver 10 is inserted into the shank-display apertures 15 via the clamping grooves 13 in the pairs of the clamping walls 14, as best shown in FIG. 2, and is clamped by the pairs of the clamping walls 14. Hence, the screwdriver 10 is secured on the conventional hang tag device 1, and is ready for display.
Although the conventional hang tag device 1 can achieve its intended purpose, the overall length of the assembly of the hang tag device 1 and the screwdriver 10 is very long because of the additional length provided by the top display wall 11 which is located above the bottom holder 12. Consequently, the assembly occupies a large space, which may be disadvantageous for display and packing purposes. Further, the screwdriver 10 is easily pulled out of the conventional hang tag device 1 because it is weakly clamped by the clamping walls 14. Moreover, the conventional hang tag device 1 is prone to undergo deformation after long use so that it is unreliable and inconvenient to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a hang tag device that is capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art. According to this invention, a hang tag device comprises a hanger and a sleeve. The hanger has a top hanging part defining a shank-display aperture, and a bottom holder connected to the top hanging part. The bottom holder includes a front panel, top and bottom walls extending rearwardly and respectively from top and bottom ends of the front panel, and a substantially vertical groove extending through the top and bottom walls and rearwardly of the front panel. The sleeve is insertable fittingly into the vertical groove, and has a sleeve wall which defines a substantially vertical passage adapted for insertion of an elongated article. The sleeve is compressible to extend into the vertical groove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional hang tag device;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the conventional hang tag device in a state of use;
FIG. 3 is an exploded front perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a hang tag device according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is an exploded rear perspective view of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 5 is an exploded schematic top view of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 6 is an assembled schematic view of the first preferred embodiment in a state of use;
FIG. 7 is a sectional top view of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is an exploded schematic rear view of the second preferred embodiment of a hang tag device according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is an exploded rear perspective view of the third preferred embodiment of a hang tag device according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 is an assembled sectional top view of the third preferred embodiment in a state of use;
FIG. 11 is an exploded rear perspective view of the fourth preferred embodiment of a hang tag device according to the present invention; and
FIG. 12 is an assembled sectional top view of the fourth preferred embodiment in a state of use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the first preferred embodiment of a hang tag device according to the present invention is adapted to hang an elongated article 2, such as a screwdriver, and is shown to comprise a hanger 3 and a sleeve 4. The article 2 includes a handle portion 21, and a shank portion 22 located above the handle portion 21 and having an operating end 221.
The hanger 3 is made of plastic, and has a top hanging part 31 and a bottom holder 32. The top hanging part 31 has left and right spaced-apart sidewalls 311, and a top wall 313 interconnecting the sidewalls 311. The top wall 313 and the sidewalls 311 cooperatively define a shank-display aperture 312. The top wall 313 has an indentation 314 in spatial communication with the shank-display aperture 312 to facilitate hanging of the hang tag device of the present invention for display.
The bottom holder 32 is connected to the top hanging part 31, and includes a rectangular front panel 33, top and bottom walls 341, 342 extending rearwardly and respectively from top and bottom ends of the front panel 33, and a substantially vertical groove 343 extending through the top and bottom walls 341, 342 and rearwardly of the front panel 33. The front panel 33 has a display face 331, on which a picture(s) or lettering can be printed or adhered.
The bottom holder 32 further includes a rear side 345 opposite to the front panel 33, and a groove wall 344 defining the vertical groove 343. In this embodiment, the vertical groove 343 opens at the rear side 345 of the bottom holder 32. The groove wall 344 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. A protrusion 346 projects from the groove wall 344 into the vertical groove 343.
The sleeve 4 is insertable fittingly into the vertical groove 343 of the hanger 3, and has a sleeve wall 42 defining a substantially vertical passage 41 which is adapted for insertion of the elongated article 2 therethrough. The sleeve 4 is made of a compressible and deformable material, such as plastic, rubber, silicone plastic, etc. In this embodiment, the sleeve wall 42 has a vertically extending cutout portion 421 in spatial communication with the vertical passage 41 such that the sleeve 4 has a cross section that is substantially C-shaped. Prior to insertion of the sleeve 4 into the vertical groove 343 of the hanger 3, the cross section of the sleeve 4 is larger than that of the vertical groove 343, and the cross section of the vertical passage 41 is larger than or equal to a diameter (D4) of the shank portion 22 of the article 2. After the sleeve 4 is inserted into the vertical groove 343, a bottom end of the sleeve 4 abuts against the protrusion 346, and a top end of the sleeve 4 is flush with the top wall 341 of the hanger 3.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, to use the hang tag device of the present invention, the shank portion 22 of the article 2 is first inserted through the vertical groove 343 of the hanger 3 so that the operating end 221 of the shank portion 22 faces upwardly, after which the sleeve 4 is sleeved on the shank portion 22 proximate to the operating end 221 thereof. The sleeve 4 together with the shank portion 22 is then pressed downwardly into the vertical groove 343 until the bottom end of the sleeve 4 abuts against the protrusion 346 (see FIG. 4). The article 2 is now securely assembled on the hanger 3 of the hang tag device of the present invention.
Since the cross section of the sleeve 4 is larger than that of the vertical groove 343 prior to assembly, the sleeve wall 42 is compressed by the groove wall 344 when the sleeve 4 extends into the vertical groove 343 so that the cross section of the sleeve 4 is reduced, thereby resulting in the sleeve wall 42 tightly embracing the shank portion 22 of the article 2 after assembly. As a result, it is hard to separate the article 2 from the hanger 3 of the hang tag device of the present invention.
When the article 2 is hung on the hang tag device of the present invention for display, only the operating end 221 of the shank portion 22 extends into the shank-display aperture 312 of the hanger 3. Since a large portion of the shank portion 22 overlaps with the front panel 33, the overall length of the assembly of the hang tag device of the present invention and the article 2 is shorter, as compared to that of the assembly of the conventional hang tag device 1 and the screwdriver 10 (see FIG. 2). Although in this embodiment the protrusion 346 is used to position the height of the sleeve 4 after assembly, the protrusion 346 can also be omitted from the configuration.
It should be noted that for packing purposes, the handle portion 21 of the article 2 is pushed upwardly so that the shank portion 22 of the article 2 can be slid further into the shank-display aperture 312 and the handle portion 21 can be located proximate to the bottom holder 32 of the hanger 3, as shown by phantom lines in FIG. 6. This reduces not only the entire length of the assembly of the article 2 and the hang tag device of the present invention, but also its packing volume.
Referring to FIG. 8, the second preferred embodiment of the hang tag device according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the vertical groove (343 a) of the bottom holder (32 a) of the hanger (3 a) has across section that tapers gradually from the top wall (341a) to the bottom wall (342 a) of the bottom holder (32 a). When the sleeve 4 is pushed into the vertical groove (343 a), the sleeve wall 42 of the sleeve 4 is similarly compressed by the groove wall (344 a), so that the shank portion 22 (see FIG. 3) of the article 2 (see FIG. 3) can be embraced tightly and stably by the sleeve wall 42 of the sleeve 4. The secure embracing of the shank portion 22 of the article 2 is enhanced by the tapering of the vertical groove (343 a).
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the third preferred embodiment of the hang tag device according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the vertical groove (343 b) is closed at the rear side (345 b) of the bottom holder (32 b), and has a cross section that is substantially oval-shaped. The sleeve (4 b) also has a cross section that is substantially oval-shaped, but that is larger than that of the vertical groove (343 b). The cross section of the sleeve (4 b) has a long width and a short width. The passage (41 b) is elongated along the long width, and has a wider central portion 411 and two opposite narrower end portions 412. The cross section of the central portion 411 of the passage (41 b) is smaller than the diameter of the shank portion 22 of the article 2.
In use, the shank portion 22 of the article 2 is first inserted through the vertical groove (343 b) of the bottom holder (32 b), after which the sleeve (4 b) is sleeved on the shank portion 22 through the central portion 411 of the passage (41 b). The sleeve (4 b) together with the shank portion 22 is then pressed downwardly into the vertical groove (343 b). Because of the presence of the narrower end portions 412 in the passage (41 b) and because the cross section of the central portion 411 of the passage (41 b) is smaller than the diameter of the shank portion 22 of the article 2, the sleeve wall (42 b) of the sleeve (4 b) can embrace tightly and resiliently the shank portion 22 of the article 2. The vertical groove (343 b) may be tapered as in the previous embodiment. If this is the case, as the sleeve (4 b) gradually extends downwardly into the vertical groove (343 b), the sleeve (4 b) is compressed even more tightly by the groove wall (344 b), and is stably mounted on the hanger (3 b).
In this embodiment, the vertical groove (343 b) is closed at the rear side (345 b) of the bottom holder (32 b) so that the hanger (3 b) has an increased robustness and may be made of a softer material. The configuration of the sleeve (4 b) can be varied in many ways so as to be compressible and resilient. The sleeve wall (42 b) may be provided with a cutout like the cutout portion 421 of the sleeve wall 42 in the first preferred embodiment (see FIG. 3). The cutout may be provided along one of the sides of the sleeve (4 b) forming the long width or forming the short width of the sleeve (4 b).
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the fourth preferred embodiment of the hang tag device according to the present invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the sleeve (4 c) is formed integrally with a rear panel 5 to close the vertical groove (343 c) at the rear side (345 c) of the bottom holder (32 c). The rear panel 5 is detachably connected to the bottom holder (32 c), and has two spaced-apart clamp arms 52 that project forwardly from a front face 511 of the rear panel 5 on each side of the sleeve (4 c). Each of the clamp arms 52 has a barbed end 521.
The groove wall (344 c) includes two spaced-apart end plate portions 347 proximate to the rear side (345 c) of the bottom holder (32 c), and two spaced-apart through holes 349 formed in each of the end plate portions 347. Each of the end plate portions 347 is provided with a notch 348 formed at the rear side 345 of the bottom holder (32 c). The rear panel 5 has a thickness equal to the depth of the notch 348. The material of the rear panel 5 and the sleeve (4 c) may be different. For example, a hard plastic material may be used for the rear panel 5, and a soft material may be used for the sleeve (4 c).
When the integrally formed rear panel 5 and sleeve (4 c) are engaged to the rear side (345 c) of the bottom holder (32 c) of the hanger (3 c), the sleeve wall (42 c) of the sleeve (4 c) is compressed by the groove wall (344 c) so that the shank portion 22 of the article 2 is embraced tightly by the sleeve wall (42 c). At this time, each of the end plate portions 347 of the groove wall (344 c) extends in between the sleeve (4 c) and the clamp arms 52 at the corresponding side of the sleeve (4 c), the rear panel 5 extends into the notches 348 at the rear side (345 c) of the bottom holder (32 c), and the barbed ends 521 engage correspondingly the through holes 349. Since the sleeve (4 c) is inserted into the vertical groove (343 c) through the rear side (345 c) of the bottom holder (32 c), and since the vertical groove (343 c) is sealed by the rear panel 5, the bottom holder (32 c) is not likely to deform due to an external force. Hence, the shape of the vertical groove (343 c) can be stably maintained, thereby preventing separation of the article 2 from the hang tag device of the present invention.
From the aforementioned description, it is apparent that the hang tag device of the present invention not only facilitates hanging of the article 2 having the shank portion 22, but also can permit shortening of the length of the entire assembly of the hang tag device and the article 2 so that display space and packing volume can be minimized. Furthermore, by altering the cross section of the sleeve 4, the article 2 can be stably secured on the hang tag device of the present invention.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A hang tag device comprising:

a hanger having a top hanging part defining a shank-display aperture, and a bottom holder connected to said top hanging part, said bottom holder including a front panel, top and bottom walls extending rearwardly and respectively from top and bottom ends of said front panel, and a substantially vertical groove extending through said top and bottom walls and rearwardly of said front panel; and

a sleeve insertable fittingly into said vertical groove, and having a sleeve wall which defines a substantially vertical passage adapted for insertion of an elongated article, said sleeve being compressible to extend into said vertical groove.

2. The hang tag device of claim 1, wherein said sleeve has a cross section that is larger than that of said vertical groove before being compressed.

3. The hang tag device of claim 1, wherein said bottom holder further includes a rear side, said vertical groove being open at said rear side.

4. The hang tag device of claim 3, wherein said sleeve has a cross section that is substantially C-shaped.

5. The hang tag device of claim 4, wherein said bottom holder further includes a groove wall defining said vertical groove, and a protrusion projecting from said groove wall into said vertical groove to abut against a bottom end of said sleeve when said sleeve is inserted into said vertical groove.

6. The hang tag device of claim 1, wherein said vertical groove has a cross section that tapers gradually from said top wall to said bottom wall.

7. The hang tag device of claim 1, wherein said bottom holder further includes a rear side, said vertical groove being closed at said rear side, said sleeve having a cross section that is substantially oval-shaped and that is larger than that of said vertical groove.

8. The hang tag device of claim 7, wherein said cross section of said sleeve has a long width and a short width, said passage of said sleeve being elongated along said long width and having a wider central portion and two opposite narrower end portions.

9. The hang tag device of claim 3, wherein said bottom holder further includes a groove wall defining said vertical groove, said groove wall having a substantially U-shaped cross section and including two spaced-apart end plate portions proximate to said rear side, and at least one through hole formed in each of said end plate portions.

10. The hang tag device of claim 9, wherein said sleeve is formed integrally with a rear panel to close said vertical groove at said rear side of said bottom holder, said rear panel having two clamp arms that project forwardly from said rear panel on two opposite sides of said sleeve, respectively, and that respectively have barbed ends, each of said end plate portions extending in between said sleeve and one of said clamp arms, each of said barbed ends engaging one of said through holes.