US2385910A - Wardrobe trunk - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 2, 1945. w. H. B RACKEN WARDROBE TRUNK Filed Aug. 15, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l y pfl VENTOR.

Oct. 2, 1945. H. BRACKEN WARDROBE TRUNK Filed Aug. 15

, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 2, 1945 ITED] STATES PATENT OFFICE;

wall-2 :12:55. Y;

2 Application August 15,1941, Serial'No.406,951

k 2 Claims. (cl. 190- 13) This invention relates to new and useful im-' provements in wardrobe trunks, and-relates more particularly to a novel trunk having a plurality of superimposed sections, one containing a numberof drawers for carrying accessories or smaller articles .of apparel such as shirts, underwear, stockings, and the like, and the other having special' body-garment-supporting means.

Wardro'be trunks of the art usually provide a body-garmen-t-carrying section extending the full depth of the. trunk when such trunk is in upright position, hangers being suitably supported at the upperend of the trunk, and the garments are thus permitted to hang downwardly. This arrangement is noteconomical for the reason that suflicient depth must be provided for garments of the maximum length and unused space results when shorter garments are packed. These trunks are normally formed with a similarly shaped section whichis hinged to the body-garment-carrying section, and Whichis-provided with drawers. In trunks of this character the two sections are difiicult to open and close when completely packed with arments.

Another objection to this type of wardrobe trunk resides in the fact that no suitable intermediate support can be provided for the opposedside walls of the body-garment section, and the result is a very shaky structure after a relatively shortperiod of use of the kind that trunks are normally subjected to;

It is one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a trunk formed with a plurality of superimposed sections, the lowermost section having a plurality of drawers for accessories and smaller articles of wearing apparel, and wherein the drawer-supporting means strengthens and rigidifies the trunk structure as a whole, and particularly the upper garment-carrying section. Easy access to the trunk is provided by means of a single, horizontally-hinged door normally closing the entire upper end of the trunk, and a second, vertically-hinged front door extending fromthe upper edge of the trunk down to-a point spaced from, but adjacent to, the bottom thereof. The openingof this latter door makes bot-hsections instantly accessible without the strict necessity of opening the upper door.

A further object of the invention isthe provision ofan improved garment-carrying frame for a wardrobe trunk and a particularly novel means of positivelysupporti'ng a plurality of such frames at the upper and at thelower ends-'there"-- of; More specifically, the upper endof' the bo'dygarment section includes means for suspending from their upper ends a plurality of such frames and for engaging the lower ends thereof, urging them against the rear wall of the trunk, and thus preventing pendulous movement when the num-' ber' of garments is insufficient to fill the entire section. V 1

Yet another object of the invention is to pro vide garment-carrying means for wardrobe trunks and the like wherein body garments may be quickly placed thereon without danger of'wr-in kling.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the view showing the front and top doors of the trunk in open position.

Fig. 2 is a broken top plan view of the struc-- ture shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 315 a broken vertical'section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4' is a broken section showing a modified form of garment-carrying frame.

- Fig. 5 is a broken vertical section taken through the retaining means for the lower end of the garment-supporting frames, such section lying on line 5'--5 of Fig. 4.

. Fig. 6 is a broken section taken on line 6'--6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is abroken plan view of frame shown in Fig. 4'.

The trunk constituting the preferred embodi= ment of the present invention isgenerally rectangular in shape, and is designated by the reference numeral- I0 It includes opposed side walls II and 12, a rear wall l3, a bottom wall [4, an upper hinged cover I 5 closing the otherwise open upper end of the trunk, and a front, verticallyhinged cover I6; In accordance with th arrangement shown in Fig. 1, the upper hinged cover [5 is adapted to be lowered into engagement-with the upper marginal edges of the trunk and thereafter the front hinged cover I6 is moved into closed position, the upper flanged edge l8 thereof enclosing the outer or free marginal'edge IQ of cover l5.

Covers l5 and I6 are formed with aplurality of spaced, male interlocking member's 2| which are-received in; and which cooperate-with, a plurality of spaced female members 22 positioned along the marginal edges of opposed side walls II and I2 of the trunk. Front cover I6-- is further provided with a hinged lock- 24 which cooperates-wi'th an apertured plate 2-5 securedto sidewall 12'. Thezbod y of the trunk further ina portion of the .'46,-when,,viewed as in Fig. 1.

cludes a shallow front wall "extending upwardly from lower wall I4, and the area between the The trunk is divided into a body-garmenig; carrying section 35 and a drawer section 36, the

two sections being divided by means of a 'horizontal partition 31, the opposed end portions of Y which are rigidly secured by any suitable means to the inner surfaces of opposed sidewalls'll and I2 substantially midway between their upper and lower ends. Between horizontal partition 31 and lower. wall I4 a plurality of additional partitions 38 and 39 are also secured at their opposite terminals to side walls I I and I2, and a plurality ofdrawers lfl :are removably positioned between eachadjacentpair of horizontal partitions. It will thus be apparent that since such horizontal partitions 31, 38 and 39 are firmly secured to opposed side walls II and I2 and to rear wall I3, the entire trunk, and particularly the side walls thereof, are. much more rigid than the usual wardrobe'trunks wherein the opposed side walls receive their major support at the upper and lower edges thereof.

The. depth of upper or body-garment-carrying section 35 is considerably less than-is usual in wardrobe trunks, but such reduced depth,

nevertheless, provides ample space for, the carrying of body garments by virtue of the novel frame or hanger structure designated generally by the reference numeral 44 carried in such section in the manner now to be described.

Each garment-supporting frame 44 illustrated 'in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 includes an upper rail 45, a

lower rail 46 provided with a, coat or shouldersupporting section 41, and vertical supports 48 which maintain upper and lower rails and 46, respectively, in their spaced relation. The vertical supports of this embodiment are desirably formed from relatively rigid metal rods which are received at their opposite terminals in metal ferrules 49, which are rigidly secured atthe opposite ends of upper and lower rails45 and 46. Formed integrally with each ferrule, orv suitably secured to the same, is an "outwardlyextending, substantially C shaped supporting bracket or hook 5|.

When a such frame will occupy man's suit coat iscarried on frame. 44; the position shown inFig.

' 1, wherein rail 46 having the coat-supporting portion 41 will be positioned downwardly, the coat passing over theupper edge of upper rail 45 and hanging downwardly on the opposite side thereof. When, however, a longer mans garment, such as a-topcoat, or a lady's dress is carried thereon, rail 46 withicoatesupporting portions 41 will1be positioned upwardly, and the garment is folded twice around the rails. f

It will be noted from an examination of Figs. 1 and 3 that the upper surface 53 of the hook portions 5| secured at opposite ends of rail 45 extend above the upper edge of such upper rail 45. The same is true of the lower surface of hook portions 5| securedat opposite ends of lowerrail Thus, when rail .46- occupies the lowermost position, garments passing over the lower edge thereof will be nevertheless held in spaced relation to horizontal partition 31. Each garment-supporting frame 44 is supported at its upper end on a track 56 which is mounted in spaced relation to the inner surface of side wall I I and side wall I2 by means of brackets 51 and 58. The outer or free end of each track 56 is provided with a hinged extension 59'so that when the trunk is in open position, as shown in Fig. 1, these hinged extensions may move outwardly until they are in alignment with tracks 56,'and thus hanger structures 44 may be moved outwardly beyond the front wall of the trunk. When the trunk is to be closed, however, the hinged extensions 59 are moved inwardly, and are joined together at their free ends by means of cooperating locking elements 60. l

Regardless of the size or weight of the body garment carried on the several frame structures 44, ample support for the same is provided by means of the upper hook portions 5| which are suspended on thetracks 56. In the event that thecombined thickness of the several hanger structures or frames 44, together with the clothes carried thereon, 'is sufficient to completely fill the upper body-garment-carrying section 35 from rear wall I3 to-front hinged cover I6, no support forthe lower terminals of the frame structure is required, since any pendulous movement of such lower endsjs effectively prevented by the opposed walls when the'trunk is closed; In many instances, however, the section will'notbe completely filled, andto prevent any movement whatsoever of the frame structuresand the garments carried thereon, the following novel means are provided for securing the lower end of the outermost frame'structure against forward movement, and when such structure is moved to its maximum rearward position, the remaining structures are all urged rearwardly; V

Such means comprise one or aplurality of bars 63 having offset end portions 64flwhich are se cured to the upper surface of horizontal partition 3'Iadjacent to, but spaced from, each side wall I I and I2, respectively. Thus, the entire length of each bar 63, except for, its terminal portions, is spaced from the upper surface of such partition 31, and the lower surface'of each bar is formed with a plurality of spaced transverse ribs 65. A securing element 61, having an angular extension 68, is provided at its lower end with a substantially T shaped recess 69 which receives-the bar63 in the manner shown in Fig. 6. The element 61 is further provided with a plurality of transverse slots "I0 which receive strap members I I. The detail of each strap member is shown in Fig. 5,'and includes loop portions 12 and I3, loop portion 12 being received in'the cross-piece I4 formed between slots I6. Upper loop 'I3 receives the lower hook'portion 5| in the manner shown in Fig. 1. V

After theseveral garment frames 44 carrying the bodygarments havebeen placed in the upper section, and suchframes supported on tracks 56 in the manner previously described, the outermostframeis moved rearwardly until the successiveframes between outermost frame and rear wan I3 are compressed relatively tightly. Uppermost loop'I3 of the supporting element 61 is then placeduponlower hook portion 5| of the frame and the supporting element moved rearwardly. L During such rearward movementwhen the lowerend of .the T shaped slot-{69 encounters 5, slight pressure from the upper end of the securing element causes the lower end of the element to ride below the transverse rib. When the element is moved to its maximum rearward position, forward movement is prevented by engagement with the opposite side of any given rib 65. One continuous bar 63 may be provided on each side of horizontal partition 31, although it is preferred to form two discontinuous bars, as shown particularly in Fig. 3.

A slightly modified frame or garment-supporting structure 8| is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 7. This structure includes the spaced, horizontal rails 82 and 83 of the first embodiment, as well as the hook portions 84, formed on the ferrules 85. Rail 82 includes a coat-hanger portion 86. In this instance, however, the vertical supports are hinged at their centers to permit the portion of the device having the coat hanger 86 to lie flat, while the coat is being adjusted into position thereon, and the other half of the device may occupy an upright position.

Thus, each vertical support comprises flat bars 88 and 89 formed with generally circular, flat, inner terminal portions 90 and BI, respectively. A pivot pin '93 passes through the centers of the circular terminal portions. Both of these circular portions are of the same size, and it will be apparent that as bar 88 is rotated relative to bar 89, there will be no danger of the garments being caught between the portions and sheared. In order to retain the two bars normally in alignment with each other, a ball detent 94 is received in a recess formed in a plate 95, which plate is held against the outer surface of circular portion 9| by one head of pivot pin 93. A recess 96 is formed on the inner surface of circular portion 90 to receive the ball detent when the bars are in alignment.

The frame or garment-supporting structures of the present invention thus have the advantage of flexibility in use since either end thereof may be placed uppermost, depending upon the length of garment carried, and regardless of which end is up, the upper end always has the inverted hook elements, from whichthe frame is suspended, and the lower hook elements which receive the loop from supporting member 51. This latter member is particularly important since, whereas the several frames are rigidly supported, nothing engages the garments carried thereby. This distinguishes the present invention from the devices of the art wherein a strap extends across the garments and always leaves a wrinkled area.

WhatIclaim is:

1. A wardrobe trunk comprising a generally rectangular housing provided with a plurality of hinged covers, a substantially centrally disposed, horizontal partition secured along its opposed lateral edges and rear longitudinal edge to the adjacent side and rear walls of the housing, imparting rigidity to such walls and dividing the trunk into a lower, clothing-accessory-carrying section, and an upper, body-garment-carrying section, means at the upper ends of the opposed side walls for suspending a body-garment-carrying frame, and means adjacent to the lower portion of the body-garment-carrying section for retaining the lower end of said frames against movement, said means comprising a bar spaced from the upper surface of said partition, and a member removably attached to the lower end of said frame, carried by said bar, and means for securing the movable member in a desired position on the bar.

2. A wardrobe trunk comprising a generally rectangular housing provided with an upper hinged cover and a front hinged cover, a substantially centrally disposed horizontal partition secured along its opposed lateral edges to the adjacent side walls of the housing, imparting rigidity to such walls and dividing the trunk into a lower, clothing-accessory-carrying section, and an upper, body-garment-carrying section, means atthe upper ends of the opposed side walls of the housing for suspending a body-garment-carrying' frame, and means adjacent to the lower portion of the body-garment-carrying section for retaining the lower end of said frames against movement, said means comprising a bar spaced from the upper surface of said partition, a plurality of spaced stop members carried thereby, and a movable retaining member removably attached to the lower end of said frame carried by the bar, one of said stop members engaging the movable member to secure the same in a desired position.

WALLACE H. BRACKEN.

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