US2518098A - Garment hanger - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 8, 1950 H. J. THRUSH 2,518,098

GARMENT HANGER Filed NOV. 8, 1947 2 Sheets- -Sheet 1 H. J. THRUSH GARMENT HANGER Aug. 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1947 Patented Aug. 8, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT HANGER Harold J. Thrush, Gary, Ind. Application November 8, 1947, Serial No. 784,893

6 Claims. (Cl. 223-96) The present invention relates generally to garment hangers and in particular to an improved garment hanger which is adapted to hold several garments at one time and in such manner that one garment can be removed without removing ordisturbing any of the other garments on the hanger.

Conventional hangers for holding men's trousers or pants and women's skirt are designed for a single garment. Such hangers frequently comprise a pair. of arms or bars and a device for causing the arms or bars to be brought together so as firmly to clamp or grasp the garment between their adjacent. faces. The clamping arms are secured to a hook so that the hanger can be hung upon a clothes rod or some such similar support. Another type of hanger comprises a bar to which is secured a pair of spring type clips which may be opened so as removably to receive andhold a pair of trousers or a skirt. These prior art hangers are common and well known and have received commercial acceptance, but they have certain disadvantages which the hanger of the present invention overcomes.

Frequently a person finds it necessary to hang two garments or more on the same hanger, particularly when he has not enough hangers or insuflicient space on the clothes rod prevents the use of two hangers.- In such cases two or three garments are hung from between the clamping arms or bars or from the clips. Since these prior art clothes hangers are adapted to hold but a single garment, it not infrequently happens, particularly when the garments are of heavy weight or comprise several folds of cloth, that the normal capacity of the hanger is exceeded and the means fOr applying the clamping pressure has insuflicient force to maintain the clamping action. Then all of the garments fall to the floor, becoming soiled and mussed. Furthermore, when a single capacity garment hanger of the prior art type is used for holding twogarments such as two pairs of trousers or two skirts, in order to remove one of the two garments it is necessary to remove both and then replace the one which is not desired. v

Another disadvantage attendant upon use of hangers of single garment capacity is that when a number of garments are hung from a clothes rod, one from eachhanger, the space that the hangers occupy is considerably greater than the space which would be taken up by the garments alone. This is due to the construction of the hangers whereby the trousers or skirt is grasped between a pair of bars, and consequently th space 2 which is occupied by the garment is increased by the additional space requirement of the hanger itself.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the pres,- ent invention to provide a garment hanger from which a plurality of garments may be hung and which overcomes all of the disadvantages attendant upon the single garment capacity hangers of the prior art. 7

It is a further object to provide an improved garment hanger having means for securing a plurality of garments in hanging position so that each garment can be removed without the necessity of removing or disturbing any other garment,

It is a further object to provide an improved garment hanger from which a multiplicity of garments can be hung so that each garment is sup-, ported independently of the other garments and all of the garments hang so that none of them become mussed, soiled or wrinkled.

Still another object is to-provide an improved garment hanger for the purpose of holding a multiplicity of garments in such a manner that when hung upon a clothes rod the hanger and garments take up less room in the storage space than the garments would if each were hung from a separate hanger.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved multiple capacity garment hanger which is adapted to hold a plurality of men's trousers or womens skirts or a combination of mens trousers and womens skirts and is adapted to accommodate them regardless of the number of thicknesses of cloth or the weight of the cloth from which the garment is made.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved garment hanger which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture.

A still further object is to provide an improved garment hangerthe main body of which may be formed from a single piece of material.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: v

Fig. 1 is a perspective-view of one form of the improved garment hanger of the present invention showing the manner in which the hanger holds a plurality of garments;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, on a slightly enlarged scale, of the garment hanger illustrated in Fig. land may be considered as being taken substantially .along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating another form of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional View of the garment hanger shown in Fig. 3 and may be considered as being taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on a greatly enlarged scale illustrating in .detail :the swivel mountingionsecuring the hook- 'itofthetmainbody of the hanger, and may be considered as being taken substantially along the lines 5-5 of Fig. 3,

looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring primarily to that form of the-invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, referenceechare acter l0 indicates generally the improved hanger of the present invention which is show-n to corn or semi-circular ends 26..and 28. CThe'standard l2.maybe "formed of aSingleJpiece of wire of sufficient diametert'o carr l'the weightiirhic'his to beheld by the hanger andbentf'tothe shape shown in Fig.1. Thesadjacentendsof' the wire are preferably br-azedtoclosethe loop.

Each of' the .clamps Mis formedofe-single piece of wire benttto' theshapeshown mostcleariy in'Fig. 2'. "Thus, each'clamp. comprises-a pair' of arms 30, 32 whichet" one eridzare interconnected by a loop34. .Qpposite' the 100111-34" the termini of the arms 30,32 are d'e-forme'd at 38"to-a knob or ball. shape so' thatthe. free ends of the'arms '30 and 32' do not .present sharp edges "which-could catch' upon oritear' the garments. "Furthermore, theseknobs give 'anattractive' ppearance to-the hanger.

Intermediate their free ends- "and the 1oo -34 the arms and 32 are providedw-it-h oppositely and outwardly formed relativelyshori; curved sections" 38 so' as to provide a space art-approximately the center of each of thec'lamps l Mto accommodatethe- "add itional material' present in the'side seams of'mens' 'trousers. 'Eachof the arms an and 32 converge toward the free ends so that they havea-poi-nt-ofi contact at 4'5 adjacent the=endswhen=no garment is'h'eldb'ythe cl-amp. *The' arms' simila-rly converge toward the loop-34 but are spaced apart' slightly: at' 4'! adjacent the loop. This partici' rlar shape-insures that the free ends of the arms 30, 32 willbe urged toward each-other withenough pressure firmly to hold" the garment. The spaoing at l I is siiffi cient to permit insertion ofithe garment'yet. the clampingpressurefiexerted by the- arms 30, 32 by virtueof the loop Man'ddfists 38-=actss1ifficiehtly uniformlyalong the clamp M to hol d the garment so that it hangs straight down.

Each-clamp l 4 issecured "to -the*stan'dard I? y the arm "30 which is brazed' to the members Hand 24. The arm 30positionedagainst the standard l2 so that'-the-"offsetportioniifl'lies between the-" members 22 and 24,- thus centering the clamp M'relative to the support.

"Theclamps M are arranged so that they are on' alternate sides of the standard i2; that is, so that thetop clamp MA is" on the fai 'side' of the standard [2 (Fig. 1), clamp MB is on the near side, clamp MC is on the far side, and clamp MD is on the near side, giving an alternate arrangement. For clarity of illustration, only a single pair of trousers has been shown by full lines, hung from one of the clamps. However, it will be appreciated that if a pair of trousers is hung from the clamp MC, a pair of trousers hung from the clamp I4Awill overlie theepairihung from thelower rclamp. This visjlikewisetrue of the clamps MD and I 4B. It will be further appre- ':ciated that a pair of trousers, for instance, hung from clamp MB can be removed without dis- "tuibihga pair held by the clamp MA or any of .theothenclamps. It is a relatively easy matter to remove the trousers from the clamp MC even though there' be a pair on the clamp MA and overlying the pair which is being removed. It is clear that any garment which is hung from any one of the four clamps can be removed without removing or "idi'sturbing any "of 'the -other garments. "It. is'iilcewise true that =a-garment may beplaced uponth hangeriiranemptycl'amp without disturbing-any-garment=-already held by the hanger. v

The hook it" by means of -which'the hanger is supported from a clothes rod or other-suitable support is of conventional shape and its lower end projects through a hole- 42 in the-top curved endy28 of the standardlZ. -The"lowerextnen'i ity ofthe'-h'ook IE is upset to form a' head-44 which engages the standard" l2 on the inner side-0'1 the looped end 28. This connection permits swivel linger-"pivoting "the standard I 2" about its vertical axis. Thispivotal mounting is convenient sothat one'side'or'the other of the hanger can be turned to face-a person when a-garment is being-added toror removed fromthe hanger.

' Whilathere is shown in Fig.1 1' ahanger having but "four cl-amps, it *Will -'be-='readil y appra 'ciated that the hanger m'ay" be-made Withtwo or any "number of clamps, the number being limited by practicalexpediency-so that a garment hung from the'lowermost'clamp would be held sufliciently'off therloor' soas 'not t'o be in the way'of shoes or any other 'artiole-ofattire which customarily is'placed upon the floor o'fa closet. It is preferable,- of course, that the hanger be provided with an'even number'oflclampsso that the alternate arrangementcan be carried out completely and the same number officlamp provided upon each side-of the hanger. 1

"In FigsJB to'4 there is illustrated a second form of the invention which is-simi-lar 'i-nits'utility and principle to'the'formshow-n in Figs.'.1and 2 arid in which the standard and the clamping elements are made from a single piece. ots-sheet metal. In this modification the standard &5 is flat and" has its width running parallel to the longitudinal axes of the clamps M. Each of the clamps M (Figsf 3 td 5) comprises a'pair ofverticallyfiat barsor"arms -48 and 5Bf-the arms'fiil having-an innerportion52 and an outerend 54 which are integral with' the standardifi. The

. outer portions and the! freeends of: the bars 48 are provided with diverging ends 55 to1'per- =mit the 1 easy insertion of: agarment-b'etween the bars and 50;

The portions =52 and 54 ofthe inner iarm SU are-formed withi-ntegral connecting'portions 58 'which are bent toward the standard 46 and-are integral" therewith. J'Ihese' portions 58 and the standard 46 are adjacent arr-outward bendtll in the arms 48. This construction provid'esfor a greater -"-spacir-ig*=between the arms M8 and 50 adjacent the center of each of the clamps M to allow: s'ufiicient space for the multiple thick nesses of cloth at the side seams of trousers.

At their closed Or inner ends the arms 48 and 50 are formed with integral loops '52 which are similar to and perform the same functions as the loops 34. Theshape and construction of these clamps provide inherent spring pressure which urges the arms 48 and 5!] toward each other so that a clamping pressure may be exerted on the garment supported by the hanger.

The hanger illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 can be made extremely readily by a simple blanking and bending process comprising comparatively few steps and thus is relativel inexpensive to manufacture.

The upper end of the standard 46 is formed with a closed loop portion 64, integral with the body of the standard 46 (Fig. 5). The loop 64 is pierced at 66 to provide a hole for the insertion of lower end 68 of a hook it, simila to the hook l6 of the embodiment of Fig. 1. The hook it is prevented fro-m sliding freely through the hole 66 by a looped portion '12 which engages within the loop 64. The wire loop 12 pivots freely with in the enclosure 64 and provides a swivel arrangement for the hanger.

From the foregoing description it is clear that there is provided by this invention a garment hanger particularly adapted for mens trousers and womens skirts which attains all of the objects claimed for it in the opening paragraphs of this specification. While there are but two' forms of the invention shown in the drawings and described in the specification, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that other modifications and forms can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is new and claimed by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A garment hanger adapted to hold two or more garments comprising a generally vertically arranged central standard, a plurality of verti-i cally spaced garment clamps secured to the standard, said garment clamps being arranged with vertically adjacent clamps positioned on opposite sides of the standard so that a garment held by a clamp on one side of the standard will have its lower hanging portion overlying the upper portion of a garment hung from a lower clamp on the same side of the standard and so that garments held by clamps on opposite sides of the standard will not overlie each other, and means for removably hanging the standard from a fixed support such as a clothes rod.

2. A garment hanger adapted to hold two or more garments comprising a generally vertically arranged central standard, a plurality of vertically spaced garment clamps supported by the standard, said garment clamps being arranged with vertically adjacent clamps positioned on opposite sides of the standard so that a garment held by a clamp on one side of the standard will have its lower hanging portion overlying the upper portion of a garment hung from a lower clamp on the same side of the standard and so that garments held by clamps on opposite sides of the standard will not overlie each other, and means for removably hanging the standard from a fixed support such as a clothes rod, said means being pivotally secured to the standard so that the latter may be turned about its vertical axis while hung from the fixed support.

3. A garment hanger adapted to hold two or more garments comprising a generally vertically arranged central standard, a plurality of vertically spaced garment clamps supported by and formed integrally with the standard, said garment'clamps being arranged with vertically adjacent clamps positioned' on opposite sides of the standard so'that a garment held by a clamp on one side of the standard will have its lower hanging portion overlying the upper portion of a garment hung from, a lower clamp on the same side of the standard and so that garments held by clamps on opposite sides of the standard will not overlie each other, and means for removably hanging the standard from a fixed support such as a clothes rod.

4. A garment hanger adapted to hold two or more garments comprising a generally vertically arranged standard formed of a wire loop having substantially parallel vertically extending sides, a plurality of vertically spaced garment clamps, each garment clamp comprising a wire member bent back upon itself so as to have a closed end and an open end and a pair of arms, each of said arms being bowed slightly outwardly at approximately its midpoint, each clamp being secured to the standard sides by one arm at points adjacent the two sides of the bowed out portion, said garment clamps being arranged with vertically adjacent clamps positioned on opposite sides of the standard so that a garment held by a clamp on one side of the standard will have its lower hanging portion-overlying the upper portion of a garment hung from a lower c amp on the same side of the standard and so that garments held by clamps on opposite sides of the standard will not overlie each other, and means for removably hanging the standard from a fixed support such as a clothes rod.

5. A garment hanger adapted to hold two or more garments comprising a generally vertically arranged standard formed of a wire loop having substantially parallel vertically extending sides, a plurality of vertically spaced garment clamps, each garment clamp comprising a U-shaped wire member having a closed end and an open end, each clamp being secured to both of the vertically extending sides of the standard, said garment clamps being arranged with vertically adjacent clamps positioned on opposite sides of the standard so that a garment held by a clamp on one side of the standard will have its lower hanging portion overlying the upper portion of a garment hung from a lower clamp on the same side of the standard and so that garments held by clamps on opposite sides of the standard will not overlie each other, and means for removably hanging the standard from a fixed support such as a clothes rod.

6. A garment hanger adapted to hold two or more garments comprising a generally vertically arranged standard formed of a wire element having substantially parallel vertically extending sides, a, plurality of spaced garment clamps, each garment clamp comprising a wire member bent back upon itself so as to have a closed end and an open end and a pair of garment engaging arms, each of said arms being bowed sightly outwardly at approximately its midpoint to accommodate thicker garment portions such as seams, each clamp having one arm secured to both of the vertically extending sides of the standard at points adjacent the two sides of the bowed out portion, said garment clamps being arranged with adjacent clamps positioned on opposite sides of the standard so that a garment held by a clamp on one side of the standard will have its lower 7 8 hanging; portiomloverlymg the uppenfpor-fion of VUNITED STA'I'ES PATENTS a? garment Iwmg iroma, lower clamp aolLQthe same um m side of thestandard -a:nd -so:-1:hatv garm nts h ld 3173130, skinner g mg byt-ciampson opposite: siciles-v of: the standardl wil-l =noti=evenlie eachflothemandmeam ion remev'ably .5 )FORE'IGNZVPA'I'ENTS hang=i11g3-th& standard irom a fixed supporhsuoh Number Country .43 1 aszwelothesfnod. 1119mm -Au'stria. ...u sept. m,;1sso

- HAROLD J.

l REFERENCES crmn 1.0 3 i'rhe? f611owmgrreferencesxarer;of:recnrd :mexh g

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