Abstract:
A garment set hanger is disclosed which is suitable for hanging and displaying a set of matched or coordinated garments together, such as a matched set of children&#39;s garments. The garment set hanger includes a top hanger which is designed to support a top garment such as a dress or a shirt of the matched set of garments. A flexible bottom hanger of the garment set hanger is designed to support and display a matching bottom garment of the matched set of garments, such as underwear designed to be worn as a matched set with the dress, or matching pants designed to be worn as a matched set with a top sports or T shirt. The flexible bottom hanger is designed to be flexed inwardly to allow the bottom garment to be easily placed on and mounted onto the flexed bottom hanger, such as by an elastic waist band, and then the flexed bottom hanger is allowed to expand outwardly to conform to different size bottom garments.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to a garment set hanger, and more particularly pertains to a garment set hanger which is suitable for hanging and displaying together a set of matched garments such as a matched set of children&#39;s garments. The garment set hanger is designed to display the set of matched garments together and to convey to a consumer the impression that the garments are designed to be purchased together as a matched set, and also to make it easier for the consumer to locate the matched set of garments. 
   2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
   It can be appreciated that many garments are designed to be worn and sold as coordinated outfits or sets. For example, a coordinate jacket and pants set, a coordinate jacket and top set, a coordinate short and top set, and other such coordinate combinations as are frequently specifically manufactured to be sold as matched sets. In the sale of such coordinate garment sets, it is desirable to display the garments together to convey to the consumer the impression that the garments are indeed a set to be purchased together. To that end the separate garments may be hung on separate hangers and displayed alongside or next to each other, or the garments may be hung on a single hanger. The drawbacks in such display methods are that in the first example of separate hangers, some frame or support is required to display the separately hung garments together, and in the second example of a single hanger, sharing a single hanger may obscure one of the individual garments that make up the coordinate garment set from display, or make it difficult to mount the coordinate garment set on the single hanger. 
   It can also be appreciated that a further benefit in displaying such coordinate garment sets together, or in displaying garments of a similar style and color together, is that the amount of required display space can be reduced significantly. A still further benefit of displaying such coordinate items together is to make it easier for the consumer to find and purchase such coordinate garment sets. This economy of space and ease of organization may also extend to the transportation and storage of such coordinate garment sets. 
   Moreover, in many cases, each separate garment of the coordinate garment set requires a hanger of a different type, such as a hanger suitable for displaying a blouse used with a hanger capable of supporting a skirt or a pair of slacks. For this purpose, it has long been a practice to utilize hanger structures in which two hangers are ganged together, with a lower hanger being suspended from a top hanger. In other cases, attachments have been designed with the attachment constructed to be temporarily or permanently connected to a supporting hanger. 
   These arrangements have often not been satisfactory because they have normally required the hangers to be of such a design that they do not have utility other than as ganged hangers for simultaneous multiple garment display and transport. Moreover, when hangers of conventional construction have been modified to permit ganging, they have involved either a difficult and complex structure for attaching one garment hanger to the other, or they have not been satisfactory in transportation because the vibration and jostling incident to transportation has frequently caused the hangers to become disconnected, allowing one of the garments to fall to the floor or the bottom of the transport container. This same lack of security of attachment has also been a problem at the point of display unless the hangers are carefully handled. 
   It is also an important requirement that the cost of manufacturing and selling of the hangers be maintained as low as possible to meet the necessities of the garment manufacturing and merchandising field. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a garment set hanger which is suitable for hanging and displaying a set of matched or coordinated garments together, such as a matched set of children&#39;s garments which does not obscure from display either of the individual garments that make up the coordinate garment set, and which is designed to make it easy to mount the coordinate garment set on the single hanger. The garment set hanger includes a top hanger which is designed to support a top garment such as a dress or a shirt of the matched set of garments. A flexible bottom hanger of the garment set hanger is designed to support and display a matching bottom garment of the matched set of garments, such as underwear designed to be worn as a matched set with the dress, or matching pants designed to be worn as a matched set with a top sports or T shirt. The flexible bottom hanger is designed to be flexed inwardly to allow the bottom garment to be easily placed on and mounted onto the flexed bottom hanger, such as by an elastic waist band, and then the flexed bottom hanger is allowed to expand outwardly to conform to different size bottom garments. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention for a garment set hanger may be more readily understood by one skilled in the art with reference being had to the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like elements are designated by identical reference numerals throughout the several views, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of one embodiment of a garment set hanger pursuant to the present invention which includes a top hanger hook, a top garment hanger depending from the top hanger hook, and a bottom garment hanger depending from the top garment hanger. 
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view through the top and bottom garment hangers of  FIG. 1 , taken along sectional arrows  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 , and particularly illustrates details of the construction of the frame members of the top and bottom garment hangers of the garment set hanger. 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view through the left distal end of the bottom garment hanger of the garment set hanger, taken along sectional arrows  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 , and particularly illustrates details of the construction of a garment clip located at each lateral distal end of the bottom garment hanger of the garment set hanger. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of one embodiment of a garment set hanger pursuant to the present invention which includes a top hanger hook  12 , a top garment hanger  14  depending from the top hanger hook and a flexible bottom garment hanger  16  depending from the top garment hanger. 
   The garment set hanger includes a top centrally located hanger means, such as an inverted U shaped hanger hook  12  or an enlarged knob or a cross member structure designed to engage a slot, by which the garment hanger is suspended when the hanger means engages and hangs from a support such as a clothes rack. The top centrally located inverted U shaped hanger hook might or might not incorporate a releasable indicator tag to indicate to a consumer a size or other descriptive detail of a garment attached to a neck portion by an attachment means  18  or to a top portion of the top hanger hook, or to both the neck and top portions. 
   The hanger hook has a general I-beam construction wherein the hanger hook is provided with an enlarged thickness T peripheral flange  20  extending entirely around the outermost edge of the hanger hook, with opposite peripheral side flanges  20  being connected by a reduced thickness central web  22 . The peripheral flange also extends around the inner peripheral edge  24  of the attachment means  18  for a releasable size indicator. The flange has an enlarged thickness which is substantially greater than the reduced thickness of the central vertical web of the hanger hook and reinforces the construction strength of the garment hanger hook. 
   The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-3  is designed to receive a releasable indicator at a neck portion between the top hanger hook  12  and the top garment hanger  14  of the garment set hanger. The releasable indicator is attached to a rounded triangular, reduced thickness, indicator receiving portion which terminates near the curved edge flange  24  formed where it joins the peripheral flange  20  around the hanger hook and also around the top hanger  14 . A small triangular locking tab  26  is centrally located in the reduced thickness portion, and has a wedge shaped side profile, increasing in thickness in the direction of insertion of a releasable indicator thereon and terminating at edge  28 , to secure a releasable indicator in place on the reduced thickness portion, the structure and details of which are described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,075. 
   The top hanger  14  is formed integrally with and centrally below the inverted U shaped hanger hook, and is designed to support and display a top garment of the matched set of garments. The top hanger has a central body portion  30  and coplanar left and right downwardly sloping arms  32 , which are symmetrically identical, extending from the central body member in left and right lateral directions. A garment/strap receiving opening and slot  34  is defined in the top of each of the left and right arms as is generally known in the art. 
   A vertically extending and elongated rectangular frame member  36  extends vertically downwardly from the central body portion of the top hanger to the flexible bottom hanger  16  which is centrally suspended below the top hanger and is designed to support a bottom garment of the matched set of garments. 
   The top hanger  14  and the vertical rectangular frame member  36  have a general I beam construction similar to the hanger hook  12  wherein the top hanger body and the rectangular frame member are provided with an enlarged thickness T peripheral flange  20  extending entirely around their outermost edges and also around the garment/strap receiving opening of the hanger body, with opposite peripheral side flanges being connected by a reduced thickness central web  22 . The flange has an enlarged thickness T which is substantially greater than the reduced thickness of the central vertical web which reinforces the construction strengths of the top hanger and the vertical rectangular frame member. 
   The flexible bottom hanger  16  is designed to be able to be flexed inwardly to allow the bottom garment to be easily mounted on the inwardly flexed bottom hanger, after which the flexed bottom hanger is allowed to flex and expand outwardly to conform to the bottom garment while also accommodating different size bottom garments. 
   The flexible bottom hanger  16  comprises a top flexible frame member  38  which is centrally supported beneath the top hanger in an arrangement wherein the peripheral flanges  20  on opposite sides of the vertical frame member  36  curve smoothly into the top flexible frame member at  40 . The top frame member includes a pair of downwardly sloping smoothly curved left and right top flexible frame members  42 , which are symmetrically identical, extending in opposite lateral directions from a generally horizontal central portion  44 . 
   Garment retainer clips  46  are mounted on top of the distal ends  48  of the left and right top flexible frame members of the flexible bottom hanger, and are symmetrically identical. Two outwardly and upwardly facing pincers  50  are formed on an enlarged width inner peripheral flange  52  extending along the outer upper edge of each of the lower ends of the left and right top flexible frame members, and bear against an inwardly and downwardly facing pincer  54  formed in an enlarged width outer peripheral flange  56  extending along an inner edge of a flexible arm of the garment retainer clip  46  to secure a garment therebetween. 
   A central flange  58  is mounted on the bottom of the distal half of each of the left and right frame members of the top flexible frame member to form with the inner peripheral flange  52  a T shaped structure, generally opposite to the garment retaining clip  46 . The central flange  58  extends for approximately half the length of the top flexible frame member to the distal end  48  of each top frame member, such that the top flexible frame member flexes mainly along the proximal half of the frame member which is not reinforced by the central flange. The width of the central flange is widest at the location at which the garment retainer clip  46  is secured to the top of the top frame member and narrows as it proceeds upwardly and inwardly toward the central portion  44  and also narrows as it proceeds downwardly and outwardly toward the distal end  48 . The central flange also extends between the integral joint formation of the distal ends of the top and bottom frame members at distal end  48  to reinforce that integral joint formation. 
   The top frame member  38  defines a rounded rectangular cross section as shown in  FIG. 2  which has a vertical width which decreases gradually as it extends from the central top portion  44  downwardly and outwardly until it reaches the formation of the garment retainer clip  46 , and then extends smoothly and integrally into the enlarged width outer peripheral flange  56  extending around the outer peripheral edge of the garment retainer clip  46 . 
   The flexible bottom hanger  16  further includes a bottom flexible frame member  60  having a curved horizontal central portion  62  and a pair of downwardly sloping, smoothly curved left and right bottom flexible frame members  64  which are symmetrically identical. The left and right lateral distal ends of the left and right bottom flexible frame members are molded integrally with the left and right lateral distal ends of the top flexible frame member to form left and right rounded distal ends  48  which are symmetrically identical. The bottom flexible frame member defines a rounded rectangular cross section with a vertical width which is thickest at the central portion  62  of the bottom flexible frame member and which decreases gradually as it approaches the left and right lateral distal ends  48  at which it is thinnest. The arrangement is such that the central portion of the bottom flexible frame member is sufficiently strong to withstand the flexing while still providing adequate support for a garment being displayed on the bottom garment hanger. 
   The arrangement of the top and bottom frame members  38 ,  60  forms a downwardly facing crescent moon shaped structure. The arrangement is such that when the flexible bottom hanger is flexed inwardly to allow the bottom garment to be mounted thereon, both the top and bottom flexible frame members bow downwardly at their left and right lateral distal ends and become more curved, and the central portion of the bottom flexible frame member bows upwardly and moves nearer to the central portion of the top flexible frame member as indicated by arrow  68 , such that the width of the downwardly facing crescent moon shape is decreased. 
   The lower hanger  16  is designed such that its left and right depending arms are flexible to allow the left and right depending hanger arms to be flexed inwardly towards each other while a garment is being mounted thereon, such as by a waist band of pants, after which the hanger arms flex outwardly to securely and neatly present the mounted garment on the garment hanger. 
     FIG. 2  is a sectional view through the top and bottom garment hangers of  FIG. 1 , taken along sectional arrows  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 , and particularly illustrates details of the construction of the peripheral flange  20 , the central web  22 , and frame members  38 ,  60  of the top and bottom hangers of the garment set hanger.  FIG. 2  shows that the enlarged thickness T of the peripheral flange  20  is equal to the thickness of the frame members  38 ,  60 , to form a uniform thickness garment set hanger. 
     FIG. 3  is a sectional view through the left distal end of the bottom garment hanger of the garment set hanger, taken along sectional arrows  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 , and particularly illustrates details of the construction of the garment retainer clip  46  located at each distal lateral end of the bottom garment hanger of the garment set hanger. 
   The structure and shape of the garment retainer clip provided on the upper distal end of each of the left and right arms of the lower hanger are symmetrically identical. The garment retainer clip  46  is integrally molded with the outer distal end of each top frame member  42  such that it extends approximately parallel to the top frame member at its distal end. 
   Referring in detail to the garment retainer clip  46 , the enlarged width outer peripheral flange  56  formed around the outer peripheral edge of the garment retainer clip extends smoothly upwardly and outwardly from the top frame member  42  at a position spaced approximately one third of the length of the top frame member from its distal lateral end. The flange is the same thickness T as the top frame member and extends smoothly upwardly and outwardly from the top frame member in a first curve at  70  for slightly more than 90 degrees, and then curves back upon itself in a second curve  72  for slightly less than 180 degrees such that the flange then extends downwardly and outwardly approximately parallel to the top frame member while slowly approaching the top frame member along a first length. The flange  56  extends along the first length to a position approximately at the distal end  48  of the lower hanger, and then curves back on itself in a third snub nose curve  74  for slightly less than 180 degrees such that it then extends upwardly and inwardly approximately parallel to the inner peripheral flange  52  of the top frame member for a second length approximately equal to the first length to a distance just short of an inner terminal end  82  of the garment clip  46 . The inwardly and downwardly extending pincer  54  is formed on the enlarged width outer peripheral flange  56  just above the third curve  74 . 
   An enlarged width inner peripheral flange  52  is formed on the outer edge of the central flange  58  of the top flexible frame  42  generally opposite to the garment retainer clip  46  and also around the inner peripheral edge of the garment retainer clip. The flange is the same thickness T as the bottom frame member  64  and extends smoothly upwardly and inwardly from the distal end  48  of the bottom frame member in a first curve at  76 . The outwardly and upwardly extending pincers  50  are formed on the enlarged width flange  52  just above the first curve  76 , on opposite sides of the opposed inwardly and downwardly extended pincer  54 . The flange  52  then extends upwardly and inwardly parallel to the opposed outer peripheral edge flange  56 , and then curves back upon itself in a second curve  78  for slightly more than 180 degrees such that the flange then extends downwardly and outwardly approximately parallel to the outer peripheral edge flange  56  while slowly approaching the outer peripheral edge flange along a first length. The flange  52  extends along the first length, and then curves back on itself in a third curve  80  for slightly less than 180 degrees such that it then extends upwardly and inwardly parallel to the outer peripheral edge flange for a second length approximately equal to the first length to an inner terminal end  82  of the garment clip. 
   A central vertical web  84  extends integrally from the central flange  58  to connect the outer peripheral flange  56  to the inner peripheral flange  52  along the first and second lengths thereof to form an I shape cross section therewith, as shown in FIG.  3 . 
   The arrangement is such that the bottom end of the resilient retainer clip arm can be bent away from the pincers  50  at the distal end of the upper frame while a garment is being inserted into the clip, and thereafter the resilient clip arm retracts toward the upper frame, to resiliently grip the garment between the pincer  54  on the resilient clip arm and the pincers  50  on the distal end of the upper frame. Thereafter, as the bottom hanger is allowed to expand to its unstressed shape, the garment is urged further within the grasp of the garment retainer clip. The pincers  50  and  54  have generally rounded triangular shapes pointed in a direction into the garment retainer clip to facilitate this urging of the garment further within the grasp of the garment retainer clip. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates that the enlarged width inner and outer peripheral edge flanges  52  and  56  and the bottom flexible frame member  64  all have the same thickness T to form a uniform thickness garment set hanger. 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , to maximize strength while using a minimum amount of plastic material, the central hanger hook, the top garment hanger, the elongated vertically extending frame member connecting the top and bottom garment hangers, and portions of the bottom garment hanger are constructed with an I shaped cross section having a first peripheral flange connected by a central vertically extending web to a second opposed peripheral flange. The flange extends completely around the upper central hook and around the inner peripheral portion of the releasable indicator, completely around the top garment hanger including the garment/strap receiving openings therein, and completely around the vertical frame member. The flexible bottom garment hanger and integrally molded retainer clip are designed with a variety of structural shapes including rounded rectangular shaped cross sections, T shaped cross sections and I shaped cross sections. 
   However, in alternative embodiments the different components of the set hanger may be constructed with a curved M-shaped cross-section, an E-shaped cross-section, a C-shaped cross-section, or any suitable cross-section which may improve the strength to weight ratio for particular applications to resist flexing due to the weight of the garments hanging from the set hanger of the present invention and to assist in maintaining the hanger upright when in use. 
   The garment hanger hook, top hanger, flexible bottom hanger and retainer clips are preferably formed as one integrally molded plastic piece from a suitable plastic material as is known in the art. 
   While several embodiments and variations of the present invention for a garment set hanger are described in detail herein, it should be apparent that the disclosure and teachings of the present invention will suggest many alternative designs to those skilled in the art.