Abstract:
Clothes hanger structure comprising two arms, designed to provide a support for a garment, and a hook provided with a stem fixed at the center line of the hanger. The stem is provided with a portion that can engage to a variable depth in a seat provided at the centre line of the structure, thus permitting at least two fixing positions, one extended and one retracted. This structure permits use of the clothes hanger both during manufacture of the garment and in the domestic environment.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present invention concerns a clothes hanger structure with variable-height hook. 
   In the mass production of clothing, particularly sleeve units such as jackets and similar, the garments are moved along production and storage lines hanging on clothes hangers. For this purpose, the clothes hangers must have dimensional characteristics compatible with the production lines. Said dimensional characteristics can be different from those of the clothes hangers used in commercial distribution units or in the domestic environment, chiefly as regards the hook or upper element of the clothes hanger. 
   In particular, the clothes hangers used in industrial clothing production require a longer hook. Between the clothes hanger hanging point and the base of the hook, corresponding to the area where the garment rests, there must be a sufficient distance to permit accommodation in the production line for performance of the necessary work processes and movement along the conveying and storage lines. Said distance is usually greater than the distance between the hanging point and the base of the hook typical of clothes hangers for commercial or domestic use. In this case, the requirements as regards the height of the hook are the opposite as the end user does not want clothes hangers with hooks that are too long which may not be suited to the restricted space of domestic wardrobes. 
   For the clothing industry this means that clothes hangers with long suspension hooks have to be used during the industrial production and storage phases and then replaced with clothes hangers with short hooks before shipment of the garments to the distribution units and then to the end user. Obviously this constitutes an additional cost for the clothing industry. 
   The present invention aims to eliminate the cost associated with replacing clothes hangers between the clothing production and storage phase and the distribution phase, providing a clothes hanger structure which, in one single product, can meet the needs of both the clothing industry and those of commercial distribution and the end user. 
   This aim is achieved by means of a clothes hanger structure comprising two arms designed to provide a support for a garment and hanging means fixed to said arms, characterised in that said hanging means comprises a stem fixed in a corresponding seat of said structure, said seat being provided with means of engagement of at least a portion of said stem, thus permitting at least two fixing positions, one extended and one retracted. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, provided as an illustrative non-restrictive example, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a half-shell of a clothes hanger structure according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  are partial views of the clothes hanger structure of  FIG. 1  in two different operating configurations; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded partial view of a half-shell of a clothes hanger structure according to a second embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded partial view of a half-shell of a clothes hanger structure according to a third embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view along line VI–VI of  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a view of the embodiment of  FIG. 4  in an operating configuration; and 
       FIG. 8  is a view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5  in an operating configuration. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   With reference to  FIG. 1 , a half-shell of the clothes hanger structure  10  according to a first embodiment of the invention comprises two arms  12 ,  12 ′ that extend symmetrically from a centre line  14 . A hanging means consisting of a hook  16  provided with a stem  18 , shown in a form not assembled to the rest of the structure, is designed to be inserted and fixed to the structure  10  in a corresponding seat constituted by a vertical dead hole  20  provided at the centre line  14 . At least the wall  22  of the dead hole  20  is made of a material with a certain flexibility, for example plastic material. The wall  22  is provided with toroidal cavities  24 ,  26 , one upper and one lower, that constitute the housings for an expansion  28  provided in the stem  18  of the hook  16 . The hole  20  has a diameter slightly smaller that that of the expansion  28  so that the stem  18  of the hook and the related expansion  28  can be inserted and can slide in the hole  20  when pressed down. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , when pressed down, the expansion  28  of the stem  18  slides inside the hole  20  until it locates in the upper toroidal cavity  24 , thus defining a first fixing position of the hook in which a large portion of the stem extends above the arms  12 , 12 ′. This position determines a maximum distance between the hook  16  and the base of stem  18 , and therefore the area where the garment rests on the clothes hanger. This position corresponds to the required configuration of the clothes hanger during manufacture of the garment, as it is suitable for processing of the garment in the production lines. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates the retracted fixing position of the hook, obtained by applying a further downward pressure on the hook. This further pressure disengages the expansion  28  from the upper cavity  24 , causes it to slide along the final part of the hole until it locates in the lower toroidal cavity  26 . In said second fixing position, the outer stem of the hook is shortened, thus providing the required configuration of the clothes hanger for use in commercial distribution units or by the end user. The stem  18  of the hook is prevented from sliding out of the hole  20 , or can slide out only when a considerable force is applied, by the a tooth  30 ,  32  formed on the upper edge of the toroidal cavities  24 ,  26 , which resists disengagement of the expansion  28  when pulled upwards. 
   In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the seat for stem  18  is formed by a plurality of slightly flexible first wings  40 ,  40 ′ provided at the two sides of the centre line  14  of the clothes hanger, at substantially the same distance from said line. First wings  40  and  40 ′ slant downwards and their lower tips are spaced apart from the centre line of a distance slightly less than the diameter of the lower portion  28 ′ of stem  18  of hook  16  (not shown). Preferably, the two rows of first wings  40  and  40 ′ are offset with respect to the centre line. An additional couple of small wings  43 ,  43 ′, located above wings  40 ,  40 ′ and oriented perpendicular with respect to the centre line  14 , is also provided. Portion  28 ′ of stem  18  is preferably provided with screw threads or expansions, so that by pushing down stem  18  as shown by arrow A, portion  28 ′ is forced to engage wings  43 ,  43 ′,  40  and  40 ′, and is thereby fixed to the hanger structure. A vertical rib  42  is provided at the centre line of the hanger structure, constituting an additional element of engagement of stem  18 , and thereby contributing to fix stem  18  with respect to a vertical movement. A bottom wall  44  provides an abutting end for portion  28 ′ when stem  18  is fully inserted in the hanger structure, namely when the hanging means is in the retracted position of the hanger structure. The extended position of the hanging means of the invention is obtained when stem  18  is inserted between first wings  40 ,  40 ′ but lower portion  28 ′ does not abut against bottom  44 . This configuration is shown in  FIG. 7 , from which it appears that wings  40 ,  40 ′ keep stem  18  in a fixed position by acting on the threads of portion  28 ′, which prevent stem  18  from sliding out of the clothes hanger structure, unless a strong pulling force is exerted to disengage portion  28 ′ from wings  40 ,  40 ′. 
   In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , the seat for stem  18  is formed by first wings  40 ,  40 ′, the two small wings  43 ,  43 ′, and by second wings  45 ,  45 ′, all provided at the two sides of the centre line  14  of the clothes hanger. Second wings  45 ,  45 ′ are located below first wings  40 ,  40 ′ with respect to the direction of arrow A, and are preferably taller than first wings  40 ,  40 ′, as shown in the sectional view of  FIG. 6 . To increase the flexibility of second wings  45 ,  45 ′, holes  50  are provided at the base of second wing  45 ,  45 ′, preferably below their inner tip. A vertical rib  42  and a bottom wall  44  are also provided, as described in connection to  FIG. 4 . 
   It is understood that  FIG. 5 , as well as  FIGS. 1-4 , illustrates a half-shell of a clothes hanger structure according to the invention, the whole hanger being obtained by coupling two corresponding half-shells and fixing them one onto the other by known means. In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , whilst first wings  40 ,  40 ′ are provided in each of the two half-shells forming the clothes hanger, second wings  45 ,  45 ′ are provided in one half-shell only, thanks to the fact that they are tall enough to exert a sufficient gripping force on stem  18 . Holes  50  at the base of wings  45 ,  45 ′ assist in imparting a desired degree of flexibility to wings  45 ,  45 ′, despite their bigger size.  FIG. 8  shows the retracted configuration of the hanging means in the embodiment of  FIG. 5 . In such configuration, portion  28 ′ of stem  18  abuts on bottom wall  44  of the clothes hanger, and second wings  45 ,  45 ′ engage the threads or expansions of portion  28 ′, thus keeping stem  18  fixed and preventing that it slides out of the hanger structure, unless a pulling force sufficient to disengage it is exerted. 
   It is apparent that the above-described structure can be provided with more than one hanging hook  16 , for example two hooks, particularly if the two arms  12 ,  12 ′ are horizontal and aligned on the same axis. In this case, each hook will be provided with a stem that can be fixed at a variable depth to the structure, as described previously in relation to the embodiments in which the hanging means consists of one single hook. The clothes hanger structure according to the present model is preferably made entirely of plastic or in any case a flexible material. In this case the wall  22  of the hole  20  is made of the same material as the material constituting the rest of the structure. Hook  16  and stem  18  are preferably made of a rigid material, such as metal.