Over the door brackets

An over the door bracket for being hung over a door having a top portion, a first side and a second side. The bracket includes a door connecting member for being placed on top of the door, a generally tubular member extending from the door connecting member, and a clothing support attaching member for securing a clothing support to the bracket. The generally tubular member has a frontward facing surface and a rearward facing surface. A first connecting end is connected to the door connecting member and a second connecting end is disposed at the opposite end of the first connecting end. The frontward facing surface is adjacent to the second side of the door when the door connecting member is placed on top of the door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 This invention relates to clothing brackets, and in particular to an over
 the door bracket system for hanging clothes and the like.
 2. Description of the Prior Art
 Over the door brackets are known in the art. However, these over the door
 brackets usually have vertical members that extend down the door and are
 generally flat. These flat members make it difficult to install and remove
 the over the door bracket without causing damage to the door because the
 edges may dig into the door and mar the surface or chip off paint.
 Further, the use of flat members makes it difficult to attach a clothing
 support member to the brackets without removing the bracket from the door
 because the bracket is flat against the door.
 It is known to plate a bracket with a plating material such as chrome to
 make it less abrasive to surfaces with which the bracket will make
 contact, and to make the bracket more attractive. In most cases, the
 chrome plating is not be applied uniformly and the bracket will be
 subjected to a discontinuous coating, making the bracket susceptible to
 rust.
 The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing an
 over the door bracket with a tubular vertical member that has oppositely
 facing tapered ends. The over the door bracket includes a drainage hole to
 ensure uniform application of the chrome during plating.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an
 over the door bracket is provided for being hung on a door, the bracket
 having a top portion, a forward side adjacent the surface of the door, and
 a rearward side facing away from the door's surface. The bracket includes
 a door connecting member that is adapted to be hung on the top of the
 door. The bracket also includes a generally tubular member extending from
 the door connecting member. The generally tubular member has a frontward
 facing surface and a rearward facing surface. A first connecting end of
 the tubular member is connected to the door connecting member and a second
 connecting end is disposed at the opposite end of the tubular member.
 Clothing support attaching means is provided at the second connecting end
 for being to a clothing support member, such as a hook or knob holder
 provided for hanging clothing, hangers and other items.
 The bracket preferably includes a generally inverted U-shaped member
 adapted to be placed over the door, having three sides which meet at right
 angles. The U-shaped member includes a generally flat middle portion
 having a length slightly larger than the thickness of a door with which
 the bracket will be used, a first generally flat portion extending
 transversely from one end of the middle portion, and a second generally
 flat portion extending transversely from the other end of the middle
 portion. The generally flat middle portion can be placed against the top
 of the door, the first generally flat portion can be placed against one
 side of the door, and the second generally flat portion can be placed
 against the opposite side of the door. A generally tubular member extends
 from the second generally flat portion. The generally tubular member has a
 frontward facing surface, and a rearward facing surface. The frontward
 facing surface is engagable with one side of the door when the U-shaped
 member is placed over the door. Clothing support attaching means is
 provided for securing a clothing support member to the bracket.
 In another preferred aspect of the present invention, a clothing bracket
 system is provided for being attached to a door. The system includes at
 least two over the door brackets. The system can also include clothing
 support attachment means as described with the first embodiment.
 An object of the invention is to provide an over the door bracket that is
 less likely to damage doors during installation and use than prior over
 the door brackets.
 Another object of the invention is to provide an over the door bracket that
 is easy to attach and remove from a door.
 Another object of the invention is to provide an over the door bracket that
 allows for easy installation and interchangeability of clothing support
 members.
 Yet another object of the invention is an over the door bracket that can be
 uniformly coated with protective and attractive plating.
 It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an over the door
 metal bracket that is resistant to rust.
 It is a further object of the invention to provide a clothing bracket that
 is sturdy, easy to manufacture, install and remove having the foregoing
 stated objects.
 These and other objects will become apparent from the following description
 of a preferred embodiment taken together with the accompanying drawings
 and the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of
 illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention only, and not for
 the purpose of limiting the same, FIGS. 1-3 show a preferred over the door
 bracket 2 having a generally U-shaped door connecting member 4. Generally
 U-shaped door connecting member 4 includes a generally flat middle portion
 6, and two generally flat transverse portions 8 and 10, each extending
 generally perpendicularly from opposite ends of generally flat middle
 portion 6 and being generally oppositely disposed and parallel to each
 other. Portion 8 will be referred to as the first generally flat portion,
 and portion 10 will be referred to as the second generally flat portion.
 Connecting member 4 is adapted to be placed over the top of a door, such
 as in a closet or bedroom. The connecting member 4 includes apertures 26
 and 28 for optionally receiving an attaching member such as a screw for
 securing bracket 2 to the door. The screws should be countersunk and holes
 26 and 28 beveled so as not to increase the height or width of the door on
 which bracket 2 is mounted which could obstruct the door during opening
 and closing. Generally flat portion 6 will lie against the top of the door
 when connecting member 4 is placed over the door. Further, first and
 second generally flat portions 8 and 10 lie against the front and rear
 portions of the door, respectively, when connecting member 4 is placed
 over the door.
 A tubular member 12 is an extension of second generally flat 10 portion
 tubular member or pipe 12 has a first connecting end 14 connected to
 second generally flat 10 portion, and a second connecting end 16 connected
 to a clothing support attaching member 24. Tubular member 12 has a
 frontward facing surface 18 and a rearward facing surface 20. Frontward
 facing surface 18 would be adjacent to the rear or front of the door when
 connecting member 4 is placed over the door. The rounded frontward facing
 surface 18 ensures that the door is not scratched to avoid marring of the
 door or chipping of any parts when the bracket is installed or removed.
 Importantly, the first connecting end 14 is tapered from the second
 generally flat portion 10 to its rearward facing surface 20. The second
 connecting end 16 is tapered from its frontward facing surface 18 toward
 the rearward facing surface 20. Clothing support attaching member 24
 extends from the second connecting end 16, so there is a space between
 member 24 and rearward facing surface 18. This unique design allows for
 interchangeability of clothing support brackets without removing bracket 2
 from the door. The unique design also makes it easier to remove the
 brackets from the door without scratching the door. Member 24 includes a
 hole 30 adapted to receive a conventional screw or other attaching member.
 The conventional screw is used in conjunction with a conventional nut to
 releasably secure different clothing supports to one or more door brackets
 2.
 Bracket 2 is preferably made from metal such as an appropriate steel to
 make the bracket sturdy. Bracket 2 is preferably chrome plated to aid in
 its ability to be scratch resistant to doors when being installed and
 removed, as well as to make it more attractive. It was found that by
 providing a drainage hole 32 in second connecting end 16, a virtually
 uniform coating of chrome plating could be applied to bracket 2. Hole 32
 prevents the plating liquid from being trapped in door bracket 2, and
 therefor prevents the liquid from leaking out later. The plating liquid
 can easily drain out of tubular member 12. In addition, the inside of
 member 12 stays dry. Hence, bracket 2 was found to be extremely resistant
 to rusting.
 FIG. 4 shows the use a pair of over the door brackets 2 used in a clothing
 storage system attached to a door D. Door D has a front surface F, a rear
 surface R and a top surface T. Door connecting members 4 are placed over
 the top surface T of door D with tubular member 12 running along rear
 surface R. Door brackets 2 are then affixed to the door by using
 conventional screws or fasteners via apertures 26 and 28. Once brackets 2
 are fixed in place, a clothing support member 34 can be attached to
 clothes support attaching member 34 through holes 40 and 30 via a
 conventional screw or nut and bolt arrangement. In this particular
 embodiment, clothes support member 34 includes a top wave-like surface 36
 and a bottom wave-like surface 38. This shape not only makes it easier to
 hold during the attachment supporting member 34 to brackets 2, but also
 provides an aesthetically pleasing clothing support member. Clothing
 support member 34 also includes a plurality of knobs 42 for hanging
 clothes or other articles of this type.
 Knobs 42 could be replaced by other storage devices such as hooks, clips,
 resilient arms or the like. Although the apparatus has been described for
 hanging clothing, it could be adopted for storing many other types of
 articles, such as tools.
 The foregoing description is a specific embodiment of the present
 invention. It should be appreciated that this embodiment is described for
 purposes of illustration only, and that numerous alterations and
 modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art without
 departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that
 all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as they come
 within the scope of the invention as claimed or the equivalents thereof.