Hanger for suspenders with trouser waistband snaps

A hanger is comprised of an elongate, one-piece body of plastic material, the hanger having a hook portion, a logo display portion, a main body portion having arms extending oppositely, horizontally therefrom to respective free ends for receipt of closed suspender snaps, and a retention member. A fold line segment is defined in the body below the main body portion and a flap member is defined in the body below the fold line segment. The retention member and the flap member have interfitting securement parts and define a sidewardly open, horizontal slot therebetween.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to hangers for the hanging of suspenders 
and pertains more particularly to hangers for the hanging of suspenders of 
the type having snaps adapted to receive and retentively close upon a 
trouser waistband. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,714,156 and 4,718,546 address the 
hanging of suspenders of the type having straps with slots therein for 
receiving buttons disposed interiorly on a trouser waistband. Another type 
of suspenders is quite widespread use and useful with trousers not having 
suspender-receiving buttons on its waistband. That suspenders type has 
straps equipped with snaps adapted to receive and retentively close upon 
the waistband of trousers. 
A hanger for the hanging of suspenders of the snap variety is shown in 
commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,440, which notes a problem attending 
such suspenders, namely, that the snaps need be closed at the point of 
manufacture, to avoid entanglement of the snaps with one another during 
shipment. The '440 patent provides a hanger adapted to receive suspenders 
with the snaps thereof in closed state and the hanger may be applied to 
the suspenders either at the point of manufacture and shipment. 
A disadvantage of the '440 patent hanger lies in its solution to the 
above-described problem, i.e., suspenders may be readily removed from the 
hanger, giving rise to possible fraud by purchasers shifting more 
expensive suspenders to hangers bearing less expensive price indication. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention has as its primary object the provision of hangers 
for the hanging of snap-type suspenders in snap-closed condition but 
nonetheless providing anti-fraud facility. 
In attaining the foregoing and other objects, the invention provides a 
hanger comprised of an elongate, one-piece body of plastic material, the 
hanger having a hook portion, a logo display portion, a main body portion 
having arms extending oppositely, horizontally therefrom to respective 
free ends for receipt of closed suspender snaps, and a retention member. A 
fold line segment is defined in the body below the main body portion and a 
flap member is defined in the body below the fold line segment. The 
retention member and the flap member have interfitting securement parts 
and define a sidewardly open, horizontal slot therebetween. 
In use of the hanger of the invention, a suspenders is applied to the 
hanger by inserting the main body portion arms through the closed snaps of 
the suspenders. The suspender straps are then inserted into the horizontal 
slot and the flap member is then folded about the fold line segment into 
registry with the retention member and the securement parts thereof are 
interfit. The securement parts are of a type which, once interfit, cannot 
be opened without cutting and disfiguring the hanger. 
The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will be 
further understood from the following detailed description of preferred 
embodiments thereof and from the drawings wherein like reference numerals 
identify like parts throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND PRACTICES 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, hanger 10 of the present invention is comprised 
of an elongate, one-piece body of plastic material, the hanger having a 
hook portion 12, a logo display portion 14 and a main body portion 16. 
Main body portion 16 includes arms 18 and 20 extending oppositely, 
horizontally therefrom to respective free ends 18a and 20a. As 
illustrated, arms 18 and 20 have free spaces thereabove and therebelow, 
such that closed suspender snaps are readily receivable by insertion of 
the arms through the closed snaps, as discussed more particularly 
hereinafter. 
Downwardly of arms 18 and 20, main body portion 16 defines retention member 
22, which extends horizontally beyond the lateral extremities of arms 18 
and 20 and which includes retention or securement structures 24, 26 and 
28, also discussed more particularly hereinafter. 
Downwardly of retention member 22, hanger 10 includes fold line segment 30, 
which has a lessened thickness than adjacent hanger extents. 
Flap member 32 is defined in hanger 10 body below fold line segment 30 and 
has retention or securement structures 34, 36 and 38, also discussed more 
particularly hereinafter. 
Turning to FIGS. 3 and 4, hanger 10 is shown in assembly with suspenders 
40, having snaps 42a, 42b and 44a, 44b and straps 46 and 48 associated 
therewith. In reaching the assembly of FIGS. 3 and 4, suspenders 40 is 
applied to hanger 10 initially by inserting main body portion arms 18 and 
20 through the closed snaps 42a, 42b and 44a, 44b thereof. Straps 46 and 
48 are now dressed into slot 50 (FIG. 1), which has open margin 50a, and 
extends horizontally to a closed end defined by fold line segment 30. At 
this juncture, flap member 32 is folded about fold line segment 30, into 
registry with retention member 22 and the securement parts thereof are 
interfit. 
Turning to FIG. 5, the rightward portion thereof depicts hanger 10 in part 
and in section. Main body portion 16 is of thickness D1. Securement part 
28 has thickness D2, greater than D1, and defines a passage 28a 
therethrough, upwardly bounded by horizontal surface 28b and downwardly 
bounded by surface 28c, which is at an acute angle to surface 28b. Passage 
28a has rightward height D4 and leftward height D5. 
The leftward portion of FIG. 5 depicts hanger projection 38, having locking 
member 52 and shaft 54, the latter being of thickness D3 and the former 
being of extent D6. Projection 38 has horizontal surface 38a, vertical 
surface 38b and surface 38c, which is at an acute angle to surface 38a. 
Locking member 52 is configured to be insertable in passage 28a upon 
folding of flap segment 32 about fold line segment 30 to retentively 
retain the flap member in folded condition. 
FIG. 6 depicts projection 38 in the course of insertion in passage 28a and 
FIG. 7 depicts the completed phase of insertion. 
In reaching the FIG. 7 assembly, projection 38 is inserted into passage 28a 
and forced therethrough. In an initial phase of assembly, as shown in FIG. 
6, the complemental configuration of the projection and the passage 
permits ready, friction-free insertion. Thereafter, the remnant of the 
projection, i.e., that portion thereof outwardly of the passage (of 
measure D6-D2) is wedged into the passage. In the course of wedging, 
retention part 28 expands to facilitate projection entry since it is not 
bounded by hanger material at its upper and lower limits 28d-1 and 28d-2. 
Various changes to the particularly disclosed embodiment and practices may 
evidently be introduced without departing from the invention. By way of 
example, the illustrated latching structure is used for applications in 
which high security is desired and may be replaced with other latching 
structure in other applications. Accordingly, it is to be appreciated that 
the particularly discussed and depicted preferred embodiments and 
practices of the invention are intended in an illustrative and not in a 
limiting sense. The true spirit and scope of the invention are set forth 
in the ensuing claims.