Suspension device

A device for suspending an article as a signboard, a clothes hanger, or the like on a horizontally-disposed rope has a shape which cooperates with the rope to permit ready attachment but to prevent inadvertent detachment.

This invention relates to a suspension device for suspension on a rope of 
an article as a signboard, a clothes hanger, or the like, whereby the 
suspension device has been shaped for preventing the suspended article to 
fall down or to blow down. 
When suspension of articles, one has usually effected the suspension by 
using loop-shaped suspension hooks, especially when suspension of such 
articles, which easily and comfortably could be suspended or be taken down 
from a rope. That is the case for conventional clothes hanger, which often 
are used for suspension of laundry out to dry. Hereby, it often occurs 
that the clothes hanger leave hold of the suspension rope due to the 
influence of wind, whereby the laundry falls down. That problem is the 
same in several similar connections, for example when suspension of 
posters, advertising bills, information posts, signboards or for example 
when suspension of plates on temporary blocking ropes or the like. 
Therefore, the aim of this invention is to produce a suspension device, 
which permits a fast and comfortable suspension of an article on a rope, 
line or the like and without any risk for the suspended article to blow 
down. 
That aim will be attained in accordance with the invention, if the 
suspension device--which includes a middle portion, which is oriented 
essentially perpendicular to the rope, said middle portion has two legs at 
its top end, each leg shaped as a hook, said legs are intended to be 
carried by the ope--is characterized by the fact that the legs have 
portions, which together with said middle portion form upwards and in the 
longitudinal direction of the rope closed spaces through which the rope is 
intended to run, each of said legs has a free end equipped with a head. 
Further, if said heads have a cross-section bigger than the cross-section 
of said legs at their portions adjacent to the rope. 
According to an additional embodiment of the device in accordance with the 
invention are said meddle portion and said legs arranged mainly in the 
same level. By this, one attains on one hand a favourable manufacturing 
and on the other hand an improvement of the safety against a blow down of 
the device.

As it is evident from FIG. 1, the suspension device according to the 
invention is intended for suspension on a rope 1. The suspension device 
includes a middle portion 2, whereby the bottom of said middle portion is 
intended to be fixed to the article, which is to be suspended. Said 
article can for example be represented by a clothes hanger, a signboard, a 
tarpaulin or a cover or something like that. As it is evident from the 
drawings, the top of the middle portion 2 is united to two legs 3, running 
in opposite directions. Each of said legs is shaped as a hook, whereby 
each leg has one downwards directed portion 4, which possibly can run 
parallel with said middle portion 2. Said downwards directed portions 4 
and said legs 3 are provided with heads 5, having bigger cross-sections 
compared with the legs 3, at least concerning the parts of the legs 
adjacent to the rope 1. According to a suitable embodiment of said heads 
5, they are furnished with blocking surfaces 6, which are arranged 
essentially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and essentially 
perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to said downwards directed 
portions 4 of the legs 3. Further, the middle portion 2 is also furnished 
with two protuberances 7, which are directed in opposite directions and 
each furnished with a blocking surface 8, which is arranged essentially 
perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and perpendicular to the 
longitudinal direction of said middle portion 2. 
If the suspension device is shaped for suspension of a clothes hanger, the 
legs 3 are suitable shaped more continuously and gently bended than is 
shown on the drawings. The distance between the heads 5 and the middle 
portion 2 is suitably so large that the suspension device also can be 
comfortably suspended on a common suspension rod. 
The suspension device according to the invention is used in the following 
manner. When suspension of an article, one can for example first bring the 
middle portion 2 to lie close to the rope 1 and therewith at a point below 
the heads 5. After that the middle portion is conveyed laterally so that 
the rope is bent to a V-shape, seen from above. Then the suspension device 
is lowered in such a way that the rope passes behind the both heads 
simultaneously as the rope slides over the protuberances 7 of the middle 
portion and into the spaces 9, which are limited upwards and laterally on 
one hand by the middle portion and on the other hand by the legs. As soon 
as the rope 1 has passed the heads 5 and the protuberances 7, the 
laterally directed force against the rope by means of the middle portion 
is discontinued. Hereby, the rope will slide along the top of the middle 
portion and the top of said downwards directed portions 4 of the legs, 
whereby the rope takes the position as shown in FIG. 1. In that position, 
the rope runs behind the both legs 3 but in front of the middle portion 2. 
Hereby, the weight of the middle portion 2 will cause a stretching force 
in the rope. Said force will be greater the greater the weight is. This 
causes a proportional contacting force between the rope and one of the 
side surfaces of the legs 3 and the opposite side surface of the middle 
portion 2. 
In practical and where the suspension device is for example placed to a 
clothes hanger, which is suspended on a rope for laundry out to dry, the 
influence of the wind can not cause the suspension device to release from 
the rope. Certainly, the clothes hanger can turn round the longitudinal 
direction of the rope, but on the other hand the clothes hanger can not 
turn round the longitudinal direction dictated by the middle portion 2. 
Further, one also prevent a turning round an axis, which is perpendicular 
to both the longitudinal direction of the middle portion 2 and the 
longitudinal direction of the rope 1, as the blocking surfaces 6 and 8 
will engage the rope 1, whereby the rope is prevented passing said 
blocking surfaces 6 and 8 because of the increased contacting forces 
sideways on one hand between the rope and the middle portion and on the 
other the rope and the legs, which increased forces are causes by the 
wind. 
In FIGS. 3 and 4 is shown an alternatively embodiment of the device in 
accordance with the invention, which device on one hand can be used as a 
suspension device as described above and on the other hand can be 
advantageously used instead of conventional clothes pegs. As it is evident 
from the drawing, this embodiment shows also legs 3, which are located in 
the same level and which are united to a middle portion 2. Further, the 
legs 3 show downwards directed portions 4, which at the bottom end are 
furnished with heads 5. The limit passing area between the heads 5 and the 
legs 4 is shaped as blocking surfaces 6, which can be more or less shaped 
as a step or drop compared with the legs 3, which are shaped as a sheet, 
as it is evident from FIG. 4. This embodiments shows also that the top 
part of the middle portion 2 can be shaped with essentially the same 
thickness as the legs 3. 
The spaces 9, which are contemplated to receive the rope 1, are shaped in 
some different way than the case according to the embodiments in 
accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, the spaces 9 are partly closed 
downwards, i.e. in the direction towards the heads 5 and therewith by the 
fact that said heads extend in the direction towards the middle portion 2 
of the suspension device. Owing to this shape of the spaces 9 and the 
heads 5 is obtained a further improvement of the holding force when the 
device is suspended on a rope. The rope is intended to run for example 
behind the both legs 3 through the spaces 9 and in front of the top of the 
middle portion 2. 
The suspension device according to FIGS. 3 and 4 is also functioning with 
advantage as a replacement device for a conventional clothes peg. Hereby, 
the laundry or the clothes are suspended on a rope and turned round the 
rope before the suspension device is applied to the rope and the laundry 
or the clothes, whereby the rope is enclosed by the laundry or the 
clothes. 
It is not necessary to shape the blocking surfaces 6 and 8 as described 
above. Instead and with particular reference to the embodiments according 
to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be advantageously to shape the top of the 
suspension device with a more gentle configuration and shape said top 
portion so the portion more continuously passes into the heads 5 and 
protuberances 7. Such a shape can be advantageous to make the detatching 
easier of the suspension device, especially when the rope is stretched 
tight. 
The suspension device according to this invention as the clothes-peg are of 
a one-piece moulded plastic construction having a central portion (2) and 
a pair of substantially co-planar leg (3) portions, which project from the 
central portion in opposite directions, whereby the device or clothes-peg 
can in use be engaged with a clothes-line in such manner that one side of 
said line engages the two legs portions and the opposite side of the line 
engages the central portion. 
Without exceeding the scope of the concept of the invention, modifications 
may be made to the suspension device shown and described. Thus, it is 
possible to vary the shape of the legs 3 as long as there are spaces 
between the legs and the middle portion and which spaces have openings 
downwards and are closed upwards and in the longitudinal direction of the 
rope 1. Further, the head of the middle portion 2 can of course be placed 
almost anywhere along said closed spaces 9 if there only exists a 
sufficient space for the rope above the protuberances 7. There can also be 
arranged on the middle portion and also on said downwards directed 
portions 4 of the legs 3 several protuberances arranged in a row. It is 
also possible to shape the suspension device asymmetrically by for example 
replace said heads 5 with short, bended portions, which longitudinal 
directions are essentially perpendicular to the level of the drawings 
(FIG. 1). Therefore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments 
shown, but only by the following patent claims.