Garment display rack

A pair of vertical telescoping members are progressively lockable into any relative position to vary the overall length thereof by special locking hardware mounted on the inner member where it is not visible. The hardware includes a locking member movable in part by inertial forces between a released or unlocking position and a locking position where it forms a one way slip clutch with the inner surface of the outer member which permits the inner member to be raised which then preferably shifts the locking member into a release position. The inner member is moved further up or down to its desired position. Whenever the inner member is released, it is preferred that gravity will cause the inner member to move suddenly downwardly a small distance quickly to cause the locking portion of this member to move to its locking position.

DESCRIPTION 
1. Technical Field 
This invention relates generally to free-standing hangrod systems of the 
type commonly found in the clothing sections of retail, discount and 
wholesale stores. More particularly, the invention relates to the type of 
free-standing garment display rack which generally has one or more 
upstanding elongated, outer tubular members supported from a 
roller-carrying base and a corresponding number of depending elongated, 
hangrod-carrying members telescoping into the upstanding tubular members 
and adjustable in elevation therein. The present invention provides a 
unique means for progressively adjusting the vertical positions of the 
hangrod-carrying members, or any other vertical members, telescoping into 
outer tubular members. In its broadest aspects, the invention therefore is 
applicable to any product having upstanding telescoping members like 
canes, walkers, etc., to be adjusted in elevation, although many specific 
aspects are primarily applicable to free standing garment support racks. 
2. Background Prior Art 
It is most common in the prior art to adjust the elevation of a vertical 
rod extending into an outer tubular member by use of a horizontally 
extending locking pin which can be selectively passed between an aperture 
in the outer tubular member into any one of a number of vertically spaced 
apertures in the inner member. Adjustment is achieved by withdrawing the 
locking pin from the inner member, then adjusting the elevation of the 
inner member to a position where the pin can enter a new aligned aperture 
in the inner member. Such an elevation adjusting means is unattractive and 
therefore undesirable for garment display rack applications. Also, it is 
inconvenient to use because of the limited number of vertical positions of 
adjustment determined by the number of adjusting apertures provided in the 
inner member. Also, such a locking pin is an especially inconvenient 
adjusting means where the hangrod-carrying portion of a garment display 
rack includes a number of secured together depending hangrod-carrying 
members fitting into a number of outer tubular members, where the vertical 
adjustment of all of the depending members must be simultaneously carried 
out. 
Prior to the present invention, there was also developed a means for 
adjustably locking an inner member telescoping within an outer member by 
means including rollers spring-urged outwardly against the inner surface 
of the outer member. An adjusting member extended to the exterior of the 
inner member. Movement imparted to this adjusting member momentarily 
collapsed the position of the rollers so that the inner member could be 
moved to a desired elevation. Release of this adjusting member caused the 
rollers to expand outwardly to make contact against the inner wall of the 
outer member to hold the inner member in its new adjusted position. The 
mechanism involved did not always operate reliably due to the manner in 
which it was constructed. 
The present invention provides a unique reliable arrangement of inner and 
outer vertically oriented telescoping members where the inner member can 
be adjusted in the outer member into almost an infinite number of 
different vertical positions, and preferably with locking hardware which 
is invisible from the exterior of the outer tubular member, so as to be 
especially useful in garment display racks. This unique hardware is also 
useful as a replacement for the spring-urged roller hardware just 
described since it is a much simpler and more reliable design. More 
importantly, this unique hardware permits an adjustment of the telescoping 
members in a manner which does not need to use any manually operable 
members, which is the preferred environment for this unique hardware. 
As will appear, the preferred locking hardware is constructed in a manner 
which can be easily and economically assembled onto the bottom end of the 
inner depending telescoping members, and enables the user to adjust the 
elevation of all the inner members simultaneously quickly and easily. The 
uniqueness of the preferred locking hardware requires that the locking 
hardware and the other elements involved be assembled in a particular 
sequence. Thus, the sequence in which the elements of the invention are 
assembled constitutes a method aspect of the present invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The preferred locking hardware of the invention includes a locking means 
preferably carried on the inside of the bottom end portion of each inner 
member. This locking means is supported preferably for movement in each 
inner member so that at least one end portion thereof is movable to an 
extreme locking position where it lockingly engages with the inner surface 
of the outer tubular member when the inner member is accelerated downwards 
This end of the locking means is also movable by the force of gravity to 
an extreme release position where it is released from engagement with the 
inner surface of the outer tubular member upon upward movement of the 
outer tubular member, so that no locking action can take place. 
When the inner member is moved upwardly, the locking end of the locking 
means moves in a direction where it will assume a release position, where 
it leaves contact with the inner surface of the outer tubular member. The 
inner member may then be moved in an upward or downward direction to any 
desirable position. At any time, when the inner member is released by the 
operator, whether it is the weight, of the inner member is such that 
inertial force will cause it to suddenly move, so that the inertial 
effects will cause the locking end of the locking means to assume its 
locking position. 
In the most preferred form of the invention, the locking means is a narrow, 
elongated angular armature which has a head portion with a slightly 
over-sized hole loosely received by a pin depending from a support member 
anchored in place in the lower end of the inner tubular member. The 
armature member floats on the pin, so that it can rock or pivot and slide 
vertically on the pin. The support member also preferably carries on its 
bottom end a magnet which exerts an upward pulling force on the upper end 
of an opposite tail end portion of the armature, which is made of a magnet 
attracting material. While the invention is operable without the magnet, 
the reliability of its operation is greatly enhanced thereby. 
The tail end of the preferred armature in its locking position angles 
downwardly so that it is forced more tightly into frictional engagement 
with the inner wall of the outer tubular member as the inner member is 
drawn downwardly by the force of gravity. The inner member is preferably 
provided with a portion which engages the top of the head portion of the 
armature, to pivot the armature in a direction which keeps the tail end of 
the armature engaged against the inner wall of the outer tubular member in 
its raised or locked position. The end of the head portion of the armature 
also then preferably makes a similar locking engagement with the inner 
surface of the outer tubular member. 
The inner member is preferably also provided with a portion which, when the 
inner member is moved upward, engages the bottom of the head portion of 
the armature to aid in pivoting the tail end portion of the armature down 
to its release position. The pivoting of the armature then also releases 
the end of the head portion from engagement with the inner surface of the 
outer tubular member. 
Since the locking action takes place at the inner face between one or more 
ends of the armature member carried on the inside of each inner member and 
the inner surface of a wall of the outer member, the locking hardware is 
obscured from view. Therefore, it does not adversely affect the attractive 
appearance of the outer surfaces of the visible portions of the 
telescoping members, which can be plated or otherwise covered with an 
attractive coating applied over a continuous outer surface thereof. Also, 
because of the manner of operation of the invention described above, the 
present invention provides a quick and easy progressive adjustment of one 
or a number of connected inner members telescoping into one or more outer 
tubular members. 
Other details of the preferred support member, armature, pin and magnet 
constituting other specific aspects of the invention will be described in 
the body of the specification. The manner in which these parts are 
sequentially mounted in place in the inner member constitutes a method 
aspect of the invention. 
It should be understood that the exemplary forms of the invention to be 
described can be modified substantially without deviating from the broader 
aspects of the invention. However, the specific, preferred forms of the 
invention constitute specific aspects of the invention. These will become 
apparent upon making reference to the specification to follow, the 
drawings and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED FORMS OF THE INVENTION SHOWN IN THE DRAWINGS 
Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, the adjustable rack thereshown 
comprises a lower roller-carrying base assembly 2A and a upper 
hangrod-carrying assembly 2B which may be formed for the most part from 
finished plated rectangular aluminum tubular stock. The upper assembly has 
three curved hangrods 8, 8', and 8" which occupy different segments of a 
circle and are located at three different elevations providing an 
unusually attractive rack. Garment-supporting hangers with hook necks are 
hung along these hangrods. The ends of each of these hangrods have stop 
shoulders for preventing the hangers from falling off the ends of the 
hangrods. 
Each hangrod is carried on top of a depending tubular member, to be 
referred to as the inner tubular member 7, 7', or 7". The inner tubular 
members 7, 7', and 7" are interconnected by bracing arms 9, 9' and 9" 
which are welded together at the center of the rack and are suitably 
welded or otherwise secured to the inner sides of the inner tubular 
members 7, 7', and 7" before they are finish-plated. The upper assembly 2B 
is assembled to the bottom assembly 2A by inserting the bottom ends of the 
inner tubular members 7, 7', and 7" into the open upper ends of upstanding 
outer tubular members 4, 4', and 4" forming part of the bottom assembly 
2A. The bottom ends of the outer tubular members 4, 4', and 4" are 
interconnected by bracing arms 5, 5', and 5", respectively, which are 
welded together at the center point of the rack and are also welded or 
otherwise suitably connected to the bottom ends of the outer tubular 
members before they are finish plated. The bracing arms 5, 5', and 5" 
carry on the bottom faces thereof rollers 5a, 5a', and 5a", respectively, 
and a center roller 5a'" may be provided at the point where the bracing 
arms 5, 5', and 5" come together at the center of the rack. 
The present invention comprises hardware like that shown in FIG. 9 mounted 
at the bottom ends of each of the inner tubular members 7, 7', and 7". 
This unique hardware permits the simultaneous adjustment of the 
hangrod-carrying assembly 2B by the simple process of raising this 
assembly to any desired elevation. When the upper assembly is released, it 
will drop only a short distance. It is important that the inner tubular 
members 7, 7' and 7" are freely slidable within the outer tubular members 
4, 4', and 4". After only this slight downward movement, the locking 
hardware to be described is moved by inertial effects into its locking 
condition, where the upper assembly 28 will remain in its substantially 
originally adjusted position, having dropped only about a sixteenth of an 
inch in the process. 
It is believed that a rack which operates on the principle just described 
is unique. In the prior art racks of the type having two or more 
hangrod-carrying depending members, in order to be able to adjust the 
elevation of the hangrod-carrying assembly, it was necessary for one 
person first to individually remove locking pins passing through aligned 
apertures in the telescoping members while another person held the 
assembly in place. The person holding the assembly then moved it to a 
desired adjusted position, and the other person then inserted the pins 
into these a pair of aligned apertures in the telescoping members to hold 
the assembly in its adjusted position. The advantages of the present 
invention over this prior method of elevation adjustment is manifestly 
substantial, since only a single person is needed to adjust the elevation 
of the hangrod-carrying members quickly and easily, unlike the prior 
method required to do so. In the prior art telescoping structures 
described previously where outwardly spring urged rollers are mounted in 
each inner tubular member, operation of manually operable members were 
needed to release the rollers from their locking position. 
The unique locking hardware, similar to that shown in FIG. 9 in exploded 
form, is usable in place of this roller hardware and could be operated 
between locking and release positions by such manually operable members. 
However, such manually operable members are not needed. This hardware is 
anchored in the bottom end of each of the inner tubular members 7, 7' and 
7". Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, this hardware includes support member 
10 having a horizontal cross section which permits it to be initially 
inserted into and slidable freely along the interior of an inner tubular 
member 7, 7', or 7" when it is assembled inside this tubular member from 
the top thereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B. The assembly 
procedure will be later described. The support member 10 is anchored in 
place at the bottom end of this tubular member by an anchoring pin 11 
passing through aligned holes 7e--7e in the opposite side walls 7a--7a of 
this inner tubular member and a similar aperture 10e in the support member 
10. The support member 10 has a flat upper end and an irregularly-shaped 
bottom end including a short horizontal end surface 10c having a 
pin-receiving aperture 10f therein. The surface 10c merges with a 
downwardly inclining surface 10d having near the end portion thereof a 
cylindrical magnet-receiving recess 10 g having an axis extending 
perpendicular to the inclined surface 10c so that the end face of a magnet 
to be supported therein will be generally parallel to the inclined surface 
10c. 
A cylindrical magnet 15 is friction-fitted or otherwise anchored within the 
recess 10g and the pin 14 is anchored in the aperture 10f with the pin 
depending a substantial distance below the surface 10c. The magnet 15 is 
shown projecting only a short distance from the inclined surface 10d. The 
support member 10 is preferably made of a non-magnetic material, such as a 
molded synthetic plastic material. Supported for a floating, rocking and 
sliding movement on the pin 14 is an armature member 16 also sometimes 
referred to as a locking means. This member is made of steel or other 
material which can be attracted toward the magnet 15. The armature has a 
short head portion 16a with a circular aperture 16b through which passes 
the depending pin 14. The pin 14 is also preferably of a cylindrical cross 
section, but of a smaller size than the aperture 16b. 
One of the narrow, vertical end walls 7b of the inner tubular member 7 has 
near its bottom end a lower aperture 7c having an upwardly and inwardly 
extending tab 7e' defining its bottom margin and a downwardly and inwardly 
extending tab 7e defining its upper margin. The other vertical narrow end 
wall 7b has an upper aperture 7c' having an upwardly and inwardly 
extending tab 7d' defining its bottom margin and a downwardly and inwardly 
extending tab 7d defining its upper margin. The head portion 16a of the 
armature 16 is adapted to project through the upper aperture 7c'. 
The head portion 16a of the armature confronts the flat surface 10c at the 
bottom of the support member 10 and can move up and down, slightly right 
and left, and pivot over the pin 14 extending therethrough. The head 
portion 16a of the armature merges with a relatively long tail portion 16c 
which angles downwardly to project into the lower aperture 7c' of the 
inner tubular member 7 and confronts the relatively long inclined surface 
10d at the bottom of the support member 10. The bottom end of the magnet 
15 projecting from the surface 10d applies an attracting force on the 
upper surface of the heel portion 16c of the armature. 
Reference should now be made more particularly to FIGS. 7 and 8 which are 
the most enlarged views showing respectively the uppermost extreme 
position of the armature 16, which is the locking position thereof, where 
the head and heel ends 16a' and 16c' thereof frictionally lockingly engage 
with the inner surfaces of the end walls 4b--4b of the outer tubular 
member 4. The tab 7d at the top of the upper aperture 7c' of the inner 
tubular member is shown engaging the top surface of the head portion 16a 
of the armature, so that accelerating the inner tubular member 7 in a 
downward direction will accelerate this head portion downwardly so that 
the heel portion 16c is inertially pivoted upwardly into tight frictional 
engagement with the inner surface of the left end wall 4b of the outer 
tubular member 4. The magnet 15 also exerts a force on the heel portion 
16c which tends to keep the armature in its raised, locking position as 
shown. (While this magnet makes the operation of the locking hardware 
described more reliable, it is not necessary in accordance with the 
broadest aspect of the invention.) In the locking position of the armature 
16, it is still shown as spaced a small distance G1 from the bottom face 
of the magnet 15. The armature shown is prevented from touching this 
magnet by the upper tab 7c at the top of aperture 7c and because the 
armature becomes locked in place before it can touch it. 
If the inner tubular member 7 is moved upwardly from its locking position 
shown in FIG. 6 the frictional forces coming into play will pivot the 
armature member in a direction to relieve this frictional force and to 
cause the armature member to pivot the pin 14 to assume the release 
position shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. 
When the armature heel is in its lower release or unlocking position shown 
in FIGS. 5 and 8, the inner tubular member can then be raised any speed or 
slowly lowered to a desired elevation since this slow, downward movement 
will not shake the armature from its lowered release position. However, as 
soon as the user releases his grasp on the inner tubular member 7, since 
this tubular member is designed to freely move within the outer tubular 
member 4, the force of gravity will suddenly cause the inner tubular 
member to drop quickly, when the inertial forces involved will then cause 
the heel and head portions of the floating armature 16 to assume their 
locking positions shown in FIGS. 3 and 8. As previously indicated, this 
action generally occurs after the inner tubular member drops only 
approximately 1/16th of an inch from the point when the user releases his 
grasp on that member. The magnet 15 aids the upward movement of the 
armature and minimizes this dropping distance. 
In one operable embodiment of the invention just described, the locking 
hardware parts had the following specifications and dimensions indicated 
in FIGS. 8 and 9: 
Armature material-0-1 steel 
Armature tail length (L2) 1-1/8" 
Armature head length (L1) 9/16" 
Armature thickness (T1) 0.092" 
Armature width (W1) 0.365" 
Armature to magnet spacing (G1) in locking condition 0.106" 
Armature to magnet spacing (G2) in released condition 0.200" 
Armature head aperture diameter (Dh) 0.206" 
Magnet material-Alnico 3/16" round.times.3/4" long 
Magnet diameter (Dm) 0.187" 
Support pin diameter (Dp) 0.125" 
Reference should now be made to FIGS. 10A-10D which illustrates the 
sequence of assembly of the locking hardware in the inner tubular member 
7. The same procedure is used to place the locking hardware into the other 
inner tubular members 7' and 7". This is done before these inner tubular 
members are interconnected by welding the inner ends of the bracing arms 
9, 9', and 9" together, and before the attachment of the hangrods to the 
inner tubular member or the finish-plating thereof. The first step in the 
fabrication process is to weld a bracing arm 9, 9' or 9" to the inner 
tubular members 7, 7', or 7" and to form the apertures 7c and 7c' at the 
bottom end thereof. The bracing arms are the same size as the inner 
tubular members so that when they are welded and subsequently 
finish-plated the interconnections between each bracing arm and its inner 
tubular member is a smooth, unblemished plated surface. Upon the 
completion of a finished-plating operation, a support member 10 oriented 
with its inclined bottom surface 10d facing toward what is to be the open 
top end of an inner tubular member 7 as illustrated. It is then moved 
toward what will be the bottom end thereof where it is at a point near the 
apertures 7c and 7c' and the anchoring aperture 10e thereof is aligned 
with aperture 7e--7e formed in the opposite sides of the inner tubular 
member. An anchor pin 11 is passed through the apertures 7e--7e in the 
inner tubular member and the anchoring aperture 10e of the support member 
10 and in any way anchored therein, as by a friction fit therein. 
Next, the pin 14 is inserted into the pin-receiving aperture 10f, the pin 
being anchored in place by a friction fit or a suitable adhesive. The next 
operation in the assembly is the insertion of the armature 16 into one of 
the apertures 7c or 7c' of the inner tubular member so that the aperture 
16b in the head portion 16a of the armature is aligned with the 
pin-receiving recess 10f. Then the pin 14 is passed through aperture 16b 
into the recess 10f of the support member with which it makes a friction 
fit. This completes the assembly of the locking hardware of the invention 
as is shown in FIG. 10D. 
After all of the inner tubular members have the locking hardware mounted 
therein, the next step in the assembly procedure of the rack is to weld or 
otherwise secure the curved hangrods 8, 8' and 8" to the inner faces of 
the inner tubular member 7, 7', and 7", as illustrated in FIG. 11. The 
bracing arms 9, 9', and 9" are then suitably connected together at their 
outer ends, as by welding or otherwise, as shown in FIG. 1. 
The invention is applicable to telescoping members having square and 
cylindrical cross sections, as illustrated PG,23 respectively in FIGS. 12 
and 13. Corresponding parts of these telescoping members and the locking 
hardware therein are shown using reference numerals corresponding to those 
used in the form of the invention just described by adding the alphabet 
characters A and B, respectively, and thus further description of their 
operation and construction need not be made. Suffice it to say, the shape 
of the support member and the armature are modified to suit the particular 
cross sectional areas of the tubular members involved. 
FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of the invention which modifies the stage of 
the support member 10 to enable it to be more economically molded of 
synthetic plastic material. Thus, the modified support member 10' has a 
horizontal flat bottom end 10d' with a cylindrical magnet-receiving recess 
10g' formed therein which extends vertically. A generally cylindrical 
magnet 15' is piece-fitted in the recess 10g'. The magnet has an inclined 
end face 15" generally parallel to the inclination of the heel portion 16c 
of the armature 16 when it is in its upper locking position, as 
illustrated in FIG. 15. 
It is apparent from the description of the various forms of the present 
invention that the unique locking hardware of the present invention 
results in a garment rack or other product using vertically extending 
telescoping members whose overall length is adjustable by means which do 
not interfere with the exterior appearance of the product. Thus, all of 
this hardware is hidden within the confines of the telescoping members 
involved. More importantly, the inner tubular members are progressively 
adjustable simultaneously to practically any position within the outer 
tubular members in the quick and easy manner previously described. 
While the invention has been described with reference to preferred 
embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art 
that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for 
elements thereof without departing from the broader aspects of the 
invention. Also, it is intended that broad claims not specifying details 
of a particular embodiment disclosed herein as the best mode contemplated 
for carrying out the invention should not be limited to such details. 
Furthermore, while, generally, specific claimed details of the invention 
constitute important specific aspects of the invention in appropriate 
instances even the specific claims involved should be construed in light 
of the doctrine of equivalents.