Clothes Hangers Having User-Adjustable Shoulder Portions

Clothes hangers that each have a central portion and a pair of shoulder portions that are user adjustable to allow a user to select between a wider shoulder-width profile and a narrower shoulder-width profile. In some embodiments, each shoulder portion is pivotable between a wider shoulder-width profile and a narrower shoulder-width profile. In some embodiments, each shoulder portion comprises side-by-side deformable members that a user can deform to make and/or switch between a wider shoulder-width profile and a narrower shoulder-width profile.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of clothes hangers. In particular, the present invention is directed to a clothes hangers having user-adjustable shoulder portions.

BACKGROUND

Clothes hangers are used to hang many differing types of garments, including shirts, blouses, and sweaters made of a variety of materials, such as woven (e.g., broadcloth) and knitted (e.g., jersey) fabrics. A common, well-known problem with conventional wire-type and other narrow-profile hangers is that they often cause sleeved garments to deform on the upper and laterally outer portion of the shoulders of the garments. These deformations may be conveniently called “shoulder bumps,” which can be quite pronounced and unsightly when a wearer is wearing the garment.

SUMMARY

In an implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a clothes hanger that includes a central portion; a support-engaging member coupled to the central portion, the support-engaging member for engaging a support so as to allow the clothes hanger to provide a clothes hanging function for an article of clothing; and first and second shoulder portions coupled to the central portion so as to extend from the central portion in generally opposite directions from one another, wherein each of the first and second shoulder portions has a shoulder-width profile that is user-adjustable between a narrower profile and a wider profile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some aspects, the present invention is directed to clothes hangers that include user-adjustable shoulder portions that allow users to select between wider shoulder-width profiles and narrower shoulder-width profiles. As used herein relative to the shoulder portions of a clothes hanger, the term “profile” denotes the shape and width(s) of the shoulder portions when the hanger is viewed in a top-down view, such as seen inFIGS. 1B and 1D. A wider shoulder-width profile can be desirable, for example, for hanging sleeved garments that are prone to developing “shoulder bumps” on the laterally outward and upper portions of the shoulder portions of the garments when hung on conventional narrow-profile hangers, such as wire hangers and narrow-profile plastic and wood hangers. These shoulder bumps are typically caused by the weight of the sleeves bearing down on the narrow ends of the shoulder portions of these narrow-profile hangers, thereby locally overstressing and deforming the fabric. Unsightly shoulder bumps can be formed when a garment is hung when dry but can become even more pronounced and unsightly when the garment is hung when wet. This is due to the additional weight of the wet garment and perhaps also to greater deformability of the wet fabric of the garment. By providing the shoulder portions of a clothes hanger with a wide shoulder-width profile, the bearing area that supports the weight of the sleeves is increased, and this leads to a lower stress in the fabric in the shoulder portions of the garment. This lower stress greatly reduces the likelihood that shoulder bumps will form. A wider shoulder-width profile can also be desirable to aid in drying a garment while hanging on the clothes hanger. While a wider-shoulder-wide profile has a number of benefits, a narrower shoulder-width profile can be desirable, for example, for hanging garments that are not prone to forming shoulder bumps, for maximizing the number of garments that can be hung in a fixed amount of space, and/or for minimizing the space needed for storing and/or shipping a set of such hangers, among others.

In some embodiments, each shoulder portion is composed of a “rigid” (i.e., not user deformable) shoulder member that is pivotably attached to a central portion configured for hanging the clothes hanger from a support, such as a hanger rod or other hanger support. Such a rigid shoulder member would be relatively narrow in one dimension to provide the narrower shoulder-width profile and relatively wide in another dimension to provide the wider shoulder-width profile. In these embodiments, a user switches between the narrower and wider shoulder-width profiles by pivoting each shoulder portion relative to the central hanger portion by 90°. Typically, the perimeter of the wider shoulder-width profile has a gently curved, relatively wide, shape at the shoulder end distal from the central portion of the hanger to provide a large load-bearing area and a more uniform distribution of stress caused by the weight of a sleeve when the wider shoulder-width profile is being used. In the narrower shoulder-width profile, the shoulder portion of the clothes hanger is typically rounded, for example, semicircular, on the surfaces that contact a garment during use. In the wider shoulder-width profile, each rigid shoulder portion may have an open structure (e.g., form a loop shape) (see. e.g.,FIGS. 1A-1D, 5, and 7) or have a solid structure (e.g., form a paddle shape) (see, e.g.,FIGS. 2A-2C and 3A-3C), among others. Each shoulder portion may be made of any one or more suitable materials, such as plastic, metal, or wood (e.g., bamboo), among others.

In some embodiments, each shoulder portion may include a pair of side-by-side user-deformable members that a user deforms to switch between a narrower shoulder-width profile and a wider shoulder-width profile. Each of such side-by-side members may be any suitable deformable member, such as a gooseneck tube, a sheathed or unsheathed elongate malleable member (e.g., a sheathed lead bar), or other member that can be deformed and hold its shape when changed. In some embodiments, the pair of side-by-side user-deformable members may be connected by a hinge (e.g., a pinned hinge) at their ends distal from the central portion of the hanger. In some embodiments, the side-by-side user-deformable members may be parts of a single user-deformable member, which may or may not have a necked or otherwise hinged region distal from the central portion of the clothes hanger to allow for a sharp bend so that the two members can be deformed into contact or close proximity with one another along their entire lengths. In some embodiments, each of the side-by-side user-deformable members may, but need not, be hingedly attached to the central portion of the clothes hanger. When the user-deformable members are deformed to create the wider shoulder-width profile, they can be configured to generally form a loop as illustrated inFIG. 4B

An embodiment in which each shoulder portion is adjustable by moving opposing user-deformable members toward and away from one another to change the shoulder-width profile, each user-deformable member may be pivotably attached to the central hanger portion and securable in the desired position via a suitable means, such as one or more detents at the pivot points and/or a movable member positioned along the movable members and extending therebetween so as to hold the opposing members apart at least when the shoulder portion is in its wider profile. In one example, the movable member may be positioned at the ends of the opposing side members and have a curved shape having a generally human-shoulder-like profile to aid in the prevention of shoulder bumps on sleeved garments hung on the clothes hanger.

Each shoulder portion or the entire clothes hanger may optionally be coated with a non-slip material, such as flocking or a rubber coating, among others. In addition, each shoulder portion may include one or more depressions or notches (seeFIG. 5) useful, for example, for hanging garments having shoulder straps. In some embodiments, such depression(s) or notch(es) may be intended and positioned for use only when a shoulder portion is deployed in its narrower profile. In embodiments in which the shoulder portions are rotatably attached to the central hanger portion, attachments may include rotational couplings that provide a desired level of rotational resistance that inhibit inadvertent rotation of the shoulder portions from the desired rotational position (i.e., either the position for the wider profile or the narrower profile). Each rotational coupling may also include one or more detents for holding the corresponding shoulder portion in its desired rotational position.

The central portion of the clothes hanger may be made of any suitable material, such as metal or plastic, and may have any suitable hanging structure, such as a hook or a bulbous or other shape upper end. A hook can be provided for using the hanger with a clothes hanger-rod and other hook-receiving structure, whereas a bulbous, or otherwise hookless, upper end can be provided for using the hanger with a corresponding receiver, which may itself engage a clothes-hanger rod or other hook-receiving structure. The hookless upper end may be of the type found in many hotel rooms to reduce hanger theft.

In some embodiments, such as in each of the pivotable and non-pivotable embodiments noted above, the shoulder portions may be made removable to provide quick-attach and quick-detach functionality. Such functionality may be useful, for example, for compact storage of the clothes hanger and/or for compactness of the clothes hanger for shipping. In one example having pivotable connections that each include a head of a stud and socket type arrangement, the socket portion may be at least partially made of a temporarily deformable, yet sufficiently stiff (such as a thermoplastic), material that allows it to form a snap-fit engagement with the headed stud. In such embodiments, the connection may be configured to provide a sufficiently tight fit so that play between the shoulder portion and hanger portion is minimized, even under the weight of a heavy garment engaged with the clothes hanger. Many other arrangements are possible as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring now to the drawings,FIGS. 1A-1Fillustrate an example clothes hanger100that includes a central portion104, a pair of shoulder portions108A and108B pivotably attached to the central portion, and a hook112attached to the central portion. In this example, each shoulder portion108A and108B comprises a corresponding open member116A,116B that is pivotably attached to central portion104using a pivotable connection120, which is seen more clearly inFIGS. 1E and 1F. In this example, each open member116A and116B is in the form of an open loop attached at one end to a base124(FIG. 1E). Each shoulder portion108A and108B is pivotable about a corresponding pivot axis126A and126B (FIGS. 1A and 1D). Typically, each pivot axis126A and126B forms an angle θ relative to horizontal to generally mimic the angle of a human shoulder. For example, angle θ will typically fall in the range of 15° to 30°, though a different angle can be used as desired, perhaps depending on the particular configurations of shoulder portions108A and108B. Referring toFIGS. 1E and 1F, in this example base124includes a circularly headed stud128that snap fits into a receptacle132A of a corresponding receiver132on central portion104of clothes hanger100to form pivotable connection120(FIG. 1F).

FIGS. 1A and 1Bshow shoulder portions108A and108B in their narrower shoulder-width profile orientations relative to central portion104, with the loop shapes of open members116A and116B in a vertical plane when clothes hanger100is hanging on a suitable support (not shown) in its normal-use orientation. In contrast,FIGS. 1C and 1Dshow shoulder portions108A and108B in their wider shoulder-width profile orientations relative to central portion104, with the loop shapes of open members116A and116B rotated 90° about corresponding respective pivot axes126A and126B relative to their narrow shoulder-width profile orientations shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B. In this example, the loop of each open member108A and108B has a generally circular transverse cross-sectional shape and provides a gentle curve at the shoulder end of the open member distal from central portion100. It is noted that the particular cross-sectional and overall shapes of the loop of each open member108A and108B are illustrative, and each could be replaced with another shape as desired.

As noted above, central portion104and shoulder portions108A and108B, and parts thereof such as bases124, studs128, and receivers132, may be made of any one or more suitable materials. In the example shown, these components of clothes hanger100are made entirely of a plastic, such as a thermoform plastic. In other embodiments, one or more other materials can be used as needed to create the desired effect(s), such as low cost, durability, quality, attractiveness, etc. Those skilled in the art will understand how to select materials for the various components depending on the desired effect(s).

In the example shown, each stud128(FIGS. 1E and 1F) is solid, and each corresponding receptacle132A (one shown inFIGS. 1E and 1F; the other is a mirror image) includes an opening that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the head of the stud. In this manner and because of the relative flexibility of the thermoform plastic, studs128can be snap-fitted into the corresponding respective receptacles132A. Once headed stud128has been snap-fitted into corresponding receptacle132A, shoulder portion108B can be rotated to any desired position. In this embodiment, the tightness of the snap-fit and the nature of the materials provides sufficient friction in snap-fit pivotable connection120to hold shoulder portion108B at any user-set angle of rotation relative to central portion104.

In other embodiments, pivotable connection120can be made in a different manner. For example, the components can be reversed, i.e., headed studs128may be fixed to central portion104and receptacles132A and receivers132may be incorporated into bases124of shoulder portions108A and108B. As another example, each stud128may be split into two lateral portions extending from the corresponding base124. The two lateral portions of the split stud elastically deform toward one another as the stud is pushed into a neck region of a corresponding receptacle. Once the head of the stud is beyond the neck portion, the stud portions spring back to their undeformed shapes within the receptacle to hold the stud within the receptacle. These are but two of many examples of pivotable connections that can be made between each shoulder portion108A and108B and central portion104as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate.

It is noted that each pivotable connection120can be made to allow the corresponding shoulder portion108A to be infinitely pivotable relative to central portion104or to be pivotable only to a certain degree, such as only 90° between the narrower shoulder-width profile orientation and the wider shoulder-width profile orientation or only 180°, 270°, or 360°, among others. Hook112may be made of any suitable material, but in this example it is metal. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that hook112shown is sized for a standard hanger rod but that it could be made a different size, such as a smaller size for smaller diameter hanger rods. In addition, those skilled in the art will readily understand that hook112can be replaced with a different support member (not shown), such as a small diameter rod having bulbous head designed and configured to engage a corresponding receiver slidably, but not removable, mounted to a hanger rod. This sort of support member is used, for example, in hotels to inhibit hanger theft.

FIGS. 2A-2Cillustrate a solid-type shoulder portion200that can be used, for example, in place of each shoulder member108A and108B ofFIGS. 1A and 1B. In this example, shoulder portion200is flat, has a uniform thickness, and has a rounded peripheral edge204. In another embodiment, a solid-type shoulder portion may not be flat, may have a variable thickness, and/or may have a differently profiled edge. It is noted that, for simplicity, this example shows shoulder portion200as having a headed stud208similar to headed stud112ofFIGS. 1C and 1Dso that it could be used with central portion104ofFIGS. 1A and 1B. In other embodiments, headed stud208can be replaced with any other suitable structure that allows shoulder portion200to be pivoted about a pivot axis212relative to a commensurately designed central portion of a clothes hanger, such as central portion104ofFIGS. 1A-1D.

FIGS. 3A-3Cillustrate another solid-type shoulder portion300that can be used with a suitable central portion, such as central portion104ofFIGS. 1A and 1B. In this example, shoulder portion300comprises a thin member304having a shape that generally mimics the shape of a human shoulder. This example also includes a headed stud308that is similar to headed stud112ofFIGS. 1C and 1Dso that shoulder portion300could be used with central portion104ofFIGS. 1A and 1B. In other embodiments, headed stud308can be replaced with any other suitable structure that allows shoulder portion300to be pivoted about a pivot axis312relative to a commensurately designed central portion of a clothes hanger, such as central portion104ofFIGS. 1A-1D. When a pair of shoulder portions300are engaged with a suitable central portion, such as central portion104ofFIGS. 1A and 1B, and the shoulder portions are pivoted to their narrower shoulder-width profile, i.e., with the concave openings facing sideways when the clothes hanger is hanging in its normal use orientation, a set of like hangers can be stacked so that the convex sides of the shoulder portions of one hanger partially nest with the concave sides of the shoulder portions of an adjacent hanger. This allows a set of hangers to be stored efficiently in a relatively small space, unlike conventional hangers having fixed shoulder portions.

FIGS. 4A and 4Billustrate a non-pivoting-type of user-adjustable shoulder portion400that can be used to perform the same functions as a pivoting-type shoulder portion according to the present disclosure, such as any of shoulder portions104,200, and300, for example.FIG. 4Ashows shoulder portion400in its narrower shoulder-width profile configuration, whereasFIG. 4Bshows shoulder portion400in a wider shoulder-width profile configuration. In this example, shoulder-portion400includes a pair of side-by-side elongate members404A and404B that are shown inFIG. 4Aas generally in contact with one another along their entire lengths. Each elongate member404A and404B may be composed of a suitable deformable member, such as a gooseneck tube, an articulated segmented elongate body, or a sheathed or unsheathed malleable metal, among others. In the embodiment shown, elongate members404A and404B are attached to a base408at attachments ends412A and412B, respectively, which may be fixedly attached to a suitable central portion (not shown) of an overall clothes hanger (not shown), here using a square-headed stud414. Alternatively, attachment ends412A and412B of elongate members404A and404B may be attached directly to the central portion. Depending on the nature of elongate members404A and404B, attachment ends412A and412B may be fixedly or hingedly secured to base408, if present, or to the central portion of a clothes hanger.

The ends416A and416B of, respectively, elongate members404A and404B distal from attachment ends412A and412B may be attached to one another by a hinge420, which can be a pin-type hinge or a component or portion that is simply more flexible than each of the elongate members. In some embodiments, elongate members404A and404B may be legs of a continuous deformable member (not shown). Depending on the deformation characteristics of such a continuous deformable member, one or more properties of the continuous deformable member may be different at distal ends416A and416B to function as hinge420to facilitate the abrupt 180° bend needed for the elongate members404A and404B to attain the narrower shoulder-width profile configuration shown inFIG. 4A. It is noted that hinge120, and/or part of or the entire lengths of elongate members404A and404B may be sheathed (not shown) to provide surfaces that will be gentle on any garment hung on the corresponding clothes hanger and/or are more uniform.

As noted above,FIG. 4Bshows shoulder portion in a wider shoulder-width profile configuration. In this example, the configuration shown is only one of many wider shoulder-width profile configurations that are made possible by elongate members404A and404B being highly deformable into a wide continuum of various curvatures.

FIG. 5illustrates a pivot-type shoulder portion500that is generally the same as each shoulder portion108A and108B ofFIGS. 1A and 1Bbut includes a notch504for receiving, for example, a corresponding shoulder strap of a garment, such as a spaghetti strap camisole or a spaghetti strap dress, among others. Components of shoulder portion500not described may be the same as or similar to components of the other pivot-type shoulder portions shown and/or described herein. It is noted that user-deformable shoulder portions, such as shoulder portion400ofFIGS. 4A and 4B, may also be provided with similar notching for receiving and holding corresponding straps of a strap-type garment. For example, in the context of shoulder portion400ofFIGS. 4A and 4B, elongate members404A and404B may include corresponding respective notches in registration with one another. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that as used herein, the term “notch” includes not only a partial thickness recess but also any other structural feature that provides the functionality of a notch, such as the depressed region of notch504ofFIG. 5.

FIGS. 6A and 6Billustrate a central portion600that can be used in an adjustable hanger of the present disclosure, such as a pivot-type adjustable hanger or deformable-type adjustable hanger. In this example, central portion600includes a catch604and a horizontal bar member608. Catch604may be used for any suitable purpose, such as vertically chaining multiple hangers (not shown) with one another by hooking the hook of another clothes hanger to catch604of central portion600. Horizontal bar member608can also be used for any suitable purpose, such as for hanging one or more relatively narrow items, such as a tie, scarf, suspenders, etc. A user may also use it to support one or more other clothes hangers, among other things. Components of central portion600not described may be the same as or similar to components described elsewhere herein.

FIG. 7illustrates a user-adjustable clothes hanger700that is generally the same as user-adjustable clothes hanger100ofFIGS. 1A and 1Bbut has an asymmetrical central portion704that is particularly useful for hanging a garment (not shown) having relatively small, fixed, i.e., largely inelastic, neck opening, such as a T-shirt, sweater, and other garment having a crewneck, among others. In this example, asymmetrical central portion704has a shoulder-portion support708and a hook support712that cantilevers from one side of the shoulder-portion support to provide an open central region716that a user can use for any of a variety of purposes. For example, as mentioned above, asymmetrical central portion704is particularly useful for hanging a fixed-neck-opening garment. As those practiced in the use of conventional hangers know, it can be difficult to insert a conventional hanger through the neck-opening of a fixed-neck-opening garment without stretching the material surrounding the opening. With clothes hanger700, open central region716can allow the user to insert one end of the hanger (left-hand end inFIG. 7) farther into the garment via the neck opening of the garment than with a conventional hanger. This reduces the amount of stretching needed to then insert the other end of clothes hanger700(right-hand-end inFIG. 7) into the garment.

As another example of how a user can use open central region716, similar to horizontal bar member608of the clothes hanger ofFIGS. 6A and 6B, a user can use the open central region of the clothes hanger700to hang one or more relatively narrow items, such as a tie, scarf, suspenders, etc. A user may also use open central region716to support one or more other clothes hangers (not shown), among other things. Regarding supporting other clothes hangers, one can readily envision using central open region716to support two clothes hangers, one of either side of the central region708A of the shoulder-support portion708. In this connection, in this embodiment shoulder-support portion708has a side stop720opposite the location where hook support712joins the shoulder-support portion. Because central region708A of shoulder-support portion708is curved as shown, side stop720would prevent a hanger on that side of central open region716from sliding toward shoulder portion724on that side of clothes hanger700. In other embodiments, central region708A need not be curved or may include curvature in the opposite direction. Components of clothes hanger700ofFIG. 7not described may be the same as or similar to components of other user-adjustable clothes hangers shown and/or described herein.