Garment hangers

Disclosed is a garment hanger having a generally central portion and garment support arms extending therefrom, the support arms each having a movable part slidably connected to the central portion for reciprocal movement to increase or decrease the length of the arms, wherein the movable parts of the arms are connected by a flexible link member such that extending movement of one movable part causes extending movement of the other moving part.

TECHNICAL FIELD
 This invention concerns garment hangers.
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 Stores and shops use garment hangers to display garments on racks. For some
 garments a single size hanger can be used to display garments of different
 sizes. However, for garments, such as skirts and trousers, it is not
 possible to use a standard size hanger to fit onto the waist band of such
 garments. Various types of expandable hangers have been proposed and are
 in use but suffer from various disadvantages.
 EPO548402A discloses a garment hanger having a generally central portion
 and garment support arms extending therefrom, the support arms each having
 a movable part slidably connected to the central portion for reciprocal
 movement to increase or decrease the length of the arms, wherein the
 movable parts of the arms are connected by a flexible link member such
 that extending movement of one movable part causes extending movement of
 the other moving part.
 A significant disadvantage of available expandable hangers is the extent to
 which they are able to expand. Typically expandable hangers can go from
 280 to 465 nun, which limits their usefulness. Other disadvantages include
 lack of strength at full extent and complexity, which increases the cost
 for an item generally, considered to be a throwaway.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 An object of this invention is to provide an improved expandable garment
 hanger.
 A garment hanger having a generally central portion and garment support
 arms extending therefrom, the support arms each having a movable part
 slidably connected to the central portion for reciprocal movement to
 increase or decrease the length of the arms, characterised by ends of the
 arms being connected by a flexible link member constrained against
 movement other than in line with the movable parts of the arms and
 arranged to reverse direction from its connection to one arm to the other
 arm, whereby extending movement of the movable part of one arm causes
 extending movement of the movable part of the other arm and pushing the
 movable part of one arm inwards causes retraction of the movable part of
 the other arm.
 It is preferred that there are two such flexible link members such that
 extension or retraction of both arms may be achieved by pulling or pushing
 on either movable arm part.
 Garment hangers of the invention preferably also include means for locking
 the arms thereof at a desired extension, such as a ratchet mechanism. A
 trigger means is preferably provided for disengaging the locking means for
 resetting the hanger arms to a different greater or lesser extension. A
 preferred locking mechanism comprises a series of teeth on one hanger part
 and one or more teeth on a movable arm part, wherein the respective teeth
 are shaped and arranged to permit movement over each other in extending
 the arm of the hanger but prevent movement to shorten the arm of the
 hanger, save for action of a release member. The release member is
 preferably on a separate arm associated with said movable arm part. The
 one or more teeth of the movable arm part are preferably on a resiliently
 movable arm part whereby the teeth are normally engaged with the series of
 teeth of the one hanger part. The release member preferably has a spigot
 or the like at or near one end arranged to be movable to disengage the
 respective sets of teeth by acting on the resiliently movable arm part of
 the hanger arm. Then, the release member is preferably movable between a
 first position where it does not act to disengage the respective sets of
 teeth and second position where it disengages the respective sets of
 teeth. The release member is preferably arranged to move with the movable
 arm as hanger is extended whilst captured in its first position, whereby
 it is ready to be moved to its second position to disengage the respective
 sets of teeth. The release member is preferably slidably captured on the
 movable arm part.
 Garment hangers of the invention may be provided with waist band engaging
 end portions for use with trousers or skirts. On the other hand, the
 hanger of the invention may also be in a form suitable, for example, for
 jackets, dresses, pullovers.
 In one preferred embodiment, ends of the hanger arms are shaped to suit
 waistbands of garments. In another preferred embodiment the hanger arms
 are shaped for carrying jackets, skirts and the like. In yet another
 preferred embodiment, ends of the hanger arms are provided with clip type
 fasteners for gripping a garment. The clips preferably comprise
 spring-loaded members arranged to trap a garment part therebetween.
 The flexible link member is preferably a band, strip or the like which is
 anchored at one end to an inwards end of an extendable arm part and to an
 inwards end of the other extendable arm part via a pulley, roller, runner
 or the like spaced from the inward end of the first extendable arm whereby
 the link member returns in the opposite direction to the other extendable
 arm. When a second flexible link is present it is arranged in the opposite
 manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, a lightweight skirt
 hanger 10, has a narrow hollow main body 12 with a shield 14, extending
 from an edge, and into which a hook will usually be fixed. The shield will
 usually carry a with garment details thereon.
 Within and extending oppositely from the body 12 are a pair of arms 18,
 18'. Within the body the arms overlap but are free to slide past each
 other. At their outer ends the arms are shaped to provide gripping areas
 20 for a waist band of a skirt.
 A flexible link 22 is fixed to the inner end 24 of arm 18, passes around a
 part of the body 12 spaced from the end 24 of the arm 18 and returns to
 the inner end 26 of the other arm 18' to where it is fixed. The link 22 is
 thus arranged so that pulling the arm 18 outwards also causes the other
 arm 18' outwards to extend the distance between the gripping areas 20 of
 the hanger. To retract the arms, the arm 18' is pushed inwards and that,
 via the link 22 pulls the other arm 18 inwards.
 The arm 18 has on its face towards the other arm a toothed rack 30 and a
 part 32 of the body forms a member to engage with the track and prevent
 the arm retracting once it has been extended to a desired amount. Teeth of
 the rack and part 32 are arranged to pass over each other when the arms
 are being extended.
 The member 32 has a first part 34 which can be depressed in order to
 disengage its second part 36 from the rack 34. The two parts are either
 side of a flexible hinge 38 formed as part of the body.
 In FIGS. 5 and 6, a jacket hanger 50 has a central body 52 forming a shield
 54 and a pair of hollow oppositely extending arms 56. A hook will normally
 be fixed into the top of the shield 54. Within each arm 56 is a slidable
 arm extension 58, 58'. A flexible link 60 extends from the inner end of
 one arm extension 58 through the body around a pulley 62 in a pocket 64 of
 the opposite arm 56 and back to the inner end of the other arm extension
 58'.
 The link 60 is such that the width of the hanger can be extended by pulling
 on the right arm extension 58, which action causes the other arm extension
 58' to slide outwards. To retract the arm extension the left arm extension
 58' is pushed inwards, so that the link pulls the other arm extension 58
 inwards.
 The embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 4 and 5 and 5 have a single link, so that
 extension and retraction can only be performed by action on one arm
 respectively. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a hanger with a double link, so
 that extension and retraction can be achieved by action on either arm of
 the hanger.
 FIGS. 7 and 8 show a hanger 100 without its cover at all in FIG. 7 and with
 only the rear side of its cover shown in FIG. 8. The hanger has a pair of
 arms 104, 104' arranged for opposed sliding movement within the cover.
 A first flexible link 110 is connected at X to one end of arm 104 and
 extends over runner 112 beyond the end of the arm back to the opposite end
 of the other arm 104' where it is connected at X. A second flexible link
 114 is arranged oppositely between the points indicated at Y on each of
 the arms 104, 104'. Thus, when either arm 104, 104' is pulled outwards or
 pushed inwards one or other of the links 110 and 114 will act to cause the
 corresponding movement of the other arm either to extend or reduce the
 width of the hanger respectively.
 One arm 104 has a toothed rack 120 along its face and the hanger includes
 an elongate bar 122 with a trigger 124 at one end outside of the cover and
 a toothed part 126 at its other end to engage the rack to lock the arms at
 a desired extended position when the arms are being extended the part 126
 passes over the rack 120. The trigger 124 is linked to an oppositely
 oriented trigger 128. Squeezing the trigger parts together disengages the
 toothed part 126 from the rack allowing one or other of the arms to be
 pushed inwards to retract both arms.
 Turning to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings, a clip hanger
 200 has a main body 202 and a pair of arms 204, 206 slidably mounted
 within the body for movement in opposite directions. At their free ends
 the arms 204, 206 have a clip 208 comprising a fixed jaw 210 and a movable
 jaw 212 connected by a U-shaped spring clip 214 through holes in the jaws,
 whereby the jaws are urged together. Finger pads 216 on each jaw can be
 squeezed together to open the jaws for insertion of a garment 218. The
 jaws 210 and 212 have ridges 222 on their facing surfaces for providing
 grip on the garment.
 The arms 204, 206 are slidable in channels of the body and are connected by
 a flexible strip 226. The strip 226 extends from the end of the upper arm
 204 passes around an arcuate surface runner 228 and connects to the end of
 the lower arm 206. The arrangement is such that as one arm is pulled
 outwards longitudinally of the body the flexible strip is pulled with it
 and hence pulls the other arm outwards in the opposite direction to the
 first arm. Thereby the arms are extended and hence the length of the
 hanger. Conversely pushing one arm back into the body causes the other arm
 to be pulled in the opposite direction back into the body.
 The body 202 has a shield 230 for a label to be attached giving product
 information and a boss 232 behind the shield for receiving a metal hook
 (not shown) for supporting the hanger on a rail.
 FIGS. 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings show a jacket hanger 300
 similar to that of FIGS. 5 and 6 except that there is no pulley for
 guiding the flexible strip 302 connecting the ends of arms 304 and 306.
 Instead, the strip 302 passes around a curved runner 308 moulded into the
 hanger body 307. The body 307 has two limbs 314, 316 providing channels
 for the arms to slide in and the strip 302 is guided in narrow channels
 318, 320 in each limb. The hanger 300 operates in the same way. By pulling
 out one arm 304 in one direction to extend the length of the hanger on one
 side, the other arm 306 is urged outwards to extend the length of the
 hanger on the other side.
 Finally, FIGS. 14 to 20 show a skirt hanger 400. The hanger 400 has a body
 402 formed from two plates 402, 404, which as shown (see FIGS. 19 and 20)
 are hinged connected by a thinning of connecting material 405 between them
 but they may be separate pieces. The plates 404, 406 form between them a
 pair of channels 407, 408 in which are slidably arranged hanger arms 410
 and 412 respectively on top of each other for movement in opposed
 directions to lengthen or shorten the hanger. Ends of the arms 410 and 412
 are connected by a flexible strip 414 that extends under the top arm 410
 around a runner 416 and under the end of the bottom arm 412, so that when
 one arm is pulled out, the other arm moves outwards oppositely and vice
 versa.
 In order to hold the arms at a desired position, the inside surface of the
 plate 404 has a row of ratchet teeth 420 and the top arm 410 has a
 deflectable pawl 422 at its inner end, the pawl having teeth thereon that
 can slip over the teeth 420 when the arm is pulled outwards but not when
 the arm is pushed inwards, thereby locking the arms against inwards
 movement. The pressure of the plate 406 when fixed onto the plate 404
 urges the pawl into engagement with the teeth 420.
 To release the locking arrangement, a release trigger 424 is slidably
 associated with the top arm 410 and has a finger 426 at one end that by
 pulling on the trigger 424 separate the pawl 422 from the teeth 420
 allowing the top arm 410 to be pushed inwards.
 The outer ends of the arms 410, 412 are provided with formations 430 to
 engage a waistband of a skirt, trousers or the like. The formations 430
 have downwardly open slots 430 to provide resilient fingers 434 with
 gripping shaping 436 thereon.
 The body 402 has a shield area 440 which includes a boss 442 to receive a
 metal hook (not shown) for supporting the hanger on a rail or rack.
 It is believed that with arrangements according to the invention, garment
 hangers that can cover a width range of 230 to 495 mm can be produced.