GARMENT HANGER

Abstract: A one-piece, plastics trouser hanger with a support bar (10), hook (11) and end clips (15) with a pair of gripping jaws, a fixed jaw (14) (15) of each clip being joined to the bar, a foldable jaw (16) (17) being connected to the fixed jaw by a pair of plastic hinges (19) (20) (21) (22) on either side of a cutaway portion at the top edge of the jaws, an integrally-moulded catch mechanism operating within the cutaway portion and comprises a hook-like latch (23) depending from the fixed jaw (14) into the cutaway portion, the latch having transverse ribs (24) co-operating in a snap-lock arrangement with a keeper edge (25) formed at a lower extremity edge of the cutaway portion of the foldable jaws (16) (17) when folded over the latch (23). A latch-movement limiting bar (28) is moulded across the cutaway portion of each jaw from the inside edges of each foldable jaw (16) (17) to prevent overstressing of the plastic along the flex join line of the latch during finger pressing opening movement of the latch.

Description: GABMENT EAJT&ER TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates generally to hangers for textile such as trousers and other garments the hanger comprising a central hanging hook attached to a suspension har with means on each end for gripping the articles and more particularly the invention is concerned with a one piece hanger of synthetic plastics material with- retaining clips on each end suitable for gripping and suspension of garments but the useage is not necessarily limited to this particular function. BACEG-EOΌITO AST Metal garment hangers and particularly hangers for slacks and trousers have been previously developed and used which consist of a metal rod or hanging rail carried by a central hook with a pair of slidable spring-jawed clips adapted to grip the suspened art¬ icle. The sharp metal components can cause cut fingers or broken finger nails during manufacture, assembly, packing and unpacking and final useage and if pressure has to be used to push up sliding spring metal eompon- ents to free gripping jaws breakage of finger nails frequently results. Sharp contours protruding parts, heavy weight and bulkiness of previous hangers are a nuisance for packing in luggage or for transport. Furthermore, even with hangers comprising a combination of plastic and metal components, a number of separate assembly steps would be required. Also, it is difficult to provide fastening means of resilient plastics material with resistance to fat¬ igue or failure by overstressed components during useage. Other disadvantages with metal clip - type garment hangers is that the separate components require separate manufacturing steps followed by final assembly and metal articles are much heavier for freighting than plastic articles. The advantages of the invention are mainly that a single-piece plastics garment hanger is produced in one injection moulding operation? there are sharp edges to cut fingers; the article is lightweight and means are provided to prevent breakage of the latch mechanism by overstressing of plastics material along ajoin line due to excess finger pressure. The garment hanger of the invention as claimed is intended to provide a remedy. It solves the problem of avoiding cut fingers due to handling of sharp metal edges of components during manufacture, assembly, pack¬ ing and unpacking and final use with garments. It is also smooth in overall contours and is also of relatively lightweight construction because it is a one-piece plas¬ tics construction with clips integrally moulded on each end of a hanging rail. The clips have moulded-in plas¬ tics hinges and also a moulded-in latch mechanism as wellas latch breakage prevention stop means for prevent- ing overstressing of plastics material along a flex join line by excessive opening pressure on a finger press button on the latch which pushes the latch beyond the elastic memory limit of the plastics material. BRIE? DESCRIPTION OP THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a garment hanger of this invention with integrally moulded clips in an open and closed position, respectively. Figure 2 is an enlargement showing the left- hand clip of Figure 1 in open position. Figure 3 is a reverse and underneath view of the enlargement of Figure 2. BEST MODE OF PARRYING OUT THE INVENTION AM) PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The garment hanger shown has a support or susp- ension bar 10, with a central hanging hook 11, _O PI '..IPO and an integral garment holding clip 12 and 13 at each end all moulded integrally as a unit from a synthetic plastics material such as polyprop¬ ylene in a single injection moulding machine. Each clip is formed in two segments with a mating pair of angled jaws comprising fixed and moveable jaws 14, 15, and 16, 17 respectively. The jaws have top edges which are centrally cut-away to form the gap 18 but are joined together on either side of the gap by thin webs of plastics material forming the plastic hinges 19, 20, 21, and 22 respectively. Each of the fixed jaws 14 and 16 is integrally and rigidly moulded by one of its side edges to the suspension bar. When the hinged jaws are opened up, the centrally cut away portions define or hexagonal!y-shaped closed off or internal aperture 18 which provide clearance for opening and closing movements of the upper foldable jaw from a resilient catch arrangement comprising a resilient latch member 23 upstanding from and integrally moulded with an inner edge of one of the lower jaw segments and one or more notches 24 on the outside of the latch member which are adapted to engage with and disengage from a keeper edge 25 on the moveable jaw and at the bottom of the hexagonal-shaped recess. The latch is in the form of a hook with a column portion 26 and an angled arm portion 27. The top of which functions as a finger press button to release the hook notches 24 from the keeper edge 25 at the top of the jaw member. There is a tendency for users to push excessively hard against the press button top surface of each hook-like latch member and depress it too far and this causes overstressing and failure of the resiliency or spring tension, plastic memory of the plastics material along the join line at the base of the column portion of the hook and the jaw. In order to counteract this effect a stop OMPΪ member in the form of a bar 28 is positioned beneath the arm of, but separate from each hook to limit the distance travelled γ the hook under finger pressure when engaging the latch 5 and jaw and to bear some at least of any excess¬ ive force brought to bear against the flex join line at the base of latch hook column. Each end of the limit stop bar 28 is integrally moulded to a respective side edge of 10 the moveable jaw member 15, 17 the side edges being inner facing edges with respect to the hexagonal-shaped recess of the jaw. In the view shown in Figure 3, the underneath of the hook latch is provided with a x f * strengthening web or rib 29 between the hook arm and column. Other strengthening ribs may be prov¬ ided as required as at 30 and 31 on the insides of the jaws. The inside surfaces of the jaws of the 0 clips are preferably provided with garment gripping ribs 32 and 33 as shown in Figure 2. OMPI , V.'IPO

Claims: Claims : 1. A garment hanger, particularly for trousers and the like which has a support ' bar [lθ] in the form of a rod attached to a central hanging hook and a separately made spring-hooded clip[l ], [16] at each end of the bar for grip¬ ping the cuffs of the garment, each clip having a pair of opposed jaws [17], [18], [19] and [20] • which grip the edge of a garment placed between gripping edges [21] and [22], the jaws being released by applying thumb and finger pressure at the top of the jaws, characterized in that the support bar [lθ], hook [ 1] and clips, [15] are integrally moulded from a single piece of synthetic plastics material, the opposed garment- gripping. aws [14], [15], [16] and [17] having top edges with a central, cut-away portion [25] joined on either side by thin webs of plastics material forming plastic hinges [26], [27], an integrally- moulded catch mechanism on the jaws comprising a resilient latch [23] depending from a lower or fixed jaw [14] into the cut-away portion co-oper¬ ating with a keeper edge [25] formed at the extremity of the cut-away edge of the other opposed or moveable jaw [151. 2. A one-piece plastics garment hanger with integral clips as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the resilient latch is in the form of a hook with a column portion [26] having a base joined to and flexing along the edge of the inner extent of the recessed top edge of the lower or relatively fixed jaw and an arm portion [27], which acts as a finger press-button portion off-set to the column portion and which extends out over the aperture in the O PI ■ ■ -.- I? ° .* plane of the upper or moveable jaw when the jaws are in the closed position. 3. A one-piece plastics garment hanger with integral clips as claimed in claim 2 wherein one or more parallel ribs [24] protrude from the outer face of the column [26] parallel to the inner recessed keeper edge [25] of the fixed jaw [14-] and form latch engaging notches with the keeper edge [25] of the moveable jaw. 4. A one-piece plastics garment hanger as claimed in claim 1 which includes means on a jaw of each clip and adjacent the latch for limiting the latch disengaging movement of the latch to counteract overstressing of plastics material along the flex join line of the integral latch member[23] and fixed jaw [14] caused by excessive jaw-opening, latch-disengaging, finger pressure. 5. A one-piece plastics garment hanger as claimed in claim 4 wherein means for limiting the latch disengaging movement comprises an integrally moulded bar [pδ] extending across the cut-away portion of the moveable jaws [15], [16], adjacent top or hinged edges [25], [26] and behind the arm portion [27] of the latch [23],

Inventors: LAND W
Applicants: LAND W
Application year: 1980
Main classification: A47J51
IPC codes: A47G25