PLASTIC HANGER

Abstract: A one-piece hanger (20) for suspending an intravenous solution bag or the like, comprising a flexible elongated body (21) having substantially inflexible hook members (22) positioned at opposite ends thereof, said hook members (22) being substantially semi-circular in shape and defining hook entrance gaps (25), said body (21) being substantially resistant to folding throughout its length except at its lon­ gitudinal center where there is a foldable region (24), said body being initially formed in a U-shaped configuration wherein said foldable central region (24) is folded to con­ situte the bend of the U so that said opposing hook members (22) lie adjacent to each other with their defined hook en­ trance gaps (25) facing the bend of the U, and integrally formed tie means (27) for maintaining said body (21) in said U-shaped configuration, said tie means (27) being break­ able so that said body member (21) can be straightened at said foldable central region (24) when the use of said hanger (20) is desired.

Description: PLASTIC HANGER Technical Field The present invention relates generally to hanger devices, and, more particularly, to hangers which are designed to be packaged with intravenous solution bags. Background Art Hanger devices having elongated vertical bodies with hooks at both ends thereof are well known in the art, and have been used extensively in conjunction with intravenous solution bags and the like. Certain disadvantages exist in the packaging of these hanger devices, however. For example, since it is desirable to package the hangers in small boxes, they must be folded prior to insertion into the boxes. This folding, whether it is accomplished by hand or by machine, adds additional time and cost to the packaging of the hangers. Furthermore, since each hanger has two hooks, the hangers tend to become entangled, thereby hindering the sorting and packaging process. Summary of the Invention It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved hanger which is resistant to entanglement during packaging. It is another object of this invention to provide such an improved hanger which is prefolded, and therefore need not be folded prior to insertion into its packaging. A further object of this invention is to provide a hanger which is inexpensive to fabricate and package. A related object is to provide a hanger which may be fabricated in a pre-folded and tied condition. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a one-piece hanger for suspending an intravenous solution bag or the like, which has an elongated body having substantially inflexible hook members positioned at opposite ends thereof and each facing in the same direction. The elongated body is substantially resistant to folding throughout its length except at its longitudinal center where there is a foldable region. According to an aspect of the invention, the body is initially formed in a U-shaped configuration wherein said foldable central region constitutes the bend of the U so that the hook members are adjacent and face each other. Integrally formed breakable tie means are provided to maintain said body in its preformed U-shaped configuration, until the tie means is broken to permit the body member to be straightened for use. Brief Description of the Drawings FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a hanger device embodying the prior art; FIG. 2 is a side view of the prior art hanger in the folded condition; FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a hanger embodying the present invention; FIG. 4 is a section taken generally along line 4-4 in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a section taken generally along line 5-5 in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a section taken generally along line 6-6 in FIG. 3. Description of the Preferred Embodiments While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Turning now to the drawings and referring to FIGURE 1, there is shown a prior art hanger device 10 having an elongated body 11 with oppositely-facing hook members 12 at opposite ends thereof. The longitudinal center 13 of the known hanger device 10 has a substantially flat cross section such that this region is more flexible than the other regions. Since it is desirable to market the hanger devices 10 in small packages, each is folded at its longitudinally central region 13 prior to insertion into a package. The known device in the folded condition is shown in FIG. 2. This folding, whether it is accomplished by hand or by machine, adds additional time and cost to the packaging of the hangers and is therefore undesirable. Since the prior art hanger devices 10 are molded such that the hook entrance gaps 14 and the hook member tips 15 are exposed, the hangers tend to become entangled during sorting and packaging, thereby increasing further the time and cost required for those processes. In addition, this tendency to entangle may make removal of the hangers from the packaging difficult. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a one-piece hanger comprising a foldable elongated body having substantially inflexible hook members positioned at opposite ends thereof, the hook members being substantially semi-circular in shape and defining hook entrance gaps, the body being formed in a U-shaped configuration so that the opposing hook members lie adjacent to each other with their defined hook entrance gaps facing the bend of the U; and integrally formed tie means for maintaining the body in the U-shaped configuration, the tie means being breakable so that the body member can be straightened at the foldable central region when use of the hanger is desired. Thus, in the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the inventive one-piece hanger 20 comprises a foldable elongated body 21 having hook members 22 at opposite ends thereof. The inventive hanger preferably comprises either flexible synthetic resins or flexible plastics, and is formed either by molding or by stamping. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the foldable body 21 is substantially resistant to folding throughout its length, except at its longitudinal center where there is a foldable region. In addition, the hook members 22 are preferably formed such that they are substantially inflexible. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the hook members 22 have strengthening flanges 23 integral with, and extending along, their peripheries such that they have I-shaped cross sections (FIG. 4) and are substantially rigid. In comparison, the elongated body 21 has a T-shaped cross section throughout its length (see FIGS. 3 and 5), except at its longitudinally central region 24 which has a substantially flat cross section (see FIGS. 3 and 6). Due to its substantially flat cross section, the longitudinally central region 24 is quite pliable, and is therefore susceptible to folding and unfolding, whereas the other regions of the elongated body 21 are less pliable and generally resist folding. In accordance with one important aspect of the present invention, the elongated body 21 is initially formed in a U-shaped configuration wherein the foldable longitudinally central region 24 is folded to constitute the bend of the U so that the opposing hook members 22 lie adjacent to each other. Because the inventive hanger 20 is initially formed in this U-shaped configuration, there is no need for additional folding prior to its insertion into a small package, and therefore, the packaging process is less time consuming and less costly. Each of the hook members 22 defines a hook entrance gap 25 by which the hook member 22 loops over either an object from which the hanger 20 is to be suspended or an object which is to be suspended on the hanger. Unlike the prior art hanger device 10 of FIG. 1, the inventive hanger 20 is formed so that both of the hook entrance gaps 25 of its hook members 22 face the bend of the U defined by the folded elongated body 21 (see Fig. 3). As such, the tips 26 of the hook members 22 lie directly adjacent to one another when the hanger 20 is in its formed U-shaped configuration. In accordance with another important aspect of the present invention, the hanger further comprises integrally formed tie means for maintaining the elongated body in its U-shaped configuration. More specifically, the tie means is formed integrally with the hanger and interconnects opposing members of the hanger (i.e., opposing body members, hook members or hook member tips), thereby maintaining the elongated body in its U-shaped configuration with the hook member tips lying directly adjacent to one another so that the hook members are not susceptible to becoming entagled with other objects. As shown in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 3, the tie means 27 comprises a short bridge of the plastic or synthetic resin from which the hanger 20 is formed and is integrally formed with the tips 26 of the hook members 22, thereby connecting the hook members 22 to one another and converting the hanger 20 into a continuous loop. Due to this conversion of the hanger 20 into a continuous loop, with the hook entrance gaps 25 lying on the inside of the loop, the hook member tips 26 are inwardly disposed. As a result, identical hangers 20 are less susceptible to becoming entangled with one another, resulting in less time consuming, and less costly, sorting and packaging processes. The tie means 27 is preferably formed such that it is resistant to accidental breakage (i.e., breakage due to jostling or vibration), and yet is easily breakable by a person wishing to utilize the hanger 20. In one embodiment which accommodates these opposing considerations, the tie means 27 comprises an integral short bridge interconnecting the hook member tips 26, and the tie means is formed from the flexible plastic or synthetic resin from which the hanger 20 is formed and has a diameter of approximately 0.01 inches. When use of the hanger 20 is desired, the tie means 27 is broken and the elongated body 21 is straightened (i.e., the foldable central region 24 is unfolded). The hanger 20 then has an appearance similar to the prior art hanger device shown in FIG. 1, and is ready for use. Significant advantages of the present invention over the known device may be appreciated by reference to their respective folding axes. It will be noted that the known hanger device 10 folds about an axis A which, in FIG. 1, is parallel with the plane of the drawings sheet. The folded prior art hanger is shown in FIG. 2. By contrast, the inventive hanger 20 folds about an axis B which, in FIG. 3, is perpendicular to the drawing sheet. The significance of this difference is that the present invention is susceptible to fabrication in the pre-folded, tied condition, either by molding or by stamping. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the prior art design does not lend itself to such simple fabrication. Rather, the hook member tips 15 of the prior art hanger device 10 can be connected to one another so as to alleviate the entanglement problem only by means of some post-fabriction process. As can be seen from the foregoing detailed description, this invention provides an improved hanger which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which is inexpensive to package due to its resistance to entanglement and due to its formation in a pre-folded configuration.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A one-piece hanger for suspending an intravenous solution bag comprising: a flexible elongated body having substantially inflexible hook members positioned at opposite ends thereof, said hook members being substantially semicircular in shape and defining hook entrance gaps, said body being substantially resistant to folding throughout its length except at its longitudinal center where there is a foldable region, said body being initially formed in a U-shaped configuration wherein said foldable central region is folded to constitute the bend of the U so that said opposing hook members lie adjacent to each other-with their defined hook entrance gaps facing the bend of the U; and integrally formed tie means for maintaining said body in said U-shaped configuration, said tie means being breakable so that said body member can be straightened at said foldable central region when the use of said hanger is desired. 2. The hanger of claim 1, said hanger being comprised of flexible synthetic resins. 3. The hanger of claim 1, said hanger being comprised of flexible plastics. 4. A one-piece hanger for suspending an intravenous solution bag comprising: a foldable elongated body having substantially inflexible hook members positioned at opposite ends thereof, said hook members being substantially semi-cir-cular in shape and defining hook entrance gaps, said body being initially formed in a U-shaped configuration so that said opposing hook members lie adjacent to each other with their defined hook entrance gaps facing the bend of the U; and tie means integral with said hook members for connecting said opposing hook members to one another thereby maintaining. said body in said U-shaped configuration, said tie means being breakable so that said opposing hook members can be disconnected and said foldable body can be straightened when the use of said hanger is desired. 5. The hanger of claim 4 wherein said foldable body is substantially resistant to folding throughout its length except at its longitudinal center where there is a foldable region. 6. The hanger of claim 4, said hanger being comprised of flexible synthetic resins. 7. The hanger of claim 4, said hanger being comprised of flexible plastics. 8. A one-piece hanger for suspending an intravenous solution bag comprising: a flexible elongated body having substantially inflexible hook members positioned at opposite ends thereof, said hook members being substantially semi-circular in shape and defining hoòk entrance gaps, said body being substantially resistant to folding throughout its length except at its longitudinal center where there is a foldable region, said body being initially formed in a U-shaped configuration wherein said foldable central region is folded to constitute the bend of the U so that said opposing hook members lie adjacent to each other with their defined hook entrance gaps facing the bend of the U; and tie means integral with said hook members for connecting said opposing hook members to one another thereby maintaining said body in said U-shaped configuration, said tie means being breakable so that said opposing hook members can be disconnected and said body member can be straightened at said foldable central region when the use of said hanger is desired. 9. The hangerbof claim 8, said hanger being comprised of flexible synthetic resins. 10. The hanger of claim 8, said hanger being comprised of flexible plastics.

Inventors: BROSE, ROBERT C.
Applicants: ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A61M5
IPC codes: A61M5, A47G29, F16B45, A61J1