Abstract:
This invention is directed to garment hangers which are particularly adapted for use with clothes having small neck openings and wherein the hook engages a swivel connector of the hanger adjacent the midsection of the hanger.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to garment hangers, in general, and, more particularly, to hangers which have a swivel hook and are especially useful with garments having relatively small collar or neck openings. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Many garment hangers are known in the art. The known hangers have many shapes and configurations related to specific uses of the hangers. One such use is a hanger for use with a garment having a relatively small neck opening. 
     The most pertinent prior art known discloses a hanger structure wherein the hanger support structure (i.e. hook) and the hanger arms are specifically interrelated with a convex, angulated leg extension of the hanger support structure in order to effectively lengthen the perimeter distance along one hanger arm while still achieving a common interconnection location between upper ends of the two shoulder supports of the hanger and the lower end of the angular leg extension of the hook. In the known hanger structures, the support structure or hook is fixed in position relative to the hanger arms. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,4100 to Petty discloses a wire clothes hanger for a garment having a comparatively small neck. However, the Petty hanger requires an integrally associated garment retaining means to hold the garment on the hanger. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,423 to Wagar et al discloses a wire hanger potentially usable for clothes having small neck openings. The lower end of one hanger shoulder support is joined by a continuous wire to the upper end of the other shoulder support. However, the Wagar et al &#39;423 hanger has geometric restrictions and is relatively inconvenient and cumbersome to use. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,727 to Joseph discloses a plastic hanger for garments having a small neck opening but requires a J-slot configuration of the hanger and does not have a swivel hook. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,653 to Joseph discloses a plastic hanger for garments having a small neck opening but requires an angled knee in the hook portion of the hanger which hook portion does not swivel. 
     Nevertheless, there is still a need for new and improved clothes hangers which are adapted for use with small-necked garments and which overcome and avoid such prior art problems while providing unique features such as a swivel hook therefor. The present invention satisfies this need. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to an improved garment hanger particularly adapted for use with clothes having small neck openings and with the additional advantage of a hook which is able to swivel to provide the advantages of such a hook structure. The hook is selectively detachable from the hanger body. 
     The hanger includes two opposed support arms for supporting a garment. The support arms are joined together at a mid-region location. In addition to an upper support surface, the support arms may also include a lower surface in the form of a common connecting leg. The hanger also includes a hanger hook which is swivelably mounted to an elongated hook attachment leg which extends from one of the two support arms of the hanger. The connection between the hook attachment leg and the support arm is offset from the mid-region location between the support arms. The attachment leg of the hook is generally coplanar with the support arms. 
     Because the attachment leg of the hook is off-center relative to the hanger, one support arm of the hanger has, effectively, a greater unobstructed perimeter distance than the other support arm of the hanger. This arrangement permits the longer arm to be inserted through a garment neck whereby the garment can be advanced along the longer arm to a location where the shorter arm can be slipped through the neck and into o the garment. This configuration of the hanger avoids and prevents damage to the garment neck region. 
     In addition, the hanger may include a shaped support, for example, but not limited to an inverted V-shaped portion, in one of the support arms to complement the attachment leg of the hook structure in the other support arm in order to better receive the garment thereon. 
     Also, in one embodiment, the hanger structure may include a strengthening support ribs formed on, or as part of, the basic hanger components to add strength and rigidity thereto. 
     The preferred embodiments of the hanger are simple, rugged and economical to fabricate and manufacture and can be made with various materials and various production processes. 
     The objects and advantages of the several embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the present specification taken with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of a garment hanger of the instant invention showing a conventional closet support rod in dotted outline. 
     FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 1 taken from the right end of the hanger as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the hook portion of the garment hanger of the instant invention as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the swivel receptacle of the garment hanger of the instant invention shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines  5 — 5  of a portion of the hanger embodiment shown in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a side elevation view of garment hanger  100  which represents one embodiment of the instant invention. Hanger  100  includes a garment support rod  101  which incorporates two elongated arms  121  and  122  and a mid-region  129 . Each of the arms  121  and  122  is adapted for supporting a different shoulder of a garment. Preferably, arms  121  and  122  are about equal to each other in length in hanger  100 . The inner ends of arms  121  and  122  are joined together by mid-length  129  to form the continuous support rod  101 . In the preferred embodiment, each arm  121  and  122  extends generally downwardly relative to the other arm and relative to the mid-region  129 , as well Arms  121  and  122  have an outer end  124  and  126 . respectively, which in a preferred embodiment, is rounded for convenience in mounting a garment onto the hanger. 
     Optionally, but preferably, the outer ends  124  and  126  of hanger  100  are interconnected by an elongated lower cross member  137 . Such interconnections are, preferably, integrally formed and curved in order to avoid catching or snagging any portion of a garment. 
     The hanger  100  incorporates a hook  131 , for supporting the hanger from a closet rod  132  or the like (shown in dashed outline in FIG.  1 ). When so hung, the relationship between the hook  131  and the arms  121  and  122  is such that the arms  121  and  122  are in a generally symmetrical balanced relationship relative to one another and to the mid-region  129 . The hook has smoothly arcuate connecting leg  133  which terminates at a connecting end  140  (seen best in FIG.  3 ). The end  140  is rotatably inserted into and joined to the connecting leg  152  at a joinder receptacle  127 . The connecting leg is, preferably, a smoothly arcuate leg which extends upwardly from arm  121  of hanger  100 . A support fillet  135  may be provided between connecting leg  152  and arm  121 , if desired. The connecting leg  152  is of the appropriate length whereby joinder receptacle  127  is quite closely aligned, spatially, with the center M of the mid region  129  and, thus, the middle of the overall hanger length. As a result, an unobstructed perimeter distance extends from the outer end  126  along arm  122  to a location that is substantially past the midpoint M of the hanger length. Thus, when the arm  122  is inserted into the neck region of a garment, the arm  122  is advanceable through the neck region, past the midpoint M until the neck of the garment is adjacent to the lower portion of hook connecting leg  152 . 
     In the embodiment shown, hanger  100  includes a knee  175  which extends upwardly from the upper arm  122  thereof. The outer side  175 A of knee  175 , preferably, curves in the opposite direction to, i.e. is complementary to, the connecting leg  152  of the hook  131 . Thus, the outer side  175 A of the knee  175  and the lower end of the connecting leg  152  form complimentary arcuate regions for receiving a garment on the hanger  100 . 
     Conversely, the inner side  175 B of the knee  175  is returned to the arm  122  at approximately the mid-point M of the hanger. Thus, the knee  175  is located somewhat short of the mid-region  129  and about equidistant therefrom relative to the joinder location  127 . 
     It should be understood that while hanger  100  includes a generally inverted, V-shaped knee  175  which extends upwardly from upper arm  122 , the “knee” can take any similar configuration with the inner and outer legs as shown. Alternatively, only the outer leg  175 A of the “knee” which, typically, extends in the opposite direction to the connecting leg  122  need be utilized. That is, the inner leg  175 B of the knee can be omitted, if so desired. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an elevation view of hanger  100  taken from the right end thereof (i.e. end  126 ) in FIG.  1 . It is seen that in the preferred embodiment, the hanger  100 , including the combination of the arms  121  and  122  the hook  131 , the connecting leg  133 , and the cross member  137  have a generally flat or planar configuration although the hook  131  can rotate 360° around the axis of connector end  140  in joinder location  127 . The hanger  100  is typically, formed of a rod-shaped material but is not limited thereto. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a slightly enlarged, elevation side view of the hook  131  which includes the upper arcuate end for engaging a hanger rod  132  or the like (see FIG.  1 ). The connecting leg  133  is appropriately formed with several arcuate bends so that the connector end  140  is disposed substantially beneath the center point of the hook  131 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the connector end  140  comprises a collar  141  which is slightly larger in diameter than the connecting leg  133 . The collar  141  limits the passage of connector end  141  through the joinder  127  as described infra. 
     The connector end  140  includes an elongated body  142  which extends axially from the collar  141  and is an extension of the connecting leg  133 . The body  142  is, typically, slightly smaller in diameter than the connecting leg  133  although this is not absolutely required. 
     The body  142  is bifurcated at the end thereof by a slot  143  which is, typically, slightly tapered. Thus, the body  142  has two adjacent spaced apart ends  144  and  145 . Because of the construction of body  142 , including slot  143 , the ends  144  and  145  are adapted to flex slightly toward each other under pressure and then to return to the original position as shown when the pressure is removed. 
     The ends  144  and  145  include the enlarged retaining nubs  146  and  147  which extend outwardly relative to the body  142 . Thus, as will be described infra, the ends (and nubs) flex inwardly when passed through the connector joinder  127  and expand after passing therethrough thereby to prevent the hook  131  from being readily disengaged from the hanger. The nubs  146  and  147  can be forced together, if desired, in order to selectively release the hook  131  from the joinder receptacle  127 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an enlarged view of the joinder receptacle  127 . The joinder receptacle  127  is a tubular element attached to or formed at the end of the connecting leg  152  to receive the body  142  of connector end  140 . The joinder end  127  includes a central bore  150  therethrough. In particular, the ends and nubs of the hook (see FIG. 3) are passed through the bore  150  in the tubular joinder receptacle  127  until the ends and the nubs expand and latch on the lower side of the joinder receptacle  127 . 
     Referring concurrently to FIG. 5, there is shown a cross-sectional view of the structure of hanger  100  taken along the lines  5 — 5  in FIG.  1 . Thus, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, the structure of hanger  100  includes a generally cylindrical body  501  which is fairly conventional in plastic hanger construction. 
     In addition, the structure of hanger  100  includes a tapered, generally triangular shaped support portion  502  formed integrally with the cylinder  501 . The support portion or tail  502  can be on the bottom of the cylinder (or rod), as seen in arms  121  and  122  in FIG.  1 . Alternatively, the support tail  502  can be on the top of the rod as seen in connecting leg  152  in FIG.  1 . The tail  502  is not required in all hangers but provides an appropriate structural strength as desired and may be utilized with any of the hanger embodiments described supra. 
     Each of the hanger embodiments described supra can be constructed of various conventional materials using various conventional construction methods For example, the hanger can be comprised of molded or preformed plastic with a tubular or rod cross section with or without the support tail 
     Hangers can be variously otherwise formed using for example, preformed plastic rodding, plastic extrusions, plastic coated wire, plastic tubing, metal tubing, mixtures thereof or the like, as desired by a fabricator. Various conventional working and forming procedures can be used to fabricate a single hanger such as compression or laser cutting and/or heat forming. 
     Thus, there is shown and described a unique design and concept of a garment hanger. While this description is directed to several embodiments, it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive modifications and/or variations to the specific embodiments shown and described herein. Any such modifications or variations which fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein as well. It is understood that the description herein is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to be limitative. Rather, the scope of the invention described herein is limited only by the claims appended hereto.