Abstract:
An ornament hanger is disclosed for hanging an ornament on a display, such as a Christmas tree. The ornament hanger includes an upper portion removably linkable to the display and a lower portion engaged with the upper portion. The lower portion includes at least two ornament retaining members, to facilitate hanging multiple ornaments from a single branch. In a preferred embodiment, the upper portion slidably engages the lower portion, thereby allowing one to adjust the position of the ornament retaining members.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from provisional patent application No. 61/018,268 filed on Dec. 31, 2007. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an ornament hanger of the type used at Christmas time to hang ornaments from trees, garland, wires or other supports. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The traditional metal wire hook for hanging a Christmas tree ornament on the branch of the Christmas tree has been in existence for a considerable time, but, in spite of its longevity, it possesses some disadvantages. 
         [0004]    One problem with the traditional hook is that it carries a single ornament. Therefore, the ornaments must be hung one at a time when using the traditional hook. If one is decorating a large tree, this process can be lengthy, frustrating, and detrimental to the holiday spirit. 
         [0005]    Another limitation of the traditional hook is that it is not possible to display multiple ornaments near each other on a single tree branch. When two traditional hooks are hung from the same branch, one hook must be positioned in front of another hook, thereby causing one ornament to block the other ornament and interfere with its display. 
         [0006]    Therefore, it is desirable to have an ornament hanger that enables one to hang more than one ornament at a time and to hang more than one ornament from a single branch. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An ornament hanger is disclosed for hanging an ornament on a display, such as a Christmas tree. The ornament hanger includes an upper portion removably linkable to the display and a lower portion engaged with the upper portion. The lower portion includes at least two ornament retaining members, to facilitate hanging multiple ornaments from a single branch. In a preferred embodiment, the upper portion slidably engages the lower portion, thereby allowing one to adjust the position of the ornament retaining members. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  shows a preferred embodiment of the ornament hanger of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  shows another preferred embodiment of the ornament hanger of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIGS. 3A and 3E  show yet another preferred embodiment of the ornament hanger of the present invention,  FIG. 3A  being the front view and  FIG. 3B  being the rear view thereof; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  shows yet another preferred embodiment of the ornament hanger of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]    The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various aspects of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only aspects in which the present disclosure may be practiced. Each aspect described in this disclosure is provided merely as an example or illustration of the present disclosure, and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Acronyms and other descriptive terminology may be used merely for convenience and clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. 
         [0013]    Referring now to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  shows a preferred embodiment of an ornament hanger  10  of present invention. Ornament hanger  10  includes an upper portion  12  and a lower portion  14 . The upper portion  12  is configured to hang from or fasten to a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree is used herein as an example of the type of display that can be adorned using the ornament hanger of the present invention. One skilled in the art would understand that this invention can be utilized to hang ornaments on a variety of displays, including but not limited to, garlands, plants, ornament holders, statues, structures, furniture, etc. The use of the exemplary Christmas tree is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
         [0014]    In a preferred embodiment, the upper portion  12  forms a hook capable of being suspended from a Christmas tree branch. It is envisioned that the upper portion can be formed as a clamp, a loop, a fastening device for attachment to a branch or a curved shape capable of suspending the hanger from a branch. 
         [0015]    The lower portion  14  preferably forms at least two ornament retaining members  16 . In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the ornament retaining members  16  are shown as loops and are positioned at a first end  18  and a second end  20  of the lower portion  14 . It is envisioned that the position of the ornament retaining members  16  is not limited to an end of the lower portion  14 . Rather, the ornament retaining members  16  can be positioned anywhere along the lower portion  14 . The lower portion  14  can have many shapes. In  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the lower portion  14  is shown having a bell-shape. In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the lower portion  14  has an arc-shape. It is envisioned that the lower portion  14  can have a variety of shapes and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown herein. 
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows another preferred embodiment of the invention wherein upper portion  12  is slidably engaged with lower portion  14 . In one embodiment, upper portion  12  has a coil end  22  configured to entwine lower portion  14  in a manner that frictionally holds the lower portion  14 . Coil end  22  slidably engages the lower portion  14  and its position can be selectively adjusted on the lower portion  14 . By adjusting the position of the coil end  22  on the lower portion  14 , one can control the position of an ornament retaining portion  16  at a first end  18  relative to the other ornament retaining portion  16  at the second end  20 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , if the coil end  22  is equidistant from the first end  18  and second end  20 , the ornament retaining portions  16  will be positioned on the same plane. If the coil end  22  is slidably adjusted to be closer to one end than the other, the ornament retaining portions will no longer be positioned on the same plane. 
         [0017]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  depict another exemplary embodiment of the invention wherein the position of the upper portion  12  of the ornament hanger  10  can be selectively adjusted with respect to the lower portion  14 . As shown in  FIGS. 3A and 38 , the upper portion  12  is attached to a slider  30  and slider  30  is slidably engaged with lower portion  14 . In one embodiment Of the invention, slider  30  has engaging members  32  that grip the lower portion  14 , while allowing the slider  30  to slide along the lower portion  14  when force is applied thereto. 
         [0018]    The interengagement of the slider  30  and the lower portion  14  can be accomplished using many known devices. For example, engaging members  32  can be springs that are biased in a manner that grips the lower portion  14 . In another example, engaging members  32  can include two holes through which lower portion  14  may pass. The holes would be sized to grip the lower portion  14  while allowing lower portion  14  to slide through when force is applied thereto. The present invention is not intended to be limited to the examples provided herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that there are numerous ways to slidingly engage the upper and lower portions without diverting from the scope of the invention. 
         [0019]      FIG. 4  depicts yet another embodiment of the invention wherein the lower portion  14  of the ornament hanger  10  includes more than two ornament retaining members  16 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , lower portion  14  includes six ornament retaining members  16 . The ornament retaining members  16  can be of various sized to accommodate different sized ornament. The ornament hanger  10  shown in  FIG. 4  can be utilized to hang several smaller ornaments or a collection of related ornaments. 
         [0020]    Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.