Abstract:
Apparatus for separately hanging a plurality of pants or skirts in a closet from a closet bar installed in the closet. At least a pair of interconnected hangers, one of which hangs from the bar, are provided, each hanger resiliently clasping a pair of pants or a skirt.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates to closet hanger apparatus; and, more particularly, to a plurality of hangers, one of which hangs from a bar in the closet, another of which hangs from the hanger hanging from the bar.  
           [0003]    2. Related Art  
           [0004]    Various hanging devices have been suggested over the years for hanging clothes in a closet. Generally, space is at a premium in a closet and it has been suggested that one hanger can hang from a bar in a closet, another hanger can hang from that hanger. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,321 to Willinger et al. However, the device of Willinger et al does not clamp skirts or pants or the like and requires an additional element at the bottom of the hanger to attach another hanger thereto.  
           [0005]    Another such device is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,739 to Blandard et al. However, the hanger devices cannot be used separately to hang clothes.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,445 to Chen does not show a clothes clamping hanger and requires an intricate carefully machined pivot joint to provide a hanging hook.  
           [0007]    In U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,678 to Blanchard et al, another hanging device is shown where one hanger can be hung from another. There is no clothes clamping means and a separate hanging element must be carefully machined on the bottom of the hanger. U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,861 to Duester et al and 6,308,872 to Duerr et al are similarly defective.  
           [0008]    There thus exists a need for hanging apparatus for a closet wherein skirts or pants or the like may be clamped and one hanger can hang from the other utilizing the clamping means of the hangers.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for separately hanging a plurality of pants or skirts or the like from a closet bar clamping the clothes while utilizing the clamping means to hang a successive hanger therefrom.  
           [0010]    It is further object of this invention to carry out the foregoing object where the clamping means includes a hook portion having a clamping member integral therewith, the latter resiliently grasping wire elements attached to spaced bars between which the clothes are clamped.  
           [0011]    These and other objects are preferably accomplished by providing apparatus for separately hanging a plurality of pants or skirts or the like in a closet from a closet bar installed in the closet. At least a pair of interconnected hangers, one of which hangs from the bar, are provided, each hanger resiliently clasping a pair of pants or a skirt. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of apparatus in accordance with the teachings of the invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is an elevational view of one of the hangers alone of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 2 showing the hanger bars in open position prior to clamping a clothes garment therebetween;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 2 showing the bars in clamped position;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the bars of one hanger, the clamping hook portion of FIGS.  1  to  4  removed therefrom for convenience of illustration;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a portion of the interconnected wire members forming part of the clamping means of the invention; and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is a plan view of one of the hooks along the hangers of FIGS.  1  to  6  removed from engagement with the hanger wire members.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0019]    Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, apparatus  10  is shown having a pair of clothes clamping hangers  11 ,  12  hanging from bar  13  adapted to be mounted in a closet or the like. Hangers  11 ,  12  are identical and each hanger includes a hook member  14  (FIG. 2) having a hook  15  at one end and an elongated portion  16  at its other end. Portion  16  is fixedly secured in a clamping hook portion  17  which forms part of the clamping means for each hanger as will be discussed.  
         [0020]    Thus, portion  16  may be swivelly mounted in hook portion  17 .  
         [0021]    Each hanger includes a pair of elongated generally rectangular bars  18 ,  19  (see also FIG. 3) which normally abut against each other (see FIG. 4) when in the clamping position but are spaced apart, as seen in FIG. 3, prior to clamping a garment therebetween, such as pants or skirts or the like.  
         [0022]    Referring again to FIG. 2, each bar  18 ,  19  has a wire member (wire member  20  secured to bar  18  and wire member  21  (FIG. 4) secured to bar  19 ). Wire members  20 ,  21  are shown in FIG. 5, with the clamping hook portion  17  removed therefrom. Wire member  20  includes a pair of spaced leg portions  22 ,  23  having terminal curved ends  24 ,  25 , respectively, secured in the top of bar  18 . Portions  22 ,  23  extend upwardly and inwardly from bar  18  to an integral bail portion  26 .  
         [0023]    In like manner, wire member  21  also has a pair of spaced leg portions  27 ,  28  terminating in curved terminal ends  29 ,  30 , respectively. Leg portions  27 ,  28  also extend upwardly and inwardly from bar  19  to an integral bail portion  31 .  
         [0024]    As seen in FIG. 5, bail portion  26  lies generally in the same plane as the leg portions  22 ,  23  whereas bail portion  31  curves away from its leg portions  27 ,  28  forming a curved portion  32  at the junction of each spaced leg portion  27 ,  28  with bail portion  31  as seen in FIG. 6. The spaced leg portions  22 ,  23  from bar  18  (see leg portion  22  in FIG. 6) curve at curved portion  33  at its junction with bail portion  26  thus looping onto the curved portions  32  of bail portion  31 .  
         [0025]    The clamping means of the invention includes the aforementioned clamping hook portion  17  connected to hook end  16  (see FIG. 7—the hook member  14  and hook portion  17  are shown removed from engagement with wire members  20 ,  21 ). Hook portion  17  has a first main body portion  34  extending to a curved portion  37  having a first hook element  35  on one side thereof, then continuing past element  35  to form a terminal hook portion  36  extending in a direction away from first hook element  35 . As seen in FIG. 7, the junction portion between curved portion  37  and terminal hook portion  36  is angled.  
         [0026]    As seen in FIG. 4, in order to couple hook element  17  to wire members, hook portion  36  is hooked about bail portion  26 , then hook portion  17  is rotated upwardly to the FIG. 4 position, the bail portion  31  moving downwardly along the curved surface  37  (FIG. 7) between body portion  34  and terminal hook portion  36  into the angled junction portion forcing the wire members  20 ,  21  together to the clamping position as shown in FIG. 4. Counterrotation returns the wire elements  20 ,  21  to the clamped position shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0027]    Looking again at FIG. 1, in operation, a first hanger  11  is hung from bar  13  and a second hanger  12  is hung onto hook element  35  of the first hanger  11 . Clothes can be clamped between bars  18 ,  19  and unclamped by rotating hook portion  17  as previously discussed.  
         [0028]    The hook portion  17  may be quickly and easily manufactured and may be one piece, such as any suitable plastic material. Wire members  20 ,  21  may also be of one integral piece of a suitable round metallic wire. The hook members  14  may be of similar material. Bars  18 ,  19  may be of wood.  
         [0029]    Each hanger is thus made up of only  3  parts, the interconnected bars  18 ,  19  and hook portion  17 . The interior  38  (FIG. 3) of each bar  18 ,  19 , where they abut against each other as seen in FIG. 4, may be roughened or ridged, to grasp any clothes clamped between bars  18 ,  19 .  
         [0030]    Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, variations thereof may occur to an artisan and the scope of the invention should only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.