Abstract:
An easily and inexpensively manufactured garment hanger of increased strength and durability. The garment hanger comprises a suspension hook secured to a support rib provided at a central hook region of the hanger. Incorporating the support rib through the central hook region of the hanger minimizes twist and other distortions of the hanger, even when under heavy garment loads.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), this application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/665,940 filed 29 Mar. 2005, entitled Garment Hanger with Central Support Rib the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention generally relates to garment hangers. More specifically, the invention relates to molded plastic garment hangers having a rib support structure at an interface of shoulder, arm and central hook regions of the hanger. 
   2. Related Art 
   Garment hangers have been known and used for years. Historically, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the basic garment hanger  1  was wire or wooden having opposed shoulders  2  joined at a central hook region  3 . A suspension hook  4  projects from the central hook region  3  permitting the hanger  1  to be placed on a rod or other structure for storage in a closet, for example. From the central hook region  3 , the opposed shoulders  2  each extend outwardly as arms  5  terminating at opposed ends  6  thereof. The opposed ends  6  of the arms  5  are often joined by a cross-member  7  extending between the opposed ends  6  to increase the strength and stability of the hanger. 
   Though the strength and durability of the wooden hangers, in particular, were appealing, the increased costs and additional weight of the wooden hangers resulted in the development of less expensive and lighter weight plastic hangers, such as those disclosed in Australian Patent No. 544211 (AU-B-21403/83) or U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,045 that are commonly-owned herewith. 
   The arms of such molded plastic hangers tend to bend at transition regions, such as between the central hook and shoulder regions, the shoulder and arm regions, or other transition regions when heavier garments are placed on the hanger. Moreover, where less flexible material, such as general purpose polystyrene, has been used to comprise the molded plastic hangers, the transition regions may even break under heavy garment loads. 
   To overcome the tendency to bend or break at transition regions, arms of molded plastic hangers have been reinforced with channel inserts or I-sections placed throughout, or at various intervals over or within, the arms as described in the above-mentioned commonly-owned patents. The channel inserts or I-sections may be co-molded with, or separately inserted on or into, the arms of the hangers. In any event, incorporation of such channel inserts or I-sections throughout, or at various intervals of, the arms of the hanger increase the time and costs to manufacture such hangers. 
   Additionally, the co-molding or other provision of the channels or I-sections to the arms of the hangers often cause rippling or other undesirable marring of exposed surfaces of the arms of the hangers, particularly where the channels or I-sections are located only at various intervals of the arms of the hangers. Collapsing or pinching of all or portions of sidewalls of the arms of the hangers have also been found to occur in some, particularly where the channels or I-sections are provided on an external surface of the arms or are provided at various intervals on or within the arms of the hangers. Moreover, experiments have shown that the use of such channel inserts or I-sections tend still to create regions of weakness in the hanger. The weak regions render the hangers susceptible to bending or breaking as before, particularly at the transition region between the central hook and shoulder regions, when the hanger experiences heavy loads. 
   Further efforts to overcome the tendency to bend or break at transition regions include co-molding U-shaped channels or depressions in an external surface of the central hook region of the hanger, whereat the shoulders converge as shown in the commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,045 discussed above, for example. The external channels or depressions are intentionally isolated from the channels of the arms, however, which renders the hangers susceptible to twisting. Such twisting can result in bending or breaking of the hanger as well. 
   In view of the above, a need exists for an easily and inexpensively manufactured molded plastic garment hanger having increased strength and durability at the interface of the central hook, shoulder and arm regions of the hanger. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The garment hanger according to the invention provides a molded plastic garment hanger incorporating a single support rib in the hanger where a central hook region interfaces with shoulder and arm regions of the hanger. 
   In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support rib is co-molded into the central hook region between panels comprising shoulders and arms of the hanger. Alternatively, the support rib may be separably inserted and glued, or otherwise secured, in the central hook region of the hanger between the panels comprising the shoulders and arms of the hanger. In either case, the support rib is provided between an underside surface of the panels comprising the arm, shoulder and central hook regions of the hanger. 
   Positioning the support rib between the underside of the various panels at a single location minimizes rippling, waving or other undesirable distortions or marring of the exposed surfaces of the hanger. Further, the use of a single support rib minimizes the time and costs associated with making the hanger according to the invention. Moreover, because the support rib of the invention extends between panels comprising the arm, shoulder and central hook regions, increased stability is provided to the hanger notwithstanding the absence of additional reinforcing channels or I-sections on or in the hanger arms as in prior art hangers. 
   According to the invention, the support rib is comprised of a receiving end and a closed end opposite thereof, the receiving end and the closed end being connected by a balance of the support rib. A portion of the receiving end is exposed as it projects from the hanger slightly above the central hook region of the hanger. The support rib thus extends from its exposed receiving end above the central hook region of the hanger through the shoulder region and into the arm region of the hanger. In a preferred embodiment, the receiving end of the support rib is threaded in order to receive a correspondingly threaded portion of a suspension hook provided with the hanger. The balance of the support rib generally extends from the receiving end thereof at the central hook region through the shoulder region and into, or through, the arms of the hanger. 
   By extending through the hanger in this manner at the interface of the arm, shoulder and central hook regions, the support rib resists twisting even under heavy garment loads. Wings are provided to connect the exposed portion of the receiving end of the support rib to the hanger to increase the resistance to twisting and to provide even greater strength and stability therefore. Incorporating the support rib into a garment hanger according to the invention thus provides a garment hanger of increased strength and stability that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. 
   The artisan will appreciate that the support rib may be configured of various shapes, wherein a particularly preferred shape is an I-shaped support rib except for the receiving end, which is round in order to receive the threaded portion of the suspension hook. Of course, the artisan will also readily appreciate that the support rib may be provided with a non-threaded receiving end for receiving a non-threaded portion of the suspension hook. In this latter case, the entire support rib may be comprised of a common shape, wherein the receiving end is configured to receive a portion of the suspension hook. Where the receiving end and suspension hook are not threaded, the suspension hook is friction-fitted, glued, or otherwise secured in the receiving end of the support rib in accordance with the invention. 
   The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and claims. It will be understood that the various exemplary embodiments of the invention described herein are shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation thereof. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus and methods of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a representation of a prior art hanger. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of a garment hanger according to the invention. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a partial perspective view of the central hook region and support rib of the garment hanger according to the invention. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a cross sectional top view of the support rib of the garment hanger according to the invention. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional bottom view of the support rib of the garment hanger according to the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of a generally open-channeled garment hanger  10  according to the invention. The garment hanger  10  comprises a shoulder region  20 , an arm region  30 , and a central hook region  40 . The shoulder, arm and central hook regions are formed generally as an inverted unshaped channel from a first panel  11  and a second panel  12  joined by a third panel  13 . 
   The first panel  11  has an upper edge  11   a  and a lower edge  11   b . The second panel has an upper edge ( 12   a  not shown) and a lower edge  12   b  that generally correspond to the upper edge  11   a  and the lower edge  11   b  of the first panel, respectively. The second panel  12  is positioned substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the first panel  11 , wherein the third panel  13  joins the first panel  11  and the second panel  12  along the respective upper edges  11   a  and  12   a  thereof. Joining the first panel  11  and the second panel  12  with the third panel  13  in this manner helps to maintain the first panel  11  and the second panel  12  in spaced relation relative to one another and generally provides the intended inverted u-shaped channel throughout the shoulder, arm and central hook regions as discussed above. 
   Referring still to  FIG. 2 , the shoulder regions  20  of the joined first, second and third panels  11 ,  12  and  13  converge at the central hook region  40  of the hanger  10 , whereat a centrally oriented support member comprising a support rib  60  is located. The joined panels  11 ,  12  and  13  extend outwardly from the central hook region  40  to form the shoulder regions  20  and downwardly sloping arms  30  of the hanger. Each arm  30  terminates at a respective end  70 . 
   Referring still to  FIG. 2 , the centrally oriented support rib  60  is provided with a receiving end  61  and a closed end  62  opposite thereof. The receiving end  61  and the closed end  62  are joined by the balance of the support rib  60  that extends generally vertically downwardly between the receiving and closed ends  61 ,  62  of the rib  60 . An exposed portion of the receiving end  61  of the support rib  60  extends slightly above the third panel  13  of the hanger at the central hook region  30 . The balance of the support rib  60 , including the closed end  62  thereof, extends downwardly between the first, second and third panels  11 ,  12  and  13  at the central hook region  40  of the hanger. 
   In a preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the receiving end  61  of the support rib  60  is threaded. Where provided, the threaded receiving end  61  receives a corresponding threaded portion of the suspension hook  80 . Of course, the artisan will appreciate that the receiving end  61  could instead be non-threaded, for receiving a correspondingly non-threaded portion of the suspension hook. In this latter case, the suspension hook may be friction fitted, glued, or otherwise secured within the receiving end  61  of the support rib  60 . 
   In the preferred embodiment of the garment hanger  10  according to the invention, the support rib  60  is co-molded with the garment hanger. The artisan should appreciate, however, that the support rib  60  may instead be separately provided and secured to the hanger between the first, second and third panels  11 ,  12 ,  13 , respectively, through the central hook region  40  as well. In either case, providing the support rib  60  between the first, second and third panels  11 ,  12 ,  13  of the hanger at the central hook region  40  improves the stability and strength of the hanger and minimizes the tendency of the hanger to twist when subject to heavy garment loads. Distortions or other marring of exposed hanger panels is minimized as well. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates in more detail the preferred embodiment of the support rib  60  according to the invention. In particular,  FIG. 3  shows, in dashed lines, the support rib  60  as it extends along an underside surface between each of the first, second and third panels  11 ,  12  and  13  of the hanger. As shown also in  FIG. 3 , wings  63  project from the exposed portion of the receiving end  61  of the support rib  60  to connect the receiving end  61  to the third panel  13 . In the preferred embodiment, the wings  63  are co-molded with the hanger  10  and support rib  60 . Whether by co-molding or otherwise, however, connecting the exposed portion of the support rib  60  to the central hook region  40  using the wings  63  minimizes twisting of the hanger  10  and increases the strength and stability of the hanger  10 , even when subjected to heavier garment loads. The artisan will readily appreciate that the wings  63  may be comprised of shapes other than as shown and described herein in order to connect the receiving end of the support rib with the hanger. 
   Referring still to  FIG. 3 , the support rib  60  extends downwardly from the receiving end  61  to the closed end  62  of the support rib between the first, second and third panels  11 ,  12 , and  13  of the hanger. The closed end  62  of the support rib  60  is shown in  FIG. 3  as extending towards, but not to, the lower edges  11   b ,  12   b  of the first and second panels  11 ,  12  respectively. Of course, as the artisan should readily appreciate, other configurations of the support rib  60  are well within the scope of the invention including those wherein the closed end  62  of the support rib extends to the lower edges  11   b ,  12   b  of the first and second panels  11 ,  12 , or to some other position between the upper edges  11   a ,  12   a  and the lower edges  11   b ,  12   b  of the first and second panels  11 ,  12 , respectively. 
     FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the support rib  60  according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the support rib  60  is comprised generally of an I-shaped section, except at its receiving end  61 , which is round in order to receive the correspondingly threaded, or other, portion of the suspension hook  80  as discussed above. The support rib  60  is shown between the first, second and third panels  11 ,  12  and  13 , wherein the panels join to form the substantially closed upper portion of the hanger other than the opening provided by the receiving end  61  of the support rib  60 . The wings  63  are also shown in  FIG. 4 . Of course, cross-sectional configurations other than the exclusively I-shaped configuration shown in  FIG. 4  may comprise some or all of the support rib, as long as the receiving end  61  is provided to receive the suspension hook as otherwise herein described. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional bottom view of the support rib  60  according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the generally I-shaped support rib  60  is at or near the lower edges  11   b ,  12   b  of the first and second panels  11 ,  12 . Otherwise, the lower portion of the hanger  10  is open, as evident in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 2 . 
   The artisan will appreciate, with respect to the support rib  60 , that shapes and configuration other than as shown in the Figures or described herein may also be used provided the support rib generally extends between the first, second and third panels at the interface between the shoulder, arm and central hook regions of the hanger as described herein. For example, the support rib  60  need not have a round threaded receiving end  61  with the balance of the support rib I-shaped. Instead, the receiving end  61  could be non-threaded of a shape for receiving a corresponding non-threaded compliantly shaped portion of the suspension hook  80 , in which case the suspension hook  80  could be friction-fitted, glued, or otherwise secured within the receiving end  61  of the support rib  60 . Likewise, the artisan should appreciate that the support rib  60  may vary so as to have cross-sections of two or more shapes therein. The artisan will also appreciate that the various panels and components comprising the hanger  10  may be molded from any suitable known or later developed plastic material, including general purpose polystyrene, K-resin, high impact polystyrene, or PETG. 
   The various exemplary embodiments of the invention as described hereinabove do not limit different embodiments of the present invention. The material described herein is not limited to the materials, designs, or shapes referenced herein for illustrative purposes only, and may comprise various other materials, designs or shapes suitable for the systems and procedures described herein as should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
   While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. It is, therefore, intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated herein, but should be construed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.