Abstract:
A utility hook holds a handbag under a table. The hook includes a hanger that hangs from foot linked by a pivot joint with at least one axis of freedom. The part of the hook from which the strap of the handbag may be hung is located directly below the axis of pivot in such a way as to naturally align the hanger with a minimum of extension beyond the table. The foot may be rotated to align its major plane with that of the hanger to form a compact arrangement.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates to utility hooks and particularly to such hooks as may be used to hold a lady&#39;s handbag or shoulder bag beneath a table and off the floor.  
           [0003]    2. Background  
           [0004]    When visiting a restaurant, users of shoulder bags and handbags are generally faced with the problem of where to place the bag. The most common solutions are to hold the bag in the lap or put it on the floor. Both options are undesirable from the standpoint of comfort and cleanliness. Also, a bag placed on the floor may be awkward to pick up if the owner requires access to it, such as when paying the restaurant bill. Also, children playing on the floor of a host&#39;s house might invade the privacy of a guest who has left his/her bag on the floor. Security is also a problem in this context, particularly when visiting high tourist traffic locales.  
           [0005]    Utility hooks have been proposed for holding handbags under tables and off the floor. For example, GR92100190A discloses a utility hook for suspending a lady&#39;s handbag below a table. The hook is described as having a table-shaped metallic head with a semicircular arm 8.5 cm. long that loops from the table top to a point beneath the table. The table-shaped head has a foam surface to make anti-friction contact with the table&#39;s surface. This hook will hold a handbag off the floor, but it extends out from the table unnecessarily owing to its semicircular shape. Also, no means is provided to insure the anti-friction foam can do its job since an off-center load may tip table shaped head. In addition, table-shaped head is obstructive when the hook is placed in a handbag, making it space-consuming and prone to getting caught on other items in the user&#39;s carry bag. Still further, most handbag straps connected the longitudinal extremes of a handbag. Such a strap hooked over this hook will cause the handbag to tend to hang with its long dimensional parallel the edge of the table (or parallel to the tangent of a round or curvilinearly edged table).  
           [0006]    Another prior art handbag holder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,302. This is an asymmetrical U-shaped hook when its arms are extended, the two arms being horizontal when in use and the joining element being generally vertical. The device is foldable for compactness when storing it. The design&#39;s asymmetric horizontal elements, the two arms of the U-shape are such that the vertical element must hang at an angle because the center of mass tends to move directly below the end of the top arm. This causes the vertical joining element to tend to be at an angle so that the device juts out from the table when in use. The device has a rubber friction foot that can pivot, but according to the drawing, not when in use. This is because the hinge is shaped to lock when the handbag&#39;s center of mass moves itself directly below the support point on top of the table. The hinge appears to be an adaptation for very deep tabletops or ones with no space beneath them.  
           [0007]    Another hook for purses and similar articles is shown in the US Design Patent 314,864. This device is a U-shaped bracket with very little vertical depth which may not permit a very deep table to be accommodated in the recess access. Also it holds the straps in such an arrangement with respect to the edge of the table as to make the bag tend to align itself parallel to the edge of the table and perpendicular to the legs of a seated person. Also, the design in bulky and fails to make optimum use of the upper engagement surface to prevent slips.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The invention provides a constellation of features centering around a utility hook for hanging articles from a table. These features address the problems of the prior art.  
           [0009]    According to an embodiment, the invention comprises a foot with a generally flat surface engageable with the top of a table pivotally attached at the end of a U-shaped element with a cylindrical cross-section. When in engagement with the table, the U-shape has two horizontal elements and joined by a vertical element. The upper of the horizontal elements is pivotally attached to the foot. The lower of the horizontal elements is slightly longer than the upper horizontal element so that when the handbag is hanging from the lower element near its end, the center of the strap is immediately below the pivot point and when the bag is balanced, the vertical element is precisely vertical. The foot has a non-friction cushion surface. Because of the pivot, the foot rests flat with a uniform load on the cushion, thereby minimizing wear on the non-friction surface.  
           [0010]    In an alternative variation on the above embodiment, the upper horizontal element has a right angle bend and a short horizontal section terminating a short distance from an axis of the upper horizontal element where the pivot connection joins with it with the foot. The lower horizontal element also has a short horizontal section that is parallel to the one following the right angle bend on the upper horizontal element. The lower one is longer than the upper one so that when a handbag is placed in the middle of the lower short horizontal section, the center of mass lies directly below the pivot point with the vertical element oriented precisely vertical. In this way, the strap of the bag tends to arrange itself perpendicular to the edge of the table thereby making the longest dimension of most bags parallel to the legs of an adjacent seated person.  
           [0011]    According to other features of the invention, the device has a universal joint as its pivot to permit the foot to rest at odd angles for table surfaces that are uneven or which have obstructions or molding. Also, according to another feature, the invention may include a pivot that is off-center relative to the foot so that a table surface that slopes downwardly away from the center of the table top will spread the pressure evenly over the surface of the foot most remote from the pivot.  
           [0012]    The off-center arrangement of the pivot will also assist engagement of the foot when the handbag is hung toward the blind end of recess defined by the-shape rather than toward the end of the lower horizontal element. When a bag is so hung, the lower end of the vertical element tends to rest against the table generating a shear stress on the foot-table engagement interface that has a component directed perpendicular to the edge of the table and away from the table. The off-center alignment spreads the pressure more evenly over the foot when the hook is used in this way.  
           [0013]    Still other optional features facilitate the connection of the utility hook of the invention to a keychain. Others facilitate manufacturability. For example, a universal pivot joint (two-axes) allows the foot to arrange itself generally parallel to the vertical element to create a flat profile for easy stowage. A button on the end of the hook prevents the bag from slipping off. An optional engagement lock holds bags with long straps so that they can be kept off the floor.  
           [0014]    The invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, with reference to the following illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood. With reference to the figures, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1A is a top view of a utility hook according to a first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1A.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is side view of a second embodiment of the invention in which an off-center pivot point corrects for beveled surfaces on a supporting table.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 illustrating the forces involved in misalignment of a load on the embodiment of FIG. 2.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a figurative oblique view of showing the axes of the runs of a utility hook according to another embodiment of the invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5A is a top view, with a partial cutaway, of a utility hook having a self-closing cam clamp according to another embodiment of the invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 5A.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a utility hook  90  has foot  100  with a no-slip cushion  105  having a high friction coefficient. The foot  100  is connected to a U-shaped hanger  145  defined by top and bottom horizontal portions  130  and  150 , respectively, which are connected by a vertical portion  140 . The U-shaped hanger  145  is connected to the foot  100  via a pivot joint  120  which may consist of a ball and socket arrangement  125  giving two axes of mobility as illustrated. A vertical axis of the ball and socket arrangement  125  is indicated at  180 .  
         [0023]    The foot  100  is placed so that the no-slip cushion rests on a table  115 . The lengths of the top and bottom horizontal portions  130  and  150  are such that the strap of a handbag  170  resting on the horizontal portion  150  may be centered with respect to the vertical axis  180 . Assuming the weight of the handbag is much greater than that of the U-shaped hanger  145 , the centering of the strap of the handbag with respect to the vertical axis  180  will cause the vertical portion to align itself precisely with the vertical with no moment requiring to be countered by contact with the table. This is so even if the surface of the table  115  is uneven, the pivot joint  120  may compensate for the uneven surface and the vertical portion  140  will remain vertical without the U-shaped hanger  145  contacting the table  115 .  
         [0024]    A button  160  is located at the end of the U-shaped hanger  145  to prevent the strap  170  from slipping off. Note that instead of a button  160 , the bottom horizontal portion  150  could be shaped with a bend at its distal end to perform the same function or it could be shaped as a curve whose lowest point coinciding, preferably, with the vertical axis  180 .  
         [0025]    The U-shaped hanger  145  is preferably formed of rod stock and given a bright finish to permit it to be found easily in a deep handbag. The pivot joint  120  preferably permits the major plane of the foot  100  surface to rotate about an axis parallel to the horizontal portion so that the plane of the foot  100  and the plane defined by the continuous axis of the U-shaped hanger  145  may be arranged parallel permitting the entire utility hook  90  to assume a generally flat package. The latter configuration may be preferred for stowage in the pocket of a bag or wallet.  
         [0026]    An alternative to the foot  100  with pivot joint  120  is a rounded surface on a foot that is fixedly attached to the U-shaped hanger  145 . An alternative to the pivot joint  120  is a hinge that permits pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the above-described plane defined by the continuous axis of the U-shaped hanger  145 . The latter would accommodate radial gradients in the table surface (assuming a round table). A combination of the foregoing a rounded foot  100  surface and a single axis pivot, may provide the ability to accommodate tangential gradients in the table  115  surface.  
         [0027]    Referring to FIGS.  2 , an alternative embodiment has a foot  175  that is asymmetrically arranged with respect to the vertical axis  180  of the pivot joint  120 . On a table  116  with a negative radial gradient surface, the foot  175  provides a more stable surface than one that is centered like the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B. This-is because a shear stress is generated in addition to the normal force caused by the weight of the handbag. That shear stress results in a moment about the pivot axis whose direction is radial with respect to the table  116 . This moment is better resisted by the extended surface of the foot  175  in the direction of the shear stress.  
         [0028]    Referring to FIG. 3, the same moment may result when the handbag strap  170  is placed near the bend joining the vertical portion  140  and the bottom horizontal portion  150  of the U-shaped hanger  145 . The moment is caused by the misalignment of the weight of the handbag and the vertical axis of the pivot joint  120 . This in turn is resisted by the table at a point of contact between the table  115  and the vertical portion  140  of the U-shaped hanger  145 . The two forces illustrated by the vectors  190  and  195  cancel with the former being supported by friction between the foot  175  and table  115 . Again the eccentric alignment of the foot  175  and the vertical axis  180  improves the grip of the foot  175  on the table  115 .  
         [0029]    Referring to FIG. 41 an alternative embodiment is illustrated by only the central axis of a U-shaped hanger  245 . This embodiment is similar to that of FIGS. 1A and 1B, except that there are two further horizontal sections  225  and  255  of a U-shaped hanger represented by the central axis  245 . These two are horizontal but they are perpendicular extensions to the top and bottom horizontal sections of the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B. The horizontal section represented by the axis segment  255  supports the handbag strap  170  arranged at the center of the pivot axis  280  which passes through a pivot joint represented by the point  200 . The pivot joint may be like the one of the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B. The advantage of the extensions  225  and  255  of this embodiment is that it allows the long axis of the strap  170  to be arranged parallel to a radius of the table. In this way, the strap  170  and the long axis of a handbag, which are usually parallel in most handbags, may be substantially parallel to the legs of people sitting adjacent one another. The result may be that the handbag takes up a minimum of space when used with the utility hook of this design.  
         [0030]    Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the handbag may be arranged with its long axis in the radial direction using another embodiment. In this embodiment, the bag strap  370  is pinched between cams  310  and  320  that form a passive clamp. The cams  310  and  320  may be urged toward the positions indicated at  350  and  360  by respective springs (not shown). The weight of the handbag may help to secure the cams  310  and  320  in a locking cooperation that holds the strap  370  securely. In this embodiment, a very long strap may be accommodated, thereby preventing the bag from hitting the floor.  
         [0031]    Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in a refinement of the design of FIGS. 1A and 1B, a recess  157  is formed in the bottom horizontal portion  153  of a hanger. This recess  157  helps to locate the strap  170  so that it is centered with respect to the vertical axis  180 . Note that this feature may be added to the embodiment of FIG. 4 as well.  
         [0032]    Note that while the above discussion described the invention in terms of its use with a round table, the invention may be used in the same way with a rectilinear or any other shaped table.  
         [0033]    While the present invention has been explained in the context of the preferred embodiments described above, it is to be understood that various changes may be made to those embodiments, and various equivalents may be substituted, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art.