Abstract:
A hanger is disclosed having a hanger supporting means in the form of a cascade hook for supporting additional hangers therefrom, wherein the cascade hook may be inserted through a rear aperture of a like hanger to facilitate the nesting of one hanger with the other like hanger.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention pertains to the field of clothing hangers and in particular to the field of nestable hangers having hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom. 
     2. Background of the Related Art 
     Hangers having nestable configurations are disclosed in the prior art, as are hangers having hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom. 
     One example of a hanger having hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom may be found, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,678 to Blanchard et al., which discloses a “ganging hook” via which additional hangers may be supported. The “ganging hook” disclosed in Blanchard et al. extends downwardly from the hanger body. The “ganging hook” of Blanchard et al. does not provide any nesting functionality to the hanger. 
     Another example of a hanger having supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom is U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,098 to Bredeweg et al. The hanger disclosed in Bredeweg et al. discloses a “hook socket for ganging hangers.” As with Blanchard et al., the “hook socket” of the hanger disclosed in Bredeweg et al. extends downwardly from hanger body and does not provide any nesting functionality. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,445 to Chen discloses a garment hanger with a “ganging hook” extending from the hanger body. The position of the “ganging hook” of Chen impedes nesting of hangers. 
     Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,321 to Willinger et al. discloses a hanger having “ganging element” extending downwardly from the hanger body. As with the previously cited prior art, the “ganging element” of the hanger disclosed in Willinger et al. does not promote nesting of hangers. Like hangers may also be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,772 to Bond; U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,834 to Cohen; U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,872 to Duerr et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,658 to Olk et al. 
     None of the foregoing prior art discloses hangers with hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom configured in such a manner so as to allow for nesting of hangers. It is therefore desirable to have a hanger which not only includes hanger supporting means for supporting additional hangers therefrom, but further readily provides for nesting of hangers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject invention is directed to a new and useful hanger having a hanger supporting means in the form of a cascade hook for supporting additional hangers therefrom, wherein the cascade hook facilitate the nesting of one hanger with another similar hanger. 
     One embodiment of the present invention includes a garment hanger comprising: a hanger frame comprising a hanger body, the hanger body having a front surface and a rear surface, a top and a bottom; a hook member extending from the top of the hanger body, the body having a hole formed therethrough, the hole having a front aperture formed in the front surface and a rear aperture formed in the rear surface; the body having a cascade hook member extending from the front surface and disposed in front of the front aperture. In these embodiments, the hole is adapted to receive through the rear aperture a cascade hook member from a first identical garment hanger and the cascade hook member is adapted to be inserted into a rear aperture of a hole in a second identical garment hanger. 
     In certain embodiments, the cascade hook member has an inclined portion having a first end disposed at the bottom of the hole and a second end disposed opposite from the first end, and a second portion extending upwardly from the second end of the inclined portion. 
     In any of the foregoing embodiments, the cascade hook member may comprise a rear surface substantially facing the front surface of the body; a front surface substantially facing away from the front surface of the body. A projection of the cascade hook member onto a plane containing the front surface of the body may be shaped substantially the same as the front aperture, and the projection may have an area less than the area of the front aperture. The rear aperture may have an area greater than the area of the of the front aperture. There may also be a concavity formed in the rear surface of the cascade hook member. 
     Furthermore, in any of the foregoing embodiments, the cascade hook member may be adapted to be inserted through the hole of the second identical garment hanger and extend out of a front aperture of the hole of the second identical garment hanger. Upon being inserted through the hole of the second identical garment hanger, the front surface of the cascade hook member may abut a portion of a rear surface of a cascade hanger member of the second identical garment hanger. 
     A channel may be formed between a portion of the front surface of the cascade hook member and a portion of the rear surface of the cascade hook member of the second identical hanger. Similarly, a cavity may be formed between a portion of the front surface of the cascade hook member and a concavity formed in the rear surface of the cascade hook member of the second identical hanger. Where both a cavity and a channel are formed, the width of the channel may be smaller than the width of the cavity. 
     These and other aspects of the subject invention will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings described herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       So that those having ordinary skill in the art to which the subject invention pertains will more readily understand how to make and use the subject invention, preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein with reference to the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a front plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional detail of the preferred embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front plan view of two hangers of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in a nested configuration. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional detail of the hangers depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is an orthogonal view of two hangers of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in a nested configuration. 
         FIG. 6  is an orthogonal view of two hangers of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in a cascaded configuration. 
         FIG. 7  is a substantially rear orthogonal view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 ,  FIG. 1  depicts a front plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The hanger generally comprises hanger frame  1  and hook member  2  extending upwardly therefrom. Hanger frame comprises body  4  and arms  5  extending from each side of body  4 . Hook member  2  is connected to frame  1  via vertical portion  3 . 
     Hanger body  4  includes a generally planar front surface  10  and a rear surface  11  substantially collateral with front surface  10 . Cascade hook  20 , which may also be called a “finger”, extends from front surface  10 . 
     Cascade hook  20 , shown in cross section in  FIG. 2 , has a front surface  21  and a rear surface  22 , a vertical portion  27  substantially collateral with front surface  10  of hanger body  4  and an inclined portion  28  extending upwardly and outwardly from front surface  10  of hanger body  4 . Inclined portion  28  may form an angle of less than 90 degrees from vertical (i.e., less than 90 degrees from the plane of front surface  10 ). Cascade hook  20  may omit a vertical portion, and inclined portion  28  may be arranged perpendicularly to front surface  10  without departing from the invention disclosed herein, provided that cascade hook  20  may function to support additional hangers therefrom and allows for nesting of hangers, as will be described in greater detail below. 
     Cascade hook  20  may include a concavity  23 , which may be formed at the intersection of the vertical portion  27  and inclined portion  28 . Alternatively, concavity  23  may be omitted. 
     Body  4  includes a hole  26  formed therethrough. Hole  26  has a rear aperture  24  formed in the rear surface  11  and a front aperture  25  formed in front surface  10 . Rear aperture  24  may include chamfer  30  (depicted more clearly in  FIG. 7 ). Each of the front and rear apertures have a certain area, that is, each has a certain measure of the planar extent it defines. Cascade hook  20  is shaped substantially the same as front aperture  25 , that is, if one projects the shape of cascade hook  20  on the same plane as that occupied by aperture  25  (which is the same as the plane of front surface  10 ), the projected shape of cascade hook  20  will be substantially the same as the shape of aperture  25 . One in the art will readily understand that the projection disclosed herein is not a physical structure, but instead an orthographic projection, that is, a representation of the three dimensional cascade hook  20  on a planar surface corresponding to the plane containing aperture  25 . 
     Front surface  10  may also be curved, in which case apertures  24  and  25  would likewise be curved. In this case, the projection of cascade hook  20  onto a plane would have substantially the same shape as a projection of aperture  25  onto the same plane. 
     The surface area of front surface  10  which is not occupied by cascade hook  20  may be at least approximately twice that of the surface area occupied by cascade hook  20 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , two hangers of a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be seen in a nested configuration. Hanger  50  is placed in front of hanger  60 , which is nested with hanger  50 . Cascade hook  61  of hanger  60  extends through rear aperture  52  of hanger  50 , through hole  53 , and partially out front aperture  54  of hanger  50 . Front surface  60  of the inclined portion of cascade hook  61  abuts rear surface  55  of cascade hook  51 . Front surface  62  of hanger  60  abuts rear surface  56  of hanger  50 . Cascade hook  61  may be dimensioned to closely conform to the dimensions of front aperture  54 , thereby nesting hanger  60  to hanger  50 . Rear aperture  53  may be dimensioned larger than front aperture  54  to more easily receive cascade hook  61  in hole  53 . 
     When nested as shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5 , cascade hooks  51  and  61  form channel  71  therebetween, terminating in cavity  72 , formed in part by concavity  73  and the front face of cascade hook  61 . Concavity  73  may be dimensioned so as to hold a hook member of another hanger therein, while channel  71  may be of smaller dimensions, prohibiting a hook member present in cavity  72  from moving through channel  71 , thereby maintaining the hook member in cavity  72 . Cavity  72  may be dimensioned to closely approximate the diameter of hook member  2 , depicted, for example, in  FIGS. 1 and 6 . 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the pertinent art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.