Patent Publication Number: US-2009236376-A1

Title: Side sizer for wire hook hangers

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 11/373,405, filed Mar. 10, 2006. This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/661,587, entitled “Side-Sizer for Wire Hook Hangers”, filed 14 Mar. 2005 (attorney Docket 18224) by the present inventor and commonly assigned with the present application, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of garment hangers, and more specifically to a side-sizer for use with a hanger having a wire metal hook. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In the area of retail garment sales, so-called Garment-On-Hanger (GOH) programs have become preferred to retailers. In a GOH program, garments are delivered to retail merchants already suspended from hangers, whereupon arrival at the retail location they may immediately be placed on display for sale. Formerly, retailers accomplished this task with labor provided at their own expense. 
     In particular, retailers have specified particular hangers or hanger characteristics among their several suppliers in order to achieve a visually pleasing uniformity on their sales floors. To this end, standards as to hanger size, shape, performance characteristics, etc., are maintained, for example, by organizations such as the Voluntary Inter-industry Commerce Standards Association (VICS). One particular standardized hanger feature is extremely popular across several hanger models, namely a turnable wire hook mated to a plastic hanger. 
     Additionally, and interrelated to the promulgation of GOH programs, retailers and their customers desire to have the hanger itself display some indicia regarding the item carried upon it. Categories of indicia could include manufacturer, material and price, but most notably for garments, their size. Various means for accomplishing this have been developed, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,422 to Marshal, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,260 to Gouldson, both of which are commonly assigned with the instant application, among others. Popular among these are the type disclosed in the latter patent just mentioned, i.e., those that secure to the hanger adjacent the intersection of the hook and the hanger body to one side of the hook, appropriately called side-sizer tabs, or simply side-sizers; or lower neck sizers or indicators. 
     However, such side-sizers heretofore known in the art require that the hanger be specifically manufactured to accept the particular indicator. Various other indicators could be made universally adaptable, for example, those attached or surrounding the wire hook of the hanger. These generally are free to slide along the length of the wire hook, and ordinarily come to rest at the base of the hook adjacent the hanger body. However, these do not achieve the desired appearance afforded by a side-sizer. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, in order to overcome these and other deficiencies in the prior art, provided according to the present invention is a size-sizer for a garment hanger having a collar portion with a band configured to engage a hook of the hanger and an indicator portion pivotally connected to the collar portion. The indicator portion has means for retaining the indicator portion engaged with the hanger. The side-sizer exhibits indicia related to an item to be suspended from the hanger. 
     In further embodiments the side-sizer is unitarily formed from an injection-molded plastic, particularly polypropylene or K-resin, in which case the collar portion and indicator portion can be pivotally connected by a living hinge. 
     The indicator portion can include a retaining tab on a lateral face of the indicator portion for retaining it engaged with the hanger. The retaining tab can have at least one of an inward surface and an outward surface being angled relative to a transverse datum. Alternately or additionally, the indicator portion is maintained engaged with the hanger via a predetermined distance between two lateral faces of the indicator portion dimensioned to engage the hanger. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects and benefits of the present invention will be made apparent with reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings, where like reference numerals refer to like features across the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a side-sizer according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an axial end view of the side-sizer, taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a further embodiment of the side-sizer according to the present invention in proximity with the hanger to which it is to be placed; and 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the side-sizer according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , shown in perspective view is a side-sizer, generally  10 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Side-sizer  10  constitutes generally, a collar portion  12 , and an indicator portion  14 . One skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that collar portion  12  may also serve at least part of an indicating function. 
     Collar portion  12  has a generally cylindrical band  16 . The generally cylindrical band  16  can be circular, as in the illustrative embodiment, or another geometric cylindrical projection, including but not limited to rectangular, square, triangular, pentagonal, etc. The band  16  can have a discontinuity  18  to facilitate mounting to a hanger by admitting a wire hook. Collar portion  12  also has a plurality of substantially radial inwardly directed projections  20 . At their mutual inward ends, projections  20  engage the wire hook of the hanger. Extending outwardly from one side of the collar portion  12  is a shelf  22  that is attached to and carries indicator portion  14 . 
     Indicator portion  14  is attached to collar portion  12  at shelf  22  through a hinge  24 . More specifically, hinge  24  can be a living hinge formed integrally of the same material as tab portion  14  and/or collar portion  12 . Alternately, indicator portion  14  may be attached to collar portion  12  without any hinge  24 , and at any predetermined angle, as suitable for an intended application. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , shown is an axial end view of indicator portion  14 . The cross-sectional shape can be generally described as “C-channel”, though other shapes are equally suitable, including for example N-channel, U-channel, V-channel, among others. In the exemplary embodiment, indicator portion  14  is C-channel in cross-section, including an outward face  26 , and complementary first lateral face  28  and a second lateral face  30 . In an N-channel embodiment, the cross-section would be largely similar to the C-channel as shown, though having longer lateral faces in relation to the outward face, generally resembling a lower-case “n”. In a U-channel embodiment, the rounded portion of the u would replace outward face  28 , while in a V-channel embodiment two lateral faces would intersect obviating an outward face. Other configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the instant disclosure, and the shape of the indicator portion  14  is not limited to those described. In any event, the indicator portion  14  can further open along at least a portion of an inward surface, generally opposite the outward face  26 , in order to engage a hanger to which the side-sizer  10  is mounted. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , shown is a side-sizer  10  in one particular application contemplated, i.e., a molded plastic hanger having a metal hook. The hanger, generally  40  (partially shown in cutaway), has a metal hook  42 , which is attached to hanger body  44  via a triangular or trapezoidal (as viewed from a lateral side) reinforcement  46 . The hanger  40  generally, and in particular reinforcement  46  includes one or more flanges  48 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , side-sizer  10   a  omits shelf  22 , and indicator portion  14  is directly connected to collar portion  12  at hinge  24 . Side-sizer  10   a  also includes a retaining tab  50  extending inward of either or both lateral faces  28 ,  30 . Retaining tab  50  may be coextensive with lateral face  28  or  30 , or both, or may be intermittent anywhere along the length of either face, irrespective of the length, size, shape, or even presence of a retaining tab  50  on the complementary face. Retaining tab  50  may be carried on an inward surface of lateral face  28  or  30 , or at an end of the lateral face  28 ,  30 , opposite outward face  26 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , retaining tabs  50  have an inward surface  52  and outward surface  54 , either or both of which may be sloped relative to a lateral datum  56 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, retaining tabs  50  have a generally flat outward surface  54  relative to transverse datum  56 , which provides additional resistance to removal. Inward surface  52  is sharply sloped relative to transverse datum  56 , which reduces resistance and aids in ease of engagement with flange  48 . Inversely, where outward surface  54  sloped downward, considered as having distal point of tab  50  below the point of attachment to lateral face  28 , resistance to removal would be reduced. Similarly, a reduced or eliminated upward slope of inward surface  52  would increase resistance to engagement with flange  48 . 
     When indicator portion  14  is urged into engagement with flange  48 , the retaining tabs  50  tabs urge either or both lateral faces  28 ,  30  away from one another. Continued inward pressure on indicator portion  14  moves retaining tabs  50  beyond flange  48 , releasing transverse pressure on lateral faces  28 ,  30 , which return to their previous configuration. Thereafter, retaining tabs  50  cooperate with flange  48  to retain the indicator portion  14  engaged with the hanger  40 , and more specifically reinforcement  46 . Alternately or additionally, the distance between lateral faces  28 ,  30  may be selected so that these continually engage flange  48  and retain the indicator portion  14  engaged with the hanger  40 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, side-sizer  10  is integrally formed of a plastic material, more specifically, an injection molded plastic. The plastic can be flexible to accommodate pivoting between the collar portion  12  and the indicator portion  14  where hinge  24  is a living hinge, and to accommodate resilient flexure of lateral faces  28 ,  30  for engagement with the hanger. Materials contemplated that satisfy this criterion of flexibility include, without limitation, polypropylene in its various forms, and K-resin in its various forms, among others. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , shown in perspective view is a side-sizer, generally  100 , according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Side-sizer  100  is comprised generally of a collar portion  112 , and an indicator portion  114 . Band  116  is a generally square cylindrical projection, having a discontinuity  118  to facilitate mounting to a hanger by admitting a wire hook. Moreover, band  116  provides sloped surfaces  118   a,    118   b,  adjacent to discontinuity  118  to guide the wire hook upon insertion. Collar portion  112  also has a plurality of substantially radial inwardly directed projections  120 . Indicator portion  114  is attached to collar portion  112  at shelf  122  through a hinge  124 . Indicator portion  114  includes an outward face  126 , and complementary first lateral face  128  and second lateral face  130 . A retaining tab  150  extends inward of lateral face  130 . The function of side-sizer  100  will be seen as generally similar to the previous embodiment. 
     Side-sizers  10 ,  100 , or any parts thereof can be configured to carry any indicia selected in advance to correspond to the item to be suspended from the hanger. The indicia can have the form of numbers, letters or symbols either applied to the side-sizer  10  and/or formed into it. Alternately or additionally the color, size, shape or mere presence of the side-sizer  10  itself may be the indicia. 
     The present invention has been described with respect to certain exemplary embodiments. Certain alterations and/or modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of the instant disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. These embodiments are offered as merely illustrative, and not limiting, on the scope of the invention, which is defined solely with reference to the following appended claims.