Patent Publication Number: US-4094488-A

Title: Hanger for tennis rackets

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to storage devices for strung rackets such as tennis rackets, especially to means for hanging them vertically in a garment storage space. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     Tennis and other rackets having strung faces within a generally oval frame have generally been carefully pressed in wooden and other encasing devices for preventing them from warping, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,437,378 and 2,168,119. When such rackets are to be stored, storage racks have been provided as in U.S. Pat. No. 415,342 having press bars therein. A combined storage and carrying case and press is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,027,786. New materials such as aluminum, steel, and other metals and composition materials such as fiberglass and carbon fibers have recently come to be employed in tennis rackets in place of laminated wood framing, dispensing with the need for wooden or other presses for clamping the racket frame into a flat position between uses. Such rackets are commonly stored simply in weather-protective canvas and similar bags. 
     No convenient means of storing such rackets has, to the inventor&#39;s knowledge, ever appeared. Rackets are laid flat on a shelf, propped against a wall, hung over a nail or other small hook driven into a closet wall or other sporting goods storage area of the home. Although storage by hanging in a closet on the closet rod would appear to be a simple and straight forward expedient, no suitable device appears to have been developed or made commercially available. Conventional garment hangers and accessory clips, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,211,998, 2,675,148, 2,898,024, and 3,455,491 are generally not adaptable for use with articles other than clothing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A hanger for a racket having netting stretched in a frame allows the racket to be hung in a clothes closet from a conventional rod therein, with or without use of a supplemental racket press. The hanger has an open hook placeable over the rod. A body carried by the hook is curved to closely overlie and conform to the top edge of the frame of the racket. One or moe flexible straps attached to the hanger body in one embodiment pass among the racket strings to engage the opposite side of the body. In another embodiment, pairs of opposed straps affixed to the body engage one another through the strings of the racket. In either case, the flexible straps may comprise two-part synthetic sheet-form materials removably adhesive to one another, such as Velcro-brand tape having hooks and eyelets. 
    
    
     THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tennis racket and hanger in accordance with the invention, in one embodiment. 
     FIG. 2 is a side, sectional view, taken on line II--II of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the invention in enlarged detail. 
     FIG. 4 is a side sectional view, taken on line IV--IV of FIG. 3. 
    
    
     THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A tennis racket 10 having a handle 11 and a generally oval frame 12 which is strung tautly with strings 13 in a top to bottom and side to side, spaced network is adapted for hanging storage in a closet from a closet rod 14 having ends abutting against walls of the closet. The frame 12 of the racket 10 may be comprised of any materials such as laminated wood or metal or modern fiber materials. If the frame 12 is subject to warpage, a press such as that of Holmes U.S. Pat. No. 1,437,378 may be placed over the frame 12, as shown in phantom at 15 in FIG. 1. An upper edge of the top part 16 of the frame 12 is arcuately curved as a part of the oval configuration of the frame 12. 
     In accordance with the principles of the invention, a racket hanger 20 comprises a body member 21 having a lower edge 22 which is arcuately curved or otherwise structured to conform at least substantially to the curve of the upper portion 16 of the frame 12 of the racket 10. The hanger body 21 further has an outer edge 23 and first and second opposite side walls 24 and 25. The hanger body 21 may be made of wood, metal, or any convenient plastic material. 
     A hook 30 having a shank 31 and a head 32 is received through the hanger body 21 at an aperture 33 in a center portion thereof. An open jaw 34 on the upper end of the shank 31 has a diameter sufficient to overlie the closet rod 14 and an opening 35 between a terminal end 36 of the jaw 34 and the shank 31 sufficient to pass the closet rod 14 thereinto. The hook member 30 may be made of any convenient material such as wire, and may be affixed in or to the hanger body 21 by any convenient means in addition to or in substitution for that shown. 
     Further in accordance with the invention, the hanger body 21 has one or more flexible straps 40 attached thereto which may be pressure sensitive or contact adhering. In body exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, each flexible strap comprises one part of a two-part synthetic sheet-form material. The carrier sheet is faced with a material which adheres removably to the other correspondingly faced part thereof when the parts are pressed facially together. A preferred and readily available material is Velcro-brand hook and eyelet tape, with hooks formed on one tape and the eyelets formed on the other from a material such as nylon. When the tapes are pressed together, the hooks on the one tape engage into the eyelets on the other, to connect the tapes together until a sufficient force is applied between them to bend the hooks and disengage them from the eyelets. The Velcro-brand tape is a woven material which is quite flexible. 
     In the first embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of flexible straps 40 are employed, comprising first parts 41 and second parts 42 of the two-part adhesive material. The first strap 41 is attached at one end 41a thereof to the first side 24 of the hanger body 21 as by a rivet 43 or other convenient means, such as a staple or adhesive. An opposite end 41b is free and extends over the face of the racket. The second part 42 of the two-part adhesive system is attached to the opposite side wall 25 of the hanger body 21 by a similar staple or a rivet 43, in a position to align its free end 42b with that of the opposite strap 41 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Of course, the straps 41 and 42 may each be attached to the top or bottom edges 23, 22 of the hanger body 21 without loss of function. 
     Ends 41b and 42b, which are free and opposite to the secured ends 41a and 42a are passed downwardly about the upper part 16 of the frame 12 and are pressed together about the strings 13 in the racket face. Once the tape ends 41b and 42b are secured together in one or more places about the top end 16 of the frame 12, the racket 10 may be conveniently hung in a closet upon the closet rod 14 therein, occupying substantially only the width or thickness of the frame 12 and handle 11 of the racket 10. 
     In a second embodiment of the invention, the hanger 120 comprises the body 21 and the hook 30 substantially as in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the flexible straps 140 comprise at least one single strap 141 secured at one end 141a to one side wall 24 of the hanger body 21 as by staples 143. An opposite, free end 141b of the strap 141 passes between the strings 13 of the racket 10 and engages a pad 142 of the second part of the synthetic adhesive material which is affixed in alignment with the strap 141 to the body 21. In this embodiment, no material such as the strings 13 is interposed between the adhesive parts 141 and 142, resulting in stronger bond. However, the necessity of threading the straps 141 through the face of the racket 10 is a slight inconvenience in comparison to the first embodiment. Again, the strap 141 may be placed on any of the surfaces of the hanger body 21 and the pad 142 on any of such surfaces which are accessible for use. 
     In either of the embodiments, one, two, three, or more of the straps 40 or 140 may be employed, since the arcuate curve or similar structure of the body 21 keeps the racket aligned with the hanger. Also, other mechanical attachments such as snaps or buttons may be used to joint or affix the free ends 41b, 42b of the straps 40 together or to join the strap end 141b to the pad 142. 
     Although these and various other minor modifications may be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the present warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.