Patent Publication Number: US-2006011672-A1

Title: Adjustable extension for a clothes hanger

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
      A claim is hereby made to the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/582,973 filed Jun. 28, 2004. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to clothes hangers and more particularly to extenders for attachment thereto.  
      Conventional wire or plastic coated clothes hangers can cause “hanger bumps”, i.e., raised distress marks in the shoulder area of garments. It is believed that these distress marks arise when the ends of the hanger do not extend far enough into the shoulder areas of the garment. In the past, paperboard and sponge rubber covers adapted to be mounted on the inclined arms of the hanger have been provided; however, these attachments did not effectively lengthen the hanger.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present adjustable extension for a clothes hanger basically comprises at least one bar or slide adapted to be movably mounted on an inclined arm of the clothes hanger. The slide is formed with a longitudinally extending channel for receiving the inclined arm of the hanger and with at least one snap or clamp disposed within the channel for releasably holding the slide in a selected position on the hanger. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a pair of adjustable slides or extensions according to the present invention disposed in relatively retracted positions on a clothes hanger;  
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  and particularly illustrates a snap or stop formed in the adjustable slide;  
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1  and particularly illustrates a typical configuration the adjustable slide spaced from the snap or stop;  
       FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the adjustable slides of  FIG. 1  disposed in relatively extended positions on the clothes hanger;  
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary side elevational view of one of the adjustable slides mounted on a clothes hanger;  
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4  and particularly illustrates some of the features which the present adjustable extension may have; and  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the present adjustable slide.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      As indicated in  FIGS. 1-7 , a preferred embodiment of the present adjustable extension, generally designated  10 , comprises a bar or slide  12  adapted to be movably mounted on each of the inclined arms  14  of a clothes hanger  16 . The length of each slide is within the range of 4 to 10 inches. Each slide  12  has a longitudinally extending channel  18  for receiving the inclined arm  14  of the hanger  16  and two spaced apart snaps or clamps  20  disposed within the channel  18  for releasably holding the slide  12  in a selected position on the inclined hanger arm  14 .  
      Each slide  12  is provided with a generally rounded, longitudinally extending top portion  22  that has a notch  24  above each of the clamps  20 . Each slide  12  is also provided with a pair of opposing walls  26  extending downwardly from the rounded top portion  22  in spaced relation to one another. A concave interior surface  28  of the top portion is sized and shaped to slidably receive the inclined hanger arm  14 .  
      As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , each of the clamps  20  comprises a pair of relatively opposing, spaced apart detents  30  projecting inwardly towards each other from the walls  26 . Each of the detents  30  is formed with a rounded, hanger-engaging upper surface  32 . The channel  18  adjacent to the concave interior surface  28  of the top portion  22  is slightly smaller than the diameter d of the hanger arm  14 . In this manner, the present extension  10  is held in a selected position on the hanger arm  14 . Opposing surfaces  34  of the detents  30  are tapered. The space between the detents  30  is less than one-third of the hanger arm diameter d at the juncture of the opposing surfaces  34  and the upper surfaces  32 . In this manner, the present extension  10  is held on the hanger arm  14  even though the arm  14  may be bent, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The present slides or extensions  10 , and all of the foregoing components thereof, are unitarily and integrally molded from synthetic resin material, preferably ABS plastic, and the walls  26  can be flexed outwardly to expand the channel  18  and the space between the detents  30  to receive the hanger arm  14 .  
      As indicated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , an upper end  36  of the present extension  10  is open and a lower end  38  is rounded and closed. The closed lower end  38  limits the upward or inward movement of the present extension  10  on the hanger arm  14 .  
      As indicated in  FIG. 4 , the clamps  20  are positioned to limit the downward or outward movement of the extension  10 . One of the clamps  20  is adjacent to the open end  36  and the two clamps  20  are spaced apart a distance within a range of 1.70 to 3.00 inches.