Patent Publication Number: US-7210576-B2

Title: Garment hanger retail package

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to packaging design unique to garment hangers for retail purposes. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Garment hanger is a commodity houseware product having a long history. Typically a garment hanger comprises of a suspension member represented by a hook and a pair of supporting arms extending from the two sides of the suspension member for supporting a garment. Optional features of garment hangers comprise of pant bars or clips. High-end garment hangers are mostly sold piece by piece. Lower cost hangers are mostly bundled from two to ten hangers per pack for retail. Since garment hangers are commodity item that most people understand how to use, the prior art packaging designs of garment hangers are usually kept simple to minimize the product cost. Besides most consumer understands the look of a garment hanger, there is little incentive for packaging designer to provide a packaging design that gives the full frontal view of the hanger. Accordingly the packaging designs of most single pack retail hangers are in the form of a small freely suspended hang tag. The most common prior art packaging design for multiple hangers is simply a card wrapped around the arms or the medial portions of the hangers stacked together. When a sophisticated reciprocal adjustable garment hanger was promoted, it was discovered that the low cost garment hanger packaging designs commonly used in the art do not provide adequate display area to illustrate sales related information, such as the special benefits, features and operation of the reciprocal adjustable garment hangers. The need of a substantially larger display area on the packaging without affecting the display arrangements in the retail stores is identified for educating the consumer the benefits of a personalized fitted hangers. 
   It is the goal of the subject invention to provide a retail packaging assembly unique to the structures of garment hangers, particularly a design having a significantly large display area to illustrate the operation of specialty garment hangers, such as an adjustable hanger. The second objective is to offer a low cost packaging design allowing the full frontal view of the adjustable hanger to be shown to the customers visiting the stores, so as to stimulate their attention about the special features offered by the hangers, such as the see through adjusting mechanism, or the movable arms of an adjustable garment hanger, as illustrated in applicants issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,511,701 and 5,644,710. It is also an objective of the invention to provide a most suitable position on the display tag to print the “Try-Me” message which directs the attention of the consumer to the moving arms of an adjustable garment hanger. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to packaging design unique to retail garment hangers. Traditional garment hanger comprises a suspension member and two supporting arms extending from the two sides of the suspension member for supporting a garment. Typical optional features of a garment hanger may include a pant bar or a clips assembly connected to the bottom remote ends of the supporting arms. The triangular structure of a garment hanger makes it a bulky size item to be shipped, stored and displayed in the store. Accordingly it is also a desirable feature of the packaging study to provide a display packaging design that does not interfere with the shipping case, and also be able to optimize the display arrangement in the stores. 
   In a first embodiment of the invention, a flat sheet of display tag is provided to illustrate the benefits as well as the unique functional features of the specialty hanger. Accordingly to a study of the invention, the area above the shoulder supporting arms of the hangers constitutes a good location for the display tag. This location is preferably to be properly designed and dimensioned, so as not to interfere with the shipping case of the hangers. In addition, unlike the area beneath the medial portion of the hanger, the area above the shoulder supporting arms is usually an area not being utilized by the retail stores to show the price tag of the retail hangers. Since this area is positioned on top of the movable arms, it is also a perfect location to put the “Try-Me” message encouraging the consumer to try the special adjustable feature of the hanger, represented by the movable hanger arms located beneath the message. For the hangers that come with a pant bar or clips, the area beneath the medial portion of the hangers and the pant bar or clips is a second preferred location for sales information display. In order to prevent the display tag to be damaged during transportation, the size of the display tag should be equal or smaller than the footprint of the hanger. The portion of the display tag above the hanger arms is preferred to be within the periphery defined by the straight line connecting the hook and the remote shoulder tips of the supporting arms. Photographs and promotional messages can be printed on both sides of the display tag. 
   The next design challenge is to research the method for attaching the display tag to the garment hanger assembly without blocking the full frontal view of the hanger. This is particularly important for an adjustable garment hanger as the adjustment mechanism or the special adjustable moving arms of the hanger constitutes the key special features for the unique adjustable hangers to define over the regular garment hangers. For a single pack retail hanger, the display tag is preferred to be securely attached behind the garment hanger. Three attachment points are recommended for attaching the display tag to the hanger. The first attachment point is around the hook area. The other two attachment points are recommended to locate around the two supporting arms. For an adjustable garment hanger, part of the supporting arms are movable, therefore the two lower attachment points are recommended to locate either in between the medial portion and the movable arms, or close to the ends of the medial portion. The means of connection is typically provide by cable ties or straps tying the hanger and the display tag together. According to the design objective of the invention, the strap is recommended to be invisible to the consumer when the hanger is displayed. Accordingly the strap should be made with transparent material or of the same color as the hanger. Two slots are provided on each side of the display tag for dressing the strap. At the last stage of the display assembly, the strap may be secured at the back of the display tag by Scotch tape. 
   The suspension hook is thin for many attachment designs. In order to save cost, a flap is folded from the display area of the display tag for attaching to the hanger hook. A hole is required on the flap for the hook to dress into the flap. In order to improve the efficiency of the assembly operation in the factory, the hole may be formed in the shape of cross cut slits for easier aligning the hanger hook with the hole. 
   In the situation of multiple hangers retail package, the display tag is recommended to be positioned behind the first hanger of the package, and in front of the other hangers in the bundle. Since the display tag is sandwiched in between two hangers, it is more securely attached to the assembly than the single pack hanger. Accordingly only two attachment points may be required. Similar to the single pack hanger packaging design, holes or slots are provided on the display tag and the hangers are tied together by cable ties or straps. Because a portion of the display tag is blocked by the hangers behind, only the position above the supporting arm on both sides of the display tag are available for printing sales related information, such as photographs and promotion messages. 
   In another preferred embodiment suitable for use with hangers with clips or pant bar, the display tag is extended beyond the lower far ends of the supporting arms but short of the position of the clips or pant bars. Photographs and promotional messages are printed onto this lower portion or at the back of the display tag. 
   The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is the front view of a preferred embodiment of the garment hanger display tag; 
       FIG. 2  demonstrates a two positions attachment design; it also illustrates the position of the tag relative to the garment hanger; 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the side view of the garment hanger retail package; 
       FIG. 4  is the front view of another preferred embodiment configured for a hanger with clips or pant bar; 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the position of the display tag in a three points attachment design; 
       FIG. 6  demonstrates the folded flap attachment design and the strap attachment design. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Attention is first directed to  FIG. 1 , which illustrates the front view of a garment hanger display tag  103 . The display tag has two holes  104  and  105  offset from the center line of the display tag. Around the upper portion of the display tag, promotional messages  102  are printed. Suitable graphic may be added to inform the customer what kind of special features is provided by the specialty hanger being promoted. 
   Attention is now directed to  FIG. 2 , which demonstrates a preferred embodiment of the retail garment hanger packaging. The garment hanger under promotion comprises a medial portion  131 . Extended from the medial portion  131  are a suspension member  134 , and two supporting arms  132  and  133 . In the situation that the specialty hanger  110  is an adjustable width garment hanger, each of the supporting arms  132  and  133  comprises a stationary supporting arm extended from the medial portion  131  and a movable arm traveling relative to the stationary supporting arm for adjusting the garment supporting width. Each moving arm is linked to a transfer mechanism located inside the medial portion  131  to provide a reciprocal adjustment effect. Behind the garment hanger is the display tag  100  of  FIG. 1 . Two cable ties, each dress through the holes  104  or  105  of the display tag securely attached the display tag at the rear side of the adjustable hanger. The cable ties  116 ,  117  are recommended to locate in between the medial portion  118  and the movable arms  132  and  133  so as to minimize the visual significance of the cable ties. The color of the cable tie is preferable to be transparent or identical to the color of the garment hanger. In case of an adjustable garment hanger, it is also a desirable feature for the medial portion to be of different color as compared with the color of the movable arms, to indicate that the movable arms are not part of the medial portion. From here it can be observed that the substantial full frontal view of the adjustable hanger is displayed in front of the consumer shopping in the store. Unlike the traditional hanger packaging having a message located right at the center of the medial portion, the unique characteristic of this packaging design is that the most significant area for the promotion message locates on top of the hanger arms. This is an area perfect to print the graphic and message, such as a “Try Me” message, that the arms below the message are adjustable. It can be observed that the bottom edge of the display tag  113  locates at a position short of the tower edge  118  of the hanger. The benefits of this arrangement is that another pack of hanger can be displayed immediately below the upper hanger in the store, so as to make optimal use of the store display area and to stock maximum number of hangers on the display rack. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates the position of the display tag in the design of multiple hangers retail package. The display tag  124  is sandwiched in between the first two hangers of the package. Two cable ties dressing through the holes  104 ,  105  of the display tag firmly tie all the hangers together. This structure enables the display tag to be securely positioned in the package although only two attachment points represented by the holes  104 , and  105  are provided by the design. 
   Attention is now directed to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates an alternate embodiment of the display tag. This display tag is designed for use with a hanger that comes with clips or a pant bar. Accordingly the bottom edge of the display tag is extended to a location slightly short of the position of the pant bar or the clips to avoid damaging the display tag inside the shipping case during transportation. Promotion messages or photographs are printed on top of the hangers arms as well as the location beneath the medial portion of the hanger. Each of the attachment holes  104  and  105  of  FIG. 1  are modified to a pair of slots  209 / 210  and  211 / 212 . Around the upper edge of the display tag is a flap  217  folded along the line  202 . Located on the flap is a hole  206  for attaching to the hook of the garment hanger. This display tag requires three attachment points defined by the folded flap and the pairs of slots  209 / 210  and  211 / 212 . 
     FIG. 5  illustrates the front view of the specialty hanger after it is assembled with the display tag  200  of  FIG. 4 . The flap  227  is fold to a position approximately perpendicular to the display tag  221 . The suspension member  228  is then dressed through the hole  206  of the flap  227 . Two strips or straps  222  and  223  fasten the lower side of the display tag  221  to the medial portion  224  of the hanger without interfering the movement of the movable arms  225  and  226 . The fastening straps are configured to provide a substantial full natural front view of the hanger. Accordingly the fastening straps are either transparent or of a color similar to the portion of the hanger located behind the strips. Although the flap  227  and the strips  222 ,  223  do not allow the packaging to provide an “exactly” full frontal view of the hanger  224 , the thin flap  227  and the transparent or matching color strips  222 ,  223  are almost invisible that they successfully give the consumer an impression how the full frontal view of the hanger look alike. This illusion of a full frontal view of the hanger defines the term “substantial full frontal view” used in this application. A promotional message such as a “Try Me” sign  229  is printed on top of the hanger arms to indicate that the hanger arms are movable. Beneath the medial portion of the hanger are other promotion messages or photographs demonstrating the benefits of the specialty hanger. It should be noted that the periphery of the display tag  221  is preferably designed in a shape suitable for the hangers to be packed in a shipping case. Accordingly the display tag is positioned to be short of the virtual line connecting points A and B as shown in  FIG. 5 . The bottom edge of the display tag is also preferably to be cleared from the bottom of the pant bar or the clips  237 ,  238  of the hanger. The display areas  207 ,  208  of the display tag of  FIG. 4  define two prominent displaying regions, each positioned vertically above the supporting arms  225  and  226  when the display tag of  FIG. 4  is assembled with a garment hanger as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . In the design of this embodiment, the region of the display tag positioned above the medial portion  224  of the garment hanger comprises a flap  227  for attaching the display tag with the garment hanger. 
     FIG. 6  illustrates an enlarged view of the folded flap attached to the hook of a hanger. The flap  304  is folded along the line  303 . The center of the hole  302  is of a distance “L” from the folded line where “L” is also the distance measured from the position of the hook to the rear surface of the hanger. The folded flap design is therefore a better fastening design than the straps because it support and maintain the separation distance of the hook from the display tag. The straps  307  and  308  tie the medial portion of the hanger to the lower side of the display tag  309 . The straps  307  and  308  are recommended to be clear from the movable portions  310 ,  311  of the hanger supporting arms. 
   In reviewing the common properties of the various embodiments described, it can be observed that the display tag provides at least two attachment points to the garment hanger in front. A third attachment point is recommended to be a flap folded from the display tag for attaching to the hook of a garment hanger. The bottom attachment points are recommended to be represented by transparent fasteners or fasteners with color similar to the hanger behind, so as to provide a full natural front view of the uniquely designed hanger. A substantial display area provided on top of the hanger supporting arms is particularly a perfect location for displaying a message indicating that the moving arms beneath are adjustable. When the display tag is applied to a multiple hangers package, the display tag is recommended to be sandwiched between the first two hangers. 
   It is submitted that any other alternate designs capable to serve the predefined application objectives are included in the scope of this invention. Similarly, different structural designs capable of attaching a flat display member to a package of garment hanger are also included in the scope of this invention. The preferred embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, dimensional variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve an equivalent result, all of which are intended to be embraced within the scope of the appended claims.