Patent Publication Number: US-6216887-B1

Title: Detachable hanger for sport pads

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a hanger for sport pads, and more particularly to a detachable hanger for easy transportation and for providing a convenient tool for hanging and displaying the sport pads. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Sport pads, e.g., helmets, chest pads, elbow pads, and kneepads, are important in violent games, as they may prevent injury to the players&#39; bodies when the players are subjected to to impact and thus fall. Maintenance and cleaning of sport pads are also important. The sport pads are inevitably wetted in sweat and will stink and provide a bed for germs if they are immediately put into closets after use. Some users hang their sport pads on an ordinary hanger for drying. Yet, such hanger is not detachable and thus inconvenient to carry. 
     The present invention is intended to provide a detachable hanger that mitigates and/or obviates the above problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a hanger for sport pads that can is be detached for easy carriage. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a hanger that may be used for displaying the sport pads hung thereon. 
     A detachable hanger for sport pads in accordance with the present invention comprises: 
     a base; 
     a plurality of legs each having an end releasably engaged with the base; 
     a plurality of posts detachably mounted to the base and located in an upright manner; 
     a plurality of interconnecting blocks for interconnecting the posts in the upright manner, each said interconnecting block including an inner flange to thereby define an upper positioning component for securely yet releasably receiving a lower end of one said plurality of post located above the interconnecting block and a lower positioning compartment for securely yet releasably receiving an upper end of one said plurality of posts located below the interconnecting block; and 
     at least one hanger member each having an end releasably engaged with each said interconnecting block 
     The base includes a plurality of sides each having an engaging groove, and the end of each leg includes an engaging member releasably engaged with an associated engaging groove of the base. The engaging grooves of the base and the engaging members of the legs may be T-shape. 
     Each leg further includes a notch in a mediate portion thereof An auxiliary connecting rod is connected between each two adjacent legs. The auxiliary connecting rod includes two ends each of which is releasably engaged in an associated notch. 
     The base includes a central positioning groove for releasably engaging with a lower end of a lowermost one of the posts. 
     Each interconnecting block includes an engaging groove in at least one side thereof and the hanger member includes an inner end with an engaging member releasably engaged with said engaging groove. The engaging groove and the engaging member may be T-shape. The hanger member may include a second hooked end. The hanger member may further include at least one hole for releasably attaching a hook. 
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a detachable hanger in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the detachable hanger in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the detachable hanger in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating use of the detachable hanger in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4 and initially to FIGS. 1 through 3, a detachable hanger in accordance with the present invention generally includes a base  10 , a number of legs  13 , a number of posts  20 , a number of interconnecting blocks  30 , and a number of hanger members  40 . 
     The base  10  includes a central positioning hole or groove  11  for releasably engaging with a lower end of one of the posts  20 . The base  10  further includes a T-shape engaging groove  12  in each of four sides thereof Each leg  13  includes an end  132  with a T-shape engaging member  133  releasably engaged with an associated engaging groove  12 . Each leg  13  further includes a notch  131  in a mediate portion thereof At least one auxiliary connecting rod  14  may be connected between each two adjacent legs  13 . Each end  141  of the auxiliary connecting rod  14  is releasably engaged in an associated notch  131 , thereby providing a stable base. 
     Each interconnecting block  30  is substantially tubular and includes an inner flange  31  to thereby define an upper positioning compartment  32  for securely yet releasably receiving a lower end of one post  20  located above the interconnecting block  30  and a lower positioning compartment  33  for securely yet releasably receiving an upper end of one post  20  located below the interconnecting block  30 . At least one side of each interconnecting block  30  includes a T-shape engaging groove  34 . Each hanger member  40  includes an inner end  42  with a T-shape engaging member  43  releasably engaged with an associated engaging groove  34  and an outer hooked end  44 . Each hanger member  40  may further include a number of holes  41  for releasably attaching hooks  411 . An upper cap  21  may be engaged on the upper end of the uppermost post  20 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the hanger can be easily and conveniently assembled and detached without using any tool. In addition, the hanger may be assembled to a desired level. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a helmet  50 , a body pad  51 , gloves  52 , knee pads  53 , and elbow pads  54  may be hung up to the hanger. The whole set of a sport padding device (including a helmet  50 , a body pad  51 , two gloves  52 , two knee pads  53 , and two elbow pads  54 ) may be hung up to the hanger for drying purposes under sanitary consideration. In addition, the whole set of the padding device may be hung in an aesthetically pleasing manner to provide a displaying function The hanger can be detached and carried by the user, which is extremely convenient to a user that plays games at different places. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.