Patent Publication Number: US-2002005389-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for shipment of hanging goods

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] This invention relates to shipping containers and transportation of goods; and more particularly to an apparatus for transportation of garments on hangers.  
       [0003] 2. Related Art  
       [0004] The transportation of “floor-ready” garments from a manufacturer to a wholesaler or resale merchant is a common practice in today&#39;s garment industry. “Floor-ready” means that a hanger is shipped with the manufactured garments (often including price tags and other labels) to facilitate rapid and simplified deployment of such garments to a merchant&#39;s product display.  
       [0005] The “floor-ready” system, often referred to as Garments on Hangers (GOH) replaces the conventional “flat-packed” method of shipping garments. The flat-packed method typically involved the steps of (i) the manufacturer packing garments (including hangers) into cartons; (ii) shipping the cartons to merchants, and upon receipt; (iii) the merchant unpacking, ironing, and marking for sale the received garments to place them on display. The GOH system reduces labor costs associated with unpacking and sorting garments shipped from the manufacturer by placing the manufactured garments, including labels and price tags, on individual hangers before shipment to the manufacturer.  
       [0006] A conventional GOH system uses a freight container, as shown in FIG. 1. Freight container  10  is temporarily fixed with various metal rods  15  to facilitate hanging of the garments. Freight container  10  is, for example, a conventional forty-foot or twenty-foot cargo container used to transport various goods on ships, trucks, trains and airplanes. In order to fully utilize the space of the cargo container, a manufacturer may ship thousands of garments pertaining to orders for multiple merchants (e.g. up to 9000 pairs of trousers). Although the garments are intended to be of “floor ready” status, the consignee (or merchant) still needs a distribution center to unload, sort out, and route the large number of garments to its various retail outlets.  
       [0007] A major detriment of the conventional GOH system is that a great deal of labor is required to load and unload the garments to and from the cargo container. For example, finished garments may be hung in an assembly line during manufacture, moved from the assembly line to be transported on a carrying rack, and then re-hung onto the temporary rods  15  in freight container  10 . Just the loading process may involve hanging up the garment three separate times (i.e., from the production line to assembly line in the factory; from the assembly line to a carrying rack; and from the carrying rack to the container). Moreover, the reverse process is basically required when the goods are unloaded from the freight container  10  to the placement of garments in a retail store. The present inventor estimates that merely the process of hanging up garments in the forty-foot cargo-type of freight container  10  requires a specially trained worker at least eight hours.  
       [0008] Furthermore, the freight carrier spends time to temporarily arrange and subsequently remove rods  15  from freight container  10 , which increases freight costs. The inventor estimates the freight charges for this arrangement are increased by 30% for carriages from Asia to America, and by 100% for voyages within Asia.  
       [0009] A further disadvantage of the conventional GOH system is that, due to the heavy weight of the garments and turbulences involved in various types of cargo transportation (e.g., rough roads, rough seas, or air turbulence), rods  15  may collapse and the garments fall to the floor of freight container  10 , resulting in stained or damaged articles and/or additional labor expenses for properly organizing the garments.  
       [0010] A yet further disadvantage of the conventional GOH system, is that since the cargo-type freight containers  10  require special adaptation with rods  15 , it would be unusual and practically difficult to combine the shipment of garments with other types of goods. Consequently, a shipper of garments may be required to pay freight charges for an entire freight container  10  even though its respective goods do not require the full space of freight container  10 .  
       [0011] Published PCT patent application WO 98/24699 to Immonen et al. discloses a transport cage for supporting hanging garments. Immonen discloses a transport cage having an opposed pair of vertical wall elements that, through a sequence of operations, can be placed in a return position by pivoting vertical wall elements thus making the cage assume an essentially “plow-like” angled position in which a number of thus angled tranport cages can be pushed home into each other forming a long continuous row of cages (page 5, lines 10-28). Patent GB 2,149,361A to Mitchell discloses a similarly folding nestable handling trolley.  
       [0012] A problem with these types of transport cages is that the cages collapse vertically (e.g., the base portions respectively fold to a vertical position) rather than horizontally. This limitation may lead to instability when only one or relative few cages are being return transported in the collapsed position. Moreover, since the conventional cages have multiple pivoting parts for collapsing, the overall expense of each transport cage is relatively high.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013] It is an object of the present invention to solve at least one of the foregoing problems by providing a movable hanger-rack foldable between a fully extended position and a collapsed position. The hanger-rack includes a horizontal base structure, at least two opposing side supports moveably connected thereto, and at least one upper support. When the hanger-rack is in the fully extended position, the opposing side supports are in a substantially vertical position and the upper support is disposed between the opposing side supports in a location above and approximately parallel to the horizontal base structure. When the hanger-rack is in the collapsed position, the upper support is disconnected and the opposing side supports are folded inward to a position approximately parallel to the horizontal base structure.  
       [0014] A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of transporting garments utilizing hanger-rack discussed above.  
       [0015] A yet further aspect of the invention defines a cargo system including a freight container and the moveable hanger-rack.  
       [0016] Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
     [0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view including a cut-away portion of a cargo freight container for transporting garments on hangers according to a system of the related art.  
     [0018]FIGS. 2 and 2A is a perspective view of an apparatus for transporting garments according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0019]FIG. 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown if FIG. 2.  
     [0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an apparatus for transporting garments according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0021] FIGS.  5 A- 5 D are sequential perspective views of the FIG. 4 apparatus being horizontally collapsed.  
     [0022]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cargo system according a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0023]FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a preferred method for transporting garments. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0024] Embodiments of the present invention will now be further described with reference to the drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.  
     [0025] An apparatus according to the present invention includes a movable hanger-rack facilitating the transportation of hanging goods in freight containers. As used herein the following terms are defined: (1) a “hanger-rack” means a free-standing module for supporting and transporting goods suspended by a hanger; (2) “garment” or “garments” means any article of clothing or other ornamentation intended to be worn by a human being or animal; (3) “hanger” is any structure used to suspend articles above ground and is not limited to conventional clothes hangers.  
     [0026] According to one preferred embodiment, a hanger-rack includes a horizontal base structure and at least two opposing side supports extending upwards from the base structure. The hanger-rack also preferably includes an upper support disposed between the two opposing side supports from which garments on hangers are directly or indirectly supported.  
     [0027]FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an example hanger-rack  200  according to one preferred embodiment. Hanger-rack  200  includes a base structure  210  and two opposing side supports  220 . Hanger-rack  200  also includes a garment hanging structure. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the garment hanging structure includes upper support  230  and a series of garment hanging lines  232  connected to upper support  230  at one end, and preferably, although not required, connected to base structure  210  at an opposite end. Each line  232  is configured to support garment hangers  240 . In another embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the garment hanging structure includes only upper support  230 , e.g., omitting lines  232 .  
     [0028] The configuration of lines  232  to support garment hangers  240  may be implemented through a series of knotted loops  234  disposed along a length of nylon string, an example of which is shown in FIG. 2A. Lines  232  may be connected to upper support  230  by rods  231 , which may be fixed or removably attached to upper support  230 .  
     [0029] Lines  232  may also be removably attached to upper support  230  and base structure  210  by hooks (not shown) on the ends of each line  232 . Other line configurations suitable for supporting hangers may be substituted for knotted loops  234  and/or nylon strings, some examples of which include: cloth or nylon straps having garment hanger receiving holes disposed along their respective lengths; chains having respective linked portions with openings large enough to fixedly support garment hangers  240 ; a series of plastic or aluminum bars with holes along their lengths, and so on. Lines  232  are preferably made of a flexible material such as industrial strength nylon, wire, rope or twine. While flexibility is not required, it is advantageous for a folding hanger-rack  200  as discussed further below.  
     [0030] As shown in FIG. 2, upper support  230  is disposed in a location inward from the width periphery of base structure  210 . This configuration is advantageous in that garments hung on the garment hanging structure are fully contained within the peripheral boundaries of base  210  and opposing side supports  220 , thereby protecting the hanging garments from damage and/or soiling.  
     [0031] Base structure  210  preferably includes frame  211  and optionally includes, platform  212 . Base structure  210  may be constructed from any known rigid materials selected on the basis of weight, strength and durability considerations. For example, frame  211  may be made of steel, aluminum, an alloy or plastic. Frame  211  provides a rigid support for hanger-rack  200  and includes lengthwise bars  211  and widthwise bars  214 . In a preferred embodiment, lengthwise bars  213  are of the same design as upper supports  230 , including rods  231  for attaching lines  232 . Upper supports  230  and lengthwise bars  213  are attached to their respective supporting elements (e.g. side supports  220  and width bars  214  of frame  211 ) via fasteners  400  (see FIG. 4). Fasteners  400  may be any type of conventional fastener but preferably includes a quick release mechanism for simplified removal of upper supports  230 .  
     [0032] Platform  212  is composed of wood, steel, aluminum or plastic and is provided to minimize damaging and soiling garments-in-transport (e.g. if a garment falls off the garment support structure).  
     [0033] An optional cover  650  (FIG. 6) made of plastic or cloth is placed over the hanger-rack  200  to protect it and garments-in-transport from damage and soiling. If cover  650  is opaque, it provides anonymity, thereby improving security for the transported goods.  
     [0034] Hanger-rack  200  is capable of transporting garments from a point where the garments are manufactured to an end point such as a retail outlet or a distributor warehouse. Accordingly, the preferred dimensions of hanger-rack  200  are selected to be compatible with the expected mode of transportation (e.g., a cargo container to be loaded on a ship or airplane, the freight container of a semi tractor-trailer, box cars of a train). In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hanger-rack  200  is dimensioned for transport in a conventional forty-foot cargo container commonly used by freight carriers. For use in this type of cargo container, each hanger-rack  200  preferably has a length of approximately 230 cm, a width of approximately 105 cm and a height of approximately 222 cm. With these dimensions, the conventional forty-foot cargo container may hold as many as eleven hanger-racks  200 . Moreover, each hanger-rack  200  can accommodate over 800 garments (e.g. silk shirts).  
     [0035] Hanger-rack  200  may optionally include slots  250 , as shown in FIGS.  2 - 3 , for facilitating movement by a fork-lift. Slots  250  may also provide passage for ties to secure each hanger-rack  200  in freight container  10 . Chaining or tying slots  250  to the floor of the cargo container assists in securing hanger-rack  200  for transport. When multiple hanger-racks are loaded in freight container  10 , a rod, plank or chain may be inserted through respective slots  250  of hanger-racks  200  to secure multiple hanger-racks together, thus providing increased stability.  
     [0036] Hanger-rack  200  optionally includes any conventional support for rolling, for example, a wheel or roller. As shown in FIG. 3, wheels  360  are preferably attached (fixed or removable) to each corner of base structure  210 . Wheels  360  facilitate movement of hanger-rack  200  over short distances, for example, along a garment assembly line, in and out of freight container  10 , between a delivery vehicle and a retail store, or through a warehouse. Wheels  360  may be swing casters or any other known type of wheel and are preferably capable of being locked when it is desired to prevent hanger-rack  200  from unintentionally moving, for example, during transport.  
     [0037]FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of hanger-rack  200  having a garment hanging structure without lines  232  (e.g., hangers are supported directly by upper supports  230  or other means). This embodiment may be preferable for transporting heavier garments such as coats and the like. Upper supports  230  are preferably adjustable, both vertically and horizontally to accommodate different types of garments being hung together (e.g., blouses and suits, pants and coats). Moreover, the number of upper supports  230  may vary depending on the type and number of garments desired to be supported. For example, when transporting a small number of coats, one support may be used. When transporting a large number of small items such as shorts, hats or shoes, eight or more upper supports  230  may be used in a single hanger-rack  200 . Articles may be supported on or over upper support  230 .  
     [0038] Opposing side supports  220  consist of metal, wood, alloy or plastic supports having any geometrical peripheral shape known for support purposes such as a rectangle, square, triangle, circle, and/or oval. As shown in FIG. 4, side supports  220  are rectangular supports. With base structure  210 , side supports  220  form a box-shaped hanger-rack  200 . Side supports  220  include horizontal members  421  for supporting upper supports  230 . Horizontal members  421  may be fixed or adjustable and may be suitably positioned to accommodate a desired size or quantity of hanging articles. The number of horizontal members  421  on each side support  220  may vary depending on strength requirements, taking into consideration the type of material used for side supports  230 , and the number and type of hanging structures to be supported.  
     [0039] Side supports  220  may include vertical members  422  to provide additional strength and rigidity to hanger-rack  200 . Alternatively, side supports  220  may be configured without horizontal and vertical members by providing a solid panel (not shown) having slots for supporting upper support members  230 .  
     [0040] Connecting members may also be provided on peripheral locations of hanger-racks to facilitate side-by-side and/or end-to-end inter-connection of multiple hanger-racks as well as towing of hanger-racks by a motorized vehicle. By including one or more connecting members, hanger-racks may be secured together for stability during transportation and/or linked together for moving multiple hanger-racks in a train-like manner (when including wheels  360 ).  
     [0041] As shown in FIG. 4, connecting member  411  is fixed or attached by a swivel on an end portion of base structure  210  and includes an extending portion with coupling means (e.g., holes  412  and pin  413 ). Connecting members  411  may alternatively be provided on upper portions of the side supports  220 . Connecting member  411  is selected (as well as the location thereof) based on the type of connection desired. For example, a swivel connection may be used for train-like movement of multiple hanger-racks  200  while a rigid connection may be preferable to provide stability of interconnected hanger-racks  200 . Connecting member  411  may be disposed on any one or all peripheral sides of base structure  210  and a combination of swivel and rigid connections may be used.  
     [0042] In a preferred apparatus for transporting garments on hangers, hanger rack  200  is foldable for storage. By providing a foldable hanger-rack  200 , once a shipment has been delivered to its destination and garments have been removed; hanger-rack  200  may be folded to an essentially flat position for storage or returning the hanger-racks to their origin, for example, to the manufacturer. Foldable hanger-rack  200  is configured to be stacked on or beneath additional hanger-racks  200 . Preferably, foldable hanger-rack  200  is designed to be folded or collapsed down to a size of about ⅕ or less of its fully extended size.  
     [0043] FIGS.  5 A- 5 D illustrate hanger-rack  200  in various positions illustrating a method for collapsing the hanger-rack  200 . FIG. 5A shows a perspective view of hanger-rack  200  in a fully extended or working position. FIG. 5B shows the hanger-rack of FIG. 5A after upper supports  230  have been removed and stowed. Preferably, upper supports  230  are similarly constructed to the lengthwise bars of frame  211 , and thus upper supports  230  may be stowed adjacent to the lengthwise bars of frame  211 , as shown by the example of FIG. 5B.  
     [0044]FIG. 5C illustrates the foldable hanger-rack of FIG. 5B having partially collapsed side supports  220 . Side supports  220  are moveably connected to base structure  210  and fold inwardly towards each other to lay horizontally in a collapsed position as shown in FIG. 5D. Preferably, side supports  220  and base structure  210  are interconnected by a swivel connection  515  with locking means. With this design, hanger-rack  200  is an integrated unit, with the exception of stowed upper supports  230  (although upper supports  230  may also be hingedly connected). Foldable hanger-rack  200  may also be configured to have side supports  220  that fully separate from base structure  210  by for example, by removing side supports  220  from holes in base structure  210 .  
     [0045] Swivel connection  515  also may include notches  517  that facilitate locking of side supports  220  in an upright manner. Side supports  230  may include spring-loaded pins  522  that project outwardly via a spring (not shown). Spring loaded pins  522  fit into notches  517  of swivel connection  515  when the hanger-rack  200  is in the fully extended position. By pressing spring loaded pins inward, side supports may be collapsed as shown in FIG. 5C.  
     [0046] Notches  517  may also facilitate stacking another hanger-rack (not shown) on top of the folded hanger rack  200  shown in FIG. 5D. For example, when hanger-rack  200  includes wheels  360 , the wheel axels (not shown) may fit into notches  517 .  
     [0047] According to the preferred dimensions of hanger-rack  200  discussed above, as well as proportional equivalents thereof, side supports  220  may be collapsed and fully contained within the horizontal periphery of base structure  210 . As previously mentioned, foldable hanger-rack  200  folds to a horizontally collapsed position that is less than ⅕ of the size of the fully extended position. In the preferred embodiment, the height of hanger-rack  200  is reduced from 222.09 cm (fully extended) to a height of 33 cm (collapsed). The conventional forty-foot cargo container may transport up to fifty-five collapsed hanger-racks  200 . Consequently, a shipper may require five cargo containers for an outgoing shipment of hanger-racks in a fully extended position, but only one cargo container to bring back the collapsed hanger-racks  200  of the original shipments.  
     [0048] Turning now to FIG. 6, a cargo system according to the present invention is shown. The cargo system preferably includes a freight container  10  and at least one hanger-rack  200 . Freight container  10  may be any type container for transporting goods, for example, the previously-mentioned forty-foot cargo container used for shipping, a trailer portion of a tractor-trailer, a box car of a train, a cargo bay in a ship or airplane, or a portion of a delivery vehicle. Hanger-rack  200  is preferably of the type and design discussed above, however, any free-standing module for transporting garments hung from hangers may be used.  
     [0049] In the preferred cargo system  600 , hanger-racks  200  are secured and stabilized in freight container  10  by any of the methods discussed above (e.g., interlocked together, secured to the floor of the freight container, and if provided, wheels  360  are in a locked position). Hanger-rack covers  650  are provided to cover each hanger-rack  200  to prevent garments from being soiled or damaged and provide improved security. Hanger-rack covers  650  may be plastic (opaque or translucent) or cloth covers that cover only the garment hanging portions of hanger-rack  200  (as shown) or may cover the entirety of each hanger-rack above wheels  360 . Hanger-rack covers  650  may either be attached to hanger-rack  200  via fixing means, or free-floating (i.e., not attached). If attached, fixing means would secure hanger-rack cover  650  to any portion of hanger-rack  200  and may include any known fasteners such as buttons, snaps, hooks, ties, etc.  
     [0050] Each hanger-rack  200  of cargo system  600  also preferably includes an identification device providing information related to the garments contained in each hanger-rack  200 . The particular information provided by the identification device significantly depends on the type of identification device used.  
     [0051] As shown in FIG. 6, an identification device  670  is displayed on each hanger-rack  200 . As shown, identification device  670  is a number plate wherein the displayed number designates the particular hanger-rack  200 . For example, during manufacture, each garment ordered for a particular designation will be placed on one or a group of hanger-racks  200 . The number displayed on the number plate is written (or entered by computer) on the invoice or order. When unloading hanger-racks  200  from freight container  10 , the ultimate destination of each hanger-rack  200  is readily determined based on the number displayed on identification device  670 .  
     [0052] Many variations of identification device  670  are possible such as including a scanning bar code displayed externally on any portion of hanger-rack  200 , wherein when scanned by a computer system (not shown), the bar code provides information relating to: an ultimate destination; each garment contained within the hanger-rack  200 ; pricing information for each garment; total cost of the order; identification of the number of additional hanger-racks  200  associated with the order, etc. Moreover, a bar code can be used to update tracking information of garments and shipments using conventional techniques. Tracking information could include information pertaining to the location along a shipping route, at which the bar code is scanned, and time/date of delivery to the ultimate destination, etc.  
     [0053] Identification device  670  could also be as basic as including color-coded markings or attaching a packing list or invoice in a prominent external location of each hanger-rack  200  as well as on the hanger-rack cover  650 . In any event, the use of identification devices  670  for each hanger-rack  200  improves overall efficiency and speed of distribution for garments shipped in cargo system  600 .  
     [0054] Next, a preferred method of transporting garments on hangers will be explained with reference to FIG. 7. When completing a “floor-ready” garment, a garment manufacturer hangs the “floor ready” garment on a selected hanger-rack S 700 . A “selected hanger-rack” means that the hanger-rack will be, or is predetermined to be, bound for a specific receiving destination such as a distributor&#39;s warehouse or a retail store. Once the selected hanger-rack is either full or the order for the receiving destination is completed within the selected hanger-rack, the selected hanger-rack is transported into a freight container S 710 . As previously mentioned, transporting hanger-racks  200  into a freight container  10  is preferably accomplished by forklift, by rolling hanger-racks  200  on their respective wheels  360 , or a combination thereof. It should be noted that transporting hanger-rack  200  into a freight container may include one movement of the hanger-racks  200 , or a sequence of operations, for example, rolling the hanger-racks  200  into the back of a truck, unloading from the truck and reloading by forklift into another freight container, for example, the forty-foot cargo container.  
     [0055] Next, the freight container  10  is transported to a receiving destination S 720 . As described herein, a receiving destination can include: (i) a distribution point such as a shipping yard, train station, or airport; (ii) a storage facility, for example, a warehouse taking delivery of the garments for future distribution; and (iii) a final destination such as retail or wholesale store accepting delivery of garments.  
     [0056] After transporting the freight container  10  to the receiving destination, the hanger-racks  200  are unloaded from the freight container S 730 , optionally identified S 740  by an identification device  670 , and released to the receiving destination S 750 . Released to the receiving destination means that custodianship of the hanger-racks, or garments therein, is transferred to the receiving destination. In the case where the receiving destination is a distribution point or a storage facility, the hanger-racks  200  may undergo additional steps of loading S 710 , transporting S 720 , unloading S 730 , identifying S 740  and releasing S 750 .  
     [0057] When a receiving destination is finished with hanger-racks  200  (e.g., garments on hangers have been transferred to display racks), the hanger-racks  200  are folded and returned via a freight container  10  to the origination point, for example, the garment manufacturer.  
     [0058] The present invention specifically addresses the shipment of garments on hangers. However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited solely to the transport of garments, but may also be used and/or easily adapted for transport and shipping of any goods, and is particularly advantageous, although not limited to, goods that may be hung on hangers such as those found on display in a retail store.  
     [0059] Unless contrary to physical possibility, the inventor envisions the methods, devices and systems described herein: (i) may be performed in any sequence and/or combination; and (ii) the components of respective embodiments combined in any manner including combination with components of other embodiments.  
     [0060] Although there have been described preferred embodiments of this novel invention, many variations and modifications are possible and the present invention is not limited by the specific disclosure above, but rather should be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and their legal equivalents.