Patent Publication Number: US-6220488-B1

Title: Crush protection device for hanger supported clothing

Description:
The application claims benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/100,967 filed Aug. 27, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the field of garment packaging, and more particularly to an improved crush resistant device adapted to surround and reinforce the shoulder and sleeve portion of a garment suspended upon a hanger, the hanger being supported within a packing crate or container for shipment from a place of manufacture to a customer. 
     In recent years, the amount of clothing sold in the United States of foreign manufacture has escalated dramatically. Such garments are normally transported by land and sea using large containers which are loaded with as many garments as possible, in order to maintain shipping costs as low as practicable. Before loading, the garments are carefully pressed. However, when the garments are loaded in the shipping container, compressive forces transmitted by adjacent garments, particularly in the area of the supporting hangers, often result in the wrinkling of the shoulder and sleeve areas, so that after unloading, the garment must be at least partially repressed before further distribution, requiring additional relatively high cost labor to restore the garment to presentable condition. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the invention contemplates the provision of means for eliminating or at least substantially ameliorating the above-described problem. To this end, the disclosed embodiment comprises a semi-rigid compression resistant shield preferably formed of fibrous planar material forming an elongated recess enabling the enclosure of a pressed garment supported upon a clothes hanger in the area of the shoulder and sleeve portions to be supported in position by the hanger such that when compressive forces are exerted upon the garment in a plane normal to the lateral axis of the hanger, the shield will distribute such forces in a manner to effectively prevent wrinkling of the garment during the continuation of such forces over an extended period of time. Most conveniently, the device is formed as a die stamping of planar thin-gauged cardboard which is subsequently folded and interconnected to an elongated loop-shaped configuration. The end walls of the device are formed from bendable tabs extending from the side walls, so as to present a multiple thickness of material providing additional resistance to compressive forces. The device may be configured to be used both inside and outside the garment, and may also be used to display a garment as well. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings, to which reference will be made in the specification, similar reference characters have been employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof. 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof. 
     FIG. 4 is an end elevational view thereof. 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary development of the embodiment prior to assembly. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT 
     In accordance with the invention, the device, generally indicated by reference character  10 , comprises a single blank of relatively lightweight fibrous material  11  (FIG. 5) which, in assembled condition, includes first and second side walls  13  and  14 , first and second upper walls  15  and  16 , and first and second end walls  17  and  18  which in interconnected condition, define an upper continuous opening  19  and a lower continuous opening  20 . 
     The side walls  13  and  14  are substantially congruent, each being bounded by an upper rectilinear edge  22 , a lower rectilinear edge  23 , end edges  24  and  25 , and angularly-oriented edges  26  and  27 . 
     The upper members  16  and  17  are angularly-oriented, being bounded by first and second edges  30  and  31 , and end edges  32  and  33 . 
     The end walls  17  and  18  are each formed by first, second and third flanges  40 ,  41 , and  42  respectively, the flange  42  being provided with an interlocking tab  43  which cooperates with a slot  44 . When assembled, the end walls are of triple thickness, thus providing increased resistance to compressive forces at the lateral ends of the device (See FIG.  4 ). 
     FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrates the device in assembled condition. A hanger with supported garment (not shown) projects through the upper opening  19  to enable the upper wall members  15  and  16  to be supported by the garment which is, in turn, supported by the hanger. The lower opening will surround the garment at a level approximately three to four inches below the upper edge of an arm scye on each side of the garment. 
     When the garment and supporting hanger are packed in suspension within a container, pressure will be applied to the side walls through adjacent garments which will resist compression because of the presence of the upper walls and the side walls. In addition, the side walls will spread any localized compressive forces so that there will be no small area of compression which will result in wrinkling of the garment therebeneath. 
     It may thus be seen that we have invented novel and highly useful improvements in a garment shield device which effectively prevents the crushing of the shoulder portions of a garment suspended upon a hanger within a shipping container which might result in wrinkling of the garment. The device is preferably manufactured from planar fibrous material, typically, lightweight cardboard s a result of a single die cutting operation, at a cost permitting it to e discarded after a single use. The device is assembled and installed using only ordinary skills within a very short period of time. 
     We wish it to be understood that we do not consider the invention to be limited to the precise details of structure shown and set forth in the specification, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains;