Patent Publication Number: US-10786077-B2

Title: Clip hanger

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a modularly assignable rack that may be outfitted to a door or wall and possess a plurality of clips for holding a variety of articles, specifically hats. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a storage and organizer for clothing articles on a door. The present invention vertically attaches to a door in order to utilize the space directly behind a door for storage. Additionally, the present invention may be attached to the front of a door, the rear of a door, and a wall. Specifically, the present invention is designed for hanging and storing baseball caps so as to not damage or ruin the baseball cap&#39;s form. Traditional means for storing baseball caps require a lot of space so to ensure no weight is pressed onto the caps, as this will deform and ruin the profile of the cap. The present invention overcomes this problem by utilizing the space directly behind a door. Additionally, the present apparatus allows for the attachment of multiple clips to suit multiple articles such as hats, shoes, shirts, and so on. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an attachment assembly in a partially exploded view. 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of a first door hook. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the present invention attached to a door. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION 
     All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for storing and organizing clothing articles. Specifically, the present invention is a storage rack for storing and organizing hats. The present invention attaches to and extends along a door. Although, the present invention may also be used to storing and organizing other articles of clothing including, but not limited to, shoes, shirts, ties, and sweaters. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the present invention comprises a first door hook  1 , a second door hook  2 , an elongated strap  7 , and an at least one attachment assembly  10 . The first door hook  1  and the second door hook  2  attach and secure the present invention to a door in a vertical orientation, i.e. along the length of the door. The elongated strap  7  acts as the support structure for the attachment assembly  10  and allows the present invention to be stored and transported in a rolled-up state. The elongated strap  7  is composed of a poly webbing or textile material but may also be produced of rubber, organic materials, thin planar metal sheets, and so on. The elongated strap  7  is preferably adjustable in length such that the present invention may mount to a variety of external structures. Referring to  FIG. 4 , the first door hook  1  and the second door hook  2  are each an over-the-door hook that clip over and onto a door to support and suspend the elongated strap  7 . Specifically, the first door hook  1  is terminally attached to the elongated strap  7 . Similarly, the second door hook  2  is terminally attached to the elongated strap  7 , opposite the first door hook  1 . To attach the present invention to a door, the first door hook  1  and the second door hook  2  are simply positioned over the door body with the first door hook  1  and the second door hook  2  being positioned opposite to each other along the door. To ensure that the present invention stays fixed to the door, the elongated strap  7  is preferably adjustable in length and, thus, is configured in a taught state when the present invention is attached to a door. 
     The attachment assembly  10  grips and holds an article of clothing at a specific height on the elongated strap  7  and, in the simplest embodiment, comprises a strap buckle  11 , a ring  17 , and an at least one clothes clip  18 . Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 , the attachment assembly  10  is positioned along the elongated strap  7 , in between the first door hook  1  and the second door hook  2 . The positioning of the attachment assembly  10  on the elongated strap  7  determines the vertical height at which the attachment assembly  10  is held. The strap buckle  11  is a strap, belt, or string fastening device. The strap buckle  11  attaches the attachment assembly  10  to the elongated strap  7  and allows a user to adjust the relative height of the attachment assembly  10  to meet his or her needs and preferences. For this, the elongated strap  7  is threaded through the strap buckle  11 . The ring  17  is preferably a D-shaped rigid structure that acts as an intermediate coupling element in between the strap buckle  11  and the clothes clip  18 . The ring  17  is pivotably and adjacently connected to the strap buckle  11 . This allows the clothes clip  18  to pivot and swivel towards and away from the elongated strap  7  to accommodate the size of the attached clothing article. The clothes clip  18  grips and suspends a portion of a clothing article. The clothes clip  18  is positioned adjacent to the ring  17  and is removably mounted to the ring  17 . The present invention is optimized for organizing and storing hats, specifically baseball caps. For this, a baseball cap is attached to the present invention by clamping a brim of the baseball cap with the clothes clip  18 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the first door hook  1  and the second door hook  2  each further comprise a first L-shaped plate  3 , a second L-shaped plate  4 , a connecting plate  5 , and an at least one spacer pad  6 . The first L-shaped plate  3  and the second L-shaped plate  4  are each an elongated thin and metallic rigid structure that is bent into an L-shape. The first L-shaped plate  3  hooks over the door while the second L-shaped plate  4  attaches to the elongated strap  7 . The connecting plate  5  connects the first L-shaped plate  3  to the second L-shaped plate  4 . Specifically, the first L-shaped plate  3  and the second L-shaped plate  4  are positioned opposite to each other along and across the connecting plate  5 . Additionally, the first L-shaped plate  3  and the second L-shaped plate  4  are oriented towards each other as seen in  FIG. 3 . Furthermore, the connecting plate  5  is perpendicularly connected in between the first L-shaped plate  3  and the second L-shaped plate  4 . This configuration forms two hook-shaped features, a first hook for the door and a second hook for the elongated strap  7 . The first hook is placed over the door for attachment of the present invention to the door. The spacer pad  6  is a block of padded material that allows the first hook to fit doors with different thicknesses as well as protect the outer surface of a door from scratches and abrasions. The spacer pad  6  may be composed of material including, but not limited to, foam, rubber, gels, and plastic to name a few non-limiting examples. The spacer pad  6  is mounted in between the first L-shaped plate  3  and the connecting plate  5  to laterally press against the door surface. In one embodiment of the present invention, the spacer pad  6  is adjacently connected to the connecting plate  5 . In another embodiment of the present invention, the spacer pad  6  is adjacently connected to a vertical leg of the first L-shaped plate  3 . In yet another embodiment, the at least one spacer pad  6  comprises a first pad and a second pad. In this embodiment, both sides of the door are protected; for this, the first pad is adjacently connected to the connecting plate  5 , and the second pad is adjacently connected to the first leg of the first L-shaped plate  3 . The spacer pad  6  may be affixed through any number of means such as conventional fasteners and self-orienting means, however, adhesive is preferred. 
     The elongated strap  7  attaches to the first door hook  1  and the second door hook  2  through a first D-shaped ring  25  and a second D-shaped ring  26 . Specifically, the first D-shaped ring  25  is adjacently connected to a first end  8  of the elongated strap  7 . Similarly, the second D-shaped ring  26  is adjacently connected to a second end  9  of the elongated strap  7 . The first D-shaped ring  25  and the second D-shaped ring  26  are each sized with a diameter larger than a width of the second L-shaped plate  4  of the first door hook  1  and the second L-shaped plate  4  of the second door hook  2 , respectively. This allows the elongated strap  7  to attach and detach to the first door hook  1  and second door hook  2  easily and efficiently. Specifically, the second L-shaped plate  4  of the first door hook  1  is positioned within the first D-shaped ring  25 . Similarly, the second L-shaped plate  4  of the second door hook  2  is positioned within the second D-shaped ring  26 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the strap buckle  11  comprises a plate body  12 , a first strap-receiving hole  13 , a second strap-receiving hole  14 , a first slot  15 , and a second slot  16 . The plate body  12  is a thin piece of rigid material that couples the ring  17  and the clothes clip  18  to the elongated strap  7 ; wherein, the plate body  12  is preferably rectangular and composed of plastic material. The first strap-receiving hole  13  and the second strap-receiving hole  14  receive the body of the elongated strap  7  and allow the user to adjust the location of the strap buckle  11  on the elongated strap  7 . For this, the first strap-receiving hole  13  and the second strap-receiving hole  14  are each a hole with a width greater or equal to the width of the elongated strap  7 . The first strap-receiving hole  13  and the second strap-receiving hole  14  are positioned opposite to each other along the plate body  12  for symmetrical support. Additionally, the ring  17  is positioned in between the first strap-receiving hole  13  and the second strap-receiving hole  14 . The first strap-receiving hole  13  traverses normal and through the plate body  12 . Similarly, the second strap-receiving hole  14  traverses normal and through the plate body  12 . In order to attach the strap buckle  11  to the elongated strap  7 , the elongated strap  7  is threaded through the first strap-receiving hole  13  and the second strap-receiving hole  14 . Typical buckle designs require the user to thread the elongated strap  7  from the first end  8  towards the second end  9 . In this embodiment, the first slot  15  and the second slot  16  allow for easy attachment and detachment of the attachment assembly  10 . In particular, the first slot  15  and the second slot  16  allow the strap buckle  11  to attach to the elongated strap  7  directly at the desired location/height. The first slot  15  and the second slot  16  are positioned opposite to each other along the plate body  12 . The first slot  15  provides a means of quickly threading the elongated strap  7  through the first strap-receiving hole  13 . Thus, the first slot  15  laterally traverses into the plate body  12  and into the first strap-receiving hole  13 . Similarly, the second slot  16  provides a means of quickly threading the elongated strap  7  through the second strap-receiving hole  14 . Thus, the second slot  16  laterally traverses into the plate body  12  and into the second strap-receiving hole  14 . 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the attachment assembly  10  further comprises a spring clip  23 , a spacer  24 , a first non-slip boot  21 , and a second non-slip boot  22 . The spring clip  23  is a preferably an annular body with a single gap space to allow engagement to the ring  17  by applying enough force and overcoming the gap space. The spring clip  23  provides the clothes clip  18  an additional degree of freedom in the pitch direction. Specifically, the spring clip  23  is positioned in between the ring  17  and the clothes clip  18 . Additionally, the spring clip  23  is rotatably and terminally mounted to the clothes clip  18 . Furthermore, the spring clip  23  is interlocked with the ring  17 . The spacer  24  offsets the clothes clip  18  from the strap buckle  11 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , the spacer  24  is positioned in between the spring clip  23  and the clothes clip  18 . On one end, the spring clip  23  is rotatably and terminally connected to the spacer  24 . On the other end, the clothes clip  18  is mounted to the spacer  24 . In particular, a first jaw  19  of the clothes clip  18  and a second jaw  20  of the clothes clip  18  are positioned opposite to each other, across the spacer  24 ; wherein the first jaw  19  and the second jaw  20  are each laterally and hingedly connected to the spacer  24 . The first jaw  19  and the second jaw  20  act as the gripping elements that grasp a clothing article. A tensioning mechanism is integrated in between the first jaw  19 , the second jaw  20 , and the spacer. The tensioning mechanism applies a continuous torque force onto the first jaw  19  and the second jaw  20  to force the first jaw  19  and the second jaw  20  to press against each other and hold a clothing article through friction, similar to traditional alligator clips. The first non-slip boot  21  and the second non-slip boot  22  are each a high-friction soft material designed to cover the clothes clip  18  and prevent any damage to a clothing article being held by the clothes clip  18 . Specifically, the first jaw  19  is sleeved by the first non-slip sleeve and the second jaw  20  is sleeved by the second non-slip sleeve. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, referring to  FIG. 4 , the at least one attachment assembly  10  comprises a plurality of attachment assemblies  10  to allow the user to attach a multitude of clothing articles to the present invention. The plurality of attachment assemblies  10  is distributed along the elongated strap  7 . The number within the plurality of attachment assemblies  10  and the location of each within the plurality of attachment assemblies  10  is subject to change to meet the storage needs and preferences of the user. 
     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.