Abstract:
A hanger for garments of the type having a waistband has a rigid body resistant to compression loads applied lengthwise thereof. The ends of the hanger are so designed that the waistband of a garment can be wrapped around them and then resiliently pulled with sufficient force that the garment seats firmly against the end faces of the hanger body. The hanger has one or more hooks to engage the waistband and a resilient stretchable member to apply tension to the waistband by means of the hook. The end faces of the hanger are so designed that the garment, once tensioned along its waistband, will have no tendency to slide either upwardly or downwardly with respect to the hanger body.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to garment hangers used for either display or shipping of garments having a waistband. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The most extensive use of garment hangers today is for shipping and for display of the garments at the point of purchase. Such garment hangers must be capable of positively supporting the garment during shipping and while the garment is being displayed. The hangers must also be so designed that the garments as displayed are attractive and displayed to their best advantage. Also the hanger must not leave any unattractive marks or impressions on the garment. 
     It is also very important that the hangers add a minimum of bulk to the garment, particularly during shipping. This is also true in many retail facilities where display space is at a premium. Thus, they should be compact and light weight, yet strong enough to support the weight of the garment even during rough handling. The hanger must be easy to use and not require any complex manipulation. In other words, it should be user friendly. It is also important that the cost be held to a minimum because this type of hanger is normally a &#34;one way shipper&#34;, that is, it is seldom returned to the garment manufacturer. 
     It is also true that, as the field of clothes manufacturing and merchandising becomes more competitive, garment hangers are becoming more specialized, that is, suitable for use on only one or on only a few types of garments. This invention provides a hanger of this type, particularly designed for the shipment and display of garments, the tops of which garments are provided with a waistband. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The hanger of this invention has a body which is an elongated, rigid beam of molded plastic which beam is supported at the center by a hook which may be molded integrally with the body or, as a separate component, rotatably attached to the body. At each end, the body has a downwardly extending end member over which the waistband of a garment may be hooked or around which the end of the waistband can be wrapped. The hanger is provided with means for applying tension to the waistband of the garment to pull it tightly against the outer face of the end members thereby securing the garment to the hanger. The longitudinally outer face of each end member is so designed that when the waistband is pulled firmly against it, the end face positively holds the garment against release by slipping off the end members. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a hanger incorporating the invention, before being loaded with a garment; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation view of the hanger illustrated in FIG. 1 after it has been loaded with a garment; 
     FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the hanger of FIG. 1 with the hooks omitted; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of a modified form of the hanger illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the hanger illustrated in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the hangers illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 after they have been loaded with a garment; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of a further modified form of the hanger of this insertion; 
     FIG. 8 is a fragmentary rear elevation view of the hanger of FIG. 7 loaded with a garment; 
     FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but illustrating a modified way of securing the garment; 
     FIG. 10 is an elevation view illustrating a further modified construction for the hanger of this invention; 
     FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 illustrating the hanger as molded; 
     FIG. 12 is a sectional elevation view taken along the plane XII--XII of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the plane XIII--XIII of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 14 is a sectional view take along the plane XIV--XIV of FIG. 11; and 
     FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the plane XV--XV of FIG. 11 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 indicates a hanger having a body 11 and an integral hook 12. The body has an upper element 13 and a lower element 14. The outer ends of the elements 13 and 14 are joined by generally vertically extending end members 15. The ends of upper element 13 project a short distance beyond the end members 15 to form a pair of stops 16. The lower ends of the end members protrude outwardly to provide positive garment grips 17. Adjacent the center of the hanger, the upper and lower elements are joined by a pair of spaced columns 18. In between the columns 18, an anchor member or finger 19 is provided (FIGS. 1, 2 and 13). The finger 19 is integral with the lower element and extends upwardly but its upper end is spaced from the upper element 13. 
     The body of the hanger including the upper and lower elements, end members and hook are all molded as a single integral structure from a suitable plastic such as polypropolyene or styrene. As will be seen in FIG. 3, the upper and lower elements and the end members have a thickness such that the body is resistant to compressive forces imposed upon it by the garment and the hereinafter described garment tensioning and anchor means. 
     The garment anchoring and tensioning means is provided by a pair of hooks 20 joined by a tension creating, resilient, retractable member 21 such as an elastic band. The tension member or band can be of any suitable material, such as rubber, and may be provided by a commercially available rubber band of suitable length and cross section. The stretchable member 21 passes in front of the finger 19 and behind both of the columns 18 (FIG. 2). The gap between the top of the finger 19 and the upper element is so narrow that the elastic member 21 has to be squeezed through it. The finger 19 prevents the assembly of the stretchable member and hooks 20 from becoming separated from the hanger when they are not in use. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the hanger in use. One end of the waistband of the garment A is wrapped around one end member of the hanger and secured by one of the hooks 20 which seats around the waistband. The garment is then pulled firmly against the front face of the hanger and wrapped around the other end member of the hanger and secured with the other hook 20 (FIG. 6). In doing this, the member 21 is stretched, thus, tensioning it. This causes the garment to pull firmly against the end faces of the end members 15. Thus, the garment is pulled firmly against the protruding grips 17 and into the shallow recesses 22 between the grips 17 and the stops 16. Thus, the garment is positively held against sliding off the end members even during such conditions as transport from manufacturer to retailer. The garment is well displayed because it is firmly held against the smooth front of the hanger body and the retaining means is hidden behind the garment (FIG. 6). 
     FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a modification of the hanger illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In this case, the upper and lower elements 13a and 14a of the hanger 10a are joined by a solid web 25 provided with a pair of spaced opening 26 adjacent the center of the hanger. The stretchable member 21 passes through these openings from front to back and on the back is secured to a hook 20 at each end. The hanger 10a functions in exactly the same way as hanger 10. The body of this hanger has upper and lower C-shaped rails 27 and 28 which provide rigidity and compression resistance for the body (FIG. 12). 
     FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a modified construction for the hangers of this invention. In this construction, the hanger 30 is provided with only one hook 20. The body of the hanger consists of a rigid I-beam 31 having an outwardly and downwardly inclined end finger or member 32 at each end. Adjacent one end of the hanger, one or more dependent fingers 33 are provided. The fingers 33 are integral with body beam 31 and are inclined oppositely to the adjacent end member, that is, they are inclined downwardly and inwardly. The innermost one 33a of the fingers has an outwardly opening notch 34 adjacent the finger&#39;s attachment to the beam 31. The hook 35 is secured to the body by a stretchable member 36 which is anchored to the inner finger 33a by means of the notch 34. The ends of the beam 31 extend beyond the end members 32 to form stops 37 which serve the same purpose as the stops 16. The end members 32 are inclined outwardly and downwardly and terminate in an outwardly extending, smoothly rounded, garment grip 38. 
     Among the ways in which this hanger can be used, two are illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. In FIG. 8, the end member 32 at one end is seated inside the waistband and the garment then pulled smoothly across the front of the hanger and wrapped around the other end member and pulled firmly against both end members by the hook tensioned by the stretchable member 36. This arrangement is particularly useful with garments having a small waistline. 
     FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of the hanger with a larger waistband. Depending upon the length of the waistband, the end of the garment which was secured to the first end member is now wrapped around it and hooked over one of the fingers 33. The other end of the waistband is wrapped about the opposite end member and then secured by means of the hook. Thus, a hanger of a single size and construction will satisfy a wide range of garment sizes. 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a still further modification of this invention. In this construction, preferably, the body and the hooks are molded simultaneously. The body 50 has upper and lower elements 51 and 52 joined at the ends by end members 53 and in the center by a panel 54. Between the ends of the panel 54 and the end members 53, the body has front to back openings 55. As molded, the hooks 56 are formed simultaneously with the body 50 and joined to the body by rupturable gates or connectors 57 (FIG. 11) through which the liquid plastic flows from the body into the hook cavities, during the injection molding process. After the molding process is completed, the connectors 57 are broken or cut, freeing the hooks. 
     Also molded into the body are guide fingers 58 and 58a. The guide fingers are arranged such that no two are aligned front to back, thus, eliminating interference with opening the mold. They are spaced apart the thickness of the hooks in a fore and aft direction and, thus, form guideways or channels 59 (FIGS. 14 and 15) at the top and bottom of the openings along which the hooks can slide and be stored when not in use. This is possible because the upper and lower elements 51 and 52 are of I-beam cross section with the hooks having a wall thickness equal to that of the web 54. 
     Each of the hooks has an end bar 60 from which a tab 60a extends outwardly. After the hooks have been separated from the body of the hanger, they are joined by an endless stretchable member 61 which is secured by being seated over the tabs of the hooks. Between the hooks, the stretchable member 61 passes through openings 62 in the beam flange (FIGS. 10 and 14). The openings each have a restricted throat 63 requiring the stretchable member 61 to be forcibly compressed when it is first assembled to the body 50. This arrangement secures the hooks to the body when they are not in use. However, except for the restricted throat, the openings are of a size to permit the stretchable to freely slide through them whereby that portion of the member between the openings is free to flex and contribute to the tension applied by the hooks. 
     The end members have a plurality of shallow, rounded teeth 64 extending down the outer face 65. These provide a means for gripping the garment. The outer face 65 is inclined downwardly and outwardly and because of the teeth 64 does not have the protruding grip structure with which the other versions of this invention are equipped. With any of the hangers which have been described, it is a matter of choice whether one uses the protruding type grip or the teeth or even both for particularly bulky and heavy garments. 
     The end of the upper element 51 extends beyond the end member to form a stop 66 similar to the stops 16 and 37. In each case, the stop prevents the garment under the tension applied by the stretchable member on the upward and inward inclination of the end face from tending to work its way up the hanger ends, thus, burying the hanger further and further into the garment where it no longer engages the waistband. This particularly could this be a problem when the garment is being shown to a customer and for some reason is laid flat on a surface. 
     In all cases, the hanger can be injection molded by simple two piece molds without slides or other complicating equipment. The hangers are light weight and utilize only minimal quantities of plastic to form a strong and effective means of transporting and displaying garments. In every case, the upper and lower elements, in order to provide the necessary resistance to compression have either an I-beam or a T-type cross section. This is essential because the hanger, while relatively thin, must not flex by bowing forwardly or rearwardly under the tension applied through the hooks. Any such bowing would tend to release of the garment. It will be recognized that hangers of this type may have to be molded with different degrees of plastic wall thickness and, thus, rigidity dependent upon the size and weight of the garment with which it is to be used. However, each hanger can be used for a wide range of sizes and weights and it is only in connection with the very lightest and the very heaviest garments that consideration has to be given to this problem. 
     Having described a preferred embodiment of this invention together with several modifications of it, it will be recognized that other modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claims, unless these claims, by their language, expressly state otherwise.