Abstract:
A package comprised of a plurality of clothes hangers bound together by spaced frangible straps encircling their arms and an indicia bearing tag which has an aperture receiving therethrough hooks of at least one or more of the hangers encircling the same and extending downwardly below the main body portions of the hangers between the encircled hangers and an abutting hanger providing indicia thereon identifying the hangers.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to clothes hangers; and, more particularly, for a package for binding together a plurality of hangers.  
         RELATED ART  
         [0002]    Clothes hangers are well known in the art. Such hangers generally have a hook for hanging the same from a bar in a closet or the like. The hook is connected to the main body portion of the hanger which has spaced arms extending outwardly from opposite sides of the main body portion. Clothes, such as jackets or skirts, may be supported on the arms of the hanger.  
           [0003]    Generally, such hangers are sold individually or packaged together in a plurality of hangers having an indicia bearing card encircling the main body portion of the hangers, the hooks thereof extending upwardly through an aperture in the card. Such cards cover the front and back of the body portions of the hangers so that the entire body portion is not visible. If the hanger is made of a desirable product, such as solid wood, the beauty of the product is not fully apparent. The hanger arms are generally not separately bound so that they may move apart and separate from the display card, especially during rough handling in a retail store or the like. This requires sale of the product at a distress price and possibly no identification to the customer of the manufacturer of the product.  
           [0004]    There is thus a need for a package for a plurality of hangers that binds them together neat and tight yet displays information about the hangers in a pleasing manner.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object of this invention to provide a package for a plurality of clothes hangers.  
           [0006]    It is further object of this invention to provide such a package which binds together the spaced arms of the hangers while holding together the main body portions of the hangers in a manner displaying information about the hangers.  
           [0007]    These and other objects are preferably accomplished by providing a package comprised of a plurality of clothes hangers bound together by spaced frangible straps encircling their arms. An indicia bearing tag which has an aperture receives therethrough hooks of one or more hangers encircling the same and extending downwardly below the main body portions of the hangers between the encircled hangers and an abutting hanger providing indicia thereon identifying the hangers. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the hanger package in accordance with the teachings of the invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a side view of the hanger of FIG. 1;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the hanger of FIG. 1  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a plan view of a placard binding certain of the hangers of FIG. 1 removed therefrom for convenience of illustration;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a rear view of the hanger of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the hanger of FIG. 1; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a partial view taken along lines  7 - 7  of FIG. 2 illustrating how the placard folds about the hangers of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, a hanger package  10  is shown. As seen in FIG. 2, package  10  includes a plurality of hangers, such as four hangers  11  through  14 . These hangers are identical and each comprises a main body portion  15  (FIG. 1) having a hook  16 ′ connected thereto at generally the midpoint thereof for hooking the same on a pole in a closet or the like.  
         [0016]    Each hanger includes a pair of spaced arms  16 , 17  integral with and extending from opposite sides of main body portion  15 . Arms  16 ,  17  may be angled downwardly as shown and may include notches, such as notches  18 ,  19 , respectively, for hanging garment straps therein.  
         [0017]    As particularly contemplated in the present invention, a pair of bands  20 ,  21  encircle all  4  arms of the hangers in a tight, close fitting relationship. For example, band  20  encircles arms  16  and band  21  encircles arms  17 . These bands  20 ,  21  may be transparent and are easily cut or frangible. They may have indicia, such as indicia  22  thereon. Such indicia might relate to the quality of the hanger or to its composition. For example, the hangers may be made out of wood, the indicia might indicate the type of wood, e.g., maple, and the transparency of the bands  20 ,  21  allows the grain of the wood to be visible therethrough.  
         [0018]    Referring again to FIG. 1, a securement placard  23  is provided which, as will be discussed, wraps around a plurality of the hangers. For example, placard  23  is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 as wrapped around  3  of the hangers (hangers  12 , 13  and  14 ) and abutting against the 4 th  hanger  11 .  
         [0019]    Placard  23  is shown in plan view in FIG. 4 removed from the hangers  12  to  14 . Placard  23  may be of a relatively stiff material, such as cardboard, and includes a generally rectangular main body portion  24  having indicia  25  at one end and an elongated tab  26  extending from the other end. Tab  26  terminates in a cross-piece  27 . Main body portion  23  also includes a first fold line  28  spaced from tab  26  and a second fold line  29  spaced from fold line  28 . An elongated oblong slot  30  extends between fold lines  28 ,  29  having a longitudinal axis generally normal to the longitudinal axes of fold lines  28 ,  29 . The portion of main body portion  24  having indicia  25  thereon also has a generally T-shaped cut-out slot  31  with a fold line  100 . The configuration of slot  31  is generally related to the configuration of cross-piece  27  and the configuration of that portion of tab  26  from fold line  100  to the terminal end of cross-piece  27  as will be discussed further hereinbelow.  
         [0020]    In operation, placard  23  is folded along fold lines  28 ,  29  and placed over the tops of the main body portions  15  of hangers  12  to  14  as shown in FIG. 3 with the hooks  16 ′thereof entering and exiting out of slot  30 . The portion  33  (FIG. 4) of main body portion  24  having tab  26  thereon extends down from hanger  14  (see FIG. 5) with tab  26  (FIG. 6) extending across the bottom of hangers  12 ,  13  and  14 . Tab  26  is folded at fold line  100 , extends upwardly between the hangers  11  and  12  with cross-piece  27  fitting into slot  31  as seen in FIG. 7.  
         [0021]    The friction of one hanger against the other, such as hanger  11  against hanger  12 , holds the portion  27  of tab  26  in place which locks into slot  31  (see FIG. 7). As seen in FIG. 1, this arrangement provides for the portion  34  having indicia  25  thereon is visible to the customer. The hangers  11  to  14  are held together in a tidy neat package, do not separate under rough handling on a shelf or the like and can be prominently displayed on a store shelf with the material of the hangers, such as the grain of the wood, visible through bands  20 ,  21 .  
         [0022]    Although a particular embodiment of the invention is disclosed, variations thereof may occur to the artisan and the scope of the invention should only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.