Improvements in Devices for Holding a Coat in Position for the Wearer to Readily Thrust his Arms Through the Sleeves.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 26th Nov.,
1898
COMPLETE DI MUITONTON
Improvements in Devices for Holding a Coat in Position for the
Wearer to Readily Thrust his Arms Through the Sleeves.
I, CHARLES BENESH of Wahpeton, in the County of Richland and State of North
Dakota, United States of America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly de-
scribed and ascertained in and by the following statement;-
་
My invention relates to means for holding a coat in position for the wearer to
readily thrust his arms through the sleeves in the act of putting on the garment;
and the object that I have in view is to provide a simple construction and arrange-
ment of parts by which the garment may be suspended in a spread out or opened
condition to facilitate the operation of putting on the garment, and which will
also yield or give readily to the movements of the person, and which shall be so
constructed as to provide for the easy and ready separation or detachment of the
garment from the holder after the coat is in position on the wearer.
With these ends in view, my invention consists in the combination with a suit-
able standard or guide rod, of a bracket slidably fitted to the standard or guide rod
and provided with a spring clamp adapted to engage with the collar of the garment,
a hanger arranged transversely across, and suitably attached to, the slidable bracket
and provided, at or near its ends, with clips to engage with the end portions of the
garment-collar, and a spring to normally hold the slidable bracket in position and
to permit it to yield or give.
And the invention further consists in the novel combination of elements, and in
the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described
and claimed.
To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated the preferred
embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specifi-
cation, and in which-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a coat holder constructed in accordance with my
invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken centrally through the device.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 to show the adjustable
collar and the clamp therefor.
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the spring clamp of the
movable bracket.
Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the coat-hanger.
Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of a hat holder to be used on the bracket.
Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawing.
In the embodiment of my invention shown by the accompanying drawing, I
provide a vertical standard or guide rod 1, which is designed to be fastened to a
wall of a room, apartment, or hall of a dwelling or other structure. This standard
or rod 1, may be attached by the short posts 2, to the back-board 3, as shown by
the drawing; but the back-board is not essential and may be used or omitted at
pleasure.

page_text: 4 designates the bracket which is fitted loosely on the standard or rod to play
vertically and horizontally thereon. This bracket may be of cast metal, or it may
be constructed of wire in any suitable manner. I prefer to construct the bracket
of wire, and to make it with the arm, 5, and the strut, 6. The arm and strut of
the bracket are provided with the bearings 7, which are fitted loosely to the standard
or rod 1, and the outer extremity of the arm 5, of this bracket carries a clamp
adapted to engage with the central part of the coat-collar. The outer extremity of
the arm 5 of the bracket, terminates in or forms a fixed jaw 8, and this arm 5,
carries a suitable casing or housing 9 in which is arranged the movable jaw 10,
and the spring 11, of the clamp on the end of the bracket. The movable jaw is
pivoted as at 12, in the flanges or sides of the housing 9, and the jaw-shaped end
of the movable member 10, of the clamp is adapted to bear upon or against the
fixed member or jaw 8 of the clamp; and the head of the movable member or
jaw 10, of the clamp is extended beyond the housing or casing 9, and is formed so
as to provide a thumb piece by which the movable jaw may be conveniently
manipulated. The spring 11, of the clamp is housed within the casing so as to
be protected from injury and displacement, and said spring bears against the
movable member or jaw so as to force the two members or jaws of the clamp
together.
The movable member or jaw 10, of the clamp may be made in any suitable or
fanciful shape, as for instance to represent a goose head; and the bracket itself
may be ornamented to present an attractive appearance; but these details will
readily suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic or to the manufacturer.
The bracket is movable freely in a horizontal direction on the standard, as well
as in a vertical direction thereon; but the vertical play of the bracket is limited
to a certain extent by a coiled cushion spring 13, which is loosely fitted on the
standard or rod below the swiveled bracket. This cushion spring is held in opera-
tive relation to the bracket by means of a stop-collar 14, which is also fitted on
the standard or rod and which is provided with means for clamping the same
rigidly to the standard or rod to hold the stop-collar at any desired point of adjust-
ment on the standard. This stop-collar 14, is shown in the drawing as being
divided to form the lugs 15, between which is fitted the eccentric head of a clamping
lever, 16, the latter being pivoted to the lugs of the stop-collar to be movable
therewith up or down on the standard, 1, whereby the adjustable stop-collar and
its clamping lever provides a means for holding the spring and the bracket at the
desired elevation on the standard or rod to suit the convenience of the user, and at
the same time the bracket is free to have the swiveled play or movement on the
rod or standard to be cushioned by the coiled spring.
My improved coat holder also contemplates the provision of a hanger 17, which
is leosely attached at its middle to the bracket, at or near the outer extremity of
the arm 5, thereof; and this hanger is provided, at its ends, with the clips 18,
by which the hanger is adapted to engage with the garment at points on opposite
sides of the engagement of the spring clamp with said garment. This hanger 17,
is made preferably from a length of wire bent to proper shape to forms the clips, 18,
at the ends thereof, and a central eye or loop 19, through which may be passed a
pin or bolt 20, for loosely connecting the hanger to the bracket. In the bending
of the ends of the wire-hanger, 17, to form the clips, 18, I prefer to curve the ends
of the wire, and to double them back upon the curved parts of the wire, after which
the wire is formed into the coils or eyes, 21, and the spring arms 22. This form
of the clips provide for the secure attachment of the garment to the hanger, and
at the same time, the clips readily disengage themselves from the garment by
pulling on the latter after it has been donned by the wearer.
In connection with the vertically-movable bracket, I employ, preferably, a
means for holding or supporting a hat. This hat-holder consists of a shank 25 and
an enlarged head 26, which are made by bending a piece of wire to the form shown
by Figure 6. The head 26 of the hat-holder is of generally rectangular form, with

page_text: the V-shaped bends in the cross-bars thereof, but the particular shape is not
essential. The stem 25 is fastened in any suitable way to the bracket 4, in rear of
the coat-clamp, and it supports the head 26 in a position elevated above the bracket
and its ornamentation, as shown by Figures 1 and 2. The hat holder is thus
attached to the vertically slidable bracket so as to travel therewith.
In using my improved coat-holder, the clamp on the bracket is adjusted to
engage with the collar of the garment at the central part therof, and the spring-
clips 18, of the hanger are engaged with the garment collar at or near the ends of
the latter. If desired, the ends of the hanger may be thrust into the sleeves of
the garment, instead of having the clips attached to the ends of the garment-collar,
but this is optional. To don the garment, the person simply thrusts his arms
through the sleeves, and pulls slightly on the garment in order to disengage the
same from the clamp of the bracket and from the clips of the hanger. The
employment of the hanger is an important part of my coat holder, because its
use enables the garment to be held in a spread out or opened condition, which
facilitates the donning of the garment by the wearer.
My coat holder has all of its elements movable so that they will yield or give
to the motion of the body in the operation of donning the garment, and this is
important as it enables the garment to be donned to the best advantage. Various
changes in the form and proportion of parts may be made without departing from
the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a coat holder, the combination with a bracket, of a hanger loosely attached
at its middle to the free end of the bracket and provided at its ends with spring
clips, and a spring clamp carried by the bracket in a position between the clips of
the hanger, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. In a coat holder, the combination of a standard, a cushioned bracket fitted
loosely on the standard to slide and turn thereon, a central spring jaw at the free
end of the bracket, and a hanger attached loosely at a point intermediate of its
length to the bracket and at a point adjacent to the spring jaw thereon, and
provided at its ends with spring clips, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
3. A coat holder comprising a standard, a bracket provided at its rear part with
the vertically-aligned bearings that fit loosely on the standard, the clamp at the
outer free end of the bracket, a cushion spring fitted on the standard below the
lower bearing of the bracket, a collar also fitted on the standard to have the spring
rest directly thereon and provided with the extended ears, a lever with an eccentric
head pivoted in the ears and binding against the standard, and a hanger pivoted
centrally to the bracket below the clamp and having, at its ends, the clips,
substantially as described.
4. The combination with a standard, of a vertically-movable bracket having
means for holding a coat, and a hat-holder attached to the bracket to travel
therewith, substantially as described.
5. The combination with a standard, of a bracket having means for holding a
coat, and a hat holder with its stem fastened to the bracket, and provided with an
elevated head, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th dore of Databan
1808
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.