Source: {"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"}

A multiple-garment hanger of the aforedescribed type generally can have five garment-carrying rods so that respective pairs of trousers or other garments can be placed over these rods and, upon release of one of the hooks from the closet rod, can have the garments lie in close relation as the support bar hangs substantially vertically.
The garment-carrying rods in the prior art arrangement of this type, while being slidable relative to the support bar transversely of the latter, are of U-shaped configuration so that upon the hanging of a garment on a rod or removal of a garment from a rod, there is a certain degree of interference with the garment-carrying rods with the result that usually additional garments are removed or interfere with the emplacement of a garment on the rod. The fork-shaped garment-carrying rods are indeed pivotally mounted on the support bar, but do not significantly prevent the interference described above.
In German utility Model No. DE GM 87 12 870, a clothes hanger is described and illustrated which has a plurality of U-shaped garment-carrying rods which telescopingly are shiftable in the support member provided with the two hooks so as to move horizontally and so as to allow a swinging movement in the support member.
With this system, the desired garment-carrying rod can be drawn out of the garment-storage position to allow a garment to be applied to the rod without interference or to allow a garment to be removed without interference and without simultaneous removal of other garments. The garment-carrying rod can thus be returned to its original position with or without a pair of trousers or other garment.
Because of the arrangement of a number of garment-carrying rods with respective garments in this system, the entire system remains in equilibrium so that the multiple-garment hanger as a whole is easy to handle. By releasing one of the two hooks, the entire multi-garment hanger can be brought into a position in which the space requirements are reduced, the support bar which lies parallel to the closet rod hanging then substantially in an upright position.
Because of the U-shaped configuration of the garment-carrying rods in the latter construction, the upper limb of the garment-carrying rod is slidable in the support bar so that when one of the rods is drawn out for removal or hanging of a garment, it can engage other garments so that use of the hanger can be interfered with. This is especially a problem with voluminous garments such as lined trousers.