U.S. patent application number 10/735315 was filed with the patent office on 2004-11-11 for insert reinforced hanging hook on thermoformed product.
Invention is credited to Neiffer, Paul.
Application Number | 20040222255 10/735315 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33422919 |
Filed Date | 2004-11-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040222255 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Neiffer, Paul |
November 11, 2004 |
Insert reinforced hanging hook on thermoformed product
Abstract
A product made by thermoforming a sheet of thermo plastic
includes a hanging hook with one or more recesses. A reinforcing
insert is frictionally retained within at least one recess. The
product may be a form on which another product is displayed for
sale, such as in the form of a human torso. The product may be an
enclosure for holding a product for sale such as a clamshell
enclosure. The insert may be made by stamping, injection molding,
or thermoforming.
Inventors: |
Neiffer, Paul; (Yakima,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GRAYBEAL, JACKSON, HALEY LLP
155 - 108TH AVENUE NE
SUITE 350
BELLEVUE
WA
98004-5901
US
|
Family ID: |
33422919 |
Appl. No.: |
10/735315 |
Filed: |
December 11, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60432777 |
Dec 11, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
223/87 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 66/545 20130101;
B29C 2791/001 20130101; B29C 66/73921 20130101; A47G 2025/1485
20130101; B29C 51/00 20130101; A47G 25/20 20130101; B29L 2031/735
20130101; B29L 2031/738 20130101; B29C 66/71 20130101; B29C 66/71
20130101; A47G 25/32 20130101; B29C 65/58 20130101; B29K 2067/003
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
223/087 |
International
Class: |
A41D 027/22 |
Claims
I claim:
1. An improved hanging hook on a thermoformed product, comprising:
(a) a product, including a hanging hook portion having at least one
recess, made of a thermoformed sheet of thermoplastic, (b) within
at least one recess in the hook, a frictionally retained
insert.
2. The product of claim 1 where the insert is contained entirely
within the recess.
3. The product of claim 1 where the thermoplastic is polyethylene
terephthalate.
4. The product of claim 3 where the insert is made of polyethylene
terephthalate.
5. The product of claim 4 where the insert is formed of the same
sheet as the product and is folded into the recess.
6. The product of claim 1 where the thermoformed product is a form
on which a product for sale may be displayed
7. The product of claim 6 where the form is of a human torso.
8. The product of claim 1 where the thermoformed product is an
enclosure for holding a product inside it.
9. The product of claim 1 where the recess has at least one first
snap with nearly vertical walls and the insert has at least one
second snap with nearly vertical walls and the walls of the second
snap fit snuggly against the walls of the first snap.
10. The product of claim 1 where the hook includes at least one
raised portion with nearly vertical walls between the raised
portion and a recess.
11. The product of claim 1 where the insert includes a raised
perimeter that contacts a rim of the hook.
12. A method of making a thermoformed product with an insert
reinforced hanging hook comprising the steps of: (a) thermoforming
a product including, at an edge of the product, a hanging hook with
a recess, and (b) snapping into the recess a reinforcing insert
that is frictionally retained within the recess.
13. The method of claim 12 where the insert is made by a stamping
process.
14. The method of claim 12 where the insert is made by an injection
molding process.
15. The method of claim 12 where the insert is made by a
thermoforming process.
16. The method of claim 15 where the insert is made in the same
thermoform process as the product by carving an additional recess
in the thermoforming mold where there is excess thermoformable
plastic material.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] To display swimsuits for sale in stores, it is well known to
create an inexpensive low relief form in the shape of a human torso
and display the swimsuit on the form as if the suit were on a human
body. Relief in the form can be so low as to be virtually flat,
such as a cutout of one-quarter inch thick foam; or the relief can
be so high as to be a nearly full round human torso as can be made
with an inflated structure. Preferably, a hanging hook is included
and the total relief is about one inch, which is enough to
illustrate the shape and yet not require too much space in a
hanging rack for each swimsuit. The hanging object to which the
hook is attached can be any object, not just a torso form.
[0002] Preferably, the hanging product is made by thermoforming a
thin sheet of plastic such as PVC or PET and adding a hook.
However, if the hook is made of the same thermoformed plastic, it
is not strong enough. To solve this problem, it is known to use PVC
to make the form and a single layer in the hook and then weld to
the hook an additional hook-shaped piece of plastic of a weldable
material, such as PVC. The welding is preferably done with radio
frequency (RF) heating but can also be done with sonic heating or
impulse thermal heating.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0003] In one aspect, the invention is an improved hanging hook on
a thermoformed product which is made strong by use of an insert
snapped into one or more recesses in the hook portion of the
thermoformed product. This presents many advantages over the weld
reinforced hook.
[0004] The insert reinforced hook requires less labor to
manufacture than the weld reinforced hook. The manufacturing
process does not require special tooling, such as for RF welding or
sonic welding or thermal impulse welding, and does not require a
welding machine.
[0005] The prior method of making hanging hooks on thermoformed
products using RF equipment leaves nicks on the surface of the hook
which tend to snag types of clothing that are easily snagged, such
as is typical for swimsuits. The outer surfaces of the
insert-reinforced hanging hook consist of only the thermoformed
product material which presents no greater likelihood of a snagging
nick on the hook portion than on the body portion of the
thermoformed product, because the insert nestles inside a recess in
the hook and it does not touch the clothing.
[0006] In addition, PVC which has been a preferred material in the
past because it welds very well, is presently disfavored for
environmental reasons. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is
currently the favored material, but it welds poorly. The invented
insert reinforced hanging hook works very well with PET because no
welding is required.
[0007] In another aspect, the invention is a method of making an
insert reinforced hook comprising the steps of thermoforming a hook
at one edge of a thermoformed product and thermoforming a recess in
the hook, then snapping into the recess a reinforcing insert that
is frictionally retained within the recess.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The features of the present invention which are believed to
be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims.
Aspects of the invention, together with further objects and
advantages thereof, may best be understood by making reference to
the following description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 shows a typical thermoformed product with a hanging
hook.
[0010] FIG. 2 shows details of the hanging hook.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] In the following detailed description of exemplary
embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings. The detailed description and the drawings illustrate
specific exemplary embodiments by which the invention may be
practiced. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may
be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present
invention. The following detailed description is therefore not to
be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present
invention is defined by the stated claims.
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a thermoformed product with a hanging hook for
hanging the product. Within the scope of the invention, the
thermoformed product 1 can be of any shape that can be produced by
a thermoform process. In FIG. 1, the thermoformed product is a
human torso for displaying a swimsuit for sale. The thermoformed
product 1 can be any other form on which a product for sale is
wrapped or hung or can be an enclosure for holding a product inside
it, such as a clamshell enclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the
thermoformed product includes a hook 2 for hanging the product on a
bar.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows the front side of the hook 2. Before an insert
3 is placed into a recess in the hook 2, the hook is formed with
the material of the thermoformed product 1 and a recess is formed
in the hook creating a rim 4 surrounding the recess. The material
of the thermoformed product 1 extends across the floor of the
recess inside the rim 4.
[0014] The insert 3 may be formed of any suitable material. It may
be stamped, injection molded, or thermoformed. The insert can have
a color that is different from the product to add visual interest
or identify product categories. For ease of manufacture, the insert
may be made in the same thermoform process as the product by
carving an additional recess in the thermoforming mold where there
is excess thermoformable plastic material, such as beside the hook.
If the hook is made with a straight vertical edge at the back of
the hook, the insert can be made in mirror image shape but a bit
smaller and with its straight edge adjoining the straight edge of
the hook so that the insert can be put in place by folding along
the common straight edge until the insert is nestled in the recess
in the hook.
[0015] So that it does not need to be welded or glued and still
will not fall out, the insert 3 should be made in a shape that will
fit snuggly and be retained by friction in the recess. One method
to ensure effective frictional retention of the insert is to form
one or more "snaps" 5 in the material of the thermoformed product 1
and in the material of the insert 3. Each snap 5 is formed by
creating a recess in one material with nearly vertical walls and a
raised portion in the other material with nearly vertical walls
that fits snuggly into the recess in the first material. Which
material has the raised portion and which material has the recess
is interchangeable. As shown in FIG. 2, for ease of assembly, the
raised portions are in the insert 3 and the recesses are in the
recess in the hook formed of the material of the thermoformed
product 1.
[0016] If the insert 3 is made by thermoforming or injection
molding, the part can be made stronger and stiffer by forming
recesses and raised portions which leave nearly vertical walls
between them to add strength like an L-shaped beam. As shown in
FIG. 2, the recess 3 includes three raised portions 6 surrounded by
recess portions to created stiffening L-shaped portions of the
insert 3. To further assist stiffening and provide support to add
strength to the rim 4 of the hook 2, the insert 3 includes a raised
perimeter 7 that contacts the rim 4. The raised perimeter 7 of the
insert 3 provides an L-beam shape around the perimeter of the
insert and provides affirmative contact with the rim 4 to
strengthen the rim.
[0017] Although the present invention has been described in
considerable detail with reference to certain preferred
embodiments, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit
or scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the
description of the embodiments contained herein. It is intended
that the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
* * * * *