U.S. patent application number 12/333434 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-17 for garland hanger.
Invention is credited to Erik Bornemeier, Jared Hendricks.
Application Number | 20100147788 12/333434 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42239269 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100147788 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hendricks; Jared ; et
al. |
June 17, 2010 |
Garland Hanger
Abstract
A hanger for hanging of garlands and the like around a doorway
is described. The hanger can be removably placed within a doorway,
where it is secured by pressure and friction, thereby avoiding any
damage to the door or door frame. The hanger includes outward
extensions that extend outward of the door frame to permit hanging
of garlands and the like on either side of the doorway. The hanger
may also include one or more central extensions for supporting the
garlands or the like centrally above the doorway so that the
garland or the like does not hang downward too much, thus keeping
the doorway clear. The hanger may use a large number of materials
and decorative forms, whereby the garland hanger can also be a part
of the decoration around the doorway. The hanger may fit different
widths of door frames, including a wide range of door frame
widths.
Inventors: |
Hendricks; Jared; (Draper,
UT) ; Bornemeier; Erik; (Layton, UT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KIRTON AND MCCONKIE
60 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE,, SUITE 1800
SALT LAKE CITY
UT
84111
US
|
Family ID: |
42239269 |
Appl. No.: |
12/333434 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/119.004 ;
248/226.11; 248/227.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47H 2023/003 20130101;
A47H 1/142 20130101; E06B 7/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/119.004 ;
248/227.4; 248/226.11 |
International
Class: |
A47G 35/00 20060101
A47G035/00 |
Claims
1. A garland hanger to be used for hanging garlands and other
similar decorations around a doorway without damaging or marring a
door of the doorway, a surrounding doorway frame, jambs of the
doorway, or a portion of a building around the doorway, the garland
hanger comprising: a central support member; a pair of lateral
extension members connected to the central support member and
configured to extend beyond the jambs of the doorway; and
frictional members connected to the central support members in such
a way as to permit an outwardly-directed force to be applied to the
jambs by the frictional members, whereby a frictional surface of
the frictional members holds the garland hanger in the doorway
without damaging the door or the jambs.
2. A garland hanger as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
central decorative support attached to the central support member
and configured to centrally support the garland or other similar
decorations above the doorway.
3. A garland hanger as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
central decorative support integrally formed with the central
support member and configured to centrally support the garland or
other similar decorations above the doorway.
4. A garland hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the frictional
members comprise a compressible element that can be compressed to
fit the garland hanger in the doorway.
5. A garland hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the frictional
members comprise an adjustment mechanism whereby the garland hanger
can be adjusted to fit different widths of doorways.
6. A garland hanger as recited in claim 5, wherein the adjustment
mechanism comprises a threaded member whereby turning of the
threaded member adjusts the spacing between the outer surfaces of
the frictional members.
7. A garland hanger as recited in claim 5, wherein the adjustment
mechanism comprises a plurality of longitudinal locations on the
central support member to which one of the frictional members may
be attached to fit differently sized doorways.
8. A garland hanger as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of
longitudinal locations are provided on both ends of the central
support member.
9. A garland hanger as recited in claim 8, wherein each frictional
member comprises a bracket that is attached to the longitudinal
location and wherein the bracket comprises a pair of thumb screws
having frictional pads attached thereto.
10. A garland hanger as recited in claim 7, wherein each frictional
member comprises a bracket that is attached to the longitudinal
location and wherein the bracket comprises a pair of thumb screws
having frictional pads attached thereto.
11. A garland hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the central
support member and the lateral extension members are manufactured
from a decorative material.
12. A garland hanger as recited in claim 11, wherein the decorative
material is a material selected from the group consisting of: rod
iron; wrought iron; tubular aluminum; tubular steel; tubular
plastic; and solid plastic.
13. A garland hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the lateral
extension members are configured to prevent unwanted downward
rotation of the garland hanger.
14. A garland hanger to be used for hanging garlands and other
similar decorations around a doorway without damaging or marring a
door of the doorway, a surrounding doorway frame, jambs of the
doorway, or a portion of a building around the doorway, the garland
hanger comprising: a central support member; a pair of lateral
extension members connected to the central support member and
configured to extend beyond the jambs of the doorway to support a
garland or other decoration along sides of the doorway; a central
decorative support member located along the central support member
so as to be supportive of the garland or other similar decorations
above the doorway when the garland hanger is located within the
doorway; and frictional members connected to the central support
members in such a way as to permit an outwardly-directed force to
be applied to the jambs by the frictional members, whereby a
frictional surface of the frictional members holds the garland
hanger in the doorway without damaging the door or the jambs.
15. A garland hanger as recited in claim 14, wherein a portion of
the central support member is substantially co-linear with a
doorway-contacting portion of the frictional members.
16. A garland hanger as recited in claim 14, wherein no portion of
the central support member is substantially co-linear with a
doorway-contacting portion of the frictional members.
17. A garland hanger as recited in claim 14, wherein each
frictional member comprises a bracket that is attached to the
central support member at one of a plurality of longitudinal
locations to provide large-scale adjustability to the garland
hanger and wherein the bracket comprises a pair of adjustable
elements to provide small-scale adjustability to the garland
hanger, and wherein the adjustable elements have frictional pads
attached thereto.
18. A garland hanger to be used for hanging garlands and other
similar decorations around a doorway without damaging or marring a
door of the doorway, a surrounding doorway frame, jambs of the
doorway, or a portion of a building around the doorway, the garland
hanger comprising: a central support member; a pair of lateral
extension members connected to the central support member and
configured to extend beyond the jambs of the doorway; a central
decorative support member located along the central support member
so as to be supportive of the garland or other similar decorations
above the doorway when the garland hanger is located within the
doorway; and a pair of brackets attached to the central support
member at one of a plurality of longitudinal locations to provide
large-scale adjustability to the garland hanger, wherein each
bracket comprises a pair of adjustable elements to provide
small-scale adjustability to the garland hanger, and wherein the
adjustable elements have frictional pads attached thereto.
19. A garland hanger as recited in claim 18, wherein the central
support member and the lateral extension members are manufactured
from a decorative material.
20. A garland hanger as recited in claim 19, wherein the decorative
material is a material selected from the group consisting of: a
solid decorative material; and a hollow decorative material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to devices for decorating
around a door, and more particularly to an innovative hanger for
temporarily hanging decorations such as garlands around a door
without causing damage to the door or door frame.
[0003] 2. Background and Related Art
[0004] Existing methods and mechanisms for hanging decorations such
as garlands on or around doors exhibit significant problems. Some
hangers require screws, nails, or other fasteners to be used to
attach the hangers to the door frame. When a decorating season is
over, the hangers are typically removed, leaving unsightly holes in
the door frame, which can also serve as locations for insects to
live and/or cause additional damage. Other methods of hanging rely
on adhesives such as tape to secure decorations around the door.
Such methods are often unsightly while the decorations are
displayed, and may leave an adhesive residue behind that further
mars the appearance of the door or door frame after the decorative
season.
[0005] Some existing decorative hangers rely on an over-the-door
system, where a portion of the hanger extends over the top of the
door. Such hangers have several problems. For instance, some
decorations are difficult to use when attached to the door, as they
then move with the door as the door is opened and shut, and can
become trapped between the door and frame as the door is shut or
are generally in the way of someone trying to pass through the
doorway. Additionally, such hangers have a non-negligible thickness
which is trapped between the door and the door frame when the door
is closed. The space between the door and the door frame is often
occupied by weather stripping or other material to prevent air
leaks, insect entry, etc. when the door is closed. The presence of
the door hanger in this space may make the door difficult to close,
may cause the weather stripping to fail to perform as expected, and
may even permanently damage the weather stripping, the door, or the
door frame. Some doors simply cannot accept such hangers.
[0006] Other door-frame mounting devices fail to properly position
garlands and the like around the door frame without partially
occupying or blocking the doorway for those using the doorway.
Still other devices require a mounting that would prevent a door
from closing. While such devices work well in doorless doorways,
they do not work well on an exterior doorway where the door is
typically left in a closed position for safety reasons. Therefore,
existing devices for hanging garlands and the like around doors
fail to adequately provide a mechanism for hanging garlands and
other decorations around a doorway without causing damage to the
door or door frame.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Implementation of the invention provides a hanger for
hanging of garlands and the like around a doorway. The hanger can
be removably placed within a doorway, where it is secured by
pressure and friction, thereby avoiding any damage to the door or
door frame. The hanger includes outward extensions that extend
outward of the door frame to permit hanging of garlands and the
like on either side of the doorway. The hanger may also include one
or more central extensions for supporting the garlands or the like
centrally above the doorway so that the garland or the like does
not hang downward too much, thus keeping the doorway clear.
[0008] Implementation of the invention may be provided using a
large number of materials and decorative forms, whereby the garland
hanger can also be a part of the decoration around the doorway.
Additionally, implementations of the invention may be provided to
fit different widths of door frames, and some implementations may
be provided capable of fitting a wide range of door frame widths.
The garland hanger is provided with features that prevent slipping
of the garland hanger and/or downward rotation of the garland
hanger that would negatively impact the look and functionality of
the garland hanger.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The objects and features of the present invention will
become more fully apparent from the following description and
appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical
embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be
considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described
and explained with additional specificity and detail through the
use of the accompanying drawings in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conceptualization of an
embodiment of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1
in place in a doorway with the door closed;
[0012] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the
invention; and
[0013] FIG. 4 shows a closer perspective view of the embodiment of
FIG. 3 from a different angle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] A description of embodiments of the present invention will
now be given with reference to the Figures. It is expected that the
present invention may take many other forms and shapes, hence the
following disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not
limiting, and the scope of the invention should be determined by
reference to the appended claims.
[0015] Embodiments of the invention provide a hanger for hanging of
garlands and the like around a doorway. The hanger can be removably
placed within a doorway, where it is secured by pressure and
friction, thereby avoiding any damage to the door or door frame.
The hanger includes outward extensions that extend outward of the
door frame to permit hanging of garlands and the like on either
side of the doorway. The hanger may also include one or more
central extensions for supporting the garlands or the like
centrally above the doorway so that the garland or the like does
not hang downward too much, thus keeping the doorway clear. While
the term "garland hanger" is used herein to refer to embodiments of
the invention, it will be understood that a wide range of
decorations or other items may be hung from the garland hanger,
including garland, Christmas lights, Halloween decorations such as
spider webs, decorative banners, floral arrangements and other
plant-based hanging decorations, etc.
[0016] Embodiments of the invention may be provided using a large
number of materials and decorative forms, including rod/wrought
iron and similar looks, whereby the garland hanger can also be a
part of the decoration around the doorway. Additionally,
embodiments of the invention may be provided to fit different
widths of door frames, and some embodiments may be provided capable
of fitting a wide range of door frame widths. The garland hanger is
provided with features that prevent slipping of the garland hanger
and/or downward rotation of the garland hanger that would
negatively impact the look and functionality of the garland hanger.
These features of embodiments of the invention will become more
clear with reference to the appended Figures, which are
incorporated into this description for all they disclose.
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the
invention that illustrates some features of the invention. FIG. 1
shows an illustrative garland hanger 10. The garland hanger 10
includes a central support member 12 configured to extend between
the sides of a door frame. At each end of the central support
member 12 is a frictional member 14 that is configured to exert an
outwardly-directed force and to frictionally engage an
inwardly-directed surface of the door frame so as to hold the
garland hanger 10 in place against the forces of gravity pulling
downward on the garland hanger 10 and on any decorations hanging on
the garland hanger 10. Therefore, the frictional members 14 are
attached to the central support member 12 in such a way as to
permit secure frictional engagement between the frictional members
14 and the door jambs. For example, the frictional members 14 may
be movable within some range and may be biased or include a
compressible or flexible element that permits compression of the
frictional members 14 or some component thereof while the garland
hanger 10 is placed, whereupon the compression/flexion may be
released to hold the garland hanger 10 in place. Alternatively, the
garland hanger 10 may be placed in a desired location and an
adjustment mechanism actuated to expand the distance between outer
surfaces of the respective frictional members 14 until the garland
hanger 10 is secured in place.
[0018] The frictional mechanism for securing the garland hanger 10
is advantageous in that it causes no damage to the door or door
frame/jambs, and can easily be removed and reused at will. No holes
are ever made in the door, the door jambs, or any surrounding
structure.
[0019] The garland hanger 10 also includes structures to facilitate
hanging of garland or other decorations around the door frame. For
example, the illustrated embodiment includes two lateral extension
members 16 that extend from the central support member 12 so as to
extend beyond the inner edges of the door frame/jambs. The lateral
extension members 16 also extend forward from the central support
member 12 so as not to be co-linear with the central support member
12. This configuration permits the lateral extension members 16 to
be used to support garland or other decorations on either side of
the doorway.
[0020] The lateral extension members 16 may also serve an
additional purpose: they may prevent unwanted rotation about the
axis of the central support member 12 or the axis of the frictional
members 14. For example, when the garland hanger 10 is placed in a
doorway, the lateral support members 16 may be placed so as to be
immediately adjacent to or touching the face of the door jambs.
Then, when a downward force is applied to the lateral extension
members 16 (such as by gravity or some other force pulling downward
on any hung decorations), the force would tend to rotate the
garland hanger 10 downward about the axis of the line between the
frictional members 14 (and, if co-linear, the central support
member 12). However, as the garland hanger 10 starts to rotate
downward, the lateral extension members 16 engage the edges of the
door jambs, thereby preventing the rotation (or any further
rotation beyond a certain point).
[0021] The illustrated garland hanger 10 also includes a central
decorative support 18. This central decorative support 18 is
optional in some embodiments, and other embodiments may include
multiple spaced-apart central decorative supports 18, depending on
the desired appearance of the garland hanger 10 and/or the desired
decoration-supporting characteristics of the garland hanger 10. If
present, the central decorative support 18 provides an additional
supporting location for supporting garlands or other decorations,
such as for decorations that extend up along one side of the
doorway to the lateral extension member 16 on that side, over the
top of the doorway via the central decorative support(s) 18 to the
opposite lateral extension member 16 and down the opposite side of
the doorway. The central decorative support 18 may take any of a
varied number of shapes, and in some configurations may serve as a
handle for carrying the garland hanger 10.
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates a garland hanger 10 similar to the
embodiment of FIG. 1 placed within a doorway having a door 20 and
adjacent door jambs 22. As may be seen from FIG. 2, the garland
hanger 10 may be placed near the top of the doorway, with the
lateral extension members 16 and the central decorative support(s)
18, if any, protruding forward past the jambs 22. As may be
appreciated from this view, decorations may be hung around the
sides and top of the doorway without impeding the flow of traffic
through the doorway.
[0023] As discussed above, while the garland hanger 10 functionally
supports garlands or other decorations around a doorway, the
garland hanger 10 itself may be decorative. Therefore, the garland
hanger 10 may be manufactured from decorative rod iron, wrought
iron, or other solid or hollow materials having any desired
decorative appearance while still providing the functionality
discussed herein. As may be appreciated, versions of the garland
hanger 10 may be manufactured to support varying loads, and may
therefore be manufactured of varying strengths of materials.
Versions of the garland hanger 10 designed to support heavier loads
of decorations may be manufactured from stronger materials than
versions designed only to support lighter loads. Additionally, some
versions of the garland hanger 10 may have portions of higher
strength (such as the central support member 12 and frictional
members 14) and portions of lower strength (such as the lateral
extension members 16 and the central decorative support(s) 18).
Many decorative garlands or other decorations are relatively light
and therefore do not exert much force on the garland hanger 10.
Garland hangers 10 for such decorations can be partially or
entirely constructed from light-weight tubular materials, including
tubular steel, tubular aluminum, and even tubular plastics. Some
such materials, including plastics, may be manufactured to resemble
decorative iron.
[0024] FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate one such embodiment of the garland
hanger 10. This embodiment may be manufactured from several pieces
of bar iron bent in the form illustrated and connected at the
midpoint of the garland hanger 10, which corresponds to the central
decorative support 18. As may be seen from FIG. 3, this embodiment
of the garland hanger 10 is aesthetically pleasing and itself may
serve as a decorative element for the doorway.
[0025] FIG. 4 provides a close-up perspective view of the outer
portion of the garland hanger 10, from the opposite side of the
view of FIG. 3. This Figure illustrates additional features of some
embodiments of the garland hanger 10. Specifically, the frictional
member 14 of this embodiment incorporates several features that
enhance certain versions of the garland hanger 10. As may be seen
from FIG. 4, the frictional member 14 includes a bracket 24 that is
attached to the central support member 12 of the garland hanger 10
at a bracket support hole 26 (such as using a screw, bolt, nesting
tabbed extension, etc.). In some embodiments, the bracket 24 is
attached to the central support member at two or more bracket
support holes 26 or using some other securing means, including a
sliding frictional connection. The plurality of bracket support
holes 26 provide substantial adjustability to the garland hanger 10
so that the garland hanger 10 can be adjusted to fit a wide variety
of door frame widths. Although not specifically illustrated in FIG.
4, bracket support holes 26 may be provided for each end of the
garland hanger 10, and the brackets 24 may be moved independently
for maximum adjustability.
[0026] The brackets 24 include a pair of thumb screws 28 connected
to friction pads 30 that engage the jambs of the doorway. The thumb
screws 28 provide further adjustability of the garland hanger 10
and also serve to ensure proper outward force on the friction pads
30 to frictionally secure placement of the garland hanger.
Additionally, as this version of the garland hanger 10 is secured
at a pair of locations on each side (i.e. the two friction pads
30), the garland hanger 10 is secured against unwanted rotation of
the garland hanger out of the desired position in the doorway.
[0027] As may be appreciated from FIGS. 3 and 4, the garland- or
other decoration-supporting features of the garland hanger 10 may
be provided in part by decorative elements of the garland hanger
10. Specifically, the illustrated garland hanger 10 includes curled
portions of the decorative bar iron at the ends of the lateral
extension members 16 and at the central decorative support 18.
These features are not only functional but enhance the decorative
features of the garland hanger 10 itself.
[0028] Although use of the garland hanger 10 should become largely
apparent from the above description, a description of use of the
garland hanger 10 is provided below. If the garland hanger 10 is
adjustable to fit different size doorways, the garland hanger is
first adjusted to an approximate size. If the garland hanger 10 is
a type that is compressed to fit in the doorway, the proper size is
typically one where the distance between the outer surfaces of the
frictional members 14 is slightly larger than the doorway's
jamb-to-jamb space. If the garland hanger 10 is a type that
includes thumb screws 28 or another sizing mechanism that can be
adjusted with the garland hanger 10 in place, the proper size is
typically one where the distance between the outer surfaces of the
frictional members 14 is slightly smaller than the doorway's
jamb-to-jamb space. Once the garland hanger 10 is adjusted to fit
the doorway, the garland hanger 10 is placed in the doorway.
[0029] To place a compressible-type garland hanger 10, one of the
frictional members 14 is placed against one jamb of the doorway,
with the adjoining lateral extension member 16 at a height
approximating the desired final height. The compressible element(s)
of the garland hanger 10 and/or frictional member 14 on that side
is then compressed by pushing on the garland hanger 10 in the
direction of the door jamb already in contact with the garland
hanger 10. Meanwhile, the user positions the garland hanger 10 so
the other frictional member 14 is adjacent the other door jamb. As
the compressible element(s) is/are compressed, the user is able to
position the second frictional member 14 at a proper location on
the other door jamb, such as by sliding the frictional member 14
into the doorway between the jambs and/or sliding the frictional
member upward (or downward) from a position where the garland
hanger 10 is at an angle to a position where the garland hanger 10
is substantially horizontal. The final placement may be made by
placing force on the garland hanger 10 (and thereby compressing one
or more compressible elements) alternatively to one side of the
doorway or the other, and moving slightly (or as necessary) the
frictional member 14 opposite from the direction of the
user-applied force.
[0030] To place a post-placement adjustable-type garland hanger 10,
the user positions the garland hanger 10 substantially horizontally
at the desired height within the doorway (e.g. between the jambs).
The user then actuates the thumb screws 28 or other
sizing/adjusting elements, possibly one at a time, until enough
friction is applied by the friction pads 30 or other portion of the
frictional members 14 to hold the garland hanger 10 in place.
Before the full frictional force is applied via the adjustment
mechanism such as the thumb screws 28, the user can often fine tune
the placement of the garland hanger 10. Thereafter, the full
frictional force can be applied, such as by fully tightening the
thumb screws.
[0031] Once the garland hanger 10 is fully and securely in place,
the user can decorate around the door by hanging garland or other
decorations on the garland hanger 10. The decorations and garland
hanger 10 can be removed at the end of a decorative season using a
process essentially the reverse of that described above (although
unless the garland hanger 10 is to be used for a doorway of a
different size, it likely need not be resized prior to storage
until needed again).
[0032] The present invention may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from its spirit or essential
characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in
all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of
the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims,
rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come
within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be
embraced within their scope.
* * * * *