U.S. patent application number 12/392383 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-26 for hanger with clip.
This patent application is currently assigned to Loftex USA LLC. Invention is credited to Matt Boyko.
Application Number | 20100213222 12/392383 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43037916 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100213222 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boyko; Matt |
August 26, 2010 |
HANGER WITH CLIP
Abstract
A hanger including an elongate clip with upper and lower legs
configured to hold a textile article therebetween. The elongate
clip has a closed end and an open end opposite the closed end. A
closure is included on the open end so that the clip can be shut
when the article is placed between the legs. A hook, extending
upward from the upper leg and away from the lower leg, allows the
hanger to be placed on a support structure, such as a rod. The
hanger can be made of biodegradable material.
Inventors: |
Boyko; Matt; (San Francisco,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DARBY & DARBY P.C.
P.O. BOX 770, Church Street Station
New York
NY
10008-0770
US
|
Assignee: |
Loftex USA LLC
New York
NY
|
Family ID: |
43037916 |
Appl. No.: |
12/392383 |
Filed: |
February 25, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
223/85 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 25/28 20130101;
A47G 25/36 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
223/85 |
International
Class: |
A41D 27/22 20060101
A41D027/22 |
Claims
1. A hanger comprising: an elongate clip including: an upper leg
with a first end and a second end, a lower leg substantially
parallel to the upper leg and including a first end and a second
end, a joint connecting the first end of the upper leg to the first
end of the lower leg, a first portion of a closure disposed at the
second portion of the closure disposed at the second end of the
lower leg, the second portion of the closure being configured to
engage the first portion of the closure so as to form an enclosed
holding area between the upper and lower legs; and a hook extending
up from the upper leg and away from the lower leg, wherein the
elongate clip and the hook are formed as a single piece, and
wherein at least one of the upper and lower legs has a curved
profile between the first and second ends.
2. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the single piece of
the elongate clip and hook are made of biodegradable material.
3. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the first portion of
the closure includes a upward facing support surface and the second
portion of the closure includes a downward facing attachment
surface configured to rest on the support surface when the closure
is in a closed position.
4. The hanger as recited in claim 3, wherein the second portion of
the closure is in the form of an engagement hook including the
attachment surface, the engagement hook having a free end extending
below the support surface when the closure is in a closed
position.
5. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the joint has a first
curved profile such that the first end of the upper leg is spaced
apart from the first end of the lower leg.
6. The hanger as recited in claim 5, wherein: the first portion of
the closure extends down from the upper leg, the second portion of
the closure extends up from the lower leg, and the closure has a
second curved profile when the closure is in the closed position,
the second curved profile being similar to the first closed
profile.
7. The hanger as recited in claim 1, wherein the lower leg includes
an upwardly extending projection and the upper leg includes a
corresponding downwardly extending projection opposite the upwardly
extending projection.
8. The hanger as recited in claim 7, wherein each of the upwardly
and downwardly extending projections includes teeth extending
toward the corresponding other projection.
9. The hanger as recited in claim 1, where each of the hook, upper
leg and lower leg include a portion comprising a support beam, the
support beam having a plurality of truss structures therein.
10. The hanger as recited in claim 9, wherein the support beam
tapers from a thick side to a narrow side opposite the thick
side.)
11. The hanger as recited in claim 9, wherein the hook and a
portion of the upper leg are formed as a continuous support
beam.
12. The hanger as recited in claim 9, wherein the lower leg, the
joint and a portion of the upper leg are formed as a continuous
support beam.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to hangers for textile
articles.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Retailers frequently use hangers to store and display items
that are for sale. Specifically, textile articles, such as linens
and clothing, are often displayed in retail stores on hangers. The
hanger provides an effective means of storing a group of textile
articles compactly, while still allowing each individual article to
be open or spread out so that it can be inspected by consumers. For
example, a group of beach towels can be compactly displayed on a
rack if each is held by a hanger. Each beach towel can be draped
over the hanger such that the design of the towel is viewable and
can be inspected thoroughly.
[0003] Although hangers provide a convenient means of storing and
displaying textile articles, they are usually discarded once the
article has been purchased. As a result, a large number of plastic
and metal hangers cause an environmental impact by ending up in
landfills each year. Conventional hangers take years to decompose,
and thus crowd the landfills for long periods of time.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present invention provides a hanger with a configuration
that is compatible with biodegradable materials. In one embodiment,
the hanger includes an elongate clip with upper and lower legs
configured to hold a textile article therebetween. The elongate
clip has a closed end and an open end opposite the closed end. A
closure is included on the open end so that the clip can be shut
when the article is placed between the legs. A hook, extending
upward from the upper leg and away from the lower leg, allows the
hanger to be placed on a support structure, such as a rod. In one
embodiment, the hanger is made of biodegradable material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown and
described in connection with the following drawings, in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hanger in accordance with
an embodiment of the invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hanger of FIG. 1 in
use;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a detailed rear perspective view of a closure of
the hanger of FIG. 1 in a closed position;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a detailed rear perspective view of the closure of
the hanger of FIG. 1 in an open position;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the
closure of FIGS. 3 and 4;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a side view of the hanger of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 7 is a top view of the hanger of FIG. 1; and
[0013] FIG. 8 is a detailed top view of the hanger of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The hanger 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a hook 4 extending
upward from the main body of the hanger, which is in the form of a
clip 6. The clip 6 includes two substantially parallel legs 8, 10
that are attached at their respective first ends 12, 14 by a joint
16. At their respective opposite second ends 18, 20, the legs
include corresponding portions 22, 24 of a closure 26. The closure
can be opened, as shown in FIG. 1, or the two portions 22 and 24
can be engaged so that an enclosed holding area 28 is formed
between the upper and lower legs. The clip is specifically
configured so that a textile article 2 can be held in the holding
area between the upper and lower legs, as shown in FIG. 2. The
textile article is not limited and can include towels and clothing
articles, such as a pair of pants, or linens, such as sheets. A
towel will be described as the textile article in the exemplary
embodiment set forth in the following. The hanger is used to hold
the textile article on a support structure, such as a rod, using
the hook 4. The hook 4 extends up from the upper leg 8 in a
direction opposite the lower leg 10 with the free end 30 of the
hook pointing downward.
[0015] Detailed views of the closure 26 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4
from the opposite side as FIG. 1 in closed and open positions,
respectively. A cross-sectional view of the lower portion 22 of the
closure 26 is shown in FIG. 5. As shown, the closure 26 is in the
form of a latch and the lower portion 22 includes an engagement
hook 32 that latches through an aperture 34 included on the upper
portion 24 of the closure 26. To shut the closure 26, the
engagement hook is passed through the aperture 34 so that an
attachment surface 36 (shown in FIG. 5) of the engagement hook 32
rests on a support surface 36 (shown in FIG. 4) at the bottom of
the aperture 34. Accordingly, the engagement hook 32 can be smaller
than the size of the aperture 34 so that the hook 32 can be easily
passed through the aperture 34. Once the closure is shut, any
weight born by the lower leg 8 as a result of the towel resting
thereon is translated through the closure 26 to the upper leg 10.
As a result, both the upper and lower legs of the hanger 2 help
support the towel.
[0016] The engagement hook 32 helps ensure that the upper and lower
portions of the closure 26 are securely attached. When the closure
is shut, the free end 40 of the engagement hook 32 is held on the
opposite side of the aperture 34 as the lower leg 8 of the clip 6
extending down below the support surface 38. As a result, the free
end 40 of the engagement hook 32 acts as a catch preventing the
closure 26 from opening. The weight of any article that is resting
on the lower leg 8 helps secure the closure in a shut position by
pushing the lower leg 8 and the engagement hook 32 down onto the
support surface 38 of the aperture 34.
[0017] The hanger 2 of the present invention can be molded as a
single piece. Accordingly, production of the hanger can be
straightforward and relatively inexpensive. Moreover, the hanger
can be molded from a light inexpensive material, such as plastic.
Advantageously, the hanger can be molded from biodegradable
plastic. For example, the hanger can be molded from biodegradable
resin, such as a starch based resin (e.g., available from
Cereplast). This type of material is able to biodegrade
substantially more quickly than conventional plastics.
Subsequently, a product made from this type of materials can have a
much lower negative impact on the environment. The biodegradability
of this material is based, in part, on its thickness. The material
degrades from the outside surfaces inward, and thus, the time
required for a product to decompose depends on its thickness. For
example, if a 3 mm thick starch based resin will fully biodegrade
within about 90 days, only those portions of a product made from
this resin will biodegrade within those 90 days. The European
standard EN 13432 requires biodegradation of 90 percent of a
product within 90 days in order to be labeled compostable. Thus, in
order to take advantage of the biodegradability of starch resins,
as much of the hanger as possible should be thin, preferably less
than 3 mm thick. However, the thickness of a material contributes
to its strength and a conventional hanger design with conventional
members only 3 mm thick would not be strong enough to support a
textile article, such as a towel. Therefore, the hanger shown in
FIG. 1 has a unique configuration allowing it to maintain an
adequate strength to support a heavy textile article, such as a
towel, while having most of the material be no greater than 3mm
thick.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 6, much of the hanger 1 is in the form of a
support beam 42 which allows the material of the hanger to be thin,
while maintaining the necessary strength to hold a towel 2 between
the two legs 8, 10. The support beam includes two flanges 44, 46
linked by connectors 48 to form of a plurality of truss structures.
To reduce the amount of material used, the two flanges may be of
different widths. In the illustrated embodiment, the flange on the
outside of the clip is a thicker flange 44, while the flange on the
inside of the clip is a comparatively thinner flange 46. The
trussing formed by the connectors 48 add structural support to the
hanger such that the support beam 42 is significantly stronger than
each of the flanges 44, 46 individually. In the embodiment shown in
the drawings, most of the connectors 48 are disposed in a
crisscross pattern forming a continuous support beam 42 of
alternating triangular truss structures. However, because of the
small radius of curvature of the joint 16, the connectors 48 in the
region of the joint 16 are all angled inward thereby forming a
number of triangular truss structures pointed in the same
direction, toward the inside of the joint 16.
[0019] The hanger 1 shown in the drawings is specifically designed
to avoid excess material so that the hanger can decompose within a
short period of time if it is made of a biodegradable material. For
example, most of the hanger has a thickness of about 3 mm or less.
Specifically, all of the portions of the support beam (i.e. the
thicker flange 44, thinner flange 46 and connectors 48) have a
thickness of about 3 mm or less at all or substantially all points.
Accordingly, these portions of the hanger will biodegrade
relatively quickly. The openings 50 within the truss structures
also help increase the biodegradability of the hanger by increasing
its surface area and likewise reducing thickness. Other similar
openings are included throughout the body of the hanger 1. The
aperture 34 of the upper portion 24 of the closure 26 includes a
recessed area 52 surrounded by a support wall 54, as shown in FIG.
4. Similarly, another recessed area 56 is provided in the lower
portion of the closure 22 behind the engagement hook 32. The
recessed area 56 is also surrounded by a support wall 58, as shown
in FIG. 1. The engagement hook 32 itself has a recessed portion 60
that reduces its thickness, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0020] The support beam 42 runs along most of the hanger including
the hook 4, a substantial portion of the upper leg 10, the joint 16
and the lower leg 8. There are two substantially continuous support
beam sections that make up nearly all of the hanger 1. The first
substantially continuous support beam section 62 includes a portion
of the upper leg 10 and the hook 4. The thicker flange 44 runs
along the entire length of the support beam from the upper portion
24 of the closure 26 to the free end 30 of the hook. The thicker
flange 44 of continuous support beam section 62 makes up the top
side of upper leg 10 and the inside of the hook 4. The second
continuous support beam section 64 includes a portion of the upper
leg 10, the joint 16 and the lower leg 8. Both the thicker and
thinner flanges 44, 46 run along the entire length of the second
continuous support beam section 64. The two support beam sections
62, 64 are connected at a junction 66 below the hook 4. The
junction 66 attaches an end of the second support beam section 64
to the middle of the first support beam section 62. The increased
surface area included in the junction 66 can provide an area for a
logo or trade name to be included on the hanger, such as the leaf
shown in the illustrated hanger 1.
[0021] The lower and upper legs 8, 10 of the clip 6 are
substantially parallel and spaced apart to leave room within
holding area 28 for a textile article. The space between the legs
is provided at the first end of the clip by the joint 16. The joint
16 has a curved profile and holds the first end 12 of the lower leg
8 spaced apart in relation to the first end 14 of the upper leg 10.
In the illustrated embodiment, the curved profile is substantially
semi-circular. A space is also provided between the legs 8, 10 at
the second end of the clip because the lower portion 22 of the
closure extends up from the lower leg 8 and the upper portion 24 of
the closure 24 extends down from the upper leg 10. Accordingly,
when the closure 26 is in a closed position the second end 18 of
the lower leg 8 is held in spaced apart relation to the second end
20 of the upper leg 10. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the shut closure
26 has a curved profile similar to the curved profile of the joint
16. As illustrated, the shut closure also has a substantially
semi-circular profile.
[0022] As stated above, the weight of the textile article helps
maintain the closure 26 in a shut position by pushing the
attachment surface 36 of the engagement hook 32 down on to the
support surface 38 of the aperture 34 of the upper portion 24 of
the closure. Furthermore, the shape of the clip 6 itself can help
maintain the closure in a shut position by having a spring force
which biases the upper and lower portions of the closure away from
one another. For example, the hanger 1 shown in FIG. 1 is in a
relaxed position and the lower portion 22 of the closure is held at
a distance from the upper portion 24. In order to shut the closure,
a force must be exerted on the lower and upper legs 8, 10 to push
the second ends 18, 20 of the legs together. Once the closure 26 is
shut, the bias of the spring force pushes the attachment surface 36
of the engagement hook 32 down onto the support surface 38 of the
aperture 34. The spring force can be provided by a slight curvature
in the legs 8, 10 guiding the second ends 18, 20 of the legs away
from each other. Both the lower leg 8 and upper leg 10 of the
illustrated hanger have a slight curvature away from the opposite
leg. As depicted in FIG. 6, the upper leg 10 curves up away from
the lower leg 8, and the lower leg 10 curves down away from the
upper leg 10. Alternatively, only one of the legs can be curved or
the spring bias can be supplied by the joint 16 itself.
[0023] In addition to providing a spring bias, the curve of the
lower leg 8 also helps hold the textile article 2 flat. Because the
lower leg curves downward, when the clip 6 is closed, the center of
the lower leg 8 is higher than the ends 12, 18. As a result, a
force exerted on the center of the lower leg 8 by a hanging textile
article will bend the lower leg toward a straightened position. In
contrast, if the lower leg is straight, the force will cause the
center of the lower leg 8 to sag.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 6, two projections 68, 70 are provided in
the holding space 28 to secure the textile article within the clip
6. A lower projection 68 extends up from the inner flange of the
lower leg 8 and an upper projection 70 extends down from the inner
flange of the upper leg 10. The two projections 68 and 70 are
coplanar such that they project toward one another. Both the lower
and upper projections 68, 70 span a majority of the legs and are
substantially centrally located on the legs 8, 10 of the clip. For
additional security of the textile article, the projections can
include teeth 72 thereon. The teeth 72 of the lower projection 68
extend up toward the upper projection 70, while the teeth of the
upper projection 70 extend down toward the lower projection 68. In
the shown embodiment, the teeth have a staggered position. The
teeth 72 can be sized such that they adequately hold the textile
article in place, but will not catch the fabric of the article. For
example, the illustrated teeth may be sized to avoid catching the
loops of a towel.
[0025] The hanger 1 shown in the drawings is substantially planar,
as illustrated in FIG. 7. The hook 4 and the two legs 8, 10 of the
clip all lie in a single plane. As a result, the two projections 68
and 70 can also easily be coplanar and effectively hold the textile
article therebetween. However, the latching mechanism of the
illustrated closure 26 operates by having one of the engagement
hook 32 or the aperture 34 being offset from the other. To provide
the offset between the engagement hook 32 and the aperture 34, the
aperture 34 is provided on an offset segment 74 shown in FIG. 8.
The offset segment includes most of the upper portion 24 of closure
26, including the recessed area 52 and support wall 54 shown in
FIG. 4.
[0026] Although the preferred form of the invention has been shown
and described, many features may be varied, as will readily be
apparent to those skilled in this art. It is the intention,
therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the
claims appended hereto.
* * * * *