Molded Hanger

Abstract

A hanger formed of tough resilient material such as polycarbonate or nylon-type plastic has a pair of legs joined at a bight or hinge portion, which legs have portions which cross over each other short of said bight portion and have other portions which terminate in inwardly directed juxtaposed end portions which are adapted to transmit the load on the hanger to a suspended support. The juxtaposed end portions of the various embodiments have latching means which when operative serve to resist unwinding or twisting of said legs during excessive loading of the hanger. Certain embodiments of the hanger have interengaging means on each arm which resist unwinding or twisting of said legs. Hooks or other article-engaging means are formed integrally with the legs in the vicinity of the hinge portion. A separate hook member may be provided for suspended attachment to the bight or hinge portion of the hanger.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to hangers and more particularly to molded one-piece resilient hangers for suspending heavy loads for long periods of time under varying and extreme temperature conditions.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Heretofore, two principal forms of hangers were used particularly for suspending heavy articles such as large slabs of meat during shipment and storage. One form of hanger was a large steel somewhat S-shaped hook where the upper part of the S was thrown over a rod or two-by-four for supporting the hanger above a fixed surface. A slab of meat or other article is impaled upon the lower part of the S of the hanger whereupon the hanger can be used to suspend the article. These hangers were made of different types of material, most recently the material being stainless steel. The cost of these hangers was quite high and it has been found in practice that a very small percentage of the hangers are returned, therefore adding needlessly to the expense of the person preparing and shipping the article. In addition, these hangers were extremely difficult to keep sanitary for reuse.

More recently, certain plastic-type hangers have been designed and used. Examples of such hangers are as shown in the Hamel U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,666 and the Reich U.S. Pat. No. 3,043,547. In both cases, the hangers are formed as loops of material, which loops are threaded through openings in the article, and the hanger is then held in such a way that a rod or support is threaded through the loop of the hanger for suspending the article. Both of these patents presuppose either that the rod or support upon which the hanger is suspended can be removed and threaded through the closed loop in the hanger or that the load on the hanger can be held while the hanger is looped and hooked about the rod. In addition, both of these patented devices presuppose that the article can have an opening cut therein which is surrounded by sufficient fiber and material to support the weight of the article. In addition, both of these patented devices are quite complex and have thin weakened areas which can fracture under load thereby dropping the article being suspended.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In my improved hanger, material which is tough and somewhat resilient is employed to form a hanger which has all the advantages of the many different prior art structures without suffering the disadvantages thereof. That is, the hanging portion of my hanger can be assembled around a fixed rod or suspended support and latched into position to support very heavy loads on the other portion of the hanger. The two legs of the hanger crisscross in assembled position to assist in supporting loads on the hanger and prevent twisting of the hanger when uneven loads are supported on one side relative to the other. Latching arrangements are provided on the open end portions of the hanger which are passive under no load or under moderate load conditions, but which latching arrangement becomes active under heavy or excessive loads to resist unwinding or twisting of the hanger with the resulting dropping of the article being held. The latching members do not interfere with the assembling of the hanger on a support, and do permit ready disassembly for removing the hanger from the support.

Sometimes, with the hanger in place on a rod, it is desired to hang a smaller article which can be either suspended from the rod or from the bight of the hanger. A simple but effective individual hook arrangement is provided whereby single articles can be so suspended.

IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective elevational view of a pair of hangers in position on a suspended support in a storage area;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a hanger in operative position on a suspended support;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 2 in inoperative position relative to a suspended support;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a bottom elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a partial end view of one leg as viewed in the direction of the arrow 7--7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modified form of my invention;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the hanger of FIG. 8 in inoperative position relative to a suspended support;

FIG. 10 is an end view of one leg of the hanger as viewed in the direction of the arrow 10--10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 11--11 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a partial elevational view of another modified form of a latching arrangement of my invention;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 13--13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a partial elevational view of another modified form of a bight and hook portion of my invention;

FIG. 15 is an elevational view of the hook of the hanger of FIG. 14 looking in the direction of the arrows 15--15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an elevation view of a single hook for use with my invention;

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 17--17 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 17--17 of FIG. 16, and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 19--19 of FIG. 12.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, the constructions shown are illustrative of the principal embodiments of my invention.

Referring in particular to FIGS. 1 to 7, the numeral 10 designates a hanger which is preferably molded from a resilient material, such as polycarbonate, nylon or Teflon plastic, and which plastic is relatively tough but maintains some limited degree of resilience under load. The material is selected so as to withstand extremes of temperature, from relatively hot to extremely cold, without losing its resilient and tough characteristics. As viewed in FIG. 1, a pair of hangers 10 are shown latched over a suspended rod or support 12 in a storage area 14 such as a boxcar, truck or the like, with each hanger 10 supporting one or a pair of slabs of meat 15 or the like.

As viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hanger 10 has a pair of legs 16 and 18 which are joined together in a rounded bight or hinge portion 20. Each leg 16 and 18 is substantially T-shaped in cross section throughout a major portion thereof and respectively has a substantially straight elongate body portion 21, 21', an inwardly directed load-bearing portion 22, 22' on one end of said body portion, a crossover portion 23, 23' on the other end of said body portion and a hook-supporting portion 24, 24' extending between said crossover portion and said bight or hinge portion 20. A pair of hooks or article-engaging members 25 and 26 are integrally formed with the hook-supporting portions 24, 24' of the legs 16 and 18 in the vicinity of the bight portion 20. The load-bearing portions 22, 22' of the legs 16, 18 are integrally connected to the upper ends of the body portions 21, 21' of the legs 16 and 18 and project toward each other when in the open position of FIG. 3 and overlap with each other when in the hanging position of FIG. 2. The inner ends of the portions 22 and 22' are curved downwardly so as to provide short latching portions 30 and 32, respectively, which latching portions lie generally parallel to the straight body portions 21, 21' of the legs 16 and 18.

The T-shape cross section of the legs 16, 18 have the flange portions 34, 34' disposed inwardly with respect to the outwardly projecting web portions 35, 35'. The flange portion 34 of leg 16 has one side cut away at 37 in the vicinity of the crossover portion 23 and likewise the flange portion 34' of the leg 18 has one side cut away at 37' in the vicinity of the crossover portion 23' such that the crossover portions 23, 23' have an inverted L-shape cross section with the backs 36, 36' of the vertical legs of the L abutting and sliding relative to each other as the legs are manipulated between open and closed position. The crossover portions 23, 23' become T-shaped in cross section at 29, 29' as said portions 23, 23' join with the hook-supporting portions 24, 24' which converge toward each other as they form the rounded bight or hinge portion 20. The crossover portions 23, 23' serve to distribute the load from one hook or the other (25 or 26) more uniformly to the load-bearing portions 22, 22' of the hanger on the suspended support 12. The abutting relation between the respective crossover portions 23, 23' serve to resist twisting or unwinding of the legs 16, 18 due to uneven loads on the hooks 25, 26 or due to excessive loads on one or the other hook 25, 26.

The latching portions 30, 32 on the load-bearing portions 22, 22' have sloped tongues 38, 38' and tapered grooves 40, 40' respectively, formed therein as best viewed in FIG. 6 with respect to the latching portion 32 only. Mating grooves 42, 42' and sloped tongues 43, 43' are formed in the upper end portions of the legs 16, 18, respectively, for coaction with the tongues 38, 38' and grooves 40, 40' of the latching portions. The load-bearing portions 22, 22' have the one side of the top of the T-shaped portions 34, 34' removed so that the webs 35, 35' of the load-bearing portions 22, 22' can slide against each other. The web portions 35, 35' of the legs 22, 22' and of the latching portions 30, 32 are thickened at 41, 41' outwardly from the tongues 43, 43' and grooves 42, 42'. The groove 40 is formed into the end portion of the leg with the sloping surfaces directed downwardly generally in the direction of the hook end of the hanger. The tongue 38 is formed outwardly and upwardly generally away from the bottom of the groove 40 so as to form an upwardly protruding latching lug. The upper ends of the body portions 21, 21' of each leg have similar but reversed order tongue and groove members formed therein so that when the legs of the hanger are spread and raised into encircling relation with a suspended support 12 and the two legs 16, 18 are forced toward each other, the tongues 38, 38' will ride along the corresponding surfaces of the opposite leg until they slide up over the mating tongue 43, 43' on said opposite leg and drop into grooves 40, 40' on the far side of the tongues to form a latching connection therebetween.

Due to the resilience of the hanger, the respective tongues of the opposite legs will tend to be urged away from each other creating an open space therebetween as best illustrated at 45 in FIG. 6. When a load is placed on the hanger, the tongues 38, 43 will be pulled toward each other and abut against each other, eliminating the space 45 therebetween. Due to the reverse slopes on the respective tongues 38, 43 and 38', 43', the tongues will have a tendency to embed themselves deeper into the grooves 40, 42 and 40', 42' of the opposite member so that as the load on the hanger increases the latching force will increase. If the load becomes excessive, the tongues shear off and the hanger and load will drop from the suspended support. Until such excessive loading takes place, the latching tongues and grooves will hold the hanger assembled on the suspended support and will prevent the hanger from twisting or unwinding relative to the suspended support under load. This last result is aided by the structural location of the overlapping latching and hanging portions of the respective legs 16 and 18 which is in reverse order from the overlapping relationship of the crossover portions 23, 23'. That is, the crossover portion 23' of leg 18 is on top of portion 23, as viewed in FIG. 2, while the latching portion 30 and hanging portion 22' of leg 18 are underneath the corresponding portions of leg 16. Clockwise twisting of either hook 25 and 26 will be resisted by the overlapping hanging portions 22, 22' while counterclockwise twisting of either 25 and 26 will be resisted by the crossovers 23, 23'. The undersurface of the load-bearing portions 22, 22' has a slight indentation so as to center the hanger on a round rod 12.

The hanger without hooks 25, 26 can be used by threading one leg through an opening in a load so that the bight portion 20 will engage and hold the load, or the hanger with hooks 25, 26 may be used to impale a load to suspend the load on one or the other or both of the hooks 25 and 26. Each hook 25, 26 has a T-shaped cross section with the flange or top 46, 47 of the T extending crosswise and presenting a flat surface to the inner working face of the hook. The web 48, 49 of each T extends away from said flange 46, 47 of the hook and forms a compression member for preventing collapse of the hook. With this design, maximum strength is afforded to the curved hook in that the maximum amount of material is provided crosswise on the surface bearing portion of the hook and large compression bearing elements are provided beneath the working face or surface of the hook and against the lower hook-supporting portions 24, 24' of the legs of the hanger.

In one modified form of the invention, the hanger is molded in such a way that the two legs 16 and 18 are urged toward each other so that the latching ends 30 and 32 are juxtaposed relative to each other. The inwardly curved outer surfaces of the latching portions 30 and 32 and the sloping upper surfaces 44, 44' of the load-bearing portions 22 and 22' converge toward each other and provide a sloping guide surface such that upward pressure on the hanger against a suspended support such as rod 12 will spread the legs 16, 18 until the latching portions 30, 32 of the load-bearing portions 22, 22' pass above the suspended support whereupon the legs will once again be urged toward each other. Only a slight additional closing force will be required on the legs to assemble the hanger in latched position over the suspended support.

Another modified form of my invention relates to the twist-resisting means provided on the crossover portion and the load-bearing portions of the legs. Parts described in FIGS. 1-7 that are the same as in FIGS. 8-11 will use the same reference numerals. Referring to FIGS. 8-11, a pair of angularly disposed lugs 50, 51 are formed on he crossover portions 23, 23' of the legs 16, 18 such that in the latched position of the hanger the lugs will overlap and bear against each other as shown in FIG. 8. Lug 50 is formed integrally with and projects from the flange 34 of the crossover portion 23 while the lug 51 is formed integrally with and projects from the flange 34' of the crossover portion 23'. The lug 50 overlaps the lug 51 when the legs of the hanger are latched together such that a load on the hooks 25, 26 will resist twisting of the legs in a counterclockwise direction. Twisting in the clockwise direction is prevented by one crossover portion 23' urging against the crossover portion 23 on the other leg 16.

A further modification shown in FIGS. 8-11 is in the latching means on the load-bearing portions 22, 22'. The tongue and groove construction of FIGS. 1-7 are eliminated and in their stead a pair of stops 55, 56 are provided on the midsections of the inwardly directed portions 22, 22' such that in the latched condition of the hanger the stops abut each other in side-by-side juxtaposed relationship so as to resist twisting of the legs relative to each other. The load-bearing portion 22 overlaps the load-bearing portion 22' on the opposite side from the overlap of the crossover portion 23' with respect to the crossover portion 23. The stop 55 is formed on the flat contact face of the load-bearing portion 22 and projects beyond and above the edge portion of said portion 22 substantially midway along the length of said portion. The stop 56 is formed on the same but opposite side of the load-bearing portion 22' such that when the two load-bearing portions 22, 22' are in hanging position, the stop 55 will overlap with and hold load-bearing portion 22' and stop 56 will overlap with and hold load-bearing portion 22. The stops as they slide into overlapping relationship are subject to a pinching action which holds the load-bearing portions in position relative to each other with the stops engaged for resisting twisting of the legs 16 and 18 relative to each other.

FIGS. 12, 13 and 19 show an additional latching means for the load-bearing portions 22, 22'. The portion 22 has an opening 70 passing through the midportion thereof. A reinforcing rib is formed around said opening 70 for adding rigidity to the design. The load-bearing member 22' has an angled lug 73 projecting sidewardly and slightly toward the leg 18 upon which it is attached. The angled lug 73 is such that as the two legs 16, 18 are urged toward each other, the load-bearing portions 22, 22' overlap with the lug 73 forcing the portions 22, 22' apart until the lug 73 drops into the opening 70. Any attempt to pull the legs 16, 18 apart will result in the undercut portion of the lug 73 catching against one wall of the opening 70 and prevent separation of the load-bearing portions 22, 22'. Pressing the portions 22, 22' apart laterally will disengage the lug and will permit the hanger to be opened. To further aid in keeping the portions 22, 23' assembled, the downturned outer end portions are flared outwardly slightly as at 22a in FIG. 19 so as to seat under the undercut portion 18b of the respective legs 18 or 16. Under load, the coaction between the undercut legs and the outer end portions of the load-bearing portions 22, 22' assist in holding the legs assembled.

The underside wall or flange 75, 76 of the portions 22, 22' is shown slightly convex in configuration at 77, 78 respectively. This curvature may be used in all modifications and is intended to minimize the separating effect created by canting the hanger along the horizontal axis of the rod 12. That is, uneven loading of one or both hooks 25, 26 may cause the hanger to be pulled forward or rearward into an angular position with respect to the line lying perpendicular to the rod 12 which perpendicular line would be the normal direction of force of a load on the hanger. This angular position can be caused by a sudden stopping of the car in which the hangers are being used. As soon as the hanger leaves its perpendicular relation to the rod 12, the forward or rearward corners of the load-bearing portions would act as a pivot and cause the respective portions 22, 22' to shear relative to each other, opening up the latching mechanism. By providing a curvature 77, 78 to the portions 22, 22', the portions are not shifted relative to each other so much and, accordingly, the shearing action and opening of the latch is substantially reduced. The center of curvature for the surfaces 77, 78 is ideally located about at the center of the portions 22, 22', but variations therefrom do work effectively.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show another modified form of hanger wherein a hook 80 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the two hooks 25, 26. The hook 80 can be a single hook with no hooks 25, 26 or with one or the other of the hooks 25, 26. The purpose of the hook 80 is to give a straight downward loading on the hanger relative to the rod 12.

The hook 80 is formed integrally with the bight portion 20' which is substantially straight between the sides 24, 24'. The hook 80 has a T-shaped cross section with a flange 81, web 82 and rib supports 83 therebetween for rigidity. The flange 81 presents a flat surface inside the hook. A strap 85 extends between the hook 80 and the bight 20' and may be any desired length.

A single hanger hook 90 is shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18 and has a load portion 91, T-shaped in cross section, a twisted strap or body portion 92 and a hook 93 of an inverted T-shape in cross section. The load portion 91 has a flange 95 and a web 96, the flange 95 having a convex configuration 97 as shown in FIG. 18. THe strap portion 92 is twisted in such a way as to reduce stressing under load. That is, under load and in particular under shock loads the prestresses in the twists are neutralized first before the member receives stresses and thereby increases the loading capabilities of the hanger. The hook 93 is similar to other hooks herein described. The hanger is a one-piece molded member and is intended to be hooked into the bight 20, 20' of the hangers of FIGS. 1-15 or to be separately suspended over the rod 12. The load portion 91 can be grasped and the hook 93 inserted into an article whereupon the hook and article can be suspended as desired.

The load portion 91 is angularly disposed to the axis of the strap 92 so that the hanger 90 will settle with the curved portion 99 nested over the bight 20, 20' or over the rod 12. The curvature 97 of the portion 91 serves to nest better in the bight 20 or 20', as best shown in FIG. 2, such that sharp corners will not cut into the walls of the bight 20 or 20'.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments or my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A hanger comprising an elongate body member having free end portions thereon and being doubled upon itself to form a pair of halves, said member having the respective halves crossing over each other beyond the junction of said halves, the respective free end portions of said halves projecting inwardly toward each other, an interengaging means associated with each half cooperating the other half for holding the two halves suspended over a support, said interengaging means including a pair of projections, one on each half and extending from its respective half toward the other half to engage the same.

2. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said projection is received in a recess on the other half for holding the two halves assembled.

3. A hanger comprising an elongate body member doubled upon itself and having the respective halves crossing over each other beyond the junction of said halves, the respective free end portions of said halves projecting inwardly toward each other, and means associated with each half cooperating with means on the other half for holding the two halves assembled over a suspended support, said means associated with each half is a parallel projection which when in operative holding position embraces a part of the other half for holding said halves assembled and for resisting twisting of one half relative to the other half.

4. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the respective halves crossing over each other have abutting portions cooperating with each other to resist twisting of one half relative to the other half.

5. A hanger comprising an elongate body member doubled upon itself and having the respective halves crossing over each other beyond the junction of said halves, the respective free end portions of said halves projecting inwardly toward each other, means associated with each half cooperating with means on the other half for holding the two halves assembled over a suspended support, and a projection provided on the crossover portion of each half which embraces the other half when assembled to resist twisting of one half relative to the other.

6. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hanger is molded of a tough but resilient material.

7. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hanger has at least one laterally extending hook member integrally formed on one half between the junction of the halves and said crossover portion.

8. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hanger has at least one hook member integrally formed in the vicinity of the junction of the halves and said crossover portion.

9. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body member has a horizontally disposed T-shape in cross section for adding rigidity to the respective halves thereof.

10. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said respective free end portions have central undersurfaces which are convex in configuration for reducing the shearing forces between said end portions when latched over a rod, said free end portions further having flat undersurfaces extending to both sides of said central undersurfaces for engagement with a flat bar.

11. A hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said junction of the halves forms a loop which can serve as an article-engaging member.

12. In a hanger member formed of a tough and resilient material and having a pair of halves formed from an elongate body member doubled upon itself, in combination, each half including an offset between its junction with the other half and with its intended point of contact with the support and crossing over the other half beyond said junction of said halves, the respective free end portions of said halves projecting inwardly toward each other and being adapted for engagement with a support, and means associated with the free end portions of each half for cooperating with the other half for holding the two halves assembled over said support, said holding means comprising a pair of projections, one on each half, each extending from its respective half toward the other half to engage the same.

13. In a hanger member formed of a tough and resilient material and having a pair of halves formed from an elongate body member doubled upon itself, in combination, each half including an offset between its junction with the other half and with its intended point of contact with the support and crossing over the other half beyond said junction of said halves, the respective free end portions of said halves projecting inwardly toward each other and being adapted for engagement with a support, and means associated with the free end portions of each half for cooperating with the other half for holding the two halves assembled over said support, and further including a second hanger member assembled with said junction of the two halves, said second hanger member having a load-bearing portion in engagement with said junction, a body portion connected to said load-bearing portion and a hook connected to said body portion.