U.S. patent number 3,847,336 [Application Number 05/308,236] was granted by the patent office on 1974-11-12 for relievable hanger for clothing and the like.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Acorn Engineering Company. Invention is credited to Earl L. Morris, Theodore J. Sally.
United States Patent |
3,847,336 |
Morris , et al. |
November 12, 1974 |
RELIEVABLE HANGER FOR CLOTHING AND THE LIKE
Abstract
A relievable hanger having an article supporting arm pivotally
attached to a journal pin mounted in a pair of holes in a pair of
bracket flanges, and rigidly fixed to the edge of one hole and
slidably disposed within the other hole, the bracket further having
a base plate which is attachable to a vertical support structure.
One or more inwardly projecting shoulders on the inside face of the
flange serves to support combined weight of the arm and clothing
and the like. A substantially heavier weight hung on the arm, such
as the weight of an adult, will force the arm between the shoulders
causing the bracket flanges to flex outwardly thereby allowing the
arm to pass completely beyond the shoulders to relieve the arm of
the substantial weight as the arm comes to rest into substantial
parallelism with the lower portion of the base plate.
Inventors: |
Morris; Earl L. (Whittier,
CA), Sally; Theodore J. (Whittier, CA) |
Assignee: |
Acorn Engineering Company
(Industry, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
23193139 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/308,236 |
Filed: |
November 20, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/291.1;
403/94; 74/584 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
25/0642 (20130101); Y10T 403/32344 (20150115); Y10T
74/2148 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
25/00 (20060101); A47G 25/06 (20060101); F16n
013/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/291,293,294,475A,475B ;74/519,584 ;403/94 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schultz; William H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lofstedt; Ben E.
Claims
We claim:
1. A relievable hanger for supporting articles of clothing or the
like, comprising:
an article-supporting arm having a rounded, elongated body and a
hole therethrough adjacent one end thereof disposed substantially
transverse to the axis of said body;
a bracket element including a base plate for attachment to a
vertical structural element and including a pair of
forwardly-projecting, substantially parallel bracket flanges, the
distance between said bracket flanges being greater than the cross
section of said arm so as to place said bracket flanges in
contiguous relationship to said arm to permit said arm to move
freely therebetween, and the top and bottom edges of said bracket
flanges being formed at angles of not less than substantially
forty-five degrees to said base plate and further having a hole in
each bracket flange, the centers of which lie on the same
centerline, said centerline being disposed substantially transverse
to said base plate;
a journal pin for said arm said pin having a diameter smaller than
said hole in said arm and freely movable therein and further being
smaller in diameter than said holes in said bracket flanges, one
end of said pin being disposed within one of said bracket flange
holes and fixedly joined to said bracket flange and the other end
being disposed within the other of said bracket flange holes and
having a uniform cross-section from within the hole to the
extremity of said pin end whereby said pin end is freely movable in
longitudinal coaxial relationship to said hole;
a first blunted shoulder on the inside face of one of said bracket
flanges upon which said arm may rest; and
a second blunted shoulder oppositely disposed from said first
blunted shoulder on the inside face of the other of said bracket
flanges upon which said arm may rest, wherein said first and second
blunted shoulders are rounded and elongated and are substantially
parallel to said base plate.
2. A relievable hanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shoulders
are an integral part of the bracket flange material being formed by
dimpling or impressing the outside face of the bracket flanges.
3. A relievable hanger for supporting articles of clothing or the
like, comprising:
a bracket element including a base plate for attachment to a
vertical structural element, and further including a pair of
substantially symmetrical, forwardly projecting bracket flanges
disposed in spaced-apart, parallel relationship, said flanges
having a pair of oppositely disposed openings therein, the central
axis of said openings lying transverse to said base plate and
disposed adjacently thereto, the top and bottom edges of said
bracket flanges being formed at an angle of not less than
substantially 45.degree. to said base plate;
a journal pin disposed within said flange openings and extending
between said bracket flanges, one end of said pin being fixedly
secured to one of said flanges and the other end of said pin being
freely movable in a coaxial fashion within said hole of the other
of said flange openings along the centerline of said other
opening;
an elongate, cylindrical, article-supporting arm, said arm
including a hub portion adjacent one end of said arm, said hub
portion adjacently disposed in spaced apart relationship to said
base plate and freely journaled for rotation on said pin disposed
between said bracket flanges, the end of said arm adjacent to said
hub portion having a radiused portion thereon, the center of said
radiused portion substantially coinciding with the central axis of
said hub portion and said journal pin, said radiused portion
serving to dispose of said arm in contiguous relationship to said
base plate and bracket flanges of said bracket element restricting
the passage of rope-like articles or the like therebetween, and a
blunt, hemispherically contoured surface about the other end of
said arm, said arm further having a diameter less than the
spaced-apart distance between said pair of bracket flanges;
an elongate, semi-cylindrically shaped shoulder projecting inwardly
from said bracket flange in which said pin is fully movable, said
shoulder disposed intermediate said opening in said bracket flange
and the forwardmost edge of said bracket flange with its major axis
disposed in parallel relationship to said base plate, the distance
between the inwardlymost surface of said shoulder and said opposite
bracket flange being less than the diameter of said
article-supporting arm.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in self-relieving hangers
for articles of clothing and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hangers which are mountable to vertical supports such as walls for
supporting the weight of articles of clothing and the like may be
broadly classified as either fixed or relievable. While the fixed
hangers find wide use and application in many commercial and
residential installations, such are not as suitable for use in
institutional facilities where the danger of suicide may be quite
high. Persons so confined in penal and mental institutions and the
like are prone to become so depressed as to attempt to terminate
their lives by committing suicide. It frequently occurs that
persons so confined attempt to commit suicide by hanging themselves
by the use of any tensile object near at hand, as for example, a
torn-up bed sheet or other similar object. The person then must
seek out a suitable support structure to which such tension element
may be attached, such as a clothes hook. Such a fixed clothes hook
is frequently found to be easily capable of supporting hundreds of
pounds of weight, such as the body weight of the person confined to
the institution, and, therefore, poses a potential hazard for
would-be suicide victims.
It is consequently highly desirable to incorporate in the design of
such a clothes hook for institutional use a means for permitting
the hook to yield or release under the force of excess load, and,
once released, allow the clothing articles and the like to fall
clear of the hook or arm and bracket as well so that none of them
will remain hanging on the arm or bracket.
Such a device has been previously described in U.S. Pat. No.
2,901,207. However, it should be noted that in such designs where
the holding force is governed by the compression of fibrous
frictional material that the holding force may be varied
independently of said journal pin adjustment. The functional
characteristics may be varied by the prolonged compression of such
material which tends to produce a permanent compression of such
material covering the value of the pre-set holding force.
Additionally, the introduction of fluids, such as water, saliva,
urine, and other similar fluids will generally initially reduce the
frictional holding force. Thereafter, however, such fluids can
produce a swelling and expansion of the frictional material thereby
increasing the holding force. This effect will, of course, be even
greater should the material be heated with a match or the like.
Further, some fibrous frictional materials are combustible and
could be partially or fully destroyed by the application of fire or
excessive heat. Should this happen, the arm would not be
sustainable in its article-holding position.
In addition, such units which utilize a threaded journal pin for
adjusting the holding force must be either riveted or peened on the
end opposite to the adjusting head in order to retain it in a fixed
position so as to not disturb the pre-set holding force. Once
accomplished, if re-adjustment is required, extensive modification
to the unit is required, and maybe even removal from the vertical
support in order to accomplish this modification.
And still further, the use of a teat to limit the upswing of the
arm in order to maintain the arm in a position which is
substantially perpendicular to the vertical support requires that
the installation be made only one way. For if the unit should be
installed upside down, the teat would then limit the down swing of
the arm, thereby creating a non-relievable arm which could be used
to commit suicide -- exactly what it was designed to prevent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS
The present invention relates to improvements in relievable hangers
for articles of clothing and the like. The hangers contemplated by
this invention are those which are generally supported on the wall,
and are of such design so as to carry or sustain a predetermined
load, such as articles of clothing and the like, but which will
yield or relieve in the event that a load in excess of this
predetermined amount is placed on the hangers. In the event that
such a hanger yields, the support hook or arm will turn downward
towards a vertical position, thereby assuming a position in which
the object producing the excessive loading is forced to slide off
the arm. To ensure that such an object will slide off the arm, the
hook or arm is of such design that once it has relieved and assumed
a downward-directed vertical position, it will not present any
portion which will support any object.
It can be appreciated that such relievable hangers embodying the
foregoing features are, and may be, usefully applied in many
locations. Locations in which such hangers find wide usefulness and
meet an important need are jail or prison cells, as well as other
housing facilities created for the safe confinement of prisoners
and other persons. As previously discussed, persons so confined in
such institutions attempt to commit suicide by hanging themselves.
Typically, under such distraught or abnormal mental aberations,
such persons will attempt to make use of any tensile object at
hand, such as a torn up sheet, towel, or pillowcase. Following the
acquisition of such a tensile object, the person will seek out a
suitable object to which the tensile object may be attached, such
as a fixed, non-relievable clothes hook or the like. Such is
frequently found to be suitable for securely supporting the entire
weight of the human body.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a
wallattachable clothes hook which will support the weight of such
articles as clothing and the like but in the event that the weight
of a person, which generally exceeds 100 pounds, is impressed
thereon, such a weight will be sufficient to cause the arm to
relieve downwardly sufficiently far to cause the tension element,
such as previously described, to slide off the arm, thus thwarting
the attempt to commit suicide.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to form such
a releasable arm that the tensile element will not be further
restrained or caught on the arm in its downwardly projecting
position; such, of course, would defeat the purpose of the yielding
or releasing feature.
In considering the invention in very broad terms, it can be said
that my invention comprises a bracket element for attachment to a
wall or other vertical structural element, in conjunction with an
arm or the like, herein also, for the sake of convenience, called a
hook, wherein the arm is pivotally connected via a journal pin to
the bracket element to enable the arm to pivot about a horizontal
axis, in order to enable the arm to slant downwardly at an angle
sufficient to permit the tension element to slide off the arm and
thereby defeat the attempt to commit suicide. In order to retain
its functional utility as a clothes carrying hook, the yieldable
means is so designed as to support both the hook in an outwardly
projecting position and a load which is substantially smaller than
that produced by the weight of a human, in order that the device
might perform its normally intended function and yet not permit the
arm to be used to support the weight of an intended suicide
victim.
To accomplish this, the load at which the hook should release does
not generally exceed thirty pounds. Generally, the weight of a
person who might attempt to commit suicide is one hundred pounds or
greater. Consequently, it is possible to separate the functional
utility of a clothes supporting hook and that of a wall-anchoring
device capable of supporting much larger weights such as the human
body, and with reasonable assurance that the force yielding point
of the hook would occur before the suicide becomes effective.
The restraining force normally sustaining the unloaded hook or
clothing-loaded hook must be produced by a means of such a form and
nature that its adjustment cannot be so changed by the confined
person that would produce a hook capable of supporting the weight
of a human for any appreciable length of time so as to allow said
person to commit suicide.
An important feature of the present invention is to provide a
convenient means of adjusting the hook's holding force and to limit
said adjustment so that it cannot sustain the weight of a human so
confined in an institution, and with the assurance that it cannot
be tampered with to change its adjustment. Such interference might
be in the form of a wedge or other foreign object inserted into the
unit at a location such as would increase the holding force of the
arm beyond that which is desirable. The present invention is so
designed and constructed that no such jamming or interferring with
the full releasing movement can be effected.
A further important feature of the present invention is to provide
a vandalproof relievable clothes hook. Such is accomplished by
permanently joining one end of the journal pin to one of the
bracket flanges. The opposite end is free to move within the hole
in the other bracket flange. By eliminating any threaded adjustment
means and permanently affixing the journal pin as hereinbefore
described, in addition to the structural arrangement described
herein, the unit is rendered vandalproof.
Another important object of this invention is to provide a
relievable hook which may be installed in either of the two
vertical positions. Such devices found in the prior art similar to
the invention, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,207, may be
installed in only one of the two possible vertical positions. If
installed upside down from its normal position, the hook will not
operate as a relievable hook but instead operate as a
non-relievable hook.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a
relievable hanger of such design and construction which may be
readily and inexpensively produced from a sheet metal die cut and
formed into a flanged bracket with such few additional low-cost
elements that can be easily produced by conventional shop
operations.
Another purpose and object of this invention is to provide a
releasable hanger which will comply with the multitudinous safety
regulations and requirements of those authorities having charge of
the design and construction of penal institutions, juvenile homes,
hospitals for the insane, jails, reformatories, and such facilities
as those for retarded and feeble-minded persons.
Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed
description of the invention, which consists in the features of
construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and
claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
In the drawing:
FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view of a typical form of my
improved relievable hook unit, with the arm extending outwardly at
an angle of greater than 45 degrees, but not in a substantially
horizontal fashion for the normal or intended use of the unit.
FIG. 2 shows a front elevational view corresponding to FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a plan view corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 4 is an isometric exploded assembly view of the relievable
hook unit as previously shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, the bracket element 10 is formed
conveniently, from sheet metal such as mild steel, or preferably
stainless steel, to provide the elongated vertical plate 11, and
having the enlarged end portions 12 and 13 which are perforated to
receive attaching bolts or other vandal-proof elements for
attachment to the wall. The central portion of face or base plate
11 is conveniently formed narrower than such end portions, 12 and
13, as clearly shown in the drawings.
The central portion of the face plate 11 has its side portions
formed at substantially right angles, or greater, to provide the
two companion bracket flanges 14 and 15. These bracket flanges 14,
15 are disposed in a substantially parallel relationship to each
other, and are separated by slightly more than the thickness of the
arm or hook element 16 to be set between them. In addition, these
flanges 14 and 15 are of generally triangular form to provide near
their apices the openings 17 and 18 through which is passed a
securing and journalling pin 19.
The arm or hook element 16 includes a hub portion 20, and an
elongated arm portion 21. This element is generally formed of
cylindrical stock and of metal material similar to identical to
that used to form the bracket element 10, typically stainless
steel.
The locking and journalling pin 19 is seated within the openings
17, 18 and extends through both such bracket flanges 14, 15 and the
hub portion 20 of the arm element 16. Such pin is fixed to the
bracket flange 14 by bonding it to the periphery of said opening 18
typically by welding or brazing and thereafter is polished smooth
so as to be flush with the outer surface 22 of the bracket flange
14. The spacing between the opposing faces 23, 24 of the bracet
flanges 14, 15 is greater than the thickness of the hub portion 20
so that said hub portion 20 may freely pivot about the journal pin
19 axis and such that it would be practically impossible for the
confined person to insert a wedge therebetween so as to
substantially interfere with the releasable hook's down rock when
said hook 16 is impressed with a load in excess of that intended to
be carried or supported thereby.
The arm or hook element 16 is supported in its normal position for
supporting clothes and the like at an angle of greater than 45
degrees from the upper vertical portion of the bracket element 10,
namely, the enlarged end portion 12, by means of two, oppositely
disposed, inwardly directed elongated shoulders 25, 26, located on
the inside of said bracket flanges 14, 15 respectively. Said
shoulders 25, 26 extend sufficiently inward so that the space
between them is slightly smaller than the diameter of the arm 16.
Consequently, as the arm 16 is pivoted about the journal pin 19,
away from the vertical plate 11 of the bracket element 10, the
elongated arm portion 21 will come to rest upon the shoulders 25,
26.
When a force is applied to the outer end of said hook 16 which is
sufficiently great to force the bracket flanges 14, 15 outward and
away from the elongated arm portion 21, the arm 16 will continue
its downward rock until either the force is removed by sliding off
the arm 16 or until the body of the elongated arm portion 21 passes
between the shoulders 25, 26. When the arm 16 clears the shoulder
25, 26, the arm 16 will rapidly drop downwardly into substantial
parallelism with the base plate 11.
In order to reset the arm 16 which has been previously relieved,
the confined person merely pushes the arm 16 upwardly forcing it to
pivot about its journalling pin 19 until the arm 16 once again
contacts the shoulders 25, 26 and forces the bracket flanges 14, 15
apart until the arm 16 has passed completely therebetween.
Thereafter, the arm 16 is released and, once again, comes to rest
upon said shoulders 25, 26.
It should be noted, however, that a single shoulder would perform
the same or similar function as that previously described using two
or more shoulders. Said single shoulder would extend sufficiently
inward from the inside face of the flange bracket either 15 or 14
so that the distance between the outer surface of said shoulder and
the opposite bracket is smaller than the diameter of the arm 16.
Again, as the arm 16 is pivoted downwardly about the journal pin
19, away from the vertical part of the elongated arm portion 21, it
will come to rest and be supported by the single shoulder.
The spring-force by which the shoulders 25, 26 are returned to
their former positions so that the arm 16 may rest thereon and be
supported thereby is the spring-force inherent in the metallic
sheet metal material forming said brackets flanges 14, 15 which
rise outwardly from the base plate 11.
The force at which the arm 16 will relieve is determined gy the
spring-force of the bracket flanges 14, 15, as hereinbefore
described. To increase said force, a pair of pliers or other
similarly suitable adjusting tool is used to grip the
outwardly-projecting ends of the bracket flanges 14, 15 and to
squeeze them closer together so as to bend the base of the bracket
elements slightly. On the other hand, the holding force is
decreased by spreading said bracket flanges 14, 15 apart.
The spring-force of the bracket flanges 14, 15 is determined by
both the gauge of the metal used to form the bracket flanges 14, 15
and by the characteristics of the particular metal itself. The
force applied to the bracket flanges 14, 15 along the sheet metal
bend lines 27, 28, from which said bracket flanges 14, 15 project
outwardly from the base plate 11 is generally impressed as
follows.
When the arm 16 is impressed with an excessive load, such as the
weight of a human body, it is pulled downwardly into intimate
contact with the rounded edge portions 29, 30, of the shoulders 25,
26. The two curved surfaces of the arm and the shoulders form two
essentially point contacts which minimize the frictional area of
contact thereby reducing the frictional forces created
therebetween. In addition, the rounded surfaces do not present such
projecting surfaces which would prevent the down rock of the arm 16
when such arm 16 is impressed with an excessive load. Consequently,
this design is inherently self-relieving and cannot support an
excessive load such as the weight of an average adult human body
which is normally 90 pounds or greater.
It should be noted that said rounded shoulders 25, 26 are typically
and conveniently formed by impressing or dimpling the outer
surfaces of the bracket flanges 14, 15 in between the
outermost-projecting edge and the openings 17, 18 and thereby
permanently displace the sheet metal material so as to form rounded
and inwardly projecting shoulders 25, 26 on the opposite or inner
faces of said bracket flanges 14, 15.
Further, while it has been found to be generally more suitable for
use in the application and use previously described, to form the
shoulder or shoulders in between the outermost-projecting edge and
the opening 17, 18, for ease of adjustment and to establish a lower
minimum relieving force, said shoulder or shoulders may be disposed
in any location on the inside face of the brackets as long as said
shoulder or shoulders support the arm 16 outwardly in its
clothes-supporting position of from 45.degree. to 90.degree. from
the upper vertical plane of the base plate 11. Consequently, the
shoulder or shoulders could be disposed in between the opening 17,
18, and the base plate 11. However, for the arm 16 to contact the
shoulder, the hub portion 20 would be moved closer to the center of
the elongated arm 21. This is necessary to provide a further
rearward projection of said arm to permit said arm to contact the
shoulder and be supported thereby.
However, as previously mentioned, it would be generally anticipated
that by disposing the shoulders in this position closer to the bend
lines 27, 28, the spring-force and effect would be greater than if
said shoulders were disposed farther away from said bend lines.
Consequently, the force at which the arm would relieve would be
greater than the relieving force established when the shoulders are
disposed in between the outermost-projecting edge and the opening
17, 18. This, of course, assumes that all other factors are
equal.
As the excessive weight forces the arm downwardly, the elongated
arm portion 21 of the arm 16 will be forced in between the
shoulders 25, 26 which will, in turn, cause the ends of the bracket
flanges 14, 15 to be forced slightly apart from each other. As the
arm portion 21 of the arm 16 exits between the two shoulders 25, 26
and its down rock is no longer influenced thereby, the arm 16 will
freely fall far enough to allow the excessive weight to slide from
the arm 16 and to be discharged therefrom. These operations will
generally occur in very quick succession, once the imposed force on
the arm 16 has exceeded that force to which the bracket flanges 14,
15 spring-force has been adjusted.
As clearly illustrated in the drawings, the relievable hanger may
be installed in either of its two possible vertical positions
without impairing its relieving function.
Examination of the drawings will show that the bracket flanges 14,
15, are of such configuration that at no point of down rock of the
arm 16 would it be possible to insert an interferring object
horizontally beneath the arm 16 and resting against the bracket
flanges 14, 15 to stop or prevent the down rock of the arm 16 prior
to its achieving such a down slant of the arm 16 as would discharge
the tension element sustained thereby. This important result is
achieved by virtue of the steepness of the lower edges 31, 32 of
the bracket flanges 14, 15. Should any interferring object be
placed across saId edges 31, 32 just beneath the arm 16, when in a
horizontal or down-slanting position, such would fail to catch on
said bracket edges 31, 32, and would be driven down as the arm 16
descended, thereby preventing any interference with the intended
operation of the device. In this connection, it is pointed out that
such edges 31, 32 are formed at an angle of substantially 45
degrees to the vertical plate 11 and connect at their outer ends
with the circular arc portion 33, 34, of the flanges 14, 15.
While this invention has been shown and described in a particular
arrangement merely for illustration and explanation, it will be
readily apparent that the invention may be widely varied without
departing from the scope and spirit of this invention.
* * * * *