HK1068772A - Garment hanger having a removable size indicator - Google Patents

Description

Garment hanger with removable size indicator

Cross reference to related applications

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application serial No. 09/479170 filed on 7/1/2000.

Background

1. Field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to a garment hanger of the type having a removable size indicator and, more particularly, to a garment hanger having a size indicator which is removable by a tool engaged with a pivoting latch.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Us 3949914 discloses a garment hanger with an improved hook which receives a size indicator which snaps over a flange of the structure forming the hook.

Us 4115940 discloses a garment hanger having a size indicator or label attached to a label mounting member mounted between a hanger hook and a hanger body. Hangers having size indicators mounted in such locations are commonly referred to commercially as side labels.

Us 4322902 discloses a garment hanger having a display portion provided at the top of the hook which is capable of receiving two different size indicators. One type of logo is fixed to the display portion like tie-tac, and the other type of logo is attached on top of the display portion. Hangers having size indicators mounted in this position are commonly referred to in the trade as top labels.

Us patent 5485943 is representative of many such patents which disclose one or more means to prevent accidental removal of the side label, i.e. by preventing access to the edge of the side label, to prevent a child from obtaining a "finger purchase" on the edge of the side label from which he or she is to pry it open.

Us patent 5469995; 5778575, respectively; 5469995, respectively; 5096101, respectively; 5950883, respectively; 5683018, respectively; 5642840, respectively; 5611469, respectively; and 5407109, each disclose a garment hanger having various means for causing a size tab to be "substantially indelible" or "indelible" once engaged with a tab securing means on the garment hanger. The purpose is to make the hanger and sizing system "child proof" and thus prevent a child from accidentally removing the label and swallowing the side label or choking on it.

Us patent 5449099 is one of several patents on hangers and side label systems that provides a tool for removing the side labels in accidental use or when the hanger is subsequently used to hang different sizes of clothing. A plurality of notches are provided in the security bar and posts are provided to enable the indicia to be pried away from the hanger by a special tool.

Us 5687887 discloses another design of hanger and side tabs which allows a special tool to be slid through a cut in the security strip and thereby remove the side tabs.

Us 5794363 discloses a hanger hook adapted to receive a top tab, the hanger hook having a resilient click engaging means for securing the upper tab which automatically removes the top tab for re-use of the hanger.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger having a novel size indicator and indicia attachment mechanism.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger having a removable size indicator.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger having a removable size indicator that can be mounted on the top of the hook or on the side of the hook.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger having a removable size indicator which is securely retained on the hanger during use, thereby being "child resistant" and which can be quickly and easily removed with a tool when it is desired to re-use the hanger for different sizes of garments.

Accordingly, a garment hanger having a removable size indicator is provided. The hanger comprises: a hanging means for hanging the hanger on the support, and a body connected to the hanging means; said hanger having at least one web for removably securing the size indicator to the hanger, the web having a fixed latch and a pivoting latch; and the size indicator has a triangular cross-section and finger means for engaging the fixed latch and the pivoting latch to secure the size indicator to the web. Wherein the size indicator is released from the fixed latch when the pivoting latch pivots out of engagement with the finger means of the size indicator.

In a preferred embodiment of the garment hanger of the invention, the suspension means is a hook and the web is located at the junction between the hook and the hanger body, at the top of the hook or both.

In another preferred embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention, the pivoting latch is located at a central portion of the web and the fixed latch is located at least one end of the pivoting latch. Preferably, a fixed latch is located adjacent each end of the pivoting latch, the pivoting latch projecting from a first side of the web and the fixed latch projecting from an opposite side of the web.

In another preferred embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention, the pivoting latch is defined by a slot cut in the web, the slot having a shape defined by at least two sides, the pivoting latch additionally being defined by a living hinge closing the shape of the slot. The slot is preferably two-sided and the shape of the slot is closed by a living hinge to form a triangular shaped pivoting latch. The pivoting latch also has an engagement means to facilitate pivoting of the pivoting latch. The engagement means includes a cantilevered end of the pivoting latch which, when a release force is applied thereto, provides a mechanical advantage of pivoting the pivoting latch out of engagement with at least one of the engagement post and the size indicator finger means. The web also has a guard extending across the web and underlying the size indicator, the guard having a downwardly turned portion that conforms to the contour of the cantilevered end. Accidental actuation of the cantilever end is prevented by the safety device. The cantilevered end preferably has an engagement means for receiving a tool for applying the release force. The engagement means is preferably an indentation formed on the side of the end of the cantilever.

In a preferred embodiment of the garment hanger of the invention, the size indicator preferably has two sides depending from an apex, each side terminating in a foremost edge, the foremost edges being designed such that the cantilevered ends of the pivoting latch are exposed when the size indicator is secured to the web. The sizing finger means preferably includes an inwardly directed ridge disposed on each of the foremost edges and projecting inwardly towards the channel.

In another preferred embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention, the web further comprises an outermost edge having an outermost portion or a predetermined cross-section, and the apex of the size indicator defines a slot shaped to substantially receive the outermost portion of the web to prevent lateral movement of the size indicator when the size indicator is secured to the web.

In another preferred embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention, the web further comprises a positioning guide for positioning the size indicator at a predetermined position on the web. The positioning guide preferably comprises first and second guides located on each side edge of the size indicator and spaced from each other, the size indicator being mounted between the first and second guides in use, the size indicator being located intermediate the two guides. Each of said first and second guide means is preferably not distributed over the entire length of the side of the size indicator.

A size indicator removably secured to the web of the hanger is also provided. The size indicator includes two sides depending from an apex defining a V-shaped channel, each side terminating in a forward-most edge, the apex defining a slot shaped to substantially receive the outermost portion of the web to resist lateral movement of the size indicator when the size indicator is secured to the web. Each side has an inward ridge located on each forward-most edge and projecting inwardly toward the channel to engage a fixed ridge and a pivoting ridge on the web. The cross-section of the size indicator is such that the size indicator can be extruded and then cut into sections. The indicia may be printed before or after cutting. This method significantly reduces the cost of producing the size indicator compared to the cost of producing the indicia which must be molded separately.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a hanger hook is provided that can accommodate either a side label or a top label as desired. This reduces the amount of inventory necessary for a hanger manufacturer, who supplies goods to both retail environments, namely retail stores that require side tags, and retail stores that require top tags. In addition, both of these marks may be fixed to the hook if necessary. In this embodiment, the top label is longer than the side labels to provide greater visibility and visual contrast to other top label hangers, however, the top web and side webs may be made to accommodate the same length size indicator to enable the manufacturer to use the same size indicator as a side label or top label.

Brief description of the drawings

The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present apparatus will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a garment hanger of the present invention having a first web at the junction between the hook and the body of the garment hanger.

Fig. 2(a) and 2(c) show first and second versions, respectively, of a first embodiment of a size indicator of the present invention for engaging the first web shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 2b shows a top view of the dimensional indicators shown in fig. 2 (a).

Fig. 3(a) is an enlarged schematic view of the first connection plate shown in fig. 1.

FIG. 3(b) shows an enlarged view of the web of FIG. 3(a) with a size indicator affixed thereto.

Fig. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the first web of fig. 3 taken along line 4-4.

FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the web of FIG. 3 taken along line 5-5 with the movement of the pivoting latch shown in phantom.

FIG. 6(a) shows a partial cross-sectional view of the web of FIG. 3 taken along line 5-5 and additionally having a first form of size indicator affixed thereto.

FIG. 7(a) shows a first web and a first version of the first embodiment of the size indicator of FIG. 6(a) wherein the pivoting latch is pivoted to release the size indicator therefrom.

FIG. 6(b) shows a partial cross-sectional view of the web of FIG. 3 taken along line 5-5, additionally having a second form of size indicator affixed thereto.

FIG. 7(b) illustrates a second version of the first embodiment of the first web and the size indicator of FIG. 6(b) wherein the pivoting latch is pivoted to release the size indicator therefrom.

Figure 8 shows a second embodiment of a garment hanger according to the present invention having a first web at the junction between the hanger hook and the body and a second web at the top of the hook.

Fig. 9(a) and 9(c) show end views of first and second versions, respectively, of a second embodiment of the present invention for use in conjunction with a dimensional indication of a second connector plate as shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 9(b) shows a side view of the size indicator shown in fig. 9(a) and 9 (c).

Fig. 10 shows an enlarged view of the second connecting plate shown in fig. 1.

Figure 11 shows a third embodiment of a garment hanger according to the present invention having a second web at the top of the hook.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

Although the present invention is applicable to a wide variety and type of hangers, it has been found particularly suitable for use in hangers having a hook for suspending the hanger from a display. The invention will therefore be described in this context, but its application is not limited to hangers of the type described above.

Referring to fig. 1, there is shown a first embodiment of a garment hanger of the present invention, generally designated by the numeral 100 a. The hanger 100a has a hanging means, such as a hook 102, for hanging the hanger 100a on a not shown display shelf (not shown). The hanger 100a also has a body 104 connected to the hook 102. The body has at least one web 106a for removably securing a first version of the first embodiment of the size indicator 108a (fig. 2a) to the body 104. In a first embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention shown in fig. 1, web 106a is located at the juncture of hook 102 and body 104. As will be discussed below in connection with FIG. 8, in a second embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention, generally designated by the numeral 100b, the web 106b may also be located on the top portion 102a of the hook. In addition, as will be discussed below in connection with FIG. 11, in a third embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention, generally designated by the numeral 100c, the web 106b may also be located at both the engagement portion between the hook 102 and the body 104 and the top 102a of the hook 102.

Referring to fig. 3a, the web has a fixed latch 110 and a pivoting latch 112. The pivoting latch 112 is preferably located in a central portion of the web 106a, while the fixed latch 110 is located at least one end of the pivoting latch 112. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed latch 110 preferably includes two leg members 110a, 110b on each end of the pivoting latch 112. As shown in fig. 4-7, and best seen in fig. 6a and 6b, the pivoting latch 112 preferably also projects from a first side 114 of the web 106a, while the fixed latch 110 projects from an opposite side 116 of the web 106 a.

Referring again to FIG. 3a, the pivoting latch 112 is preferably defined by a slot 118 cut in the web 106 a. The slot preferably has a shape defined by at least two sides 118a, 118 b. The pivoting latch 112 is further defined by a living hinge shown in phantom at 120 closing the shape of the slot 118. As shown in FIG. 3a, the slot 118 is preferably substantially two sides 118a, 118b and a living hinge 120 closing the shape of the slot 118 to form a triangular shaped pivoting latch 112. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the pivoting latch and the slot defined by its shape can have a variety of shapes, such as rectangular, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 3a, 3b and 6a together, the pivoting latch 112 preferably has an engagement means to facilitate pivoting of the pivoting latch about the direction of the arrow shown in fig. 7a and 7 b. The engagement means preferably includes a cantilevered end 122 of the pivoting latch 112 that provides a mechanical advantage of moving the pivoting latch 112 away from the size indicator when a release force (F) is applied thereto. At the same time, the opposite side of the pivoting latch 112 moves the size indicator so that it no longer engages the fixed latch 110.

Referring to fig. 2a, 2b and 6a together, the first form of the size indicator 108a of the first embodiment generally has a front face 124 and two side faces 126, 128 depending from the front face 124 to form a generally c-shaped channel 109. Each of the sides 126, 128 terminates in a forward-most edge 130, 132. The forward-most edges 130, 132 are preferably designed such that the cantilevered end 122 of the pivoting latch 112 is exposed when the size indicator 108a is secured to the web 106 a.

The size indicator 108a also has a finger arrangement 134 for engaging the fixed latch 110 and the pivoting latch 112, respectively, to secure the size indicator 108a to the web during normal use. However, the size indicator 108a is removably secured to the web 106a such that when the release force (F) is applied, the pivoting latch 112 pivots out of engagement with the finger means 134 of the size indicator 108a to allow the size indicator to be released from the web 106 a. The finger means 134 preferably includes an inwardly directed ridge 134a, 134b on each of the foremost edges 130, 132 and projecting inwardly towards the channel 109 of the size indicator 108 a.

Another form of the second size indicator of the embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig. 2c, in which like numerals represent like parts and the second size indicator is generally designated by numeral 111 a. The second size indicator 111a generally has two sides 126, 128 extending from an apex 125 to define a generally V-shaped channel 113. Each side 126, 128 terminates in a forward-most edge 130, 132. The foremost edges 130, 132 are preferably designed such that the cantilevered end 122 of the pivoting latch 112 is exposed when the size indicator 111a is secured to the web 106 a. The size indicator 111a also has finger means 134 for engaging the fixed latch 110 and the pivoting latch 112, respectively, to secure the size indicator 111a to the web during normal use. However, the size indicator 111a is removably secured to the web 106a so that when the release force (F) is applied, the pivoting latch 112 pivots out of engagement with the finger means 134 of the size indicator 111a to release the size indicator from the web 106 a. The finger means 134 preferably includes an inwardly directed ridge 134a, 134b on each of the foremost edges 130, 132 and projecting inwardly towards the V-shaped channel 113 of the size indicator 111 a.

Referring also to fig. 3a and 6a, the web preferably also has a safety feature 136 disposed on the web 106a and below the size indicator 108 a. In a preferred embodiment, the safety 136 has a downwardly turned portion 138 that conforms to the contour of the cantilevered end 122 to allow access to the edge of the size indicator and engagement device 122 and to prevent inadvertent actuation of the pivoting latch 112. The cantilevered end of the engagement device 122 is preferably designed to engage a tool (not shown) for applying the release force (F). The engagement means is preferably an indentation 140 provided on the side of the cantilever end 122. The tool has a tip that generally conforms to the shape of the dimple 140 and is of such a width that it is not prevented from engaging the dimple 140 by the guard 136.

The web preferably also has an outermost edge 142 having an outermost portion 142a with a predetermined cross-section. The first form of the size indicator 108a has a slot 144 (FIG. 2a) with a matching cross-section, the slot 144 being generally configured to receive the outermost portion 142a to prevent lateral movement of the size indicator in the direction B-B when the size indicator 108a is secured to the web 106 a. The preferred predetermined cross-section of the outermost portion 142a and the groove 144 is generally rectangular. In the second form of the size indicator 111a, the apex 125 defines a channel 144a therein that is shaped to receive the outermost portion 142a when the size indicator 111a is secured to the web 106a to prevent lateral movement of the size indicator 111a in the direction B-B (as shown in FIG. 6B).

Referring to fig. 3b, the web 106a further comprises positioning means for positioning the size indicators 108a, 111a at predetermined positions on the web 106 a. The positioning means preferably includes first and second guides 146a, 146b adjacent each side edge 148a, 148b of the size indicator 108a, 111a and spaced from one another to align the size indicator 108a, 111a therebetween and to centrally position the size indicator 108a, 111a during installation of the size indicator 108a on the web 106 a. The first guides 146a, 146b are preferably not distributed over the entire length of the side edges 148a, 148b of the size indicator, but rather define elongated holes 150a, 150b that expose the side edges 148a, 148b of the size indicator.

Referring to fig. 6a and 7a, the operation of the garment hanger 100a of the present invention will be described with respect to the size indicator 108 a. It is mounted on web 106a by sliding size indicator 108a onto web 106a in the direction of arrow c. When installed in the direction of arrow C, the pivoting latch 112 pivots in the direction of arrow a until the inwardly facing ridges 134a, 134b of the finger arrangement 134 pass over the fixed ridge 110 and the pivoting ridge 112. Thereafter, the inward fingers 134a, 134b are snapped into the location formed by the guide 136 and the bottom edges of the fixed and pivoting ridges 110, 112, which location is indicated by reference numeral 152 (shown in fig. 4 and 5). In this way, the size indicator 108a may be removably mounted on the web 106 a.

Referring to fig. 6b and 7b, the operation of the garment hanger 100a of the present invention will be described with respect to a second version of the first embodiment of the size indicator 111 a. Similar to the method of mounting the size indicator 108a, the indicia is mounted on the web 106a by sliding the size indicator 111a onto the web 106b in the direction of arrow C. When installed in the direction of arrow c, the pivoting latch 112 pivots in the direction of arrow a until the inward ridges 134a, 134b of the finger means 134 pass over the fixed ridge 110 and the pivoting ridge 112. Thereafter, the inward fingers 134a, 134b are snapped into the location formed by the guide 136 and the bottom edges of the fixed and pivoting ridges 110, 112, which location is indicated by reference numeral 152 (as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5).

To release the size indicators 108a, 111a from the web 106a, a release force (F) is applied to the cantilevered end 122 of the pivoting latch 112, preferably by a release tool (not shown) engaging the indentation 140 in the cantilevered end 122. The release force (F) causes the pivoting latch 112 to pivot about the living hinge 120 in the direction of arrow a. As shown in fig. 7a and 7b, pivoting the planar side wall of the locking pin 122 causes the interior ridge 134a of the finger means 134 of the size indicator 108a to extend through the furthest extending portion of the fixed locking pin 110. At this point, the size indicators 108a, 111a may be manually removed from the web 106 a.

The size indicators 108a, 111a are preferably made of an elastic material so that the sides 126, 128 may be slightly offset with respect to each other. Thus, when the side 126 of the size indicator 108a, 111a extends past the furthest extending portion of the fixed detent 110, the resilient bias of the size indicator 108a, 111a automatically disengages the size indicator from the web without further human intervention.

Preliminary testing of the removable size indicators 108a, 111a of the present invention has shown that approximately 25-30 pounds of force is required to pull the size indicator off of the locking pin of the web. The size indicators 108a, 111a of the present invention are considered child-resistant because they are considered child-resistant by pulling them from the hanger with a minimum force of 15 pounds under industry standards.

Referring to figures 8, 9a, 9b and 10, a second embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention is shown and generally designated by the numeral 100b, wherein like numerals designate like parts, as discussed above. The garment hanger 100b differs from the garment hanger 100a shown in figure 1 in that a second web 106b is provided at the top 102a of the hook 102. Generally, the second link plate 106b differs from the first link plate 106a in that it includes first and second pivoting latches 212a, 212 b.

Referring to fig. 10, the web 106b has a fixed latch 210 and first and second pivoting latches 212a, 212 b. The fixed latch 210 is preferably located in a central portion of the web 106b, and each pivoting latch 212a, 212 is located at each end of the fixed latch 210. For hanger 100a, the pivoting latches 212a, 212b preferably project from a first side of web 106b, while the fixed latch 210 projects from an opposite side of web 106.

Referring to fig. 10, each pivoting latch 212a, 212b is preferably defined by a slot 218a, 218b cut in the web 106 b. Each slot preferably has a triangular shape as discussed above in connection with hanger 100 a. Each slot 218a, 218b is defined by the shape of each slot 218a, 218b closed by a living hinge represented by dashed lines 220a, 220 b.

As described above in connection with the hanger 100a, each pivoting latch 212a, 212b preferably has an engagement means to facilitate movement of the pivoting latch. The engagement means preferably includes cantilevered ends 222a, 222b of pivoting latches 212a, 212b that provide a mechanical advantage of moving each pivoting latch 212a, 212b away from the first and second versions of the second embodiment of size indicator 108b, 111b, respectively, when a release force (F) is applied thereto.

Referring to both fig. 9a and 9b, a first version of the second embodiment of the size indicator 108b has two sides 226, 228 extending therefrom to form a generally C-shaped channel 209. Each side 226, 228 terminates in a forward-most edge 230, 232. The forward-most edges 230, 232 are preferably configured such that the cantilevered end 222a, 222b of each pivoting latch 212a, 212b is exposed when the size indicator 108b is secured to the web 106 b.

In another form of the second size indicator of the second embodiment shown in fig. 9c, like numerals are used to indicate like features and the second size indicator of the second embodiment is generally indicated by numeral 111 b. The size indicator 111b has a cross-sectional shape similar to size indicator 111a, i.e., sidewalls 226 and 228 meet at an apex 225 and define a V-shaped cavity 213.

The first and second size indicators 108b, 111b of the second embodiment also have finger means 234 for engaging the fixed and pivoting latches 210, 212a, 212b, respectively, to secure 108b, 111b to the web 106b during normal use. However, the size indicators 108b, 111b are removably secured to the web 106b such that the indicators 108b, 111b can be released from the web 106b when a release force is applied to pivot the pivoting latches 212a, 212b away from the finger arrangement 234 of the size indicators 108b, 111 b. The finger arrangement 234 preferably includes an inward ridge 234a, 234b on each of the forward-most edges 230, 232 and projecting inwardly toward the channels 209, 213 of the size indicators 108b, 111 b.

Although the size indicator can be disposed on the top or side of the second size indicator 108b of the second embodiment, it is preferred that the size indicator 108a of the first embodiment has size indicia 107 disposed on the size indicator 108a and the size indicator 108b of the second embodiment has size indicia 207 on both sides 226, 228 of the size indicator 108 b. Since the cross-section of the size indicator 111a, 111b is triangular, the size indicator 107, 207 can only be displayed on its side (126, 128 for the size indicator 111 a; 226, 228 for the size indicator 111 b).

Referring to FIG. 10, the web 106b preferably also has a mounting ridge 236 extending over a portion of the web 106b and underlying the size indicator 108b to provide external support to the edges 230, 232 of the size indicator. Each of the cantilever ends and the engagement means 222a, 222b is preferably designed to engage with a tool (not shown) for applying the release force (F). The engagement means is preferably an indentation 240a, 240b formed on the side of each cantilever end 222a, 222 b. The tool is designed as described above in connection with hanger 100 a.

The web 106b preferably also has an outermost edge 242 having an outermost portion as described in connection with hanger 100 a. The size indicator 108b has a slot 244 (fig. 9a) with a substantially matching cross-section designed to receive the outermost portion so as to prevent lateral movement of the size indicator when the size indicator 108b is mounted to the web 106 b. The preferred predetermined cross-section of the outermost portion and the slot 244 is generally rectangular. Similar to the size indicator 111a, the second version of the second embodiment of the size indicator 111B has a slot 244a shaped such that when the size indicator 111B is mounted to the web 106B, the outermost portion is received within the slot 244a to prevent lateral movement of the size indicator 111B in the direction B-B.

The web 106b also includes locating means for locating the size indicators 108b, 111b at predetermined positions on the web 106 b. The positioning means is formed from a reinforced sheet of the hanger hook and preferably includes first and second guides 246a, 246b disposed adjacent each side edge 248a, 248b of the size indicators 108b, 111b and spaced from each other to align the size indicators 108b, 111b therebetween and center the size indicators 108b, 111b during installation on the web 106 b.

The operation of the garment hanger 100b of the second embodiment of the present invention is substantially the same as that of the garment hanger 100a of the first embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the pivoting latches 212a, 212b are pivoted by applying a release force to release the size indicators 108b, 111b from the web 106 b.

Figure 11 shows a garment hanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention, the garment hanger being indicated generally at 100 c. A garment hanger 100c according to a third embodiment of the present invention is similar to the garment hanger of the second embodiment (the second garment hanger 100b) except that the size indicator web 106a has been removed.

While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms disclosed and described, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (27)

1. A garment hanger having a removable size indicator, the garment hanger comprising:

a hanging means for hanging the hanger on the support, and a body connected to the hanging means;

said hanger having at least one web for removably securing the size indicator to the hanger, the web having a fixed latch and a pivoting latch; and

the size indicator has a triangular cross-section and finger means for engaging the fixed latch and the pivoting latch to secure the size indicator to the web during normal use, wherein the size indicator is released from the fixed latch when the pivoting latch is pivoted out of engagement with the finger means of the size indicator.

2. The garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the suspension device is a hook and the web is located at a junction between the hook and the hanger body.

3. The garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the hanging means is a hook and the web is located at a top of the hook.

4. The garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting latch is located at a central portion of the web and the fixed latch is located at least one end of the pivoting latch.

5. The garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the fixed latch further comprises two posts located at each end of the pivoting latch.

6. The garment hanger according to claim 4, wherein the pivoting latch projects from a first side of the web and the fixed latch projects from an opposite side of the web.

7. The garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting latch is defined by a slot cut in the web, the slot having a shape defined by at least two sides, the pivoting latch additionally defined by a living hinge closing the shape of the slot.

8. The garment hanger according to claim 7, wherein the slot is substantially two-sided and is closed in shape by a living hinge to form a triangular shaped pivoting latch.

9. The garment hanger according to claim 7, wherein the garment hanger further comprises an engagement arrangement for facilitating movement of the pivoting latch.

10. The garment hanger according to claim 9, wherein the engagement means comprises a cantilevered end of the pivoting latch that when a release force is applied thereto, provides a mechanical advantage of pivoting the pivoting latch to disengage it from the size indicating finger means.

11. The garment hanger according to claim 10, wherein the size indicator preferably has two sides depending from an apex, each side terminating in a forward most edge, the forward most edges being configured such that a cantilevered end of the pivoting latch is exposed when the size indicator is secured to the web.

12. The garment hanger according to claim 11, wherein the web further comprises a guard disposed on the web and below the size indicator, the guard having a downwardly turned portion that conforms to the contour of the cantilevered end to prevent inadvertent contact with the engagement means.

13. The garment hanger according to claim 10, wherein the cantilevered end and the engagement means are configured as engagement means for cooperating with a tool for applying the release force.

14. The garment hanger according to claim 13, wherein the engagement means is an indentation formed in a side of the distal end of the cantilever arm.

15. The garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the size indicator has two sides depending from an apex, each side terminating in a foremost edge.

16. The garment hanger according to claim 15, wherein the size-indicating finger means comprises an inwardly facing ridge disposed on each of the foremost edges and projecting inwardly towards the channel.

17. The garment hanger according to claim 1, wherein the web further comprises a positioning device for positioning the size indicator at a predetermined location on the web.

18. The garment hanger according to claim 17, wherein the positioning means further comprises first and second guides located on each side edge of the size indicator, respectively, and spaced from each other so that during installation of the size indicator on the web, the size indicator is aligned between the first and second guides so as to be located intermediate the two guides.

19. The garment hanger according to claim 18, wherein the first and second guides do not extend the entire length of the side edges of the size indicator.

20. A triangular cross-section size indicator removably secured to a web of a garment hanger, the size indicator comprising two sides depending from an apex to form a V-shaped channel, each side terminating in a foremost edge, the apex defining a slot shaped to substantially receive an outermost portion of the web to resist lateral movement of the size indicator when the size indicator is secured to the web, each side having an inwardly directed ridge on each foremost edge and projecting inwardly toward the channel to engage a fixed ridge and a pivoting ridge on the web.

21. A garment hanger having a removable size indicator, the garment hanger comprising:

a hanging means for hanging the hanger on the support, and a body connected to the hanging means;

said garment hanger having at least one web for removably securing a size indicator to the garment hanger, the web having a fixed latch and two pivoting latches; and

the size indicator has a triangular cross-section and finger means for engaging the fixed latch and the pivoting latch to secure the size indicator to the web during normal use, wherein the size indicator is released from the fixed latch when the pivoting latch is pivoted out of engagement with the finger means of the size indicator.

22. The garment hanger according to claim 21, wherein the hanging means is a hook and the web is located at a top of the hook.

23. The garment hanger according to claim 21, wherein the fixed latch is located at a central portion of the web and the pivoting latch is located at each end of the fixed latch.

24. The garment hanger according to claim 23, wherein the pivoting latch projects from a first side of the web and the fixed latch projects from an opposite side of the web.

25. The garment hanger according to claim 21, wherein each of the pivoting latches is defined by a slot cut in the web, the slot having a shape defined by at least two sides, the pivoting latch additionally defined by a living hinge closing the shape of the slot.

26. The garment hanger according to claim 25, wherein each of the slots is substantially two-sided and the slot shape is closed by a living hinge to form a triangular shaped pivoting latch.

27. The garment hanger according to claim 25, wherein the pivoting latch further comprises an engagement means to facilitate pivoting of each pivoting latch.