HK1110489A - Spring top lower neck hanger sizing - Google Patents

Description

Size identification of elastic top lower neck clothes hanger

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of garment hangers, and more particularly to garment hangers adapted to receive and retain size indicia at the junction of the hook and body.

Background

In the field of retail clothing sales, the so-called "On-the-shelf" (GOH) program is advocated by retailers. In the GOH program, garments already hung on hangers are delivered to retailers, whereby the garments upon arrival at the retail location are immediately placed on display shelves for sale. Previously, retailers have done the task of hanging garments on hangers with their own labor.

In particular, retailers have specialized specific hangers or hanger characteristics among their several suppliers to facilitate visually pleasing uniformity at their sales locations. For this purpose, standards regarding hanger size, shape, performance characteristics, etc. are maintained, for example, by an organization such as the volunteer industry Inter-industry Commerce standards association (VICS). One particular standardized hanger feature is very popular in several hanger models, namely a rotatable metal hook fitted to a plastic hanger.

Moreover, in connection with the issuance of GOH programs, retailers and their customers need to have the hangers themselves display some indicia regarding the information conveyed thereon. The type of indicia may include manufacturer, material and price, but most notably their size for the garment. Various devices have been developed to accomplish this function, including those disclosed in the following documents: U.S. patent No.5884422 to Marshal et al and U.S. patent No.6019260 to Gouldson, both of which are commonly assigned with the instant application. Of which the latter patent as described above discloses the most popular, namely those devices which are fixed to the hanger adjacent the intersection of the hook and the hanger body and to one side of the hook, suitably referred to as side sizers or simply side sizers; lower neck sizers or markers.

However, these hangers are specifically designed to perform their function and they do not meet industry standards for shape, size, appearance. Moreover, their special appearance is not desirable. Accordingly, there is a need for a garment hanger and lower neck identifier secured thereto that generally conforms to applicable industry standards.

Disclosure of Invention

Thus according to the present invention there is provided a combination garment hanger and marker comprising a garment hanger having a body and a post extending upwardly from the body, the intersection of the post and the body forming a lower neck region of the garment hanger, the post having an outwardly extending flange at a location remote from the body of the garment hanger. The marker comprises a pair of opposed side walls connected by a pair of opposed end walls, with an opening in the top of the marker defined at least in part by a moveable resilient tab, preferably two tabs located on opposite sides of the marker, connected to one of the side walls or one of the end walls, wherein displacement of the tab expands the opening to accommodate the flange. At least a portion of the cylinder between the flange and the body is smaller than the flange to reduce displacement of the label.

The hanger may further comprise a recess in the flange sized and positioned to receive the free end of the resilient tab and thereby limit vertical and lateral movement of the indicator. The groove may be an asymptotic groove, a concavity, a convex grid (convex file) or a chamfer.

The marker sidewall is generally trapezoidal in cross-section. The elastic label is preferably attached to the marker on the end wall of the marker, more preferably on the end wall away from the top of the end wall, which is separated from the marker by at least two slits.

The hanger may include a recess in the post, the recess including a first generally horizontal surface sized and positioned to receive a projection extending inwardly from a wall of the marker, the projection having a second generally horizontal surface.

The invention further includes hangers or identifiers described as being separate from one another.

Drawings

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent with reference to the following description and drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like features throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a garment hanger and flexible top lower neck sizer assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of the marker through the lower neck and elastic tip along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of the lower neck portion of the garment hanger of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of a size indicator according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of the marker along line 5-5 of fig. 4.

Detailed Description

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated in perspective view a hanger and flexible top lower neck sizer assembly portion, generally designated 100, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Assembly 100 includes a flexible tip marker 110 and a hanger 120. The hanger 120 preferably conforms to industry standards such as the shape promulgated by VICS. In this embodiment, the hanger 120 has a lower neck portion 130 for receiving a rotatable metal hook (not shown) extending from a body 140 of the hanger 120. The elastomeric tip marker 110 generally surrounds the lower neck 130. In an exemplary embodiment, the elastomeric apex marker 110 has generally trapezoidal front and rear sides 112 connected by an end 114. On at least one side 112 or one end 114 of the flexible top indicator 110, a flexible retaining tab 116, preferably on both ends 114, is attached to and thereby secured to the lower neck 130 of the hanger 120.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view through the lower neck 130 and the elastomeric tip marker 110 along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 is depicted. The lower neck 130 may include a post 132 having a hole 134, the hole 134 for receiving a rotatable metal hook (not shown). In the space defined by the column 134, the cradle 136 and the hanger body 140, the column 132 is supported on both sides by the cradle 136 and the web 138. Near the top end of the lower neck 130, a flange 150 extends outwardly from the cylinder 132. The flange 150 includes a groove 152 sized and positioned to mate with the retention tab 116 of the elastomeric tip marker 110.

The flange 150, and in particular the groove 152, works with the retaining tab 116 to apply a force obliquely to the marker 110 while simultaneously applying a force outwardly and downwardly. The grooves 152 are shown as progressive grooves, but may also be embodied as depressions, convex grids, or ramps. Further, the lip 150 and groove 152 may be spaced from the indicator 110 and not connected thereto at all times, while constraining lateral and/or upward movement of the indicator 110 once engaged with the hanger 120. Also, the groove 152 makes the post 134 narrower, thereby saving material. However, the flange 150 may also be provided without a recess, wherein the post 134 and the marker 110 are sized such that no recess is required to maintain lateral stability of the marker 110.

Furthermore, referring to figure 3, which is a perspective view of only the lower neck 130, in the illustrated embodiment the flange 150 extends only laterally from the post 134, i.e. in the direction of the arms of the hanger and/or the end 114 of the tag. Alternatively, the flange may extend radially outward from the post 134 in all directions. Alternatively, the grooves 152 formed in the cylinder 134 do not have the flanges 150, in which case the grooves are progressive, sloped, or radial, and are only transverse or radial in all directions with respect to the cylinder 134.

The resilient retention tab 116 may be considered to be a portion cut from the end wall 114 that is separated from the marker 110 by a slit 118 and attached to the marker 110 at the bottom 116 a. Separating the bottom 116a from the groove 152, e.g. by means of the slit 118, makes the resilient holding label 116 more resilient. The degree of resiliency in retaining the label 116 can be readily controlled by adjusting the material, thickness and/or dimensions of the label 116.

Referring again to fig. 3, the perspective view of the lower neck 130 further depicts a recess 154 in the lower portion of the post 134 that abuts the hanger body 140. The recess 154 includes a horizontal surface 156 at an upper portion of the recess 154 that is operatively connected to a protrusion inserted into the recess 154. The protrusion may be provided on a marker such as disclosed in U.S. provisional patent application serial No.60/661588 (attorney docket No. 18697), filed by the inventor on 3/14/2005, commonly assigned herewith, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Thus, the identifier 110 is releasably secured to the hanger 120, preferably in a manner that is inaccessible to children, as defined in most industry standards, such as those promulgated by Bureau Veritas Consumer Product Services, Inc.

Referring now to fig. 4, a size indicator, generally designated 200, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention is depicted in a perspective view. The same or other features of the second embodiment as those of the first embodiment, which are readily understood, will not be described in detail herein. In this second embodiment of the marker 200, a resilient tab 216 extends horizontally from the end wall 214, with a corresponding slot 218.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of the marker 200 along line 5-5 of FIG. 4 is depicted. An inward projection 220 extends from the inner surface of the sidewall 212. In use, the inward projection 212 is positioned in the recess 154 of the post 134 to further secure the marker 200. The recess 222 extends from an upper end of the horizontal surface facing the inward protrusion 220 and is formed by a molded part used in a process of producing the marker 200 from an injection molded plastic material. The injection molded plastic typically used for both markers 110, 200 or hanger 140 may be one or more of the following materials: polystyrene, SAN, ABS, PPO, nylon, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene, PET, Polycarbonate (PC), acrylic resin, K-resin and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The invention has been described herein with reference to certain exemplary or preferred embodiments. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that certain changes and/or modifications may be made to the invention for the purpose of facilitating disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. These examples are given by way of illustration only and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by reference to the claims appended hereto.

Claims (28)

1. A combination hanger and marker, the combination comprising:

a garment hanger having a body and a post extending upwardly from the body, the intersection of the post and the body forming a lower neck region of the garment hanger, the post having an outwardly extending flange at a location remote from the body of the garment hanger;

a marker having a pair of opposed side walls joined by a pair of opposed end walls, the marker having an opening in the top thereof defined at least in part by a movable resilient tab attached to one of said side walls or one of said end walls, wherein displacement of the tab expands the opening to accommodate the flange, at least a portion of the column between the flange and the body being smaller than the flange to reduce displacement of the tab.

2. The combination hanger and indicator according to claim 1, the hanger further comprising a recess in the flange sized and positioned to receive the free end of the resilient tab and thereby limit vertical and lateral movement of the indicator.

3. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 2, wherein the recess is one of an asymptotic recess, a concavity, a convex grid or a sloping surface.

4. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 1, wherein the marker sidewall is generally trapezoidal in cross-section.

5. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 1, wherein the resilient tab is connected to the marker on an end wall of the marker.

6. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 5, wherein the flexible label is attached to the marker on the end wall remote from the top of the end wall.

7. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 1, wherein the resilient tab is separated from the marker by at least two slits.

8. The combination hanger and marker of claim 1, the hanger further comprising a recess in the post sized and positioned to receive a projection extending inwardly from a wall of the marker.

9. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 10, wherein the recess comprises a first generally horizontal surface.

10. The combination hanger and indicator according to claim 1, wherein the indicator further comprises a protrusion extending inwardly from at least one of the sidewalls.

11. The hanger and marker combination according to claim 10, wherein the projection includes a second generally horizontal surface.

12. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 1, wherein the marker comprises two moveable resilient tags.

13. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 12, wherein the two moveable resilient tags are located on opposite sides of the marker.

14. A hanger and marker combination according to claim 12, wherein the two moveable resilient tags are located on opposite end walls of the marker.

15. An indicator for a garment hanger having a hook connected to a body in a lower neck region, the indicator comprising:

a pair of opposed side walls connected by a pair of opposed end walls;

the tag has an opening in a top portion thereof defined at least in part by a moveable resilient tab attached to one of the side walls or one of the end walls, wherein movement of the tab expands the opening to receive at least a portion of the lower neck region of the hanger.

16. The marker of claim 15 wherein the marker sidewall is generally trapezoidal in cross-section.

17. The marker of claim 15 wherein the flexible label is attached to the marker on an end wall of the marker.

18. The marker of claim 17 wherein the flexible label is attached to the marker on the end wall away from the top of the end wall.

19. The marker of claim 15 wherein the elastic label is separated from the marker by at least two slits.

20. The marker of claim 15, wherein the marker further comprises a protrusion extending inwardly from the at least one sidewall.

21. The marker of claim 20 wherein the protrusion comprises a generally horizontal surface.

22. The marker of claim 15 wherein the marker comprises two removable resilient tags.

23. The marker of claim 22 wherein the two removable resilient tags are located on opposite sides of the marker.

24. The marker of claim 22 wherein the two removable resilient tabs are located on opposite end walls of the marker.

25. A garment hanger, comprising:

a clothes hanger body;

a post extending upwardly from the body, the intersection of the post and the body forming a lower neck region of the garment hanger;

the post has a flange extending outwardly therefrom at a location remote from the frame body.

26. The garment hanger according to claim 25, further comprising a recess in the flange sized and positioned to limit vertical and lateral movement of a marker associated with the garment hanger.

27. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 25, wherein the flange comprises a recess in the underside of the flange.

28. A garment hanger as claimed in claim 27, wherein the recess is one of an asymptotic recess, a concavity, a convex grid or a chamfer.