HANGERS WITH LONG LASTING NON-SLIP SURFACESThis invention relates generally to clamp-type garment hangers with clamp assemblies that include non-slip surfaces for positively gripping garments. Specifically, this invention relates to clamp-type garment hangers wherein the garment gripping pads are made of resilient friction material for positively gripping the garments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA common problem associated with today's clamp-type garment hangers is that the garments slip through the clamp assemblies, or clamps, and fall to the floor with unacceptable frequency. This problem is particularly annoying to a consumer who places a relatively expensive and fragile garment, such as a pair of dress slacks or a skirt, on a clamp-type garment hanger. The slacks or skirt often slip through the clamp assemblies and fall to the floor thereby becoming wrinkled and requiring ironing or dry cleaning.
In order to avoid this situation, manufacturers of clamp-type garment hangers have designed clamp assemblies with rough or sharp edges to positively grip the garment.
However, clamp assemblies with rough garment-engaging surfaces have the potential of damaging delicate materials such as silk or linen through extended use. One particular problem is associated with clamp assemblies that employ outwardly protruding nipple-like projections or cleats. The nipple-like projections leave indentations in the cuffs of slacks and the waist-bands of skirts. Removal of these indentations normally requires ironing or dry cleaning, or the consumer may have to wear the garment due to inadequate time to remove the indentations.
The above-mentioned shortcomings are not only annoying to the consumers but to the manufacturers of garments as well. First, a manufacturer cannot tolerate a clamp-type garment hanger that, with unacceptable frequency, allows the garments to slip through the clamp assemblies and fall to the floor. Manufacturers of garments often ship their expensive garments already hung on clamp-type garment hangers. The garments will wrinkle or become damaged if they fall off the hangers during transit. By the same token, retailers are very particular about product presentation and will not tolerate garment hangers that permit garments to fall onto the floor.Further, neither manufacturers nor retailers can tolerate clamp-type garment hangers that employ rough clamping surfaces or nippled clamping surfaces because such designs have the potential to damage fragile or expensive garments, or at least, mar the appearance thereby detracting from the sales appeal to the purchaser.
Hence, there is a need for a new clamp-type garment hanger that meets the aforenoted criteria.
Specifically, the clamp assemblies must positively grip the garment without either marking or adhering to the garment fabric. Further, because the hanger must be capable of use as a shipping hanger by clothing manufacturers, the clamp assembly must be able to maintain its gripping ability under a wide range of temperatures and rough handling resulting from the shocks and bumps to which such hangers are exposed during shipment. It is highly desirable to produce a clamp assembly with a clamping surface that is both smooth to the touch and has the ability to positively grip the garments for an extended period of time. A clamping surface that is smooth to the touch is pleasing to the consumer and assures the consumer that the clamping surface will not damage the garment.
A clamp-type garment hanger that meets the aforenoted criteria must also be competitive from a cost-to-produce basis. Specifically, dissimilar components of the clamp-type garment hanger must easily bond to one another. Second, the improved clamping surface must be comprised of competitively priced, yet readily accessible materials.
This invention provides a solution to all of the abovementioned problems and satisfies all of the above criteria. An improved clamping surface including resilient pads made of the family of resilient friction materials identified below provides positive gripping action for lightweight and heavyweight garments alike. The clamping surface provides excellent gripping ability in both cold and hot environments. The resilient pads are smooth to the touch and do not mark the garments. Finally, they adhere to conventional plastic clamp-type garment hangers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONWith the above considerations in view, the present invention is directed to an improved clamp-type garment hanger comprising hang means, a cross-bar having two ends with the hang means extending upwardly from a central area of the cross-bar for suspending the garment hanger from a support location, and garment-suspending means including two clamp assemblies, one clamp assembly located at each end of the cross-bar for securing a pant or skirt to the garment hanger with each clamp assembly including a front clamping member and a rear clamping member, wherein(a) each of the front and rear clamping membersincludes an outer surface and an inner clampingsurface with each of the outer surfaces of thefront and rear clamping members including arecessed channel for accommodating a U-shapedclamp, the U-shaped clamp resiliently urging thefront and rear clamping members into a garmentclamping position;(b) the rear clamping member includes two downwardlyextending fingers and is an integral extension ofthe cross-bar, being stationary with respect tothe cross-bar, the two downwardly-extendingfingers being laterally spaced from one another;(c) the front clamping member includes one downwardlyextending finger which is so aligned as to fall in between the two downwardly-extending fingers ofthe respective rear clamping member in thegarment-clamping position;;(d) each downwardly-extending finger includes an innerclamping surface with at least one inner clampingsurface including at least one resilient padfabricated from resilient friction material, afirst side of the resilient pad being secured toand carried by the inner clamping surface of oneof the downwardly extending fingers, and a secondside of the resilient pad being presented forcontact with a garment to be hung from the hanger;and(e) the resilient friction material comprises a blockcopolymer having discreet block segments ofstyrene monomer units and rubber monomer units,the co-efficient of friction of the second side ofthe resilient pad being sufficiently high topreclude movement under the weight of the garmentwhen a normal clamping force is applied to the twoclamping members to move them into clampingposition.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of a clamp-type garment hanger made in accordance with this invention;Figure 2 is a side view of the right clamp assembly in an open position of the clamp-type garment hanger illustrated in Figure 1; andFigure 3 is a front elevation of another embodiment of a clamp-type garment hanger made in accordance with this invention with the right clamp assembly in an open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONLike reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from Figure to Figure in the following description of the drawing.
Figure 1 illustrates a clamp-type garment hanger 55 made in accordance with the present invention. The garment hanger 55 features a cross-bar 56 with a hang means, in this case a hook 57, attached at about the middle of the cross-bar 56. Two clamp assemblies 58 and 59 are located on either end of the cross-bar 56. The right clamp assembly 59 illustrates the clamping mechanism of this design in the open position. The front clamping member, indicated generally at 61, includes a single downwardly-extending finger 62. The rear clamping member, indicated generally at 63 includes two downwardly-extending fingers 64 and 65. The garment engaging surfaces of the right clamp assembly 59 are shown at 67, 68, and 69.
Two garment-engaging surfaces 71 and 72 of the left rear clamping member 73 are shown carried by their respective downwardly-extending fingers 74 and 75. The garment-engaging surface of the left front clamping member 76 is not shown. The front clamping members 61 and 76 are biased toward the garment clamping position by U-shaped clamps, only one of which is shown on the left at 77.
The hinge mechanism of this design, shown generally at 78 and 79 is commonly referred to as a "living" hinge, meaning the right clamp assembly 59, which includes front clamping member 61, rear clamping Member 63 and hinge 79, and left clamp assembly 58, which includes front clamping member 76, roar clamping member 73 and hinge 78 are all moulded as one piece of plastic. ln the case of the hangers illustrated in Figures 1-3, the hooks, cross-bars and clamping members are all-moulded together and each hanger incorporates "living hinges in the clamping mechanisms.
Figure 2 illustrates the coatings of the resilient friction material 67 and 69 as applied to the front inner clamping surface of the finger 62 and the rear inner clamping surface of the finger 65 respectively, The Coating of resilient material 68 on the finger 64 is not shown inFigure 2 but is identical. A thin coat of resilient friction material is applied to both sets of front downwardly-protruding fingers 62 and 81 and both sets of rear downwardly-protruding fingers 64, 65 and 74, 75. The resilient material is applied to the fingers in a molten state shortly after the hanger is moulded and while the fingers are still hot, thereby eliminating the need for glue or adhesive.
Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of a clamp-type garment hanger 82 made in accordance with the present invention. The hanger 82 incorporates a cross-bar 83 and a hang means, such as a hook 84 attached at about the middle of the cross-bar 83. Two clamp assembly assemblies 84 and 85 are fixably attached at either end of cross-bar 83. The right clamp assembly 85 illustrates a clamp assembly in the open position. The left clamp assembly 84 illustrates a clamp assembly in the closed position.
A U-shaped clamp, identical to the one shown at 86, biases the right front clamping member 87 and right rear clamping member 88 into the garment-clamping position.
Resilient friction material is carried by the front clamping member 87 and the rear clamping member 88 in the form of resilient pads 89 and 90 respectively. The molten resilient friction material used to form resilient pads 89 and 90 are applied to the inner clamping surfaces 87 and 88 when the moulded plastic comprising the surfaces 87 and 88 is still hot, thereby eliminating the need for glue or adhesive. The manner in which resilient pads 89, 90 are attached to the garment clamping members 87, 88 is structurally analogous to the method shown in Figure 2.
The resilient friction materials best suited for fictionally engaging a garment placed in between two pads are block copolymers having discreet block segments of styrene monomer units and rubber monomer units. These materials have the common quality of providing a high co-efficient of friction with slippery clothing materials such as silk, rayon, polyester and linen. This family of block copolymers generally breaks down into two types; polymers which include unsaturated rubber monomer units and polymers which include saturated rubber monomer units.
Specific examples of polymers employing unsaturated rubber monomer units include a structure which is linear in nature (A-BA type). These polymers include styrene-butadiene-styrene (S-B-S) and styrene-isoprenestyrene (S-I-S).
The other subcategory of acceptable resilient frictional materials incorporates saturated rubber monomer units. Those compounds include linear styrene-ethylene/ butylene-styrene (S-EB-S). In addition to the linear (A-B-A) polymers, there are specialised polymers of the radial (A-B) n type. Those polymers include (styrene butadiene)n, (S-B)n, or (styrene-isoprene) (S-I)n. Further, polymers of the diblock (A-B) type have been found acceptable. Those polymers include styrene-butadiene (S-B), styrene-ethylene/propylene (S-EP), and styrene-ethylene/ butylene (S-EB). Each block segment of the above-mentioned polymers may be 100 monomer units or more.
The preferred resilient friction materials discussed are commercially available from the Shell Chemical company of Woodstock, Illinois. Specific grades of the preferred resilient materials that are usable are G-2706,G-7705, D-3226 and D-2109.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will at once be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, it is intend-d that the scope of the invention be limited solely by the scope of the hereafter appended claims and not by the specific words in the foregoing description.