Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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GARMENT HANGER
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hanger, particularly a hanger for hanging garments,
bags and/or
accessories, and which may be employed in retail stores.
Background to the Invention
A problem with many existing hanging devices is that if garments are removed
from the
hanger by customers they often do not rehang the garment properly when
reapplying the
hanger as many existing hangers are not easy to use to hang the garment
properly such that
it is neat, tidy and correctly merchandised. However, the hanger needs to be
readily
removable so that a customer can try on the garment before they purchase it.
Should a customer try on a garment but choose not to purchase it, it takes
some time to
rehang the garment and when such a process is rushed, the garment is often not
folded
properly and looks messy. Such a messy appearance can reduce potential sales
and damage
stock. In some stores, staff can be rehanging garments for a considerable
period of time
each day. Therefore, there is a need to reduce the time taken to rehang a
garment.
Whilst hangers have been proposed that connect to a garment through a belt
loop and stay
connected when tried on, such hangers can be problematic when threaded through
a
plurality of belt loops or when the hanger needs to be engaged or disengaged
quickly.
GB2485391A (Mainetti UK Limited) discloses a garment hanger for use with items
having
a belt loop, with the hanger comprising a closable ring of plastics material.
However, the
closable ring of plastics material may make the application and removal of
garments from
the hanger complicated and fiddly, thereby being time-consuming.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-01
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Summary of the Invention
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a garment hanger having a
rail engaging
portion and a stem, wherein, the stem comprises:
first section extending from the rail engaging portion,
a spacer section extending substantially perpendicularly from the first
section; and
a tail section extending from the spacer section and directed towards the
first section
and/or the rail engaging portion,
wherein the stem forms an open loop with an opening between the end of the
tail
section and the first section of the stem.
The present invention provides a readily accessible open loop to engage with a
loop of
material on a garment. Thus, the garment can be readily affixed to, and
removed from, the
hanger.
The loop is an open loop that is not fixedly connected to, and does not engage
with, the
stem, thereby allowing opening to be readily accessed to engage or disengage a
garment.
More preferably, a gap is formed between the tail section and the stem.
The rail engaging portion may be in the form of a hook having a space for
engaging a rail,
for example, in a store. The spacer section may extend from the first section
of the stem in
a direction that is non-parallel to the span of the rail engaging portion.
This allows the
garments to lay in a direction that is not perpendicular with the span of the
rail engaging
portion, thereby reducing the space taken up by the hung garment.
Advantageously, the spacer section is substantially flat, or planar, and it
may be an
extended or an elongate portion on which the garment can rest, when in use.
This provides
a convenient location for the loop of a garment to rest and the spacer is of
sufficient length
to allow the loop of material of the garment to lay flat, thereby not
deforming the loop when
the garment is on the hanger. Thus, the length of the flat section of the
spacer on which the
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-21
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garment loop may rest may be more than 5mm in length to accommodate, for
example, a
belt loop.
In a preferred embodiment, the opening of the loop is positioned substantially
above the
spacer section, when the hanger is allowed to rest, or fall, in its natural
hanging position. In
such an arrangement, the opening is arranged in a linear position opposite the
spacer
section. Thus, in use, when the rail engagement section engages a rail, the
weight of the
garment results in the spacer section being at the lowest point and the
opening is arranged
between the spacer and the rail. This aids with retaining the garment on the
hanger, when
in use on a rail, because the weight of the garment pulls the garment away
from the
opening, or gap, making it less likely to become disengaged.
It is advantageous that the opening between the tail section and the first
section of the stem
is less than half of the length of the spacer section and, particularly
advantageous where the
opening is less than a quarter of the length of the spacer section. Such a
relationship
reduces the risk of the garment disengaging from the hanger.
Preferably, a tail flange is provided on the tail section and that extends in
a direction away
from the stem and the spacer section. The tail flange is employed to provide a
guide, or to
create a funnel section, to guide garments into the open loop of the stem
section more
readily. This reduces the precision required by a user when affixing the
hanger and they
can simply slide the garment loop close to the hanger and the tail flange will
guide the
garment loop into the opening of the hanger. The apex between the tail flange
and the tail
section may be sufficiently close to the first section of the stem that it
forms a small gap
that makes it difficult for a garment to disengage without manual
manipulation. Where that
is the case, due to the angles formed in the stem, a user is able to ready
manipulate the
garment towards the gap and the material is able to elastically deform to
allow the garment
onto or off the hanger with minimal effort.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-21
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In an advantageous arrangement, the width of the stem is less than the bight
of the rail
engaging section and it is also advantageous where the width of stem is
substantially
uniform or it may narrow, or taper, towards the tail section. These
arrangements allow the
hanger to be more easily applied to a garment.
The hanger is, preferably, a garment hanger, although it may be used on
accessories or
bags.
The invention extends to a garment hanger assembly comprising:
a garment hanger as described herein and provided with an aperture therein;
and
connection means;
wherein a loop of the garment engages the loop of the hanger and the
connection
means passes through the aperture in the garment hanger and engages the
garment.
The use of an aperture in the hanger and connection means, for example, a
string, chain or
kimble, allows for the hanger to be connected independently to the garment.
This results in
the garment being able to be supported on a rail by the hanger and then the
hanger being
connected via the connection means to the garment. Thus, the garment can be
disengaged
from the hanger whilst still being connected thereto, thereby reducing the
risk of the hanger
being incorrectly applied to another garment.
The hanger may be provided with one or more sections to which a sizer and/or a
label may
be applied. For example, a sizer, which indicates the size of a garment, may
be clipped to
the rail engaging portion, the stem or the tail. Additionally, or
alternatively, a larger section
or flange may be provided, for example between the rail engaging portion and
the stem, to
which a sticker, label or other item may be applied. The sizer, if used, may
attach to the
label section, if present.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-21
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Brief Description of the Drawings
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only,
and with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a diagram showing a from view of a hanger in accordance with the
present
invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hanger of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a side view of the hanger of Figure 1; and
Figure 4 shows the hanger of Figure 1 in use.
Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments
Figures 1 to 4 show a hanger 10 for hanging a garment on a rail, comprising a
rail engaging
portion in the form of a hook 12, and a stem 14. The stem 14 extends
substantially parallel
and/or planarly with the plane of the bight, or span, of the hook 12.
The stem 14 has a lower end 16, which is connected to a first end of a planar
elongate
spacer section 18 that extends rearwardly from the stem, that is,
substantially orthogonally
behind the plane of the span of the hook 12, to create a "shelf'. The other
end of the spacer
section 18 is connected to a first end of a tail section 20 that extends in a
direction towards
the first section 16 and/or the hook 12 to create a substantially triangular
open loop with a
gap opposite the spacer section 18. The second end of the tail section 20 is
provided with a
tail flange 22 that extends away from the first section 16.
The internal angle A between the first section 16 and the spacer section 18 is
substantially
90 degrees. The angle B between the spacer section 18 and the tail section 20
is 90 degrees
or, preferably, less. The angle C between the tail section 20 and the tail
flange 22 is
substantially between 30 and 120 degrees. This creates a substantially
triangular open loop
having a gap G between the second end of the tail section 20 and the first
section 16 and
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-21
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arranged above the spacer section 18, the width of the gap being less than the
length S of
the spacer section 18.
The hanger 10 is constructed from a resiliently yieldable material so that it
can elastically
deform to allow a loop of a garment to pass through the gap G. That yieldable
material
may be, inter alia, plastics material or metal. The parts of the hanger below
the hooks are
substantially fixed relative to one another so that the hanger holds its shape
and is relatively
rigid, albeit that it can elastically flex, when required.
In use, one or a plurality of loops 28 of a garment 30 are fed onto the hanger
10. This is
achieved by pushing the, or each, loop through the gap G. When the loop is
thicker than
the gap G, the hanger elastically yields in order to allow the loop into the
triangular open
loop formed by the stem 14. Because gap G elastically returns to its original
size, the loops
are held on the hanger and have a low chance of passive disengaging therefrom.
The
garment can be hung on a rail 32 via hook 12.
The tail flange 22 helps to guide the loop of the garment into the gap G by
forming a
secondary, guide wall that converges on the gap G. The tail flange 22 can also
be used to
open the gap G wider by putting pressure on the tail flange 22, for example by
using a
thumb, thereby allowing a user to more easily attach the garment to, or remove
the garment
from, the hanger 10.
Hook 12 has a span, or bight, H intended to engage a garment display rail 32
and the width
of the stem 14 and parts connected thereto may be less than that of the span
H.
Additionally, the width of the stem is, preferably, uniform.
The spacer section 18 is substantially flat, but could be curved convexly or
concavely on
one or both sides (internal and/or external to the loop), if required.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-21
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The tail section may be substantially parallel with the first section thereby
creating a
U-shaped open loop, although it is preferable that it extends towards the
first section to
create a substantially triangular-shaped open loop with an aperture therein
positioned
adjacent the stem.
The second end of the tail section is not fixedly attached to the first
section, thus, even if the
second end of the tail section was to touch the first section of the stem, it
is still an open
loop that can be readily enlarged to engage or disengage the hanger from a
garment.
The hanger may be provided with an aperture in it, for example in the stem,
possibly at the
first section 16, through which retaining means may pass. The retaining means,
which may
be in the form of a loop, string, chain, tie, kimble tag or other flexible
member, can be
employed to attach the hanger to the garment independently from the tail
section. One way
in which this may be enabled is to pass the retaining means through a loop of
the garment
and through the aperture of the hanger or to puncture the garment with the
retaining means
and also passing the retaining means through the hole. Thus, even if the
garment is
removed from the hanger, the hanger is still attached to the garment via the
attachment
means.
The hanger may comprise a body section between the rail engaging portion and
the stem,
wherein the body is shaped to allow for the application of a label or other
information.
A "garment" is generally considered to be an item of clothing that may be worn
by a
person. Therefore, it may include, but is not limited to, trousers, shorts,
jeans, skirts,
jackets, jumpers or shirts. Accessories, such as hats, sunglasses, bags and
belts are not
considered to be garments, although the hanger may, in some circumstances be
employed
on these items.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-07-21
