GB2349909A

GB2349909A - Attachment for a garment hanger

Info

Publication number: GB2349909A
Application number: GB9908086A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Anthony Hawkins
Original assignee: Mainetti UK Ltd
Current assignee: Mainetti UK Ltd
Priority date: 1999-04-10
Filing date: 1999-04-10
Publication date: 2000-11-15
Also published as: GB9908086D0

Abstract

An attachment 1 for holding a garment in position on a hanger comprises a pair of side limbs 2 for resiliently engaging a garment support arm 5 of the hanger and an upper limb 6 extending from the junction of the side legs 2 to resiliently apply pressure to arm 5 to grip part of a garment between the upper leg 6 and the arm 5 of the hanger. Side limbs 2 may have hooks 3 at their distal ends for engaging the edge of the hanger arm 5. Preferably upper limb 6 may extend at an acute angle from the junction of the side limbs 2 and upper limb 6 may also form an acute angle with the hanger arm 5. The upper limb 6 may further have a pad 8 at its distal end for applying pressure to the hanger arm 5.

Description

2349909 ATTACHMENT FOR GARMENT HANGER The present invention relates to

garment holding attachments for garment hangers and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to garment holding attachments adapted to hold shoulder straps or the collar of a garment in position on the hanger.

Garment hangers are known wh'ich comprise a hanger body from which a pair of arms extend, each of the arms being provided with a notch or projecting leg on the upper or lower surface thereof. when a garment is mounted to the hanger, a shoulder strap or collar of the garment is located in the notch or between the projecting leg and the adjacent surface of the hanger to hold the garment in position on the hanger.

Known hangers of this type suf fer from the drawback that the notches or projecting legs are fixed in position on the hanger, as a result of which a particular hanger is only suitable for use with a narrow range of garments sizes.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome this disadvantage of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an attachment for holding a garment in position on a garment hanger having a pair of garment support arms, the attachment comprising a pair of first limbs adapted to resiliently engage a garment support arm of a garment hanger therebetween, and at least one second limb extending from said first limbs and adapted to resilient apply pressure to the arm to grip part of a garment between the second limb and the arm of the hanger and maintain the attachment in position on the hanger arm.

This provides the advantage of enabling the attachment to be moved to various positions along the hanger arm to make the hanger suitable for use with garments of different sizes.

Each said first limb may include a hook adjacent a distal end thereof for engaging an edge of the arm of the hanger.

The or each second limb preferably extends at an acute angle to each said first limb.

This provides the advantage that when the or each second limb applies pressure to the surface of the hanger arm, the first limbs are caused to more tightly engage the hanger arm.

The or each second limb in use preferably extends at an acute angle to the adjacent surface of the hanger arm.

The or each second limb preferably has a respective pad adjacent a distal end thereof for applying pressure to the hanger arm.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a garment hanger comprises a hanger body, suspension means extending from the hanger body for suspending the hanger from a - 3 support, a pair of hanger arms extending from the hanger body for supporting a garment thereon, and at least one attachment as defined above for maintaining a garment in position on the hanger.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanyig drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a side elevation view of an attachment embodying the present invention and mounted to an arm of a garment hanger; Figure 2 is a plan view, corresponding to Figure 1, of the attachment of Figure 1 in position; Figure 3 is a view along the line A-A in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a view along the line B-B in Figure 1.

A garment holding attachment I has a pair of side legs 2, each of which has a hook 3 at its distal end for engaging the lower edge 4 of a hollow arm 5 of a garment hanger of suitable material such as plastic. The construction of the hanger will be familiar to persons skilled in the art and will therefore not be described in greater detail herein.

An upper leg 6 extends from the junction of the lower legs 2, and extends at an acute angle to the upper edge 7 of the hanger arm 5. The top leg 6 is provided with a pad 8 at its distal end for gripping a part (such as a shoulder strap or the collar) of a garment (not shown) between the pad 8 and the upper edge 7 of the hanger arm 5.

In use, the attachment 1 is located on the hanger arm 5 by resiliently pushing the lower legs 2 over the hanger arm 5, or sliding the attachment 1 along the hanger arm 5. The pad 8 of the upper leg 6 applies pressure to the upper surface of the hanger arm as the upper leg 6 flexes as the attachment moves along the hanger arm 5. As a result, the distal end of the upper leg 6 is urged in the direction of arrow C shown in Figure 1, as a consequence of which the hooks 3 engage the lower edge 4 of the hanger arm 5 to maintain the attachment 1 in position. A garment can then be held in position on the hanger by inserting part of the garment under the pad 8 of the upper leg 6.

It can be seen that because of the resilient nature of the attachment 1, the attachment can be securely located in a variety of positions on hanger arms of a variety of sizes and thicknesses.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An attachment for holding a garment in position on a garment hanger having a pair of garment support arms, the attachment comprising a pair of first limbs adapted to resiliently engage a garment support arm of a garment hanger therebetween, and at least one second limb extending from said first limbs and adapted to resiliently apply pressure to the arm to grip part of a garment between the second limb and the arm of the hanger and maintain the attachment in position on the hanger arm.

2. An attachment according to claim 1, wherein each said first limb includes a hook adjacent a distal end thereof for engaging an edge of the arm of the hanger.

3. An attachment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the or each second limb extends at an acute angle to each said first limb.

4. An attachment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each second limb in use extends at an acute angle to the adjacent surface of the hanger arm. _

5. An attachment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each second limb has a respective pad adjacent a distal end thereof for applying pressure to the hanger arm.

6. An attachment for holding a garment in position on a garment hanger having a pair of garment support arms, the attachment substantially as hereinbef ore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A garment hanger comprising a hanger body, suspension means extending from the hanger body for suspending the hanger from a support, a pair of hanger arms extending from the hanger body for supporting a garment thereon, and at least one attachment according to any one of the preceding claims for maintaining a garment in position on the hanger.