Collapsible Coat Hanger

This invention relates to coat hangers, and more particularly this invention relates to foldable coat hangers.

It is frequently desirable to carry coat hangers in luggage in order to hang clothes during trips. In some situations it is desirable to hang the clothes within the luggage, such as for example with hanging bags, and in other situations, it is desirable to have coat hangers available when the luggage is unpacked. In addition, from time to time, it may be desirable to carry a coat hanger on one's person or in a small bag such as a brief case. In all of these situations, it is preferable to have a coat hanger which collapses from an opened configuration for hanging clothes to a folded or closed configuration for storage and portage.

U.S. Pat No. Des. 202,484 dated Oct. 5, 1965 and filed by the applicant discloses a coat hanger having a resemblance to that of the instant invention; however, this design patent does not disclose folding and locking features which enhance portage and use of the coat hanger.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a new and improved collapsible coat hanger.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved collapsible coat hanger which locks in both the open position and in the closed position.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a new and improved collapsible coat hanger which is both light in weight and small in size.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a new and improved collapsible coat hanger which may be readily carried in luggage, or the like. or on one's person.

It is an object to arrange for the instant invention to be assembled by hand, without requiring use of any mechanical equipment or power.

With these and other objects in mind, the instant invention contemplates a collapsible coat hanger which is foldable from an open configuration to a closed configuration wherein the coat hanger includes a pair of arms and a hook mutually pivoted about the same pivot point. One of the arms has a slot therein and a projection thereon. The slot registers with the pivot to allow the arm to slide so as to position the projection in engagement with an abutment on the other arm to thereby hold the arms extended for supporting clothes thereon. Additionally, the abutting arm includes a tab overlocking the arm in such manner as to prevent inverting the hanger during the collapsing and folding action. Each arm has an open slot disposed intermediate the ends thereof for receiving a portion of the other arm when the coat hanger is folded to the collapsed configuration. Each slot defines a tab which overlies a portion of the other arm received within the slot so as to frictionally hold the coat hanger closed.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a coat hanger in accordance with the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the coat hanger of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken from one end of the coat hanger;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the coat hanger of FIG. 1 showing the coat hanger in a folded configuration and also showing in phantom lines, the elements of the hanger in a partially folded position; and

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the coat hanger in the folded configuration.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown a coat hanger 10 which is foldable from an extended configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a collapsed configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As is seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, coat hanger 10 has first and second arms 11 and 12 and a hook 14, which are joined to one another by a rivet or pin 13 so as to pivot about a mutual point. The pin 13 is headed on one end as is seen in FIG. 1 and, as seen in FIG. 2 has a relatively large concave disk or flange 15 rigidly secured to the other end. The pin 15 could be a ball tipped stud that expands upon being forced by hand through the four pieces. The washer 15 is concave so that it bears against the surface of arm 11, maintaining a compressive force and maintaining the hanger in the locked position when moved to the positions of FIGS. 1 and 2, and 4 and 5 while overlying slot 25 in arm 12.

As is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first and second arms 11 and 12 have top portions 11a and 12a respectively bent over to form relatively wide smooth surfaces upon which to hang clothes. The bent over top portions 11a and 12a also form channels 20 and 21 and serve to stiffen the arms 11 and 12 so that they will not readily bend out of the plane generally defined by the coat hanger structure.

As is seen in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the first arm 11 has a slot 25 (in dotted lines) through which the pin 13 is received. The first arm also has a projecting portion 26 which is received within the channel 20 of the second arm 12 and abuts the bottom surface of the top portion 12b thereby preventing the arm 11 from rotating toward the arm 12. Consequently, when an item of clothing such as a coat or shirt is hung on the hanger, the arms 11 and 12 will remain extended. When one wishes to fold the coat hanger the arm 11 is pulled away from the arm 12 so that the pin 13 moves the right side of the slot 25 and the projection, and the projection 26 clears the top portion 12a of arm 12. The arms 11 and 12 can then be rotated toward one another as shown in FIG. 4, in phantom lines so as to assume the configuration of FIGS. 4 and 5. The hook 14 is also pivoted on pin 13 and may be rotated so as to generally align with the folded arms in order to further decrease the length of the folded hanger 10.

The arms 11 and 12 each have relatively wide planar front portions 32 and 31 which in essence form a front face of the hanger. The portions 31 and 32 have slots 33 and 34 formed therein which are opened to the underside of the hanger and define tabs 35 and 36 respectively. When the hanger is open the slots 33 and 34 and the associated tabs 35 and 36 are used to hang shirts which have a pair of hanging loops thereon. When the hanger 10 is folded, the inboard portion 40 of arm 12 which is in the portion disposed between the slot 34 and pin 13, slides beneath the inboard portion 41 of arm 12 which is disposed between the pin 13 and slot 33. The outboard portion 44 of the arm 11 slides over the corresponding outboard portion 45 of the arm 12 as the slots 33 and 34 receive corresponding areas of the front portions 32 and 31 of the arms 11 and 12. Tab 36 on arm 11 overlies the front surface portion 31 of arm 12 while tab 35 underlies portion 32 of arm 11. By having the inboard section of arm 11 underlie the inboard section of portion 31, while having the outboard portion 44 of arm 11 overlie the outboard portion 45 of arm 12, the arms are skewed slightly in their relationship to one another and therefore tend to frictionally engage one another so as to be held in the collapsed configuration. If one wishes to open the coat hanger, all one need do is pull the free ends of arms 11 and 12 away from one another so that the arms will pivot about pin 13 generally to the position shown in FIGS. 1 or 2. As stated before, the arm 11 is slid toward the arm 12 to position the projection 26 beneath the top portion 12a of arm 12 so that the coat hanger will self-lock and will not collapse. When the hook is pivoted to the projected position shown in FIG. 1 extending above the top of the coat hanger, the coat hanger is then ready for use.

The arm 11 has a depending flange 40 projecting at right angles thereto, overlying the end of arm 12 so as to prevent arm 12 from rotating past the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the 12 o'clock position. The flange 40 projects at a distance substantially equal to the thickness of arm 12 so as not to interfere with the rotation of hook 14.

In order to enhance the appearance of the coat hanger, the flange 15 is in the form of a circular disk which has a diameter great enough to cover the slot 25 when the pin 13 is disposed at either end of the slot. Preferably, the coat hanger is made of aluminum so as to: (1) be light in weight; and (2) be resilient enough to achieve the friction locking or latching relationship previously described and set forth in FIGS. 5 and 6. However, the coat hanger can also be made of plastic or have some plastic parts.

It is apparent from the foregoing discussion that a new and improved collapsible coat hanger has been provided. While only a certain presently preferred embodiment has been described, as will be apparent to those familiar with the art, certain changes and modifications can be made in the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.