Patent US3868906A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3868906A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Control and handling of garment hangers
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-08-24
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Granted: 1975-03-04
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Expires: 1993-08-24
Abstract
Abstract A caddy for garment hangers which includes a tube, a retainer strip coextensive therewith and latch members which connect the tube and the strip to permit broadwise movement of the strip between an overlying clamping position in which the hooks of the garment hangers are clamped to the tube and a captive retracted position in which the strip is spaced parallel to the tube. The retainer strip is sufficiently weighty so that when the caddy is freely supported in horizontal position, the strip swings down into a pendulous out-of-the-way position clear of the hooks. In a preferred form of latch member the active latch portion is integrally formed by reversely bending the end of the member, with the tip thereof forming a latching surface which engages the wall of the tube but which may be manually released by finger pressure. The invention has method aspects including the steps of supporting the caddy horizontally at a garment unpacking station in the retracted and pendulous state for dispensing of the hangers one by one, transporting the garments and empty caddy to a place of sale, supporting the caddy horizontally at the place of sale with the caddy in the retracted and pendulous state for depositing of hangers thereon one by one as they are removed from sold garments, snapping the filled caddy into locked condition, and then returning the caddy to the place of original support for storage and dispensing of the hangers so that the hangers are at all times either (a) in a garment or (b) organized on a caddy.
Inventors
- 👤 Anson W Cameron
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 04:22
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65G; B65G9/00; A; A47; A47G; A47G25/00; A47G25/14; A47G25/1442; A47G25/145; A47G25/1457; B65G9/002; B65G2201/00; B65G2201/02; B65G2201/0229
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
215 words
A caddy for garment hangers comprising, in combination, a stiff tubular member, a relatively stiff retainer strip substantially coextensive with the tube, latching members secured to the ends of the retainer strip, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for insertion of the latching members, the latching members being dimensioned to extend through and beyond the tube, the latching members being slideable in the receiving openings for broadwise movement of the retainer strip from a clamping position in which the retainer strip clampingly engages the hooks of a plurality of hangers assembled on the tube and a parallel retracted position in which the retaining strip is spaced free of the hooks, each latch member being formed of a strip having a movable latch portion presenting a latching surface which engages the wall of the tube to hold the retainer strip in clamping position and which is releaseable from the wall of the tube by finger pressure to permit movement of the retainer strip to its parallel retracted position, and stop means on each of the latching members arranged to engage the wall of the tube for preventing complete retraction of the latching members from the tube so that the retaining member is captive at both ends on the tube in its retracted position.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
215 words
A caddy for garment hangers comprising, in combination, a stiff tubular member, a relatively stiff retainer strip substantially coextensive with the tube, latching members secured to the ends of the retainer strip, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for insertion of the latching members, the latching members being dimensioned to extend through and beyond the tube, the latching members being slideable in the receiving openings for broadwise movement of the retainer strip from a clamping position in which the retainer strip clampingly engages the hooks of a plurality of hangers assembled on the tube and a parallel retracted position in which the retaining strip is spaced free of the hooks, each latch member being formed of a strip having a movable latch portion presenting a latching surface which engages the wall of the tube to hold the retainer strip in clamping position and which is releaseable from the wall of the tube by finger pressure to permit movement of the retainer strip to its parallel retracted position, and stop means on each of the latching members arranged to engage the wall of the tube for preventing complete retraction of the latching members from the tube so that the retaining member is captive at both ends on the tube in its retracted position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the movable latch portion is in the form of a bent-over integral extension of the latch member.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
198 words
A caddy for garment hangers of the hooked type comprising, in combination, a stiff tube of light construction, a retainer strip overlying the tube and substantially coextensive with it, latch members at the ends of the retainer strip and projecting at right angles therefrom, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for registered insertion of the latch members, each of the latch members having latch portions for limiting movement of the retainer strip between a closed clamping position in which the retainer strip snugly overlies the hooks of the hangers and a retracted position in which the retainer strip is spaced parallel to the tube, the retainer strip being sufficiently weighty so that when the tube is freely supported in horizontal position and when the retainer strip is retracted the latter tends to hang in a pendulous out-of-the-way position so that garment hangers may be hooked over, and removed from, the tube without interference with the retainer strip, the retainer strip being sufficiently spaced from the tube in its parallel retracted position as to clear the hooks on the garment hangers as the strip is swung through half a revolution between its overlying and pendulous positions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
198 words
A caddy for garment hangers of the hooked type comprising, in combination, a stiff tube of light construction, a retainer strip overlying the tube and substantially coextensive with it, latch members at the ends of the retainer strip and projecting at right angles therefrom, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for registered insertion of the latch members, each of the latch members having latch portions for limiting movement of the retainer strip between a closed clamping position in which the retainer strip snugly overlies the hooks of the hangers and a retracted position in which the retainer strip is spaced parallel to the tube, the retainer strip being sufficiently weighty so that when the tube is freely supported in horizontal position and when the retainer strip is retracted the latter tends to hang in a pendulous out-of-the-way position so that garment hangers may be hooked over, and removed from, the tube without interference with the retainer strip, the retainer strip being sufficiently spaced from the tube in its parallel retracted position as to clear the hooks on the garment hangers as the strip is swung through half a revolution between its overlying and pendulous positions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
248 words
A caddy assembly for garment hangers of the hooked type adapted to be suspended on a transport bar comprising, in combination, a stiff tube of light construction, a retainer strip overlying the tube and substantially coextensive with it, latch members at the ends of the retainer strip and projecting at right angles therefrom, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for registered insertion of the latch members, each of the latch members having latch portions for limiting movement of the retainer strip between a closed clamping position in which the retainer strip snugly overlies the hooks of the hangers and a retracted position in which the retainer strip is spaced parallel to the tube, a yoke having a pair of spaced vertical hooks intended for hooking upon a transport bar and having a link interconnecting them and means at the lower ends of the hooks for supporting the respective ends of the tube while permitting the latter to freely rotate about its axis, the retainer strip being sufficiently weighty so that when the retainer strip is retracted the latter tends to hang in a pendulous out-of-the-way position with the result that garment hangers may be hooked over, and removed from, the tube without interference with the retainer strip, the retainer strip being sufficiently spaced from the tube in its parallel retracted position as to clear the hooks on the garment hangers as the strip is swung through half a revolution between its overlying and pendulous positions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
248 words
A caddy assembly for garment hangers of the hooked type adapted to be suspended on a transport bar comprising, in combination, a stiff tube of light construction, a retainer strip overlying the tube and substantially coextensive with it, latch members at the ends of the retainer strip and projecting at right angles therefrom, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for registered insertion of the latch members, each of the latch members having latch portions for limiting movement of the retainer strip between a closed clamping position in which the retainer strip snugly overlies the hooks of the hangers and a retracted position in which the retainer strip is spaced parallel to the tube, a yoke having a pair of spaced vertical hooks intended for hooking upon a transport bar and having a link interconnecting them and means at the lower ends of the hooks for supporting the respective ends of the tube while permitting the latter to freely rotate about its axis, the retainer strip being sufficiently weighty so that when the retainer strip is retracted the latter tends to hang in a pendulous out-of-the-way position with the result that garment hangers may be hooked over, and removed from, the tube without interference with the retainer strip, the retainer strip being sufficiently spaced from the tube in its parallel retracted position as to clear the hooks on the garment hangers as the strip is swung through half a revolution between its overlying and pendulous positions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
218 words
A caddy for garment hangers comprising, in combination, a stiff tube, a relatively stiff retainer strip substantially coextensive with the tube, latching members secured to the ends of the retainer strip, the tube having registering openings at its respective ends for insertion of the latching members for movement broadwise between a hanger hook-clamping condition and a retracted hook-free condition, the latching members having integral reversely bent end portions which are outwardly sprung from the latching members to provide a latching surface at the tip thereof which is engageable with the lands surrounding the openings in the tube, the reversely bent ends being dimensioned to latchingly engage the outer wall of the tube when the retainer strip is moved into hook-clamping condition, the reversely bent end portions being sufficiently resilient so that they may be readily unlatched by pressing inwardly to restore the retainer strip to its retracted condition for removal of the hangers, the reversely bent end portions having a length which is on the order of the diameter of the tube so that when the retainer strip is moved to its retracted position the end portions of the latch members spring outwardly within the tube for engagement with the inner wall of the tube, thereby to insure that the retainer strip is maintained captive with the tube.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
218 words
A caddy for garment hangers comprising, in combination, a stiff tube, a relatively stiff retainer strip substantially coextensive with the tube, latching members secured to the ends of the retainer strip, the tube having registering openings at its respective ends for insertion of the latching members for movement broadwise between a hanger hook-clamping condition and a retracted hook-free condition, the latching members having integral reversely bent end portions which are outwardly sprung from the latching members to provide a latching surface at the tip thereof which is engageable with the lands surrounding the openings in the tube, the reversely bent ends being dimensioned to latchingly engage the outer wall of the tube when the retainer strip is moved into hook-clamping condition, the reversely bent end portions being sufficiently resilient so that they may be readily unlatched by pressing inwardly to restore the retainer strip to its retracted condition for removal of the hangers, the reversely bent end portions having a length which is on the order of the diameter of the tube so that when the retainer strip is moved to its retracted position the end portions of the latch members spring outwardly within the tube for engagement with the inner wall of the tube, thereby to insure that the retainer strip is maintained captive with the tube.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which the tube has a radius on the order of one-half inch and in which the retainer strip is of arcuate cross section having a radius of curvature on the order of 1 inch.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which each latch member is formed of a metal strip of channel cross section and in which the bent-over end portion is movable between an outwardly sprung position and a releasing position registered in the channel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
182 words
A caddy for garment hangers having hooks comprising, in combination, a stiff tubular member, a substantially coextensive retainer strip overlying the tube and substantially coextensive with it, latch members at the respective ends of the retainer strip and projecting at right angles therefrom, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for registered insertion of the latch members, each of the latch members being in the form of a strip of metal having a reversely bent end portion which is outwardly sprung and which has a latch surface at its tip, the reversely bent end portion being dimensioned to engage the wall of the tube so that when the retainer strip is moved into hook-clamping condition the latch snaps into its latching position, the reversely bent end portion being sufficiently resilient so that it may be readily moved into unlatched position by finger pressure to restore the retainer strip to its retracted position for removal of the hangers, and cooperating stop means on the tube and latch members for holding the retainer strip and its latch members captive with the tube.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
182 words
A caddy for garment hangers having hooks comprising, in combination, a stiff tubular member, a substantially coextensive retainer strip overlying the tube and substantially coextensive with it, latch members at the respective ends of the retainer strip and projecting at right angles therefrom, the tube having receiving openings at its respective ends for registered insertion of the latch members, each of the latch members being in the form of a strip of metal having a reversely bent end portion which is outwardly sprung and which has a latch surface at its tip, the reversely bent end portion being dimensioned to engage the wall of the tube so that when the retainer strip is moved into hook-clamping condition the latch snaps into its latching position, the reversely bent end portion being sufficiently resilient so that it may be readily moved into unlatched position by finger pressure to restore the retainer strip to its retracted position for removal of the hangers, and cooperating stop means on the tube and latch members for holding the retainer strip and its latch members captive with the tube.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
151 words
A caddy for garment hangers having hooks comprising, in combination, a stiff tubular member, a relatively stiff retainer strip substantially coextensive with the tube, a pair of latching members interposed between the ends of the retainer strip and the respective ends of the tube and providing individual relative sliding movement permitting broadwise movement of the retainer strip from a latched clamping position in which the retainer strip overlies the hooks of a plurality of hangers assembled on the tube and a retracted position in which the retaining strip is spaced parallel to the tube free of the hooks, the latching members being so constructed as to be resiliently releaseable by finger pressure, and stop means associated with each of the latching members for keeping the retainer strip captive at both ends of the tube and parallel thereto, the caddy having means at its ends enabling free rotational support in horizontal position.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
151 words
A caddy for garment hangers having hooks comprising, in combination, a stiff tubular member, a relatively stiff retainer strip substantially coextensive with the tube, a pair of latching members interposed between the ends of the retainer strip and the respective ends of the tube and providing individual relative sliding movement permitting broadwise movement of the retainer strip from a latched clamping position in which the retainer strip overlies the hooks of a plurality of hangers assembled on the tube and a retracted position in which the retaining strip is spaced parallel to the tube free of the hooks, the latching members being so constructed as to be resiliently releaseable by finger pressure, and stop means associated with each of the latching members for keeping the retainer strip captive at both ends of the tube and parallel thereto, the caddy having means at its ends enabling free rotational support in horizontal position.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-03 | 1978-09-02 | 1979-03-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-03 | 1982-09-02 | 1983-03-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-03 | 1986-09-02 | 1987-03-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |