Automatic garment hanger dispenser and hangering device

Claim 1

A garment (56) hanger (58) dispensing (94) and hangering (94) device (10) comprising a downward angularly extending hanger hook (50) dispenser slope arm (98), a hanger hook guide bar (102) spaced and supported (104) thereabove a distance at least slightly greater than the thickness of a hanger hook (50) to be dispensed thereby, a hanger hook stop means (100) on said slope arm (98) spaced from the downward end of said hanger hook guide bar (102) a distance approximately the thickness of a hanger hook (50), a J-shaped hook leg (66) pivoted (106) on said dispenser slope arm (98) downwardly of said stop means (100), said leg (66) having an upper end J-hook point (110) pivoting (106) to just clear the downward end of said guide bar (102) and thus extend up just beyond the downmost hanger hook (50) on said slope arm (98) to lift such downmost hanger hook (50) over said stop means (100) to then slide downwardly on said J-hook leg (66), means (70, 72, 74) limiting the downward pivoting movement of said J-hook leg (66) and the downward slide movement of said downmost hanger hook (50) thereon and supporting (70) said J-hook leg and hanger hook thereon in such downward position while a garment (54) may be manually draped on the hanger thereon, an endless belt (34), an upper pulley (32) and a lower pulley (36) on which said endless belt is rotatably mounted, a motor and motor brake (30) operatively connected to one of said pulleys, support means (12) on which said motor and pulleys are mounted, a hanger hook to long rigid pick-up finger (42) fixedly secured on and extending transversely of said endless belt (34) and operable by said endless belt in a path intercepting the hanger hook of said garment draped hanger adjacent said lower pulley, the draped garment and hanger abutting the downwardly extending J-hook leg and lifting and holding said J-hook leg (66) up until the draped garment and hanger pass up thereby to then release said leg (66) to pivot down and cause its J-hook (68) end point (110) to pick up a further hanger hook from said slope arm, a hanger hook interception drop-off means (52, 54) adjacent said upper pulley (32) in the path of the garment draped hanger and hanger hook, a manually operable normally open switch (64) mounted on said support means (14) adjacent the garment draping position (74), a motor actuating solenoid (86), a slave toggle switch (80) connected to said solenoid (86) and initiated into action by said manually operable switch (64), a toggle switch controlling arm (78) of said slave switch extending into the downward path of said hanger hook pick-up means to stop operation of said belt rotating motor at the end of one cycle, and means connecting said solenoid (86) to said slave switch arm (78) comprising a rod (90) pivotally connected to the armature (88) of said solenoid and having a closed loop (92) extending about said slave switch arm (78).