Different types of garment carriers for protection during transport, respectively storage in a correct arrangement, of at least one item of clothing are currently known in the state of the art.

Document no. WO2014/184607 A1 discloses a suitcase container comprising means for hanging a garment, fixed to the inside of the container and including a clothes hanger, immobilized against swinging and that allows a suit, for example comprising jacket and trousers, to be superimposed. Moreover, said prior art suitcase container provides means to retain the garment hanging as specified, to ensure it is maintained stably in the correct position. Said retaining means, fixed inside the suitcase container, co-act with the respective clothes hanger to maintain the item of clothing correctly hanging inside the suitcase container. Although these retaining means perform an effective action of maintaining the item of clothing in a correct hanging arrangement, their application with respect to the item of clothing is nonetheless laborious and time consuming.

The present invention, taking account of the above-mentioned considerations and starting from the notion of the above-mentioned drawbacks, intends to provide a solution to these.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for arranging and maintaining an item of clothing correctly hanging inside a garment carrier, which comprises means for hanging the item of clothing, arranged inside the carrier and including a clothes hanger, and retaining means, arranged inside the carrier and that co-act with said clothes hanger to maintain the item of clothing correctly hanging inside the carrier.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment carrier comprising means for hanging an item of clothing, fixed inside the carrier and including a clothes hanger, and retaining means, arranged inside the carrier and that co-act with said clothes hanger to maintain the item of clothing correctly hanging inside the carrier.

In view of these objects, the present invention provides a method for arranging and maintaining an item of clothing correctly hanging inside a garment carrier, the essential characteristic of which forms the subject matter of claim 1.

Moreover, the present invention provides a garment carrier, the essential characteristic of which forms the subject matter of claim 2.

Further advantageous features of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

The aforesaid claims are intended as fully incorporated herein.

The method for arranging and maintaining an item of clothing correctly hanging inside a garment carrier, according to the present invention, is essentially characterized by the steps of:

- providing a panel, configured for superimposing at least one garment hanging on a clothes hanger means and having an outer face and an inner face, which includes an upper area, for arranging said clothes hanger means, an intermediate area proximal to said upper area and a lower area distal with respect to said upper area;

- providing clothes hanger means, which are removably fastened in said upper area of the inner face of said panel;

- providing retaining means of said at least one garment, hanging with respect to said clothes hanger means, which are configured as a plurality of flexible linear elements each bearing, at one end, a respective gripper clip means and, at the other end, a first part of a hook and loop closing device, including two parts, the one provided with small hooks and the other provided with small loops;

- providing a plurality of openings in said lower area of said panel, corresponding in number and size to said plurality of flexible linear elements;

- providing a second part of said hook and loop closing device, including two parts, the one provided with small hooks and the other provided with small loops, wherein said second part is fixed on the back face of said panel in the vicinity of said openings;

- placing at least one garment on said clothes hanger means;

- arranging said clothes hanger means with said garment placed thereon in said upper area of said inner face of said panel;

- fixing said clothes hanger means in said upper area and laying said garment along said inner face of said panel;

- removably fastening said respective gripper clip means of each of said flexible linear elements, of said plurality of flexible linear elements, to respective areas of the lower part of said garment;

- inserting the other end of each of said flexible linear elements, of said plurality of flexible linear elements, through a corresponding opening of said panel starting from the inner face of the panel and turning said other end over on the outer face of said panel, arranging the respective first part of said hook and loop closing device on a corresponding second part of said hook and loop closing device, tensioning each of said flexible linear elements of said plurality of flexible linear elements;

- superimposing a flexible cloth cover and closing it along the perimeter with respect to said inner face of said panel.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of an example of embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows important details for the invention, and from the claims. The features illustrated are not necessarily to scale and are represented so that the specific features according to the invention are clearly highlighted. The different features can be produced individually or in any combination with one another, as variants of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

- Fig. 1 is a front plan view of a garment carrier according to an embodiment of the invention, in closed condition and without any garment contained therein;

- Fig. 2 is a rear plan view of a garment carrier according to an embodiment of the invention, in closed condition and without any garment contained therein;

- Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, but wherein a flexible front cover of the carrier is illustrated in open condition;

- Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but wherein a flexible back cover of the carrier is illustrated in open condition;

- Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, but wherein a suit is represented with dashed lines arranged inside the garment carrier;

- Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views, respectively along the lines VI-VI and VII-VII of Fig. 5;

- Fig. 8 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but wherein a suit is represented with dashed lines arranged inside the garment carrier.

With reference to the drawing, the number 10 indicates as a whole a garment carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Said garment carrier 10 essentially comprises:

- a panel 11, configured for superimposing at least one garment A hanging on a clothes hanger means 12 and having an outer face 11.1 and an inner face 11.2, which includes an upper area 11.2a, for arranging said clothes hanger means 12, an intermediate area 11.2b proximal to said upper area and a lower area 11.2c distal with respect to said upper area;

- removable fastening means 12.1 of said clothes hanger means 12, provided in said upper area 11.2a of the inner face 11.2 of said panel 11;

- retaining means 13 of said at least one garment A, hanging with respect to said clothes hanger means 12, configured as a plurality of flexible linear elements 13.1 each bearing, at one end, a respective gripper clip means 13.2 and, at the other end, a first part 13.3 of a hook and loop closing device, including two parts, the one provided with small hooks and the other provided with small loops;

- a plurality of openings 14 provided in said lower area 11.2c of said panel 11, corresponding in number and size to said plurality of flexible linear elements 13;

- a second part 13.4 of said hook and loop closing device, including two parts, the one provided with small hooks and the other provided with small loops, wherein said second part 13.4 is fixed on the back face 11.1 of said panel 11 in the vicinity of said openings 14.

It can be noted that said respective gripper clip means 13.1 of each of said flexible linear elements 13 is removably fastened in respective areas of the lower part of said garment A, placed on said clothes hanger means 12 and said garment lying along said inner face of said panel 11.

It can also be noted that the other end of each of said flexible linear elements 13 that is provided with said first part 13.3 of the hook and loop closing device, is arranged passing through a corresponding opening 14 of said panel starting from the inner face 11.2 of the panel 11 and turned over on the outer face 11.1 of said panel 11, coupled with a corresponding second part 13.4 of said hook and loop closing device, tensioning each of said flexible linear elements 13.

A flexible cloth front cover 15.1 is superimposed on said inner face 11.2 of the panel 11 and is closed along the perimeter with respect to said inner face of said panel.

A flexible cloth front cover 15.2 is superimposed on said outer face 11.1 of the panel 11 and is closed along the perimeter with respect to said inner face of said panel.