The present invention relates to an improved hanger for suspending boots from a wide variety of supports, and suited to western-style boots which are designed with two integral loops mounted at their top where fingers or a special tool is inserted to assist in pulling on the boot itself. The .present invention is adaptable for suspending other types of footwear having a similar characteristic; namely, loops at the top of such footwear. The hanger is not limited to the materials from which it can be made, but ABS-type plastic is favored in terms of production and cost, and is durable in terms of strength. However, metal, wood, polymers, or combinations thereof, are also feasible. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for storing or transporting western-style boots and related other footwear in such a manner as to allow the boots to be stored or transported "free-hanging," on a plurality of supports, thereby protecting the boots from detrimental environmental or physical abuse.

While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional applications, modifications and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.

Summary of tne Invention

Presently, the ways in which to store, display or transport western-style boots and related footwear are limited. In the case of one type of related footwear - work boots; they are generally displayed on a shelf or counter and by their nature and contruction do not lend themselves to careful storage or transport after use.

Western style boots are at the other end of the spectrum. They are usually made of high grade leather and often made of extremely expensive materials such as Rhinocerous, Ostrich, Iguana, Snakeskin, etc. The exotic materials often used in best-grade western boots are only limited by the cost the market will bear and the availability of the desired material. Such exotic boots can cost more than $1,000 per pair.

The present invention is also suited for riding and "hunt" boots which consist of extremely long barrels that cover the legs up to the knee; and which also is usually made of supple and expensive leathers. Methods for storing or displaying these special boots, before the present invention were limited. Boots were placed on flat surfaces of store counter tops, racks, or even the floor for display. After purchase, boots were often placed on a floor for storage or during non- wear. One problem with this method is that boots have a tendency to droop to one side from the weight of the boot top, or barrel, and be damaged when a crease develops in that portion of the boots above the reinforced heel portion. This particular problem was

generally solved when boot owners started placing rolled up newspapers, magazines, and the like inside each one of the boots to keep the barrels upright. While this was a partial solution, another problem remained. Good quality boots were often accidently stepped on, thereby scuffing and damaging them.

Additionally, another problem remained. Ease of transport of the boots, when they were not being worn, existed until the present invention. In order to transport western-style boots and related footwear, the boots have to be placed within a protecive container, otherwise, the above-mentioned damage could occur.

Description of the Relevant Art

Presently, the ways in which to store or transport western-style boots and related footwear are limited. The present invention is also suited for riding and "hunt" boots which consist of extremely long barrels that cover the legs up to the knee; and which is usually made of supple and expensive leathers.

Methods for storing or displaying these special boots, before the present invention were limited. Ease of transport of the boots, when they were not being worn, did not exist until the present invention. In order to transport western-style boots and related footwear, they had to be placed within a protecive container, otherwise, damage could occur to them.

In the prior art, wire supports have been the most used method of suspension and some supports were tensioned to receive the botton portion of the footwear. Other hangers utilized a spring arrangement to secure footwear. Most hangers incorporated some form of support arms similar in use of those in the present invention. However, none of the prior art combined these elements with a means for true rotation as does my invention. None of the prior art had the pure swivelling feature of my invention which thereby expands the range of application of my invention.

Present methods available for storing cr transporting western-style boots and related footwear are limited in their scope and use; and for ease of transport they are virtually non-existent. For example:

U.S. Patent No. 4,967,913, issued November 6, 1990 to Bayer discloses a FOLDABLE FOOTWEAR SUPPORT DEVICE which can be in a completely folded condition so as to fit in a packaging container or in a partially folded condition consisting of right and left pouches attached on respective panels and suspended from a rigid support bar having a hook means for engaging a support.

U.S. Patent No. 4,953,715, issued September 4, 1990 to Celli discloses a BOOT SUPPORT comprising a base, an upright portion generally perpendicular thereto, and two cantilevered slideable horizontal arms on the uprights with attached clamps for engaging the tops of a variety of boots. The horizontal arms slide up and down on the uprights to match the height of the boots and are held in place by the weight of the boots exerting pressure on the cantilevered slides and arms.

U.S. Patent No. 4,823,962, issued April 25, 1989 to Arias discloses a SHOE DISPLAY AND STORAGE HANGER or shoes for mounting on substantially horizontally extending rods, having a U-shaped tongue member mounted on an elongated member in an upward direction for insertion into the shoe opening, and having the end of the elongated member terminating in a hook means for mounting on said rods.

U.S. Patent No. 4,779,743, issued October 25, 1988 to McKinnon discloses a BOOT RACK FOR WESTERN BOOTS WITH SIDE- ATTACHED PULLSTRAPS having generally a wall-mounting bracket with a plurality of wire supports extending therefrom perpendicularly to engage said side attached pull straps.

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U.S. Patent No. 4,669,615, issued June 2, 1987 to Zigman discloses a FOOTWEAR HANGER; a dual coil hanger for suspending footwear in an inverted position by means of a wire frame with tensioned clamps thereon to capture the heels of the footwear, and a wire hook means with an eye lower end engaged by the wire frame, at a balance point, to suspend it from a support.

U.S. Patent No. 4,576,290, issued March 18, 1987 to Zigman discloses a GRIP HANGER; a single coil hanger of essentially the same capture method as Zigman '615 for suspending footwear in an inverted position.

U.S. Patent No. 4,460,094, issued July 17, 1984 to Schoen discloses an ARTICLE HOLDING DEVICE for supporting and storing small articles, such as one shoe, or the like on a generally vertical surface comprising at least one elongate support member adapted to be secured to said vertical surface in an upright position for engaging a portion of the shoe.

U.S. Patent No. 4,306,661, issued December 21, 1981 to Allsop discloses a SHOE MOUNTING AND DISPLAY APPARATUS comprising a base member defining a slideway having two inwardly facing channel members defining related channels and a plurality of brackets adapted to engage said slideway, comprising two laterally spaced arm members to engage the soles of shoes.

U.S. Patent No. 4,192,424, issued March 11, 1980 to Allsop discloses a SHOE DISPLAY APPARATUS particularly adapted to display articles such as pairs of shoes in an upright position and in a side by side manner.

U.S. Design Patent No. 292,755, issued November 17, 1987 to Shay discloses a BOOT HANGER. The deficiencies with the related art are that they are not adaptable to a plurality of support applications, nor, except in the case of Bayer '813 wholly and conveniently portable, being limited to permament positioning on a wall or moveable placement on a level surface. Bayer '913 is distinguishable.

Bayer '913 teaches a collapsible footwear device partially made of soft material which can be folded up when not in use. This enables easy transportation and storage of the device. However, since Bayer relies on pouches to receive the footwear, it is not suitable for boots of the type covered by the present invention.

Celli '715 teaches a boot support which is limited to placement upon flat and level surfaces. Celli might have found further application by claiming a means for mounting on a wall surface which would have broadened its application.

Arias '962 teaches a shoe display and storage hanger which is essentially limited to "low cut" shoes, thereby not suitable to the boots and related footwear covered by the present invention.

The deficiency found in Celli was overcome by McKinnon '743 which teaches a boot hanger which ijs wall mounted and allows a wider application in terms of placement and protection, by means of the above-floor support. This device too, however, is also limited in that it cannot be moved to another location without first mechanically removing it from the surface it is attached to and and then mechanically

re-installing it at another location. It is further limited in that it accepts multiple multiple pairs of boots, making it not feasible to transport a single pair of boots by- virtue of the bulk of the device.

Zigman '615, which reads on Zigman '290, discloses a multiple coil footwear hanger with an improved method for capture of footwear; however it does not extend its application to the range of plurality of supports, nor does it rotate upon itself but only swings, nor does it lend itself to storage in a minimum of space as the present invention.

Zigman '290 which discloses a single coil wire footwear hanger with means for hanging footwear by tensioned clamps in an inverted position lends itself to more applications than does Celli or McKinnon, as stated, but its support application range doesn't equal the support application range of the present invention since like Zigman '615, it too does not rotate upon itself but only swings.

Allsop '661 teaches a shoe mounting and display apparatus which is confined to placement on a floor or other flat and level surface, thereby limiting its application to the coverage of the present invention.

Allsop '424 teaches a shoe display apparatus which must be placed upon a flat and level surface, such as a countertop or floor or deep shelf. Allsop is thereby severely limited in scope of application and Alsop has no convenient portability.

Huan-Yin Chan '871 teaches a relatively stationary floor or level surface rotary shoe rack. The bulk and complexities of this device prevents it from the same function and portability as the present invention.

Shay Design Patent '755 teaches a wire hanger having support arms and a hook means for engaging a support. Shay is the only related art of significance in regard to the present invention. However, Shay is not read on by the present invention, as appears more fully below.

Schulz Design Patent '077 teaches a wire-framed device with triangular sides connected at their base with a "vee" and single bar. The obvious function of this device is to assist in removing boots from the wearer's feet. The function of the hooks appear to be assisting in installation of a single boot, and not read on by the present invention.

Zigman '290 and '615 and Shay D'775 find application to a plurality of supports only if said supports are on a plane perpendicular to the dictated direction of its hook means, which limits the direction of said hook which is not pivotal and does not rotate as does my invention, and thereby does not allow for capture of multi-positioned supports within the range of the present invention. Further, Zigman '290 and '615 teach a rigid support bar and support means which do not allow convenience of storage in a small container like a glove box of a vehicle, or a limited space like a jacket pocket or other small container, as found with the present invention. Like Zigman '290 and '615, Shay D'775 has a hook which is not pivotal, and thereby does not teach the novelty found in the rotation feature of the present invention.

U.S. Patent No.2,267,634 issued December 23, 1941 to A.N. Arenz and U.S. Patent No. 2,294,607 issued September 1, 1942 to C.E. Peck, et al, teach essentially a one-piece hook and arm arrangement with a limited application in that the hook can only be suspended in one direction only and offers no plurality of placement except on a device perpendicular to the plane of the hook such as a clothes bar and without any rotational means.

U.S. Patent No. 2,703,651 issued March 8, 1955 to J.A. Brocklehurst teaches a boot hanger which has the feature of being able to be separated into multiple parts when not in use. It too has no rotational or swivelling feature.

U.S. Patent No. 283,418 issued August 21, 1883 to E.E. Rieε teaches a single piece of wire bent and configured to have a ring to engage a nailor clotheshook, etc. , and a a pair of arms at the end of its stem to accept the loops fashioned on the footwear of the day. Like Arenz, Peck, and Brocklehurst, Ries does not allow for any wider range of use since in all this prior art, the direction of the footwear is static and stationary in relation to their respective hook portions.

The present invention is intended to be used in almost any conceivable position or support due to the rotational function of its swivel feature At the present time, there is no method available to safely and conveniently store or transport western- style boots and related footwear without first having to resort to additional effort; for example, mechanically installing racks and mountings. Also, the present methods of storing and/or transporting the relevant boots are bulky, and do not lend themselves to transport use by their construction limitations.

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The Zigman devices display (but doesn't claim) a portable footwear hanger, but the rigid construction of the Zigman devices limit their use. The present invention does what the present art does not. The present invention makes it possible to store, and/ or transport western-style boots and related foot-wear wherever there is a support which accepts the suspension portion of the invention; such ■as a clothes closet rod, a door knob, the open window of a pickup truck, etc. due primarily to the rotational function of its swivel feature, in an easy and safe manner.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a portable and uncomplicated boot hanger which is able to be utilized in more and efficient ways than the available art by means an integral swivel/connector which allows the either the upper or the lower portion of the boot hanger to be rotated on itself amd placed and secured anywhere where there is a support which will receive the hook portion of the invention, so as to suspend the boots engaged by it.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which is simple to manufacture, easy to use, inexpensive, durable, and convenient to store when the invention is not in use.

The present invention meets this criteria.

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Brief Description Of The Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the swivel hanger engaging a pair of western-style boots and suspending them from a bar-support.

FIG. 2 shows an elevational perspective view of said swivel hanger, depicted in FIGURE 1.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of said swivel hanger.

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the hanger swivel means with the upper and lower swivel connector engaged securely within the elongate stem through a preferred configuration of the swivel means.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view thereof with the hook portion aligned with the support portion arm members.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view thereof with the hook portion aligned with the support portion arm members.

Detailed Description Of The Preferred Embodiment

This invention provides a swivel hanger (1) for suspending western-type boots or related footwear from a plurality of supports and comprises an elongate stem (4) having a upper suspension portion (3) and a lower support portion (5) , and means (7) for joining said portions securely, and adapted for swivelling and/or rotating upon the axis of the elongate stem.

The upper suspension portion (3) has a first end (31) and a second end (32) . The first end (31) forms a hook (3) for releasably engaging a variety of supports, such a closet clothes bar, a doorknob, the open window of a pick-up truck, etc. The second end (32) has a pivoting feature and engages and secures the connector end (79) of the second portion (5) .

The lower support portion (5) has an elongate stem (6) with a connector end (79) and a support end (53) . The support end (53) has a pair of parallel arms (53) extending outward from the stem (6) , and the arm members (53) extend oppositionally in a preferred angle from the elongate stem member (4) and thence perpendicular to both the stem member and the opposing arm members in a preferred angle from the stem, with the support arms (53) parallel to each other and which terminate in a preferred upward angle (55) to prevent the boot loops from slipping off the parallel arms.