BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to garment hangers and more particular to garment hangers for the drying of garments.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a hanger that supports garments in a relaxed state by horizontal means such as a horizontal member and such garment not being under tension while being hung for drying. The invention further relates to the drying of garments such as bicycle shorts which are normally dried by laying them on a towel on a table. The comfort cushion material often comprising chamois leather or synthetic material or the like, sewed into the seating section of the shorts, takes long to dry when the garment is dried in this fashion. The invention "opens up" the shorts during the drying, to allow airflow through the tubular and inside sections of the garment which allows for accelerated moisture evaporation and a faster drying time.

Garment hangers are devices designed with the purpose to hang and store garments or items of clothing when not worn. Garment hangers are however also commonly used to hang garments and clothing on a washing dry line so that the garment maintains its shape while drying. Most garment hangers commercially available are designed to be hung from a rod or line or the like by a suspension hook. Garment hangers are generally made of wood, plastic and metal. Most garment hangers are constructed to comprise either two angular arms of equal length and being in line with a suspension hook in the centre, or they are constructed to be in the shape of a flat triangle with the two angular arms being of equal length and joined at the bottom by a longer cross member. Many designs of foldable and collapsible garment hangers based on these basic shapes have been patented over the years. Foldable and collapsible hangers known in the art fold on the vertical axis in line with the hook either by folding the two arms of the hanger towards each other, pivotally around this vertical axis or by collapsing the outer horizontal arms downward and the horizontal connecting members upwards. Any of these known hangers may generally be used for the purpose of drying garments such as a shirt and pants. Most hangers are however generally designed for storing dry garments in a cupboard. While some hangers based on the basic shapes described above have been designed for the purpose of drying garments, no hangers are known in the art that contain a horizontal member that supports garments in a spread out way for drying. No hangers known to the art contain a horizontal member that supports garments in a spread out way for drying and where the horizontal members fold towards the vertical hook member. Furthermore, hangers known to the art are not suitable for the drying of garments with stretch fabric such as cycling shorts and my thus reduce the elasticity or damage the garment over time. There is presently no garment hanger that supports a garment such as short pants in such a way that it is in a position parallel to the ground in a relaxed state while increasing the surface area and airflow through the garment. Furthermore no garment hanger known in the art supports the full surface of a garment such as cycling pants in a position which is perpendicular to the vertical hook of the hanger such that when the* hanger is hung on a washing dry line or the like the garment on the hanger will be in a horizontal position or parallel to the ground. There is presently no garment hanger that supports a garment such as cycling pants in such a way that it is in a position parallel to the ground and where the hanger may pivot around the hook as to orientate itself in line with the airflow to accelerate the drying process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a garment hanger which has one or a plurality of garment support members perpendicularly attached to a vertical hook member, such that when the hanger is hung on a washing dry line or the like on the hook of the vertical hook member, the garment on the hanger will be in the horizontal plane that is parallel to the ground. Another object of the present invention is to provide said garment hanger where the horizontal support member or members are pivotally attached to the vertical hook member, which horizontal members support garments for drying on a clothes line or the like. Another object of the present invention is to provide said garment hanger where the horizontal support member or members are pivotally attached to the vertical hook member, which horizontal members are shaped to support specific garments for drying on a clothes line or the like, such as cycling pants or a knitted jersey or the like. Another object of the present invention is to provide said garment hanger where the hook is pivotally attached to the vertical member so that when said garment hanger is hung on a washing dry line or the like a wind or breeze will act upon the garment and hanger and allow it to pivot so as to present a path of least resistance to the wind thus allowing increased airflow through the garment as to accelerate drying. A further object of the invention is to provide mechanical means for the horizontal pivotal support members to pivot. In one objective of the present invention these pivotal means are provided by a flexible coupling between the horizontal pivotal support members and the vertical hook members with said flexible coupling being provided with pivot angle limiting means.

EMBODIMENTS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG 1 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention constructed of elongated members.

FIG 2 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention provided with pivotal vertical hook member.

FIG 3 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention with a pivotal hook on the vertical hook member.

FIG 4 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention with pivotal horizontal support members.

FIG 5 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention with horizontal pivotal support members being in the form of a shirt and the pivot angle limited by flexible means.

FIG 6 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention with horizontal pivotal support members being in the form of cycling shorts. FIG 7 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention showing one example of the inside structure of the horizontal pivotal support members.

FIG 8 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention showing how a cycle short is supported by the garment hanger of the invention.

FIG 9 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention showing how the bicycle shorts, supported by the hanger of the invention, will rotate on the pivotal hook to orientate to the wind direction.

FIG 10 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention showing one horizontal pivotal member in the folded vertical position and one in the open position.

FIG 1 1 Perspective drawing of a garment hanger of the invention where the pivotal means are constructed of flexible tubes.

FIG 12 Side view of the garment hanger according to the invention where both horizontal pivotal members are folded or collapsed.

FIG 13 Perspective drawing of one embodiment of the pivotal means in accordance with the invention, where the pivotal elongated member is inserted by force.

FIG 14 Perspective drawing of another pivotal means in accordance with the invention, where the pivotal means consists of two parts holding the elongated pivotal means in place.

FIG 15 Prospective drawing in accordance with the invention of the pivot hook.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG 1, the garment hanger of the present invention in its most basic form is constructed of elongated members comprising a vertical hook member 1 with hook 2 and horizontal support member 3 so that the vertical hook member is in the vertical plane 4 and the horizontal support member is in the horizontal plane 5 and the two plains intersect perpendicularly along the intersect line 6. The hook 2 is intended to hang the garment to a washing dry line or the like. The internal flat structure of the horizontal support member may contain one or a plurality of internal cross linking structures 7. As shown in FIG 2 the vertical hook member of the garment hanger may have pivot means 8 so as to pivot from the vertical plane 4 to the horizontal plane 5 as to collapse the hanger. A preferred pivot direction is shown 9. According to another aspect of the invention shown in FIG 3, the hook on the vertical hook member may have pivot means 10 as to pivot on the horizontal plane 5 around the vertical axis 4. Furthermore, in FIG 4, according to the invention one or a plurality of pivotal means may be provided on the vertical and horizontal intersection 6 in such a way that the pivot angle of said horizontal pivotal support members 12 is restricted and may pivot in a direction 14 from the horizontal plane 5 to the vertical plane 4. As shown in Fig 3 to 7 the vertical hook member and horizontal support member or members can take on any shape and size. In the preferred embodiment of the invention there are provided two horizontal pivotal support members 12 which are pivotally mounted to the vertical hook member 1 to be equally spaced on opposite sides of the vertical hook member so as to be symmetrical. It will be appreciated that the pivotal means may be a mechanical hinge or a flexible material such as a polymer, silicone rubber, leather or other flexible fabric or the like. In one embodiment of the invention shown in FIG 5 the horizontal pivotal support members 12 take on the shape of a shirt and in another, the preferred embodiment shown in FIG 6 and 7 the horizontal pivotal support members 12 take on the shape of cycling pants. As shown in FIG 5 the pivotal angle of the horizontal pivotal support member may be limited by flexible means 16 connecting the vertical hook member 1 to the horizontal pivotal support member 12 and which length is limited. Said flexible pivotal limiting means 16 may constitute rope, leather, synthetic material or a flexible tube. As further shown in FIG 5 the vertical hook member 1 may be extended 15 in the vertical plane to include any shape and structure.

Furthermore it will be appreciated that the horizontal support members 12 may have any shape and be constructed by elongated members or by a sheet. The vertical hook member 1 and horizontal pivotal support members 12 may furthermore be constructed of any material such as plastic, wood, metal, aluminium or other synthetic material or the like. The vertical hook member 1 and horizontal pivotal support members 12 may be perforated or cross linked or supported on the inside and produced by any means. In one embodiment of the invention the garment hanger of the invention is constructed of elongated plastic members formed by means of injection moulding. In another embodiment of the invention the horizontal and vertical members are cut out of a flat sheet of plastic or wood by a laser cutter or the like. In a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG 6 and 7 the horizontal pivotal support members 12 of the garment hanger are formed in the shape of bicycle pants. As indicated in FIG 6 the horizontal pivotal support members 12 may pivot 14 around the pivot means 13 which are located on the intersect with the vertical hook member 1 to bring the garment hanger to a collapsed or folded state shown in FIG 12. In its practical use the hanger of the invention used by example to dry a cycling pant 17 is inserted inside the waist cavity of the pants and the horizontal pivotal support members each inserted into a leg of the pants and then pivoted to the open or non-collapsed state to be limited to the horizontal position by the pivotal means 13 which limit the pivot angle. When the hanger is hung on the hook 2, the pants are thus supported in a position horizontal to the ground as shown in FIG 8 and 9. The hanger of the invention supports the pants in such a way that opens the holes of the pants thus allowing airflow through the garment and supports the comfort cushion of the seating area 18 of the pants 17 so that it is exposed to air. As shown in FIG 9 in this embodiment of the invention the bicycle short 17 is horizontally supported by the horizontal pivotal support members 12 of the hanger of the invention and the hook 2 is pivotally mounted 10 to the vertical hook member 1. When hung on to a dry line or the like, the hanger and shorts 17 will rotate 11 to the direction of air flow 19 such as a breeze or wind as to reduce wind resistance. The increased air flow allows the pants to dry in a shorter time period. The pivotal hook of the invention as shown in FIG 15 may be achieved by a basic pivot hook 2 with pivot means comprising a cylindrical section 10 at the end of the vertical hook member 1, through which central cavity of the cylindrical section 10 the elongated section of the hook 2 is extended. Means are provided 36 on the elongated section, on both sides of the cavity, to restrict the lateral movement of the hook and not restrict the pivotal movement 11 of said hook 2.

The pivotal means of the preferred embodiments of garment hanger of the present invention will now be further discussed by way of FIG 10 and 1 1 and FIG 13 and 14. In FIG 10 one embodiment of the present invention is shown where one horizontal pivotal support member 12 is shown in the position where it has been pivoted to the vertical plane 4 to be collapsed against the vertical hook member 1. The other horizontal pivotal support member 12 is shown in a position in the horizontal plane 5 where its pivotal angle is restricted by the mechanical pivotal means 13. Also shown is the vertical hook member expanded structure 15. In this embodiment of the present invention the pivot means 13 is a hinge constructed by using the rod shape of the horizontal pivotal support member 12 as the pivot axis. The rod is held parallel to the intersect 6 of vertical hook member by mechanical means which may comprise a clamp block, moulded or formed for this purpose. In one embodiment of the invention the clamp block is moulded or glued to the vertical hook member FIG 13 and in another embodiment it is held together by fastening means such as screws, rivets of the like FIG 14. In another embodiment of the invention the pivot means is a flexible medium such a rubber hose connecting the horizontal pivotal support member 13 to the vertical hook member 1. In FIG 11 this embodiment of the present invention is shown with one horizontal pivotal support member 12 shown in the position where it has been pivoted to the vertical plane 4 to be collapsed against the vertical hook member 1. The other horizontal pivotal support member 12 is shown in a position in the horizontal plane 5. The pivot means is constructed by the connection of the vertical hook member 1 and the horizontal pivotal support member 12 along the horizontal and vertical intersect line 6 by flexible means 20 such as a short length of flexible tube or the like. The pivot point is achieved by an appropriate length of flexible tube 20 fitting over short elongated members 21 which protrude from the vertical hook member 1 in the horizontal plane perpendicular to the intersection line 6 and protrude from the horizontal pivotal support member 12 on the horizontal plane. The flexible tube 20 bends 22 when the horizontal pivotal support member 12 is in the vertical or folded position. In this embodiment of the present invention, mechanical means to limit the pivotal angle of the horizontal pivotal support member 12 may be achieved by providing an elongated structure 23 as part of the horizontal pivotal support member 12 so as to be positioned underneath the flexible tube pivotal means 20 and thus restrict further pivoting in the direction away from the vertical hook member 1. In Figure 12 the side view of the collapsed or folded hanger of the invention is shown. Both horizontal pivotal support members 12 have been pivoted at the pivot points 13 to be in the same plane as the vertical hook member 1. According to one embodiment of the present invention pivot means may be formed by the coupling of the elongated sections of the horizontal pivotal support members 12 and vertical hook member 6 by a connecting clamp 24. Said clamp 24 is fastened to or formed by any means to the vertical hook member 6. Said clamp 24 has a cavity 25 into which the elongated member of the horizontal pivotal support member 12 can be inserted. A slot 26 is provided in the clamp 24 so as to allow the elongated section of the horizontal pivotal means 12 to be inserted as shown 28. The direction of pivot 14 of said elongated section 12 is restricted by the restricted movement of a perpendicular elongated section of the horizontal internal cross linking structure 7. Such restriction is removed in the pivot direction towards the vertical hook member by the provision of a cavity 28. The movement of the horizontal pivotal support member along the direction of the vertical hook member 6 may be restricted by providing mechanical means such as a section of elongated member 29 with dimensions larger than the cavity 25. The elongated member 12 is held in place by the slot 26 being of smaller dimensions that that of the elongated member 12 outside diameter.

According to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG 14 pivot means may be formed by a clamp member 30 comprised one or a plurality of parts. In this example, said clamp 30 comprising a top part 31 and a bottom part 32 which fit together 33 to form the clamp 30 and which can be fastened by any means including screws 34 or rivets or the like. The elongated member of the horizontal pivotal support member 12 is positioned inside the cavity 25 prior to the fastening of the top 31 and bottom 32 parts of the clamp 30.