Clothing hanger

Abstract

To provide a clothing hanger which has excellent operability for attachment / detachment to / from clothing and enables clothing after washing to be dried quickly.SOLUTION: In a clothing hanger 100, a first horizontal bar 1 and a second horizontal bar 2 are individually connected to a third horizontal bar 3 therebetween by a plurality of joints 4. The joints 4 are rotated by a rotary shaft 3J on the third horizontal bar 3 to vary a space between the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2. A projection 4P provided on the joint 4 abuts on a stopper part 3S of the third horizontal bar 3 to stop the rotation, thereby inhibiting the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 from moving downward. In addition, a hook 5 is rotated to fall in a longitudinal direction of the third horizontal bar 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE An embodiment of the present invention relates to a clothes hanger. [Background technology]

[0002] There are clothes hangers for hanging washed shirts and other items to keep them in shape and hang them out to dry.

[0003] A typical clothes hanger is made by bending a thin wire into a wide triangle with a hook at the top center, or a similar shape manufactured by injection molding synthetic resin. These hangers are almost thin and have a small cross-sectional area, so the left and right sides are connected at the base of the triangle to ensure strength, and as a result, a dimension in the height direction is required.

[0004] For this reason, when a washed shirt is hung out to dry on a regular clothes hanger, the front and back of the shirt may stick together. Also, because the hanger is long in the vertical direction, it is difficult to insert the hanger into the garment, and because it cannot be made long in the width direction, the length of the hanger that can be inserted into the sleeve part is limited, so the sleeves of the shirt hang down and the fabric overlaps at the armpits, which can cause the shirt to take a long time to dry.

[0005] Since the cross section can be set arbitrarily by injection molding, many clothes hangers have been proposed in recent years, such as those long in the thickness direction like wooden hangers, and those whose longitudinal width can be changed by stretching or folding (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, in this case, it is difficult to insert the hanger into the clothes because of the long dimension in the thickness direction. Also, when inserting the hanger into the clothes in a folded state and then unfolding it, if the hanger is too long in the width direction, it will get caught on the body part of the shirt, so it is necessary to slide it in the width direction after unfolding it and stretch it. At this time, it can be pulled out without being obstructed by the fabric of the shirt if you insert your hand through the cuff and pull it out, but this is difficult, especially for long-sleeved shirts.

[0006] Apart from hangers for drying shirts, a structure has been proposed that allows multiple horizontal bars to be arranged in a structure that allows the distance between them to change, thereby making the hanger thicker. By applying this structure, it is possible to insert the hanger into a shirt in a thin rod-like state and then expand it to make it thicker. Patent documents 2 and 3 do not show hangers designed for drying shirts, and the purpose of varying the distance between the horizontal bars is to improve storage rather than to improve the ease of insertion into the garment, but the structure can be applied to shirt hangers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3239350 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6592646 [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-139694 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] When the structure of Patent Document 2 is applied to a shirt hanger, the horizontal bar of the hanger is not straight but curved or bent along the shoulder line of the shirt, so the radius of rotation in a plane perpendicular to the axis when unfolding becomes large at the widthwise end. In other words, when an attempt is made to unfold the hanger after inserting it into the shirt, the widthwise end of the hanger gets caught on the shirt fabric, making it difficult to unfold.

[0009] When the structure of Patent Document 3 is applied to a shirt hanger, the horizontal bars of the hanger spread in the thickness direction while remaining parallel, so the trajectory of movement is not large. However, when the horizontal bars of the hanger spread, they move slightly upward from the horizontal, so in order to spread the bars using gravity, it is necessary to hold the hanger upside down. Furthermore, when a shirt is hung, the fabric of the shirt applies a force that resists the movement of the bars to open, so in order to spread the bars, it is necessary to hold both horizontal bars with both hands and spread them out. Performing this operation from the outside of a wet shirt is unstable and difficult because it is difficult to slip.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention aims to improve the ease of attaching and detaching the hanger to clothes and the ease of opening up the hanger by increasing the thickness of the hanger with multiple long horizontal bars and by widening the distance between the two horizontal bars, as well as the ease of folding up the hanger when not in use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A clothes hanger according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a first horizontal bar, a second horizontal bar arranged parallel to the first horizontal bar, and a third horizontal bar arranged between the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar, and the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar are each individually connected to the third horizontal bar by a plurality of joints, and each of the joints has a hinge structure near both ends, one of which has a joint portion connected to the third horizontal bar that rotates at a hinge portion of the joint, and the other of which has a joint portion connected to the first horizontal bar or the second horizontal bar that rotates at a hinge portion of the joint. In a clothes hanger that is connected to a horizontal bar and moves along an arc centered at the connection point with the third horizontal bar, while rotating at a hinge portion, the distance between the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar can be changed.When a protrusion on the joint hits a stopper portion of the third horizontal bar, the rotation around the hinge connecting the third horizontal bar and the joint stops, the downward movement of the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar is suppressed, and the hook rotates to fall in the longitudinal direction of the third horizontal bar.

[0012] In addition, there are eight joints, the axis-to-axis distances at both ends of the joints are all the same length, all axes of the joints are parallel, and the first cross bar and the second cross bar are configured so that the distance between them can be changed while maintaining their parallelism.

[0013] In addition, the first to third cross bars are each structured to bend using a bending rotation axis provided near the center in the longitudinal direction, and when the first cross bar and the second cross bar are closest to each other, the three bending rotation axes of the first to third cross bars coincide. Effect of the Invention

[0014] In the clothes hanger of the present invention, when the hook is tilted down while the first and second horizontal bars are close to each other, the hanger becomes thinner as a whole, making it easier to insert into the sleeve. When the joint is rotated to expand the first and second horizontal bars after insertion, they expand while remaining parallel, leaving a small trajectory and less likely to get caught on the fabric of the shirt. In addition, the first and second horizontal bars expand while lowering downward, so the expansion action is completed by simply shaking them lightly, without resisting gravity. Therefore, even if the horizontal bar becomes longer, it is not significantly impaired in terms of ease of insertion into the shirt, and the hanger can be inserted into the sleeve to ensure further thickness, making it convenient for drying the shirt.

[0015] The three horizontal bars have a rotating axis near the center for bending, so that after drying the clothes, they can be folded and easily removed from the neck hole of the shirt. When folded, it can be stored without taking up much space. Moreover, when the first and second horizontal bars are spread out, the axis does not match with the third horizontal bar, so it does not easily break. Furthermore, when folded, the first and second horizontal bars do not easily spread in the thickness direction, so the hanger can be kept thin.

[0016] Furthermore, if the hinge structure is made of a thin flexible synthetic resin portion, the total number of parts can be reduced, making assembly easier and enabling inexpensive manufacture. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] A perspective view of a conventional clothes hanger [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes hanger according to a first embodiment (with the horizontal bar open); [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 from a different angle. [Figure 4] Front view of the state in Figure 2 [Diagram 5] Cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft of the joint in Figure 4 (cross-section AA) [Figure 6] Left-right central cross-sectional view (BB cross-section) of Fig. 4 [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes hanger according to a first embodiment (with the horizontal bar closed and the hooks folded down); [Figure 8] Front view of the state in Figure 7 [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view (cross section AA) of the rotating shaft of the joint in Figure 8 [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view (cross-section CC) of the bending rotation restraint part of FIG. 8 [Figure 11] Another cross-sectional view (cross-section DD) of the bending rotation suppression portion of FIG. 8 [Figure 12] Cross-sectional view of the middle part of Figure 8 (EE cross section) [Figure 13] FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the bending rotation suppression part release protrusion in the state of FIG. 7; [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes hanger according to a first embodiment (with a folded horizontal bar); [Figure 15] Front view of the state in Figure 14 [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a clothes hanger according to a second embodiment (with the horizontal bar open); [Figure 17] Front view of the state shown in Fig. 16 [Figure 18] Cross-sectional view of the joint in Figure 17 (FF cross-section) [Figure 19] Left-right central cross-section (GG cross-section) of Figure 17 [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a joint portion of a clothes hanger according to a second embodiment, when the horizontal bar is aligned to the position at the time of injection molding. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a joint portion of a clothes hanger according to a second embodiment when the horizontal bar is aligned in a closed position. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a clothes hanger according to a second embodiment (with the horizontal bar folded); [Figure 23] Front view of the state shown in Fig. 22 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a conventional general clothes hanger 10. The hanger in FIG. 1 is assumed to be an injection molded part. Basically, it is a triangle long in the width direction made of a rod-shaped synthetic resin with a small cross section, and a hook 5 is connected to the apex. Since the hook 5 is molded as a single piece, it does not fall over or rotate, and therefore the length in the width direction is limited to prevent the fabric from stretching when it is inserted into a round-neck T-shirt through the neck hole. Therefore, the hanger does not reach the sleeves of the shirt, and the sleeves of the shirt hang down along the torso. In addition, since the clothes hanger 10 is not thick, when a wet shirt is hung out to dry, the front and back bodies will dry while still stuck together. As a result, it may take a long time to dry.

[0020] 2 and 3 are perspective views of a clothes hanger 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Three horizontal bars that are long in the width direction are connected by joints 4 to give the hanger thickness. In this first embodiment, the hanger is, for example, 62 cm wide and 7 cm thick. In FIG. 2, the horizontal bar at the front is the first horizontal bar 1, the horizontal bar at the back is the second horizontal bar 2, and the slightly shorter horizontal bar between the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 is the third horizontal bar 3.

[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates directions for explaining the clothes hanger 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example of the first embodiment, the hanger has no front or back, and is almost symmetrical except for the hook 5 and the hook tip storage section 3H, but for convenience, the left and right are set in the longitudinal direction (width direction) as shown in the figure, and the front side when the left and right are determined is the front direction. The distance in the front-to-rear direction in the figure is the thickness of the clothes hanger 100. Also, as shown in the front view of FIG. 4, in order to partially explain the horizontal bar, the space between the two inner joints 4 is called the center part 102, the space between the outer and inner joints 4 is called the middle part 103, and the outside of the two outer joints 4 is called the tip part 104, with the joints 4 as the boundary.

[0022] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the joint rotation axes 1J, 2J, and 3J AA as viewed from the side of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the center BB in the left-right direction. As shown in Figs. 2 to 6, the first and second cross bars 1 and 2 are connected to eight joints 4 (four each) at the outer connecting parts 4B of the joints 4, and are further connected to the third cross bar 3 at the central connecting parts 4A of the joints 4. The outer connecting parts 4B and the central connecting parts 4A act as bearings, forming a hinge structure with the rotation axes 1J, 2J, and 3J of the joints provided on the first to third cross bars 1, 2, and 3 as axes.

[0023] When the central connecting part 4A of the joint 4 rotates around the joint rotation axis 3J provided on the third cross bar 3, the outer connecting part 4B of the joint 4 moves along an arc centered on the joint rotation axis 3J provided on the third cross bar 3. The first and second cross bars 1, 2 are not straight bars, but the opposing parts are parallel. The parallel parts of the first and second cross bars 1, 2 move while maintaining their parallelism when the joint rotation axes 1J, 2J rotate relative to the outer connecting part 4B of the joint 4.

[0024] Since there are two joints 4 per horizontal bar on either side of the hook 5 provided in the center, the strength of the third horizontal bar 3 helps to prevent the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 from bending too much when clothes are hung on them. Furthermore, if there is only one joint 4 per horizontal bar on either side, the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 will rotate individually without maintaining parallelism. In addition, if the number of joints 4 exceeds eight, when the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are warped, a force to correct the warp acts on the joint 4, which is likely to adversely affect the rotation of the joint 4. The number of joints 4 is eight, which is a structure that combines strength and stability of operation when the clothes hanger 100 of the first embodiment is mass-produced.

[0025] The joint rotation axes 1J, 2J, and 3J connecting the joint 4 and the first to third cross bars 1, 2, and 3 are all set to be parallel in the state shown in FIG. 2. In addition, the distance between the axes of both ends of all joints 4 is the same. Therefore, all joints 4 rotate without twisting, and the first and second cross bars 1 and 2 do not need to bend, and they move smoothly. In addition, by providing axes at two locations at both ends of the joint 4, the first and second cross bars 1 and 2 can move while maintaining their parallelism without interfering with the joint 4. When widening the gap between the first and second cross bars 1 and 2 from the state shown in FIG. 7, no force is applied other than gravity and friction around the joint rotation axes 1J, 2J, and 3J, so it can be widened simply by holding the hook 5 and swinging it up and down. Furthermore, even if the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are not linear in shape, the opposing parts of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are always parallel in the open and closed states and at any point in between, so there is no difference in the way they spread out in some areas, and friction with the fabric of the clothing does not increase as they move, making them easy to handle.

[0026] The joint 4 has a joint projection 4P on the outer periphery of the central connecting part 4A that connects the third horizontal bar 3, and as shown in Figure 5, the joint projection 4P abuts against a stopper part 3S provided on the third horizontal bar 3. The first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 attempt to move downward due to gravity, but the joint projection 4P abuts against the stopper part 3S, restricting the downward movement. Therefore, even when clothes are hung, the joint 4 does not rotate, and the positional relationship of the three horizontal bars 1, 2, and 3 is stable in the state shown in Figure 2.

[0027] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the joint projection 4P is provided on the outer periphery of the central connecting portion 4A, but the structure may be such that rotation is prevented by the shape of the shaft and the bearing. In this case, even if the part that abuts against the stopper portion 3S has a shape that is not generally expressed as a projection but is, for example, a step-like shape, it is interpreted as a projection as described in the claims.

[0028] At the joint's rotation axis 1J, 2J, as shown in Fig. 5, the lower ends 1U, 2U of the horizontally long general parts of the first and second cross bars 1, 2 are set above the upper ends of the joint's rotation axis 1J, 2J. This means that the first and second cross bars 1, 2 do not require a slide mechanism in the mold during injection molding, and the mold can be opened and closed only in the left-right direction in Fig. 5 (the front-back direction in Fig. 2) to remove the molded parts after molding. In addition, because the joint 4 does not protrude above the tangent line (dashed line in Fig. 5) connecting the upper end of the third cross bar 3 and the upper ends of the first and second cross bars 1, 2, no marks are left on clothes when they are hung out to dry.

[0029] In addition, the cross sections of the rotation axes 1J, 2J, and 3J of all joints have a shape obtained by cutting the top and bottom of a circle in a straight line. With this shape, the parting line of the mold does not come on the circumference, so even if flash occurs during injection molding, it is unlikely to affect the sliding of joint 4.

[0030] In the first embodiment of the clothes hanger 100, when it is open, the rotation axes 1J, 2J of the joints of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are set slightly below the rotation axis 3J of the joint of the third horizontal bar 3. If the rotation axes 1J, 2J of the joints of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are above the rotation axis 3J of the joint of the third horizontal bar 3, the distance between the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 will be shortened by the force from the left-right direction in Fig. 5 (the front-back direction in Fig. 2), and the hanger will not be stable when hanging out clothes. Also, if the rotation axes 1J, 2J of the joints of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are significantly below the rotation axis 3J of the joint of the third horizontal bar 3, the distance between the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 will not be sufficient. Furthermore, if the rotation axis 1J, 2J of the joint of the first and second cross bars 1, 2 is approximately 10 mm or less below the rotation axis 3J of the joint of the third cross bar 3, when closing the first and second cross bars 1, 2, it is only necessary to slightly lift the first and second cross bars 1, 2 while pressing down on the third cross bar 3 from above, and then the first and second cross bars 1, 2 can be closed by applying force as if gripping them from the left and right directions in Figure 5 (the front and back directions in Figure 2), so that operation can be performed with one hand.

[0031] A typical simple clothes hanger 10, as shown in FIG. 1, has a section that connects both ends in a straight line in the width direction to prevent deformation, so the height cannot be suppressed at the center in the width direction. The present invention aims to make it easy to put on a long hanger, so the height needs to be suppressed. In order to make a horizontal bar that does not deform even when wet clothes are hung on it, it is better to make it have a cross section that is long in the vertical direction. This design is possible to some extent for the third horizontal bar 3, but the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 cannot be made too long in the vertical direction because they should be as small as possible when folded. In particular, the rotating shaft part of the joint is short in the vertical direction due to the structure of the mold described above. To compensate for this, most of the intermediate part 103 between the rotating shafts 1J, 2J, and 3J of the central joints and the rotating shafts 1J, 2J, and 3J of the left and right outer joints has a cross section that is long in the vertical direction. If the bending of the intermediate part 103 of the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 can be suppressed, the structure will have small bending overall except for the tip part 104 because it is connected to the third horizontal bar 3 by the joint.

[0032] Figures 7 and 8 are perspective and front views of the garment hanger 100 of the first embodiment, showing the state where the horizontal bars are closed and the hooks 5 are folded down. Also, a similar cross section taken along the line AA is shown in Figure 9, corresponding to Figure 5. The first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are closer to each other than in the state shown in Figure 2, and are generally thinner. Also, the tips of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are curved inward in the front-to-rear direction and are closer to each other, so that the tips 104 are less likely to get caught at the opening of the shirt sleeve when passing them through the neck hole and into the sleeve. When actually using the clothing hanger 100 of the first embodiment for a T-shirt, grasp the middle part 103 on the side where the hook 5 of the clothing hanger 100 is folded down, insert the tip of the opposite end through the neck hole of the shirt and pass it through the sleeve, insert it until the tip of the side you are grasping reaches the neck hole, grasp the clothing hanger 100 from above the shirt and change your grip while returning it until the center is aligned with the shirt, lift up the hook 5, hold the tip of the hook 5, and gently shake it up and down to spread the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 and adjust their position.

[0033] In addition, the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are shaped so that their tips hang downward to gently release the sleeve portion when the shirt is drying, and the third horizontal bar 3 is shorter than the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2. Therefore, when inserting tip portion 104 into the sleeve, the tip of the third horizontal bar 3 does not move too far away from the trajectory along which the tips of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 pass through the sleeve, and the tip of the third horizontal bar 3 can be inserted smoothly without getting caught.

[0034] When inserting the garment hanger 100 of the first embodiment of the present invention from the neck hole of a shirt toward the sleeve in the state of FIG. 7, it is assumed that the middle part 103, which has a vertically long cross section of the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2, is gripped. FIG. 12 shows the cross section of the middle part 103 (EE cross section of FIG. 8). When gripping the middle part 103, the tops of the middle part protrusions 103P provided on the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 come into contact with each other, although there is a small gap in the state of FIG. 12. Since the cross section of the middle part 103 has a shape that expands in the front-rear direction toward the bottom, gripping the middle part 103 acts on the lower ends of the cross sections of the middle parts 103 of the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 to approach each other. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, a moment M that tries to bring the tip parts 104 closer to each other acts on the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 around the top of the middle part protrusions 103P when viewed from the side. Therefore, the tips of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 naturally come into contact with each other, allowing them to be smoothly inserted into the sleeve. A vertical rib is provided on the middle protrusion 103P for the purpose of reinforcement and to accommodate slight misalignment, but the height of the ribs is configured to move away from each other from the top downwards so that they always come into contact at the top.

[0035] The hook 5 of the clothes hanger 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a rotation axis at the center of the width of the clothes hanger 100, and is configured to rotate and fall in the longitudinal direction of the third horizontal bar 3. In this embodiment, the axis of the hook 5 is a single axis shared with the bending rotation axis 3A of the third horizontal bar 3, but it may be configured to fall freely in any direction by a ball joint. The third horizontal bar 3 has a hook tip storage section 3H, which prevents the hook 5 from protruding in the vertical direction as much as possible when the hook 5 is folded, and prevents the hook 5 from getting caught on the clothes when inserted into the clothes. However, if the hook 5 is completely hidden between the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 when the clothes hanger 100 is closed, it will be difficult to pick up and raise it, so the hook 5 is configured to protrude slightly when viewed from the front as shown in FIG. 8.

[0036] The first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, 3 are provided with a horizontal bar bending rotation axis 1A, 2A, 3A at the center in the width direction. The first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, 3 are divided into left and right while being provided with the bending rotation axis 1A, 2A, 3A, respectively, and are connected by the bending rotation axis pins 1P, 2P, 3P. In the open state of FIG. 2, the bending rotation axis 1A, 2A of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 and the bending rotation axis 3A of the third horizontal bar 3 are offset in the vertical direction, and in the closed state of FIG. 7, they are all aligned in a straight line. By aligning the bending rotation axes 1A, 2A, 3A of the first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, 3, the clothes hanger 100 of the first embodiment is in a state in which it can be bent as a whole. In actual use, the clothes hanger can be bent even if there is some misalignment of the axes due to gaps or deformation between parts. The alignment of the axes as described in the claims refers to a design within a range of misalignment where the axes are aligned without applying a large force.

[0037] 14 and 15 show a perspective view and a front view of the clothes hanger 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention with the horizontal bars folded. The bending rotation axes 1A, 2A, and 3A of the first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, and 3 in the center are folded to shorten the width dimension when stored. At this time, the joint rotation axes 1J, 2J, and 3J are not parallel to the right and left sides of the center (upper and lower sides in Figs. 14 and 15) (the joint rotation axis 2J of the second horizontal bar 2 is hidden in the figures). Therefore, the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 do not easily open in the front-rear direction, and can be hung without increasing their length in the front-rear direction.

[0038] In the state of FIG. 2, the bending rotation axes 1A, 2A of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are aligned, but the bending rotation axis 3A of the third horizontal bar 3 is offset in the vertical direction, so it is not easily bent. However, wet clothes are heavy, so some bending occurs. To prevent this, a bending rotation suppression part 3C is provided in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 show cross-sectional views (CC cross-section and DD cross-section) of the bending rotation suppression part 3C in the state of FIG. 8. By providing claws 3LC, 3RC at the overlapping parts of the third left horizontal bar 3L and the third right horizontal bar 3R, respectively, and engaging them, the third horizontal bar 3 is held against each other so that it does not move in the bending direction. When bending, the plate 3B around the claw of the third left horizontal bar 3L, which constitutes the inner claw 3LC in FIG. 11, is moved inward in the front-rear direction to release the engagement of the claws 3LC, 3RC.

[0039] If there is a bias in the distance traveled by the front and rear plates when the plate 3B around the claws moves inward, there is a risk that the claws 3LC, 3RC on one side will remain unreleased, so a bias prevention protrusion 3K is provided at the front-to-back center (left-to-right center in Fig. 11) of the third cross bar 3. As a result, when a force is applied to the plate 3B around the claws from the outside, the inside of the plate 3B around the claws butts up against the bias prevention protrusion 3K, and the plates 3B around the front and rear claws move the same distance, so that the claws 3LC, 3RC on one side will not remain unreleased.

[0040] To open the bending rotation inhibiting portion 3C, the plate 3B around the claws can be directly pinched and moved inward, but to eliminate the need to change grip during bending operations, bending rotation inhibiting portion release protrusions 1N, 2N are provided on the first and second cross bars 1, 2. Figure 11 shows a cross section in the direction in which the bending rotation inhibiting portion release protrusions 1N, 2N can be seen. Figure 13 shows an enlarged perspective view of the bending rotation inhibiting portion release protrusions 1N, 2N in the state shown in Figure 7. When bending the clothes hanger 100 of the first embodiment, the bending rotation prevention portion release protrusions 1N, 2N of the first and second cross bars 1, 2 are grasped near the bending rotation prevention portion release protrusions 1N, 2N and the first and second cross bars 1, 2 are moved closer to the inside in the front-to-rear direction so that the bending rotation prevention portion release protrusions 1N, 2N provided on the inside in the front-to-rear direction of the first and second cross bars 1, 2 come into contact with the outside of the plate 3B around the inner claw 3LC of the third cross bar 3, and by grasping further firmly, the inner claw 3LC moves inward and the bending rotation prevention portion 3C is released.

[0041] Forcibly bending the clothing hanger 100 in an open state, as in Figure 2, may result in damage. The fact that the bending and rotation inhibiting portion 3C is released simply by gripping the hanger in a closed state, as in Figure 7, not only makes the operation easier, but also has the effect of preventing the user from accidentally destroying the clothing hanger 100.

[0042] Considering the direction of the load when clothes are hung, it is easier to design a robust structure for the shaft portion if the bending direction of the horizontal bar is such that the tip moves upward, but in the first embodiment, the tip moves downward, which allows the hook 5 to be easily hung on a clothesline even when bent without being hidden, and allows the clothes hanger 100 to be easily removed from the hole in the neck of a shirt by bending after the clothes are dried. However, the bending direction may be such that the tip moves upward within the scope of the claims.

[0043] Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a clothes hanger 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 17 is a front view of Fig. 16, and Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the joints taken along the line FF of Fig. 17. In the first embodiment, the eight joints 4 were separate parts, but in the second embodiment, the first to third cross bars 1, 2, 3 and the joints 4 are integrally molded. The left and right sides are divided into separate parts around the bending rotation axes 1A, 2A, 3A of the cross bars, but each of the left and right sides is a single part to which the first to third cross bars 1, 2, 3 are connected. The thin-walled parts 4T provided at both ends of the joints 4 are bent to form a hinge structure.

[0044] The parts of the clothes hanger 100 of the second embodiment are manufactured by injection molding flexible synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and are capable of maintaining performance without breaking even if the thin-walled portion 4T is repeatedly bent.

[0045] In the hinge structure of the clothes hanger 100 of the second embodiment, the thin-walled parts 4T provided at both ends of the joint 4 are not clearly shown as a single straight line axis, but the thin-walled parts 4T as a whole are deformed while the both sides connected to the thin-walled part 4T are moved relatively, but in reality, it is a movement that can be called a rotation as in the first embodiment. In the figure showing the clothes hanger 100 of the second embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the thin-walled part 4T is shown as being bent in a single straight line in the left-right direction and acting as the rotation axes 1J, 2J, 3J of the joint.

[0046] Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view (FF cross-section) of the joint in Figure 17. When the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are open, the protrusion 4P of the joint hits the stopper portion 3S provided on the third horizontal bar 3, thereby restricting the movement of the joint 4. Therefore, when clothes are hung out to dry, the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are stable in the state shown in Figure 18.

[0047] Fig. 19 is a left-right central cross-sectional view (GG cross-section) of Fig. 17. In the clothes hanger 100 of the second embodiment, in order to reduce the number of parts, the pins 1P, 2P, 3P of the bending rotation shafts of the first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, 3 are not made as separate parts, but are molded integrally with the horizontal bars or hooks 5. As a result, the total number of parts in the clothes hanger 100 of the second embodiment is three, which reduces the part manufacturing costs and assembly costs compared to the first embodiment. However, if the product life and appearance are important, the bending rotation shafts 1A, 2A, 3A may be made as separate parts as in the first embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 20 shows a cross section of the joint 4 portion in the shape of the garment hanger 100 of the second embodiment when the first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, 3 and the joint 4 are injection molded. That is, FIG. 18 is aligned with the position during injection molding. As shown in FIG. 20, the positions of the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are between the open and closed positions, and the joint 4 portion is designed so that it can be taken out without interference by vertical movement of the mold. In addition, if the thin portion 4T is not bent at this time, the resin flows smoothly during molding, so a shape that is not bent as shown in FIG. 20 is desirable. If the resin flows smoothly during molding, the possibility of a weld line occurring in the thin portion 4T can be reduced.

[0049] 21 shows a cross-sectional view of joint 4 when the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are aligned in the closed position in the second embodiment of the clothing hanger 100. In the second embodiment of the clothing hanger 100, since there is no need to provide a bearing in the joint 4, the shape of the joint 4 and its surrounding area is smaller, and when the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are closed, the dimensions in the up-down and front-to-back directions are smaller than those in the first embodiment.

[0050] Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the garment hanger 100 of the second embodiment, and Fig. 23 is a front view of Fig. 22, showing the state in which the first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, and 3 are folded. In the garment hanger 100 of the second embodiment, when the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 are closed, a force acts on the hinge structure of the thin-walled portion 4T to return to the state at the time of injection molding, i.e., the state shown in Fig. 20. At this time, the first and second horizontal bars 1, 2 tend to open in the absence of external force. In order to prevent the front-rear dimension from becoming as large as possible when the first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, and 3 are folded, the garment hanger 100 of the second embodiment is provided with a protrusion 1W for preventing opening when bent and a storage portion 3W for the protrusion for preventing opening when bent. When the first to third horizontal bars 1, 2, and 3 are bent, the projections 1W provided on the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 fit into the projection storage section 3W provided on the third horizontal bar, preventing the first and second horizontal bars 1 and 2 from opening. The positions of the projections 1W and the projection storage section 3W when not bent are shown in Figure 17.

[0051] As described above, the clothes hanger 100 of the embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a long horizontal bar in the width direction, which supports the inside of the sleeves and allows the clothes to be hung out to dry without overlapping fabric at the sides.It also has a sufficient thickness to prevent the body of the clothes from sticking to the hanger, while being easy to insert into the clothes and can be folded up small when not in use, making it a clothes hanger that dries clothes quickly and is easy to use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10 Traditional clothes hanger 100 Clothes hanger according to an embodiment of the present invention 102 Central part 103 Middle section 103P Intermediate protrusion 104 Tip 1 First bar 1A Rotating axis for bending the crossbar (first crossbar) 1J Rotation axis of joint (first cross bar) 1L First left bar 1N Bending rotation restraint release protrusion (first horizontal bar) 1P Bending shaft pin (first cross bar) 1R First right bar 1U Bottom end of general section (first horizontal bar) 1W Anti-opening protrusion when bent 2 Second bar 2A Rotating axis for bending the crossbar (second crossbar) 2J Rotation axis of joint (second cross bar) 2L Second left crossbar 2N Bending rotation restraint release protrusion (second horizontal bar) 2P Bending shaft pin (second cross bar) 2R Second right crossbar 2U Bottom end of general section (second horizontal bar) 3. Third bar 3A: Rotation axis for bending the crossbar (third crossbar) 3B Plate around the nail (third left horizontal bar) 3C Bending and rotation prevention part 3H Hook tip storage area 3J Joint rotation axis (third cross bar) 3K Anti-bias protrusion 3L Third left crossbar 3LC Inner tab (tab on the left side of the third horizontal bar) 3P Pin of bending shaft (third cross bar) 3R Third right bar 3RC Outer claw (claw on the right side of the third horizontal bar) 3S Stopper part 3W Protrusion storage section to prevent opening when bent 4. Joint 4A Central connection part 4B Outer connection part 4P joint protrusion 4T thin section 5. Hook F The force exerted on the clothes hanger when squeezed Moment applied to the tip of the clothes hanger by MF

Claims

1. A clothes hanger comprising a first horizontal bar, a second horizontal bar arranged parallel to the first horizontal bar, and a third horizontal bar arranged between the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar, the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar being individually connected to the third horizontal bar by a plurality of joints, each of the joints having hinge structures near both ends, one of the hinge structures having a connection portion with the third horizontal bar that rotates at a hinge portion of the joint, and the other of the hinge structures being connected to the first horizontal bar or the second horizontal bar and rotating while moving along an arc-like trajectory centered on the hinge portion connected to the third horizontal bar, wherein the distance between the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar is variable, characterized in that when a protrusion provided on the joint hits a stopper portion of the third horizontal bar, the rotation around the hinge connecting the third horizontal bar and the joint is stopped, and downward movement of the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar is suppressed.

2. 2. The clothes hanger according to claim 1, wherein the hooks rotate and fall in the longitudinal direction of the third horizontal bar.

3. 3. The clothes hanger according to claim 1, wherein the hinge structure of the joint is made of a thin section of flexible synthetic resin.

4. The clothes hanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that there are eight joints, the distances between the hinges at both ends of the joints are all the same length, the axes of rotation of all the joints are parallel, and the opposing portions of the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar are kept parallel while the distance is variable.

5. A clothes hanger comprising a first horizontal bar, a second horizontal bar arranged parallel to the first horizontal bar, and a third horizontal bar arranged between the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar, the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar being individually connected to the third horizontal bar by a plurality of joints, each of the joints having a hinge structure near both ends, one of the hinge structures having a connection portion with the third horizontal bar that rotates at a hinge portion of the joint, and the other of the hinge structures being connected to the first horizontal bar or the second horizontal bar and rotating while moving along an arc-like trajectory centered on the hinge portion connected to the third horizontal bar, thereby making it possible to change the distance between the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar, characterized in that the first to third horizontal bars are each structured to bend by a bending rotation axis provided near the center in the longitudinal direction, and when the first horizontal bar and the second horizontal bar are closest to each other, the three bending rotation axes of the first to third horizontal bars coincide.

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