Clothes hangers

Abstract

To provide a hanger that does not deform even when hanging heavy laundry that is full of water immediately after washing, and that makes it easy to attach and detach laundry by deforming and returning to its original shape with minimal force when attaching laundry. [Solution] The first component 2a and the second component 2b, which are provided below the suspension means 3, are rotatably connected to each other at the connecting part 5 and have operating parts 21 and 22 that allow a finger to be placed on them and force to be applied in a direction that brings the first component 2a and the second component 2b closer together. Between the operating parts 21 and 22, there is a limiting means 4 that has a static counterforce against the force applied in the direction that brings the first component and the second component closer together and also has a function to release the static counterforce. The clothes hanger 1 has strength that prevents it from easily deforming when clothes are hanging on it, but has a limiting means 4 that allows it to be easily deformed by a light, simple operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hanger for clothing.

Background Art

[0002] The hanger described in Patent Document 1 is known. The hanger is formed of a linearly-shaped material made of a wire member that elastically deforms. By gripping near the joining portion near the base of the hook portion, it is deformed so as to bring closer an extension portion that supports clothing from the inside around the joining portion. By relaxing the grip near the joining portion, it is expanded by returning the deformation of the extension portion, and is configured to be able to hold the clothing so that the clothing can be suspended by supporting the clothing from the inside. As described above, by gripping near the joining portion, two extension portions extending in the lateral direction are brought closer to each other to make the outer shape thinner. After inserting from the neck of the clothing into the inside, when the grip near the joining portion is relaxed, the two extension portions extend in the lateral direction and can hold and suspend the clothing.

[0003] The above-described hanger is entirely composed of a linear stainless steel material having elasticity like a spring. When gripping near the joining portion, it becomes thinner against the elasticity of the stainless steel, and along with the relaxation of the grip, the extension portion is lifted by the restoring force due to the elasticity and extends in the lateral direction. Due to such a structure, the elastic force of the stainless steel needs to be set to a strength such that the extension portion does not face downward even when a wet laundry is attached.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The hanger described above is characterized by the fact that it can be gripped near the palms with one hand, allowing laundry to be attached with the other hand. However, since the hanger needs to be strong enough not to deform even when wet laundry is attached, the user needs a certain amount of grip strength, but it is conceivable that people with disabilities or the elderly may not be able to exert the force to deform the hanger. Also, when gripping near the palms and retracting the extension part, it becomes charged in the direction of opening, so if the hand slips and the grip near the palms is released, the extension part will suddenly open, potentially causing the hand to hit itself. This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a hanger that does not deform even when heavy laundry containing water immediately after washing is hung on it, and that makes it easy to attach and detach laundry by allowing the hanger to deform and return to its original shape with little force when attaching laundry. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, this invention has the following configuration. That is, A hanger for hanging clothes, Suspension means and It has a first component and a second component that hold clothing, which are provided below the hanging means. The first and second components are rotatably connected to each other at a connecting portion provided below the suspension means, and each has an operating portion that allows a finger to be placed on it to apply force in a direction that brings the first and second components closer together. A clothing hanger is characterized in that a limiting means is provided between the operating parts, which has a static counteracting force against a force that brings the first component and the second component closer together, and also has a function to release the static counteracting force.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention has the following features in the above-mentioned clothing hanger. That is, The aforementioned limiting means is characterized by being formed by a long-axis tension coil spring in which the wound coils are in close contact with each other in their normal state.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention has the following features in the above-mentioned clothing hanger. That is, The operating section is characterized by having an annular opening into which a fingertip can be inserted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The hanger according to the present invention can change its shape when attaching it to clothing and when removing it from clothing. It is resistant to deformation when clothing is attached to it, and can be easily deformed with light force when removing clothing. To achieve this feature, the properties of a tension coil spring are utilized, and the shape of the hanger and its attachment to and removal from clothing can be easily performed with the fingertips of one hand. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a front view of the hanger according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing a hanger in a deformed state. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the continuous movement of a hanger. [Figure 4] This is a front view showing another example of a hanger. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing the hanger shown in Figure 4 in a deformed state. [Figure 6] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the continuous operation of the hanger. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to use a hanger. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram of a tension coil spring. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a front view of the hanger 1 according to the present embodiment. The hanger 1 is for hanging upper-body clothing in the same manner as a general hanger, and can reversibly perform the shape in the folded state and the restoration from the folded state with only one hand operation. The hanger 1 has a strength mechanism that does not easily deform even when wet and heavy clothing is hung in the restored state.

[0012] The hanger 1 has a main body 2 for holding clothing formed of a stainless steel wire rod and a restricting means (4) provided inside the main body 2. The main body 2 is composed of a first component member 2a and a second component member 2b that are rotatably coupled to each other. A hook 3 is integrally provided at the upper part of the first component member 2a, and a coupling portion 5 formed as a bearing is integrally formed near the lower end of the hook 3. The second component member 2b is rotatably coupled to the coupling portion 5. The first component member 2a and the second component member 2b are formed by bending a stainless steel wire rod into a predetermined shape, and except for the hook 3, the first component member 2a and the second component member 2b are formed to be symmetric about the left and right.

[0013] On the upper part of the main body 2 where the first component member 2a and the second component member 2b are coupled, semi-circular hanging parts 6 and 7 branched in a bifurcated shape from the coupling portion 5 are provided. At the lower ends of the hanging parts 6 and 7, curved parts 12 and 13 protruding in the left-right direction are formed, and further, substantially linear extending parts 8 and 9 inclined downward in the left-right direction from the lower ends of the curved parts 12 and 13 are provided. At the tips of the extending parts 8 and 9, end treatment parts 10 and 11 with rounded tips in an annular shape are provided so that the sharp ends of the wire rod are not exposed and do not pierce clothing or the like.

[0014] Inside the bending parts 12 and 13, a single coil spring 4 that constitutes a restricting means and supports 21 and 22 that support both ends of the coil spring 4 are provided. The coil spring 4 is formed as a tension coil spring, and a coil spring with no gaps where adjacent winding wires are in close contact along the axial direction is used. For this reason, the coil spring 4 constitutes a strength mechanism that has the property of being difficult to deform with respect to a compressive load in the direction of being crushed along the axial direction, and has the property of being refracted by a force of pushing with a fingertip in the direction orthogonal to the axis. Details of the coil spring 4 will be described later.

[0015] The supports 21 and 22 are fixed so as to close the substantially semi-circular bending parts 6 and 7 to form an annular space, and constitute an operation part that allows a finger to be inserted into the bending parts 6 and 7 to apply a compressive force to the coil spring 4. As an example, the supports 21 and 22 are formed of the same material as the main body 2 and are attached using a fixing method such as welding. The supports 21 and 22 function as an operation part for operating the first component 2a and the second component 2b. Note that the form of the operation part is various, and any form can be used as long as it can perform a deformation operation of the first component and the second component that constitute the hanger while applying pressure to the coil spring 4, which is an example of a restricting means, by fingertip operation.

[0016] For the hanger 1 having the above structure, a finger can be inserted into the bending parts 12 and 13 to apply a compressive force to the coil spring 4. When a force orthogonal to the axial direction is applied to the coil spring 4 in a state where the compressive force is applied, the coil spring 4 easily buckles. When the coil spring 4 buckles, the first component 2a and the second component 2b rotate inward around the connecting part 5, and the extending parts 8 and 9 approach as shown in FIG. 2. When the extending parts 8 and 9 approach, the outer shape of the hanger 1 becomes thinner and transforms into a size that can be inserted into and pulled out from the collar of a coat. As the coil spring 4 deforms from the unloaded state shown in Figure 1 and approaches the state shown in Figure 2, the attachment points of the coil spring 4 to the supports 21 and 22 intersect, and its appearance becomes annular. The coil spring 4, whose ends are fixed to the supports 21 and 22, is guided by the angle of the supports 21 and 22, which rotate around the joint 5 as a pivot point, and becomes annular near the position where the attachment points intersect. Once it becomes annular, the restoring force of the coil spring 4, which tries to restore its shape, acts in a direction that maintains the intersecting state of the supports 21 and 22, so the extended parts 8 and 9 come closer together and the appearance of the hanger 1 remains slender even without being held with fingertips. Furthermore, if the intersecting state of the supports 21 and 22 is released by spreading them apart with fingertips, the restoring force of the coil spring 4 reverses in the direction that opens the supports 21 and 22, so the outer shape of the hanger 1 automatically returns to an open state. In other words, as described above, the hanger 1 has a boundary point where the restoring force of the coil spring 4 reverses. At this boundary point, it is designed to be guided and maintained in both a fully extended state under no load and a state where the extended parts 8 and 9 are close together and narrowed, and this can be controlled by fingertip operation. The connecting portion 5, support members 21 and 22, and coil spring 4 of the hanger 1 are formed in a shape that allows the above-described operation to occur, and they are arranged in the appropriate position and angle.

[0017] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram that superimposes the shapes of the hanger in the following states: the unfolded state 1a under no load, the hanger 1b in the process of deformation, and the hanger 1c in the state where the extended parts 8 and 9 are close together and have become narrower.

[0018] Figure 4 shows a case where hanger 100 is formed using synthetic resin. Hanger 100, like hanger 1, is for attaching to and hanging clothing worn on the upper body (jackets, etc.), and can be folded and restored with just one hand. In its restored state, it has a load-bearing mechanism that prevents it from easily deforming even when hanging wet and heavy clothing. The hanger 100 has a restricting mechanism consisting of a main body 101 made of synthetic resin and a coil spring 102 provided inside the main body 101. The exterior of the main body 101 has a hook 103 at the top center, and each curved section 104, 104 is curved in a bell shape with the lower end of the hook 103 as the apex, and extensions 105, 106 are inclined downward from both lower ends of each curved section 104, 104.

[0019] The main body 101 consists of a first component 101a with a hook 103 integrally attached, and a second component 101b without the hook 103. The first component 101a and the second component 101b are rotatably attached with a connecting portion 109 provided at the lower end of the hook 3 as a pivot point. The curved portions 104, 104 of the first component 101a and the second component 101b are each provided with annular portions 107, 108, which have openings large enough to insert a fingertip, and a coil spring 102, which constitutes a limiting means, is attached between the two annular portions 107, 108. The annular portions 107, 108 function as operating parts for operating the first component 101a and the second component 101b. The coil spring 102 is a tension coil spring similar to the one used in the hanger 1 described above. In addition, the ends of the extension portions 105 and 106 are provided with end portions with circular holes.

[0020] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the hanger 100 in a folded state. The coil spring 102 that constitutes the limiting means has a load-bearing capacity that makes it difficult to deform in the compression direction under normal conditions, so the hanger 100 does not easily deform when clothes are attached to it and hung up. However, if the coil spring 102 is pushed perpendicularly while the annular parts 107 and 108 are pressed inward with the fingertips, the coil spring 102 can be easily buckled. As a result, the first component 101a and the second component 101b rotate around the connecting part 109, and the hanger 100 deforms so that the extensions 105 and 106 are close together. As the coil spring 102 deforms from the unloaded state shown in Figure 4 and approaches the state shown in Figure 5, the attachment points to the curved portions 104, 104 at both ends of the coil spring 102 intersect, and the coil spring 102 takes on an annular appearance. In this state, the force of the coil spring 102 attempting to restore its shape acts in a direction that maintains the intersecting state of the curved portions 104, 104, so the hanger 100 maintains a state in which the extensions 105 and 106 are close together and become thinner. In other words, the hanger 100 maintains both an unloaded, extended state and a state in which the extensions 105 and 106 are close together and narrowed. This operation is the same as that of the hanger 1 described above, and each component is formed and arranged in an appropriate shape that satisfies the conditions for these operations to be performed reliably.

[0021] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram that shows the unfolded hanger 100a under no load and the hanger 100b in a state where the extensions 105 and 106 are close together and narrowed, superimposed on each other.

[0022] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the process of attaching and removing clothing from the hanger 100. Figure 7(a) shows the state in which the hanger 100 is rotated by manipulating the annular parts 107 and 108 and the coil spring 102 with one hand to bring the first component 101a and the second component 101b closer together, and the hanger 100 is then attached to the collar portion of the jacket S. Figure 7(b) shows the state in which the hanger 100 is automatically opened by a fingertip operation, starting from the closed state shown in Figure 7(a), and the jacket S is attached to the hanger 100. Figure 7(c) shows the state in which an attempt is being made to remove the jacket S attached to the hanger 100, and it shows the moment when the coil spring 102 is deformed with the fingertips and the hanger 100 is being deformed by the fingers inserted into the annular parts 107 and 108. Figure 7(d) shows the hanger 100 being deformed into a slimmer shape and removed from the collar of the jacket S. The above explanation regarding the use of hanger 100 also applies to hanger 1, as mentioned earlier.

[0023] Figure 8(a) shows an external perspective view of coil springs 4 and 102, Figure 8(b) shows an external perspective view of coil springs 4 and 102 viewed from the end side, and Figure 8(c) shows an external view of coil springs 4 and 102 viewed from the side. Coil springs 4 and 102 are formed as rectangular coil springs, with each turn of the coil forming an octagon. Rectangular coil springs have properties that make each turn less prone to buckling than annular coil springs, less likely to pinch fibers such as hair, and have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Furthermore, the coil springs used may be of other polygonal shapes, such as heptagonal, hexagonal, or square shapes, as well as annular shapes, in addition to the octagonal shape described above. Moreover, the appearance of the coil spring is not limited to the straight appearance shown in the figure; it may be a spool-shaped spring with a slightly thinner center along its longitudinal direction, a spindle-shaped spring with a slightly thicker center along its longitudinal direction, or any other appearance that performs functions in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

[0024] The hanger according to the present invention has been described above, but various materials and shapes can be applied, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the claims, and will remain within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a coil spring is used as a control means to maintain and control the shape and deformation of the hanger. Coil springs are suitable for use in the present invention because they are strong against axial compression but weak against forces perpendicular to the axis; however, other means with similar effects may be used. [Industrial applicability]

[0025] This invention can be used for clothing hangers. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0026] 1 hanger 2 Main unit 2a First component 2b Second component 3. Hooks (hanging means) 4 Coil springs 5 Connecting part 6, 7 Drooping part 8, 9 Extension part 12, 13 Curved section 10, 11 End section 21, 22 Support (operation part) 100 hangers 101 Main Unit 101a First component 101b Second component 102 Coil Springs 103 Hook 104 Curved section 105, 106 Extension 107, 108 Ring section (operating section) 109 Connection part

Claims

1. A hanger for hanging clothes, Suspension means and It has a first component and a second component that hold clothing, which are provided below the aforementioned hanging means. The first and second components are rotatably connected to each other at a connecting portion provided below the suspension means, and each has an operating portion that allows a finger to be placed on it to apply force in a direction that brings the first and second components closer together. A clothing hanger is characterized in that a limiting means is provided between the operating parts, which has a static counteracting force against a force that brings the first component and the second component closer together, and also has a function to release the static counteracting force.

2. The hanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the restricting means is formed by a long-axis tension coil spring in which the wound coils are in close contact with each other in their normal state.

3. The hanger according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operating part is an annular opening into which a fingertip can be inserted.

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