Collapsible garment hanger

Abstract

A collapsible garment hanger includes a means for supporting a garment, an actuator configured to facilitate a movement of the means for supporting the garment between an extended position and a collapsed position, and an attachment member configured to cooperate with a support structure. The means for supporting the garment includes a pair of flexible arms having a desired spring rate to facilitate an unassisted return of the arms from the collapsed position to the extended position.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is entitled to claim the benefit of, and claims priority to, U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 729,036 filed Nov. 21, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to a garment hanger, and more particularly, to a collapsible garment hanger.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Necks of garments are sometimes overly stretched and damaged as a result of being removed from and placed on hangers in the conventional manner. The stretching usually occurs because the distance between the hanger arms is greater than the opening of the neck of the garment. To prevent damage, hangers must be separated from the clothing by reaching up through the body of the garment and manipulating the hanger down through the bottom. Or, if the garment is a button type, the necessary number of buttons must be undone before removal. If the article ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent is about a collapsible garment hanger that has flexible arms that can be easily fit inside a shirt to avoid stretching the garment during insertion and removal of the hanger. The arms are usually forced downward, but can be easily raised back up through a sliding mechanism. The hanger can be easily inserted through a neck portion of the garment and doesn't require manual effort to spring back up. This hanger design makes it easier to insert and remove garments from the hanger, reduces wrinkles and creases, and provides a longer and wider surface area onto which the garment can be placed.

Problems solved by technology

Necks of garments are sometimes overly stretched and damaged as a result of being removed from and placed on hangers in the conventional manner.

If the article of clothing is removed by manipulating the hanger down through the body of the garment, the hook element is prone to damage the garment, this problem is particularly acute with knitted garments.

The short span of these hanger arms causes the length of the arms to be inadequate for garment shoulder widths.

Traditional hanger arms are either too short to adequately support the average garments shoulder length, or too wide to fit through the neck of the garment.

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