GB2461853A

GB2461853A - Garment hanger and carrier assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2461853A
Application number: GB0812691A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Robert Forsayeth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-07-11
Filing date: 2008-07-11
Publication date: 2010-01-20
Also published as: WO2010004298A3; WO2010004298A2; GB0812691D0

Abstract

A garment carrier 2 for carrying and storing garments comprises a flexible cover or enclosure 4 within which garments 38 may be stored, a first support means 20 for suspending the garment carrier from an external support, a second support means 24 within the enclosure 4 to support garments 38, the first 20 and second 24 supports being directly connected by an attachment means 22 extending through the flexible enclosure 4. The enclosure 4 may incorporate a storage section 10 comprising separate compartments 12 for storing smaller items.

Description

GARMENT HANGER ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to a garment carrier. The invention is particularly concerned with a garment carrier that is able to protect a number of garments, as well as be easy to transport.

Travel is becoming an increasingly popular hobby amongst people of all ages.

When using a suitcase or backpack to travel, it can be difficult to transport items such as trousers, dresses, jumpers, t-shirts, coats and suits and the like without folding them. If such items are folded for a long period of time, they often become creased, sometimes permanently. Although conventional garment carriers are able to protect a garment, they are often very cumbersome, and also require the garments to be totally removed from the carrier once the destination is reached. This is often inconvenient as there may be no suitable storage place for the garment, or the trip may only be short so unpacking everything from the carrier may not seem worthwhile. This is often of particular problem to backpackers. They are often required to unpack and pack the entire contents of their bag simply to find what they are looking for. As backpackers will often not stay in the same place for a long period of time, this is a particular problem.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus for carrying garments that will protect the garments, allow them to be transported easily and also provide easy access storage once at the destination, so as to save travellers time when packing and unpacking.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a garment carrier for carrying and storing garments and other like items, the garment carrier comprising: a flexible enclosure within which garments may be stored; a first support for suspending the garment carrier from an external support; a second support disposed within the flexible enclosure for supporting garments within the enclosure; wherein the second support is directly attached to the first support by an attachment means extending through the flexible enclosure.

The garment carrier has a support assembly comprising a first support, such as a hook or the like, to allow the carrier to be suspended from a suitable structure, such as a rail in a wardrobe or a hook or the like. The support assembly has a second support, such as one or more hooks, disposed within the enclosure of the carrier, allowing garments to be suspended. The first and second supports are connected by an attachment means that extends through the flexible enclosure. In this way, the support assembly is independent of the enclosure and the carrier does not rely upon the enclosure for providing any support to the garments within when the carrier is suspended from a rail and the like.

The garment carrier comprises a flexible enclosure for housing garments that are being transported. It is preferred that the garment carrier is provided with means to support the enclosure and provide it with a shape. In one preferred arrangement, the attachment means also supports a lateral member that holds the apparatus in shape. The lateral member is preferably rigid and manufactured from any suitable material, such as metal or plastic, and may be in the form of a tube, bar or rod or the like. Other suitable materials for the lateral member will be obvious to those skilled in the art. As the support member is only required to support garments within the garment carrier, even when the remainder of the carrier may be of considerable weight, for example when holding a large amount of laundry, it may be of relatively light construction, in turn allowing the garment carrier to be of reduced weight.

The lateral member is preferably free to move relative to the support assembly, in particular along the direct attachment means between the first support on the inside of the enclosure and the second support on the outside of the enclosure. The attachment means is preferably flexible and may take any suitable form, such as a series of links or a chain or the like. The first support and the second support are preferably attached by a cord. The cord will be of suitable strength so as to support any garments that are attached to the first support. Suitable types of cord will be obvious to those skilled in the art. By having the attachment means in the form of a cord, the connection of the lateral member to the attachment means may be by having the cord extend through a suitable hole in the lateral member.

Alternatively, the attachment means in the form of a cord may wrap around the lateral member or simply be tied to it. Movement of the lateral member along the cord may be limited by one or more knots in the chord. Again, this provides for a very strong, yet light structure, that can support a large weight of garments, while not contributing significant weight itself to the garment carrier.

The first support may take any suitable form, such as a hook, and is situated so as to be suitable to hang garments on while the garment carrier is in use. The direct attachment means between the first support and the second support enable the first support to support many garments at a time without breaking or ripping the flexible enclosure or requiring the enclosure to be strongly reinforced.

The second support may be any suitable means, for example a hook.

The flexible enclosure may be of any suitable material and of any suitable shape and size to accommodate the required garments. The enclosure is preferably sufficiently flexible to allow it to be folded or rolled. The apparatus preferably comprises adjustable straps situated near the lateral member and the bottom of the storage section. The straps allow the apparatus to be rolled up and secured for easy transportation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a garment carrier for carrying garments and the like, the garment carrier comprising: a first portion comprising a support assembly having support means to support at least one garment; and a second portion for enclosing garments that are being supported by the first portion; whereby the second portion is removeably attached to the first support assembly.

The garment carrier of this aspect of the invention has a first portion comprising means to support garments and a second portion for enclosing the garments. The second portion is removeably attached to the first portion. The second portion may be removed, without disturbing the first portion or requiring the garments to be removed, thus allowing the second portion to be removed and taken away. For example, the second portion may be used as a bag for holding laundry, which may be easily removed from the first portion, to transport the laundry for cleaning or washing. The second portion may be reattached around the garments, in order to protect them during transit. The construction of the garment carrier makes it is easy for a user to see when the laundry bag is full, and will also make it easier for a user to see which clothes are clean and which are to be washed.

The first portion may have any suitable form. For example, in one embodiment, the first portion has a flexible outer enclosure, which preferably comprises at least one compartment. The at least one compartment is suitable in size to hold small items, such as toiletry items, jewellery, underwear, hats shorts or the like.

The second portion provides an enclosure to surround garments being held or supported by the first portion, for example when the garment carrier is suspended from a hook or rail. The second portion preferably comprises a front portion and a back portion that are attached along their respective edges. The front and back portions are preferably removeably attached to each other using any suitable releasable fastening means, such as one or more zips, or either press studs or hook and loop fasteners, or a combination of the two. The front and back portions are preferably removeably attached to one another using a combination of press studs and hook and loop fasteners. Suitable types of press studs will be obvious to those skilled in the art. A suitable type of hook and loop fastener is Velcro�.

The first and second portions of the apparatus are removeably attached. The means for removeably securing the first and second portions together may be one or more of the known suitable fasteners, such as zips, studs, or hook and loop fastener systems. They are preferably removeably attached using a combination of hook and loop fasteners and press studs. Suitable types of press studs and hook and loop tape are as previously discussed.

The first portion comprises means for supporting both garments within the second portion of the carrier and the carrier itself. Suitable means, such as hooks and the like, are known in the art. A particularly preferred support assembly is the one described herein before and forming part of the first aspect of the present invention.

As noted above, it is often required to fold or roll garments within a garment S carrier, in particular when the carrier is being used to carry garments for travel, such as when flying. A particular problem with existing garment carriers is that conventional coat hangers impede the folding and rolling of garments within garment carriers. They also bend out of shape and can snap easily. There is a need for an improved coat hanger that may be used in garment carriers.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a coat hanger comprising: a hook; an arm assembly extending laterally from the hook; and a flexible connection member; said connection member engaging with each of the hook and the arm assembly, whereby the hook can be folded to overlay the arm assembly.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a coat hanger comprising: a hook; an arm assembly extending laterally from the hook; and a rigid connecting member with flexible connection to each of the hook and arm; said connection member engaging with each of the hook and the arm assembly, whereby the hook can be folded to overlay the arm assembly.

The hook portion of the coat hanger is attached to the arm portion by a wholly flexible or rigid connecting member with flexible connections to each of the hook and arm, allowing the hook to be folded so as to overlie the arm portion. This allows the coat hanger to be rolled up in the garment without making it too bulky to transport.

Such a compact coat hanger may be used in any situation where space is limited, such as luggage for a plane or in a backpack or the like. The coat hanger finds particular use in garment carriers of the type discussed above.

The hook portion of the coat hanger may be of largely conventional shape and form. The arm portion of the coat hanger may be of any suitable form, for example comprising a pair of lateral arms extending from the hook portion. A lateral brace extending between the distal ends of the arms may be provided if required.

Alternatively, the arms may be made sufficiently rigid to support the garments.

The hook and arm assembly are connected by a flexible attachment member, allowing the hook to be folded relative to the arms. Any suitable flexible attachment may be employed. Preferably, the flexible attachment is resilient, so as to bias the hook into the unfolded position relative to the arm.

Alternatively, the attachment member can also be a rigid connecting member with a flexible connection to each of the hook and arm. The rigid connecting member will allow the hook to rotate around the arm member.

The flexible attachment member preferably comprises two tubular portions.

The first tubular portion engages with the arm assembly of the hanger and the second tubular portion engages with the hook of the hanger. The tubular portions preferably engage with the arm assembly and hook by means of a interference fit. In one arrangement, the tubular portions are flexible and both the hook and the arm assembly comprise a portion of increased width, which fits into each respective tubular portion creating an interference fit.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a representation of the garment carrier according to a preferred embodiment in an assembled condition; Figure 2 is a representation of the garment carrier of the embodiment of Figure 1 showing the carrier in its detached form; Figure 3a is a representation of the hook member of a coat hanger according to a preferred embodiment; Figures 3b and 3c are a representation of the arm members of a coat hanger according to a preferred embodiment; Figure 4 is a representation of the coat hanger according to a preferred embodiment in an assembled condition; and Figure 5 is a representation of the garment carrier of the embodiment of Figure 1 in use.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a first embodiment of the garment carrier, generally indicated as 2. The garment carrier 2 is shown in Figure 1 is a generally upright or vertical orientation, as it would be arranged when hanging from a suitable support, such as a hook or rail, and containing garments.

The garment carrier 2 comprises a generally flat, rectangular body 4, in which garments may be held and stored. The rectangular body 4 comprises a first portion 6 (uppermost as viewed in Figure 1) and a second portion 8 (lowermost as viewed in Figure 1). The first portion 6 is situated and extends along one of the shortest edges of the rectangular body 4. The first portion 6 comprises approximately one third of the rectangular body 4. The first section 6 comprises a generally rectangular storage section 10. The storage section 10 is connected to the rectangular body 4 along the shortest edge. The storage section 10 comprises four compartments 12 (only 2 are shown for clarity) 12a, and 12b. The compartments 12 are each covered by a generally rectangular lid 14. The rectangular lid 14 can be opened and closed, thus allowing a user to put items securely into the compartments 12. The rectangular lid 14 is held open using a strip of hook and loop fastener tape 16, or alternatively a zip fastener may be used.

As noted, the storage section 10 is attached to the body 4 of the garment carrier 2 along one long edge portion. The opposite long edge portion of the storage section 10 is attached to rigid lateral member 18. The rigid lateral member 18 is in the form of a rigid tube and extends through a sleeve formed in the edge portion of the storage section 10. The rigid lateral member 18 holds the garment carrier 2 in shape. The lids 14 when open, are held in place by means of clips 29 attached to straps 30.

The garment carrier 2 is supported, for example by hanging from a hook or rail in a wardrobe or the like, by means of a hook assembly 19. The hook assembly 19 comprises a hook 20 for attaching to said hook or rail or the like. The hook 20 has one end attached to a cord 22. The cord 22 extends from the hook 20, through the rigid lateral member 18 and through the centre of the storage section 10. Attached to the other end of the cord 22 within the body 4 is a second support member 24. The second support member 24 allows garments and the like to be hooked onto the support member to be retained within the garment carrier. The support member 24 is shown as a ring-shaped member, which can easily accommodate the hooks of coat hangers and the like, to support the garments. It will be noted that garments attached to the support member 24 have their entire weight borne by the hook assembly 19?, with their weight be held by the cord 22 and the hook 20. In this way, the weight of the garments is not applied to the body 4 of the garment carrier, which may be formed from a light, flexible material. The lateral member 18 is retained on the cord 22 by a series of knots in the cord. The knots may be positioned such that the lateral member and the body 4 are free to move along the cord.

The first portion 6 and the second portion 8 are removeably attached along the line 26 shown in Figure 1, by means of press studs 28a, 28b, and hook and loop fastener tape (not shown for clarity). The second portion 8 of the body 4 is folded along its lower edge (as viewed in Figure 1), so as to form an enclosure, held closed by the press studs 28c and 28d, in which garments to be washed may be placed Velcro� or other suitable hook and loop fastener is also used inside the garment carrier, but is not shown for clarity., Other means of fastening the carrier will be apparent to those skilled in the art, The garment carrier 2 is able to be rolled up for easy transportation. The garment carrier 2 is rolled so at any garments attached to support member 24 and the lids 14 are on the inside of the roll. The rolled up garment carrier 2 is held in place by means of straps 30 (only one strap is shown for clarity).

Referring to figure 2 there is shown a representation of the garment carrier in Figure 1 where the first portion 6 and the second portion 8 of the body 4 have been detached along the line 26 The second portion 8 is shown in its open state and the hook and loop fastener tape 32 can be seen running along the inside edges of the second portion 8. Straps 34a and 34b can be seen. Straps 34a and 34b hold the garment carrier in the closed, rolled-up position.

In use, the second section 8 is released by undoing the press studs 28c and 28d and hook and loop fastener tape 32 and a garment or garments are hooked onto the support member 24. Any smaller items are placed into the compartments 12. The second section 8 is then folded back up and attached by the press studs, 28c and 28d and hook and loop fastener tape 32. The garment carrier 2 is then rolled up and held in place and closed by means of the straps 30. The opening of the garment carrier 2 to access the articles and garments within is the reverse of this procedure.

Should better access be required to the garments hanging from the support member 24, may be removed entirely by detaching from the lower edge portion of the first portion 6. This may be desirable, for example, during a long stay in a hotel or the like, where repeated access to the garments will be required. The garments can also hang on the outside of the tower section 8 when the lower section is half or partially open. The second portion 8 is then reattached as required, for example to close the garment carrier for further travel.

Referring to Figure 3a there is shown a representation of a preferred embodiment of the hook member of a coat hanger, generally indicated as 102. The hook member 102 comprises a hook element 114 and a fitting member 106, both formed from a single length of wire. The fitting member 106 extends adjacent one end portion of the hook element. The fitting member 106 further comprises a loop 108, extending from the fitting member towards the end portion of the hook element.

Referring to Figures 3b and 3c there is shown a representation of two alternative designs of the arm members of a coat hanger generally indicated as 202.

The arm members 202 comprise the arm elements 204a and 204b extending laterally from a central portion. A loop 206 is formed in the central portion. The arm members 202 are each formed from a single length of wire. The arm elements 202 of the arm member of Figure 3b each terminate in a hook portion 206, formed by the endmost portion of the arm element being folded back on itself. The hook portion 206 may be used to suspend garments as in a conventional coat hanger. The arm elements 202 of the arm member of Figure 3c have their ends connected by a cross-member 208, to form a substantially flattened triangular form.

Referring to Figure 4 there is shown a preferred embodiment of a coat hanger generally indicated as 302. The coat hanger 306 comprises a hook member 102, as shown in Figure 3a, and an arm member 202, as shown in Figure 3b. The hook member 102 and the arm member 202 are held together by a flexible member 304.

The flexible member 304 is formed of a resilient, elastic material and comprises a first tubular portion 306 and a second tubular portion 308, arranged in parallel to one another. The first tubular portion 306 holds the hook member 102, by having the fitting member 106 extend within the first tubular portion 306. The loop portion 108 of the hook member 102 forms an interference fit within the first tubular portion 306.

The second tubular portion 308 holds the arm member 202, by having the central portion of the arm member 202 extending within the second tubular portion, such that the loop 206 forms an interference fit within the resilient tube. The flexible member 304 is arranged so as to hold the hook and arm members 102 and 202 in the form of a conventional coat hanger.

In use, the fitting member 106 and indentation 108 of the hook member 102 and the indentation 206 of the arm member 202 allows the arm member to form an interference fit with the flexible member 304, as noted. The coat hanger 302 may be folded about the flexible member 304, such that the hook member 102 overlies the arm member 202. In this way, the hanger may be folded with garments in a garment carrier, such as the one described hereinbefore, or the like, while occupying the minimum of space. When released, for example by unfolding or unrolling the garments suspended from the coat hanger, the resilient properties of the flexible member 304 and the weight of any clothes suspended from the coat hanger cause the hook member 102 to revert to the position shown in Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 5 there is shown a representation of the garment carrier of the embodiment of Figure 1 in use, the garment carrier generally indicated as 2. The garment carrier 2 of Figure 5 is substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in Figure 1. Hook 24 is shown to support clothes 38.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A garment carrier for carrying and storing garments and other like items, the garment carrier comprising: a flexible enclosure within which garments may be stored; a support assembly comprising: a first support for suspending the garment carrier from an external support; a second support disposed within the flexible enclosure for supporting garments within the enclosure; wherein the second support is directly attached to the first support by an attachment means extending through the flexible enclosure.
2. The garment carrier according to claim 1, wherein the support assembly supports a lateral member that holds the flexible enclosure in shape.
3. The garment carrier according to claim 2, wherein the lateral member is rigid.
4. The garment carrier according to any preceding claim, wherein the lateral member is free to move longitudinally along the attachment means between the first support inside the enclosure and the second support.
5. The garment carrier according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means between the first support inside the enclosure and the second support is a cord.
6. The garment carrier according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment means extends through an opening in the flexible enclosure, whereby the flexible enclosure may be moved longitudinally along the attachment means, thus altering the position of the first support within the enclosure.
7. The garment carrier according to any preceding claim, wherein the flexible enclosure is sufficiently flexible to allow the enclosure to be rolled up for easy transportation.
8. A garment carrier for carrying garments and the like, the garment carrier comprising: a first portion comprising a support assembly having support means to support at least one garment; and a second portion for enclosing garments that are being supported by the first portion; whereby the second portion is removeably attached to the first support assembly.
9. The garment carrier according to claim 8, wherein the first portion comprises at least one compartment.
10. The garment carrier according to either of claims 8 or 9, wherein the first portion comprises a flexible outer member and further comprises a lateral member extending laterally to support the outer member.
11. The garment carrier according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the second portion comprises a front portion and a back portion that are attached along their respective edges.
12. The garment carrier according to claim 11, wherein the front and back portions are removeably attached along at least some of their respective edges.
13. The garment carrier according to claim 12, wherein the front and back portions are removeably attached using press studs and/or hook and loop fasteners.
14. A garment carrier according to any of claims 8 to 13, wherein the first and second enclosures are removeably attached using press studs and/or hook and loop fasteners.
15. A coat hanger comprising: a hook; an arm assembly extending laterally from the hook; and a flexible connection member engaging with each of the hook and the arm assembly, whereby the hook can be folded to overlay the arm assembly.
16. The coat hanger according to claim 15, wherein the flexible connection member is resilient and biases the hook into the unfolded position.
17. The coat hanger according to either of claims 15 or 16, wherein the flexible connection member comprises two tubular portions, the first tubular portion engaging with the hook element and the second tubular portion engages with the arm assembly.
18. The coat hanger according to claim 17, wherein each tubular portion forms an interference fit with the respective hook and arm assembly.
19. A coat hanger comprising: a hook; an arm assembly extending laterally from the hook; and a rigid connecting member with flexible connection to each of the hook and arm said connection member engaging with each of the hook and the arm assembly, whereby the hook can be folded to overlay the arm assembly
20. An apparatus as hereinbefore described having reference to any of Figures 1, 2or5.
21. A coat hanger as hereinbefore described having reference to Figures 3 or 4.