US3045881A - Shirt hanger - Google Patents

Description

July 24, 1962 E E, LILYA 3,045,881

SHIRT HANGER Filed July 15, 1959 INVENTO'R. EPIC E. L/L Y4 ATTaQA/EX United States Patent Q 3,045,881 SHIRT HANGER Eric E. Lilya, 1338 Cheshire St., Cheshire, Conn. Filed July 13, 1959, Ser. No. 826,680 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-92) This invention relates to clothes hangers and is directed more particularly to an improved shirt hanger.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved shirt hanger that will hang a mans shirt in such a way as to prevent wrinkles from forming in the collar, shoulders and body of the shirt.

Another object of this invention is to provide a shirt hanger of the above nature which will be form-fitted to the neck and shoulders of a shirt to allow it to dry and hang thereon without wrinkling and thereby eliminate the need of ironing.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a shirt hanger of the character described which has formfitting shoulder portions and a central cylindrical neck portion adapted to fit the shirt collar, which neck portion is resiliently adjustable to allow snug fitting within buttoned shirt collars of various sizes to prevent wrinkling.

Still another object is to provide a shirt hanger of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate and very efficient and durable in use.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a shirt hanger embodying the invention, shown fitted in a shirt,

FIG. 2 is a top view of the shirt hanger, shown separa-tely,

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view thereof,

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view thereof, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the collar adjusting wedge, shown separately, on a larger scale.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, this improved shirt hanger, designated generally by the numeral 10, comprises a central, upstanding, circular neck portion 11, and a pair of opposed, outwardly-extending shoulder portions 12, 12, said hanger preferably being integrally molded of a light weight synthetic plastic material. The neck portion 11 is made of hollow, annular shape to provide a central opening 13, and is downwardly inclined from back to front, as best illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the neck portion 11 is formed with an opening 14 in the front of the hanger, and the ends of said neck portion defining said opening have wedge-shaped grooves as indicated at 15. The wedge-shaped ends of the neck portion 11, moreover, are inwardly inclined, so that the opening 14 thereof is larger at the top than at the bottom.

As a means for spreading the ends 15 of the neck portion 11 to adapt the hanger to snugly fit shirt collars of various sizes, a wedge member 16 is provided (see FIG. 5), having side portions 17, 17 which taper inwardly from top to bottom and which are formed with V-shaped ribs 18 adapted to fit the V-grooves 15 of the neck portion 11.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the rear sections of the shoulder portions 12 curve outwardly around the rear of the neck portion 11, as indicated at 19, to follow generally the vertical contour of the human back and shoulders. The shoulder portions also curve downwardly gently from back to front, as indicated at 20, and are rounded at their outer ends as indicated at 21.

Removable hook means is provided for supporting the hanger on a closet rod or the like. To this end, the neck 3,045,881 Patented July 24, 1962 portion 11 of the hanger is provided with a pair of laterally opposed small cylindrical recesses 22, 22 adapted to receive the resilient, outwardly-projecting end portions of a V-shaped wire support member 23, the apex of which has secured thereto an upstanding wire rod 24. A small, downwardly-extending hook 25 can also be secured at the apex of the support member 23 for convenience in hanging an undershirt, belt or other article of clothing.

Operation In use, a shirt S will be applied over the hanger 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1, and buttoned at the collar, after which the wedge member 16 will be forced downwardly within the opening 14 in the neck portion 13 of the hanger to spread it sufficiently to snugly fit within the shirt collar, thereby preventing wrinkling of the shirt until ready for use. The natural shape of the shoulder portions 12, as described above, will allow the shirt to drape downwardly from the hanger, as illustrated in FIG. 1, without wrinkling, so that the shirt will be kept wrinkle-free while not being worn. Moreover, if a shirt having wrinkles, or a damp wash and dry shirt is fitted upon and left on the hanger for a suflicient length of time, such wrinkles will disappear.

While the present invention has been disclosed for use as a hanger for shirts, it will be understood that it will also be useful in suspending coats or dresses within the spirit and scope thereof.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other equivalent forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

l. A shirt hanger comprising in combination an annular split neck portion, a pair of opposed side shoulder portions, integral with and extending outwardly from the opposite sides of said neck portion, the upper end of said neck portion being downwardly inclined from back to front to follow the neck line of a shirt collar, and means to expand said annular neck portion to snugly fit within a collar of a shirt buttoned on the hanger, the neck portion of said hanger being constructed of resilient material so that it will expand against said collar throughout the periphery thereof, so as to permit said neck portion to fit various sizes of shirt collars, the shoulder portions of said hanger being shaped to curve gently around the back of said neck portion from end to end to follow the natural curvature of the human back.

2. In a hanger for mens shirts, the combination comprising an annular resilient split neck portion, a pair of opposed shoulder portions extending laterally from opposite sides of said neck portion and formed integrally therewith, the upper section of said neck portion being downwardly inclined from back to front to follow the neck line of a shirt collar, means to expand said annular neck portion to snugly fit within a shirt collar buttoned on said hanger, and means connected to the rear of said neck portion for suspending said hanger upon a closet rod or other support.

3. In a hanger for a shirt, the combination comprising a split resilient annular neck portion having a wedge shaped front opening, a pair of opposed shoulder portions extending laterally from opposite sides of said neck portion and integral therewith, the upper end of said neck por- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Keederle Sept. 1, 1908 Duggan Sept. 12, 1950 Miller Mar. 13, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Jan. 17, 1949

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