US3738550A

US3738550A - Fabric hanger

Info

Publication number: US3738550A
Application number: US00147501A
Authority: US
Inventors: D Etta; R Ballenger
Original assignee: Central Specialties Co
Current assignee: Central Specialties Co
Priority date: 1971-05-27
Filing date: 1971-05-27
Publication date: 1973-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 1990-06-12

Abstract

A hanger assembly for bulky fabrics and the like, comprising an elongated closed loop member, a pair of upstanding members disposed on the upper edge of the closed loop member in opposed relationship with respect to one another, a crossbar interconnecting the upstanding members, a hook mounted on the crossbar for hanging the assembly from a rack or the like, and a clamping member pivotally mounted on the crossbar and constructed to be swivable throughout an arc transverse to the plane of the closed loop member thereby to grasp and firmly hold bulky fabrics between an edge of the clamping bar and the side edges of the closed loop member.

Description

United States Patent 1 Van Etta et al.

[54] FABRIC HANGER [75] Inventors: David Van Etta, Spring Grove; I

Robert J. Ballenger, Highland Park,

both of Ill.

[73] Assignee: Central Specialties Co., Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: May 27, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 147,501

[ June 12, 1973 3,421,669 1/1969 Ogg 223/91 3,225,978 12/1965 Wach 223/91 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 18,768 8/1896 England 223/91 Primary Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorney-Dominik, Knechtel & Godula [5 7] ABSTRACT A hanger assembly for bulky fabrics and the like, comprising an elongated closed loop member, a pair of upstanding members disposed on the upper edge of the closed loop member in opposed relationship with respect to one another, a crossbar interconnecting the upstanding members, a hook mounted on the crossbar for hanging the assembly from a rack or the like, and a clamping member pivotally mounted on the crossbar and constructed to be swivable throughout an arc transverse to the plane of the closed loop member thereby to grasp and firmly hold bulky fabrics between an edge of the clamping bar and the side edges of the closed loop member.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENIEDJUNIZW 3.738.550

INVE'NTOR ROBERT J. BALLENGER DAVID VANETTA BY fl w-MM, KM

. ATTORNEYS.

F'IGZ PAINTED- same 0r 2 INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. BALLENGER DAVID VAN ETTA BY M,MMJJM ATTORNEYS.

FABRIC HANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to a novel hanger assembly for use in hanging bulky fabrics and the like from a display rack. More particularly, this invention is directed to a hanger assembly having substantially only three moving parts, and which greatly facilitates the firm securance of a bulky fabric therein, which fabric may then be accordingly hung on a rack for display purposes, storage and the like.

In the past, various other hanger assemblies have been proposed and utilized for hanging bulky fabrics such as drapery materials, sleeping bags, curtains, or other such similar materials, all of which hanger assemblies have had inherent problems, either in terms of 7 cost of manufacture or in terms of providingan assembly which would not damage or puncture the fabric to be suspended therefrom.

For example, some forms of present hanger assemblies are constructed with spring loaded clamp members having teeth thereon, which members are urged to the open position whereupon the fabric or material to be hung is placed between the teeth and the jaws released thereby to clamp the fabric between the respective jaws or teeth. Such assemblies have the inherent problem .of damaging the fabric which is suspended therefrom by puncturing or tearing holes in the material, and in addition, such hanger assemblies require several parts such as springs, jaw members, and the like thereby adding to the cost of manufacture.

Other hanger assemblies are merely the familiar type of clothes hanger which require that the fabric to be suspended be inserted through a closed loop portion until sufficient weight is achieved on both ends of the suspending bar in order to prevent the material or fabric from falling to the ground. Such hanger assemblies are not suitable for hanging such materials as sleeping bags, draperies, curtains and the like for display purposes since the full length of the materials cannot be displayed.

Still other forms of hanger assemblies employ the use of a pair of clamping bars which are hingedly mounted together at one end thereof whereby the fabric to be suspended is crimped between the bars which are then brought tightly together and locked in place by means of some form of lock mechanism. Once again, such assemblies suffer from an economic standpoint in that many moving parts are required, such as hinge assemblies, lock assemblies, and the like, thereby adding to the cost of manufacture and making such devices economically unfeasible. In addition, such devices are cumbersome to handle.

All of the above problems and inherent difficulties have now been solved by virtue of the present invention which provides a very economical and yet highly efficient hanger assembly for various types of bulky fabrics, which is especially designed to be used for display purposes in connection with such fabrics and materials as sleeping bags, draperies and the like.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a hanger assembly which is simple in construction and yet highly efficient for suspending bulky fabrics and the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hanger assembly having substantially only three moving parts, while at the same time minimizing the number of elements which must be assembliedl in the manufacturing process thereby to provide a very economical hanger assembly.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a hanger assembly of the type set forth above, which enables fabrics, such as sleeping bags, curtains, drapery materials and the like to be suspended from the top edges thereof, while at the same time securely holding such fabrics in position for permitting the display of the entire length of the materials.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hanger assembly which includes a closed loop member, a pair of upstanding members mounted on the upper edge of the loop member a crossbar interconnecting the upstanding members and having a hook mounted thereon for suspending the assembly from a rack or the like, and a clamping bar pivotally mounted to the crossbar and constructed so as to be swivable throughout an are which is in all planes transverse to the plane of the closed loop member, and lock means for permitting the locking of the clamping bar in a position wherein the clamping bar is disposed in a plane offset from the plane of the loop member thereby to hold bulky fabrics between an edge of the clamping bar and the peripheral edges of the loop member.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hanger assembly of the type set forth above, wherein the upstanding members are each formed by the outer edges of the crossbar the outer edges thereof being formed into U-shaped members having the lower end of the U fixedly secured to the closed loop member and the free arm of the U-shaped member being fixedly secured to the closed loop member and the free arm of the U-shaped member being fixedly secured to the crossbar in spaced relation with the opposing leg thereof so as to provide a space therebetween to accommodate therebetween a pivot arm which is attached at its lower end to the clamping bar and its upper end is turned about the crossbar so as to be in pivotable relationship therewith and horizontally secured within the legs of the U-shaped member.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a hanger assembly of the type set forth above, wherein the lock means comprises a pair of O-rings each of which has an internal circumference slightly less than the circumferential distance around the U-shaped legs and pivot arm of the clamping bar, whereby said 0- rings may be brought into position to circumferentially lock the pivot arm with relation to the legs of the corresponding U-shaped members.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a hanger assembly of the type set forth wherein the closed loop member and the clamping bar are each coated with a friction material thereby to aid in the prevention of slippage of a bulky fabric once the same has been secured in the hanger assembly and placed upon a rack for display purposes and the like.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the elements and parts whereby the above-outlined and additional operating features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the hanger assembly of the present invention showing a bulky fabric in phantom as secured in the hanger assembly;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the hanger assembly of the present invention showing the positioning of the locking means in the locking position as well as unlocked position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the hanger assembly, once again showing the lock mechanism both in the locked and unlocked position, as well as the clamping bar in the clamped position; v

FIG. 4 is an end view of the hanger assembly of the present invention shown suspended from a rack or the like;

FIG. 5 is another end view of the hanger assembly of the present invention showing the clamping bar in the open position for receiving a bulky fabric between the clamping bar and the closed loop member.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a hanger assembly, generally referred to by the numeral 10. The hanger assembly includes a closed loop member 11, having an upper edge 12, a lower edge 13, and side edges 14. A pair of U-shaped upstanding members 15, are mounted on the upper edge 12 of the closed loop member 11, the U-shaped members 15, each consisting of a lower edge 16, fixedly mounted to the upper edge 12 of the closed loop member and upstanding leg portions 17. The pair of U- shaped members 15, are mounted on the upper edge 12 of the closed loop member 11 in spaced relation with respect to one another and upstanding therefrom. A crossbar is provided, the crossbar 20 interconnecting and mounted between the upper edges of the legs 17 of the U-shaped members 15. A hook member is mounted on the crossbar 20 at approximately the mid-point thereof, the hook being provided for the purpose of suspending the hanger assembly 10 from a rack 26, as shown in phantom in FIG. 1.

A clamping bar assembly, generally referred to by the numeral 30, is shown to be pivotally mounted on the crossbar 20, the clamping bar generally including a clamping bar 31, and a pair of pivot arms 32, having the lower edges 33 thereof mounted on the clamping bar 31 and the upper edges 34 thereof formed into a loop circumferentially disposed about the crossbar 20.

The hanger assembly 10 is further provided with a pair of O-rings 40, which function as locking mechanisms as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

As depicted in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the hanger assembly 10 is shown to have the clamping bar assembly 30 in the locked position and having a bulky fabric secured therein. The hanger assembly 10 having the bulky fabric secured therein may be conveniently hung from a rack 26, for display purposes or for storage and the like.

As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the novel arrangement of the respective parts and elements of the hanger assembly 10 may be clearly seen. It will be noted that the upstanding U-shaped members 15 are each formed by turning the outer edges of the crossbar 20 into a U-shaped configuration.

The lower edge 16 of the U-shaped member 15 may then be conveniently mounted to the upper edge 12 of the closed loop member 11 by means of a weldment (not shown) or other suitable means, and the one free end 18 forms the second leg of the U-shaped member 15 and is suitably mounted to the crossbar 20 by means of a weldment (not shown) or other suitable means. It will be noted that the respective legs 17 of the U- shaped member 15 are disposed in spaced relation with respect to one another thereby to provide a sufficient space therebetween to accommodate the upper loop portion 34, of the pivot arm 32 therebetween. Hence the crossbar 20 and U-shaped members 15 are formed of a single piece of tubular or rod or bar material such as tubular steel, aluminum or other rigid material, either metallic or plastic, thereby simplifying the manufacture thereof.

In addition, such construction provides very efficient means for suspending the clamping bar 30 therefrom. As described hereinabove the clamping bar assembly 30 consists of a clamping bar 31 which has a length slightly less than the interior length of the closed loop member 11 as measured between the opposed side edges 14 thereof. A pair of pivot arms 32 is provided, each pivot arm 32 having the lower edge 33 thereof mounted 'on the clamping bar 31 by means of a weldment (not shown) or by other suitable means, and having the upper edge 34 thereof formed into a closed loop completely encircling a portion of the crossbar 20. The diameter of the closed loop portion of the upper edge 34 is slightly greater than the diameter of crossbar 20, whereby the pivot arm 32 is pivotally secured to the crossbar 20 and movable thereon.

The Orings 40 are formed about crossbar 20 so as to be permanently mounted thereon. Each of the O-rings 40 is movable between the hook member 25 and the corresponding U-shaped member 15. As mentioned above, the internal circumference of the O-ring 40 is slightly less than the circumference formed by the legs 17 of the U-shaped member 15 and the pivot arm 32 (as more clearly shown in FIG. 2) whereby the O-ring may be slid along the length of the crossbar 20 and turned downwardly in order to lock the respective pivot arm 32 in relation to the legs 17 of the U-shaped member 15, once the clamping bar assembly 30 has been swung into the closed position.

Another feature of the present invention which is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings is the novel arrangement of the hook member 25 with respect to the cross bar 20. It will be noted that the hook member 25 is mounted angularly with respect to the plane of the closed loop member 11 and the crossbar 20, and mounted to the crossbar 20 by means of a weldment (not shown) or other suitable means. This construction provides for a convenient means for rotating the hanger assembly 10 while mounted on a rack 26 without necessitating any moving parts of requiring the operator to remove the hanger assembly 10 from the rack 26 having a bulky fabric suspended therefrom in order to display the. same to a customer or the like.

FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings illustrate still another inventive feature of the present invention. It will be observed that the pivot arm 32, while a unitary piece, includes a lower curved section 35, which at the lower end thereof terminates in the lower edge 33 of the pivot arm 32 and is there mounted to the clamping bar 31 by means of a weldment (not shown) or other similar means. Above the lower curved section 35 is an upstanding center section 36. The upper edge of the center section 36 curves inwardly to form an upwardly and inwardly curved section 37, the upper end of which terminates in the upper loop member 34 of the pivot arm 32. The upper curved section 37 aids in the placement of the O-ring 40 by providing a convenient guide path along which the inner circumference of the O-ring 40 may follow when being moved into the locking position. In addition, the O-ring 40 may be locked into position along any portion of the length of the center straight section 36 of pivot arm 32. In this manner, the distance between the clamping bar 31 and'the point at which O-ring 40 locks about the legs 17 of. the U- shaped member 15, and the point arm 32 will vary the tension which may be exerted by the clamping bar 31 against the bulky fabric which is disposed between the peripheral edges of the closed loop member 11 and the clamping bar 31.

As Oring 40 is moved downwardly along the straight section 36 of the pivot arm 32, the distance between the O-ring 40 and the clamping bar 31 is reduced thereby increasing the tension or decreasing the degree of freedom of movement of the length of the pivot arm 32 below the O-ring 40 to the clamping bar 31. This feature has several important advantages over any prior art hanger assembly. For example, if it is desired to hang an extremely bulky fabric of material from the hanger assembly 10, such as a sleeping bag, once the sleeping bag has been suspended within the hanger assembly in a manner to be described hereinafter, the clamping bar 31 will close against the fabric and the O- ring 40 will be positioned at a point adjacent to where the upper curved section 37 meets the straight section 36 of pivot arm 32. This positioning of the O-ring 40 with respect to the pivot arm 32 and the legs 17 of the U-shaped member 15 will allow sufficient degrees of freedom of the bottom portion of the pivot arm 32 between the point of the O-ring'40 and clamping bar 31 so as to accommodate an extremely bulky fabric, while still providing sufficient tension to keep the bulky fabric snugly secured on the hanger assembly 10. On the other hand, where a light fabric, such as drapery material or curtain materials, is to be suspended from the hanger assembly 10, then in that event, the material would be placed in the anger assembly 10 by positioning the material in the closed loop member 11 section after which the clamping bar 31 would be swung into the closed position and the O-ring 40 brought down into the lock position. In this example, however, the O- ring 40 would be brought down to a point closer to the bottom portion of straight section 36 of pivot arm 32. By so positioning the O-ring 40, the distance between the positioning of the O-ring 40 and the clamping bar 31 is decreased thereby increasing the tension exerted by the clamping bar 31 against the light fabric, or decreasing the degrees of freedom which may be exerted by the lower end of the pivot arm 32 below the positioning point of the O-ring 40. Hence, lightweight fabrics or fabrics which are less bulky than sleeping bags, for example, may be easily retained in the hanger assembly 10 merely by changing the positioning of the O- ring 40 with respect to the pivot arm 32 and legs 17 of the U-shaped member 15.

An additional feature of the present invention is the application of rubber-like friction coating which may be applied to the closed loop member 11 as well as the clamping bar 31. Hence, once the hanger assembly 10 has been assembled or alternatively, prior to the final assembly of the parts, the closed loop member 11, as well as the clamping bar 31, may be dipped or sprayed with a material such as vinyl and/or neoprene or similar materials, in order to impart a coating of such material to the closed loop member 11 and clamping bar 31. In this manner, the danger of slippage of the material or fabric which is held within the hanger assembly 10 is materially reduced by increasing the degree of friction which would be exerted when the: clamping bar 31 is locked in the closed position with the fabric or material suspended therein.

The hanger assembly 10 may be formulated from either wood, metallic or plastic material, or other materi als which can exhibit structural rigidity and which may be conveniently shaped into forms. Metallic materials include tubular steel or aluminum bar stock, such as the quarter inch diameter or three gauge steel bars may be ideally utilized. Alternatively, the hanger assembly may be injection molded from such strong plastics as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) among others. In either event the material selected for forming the hanger assembly of the present invention must not only exhibit good structural rigidity properties, but must also be somewhat resilient in order to accommodate the degree of resiliency required by the clamping bar 31 and pivotarm 32, since these elements must be capable of slight bending under tensional forces as heretofore described.

In operation, each of the O-rings 40 is moved from the locked position as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings by moving the O-rings upwardly to the top of the U shaped members 15, and onto the crossbar 20 whereby the inner circumference of the O-ring 40 rests against the crossbar 20. The clamping bar 31 may then be swung upwardly into an open position as more clearly shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings. This swinging or pivoting action is accomplished by reason of the movement of the looped portion 34 of the upper end of pivot arm 32 on the crossbar 20, between the upper edges of the legs 17 of the U-shaped member 15. Once the clamping bar 31 has been moved into the open position, the fabric or bulky material may be laid across the peripheral edges of the closed loop member 11 between the closed loop member 11 and the clamping bar 31. A significant feature of this invention is that the upper edges of the bulky fabric or material may be utilized for suspending the same from the hanger assembly 10. In other words, it is not necessary to suspend the bulkymaterial or fabric from the midportion thereof in order to achieve equal distribution of the weight.

Once the upper edge of the bulky material or fabric has been laid across the peripheral edges of the closed loop member 11, the clamping bar 31 is then swung back into the closed position whereby the clamping bar 31 is moved into and through the looped member 11, thereby pinching the bulky fabric or material between the peripheral edges of the closed loop member 11 and the clamping bar 31. In this position the clamping bar 31 comes to rest in a plane offset fromthe plane of the closed loop member 11 as is more clearly shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Once the clamping bar 31 has been placed or positioned in this offset plane position, the O-rings 40 may then be moved across the crossbar 20 and downwardly over the legs 17 of the U-shaped member 15 and the pivot arm 32.

As previously discussed, if a very heavy and bulky fabric is to be suspended from the assembly 10, each O-ring 40 will be positioned adjacent to the point of juncture of the straight section 36 of the pivot arm 32 with the upwardly curved section 37 of pivot arm 32, thereby to allow a greater distance between the point at which the O-ring 40 meets the pivot arm 32 and the clamping 31, resulting in a slightly reduced tension on the clamping bar 31 to accomodate bulky fabrics. If a thinner or less bulky material is to be suspended from the hanger assembly 10, then the O-rings 40 are each moved downwardly along the straight portion 36 of the pivot arm 32 to a point more closely adjacent to the lower curved portion of pivot arm 32, thereby to decrease the length between the position of the O-ring 40 on pivot arm 32 and the clamping bar 31. This positioning of the O-rings 40 will result in a greater tension on the clamping bar against the fabric or material in order to ensure that such lighter weight, or less bulky materials are firmly and snugly held in position.

Once the fabric or material has been inserted in the hanger assembly and the assembly 10 accordingly locked in position as set forth above, the assembly 10 including the fabric suspended therefrom may be positioned upon a rack 26 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings. Due to the manner in which the hook member is mounted on the crossbar 20, that is with the hook member 25 being positioned in an angular plane transverse to the plane of the crossbar 20, the assembly 10 may be conveniently rotated while disposed in the hanging position on the rack 26. This construction is particularly useful for using the hanger assembly 10 of the present invention on display racks for suspending such items as sleeping bags and the like. In other words, a salesman may easily display sleeping bags or other such fabrics or materials to a customer without the need of removing the entire hanger assembly 10 from the rack 26. Of course, if the customer desires to view the sleeping bag, or other fabric or materials suspended from .the hanger assembly 10, the salesman need only move the O-rings 40 from the locked positions thereof as shown in FIG. 4 upwardly toward the crossbar 20 and onto crossbar 20 thereby to release theclamping bar 31 and permitting the same to be swung into the open position as shown in FIG. 5 releasing the fabric therefrom.

It will therefore be observed that there has been provided by virtue of this invention a hanger assembly which is simple in construction, efficient for use, while at the same time minimizing the number of moving parts. In addition, the hanger assembly of the present invention is particularly suited for hanging bulky as well as lightweight fabrics without at the same time requiring any modification of the assembly. In this connection, it is also to be noted that the hanger assembly of the present invention permits the fabric or material to be suspended from the upper edge thereof whereby a customer may gain a full view of the fabric of material suspended therefrom. These, as well as other objects and advantages of the present invention are therefore clearly provided by virtue of the present invention.

In summary a hanger assembly accomplishing all of the foregoing objects and advantages has been developed and described herein. While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A hanger assembly for bulky fabrics and the like, comprising, in combination, a closed loop member of elongate configuration having upper and lower edges, hanging means for said loop member, said hanging means being secured to said loop member along the upper edge thereof, a clamping member comprising an elongated clamping bar extending across a substantial portion of the internal length of said loop member, means for pivotally mounting said clamping member to said hanging means, variable locking means associated with said pivotal mounting means, for locking said clamping member in fixed relation to said loop member throughout a plurality of lock positions thereby to vary the fixed relation of said clamping member with respect to said loop member, said clamping member being pivotally mounted on said hanging means and pivotable throughout an arc transverse to the plane of said loop member and adapted to be positioned in locked relationship within said loop member to position said clamping member internally within said loop member and in a plane offset from the plane of said loop member, thereby to firmly hold bulky fabrics between an edge of said clamping member and the peripheral edges of said loop member.

2. A hanger assembly for bulky fabrics and the like comprising, in combination, a closed loop member of elongated configuration having upper and lower edges, a pair of upstanding members secured to said closed loop member along the upper edge thereof in opposed relation one to the other, a cross bar mounted on and interconnecting said pair of upstanding members and in parallel relation with said upper edge of said loop member, a hook mounted on said cross bar intermediate the ends thereof, for suspending the hanger assembly, a clamping member comprising an elongated clamping bar extending across a substantial portion of the internal length of said loop member, means for pivotally mounting said clamping member to said cross bar, locking means for locking said clamping member in fixed relation to said loop member, said clamping member being pivotally mounted on said cross bar pivotable throughout an arc transverse to the plane of said loop member in a position locked internally within the plane of said loop member and in a plane offset from the plane of said loop member, thereby to firmly hold bulky fabrics between the edge of said clamping member and the edges of said loop member.

3. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 2 above, wherein said upstanding members are U-shaped, having the lower end of the U fixedly mounted to the upper edge of said loop member and the upper ends of the legs of said U-shaped members being fixedly mounted to said crossbar.

4. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 3 above, wherein said clamping member includes a pair of pivot arms mounted thereon, the upper ends of said pivot arms being pivotally mounted on said crossbar and between the upper ends of the respective legs of said U-v shaped upstanding members, whereby said pivot arms are maintained in horizontally fixed relation with respect to said crossbar and adapted to pivot said clamping member with respect to said loop member and said crossbar.

5. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said hook is fixedly mounted to said crossbar at an angle transverse to the plane said crossbar thereby to facilitate circumferential movement of the entire hanger assembly.

6. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means for pivotally mounting said clamping member to said crossbar comprises a pair of pivot arms having the lower ends thereof mounted on said clamping member and the upper ends thereof formed into loops encircling said crossbar, said loops having an internal diameter slightly greater than the diameter of said crossbar so as to be pivotally movable thereon.

7. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said locking means comprises a pair of O-rings mounted on and movable along said cross bar, said O- rings having an internal diameter substantially equal to the distance between tangential planes formed by the wherein said friction material comprises a vinyl plastic.

Claims

1. A hanger assembly for bulky fabrics and the like, comprising, in combination, a closed loop member of elongate configuration having upper and lower edges, hanging means for said loop member, said hanging means being secured to said loop member along the upper edge thereof, a clamping member comprising an elongated clamping bar extending across a substantial portion of the internal length of said loop member, means for pivotally mounting said clamping member to said hanging means, variable locking means associated with said pivotal mounting means, for locking said clamping member in fixed relation to said loop member throughout a plurality of lock positions thereby to vary the fixed relation of said clamping member with respect to said loop member, said clamping member being pivotally mounted on said hanging means and pivotable throughout an arc transverse to the plane of said loop member and adapted to be positioned in locked relationship within said loop member to position said clamping member internally within said loop member and in a plane offset from the plane of said loop member, thereby to firmly hold bulky fabrics between an edge of said clamping member and the peripheral edges of said loop member.

4. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 3 above, wherein said clamping member includes a pair of pivot arms mounted thereon, the upper ends of said pivot arms being pivotally mounted on said crossbar and between the upper ends of the respective legs of said U-shaped upstanding members, whereby said pivot arms are maintained in horizontally fixed relation with respect to said crossbar and adapted to pivot said clamping member with respect to said loop member and said crossbar.

7. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said locking means comprises a pair of O-rings mounted on and movable along said cross bar, said O-rings having an internal diameter substantially equal to the distance between tangential planes formed by the legs of each U-shaped member and the corresponding pivot arm whereby said O-rings may be slid about said legs and said pivot arms to lock said clamping bar in the closed position.

8. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said closed loop member and said clamping member are each provided with a coating of a friction material so as to further increase the securement of a fabric when locked into and suspended from said hanger assembly.

9. The hanger assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said friction material comprises a vinyl plastic.