The present disclosure relates generally to molded plastic garment hangers as are widely used for the purpose of shipping and displaying garments. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to top garment hangers with under-notches, which are suitable for all types of top garments and capable of providing satisfactory store representation of garments. In addition, the top garment hangers according to the present disclosure are easy to operate, cost-effective to manufacture and environmentally advantageous.
In the area of retail garment sales, so-called Garment-On-Hanger (GOH) programs have become preferred by retailers. In a GOH program, garments are delivered to retail merchants already suspended from hangers, where upon arrival at the retail location the garments are immediately placed on display for sale. One application of the GOH programs includes top garments such as coats, blazers, blouses, knitwear, shirts, jackets and the like. The garments are placed on a hanger and subsequently shipped from a distribution center to the retail establishment.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional top garment hanger 10, which includes a hook 12 and an elongated hanger body 14. A hollow protrusion 15 is provided on the top of the hanger body 14, within which the hook 12 is inserted to be upstanding from the hanger body 14. The hanger body 14 includes a pair of coplanar and oppositely directed arms 16 and 18 for hanging one or more garments.
A mechanism for retaining the straps of strapped garments is provided to each arm. Taking the arm 16 as an example, the retaining mechanism includes a top notch 17 that is formed from the top of the arm and a pair of overhangs 19 that partially cover the top notch 17. In use, the straps of the garments can be placed into the notches of the arms and held in place by the overhangs.
Certain deficiencies are inherent with the conventional top garment hangers as shown above. First, these top garment hangers are not suitable to be used with certain types of top garments, such as, sweaters. In this case, the sweaters (or any loose weave garments) are prone to be caught by the overhangs of the hangers, which can cause damage to the garments. To solve this problem, retailers typically need to replace the top-notched hangers with hangers having a smooth top surface, when displaying sweaters. Thus, the conventional top garment hangers are not versatile for different types of top garments.
Furthermore, for certain top garments (such as, top garments having relatively heavy fabrics), a part of the garments sinks or sags into the top notches during presentation. As a result, the overall presentation of the garments is compromised and thus, unsatisfactory. More importantly, the apparel material sagging into the top notch may cause damage, return or discount of the garments.
Store analysis also indicates that the provision of notches in the top of the garment hangers detracts from the presentation of the garments per se and is in general not welcome by the customers.
In addition, in view of the provision of the top notches, a non-slip material or surface cannot be applied to the top of the hanger arms where the top notches are provided. For certain top garments (such as, scoop neck type garments), non-slip surfaces are typically required to prevent the garments from falling off the hangers. In this regard, the conventional top garment hangers having top notches are not satisfactory, as the non-slip surfaces cannot be applied as required.
As a result of the inherent deficiencies of the conventional top garment hangers, additional hangers (such as, top garment hangers without the top notches or top garment hangers with non-slip surfaces) are required to accommodate the need of hanging and displaying different top garments. These conventional garment hangers are less versatile, which leads to environmental concerns, as more raw material and energy will be consumed for making the hangers.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for improved top garment hangers, which overcome the inherent deficiencies of the conventional top garment hangers and provide a more environmentally friendly product.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds