JPH04200414A - Powered adjustable cloth hanger - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a hanger of which hanger arm length is adjustable to the required size by providing a drive mechanism to move extension arms to advance inward or outward simultaneously and for the same quantity to a support arm. CONSTITUTION: Extension arms 6 are set at the most retracted positions, and a control button 84 is operated to close a switch 80 to energize a motor 16. A pinion gear 18 is rotated to rotate a shaft 36 through a bevel gear 34 to rotate a worm gear 38. The worm gear 38 drives a rack gear 70 to move the extension arm 6 to slide outward from a support arm 2. As the button 84 is released, its move is stopped. As a button 86 is operated, the motor 16 is rotated in the opposite direction to move all the mechanism in the opposite direction. As the extension arm 6 is extended completely, a stopper 92 collides with a return stopper 94. This stops the worm gear 38, shaft 36, and bevel gear 34. In the case where the motor 16 is still energized, a crown gear 24 skips from engagement, and the whole body of a gear 22 is moved upward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to clothes hangers. In particular, the present invention relates to a type of garment hanger in which the length of the hanger arm supporting the garment can be adjusted.

Fixed structure garment hangers have the drawback that garments of various styles, shapes, and sizes do not all fit equally well on the hanger. As a result, when hanging clothes that do not fit the shape or size of the hanger, they may become deformed, wrinkled, or distorted.

Hangers with various adjustment features are known, including adjustment of the length of the hanger arm.

Examples of conventional techniques are shown below. That is, U.S. Pat.
3.786, 2.436.314, 2.4
No. 94,711, No. 2,504,562, No. 2.
No. 679,958, No. 2.716.512, No. 2
, No. 900.117, No. 2,944,711, No. 3,039.662, No. 3,874,572, No. 4.717,053 and British Patent No. 887,02.
It is No. 0.

The present invention is an adjustable clothes hanger in which the length of the hanger arm can be adjusted according to various shapes and sizes of clothes, and clothes can be hung neatly. According to the invention, the length-adjustable clothes hanger can be driven by an electric motor or manually via a transmission mechanism;
Two hanger arms can be adjusted simultaneously for a wide range of size changes.

The present invention provides a hanger with two support arms each fitted with an extension arm. The extension arm on each support arm is slidable from an innermost position of its shortest length to an outermost position of its greatest length. The extension arm is supported against twisting out of longitudinal alignment, but allows a full range of adjustment between the innermost and outermost positions.

The extension arm is adjustable by a mechanism extending along the corresponding support arm to a centrally located connection point. This mechanism for adjusting the extension arms can be operated to simultaneously adjust the extension arms by equal amounts. This mechanism can be driven manually or by an electric motor. The electric motor can be powered by a battery or by the ordinary household power supply via a transformer and an AC/DC converter.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support arms extend outwardly from the central suspension point and slope downwardly. The support arm is coupled to a structural coupling member for mounting the drive mechanism. An extension arm is mounted on each support arm for sliding movement from an innermost position to an outermost position. The extension arm can be set at any point between these two positions, with the mating surfaces of the support arm and extension arm preventing twisting. In one embodiment, the drive mechanism is mounted on the coupling member and includes a crown gear that drives two bevel gears. This crown gear can be operated by hand via a manual shaft or by an electric motor via a reduction gear. Each bevel gear is mounted on a shaft extending inside a respective support arm.

One end is rotatably supported near the first shaft bevel gear, and the opposite end is also rotatably supported near the far end of the support arm. A worm gear is mounted on each shaft near the end of the support arm. These worm gears have the same pitch, lead distance, and the same pitch direction (either left-handed or right-handed). The worm gears mesh with the rack gears on each extension arm. Therefore, when the crown gear rotates, the The gears and their respective shafts rotate in opposite directions.

The worm gears will also rotate in opposite directions.

Because of the same pitch direction, the worm gear will simultaneously translate the extension arm outwardly or inwardly through the rack gear.

In another preferred embodiment, each shaft has a long screw instead of a worm gear. One or more nuts are set on this screw and the stiff nut is fixed to the extension arm. The screw has the same configuration and arrangement as the worm gear in the previous embodiment. Thus, when the screw rotates, the nut undergoes a translational movement and the extension arm moves inwardly or outwardly at the same time.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the drive mechanism is equipped with a capstan and a boot is provided at the end of each support arm. A cable runs between the capstan and each pulley. The extension arm is attached to the cable by one or more clamps. The cable sections for one support arm are reversed so that both extension arms move outwardly or inwardly together. Thus, as the capstan rotates, the cable moves and the extension arm simultaneously moves inwardly or outwardly, depending on the direction of rotation of the capstan.

The novel features of the invention are particularly pointed out in the claims. The invention is best understood when the following description is read in conjunction with the drawings.

1.1a, 1b and 2.2a, the clothes hanger j according to the invention comprises a pair of support arms 2, a coupling member 3.
, hook 4 and cross spar 5. An extension arm 6 is slidably attached to each of the support arms 2. In FIG. 1, the extension arm 6 is shown in its most retracted position, in an arrangement for hanging the shortest garment. In FIG. 2, the extension arm is shown at 7 in an extended position, providing an arrangement for hanging longer garments.

In the following description, the singular form is used to describe features that are identical and for the most part identical on the left and right sides of the hanger. If there are differences, explain the differences.

A detailed explanation of the structure and operation of this embodiment will be given below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. With reference to FIG.
is a box-like structure and preferably includes a cover 10 (shown in FIG. 1), a floor 12 and sides 14. The hook 4 is rotatably attached through an opening provided in the side part 14,
It is. Mounted within the coupling member 3 is a mechanical element for driving the extension arm 6. A motor 16 has a drive pinion 18 that drives a spur gear 20 . Spur gear 20 is part of combination gear 22 . The other part of the combination gear 22 is the crown gear 24. The combination gear 22 is rotatable on a shaft 26, which shaft is mounted on a bearing 28. The bearing 28 is fixed to the floor 12 of the coupling member 3. The combination gear 22 and shaft 26, together with the spring 30 and retainer 32, act as an overriding clutch. The spring urges the combination gear 22 into its operative position, allowing the combination gear 22 to slide on the shaft 26 toward the retainer 32 when the force of the spring is overcome by another opposing thrust force. This occurs when the extension arm is in its fully retracted or extended position.

The crown gear 24 meshes with a pair of bevel gears 34 to drive and transmit rotary motion through a shaft 36. The shaft 36 is mounted parallel to the support arm 2. At the opposite end of the shaft 36 is a worm gear 38, which is held in place by a pin 40. The shaft 36 is supported at one end on bushings 42, which may be mounted on the coupling member 3 or may be integrally formed as part thereof. The opposite end is supported by a bushing 44, which may be mounted on the support arm 2 or 7. Alternatively, it may be integrally molded as a part thereof. An idler bevel gear 46 is mounted on the shaft 26 below the bevel gear 34 .

There is also a thumb wheel 48 on the shaft 26, which may be fixed to the idler bevel gear 46 or formed as part thereof.

The support arm 2 has a body 50, which has a hollow sliding shaft 52 which accommodates the extension arm 6 as well as the shaft 26 and the worm gear 38.

A portion of the slide shaft 52 is configured to hold the extension arm 6 and allow translational movement by means of internal sides 54,56,58. Opposed guide slots 62 are formed in the faces 56,58. The outer periphery of the support arm 2 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. A step-down portion 60 is provided for convenience when the extension arm 6 is nested. The extension arm is a guide that extends from the body 64, the shoulder pad 66, and each side of the body 64 along the body.

It has a rib 68 and a rack gear 70 formed along the bottom of the body 64.

The extension arm fits within and slides within the slide shaft 52 and the guide rib 68 is within the guide slot 62. The rack gear 70 meshes with the worm gear 38.

As can be seen at position A, the direction of rotation of the shaft is counterclockwise (or clockwise) when viewed from the end of each support arm. To achieve simultaneous internal and external movement, the worm gears 38 have the same winding direction, either left-handed or right-handed. Also, worm gears must have the same pitch, distance, and diameter.

Next, the electric circuit will be explained with reference to FIG.

This circuit includes a pair of two position control switches 80.82 which are operated by control buttons 84.86. Spring-loaded switches are normally in the open position. 3
Only one position switch may be used. An outlet 110 is provided to receive external power and drive the motor.

A power module powers motor 16.

A small battery 90 is used for this purpose. This battery is connected to the motor through switch 80.82. When the switch 80 is closed, the motor 16 will rotate in one predetermined direction. Closing switch 82 causes motor 16 to rotate in the opposite direction. operate the motor,
Alternatively, power for charging the battery through jack 90 can be obtained from an external source. Extension arm 6
A stop device may be used to prevent the support arm 2 from falling off the support arm 2. A stop 92 is installed at the end of the rack gear 70. Additionally, a detent 94 may be provided as part of the bushing 44. Therefore, the extension arm 6 is stopped at 92
and cannot extend beyond the point of contact with detent 94.

As is clear, the shape and meshing arrangement of the gears are
Machines like lathes don't require any precision. Instead, relatively imprecise dimensions are sufficient due to low loads and low precision. For the same reason, drive and power transmission parts can be made of plastic or inexpensive metal.

In operation: - For boat fishing, it is desirable to adjust the position of the extension arm 6 according to the type of clothing. For purposes of illustration, it is assumed here that the hanger is initially set with the extension arm 6 in its most retracted position as shown in FIG. Operate the control button 84 to turn the switch 8
0 is closed and the motor 16 is energized. pinion gear 18
rotates, and the shaft 36 meshing with the combination gear 22 via the bevel gear 34 rotates, causing the worm gear 38 to rotate. The worm gear 38 drives the rack gear 70 to perform a linear translational movement, moving the extension arm 6 towards the support arm 2.
slide outward against the When button 84 is released, the switch returns to the open position and movement stops. Actuation of button 86 causes motor 16 to rotate in the opposite direction 2 reversing the entire mechanism. When the extension arm is fully extended, the stop 92 abuts the detent 94. This stops worm gear 38, shaft 36 and bevel gear 34. Then, if the motor is still energized, the crown gear 24 will fly out of mesh, causing the entire combination gear 22 to move upwardly, overcoming the engagement force of the spring 30 until the power is cut off.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the construction is the same as previously described, except that the means used to transmit the rotational movement of the shaft 36 to the extension arm 6 are provided. In this embodiment, the screw 96 is connected to the shaft 36.
placed on or made integral with it. A pair of nuts 98 are attached to the extension arm 6, and these nuts are screwed into the screw 96.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, cable 100.102 runs from the drive source to extension arm 6.
It is used to convey movement. The motor 16 has a bevel gear 104 mounted on its shaft, which meshes with a crown gear 106 on a shaft 108. This shaft 108 is fixed to the coupling member, such as by being pushed into a boss. This performs a 90 degree drive. capstan 1
12 is mounted freely on shaft 108, which may be attached to gear 106 by any convenient means, such as viasing, adhesive, etc., or by molding it as an integral post.

The cable 100 , 102 is wrapped around the capstan 112 and extends along the support arm 2 and then wrapped around the pulley 115 . cable 1
02 is reversed by idler 116. The upper length of the cable 100, 102 is clamped to the extension arm 2 by a clamp 118.

Although two clamps are preferred, only one clamp may be used.

In this way, when the capstan 112 rotates during use,
The extension arm 6 will be moved inward or outward at the same time.

The embodiments described above are illustrative of the means that can be used to carry out the invention. Those skilled in the art can devise equivalent structures within the scope of the claims.

For example, a surface contact friction drive may be used in place of the disclosed geared drive assembly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of the '@1 embodiment of the present invention, showing the extension arm in its innermost position. FIG. 1a is a partial top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 1b is an end view of the extension arm. FIG. 2 is a front view of one hanger arm assembly of the first embodiment, showing the extension arm in an extended position. Figure 2a is a top view of the embodiment of Figure 2; FIG. 3 is a detailed partial diagram of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a transmission mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram of a transmission mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, 1... Clothes hanger, 2... Support arm, 3... Connecting member, 4... Hook, 5... Cross bar 16... Extension arm, 1O... Cover, 1
2... Floor, 14... Side part, 16... Motor,
18... Drive pinion, 20... Spur gear, 22...
・Combination gear, 24...Crown gear, 28...
・Bearing, 30... Spring, 32... Retainer, 3
4...Bevel gear, 36...Shaft, 38...Worm gear, 42...Bushing, 44...Bushing,
46...Idler bevel gear, 48...Thumb operation wheel,
50...Body, 52...Slide axis, 60...
Step down part, 64...Body, 66...Shoulder pad, 68...Guide rib, 70...Rack gear, 80.82...2 position control switch, 84.86.
...Control button, 88...Battery, 90...Jack, 92...Stop, 94...Detent, 96...
・Screw, 98...Natsuto, 100.102...
・Cable, 104...Bevel gear, 106...Crown gear, 10B...Shaft, 112...Capstan, 114...Thumb operation wheel, 115...Pulley, 11
6...Idler, 118...Clamp FIG, 1b

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) a pair of support arms extending from and attached to the joint, a support arm terminating in a free end, and each support arm being slidably mounted near the free end of each support arm; , a pair of extension arms capable of sliding translational movement along the length of each support arm, and a pair of extension arms operable from a coupling to simultaneously move the extension arms either inwardly or outwardly with respect to each support arm; and a drive mechanism capable of translation by the same amount. (2) The adjustable hanger according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism comprises: a drive mechanism provided at the coupling part to receive the drive force/movement; and a drive mechanism that divides the drive force/movement into two separate drive paths. , a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force/motion from the coupling part to the area near each extension arm by these two separate drive paths, and a transmission mechanism that converts the driving force/motion into translational movement of the extension arm near each extension arm. An adjustable hanger comprising: a conversion mechanism; (3) An adjustable hanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive mechanism has an electric motor for actuating it. (4) An adjustable hanger according to claim 1, including a manually operated drive element for actuating the drive mechanism. (5) The adjustable hanger according to claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism has a power receiving element rotationally driven by a power source and includes a rotatable drive wheel having at least one power transmission element; The transmission section includes a pair of rotatable power receiving elements, each power receiving element mechanically engaging a drive wheel power transmission element, such that rotational movement of the drive wheel and power are transmitted to the two power receiving elements. Adjustable hanger characterized by transmission. (6) The adjustable hanger according to claim 5, wherein the power transmission element of the driving wheel is a crown gear, the pair of power receiving elements are bevel gears meshing with the crown gear at substantially opposite positions, and the transmission mechanism are a pair of shafts each fixed to one of the bevel gears, the shafts extending the length of each support arm and terminating near the extension arm such that the conversion mechanism meshes with the rack gear on the extension arm. An adjustable hanger comprising a worm gear on each shaft, the worm gears having the same pitch orientation, pitch distance and diameter. (7) In the adjustable hanger according to claim 6, the drive mechanism includes an electric motor, a pinion attached to the electric motor, a spur gear on the drive shaft meshing with the pinion, and the electric motor in order.
An adjustable hanger characterized in that it has switching means for activating and deactivating in opposite directions. (8) The adjustable hanger of claim 7, further comprising: pressing the crown gear into engagement with the bevel gear when in the engaged position; and pressing the crown gear into engagement with the bevel gear when the opposing thrust force overcomes the pressing force. An adjustable hanger comprising a clutch assembly for disengaging from engagement with the hanger. (9) The adjustable hanger according to claim 5, wherein the worm gear on each shaft is a drive screw, and further
An adjustable hanger characterized in that it includes at least one driven nut riding on each drive screw and fixed to the respective extension arm.