Pinch-grip hanger
AssigneeA&E Products Group LP
InventorsDavid Bokmiller, Andrew M. Zuckerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hanger has a pinch-grip including a pair of vertically-extending components, a biasing spring, and a connector separate and distinct from the biasing spring. The connector pivotably secures together the upper ends of the components for movement, prior to application of the biasing spring to the components, between a substantially unfolded orientation, wherein the components lie in a common plane, and a substantially folded orientation, wherein the components are generally parallel. The connector is integrally molded with the components and configured and dimensioned to lie between the upper ends thereof when the components are in the folded orientation, without substantially inhibiting movement of the upper or lower ends between the closed and open positions.
Claims25
A hanger comprising:
- (A) an attachment portion for securing said hanger to a support;
- and
- (B) at least one pinch-grip for receiving an article for hanging, said pinch-grip including:
- (i) a pair of vertically extending components, each said component defining an upper end and a lower end;
- (ii) biasing means for biasing said lower ends together to a closed position and for permitting separation of said lower ends to an open position by movement of at least one of said upper ends relative to the other;
- and
- (iii) a connector for pivotably securing together said upper ends of said components for movement between a substantially unfolded orientation and a substantially folded orientation;
- said connector being flexible, integrally molded with said components, and configured and dimensioned to extend between said upper ends of said components when said components are in said folded orientation.
A hanger comprising:
- (A) an attachment portion for securing said hanger to a support;
- and
- (B) at least one pinch-grip for receiving an article for hanging, said pinch-grip including:
- (i) a pair of vertically extending components, each said component defining an upper end and a lower end, said pair of components defining a generally parallel pair of component-containing planes;
- (ii) biasing means for biasing said lower ends together to a closed position and for permitting separation of said lower ends to an open position by movement of at least one of said upper ends relative to the other;
- and
- (iii) a connector having a pair of opposed ends for pivotably securing together said upper ends of said components for movement between a substantially unfolded orientation and a substantially folded orientation;
- said connector being flexible, integrally molded with said components, and configured and dimensioned to extend between said upper ends of said components when said components are in said folded orientation;
- said connector being characterized by at least one of the following:
- (a) said connector extending generally perpendicular to said component-containing planes;
- (b) each of said opposed connector ends being connected to a respective component by a respective line of weakness, thereby to facilitate intentional removal of said connector from said components;
- and
- (c) said connector and said biasing means being the same, and said connector being formed of a resilient material possessing memory and biasing said component upper ends apart.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.