Garment hanger

Abstract

A garment hanger including an elongated body with at least one clamp for securely holding a garment is provided. The clamp includes front and rear clamping members pivotally connected to the elongated body, and a suspending member extending upwardly from the body for securing the hanger to a point of suspension. The clamping members have oppositely facing inner surfaces, and each surface has at least one receptacle cavity, with a protrusion therein, for receiving therein a gripping pad in an enhanced pressure-fit interlock. The gripping pad has a first side for contact with the garment and a second side for coupling with the receptacle cavity, in which at least one leg with an aperture is situated and configured for mating with the receptacle cavity and the projection situated therein. Finally, a biasing member is used to bias the clamping members towards one another to hold the garment.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A garment hanger comprising: 
 an elongated body comprising at least one clamp for securely holding a garment to the garment hanger, wherein each clamp comprises front and rear clamping members pivotally connected to the elongated body, and a suspending member extending upwardly from the body for securing the hanger to a point of suspension;    the front and rear clamping members having oppositely facing inner surface, each having at least one receptacle cavity for receiving therein a gripping pad in a pressure-fit interlock, wherein a projection is situated within the receptacle cavity to enhance the pressure fit lock; and    each gripping pad having a first side for contact with the garment and a second side for coupling with the receptacle cavity of the clamping member, wherein the second side of the gripping pad has at least one leg configured for mating with the receptacle cavity and the projection situated therein.    
     
     
         2 . The garment hanger of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one leg of each gripping pad comprises an aperture to receive the projection situated within the receptacle cavity.  
     
     
         3 . The garment hanger of  claim 2 , wherein the aperture has a diameter substantially the same as the projection situated within the receptacle cavity.  
     
     
         4 . The garment hanger of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one leg of each gripping pad has a diameter substantially the same as the receptacle cavity.  
     
     
         5 . The garment hanger of  claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member for biasing the front and the rear clamping members toward one another to hold the garment.  
     
     
         6 . The garment hanger of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated body is in the form of a cross bar.  
     
     
         7 . The garment hanger of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated body further comprises two terminally opposite ends and two clamps situated approximately at the end of each terminal end.  
     
     
         8 . The garment hanger of  claim 1 , wherein the projection is a nipple like projection centrally situated within the receptacle cavity.  
     
     
         9 . The garment hanger of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one leg of the gripping pad is made of flexible material for securely interlocking with the receptacle cavity and the projection therein.  
     
     
         10 . The garment hanger of  claim 9 , wherein the inner surface of each clamping member further comprises a raised collar substantially surrounding the at least one receptacle cavity for providing an additional pressure-fit interlock for receiving the gripping pad.  
     
     
         11 . An improved clamp comprising: 
 a front clamping member pivotally connected to a rear clamping member, wherein each clamping member comprises an inner surface;    at least one receptacle cavity situated on the inner surface;    a nipple-like projection centrally situated within the receptacle cavity; and    a gripping pad having a front surface presented for contact with a garment and a back surface presented for coupling with the inner surface of the clamping member, wherein at least one leg is situated on the back surface of the gripping pad configured for mating with the receptacle cavity and the at least one leg comprises an aperture to receive the projection; and    a biasing member for biasing the front and rear clamping members towards one another to hold the garment.    
     
     
         12 . The clamp of  claim 11 , wherein the aperture has a diameter substantially the same as the nipple-like projection.  
     
     
         13 . The clamp of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one leg of the gripping pad has a diameter substantially the same as the at least one receptacle cavity.  
     
     
         14 . The clamp of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one leg of the gripping pad is made of flexible material for securely interlocking with the at least one receptacle cavity and the projection therein.  
     
     
         15 . The clamp of  claim 11 , wherein the inner surface of each clamping member further comprises a circumferentially raised collar protruding from the inner surface and substantially surrounding the at least one receptacle cavity for tightly fitting around the outer perimeter of the gripping pad when the gripping pad's protruding leg is received in the receptacle cavity.  
     
     
         16 . The clamp of  claim 11 , wherein each clamping member comprises two receptacle cavities for receiving two legs situated on the back surface of the gripping pad.  
     
     
         17 . A gripping mechanism for suspending clothing articles, the gripping mechanism comprising: 
 at least one jaw comprising a first member pivotally attached to a second member about a swivel axis, each of the first and second members having outer and inner surfaces, the inner surface of the first member positioned opposite, approximately parallel to and facing the inner surface of the second member in a closed position, such that the inner surface of the first member can move away from the inner surface of the second member when the first member rotates about the point of swivel in first direction, wherein the inner surfaces of the first and second members each comprise one or more pressure-fit interlocking features in operation with one or more complementary pressure-fit interlocking features on a first side of a gripping pad, in which a second side opposite the first side is configured for snuggly engaging a portion of a clothing item.    
     
     
         18 . The gripping mechanism of  claim 17 , further comprising a biasing mechanism for keeping said jaw in a closed position so that the clothing article can be snuggly engaged in between first and second gripping pads respectively attached to the inner surfaces of the first and second members.  
     
     
         19 . The gripping mechanism of  claim 17 , further comprising means for suspending the gripping mechanism from a point of suspension.  
     
     
         20 . The gripping mechanism of  claim 17 , wherein the outer surface of the first and second members is smooth and free from protrusions or perforations.